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Abstract paper on effects of down syndrome
Down syndrome abstract term paper
Introduction to down syndrome
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Chromosome silencing has led to a breakthrough in the world of Down syndrome, though it has proven to have multiple moral viewpoints that have come to be associated with it.
Down syndrome is one of the most frequently occurring genetic disorders in the human population. Statistically, the chance of delivering a child with Down syndrome rises as the mother grows older. “Researchers now realize that older mothers have more babies with DS because the frequency of meiotic nondisjunction increases in women with age” (O’Conner, 2008). In normal humans, each cell contains 46 chromosomes, 23 from either parent. A karyotype is a mapping of the 23 chromosome pairs. The photo to the left shows a karyotype for a normal male. Each pair contains only two chromosomes for this normal karyotype. 22 of these pairs are autosomes. The last two chromosomes determine whether the person is a female or male. Females have two X-chromosomes. Rather than having two X’s, males have one X-chromosome and then one Y. The picture to the right also shows a karyotype, but this male has Down syndrome. The only difference between these two karyotypes is that the pair for chromosome #21 has one extra chromosome. This is an example of one the most common types of Down syndrome, trisomy 21, and occurs when the person has three copies of chromosome number 21 (Down Syndrome, 2000). Cells have two ways of dividing. The first is called mitosis, which occurs all the time in our bodies. The second, meiosis, is the process of the production for gametes, or sex cells. Down syndrome occurs because a mutation transpired during the meiosis for the creation of the affected individual. During a phase of meiosis called anaphase is when nondisjunction would occur. Anaphase is the ...
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...s Daughters (n.d.). Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21). Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.chkd.org/HealthLibrary/Content.aspx?ContentTypeId=90&contentId=P02356 Hope Seen In Chromosome Therapy For Down Syndrome – Forbes. (2013, November 10). Retrieved February 27, 2014 from http://forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2013/11/10/hope-seen-in-chromosome-therapy-for-down-syndrome
Connor, S. (2013, July 17). Scientists switch off chromosome for first time, raising hope for possible Down's treatment. In The Independent. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-switch-off-chromosome-for-first-time-raising-hope-for-possible-downs-treatment-8714455.html
O'Connor, C. (2008). Trisomy 21 causes Down syndrome. In Nature Education. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/trisomy-21-causes-down-syndrome-318
Down’s syndrome is a chromosomal condition that is caused by an extra 21st chromosome as there is an error in the body’s cell division. Every human has a nucleus in every cell in the body which contains genes that are grouped along with chromosomes. The normal number of
“The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”
Over 40 years ago, two men by the names of James Watson and Francis Crick discovered deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. DNA is hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms (What is DNA?). From this finding, gene therapy evolved. Today, researchers are able to isolate certain specific genes, repair them, and use them to help cure diseases such as cystic fibrosis and hemophilia. However, as great as this sounds, there are numerous ethical and scientific issues that will arise because of religion and safety.
Most cases of Down syndrome are not inherited. When the condition is caused by trisomy 21, the chromosomal abnormality occurs as a random event during the formation of reproductive cells in a parent. The abnormality usually occurs in egg cells, but it occasionally occurs in sperm cells. An error in cell division called nondisjunction results in a reproductive cell with an abnormal number of chromosomes. For example, an egg or sperm cell may gain an extra copy of chromosome 21. If one of these atypical reproductive cells contributes to the genetic makeup of a child, the child will have an extra chromosome 21 in each of the body's cells.
The history of harmful eugenic practices, spurring from the Nazi implementations of discrimination towards biologically inferior people has given eugenics a negative stigma (1,Kitcher, 190). Genetic testing, as Kitcher sees it through a minimalistic perspective, should be restrained to aiding future children with extremely low qualities of life (2,Kitcher, 190). He believes that genetic engineering should only be used to avoid disease and illness serving the role of creating a healthier human race. He promotes laissez-faire eugenics, a “hands off” concept that corresponds to three components of eugenic practice, discrimination, coercion and division of traits. It holds the underlying works of genetic testing, accurate information, open access, and freedom of choice. Laissez-faire eugenics promises to enhance reproductive freedom preventing early child death due to genetic disease (3,Kitcher, 198). However there are dangers in Laissez-faire that Kitcher wants to avoid. The first is the historical tendency of population control, eugenics can go from avoiding suffering, to catering to a set of social values that will cause the practice of genetics to become prejudiced, insensitive and superficial. The second is that prenatal testing will become limited to the upper class, leaving the lower class with fewer options, creating biologically driven social barriers. Furthermore the decay of disability support systems due to prenatal testing can lead to an increased pressure to eliminate those unfit for society (4,Kitcher, 214).
