Essays on Human Genetics

Medical genomic can be defined as the utilization of genome-based information in the making of clinical decisions. A broader concept, personalized medicine, is often used to describe the models of healthcare that emphasize the application of an individual’s unique environmental, genomic, genetic, and clinical information to the treatment and prevention of diseases (Brunicardi; Offit). In their practice, doctors combine the results of patient data, which include individual genomic information, family history, medical history, conventional test results, and symptoms. The combination of the data allows the physicians to diagnose diseases accurately and personalize treatment strategies (Alzu’bi et al.). ...

Gene replacement refers to a technique which utilizes homologous recombination (Carter & Shieh, 2010, p. 265), to make alterations by either adding a gene, deleting a gene or including point mutations. Gene replacement attempts to cure most of the genetic diseases at molecular level. A successful gene replacement prevents a protein from causing harm, giving new functions to proteins, and recovering or enhancing the normal function of a protein. This technique is commonly used to prevent, treat or improve animals. This is a permanent process that is very beneficial to animals. The process of animal gene replacement involves several processes ...

1. Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a model organism to study human genetics because: it shares 75% homology with human diseases causing genes. Developmental genes are highly conserved in humans and Drosophila. Certain mutations can affect the same tissue in both the fly and human. Example of homologous genes includes: Hox gene, PAX 6, SALL1, TWIST 1, NKX2-5. Drosophila offers several other advantages that makes it an ideal organism for genetic diseases. The fly is easy to maintain and manipulate. It produces a large number of offspring’s and has a short generation interval that is very favorable ...

Gene Typing Tay-Sachs

Tay-Sachs disease is an inherited metabolic disease of lysosomal lipid metabolism, and it is caused by the mutation of genes encoding the HEXB gene. It is a very severe genetic disorder which occurs in children in most cases and results in progressive destruction of the nervous system of the affected individual (Walker, 2007). The factors that cause the occurrence of the diseases is the absence of the hexosaminidase-A (HEX-A) enzyme that is very critical to have in the human genetic system. The lack of the HEX-A enzyme causes the accumulation of a fatty substance known as GM2 ganglioside in ...

Choose a gene that has been implicated in a human developmental disorder

FOXP2 is a gene that codes for a member of the transcription factors’ forkhead /winged-helix family, FOX. It is situated from base pair 114,086,309 to base pair 114,693,771 on the chromosome 7’s long (q) arm at position 31. The gene has 42 distinct introns, which include 41gt-ag and 1 other. The first FOXP2 report depicted 19 exons, of which two, namely 3a and 3b, are variably spliced into transcripts that cover about 300 kb on the chromosome 7q31 (Lai, Fisher and Hurst).

Several alternative transcripts, as well as protein isoforms, have been predicted on the ...

Introduction

Genetics is an evolving field in modern day science that has been drawing attention and funding in abundance. Various healthcare professionals have varying degrees of knowledge on modern day genetics and its applications. Nurses are also required to possess knowledge on genetics, as well as a good practice on ethics pertaining to genetics. However it is still not an area where everybody is comfortable to handle (American Nurses Association, 2001). Since the completion of genome project in 2003, there is a great interest towards the applications of genetic engineering technology in healthcare. Genetic screening for diseases such as diabetes mellitus, various ...

Introduction

The term “risk factor” is very common in epidemiology. In general sense, it refers to a particular variable that is associated with an elevated risk of infection or disease. Since the number of diseases in the world is very large, the number of risk factors is also every large. The risk factors however vary from one disease or infection to another. However, there are a number of risk factors that are very common and play a significant role in many infections. One of these factors is molecular genetics. As the name suggest, molecular genetics is a genre that mainly deals with the functions ...

Annotated Bibliography on Mental Disorders

Gejam, P. V., Sanders, A. & Kendler K. S. (2011). Genetics of Schizophrenia: New Findings and Challenges. Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. Vol. 12: 121-144 These researchers seek to illustrate that molecular genetics has an impact on schizophrenia. The data collected for this study support the idea that there are rare but common genetic variations in schizophrenia spectrum and other disorders. What happens is that there is normally a polygenic inheritance and genetic overlap that causes schizophrenia and other overlapping psychiatric disorders. If only more informative genotyping and re- sequencing programs are used then, these conditions may never ...

