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[Belief in magic and magical medicine. Characteristics of its origin and consolidation in folk medicine for animal medical science].

In the evolution of mankind and therefore in the veterinary historiography as well you can find the belief in magic and in magic medicine. In the primitive society our early forefathers began with the magic medicine by domestication and the applying of magic medicine also to animals. Because of witch-hunt and printing the belief in magic was systematized and authorized in the veterinary medicine. With the freedom of trade in the second half of the 19th century the belief in magic and magic medicine flourished also in Germany.

Animals

Short-term memory capacity: magic number or magic spell?

Previous experiments have found that memory span is greater for items that can be pronounced more quickly. For a variety of materials the span equals the number of items that can be pronounced in about 1.5 s, presumably the duration of the verbal trace. This suggests a model for immediate recall: The probability of correctly recalling a list equals the probability that the time to recite the list is less than the variable duration of the trace. Recall probability for lists of various lengths was determined for six materials. Later, subjects read the lists aloud. The standard normal deviates corresponding to probability of correct recall were linear in pronunciation time. Evidently, over subjects, a normal distribution is a reasonable approximation of the distribution of the trace duration. The mean and variance of the trace duration were estimated. The mean (1.88 s) agrees well with previous estimates, and the model accounts for 95% of the variance in immediate recall.

Humans

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy: magic or black magic.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy has been used not only as replacement treatment for immunodeficiency, but also as treatment of autoimmune diseases, specifically Kawasaki disease, systemic juvenile arthritis and juvenile dermatomyositis. In Kawasaki disease, IVIG reduces the incidence of coronary artery abnormalities, as well as rapidly improving clinical and laboratory variables such as fever and rash, platelet count, white blood cell count and serum albumin. Furthermore, a single high dose of 2 g/kg is as effective as 400 mg/kg x 4 days. In systemic juvenile arthritis, followup of at least one year demonstrated that monthly treatment with IVIG resulted in improvement of systemic disease in 10/11 patients, allowed for cessation of prednisone treatment in 7/8 patients and significant improvement of arthritis in 8 patients. In juvenile dermatomyositis, we report 2 uncontrolled trials of IVIG treatment that resulted in significant clinical improvement and steroid-sparing. In contrast, IVIG treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) resulted in improvement in 3 patients, but exacerbation or new onset of renal disease in 3 patients. Overall, our report demonstrates that IVIG has been effective both in a controlled trial in Kawasaki disease and in uncontrolled trials in systemic juvenile arthritis and juvenile dermatomyositis. We suggest that IVIG should be used cautiously in SLE.

Arthritis, Juvenile

[Visagnost--a screening test for in vitro diagnosis of allergy compared with Magic Lite and Cap-FEIA. II. Allergen-specific determination of IgE].

Diagnosis of allergic diseases is based on medical history, clinical and specific tests. Although the role of specific IgE-determination used for allergy diagnosis is cleared, the technique might be expensive for routine screening. The development of a new dip-stick screening device (Visagnost Inhalationsallergien, in U.S. Quidel allergy screen) gives us the possibility of fast and easy screening without laboratory equipment. For the evaluation of the diagnostic value of Visagnost we compared the device with two modern standard laboratory techniques, Magic Lite SQ (Ciba-Corning) and CAP-FEIA (Pharmacia). We tested the most relevant allergens in Germany, in detail birch, grass, rye, ragweed, alternaria, cat, dog and the housedust mites D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae. We found a mean "RAST"-class of 1.55 (SD 1.25) for Magic Lite SQ, a mean of 1.24 (SD 1.62) for Visagnost and a mean of 1.93 (SD 1.70) for CAP-FEIA. Plotting the results for each of the examined methods, Magic Lite SQ seems to be more sensitive in lower specific IgE-levels, while CAP-FEIA gives more results of high IgE-levels, Visagnost ranging in between in general. Dividing the "RAST"-class results in the negative group of class 0 and 1 and in the positive group of class 2 and more, Visagnost revealed a sensitivity of 57% compared to CAP-FEIA and 63% to Magic Lite SQ, respectively. Specificity was 95.8% for CAP-FEIA and 90.7% for Magic Lite, while the positive predictive value for Magic Lite SQ was 87.9% and 95.7% for CAP-FEIA. Magic Lite gave a negative predictive value of 69.5% while 58.7% for CAP-FEIA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Allergens

Comparison between MAGIC LITE- and CAP-system: two automated specific IgE antibody assays.

