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Key Concepts in Human Genomics and Epidemiology

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Handbook of Genomics and the Family

Part of the book series: Issues in Clinical Child Psychology ((ICCP))

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Abstract

Every expectant parent hopes for a healthy newborn infant and wants their baby to grow up healthy and happy. When serious child health problems become apparent, it is natural to ask why: What could have happened? Could this have been prevented? What caused this? Depending on the nature of the problem, suspicion may come to rest initially on prenatal exposures and environmental factors, and indeed for centuries this was the only available avenue of inquiry. It has been well known, for example, that heavy alcohol use during pregnancy could lead to the birth of an infant with deficient growth and mental development (US Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2003; Warner & Rosett, 1975). It was also commonly observed that some health problems “run in families,” but until the discovery of DNA in the middle twentieth century, and the genomics revolution in later decades, the tools for investigating genetic causes of disease were limited. The discovery of molecular genetic methods of analysis subsequently revolutionized the understanding of human disease at the most fundamental level of cells and cellular processes, thereby opening the door to studies designed to uncover the ultimate causes of childhood health problems.

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    Offie P. Soldin & Christopher A. Loffredo

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Soldin, O.P., Loffredo, C.A. (2010). Key Concepts in Human Genomics and Epidemiology. In: Tercyak, K. (eds) Handbook of Genomics and the Family. Issues in Clinical Child Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5800-6_1

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