Testing It Up

Not all people are aware of the importance of knowing one’s blood type. One may simply live with it no matter what blood type he belongs to. But for individuals who want to donate blood, knowing what type he has is necessary. It is likewise important when looking for a lifetime partner.

With the lack of awareness about blood typing, some myths have been listed. One of which is the notion that anybody can just donate the universal blood type “O” for purposes of saving another person’s life. The real scenario is that blood type “O” recipients should receive blood type “O” donation only. This means that it is not compatible with “A”, “B” or “AB”.

When it comes to looking for a lifetime partner, some myths also arise. Under this category, it is believed that a person with a particular blood type exudes a particular characteristic. For instance one with the type “O” is characterized as motivational while those with type “A” are uptight. If one will use these myths in accepting a lifetime partner, there is no assurance that the marriage will work out the way he wants it.

For full version of this article, please visit “Effects and Myths about Blood Types on our Life“.

Deciding the blood type of a child is important. Careful planning of the blood type of the soon-to-be child will solve possible blood incompatibilities between the mother and the baby. Solving these incompatibilities through blood typing will prevent blood clumping thus decreasing fatalities in unborn children.

The child’s blood type is a mixture of alleles from both parents. The three alleles are A, B and O. The child gets one allele each from his father and another from his mother. The combination results to six possibilities – AA, BB, OO, AB, AO and BO. Children with AA and AO combinations results to blood type “A” while those with BB and BO combinations acquire blood type “B”. Children with OO allele combinations result to blood type “O” and those with the AB allele combination results to blood type “AB”.

Aside from allele combinations, Rh is a deciding factor to the child’s blood type as well. These results to positive-negative or positive-positive combinations thus an Rh+/Rh- or Rh+/Rh+ result. Planning and counseling for pre-marital blood typing is thereby advised.

For full version of this article, please visit “Blood Type: How to Decide and Project Your Child’s Blood Type“.

We have featured the concept of DNA testing quite a few times, but it was always attached to controversy of some sort. The procedure, after all, has become something to turn to for those who, for one reason or another, end up in a situation that calls for a scientific method of determining paternity.

There are, however, less controversial uses for the procedure, which is also why DNA testing is not necessarily confined to a doctor’s office. There are home DNA testing kits that are being marketed to the general public, among them products from the paternity testing company Identigene.

Right now, the Salt Lake City-based company is pumping up advertising by placing billboards along Chicago Interstate Highways 290, 55 and 57. The billboards are asking motorists to ponder on “Paternity questions?”, indicating that “answers <are> available at your local drug store,” where the company has been selling over-the-counter DNA testing kits for a couple of years.

There are reportedly similar billboards in other major U.S. cities, so do not be all that surprised if a similar one greets you on your morning commute.

Home DNA testing kits are usually composed of swabs that can be used to collect samples that will then be sent to laboratories for analysis. Being given the ability to do this in the privacy of home is something that people who undergo paternity tests generally prefer.

Aside from establishing paternity for case where the paternity of an infant is questionable, there are other reasons why people resort to undergoing DNA testing. There is the case of adopted children longing for a sense of belonging, and parents who gave children up at a time when they were yet unprepared for parenthood but are now gripped with a sense of longing for their child. Whatever the case may be, there is a convenient way of getting these tests done – and the answers are, indeed, to be found in your local drugstore.

At one point or another, we were, are, and will be students of history; but the history that most of us have come to know – and for some, begrudgingly remember – consists of remembering milestones and people that affected our community, our country, and our world as a whole. As such, we may all have knowledge of people and events that happened three, four or five hundred odd-years ago that had an impact of national or global proportions; but how much do we know about a miniscule portion of history – that of our own?

Please excuse the above tirade; it is the result of having read a recent feature by Rachel L. Swarns and Jodi Kantor on The New York Times, published last October 7, which told of genealogist Megan Smolenyak and the New York Times’ efforts at tracing First Lady Michelle Obama’s lineage, all the way back to the mid-1800s. Among other things, it confirmed the First Lady’s slave ancestry; a rather poetic proof of how much the passage of time has changed American society.

Is there really a need to trace one’s ancestry? What do we get out of this knowledge? For me, it is more than just getting to know long-lost gramps and grannies and coming up with yellowed photographs showing a hint of why one ended up with one’s nose. It is about understanding who we are and what we have become. It is about being able to learn from past mistakes and emulating previous successes. It is about drawing inspiration that can propel us towards achieving the goals that we have set for ourselves.

