The aim of the experiments reported here is to increase our understanding of the function of the nasal fluid. It is generally accepted that the nasal fluid assists in the humidification of the inspired air. It also as...The aim of the experiments reported here is to increase our understanding of the function of the nasal fluid. It is generally accepted that the nasal fluid assists in the humidification of the inspired air. It also assists in the capture of inspired particles such as pollen, preventing them getting lodged in the lungs. It is also known to contain antibacterial substances which keep the nose, nasopharynx and respiratory passages relatively free of infection. There are other features of the nasal fluid that are not understood. In cold weather, is it the fluid that collects in the nostrils pure water or nasal fluid? Why does nasal fluid have an exceptionally high potassium concentration? Does nasal fluid secreted during the common cold have the same composition as at other times? My objectives are to try to answer these questions. My method is to collect my nasal fluid in several different ways and have the ionic composition of each determined accurately. My findings are that nasal fluid is similar in composition however it is secreted. In cold weather, if expiration is via the nose, the nasal fluid is diluted by condensed water. The high concentration of potassium in the nasal fluid is not a way of controlling the level of potassium in the body but I suggest that it may assist in maintaining the antibacterial property of the nasal fluid.展开更多
Our aim is to determine the cause(s) of migraine auras. Our understanding of how migraines and migraine auras originate is very imperfect. An important observation is that migraines occur more frequently in women at r...Our aim is to determine the cause(s) of migraine auras. Our understanding of how migraines and migraine auras originate is very imperfect. An important observation is that migraines occur more frequently in women at reproductive age than in men at a similar age. This suggests that gonadal hormones may be relevant triggers. The occurrence of classical (typical auras without headache) auras in one author (WB) has been recorded. Every aura in six years (85) has been noted, studied and analysed statistically. The auras occur predominantly in Spring and Autumn, especially in the longer reproductive season of Spring. This association is supported statistically. The results support the idea of gonadal hormones as relevant triggers, the strongest candidate being estrogen. Basic mechanisms underlying the auras are discussed, especially the phenomenon of cortical spreading depression. We also propose that both auras and migraines depend upon previous injury to the head or to the brain, giving rise to a condition of “deafferentation hypersensitivity”.展开更多
The biomedical hypothesis proposed here is that the immediate trigger for a yawn is a restricted collapse of a few alveoli in the lungs. The extent of this alveolar collapse may be too small for it to be detected by c...The biomedical hypothesis proposed here is that the immediate trigger for a yawn is a restricted collapse of a few alveoli in the lungs. The extent of this alveolar collapse may be too small for it to be detected by current X-ray technology, but this technology is continually improving and may soon be good enough to test the hypothesis. In support of the hypothesis, it is shown that yawning can be inhibited by deep breaths of air, nitrogen or carbogen, thus showing that yawning is not triggered by lack of oxygen or by excess carbon dioxide, leaving alveolar collapse as the most likely possibility. A more extensive form of alveolar collapse is termed atelectasis and this involves a serious state of hypoxia which, if deepened or prolonged, can be fatal. Therefore, if the hypothesis is correct, yawning may prevent the development of atelectasis and save lives. This paper is not concerned with other indirect ways in which yawning may be induced, nor with the mechanism and neural circuitry of the yawn, nor with social aspects of yawning, only with the immediate trigger. My aim is to get better evidence for the hypothesis put forward here and also to study the behaviour of the pulmonary alveoli in normal respiration.展开更多
文摘The aim of the experiments reported here is to increase our understanding of the function of the nasal fluid. It is generally accepted that the nasal fluid assists in the humidification of the inspired air. It also assists in the capture of inspired particles such as pollen, preventing them getting lodged in the lungs. It is also known to contain antibacterial substances which keep the nose, nasopharynx and respiratory passages relatively free of infection. There are other features of the nasal fluid that are not understood. In cold weather, is it the fluid that collects in the nostrils pure water or nasal fluid? Why does nasal fluid have an exceptionally high potassium concentration? Does nasal fluid secreted during the common cold have the same composition as at other times? My objectives are to try to answer these questions. My method is to collect my nasal fluid in several different ways and have the ionic composition of each determined accurately. My findings are that nasal fluid is similar in composition however it is secreted. In cold weather, if expiration is via the nose, the nasal fluid is diluted by condensed water. The high concentration of potassium in the nasal fluid is not a way of controlling the level of potassium in the body but I suggest that it may assist in maintaining the antibacterial property of the nasal fluid.
文摘Our aim is to determine the cause(s) of migraine auras. Our understanding of how migraines and migraine auras originate is very imperfect. An important observation is that migraines occur more frequently in women at reproductive age than in men at a similar age. This suggests that gonadal hormones may be relevant triggers. The occurrence of classical (typical auras without headache) auras in one author (WB) has been recorded. Every aura in six years (85) has been noted, studied and analysed statistically. The auras occur predominantly in Spring and Autumn, especially in the longer reproductive season of Spring. This association is supported statistically. The results support the idea of gonadal hormones as relevant triggers, the strongest candidate being estrogen. Basic mechanisms underlying the auras are discussed, especially the phenomenon of cortical spreading depression. We also propose that both auras and migraines depend upon previous injury to the head or to the brain, giving rise to a condition of “deafferentation hypersensitivity”.
文摘The biomedical hypothesis proposed here is that the immediate trigger for a yawn is a restricted collapse of a few alveoli in the lungs. The extent of this alveolar collapse may be too small for it to be detected by current X-ray technology, but this technology is continually improving and may soon be good enough to test the hypothesis. In support of the hypothesis, it is shown that yawning can be inhibited by deep breaths of air, nitrogen or carbogen, thus showing that yawning is not triggered by lack of oxygen or by excess carbon dioxide, leaving alveolar collapse as the most likely possibility. A more extensive form of alveolar collapse is termed atelectasis and this involves a serious state of hypoxia which, if deepened or prolonged, can be fatal. Therefore, if the hypothesis is correct, yawning may prevent the development of atelectasis and save lives. This paper is not concerned with other indirect ways in which yawning may be induced, nor with the mechanism and neural circuitry of the yawn, nor with social aspects of yawning, only with the immediate trigger. My aim is to get better evidence for the hypothesis put forward here and also to study the behaviour of the pulmonary alveoli in normal respiration.
