Medical News Today reported this month a new test that may allow screening for Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited form of mental retardation. Currently two separate tests are needed to detect mutations. The initial test, a polymerase chain reaction, can rule out FXS mutations in about 75 percent of women. The remaining 25 percent, require a second test, the Southern blot analysis, to determine if the mutations are present. This would require millions of expensive, time-consuming tests each year; therefore, population screening for FXS is currently seen as impractical. The new automated test is intended as an initial screening test. Positive results require further testing and should reduce the need for the Southern blot test by 99 percent. For more information, go to www.medicalnewstoday.com.

Online Continuing Education Credit

• The Connecticut Department of Health, in conjunction with the University of Connecticut Health Center and School of Medicine, is offering free Newborn Screening in Connecticut training and CEUs for all neonatal health care providers. According to Government Technology/News Report, each year "more than 40,000 babies born in Connecticut are screened for hearing loss and over 40 genetic or metabolic disorders. The screenings are conducted within days of birth, before the baby goes home from the hospital. About 5 percent, or 2,100 of the infants screened, will have a positive screening result. Further testing can then be done. For more information, go to www.genetrain.org.

• Go to academyonline.org to check out the 2007 online courses offered by The Academy of Neonatal Nursing™: Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder Associated with Trisomy 2, Cloacal Exstrophy: A Case Study, Immunodulation, Part V: Probiotics, Potassium and Sodium Homeostasis in the Neonate, and Newborn Screening: A Literature Review. More courses coming soon.

Professional Workshops

• Children's Medical Ventures offers a wide variety of professional educational programs, including The Wee Care Program, The Yellow Brick Road: Supporting the Hospitalized Infant and Family Through Their Journey, and an interactive (and unusual!) workshop, Preemie for a Day. Click here for more information.
  

Conferences and Meetings

• September 5-8, 2007, The Academy of Neonatal Nursing™ and Neonatal Network® are sponsoring the 7th National Neonatal Nurses Meeting: "The Smallest of Patients, The Best of Care" in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is sure to be an outstanding event with current topics, poster presentations, and plenty of time to catch the shows. Members can attend the membership meeting on Friday during lunch to meet the Academy Executive Director and the advisory board members, and discuss ideas for membership benefits. Register with 3 collegues and recieve $25 off each tuition. Groups of 5 or more receive $30 off each tuition. To register for the conference, or for more information, visit neonatalnetwork.com or academyonline.org.

IPOKRaTES and UENPS: International Links

The International Postgraduate Organization Knowledgetransfer Research and Teaching Excellent Students (IPOKRaTES) is an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that offers educational seminars to postgraduate students, as well as established specialists. IPOKRaTES conducts at least two nursing seminars per year. Upcoming seminars include Nursing, Clinical Inquiry Using Evidence in Practice in Geneva, Switzerland, June 24, 2007, and Pediatric/Neonatal Surgery November 29-December 1, 2007, in Leipzig, Germany. Chairperson Martha A.Q. Curley, RN, PhD, FAAN, Director of Nursing Research at Children's Hospital in Boston, can be contacted at Martha.Curley@Childrens.Harvard.edu for program requests and information.

The Union of European Neonatal and Perinatal Societies (UENPS) is a roof organization integrating European neonatal and perinatal societies. The UENPS, in cooperation with IPOKRaTES, will pursue the formation of this organization by inviting all talented neonatal and perinatal professionals from inside and outside Europe. One of the 12 goals of UENPS is to publish European guidelines under the supervision of world experts. Take a look at these ground-breaking European organizations at www.IPOKRaTES.org. For UENPS info, click on the icon on the IPOKRaTES homepage.

Foundation for Neonatal Research and Education (FNRE)

FNRE offers grants and scholarships to prepare neonatal nurses for the future by strengthening nursing practice through research, evaluation of interventions, and patient outcomes. The Academy of Neonatal Nursing™ supports this nonprofit foundation by generously donating one dollar for every membership. For more information, go to www.inurse.com/fnre.

The 2007 Excellence in Neonatal Practice Award

The Academy of Neonatal Nursing™ wishes to recognize the accomplishments of those nurses who strive to provide the best care for their patients and have an unbending will to do their best. Nominate yourself or a colleague now for ANN's most prestigious award. For more information, go to academyonline.org and click on "Scholarships/Awards." The deadline is August 1, 2007. Go for it today!

The Academy of Neonatal Nursing is not responsible for products or links mentioned in this newsletter. They are provided as a convenience and should not be viewed, in any way, as an endorsement of any particular website, company, product, service, idea, or viewpoint.