The MAGIC LITE system, a newly developed immunochemiluminometric assay for specific and total IgE antibody using paramagnetic particles coupled with standardized allergens as solid phase, was compared to the CAP system, a recently introduced immunoassay based on a cellulose polymer encased in a capsule. A total of 357 serum samples of patients with suspected inhalant allergies and a positive skin prick test (SPT) to common allergens (birch, timothy-grass, mugwort, cat dander, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Alternaria) were investigated. Fifty SPT negative subjects served as controls (total number of tests in each assay = 1600). Both assays were highly precise (overall intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 2.9% and 4.5% in MAGIC LITE, 4.7% and 5.5% in CAP) and showed excellent linearity (mean r2 of eightfold log2 serum dilutions were 99.7% and 99.3% in MAGIC LITE and CAP). Good correlations were found between the absolute specific IgE antibody values detected by both methods (correlation coefficient r: birth 0.86, grass 0.93, mugwort 0.96, cat 0.91, D. pteronyssinus 0.73, Alternaria 0.90). Excellent specificity (greater than or equal to 98%) occurred in both assays and with all allergens, and sensitivity was related to the allergen (MAGIC LITE/CAP): birch 91%/89%, grass 83%/90%, mugwort 50%/69%, cat 83%/83%, D. pteronyssinus 72%/78%, Alternaria 75%/81%. Our results indicate that both in vitro tests are useful tools for the detection of specific IgE antibody.

Allergens

Rotational diffusion effects on absorbance measurements: limitations to the magic-angle approach.

Optical absorbance changes are commonly used to characterize intermediates which appear in the bleaching sequence of rhodopsin and in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin. Absorbance changes can be caused by an intermediate's rotational diffusion, and when this occurs it can distort absorbance changes due to the structural evolution of intermediates. Linear polarization of an optical probe source at 54.7 degrees (the magic angle) relative to the polarization direction of a linearly polarized actinic source has often been used to eliminate signals due to rotational diffusion. We used Jones calculus to investigate the validity of the magic-angle strategy. Taylor expansion of the result in powers of the absorbances of the bleached ground state and of the intermediates leads to a relatively simple expression which can be used to determine whether rotational contributions are likely under various experimental conditions. This expression shows that in first order no dichroism-dependent term appears in the absorbance measured at magic angle. In second order, however, linear dichroism contributes to signals. For the sequence of rhodopsin intermediates: rhodopsin hv----bathorhodopsin in equilibrium BSI----lumirhodopsin, where BSI is a recently discovered blue-shifted intermediate, we determined the magnitude of the dichroism signals to be, on average, less than 2% of the true absorbance change due to the intermediates themselves (and hence undetectable). Freedom from dichroism artifacts in this case results from the fact that the transition dipoles of these intermediates are similar to that of rhodopsin. Larger and certainly detectable dichroism signals are predicted to occur, even at the magic angle, for later intermediates which have transition dipole moments which differ significantly from that of rhodopsin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacteriorhodopsins

From Mantra to Mataráa: opacity and transparency in the language of Tobelo magic and medicine (Halmahera Island, Indonesia).

