The Maternal Imprint

The Maternal Imprint PDF Author: Sarah S. Richardson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022654480X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 319

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Book Description
Introduction: The Maternal Imprint -- Sex Equality in Heredity -- Prenatal Culture -- Germ Plasm Hygiene -- Maternal Effects -- Race, Birth Weight, and the Biosocial Body -- Fetal Programming -- It's the Mother! -- Epilogue: Gender and Heredity in the Postgenomic Moment.

The Maternal Imprint

The Maternal Imprint PDF Author: Sarah S. Richardson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022654480X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Get Book Here

Book Description
Introduction: The Maternal Imprint -- Sex Equality in Heredity -- Prenatal Culture -- Germ Plasm Hygiene -- Maternal Effects -- Race, Birth Weight, and the Biosocial Body -- Fetal Programming -- It's the Mother! -- Epilogue: Gender and Heredity in the Postgenomic Moment.

The Maternal Imprint

The Maternal Imprint PDF Author: Sarah S. Richardson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780226544779
Category : Fetus
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
"From Homer to the Bible, and Aristotle to Descartes, expert and common knowledge held that a pregnant woman's emotions and experiences could "imprint" on the fetus, leading to features such as birthmarks, deformities, and distinctive personality traits. Beginning with the advent of modern genetics at the turn of the twentieth century, however, biomedical scientists dismissed any notion that a mother-except in cases of extreme deprivation or injury-could alter her offspring's traits. Consensus asserted that the fetus was walled off from a woman's body by the placenta and that a child's fate was set by a combination of its genes and post-birth upbringing. Over the last fifty years, this consensus was dismantled. Today, research on the intrauterine environment and its effects on the fetus is emerging as a robust program of study in medicine, public health, psychology, evolutionary biology, and genomics. Some researchers claim that these maternal effects represent a biologically important but non-genetic form of inheritance, potentially refracting the mother's experiences and exposures across generations of descendants. Tracing a genealogy of ideas about heredity and maternal-fetal effects, The Maternal Imprint offers a critical analysis of conceptual and ethical issues provoked by the striking rise of epigenetics and fetal origins science in postgenomic biology today"--

The Maternal Imprint

The Maternal Imprint PDF Author: Sarah S. Richardson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022680707X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 319

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Book Description
Leading gender and science scholar Sarah S. Richardson charts the untold history of the idea that a woman's health and behavior during pregnancy can have long-term effects on her descendants' health and welfare. The idea that a woman may leave a biological trace on her gestating offspring has long been a commonplace folk intuition and a matter of scientific intrigue, but the form of that idea has changed dramatically over time. Beginning with the advent of modern genetics at the turn of the twentieth century, biomedical scientists dismissed any notion that a mother—except in cases of extreme deprivation or injury—could alter her offspring’s traits. Consensus asserted that a child’s fate was set by a combination of its genes and post-birth upbringing. Over the last fifty years, however, this consensus was dismantled, and today, research on the intrauterine environment and its effects on the fetus is emerging as a robust program of study in medicine, public health, psychology, evolutionary biology, and genomics. Collectively, these sciences argue that a woman’s experiences, behaviors, and physiology can have life-altering effects on offspring development. Tracing a genealogy of ideas about heredity and maternal-fetal effects, this book offers a critical analysis of conceptual and ethical issues—in particular, the staggering implications for maternal well-being and reproductive autonomy—provoked by the striking rise of epigenetics and fetal origins science in postgenomic biology today.

Sex Itself

Sex Itself PDF Author: Sarah S. Richardson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022608471X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Human genomes are 99.9 percent identical—with one prominent exception. Instead of a matching pair of X chromosomes, men carry a single X, coupled with a tiny chromosome called the Y. Tracking the emergence of a new and distinctive way of thinking about sex represented by the unalterable, simple, and visually compelling binary of the X and Y chromosomes, Sex Itself examines the interaction between cultural gender norms and genetic theories of sex from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present, postgenomic age. Using methods from history, philosophy, and gender studies of science, Sarah S. Richardson uncovers how gender has helped to shape the research practices, questions asked, theories and models, and descriptive language used in sex chromosome research. From the earliest theories of chromosomal sex determination, to the mid-century hypothesis of the aggressive XYY supermale, to the debate about Y chromosome degeneration, to the recent claim that male and female genomes are more different than those of humans and chimpanzees, Richardson shows how cultural gender conceptions influence the genetic science of sex. Richardson shows how sexual science of the past continues to resonate, in ways both subtle and explicit, in contemporary research on the genetics of sex and gender. With the completion of the Human Genome Project, genes and chromosomes are moving to the center of the biology of sex. Sex Itself offers a compelling argument for the importance of ongoing critical dialogue on how cultural conceptions of gender operate within the science of sex.

Perinatal Genetics

Perinatal Genetics PDF Author: Mary E Norton
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 0323530966
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 207

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Book Description
Get a quick, expert overview of the fast-changing field of perinatal genetics with this concise, practical resource. Drs. Mary Norton, Jeffrey A. Kuller, Lorraine Dugoff, and George Saade fully cover the clinically relevant topics that are key to providers who care for pregnant women and couples contemplating pregnancy. It's an ideal resource for Ob/Gyn physicians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and clinical geneticists, as well as midwives, nurse practitioners, and other obstetric providers. - Provides a comprehensive review of basic principles of medical genetics and genetic counseling, molecular genetics, cytogenetics, prenatal screening options, chromosomal microarray analysis, whole exome sequencing, prenatal ultrasound, diagnostic testing, and more. - Contains a chapter on fetal treatment of genetic disorders. - Consolidates today's available information and experience in this important area into one convenient resource.

