Mental Depression and Melancholia considered in regard to Auto-intoxication, with special Reference to the presence of Indoxyl in the Urine and its Clinical Significance; Essay for which was awarded the Bronze Medal of the Medico-Psychological Association, 1904

1905 ◽  
Vol 51 (212) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur A. D. Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Tract ◽  
Alimentary Tract ◽  
Mental Disease ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mental Depression ◽  
Offensive Odour ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Gastro Intestinal Tract ◽  
The Brain

The more modern and advanced opinion of the present day, not of necessity the most correct, regards toxic action as the most important factor in the pathogenesis of insanity. According to this view insanity is not regarded as primary disease of the brain, but secondary, and due to toxins derived from elsewhere acting upon the cortical nerve-cells, disordering their metabolism, and thus affecting their functional activity, damaging, or destroying them. The older psychologists are evidently disinclined to accept the toxic theories of the younger school, and cling with pertinacity to their opinion that mental disease is as a rule primary, and that the physical manifestations of ill-health result from a disordered central nervous system, and undoubtedly many of the facts they produce in support of their argument are difficult to refute; on the other hand, it is necessary for those who advance the theory of toxaemia as the essential factor in the production of insanity to marshal facts supporting their contention. By the term “auto-intoxication” we indicate toxins evoked within the body as a result of disordered metabolism, first, such as takes place in chronic Bright's disease, myxcedema, diabetes, etc.; and secondly, in the contents of the gastro-intestinal tract. Within the limits of this paper I propose only to deal with the second division, viz, auto-intoxication from the gastro-intestinal canal, for the cases coming under this group are by far the more numerous and important. For a long time I have strongly held the opinion, as a result of my own observations, that a very large proportion of cases suffering from melancholia are due to auto-intoxication resulting from the absorption of toxins from the alimentary tract, for in depressed states generally there are various symptoms referable to disordered metabolic processes in some part of the gastro-intestinal tract. The symptoms in question that I consider as evidence of a state of toxaemia are as follow: foul breath, coated tongue, indifference to and often refusal of food, marked constipation, foul stools, anaemia (varying in degree), a sallow dirty skin, profuse perspirations and of offensive odour, skin irritations, eruptions, disorders of sensation, often leading to flesh-picking, and headache. Of course we do not in any one case find all these symptoms, but there are several common to all cases of acute melancholia. It may be suggested that the signs and symptoms that I have mentioned as those of toxaemia are but those of lowered general health, and do not in themselves afford any direct evidence of the absorption of toxins, but I have observed that the signs and symptoms that I refer to as constituting toxaemia so commonly present in states of mental depression are constantly associated with the presence in the urine of indoxyl, in greater or lesser excess.

TAMI-01. BRAIN METASTASES: CURRENT LITERATURE REVIEW

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. vi198-vi198
Author(s):  
Ruchi Raval ◽  
Aadi Pandya ◽  
Jaspreet Behl ◽  
Sumul Raval
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Cancer Breast ◽  
The Brain

Abstract PURPOSE As more information is gathered about brain metastases, it still remains that the current prognosis of brain metastases is very poor. Due to this, it is imperative that physicians are aware of the most important components regarding brain metastases. This literature review will encompass the most current literature in order to highlight the most crucial information. METHODS All mentioned studies and literature reviews cited in the paper were obtained through various sites, and were published between 1996 and 2017. The main components that were required from the papers reviewed included where in the body the brain metastases originated from, where in the brain they tended to spread to, what the signs and symptoms typical of patients with brain metastases are, and what the options are in terms of treatment. RESULTS Using the results from a variety of studies performed within the past three decades, it is apparent that brain metastases most commonly originate from, in order of increasing frequency, lung cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer. In addition, it is reaffirmed that the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the best diagnostic tool to be used when dealing with brain metastases. The most frequent signs and symptoms of a brain metastases include cognitive changes, headaches, weakness, and seizures. Finally, supportive treatment includes use of corticosteroids, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and anticoagulation therapy. Definitive treatment for brain metastases varies based on size, location, and prevalence in the brain, but the most effective options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. CONCLUSIONS The study’s results confirm the need for more research to be done regarding brain metastases, and better options to increase the survival of patients.

scholarly journals Cerebral localization of the mind and higher functions The beginnings

