The Future of Personalized Medicine Essays

The Future of Personalized Medicine Essays The Future of Personalized Medicine Essay The Future of Personalized Medicine Essay The Future of Personalized Medicine According to Cliff Mintz, personalized medicine is defined as â€Å"a young but rapidly advancing field of healthcare that is informed by each person’s unique clinical, genetic, genomic, and environmental information (Life Science Leader 2010). Personalized medicine is not the traditional medicine; however, personalized medicine is about combining genetic information with clinical data to optimally tailor drugs and doses to meet the patients’ needs. To some people, personalized medicine is the technology of the future; however, others feel that personalized medicine is already influencing patients. As time progresses, modern genetic technology will lead to personalized medicine. There are many benefits of personalized medicine as well as, drawbacks and limitations to personalized medicine. Modern Genetic Technology Leading to Personalized Medicine Modern technology is on its way to leading to personalized medicine. As a technology of the future, personalized medicine is the latest innovation for transformation of medicine, and technological advancements have enabled personalized medicine through the use of genetic testing. Introducing new treatment protocols, personalized medicine creates the ability to use molecular tracking elements that signal the risk of disease on a genetic level. According to Tony White in his speech given at the Weiss lecture, his company completed the human genome, and the biosystems provided them with the tools needed. During his speech, Mr. White stated â€Å"the broad map is just the beginning of the journey† (White 2002). We are already seeing the use of personalized medicine being used in cancer patients and even HIV patients. During his speech, Mr. White talks about the gene that produces a tumor suppressor protein called the p53 gene. For example, if the gene is too high then they can detect certain diseases , and if the gene is too low, then it can detect diseases as well. Another example of how modern echnology is leading to personalized medicine is the breast cancer treatment which is determined by the oncogene involved in the development of cancer, HER2. With patients with breast cancer, the HER2 oncogene is overexpressed, and physicians are able to treat the overexpressed gene through the use of a monoclonal antibody that inhibits the gene, Herceptin. Benefits of Personalized Medicine There are many benefits of personalized medicine not only to the patients and physicians, but to the drug companies as well. First of all, with matching therapeutics to specific DNA profiles, patients can be given the right medication because disease can be treated more successfully. Safer drugs doses can be prescribed; thus reducing negative side affects. Another benefit to personalized medicine is that there might be paths provided when looking for cures for cancer by being able to show why certain patients contract cancer and while others do not. In addition, you would be able to show why some patients survive cancer and why others do not survive cancer. In addition to disease control, physicians would be able to give patients more effective diagnoses; thus, resulting in better disease interventions. Personalized medicine will eliminate the need for using animals in the laboratory because human DNA will be used. Lastly, personalized medicine would greatly reduce healthcare costs as well as medical expenditures. According to drug makers, personalized medicine will expedite the time requirements associated with product developments. Not only expediting time requirements, personalized medicine will reduce healthcare costs to the patients because they will have a better cure for diseases; thus, reducing the amount office visits. Drawbacks of Personalized Medicine In addition to benefits of personalized medicine, there are also drawbacks of personalized medicine. According the article Genetics Genomics, the number one drawback for patients is the privacy implications. In a survey regarding the strongest drawbacks of personalized medicine, â€Å"misuse of information/invasion of privacy† was the highest (Genectics 2005). In addition, insurance companies may be able to deny coverage to patients based on their genetic information. Another drawback is that patients are under educated regarding personalized medicine, the genetic profile would possibly have a negative impact on the patients well being; thus, leading to stress and anxiety. Another challenge to personalized medicine is that molecular biomarkers have not been verified; therefore, the biomarkers are not able to be used in personalized medicine products. In addition, the FDA has not yet defined a regulatory approval because the regulators lack the knowledge needed to evaluate the tests required for personalized medication. Another drawback is that that healthcare provides may not have the ability to store and manage the large amounts of medical information. Lastly, if a healthcare provider had the ability to store large amounts of medical information, then this raises the issues of confidentially, access, and privacy concerns. In conclusion, finding cures and treatments for diseases is time consuming; in the end, healthier lives can be fulfilled through the use of personalized medicine. There are many drawbacks to personalized medicine; however, the benefits of personalized medicine outweigh the drawbacks. Technology is ever changing, and modern technology is leading to personalized medicine. In fact, we are seeing the use of personalized medicine through cancer patients and what the p53 gene depicts. Personalized medicine will have a major impact on establishing an individual’s genetic predisposition to certain diseases. Personalized medicine focuses on preventative medicine and interventions, and tools that decode human genomes will help link genetic variations to diseases. References â€Å"Genetics Genomics; Survey Shows Americans Want Genetic Information but Fear Privacy Implications. † Genomics Genetics Weekly. 02 Dec 2005:169. Mintz, Cliff. â€Å"Life Science Leader: The Potential of Personalized Medicine. † Feb. 2010 White, Tony. â€Å"Smart Medicine is Coming: Making Intelligent Choices. † Vital Speeches of the Day. 15 Mar. 2002:326.

