What if you knew your child has genes [basic, functional units of heredity, each occupying a specific place on a chromosome.] to be the next Einstein and you could very well bring out the best in him?

An increasing no. of parents in the United States and Europe are getting their kids undergo a DNA or gene test that might give them an insight into the child's future prospects.

While some claim that knowing the results could help parents make decisions about where their kids might excel; others wonder if such a test is really a good idea.

Early gene mapping for future

The DNA test offers parents a glimpse of their kids future. It is a technology that promises to revolutionize the way we groom our children.

It is possible to determine a child's genetic makeup or genetic map well before he or she first kicks a ball, learns to swim or even before takes his or her first step.

"A child can be tested directly right after they're born," Mike Weinstein of Atlas Sports Genetics said. "Because of this in-depth gene mapping knowledge we can determine the inborn or natural talents of your child. "

Even, India has started using "sports genetics" to ascertain what sport their children will do best in when they grow up.

Doctors use information contained in the so-called "sports gene ACTN3" to predict what kind of game the child would excel in as an adult.

"Analysis of the ACTN3 gene can be used to predict the kind of muscle fibre the child will develop as he/she grows up. Based on this we can figure out the body's capacity to adapt to different sports," says a leading orthopedic surgeon in Chennai.

Till date, at least 100 parents across India have got their children's special genes [basic, functional units of heredity, each occupying a specific place on a chromosome.] tested.

How is it done?
The DNA talent test is done with a simple saliva [mixture of water, protein, and salts that makes food easy to swallow; begins digestion] swab costing Rs. 2,000. The ideal age to take the test is from 4 to 10 years.

The sample can collect as many as 10,000 cells that enable scientists to isolate up to 40 different genes.

By studying the genetic code, scientists can extract specialized DNA information about a child's IQ, athletic ability, artistic ability, emotional control, focus and other talents and even health and disease related factors.

China leads in DNA testing: CNN
Though the technology is fast getting popular all over the world, but in China, most parents are using this specialized DNA Talent Testing so they can steer their child along an athletic and scholastic path to which they are genetically suited, reported CNN.

In fact, the Chinese government has special programs for talented children as young as 2 years. Under the program, lucky parents are given scholarships and may even be paid a government salary, if needed.

If some are labeling the test as an attempt by performance-obsessed parents to overburden children already under pressure, many have welcomed the futuristic approach with both the hands.

A two-and-a-half days old baby underwent laparoscopic surgery for congenital diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) at The Cradle hospital on recently.

Also, the baby was discharged after ten days, a rarity since most are kept for around four weeks. However, since it was a laparoscopic surgery, the recovery was faster, said Paediatric Surgeon Dr S Ramesh.

The baby was diagnosed with CDH during the pre-natal test done in London, where the doctors said that the baby's survival may be only 50 per cent. So Jasna Ramakrishna, the baby's mother, flew to Bangalore and consulted at The Cradle.

Dr Kishore Kumar, neonatologist, said CDH was a birth defect which causes an abnormal opening in the diaphragm, the muscle that helps a person breathe. The opening allows part of the organs from the belly (stomach, spleen, liver, and intestines) to go up into the chest cavity near the lungs. The prevalence of CDH in new born babies is one in every 2,000-4,000 live births in India. Family history increases the chances of a baby developing CDH.

A month before the Commonwealth Games begin, Delhi seems to be losing its fight against dengue. On Sunday, 59 new cases were reported. In 2009, only four cases had been confirmed till August 29. In 2010, the figure has hit 800. What's worse, the domestic breeding checkers (DBCs) - who go door-to-door to check mosquito breeding - have decided to skip work from Monday.

There are 3,200 DBCs who work on a contractual basis for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). They have threatened to stop work until they are made permanent employees.

The reasons to worry are many. "We have been admitting 15 to 20 dengue patients every day. Seventy-five per cent of more than 50 suspected dengue cases are turning positive on a daily basis," said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, director, Internal Medicine, Max hospital, Saket.

The anti-malaria employees' body is firm on its demand. "They (MCD) have been making false promises for years. We will stop work from tomorrow," said the general secretary of the body, Ashok Chaudhary. The civic agency has said the demand cannot be fulfilled since it is facing a fund crunch.

The government Friday denied that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines were responsible for the reported deaths from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

'In Andhra Pradesh among 14,091 vaccinated girls, five deaths have been reported whereas in Gujarat two deaths were reported among 10,686 girls,' Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

'The cause of deaths in Andhra Pradesh were determined as suicide, viral fever, drowning and heat stroke and in Gujarat deaths were suspected due to snake bite and severe anaemia with malaria,' he said.

The HPV vaccination was carried out by an international NGO programme for Appropriate Technology in Health as a post licensure (operational research) study of HPV vaccination in three blocks each of Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh and Vadodara district of Gujarat.

Azad said the HPV vaccination aimed at reducing the risk of cervix cancer, gaining experience in HPV vaccination and to build evidence based vaccine delivery strategy for future introduction of HPV in the universal immunisation programme.

The minister however added that state governments have been instructed not to carry out any further vaccinations.

Parliament cleared the amended Indian Medical Council Act bill on Thursday, Aug 26.

The bill proposed to reconstitute the Medical Council of India (MCI) within one year and establish a board of governors, which will the incharge of the MCI's functions.


Registering medical practitioners, monitors and gives recognition to medical colleges, and degrees to doctors were among the functions, done by MCI.

The health minister said that there was shortage of 5.5 lakh doctors and the government had drawn up innovative plans to meet the requirement of medical staff in rural areas.

The population to doctor ratio in urban areas was 2,000:1 while it was 9,500:1 for rural areas, informed the health ministry.