karyotype

A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is discerned by determining the chromosome complement of an individual, including the number of chromosomes and any abnormalities.

Alternatively, the human genome can be classified as follows, based on pairing, sex differences, as well as location within the cell nucleus versus inside mitochondria:

  • 22 homologous autosomal chromosome pairs (chromosomes 1 to 22). Homologous means that they have the same genes in the same loci, and autosomal means that they are not sex chromomes.

  • Two sex chromosome (in green rectangle at bottom right in the schematic karyogram, with adjacent silhouettes of typical representative phenotypes): The most common karyotypes for females contain two X chromosomes and are denoted 46,XX; males usually have both an X and a Y chromosome denoted 46,XY. However, approximately 0.018% percent [ <2 out of 10,000] of humans are intersex, sometimes due to variations in sex chromosomes.

streisand effect

The Streisand effect is an unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or censor information, where the effort instead increases public awareness of the information. The effect is named for American singer and actress Barbra Streisand, whose attorney's attempt in 2003 to suppress the publication of a photograph showing her clifftop residence in Malibu, taken to document coastal erosion in California, inadvertently drew far greater attention to the previously obscure photograph. The effect exemplifies psychological reactance: where the desire to hide information instead makes its propagation more likely.

Posterior Subcapsular Polar Cataract

Posterior polar cataract (PPC) is a unique form of congenital cataract, which results in defective distance and near vision and affects the patient's daily activities. The inheritance is autosomal dominant, but a sporadic form has also been reported. Various genes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of PPC.

Most posterior polar cataracts are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic. However, over time posterior subcapsular (PSC) opacities may form around the posterior polar opacity. As the PSC progresses, vision may be severely affected.

Posterior Subcapsular cataract can cause significant reduction in vision because of the central position occupying the papillary area.

Posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSCs) are the most aggressive type of cataract, as they develop the most rapidly.

Posterior subcapsular cataracts are known to develop quickly in the eye. In some cases, patients can go from clear vision to blind in a matter of months.

Inherited Cataracts: Genetic Mechanisms and Pathways New and Old

Cataracts can be categorized by the age they are diagnosed, although diagnosis almost always lags behind the occurrence of lens opacity, sometimes significantly. Congenital and infantile cataracts present between birth and two years of age followed by juvenile cataracts being diagnosed between years two and ten and then presenile cataracts and finally age-related cataracts after 45–55 years of age. Cataracts with a similar age of onset might have different causes. For example, congenital cataracts might be inherited or caused by an intrauterine insult such as viral or parasitic infections, whereas age-related cataracts are associated with environmental insults accumulated over decades with susceptibility to these insults strongly influenced by genetic risk factors.

Occam's razor

In philosophy, Occam's razor (also spelled Ockham's razor or Ocham's razor; Latin: novacula Occami) is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. It is also known as the principle of parsimony or the law of parsimony (Latin: lex parsimoniae). Attributed to William of Ockham, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian, it is frequently cited as Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, which translates as "Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity", although Occam never used these exact words. Popularly, the principle is sometimes paraphrased as "The simplest explanation is usually the best one."

Old Rasputin

CONTRARY TO WHAT the name suggests, Russian imperial Stout was originally brewed in 18th Century England. The name evolved as the Russian Imperial Court developed an early appreciation for this big intense brew and provided an eager export market.

It's been speculated that no one had a greater appreciation for this rich, roasty elixer than Rasputin, the mystic wag (and favorite of the ladies of the court) who was the ultimate downfall of Czar Nicholas Il.

Rasputin is probably best remembered for his dramatic exit. Having been deemed politically expendable he was fed poisoned wine and tea cakes by his rivals. Surviving that, he was shot several times-whereupon he attacked his assailants. He finally succumbed when bound and stuffed through a hole in the ice to drown in the river Neva.

Legends that attribute his tenacity to his appetite for Russian Imperial Stout are unproven.

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