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Show A-15 The Park Record Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, November 12-15, 2005 Utah studies Down syndrome detectors By CAREY HAMILTON MediaNews Group Wire Service Salt Lake City - As a result of the nation's largest obstetricalmaternal study ever, women could find out sooner in their pregnancies if their babies are going to be born with Down syndrome. Researchers at LDS Hospital, University Health Care, McKayDee Hospital and Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, all in Utah, helped discover improved prenatal testing methods for the disorder, which is the most common cause of serious birth defects. The FASTER (which stands for First and Second Trimester Evaluation of Risk for Aneuploidy) study, published in Thursday's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, likely will change the way all pregnant women are screened. Researchers compared the traditional method of screening for Down syndrome, done in the second trimester, to new first trimester screening. The test . could lead to "improved preparedness for pregnant women and some pregnancy terminations," said, physician Jan Byrne, associate professor at the University of Utah's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1\velve thousand of the more than 38,000 women in the study were from Utah - making up the largest group in the nation. Down syndrome affects one in 800 babies nationally, and the risk significantly increases with women who get pregnant after age 35. "What this means for our patients is that we now have more, accurate information, earlier in their pregnancy," said physician T. Flint Porter, medical director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Program at LDS Hospital and principal investigator of the study at LDS Hospital and University Health Care. "Our patients will have greater peace of mind when the results are normal and we will have fewer pregnancy losses after amniocentesis," he said. "Best of all, however, is that we will have more time to prepare when the results are abnormal and overall better care of newborns with problems." By adding the first trimester screening, which included a free ultrasound and blood test, detection rates for Down syndrome babies improved from 65 percent to 70 percent to more than 95 percent. Also, the number of women who experienced false positive tests - which are followed up with amniocentesis, tests of the fluid surrounding a fetus that can result in miscarriage - dropped from more than 5 percent to less than 2 percent. During the ultrasound screenings, researchers looked at the necks of fetuses. Thicker necks indicated the babies had extra fluid, a sign for babies with the disorder. They also examined proteins made during pregnancy to see if the levels were abnormal, another red flag for a baby with Down syndrome. The findings were met with mixed reactions. After losing her first child when she was six months pregnant, Suzanne Attix joined the FASTER study to make sure nothing was wrong with her next child, now a healthy 3-year-old girl. 'Td had a tragic loss, so I was worried," the Salt Lake City woman said. "The test reduced my worries significantly." But Marvelle Morgan, past president and a board member of the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation, said she wouldn't have wanted to have known ahead of delivering her 12-yearold son, Alec, who was born with the disorder, had it. "I was 25 wheri I had him, so my chances were pretty slim," the Riverton woman said. "It wouldn't have made a difference. Abortion wouldn't have been an option. And I think I would have spent my pregnancy fretting because children with Down syndrome can have heart and other serious health problems." Students manage investments By WILL SHANLEY MediaNews Group Wire Service Greeley, Colo. - It's not . often that twentysomething college undergraduates get to manage an investment portfolio that . tops $1 million. Then again, there aren't many programs like the Student and Foundation Fund at the « University of Northern Colorado here. Each semester up to 14 busi« ness students are selected to par. ticipate in the school's increasingly popular investment class. • The students are given the •. authority to manage a $1 million slice of the school's $69.8 million • endowment. The student-run investment .' fund - a mix of stocks, bonds and cash - has consistently outperformed the endowment's pro• fessional money managers, school officials said. During the ' last three years, the fund has produced a 6.6 percent annual return. The student's have largely •used a* growth . approach ,- ' investing in companies that are > expected to produceiabove-aveT1 agfe earnings growth. Some of the best performers were Panera *. Bread Co., biotech company Genentech Inc. and Phelps Dodge Corp., a copper producer. In years past, such investment ' programs were mostly reserved for graduate students. But recently, a growing num. ber of undergraduate schools are ' allowing students to invest cash instead of mock money, said - David Sauer, a business profes- sor at the University of Dayton, which each year hosts a student investment conference. "There's been a tremendous amount of growth at the undergraduate level," said Sauer. "Schools that don't offer (an investment program) won't be able to compete." Nationwide, student-run investment funds have increased from 45 in 1995 to more than 185 today, Sauer said. About