Genetics as Social Practice


Book Description

Recent debate about the ethical and regulatory dimensions of developments in genetics has sidelined societal and cultural aspects, which arguably are indispensable for a nuanced understanding of the complexities of the topic. Regulatory and ethical debates benefit from taking seriously this ’third dimension’ of culture, which often determines the configurations and limits of the space within which scientific, ethical and legal debate can take place. To fill this gap, this volume brings together contributions exploring the mutual relationships between genetics, markets, societies and identities in genetics and genomics. It draws upon the recent transdisciplinary debate on how socio-cultural factors influence understandings of ’genetics2.0' and shows how individual and collective identities are challenged or reinforced by cultural meanings and practices of genetics. This book will become a standard reference for everyone seeking to make sense of the controversies and shifts in the field of genetics in the second decade of the twenty-first century.




Assessing Genetic Risks


Book Description

Raising hopes for disease treatment and prevention, but also the specter of discrimination and "designer genes," genetic testing is potentially one of the most socially explosive developments of our time. This book presents a current assessment of this rapidly evolving field, offering principles for actions and research and recommendations on key issues in genetic testing and screening. Advantages of early genetic knowledge are balanced with issues associated with such knowledge: availability of treatment, privacy and discrimination, personal decision-making, public health objectives, cost, and more. Among the important issues covered: Quality control in genetic testing. Appropriate roles for public agencies, private health practitioners, and laboratories. Value-neutral education and counseling for persons considering testing. Use of test results in insurance, employment, and other settings.




Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment


Book Description

Over the past century, we have made great strides in reducing rates of disease and enhancing people's general health. Public health measures such as sanitation, improved hygiene, and vaccines; reduced hazards in the workplace; new drugs and clinical procedures; and, more recently, a growing understanding of the human genome have each played a role in extending the duration and raising the quality of human life. But research conducted over the past few decades shows us that this progress, much of which was based on investigating one causative factor at a time—often, through a single discipline or by a narrow range of practitioners—can only go so far. Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment examines a number of well-described gene-environment interactions, reviews the state of the science in researching such interactions, and recommends priorities not only for research itself but also for its workforce, resource, and infrastructural needs.




Lashley's Essentials of Clinical Genetics in Nursing Practice


Book Description

Completely updated to help nurses learn to ìthink geneticallyî Todayís nurses must be able to ìthink geneticallyî to help individuals and families who are affected by genetic disease or contemplating genetic testing. This book is a classic resource for nursing students and practitioners at all levels who need to acquire the knowledge and skills for using genomics in their practice. This completely updated second edition encompasses the many recent advances in genetic research and knowledge, providing essential new information on the science, technology, and clinical application of genomics. It focuses on the provision of individualized patient care based on personal genetics and dispositions. The second edition is designed for use by advanced practice nursing programs, as well as undergraduate programs. It pinpoints new developments in prenatal, maternity, and pediatric issues and supplies new information on genomics-based personal drug therapy, environmental susceptibilities, genetic therapies, epigenetics, and ethics The text features a practical, clinically oriented framework in line with the core competencies defined by the AACN. It delivers information according to a lifespan approach used in the practice setting. The second edition continues to provide basic information on genomics, its impact on healthcare, and genetic disorders. It covers prevention, genetic counseling and referral, neuropsychiatric nursing, and public health. The core of the text presents information on a variety of diseases that affect patients throughout the lifespan, with specific guidance on the nursing role. Also included are tests for a variety of diseases and information on pharmacogenomics, which enable health care providers to select the best drugs for treatment based on a patientís genetic makeup. Plentiful case study examples support the information throughout. Additionally, an instructorís package of PowerPoint slides and a test bank are provided for use at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. New to the Second Edition: Completely updated with several new chapters Personal drug therapy based on genomics Environmental susceptibilities Prenatal detection and diagnosis Newborn and genetic screening Reproductive technologies Ethical issues Genetic therapies Epigenetics Content for graduate-level programs PowerPoint slides and a test bank for all student levels Key Features: Encompasses state-of-the-art genomics from a nursing perspective Provides a practical, clinically oriented lifespan approach Covers science, technology, and clinical application of genomics Addresses prevention, genetic testing, and treatment methods Written for undergraduate- and graduate-level nursing students




The Practices of Human Genetics


Book Description

That concern about human genetics is at the top of many lists of issues requiring intense discussion from scientific, political, social, and ethical points of view is today no surprise. It was in the spirit of attempting to establish the basis for intelligent discussion of the issues involved that a group of us gathered at a meeting of the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology in the Summer of 1995 at Brandeis University and began an exploration of these questions in earlier versions of the papers presented here. Our aim was to cross disciplines and jump national boundaries, to be catholic in the methods and approaches taken, and to bring before readers interested in the emerging issues of human genetics well-reasoned, informative, and provocative papers. The initial conference and elements of the editorial work which have followed were generously supported by the Stifterverband fUr die Deutsche Wissenschaft. We thank Professor Peter Weingart of Bielefeld University for his assistance in gaining this support. As Editors, we thank the anonymous readers who commented upon and critiqued many of the papers and in tum made each paper a more valuable contribution. We also thank the authors for their understanding and patience. Michael Fortnn Everett Mendelsohn Cambridge, MA September 1998 vii INTRODUCTION In 1986, the annual symposium at the venerable Cold Spring Harbor laboratories was devoted to the "Molecular Biology of Homo sapiens.




