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Infectious disease is hypothesized to be one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in wild great apes. Specific socioecological factors have been shown to influence incidences of respiratory illness and disease prevalence in some primate populations. In this study, we evaluated potential predictors (including age, sex, group size, fruit availability, and rainfall) of respiratory illness across three western lowland gorilla groups in the Republic of Congo. A total of 19,319 observational health assessments were conducted during daily follows of habituated gorillas in the Goualougo and Djéké Triangles over a 4-year study period. We detected 1146 incidences of clinical respiratory signs, which indicated the timing of probable disease outbreaks within and between groups. Overall, we found that males were more likely to exhibit signs than females, and increasing age resulted in a higher likelihood of respiratory signs. Silverback males showed the highest average monthly prevalence of coughs and sneezes (Goualougo: silverback Loya, 9.35 signs/month; Djéké: silverback Buka, 2.65 signs/month; silverback Kingo,1.88 signs/month) in each of their groups. Periods of low fruit availability were associated with an increased likelihood of respiratory signs. The global pandemic has increased awareness about the importance of continuous monitoring and preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks, which are also known to threaten wild ape populations. In addition to the strict implementation of disease prevention protocols at field sites focused on great apes, there is a need for heightened vigilance and systematic monitoring across sites to protect both wildlife and human populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Create an aerosol containment mask (ACM) for common otolaryngologic endoscopic procedures which also provides nanoparticle‐level protection to patients. Study Design: Prospective feasibility study. Setting: In‐person testing with a novel ACM. Methods: The mask was designed in Solidworks and 3‐dimensional printed. Measurements were made on 100 consecutive clinic patients who underwent medically necessarily endoscopy, 50 rigid nasal and 50 flexible, by 9 surgeons. Results: Of the 50 patients who underwent rigid nasal endoscopy with the ACM, 0 of 25 patients with the suction off and 0 of 25 patients with the suction on had evidence of leakage of 0.3 μm particles. Of the 50 patients who underwent flexible endoscopy with the ACM, 0 of 25 patients with the suction off and 0 of 25 patients with the suction on had evidence of leakage of 0.3 μm particles. In terms of comfort, 73% of patients found the ACM somewhat or very comfortable without suction, compared to 86% with the suction on. Surgeons were able to visualize all necessary anatomic areas in 98% of procedures. In 97% of procedures, the masks were able to be placed easily. Conclusion: ACM can accommodate rigid nasal and flexible endoscopes and may prevent leakage of patient‐generated aerosols, thus avoiding contamination of the room and protecting health care workers from airborne contagions. Level of Evidence: The level of evidence is 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airborne particles containing pathogens such as bacteria (e.g., M. tuberculosis) or virions (e.g., influenza or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) can cause infections. It has been speculated that the outflow from indoor air purifiers with a directional outlet could entrain and spread pathogen-containing aerosol particles. To date, only the case of indoor air purifiers with a directional outflow has been considered, and here we investigate an indoor air purifier with a circumferential outflow diffuser—an alternative design solution that is already commercially available. We measured the airflow velocity at two different angles to the surface of the circumferential outflow diffuser and two blower speeds. We visualized in scattered light the deflection of a vertical mist spray cone from a sneeze-simulating nebulizer parallel to the side of the air purifier. We found a significant difference in airflow velocities for different angles to the circumferential outflow diffuser: 0.01–0.02 m/s for 0° vs. 0.01–0.65 m/s for 45° at 1 m distance. We observed no significant deflection of the sneeze-simulating spray cone at the minimum blower speed and a 5 cm deflection at the maximum speed. The deflection of the sneeze-simulating spray mist particles by the tested indoor air purifier with the circumferential outflow, under the experimental conditions, is low relative to the recommended safer distances between people in indoor spaces. We conclude that indoor air purifiers with circumferential outflow diffusers have a lower potential to spread infectious aerosols in indoor spaces compared to devices with unidirectional outflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Acute hemothorax is generally known to be a sequela of trauma to the chest, rupture of aortic aneurysm, or aortic dissection. Other causes of hemothorax have been attributed to iatrogenic, vascular, neoplastic, coagulopathy, or infectious processes. Although there has been a single report of spontaneous rupture of intercostal artery after coughing, there have been no reports of the same from sneezing. This rare presentation highlights the importance of a full evaluation for patients who present with viral symptoms such as sneezing or coughing along with a complaint of chest pain because massive hemothorax can be life‐threatening.

