scholarly journals Fibromyalgia: An Afferent Processing Disorder Leading to a Complex Pain Generalized Syndrome

2011 ◽  
Vol 3;14 (2;3) ◽  
pp. E217-E245
Author(s):  
Howard Smith
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Combined Treatment ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Widespread Pain ◽  
Tender Points ◽  
Key Words Pain ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
Body Pain ◽  
Definition Of

Fibromyalgia is a condition which appears to involve disordered central afferent processing. The major symptoms of fibromyalgia include multifocal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive or memory problems. Other symptoms may include psychological distress, impaired functioning, and sexual dysfunction. The pathophysiology of fibromyalgia remains uncertain but is believed to be largely central in nature. In 1990 the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) published diagnostic research criteria for fibromyalgia. The criteria included a history of chronic and widespread pain and the presence of 11 or more out of 18 tender points. Pain was considered chronic widespread when all of the following are present: pain in the left side of the body; pain in the right side of the body; pain above the waist; pain below the waist. In addition, axial skeletal pain must be present and the duration of pain must be more than 3 months. A tender point is considered positive when pain can be elicited by pressures of 4 kg/ cm2 or less. For tender points to be considered positive, the patient must perceive the palpation as painful; tenderness to palpation is not sufficient. However, over the next 20 years it became increasingly appreciated that the focus on tender points was not justified. In 2010 a similar group of investigators performed a multicenter study of 829 previously diagnosed fibromyalgia patients and controls using physician physical and interview examinations, including a widespread pain index (WPI), a measure of the number of painful body regions. Random forest and recursive partitioning analyses were used to guide the development of a case definition of fibromyalgia, to develop new preliminary ACR diagnostic criteria, and to construct a symptom severity (SS) scale. The most important diagnostic variables were WPI and categorical scales for cognitive symptoms, un-refreshed sleep, fatigue, and number of somatic symptoms. The categorical scales were summed to create an SS scale. The investigators combined the SS scale and the WPI to recommend a new case definition of fibromyalgia: (WPI ≥ 7 AND SS ≥ 5). Although there is no known cure for fibromyalgia, multidisciplinary team efforts using combined treatment approaches, including patient education, aerobic exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, and pharmacologic therapies (serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [e.g., duloxetine, milnacipran] and alpha 2-delta receptor ligands [e.g., pregabalin]) might improve symptoms as well as function in patients with fibromyalgia. Key Words: Pain, fibromyalgia, fatigue, sleep, duloxetine, pregabalin, milnacipran

Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Diagnosis and Comorbidities

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (S8) ◽  
pp. 8-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin H. Natelson
Keyword(s):  
Fibromyalgia Syndrome ◽  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
Tender Point ◽  
The Body ◽  
Widespread Pain ◽  
Tender Points ◽  
American College Of Rheumatology ◽  
Blood Pressures ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Right

In 1990, The American College of Rheumatology laid out several sets of criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FM). The first criterion required patients to report at least 3 months of widespread pain. Pain was considered widespread if it was present in four quadrants of the body—the right and left side as well as above and below the waist. Axial skeleton pain is also very commonly present in FM and is often considered a fifth “quadrant.” The second diagnostic criterion was widespread pain in response to a tender point examination. In this assessment the clinician presses on 18 specific areas with enough pressure to blanche his fingertip (∼4 kg). The patient's report of pain and not pressure on such testing in at least 11 of the tender points completes the requirements for the diagnosis of FM (Slide 1). Although these criteria were established to standardize patients for research studies, many physicians follow them for diagnostic purposes as well. However, these criteria must be viewed in the same context as the definition of hypertension (ie, blood pressures ≥140/90). Patients who do not quite attain these criteria should still be considered to have probable hypertension; and the same applies to FM. A patient who has three-quadrant pain and 9 tender points does not meet the criteria for FM, but the therapeutic approach to this patient is the same as it is for the patient with definitive FM.

scholarly journals Differences between empathy for face and body pain: Cognitive and neural responses

