December 2010

ARBOVIRUSES AS CAUSES OF VIRAL ENCEPHALITIS

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are a common cause of sporadic and epidemic encephalitis. They are a heterogeneous group of organisms that are transmitted by arthropod vectors (mosquitoes and ticks). Pathogenesis Arboviruses are inoculated into a host by a mosquito or tick bite and undergo local replication at the skin site. If there is a large enough [...]

THE VERDICT ON DREAMS

While theories abound as to the reasons for and the significance of dreaming, the verdict on dreams—whether they hold the key to our inner being, or whether they will prove to be mere electrical storms, like a sort of cerebral aurora borealis—lies in the future. Our main concern here, however, is with their effect on [...]

COMPLICATIONS OF RHINITIS: INFECTED SINUSES

The medical term for what we commonly refer to as our sinuses is the paranasal sinuses (para means around or near; and sinus means space or hollow). The paranasal sinuses are empty spaces in the bones of the face and head that surround and connect with the nasal cavities. They are lined with the same [...]