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Related Concept Videos

Genetic Variation01:25

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Genetic variation is the diversity in DNA sequences found among individuals of the same species. This diversity is crucial for a species' survival because it helps organisms adapt to environmental changes. Genetic variation begins with fertilization, where an egg and sperm cell merge. Each of these cells carries 23 chromosomes, up to 46 in the fertilized egg. Chromosomes are long DNA strands that contain genes, the basic units of heredity.
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In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
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Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week.
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Measures of variability are statistical metrics that reveal the dispersion pattern within a dataset. They are pivotal in biostatistics, providing insights into the heterogeneity within health and biological data. Variability signifies the degree to which data points diverge from one another, helping researchers understand the potential range of values and associated uncertainty within the data.
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Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
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Apart from the measures of central tendency, distribution, outliers, and the changing characteristics of data with time, an important characteristic of any data set is its variation or spread. In some data sets, the data values are concentrated closely near the mean; in others, the data values are more widely spread out from the mean.
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Author Spotlight: Biological Standardization to Ensure Reproducibility and Harmonization in Research
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Biological variation: Understanding why it is so important?

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  • 1Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs, St Leonards Sydney, NSW, 2065, Australia.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Biological variation (BV) is crucial for clinical chemists, guiding quality control and personalized medicine. The Athletes Biological Passport may offer solutions for individual reference intervals in healthcare.

Keywords:
Analytical goalsBiological passportPatient based quality assurance

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Area of Science:

  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Biotechnology
  • Medical Diagnostics

Background:

  • The concept of biological variation is fundamental to clinical measurement and interpretation.
  • Establishing reference points is essential for accurate biological measurands.
  • Biological variation data informs quality goals for laboratory testing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the growing significance of biological variation in clinical chemistry.
  • To explore the application of biological variation in quality control and assurance.
  • To address the challenge of establishing individual reference intervals for personalized medicine.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on biological variation in clinical chemistry.
  • Discussion of the evolution of quality control and assurance methods based on biological variation.
  • Exploration of novel approaches like Patient-Based Real-Time Quality Control and Patient Based Quality Assurance.
  • Consideration of the Athletes Biological Passport as a potential solution for personalized reference intervals.

Main Results:

  • Biological variation is increasingly vital for clinical chemists.
  • Quality Control (QC) and External Quality Assurance (EQA) limits are effectively set using biological variation.
  • Patient-Based Real-Time Quality Control (PBRTQC) and Patient Based Quality Assurance (PBQA) are current applications for assay performance monitoring.
  • The Athletes Biological Passport shows promise for determining individual reference intervals.

Conclusions:

  • Biological variation is a cornerstone of modern clinical chemistry and diagnostics.
  • Advanced methods utilizing biological variation enhance the reliability of laboratory testing.
  • Personalized medicine necessitates individual reference intervals, a challenge potentially met by novel approaches like the Athletes Biological Passport.