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 256-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiong Li ◽  
Yinya Zhang ◽  
Binyang Xiang ◽  
Jing Meng
Keyword(s):  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Emotional Information ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
Facial Information ◽  
Body Pain ◽  
Face Pain ◽  
Empathy For Pain ◽  
Psychopathological Disorders

Empathy for pain is a hotspot in the field of empathy research because of its specific cognitive and neural mechanism. Currently, studies of empathy for pain can be classified into two categories based on the body regions receiving the painful stimulus, i.e., empathy for face pain and empathy for body pain, which conveys painful information based on individuals’ faces or body parts, respectively. Although the existing evidence revealed differences between these two kinds of pain empathy regarding the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms, the current studies tend to confuse these findings. Therefore, we summarized the differences between empathy for face and body pain, mainly regarding the behavioral reactivity tendency, brain activations, and electrophysiological (EEG) signals. These differences probably stem from the fact that the human face contains more emotional information, while other body parts contain more perceptual information. Thus, future studies should identify the distinctions between empathy for face and body pain, to explore further how empathy for face pain is affected by the facial information of others and focus on empathy for face pain in individuals with psychopathological disorders. Furthermore, the specific reasons for these distinctions and their underlying neuromechanisms deserve to be further reviewed.

Derrida on Pornography: Putting (It) Up for Sale

Derrida Today ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Morris
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Studies ◽  
English Translation ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Past ◽  
French Original ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Critical Discourses ◽  
Academic Debate

Over the past thirty years, academic debate over pornography in the discourses of feminism and cultural studies has foundered on questions of the performative and of the word's definition. In the polylogue of Droit de regards, pornography is defined as la mise en vente that is taking place in the act of exegesis in progress. (Wills's idiomatic English translation includes an ‘it’ that is absent in the French original). The definition in Droit de regards alludes to the word's etymology (writing by or about prostitutes) but leaves the referent of the ‘sale’ suspended. Pornography as la mise en vente boldly restates the necessary iterability of the sign and anticipates two of Derrida's late arguments: that there is no ‘the’ body and that performatives may be powerless. Deriving a definition of pornography from a truncated etymology exemplifies the prosthesis of origin and challenges other critical discourses to explain how pornography can be understood as anything more than ‘putting (it) up for sale’.

Investigation of ACE rs4646994, MTHFR rs1801133 and VDR rs2228570 Genotypes in Jordanian Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raida Khalil ◽  
Wajdy J. Al-Awaida ◽  
Hamzeh J. Al-Ameer ◽  
Yazun Jarrar ◽  
Amer Imraish ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Fibromyalgia Syndrome ◽  
Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Restless Leg Syndrome ◽  
Jordanian Arabic ◽  
Clinical Investigations ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Larger Sample

Background: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disease characterized by widespread body pain, weakness in certain parts of the body (critical points), low pain tolerance, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. This syndrome is considered rare in Jordan. Objectives: The research aimed to find out the association of the angiotensin converting enzyme, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, and vitamin D receptor (ACE, MHFTR, and VDR, respectively) genotypes with FMS among Jordanian patients. Methods: This work included 22 FM patients and 22 healthy individuals of Jordanian Arabic origin. The ACE rs4646994, MTHFR rs1801133, and VDR rs2228570 genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: No associations between ACE rs4646994, MTHFR rs1801133, and VDR rs2228570 with the vulnerability of a person for the development of FMS were found. However, we found an association between the ACE rs4646994 genotype and restless leg among FM patients. Conclusion: Based on result from this study, it appears that the ACE rs4646994 genotype is associated with restless leg among FMS patients of Jordanian origin. Further clinical investigations with larger sample sizes are required to confirm these findings and to understand the molecular mechanism of ACE rs4646994 genetic variant in the restless leg syndrome among FM patients.

scholarly journals Zur exakten Behandlung von kollektiven Rotationen Teil A: Theorie / On the Exact Treatment of Collective Rotations Part A: Theory

