The Role of Genomics in Cancer Medicine

The Role of Genomics in Cancer Medicine Genomics is a new science which concerns the study of genomes, the entire complement of genetic material of an individual. In fact, genomics also includes the study of gene expression, from transcription of DNA to translation, its expression as a protein. Genomics aims at understanding the structure, function and evolution of all genomes. This field is based on determining the essential nature of genome structure and will have a great impact on the development of basic biology. A genome is the total number of all genes found in an organism. Again, genomics can hence be defined as the study of all the genes in a cell at the DNA, mRNA and protein levels. The era of genomics started with Frederic Sanger who first sequenced the complete genomes of a virus and a mitochondrion. Techniques of genomics which include DNA sequencing and gene mapping were hence established. Development in the field of genomics continued at a rapid pace, and with the new technology from informatics, scientists were inspired to carry out the Human Genome Project. This scientific research had, as a primary aim, to determine the base pair sequence in human DNA and to identify about 25 000 genes in the genome. The project started in 1990 and a first draft was released in 2000. A further, complete report was published in 2003 with more details. The knowledge of the human genome sequence has created the possibility to investigate functional genomics which tries to describe gene functions and interactions during various conditions such as cancer. Cancer is a class of diseases in which cells divide uncontrollably, invade adjacent cells or spread throughout the whole body via the blood or lymph. Cancers can be either benign or malignant. Cancers can affect everyone and the risk increases with age, a certain type of lifestyle and environment and if several cases of cancer had previously been diagnosed within the family. Some environmental factors leading to cancer include tobacco smoking, prolonged exposition to radiations, obesity and pollutants. These factors lead to a mutation in the DNA base sequence resulting in the cells having new properties. Genes are affected in such a way that these new properties now include an excessive growth and cell division, protection against the bodys natural immune system, the ability to divide over other cells and into different places. Normal properties, such as the highly specific DNA replication, accurate cell cycle and interactions with the defence system, are lost to the mutated cell. Cancer can be treated in several ways including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and biologic therapy. Depending on the stage the cancer has reached, surgery is performed to remove the cancerous cells or tumour. Usually, after surgery, the cancer patient has to undergo chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer by destroying the cancer cells. These drugs target cells which multiply rapidly. Radiation therapy uses energy to target the damaged DNA. Since cancer cells are sensitive to radiation, they are easily eliminated. However not all types of cancer can be treated though survival rate has increased. Cancer is still the commonest fatal diseases in many parts of the world. Genomics may play an important role in cancer medicine in the recent future. The Cancer Genome Project is using the human genome sequence and mutation detection techniques to identify the mutated base sequence in cancer cells thus mapping the genes responsible for the deve lopment of cancer. Genomic tests or assays are done to identify the specific genes in a cancer cell, which is like identifying a particular fingerprint of the cancer. Although the genomic approach is still being developed, the application of genomic technologies to cancer medicine has already generated promising results both in target identification and in disease classification. Genomics works by evaluating the genes in a sample of cancerous tissue. Genes that have mutated are hence identified along with those which have been inherited. Inherited genes which may lead to cancer are identified by genetic testing. Genomics play an important role in helping doctors to determine a patients prognosis, which type of cancer it is, to choose the most effective treatment for each individual cancer, to monitor patients who are undergoing treatment to determine if the treatment is working and those who are in remission to catch a potential disease progression early when it is more treatable. Genomic testing may play an important role in cancer medicine by giving each patient an individualized treatment.ÂÂ   Patients with more serious conditions can be identified and offered aggressive and innovative therapies that may prolong their lives, while patients who are diagnosed with a less serious condition may be spared unnecessary treatments. For example, some women with node-negative breast cancer will relapse after being treated with surgery alone. Genomic testing has been shown to differentiate between which node-negative breast cancer patients are more likely to relapse and therefore benefit from additional chemotherapy and which patients may not need chemotherapy. Genomic technology has been applied to several areas of cancer research. By profiling and comparing gene expression of tumours of different grades or primary and metastatic tumours, several genes involved in cancer progression or metastases have been found, new classification paradigms have been establishe d, genes have been placed into pathways, and gene deletions and amplifications have been identified. The application of genomics in cancer medicine will no doubt prove to be beneficial in the long run. The evolution of genomics and its integration in this field is a complex and challenging process. However, progress is being made and instead of treating cancer, cancer could be eliminated before its appearance by modifying the gene responsible. Genomics would also help in improving treatment and diagnosis of cancer. The shift from an organ-focused to a gene-focused approach to cancer is already having a profound effect on the way cancer is treated. The impact can be seen particularly clearly in breast cancer. Not too many years ago, breast tumors were categorized and treated primarily by their size, the degree to which they had invaded surrounding tissue or sloughed off cells into the lymph system, and their appearance under a pathologists microscope. The field of cancer genomics is relatively new compared to other fields, however it promises many things. As progress is being made in the mapping of the cancer genes, the results promise to be enormous.

