TeachableMedicalNews article 03132020

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. chemical basis of life chapter – concept of one gene, one protein
  2. cellular basis of life chapter – gene mutation leading to protein  malfunction
  3. tissue chapter – junctional structures, hemidesmosomes
  4. integumentary system chapter – functions of epidermis

The news item:  Recently an article appeared about a newborn who was missing a good part of his skin:

Baby born without skin puzzles doctors, but mom says ‘we have faith, that’s all that matters’

Houston doctors are running tests to diagnose a baby born with most of his skin missing. Mom’s only been able to hold baby twice in three months.

The article mentioned the disorder epidermolysis bullosa, genetic testing for diagnosis, and the low frequency of this disorder.

So, Why Do I Care??  While the combination of the aplasia cutis and