Down syndrome is a very common disorder now a day’s, but not many know what it actually is. Down syndrome was a topic that was not as common back in that day. “John Langdon Down, an English physician, published an accurate description of a person with Down syndrome. It was this scholarly
In the 1920s, a company in New York started a movement known as “The Eugenics Movement.” The idea of eugenics was eventually picked up by Germany, China, Peru, India and Bangladesh. The movement is still in effect till this day; however, it is not as prevalent as it once was.
Down Syndrome: Critically analyze the effects of Down syndrome on people and the support that is available
Many people believe, from common knowledge, that having a Down syndrome cannot be prevented and that it is genetic. This was proved w...
Down syndrome, a genetic disorder, is the most common cause for intellectual disabilities, occurring at an average of one out of every 700 births (CDS, 2006). This disorder is caused by the extra chromosome 21 (also known as Trisomy 21). According to Hassold and Sherman (2002), the probability of giving birth to a child with DS is not linked to any race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographic location. Maternal age seems to be the only etiological factor that may cause DS.
The Human Genome Project is the largest scientific endeavor undertaken since the Manhattan Project, and, as with the Manhattan Project, the completion of the Human Genome Project has brought to surface many moral and ethical issues concerning the use of the knowledge gained from the project. Although genetic tests for certain diseases have been available for 15 years (Ridley, 1999), the completion of the Human Genome Project will certainly lead to an exponential increase in the number of genetic tests available. Therefore, before genetic testing becomes a routine part of a visit to a doctor's office, the two main questions at the heart of the controversy surrounding genetic testing must be addressed: When should genetic testing be used? And who should have access to the results of genetic tests? As I intend to show, genetic tests should only be used for treatable diseases, and individuals should have the freedom to decide who has access to their test results.
Genetic engineering gives the power to change many aspects of nature and could result in a lot of life-saving and preventative treatments. Today, scientists have a greater understanding of genetics and its role in living organisms. However, if this power is misused, the damage could be very great. Therefore, although genetic engineering is a field that should be explored, it needs to be strictly regulated and tested before being put into widespread use. Genetic engineering has also, opened the door way to biological solutions for world problems, as well as aid for body malfunctions. I think that scientists should indeed stop making genetic engineering for humans, because it will soon prove to be devastating to the human race. It would cause rivalries and tension among different kinds of genetically engineered humans for dominance and power.
People with down's syndrome are looked down upon. As if they are misfits who do not deserve a second thought. People with down’s syndrome are bullied everyday and excluded just because of who they are. Down’s syndrome is a genetic chromosomal disorder that 6,000 babies are born with every year. It was proven that children with visible disabilities such as down's syndrome, are more likely to be bullied by their peers. In society, people with down's syndrome are rarely even given a chance to show what qualities they uphold as a person. A study conducted in 2012 shows that thirty percent of babies that tested positive for down’s syndrome disorder were aborted. However, people with down’s syndrome are capable of doing anything they set their mind to. They can be whomever they want to be. People with down’s syndrome can be politicians, teachers, graduates, actors, business owners, author, or even an
The Problem Genetic engineering has been around since the 1960’s, although major experiments have not been really noticed until the 1990’s. Science comes in different forms, the two major being cloning and genetic reconstruction. Cloning is the duplicating of one organism and making an exact copy. For example, in 1996 the creation of the clone sheep named Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned, which was a great achievement. The other form, genetic reconstruction, is used to replace genes within humans to help or enhance the life of an unborn child for a medical reason or just for the preference of a parent.
Due to the fact that the field of biotechnology is very serious and potentially dangerous, rules must be set down in order to keep the research in check. The high risk research of genetic therapy needs guidelines that have to be followed in order to keep the study just. The articles that are discussed in this essay focus on ethical issues and ideas that should be followed in the field in order to keep research safe and valid.