...DISEASES in the BRAIN -Locked-in Syndrome http://www.cdrex.com/ -is a condition in which a patient is aware and awake but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except for the eyes. Total locked-in syndrome is a version of locked-in syndrome where the eyes are paralyzed as well.A rare neurological disorder characterized by complete paralysis of voluntary muscles in all parts of the body except for those that control eye movement. It may result from traumatic brain injury, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases that destroy the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells, or medication overdose. Individuals with locked-in syndrome are conscious and can think and reason, but are unable to speak or move. The disorder leaves individuals completely mute and paralyzed. Communication may be possible with blinking eye movements. -Tourette's(http://tourettecamp.com/index.php) syndrome is an inherited neurological disorder. Early onset may be during childhood, and is characterized by physical tics and verbal tics. The exact cause of Tourette's, other than genetic factors, is unknown. -Huntington's(http://huntingtonsaustralia.asn.au/)& http://www.huntingtonsociety.ca/english/content/?page=Staff%20Bio, http://www.hdsa.org/about/our-mission/what-is-hd.html Huntington's Disease: a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no cure and only one...
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...Genetic Testing and the Human GMO The controversies surrounding genetic testing, patenting and the modification of genes both as used in disease treatment and genetic enhancement are on the verge of becoming larger realities. I Intro The initial draft of the Human Genome project is now completed, giving access to the DNA sequences of a human. But it is not the genetic information that is shared that has come under the greatest degree of interest. Rather, the estimated .001% of variance in the genetic code is the subject of recent and expanding controversy; it is our difference not similarities that are most subject to controversy. One such controversy involves the genetic screening of potential employees, to spot potential problematic areas in their genetic make up. Similarly insurance companies may screen clients before deciding what category of clientele to put them in based on genetic risk factors. But the greatest controversies come with the fact that our genetic make up is alterable. There is substantial research being done on how human diseases can be treated using genetic procedures to replace faulty genes, but who stands to profit from this and what are the potential risks? Furthermore, can a treatment based on human genetic information (which is shared by all) be subject to the same patent laws as are other commonly used medicinal tools and methods? And perhaps the most controversial is the prospect of enhancing humans using genetically fostered techniques...
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...Benefits 1 Running Head: EUGENICS: HEALTH BENEFITS AND THE FUTURE Eugenics: Health Benefits and the Future Abstract The study of eugenics is propelling the world quickly into the future. Eugenics is the study of genetically engineering enhanced humans. This genetic engineering is done through modification of certain traits on an embryonic level, to create a heritable trait. Once modified, these traits will be passed on to the offspring of this individual, as well as demonstrated in that particular individual. The traits that can be modified are as simple as hair color, eye color, skin color, ability to grow muscle mass, body build, etc. They can be as complex as prevention of cancer and other gene-based diseases. Gene modification to create enhanced humans is an evolutionary necessity. In the day and age where the aspects of oneself can be modified with enough money or enough time, it is only natural that society would progress to the point where they would want to modify their offspring. The prospect of eugenics (literally, "well born") is not new, it spans back to the 1800's, when Sir Francis Galton created the word to define the basis for inheritance of intellect. He theorized that through the process of uncontrolled breeding, the unintelligent were outweighing the intelligent. Galton was not too far off according to movies such as Idiocracy, where the world becomes exclusively populated by morons. In ancient Sparta,...
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...into the body to treat diseases. It is the name applied to the treatment of inherited diseases by corrective genetic engineering of the dysfunctional genes. It is part of a broader field called genetic medicine, which involves the screening, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of hereditary conditions in humans. The results of genetic screening can pinpoint a potential problem to which gene therapy can sometimes offer a solution. Genes represent the genetic material that organisms pass on from generation to generation. Therefore, genes are responsible for controlling hereditary traits and provide the basic biological code or blueprint for living organisms. Genes produce protein such as hair and skin as well as proteins that are important for the proper functioning of organs. Mutated or defective genes often cause disease. The purpose of gene therapy is to replace a defective gene with a normal copy of the same gene in attempt to restore function. Initially conceived as an approach for treating inherited diseases, like cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease, the scope of potential gene therapies has grown to include treatments for cancers, arthritis, and infectious diseases. Although gene therapy testing in humans has rapidly advanced, in general, the field of gene therapy has proven to be problematic and complicated by a variety of ethical issues. For example, some scientists are concerned that the integrating genes into the human genome may cause disease (Bio Technology). There...
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...THE GENETIC ENGINEERING: FRIEND OR FOE By The discussion about genetic engineering has been going on for a long time. Over the last two decades the science behind genetic engineering has advanced rapidly. Since scientists have gained the ability to map most of the human genome, they have begun to understand the different ways that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) can be manipulated or altered. The manipulation and altering of DNA can be done by many different methods, but the goals of these methods are all the same; to manipulate the genetic material in order to change its hereditary traits or to produce biological products. Experiments have been conducted in many different areas to include: bacteria, naturally produced drugs, plants, livestock, and laboratory animals. Many processes around genetic engineering are still in the experimental stages, but some processes that deal with bacteria, natural produced drugs and plants have gained approval from agencies such as the Federal Department of Agriculture. The most controversial matters about genetic engineering is its potential us in human beings. This brings rise to many ethical and moral issues about genetic engineering, which we will discuss. In general there are three techniques used in the manipulation of human genes, they are cloning, somatic cell manipulation, and human germline manipulation. In general, cloning consists of creating exact copies...