In this study, we aimed at providing datasets using experimental results to validate the sneeze airflow. In addition, the boundary conditions for the sneeze simulation that could reproduce the sneeze airflow in the experimental results are presented and reviewed. The validation datasets were created by performing ensemble‐average analysis with the experimental results of particle image velocimetry, and these were used to explore the boundary conditions to reproduce the sneeze airflow. As a result of the sneeze airflow reproduced by computational fluid dynamics simulation, the magnitude ranges of maximum velocity at the interface were observed to be 21.1–23.9 m/s for males and 17.9–20.3 m/s for females, which were higher than those of coughing. Compared with the experimental results, the root‐mean‐square error range for the overall airflow distribution was 0.19–0.23 m/s, whereas the error range for the magnitude of the maximum velocity at a criterion point was 0.03–0.08 m/s. The total sneezing airflow volume was in the range of 0.36–0.48 L, which was relatively low compared with that of coughing. Thus, this study provides important fundamental boundary conditions for computational fluid dynamics analysis, validated by experimental results, to interpret the spread of infectious particles by sneezing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airborne particles containing pathogens such as bacteria (e.g., M. tuberculosis) or virions (e.g., influenza or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) can cause infections. It has been speculated that the outflow from indoor air purifiers with a directional outlet could entrain and spread pathogen-containing aerosol particles. To date, only the case of indoor air purifiers with a directional outflow has been considered, and here we investigate an indoor air purifier with a circumferential outflow diffuser—an alternative design solution that is already commercially available. We measured the airflow velocity at two different angles to the surface of the circumferential outflow diffuser and two blower speeds. We visualized in scattered light the deflection of a vertical mist spray cone from a sneeze-simulating nebulizer parallel to the side of the air purifier. We found a significant difference in airflow velocities for different angles to the circumferential outflow diffuser: 0.01–0.02 m/s for 0° vs. 0.01–0.65 m/s for 45° at 1 m distance. We observed no significant deflection of the sneeze-simulating spray cone at the minimum blower speed and a 5 cm deflection at the maximum speed. The deflection of the sneeze-simulating spray mist particles by the tested indoor air purifier with the circumferential outflow, under the experimental conditions, is low relative to the recommended safer distances between people in indoor spaces. We conclude that indoor air purifiers with circumferential outflow diffusers have a lower potential to spread infectious aerosols in indoor spaces compared to devices with unidirectional outflow.

We propose a simple model to predict the short-term indoor turbulent dispersion of the aerosol cloud produced by violent expiratory events. Once the air injection ceases, the turbulent jet transitions to a thermal puff that progressively decays due to viscous effects. According to recent literature, the expelled liquid droplets of saliva and sputum smaller than 20–30 μm in diameter stay afloat within this decaying turbulent puff. In contrast, droplets larger than 100 μm tend to leave the puff following quasi-ballistic trajectories and landing on the floor at relatively short times after release. The model presented here is capable of providing good estimates for the shape and dimensions of the cloud composed of the lighter fraction of droplets as a function of the intensity and the duration of the flow injection and the density difference between the exhaled and the ambient air. Predictions agree with Direct Numerical Simulations and experiments reported in the literature. This model can be used as an operational tool to determine the short-term spatial range of expelled droplets and provides realistic initial conditions for simulations of long-term dispersion of pathogen-laden clouds in indoor environments with forced and natural ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To create an aerosol containment mask (ACM) for common otolaryngologic endoscopic procedures that also provides nanoparticle-level protection to patients. Study Design: Prospective feasibility study. Setting: In-person testing with a novel ACM. Methods: The mask was designed in Solidworks and 3D printed. Measurements were made on 10 healthy volunteers who wore the ACM while reading the Rainbow Passage repeatedly and performing a forced cough or sneeze at 5-second intervals over 1 minute with an endoscope in place. Results: There was a large variation in the number of aerosol particles generated among the volunteers. Only the sneeze task showed a significant increase compared with normal breathing in the 0.3-µm particle size when compared with a 1-tailed t test (P =.013). Both the 0.5-µm and 2.5-µm particle sizes showed significant increases for all tasks, while the 2 largest particle sizes, 5 and 10 µm, showed no significant increase (both P <.01). With the suction off, 3 of 30 events (2 sneeze events and 1 cough event) had increases in particle counts, both inside and outside the mask. With the suction on, 2 of 30 events had an increase in particle counts outside the mask without a corresponding increase in particle counts inside the mask. Therefore, these fluctuations in particle counts were determined to be due to random fluctuation in room particle levels. Conclusion: ACM will accommodate rigid and flexible endoscopes plus instruments and may prevent the leakage of patient-generated aerosols, thus avoiding contamination of the room and protecting health care workers from airborne contagions. Level of evidence: 2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Photic sneeze reflex (PSR) also known as autosomal dominant compelling helioophthalmic outburst is a rare condition characterized by uncontrolled sneezing in response to bright light. The exact mechanism causing this is poorly understood. However, various hypotheses have been proposed. Ophthalmic examination involves exposing the patient to bright light like slit lamp, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and surgical microscope, which can trigger sneezing in PSR patients. Purpose: The purpose of this video is to draw light to this rare phenomenon and its implication in ophthalmic surgery Synopsis: A 74-year-old male patient presented with diminution of vision in left eye. On routine slit lamp and IDO examination, patient had repeated sneezing. We diagnosed him to have photic sneeze reflex. He had pseudophakic bullous keratopathy in the right eye and senile immature cataract in the left eye. Taking into consideration his one eyed status and PSR, measures were taken accordingly and cataract surgery was performed uneventfully. We describe in this video the challenges encountered with this phenomenon and approach in such cases. Highlights: In this video, we tried to give an idea about photic sneeze reflex and its theories. Also, we tried to bring out the impact of PSR on ophthalmologic practice Video link: https://youtu.be/KMZ_PC0hzhI

