...Personalized Medicine Pharmacy has been a key component of medicine for generations. From witch doctors providing herbal remedies, to the recent use of pharmacogenomics, medicine has always worked differently for different people. However, new advances in technology and understanding of the human body have allowed humans to leap forward and save lives. Genetic testing can improve the use of prescription drugs in many ways. Prescription drugs do not always work, and can sometimes be toxic to the users. This is due to the differences between different people and the fact that everyone has a different genetic makeup. For example, Her2/neu genes code for a protein receptor, the Her2 receptor, which deals with cell growth and differentiation. Some polymorphisms in the Her2/neu genes can change how some women’s breasts grow, leading to possible tumors. Cancer can also cause mutations, making the Her2/neu genes overactive, leading to tumors. Thus, women with breast cancer are routinely checked for Her2/neu over-activity. Physicians prescribe a drug called Herceptin to these Her2/neu positive patients. Herceptin does not work as well with patients that are Her2/neu negative, and in fact can be toxic to these patients (1). Thus, genetic testing allows us to change treatments in a way that could be life saving. However, genetic knowledge can change a person’s life, either through ability to act preventatively or by paralyzing a carrier with the weight of a decision. Gene...
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...The novel Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon is a young adult fiction. Madeline is a sick 18 year old girl who has spent her whole life inside due to a disease called “SCID”. This is a rare disease that anything can trigger her sickness just by a touch. Madeline reads a lot of books in her white room which is where she spends more of her time. She has her mom and her nurse Carla, who takes care of her. Maddy falls in love with a boy named Olly who moved in just next door. These two spend time messaging and gazing through the window at each other and creating a deep bond with one another. The author develops an idea of tolerance that Olly and Madeline have toward one another, Olly’s caucasian and Maddy is half Japanese and half African-American...
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...Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) was a rare disorder that newborns inherited. SCID effected the immune system making it very life threatening, making the body weak. Children with this disease can be easily affected with pneumonia, meningitis, or other infections. Vaccines that contained viruses and bacteria such as the Measles, Polio, and Chickenpox could make the child very ill. Gene therapy is one of many treatments for SCID but has been known to cause Leukemia in a few cases. Is it morally permissible for the researchers to use gene therapy even when they know it may give children Leukemia after treatment? Given that gene therapy has helped save several children lives I believe gene therapy is permissible. What reasons do I have to believe gene therapy is morally permissible? Well according to the theory of Ethical Egoism, the morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil for oneself. Meaning in every situation the right action is the one that advances one’s own best interests. It’s in the best interest of all to not have SCID and have the chance of getting better and living a normal...
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...Bubble kid [18]: Nina Graeme was 5 weeks old baby. Her mother, Aga Warnell, observed something wrong with her baby, she wasn't hungry in the way her other daughters had been. Within weeks, Nina became very ill, says her father, Graeme. She was admitted to hospital with a rotavirus infection. Then she picked up pneumonia. In the hospital the doctors revealed a condition called (severe combined immunodeficiency or SCID). She was born with immune system defects due to a genetic defect. In this condition, the patient must live in a sterile environment. The doctors said to her father that she probably wasn't going to survive. Nina had a disorder called (ADA_SCID) this condition is caused by a genetic defect in the gene coding for adenosine deaminase enzyme . This enzyme usually dispatches a toxic molecule from WBCs. In its absence the toxin builds up, killing defending cells. The therapy began in April, first stem cells from Nina's bone marrow were harvested, then worked on ADA gene, finally these cells were injected back in. In August her WBCs count had nearly doubled. After one an half year of gene therapy, Nina was a happy little girl had a functioning immune system....
