GN 301 Module 1: Intro to Public Health and Ethical Issues

Describe the dogs using proper vocabulary.

The phenotype of the parent dogs is black, although they each carry a recessive b allele in order for their puppies to be both brown and black. The phenotype of the puppies is both black and brown.

What are their genotypes?

The genotype of the parent dogs is Bb because they each must carry a recessive brown allele for some of their puppies to be brown. The genotype of the brown puppies is bb because they each received a recessive brown allele from their parents. However, we can’t be sure if the genotype of the black puppies is BB or Bb because B (black) is dominant either way. One way we could find out their genotype is by breeding the black puppies with brown mates. If their puppies are brown, we would know the original puppy is heterozygous for Bb. However, if their puppies are black, we would know the original is homozygous for the black BB alleles.

Public health

The health of the whole world with consideration of what can affect it, such as environmental risk factors and global pandemics.

List the 10 essential aspects of Public Health Services

1. Monitor and evaluate health status to identify community health problems.
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community.
3. Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
4. Mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems.
5. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
8. Assure a competent public and personal health care workforce.
9. Evaluate the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services.
10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems

Describe some areas of intersection between the disciplines of Genetics and Public Health

You can use technology to prevent genetic diseases and improve public health. You can also protect genetic information and DNA databases from being exploited by the public, enforcing privacy laws and benefiting the public.

Gene Therapy

Inserting a new gene into original cells to correct a disorder.

Canavan Disease:

a degenerative neurological disorder that normally kills those affected before age 10. Gene therapy has helped some of those affected. Those expected not to live past 10-15 years have lived much longer than that thanks to early gene therapy, which corrects some of their mutations.

Ethical concerns of gene therapy

With all gene therapy comes the debate of whether tampering with nature should be allowed. If we fix the disorders of some individuals, what’s to stop others from designing the genotype of their own babies? This could violate human rights, as the unborn child cannot speak for him/herself about the matter and there are always risks to tampering with genes. There is also the question of who is to pay for gene therapy, which is expensive. Not everyone can afford it, but if it corrects a lethal mutation, should it be included in healthcare? Are businesses required to cover the insurance of those who need gene therapy, which is much more expensive than the health insurance of other employees?

Carrier

An individual who carries a recessive gene for a specific allele or mutation.

How would carrier status influence your decision?

If I carried the mutation for a genetic disease, it would make me hesitate before having kids. I would want to see if my partner also had the allele for the disorder and judge the risk factors of having children with the mutation. Depending on the severity of the mutation, my decision might change.

IVF

in vitro fertilization, or a complex series of procedures that reduce the risk of your child having a genetic disorder

PGD

preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or the genetic profiling of embryos prior to implantation

Genetic Testing Used for:

* medical conditions
* testing DNA
* personalized medicine
* testing for forensic analysis
* paternity tests
* crime scene DNA samples
* familial DNA searching

Huntington’s Disease

Symptoms: difficulting concentrating, memory lapses, irrational or irritable behavior, depression, mood swings, problems with coordination, weight loss

Inheritance: Huntington’s Disease is an autosomal dominant disorder, where you only need one copy of the gene to have the disorder. If your parent had the disorder, you have a 50% chance of getting it. You can also pass the gene down to your own children.

Genetic Counseling

Genetic counseling is made for families who have the genes for genetic disorders and need help deciding a course of action.

Genetic counselors

understand the medical facts and diagnosis and are therefore equipped to suggest the best course of action. They understand how heredity contributes to the disorder and know alternatives for dealing with the risk of recurrence. Along with being knowledgeable about the disorder, they also provide support for families with the disorder and connect them to support groups in the community.

nondirective

Genetic counseling aims to have a _____ approach in providing patients with information so that the patients themselves can make the final decision on what to do.

phenotype

the physical appearance for a certain trait

genotype

the genetic information that it not necessarily physically present

Is Huntingson’s disease dominant or recessive?

dominant