Biological Variation In Health And Illness

"Specifically for the health professional, this book contains an extensive compilation of research findings on biologic variation by race, age, and gender relating to health and illness. Completely rewritten, revised, and updated, the Second Edition includes an increased discussion of biologic variation and expanded coverage of each chapter topic.This book provides a theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms that influence biologic variation. It presents a well-documented discussion of research data and indicates areas where knowledge is lacking. A theoretical explanation is followed by examination of surface and anatomical variations, developmental variation, biochemical and enzymatic variations, disease susceptibility differences, and influence of the external variation. Consideration of sexual variation reveals more differences between the sexes than among races. Misconceptions about racial uniformity and diversity are exposed throughout the book. Tables of specific biologic variations allow easy reference and access to the literature."--Provided by publisher.

Specifically for the health professional, this book contains an extensive compilation of research findings on biologic variation by race, age, and gender relating to health and illness. Completely rewritten, revised, and updated, the Second Edition includes an increased discussion of biologic variation and expanded coverage of each chapter topic. This book provides a theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms that influence biologic variation. It presents a well-documented discussion of research data and indicates areas where knowledge is lacking. A theoretical explanation is followed by examination of surface and anatomical variations, developmental variation, biochemical and enzymatic variations, disease susceptibility differences, and influence of the external variation. Consideration of sexual variation reveals more differences between the sexes than among races. Misconceptions about racial uniformity and diversity are exposed throughout the book. Tables of specific biologic variations allow easy reference and access to the literature.

Specifically for the health professional, this book contains an extensive compilation of research findings on biologic variation by race, age, and gender relating to health and illness. Completely rewritten, revised, and updated, the Second Edition includes an increased discussion of biologic variation and expanded coverage of each chapter topic. This book provides a theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms that influence biologic variation. It presents a well-documented discussion of research data and indicates areas where knowledge is lacking. A theoretical explanation is followed by examination of surface and anatomical variations, developmental variation, biochemical and enzymatic variations, disease susceptibility differences, and influence of the external variation. Consideration of sexual variation reveals more differences between the sexes than among races. Misconceptions about racial uniformity and diversity are exposed throughout the book. Tables of specific biologic variations allow easy reference and access to the literature.

First edition published in 2002. Second edition published in 2008.

Recent developments in molecular and computational methods have made it possible to identify the genetic basis of any biological trait, and have led to spectacular advances in the study of human disease. This book provides an overview of the concepts and methods needed to understand the genetic basis of biological traits, including disease, in humans. Using examples of qualitative and quantitative phenotypes, Professor Weiss shows how genetic variation may be quantified, and how relationships between genotype and phenotype may be inferred. This book will appeal to many biologists and biological anthropologists interested in the genetic basis of biological traits, as well as to epidemiologists, biomedical scientists, human geneticists and molecular biologists.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

This work explores and analyses the ways in which our ancient genes contend with, and influence, modern human life. It offers coverage of the points of contact between evolutionary biology and medical science.