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...considered insulting • Marriages are arranged • Resources • Sheep • Cattle • Wool • Yarn • Jewelry • Pottery Developed as a Final Project for Cultural and Spiritual Considerations in Nursing King College RN to BSN Program Professor Dr Phyllis du Mont Jimmy T. Davis Summer/2012 The Navajo Nation Customs • Nomads • Weaving • Burial Rituals • Hogans Dietary Guidelines • All foods consumed must come primarily from nature. • Meats: Elk, antelope, rabbits, rats, Health • Diabetes Mellitus • Reproductive-Organ Cancer • Alcoholism • Severe Combined Immunodeficiency(SCID) Street Address Suite 555 City, State 55555 www.webaddress.com E: email@address.com P: 555-555-5555 M: 555-555-5555 F: 555-555-5555 Company Name Here Religious Influences • Believes humans are related to 4 legged animals, birds, and the land. Worship is based on Mother Earth & Father Sky. Cultural Differences • Very family oriented • Spiritual healers used rather than medicine Cultural Differences - Decision Making • Marriages are arranged • The Hogan is burned if death occurs inside of it, or struck by lightning. Extended Family • The entire nuclear family lives in same Hogan...
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...A ABA: abscisic acid AIDS: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome AM: annealing mix ampr: ampicillin-resistance gene amu: atomic mass unit AP: alkaline phosphatase ARS: Agricultural Research Service ATP: adenosine 5’-triphosphate au: absorbance units B BLAST: Basic Local Alignment Search Tool, a computer program that allows researchers to compare biological sequences bp: base pair BS: Bachelor of Science Bt: Bacillus thuringiensis (B. thuringiensis) C CaCl2: calcium chloride cDNA: copy DNA CD4 cells: referring to human white blood cells, which contain the cell surface recognition protein CD4 cm: centimeter CF: cystic fibrosis CD: compact disc CDC: Center for Disease Control and Prevention cGMPs: good manufacturing practices CHO: Chinese hamster ovary cm: centimeter CPDP: Comprehensive Product Development Plan CO2: carbon dioxide COOH: carboxyl [group] CT [scan]: computed tomography CuSO4: cupric sulfate (anhydrous) D dATP: deoxyadenosine triphosphate, the cell’s source of cytosine (C) for DNA molecules D: diopter DEAE: diethylaminoethyl DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid dH20: distilled water ddNTP: dideoxynucleotide dNTP: deoxynucleotide triphosphates (the dATP, dCTP, dGTP, and dTTPs) DMV: Department of Motor Vehicles DPA: diphenylamine [solution] DTT: dithiothreitol DVM: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine E EDTA: ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay EPA: Environmental Protection Agency EtBr: ethidium bromide EtOH: ethanol ...
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...transplantation of normal genes into cells in place of missing or defective ones in order to correct genetic disorders (Genetics home reference, n.d). This is a promising treatment for diseases such as inherited disorders, some types of cancer, and certain viral infections. The way this treatment works is by introducing genetic material into cells to compensate for genes that are abnormal or are not making beneficial proteins. Mutated genes can cause a protein to be faulty or missing, so a new copy of the gene is introduced to proper function of the protein. This is still a very risky technique and is under study to make sure it will be safe and effective. Currently, it is only being used to treat diseases such as severe combined immunodeficiency—also referred to as SCID or boy-in-the-bubble syndrome—where patients are unable to fight infection and die in childhood (Scientific American, n.d). A further break down of the processes of gene therapy will help to understand exactly how to treatment works. A gene cannot be inserted directly into the cell or it will not function. A carrier called a vector has been genetically engineered to deliver the gene to the cell. This vector can be used in two ways: in-the-body gene therapy and out-of-the-body gene therapy. In-the-body therapy can be injected or given intravenously (through an IV) directly into a specific tissue of the body. In out-of-the-body gene therapy, researchers take blood or bone marrow from a patient and separate...
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...English 102 4 November 2013 Gene Therapy The ability that gene therapy gives humans, could easily be looked at as playing God. In simpler words could scientists be making human bodies survive deathly diseases, or are scientists just simply damaging future gene pools? Ethically speaking, are scientists improving bodies to save Gods people, or are scientists just trying to make Gods people perfect and in the end just damaging the bodies’ people inhibit. The amount of technology for gene therapy is bursting into a quicker pace day by day, with some thoughts though, is it going quick enough? Gene therapy is one of the most amazing advances in the medical field. Being able to know we can change ones genetic history is something out of the ordinary. Being able to change diseases could benefit our survival in the long run. The thought of being able to treat diseases with the hope of cures for such diseases as Cancer, AIDS, PKU, etc. should be thought of as a "God sent." There could be no thought of a superhuman as a result. It is just childish to think something like that can happen. With our genetic makeup causing no harm or pain, the line should be drawn to this point. Gene therapy is one of the most tremendously helping advances in the medical field. Just being able to think that it can help with genetic diseases and disorders is something out of the ordinary. The thought that scientists can help the human race survive these diseases...