1973 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-215
Author(s):  
Hanns Ruder
Keyword(s):  
Coordinate System ◽  
Perturbation Expansion ◽  
Rotational Energy ◽  
The Body ◽  
System A ◽  
N Body Problem ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Fixed System ◽  
Body Fixed Coordinate System ◽  
Groundstate Energy

Basic in the treatment of collective rotations is the definition of a body-fixed coordinate system. A kinematical method is derived to obtain the Hamiltonian of a n-body problem for a given definition of the body-fixed system. From this exact Hamiltonian, a consequent perturbation expansion in terms of the total angular momentum leads to two exact expressions: one for the collective rotational energy which has to be added to the groundstate energy in this order of perturbation and a second one for the effective inertia tensor in the groundstate. The discussion of these results leads to two criteria how to define the best body-fixed coordinate system, namely a differential equation and a variational principle. The equivalence of both is shown.

scholarly journals Spiritual nursing care: A concept analysis

Curationis ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia V. Monareng
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Care ◽  
Concept Analysis ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Optimal Care ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Definition Of

Although the concept ‘spiritual nursing care’ has its roots in the history of the nursing profession, many nurses in practice have difficulty integrating the concept into practice. There is an ongoing debate in the empirical literature about its definition, clarity and application in nursing practice. The study aimed to develop an operational definition of the concept and its application in clinical practice. A qualitative study was conducted to explore and describe how professional nurses render spiritual nursing care. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit the sample. Individual and focus group interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Trustworthiness was ensured through strategies of truth value, applicability, consistency and neutrality. Data were analysed using the NUD*IST power version 4 software, constant comparison, open, axial and selective coding. Tech’s eight steps of analysis were also used, which led to the emergence of themes, categories and sub-categories. Concept analysis was conducted through a comprehensive literature review and as a result ‘caring presence’ was identified as the core variable from which all the other characteristics of spiritual nursing care arise. An operational definition of spiritual nursing care based on the findings was that humane care is demonstrated by showing caring presence, respect and concern for meeting the needs not only of the body and mind of patients, but also their spiritual needs of hope and meaning in the midst of health crisis, which demand equal attention for optimal care from both religious and nonreligious nurses.

Seasonal changes in the body surface temperature of Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) steers

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 1476 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Y. Kim ◽  
S. J. Kim ◽  
J. H. Park ◽  
M. R. Oh ◽  
S. Y. Jang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Body Surface ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Bos Taurus ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
Extreme Cold ◽  
Body Surface Temperature ◽  
Average Body

The present study aimed to gather basic information on measuring body surface temperature (BST) of cattle by using infrared thermography (IRT) and find out whether BST measurement is a useful method to detect thermal balance of livestock. Twenty-seven Hanwoo steers were examined in a field trial. The BST of five body regions (eye, nose, horn, ear, rear) was measured five times daily, with three replicates, during 3 days each season. Body surface temperature of cattle is directly affected by ambient temperature and humidity, and showed different ranges for each region. The BSTs of nose, horns and ears were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those of eyes and rear area. Rear-area BST was significantly lower than eye-area BST when the ambient temperature was low (P < 0.05). Eye BST (EBST) was highest (P < 0.05) and the least variable of all BSTs measured. Therefore, the eye area of cattle was the most thermostable part of the body. There were significant (P < 0.05) differences among seasonal EBSTs of steers. The EBST range was highest in the summer (37.9–42.2°C), followed by autumn (34.3–37.4°C), spring (33.8–36.5°C) and winter (29.8–32.6°C). During extreme cold, EBST showed a large standard deviation. During conditions of extreme heat, EBST was above the average body temperature of cattle. The results of the present study indicated that BST well reflects the thermal circumstances surrounding animals and may be used as one of the effective tools for precision cattle farming.

scholarly journals A global framework for a systemic view of brain modeling

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederic Alexandre
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Conditioning ◽  
The Body ◽  
Posterior Cortex ◽  
Reciprocal Relationships ◽  
Brain Modeling ◽  
Brain Theory ◽  
Habitual Behavior ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Specific Contribution

