Dr. Maffei e Homeopatia: um exame das relações dos princípios médicos gerais do doutor Walter Edgard Maffei com os princípios homeopáticos / Dr. Maffei and Homeopathy: an examination of the relationships between doctor Walter Edgard Maffei's general medical principles and homeopathic principles

O Dr. Walter Edgard Maffei (1905-1991), médico patologista, apresenta grande impacto na formação médica geral e homeopática. Este trabalho objetivou o estudo das relações dos princípios médicos gerais do Dr. Maffei com os princípios homeopáticos por pesquisa descritiva com revisão bibliográfica utilizando como base a monografia apresentada à Associação Paulista de Homeopatia em 2000, sobre este tema, revendo as referências, com atenção especial à obra do Dr. Maffei: "Os Fundamentos da Medicina", e as análises comparativas acrescidas da vivência clínica e prática ao longo dos anos. Verificou-se que as semelhanças ocorrem porque os princípios são concordantes em suas bases, como a visão hipocrática, onde a Medicina é baseada na observação e experimentação. Destacou-se a importância do médico generalista, compartilhada pelo Dr. Maffei e pelos ensinamentos homeopáticos, para a compreensão do indivíduo na sua totalidade. A Hereditariedade ganhou destaque, sendo básica para a compreensão da individualidade de cada paciente em seu processo de saúde e doença.

The Doctor Walter Edgard Maffei (1905-1991), pathologist, had a great impact on general and homeopathic medical education. This work aimed to study the relationships between the general medical principles of Dr. Maffei with homeopathic principles by descriptive research with bibliographic review using as a basis the monograph presented to the Associação Paulista de Homeopatia in 2000, on this topic, reviewing references, with special attention to the work of Dr. Maffei: "The Fundamentals of Medicine", and adding comparative analyzes of clinical and practical experience over the years. It was found that the similarities occur because the principles are consistent in their bases, such as the Hippocratic view, where Medicine is based on observation and experimentation. The importance of the general practitioner was highlighted, shared by Dr. Maffei and for the homeopathic teachings, for the understanding of the individual in its totality. Heredity gained prominence, being basic for understanding the individuality of each patient in their health and disease process.

[Cheng Lin and his life].

Cheng Lin, a famous doctor in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, had a great reputation with his medical achievements. According to the prefaces and postscripts in a variety of books and local records, he was born earlier than 1616 and died later than 1700 in Huaitang in She Xian. He learned medicine from his uncle Cheng Jingtong when he was young. After that, he learned from the famous doctor Yu Chang. He visited Kaifeng, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Yangzhou, and made friends with many then celebrities, such as Zhou Lianggong, Lin Sihuan and You Tong. He left many medical writings, such as Yi Xia Zhi Yan, Jin Gui Yao Lue Zhi Jie and Sheng Ji Zong Lu Zuan Yao. He was also good at painting and seal cutting. His family, the Cheng's, in Huaitang in Xin'an, had many off-springs who became famous doctors, such as Cheng Jin, Cheng Jie, Cheng Yandao, and Cheng Yingmao, with their medical history continuing up to the present day.

Beyond imagination: Hypnotic visual hallucination induces greater lateralised brain activity than visual mental imagery.

Hypnotic suggestions can produce a broad range of perceptual experiences, including hallucinations. Visual hypnotic hallucinations differ in many ways from regular mental images. For example, they are usually experienced as automatic, vivid, and real images, typically compromising the sense of reality. While both hypnotic hallucination and mental imagery are believed to mainly rely on the activation of the visual cortex via top-down mechanisms, it is unknown how they differ in the neural processes they engage. Here we used an adaptation paradigm to test and compare top-down processing between hypnotic hallucination, mental imagery, and visual perception in very highly hypnotisable individuals whose ability to hallucinate was assessed. By measuring the N170/VPP event-related complex and using multivariate decoding analysis, we found that hypnotic hallucination of faces involves greater top-down activation of sensory processing through lateralised neural mechanisms in the right hemisphere compared to mental imagery. Our findings suggest that the neural signatures that distinguish hypnotically hallucinated faces from imagined faces lie in the right brain hemisphere.