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...three-dimensional structure of the lungs and the involvement of many cell types in lung function make research on lung regeneration challenging. Recent discoveries of lung tissue stem cells are now opening doors in this difficult but worthy area of research Recent progresses in stem cell research allow investigators to study cell-based therapies in the treatment of lung diseases. Embryonic stem cells were first derived from the inner cell mass at the blastocyst-stage embryo. There is relatively limited knowledge about the endogenous progenitor cells of human lung tissue until recently. Moodley and colleagues performed a xenograft implantation in which they injected human amnion epithelial cells parenterally into bleomycin-treated severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice as pulmonary fibrosis model and demonstrated reduced inflammation and fibrosis. The injected cells also developed an alveolar epithelial phenotype with lamellar body formation and expression of surfactants A and D., Kajstura and coworkers recently identified stem cells from adult human lung tissue using the stem cell antigen marker c-kit. After being administrated into an injured mouse lung, the cells demonstrated pluripotent capability of generating human bronchioles, alveoli, and pulmonary vessels within the damaged organ. Although some disputes exist on tissue-specific adult human lung stem cells in Kajstura study these evidences collectively suggest that isolated adult lung stem cells are potentially of great clinical...
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...fifty years. The idea of stem cells was first made public by a Russian-American Scientist named Alexander Maksimov in 1908. However it was not until 1963 that two Canadian Scientists were able to actually demonstrate the existence of self-renewing cells found in the bone marrow of mice. The Scientists were James E. Till and Ernest A. McCulloch. So although Maksimov was the first person who put the idea of stem cells out there, it is really Till and McCulloch who are credited with proving that stems cells actually existed. Since Till and McCulloch, many Scientist have contributed to the huge advances in stem cell research. In 1968, the first successful bone marrow transplant was conducted on two siblings suffering from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), a primary immune deficiency which typically results in the onset of one or more serious infections within the first few months of life. These infections are usually serious, and may even be life threatening. In 1978, the presence of Haematopoietic stem cells were discovered in human cord blood cells. Haematopoietic stem cells, are multipotent stem cells that give rise to all the blood cell types. In 1981, Scientist were able to derive embryonic stem cells from mice. One of the biggest advancements in all stem cell research came in 1997 when a link between Leukemia and Haematopoietic cells was established, and in 1998, scientists at the University of Wisconsin, were the first to derive human embryonic stem cells. Although...
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...INTRODUCTION Before the dawn of recorded history, caregivers, parents, and health care providers have had to treat the pain and discomfort that accompanies the arrival of an infant's first tooth. Once viewed as a disease state, teething is now considered a normal part of the human growth cycle. Obviously, caregivers will want to minimize the discomfort that is associated with the process. The purpose of this review is to discuss normal tooth development in the growing child, the signs and symptoms that accompany teething, and what treatment options are available to provide relief. NORMAL TOOTH DEVELOPMENT To most caregivers, teething is the period of time preceding the eruption of an infant tooth. In actuality, teething begins prior to birth. Primary tooth formation is an ongoing process that begins in utero and proceeds through early childhood, when the root formation of the particular tooth is completed, which may be 2 to 3 years after its initial eruption from the gum.1 The pulp and dentin develop from the mesoderm while the enamel arises from the ectoderm approximately 28 days after conception. Primary (i.e., baby teeth) develop below the gumline during the first trimester, approximately during the sixth week of pregnancy; permanent teeth (i.e., adult teeth) develop at 3 or 4 months of age, which is when the primary teeth become calcified (i.e., covered with a hard enamel). A substantial amount of calcification occurs between 3 and 12 months of age. This process starts...
