Question

Aamuun and Asad are refugees from Somalia currently living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aamuun was pregnant when the couple arrived. During the first 4 months of Aamuun’s pregnancy, she lived on very meager food portions. After arriving in the United States, her diet improved greatly. She gave birth to a healthy girl of normal birth weight. The family is having some difficulty adjusting to their new home, but they are receiving help and support from their new community. Fortunately, they will continue to have access to health care as their baby grows and develops.

1. How might Aamuun’s meager food intake affect the long-term development of their baby?

2. How does this case illustrate potential epigenetic changes?

3. Will Aamuun and Asad’s grandchildren be at an increased risk of disease due to epigenetic changes? Why or why not?

4. What can health-care professionals do to support this family?

Answer 1

1. Aamuun's Meager food might affect the child to be malnourished. The child will get imbalanced nutrition and lack of protein results in changes in the epigenetic factor of DNA activation.

2. Lack of inadequate diet interferes with the mechanism of the epigenetic process. The potential changes of methylation, histone modification and decoded of microRNA result in a change of the epigenetic process. Methylation of DNA leads to repression of the gene. Histone proteins present around the DNA alters the DNA package and results in turn off the genes. MicroRNA a single-stranded membrane that does not encode with the protein leads to genome changes. Altogether results in genomic changes.

3. Yes. Aamuun and Asad's grandchildren are at high risk of developing cancer due to tp epigenomic changes. Lack of protein in genes(histone cells), loss or damage to the cell division, unregulated cell growth results in Carcinogenesis. As the gene is inherited from one generation to another generation, the normal cell growth is converted into cancer cells.

4. Health care professionals help them by improving their diet and nutrition and thereby reduces the risk of cancer. Educate them about the importance of antioxidants and technology that reverses the changes in the gene pattern. Health care professionals also support them by providing appropriate environmental and biological factors that prevent the development of cancer.