A series that explores medicine's latest hypotheses A collection of the latest interesting hypotheses from the medical literature that broaden undertanding of disease mechanisms. Index - Click on the title to view the item. Gene manipulation influences mammalian brain development Did the first virus self-assemble from self-replicating prion proteins and RNA? How to Sleep 4 Hours per Night The pain of fibromyalgia syndrome is due to muscle hypoperfusion induced by regional vasomotor dysregulation. Could statins be beneficial for patients with slow coronary flow syndrome due to its anti-inflammatory properties? Could zinc be of value in dysmenorrhoea? Are the symptoms of schizophrenia adaptions to disability? Does prenatal maternal beef consumption, and possibly xenobiotics in beef, adversely affect the reproductive capacity of men? Is it time to start blogging for family doctors? Has North American psychiatry overlooked social factors in the etiology of psychosis? To what extent is evidence used in WHO recommendations? Might hyperbaric oxygen therapy improve certain pathophysiological findings in autism? Could artificial blood be the answer for battlefield casualties? Could CO oximetry become a new vital sign? Could fresh-frozen allogenic intervertebral discs be an effective treatment for degenerative disc disease? Is Mycobacterium ulcerans, that can cause Buruli ulcer, transmitted by aquatic insects? Are some fibrocystic breast changes caused by sexually transmitted Helicobacter pylori during oral nipple contact? Could latent or persistent viral infections have a carcinogenic effect? Could diabetic retinopathy be an autoimmune disease? Might spironolactone be a desirable intervention in autism spectrum disorders? Can lung cancer be detected by a breath test? Is inflammation a contributor to coronary stent restenosis? Should sildenafil be discontinued before surgery to avoid the unusual complication of sudden irreversible loss of vision? Does the use of estrogen in personal care products by young African American women increased their risk of breast cancer? Is atrial fibrillation a disease of the pulmonary veins? Is chronic pain a non-use disease produced by psycho-emotional factors like fear, attention and anxiety? Is it time for a cardiovascular primary prevention trial in the elderly? Is the polypill a miracle or a mirage? Does red meat heme cause oxidative damage that could initiate colon, breast and prostate cancers? Does the relative risk of prostate cancer decrease as the number of sons increase? Is lone atrial fibrillation pathologic or not? Does training confer anti-inflammatory properties in COPD? Is there a link between avian flu and mycobacterial disease? Are skin wrinkles in aging related to autonomic dysfunction? Could stem cells be used to replace injured heart muscle or repair congenital defects? Do cold climate genes decrease the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus? Is atrial fibrillation an inflammatory process? Are people dying unnecessarily of their cancer because we wait too long after surgery to use chemotherapy? Shall the busy inherit the earth? Do lower iron stores contribute to increasing vulnerability to tics in Tourette’s syndrome? Is salt addiction a kind of drug addiction? Can sunspot cycles predict pandemics of influenza A? Should we abandon asthma as a disease concept? Are the fatalities after taking ibogaine in addiction treatment related to sudden cardiac death caused by autonomic dysfunction? Is placental ischaemia a consequence rather than a cause of pre-eclampsia? Were many distinguished characters of the past affected by the obstructive sleep apnea? Could treatment of comorbidities increase the effective management of cancer? Does the the hematopoietic system play a role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis? Can some nutrients and lifestyle measures prevent or slow Alzheimer's disease? Could phenytoin prevent Alzheimer’s disease? Would linking fear and fear avoidance to the behaviors and psychiatric diagnoses of perpetrators of domestic violence change the way the medical community perceives and treats them? Could hyperbaric oxygen therapy improve symptoms in autistic children? Is Chlamydia pneumoniae a pathogen in atrial fibrillation? Is bronchial thermoplasty a useful technique for reducing airway hyperresponsiveness? High dose cobalamin may be a promising approach in trauma, infections and chronic inflammatory conditions Does potassium large conductance calcium-activated channel, known as BK channel, have an aetiological role in schizophrenia? Could dexamethasone improve myocardial infarction outcomes? Are we eating more than we think? Illegitimate signaling and xenohormesis as participants in the pathogenesis of obesity Do dogs harbour risk factors for human breast cancer? Do statins decrease the risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with normocholesterolemia? Does the use of hydrogen peroxide as an irrigation solution in arthroplasty contribute to the development of aseptic loosening? Does overtraining and subsequent inflammation contribute to atrial fibrillation in athletes? Does increased risk