week 4 Flashcards
GINA
Protections might ease concerns when participating in genetic testing
Protection versus genetic information to discriminate in health insurance, and employment
Prevents employers from using genetic information about employees against them
does GINA apply to life insurance or TRICARE?
No, doesn’t protect against certain groups or apply to sectors outside of employment
genetics
Study of heredity and transformation of characteristics across generations
Genome
total genetic makeup of organisms, including non-coding regions of DNA
genotype
Molecular structure of organism Expressed by production of proteins
phenotype
Observable presentation of DNA
epigenomics
Study of molecular signals that tell the genome how to behave and their relationships to health
Exposomics
Study of how all exposures alter in organisms health
Exposome
General external environment – urban, climate
Specific external environment - diet, tobacco, directly impact individual
Internal environment – gut, inflammation
complex disease phenotype
Occurs from genetic susceptibility exposures of environment and epigenetic modifications
Epi-genetics
Nongenetic influences on gene expression
Causes genes to be dormant or expressed
DNA methylation
methyl molecule serves as transcription
Phenotype varies between unmethylated/methylated even though genotype remains the same
Most genetic markers are inherited from mother
Life course theory
Body of theoretical models that attempt to explain how life context shapes health behavior and development
Experiences + exposure = trajectory of health development
Barker hypothesis
Adverse fetal life, context leads to increased risk of additional disease
Low birthweight or preterm birth leads to increased risk of CVD, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, renal failure, asthma, an autoimmune disease
Stress
bodies response to changing factors within self or environment
allostasis
Bodies adaptation to predictable and unpredictable changes to environment
allostatic load
Cost of chronic exposure or fluctuating endocrine or neural responses from chronic repeated challenges experienced as stress
adverse child effects
Traumatic experience in persons life less than 18 years old, but still remembers as an adult
epidemiology
Study of distribution, frequency, and determinants of health and disease in human populations, to understand causation
objectives of epidemiology
Population – who
Determinants of health – what makes them susceptible?
Distribution – where
Frequency – when
Disease causation – why
Application – how to control or prevent
epidemiological triangle
Agent
Environment
Host
Double sided arrows affecting each factor
Disease occurs when agent is present in a susceptible host under environmental conditions favorable to the development of disease
agent
Factor causing disease, ability to injure a host
Infectivity, pathogen, toxigenicity
Host
Living species, capable of being infected, or affected by the agent
Exposure, susceptibility
vector
Animal that transmits a disease
example - malaria