Niurka Meneses Moreno, la pasión por la Homeopatía (primera de dos partes) / Niurka Meneses Moreno, the passion for Homeopathy (first of two parts)

Cubana de nacimiento, la doctora Niurka Meneses Moreno puede considerarse una ciudadana universal ya que ha tenido un sinnúmero de experiencias en varias latitudes del mundo. Como ocurre con frecuencia con muchos expertos en Homeopatía, la doctora Meneses experimentó en carne propia los beneficios de la medicina hahnemanniana. Desde adolescente tuvo muchos problemas con el asma, al grado de sufrir un paro cardiorrespiratorio producto de los efectos de un medicamento.

Ninety Years of Multiple Psychotic-Like and Spiritual Experiences in a Doctor Honoris Causa: A Case Report and Literature Review.

ABSTRACT: Psychotic experiences are common experiences shared by a considerable part of the world's population. Moreover, most of the individuals who report these experiences also report those called spiritual and dissociative phenomena. In specific culture and religious backgrounds, these experiences are frequently seen as a part of normal human experiences, usually called mediumship. We report a case of a famous Brazilian medium with 90 years of experiencing psychotic-like, dissociative and/or spiritual experiences, but coped well with the experiences and never sought psychiatric or psychological assistance. The medium received several honorific prizes, such as doctor honoris causa from different institutions, published more than 200 books, and ran a nonprofit organization that takes care of 5000 people daily. Finally, we review the literature on this topic and stress the urge for more research aiming to distinguish pathological and nonpathological psychotic experiences to avoid overmedicalization and iatrogenic treatments.

El médico Homeópata y la Homeopatía. Reflexiones del Doctor Vicente Rosas Landa Lechuga / The Homeopathic physician and Homeopathy. Reflections of Doctor Vicente Rosas Landa Lechuga

La historia e identidad de toda profesión se construye a través de la experiencia de quienes la integran. La profesión médico homeopática y la Homeopatía mexicana cuentan, a lo largo de más de 127 años, con una amplia gama de hechos y situaciones acaecidas en nuestro país y que nos permiten caracterizarla. Tener la posibilidad de que los propios actores puedan compartir de viva voz su vida profesional, resulta invaluable para las futuras generaciones. A través de este documento se presenta una entrevista al doctor Vicente Rosas Landa Lechuga, personaje muy significativo para la comunidad médico homeopática, sobre diversos temas relevantes respecto a la profesión y al campo de la Homeopatía.

The history and identity of every profession is built through the experience of its members. "The homeopathic medical profession and Mexican Homeopathy, over more than one hundred and twenty-seven years, have undergone a wide range of events and situations that occured in Mexico and therfore, allow us to characterize it. Having the possibility of the actors themselves to share their professional lives, is invaluable for future generations. Through this document, an interview is conducted to Dr. Vicente Rosas Landa Lechuga, a very significant person for the homeopathic medical community, on various relevant topics about the profession and the field of Homeopathy.

Tutankhamun's Antimalarial Drug for Covid-19.

Drug repositioning is a strategy that identifies new uses of approved drugs to treat conditions different from their original purpose. Current efforts to treat Covid-19 are based on this strategy. The first drugs used in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were antimalarial drugs. It is their mechanism of action, i. e., rise in endosomal pH, which recommends them against the new coronavirus. Disregarding their side effects, the study of their antiviral activity provides valuable hints for the choice and design of drugs against SARS-CoV-2. One prominent drug candidate is thymoquinone, an antimalarial substance contained in Nigella sativa - most likely one of the first antimalarial drugs in human history. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the number of articles relating thymoquinone to Covid-19 continuously increases. Here, we use it as an exemplary model drug, compare its antiviral mechanism with that of conventional antimalarial drugs and establish an irreducible parametric scheme for the identification of drugs with a potential in Covid-19.Translation into the laboratory is simple. Starting with the discovery of Nigella sativa seeds in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, we establish a physicochemical model for the interaction of thymoquinone with both coronavirus and cells. Exploiting the predictive capability of the model, we provide a generalizable scheme for the systematic choice and design of drugs for Covid-19. An unexpected offshoot of our research is that Tutankhamun could not have died of malaria, a finding contrary to the mainstream theory.

Peter the Great and sexually transmitted diseases.

Shortly after syphilis appeared in Europe at the time of Columbus' voyage to the New World, the big pox, as it was often known, became a serious issue in Russia for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Members of the Russian royal family were made aware of the disease from adolescence onward. Czar Peter the Great had many sexual contacts and could have contracted any number of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that were quite common in his era. Nevertheless, contributions analyzed from available sources by his contemporary doctors, and later from medical analyses, reveal no evidence that he had contracted syphilis or any other STD. Most likely, he died from acute renal failure due to urinary tract obstruction.

