Have you ever wondered what your children will look like? whether they will be boys or girls? or perhaps what your fate may be? Well, someday we may be able to answer all those questions and many more with genetic testing. Scientist are making new discoveries every day in the field of genetics that could possibly change our whole world as we know it. They are presently working on a project called the Human Genome Project, that will map and sequence the human genome. The basic goal of the ambitious research endeavor is to identify every gene found in the human body. There are approximately one hundred thousand genes in the human body; in a larger view, these genes are sequenced by about three billion nucleotide base pairs! Most research involved with this project focus on tests to identify genes associated with medical conditions, or at least thought to be. Once the genome sequence is known, the opportunities are endless for what scientist can discover through genetic testing about diseases and the relationship they have on the human body.
Molecular genetic testing can be dated back at least from the time when physicians were tasting urine to detect glycosuria. Today, the term molecular genetic testing refers specifically to nucleic acid analysis, usually involving DNA. In order to have successful genetic testing, scientists must unsure the highest quality of the testing process. This quality assurance includes laboratory accreditation, director certification, and proficiency testing. Surveys have been done on many research laboratories and have reported that some don’t make the grade. Although some didn’t have the correct requirements; a large menu of tests offered, a dedicated clinical laboratory, and board certification of the laboratory director, there was no direct evidence that serious errors were being made. For example, even if a laboratory does not follow every recommended procedure for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) containment, it does not necessarily mean that problems will occur or if they do, that such problems would go undetected and lead to false results. To set the world’s mind at ease, there are more and more groups formed every day which are dedicated to making genetic testing efficient and reliable (3).
The type of molecular genetic testing that is generating the most intense interest involves those associated with disease. This type of testing has the potential to reduce the impact of genetic diseases on the human race.
In 1990, the first great stride of genetics took place. This was called the Human Genome Project, a large-scale operation that was designed to understand the human genome (genetic structure). Since its commencement, there have been many leaps and bounds that have taken place. For certain genetic issues that we once knew nothing about, we no...
Human Genetic Screening and Discrimination in Gattaca. Works Cited Missing A few months ago I watched a movie called Gattaca, which dealt with the issue of genetic discrimination in the near future. In the movie, people were separated into two classes, those that were genetically screened and positively altered before birth and the class that was unaltered. The separate classes had stark divisions, from what jobs that you were able to apply for to where you could eat. Security was aimed at keeping unaltered people away from the enhanced people.
...American often assumes a person ethnicity by their appearance rather than their ancestries. The race relations in the U.S are nowhere near the idea of a blurred color line.
Washington Heights is a very culturally diverse community which is located on the northern tip of Manhattan. It extends from 155th street to 200th street. Washington Heights is the highest point of Manhattan at 265 ft above sea level, which makes this area a great place for magnificent views of the city, the Palisades, the Harlem River and the lower Hudson Valley. Washington Heights also known as "Little Dominican Republic," is mainly a Latin America neighborhood inhabited mainly by immigrants from the Dominican Republic. The neighborhood was once called Harlem Heights until its name was changes to commemorate the American Revolution. Despite its large Dominican population, Washington Heights is a multicultural, multilingual and multiracial neighborhood. The neighborhood is home to many different Spanish speaking residence such as Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Columbians.
Advantages of genetic testing may be helpful in determining whether or not you have a disease or are proba...
Due to the human genome project and other genetic research, tests for mutation which cause diseases have been developed. The list of these illnesses include several types of cancer. Doctors have estimated that as many as 3,000 diseases are due to mutations in the genome. These diseases include several types of colon cancer in which three different genetic tests have been already developed. Debates have arisen on whether these tests should be used regularly or not. Questions including the patients= rights of privacy and the possibility of loss of health or life insurance have been argued over in both the media and political arena.
