Biological basis of child health 1: understanding the cell and genetics
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Biological basis of child health 1: understanding the cell and genetics

Kate Davies Senior Lecturer in non-medical Prescribing, London South Bank University and honorary research fellow in paediatric endocrinology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, England
Eirini Meimaridou Reader, School of Human Sciences, London Metropolitan University, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To improve your knowledge of the fundamentals of cell division and genetics

  • To understand how errors during deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication can cause mutations in genes

  • To learn the laws of inheritance and how genes are passed from parents to offspring

This article is the first of a series that outlines the fundamental aspects of the biological basis of child health. Cells and genes are the basic units of life. Therefore, it is essential that nurses have knowledge of how cells function to understand normal physiology and pathophysiology, and how specific conditions are inherited. This article describes the components of the human cell, detailing their structure and function. It also discusses genetics, providing examples of inherited diseases including those caused by mutations that affect specific components of the cell. The aim is to provide children’s nurses with an accessible introduction to cell biology and genetics linked to their clinical practice.

Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2020.e1047

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

@sausmash

Correspondence

kate.davies@lsbu.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Davies K, Meimaridou E (2020) Biological basis of child health 1: understanding the cell and genetics. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2020.e1047

Published online: 09 March 2020

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