the aim of the clinical laboratory in endocrine disease diagnosis and management is detecting either the hormones or their downstream reaction metabolites or some other related substances. in the case of hormone measurement almost all the routine methods are based on immunoassay with different labels (radioimmunoassay, enzyme linked immunosorbant assay, chemiluminescence assays …) and different...

Genetic tests are currently being offered to the general public with little oversight and regulation as to which tests are allowed to be sold clinically and little control over the marketing and promotion of sales and use. This article provides discussion and data to indicate that the general public holds high opinions of genetic testing and that current media outlets for public education on ge...

This unit covers statistical methods of linkage analysis that do not require the assumption of a detailed genetic model, as is required for standard lod score analysis. The unit has been updated to include the latest methods in sib-pair analysis, including updates to using the software program SIBPAL as well as the relative-pair analysis software applications GENEHUNTER, GENEHUNTER PLUS, and Me...

Several tests of cation concentration and transport are being studied among members of large Utah pedigrees as part of a study of the genetic and environmental determinants of essential hypertension. Corrected urinary sodium excretion and plasma sodium concentration correlated well in spouses and siblings (r = 0.21-0.54, p less than 0.001), suggesting the effects of shared family environment (e...

"Genetic Witness: Forensic Uses of DNA Tests" summarizes the findings of a 204-page report by the U.S. Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). It reviews the DNA techniques used in criminal casework, evaluates the validity and reliability of the technologies, examines issues of quality assurance, reviews the legal implications of the use of DNA tests by U.S. courts, and analyzes t...

We use likelihood-based score statistics to test for association between a disease and a diallelic polymorphism, based on data from arbitrary types of nuclear families. The Nonfounder statistic extends the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) to accommodate affected and unaffected offspring, missing parental genotypes, phenotypes more general than qualitative traits, such as censored survival...

Industry forecasts indicate that Canadians will soon face a marketing avalanche to persuade them to purchase personal genetic test kits. But while American officials are moving to regulate do-it-yourself genetic testing kits because of concerns that results may be erroneous or may prompt patients to alter their medications or make other unhealthy choices, Health Canada says it is open season fo...

Robert Plomin* F.M. Spinath Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, Denmark Hill, London, UK SE5 8AF. *e-mail: [email protected] Inter-individual differences in performance on diverse psychometric tests of cognitive abilities – such as verbal, spatial, memory and processing speed – intercorrelate about 0.30 on average an...