AbstractThe brain is a complex system, due to the heterogeneity of its structure, the diversity of the functions in which it participates and to its reciprocal relationships with the body and the environment. A systemic description of the brain is presented here, as a contribution to developing a brain theory and as a general framework where specific models in computational neuroscience can be integrated and associated with global information flows and cognitive functions. In an enactive view, this framework integrates the fundamental organization of the brain in sensorimotor loops with the internal and the external worlds, answering four fundamental questions (what, why, where and how). Our survival-oriented definition of behavior gives a prominent role to pavlovian and instrumental conditioning, augmented during phylogeny by the specific contribution of other kinds of learning, related to semantic memory in the posterior cortex, episodic memory in the hippocampus and working memory in the frontal cortex. This framework highlights that responses can be prepared in different ways, from pavlovian reflexes and habitual behavior to deliberations for goal-directed planning and reasoning, and explains that these different kinds of responses coexist, collaborate and compete for the control of behavior. It also lays emphasis on the fact that cognition can be described as a dynamical system of interacting memories, some acting to provide information to others, to replace them when they are not efficient enough, or to help for their improvement. Describing the brain as an architecture of learning systems has also strong implications in Machine Learning. Our biologically informed view of pavlovian and instrumental conditioning can be very precious to revisit classical Reinforcement Learning and provide a basis to ensure really autonomous learning.

The Meaning of Pain and the Pain of Meaning: A Bio-Hermeneutical Inquiry

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 ◽  
pp. 215-234
Author(s):  
Teodora Manea
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Main Interest ◽  
Main Approach ◽  
Memento Mori ◽  
Finding Meaning ◽  
Pace Of Life ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractMy main interest here is to look at pain as a sign of the body that something is wrong. I will argue that there is a meaning of pain before and after an illness is diagnosed. An illness contains its own semantic paradigm, but the pain before the diagnosis affects the pace of life, not only by limiting our interactions, but also as a struggle with its meaning and a reminder of mortality.My main approach is what I call bio-hermeneutics, an extension of medical hermeneutics branching out from the Continental hermeneutical tradition. As such, I will explore the connection between pain and language, temporality, dialectics, and ontology. Given the centrality of language in constructing the meaning of pain, my analysis is informed by the semantics (looking at pain metaphors), syntax (pain as incoherence), and pragmatics (pain as companion) of expressing pain.The last section explores the meaning of pain in connection with death, as memento mori. Revisiting an old definition of philosophy as melete thanatou, or ‘rehearsal of death’, I will reflect on the difficulty of finding meaning not only for pain, but also for death as cessation of all existential possibilities.

Bodily Dasein and Chinese Script Components

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwan Tze-wan
Keyword(s):  
Human Body ◽  
The Body ◽  
Chinese Script ◽  
Chinese Characters ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Constitutive Principle ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
The One ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractIn the Shuowen, one of the earliest comprehensive character dictionaries of ancient China, when discussing where the Chinese characters derive their structural components, Xu Shen proposed the dual constitutive principle of “adopting proximally from the human body, and distally from things around.” This dual emphasis of “body” and “things around” corresponds largely to the phenomenological issues of body or corporeality on the one hand, and lifeworld on the other. If we borrow Heidegger’s definition of Dasein as Being-in-the world, we can easily arrive at a reformulation of Xu Shen’s constitutive principle of the Chinese script as one that concerns “bodily Dasein.” By looking into various examples of script tokens we can further elaborate on how the Chinese make use not only of the body in general but various body parts, and how they differentiate their life world into material nature, living things, and a multifaceted world of equipment in forming a core basis of Chinese characters/components, upon which further symbolic manipulation such as “indication”, “phonetic borrowing”, semantic combination, and “annotative derivation”, etc. can be based. Finally, examples will be cited to show how in the Chinese scripts the human body (and its parts) might interact with other’s bodies (and their parts) or with “things around” (whether nature, living creatures, or artifacts) in various ways to cover the social, environmental, ritual, technical, economical, and even intellectual aspects of human experience. Bodily Dasein, so to speak, provides us with a new perspective of understanding and appreciating the entire scope of the Chinese script.

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