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Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
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| Hyperreflexia | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Hyper-reflexia |
| Specialty | Neurology |
Hyperreflexia is overactive or overresponsive bodily reflexes. Examples of this include twitching and spastic tendencies, which indicate disease of the upper motor neurons and the lessening or loss of control ordinarily exerted by higher brain centers of lower neural pathways. It is the opposite of hyporeflexia.
Spinal cord injury is the most common cause of hyperreflexia. Standard stimuli, such as the filling of the bladder, can cause excessive responses from the nervous system. The causes of hyperreflexia are not known.
Hyperreflexia also has many other causes, including the side effects of drugs (e.g., stimulants), hyperthyroidism, electrolyte imbalance, serotonin syndrome, severe brain trauma, multiple sclerosis, Reye syndrome, and pre-eclampsia.
Recovery from hyperreflexia can occur several hours to several months after a spinal cord injury; the phase of recovery is likely to occur in stages rather than on a continuum.[1] The late stage is between two weeks and several months.[1] Patients with a severe spinal cord injury mainly present with a later stage of recovery because during the early stages they present with spinal shock.[1] Reflex and motor recovery can sometimes occur simultaneously.[1]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Hyperreflexia is overactive or overresponsive bodily reflexes. Examples of this include twitching and spastic tendencies, which indicate disease of the upper motor neurons and the lessening or loss of control ordinarily exerted by higher brain centers of lower neural pathways. It is the opposite of hyporeflexia. Spinal cord injury is the most common cause of hyperreflexia. Standard stimuli, such as the filling of the bladder, can cause excessive responses from the nervous system. The causes of hyperreflexia are not known. Hyperreflexia also has many other causes, including the side effects of drugs (e.g., stimulants), hyperthyroidism, electrolyte imbalance, serotonin syndrome, severe brain trauma, multiple sclerosis, Reye syndrome, and pre-eclampsia. Recovery from hyperreflexia can occur several hours to several months after a spinal cord injury; the phase of recovery is likely to occur in stages rather than on a continuum. The late stage is between two weeks and several months. Patients with a severe spinal cord injury mainly present with a later stage of recovery because during the early stages they present with spinal shock. Reflex and motor recovery can sometimes occur simultaneously.
Trousseau sign of latent tetany is a medical sign observed in patients with low calcium. From 1 to 4 percent of normal patients will test positive for Trousseau's sign of latent tetany. This sign may be positive before other manifestations of hypocalcemia such as hyperreflexia and tetany, as such it is generally believed to be more sensitive (94%) than the Chvostek sign (29%) for hypocalcemia. This sign may also be observed as a symptom of hyperventilation syndrome as a result of hypocapnia-induced reduction of calcium levels in the blood. To elicit the sign, a blood pressure cuff is placed around the arm and inflated to a pressure greater than the systolic blood pressure and held in place for 3 minutes. This will occlude the brachial artery. In the absence of blood flow, the patient's hypocalcemia and subsequent neuromuscular irritability will induce spasm of the muscles of the hand and forearm. The wrist and metacarpophalangeal joints flex, the DIP and PIP joints extend, and the fingers adduct. The sign is also known as main d'accoucheur (French for "hand of the obstetrician") because it supposedly resembles the position of an obstetrician's hand in delivering a baby.
Spasticity (from Greek spasmos- 'drawing, pulling') is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance with a combination of paralysis, increased tendon reflex activity, and hypertonia. It is also colloquially referred to as an unusual "tightness", stiffness, or "pull" of muscles. Clinically, spasticity results from the loss of inhibition of motor neurons, causing excessive velocity-dependent muscle contraction. This ultimately leads to hyperreflexia, an exaggerated deep tendon reflex. Spasticity is often treated with the drug baclofen, which acts as an agonist at GABA receptors, which are inhibitory. Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common form of cerebral palsy, which is a group of permanent movement problems that do not get worse over time. GABA's inhibitory actions contribute to baclofen's efficacy as an anti-spasticity agent.
A muscle relaxant is a drug that affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeutic groups: neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics. Neuromuscular blockers act by interfering with transmission at the neuromuscular end plate and have no central nervous system (CNS) activity. They are often used during surgical procedures and in intensive care and emergency medicine to cause temporary paralysis. Spasmolytics, also known as "centrally acting" muscle relaxants, are used to alleviate musculoskeletal pain and spasms and to reduce spasticity in a variety of neurological conditions. While both neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics are often grouped together as muscle relaxants, the term is commonly used to refer to spasmolytics only.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