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliasz Engelhardt
Keyword(s):  
Nervous Tissue ◽  
The Body ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Mental Functions ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Cerebral Localization ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Higher Mental Functions ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Brain

Abstract The debates about the mind and its higher functions, and attempts to locate them in the body, have represented a subject of interest of innumerable sages since ancient times. The doubt concerning the part of the body that housed these functions, the heart (cardiocentric doctrine) or the brain (cephalocentric doctrine), drove the search. The Egyptians, millennia ago, held a cardiocentric view. A very long time later, ancient Greek scholars took up the theme anew, but remained undecided between the heart and the brain, a controversy that lasted for centuries. The cephalocentric view prevailed, and a new inquiry ensued about the location of these functions within the brain, the ventricles or the nervous tissue, which also continued for centuries. The latter localization, although initially inaccurate, gained traction. However, it represented only a beginning, as further studies in the centuries that followed revealed more precise definitions and localizations of the higher mental functions.

Where Do We Go from Here? An inside Look into the Development of Georgia's Youth Concussion Law

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Cook ◽  
Harold King ◽  
John A. Polikandriotis
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Functional Disturbance ◽  
New Information ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Symptoms And Signs

Concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that can occur as a result of contact to the head or other parts of the body that causes a rapid acceleration-deceleration force to the brain that may cause a functional disturbance in an individual’s ability to concentrate or learn new information. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a bruise to the brain, and there is usually nothing detectable on standard imaging such as a computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Symptoms and signs are therefore important to detect and include decreased levels of consciousness, headache, nausea, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, and poor coordination. These signs and symptoms usually occur within minutes after the injury but may also appear several hours or even days later.

scholarly journals Cerebrovascular diseases: the importance of recognizing them

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Felipe Martins ◽  
Flávia Pascoal Teles ◽  
Amanda Fernandes de Sousa Oliveira Balestra ◽  
Isadora Rosa Maia
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽  
Severe Headache ◽  
The Body ◽  
Loss Of Consciousness ◽  
Rapid Loss ◽  
Brain Vessels ◽  
The Brain

Background: Until the 70s, cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs) were neglected to the lack of resources. However, due to the advancement of technology, several imaging tests have appeared, such as magnetic resonance and computed tomography, which facilitated the diagnosis and the understanding of the pathophysiology of each disease. Objectives: The objective of this work is to identify the main CVDs signs and symptoms. Methods: An integrative literature review was carried out based on selected articles from Google Scholar, PubMed and SciELO, using the terms headache, cerebrovascular disease, neurology. Results: CVDs are characterized by causing damage to brain vessels, due to changes in blood flow momentarily or permanently in an area of the brain, allowing them to be classified as ischemic or hemorrhagic. In ischemic there is a blockage of blood flow and, consequently, of oxygen to areas of the brain, in hemorrhagic rupture of a vessel occurs and, with this, blood leakage. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the signs and symptoms early, in order to prevent loss of neurological function, movements on one side of the body and the presence or absence of headaches in both patients, with ischemic CVD and hemorrhagic CVD prevent rapid loss of consciousness accompanied by severe headache. Such signs and symptoms associated with the patient’s family history and lifestyle can help in the diagnosis of this disease. Conclusion: Therefore, it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of CVDs, in order to determine the treatment and advise the patient, which will guarantee a better prognosis.

scholarly journals The Adipose Tissue at the Crosstalk Between EDCs and Cancer Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Bokobza ◽  
Charlotte Hinault ◽  
Victor Tiroille ◽  
Stéphan Clavel ◽  
Frédéric Bost ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals ◽  
The Body ◽  
Cancer Development ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Internal Source ◽  
Cell Proliferation And Differentiation ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The One ◽  
Gastro Intestinal Tract

Obesity is a major public health concern at the origin of many pathologies, including cancers. Among them, the incidence of gastro-intestinal tract cancers is significantly increased, as well as the one of hormone-dependent cancers. The metabolic changes caused by overweight mainly with the development of adipose tissue (AT), insulin resistance and chronic inflammation induce hormonal and/or growth factor imbalances, which impact cell proliferation and differentiation. AT is now considered as the main internal source of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) representing a low level systemic chronic exposure. Some EDCs are non-metabolizable and can accumulate in AT for a long time. We are chronically exposed to low doses of EDCs able to interfere with the endocrine metabolism of the body. Importantly, several EDCs have been involved in the genesis of obesity affecting profoundly the physiology of AT. In parallel, EDCs have been implicated in the development of cancers, in particular hormone-dependent cancers (prostate, testis, breast, endometrium, thyroid). While it is now well established that AT secretes adipocytokines that promote tumor progression, it is less clear whether they can initiate cancer. Therefore, it is important to better understand the effects of EDCs, and to investigate the buffering effect of AT in the context of progression but also initiation of cancer cells using adequate models recommended to uncover and validate these mechanisms for humans. We will review and argument here the potential role of AT as a crosstalk between EDCs and hormone-dependent cancer development, and how to assess it.

