Medical hypotheses
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Globalization is one aspect of the larger phenomenon of modernization, which describes societies characterized by progressive growth in the complexity of communications. Despite its inevitable problems, globalization is a generally desirable phenomenon, since it enables increased efficiency, effectiveness and capability of societies and thereby, potentially benefits most people most of the time. Scientific research was one of the first global communication systems, especially at its most advanced levels. ⋯ Conversely, just a few countries may provide the bulk of advanced science education teaching - as well as applied and pure research personnel - for the rest of the world: potentially China and India might supply most of world's mathematical expertise. In conclusion, there are two complementary aspects to the globalization of science education: these are standardization and specialization. We anticipate a simultaneous trend towards international convergence of basic educational structures, certificates and English usage; with increasing national differentiation of specialist educational functions.
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Brain neuronal dysfunction has been implicated in pathogenesis of migraine but direct evidence is lacking. Scintillating scotoma of migraine is generally believed to originate at the visual cortex. While cortical spreading depression is a relatively late physiological alteration in migraine, its protective role in neuronal ischaemia is increasingly being recognized. ⋯ Headache of migraine possibly arises from a similar mechanical deformation of the anterior eye segment followed by antidromic discharge in the trigeminovascular system. Lateralizing negative deficits such as homonymous hemianopia probably reflect vasospastic complications of migraine. A rational explanation for the most characteristic clinical features of migraine and a new template to elucidate the pharmacological basis of anti-migraine drugs is offered.
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We hypothesize that aerosolization of anesthetics administered intravenously to patients in the operating room may be an unintended source of exposure to physicians. This may lead to inadvertent sensitization, which is associated with an increased risk for developing addiction. This may contribute to the over-representation of certain specialties among physicians with addiction. ⋯ This report provides preliminary evidence of detection of aerosolized intravenous anesthetics using two newly developed analytical methods. We conclude that the potential exists for chronic exposure to low levels of airborne intravenously administered drugs. Further studies are under way to determine the significance of this exposure.
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Although 'hard work' and 'busyness' are somewhat similar terms, there seem to be significant differences in the way that they are used. While hard work has always been a feature of complex societies, modern society can be seen as evolving toward being dominated by jobs characterized by busyness. Busyness refers to multi-tasking - having many sequential jobs to perform and switching frequently between them on an externally-imposed schedule. ⋯ But busy jobs are hard to eliminate because they are those in which it is optimal for a variety of disparate and unpredictable tasks to be done by a single person. Consequently, those individuals who can cope with, even thrive-upon, busyness are becoming indispensable. In future 'the busy shall inherit the earth' (or, at least, the most powerful and highest paid jobs), not just in science but in all major social domains.
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The mid-20th century saw the rise of the boy-genius, probably because a personality type characterized by prolonged youthfulness is advantageous both in science and modern life generally. This is the evolution of 'psychological neoteny', in which ever-more people retain for ever-longer the characteristic behaviours and attitudes of earlier developmental stages. Whereas traditional societies are characterized by initiation ceremonies marking the advent of adulthood, these have now dwindled and disappeared. ⋯ Since modern cultures favour cognitive flexibility, 'immature' people tend to thrive and succeed, and have set the tone of contemporary life: the greatest praise of an elderly person is to state that they retain the characteristics of youth. But the faults of youth are retained with well as its virtues: short attention span, sensation- and novelty-seeking, short cycles of arbitrary fashion and a sense of cultural shallowness. Nonetheless, as health gets better and cosmetic technologies improve, future humans may become somewhat like an axolotl - the cave-dwelling salamander which retains its larval form until death.