Emery and Rimoin's Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics and Genomics


Book Description

For decades, Emery and Rimoin's Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics and Genomics has served as the ultimate resource for clinicians integrating genetics and genomics into medical practice. With detailed coverage in contributions from more than 250 of the world's most trusted authorities in medical genetics and a series of 11 volumes available for individual sale, the Seventh Edition of this classic reference includes the latest information on seminal topics such as prenatal diagnosis, genome sequencing, public health genetics, genetic counseling, and management and treatment strategies to complete its coverage of this growing field for students, health providers, and researchers involved in the care of patients with genetic conditions, and increasingly, all areas of health and disease. This comprehensive yet practical resource emphasizes theory and research fundamentals related to the applications of medical genetics and genomics across the full spectrum of inherited disorders and applications to medicine more broadly. In this volume, leading physicians and researchers thoroughly examine medical genetics and genomics as applied to developmental disorders, as well as genetic conditions that affect hearing and vision. Here genetic researchers, students, and health professionals will find new and fully revised chapters on human developmental genetics, disorders affecting craniofacial development, chromosomal abnormalities, including aneuploidies and structural abnormalities, hereditary hearing impairment, and various genetic conditions of the eye. With regular advances in genomic technologies propelling precision medicine into the clinic, Emery and Rimoin's Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics and Genomics, Seventh Edition bridges the gap between high-level molecular genetics and practical application and serves as an invaluable clinical tool for health professionals and researchers. · Thoroughly introduces genetic researchers, students, and healthcare professionals to the principles of human developmental genetics · Examines a wide range of developmental disorders, including craniofacial development as well as disorders affecting hearing and vision · Includes color images supporting identification, concept illustration, and method processing · Features contributions by leading international researchers and practitioners of medical genetics




Genetics/genomics Nursing


Book Description




The Social Life of DNA


Book Description

The unexpected story of how genetic testing is affecting race in America We know DNA is a master key that unlocks medical and forensic secrets, but its genealogical life is both revelatory and endlessly fascinating. Tracing genealogy is now the second-most popular hobby amongst Americans, as well as the second-most visited online category. This billion-dollar industry has spawned popular television shows, websites, and Internet communities, and a booming heritage tourism circuit. The tsunami of interest in genetic ancestry tracing from the African American community has been especially overwhelming. In The Social Life of DNA, Alondra Nelson takes us on an unprecedented journey into how the double helix has wound its way into the heart of the most urgent contemporary social issues around race. For over a decade, Nelson has deeply studied this phenomenon. Artfully weaving together keenly observed interactions with root-seekers alongside illuminating historical details and revealing personal narrative, she shows that genetic genealogy is a new tool for addressing old and enduring issues. In The Social Life of DNA, she explains how these cutting-edge DNA-based techniques are being used in myriad ways, including grappling with the unfinished business of slavery: to foster reconciliation, to establish ties with African ancestral homelands, to rethink and sometimes alter citizenship, and to make legal claims for slavery reparations specifically based on ancestry. Nelson incisively shows that DNA is a portal to the past that yields insight for the present and future, shining a light on social traumas and historical injustices that still resonate today. Science can be a crucial ally to activism to spur social change and transform twenty-first-century racial politics. But Nelson warns her readers to be discerning: for the social repair we seek can't be found in even the most sophisticated science. Engrossing and highly original, The Social Life of DNA is a must-read for anyone interested in race, science, history and how our reckoning with the past may help us to chart a more just course for tomorrow.




Identity Politics and the New Genetics


Book Description

Racial and ethnic categories have appeared in recent scientific work in novel ways and in relation to a variety of disciplines: medicine, forensics, population genetics and also developments in popular genealogy. Once again, biology is foregrounded in the discussion of human identity. Of particular importance is the preoccupation with origins and personal discovery and the increasing use of racial and ethnic categories in social policy. This new genetic knowledge, expressed in technology and practice, has the potential to disrupt how race and ethnicity are debated, managed and lived. As such, this volume investigates the ways in which existing social categories are both maintained and transformed at the intersection of the natural (sciences) and the cultural (politics). The contributors include medical researchers, anthropologists, historians of science and sociologists of race relations; together, they explore the new and challenging landscape where biology becomes the stuff of identity.




Genetics


Book Description

Genetics: Practice Problems and Solutions gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge of core genetics principles and concepts. Designed to work well with any genetics text, it features more than 400 short answer and conceptual problems. The book also contains challenge problems and collaborative problems appropriate for groups. Solutions, many accompanied by detailed explanations of how the right answer was reached, are included.