Physical aging is a natural process that appears within psychosocial and behavioral contexts that greatly influence the progression of an individual’s experience of aging. Aging is often associated with greater exposure to disease and disability. The primary auditory disorder of many older people is difficulty understanding speech in noisy situations or competing speech, or that their communicators speak too fast, or do not articulate clearly enough. Age-related hearing loss, also known as presbycusis is a gradual and progressive hearing loss that affects most individuals as they age. Due to the slow evolution, adults with age-related hearing loss may not recognize that their hearing ability is decreasing, but if they do, they may acknowledge it as typical aging. Age is the greatest risk factor for sensorineural hearing loss, of greater degree in the higher frequencies and increasingly progressive. The term presbycusis reflects both peripheral and central auditory system dysfunction. Nevertheless, hearing loss is often mistreated due to its hidden sense that is always anticipated to be operating. Nevertheless, it is essential to study and understand aspects of several different types of hearing loss as it may be socially debilitating.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (November 2002). Retrieved October 17, 2004, from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp
First, let's consider the situations in which genetic testing would be beneficial to patients. Genetic testing for diseases that are preventable or treatable could allow individuals to alter their lifestyles so as to treat the disease or reduce their risk of developing the disease. For instance, the E2 version of the APOE gene, which is found on chromosome 19, has been linked to heart disease (Ridley, 1999). Individuals who have two copies of the E2 gene are particularly sensitive to high-fat and high-cholesterol diets. Therefore, a genetic test to determine whether a person has the high-risk version of the APOE gene could inform a person of future health risks, thereby allowing the person to change his diet to help prev...
Morris, D. T. (1993). Cost containment and reproductive autonomy: Prenatal genetic screening and the American health security act of 1993. American Journal of Law & Medicine, 20, 295-316.
In today’s world, people are learning a great deal in the rapidly growing and developing fields of science and technology. Almost each day, an individual can see or hear about new discoveries and advances in these fields of study. One science that is rapidly progressing is genetic testing; a valuable science that promotes prevention efforts for genetically susceptible people and provides new strategies for disease management. Unnaturally, and morally wrong, genetic testing is a controversial science that manipulates human ethics. Although genetic testing has enormous advantages, the uncertainties of genetic testing will depreciate our quality of life, and thereby result in psychological burden, discrimination, and abortion.
Living in a world with no sound whatsoever is a reality to millions of people worldwide, regardless of age, race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Approximately 5% or 360 million people of the world’s population have deafness or hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization. Deafness can be either acquired or congenital depending on several factors, including genetics and health of the individual. Congenital deafness is the loss of hearing present at birth. Being born deaf has many consequences, both positive and negative. According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, over 50% of congenital deafness is due to hereditary and genetic issues. However, non-genetic factors can cause deafness in an individual at birth as well. Disease and illness while in utero of either the mother or child can cause the child to become deaf...
Genetic testing is the process of sequencing six billion letters of a human genome to possibly discover genetic differences, such as how cells carry the same genome but at the same time look and function different. Genetic testing is also the process that can give foresight into pathological diseases such as different types of cancer.
In the U.S, women live longer than men, 81 years on average for women versus 76 for men, and recent studies reveal a troubling trend. Hearing loss is a hidden disability and many times it is not obvious to others or to the person who has it. The onset of hearing loss is not always noticed and usually progresses slowly over time. Little by little the sounds of the world and the speech of loved ones and friends become difficult to differentiate and understand. There is a tendency to believe that others are not speaking clearly or are speaking in a soft voice. As hearing worsens, the hearing-impaired individual is likely to develop feelings of depression and of being isolated socially. She may gradually stop going to meetings, the theater, movies, places of worship, parties or out to restaurants with friend...
Genetic testing has become very popular as technology has improved, and has opened many doors in the scientific community. Genetic testing first started in 1866 by a scientist known as, Gregor Mendel, when he published his work on pea plants. The rest was history after his eyes opening experiments on pea plants. However, like any other scientific discovery, it bought conflicts which caused major controversies and a large population disagreed with the concept of playing with the genetic codes of human beings. Playing God was the main argument that people argument that people had against genetics. genetic testing became one of the major conflicts conflicts to talk about, due to the fact that parents could now have the option of deciding if they