Bubo

A bubo (Greek βουβών, boubôn, "groin") (plural form: buboes) is the swelling of the lymph nodes. It is found in infections such as bubonic plague, gonorrhea, chlamydia, tuberculosis, chancroid or syphilis. It is similar in appearance to a huge blister, and usually appears under the armpit, in the groin or on the neck.

According to historical records, buboes were characteristic of the pandemic responsible for the Black Death and perhaps other ancient pandemics. At the time of such pandemics, it was commonly believed by doctors that buboes should be burst; hen feathers were reportedly used for such a purpose. However, in modern medicine this treatment is regarded as useless and possibly harmful, as the puncture site could leave a patient at higher risk of infection.

Buboes rarely require any form of local care, but instead recede with systemic antibiotic therapy. In fact, for plague patients, incision and drainage poses a risk to others in contact with the patient due to aerosolization of the bubo contents. Needle aspiration can be performed for diagnostic purposes and may also provide symptomatic relief.

Horned owl

The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. This genus, depending on definition, contains about one or two dozen species of typical owls (family Strigidae) and is found in many parts of the world. Some of the largest living Strigiformes are in Bubo. Traditionally, only owls with ear-tufts were included in this genus, but that is no longer the case.

Systematics

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b sequence data supports the decision to consider the snowy owl an eagle-owl adapted to Arctic conditions and moving it into Bubo, rendering the monotypic genus Nyctea invalid.

The four fish-owls previously in the genus Ketupa were provisionally moved into Bubo as well. However, the mtDNA cytochrome b data suggests that in this case, to make Bubo monophyletic the Scotopelia fishing owls would also need to be included there. On the other hand, the genus then becomes quite large and ill-defined, and Bubo in the expanded sense seems to consist of two distinct clades. Thus, the fish and fishing owls can alternatively be united in Ketupa if some aberrant eagle-owls – at least the barred, spot-bellied and Usambara eagle-owls, perhaps also Fraser's eagle-owl and maybe others – are moved into that genus too. As some enigmatic eagle-owls remain essentially unstudied and others – e.g. Verreaux's eagle-owl – are of unresolved relationships, more research is needed.

Clash of the Titans (1981 film)

Clash of the Titans is a 1981 British-American fantasy adventure film directed by Desmond Davis, involving the Greek hero Perseus. It stars Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Maggie Smith and Laurence Olivier. The film features the final work of stop motion visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen. It was released on June 12, 1981 and grossed $41 million at the North American box office, which made it the 11th highest grossing film of the year. A novelization of the film by Alan Dean Foster was published in 1981.

Warner Bros. released a remake in 3D on April 2, 2010.

Plot

King Acrisius of Argos (Donald Houston) imprisons his daughter Danaë (Vida Taylor), jealous of her beauty. When the god Zeus (Laurence Olivier) impregnates her, Acrisius sends his daughter and his newborn grandson Perseus to sea in a wooden chest. In retribution, Zeus kills Acrisius and orders Poseidon (Jack Gwillim) to release the last of the Titans, a gigantic sea monster called the Kraken, to destroy Argos. Meanwhile, Danaë and Perseus safely float to the island of Seriphos, where Perseus grows to adulthood.