Business Statistics and Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Statistics and Application - Essay Example We need to find product of p-value and standard deviation that yields $200. Hence, ii. We need to assume that the observations are normally distributed. In addition, normal distribution is to satisfy seven requirements: (1) the graph should be bell shaped curve; (2) mean, median and mode are all equal; (3) mean, median and mode are located at the center of the distribution; (4) it has only one mode, (5) it is symmetric about mean, (6) it is a continuous function; (6) it never touches x-axis; and (7) the area under curve equals one. ii. The sample is consistent with the company’s data if and only if the policy’s time is within the sample’s control limit. Since 120 seconds is within the control limit, then the 30 days’ data is consistent with the policy. f. The toothbrush that has the best performance to price ratio is Durodont Multituft. This brand of toothbrush registered the highest performance to price ratio of 51 (performance is 51, price is %1). The worst is Oral-B Spring Ideal which charges the highest price of 4.95 but garnered a low score of 59. g. I would likely recommended Mascleans Flex Direct for consumers who want the maximum comfort and has adequate amount of money to afford the high price. The brand has a price of 3.96 but also has a high performance rating of 83%. For price sensitive consumers which wants the best value for their money, I will recommend Durodont Multituft which has the best performance to price ratio. For the average consumer, I will recommend Farmland Adult with a low price of $1.95 and performance rating of 69%. To compute for the seasonal index, we compute for the ratio of values to moving average. Afterwards, the ratio is averaged for the values during the quarter. Since there is only one value, it also serves as the quarterly seasonal index. The seasonal factor is computed as the geometric mean of the quarterly indices. The values are shown in the following table. 7. a. Simple random sampling

What were the main features of the African slave trade, and what Essay

What were the main features of the African slave trade, and what effects did it have on Africa Restrict your answer to the period before 1800 - Essay Example This in fact was the worst slave trade in history according to the author. (Buxton, 2005 p16) Africans in general, the ones involved in the slave trade and those who were left, faced a lot of pain. It was total horror and disgust to Africans as they went through the miseries. The territories left behind by the slaves would become wilderness and expose the villages to a great extent of conflagration and chaos. Their children would be kidnapped and murdered in pursuit of some inferior supplies from the continent of Europe. Europe would always treat the slaves and those Africans left behind in a very evil and cruel manner. The traders would give to the chiefs who would sell the slaves very minute revenues in compensation and leave them to apply to the ones left. The chieftains would sell approximately 250,000 (to the higher) slaves per annum and the revenue would be about 4 pounds per head. Sometimes they would be duped and even at times the recipients of the slaves would describe the received merchandise as one that would only fit an inferior description. It would result into a very infeasible business, shunning off the fact that the whole process was so dehumanizing. Firstly, the revenues received would sometimes not meet the costs at all since it had to be applied to pay the armies that would involve in the trade of slaves. The reprisals among the chieftains would also be a requirement and the cost of the ravaging of their land as well as property destruction. The other items that would prove costly as well were such items as ammunition, and arms. There were also the goods that would be imported into Africa that would not match the gains from the traded slaves in exchange. Also the slaves hunting process was not a very nice experience and it would only be described as horrid. Millions of acres of land would be left abandoned since the owners would be traded as slaves. They (chiefs) would trade the slaves basically to get ball, powder and brandy and