Determining of the equilibrium constant for the formation of FeSCN2+ Essay

Determining of the equilibrium constant for the formation of FeSCN2+ Introduction The objective of this experiment was to determine the equilibrium concentration and then determine Kc. A dilution calculation was formed to determine the concentration of SCN- and Fe(SCN)2+. Each cuvette was filled to the same volume and can be seen in table 1. Then the absorbances were recorded from each cuvette and can be seen in table 1. A Beer’s law plot was made from the data that was recorded from the optical absorbance. During the second part of the experiment Fe (NO3)3 was added and diluted with HNO3 . All of the cuvettes were mixed with the same solutions in the second part of the experiment, which can be seen in table 2. A dilution calculation was made to determine the initial concentration of Fe3+and SCN-. Then the formula Abs + b/ slope was used to determine the equilibrium concentration which lead to the calculation of each Kc per trial. Chemical reaction Fe3+ + SCN- FeSCN2+ Â  Conclusion: An acid and a base were mixed together throughout the experiment, which resulted in a bright orange color. It was determined that using the colorimeter at 565nm the would give the optimum wavelength because it was the closest absorbance to 430nm. All of the cuvettes were filled to 3mL so there would not be another dependent variable. Whenever Fe3+ would come in contact with SCN- there would be a color change. Relatively all of the Kc were close to each other as they should be because the only variable that affects a change Kc and the temperature was kept consent throughout the experiment. The average Kc from all five trials is 1.52 x 10 2.

