Genetic testing
hideGenetic testing allows the genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherit diseases, and can also be used to determine a person's ancestry. Normally, every person carries two copies of every gene, one inherited from their mother, one inherited from their father. The human genome is believed to contain around 20,000 - 25,000 genes. In addition to studying chromosomes to the level of individual genes, genetic testing in a broader sense includes biochemical tests for the possible presence of genetic diseases, or mutant forms of genes associated with increased risk of developing genetic disorders. Genetic testing identifies changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. Most of the time, testing is used to find changes that are associated with inherited disorders. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person's chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder. Several hundred genetic tests are currently in use, and more are being developed.
Since genetic testing may open up ethical or psychological problems, genetic testing is often accompanied by genetic counseling.
For more information about Genetic testing, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with genetic testing
Well-traveled wasps provide hope for vanishing species
Nov 09, 2009 |
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They may only be 1.5mm in size, but the tiny wasps that pollinate fig trees can travel over 160km in less than 48 hours, according to research from scientists at the University of Leeds. The fig wasps are transporting ...
Postmortem genetic tests after sudden death may provide less expensive way to identify risk
Nov 15, 2009 |
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Targeted postmortem testing to identify genetic mutations associated with sudden unexplained death (SUD) is an effective and less expensive way to determine risk to relatives than comprehensive cardiac testing of first degree ...
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Gene Testing In the Doctors Office
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Dec 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A portable instrument manufactured by Nanosphere Inc. and recently approved by the FDA, can detect genetic variations in blood that alter the effectiveness of some drugs.
Scientists trace shark fins to their geographic origin for first time using DNA tools
Dec 01, 2009 |
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Millions of shark fins are sold at market each year to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy, but it has been impossible to pinpoint which sharks from which regions are most threatened ...
Beer Here
Nov 25, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Drinking beer is a simple act, but making beer is not. It starts out with genetics and tens of thousands of barley varieties and ends with a clear ambrosia that belies the time, effort and technology that ...
When is a stem cell really a stem cell?
Nov 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells -- adult cells reprogrammed to look and function like versatile embryonic stem cells -- are of growing interest in medicine. They may provide a way to ...
Against expectations, genetic variation does not alter asthma treatment response
Nov 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Studies have suggested that asthma patients with a specific genetic variation might not respond as well to certain treatments as those with a different variation. But a new study in this week's edition of ...
Gene therapy improves vision
Nov 23, 2009 |
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German scientist Paul Ehrlich found what he coined the "magic bullet" in the early 20th century upon developing the world’s first effective treatment of syphilis.
Ultrasound enhances noninvasive Down syndrome tests
Nov 20, 2009 |
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The addition of a "genetic sonogram" maximizes the accuracy of non-invasive testing for Down syndrome, said a Baylor College of Medicine researcher who was lead author of a landmark study in the current issue of Obstetrics an ...
The court will now call its expert witness: the brain
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Will advances in neuroscience make the justice system more accurate and unbiased? Or could brain-based testing wrongly condemn some and trample the civil liberties of others? The new field ...
Military experiment seeks to predict PTSD
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 20, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Two days before shipping off to war, Marine Pfc. Jesse Sheets sat inside a trailer in the Mojave Desert, his gaze fixed on a computer that flashed a rhythmic pulse of contrasting images.
Cigarettes harbor many pathogenic bacteria: Study
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher ...
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