We have created a computational model of the timing network that paces the heartbeat of the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis. The rhythmic activity of this network originates from two segmental oscillators located in the third and fourth midbody ganglia. In the intact nerve cord, these segmental oscillators are mutually entrained to the same cycle period. Although experiments have shown that...

Some protein pharmaceuticals from Chinese medicine have been developed to treat cardiovascular diseases, genetic diseases, and cancer. Bioactive proteins with various pharmacological properties have been successfully isolated from animals such as Hirudo medicinalis (medicinal leech), Eisenia fetida (earthworm), and Mesobuthus martensii (Chinese scorpion), and from herbal medicines derived from ...

The use of leeches as a highly efficient natural medicine treatment has experienced a resurgence in human therapy, particularly in German speaking countries and the US. The number of leech treatments in Germany has amounted to about 100.000 per year. In addition to the return of diverse applications of medicinal leeches for human treatment, the leech (Hirudo medicinalis/verbana/orientalis) has ...

Background: Hirudotherapy is very common in traditional Iranian medicine for treating various diseases, including hyperglycemia. However, there no scientific research to evaluate its effect on diabetes mellitus and the possible side effects. Objectives: This study aimed biochemical histopathological changes healthy diabetic male rats treated with leeches. Methods: experimental was performed 28 ...

Sensory neurons of Hirudo medicinalis were cultivated on patterns of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein which were prepared by UV irradiation using copper grid masks. The relation of the patterns and of the outgrowth of neurites was observed by scanning electronmicroscopy after gold decoration. The neurites were guided by narrow (10 microM) lanes of ECM protein. Branching of neurites was induce...

This year-book is now recognised to be indispensable by most medical men, and we have no hesitation in recommending the annual volume for 1914. The present volume is some 100 pages larger than the previous one owing to the large number of details added, especially in technique, diagnostic, clinical and surgical. The tropical diseases are in the hands of Sir L. Rogers and this is enough to say t...

The nociceptive sensory neurons (N cells) in the leech Hirudo medicinalis contact other neurons through conventional synapses in the neuropile and through baskets of processes that wrap the somata of particular cells. These axosomatic contacts are made with the pressure (P) and N sensory neurons in the adjacent segmental ganglia, but not with cells within the same ganglion as the wrapping cell....

The nervous system of the leech is a particularly suitable model to investigate neural coding of sensorimotor responses because it allows both observation of behavior and the simultaneous measurement of a large fraction of its underlying neuronal activity. In this study, we used a combination of multielectrode recordings, videomicroscopy, and computation of the optical flow to investigate the r...

Hirudo Medicinalis application in medicine has long been a matter of investigation since Hippocrates. The analgesic and anti-coagulant substances in the leeches’ saliva are used in treatment of venous thrombosis and varicose veins, arthralgia, rheumatologic diseases, low back and cervical pains. Aeromonas infections, excessive bleeding, anemia, and allergic reactions are among the most common c...

The generation of rhythmic patterns by neuronal networks is a complex phenomenon, relying on the interaction of numerous intrinsic and synaptic currents, as well as modulatory agents. To investigate the functional contribution of an individual ionic current to rhythmic pattern generation in a network, we constructed a hybrid system composed of a silicon model neuron and a heart interneuron from...