Research the principles of insulin production via genetic engineering Essay

Research the principles of insulin production via genetic engineering - Essay Example Today, however, insulin is commercially produced through genetic engineering, a process that makes available to diabetic patients worldwide massive quantities of the hormone without difficulty. Despite its evident usefulness, genetic engineering remains continuously haunted by ethical issues and considerations. II Homeostasis of Blood Sugar Level The human body maintains a consistent internal environment and one of the factors subject to this homeostasis is blood sugar, or glucose, level. At normal level, blood sugar in the body must be within 80 mg for every 100 cm3 blood. In the event that blood sugar falls below or rises above that level spurs the body mechanism to make corrective measures, a process called negative feedback, so as to restitute glucose to homeostatic level (Givens and Reiss 2002, p. 56). The homeostasis of glucose primarily involves the organs of pancreas and liver. As blood sugar level rises, such as after a high carbohydrate meal, the pancreas secretes insulin t o correct that level. Insulin is a hormone whose presence in the bloodstream indicates to the liver to start converting glucose into glycogen and store it. The amount of insulin in the bloodstream indicates the amount of glucose to be converted and stored. ... 56-57). III Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes mellitus (DM hereafter), the most common type of diabetes, is a disease caused by a metabolism disorder related to insulin function. Diabetes mellitus is defined by the World Health Organisation in 1980 as â€Å"a state of chronic hyperglycemia which may result from many environmental and genetic factors often acting jointly† (Ekoe 2008, pp. 5-6). There are four types of diabetes mellitus: type 1, which is insulin-dependent (IDDM); type 2, which is non-insulin dependent (NIDDM); diabetes secondary to other diseases, and; gestational diabetes, all of which have the common factor of hyperglycemia or high blood glucose. IDDM account for 5% to 10% of diabetes cases and NIDDM for 90% to 95%; the last two types account for remaining insignificant cases (Poretsky 2010, pp. 108, 116). Aside from hyperglycemia, the clinical symptoms of the disease usually include polyuria or the tendency for frequent passing of urine, polydipsia or excessive thirs t, polyphagia or excessive desire to eat, weight loss despite polyphagia, glycosuria or presence of glucose in the urine, ketoacidosis, visual changes, skin infections, sepsis and pruritus. However, except for hypoglycemia, not all patients suffer from all or the same symptoms and not all persons who suffer from any of such symptoms are necessarily afflicted with diabetes (Ekoe 2008, pp. 5-6). DM is widely thought to be caused by genetic factors, although the mechanism has not been exactly pinpointed. The etiological explanation, however, of the disease is autoimmunity in which ?-cells producing insulin are being destroyed resulting in insulin deficiency. The consequence is homeostatic failure of blood sugar level. Aside from genetic predisposition, infection and environmental

How to quit smoking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How to quit smoking - Research Paper Example It also lays a great impact on people who do not smoke but are exposed to second hand smoke and they also become susceptible to the development of disease. Smoking affects the major systems of the human body which include the cardiovascular system as well as the respiratory system and is associated with major pathological conditions affecting the heart and can also result in cancer of the lung. Smoking also increases the economic burden of the country owing to the large amounts of money that need to be spent on the medical expenditures of the smokers. A survey in year 2004 revealed the fact that $96 billion had to be spent on the health care costs of the smokers owing to the pathologies resulting directly due to smoking. Hence the severity of the issue makes it important that strategies should be formulated to assist individuals in overcoming these problems of smoking and to quit smoking as this can be beneficial for the individuals as well as for the state (Centers for Disease Contr ol and Prevention 2010). Strategies employed by the state can serve to be very useful in reducing the number of smokers. This was proved by the statistics for the state of California where the percentage of smokers reduced from 22.7 percent to 13.3 percent from the year 1988 to 2006. The policies used by the state included the elevation in the cost of the cigarettes accompanied by other important techniques which included reduction in advertisements and promotions of cigarettes. This led not only in reduction of the number of smokers but it was also associated with decrease in the number of pathological conditions in the state associated with smoking (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010). The goal of quitting smoking is not very easy and it requires extreme will power and determination. Many people do not choose to quit smoking owing to the fact that when they stop smoking, it leads to increase in their weight. This is because leaving smoking is linked to increased cravi ng for sweet foods and this leads to increased consumption of calories. To tackle this issue different methods have been prescribed to overcome the problem of smoking as well as the gain of weight that may follow. It is advised that the smokers should start eating a healthy and balances diet. This should be accompanied by regular exercises and work outs. This is because exercise and healthy eating habits are associated with burning of calories and at the same time it leads to reducing the stress that a person may experience due to leaving smoking. This is also very helpful because it can lead to the improvement of cardiovascular system boost the physical health of the individual (Marcus et al 2004). The initiative should be taken by the government for promoting individuals from quitting smoking. This includes awareness programs along with the constellation of other techniques which include the utilization of media to promote the benefits of quitting smoking. The awareness programs s hould be started from schools so that the youths are trained against adapting to these habits. The prices of cigarettes should be raised along with the taxes to make the people think regarding their choice of smoking. The methods that are available for helping individuals who smoke should also be explained to these people. These strategies will assist people in setting their goals to work towards quitting smoking (Ranney et