Are we ready for universal genetic screening?

Newborn Screening: Are We Ready for It?

The newborn screening (NBS) programme is a complex and organised system consisting of family and personal education, biochemical tests, confi rmatory biochemical and genetic tests, diagnosis, therapy, and patient follow-up. The programme identifi es treatable metabolic disorders, possibly when still asymptomatic, by using dried blood spot (DBS). Over the last 20 years, tandem mass spectrometry ...

Are we ready for universal school-based asthma screening?: An outcomes evaluation.

BACKGROUND Asthma is the most common chronic condition of childhood and a common reason for school absenteeism and use of school health services. Unrecognized but symptomatic childhood asthma may be adding to this school burden. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of school-based asthma screening in identifying children at high risk for unrecognized asthma and facilitating new asthma diag...

Global Health Governance Challenges 2016 – Are We Ready?

The year 2016 could turn out to be a turning point for global health, new political realities and global insecurities will test governance and financing mechanisms in relation to both people and planet. But most importantly political factors such as the global power shift and “the rise of the rest” will define the future of global health. A new mix of health inequity and security challenges has...

Are We Ready for Mass Screening to Detect Atrial Fibrillation?

Screening for Prostate Cancer: Are We Ready?1

Prostate cancer, a common malignancy worldwide, and a dominating one in western countries, remains one of the great challenges in cancer control (1 , 2). Prognosis is poor in cases with spread beyond the gland (3), and therapeutic progress has been slow (4). At first glance, screening appears attractive. Indeed, lively interest and enthusiasm for screening have arisen in recent years, notably i...