On a more global scale, National Geographic and IBM have joined forces for the Genographic Project, which aims to “map out the migration of human genes through the analysis of DNA samples”. The extensive multi-year study relies on the DNA testing of samples provided by people of various races and cultures, some of which are collected through events like the one to be hosted on Sunday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Michigan, where participants will take a moment to contribute their share in the research project through a quick swab inside the cheek.

Exactly how far back into our personal stories should we venture? The further we go, the wider our sense of family will become; the links will also most likely become more intricate. Who knows? We just might find out that we are more closely related to one another than we originally thought; it is a far fetched concept, but this knowledge may yet bring about more tolerance and understanding, as we bridge the gap between the past and the present and find similarities emerging from our differences.

It is a rather familiar story; boy meets girl, the pair have a quick affair to remember, go their separate ways.  Nine months later, a new baby is born into the world. If it happens to any one of us ordinary citizens of the world, then it would have been nothing more than another statistic related to unplanned pregnancies – and life goes on as usual. But when it happens to celebrities, then a scandal is also born.

Jude Law is a veteran of various scandals, and the latest one he figured in is being named as the father of a child born recently to U.S. model Samantha Burke. The couple reportedly had a brief affair at the time that Law was filming Sherlock Holmes in New York. Despite the brevity of the relationship, however, Burke got pregnant and finally gave birth on September 22 to a baby girl, Sophia.

Before the baby was born, Jude Law had reportedly declared that he was going to support his new child. The winds changed, however, after Sophia was born. Jude Law was suddenly being cautious, working with his lawyers and refusing to see the baby until it was established without a doubt that he is, indeed, the father of the child.

Despite the fact that her character was essentially being questioned, Samantha Burke remained confident about her claims of paternity. Since Jude Law wanted to know for sure if he really is the father, a paternity test was performed.

Reports are saying that the results of the DNA test are out, and lo and behold, Jude Law is, indeed, the father! Once again, lawyers are placed in the middle. They are reportedly “arranging” a meeting between Jude Law and the new baby.

For most of us, blood types are important only for medical reasons. They are not actual determinants of who we are as a person. However, some cultures believe that a person’s blood type is an indication of his or her personality. The precursor of this belief is thought to be Adolf Hitler, who had extensive research done on blood typing to cull out Jews and to build a better army.

This belief that blood type determines personalities is taken to a higher, more serious level in Japan. Dating services match potential mates using blood types, schools adapt teaching methods to fit students’ blood types, and even employers decide on potential hires by judging them on their blood types. However, even the Japanese do not agree with this belief about blood types prevalent in their country. They see this as a form of stereotyping and a person is free to shape his or her own personality.

For full version of this article, please visit “Superstitious Beliefs about Blood Types in History and Today“.

It seems that paternity tests are on a roll this season. We recently featured how Mia Washington confirmed that her twins have different fathers. Their story is not the only ‘paternity test’ account that made it big time in the past month.

Remember Alfie Patten? He captured the attention of the world when news came out in February that this 13-year-old boy fathered the child of 15-year-old girlfriend Chantelle Steadman. Of course, after other boys claimed that they also shared a night with Chantelle, Alfie’s paternity was put in question. Is he really the father of Chantelle’s child or was it all a play staged to grab the attention of the media?

Although the tests have been completed in March, there was a court order banning the release of the paternity test results to the public. We finally got the answer after the ban was lifted and the paternity test results were released more than 2 weeks ago. The results? Alfie Patten is not the father of little Maisie Roxanne. The real dad is 15-year-old Tyler Barker.

The Sun reports that Alfie was “extremely distressed” upon hearing the news. Tyler, on the other hand, thought that having sex with Chantelle was “the worst mistake” he has ever made and confessed that he was terrified with the idea. Meanwhile, Chantelle still insists that Alfie is the father.

As for me, it does not matter if the father is Alfie or Tyler. They both are not at the right age to become a father and face the huge responsibilities that go with it.

Heteropaternal superfecundation is how experts call it. For us, regular mortals, that would be having twins with different fathers. Some people find it difficult to believe, but this happens, and not as rarely as it seems.

Mia Washington admitted to having an affair outside his relationship with James Harrison, the supposed father of twins Justin and Jordan. Both Washington and Harrison took DNA tests after they realized that their 11-month-old twins do not share similar features, except only for skin color. The results of the DNA test came and revealed that there is a 99.999% (that’s practically an absolute certainty there) chance that Justin and Jordan do not have the same father.