This paper presents a definition of the Tobelo concept of 'magic/medicine', and examines the role of mataráa ('magical formulae') within Tobelo magical/medical activities. The curative use of opaque, esoteric formulae is widely reported; Tobelo also have a specialized speech I call 'neo-Ternatese' used for this purpose. Several explanations for the opacity of magical formulae are examined; some apply to the Tobelo case and some do not. Examining the full range of registers in which neo-Ternatese is used, with sample texts, we find a continuum from transparent to opaque, paralleling a continuum of contexts from public to private (or esoteric), and we can identify the techniques used to produce (or increase) a text's opacity. Magical formulae, at the opaque end of that continuum, represent a secret, prestigious, and relatively liquid asset whose high value is maintained by several cultural conventions.

Humans

Medicine and magic among the Maka Indians of the Paraguayan Chaco.

The Maká Indians are an ethnic group of hunters and gatherers of the Paraguayan Chaco. In order to heal illnesses and counteract different kinds of evil, they practice shamanism, magic and the use of medicines of vegetal and animal origin. A general review of the history, magic and medicine in this culture is undertaken. A list of the components of their pharmacopoeia, with details of their use and particular indications is presented.

Humans

The lure of magic thinking.

The development of the thinking processes from childhood to maturity is analyzed and three stages are distinguished: the magic omnipotent stage of the preschool child, the development of the realistic ego, and the future-directed value-building superego. The role of the lure to return to the magic thinking in our culture is described.

Age Factors

Severe illness with anxiety following a reputed magical act on an Australian aboriginal.

A case of extreme anxiety is described in an Aboriginal man who believed he had been subjected to magical influences. It is hypothesized that extreme anxiety accompanied by a refusal to eat or drink (the latter feature being part of the Aboriginal belief system under these conditions) is part, or all, of the mechanism of death from magical influences.

Adult

"Magical thinking," suicide, and malpractice litigation.

Prospective clinical assessment of suicidality differs significantly from that used retrospectively in malpractice litigation. In the latter context, the judge or jury may be susceptible to hindsight reasoning and a disproportionate emphasis on the specific method of suicide, exaggerating its foreseeability and "magically" linking the means of death to the treating clinician, especially in the case of suicide by an overdose of prescribed medication. Such magical thinking, moreover, is rooted in the clinical context of suicide: The errors of reasoning observed in the courtroom exhibit striking parallels with the mind-set of the suicidal patient. An understanding of these dynamics suggests appropriate precautions for the clinician and thus contributes to the prevention both of suicide and of malpractice litigation.

Humans

Multicolor Cell Lineage Tracing Using MAGIC Markers Strategies.

Multicolor MAGIC Markers strategies are useful lineage tracing tools to study brain development at a multicellular scale. In this chapter, we describe an in utero electroporation method to simultaneously label multiple neighboring progenitors and their respective progeny using these multicolor reporters. In utero electroporation enables the introduction of any gene of interest into embryonic neural progenitors lining the brain ventricles through a simple pipeline consisting of a micro-injection followed by the application of electrical pulses. Successful in utero electroporation requires a concise yet complete understanding of each step of the surgical protocol, spanning from the preoperative preparation to the postoperative care, as well as the MAGIC Markers tool outlined in this study. Besides a detailed protocol, we present non-integrative and integrative approaches to demonstrate the range of cell and lineage tracking possibilities of multicolored progenitors and their descent over time.

Cell Lineage

Magic-angle 13C NMR analysis of hard wheat flour and dough.

Samples of hard wheat flour and dough are analyzed by magic-angle spinning 13C NMR spectroscopy. Cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CPMAS) 13C NMR spectra of the dry flour allow its starch and protein content to be accurately measured. These two components are phase-separated. Spectra of hydrated hard wheat doughs are collected under both CPMAS and single-pulse carbon with low-power 1H decoupling conditions. The former report on the macromolecular components of the dough, while the latter reveal small molecules which are solubilized by the water. Results of the present study are interpreted as indicating that the protein is largely unaffected by the added water and remains phased-separated from the starch, while water causes significant changes in polymer dynamics of the starch component.

Flour