Colonialism and the Political and Economic Problems in Africa Essay

The impact of Africa’s colonial heritage has long been debated by experts. Some say that colonialism was not completely disadvantageous to Africans because it opened the continent to the rest of the world. Others maintain that colonialism did nothing to significantly improve the lives of Africans. While it is true that Africa’s colonial heritage has some positive effects, the negative effects are still harder to ignore. Seveal independent African states emerged after colonial rule in Africa. Countless clans, kingdoms, city-states and mempires were replaced with forty-eight new states, many of them with clear boundaries. Negative effects of this division outweigh the positive ones, however. The process of the establishment of each state’s boundaries was arbitrarily done by European chancellors, so what resulted were artificial nation states (Boahen 96). Their borders divide pre-existing ethnic groups, kingdoms, and states. For example, the Bakongo are virtually â€Å"chopped† by the boundaries of Gabon, congon, Zaire, and Angola. Each Africation nation today is composed of a variety of peoples with different cultures, language, and traditions. Nation-building has therefore been a problem for these nations because of the arbitrary boundaries which could be traced back to colonial years (Boahen, et al. 329). Problems related to arbitrary borders don’t stop at nation-building, however. Today, natural resources are unequally distributed among African states because of their different sizes. Huge countries such as Algeria, Nigeria, and Sudan have vast territories while others such Lesotho, Burundi, Togo, and The Gambia are too small, limiting their economic capacities. The positioning of African countries is also awkward and almost helter-skelter. Uganda, Malawi, Niger, and Chad are landlocked while others have long stretches of sea coast useful for fishing. Zambia, Zaire, and and Nigeria are rich in natural resources, while Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger have less to get by. National security is also a problem since some countries, like The Gambia, has a single border to protect, while others such as Zaire has as many as ten borders to patrol (Boahen, et al. 329). During the colonial era, Africans were made to produce cash crops to export to their colonizers and they were compelled to ignore growing food for their own consumption. Africans therefore had to buy imported food at high prices (Boahen, et al. 330). The imprint of colonialism on the mentality of Africans also affects their economic ways. Years after their independence, there are still people in sub-Saharan Africa who believe that they are incapable of producing manufactured or processed goods. They are under the impression that they can only produce and export raw materials. The truth is that there are no natural barriers preventing Africans to process the raw materials that they produce (Mshomba 118). Commercialization of land also brought about widespread poverty in Africa. People fought over ownership of land, resulting in a flood of litigations, causing poverty among land-owning families and ruling houses. Inter-African trade also ended with the rise of colonialism, stopping the spread of indigenous African languages like Swahili and Hausa in different parts of the continent. Ancient caravan routes were blocked and trading between members of the same ethnic group from either side of new borders turned into smuggling (Boahen 102). Colonialism also left political instability behind. After their independence, many African nations succumbed to dictatorships, which discouraged investment in sub-Saharan countries and destroyed resources (Mshomba 118). Finally, Africa’s colonial heritage is also responsible to the growing number of expatriate banking, shipping and trading companies which later consolidated into oligopolies. These compnies controlled the import and export of commodities produced by Africans, which meant the lion’s share of profits go to them and not to the real producers (Boahen, et al. 332). African nations clearly have to address these challenges head on to improve their economic standing. Works Cited Boahuen, A. Adu. African perspectives on colonialism. Baltimore: JHU Press, 1989. Boahen, A. Adu et al. The general history of Africa: Africa under colonial domination 1880- 1935. Oxford: James Currey Publishers, 1993. Mshomba, Richard E. Africa in the global economy. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000.

