The Molecular Mechanism Of Disease Development Essay

As the second part of this reflection paper, I selected a book ‘A Short History of Disease’ by Sean Martin. He is a writer and filmmaker also known for his other famous books like The Knights Templar, Alchemy and alchemists, the Gnostics. His films include Lanterna Magicka: Bill Douglas & the secret history of cinema. The most alluring thing which conceives me to cull this book is a history of the disease, as a medical professional, it's always tantalizing to know from where all these begins and this book reaches up to my expectations as it started from the first ever recorded disease in the history of mankind. He isn’t lying when he say this a history of the disease. He starts from the earliest bacteria to evolve on the earth, long before there was anything around to infect. This book is divided into seven chapters, each chapter describes the history of diseases in a particular era. Chapter One: Prehistory, Chapter Two: Antiquity, Chapter Three: The Dark and Middle Ages, Chapter Four: The New World, Chapter

In 1993 it was discovered that a segment of DNA on the arm of chromosome 4 is linked to the HD gene. They found that at one end of the HD gene, the combination CAG is repeated too many times. In people without HD this CAG is repeated 5 to 35 times. In people who are affected by HD, CAG is repeated over and over again between 36 and 121 times.

CHARGE syndrome is a genetic condition believed to be the result of a sporadic heterozygous mutation in the CHD7 gene. Experiments to determine the precise mutations within the CHD7 gene have concluded that mutations are scattered throughout the gene and include nonsense, frameshift and missense mutations as well as intragenic deletions (Martínez-Quintana et al., 2014). Intragenic deletions were initially reported in 2004 by a team who optimized array comparative genome hybridization (CGH) for high-resolution genome-wide screening of copy-number variations. Array CGH has since become a valuable, genome-wide screening tool for the detection of chromosomal aberrations in the form of copy number imbalances. By utilizing array CGH in two individuals with CHARGE syndrome, the team was able to report a 2.3 Mb de novo overlapping microdeletion on chromosome 8q12 (Vissers et al., 2004).

Humans undergo several stages during their lifetime including growth, development, reproduction and senescence. Senescence is defined as the deteriorative biological changes that organisms experience as they age eventually leading to death. These changes include low metabolism, a weak immune system, memory loss, poor vision and loss of hearing. Senescence begins in humans during their post-reproductive years. However, gerontology research has shown that individuals who reproduce late have longer life spans compared to individuals who reproduce early. Nonetheless, it does not indicate that senescence is inevitable. All organisms experience senescence,

I agree with you that the disease model depiction of genetic factors can be more supported in funding than as seeing addiction as an immoral misconduct. In this case, genetic factors contribute more to a medical view thus creating a health concern. Addicts/ alcoholics based on the disease model are seen more as a victim struggling to overcome their struggles with a disease. Furthermore, I agree that the answer to solving addiction or alcoholism is abstinence, however, society still depicts individuals that once were addicts and now are abstinence as always an addict. However, addicts that have overcome their addiction also feel guilt and shame due to the stigma that society has created about addicts. Additionally, the disease model does lack

The Chapter, "The Mystery of Disease," starts off with questions about natural selection and the evolution theory. Asking questions that most people would not think of, like, " If we can live a 100 years, why not two hundred?" or " If evolution by natural selection can shape sophisticated mechanisms such as the eye, heart, and brain, why hasn't it shaped ways to prevent nearsightedness, heart attacks and Alzheimer’s disease?". These questions make the reader wonder, what is causing the human race to continue the pattern of diseases? The authors believe there is, "a deep evolutionary view reveals the bodies of all organisms as bundles of tradeoffs, compromises and limitations that ensure that perfection is impossible." which is controversial

“He will soon learn to have a thick skin about what he has” - my senior dermatologist told as we walked out of the unit for children with congenital skin disorder, in which skin peels off even with slightest friction. I had gone into dermatology for its challenging complex diseases and hoping for a future with intellectual explorations. I was shocked to see the lack of structure to deal with the psychological aspects of patients. Often, I sat besides bewildered patients, listening to their stories of stigmatization and rejection in the community because of their appearance. I believed in adapting individual approaches to different personality types and cultural backgrounds. I was unwilling to accept everything at its face value, but felt satisfied seeking for causes, asking questions, and above all analyzing the biological, psychological and social aspects of diseases. As I analyzed, I saw each disease being defined by the individual’s experience - her/his way of “being in the world”.

The Human Genome Project, also known as HGP has helped our society crack the code in the small differences between human DNA that make up our health and can already pinpoint future illnesses. HPG was an international joint research preparation with the goal of mapping and trying to understand all the human genes sequences through generations. Researchers have been able to decode our genomes and understand them in three different ways. First off they have been able to see that our genome’s DNA has a certain order, and that order helps make up who we are; Secondly they are able to map where certain genes are and where they are located on the chromosomes. And third, being able to produce “linkage maps” that can help track inherited traits

Gain of function (ectopic expression in the developing haltere epithelium) of each of these genes changes the haltere of the fly into a second set of wings: double-wings phenotype (GOF).

The reading shows disease and inheritance in an entirely new light. It introduces the idea that genetically inherited diseases may have been selected for, which means that they must provide certain evolutionary advantages. It reorients the reader’s perspective about a disease like hemochromatosis, which has the potential to be incredibly harmful and even deadly, establishing that it may have once provided protection from the bubonic plague, making it an advantageous trait. This brings other genetic diseases into question, examining why diseases that appear to be harmful have not been eliminated from the gene pool. The idea that a disease that is harmful and dangerous in modern times could have once been a beneficial adaptation is very interesting.

In the past decade, unemployment has been a major issue in this country. Individuals rely on their work to be able to provide many basic life requirements. A person’s career can provide more than just physical needs and this would include creative urges, promote self-esteem, and encourage personal achievements. Therefore, when a person becomes unemployed, they might experience anxiety and depression. This could lead to lower self-esteem especially when the search for work continues long term without any success. These new health issues can lead to increased health issues and the development of new disease states. This correlation among the unemployed patient population and the increase of mental health and new disease states should be

Chapter 9 in Diseases and Human Evolution discusses tuberculosis in humans and cattle. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of tuberculosis is the visits to the veterinarian whenever we wanted to cross state lines with livestock from our farm. Though Arizona is considered a tuberculosis free state, New Mexico is not. Even though our livestock was coming out of a TB free state, we still were required to take our goats to the vet and have blood draws done. The chapter reminded me of the relevance of tuberculosis in society today, both in livestock and humans, and how it is still a disease we are struggling to control in some countries, even though it has been around for several thousand years.

Definition: Biology is how the genetic predispositions, hormones, biochemistry, mental and physical makeup have encouraged or discouraged the behavior/topic. (Gunhus, minilecture 1 pg. 6).

Hyper-IgE syndrome occurs because of the mutations in STAT3 gene where this gene is important to provide instructions in making proteins. The mutations were either missense

Several mechanisms cause these alterations to gene expression. The most commonly considered factors are DNA methylation, histone modification, and the effects of non-coding RNA. With DNA methylation, methyl groups (CH3) are added directly to the DNA. These methyl groups attach to the fifth carbon of the cytosine nitrogenous base by a protein called DNA-methyltransferase. The most common location for these methylations is at CpG sites, which are locations with a high amount of cytosine-guanine base pairs. The methylated cytosine is called a 5-methylcytosine (5-mc)[4]. The bound methyl group protrudes into the major grove of the DNA double helix and does not allow for any proteins to bind. DNA can either be hypermethylated, with a high number of methyl groups attached, or hypomethylated, with a low number of methyl groups attached. Hypermethylation typically causes genes to