Do Season and Environment Have a Role in the Incidence of Anterior Uveitis Attacks?

PURPOSE: To investigate the seasonal influence on the incidence of uveitis attacks. METHODS: An ecological study was designed including 731 uveitis attacks in 594 patients diagnosed at the eye emergency of a hospital in Madrid between 2014 and 2017. The incidence of uveitis attacks, B27+, and presumed herpetic attacks were calculated, and their correlations with seasonal and environmental variables in the same timeframe were analyzed. The analyzed variables were precipitation, barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, global solar radiation, ultraviolet radiation, air pollution components (particulate matter and polluting gases), and the incidence of influenza. RESULTS: The incidence of attacks was significantly higher in the winter than in the autumn (p = .025). It showed a significant correlation to the number of rainy days per month (r = 0.612;p = .04), and the average wind speed (r = 0.469;p = .02) after Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSION: Uveitis episodes happened more frequently under rainy and windy conditions. Most factors were not significantly correlated to attacks.

Recomendaciones en el manejo de la retinocoroiditis de Birdshot / Recommendations for the management of Birdshot retinochoroiditis

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Ayahuasca enhances creative divergent thinking while decreasing conventional convergent thinking.

INTRODUCTION: Ayahuasca is a South American psychotropic plant tea traditionally used in Amazonian shamanism. The tea contains the psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), plus ß-carboline alkaloids with monoamine oxidase-inhibiting properties. Increasing evidence from anecdotal reports and open-label studies indicates that ayahuasca may have therapeutic effects in treatment of substance use disorders and depression. A recent study on the psychological effects of ayahuasca found that the tea reduces judgmental processing and inner reactivity, classic goals of mindfulness psychotherapy. Another psychological facet that could potentially be targeted by ayahuasca is creative divergent thinking. This mode of thinking can enhance and strengthen psychological flexibility by allowing individuals to generate new and effective cognitive, emotional, and behavioral strategies. The present study aimed to assess the potential effects of ayahuasca on creative thinking. METHODS: We visited two spiritual ayahuasca workshops and invited participants to conduct creativity tests before and during the acute effects of ayahuasca. In total, 26 participants consented. Creativity tests included the "pattern/line meanings test" (PLMT) and the "picture concept test" (PCT), both assessing divergent thinking and the latter also assessing convergent thinking. RESULTS: While no significant effects were found for the PLMT, ayahuasca intake significantly modified divergent and convergent thinking as measured by the PCT. While convergent thinking decreased after intake, divergent thinking increased. CONCLUSIONS: The present data indicate that ayahuasca enhances creative divergent thinking. They suggest that ayahuasca increases psychological flexibility, which may facilitate psychotherapeutic interventions and support clinical trial initiatives.

Mujer joven con dolor incapacitante en miembro inferior / Young woman with debilitating pain in the leg

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