Med Addiction

fuckyeahmolecularbiology:

Coloured SEM image of a coronary artery teeming with red blood cells (centre).

Image Source: Science Photo Library.

(Source: confessions-of-a-redhead)

thetemperamentalgoat:

Hypertrophic keloid scar after Cardiothoracic Surgery.

(Source: malformalady)

dryeffects:

Kawasaki disease occurs most frequently in Japan, where the disease was first discovered. In the United States, after congenital heart defects, Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of heart disease in children. Most of these patients are younger than age 5. The disease occurs more often in boys than in girls.

Kawasaki disease is a poorly understood illness. The cause has not been determined. It may be an autoimmune disorder. The disorder affects the mucus membranes, lymph nodes, walls of the blood vessels, and the heart.

Kawasaki disease can cause inflammation of blood vessels in the arteries, especially the coronary arteries. This inflammation can lead to aneurysms. An aneurysm can lead to a heart attack, even in young children, although this is rare.

dryeffects:

Clostridium perfringens is a rod-shaped Gram-positive bacterium. It is an anaerobic foodborne pathogen that produces endospores. 

dryeffects:

Hyphema is a hemorrhage into the anterior chamber of the eye, usually caused by a blunt trauma. The patient is treated by an ophthalmologist, who evaluates the need for evacuation of the blood and the use of mydriatic or miotic medications or a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. Glaucoma may result from recurrent bleeding. 

psydoctor8:

Suicide Cells

Researchers find that people have have committed suicide have more of a particular kind of neuron -call von Economo neurons- which are believed to be an import cell for social emotions, maybe even empathy and guilt.

These cells bear receptors for neuro­transmitters that help to regulate emotion, such as dopamine, serotonin and vasopressin. Because they are found in highly gregarious animals such as whales, elephants and apes—with humans possessing the highest densities—scientists believe they might specifically deal with complex social emotions such as shame. (via)

The density of VENs (von Economo neurons) was significantly greater in the ACC of suicide victims with psychotic disorders compared with psychotic individuals who died from other causes. This effect was restricted to the right ACC. VEN density in the ACC seems to be increased in suicide victims with psychosis. This finding may support the assumption that VEN have a special role in emotion processing and self-evaluation, including negative self-appraisal. 

Full article here.

My research now is about the lack of empathy relating to cruelty to others and what neural correlates are involved -so I have to wonder to what degree would a significant absence of these von Economo neurons explain the low levels of empathy in psychopaths, sociopaths, narcissists, and people with borderline personality disorder?