Gran distinción para la doctora Susana Novelo Pichardo / Great distinction for the doctor Susana Novelo Pichardo

Hace unas semanas, la doctora Susana Novelo Pichardo, miembro del Comité de Arbitraje de La Homeopatía de México, recibió el reconocimiento al Profesionista Colegiado Distinguido 2020, por el Mérito al Sobresaliente Ejercicio Profesional e Impulso a la Vida Colegiada, otorgado por el Secretaría de Educación del Estado de Guanajuato.

Doctor Guillermo Soberón Acevedo: destacado médico mexicano / Doctor Guillermo Soberón Acevedo: outstanding Mexican doctor

En la presente entrevista, realizada en 1999, el doctor Guillermo Soberón Acevedo (1925- 2020) opina sobre distintos temas relacionados con la medicina y la salud pública. Comenta su proceso de formación como médico, la responsabilidad de los especialistas que se preparan en el extranjero y regresan a México, así como sus trabajos como rector de la UNAM y en el sector público, donde dirigió la transformación de la entonces Secretaría de Salubridad y Asistencia en la actual Secretaría de Salud. Asimismo, aborda temas como el carácter mutifacético de la medicina, la importancia de la investigación y las facultades de medicina, el valor de la certificación, el trabajo de los colegios y las asociaciones médicas y el futuro de la ciencia médica, además de que ofrece su punto de vista sobre la Homeopatía.

In this interview, conducted in 1999, Dr. Guillermo Soberón Acevedo (1925-2020) gives his opinion on different topics related to medicine and public health. He comments on his training process as a doctor, the responsabilities of the specialists who prepare abroad and return to Mexico, as well as his work as Rector of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico) As well as his experience in the public sector, in which he directed the transformation of the then Secretaría de Salubridad y Asistencia (Ministry of Healthiness and Assistance) into the current Secretaría de Salud (Ministry of Health). It also addresses topics such as the multifaceted nature of medicine, the importance of research and medical schools, the value of certification, the work of medical colleges and associations, and the future of medical science, in addition to offering his point of view on Homeopathy.

The paleoradiology importance in the study of relics: the unique densitometric analysis of a bone relic of Saint Nicholas.

INTRODUCTION: DXA have greatly contributed to the development of paleoradiology, a branch of diagnostic imaging that allows to obtain information about human remains in contexts of archaeological and/or forensic interest. In this manuscript we report the unique experience of DXA performed on the relic of a Saint; in particular we analyzed a skeletal fragment of St. Nicholas, kept in the Basilica of Bari (Italy) since 1087. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The bone to be examined consisted of the posterior arch of the ninth left rib that was 12cm long, 1.2cm maximum width and 1.7cm thick at the body. The data acquired from the densitometric study were performed using the anthropometric measures reported in historical records of St. Nicholas' life: sex (male), age (75 years), weight (70kg), height (167cm), and ethnicity (Caucasian). In addition to the examination of the relic, a comparison assessment was made with the rib of a healthy 60 years old man (height of 170cm, without known skeletal pathologies). This sample had a length of 19cm, maximum width at the head 1cm, and 0.7cm thick at the body. The analysis of bone fragments is different from the analysis of bones in the context of the human body (where soft tissues are placed around the skeleton); for this reason, one of the most critical issues was to create a support that would allow the analysis of bone fragments. We simulated conditions similar to those occurring in patients: a density scale was established, using a specific plexiglass phantom on which the bone fragments to be examined were placed. From the analysis it was calculated the parameter bone mineral density (BMD), express in g/cm2, that indicates the relation between mass of bone mineral content and area of examined bone segment. BMD data was compared to a range normalized by age, sex and ethnicity (BMD-N). RESULTS: The results of the scannnig of St. Nicholas' rib showed a BMD of 0.97g/cm2 with a BMD-N between 0.77 and 1.08g/cm2. Simultaneous measurements of the relic compared with a reference rib showed highlighted BMD of 0.84g/cm2 for the relic and 0.50g/cm2 for the reference rib. The St. Nicholas data are 168% higher than reference bone. All our measurements of the relic indicated a high bone mineral density, most likely due to the presence of a high concentration of calcium salts. A relatively higher mineral density of the relic was seen compared to the healthy subject's rib. From the history of St Nicholas' life, we know of the long imprisonment at the age of 51 in damp and unhealthy environment. The results of this study suggest that a good bone mineral density was maintained by the Saint even in old age. An additional element that can influence bone mineral density is diet, certainly different during the time of St. Nicholas. The good bone densitometry indicates that the Saint maintained a proper diet, with a generally fair state of health. CONCLUSION: For this first DXA analysis of the rib relic of Saint Nicholas was necessary a long and complex experimental work to modify standard technique procedure to particular and unusual sample and Create specific supports and complementary instruments. Perform DXA analysis on relics permit to obtain additional information to living conditions, economical situation, behaviours, diet, diseaes, conservations conditions of remains, change of life style in different age. Our experimental work, the first of its kind, creates the way to analyze precious relics that often include only few bone fragments and data obtained by our work can be useful for a better management and movement of fragile relics. We ourselves are working on a new challenge for the analysis of bone finds from shipwrecks found at the bottom of the sea.