Electrospinning for Encapsulating Functional Ingredients

Electrospinning for Encapsulating Functional Ingredients

Comparing the Feminine Quest in Surfacing and Song of Solomon Essay

The Feminine Quest in Surfacing and Song of Solomon      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Margaret Atwood in her novel Surfacing and Toni Morrison in her novel Song of Solomon require their heroines to pass through a stage of self-interpretation as a prerequisite for re-inventing the self.   This stage in the feminine journey manifests a critical act typically absent in the traditional male journey, and one that places Atwood and Morrison's heroines at odds with the patriarchal community.   If authors of feminine journeys meet the requirements set out by feminist critics like Dana Heller, then we must also provide a method for interpreting the texts that will be palatable for critics from the patriarchy.   Otherwise we perpetuate an hostility between the camps that debilitates everyone.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The typical male hero's task has been to return to his community and share the boon of his journey.   That boon may be treasure badly needed for the culture's economics, it may be new wisdom needed for the proper dispensation of justice and national confidence, it may be the return to fecundity through the defeat of a monster who has been imposing an impotence on the land. Whether the boon is economic or spiritual, under the monomythic model, the stories credit the male's efforts and de-emphasize the heroine's roles in the boon's attainment.      Ã‚   The typical heroine's journey, however, existed at best as a sub-plot to the male's effort. Her role in the quest "is not meant for her active heroism," as Dana Heller says,   "but for her passive submission to a hero" (10).   Thus, if she didn't die along the quest, she married the hero.   As his spouse, she helped him dispense his boon in the typical feminine manner of caregiver, lover or innocent.   Often, the... ... New York:   Ballantine Books, 1972. Brenner, Gerry.   "Song of Solomon:   Rejecting Rank's Monomyth and Feminism," Critical Essays on Toni Morrison.   Reserve Shelf, University of Montana, 1993. Fabre, Genevieve.   "Genealogical Archeology or the Quest for Legacy in Song of   Solomon," Critical Essays on Toni Morrison.   Reserve Shelf, University of Montana, 1993. Heller, Dana.   "The Feminization of Quest Romance."   Reserve Shelf, University of  Ã‚   Montana, 1993. Hoy, David Cousens.   The Critical Circle: Literature, History and Philosophical  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hermeneutics.   Berkeley:   University of California Press, 1978. Morrison, Toni.   Song of Solomon.   New York: Penguin Books, USA, 1978. O'Shaughnessy, Kathleen.   "Life, life, life, life:   the Community of Chorus in Song of  Ã‚   Solomon," Critical Essays on Toni Morrison.   Reserve Shelf, University of Montana, 1993.

Implications of Gambling Industry on UK Business Environment Essay

Gambling opportunities have sharply increased all over the UK in a short period of a couple of years. It has been transforming into a socially acceptable means of entertainment due to the increasing leniency in laws regarding gambling. Gambling has been made available in all areas of the city and special facilities have opened for this purpose. Betting offices, clubs, and casinos are just a few examples of such places. â€Å"Gambling is playing games involving chance or placing bets in the hope or expectation of winning money. Gambling takes many forms, from buying lottery tickets in a raffle to playing the football pools or betting on the Grand National to table gaming in casinos. † (Basic facts about the British Gambling Industry, pg. 2) Developments in science and technology have open new gates for gamblers on a global scale. Nowadays, gamblers can take advantage of online gambling facilities to indulge themselves in these activities without leaving their houses just by using their credit cards. The government has further opened opportunities to gamble on telephones if you have activated an account with a bookmaker. According to a report prepared by KPMG, the total amount betted on gambling activities in Britain in the year 1998 reached 42,121 million pounds. The amount spent in casinos was the topmost which calculated up to 18,547 million pounds. A Brief History of Gambling in Britain â€Å"The high point of gambling in Britain is considered to be a period of aristocratic excess in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Upper-class gaming was characterized by â€Å"deep play† (defined by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham as gambling for stakes so high that it becomes irrational) and crazy, eccentric wagers, such as the one apparently struck by the northern baron who bet he could make it to Lapland and back within an allotted time, accompanied by two reindeer and two native females. He won his bet. † (Atherton, pg. 28+) The Gaming Act of 1845 declared the games of chance as illegitimate. For a long period of time until 1960, gambling carried on inside the UK as an illegal business. It was in 1960 that the government took a major step in the legalization of this industry. Hence, the betting and gaming Act of 1960 was introduced for this legalization process. The Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 altered the previous laws and paved the way for the development of gambling outlets especially casinos all over the UK. Since this was the first time that gambling was permitted in the UK, the government did not take necessary precautions to control the side effects that are associated with gambling activities. This was the major cause of the rise in crimes in Britain at that time since criminals found these new legalized gambling outlets and casinos as a good place to strengthen their footholds. Moreover, loans and losses in gambling gave birth to new criminals as addicted gamblers adopted thefts, burglaries, and other money-making crimes to fulfill their gambling compulsions. As time passed, lawmakers realized the need for a new act that would focus on these issues that have risen after the legalization of gambling. Therefore, the Gaming Act of 1968 was brought in to impose certain restrictions on the gambling industry. With the introduction of the Gaming Act of 1968, the Gaming Board was seriously planning to put a ban on Roulette but they succumbed to the demands of the gambling industry. (http://www. hca. heacademy. ac. uk/resources/TDG/reports/gaming-example-wolfe. ppt) The launching of the National Lottery and the increasing trend in online gambling during the 1990s led to the revision of betting duty by the British government. Afterwards, the government decreased the taxation on betting activities by a considerable amount. General Betting Duty (GBD), a particular type of tax on betting activities that was charged on the percentage of stakes has been replaced by another one, known as Gross Profits Tax (GPT). This new type of tax is charged on the net profits that a bookmaker makes. They also decided to replace the current general betting duty (GBD), levied as a proportion of betting stakes, with a gross profits tax (GPT), based on the net revenue of bookmakers. (Paton, et. Al, pg. F296)

