scholarly journals Cardiovascular and pulmonary interactions: why Galen’s misconceptions proved clinically useful for 1,300 years

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Alberto Neder
Keyword(s):  
Internal Heat ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
The Body ◽  
Cardiorespiratory System ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Biological Concepts ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Complex Phenomena ◽  
And Function

The new generations of physicians are, to a large extent, unaware of the complex philosophical and biological concepts that created the bases of modern medicine. Building on the Hellenistic tradition of the four humors and their qualities, Galen (AD 129 to c. 216) provided a persuasive scheme of the structure and function of the cardiorespiratory system, which lasted, without serious contest, for 1,300 yr. Galen combined teleological concepts with careful clinical observation to defend a coherent and integrated system in which the fire-heart—flaming at the center of the body—interacts with lungs’ air- pneuma to create life. Remarkably, however, he achieved these goals, despite failing to grasp the concept of systemic and pulmonary blood circulations, understand the source and destiny of venous and arterial blood, recognize the lung as the organ responsible for gas exchange, comprehend the actual events taking place in the left ventricle, and identify the source of internal heat. In this article, we outline the alternative theories Galen put forward to explain these complex phenomena. We then discuss how the final consequences of Galen’s flawed anatomical and physiological conceptions do not differ substantially from those obtained if one applies modern concepts. Recognition of this state of affairs may explain why the ancient practitioner could achieve relative success, without harming the patient, to understand and treat a multitude of symptoms and illnesses.

The history of the capillary wall: doctors, discoveries, and debates

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (5) ◽  
pp. H2667-H2679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Hwa ◽  
William C. Aird
Keyword(s):  
Basic Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
The Body ◽  
Capillary Wall ◽  
Central Importance ◽  
Definitive Evidence ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Function

In 1628, William Harvey provided definitive evidence that blood circulates. The notion that blood travels around the body in a circle raised the important question of how nutrients pass between blood and underlying tissue. Perhaps, Harvey posited, arterial blood pours into the flesh as into a sponge, only then to find its way into the veins. Far from solving this problem, Marcello Malpighi's discovery of the capillaries in 1661 only added to the dilemma: surely, some argued, these entities are little more than channels drilled into tissues around them. As we discuss in this review, it would take over 200 years to arrive at a consensus on the basic structure and function of the capillary wall. A consideration of the history of this period provides interesting insights into not only the central importance of the capillary as a focus of investigation, but also the enormous challenges associated with studying these elusive structures.

scholarly journals Age features of O2 mass transfer regimes in adolescents’ body at rest

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 344-349
Author(s):  
D. Komolafe ◽  
M. Filippov ◽  
V. Ilyin ◽  
A. Klimenko
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Quantitative Relationship ◽  
The Body ◽  
External Respiration ◽  
Oxygen Utilization ◽  
Cardiorespiratory System ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Age Related ◽  
System Functioning ◽  
Age Features

The results of complex studies of the quantitative relationship between the stage-by-stage mass transfer of O2 and the efficiency of cardiorespiratory system functioning in relation to its consumption in adolescents’ body under conditions of relative rest are presented. The results obtained show that in adolescents, the modes of mass transfer of O2 in the body and the nature of the respiratory and circulatory systems functioning in relation to its consumption have a number of age-related differences compared with adult men. So, in adolescents, the external respiration system at rest functions less economically than in adults. Each liter of O2 consumed by adolescents is extracted from almost 3 liters more than in adults the amount of air ventilated per minute through the lungs. The volumetric indicators of blood circulation are also higher in adolescents, which may indicate the influence of neuro-humoral rearrangements in the body during the pubertal period. The coefficient of oxygen utilization by tissues from arterial blood in adolescents turned out to be significantly higher, which may characterize a higher tension of tissue metabolic processes.

Influence of Ascorbic Acid on the Structure and Function of Alpha-2- macroglobulin: Investigations using Spectroscopic and Thermodynamic Techniques

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-209
Author(s):  
Syed Saqib Ali ◽  
Mohammad Khalid Zia ◽  
Tooba Siddiqui ◽  
Haseeb Ahsan ◽  
Fahim Halim Khan
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
The Body ◽  
Titration Calorimetry ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Plasma Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Dietary Antioxidant ◽  
And Function

Background: Ascorbic acid is a classic dietary antioxidant which plays an important role in the body of human beings. It is commonly found in various foods as well as taken as dietary supplement. Objective: The plasma ascorbic acid concentration may range from low, as in chronic or acute oxidative stress to high if delivered intravenously during cancer treatment. Sheep alpha-2- macroglobulin (α2M), a human α2M homologue is a large tetrameric glycoprotein of 630 kDa with antiproteinase activity, found in sheep’s blood. Methods: In the present study, the interaction of ascorbic acid with alpha-2-macroglobulin was explored in the presence of visible light by utilizing various spectroscopic techniques and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Results: UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy suggests the formation of a complex between ascorbic acid and α2M apparent by increased absorbance and decreased fluorescence. Secondary structural changes in the α2M were investigated by CD and FT-IR spectroscopy. Our findings suggest the induction of subtle conformational changes in α2M induced by ascorbic acid. Thermodynamics signatures of ascorbic acid and α2M interaction indicate that the binding is an enthalpy-driven process. Conclusion: It is possible that ascorbic acid binds and compromises antiproteinase activity of α2M by inducing changes in the secondary structure of the protein.

