1,720,964 research outputs found
Do acupuncture meridians exist? Correlation with referred itch (mitempfi ndung) stimulus and referral points
No full textObjective To describe the relationship between referred itch (mitempfi ndung) stimulus and referral points and acupuncture meridians, noting that the neuroanatomical mechanism of mitempfi ndung has never previously been satisfactorily explained. Methods Analysis of clinical fi ndings in the author as well as subjects in four previously described studies, comparing proportions in each of fi ve groups. Results Ninety-two per cent (range 85-94%) of mitempfi ndung point pairs (stimulus and referral) aligned to a recognised acupuncture meridian with no statistical difference (p<0.05) between the fi ve data sources. Conclusion While previous authors have speculated on an association between mitempfi ndung and acupuncture, this is the fi rst description of a relationship between stimulus and referral points and acupuncture meridians. The author suggests that the transmission of mitempfi ndung along acupuncture meridians may involve a series of C-fi bre-Merkel cell relays, with the fi nal referred itch sensation caused by substance P release triggering mast cell degranulation
The cutaneous intrinsic visceral afferent nervous system: A new model for acupuncture analgesia
No full textThe mechanism of acupuncture, whilst not known with certainty, has previously been considered to be stimulatory. A novel hypothesis is presented here in which C fiber tactile afferent axons bifurcate at acupuncture points and then diverge, running along acupuncture meridians, to subsequently communicate with Merkel cells. It is proposed that acupuncture disrupts the bifurcation of these axons, preventing neural transmission between Merkel cells as well as central communication with the spinal cord. Making use of the known phenomenon that acupuncture points have lower electrical resistance than adjacent skin, this hypothesis was tested using an electrical circuit model and successfully predicted the observed 103 reduction in skin resistance at acupuncture points. In addition to explaining acupuncture and the roles of both Merkel cells and C fiber tactile afferents, the model has greater implications for neuroscience, through the postulation of a new division of the autonomic nervous system. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Magnetic resonance imaging in spinal trauma
No full text© 1992 Dr. Morry SilbersteinThe Austin Hospital in Melbourne, houses the largest spinal trauma unit in Australia, and one of the largest in the world. It has long been recognised as a centre of excellence in the care of patients with spinal injuries, but, by the start of the last decade of the twentieth century, this unit lagged behind the rest of the world in a critically important diagnostic area: imaging of acute and chronic spinal trauma patients. Whilst encouraging preliminary work had come out of the United States suggesting that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could have a major role in management of spinal trauma patients, the economic climate in this country was such that there was little hope of an MRI unit being installed at the Austin, unless a significant on-site need could be demonstrated for this expensive technology. (From Preface
Functionalised beta-diketonate polynuclear lanthanoid hydroxo clusters: synthesis, characterisation, and magnetic properties
No full textThe controlled hydrolysis of lanthanoid trichloride hexahydrate (Ln = Nd, Eu, Ho) in methanol with the beta-diketone ligands dibenzoylmethane and 1,3-bis(4-ethoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dione yielded tetranuclear and pentanuclear hydroxo clusters for Eu and Ho. In contrast, performing the reaction in the presence of 1,3-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dione yielded a mononuclear complex for Nd. The compounds were structurally characterised by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction, showing that the increased bulkiness of the ligand due to the ethoxy functionalities does not affect the capability of the diketonate to stabilize the cluster core. Variable temperature dc susceptibility magnetic measurements were made on the Clusters and were indicative of very weak to zero antiferromagnetic, intra-cluster Coupling. Variable frequency ac data recorded at low temperatures did not show any evidence for single molecule magnet (SMM) behaviour. unlike the recent reported case of the analogue [Dy-5(OH)(5)(Ph(2)acac)(10)], where Ph(2)acac(-) is the dibenzoylmethanide ligand
Is acupuncture “stimulation” a misnomer? A case for using the term “blockade”
No full textBackground: The term used most frequently in the literature to describe acupuncture's effects is " stimulation" which may be used to describe either (or both) the direct stimulus applied to a needle as well as putative stimulation of the nervous system, despite little published evidence describing what is actually being stimulated. In contrast, recent published work has suggested that acupuncture may, in fact be inhibitory at a peripheral level, acting by blocking neural transmission.Discussion: The suggestion that acupuncture exerts its effects through peripheral neural blockade is supported by recent evidence explaining related techniques including low level laser and capsaicin at acupoints. It also explains acupuncture's effect on painful and non-painful conditions and both Eastern and Western concepts of acupuncture. There is a need for additional work to elucidate acupuncture's mechanism of action, and the suggestion that it acts through neural blockade should prompt further research in this direction.Summary: If the term " blockade" were applied to acupuncture, this would, likely, be expected to promote this minimally invasive technique, and, potentially, bring it into mainstream clinical practice for pain management as well as other therapeutic applications. © 2013 Silberstein; licensee BioMed Central Ltd
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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