Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University: Open Journal Systems
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Medical Relief Trips...What’s Missing? Exploring Ethical Issues and the Physician-Patient Relationship
Get PDF"The welcome ceremony alone will leave you breathless as you become inspired by their overwhelming joy at you arrival. Here you will participate with the community and provide much needed medical care. The team will also provide care for the Talibe boys in Theis who go without medical care and are left to face disease on their own (Senegal, 2009).
The Neurosurgical Treatment of Movement Disorders
Get PDFThe management of movement disorders has been his- torically treated with both surgical and medical modalities. While L-Dopa has been the medical mainstay for Parkinson’s Disease, surgical techniques have evolved over the past century to the current state of stereotactic procedures in focal parts of the central nervous system. Presented here is a review of the history of this evolution.
Brain-Spleen Inflammatory Coupling: A Literature Review
Get PDFRecent evidence suggests a link between brain injury and the autonomic release of pro-inflammatory cytokines by resident macrophages in the spleen. This phenomenon, termed “brainspleen inflammatory coupling,” has garnered attention from scientific and medical communities interested in developing novel treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Cholinergic stimulation of the α7-subunit nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7NAchR) on splenic macrophages has been shown to inhibit their release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This inhibition, mediated by the parasympathetic nervous system, has been shown to improve outcomes in animal models of sepsis, stroke, and TBI. As evidence of a beneficial role of splenic inhibition grows, new treatment strategies might be applied to many medical conditions involving neuroinflammation, a process that contributes to further neurological deterioration
Cognition without a Neural Code: How a Folded Cortex Might Think by Harmonizing Its Own Electromagnetic Fields
Get PDFExtensive investigation of the brain’s synaptic connectivity, the presumed material basis of cognition, has failed toexplain how the brain thinks. Further, the neural code that purportedly allows the brain to coordinate synapticmodulation over wide areas of cortex has yet to be found and may not exist. An alternative approach, focusing onthe possibility that the brain’s internally generated electromagnetic fields might be biologically effective, leads to amodel that solves this “binding problem.” The model of cognition proposed here permits mind and consciousness toarise naturally from the brain as trains of signifying states, or stationarities. Neuronal circuits in suitably constructedhierarchies produce thought by reconciling themselves with each other through the forward- and back-broadcast ofspecific electromagnetic fields, executing a natural algorithm as a harmonized set is selected. Beyond the postulationthat information is encoded in specifically organized electromagnetic fields, the only other “code” necessary is topographic,one that is already known. That the brain might use its own fields to think is supported by the literature onthe widespread sensitivity of biological organisms to small, windowed fields. This model may help explain the coherenceof the brain’s fields, the conservation of the folded cortex, and, in its emphasis on a self-harmonizing process,the universality of the esthetic impulse as a projection of the brain’s basic mechanism of thought
A Mini Analysis: Depression and Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids
No full textOmega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have received a considerable amount of attention in a number of human pathologies, including inflammation, cardiovascular disease, behavioral or mental disease, and especially depression. They make up one component of mammalian brain tissue that includes the different saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (McNamara and Carlson, 2006).
More Than Skin Deep: Genetics, Clinical Manifestations, and Diagnosis of Albinism
Get PDFAlthough albinism may be considered a simple diagnosis, its clinical manifestations, which include hypopigmenta- tion of the skin, hair, and eyes and ocular abnormalities such as nystagmus and reduced visual acuity, are often subtle and initially missed. In oculocutaneous albinism, there is wide phenotypic variability, which correlates with specific mutations in genes with roles in melanin biosynthesis. Additionally, syndromic forms of albinism such as Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, Chediak-Higashi syndrome, and Griscelli syndrome are associated with serious complications such as bleeding abnormalities, lysosomal storage defects, immunodeficient states, and progressive neurologic defects, which all can result in mortality. It is critical to confirm a suspicion of albinism and perform an appropriate workup involving molecular testing in order to establish a diagnosis. Given the various subtypes of oculocutaneous albinism and the life-threatening complications in syndromic forms of albinism, a diagnosis permits proper genetic counseling and timely implementation of necessary screenings and treatments. Recommendations regarding sun exposure and treatment of ocular abnormalities are imperative in oculocutaneous albinism, and preventive therapies should be implemented in syndromic forms. With knowledge of the differential in conjunction with the execution of simple diagnostic tests, many of these complications can be predicted and consequently ameliorated or prevented.
