Fun-a-day 23: Pelger-Huet and my birthday!!

Yep, it's my birthday!  Not only that, but it's my twin brother's birthday as well!  Our birthday had me thinking about genetics.  In a typical hospital lab, there's many many tests that we just don't do, sending them out to a big-city lab.  Genetic testing, is one of many specialties that we didn't do.  Pelger-Huet anomaly is a very rare genetic disorder that causes no symptoms in people who have one copy of the gene (heterozygous), and non-life threatening symptoms in those with 2 copies (homozygous).  But it does cause a striking view under the microscope, as all of the neutrophils only have 2 lobes of their nuclei, instead of the typical 4.  They look like eye glasses.  And of course I see them as "twin" lobes.  I've also seen this in animals too.  It's something I saw only a couple of times.

On my quilt, the Pelger-Huet cells have the bi-lobed dark nuclei, and as usual, I had to throw in some RBC's and platelets to keep them company!

Thanks to my friend, Laura, I'll be eating key lime pie for the first time ever for my birthday.  My hubby's making burgers for the grill as I type!  It'll be as close as we can get to being in sunny Florida!  Maybe we'll even put on some Jimmy Buffet too! Laura has been incredibly busy writing travel guides for Moon Guidebooks, including one that JUST came out for the Florida Keys.  She also has a blog, and this recent post is what got me craving some yummy pie!  My brother (and mom) are both in the Dallas, TX area, so phone calls will have to bring us together today.