The Physical Basis of Mental Disease

1912 ◽  
Vol 58 (242) ◽  
pp. 465-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivy Mackenzie
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disease ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Pathological Process ◽  
The Body ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Nervous Disease ◽  
Perfect Adaptation ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Brain

In bringing forward some evidence which would point to the biological course followed by some forms of nervous disease to be considered, I would first of all accept as a working hypothesis two generalisations which apply to all forms of disease. The first of these generalisations is that there is essentially no difference in kind between a physiological and a pathological process. The distinction is an arbitrary one; the course of disease is distinguished from that of health only in so far as it tends to compromise the continuation of a more or less perfect adaptation between the organism and its surroundings. There is no tendency in Nature either to kill or to cure; she is absolutely impartial as to the result of a conflict between organisms and a host; and it is a matter of complete indifference to her as to whether toxins are eliminated or not. In the same way diseases of the mind are the manifestation of a perfectly natural relation of the organism, such as it is, to the environment. If the mental processes are abnormal, it goes without saying that the brain must be acting abnormally whether the stimuli to abnormal action originate in the brain itself or in some other part of the body. For example, if a child with pneumonia be suffering from delirium and hallucinations, as is not infrequently the case, this must be considered a perfectly natural outcome of the relation of the brain to its environmental stimuli outside and inside the organism. The actual stimuli may originate in the intestine from masses of undigested food and the stimuli may play on the brain rendered hypersensitive by the toxins from the lungs; the process and its manifestations, as well as the final outcome, are matters in which nature plays an impartial part. It cannot be admitted that there is any form of nervous disease which does not come under this generalisation. It has been argued by some authorities that because insidious forms of insanity are marked only by the slightest variation from the normal course of mental life, and that because the mental abnormalities are only modifications, and often easily explainable modifications, of normal mental processes, that the so-called insanity originates in these processes, and not in the material substratum of the organism. The fallacy of such an interpretation is obvious; it is tantamount to saying that slight albuminuria is the cause underlying early disease of the kidneys, or that a slight ódema may have something to do with the origin of circulatory disease. It is only natural that in the milder forms of mental disease the abnormal manifestations of brain activity should resemble normal mental processes; and even in the most advanced forms of mental disease there must be a close resemblance between abnormal ideation and conduct and perfectly normal ideation and behaviour. Even in advanced cases of Bright's disease the urinary elimination is more normal than abnormal; the abnormal constituents do not differ so much in kind as in degree from those of urine from healthy kidneys. It is not to be expected that in kidney disease bile or some other substance foreign to the organ would be the chief constituent of the eliminated fluid. The signs of insanity in any given case are the natural products of normal brain action mingled with the products of abnormal action. This does not, of course, preclude the possibility that under certain circumstances these abnormal products, such as delusions, hallucinations and perverted conduct, may not themselves be the direct stimuli to further abnormalities. The suicidal character of pathological processes is well seen in other organs of the body. A diseased heart, for example, is its own worst enemy; it not only fails to supply sufficient nutrition to the rest of the organism, but it starves itself by its inability to contract and expand properly, thereby increasing its own weakness. In the same way, certain phenomena of abnormal brain processes are in all probability due to the recoil on the brain of its own abnormal products in the matter of ideation and conduct.