behaviour of some vaccinated individuals in partially protected populations act as a selective pressure toward more virulent HIV strains? Imiquimod: a potential weapon against Dupuytren contracture Does treatment with statins decrease the risk for the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy in patients with normal cholesterol? In inflammatory, autoimmune and chronic diseases, are bad diet and physical inactivity causes or effects? Is the dental region a major blind spot in clinical medicine? Does continuation of the deconditioning effect of intrauterine microgravity into the third trimester predispose to SIDS? Is slow coronary flow an independent entity of coronary artery disease? Is inflammation involved in the development of slow coronary flow phenomenon? Are cancers functional tissues produced by growth and repair factors in an effort to heal persistent wounds in the body? Can melatonin and moclobemide taken during the night close to the end of the sleep cycle prevent migraine headaches? Should conceptual science constitute the compulsory core of multi-disciplinary undergraduate degrees? Translation of research into practice: why we can’t 'just do it' Is there an association between β-amyloid in Alzheimer's disease and herpes simplex virus type 1? Is essential hypertension the result of a metabolic disregulation in the body’s glucose regulatory system? Do acute strokes during carotid angioplasty, stenting, and endarterectomy result from carotid sensor dysfunction rather than embolization? Is inflammation a possible pathogenic link to cardiac syndrome X? Could zinc administration reduce the incidence of angina by decreasing arteriosclerosis and restoring more youthful cardiac function? What is future of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)? Is medical research thriving or about to crash? Are genes of human intelligence related to the metabolism of thyroid and steroids hormones? Why is the use of traditional neuroleptics declining, while the opposite seems to be happening for ‘atypicals’? Is transient global amnesia caused by cerebral vein thrombosis? Is long-term sleep apnea a pathogenic factor in the development of cell-mediated autoimmune disease? Is tubal occlusion causing infertility due to an excessive inflammatory response in patients with predisposition for keloid formation? Is inherently faulty zinc transport the reason why African Americans have a disproportionately high incidence of type 2 diabetes? Is immunity to tetanus protective against the development of multiple sclerosis? Is Crohn’s disease a delayed-type hypersensitivity to certain food additives? Why have mystical experiences occurred on mountains? Does exposure to altitudes contribute to the induction of such experiences? Does fetal movement influence fetal and infant bone strength? Does greater pain sensitivity and reduced pain-inhibitory capacity act as a predisposition to chronically painful conditions? Are the beneficial effects of estrogen on coronary heart disease mediated through its effects on the uterus? Is pathological aggressive behavior similar mechanistically to other forms of impulsive behaviors such as pathological gambling? Do autistic persons lack abstractions and therefore have a hard time with language, learning, living and loving in relation to other persons or to society? Is the mycobacterium of tuberculosis the cause of diabetes? Physicians unfamiliar with the shifting, vague, emotional, and/or bizarre-sounding complaints of tertiary Lyme disease may accuse mothers of fabricating their children’s symptoms – so-called Munchausen’s by proxy Can a chronic dysfunctional stress response cause stroke by stimulating platelet activation, migraine, and hypertension? Does persistence of inflammatory cytokines cause a spectrum of chronic progressive diseases? Is exposure to nicotine a major cause of inflammatory diseases among non-smokers? Why do patients with comorbid post-traumatic mood disorder and depression have higher depression, impulsivity, and hostility scores, and significantly more likely to make a suicide attempt compared to subjects with depression alone? Is autism caused by early hyperactivity of brain-derived neurotrophic factor? Is undiagnosed incipient bipolar disorder in children and adolescents the reason for increased suicidality with antidepressant treatment in this population? Both psychological and biological factors responsible for the efficacy of antidepressants – effects attributed to placebo effect may not be a true placebo effect Can worms defend our hearts? A paradoxical strategy for treating chronic conditions based on harnessing compensatory mechanisms for therapeutic benefit Can vitamin D prevent vascular events in the elderly? Is high pulse pressure a marker of preclinical cardiovascular disease? Is there a biological linkage between depression and asthma? How might global climate change affect human health? Is Gulf War Syndrome actually chronic Lyme disease? Should atherosclerosis be considered a cancer of the vascular wall? Could Alzheimer’s, Cruetzfeldt–Jackob, and Mad Cow Disease all be caused by eating meat or dairy in consumer products?