The advancement in molecular genetics and genomics and their application in the field of medicine will raise crucial socio-scientific issues. Science teaching has the objective of educating scientifically literate citizens while genetic and genomic technologies addresses the science courses. The prime goal of the educational policies in all industrialized societies is to provide science literacy in education. The Western world applies a similar set of scientific standards. The key role attributes to genes as determinants of health, behavior, and human identity. Molecular Genetics and Genomics (325) say that genetics is a scientific field with the concern of science literacy. The media ...

Introduction

Annotated bibliography Over the years there has been unending debate of whether the state should use federal funding to support the field of stem cell research or whether stem cell research should be allowed at all. According to Goodwin, This debate which has been looming on for centuries brings our thinking to the ethical question of biotechnological research and the moral use of human organs – the basic fundamental cells of life such as the stem cell. Those supporting the research and even those corporations funding it have proposed their support throwing weight on the fact that unused frozen ...

The Human Genome Project has been developed by the collaboration of US Department of Energy and National Institute of Health, in order to determine the basic building pairs of human DNA which exist in a sequence. Thus in this way, scientist would become able to identify different stages of human evolution with the help of a process known as transcript mapping. This mapping includes identification of those genes which are protein encoded and converts themselves into messenger RNAs during the event of expressing. In this way, they can be separated in the form of complementary DNAs and can be further used ...

Genetic testing also known as DNA based test, involves direct examination of DNA molecules to test for genetic disorders and diseases (Gene testing, 2010). According to the Human Genome Project Information (2010), Genetic testing can be used for various reasons to include: - Identifying people who carry one copy of genes causing diseases such as Huntington’s disease. - Pre-symptomatic testing of adult onset diseases/disorders such as Huntington’s disease - Forensic testing and determining paternity. - Newborn screening and pre- natal testing. DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid, and these are chemical Data bases ...

Abstract

This study examines how humanity’s insatiable appetite for science and technology transformed western nations to attain the level of success associated with the western world. The study looks back in time (18th to mid-20th century) to piece together scientific and technological advancements that played a significant role in the western culture. Most studies dwell on the modern technology leaving a gap on the past. The information submitted in the study is derived from books and journals that offer an insight into the history of science, technology and western culture. An incisive look into the 18th to mid-20th century proves that ...

Introduction

This paper discusses the persistent racial discrimination in the United States of America. It goes ahead to specifically focus on Cain Herman. It does this by using John Hartigan’s, Race in the 21st Century: Ethnographic Approaches. In this book, Hartigan explores the theme of racism and other forms of discrimination in the USA. According to John Hartigan, discrimination is the belief that one person is more equal than the other due to race, colour, tribe, language, creed, polical affiliation, place of birth, gender or age. Naturally, people are diverse. However, we may be unjustified to cling on our ...

1.0 Introduction Breast cancer is a type of disease where certain breast cells develop abnormally mostly in the milk ducts and lobules leading to formation of tumors. The exact cause of breast cancer is a topic that has flavored many debates and researches but still remains unknown. However a plethora of research has established that certain risk factors have a direct linkage with breast cancer. Breast cancer related risk factors are wide and varied and may include lifestyle choices like smoking/ diet or factors that are beyond the control of a person like gender, age or family history. It is however worth noting ...

Introduction

Breast cancer is a type of disease where certain breast cells develop abnormally mostly in the milk ducts and lobules leading to formation of tumors. The exact cause of breast cancer is a topic that has flavored many debates and researches but still remains unknown. However a plethora of research has established that certain risk factors have a direct linkage with breast cancer. Breast cancer related risk factors are wide and varied and may include lifestyle choices like smoking/ diet or factors that are beyond the control of a person like gender, age or family history. It is however worth noting from the start ...