Water-siphon test. Dr Henry Knipe â and Dr Marcin Czarniecki â et al. The water siphon test may be performed as part of a barium swallow to assess for gastro-oesophageal reflux in a hiatal hernia. It is performed in the supine RPO position with the patient drinking water continuously. The test is said to be positive if there is visible barium reflux in the oesophagus.
In some instances, offspring can demonstrate a phenotype that is outside the range defined by both parents. In particular, the phenomenon known as overdominance occurs when a heterozygote has a more extreme phenotype than that of either of its parents. Indeed, in a few examples, a trait that shows overdominance sometimes confers a survival advantage in the heterozygote (Parsons & Bodmer, 1961).
What is a gene mutation and how do mutations occur? A gene mutation is a permanent change in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene. Mutations range in size from a single DNA building block (DNA base) to a large segment of a chromosome. Gene mutations occur in two ways: they can be inherited from a parent or acquired during a personâs lifetime. Mutations that are passed from parent to child are called hereditary mutations or germline mutations (because they are present in the egg and sperm cells, which are also called germ cells).