Dolorosa despedida a un salubrista ejemplar / Painful farewell to an examplary public health expert

Quienes tuvimos el privilegio de conocer al Dr. Dimitri Barreto Vaquero y compartir ideas y esfuerzos para hacer de nuestra América un mundo mejor, jamás olvidaremos a este amigo y compañero entrañable . Nació en Quito, Ecuador un 1ro de julio de 1945. Se graduó de doctor en medicina y cirugía y más tarde realizó la especialización en Psiquiatría en la Universidad Central del Ecuador. Recibió el título de especialista en Administración de Salud en la Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja. Siempre tuvo el afán de aprender y mejorar su desempeño profesional. Cursó estudios de diplomado en: Recursos Humanos por la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) en Washington; Medicina Social en la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de Xoxhimilco en México y de Epidemiología y Salud en el Instituto Superior de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana, Cuba. En su vida profesional acumuló una rica experiencia como médico tratante, director del Hospital Psiquiátrico Julio Endara y como médico psiquiatra del Área de Salud No. 9 en Quito, la capital de su país. Una de las grandes virtudes de Dimitri era su interés por ayudar a las personas, compartir sus conocimientos y experiencias para realizar plenamente su vocación de servicio. Se categorizó como profesor en la Universidad Central del Ecuador, la misma que lo formó en pregrado como médico y en posgrado como psiquiatra. Ejerció como docente en las áreas de Medicina Popular y de Salud Mental y Psiquiatría. Aunque sus grandes vocaciones eran la psiquiatría y el magisterio, no evadió nunca las funciones que como especialista en Administración de Salud le reclamaba su compromiso social. Asumió varios cargos: director de la Escuela de Medicina, cuando fue electo por la...(AU)

Iconicidade como alternativa de explicação para a hipnose de Milton Erickson / Iconicity as an alternative explanation of Milton Erickson's hypnosis / Iconicidad como alternativa de explicación para la hipnosis de Milton Erickson

O presente trabalho busca propor uma alternativa de explicação para a hipnose de Milton Erickson (1901-1980) a partir da noção semiótica de iconicidade, que consiste na capacidade dos signos em transmitir qualidades de seus objetos. Neste trabalho, a possibilidade de explicação será desenvolvida, a partir de uma ilustração clínica de Erickson, em torno da discussão sobre três questões principais: a heterogeneidade da experiência hipnótica, a temporalidade e o papel do eu face às influências do inconsciente. Ao apontar as diferentes potencialidades lógicas dos signos, a iconicidade oferece subsídios de grande pertinência para compreender a diversidade do tecido vivido que compõe a experiência hipnótica, a presentificação da experiência de tempo e as diferentes formas de inserção e relação do eu quanto ao universo inconsciente que o precede. Nesse sentido, as contribuições daí consequentes são de grande pertinência para favorecer o afastamento de uma lógica puramente tecnicista da obra de Erickson, como também debates e apropriações coletivas em torno da mesma, condições necessárias para seu progresso como proposta de pensamento e terapia.

This study's intent is to propose an alternative explanation for Milton Erickson's (1901-1980) hypnosis from the semiotics notion of iconicity, which consists on the capacity of signs to transmit qualities of its objects. In this study, the possible explanation unfolds from a clinical illustration of Erickson into a discussion addressing three main subjects: the heterogeneity of the hypnotic experience, the temporality, and the roles of the ego acing the unconscious influences. By pointing the different logical potentialities of signs, iconicity offers subsidies of great pertinence to comprehend the diversity of the living fabric which composes the hypnotic experience, the presentification of time experience, and the different forms of insertion and relation between the ego and the unconscious universe that precedes him. In that sense, the consequent contributions are of great pertinence, favoring a purely technical logic with its debates and surrounding collective appropriations to move away from Erickson's work, necessary conditions for its progress as proposal of thought a therapy.