Introduction to Epigenetics

Introduction to Epigenetics PDF Author: Renato Paro
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030686701
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
This open access textbook leads the reader from basic concepts of chromatin structure and function and RNA mechanisms to the understanding of epigenetics, imprinting, regeneration and reprogramming. The textbook treats epigenetic phenomena in animals, as well as plants. Written by four internationally known experts and senior lecturers in this field, it provides a valuable tool for Master- and PhD- students who need to comprehend the principles of epigenetics, or wish to gain a deeper knowledge in this field. After reading this book, the student will: Have an understanding of the basic toolbox of epigenetic regulation Know how genetic and epigenetic information layers are interconnected Be able to explain complex epigenetic phenomena by understanding the structures and principles of the underlying molecular mechanisms Understand how misregulated epigenetic mechanisms can lead to disease

The Placenta and Human Developmental Programming

The Placenta and Human Developmental Programming PDF Author: Graham J. Burton
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139494228
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Developmental programming is a rapidly advancing discipline of great importance to basic scientists and health professionals alike. This text integrates, for the first time, contributions from world experts to explore the role of the placenta in developmental programming. The book considers the materno-fetal supply line, and how perturbations of placental development impact on its functional capacity. Chapters examine ways in which environmental, immunological and vascular insults regulate expression of conventional and imprinted genes, along with their impact on placental shape and size, transport, metabolism and endocrine function. Research in animal models is integrated with human clinical and epidemiological data, and questions for future research are identified. Transcripts of discussions between the authors allow readers to engage with controversial issues. Essential reading for researchers in placental biology and developmental programming, as well as specialists and trainees in the wider field of reproductive medicine.

The Imprinted Brain

The Imprinted Brain PDF Author: Christopher Badcock
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 1846429501
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
The Imprinted Brain sets out a radical new theory of the mind and mental illness based on the recent discovery of genomic imprinting. Imprinted genes are those from one parent that, in that parent's interest, are expressed in an offspring rather than the diametrically opposed genes from the other parent. For example, a higher birth weight may represent the dominance of the father's genes in leading to a healthy child, whereas a lower birth weight is beneficial to the mother's immediate wellbeing, and the imprint of the mother's genes will result in a smaller baby. According to this view, a win for the father's genes may result in autism, whereas one for the mother's may result in psychosis. A state of equilibrium - normality - is the most likely outcome, with a no-win situation of balanced expression. Imprinted genes typically produce symptoms that are opposites of each other, and the author uses psychiatric case material to show how many of the symptoms of psychosis can be shown to be the mental mirror-images of those of autism. Combining psychiatry with insights from modern genetics and cognitive science, Christopher Badcock explains the fascinating imprinted brain theory to the reader in a thorough but accessible way. This new theory casts some intriguing new light on other topics as diverse as the nature of genius, the appeal of detective fiction, and the successes - and failures - of psychoanalysis. This thought-provoking book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in autism, psychiatry, cognitive science or psychology in general.

Partial Stories

Partial Stories PDF Author: Claire L. Wendland
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226816885
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
"Partial Stories takes readers to Malawi, where roughly one in twenty women can expect to die of a pregnancy or childbirth complication, despite decades of safe-motherhood programs. The stories of these mothers are told in hospitals and villages, by chiefs and doctors, herbalists and nurses, epidemiologists and healers, and competing explanations proliferate. The mothers' stories are used by elders for technical education and moral instruction at a coming-of-age-ritual, a district hospital's mortality review, and in the reflected glow of a computer screen at an international conference. After orienting readers to urban Malawi's context of therapeutic pluralism and material scarcity, Claire Wendland discusses the ways various experts account for maternal death, showing how their diverse explanations reflect competing visions of the past and shared concerns about social change. She looks to a series of pregnancy-related deaths in order to consider bodies as biosocial phenomena, shaped from before birth by history and social inequality. Wendland reveals an uneven therapeutic landscape that pushes experts to improvise, clinically and ethically. Their creative, essential, and sometimes deadly improvisations ask us to reconsider the "best practice" dogmas of global health and transnational research, as well as the nature of medical authority and expertise. Wendland demonstrates how strategies of legitimation render care more dangerous and knowledge more partial than it might otherwise be"--

Mother Reader

Mother Reader PDF Author: Moyra Davey
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
ISBN: 9781583220726
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
The intersection of motherhood and creative life is explored in these writings on mothering that turn the spotlight from the child to the mother herself. Here, in memoirs, testimonials, diaries, essays, and fiction, mothers describe first-hand the changes brought to their lives by pregnancy, childbirth, and mothering. Many of the writers articulate difficult and socially unsanctioned maternal anger and ambivalence. In Mother Reader, motherhood is scrutinized for all its painful and illuminating subtleties, and addressed with unconventional wisdom and candor. What emerges is a sense of a community of writers speaking to and about each other out of a common experience, and a compilation of extraordinary literature never before assembled in a single volume.