a third of those are for undergrads. Colorado State University in Fort Collins launched a similar, albeit smaller, program with a $50,000 private donation in the late 1990s. The University of Colorado at Boulder also recently started a program with a private - gift, school officials said. The UNC program, which launched in 1992 with $200,000 from the school's foundation, has since received three cash infusions totaling $350,000. The fund has been capped at about $1 million, so returns are periodically reinvested in the endowment. The program's popularity, and the student's success, has prompted other schools to draw ' on UNC's experience, said John Ciinebell, the UNC professor who helped craft the program more than a decade ago. In fact, Texas State University-San Marcos recently hired UNC professor Ken Moon to start a similar program there. UNC's fund is the third largest undergraduate fund in the country, Ciinebell said. "It's about trying to merge the academic world with practical, real PARK V ^ - C I T Y COFFEE ROASTER Fresh roasted daily WE WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THE OPENING OF THE DAN'S ESPRESSO BAR INSIDE DANS .SUPERMARKET THEY WILL BE SERVING PARK CITY COFFEE ROASTER FAMOUS LOCAL BLENDS ALONG WITH THEIR CERTIFIED LINE OF ORGANIC AND FAIR TRADE COFFEES. PLEASE STOP BY FOR ANY FREE DRINK 11/16 THRU 11/18 AS A THANK YOU TO THE LOCALS. 1500 SNOWCREEK DR 645-7916 OTHER LOCAL SPOTS: MAIN STREET DELI, ALPINE INTERNET CAFfi, DVR SIGNATURES CAFfi, PROVISIONS, & SULLYS CAFE I world opportunities," he said. Hannah Judson, a 23-year-old senior/ has been in the program for three semesters, this one as portfolio manager. Students can only take the pass/fail class twice for credit, but Judson said the thrill brought her back a third time. "I do it because I love it," said Judson, who will graduate next month with a finance degree. "At our age, you are not usually going to manage $1 million." The students begin each semester by crafting an economic forecast aimed at helping them select which sectors to invest in. Typically, the fund mirrors the S&P 500, but this semester the students leaned toward energy and away from technology. Each student picks an industry sector to track, and the class must vote before buying or selling a stock. The practice of analyzing balance sheets and picking stocks will help the students find jobs in Denver's growing financial services sector, said Lee Korins, a finance professor who has taught the class since 2002. He said about half of the students in the program go on to careers in financial services. David Battilega, a former fund portfolio manager at the school who now works at Three Peaks Capital Management in Greenwood Village, Colo., said the experience was instrumental in his landing the job. "Going into the investment field, it was the only experience I had," he said. "It was pretty significant." Season Parking Pass Heated Underground Parking, Protected from the Elements at The Chateaux at Silver Lake just a few steps from the Lifts at Silver Lake Village Passes are valid through April 16, 2006 Only $250 per space Daily parking also available - $10 per day- Space is limited Call today! To purchase parking passes call: David Nelson, General Manager The Chateaux at Silver Lake 435-658-9511 or stop by The Chateaux front desk Kids' Kollection Holiday drifts r lc i Handcrafted Treasures • Melissa & Doug Wooden Toys THREE UNIQUE RESORTS c I TM IT. I N O N EE X C I T I N G TOWN • Brand-Name Consignment Pork City Chamber/Bureau presents -plus- PARK CITY ANNUAL TOURISM SYMPOSIUM " Snowsu its & Holiday clothing The Canyons Grand Summit Hotel November 16, 2005 1:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Don't miss this community kick-off event for the 2005/06 winter season and the opportunity to discover what local businesses will offer visitors this winter! Jom us at Park City's most hjjwrious sushi resta'Jrantl 1:30 - 7 p.m. - Winter Tourism Tradeshow 1:30 p.m. - Speaker Presentation Registration 2 - 4:30 p.m. - Speaker Presentation Features: • Welcome message from the new director of the Utah Office of Tourism • United States Ski ft Snowboard Association offers updates on the team season for the lead-up to the Torino Winter Olympics • Three Park City Ski Resort Presidents offer a sneak peek for the upcoming season with a Q£tA • SKI Magazine discusses Park City resort rankings for the year and industry highlights for the winter • Official welcome to Rossignol/Quiksilver as they establish a new mountain center in Park City • Salt Lake City International Airport presents expansion plans and industry insight * 4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Tradeshow Mixer and Winter Fashion Show (free and open to the public) EATCST SNOW ON EARTH ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI! The Hideaway Located in the Miners Club At the Canyons 4070 Willow Draw Enjoy a sneak peek at the latest and greatest in haute ski couture at the 2005 Fashion Show. 'Available Sin, Wed, &. Tkurfrom 5- 9 pm Certain restrictions apply. recommended, hut tot repaired 645-4400 sp:z\ ,-:*£T£. [5V*; ,&'( " ^ • '••"', * -'.'.".y. <J£?;* ' ^ ^ $ j f *$$, ^ V P now for the Industry Speaker Presentation (Cost $10.00) fef^ ! • * ." • [ : ' " • • : 1910 PROSPECTOR AVENUE . 435-649-6100 b Y c a l l i n 9 435-649-6100. The deadline to RSVP for the speaker presentation is Friday, November 11. 800-453-1360 WWW.PARKCITYINF0.COM INF0@PARKCITYINf0.COM ^ |