On a biological standpoint, this happens when two or more eggs from the same woman are fertilized by the sperm cells of two different men during the same ovulation period. While the eggs remain viable for 24 hours after ovulation, sperm cells can survive up to 5 days in a woman’s body. This means that a woman can have sexual affairs with 2 men a few days apart, and can then have a “double pregnancy”.

Unlike other known cases where the twins come from different ethnical backgrounds and are thus easier to detect, Washington’s twins share the same skin color. This is probably the reason it took them almost a year before deciding to get a DNA test.

It may have been a tough time for Harrison to accept that one of the boys is not his real son, but he is willing to raise both of them as his own. Washington, on the other hand, plans to keep the DNA test results from the real father of the other boy. That, however, may be more difficult now that they already made it to the news.

One of the basic information that people need to know about themselves is what their blood type is. While it may seem like something that’s totally benign and not really of much use in our day-to-day dealings with people, there are situations where the knowledge can actually become a factor between life and death.

Knowledge of one’s blood type is especially useful in times of emergencies, when there is a sudden need for blood transfusion. Each individual can have any of four blood types – A, AB, B or O – which are inherited from and are dependent upon one’s parents. In cases where a blood transfusion may be necessary, such as in tragic car accidents or due to a medical condition such as dengue fever, there is a need to ensure that the blood type of the donor should be compatible to that of the recipient. Otherwise, an allergic-type reaction may occur. Sometimes, reactions due to incompatible blood types can prove to be fatal.

Several completed and ongoing research have also shown that knowing one’s blood type can also lead towards the identification of the proper diet and lifestyle that will ensure that one will lead a relatively long and healthy life.

Another important reason for knowing one’s blood type is to be able to donate blood when necessary. There is a saying that goes – it is better to give than to receive. In some cases, the fact that your blood type matches that of someone who is badly in need of transfusion or a bone marrow transplant can actually save someone else’s life.

If you and your family are among those who do not have your blood types readily available, it may be beneficial to ensure that everyone has their blood types tested right away. There are actually home instant blood type test kits available, and some even come with cards where you can put in important personal information and laminate. You and your loved ones can bring these cards with you at all times to ensure that you are provided with the appropriate medical care should you need it.

When I first stepped into the graduate program in Human Genomics, little did I know about the enormous applications of the powerful genomic technologies and the Human Genome Project in both basic and applied medical sciences! As the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, I started gaining minute methodological insights into this exciting area that offers tremendous possibilities. DNA analysis is one of those bags of Santa that always has something for every taste.

Did you ever wonder about your family tree or your ethnic origin? Did you get Goosebumps thinking about your pregnancy and wondering whether the kid would turn out to be perfectly fine? Have you ever wondered if having that extra sugar in your morning tea would turn nasty for you? Have you ever felt the need to confirm why Joe doesn’t look like his dad? If answer to any of these questions is yes, perhaps DNA testing can come to your rescue!!

However, the real power of DNA testing doesn’t lie in its ability to catch unfaithful partners. The real power of DNA testing lies in its ability to detect a diverse array of genetic anomalies and chromosomal aberrations in unborn babies. Myriad genetically inherited medical complications like hemophilia, thalassemia, cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, downs syndrome, CAG etc. can easily be detected by pre-natal DNA testing. If undetected, these diseases may cause life long suffering to both the kid and the parents. In such cases, pre-natal DNA testing is a boon for medical sciences, physicians and the patients. Often pre-natal DNA testing is done in cases where family history, ultrasound records or some preliminary biochemical studies indicate possibility of something complicated! Early detection allows appropriate medical or therapeutic intervention in a timely manner.

However, there are some social, ethical as well as technical concerns regarding pre-natal DNA testing. While post natal DNA testing may be carried out by collecting blood, buccal or hair samples, obtaining samples for pre-natal testing is little trickier as it may involve amniocentesis (often after the 15th week of pregnancy) or chorionic villus sampling and any handling or sampling error may be life threatening for the embryo. Some conservative groups consider DNA testing as playing God while other narrow minded ones may tend to go for sex-selection. This has been a major concern in some rural parts of India and other sub-continental countries where pre-natal sex-determination has been officially banned due to increased female feticide. However, if properly regulated and judiciously used, pre-natal DNA testing may turn out to of the most wonderful birthday presents for millions of kids across the globe.