The Chromosomal Disorders

I want to share this web that i found interesting and helpful during my study of the chromosomal disorder.
http://www.biology.iupui.edu/biocourses/n100/2k2humancsomaldisorders.html

and these are some questions to help learn and understand this chromosomal disorders

1. What is caused by the Patau Syndrome (trinomy 13)?
2. When does Nondisjunction occur?
3. What is the 4 types of changes in chromosome structure?

Hermaphrodites

A hermaphrodite is an organism containing both male and female genitalia. They are able to produce both male and female gametes by themselves. Most hermaphrodites are invertabrates, however there are some vertabrate hermaphrodites. Hermaphrodites are characterized into two major groups: Sequential and simultaneous.

Sequential hermaphrodites undergo a sex change during their life. their are two types of sequential hermaphrodites:

Protandry-when an organism is born as a male and then changes to a female. ex. Clownfish
Protogyny-when an organism is born as a female and changes to a male. ex. wrasses(a group of reef fish)

Simultaneous hermaphrodites contain both male and female sexual organs. An example of a simultaneous hermaphrodite is an earthworm.


How might a species benefit from being able to reproduce by itself?
http://icb.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/4/473.full

What might be some drawbacks to being a hermaphrodites?
http://leisureguy.wordpress.com/2006/09/26/the-drawbacks-faced-by-hermaphroditic-species/

If Alex Furman suddenly changed sex how would he be classified?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphrodite

Types of Cancer Treatments

There are a couple different types of ways to treat cancer, however it depends on what kind of cancer you have and what needs to be done to help stop or slow that certain type of cancer. One type of treatment is Chemotherapy it destroys cancer cells, stops the cells from spreading, and slows the growth of cells that have already developed. You can only get Chemotherapy through an iv, a shot into your muscle, a pill, or a cream that you rub on to your skin. Depending on the level of cancer you have you may need treatment everyday, every week, or every month but in between these treatments you must have a period of rest where your body can build healthy new cells. Another type of treatment is Radiation, where they use high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. One way to have radiation treatment would be through x-rays. They use radiation to shrink tumors in the brain, spine, growing in a bone, or in the esophagus. There is one problem with radiation treatment, there is the chance of ruining normal healthy cells. Another way to treat some cancers is through cryosurgery which is the use of extreme cold produced by liquid nitrogen to destroy affected tissue. It is used mostly for external tumors, early skin cancer, precancerous growths, and cervical cancer. Last there is a treatment called biological therapy, that works with your immune system. It helps to fight cancer and also helps with the side effects from other cancer treatments such as Chemotherapy.