A Critical Review on Tamaka Shwasa (Bronchial Asthma) - An Ayurvedic View

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandip R. Baheti ◽  
Deepa Sharma ◽  
Saroj Devi ◽  
Amit Rai
Keyword(s):  
Bronchial Asthma ◽  
Inflammatory Disease ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Chronic Inflammatory Disease ◽  
The Body ◽  
Natural Immunity ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Asthma Symptoms

Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath may be simply termed as Shwasa (Asthma), As per Ayurveda, Shwasa is mainly caused by the Vata and Kapha Doshas. Shwasa is broadly classified into five types in Maha Shwasa (Dyspnoea major), Urdhawa Shwasa (Expiratory Dyspnoea), Chinna Shwasa (Chyne-stroke respiration), Kshudra Shwasa (Dyspnoea minor), Tamaka Shwasa (Bronchial Asthma). In modern science Tamaka Shwasa can be correlated with Asthma, Asthma which is a chronic inflammatory disease of airway. In modern medicine there is no cure for Asthma, symptoms can typically be improved. In Ayurveda, Asthma can be effectively and safely manage the condition without inducing any drug dependency where Pachakarma procedures and use of internal medication detoxifies the body, provides nutrition and increases the elasticity of lung tissue it also develops natural immunity of the body thus decreasing episodic recurrence of the disease.

A Guide to Old Spanish

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven N. Dworkin
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Standard Language ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Sound System ◽  
Old Spanish ◽  
And Function ◽  
Linguistic Structures ◽  
Verb Tense ◽  
Modern Standard

This book describes the linguistic structures that constitute Medieval or Old Spanish as preserved in texts written prior to the beginning of the sixteenth century. It emphasizes those structures that contrast with the modern standard language. Chapter 1 presents methodological issues raised by the study of a language preserved only in written sources. Chapter 2 examines questions involved in reconstructing the sound system of Old Spanish before discussing relevant phonetic and phonological details. The chapter ends with an overview of Old Spanish spelling practices. Chapter 3 presents in some detail the nominal, verbal, and pronominal morphology of the language, with attention to regional variants. Chapter 4 describes selected syntactic structures, with emphasis on the noun phrase, verb phrase, object pronoun placement, subject-verb-object word order, verb tense, aspect, and mood. Chapter 5 begins with an extensive list of Old Spanish nouns, adjectives, verbs, and function words that have not survived into the modern standard language. It then presents examples of coexisting variants (doublets) and changes of meaning, and finishes with an overview of the creation of neologisms in the medieval language through derivational morphology (prefixation, suffixation, compounding). The book concludes with an anthology composed of three extracts from Spanish prose texts, one each from the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. The extracts contain footnotes that highlight relevant morphological, syntactic, and lexical features, with cross references to the relevant sections in the body of the book.

scholarly journals A Computational Study on the Role of Parameters for Identification of Thyroid Nodules by Infrared Images (and Comparison with Real Data)

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4459
Author(s):  
José R. González ◽  
Charbel Damião ◽  
Maira Moran ◽  
Cristina A. Pantaleão ◽  
Rubens A. Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thyroid Nodules ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Computational Study ◽  
Internal Heat ◽  
Heat Transfer Process ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Infrared Sensors ◽  
Wide Range