Chaucer s Wife Of Bath - 1592 Words

Although these eighteen of the Wife of Bath Prologue are transcribed into modern English, they are in non-iambic, but rhyming verse. While translating these lines from Middle English to modern English, I did not consider rewriting them in iambic feet because it does not fit in with our contemporary literature. That is, Chaucer most likely felt the need to write in iambic-pentameter because he had competition from other writers like Giovanni Boccaccio and Dante Alighieri. In fact, Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Prologue receives major influence from Jean de Meun’s From the Romance of the Rose, i.e. the old woman who gives a speech about men. In other words, I do not need to put my modern translation into iambic pentameter because this style of writing is archaic in the 21st century whereas in 14th century, one wrote in iambic pentameter because of popularity. Not to mention Chaucer’s first message in the General Prologue: â€Å"Whoso shal telle a tale after a ma n,[†¦]/he moot reherce as ny as evere he kan[†¦]/ Or make up things, or find new words† (731-2; 736). Therefore, this modern version of the text is my best translation to the section in the Wife of Bath Prologue. I specifically target my translation for college students because I amplify Chaucer’s satire, deviance, and dark-humor. That is, I emphasize on these themes to produce a raunchy-comical version that those who look in between the lines will be able to fully understand the wife’s character. First, I begin my translationShow MoreRelatedGeoffrey Chaucer s The Wife Of Baths1171 Words   |  5 Pages Short Creative Essay Draft The Prologue to the Wife of Baths Tale is a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer s that provides a satirical insight on the experience of Alice, the wife, and her response to autocratic judgement. The prologue takes a stance against the view of women and uses the life style of Alice as a way of dismantling stereotypical ideology of women. The very beginning of the poem Alice is stated to have five husbands. This is especially unconventional because of the timeRead MoreWilliam Chaucer s The Wife Of Bath1347 Words   |  6 PagesGod. British literature begins to introduce a new archetype for women that writers follow in stories by describing them with motherly characteristics and taboo ideas in texts, such as the epic poem, Beowulf, Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue† and â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale† in The Canterbury Tales, and the play named The Beggar’s Opera, which brings forth the idea of what is morally acceptable characteristic s for women in literature and why writers portray women as antagonist or protagonistRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucer s The Wife Of Bath2255 Words   |  10 PagesGeoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath Prologue, we are told the story of the wife of bath Alyson and her many marriages. The role of the woman in this time period was to follow what her husband’s rules, and to obey the men in her life since a woman was considered incapable of running her own life and making decisions. When Alyson married her first husband, she was only twelve years old by the time she married her last husband she was forty. Although it was frowned upon for a woman to remarry AlysonRead MoreAnalysis Of Geoffrey Chaucer s The Wife Of Bath 1371 Words   |  6 PagesTa Lor Mr. Kaplan ELA 12 Period 1 27 February 2015 Pilgrim Evaluation Geoffrey Chaucer, the Father of English Literature, was the first to write in English for folks to read. One of his best known works of art would be The Canterbury Tales, which was written between 1380 and 1400 in England, but was never completed due to his death. It was composed in Middle English and portrays a great example of frame narrative. The Canterbury Tales begins with a group of pilgrims traveling from England to CanterburyRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Prologue By Geoffrey Chaucer1694 Words   |  7 Pagesthis was the socially accepted norm. Quite often, however, this was not the case as seen in the â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Prologue† written by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Wife of Bath was an unconventional woman who acted like the men of the age in multiple ways. The male pilgrims in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales were uncomfortable with her behavior because she was manlier than they were. The prologue begins with the wife, Alys, immediately stepping out of line and asserting herself as an expert on a subject matterRead MoreChaucer s Canterbury Tales And The Wife Of Bath s Tale1167 Words   |  5 Pagesof society in a moral basis. The reason it targets a part of society is because didactic literature has an audience of origin that the moral applies to. For example, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: â€Å"The Wife of Bath s Prologue† and â€Å"The Wife of Bath s Tale† , which is written by Geoffrey Chaucer, takes place during the late 5th and early 6th century during King Arthur’s reign of Great Britain. During this era, society was structured in a totally different manner than the society another piece ofRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Prologue By Geoffrey Chaucer1324 Words   |  6 Pagesnoteworthy difference in reference to other works. The first literary work that will be examined is The Wife of Bath’s Prologue, written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Throughout this work it is clear that the focus is that of the plight of a woman. The Prologue begins with the story of a woman whose name we later find out is Alisoun, before that however, she is simply referred to as the Wife. When Chaucer was planning out this particular character, he â€Å"drew upon a centuries old tradition of misogynist writingRead MoreWilliam Chaucer s Wife Of Bath s Tale1523 Words   |  7 Pagesshared code that dictates how one should act in any possible situation that may arise. While embarking on their epic journeys, knights are often put through trials that test the strength they have to uphold the Knightly Code. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Tale, the nameless knight disregards his duty to the Knightly Code in several instances throughout the tale. The knight in question is brought into Arthur’s court labeled wi th charges of rape. Posed a question by the queen the knight wasRead MoreChaucer s The Wife Of Bath s Prologue And Tale1358 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tactics Chaucer Uses in â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale: To Point Out the Faults in His Society After reading Chaucer’s work: â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale†, and having been exposed to different interpretations of it, it is now to my knowledge that there have been many critical works that suggests opinions and thoughts about how to interpret both the tale and prologue. There have also been questions asked─one being, â€Å"so, did we actually figure out what women really want†, and the answer toRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Tale By Geoffrey Chaucer And Le Morte D Arthur1133 Words   |  5 Pageshusband and take care of the home. They were treated very unfairly compared to men. The stories, â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale† by Geoffrey Chaucer and â€Å"Le Morte d’ Arthur† by Sir Thomas Malory reveal the values of society by adding satire and characterization. Chaucer incorporates satire in â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale† to highlight the values of gender roles in society. Throughout the story, Chaucer demonstrates courtly love, sovereignty, and loyalty. In â€Å"Medieval Women†, women did not live â€Å"comfortable