The Brain and Spine Institute is made up of experts in the field of neuroscience in order to bring patients the best healthcare in East Tennessee for a full range of neurological diseases and disorders.
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Centers of Excellence
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We provide a comprehensive continuum of cancer services, including prevention, outreach, diagnostic, treatment and support services delivered by our highly skilled staff with compassion and care.
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The Center for Women & Children's Health is a hub for supporting women's and children's individual healthcare needs. The center provides support, research and unmatched patient-centered care.
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Emergency and Trauma Services is the only Level I Trauma Center in the area and serves as the tertiary referral center for medical care in East Tennessee, serving Knox County and 21 surrounding counties.
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The Heart Lung Vascular Institute brings together expertise in clinical care, teaching and research. Patients receive exceptional healthcare combined with patient-centered care.
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Genes
Definition
A gene is a short piece of DNA, which tells the body how to build a specific protein. There are approximately 30,000 genes in each cell of the human body. The combination of all genes makes up the blueprint for the human body and its functions.
A person's genetic makeup is called a genotype.
Information
Genes are located on strands of DNA, just like beads on a string. The DNA strands make up the chromosomes.
Chromosomes contain matching pairs of one copy of a specific gene. The gene occurs in the same position on each chromosome.
In females, one sex chromosome gets its gene from the mother, the other matching sex chromosome has the gene from the father.
In males, a single X chromosome comes from the mother and a non-matching Y chromosome comes from the father.
Genetic traits, such as eye color, are described as dominant or recessive:
- Dominant traits are controlled by one gene in the pair.
- Recessive traits require both genes in the gene pair to work together to control the trait.
Many personal characteristics, such as height, are determined by more than one gene. However, some diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, can be caused by a change in a single gene. For detailed information, see heredity and disease.
See also:
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).