Epigenetic Research

The human body carries trillions of cells, and each cell is specialized for particular functions in bones, brain, and the muscles. The difference in each cell is determined when each set of genes are controlled by each cell. The epigenome takes full control of how these changes take place in the cells to the

A vital foundation for a high-quality care delivery is an efficacious communication between the patient and the healthcare providers (Gengler & Jarrell, 2015). Fadiman (1997) recounted the conflict between a refugee family from Laos and a small hospital in California over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong girl with severe epilepsy, in her book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Despite both sides wanting the best care for Lia, the lack of cross-cultural communication between her Hmong family and her American doctors, lead to her tragedy (Fadiman, 1997). Awareness regarding the disparities in culture and language of our patient with ours and how to address them should be taken into account when providing healthcare since the life of a

Epigenetics is the future of science. It has evolved from being a science that very few believed in, to one that will shape medicine as it is known. As the Human Genome Project began, the goal was to determine which genes controlled what phenotypes in a human. After all the genes were identified and mapped, the expression of the genes that the scientists had just discovered was also beginning to be analyzed (EPIGENETICS). Although every gene had been identified and associated with a function, there were genes that if not expressed or not turned on, would create a different scenario. That is, the idea that the genotype of an individual would determine their phenotype was reinforced. Epigenetics however is the study of the switching on or off of the genes responsible for a particular action (Feinberg). For example, all of the organs of a single person have the exact same DNA as the others, yet a lung looks drastically different from a kidney. This is due to the expression of the genes responsible for creating a specific organ. If scientists are able to control the switching on and off of these genes, then many extraordinary possibilities exist.

In addition to my professional experiences, I’ve had personal experiences that further highlight how important it is to be sensitive to other cultures and the human condition. Last year I lost my father after a 4 year battle with cancer. The experience I had as his primary caregiver has made me more appreciative of the human condition.  Throughout the years of doctor’s appointments and procedures, I

The most compelling piece of information that I read from the article "Epigenetics: Its What Turns You On...and Off" (Schardt, 2013) is how children born from the same mother, before gastric bypass surgery and after the surgery, had different patterns of epigenetic marks than their siblings. It would not have crossed my mind that being overweight would actually have an affect on your genes, that could be passed down to your offspring. Researchers have also reported that the gene IGF2 was more turned on in those born to obese fathers, which might increase the risk of becoming overweight in adulthood (Schardt, 2013). So they chances that a child becomes overweight is on both parents and not just one.

Volunteering at Kaiser Permanente played a significant role in my decision to pursue a career in healthcare as a physician. When I was observing a physician repair a head laceration, there was a disjunct communication between the patient and physician. Because I am fluent in Vietnamese, I understood the patient’s fears as she muttered words in her native language that expressed her confusion and fear while the physician attempted to console her in English. When I explained the doctor’s processes in her native language, Vietnamese, she was elated someone could reassure her worries, especially when family members do not understand enough English to comprehend the situation. Through various observations of nurses, physicians, and Emergency Department

Epigenetics, essentially, affects how genes are read by cells, and subsequently how they produce proteins.

Researchers first thought the genes you receive from your parents are set in stone since they are made of a genetic code set in our DNA sequence;however, they are discovering that there is a second layer of structure that combines with DNA to decide whether or not a gene is active or not, called the epigenome. The epigenome consists of the DNA, histones, a protein DNA is wrapped around, and chemical tags. The epigenome alters the genetic code by directing signals. The signals come from the environment, which are reacted upon by epigenetic tags to turn a gene either on or off without affecting the DNA sequence. Certain things from our environment that send signals to epigenetic tags to change our genes in the epigenome includes the following:

Epigenetics can be defined as a way of turning on and off certain genes in your body, which as evidence has shown, we have a lot more control of than we thought. The video on epigenetics was so great, I did not have a clear idea of what epigenetics was. Watching the video really enlightens how far we have come in research of the human body. I find the advancements that have been made using epigenetics with cancer to be one of the best sections of the thirteen minute video. Just knowing the fact that half of the patients that complied with the research whom had cancer to begin with are now in remission is a great accomplishment. I also found the fact that we have more control over our epigenes, we are to modify our own genes by just following

My diversity and culture are important to attributes for me in becoming a healthcare worker. These attributes help me understands the patient better and their emotions during the time. As a first generation Chinese immigrant, I was the one who my relatives would call if they have any help that involved English. Most of the trips involved hospital visits, after a few trips with my relatives when I was in my teenage years. I understood the emotions that my relatives go through. The constant worries that they had if their visit is covered if the condition is lasting, and their ability to continue to work. It was those trips to the doctor's office that helped me understand the things that people go through when they’re in the waiting room of a

Part of this is due to evidence that epigenetic modifications are sensitive to environmental change. Some people (5) are taking note of the epigenome of healthy cell types to obtain reference epigenomes using “high-density genome-wide next-generation sequence analysis”. (6) Some think that the growing amount of information given by epigenetic sequencing will lead to new clues as to the cause and how to treat mental illnesses. Studies have pointed to several associations with depression, schizophrenia and bipolar depression. This has yielded some interesting results, yet they are not always reproducible. Due to this, it is unclear whether epigenetic association studies in mental illness would be more productive. And then it gets complicated. When testing, large sample sets we come across problems that detract from reliability, such as the use of control groups that have been screened for lack of mental

I took a semester off in the Spring of 2012 and 2013. In 2012, I helped care for my grandfather, who suffered from lung cancer and passed away that April. During my time off, I volunteered in the pediatric department of the hospital where he was staying. The inoperable nature of his cancer spurred me to shadow Dr Cheng, a radiation oncologist. In 2013, my mother was told that she might have breast cancer. With my father working in China, I took time off to be with her. I decided to transfer schools because Columbia dramatically decreased my financial aid for the upcoming year, while Brandeis offered me a full scholarship. With my mother’s health issues, I did not want to further burden her financially. I shadowed Dr Anderson, a pediatric geneticist at UT Genetic Center and validated a plasma cell enrichment procedure for the diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma.

For years, scientists believed DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, was the end-all-be-all: a mould for our cells to be created from. Which does not sound far-fetched since DNA contains all of the information needed for replication, differentiation, growth, and development, in addition to the countless cellular fates, as described in Waddington’s landscape. Instead, DNA is a guide for our cells, and Epigenetics is the tool that coerces them into their final cellular form. The Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology Is Rewriting Our Understanding of Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance written by Nessa Carey, outlines the process of DNA versus Epigenetics, and the developments they have had within the scientific field. This paper will examine the fundamental distinction constructed by Nessa Carey between DNA as a script versus a template. This analogy of DNA as a script.

Life experiences leave indelible epigenetic marks and consequently determine behaviour. Epigenetic mechanisms mediate the long-term effects of experience and exposure on behaviour and mental health. All examples cited above demonstrate that epigenetic modifications play a vital role in nervous system development, function, and gene regulation. These functions require stage specific and orchestrated gene expression for their proper progress. However, diverse studies into the possible role of epigenetics in the nervous system have revealed that they play a pivotal role in even more complex and ununderstood processes including memory and cognition and disorders such as anxiety, depression, trauma, autism and schizophrenia; for this reason epigenetic

I think that both environmental and genetic factors influence traits of living organisms. Both hereditary and environmental effects influence organisms and the way they look and act. Traits affected by genetic or environmental factors include sexual orientation, twins (the way they look and act), physical appearance, IQ, and mental illnesses.