Glossary

organogenesis – the process of development of baby’s main organs. This period is the first 12 weeks in the womb.

NASBA (nucleic acid sequence based amplification) – a type of viral load test.

percutaneous – umbilical cord sampling see cordocentis.

cerebrovascular refers to the blood vessels taking blood to the brain.

A blockage that restricts blood to the brain is called a stroke.

Strokes can occur when blood vessels in the brain block, or when a clot formed in another part of the body is carried to the brain.

nanotechnology – science working with tiny particles at the level of manipulating individual molecules. This is an exciting field of medicine. Drugs developed with nanotechnology would need much lower drug doses (hopefully cheaper and having fewer side effects) and would be longer lasting (perhaps being taken every2–4 weeks).