Articles: human.
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Human C-tactile (CT) afferents respond vigorously to gentle skin stroking and have gained attention for their importance in social touch. Pharmacogenetic activation of the mouse CT equivalent has positively reinforcing, anxiolytic effects, suggesting a role in grooming and affiliative behavior. We recorded from single CT axons in human participants, using the technique of microneurography, and stimulated a unit's receptive field using a novel, computer-controlled moving probe, which stroked the skin of the forearm over five velocities (0.3, 1, 3, 10, and 30 cm s(-1)) at three temperatures (cool, 18 °C; neutral, 32 °C; warm, 42 °C). ⋯ Furthermore, the CT firing frequency correlated with hedonic ratings to the same mechano-thermal stimulus only at the neutral stimulus temperature, where the stimuli were felt as pleasant at higher firing rates. We conclude that CT afferents are tuned to respond to tactile stimuli with the specific characteristics of a gentle caress delivered at typical skin temperature. This provides a peripheral mechanism for signaling pleasant skin-to-skin contact in humans, which promotes interpersonal touch and affiliative behavior.
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Ibn Sina (980-1037 AD), known by his full name Abu Ali al-Hussain ibn Abdallah ibn Sina and the Latin name 'Avicenna', was a Persian scholar who is primarily remembered for his contributions to the science of medicine. He authored Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine). ⋯ Avicenna described rabies in humans and animals and explained its clinical manifestations, route of transmission, and treatment methods. In this article, our goal is to discuss Avicenna's 11th-century points of view on rabies and compare them with modern medical knowledge.
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J Venom Anim Toxins · Feb 2014
Clinical aspects of envenomation caused by Tityus obscurus (Gervais, 1843) in two distinct regions of Pará state, Brazilian Amazon basin: a prospective case series.
Scorpion envenomations are a major public health problem in Brazil, whose most dangerous cases are attributable to the genus Tityus. This study was designed to compare the clinical and demographic features of envenomations by Tityus obscurus in two areas of the state of Pará located in the Amazon basin.Were compared demographic findings, local and systemic signs and symptoms of human envenomations caused by T. obscurus that occurred in western and eastern areas of the state. ⋯ The present study shows that two regions of Para state differ in the clinical manifestations and severity of confirmed envenomation by T. obscurus which suggests a toxicity variation resulting from the diversity of T. obscurus venom in different areas of the Brazilian Amazon basin, and that T. serrulatus antivenom can be successfully used against T. obscurus.
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Journal of critical care · Feb 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialMelatonin suppresses markers of inflammation and oxidative damage in a human daytime endotoxemia model.
Melatonin used as an exogenous drug has been documented to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in animal model. We aimed to examine the effect of melatonin in an experimental human sepsis model. ⋯ Melatonin administration before endotoxemia resulted in reduction of certain markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of melatonin in clinical setting.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Feb 2014
ReviewDNA testing for malignant hyperthermia: the reality and the dream.
The advent of the polymerase chain reaction and the availability of data from various global human genome projects should make it possible, using a DNA sample isolated from white blood cells, to diagnose rapidly and accurately almost any monogenic condition resulting from single nucleotide changes. DNA-based diagnosis for malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an attractive proposition, because it could replace the invasive and morbid caffeine-halothane/in vitro contracture tests of skeletal muscle biopsy tissue. Moreover, MH is preventable if an accurate diagnosis of susceptibility can be made before general anesthesia, the most common trigger of an MH episode. ⋯ This will remain the bottleneck unless high throughput platforms can be designed for functional work. Analysis of entire genomes from several individuals simultaneously is a reality. DNA testing for MH, based on current criteria, remains the dream.