The Hypocrisy of Revenge in Shakespeares Hamlet - 854 Words

In todays society, the media often portrays revenge as an acceptable option. This is not outright stated, but rather implied. Characters often seem to think that revenge is the only way to get closure from a bad experience, and when this is acted on, negative consequences are not shown. Rarely is the fact that vengeance is hypocritical and wrong brought up. People need to wake up and realize that revenge is always hypocritical and illogical. As Christ said, â€Å"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.† (John 8:7) The play, Hamlet, illustrates the hypocrisy of revenge. In this play, the prince Hamlet has just lost his father. While everyone thinks the death was accidental, Hamlets dead father appears to him and tells him that his brother, Hamlets uncle, murdered him. He commands Hamlet to avenge his death, yet not to harm his mother, because God and her conscience will punish her. Already, there is hypocrisy shown here - the dead ki ng trusts God to take care of punishing his wife, yet commands his own son to to murder his uncle, rather than following what God says, â€Å"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. (Romans 12:19) He says, â€Å"But howsoever thou pursuest this act, [revenge on his uncle] Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge To prickShow MoreRelatedHamlet Reflections Essay1126 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare’s revenge tragedy Hamlet has endured the tests of time and successfully lived on till our present era due to its exploration of prominent themes and core values which appeal to the human condition and resonate deeply in the contemporary world. 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Though confronted by the disparities of the world in figurative decay, the character’sRead MoreOphelia and Hamlet in The Tragedy of Hamlet Essay1559 Words   |  7 PagesOphelia and Hamlet In 1600, William Shakespeare composed what is considered the greatest tragedy of all time, Hamlet, the tragedy of the Prince of Denmark. His masterpiece forever redefined what tragedy should be. Critics have analyzed it word for word for nearly four hundred years, with each generation appreciating Hamlet in its own way. While Hamlet conforms, without a doubt, to Aristotles definition of a tragedy, one question still lingers. Did Shakespeare intend for the reader or viewerRead MoreHamlets Madness Essay1147 Words   |  5 Pagesovertasked.† Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet parallels this quote as it portrays his character caught in a mental battle as a result of his madness. When left alone to his thoughts, Hamlet contemplates decisions to the point of obsession, leading him into isolation. 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The multiple aspects of her personality deserve our attention.    Angela Pitt in â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies† comments that Shakespeare’s Gertrude in Hamlet is, first and foremost, a mother:    Gertrude evinces no such need to justifyRead More Hamlet Essay: The Unlike Characters of Gertrude and Ophelia3420 Words   |  14 PagesHamlet -- the Unlike Characters of Gertrude and Ophelia      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet features two ladies who are very unlike in character. Queen Gertrude, denounced by the ghost as faithless to King Hamlet, is pictured as evil by many, while Ophelia is seen as pure and obedient and full of good virtues. Let’s explore these two unlike people.    Rebecca Smith in â€Å"Scheming Adulteress or Loving Mother† presents an unusually â€Å"clean† image of the present queen that is not consistent