The Brain/MINDS project aimed at establishing the marmoset as a model organism for neurobiology and establishing the genetic and biochemical elements of their neural development

Impact ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (3) ◽  
pp. 86-88
Author(s):  
Tomomi Shimogori
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Mental Disease ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
The Body ◽  
Proper Function ◽  
Newborn Mouse ◽  
Model Animal ◽  
The Brain

The brain is the most sophisticated and intricate organ in the body. Billions of neurons interconnect and form distinct regions which process different neural activities. The development of the brain during pregnancy and early post-natal life is extremely sensitive, complex and crucial to proper function over the life of a person. This is the most plastic time of the brain. It is changing constantly and reacting to the different stimuli encountered by the individual. The lack of a particular stimulus can have a profound effect on the later structure and function of the brain. For example, if a newborn mouse has an eye covered so it receives no light, visual cortex, where normally processes binocular visual stimuli, develops to process visual stimuli only from the open eye. This cannot be altered later on even when both eyes are opened; the mouse remains weak in one eye despite there being nothing wrong with the eye itself. Studying this early time period of brain development presents many problems. Investigation is hampered by the difficulty in accessing and manipulating the brain as well as the huge variety of factors that contribute to brain development. Currently, most work is conducted in rodents, primarily because there are a large range of genetic tools available. This is useful to an extent and has demonstrated key findings that appear to be relevant to most mammalian species. However, the human brain is quite different to the mouse brain. It has adapted to very different tasks required of mice compared to humans and therefore there is a knowledge gap to bridge in this area. In addition to this, examination of global gene expression in the brain has only truly become viable in the last 10 years. The same can also be said of the ability to analyse the development process at a biochemical level. Dr Tomomi Shimogori of the RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Japan, has been tackling these difficulties through her work on the molecular mechanisms of brain development. She has worked on rodents, but is now developing a model in the common marmoset based around the creation of a gene atlas. Working on the primate should help fill in the gap between rodent and human. Shimogori explains why the marmoset was chosen: 'One of the biggest advantages of using marmosets as a model animal is that many of its behaviours share similarities with human behaviours, and thus has potential for use in understanding the underlying mechanisms of human brain function and mental disease

The body packer syndrome — cocaine smuggling in the gastro-intestinal tract

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (22) ◽  
pp. 1116-1120 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Hartoko ◽  
H. E. Demey ◽  
A. M. A. Schepper ◽  
L. E. Beaucourt ◽  
L. L. Bossaert
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Tract ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Packer ◽  
Gastro Intestinal Tract

scholarly journals RADIOACTIVE IRON ABSORPTION BY GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT

1943 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. F. Hahn ◽  
W. F. Bale ◽  
J. F. Ross ◽  
W. M. Balfour ◽  
G. H. Whipple
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Tract ◽  
Iron Absorption ◽  
Gastric Pouch ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
The Body ◽  
Chronic Anemia ◽  
Mucosal Epithelium ◽  
Concentration Peak ◽  
Complex Protein ◽  
Gastro Intestinal Tract

Iron absorption is a function of the gastro-intestinal mucosal epithelium. The normal non-anemic dog absorbs little iron but chronic anemia due to blood loss brings about considerable absorption—perhaps 5 to 15 times normal. In general the same differences are observed in man (1). Sudden change from normal to severe anemia within 24 hours does not significantly increase iron absorption. As the days pass new hemoglobin is formed. The body iron stores are depleted and within 7 days iron absorption is active, even when the red cell hematocrit is rising. Anoxemia of 50 per cent normal oxygen concentration for 48 hours does not significantly enhance iron absorption. In this respect it resembles acute anemia. Ordinary doses of iron given 1 to 6 hours before radio-iron will cause some "mucosa block"—that is an intake of radio-iron less than anticipated. Many variables which modify peristalsis come into this reaction. Iron given by vein some days before the dose of radio-iron does not appear to inhibit iron absorption. Plasma radio-iron absorption curves vary greatly. The curves may show sharp peaks in 1 to 2 hours when the iron is given in an empty stomach but after 6 hours when the radio-iron is given with food. Duration time of curves also varies widely, the plasma iron returning to normal in 6 to 12 hours. Gastric, duodenal, or jejunal pouches all show very active absorption of iron. The plasma concentration peak may reach a maximum before the solution of iron is removed from the gastric pouch—another example of "mucosa block." Absorption and distribution of radio-iron in the body of growing pups give very suggestive experimental data. The spleen, heart, upper gastro-intestinal tract, marrow, and pancreas show more radio-iron than was expected. The term "physiological saturation" with iron may be applied to the gastro-intestinal mucosal epithelium and explain one phase of acceptance or refusal of ingested iron. Desaturation is a matter of days not hours, whereas saturation may take place within 1 to 2 hours. We believe this change is a part of the complex protein metabolism of the cell.

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