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...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 their further development. Alternatively, in the foreseeable future it may become possible to prevent disease by correcting...
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...Unit II: Genetics Brief Overview Reading: Chapters 3, 4, 9-12, 14 (Note: you have reviewed much of this already) The earth is teeming with living things. We can easily see some of the larger organisms—trees, grass, flowers, weeds, cats, fish, squirrels, dogs, insects, spiders, snails, mushrooms, lichens. Other organisms are everywhere, in the air, in water, soil and on our skin, but are too small to see with the naked eye—bacteria, viruses, protists (single celled eukaryotes such as amoebae), and tiny plants and animals. Life is remarkable in its complexity and diversity, and yet it all boils down to a very simple idea—the instructions for making all this life are written in nucleic acids, usually DNA. Most organisms have a set of DNA that contains the instructions for making that creature. This DNA contains four “letters” in which these instructions are written—A, T, G, and C. The only difference between the code for a dog and the code for a geranium is in the order of those letters in the code. If you took the DNA from a human and rearranged the letters in the right way, you could produce an oak tree—arrange them slightly differently and you would have a bumble bee—arrange them again and you would have the instructions for making a bacterium. Acting through more than two billion years, the process of evolution has taken one basic idea—a molecular code that uses four letters—and used it over and over, in millions of combinations to produce a dazzling array of life forms...
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...be presenting the affirmative argument and the negative argument will be presented by Kristen, Judy and Deb. Sex selection, also known as gender selection, has attracted great interest and controversy over the years. Gender selection has been associated with a number of ethical, moral, social and legal issues. Sex selection may be performed for medical reasons to avoid sex-linked diseases or for parental preference. The topics I will be covering include eugenics, beneficence, utilitarianism and pre-genetic screening in regards to sex linked diseases. Eugenics can be defined as the study or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species. In the context of IVF treatment positive eugenics encourages reproduction by implantation of healthy embryos with inheritable desirable traits and negative eugenics seeks to identify and dispose of embryos found to carry undesirable inheritable traits. Utilitarianism in the context of IVF sex selection and genetic screening is defined by the principle of utility which seeks to judge moral rules, actions and behaviours on the basis of their consequences. Where an action produces the best possible outcome; that being the greatest good for the greatest number it is seen as ethical and moral. Therefore the testing, screening and disposal of genetically impaired embryos and implantation of only healthy and preferred embryos is justifiable because the outcome is seen as beneficial for the majority. The ethical principle...
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...green, or blue eyes) among individuals in a population. • These traits are transmitted from parents to offspring. • One possible explanation for heredity is a “blending” hypothesis. ° This hypothesis proposes that genetic material contributed by each parent mixes in a manner analogous to the way blue and yellow paints blend to make green. ° With blending inheritance, a freely mating population will eventually give rise to a uniform population of individuals. ° Everyday observations and the results of breeding experiments tell us that heritable traits do not blend to become uniform. • An alternative model, “particulate” inheritance, proposes that parents pass on discrete heritable units, genes, that retain their separate identities in offspring. ° Genes can be sorted and passed on, generation after generation, in undiluted form. • Modern genetics began in an abbey garden, where a monk named Gregor Mendel documented a particulate mechanism of inheritance. A. Gregor Mendel’s Discoveries 1. Mendel brought an experimental and quantitative approach to genetics. • Mendel discovered the basic principles of heredity by breeding garden peas in carefully planned experiments. • Mendel grew up on a small farm in what is today the Czech Republic. • In 1843, Mendel entered an Augustinian monastery. • He studied at the University of Vienna from 1851 to 1853, where he was influenced by a physicist who encouraged experimentation and...
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...psychology there are many different approaches. An approach is a perspective that involves certain beliefs about human behaviour. Such as the way they function, which features of them are worthy of study and what research methods are suitable for undertaking the study. Within an approach, there will be several different theories which share common assumptions. Each perspective has its strengths and weaknesses and has something different to our understanding of human behaviour. There are six perspectives in psychology, which are: Behaviourism Social learning Psychodynamic Humanistic Cognitive Biological The biological approach The biological approach examines thoughts, feelings, and behaviours from a biological and physical point of view. Arnold Gesell (18808-1961) believed that development occurred to a sequences of maturational processes. For example, development in the womb follows a fixed set of stages: the heart begins to form first, along with a rudimentary nervous system. Bones and muscles develop next and over time the organism developed into a fully functioning human being, ready to be born. Through Gesell’s observations and research, Gesell concluded that children go through predictable stages of growth. Gesell’s theory form the basis for just about every other developmental theory. Gesell believed that child development occurs according to a predetermined, naturally unfolding plan of growth. Gesell created a spiral-like pattern to describe...
