Chapter 5: Medical Technology and Genetic Disorders

Section 5.2 Genetics and Human Health, page 156

Find out more about Klinefelter syndrome. What are the symptoms of this disorder? How is it detected? Is there a treatment?

Living with Klinefelter Syndrome
Stefan tells his story of growing up with KS, but not knowing about his condition until he was 25 years old.

I’m Not Fat, I’m Deformed: Klinefelter’s Syndrome and Me
David’s story is remarkably similar to Stefan’s. Their interest in computers, as well as the similarities in their learning styles, is quite striking. David’s report of his late diagnosis is startling considering, as he points out, that this is quite a common disorder.

What is XXY?
This Canadian site gives brief factual information on what it means to have an extra X chromosome, and points out that not all boys with the extra chromosome will develop all (or any) of the symptoms of Klinefelter’s syndrom.

American Association of Klinefelter Syndrome Information and Support
This brochure, produced by AAKSIS, gives some general information about Klinefelter, or XXY, syndrome.

Section 5.3 Biotechnology, page 159

Find out more about how cloning is being used to help bring back the numbers of endangered species.

Cloning: Bringing Back Endangered Species
This article, first published in Applied Genetics News in October, 2000, is very positive about the possibility of implanting fertilized eggs from an endangered species into a domestic animal, and having them develop normally. There is even a suggestion that scientists might be able to bring back extinct species, if they have the necessary genetic material.

Stopping Extinction: Cloning Endangered Species May Be Viable
Both sides of the argument?for and against cloning endangered species?are given in this ABC News article.

Cloning Endangered Species
Here is a less positive view from the University of New South Wales in Australia, giving reasons why cloning may not be the answer to the extinction problem.

DNA Banks Urged to Save Species
If we are going to clone animals of the verge of extinction, we are going to need samples of their DNA?and preferably samples from several individuals. This BBC News article quotes both scientists who are in favour of this proposal and those who have reservations.

Section 5.3 Biotechnology, page 164

DNA evidence has been used to free some Canadians who were wrongfully convicted of murder. Who were these individuals? Find out how DNA fingerprinting helps the courts to convict the right person. Prepare a point-form summary of your findings.

CBC News Backgrounder: Wrongly Convicted
The CBC presents a short article, naming just a few of the people who have been wrongly convicted of murder in Canada.

CBC News Backgrounder: Crime, Punishment & DNA
When is DNA evidence useful and when is it not, in the courtroom? How has it helped Milgaard, Morin, and Sophonow? Could DNA analysis be useful in other circumstances? These questions and more are answered in the CBC’s article.

Parties Make Arresting Proposals for DNA
The author of this article, Jonathan Kimmelman, is a Research Associate at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in Manitoba. He brings his expertise to the challenging issue of how much the courts should rely on DNA evidence.

Chapter 6: Medical Advances

Section 6.1: Types of Diagnostic Technology, page 173

Some tools that were developed for medical purposes are also used in other workplaces. For example, airport personnel scan passengers’ luggage using devices based on technology similar to that of X-ray radiation and CAT scans. Find out how these machines work.

HowStuffWorks: How Airport Security Works
Scroll down to the photograph of the X-ray machine for carry-on luggage, and read all about how the machine works. The diagrams will help you understand the physics of this useful piece of airport security equipment.

Einstein’s Legacy: X-Rays
Here you will find everything you wanted to know about X-rays and Computed Axial Tomography (CAT) scans, clearly explained and illustrated. To go to related pages, click on “Electromagnetic Radation” and “CAT Scans” at the bottom of the page.

Airport International: Advances in X-Ray Security
Have you ever seen an X-ray picture of a truck? This site introduces the idea of using huge X-ray machines that can scan large crates, freight containers, and even entire trucks.

CT Scanners
Clear text and diagrams explain how computer tomography (CT) scanners are used to look for individual objects inside a suspicious bag. They are slower than X-ray scanners, but more thorough.

Section 6.2: Technology for Medical Treatment, page 176

Diabetes affects the body’s ability to process glucose, a sugar found in blood. Many diabetics have to monitor their blood sugar levels several times a day. How can diabetics monitor their blood sugar levels?

Things You Should Know About Type 1 Diabetes
The Canadian Diabetes Association’s website provides lots of information about diabetes. If you scroll down to the heading “Keeping Your Blood Sugar on the Level,” you will be able to read about testing your glucose levels.

Diabetes Treatment: Regulating High Blood Sugar
This website is run be NCE Health Care Sites. Read the paragraph under the heading “Keeping Informed: Monitoring Blood Glucose Levels.”

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Canada: Monitoring Your Blood Sugar
This brochure, written for young people with diabetes, discusses several ways in which blood sugar levels can be checked.

On-line Diabetes Resources Part 14: Blood Glucose Meters
This site links to many manufacturers’ sites, so you can compare many different kinds of blood sugar monitoring devices.

OneTouch Meters
This commercial site advertises its line of blood glucose meters for diabetics.

New Technologies Take the Ouch Out of Blood Sugar Checks
While the “traditional” method of testing blood sugar levels has been to obtain a drop of blood from a finger, there are now various technologies that can monitor glucose levels with less pain.

Section 6.3: Spare Parts, page 188

Some deaf activists say that cochlear implants threaten deaf culture. What do you think about this issue? Find out more about the debate over cochlear implants and deaf culture.

About the Cochlear Implant
The Lippy Group for Ear, Nose and Throat is a medical company that performs surgeries, including cochlear implants. As you might expect, their website has a rather “pro-implant” bias.

Cochlear Implants and Deaf Culture
This short piece tries to give both sides of the issue by looking at two different individual situations. However, it does appear to favour the use of cochlear implants.

Section 6.3: Spare Parts, page 192

Find out more about what procedures of plastic surgery are available, how they are performed, and what risks are involved.

Reshape Your Future FAQ
This is an information/advertising site run by an organization that does cosmetic plastic surgery. Of course, they tend to promote their business, but they also outline some of the concerns.

Time Asia: Nip and Tuck
Time magazine’s feature on the booming cosmetic plastic surgery industry in Asia might make you think twice before visiting one of the hundreds of clinics catering to this trade.

Facial Plastic Surgery: The Face to Face Outreach Programs
Plastic surgery isn’t always about vanity. There are many people who, because of birth defects, illness, or accident, have facial deformities that make it hard for them to function in the outside world. Several groups of plastic surgeons and nurses volunteer their time to help these people. This website describes just one of these groups.