The protosteryl and dammarenyl cation dichotomy in polycyclic triterpene biosynthesis revisited: has this ‘rule’ finally been broken?

The Sodium “Leak” Has Finally Been Plugged

Most electrophysiologists generally do not speak highly of leak currents. In reality, these conductances represent a crucial functional mechanism by which neurons control resting membrane potentials. A new study in Cell by Lu et al. has surprisingly confirmed the identity of the long-sought voltage-insensitive sodium leak conductance to be encoded by the third branch of the voltage-gated sodium...

Intracranial emboli associated with catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: has the silence finally been broken?

Catheter ablation has become an accepted treatment approach for drug-refractory, symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). The technical aspects of the procedure have evolved, but to a remarkable degree, the objective of the procedure is nearly the same as when it was first introduced: the electrical isolation of the principal trigger sites of AF, the pulmonary veins (PVI). The procedure has an exc...

Has this prepubertal girl been sexually abused?

CONTEXT The legal and social sequelae of interpreting genital findings as indicative of sexual abuse are significant. While the absence of genital trauma does not rule out sexual abuse, the physical examination can identify genital findings compatible with sexual abuse. OBJECTIVES To determine the diagnostic utility of the genital examination in prepubertal girls for identifying nonacute sexu...

The Nature of Man―has the Ghost in the Machine Finally been Exorcised?

The machine Gilbert Ryle expressed the scepticism of the age when he disparagingly referred to the traditional notion of man as composed of a spirit interacting with a brain as ‘the ghost in the machine’. For centuries dualism had been the prevalent view amongst philosophers, found embryonically in Plato and reaching its classical statement in Descartes. Man’s composite nature has also been ass...

The low incidence of cervical cancer in Jewish women: has the puzzle finally been solved?