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...clusive use at Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad (IMT,HYD), 2015 9-109-017 REV: FEBRUARY 18, 2009 ROBERT SIMONS KATHRYN ROSENBERG NATALIE KINDRED Sydney IVF: Stem Cell Research At Sydney IVF we absolutely respect your beliefs. Because of this, we have taken the care to devise acceptable assisted conception programs for virtually all faiths—Christianity (including the Brethren), Islam, Judaism (including supervised kosher treatment cycles), Hinduism, and Buddhism. We guarantee that your eggs and your sperm will never be used in a way that you have not explicitly or implicitly consented to. — (Sydney IVF website) This case study describes the strategy implementation choices made by executives at Sydney IVF Limited: an Australian business that tested and performed research using human embryos derived from in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization (IVF) was a process that allowed human eggs to be fertilized outside a woman’s womb. In a typical IVF cycle, a woman’s ovaries were stimulated with fertility drugs to encourage the production of anywhere from 3 to 30 eggs. These eggs were then retrieved from the ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a glass test tube or petri dish—hence the Latin term in vitro, which means “in glass.” The fertilized eggs grew in a specialized culture medium (a nutrient-rich salt solution) for several days. The resulting embryos—clusters of cells that form after an egg is fertilized—were then transferred back to...
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...The neurofibromatoses (NF) are genetic disorders of the nervous system. At this time two distinct forms are known: NF1 and NF2. One baby in every four thousand is born in the United States with NF1. It is one of the most common genetic disorders, affecting some one hundred thousand americans. NF2 is less common and occurs in only one and every forty thousand births. In both forms of NF severity of symptoms vary greatly. The effects can be severely disabling, mildly disfiguring or can even go undetected. Several other names for this disorder have been used in the past but recent advancements in understanding the disorder made some of those terms obsolete. NF1 was previously known as peripheral neurofibromatosis, or von Recklinghouasen’s disease after the doctor who first described it in 1882. NF2 was called bilateral acoustic nuerofibromatosis, central neurofibromatosis, or vestibular schwannoma. NF is found in every racial and ethnic group throughout the world and affects both sexes equally. Both neurofibromatosis1 and neurofibromitosis2 are caused by abnormal genes. This disease cannot be "caught" from someone who has it already. . A common early sign of NF1 is six or more tan spots on the skin. They are called "cafe-au-lait" (French for "coffee with milk") spots. These spots are often present at birth, and may increase in size and number with age. They also may become darker. More than half of affected children have some signs ...
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...a Fad – Position Paper Celiac disease (CD) and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is on the rise. Although general consensus states that the diseases’ incidence varies greatly, research conducted in the last 30-40 years contradicts those claims. Yes, the proliferation can be partially credited to increased efficiency in diagnostic techniques and the “mainstream” status of the diseases, but the spread of affliction in not only the US and Europe, but to geographic areas not historically affected by CD and NCGS, is equally enigmatic. A 2010 cohort study, with data collected since 1974, illustrated that CD increased 5-fold from 0.2% in 1975 to 1% 25 years later (1). A study in Scotland has marked a 6.4-fold increase...
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...tie our DNA to our possible future in the way of diseases is amazing and scary. The Human Genome Project is a project that was created by the U.S. Department of Energy in conjunction with the National Institute of Health in order to determine the complete DNA sequence of a person’s hereditary information. The project started in 1990 and was finally completed thirteen years later in 2003. The goal of this project was as follows: “identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA, store this information in databases, improve tools for data analysis, transfer related technologies to the private sector, and Address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.” (Popular Issues Home, 2012) So far in the project: “more than 60 disease-linked genes have been identified and are believed to be advantageous to gene-based therapy development”; going forward scientist hope to identify all of the estimated 80,000 genes in human DNA. (Wattanapitayakul & Schommer, 1999) The total cost of this project was $3 billion dollars this includes the study of” human diseases, experimental organisms (such as bacteria, yeast, worms, flies, and mice); development of new technologies for biological and medical research; computational methods to analyze genomes; and ethical, legal, and social issues related to genetics. Human genome sequencing represents only a small fraction...
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...and reasoning. Memory loss is usually accompanied by at least one of the following symptoms: impaired movement, difficulty with language and the inability to plan and initiate appropriate social behavior. Dementia ranges in severity from mild problems in functioning to the most severe stage of complete dependence. There are several types of dementia. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disease. It slows and destroys memory and thinking functions as well as the ability to complete even the simplest everyday tasks. Age related Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia in people over 60. The World Health Organization (2001) estimates that 5 percent of men and 6 percent of women suffer from Alzheimer’s disease worldwide (Whitbourne & Halgin, 2012). Throughout the coming decades the baby boom generation is expected to add 10 million Alzheimer’s cases to the U.S. population alone (Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 2013). Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, which causes issues with the thinking process, memory, and behavior. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s develop slowly and gets worse as time goes on. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s memory loss is very mild but as it progresses it starts disrupting their daily lives. Some of the symptoms that someone may have that shows Alzheimer’s are challenges in planning or solving problems...
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