Epigenetics

Growing up in a Vietnamese family in America, the value of life is highlighted by working hard and knowing your roots. Stories about family hardship and history told from the older generation in my family are mostly ones of war. I have heard many different elements of war: war crimes, anticommunist sentiments, and the escape from Vietnam. Hearing these stories has always resonated with me, motivating me to work hard for the sacrifice of those before me. In that sense, I worked rigorously to…

Sorry to hear about what happened, but don’t let it get you down! I heard that you’re apprehensive about the stem cell therapy your doctor was pitching to you, and well, it sounds like it has real promise. There was even a paralyzed man who regained his ability to walk after a knife attack separated his spinal column. He owes his recovery to a pioneering procedure that implanted stem cells from his nose and nerve cells from his ankles to his spinal cord. I really believe that jumping on this…

forage for food have been shown to have chemical tags in their genes that is different from those of bees that stay at home. The interesting part is however, the fact that these DNA patterns can be switch when the bees swap jobs. These behaviors or epigenetic states are thought to work over and above the bee’s normal genetic…

contributed to external factors related to their upbringing), their remarkable similarities – excelling at sports, trouble with math, liked spicy food, and the innate habit of faking a sneeze in uncomfortable silent situations – were more contributed to epigenetics (Wang, 2015). Leading us to learn that there is more to our personality, from a genetic standpoint then we originally thought. Twin studies help to educate us on the effects of nature vs nurture within human development. When Dr.…

13. Our advantage in the “survive and reproduce race” is that we are intelligent. We know that we want to reproduce and survive. We learn mechanisms or tactics to protect ourselves and survive. An example of this is antibiotics. The author describes the battle between bacteria and antibiotics as an “Arm race” because whenever new antibiotics are introduced or discovered bacteria always develop resistance to it. An example is penicillin when it first came out in 1928, it worked great but 22 years…

Another symptom is thought disorders. These are unusual or dysfunctional ways of thinking. One form of this is called "disorganized thinking.”This is when a person has troubled planning their thoughts or organizing their logic. They often talk in a jumbled way that makes it difficult for others to understand.(Schizophrenia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml) Another form is called "thought blocking.”This is when a person will completely stop…

complex induces secretion of cytokines which causes inflammation and tissue damage. As immune system attacks different organs, symptoms related to that organ start to appear. The etiology of lupus is not known but it is believed multiple genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors play role to trigger…

Dr. Sharon Moalem, a modern marvel among the science community, has long sought after the fundamental truths of human disease and biological evolution. He is a Canadian physician, scientist and best-selling author who specializes in the fields of rare diseases, neurogenetics, and biotechnology. His three books Survival of the Sickest, How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do and "Inheritance: How Our Genes Change Our Lives—And Our Lives Change Our Genes" offer an…

1. What kind of a history do you need to gather on the geriatric population prior to ordering psychotropic medication? A full and complete Medical history is important to consider any co-morbid disease processes. Has the patient been treated for or diagnosed with any psychiatric disorders or diseases? Has the patient been compliant with treatment for medical or for psychiatric treatment? What type of treatment worked for the patient in the past? The possibility of a medical diagnosis…

While autism is highly heritable, researchers suspect both environmental and genetic factors as causes. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. An autistic culture has developed, with some individuals seeking a cure and others believing autism should be accepted as a difference and not treated as a disorder. As of 2010, the number of people affected is estimated at about 1–2 per 1,000 worldwide. It occurs four to five times more often in boys than girls…