According to experts and medical literature, healthy thyroids and thyroids containing benign nodules tend to be less inflamed and less active than those with malignant nodules. It seems to be a consensus that malignant nodules have more blood veins and more blood circulation. This may be related to the maintenance of the nodule’s heat at a higher level compared with neighboring tissues. If the internal heat modifies the skin radiation, then it could be detected by infrared sensors. The goal of this work is the investigation of the factors that allow this detection, and the possible relation with any pattern referent to nodule malignancy. We aim to consider a wide range of factors, so a great number of numerical simulations of the heat transfer in the region under analysis, based on the Finite Element method, are performed to study the influence of each nodule and patient characteristics on the infrared sensor acquisition. To do so, the protocol for infrared thyroid examination used in our university’s hospital is simulated in the numerical study. This protocol presents two phases. In the first one, the body under observation is in steady state. In the second one, it is submitted to thermal stress (transient state). Both are simulated in order to verify if it is possible (by infrared sensors) to identify different behavior referent to malignant nodules. Moreover, when the simulation indicates possible important aspects, patients with and without similar characteristics are examined to confirm such influences. The results show that the tissues between skin and thyroid, as well as the nodule size, have an influence on superficial temperatures. Other thermal parameters of thyroid nodules show little influence on surface infrared emissions, for instance, those related to the vascularization of the nodule. All details of the physical parameters used in the simulations, characteristics of the real nodules and thermal examinations are publicly available, allowing these simulations to be compared with other types of heat transfer solutions and infrared examination protocols. Among the main contributions of this work, we highlight the simulation of the possible range of parameters, and definition of the simulation approach for mapping the used infrared protocol, promoting the investigation of a possible relation between the heat transfer process and the data obtained by infrared acquisitions.

scholarly journals On the Pathology of the dropsy produced by obstruction of the superior and inferior venœ and the portal vein.— Preliminary communication

1907 ◽  
Vol 79 (532) ◽  
pp. 267-283 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Arterial Pressure ◽  
Portal Vein ◽  
Mean Arterial Blood Pressure ◽  
Normal Limit ◽  
The Body ◽  
Diastolic Filling ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Preliminary Communication ◽  
The Mean

In August, 1903, I published a paper in the ‘Journal of Pathology’(1) in which I demonstrated a method experimentally producing uncompensated hear disease in an animal, which was compatible with life. This method consisted in diminishing the size of the pericardial sac by stitches, so that the diastolic filling of the heart was impeded. The main symptoms of this condition were dropsy and diminution in the amount of urine excreted. As the immediate result of this interference with the action of the heart, there occurred a rise of pressure throughout the whole systemic venous system extending as far back as the capillaries, and a fall of the mean arterial blood-pressure. Further, I found that the pressure in all the veins fell to the normal limit again within the space of about one hour, and that subsequently when dropsy was being produced, the vanous pressure in all parts of the body was normal, and the arterial pressure had almost recovered itself.

scholarly journals Does Motor Training of the Nonparetic Side Influences Balance and Function in Chronic Stroke? A Pilot RCT

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanta Pandian ◽  
Kamal Narayan Arya ◽  
Dharmendra Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Functional Performance ◽  
Berg Balance Scale ◽  
Chronic Stroke ◽  
The Body ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Therapy Program ◽  
Functional Reach Test ◽  
Double Blinded ◽  
And Function ◽  
Experimental Group

Background. Balance and functional abilities are controlled by both sides of the body. The role of nonparetic side has never been explored for such skills.Objective. The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of a motor therapy program primarily involving the nonparetic side on balance and function in chronic stroke.Method. A randomized controlled, double blinded trial was conducted on 39 poststroke hemiparetic subjects (21, men; mean age, 42 years; mean poststroke duration, 13 months). They were randomly divided into the experimental group(n=20)and control group(n=19). The participants received either motor therapy focusing on the nonparetic side along with the conventional program or conventional program alone for 8 weeks (3 session/week, 60 minutes each). The balance ability was assessed using Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Functional Reach Test (FRT) while the functional performance was measured by Barthel Index (BI).Result. After intervention, the experimental group exhibited significant(P<0.05)change on BBS (5.65 versus 2.52) and BI (12.75 versus 2.16) scores in comparison to the control group.Conclusion. The motor therapy program incorporating the nonparetic side along with the affected side was found to be effective in enhancing balance and function in stroke.

Respiratory measurements of cardiac output: from elegant idea to useful test

2004 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Laszlo
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Venous Blood ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mixed Venous Blood ◽  
Indirect Determination ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Pulmonary Capillary ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Mixed Venous

The measurement of cardiac output was first proposed by Fick, who published his equation in 1870. Fick's calculation called for the measurement of the contents of oxygen or CO2 in pulmonary arterial and systemic arterial blood. These values could not be determined directly in human subjects until the acceptance of cardiac catheterization as a clinical procedure in 1940. In the meanwhile, several attempts were made to perfect respiratory methods for the indirect determination of blood-gas contents by respiratory techniques that yielded estimates of the mixed venous and pulmonary capillary gas pressures. The immediate uptake of nonresident gases can be used in a similar way to calculate cardiac output, with the added advantage that they are absent from the mixed venous blood. The fact that these procedures are safe and relatively nonintrusive makes them attractive to physiologists, pharmacologists, and sports scientists as well as to clinicians concerned with the physiopathology of the heart and lung. This paper outlines the development of these techniques, with a discussion of some of the ways in which they stimulated research into the transport of gases in the body through the alveolar membrane.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document