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Advancements In Healthcare

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In the last 20 years there have been many remarkable scientific advances in healthcare science, which have made a vast difference in the diagnosis and treatment of many illnesses. There are also many potential advances in the field of healthcare science that will improve the quality of life for many people.

Firstly, the Human Genome Project, which started in 1990 and was completed in 2003, allowed scientists to read the complete set of human genetic information and begin to understand the roles of our 23,000 genes. Genetic conditions are caused when DNA variants are inherited which results in a change in the functioning of one gene that affects the way the body works or develops. There are over 10,000 different genetic conditions, e.g. cystic …show more content…
High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood can be harmful as it can lead to the narrowing and hardening of the arteries, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (NHS Choices, Online). Statins reduce the production of LDL cholesterol in the liver to prevent the above conditions. “Up to 8,000 lives could be saved every three years by offering statins to anyone with a 10 per cent risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) within a decade”, says NICE (no date). Therefore, the development of statins and other techniques used to prevent and cure heart disease are a very significant advance in healthcare science as heart disease and other heart problems are very common and can lead to death, but these solutions have shown to be effective and reduced death rates caused by heart …show more content…
According to Leeb (2011), a tissue-engineered trachea, utilizing the patients’ own stem cells, was successfully transplanted into a young woman who was suffering from failing airways. “This treatment provided the recipient with a functional windpipe and did not provoke immune rejection commonly seen with conventional transplanted organs.” Cardiovascular disease is a major health concern, which includes hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure, as they have been ranked the number one cause of death every year in the United States since 1900 except 1918, according to NIH, 2015:Online. The use of embryonic and adult stem cells for the treatment of cardiac repair is an active area of research. Cardiovascular disease results in the heart tissue being deprived of oxygen, which kills the cardiac muscle cells. This can eventually lead to death. Therefore, restoring damaged heart cells by repair or regeneration with the help of stem cells is potentially a new approach to treat heart failure. A number of stem cell types have been investigated as possible sources for regenerating damaged heart tissue or cells. all the different types of stem cells have been tested in mouse or rat models and some have been tested in larger animal models, like pigs. According to NIH, (2015:Online) a small number of studies that have been

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