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...Walter Glannon: Genes, Embryos, and Future People Bioethics, 02699702, Jul98, Vol. 12, Issue 3 ABSTRACT: Testing embryonic cells for genetic abnormalities gives us the capacity to predict whether and to what extent people will exist with disease and disability. Moreover, the freezing of embryos for long periods of time enables us to alter the length of a normal human lifespan. After highlighting the shortcomings of somatic-cell gene therapy and germ-line genetic alteration, I argue that the testing and selective termination of genetically defective embryos is the only medically and morally defensible way to prevent the existence of people with severe disability, pain and suffering that make their lives not worth living for them on the whole. In addition, I consider the possible harmful effects on children born from frozen embryos after the deaths of their biological parents, or when their parents are at an advanced age. I also explore whether embryos have moral status and whether the prospects for disease-preventing genetic alteration can justify long-term cryopreservation of embryos. INTRODUCTION Recent advances in reproductive biotechnology have given us the ability to intervene in the process of human biological development from embryos to people. One type of intervention is the testing of embryos for genetic defects that cause disease, which enables us to choose between allowing these embryos to result in disabled people or selectively terminating...
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...Student Examination into the Causes, Treatment, and Prognosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta Anitra Swann Baltimore City Community College Professor McNair AH 130 October 18, 2011 Abstract Osteogenesis Imperfecta is a heritable disorder of bone formation resulting in low bone mass and a propensity to fracture. It exhibits a broad range of clinical severity, ranging from multiple fracturing in utero and perinatal deaths to normal adult stature and a low fracture incidence. The disorder is currently classified into seven types based on differences in bone architecture. In addition to its primary effect on the skeletal system, the alterations in connective tissue may affect several extra skeletal structures, such as the cardiovascular system, sclera, middle and inner ear, tendons/ligaments, and central nervous system. Patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta also have a greater incidence of airway anomalies, cardiovascular anomalies, and increased incidence of perioperative bleeding, easily fractured bones and teeth. Treatment of Osteogenesis Imperfecta by bisphosphonate therapy can improve bone mass in all types of the disorder, and while not being a cure for the disorder does improve the quality of life of the patient. This paper will examine the causes, treatment, and prognosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Student Examination into the Causes, Treatment, and Prognosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is an abnormally brittle bone disease that is inherited...
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...Biotechnology Insulin crystals Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make useful products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use" (UN Convention on Biological Diversity).[1] Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with the (related) fields of bioengineering and biomedical engineering. For thousands of years, humankind has used biotechnology in agriculture, food production and medicine.[2] The term itself is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by Hungarian engineer Karl Ereky. In the late 20th and early 21st century, biotechnology has expanded to include new and diverse sciences such as genomics, recombinant gene technologies, applied immunology, and development of pharmaceutical therapies and diagnostic tests.[3] Definitions of biotechnology The concept of 'biotech' or 'biotechnology' encompasses a wide range of procedures (and history) for modifying living organisms according to human purposes — going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants, and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization. Modern usage also includes genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture technologies. Biotechnology is defined by the American Chemical Society as the application of biological organisms, systems, or processes by various...
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...Primary adrenocortical deficiency Pernicious anemia (antibodies to intrinsic factor or parietal cells → ↓IF → ↓Vit B12 → megaloblastic anemia) Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, precocious puberty, café au lait spots, short stature, young girls Hereditary nephritis with nerve deafness Progressive dementia • Loss of light reflex constriction (contralateral or bilateral) • “Prostitute’s Eye” – accommodates but does not react • Pathognomonic for 3°Syphilis • Lesion pretectal region of superior colliculus Cerebellar tonsil herniation through foramen magnum = see thoracolumbar meningomyelocele Columnar metaplasia of lower esophagus (↑ risk of adenocarcinoma)- constant gastroesophageal reflux Hyperreninemia Similar to Duchenne, but less severe (mutation, not a deficiency, in dystrophin protein) CNVII palsy (entire face; recall that UMN lesion only affects lower face) IgA nephropathy causing hematuria in kids, usually following infection Defect in platelet adhesion (abnormally large platelets & lack of platelet-surface glycoprotein) • Circle of Willis (subarachnoid bleed) Anterior Communicating artery • Often associated with ADPKD Carcinoma in situ on shaft of penis (↑ risk of visceral ca) [compare w/...
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