El presente trabajo propone una alternativa de explicación para la hipnosis de Milton Erickson (19011980) a partir de la noción semiótica de iconicidad, que consiste en la capacidad de los signos para transmitir cualidades de sus objetos. En este trabajo, la posibilidad de explicación será desarrollada, a partir de una ilustración clínica de Erickson, en torno a la discusión sobre tres cuestiones principales: la heterogeneidad de la experiencia hipnótica, la temporalidad y el papel del yo frente a las influencias del inconsciente. De este modo, al senalar las diferentes potencialidades lógicas de los signos, la iconicidad ofrece subsidios de gran importancia para comprender la diversidad del tejido vivido que compone la experiencia hipnótica, la presentificación de la experiencia del tiempo y las diferentes formas de inserción y relación del yo en cuanto al universo inconsciente que lo precede. En ese sentido, las contribuciones consecuentes son de gran importancia para favorecer el alejamiento de una lógica puramente tecnicista de la obra de Erickson, así como debates e apropiaciones colectivas en torno a la misma, condiciones necesarias para su progreso como propuesta de pensamiento y terapia.

Chris Cornell, the Black Hole Sun, and the Seasonality of Suicide.

PURPOSE: Seattle-inspired rock and roll superstar Chris Cornell died by suicide in May 2017. In the northern hemisphere, May represents the peak of the widely replicated but still unexplained seasonal spring rhythm in suicide. Years earlier, Cornell had suffered openly from recurrent bouts of severe depression, and his early musical lyrics do indeed suggest an enduring sensitivity to the vicissitudes of depressed and suicidal states. Cornell's most famous song, Black Hole Sun, suggests a mixed mood state, the incidence of which also peaks in the spring. The present work explores Cornell's May suicide from a chronobiologic perspective. METHODS: Review of Cornell's lyrics and literature on suicide. RESULTS: Cornell's lyrics contain clear indicators of mixed depressive and seasonal imagery, highlighting 3 fundamental axioms of suicidology: (1) the yearly suicide rhythm peaks in May in the northern hemisphere, (2) mixed depressive states are particularly lethal, and (3) the suicide risk increases dramatically when recovering from depression and mood turns mixed. CONCLUSIONS: Cornell, in his life and music, left us with a novel and important hypothesis about the spring seasonality of suicide, namely, that the yearly suicide risk becomes maximal when winter turns to spring and there emerges a deadly mixed mood state under a May photoperiod, i.e., the suicide risk is maximal when a Black Hole Sun occurs in May. It is hoped that Cornell's legacy and sensitive hypothesis inspire research into the etiology and treatment of the spring seasonality of suicide risk and mixed mood states. LIMITATIONS: The Cornell hypothesis was formulated based in part on several speculative inferences regarding the course of his functioning just prior to his suicide.

Tribute to the Late Dr. Charles D. Hufford.

This Special Issue is dedicated to the late Dr. Charles (Charlie) D. Hufford, former Professor of Pharmacognosy and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Mississippi [...].

An Analysis of Famous Person Semantic Memory in Aging.

BACKGROUND: In contrast to most memory systems that decline with age, semantic memory tends to remain relatively stable across the life span. However, what exactly is stable remains unclear. Is it the quantity of information available or the organization of semantic memory, i.e., the connections between semantic items? Even less is known about semantic memory for celebrities, a subsystem of semantic memory. In the present study, we studied the organization of person-specific semantic memory and its stability in aging. METHODS: We designed a word association task based on a previous study, which consisted in providing the first word that came to the mind of the participants (15 participants for each age group 20-30, 40-50 and 60-70 years old) for 144 celebrities. We developed a new taxonomy of associated responses as the responses associated with celebrities name could in principle be very varied. RESULTS: We found that most responses (>90%) could be grouped into five categories (subjective; superordinate general; superordinate specific; imagery and activities). The elderly group did not differ from the other two groups in term of errors or reaction time suggesting they performed the task well. However, they also provided associations that were less precise and less based on imagery. In contrast, the middle-age group provided the most precise associations. CONCLUSION: These results support the idea of a durable person-specific semantic memory in aging but show changes in the type of associations that elders provide. Future work should aim at studying patients with early semantic impairment, as they could be different from the healthy elders on such semantic association task.