socanet

Los ultrasonidos y el cheddar

Parece que los premios Ig nobel estan saliendo del armario friki: los he visto referidos ayer en diversos telediarios serios, y en la prensa clásica. (¿estarán los medios internetizádose?).

Sin embargo, creo que se han limitado a la nota de prensa, dejendo pasar que este año hay un ignobel de química para España. De la lista de premiados:

CHEMISTRY: Antonio Mulet, José Javier Benedito and José Bon of the University of Valencia, Spain, and Carmen Rosselló of the University of Illes Balears, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for their study "Ultrasonic Velocity in Cheddar Cheese as Affected by Temperature."
REFERENCE: "Ultrasonic Velocity in Cheddar Cheese as Affected by Temperature," Antonio Mulet, José Javier Benedito, José Bon, and Carmen Rosselló, Journal of Food Science, vol. 64, no. 6, 1999, pp. 1038-41.
WHO ATTENDED THE IG NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY: The winners delivered their acceptance speech via video recording.

Los de los Ignobel se esmeran en certificar con referencias que son investigaciones verdaderas. Aquí el abstract del queso y los ultrasonidos.

es el segundo ignobel que obtenemos despues del de higiene del 2002:

HYGIENE
Eduardo Segura, of Lavakan de Aste, in Tarragona, Spain, for inventing a washing machine for cats and dogs.

(comentario de Gema: "¿Una lavadora para perros y gatos?¡Qué tortura!¿No lo han denunciao?")

El tema del masaje rectal digital es el que más suscita la risa floja en las sobremesas. El enlace a la publicación original nos conduce (por el botón "elsevier-full text article") al servicio sciencedirect, al que quizás no se tenga acceso desde fuera de la universidad. Así que lo corto y lo pego aquí, que es una simple "letter to editor":

Termination of Intractable Hiccups With Digital Rectal Massage
To the Editor:
I read with interest the case report by Roberge et al and
would like to report a related phenomenon.
A 27-year-old man presented to the emergency department
complaining of intractable hiccups during the preceding
72 hours. The patient had a lifelong history of frequent
episodes of hiccuping; however, the longest prior episode
was two hours, and all previous episodes had resolved spontaneously.
The patient's medical history was remarkable
only for occasional beer consumption. He denied cigarette
smoking and the use of any prescription, over-the-counter,
or illicit drugs. Physical examination on presentation revealed
a healthy-appearing muscular man hiccuping at a frequency
of approximately 30 per minute. Blood pressure was
115/80 mm Hg; pulse, 72; respirations, 18; and temperature,
37 C. Examination of the pharynx revealed no abnormalities.
Lungs were clear and cardiac examination was normal.
Examination of the abdomen revealed no masses or
hepatosplenomegaty.
Initially, gagging and tongue pulling maneuvers were attempted
with no change in symptomatolog~. Valsalva maneuvers,
carotid sinus massage, and digital eyeball compression
all were attempted with a resulting decrease in the
frequency of the hiccups to 15 per minute during the maneuvers,
but with a prompt return to the original frequency
following cessation of the maneuvers. Digital rectal massage
was then attempted using a slow circumferential motion.
The frequency of hiccups immediately began to slow,
with a termination of all hiccups within 30 seconds. There
was no recurrence of the hiccups during the next 30 minutes
and the patient was discharged without further
workup.
Hiccups result from a sudden reflex spasm of the diaphragm
and accessory inspiratory muscles followed by an
abrupt glottic closure. 1 The reflex serves no known purpose,
and the list of reported cures is almost as long as the list of
causes. 1-5 The reflex center is located in the spinal cord be-
160/872
tween the third and fifth cervical segment with the afferent
limb mediated by the vagus nerve and the efferent limb by
the phrenic nerve.t An increase in the vagal tone is the proposed
mechanism for the success of carotid sinus massage,
digital eyeball pressure, Valsalva maneuver, and pharyngeal
stimulation.~,6-8 The rectum is supplied with an abundance
of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, 6 and theoretically
digital rectal massage would lead to increased
vagal tone and potential termination of hiccups.
Reported is the first case of digital rectal massage employed
for the termination of intractable hiccups. It should
be considered in cases of intractable hiccups prior to preceding
with pharmacologic agents.
Francis M Fesmire, MD
Division of Emergency Medicine
University Hospital
Jacksonville, Florida
1. Lewis JH: Hiccups: Causes and cures. J Clin Gastroenterol 1985;7:
539:552.
2. Stalnikowicz R, Fich A, Troudart T: Amiriptyline for intractable hiccups
(letter). N Engl J Med 1986;315:64-65.
3. Ives TJ, Fleming MF, Weart CW, et ah Treatment of intractable hiccups
with intramuscular haloperidol. Am J Psychiatry 1985;142:1368-1369.
4. Williamson BWA, MacIntyre IMC: Management of intractable hiccup.
Br Med J 1977;2:501-503.
5. Soudgian JV, Cain JC: Intractable hiccup: Etiologic factors 220 cases.
Postgrad Med 1968;43:72-77.
6. Roberge R, Anderson E, MacMath T, et ah Termination of paroxysmal
supraventricular tachycardia by digital rectal massage. Ann Emerg Med
1987;16:1291-1293.
7. Josephson ME, Seides SE, Botsford WB, et al: The effects of carotid sinus
pressure in reentrant paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. Am Heart J
1974;88:694-697.
8. Peters RW, Scheinman MM: Emergency treatment of supraventricular
tachycardia. Med Clin North Am 1979;63:73-92.
Annals of Emergency Medicine 17:8 August 1988