Spontaneous rectus sheath hematoma (SRSH) is an uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain characterized by bleeding within the rectus sheath; it is a benign condition and, in most cases, it is treated conservatively. Bleeding of the abdominal wall is an unusual condition that is quite challenging to identify promptly and can be easily overlooked during a routine physical examination. In daily practice, anticoagulant therapy is one of the main risk factors for hemorrhagic events. In this respect, we report a rare case of spontaneous hematoma of the abdominal wall (diagnosed and monitored through an ultrasound examination) that arose after sneezing in a patient receiving anticoagulant treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Traumatic shoulder dislocation is a frequent condition presenting to the emergency department. Due to the anatomy of the shoulder, associated neurovascular damage is not uncommon. Although clinical intuition may suggest that a higher-energy mechanism is required to produce neurovascular sequelae, the existing literature does not support this supposition. Case presentation A 55-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a complete brachial plexus palsy from an acute anterior shoulder dislocation following a violent sneeze. The shoulder was reduced without difficulty in the emergency department within 90 min of dislocation, and the patient was discharged. Her neurologic deficits gradually improved through a program of supervised therapy and orthopedic care. Follow-up at 1 year revealed marked improvement of motor and sensory function of the affected extremity with mild residual weakness and paresthesias in the affected hand. Conclusion Neurovascular injuries in the setting of shoulder dislocation may be present despite low-energy injury mechanisms.

Numerical simulations of aerosol motion induced by sneezing and exhalation were carried out by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) with modeled particles. For sneezing analysis, with and without covering by an elbow and wearing a face mask were modeled to clarify the effect of how to prevent scattering. Aerosol scattering from a talking passenger in a ventilated train was also analyzed to show a realistic situation that may cause infections of the virus. Those results have been published on the web through several SNSs to promote understanding the effect of infection prevention manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection provided by wearing masks has been a guideline worldwide to prevent the risk of COVID-19 infection. The current work presents an investigation that analyzes the effectiveness of face shields as personal protective equipment. To that end, a multiphase computational fluid dynamic study based on Eulerian–Lagrangian techniques was defined to simulate the spread of the droplets produced by a sneeze. Different scenarios were evaluated where the relative humidity, ambient temperature, evaporation, mass transfer, break up, and turbulent dispersion were taken into account. The saliva that the human body generates was modeled as a saline solution of 8.8 g per 100 mL. In addition, the influence of the wind speed was studied with a soft breeze of 7 km/h and a moderate wind of 14 km/h. The results indicate that the face shield does not provide accurate protection, because only the person who is sneezed on is protected. Moreover, with a wind of 14 km/h, none of the droplets exhaled into the environment hit the face shield, instead, they were deposited onto the neck and face of the wearer. In the presence of an airflow, the droplets exhaled into the environment exceeded the safe distance marked by the WHO. Relative humidity and ambient temperature play an important role in the lifetime of the droplets.

• We introduced a model which simulated a normal sneezing for two cases using a healthy 30-year-old male person. • The results are consist of the variations of the velocity and pressure in the different cross sections of the airway system. • The model may help the medical system to have more data about the sneezing process. Sneezing is one of the most critical conditions that can occur in the human upper airway. As some reports confirm the injury to the human upper respiratory airway while sneezing. Therefore, the accurate study of the distribution of pressure and velocity in this case is of great importance. In the present study, using a real human upper airway model, the pressure and velocity of the airflow generated in the tract during the sneezing have been investigated. Also, considering the results from a spirometer device as a boundary condition in the simulation process, the calculations have become reliable. According to the results, during sneezing, taking into account that the average outlet flow rate from the mouth is 4.79 L/s, the velocity of outlet airflow from the mouth and nose reaches 5.3 and 8.4 m/s, respectively. These values were 11.5 and 19, respectively, when the desired maximum flow rate was 10.58 L/s. It can be concluded that the increasing of trachea flow rate, leads to higher percentage of the outlet flow rate from the nose. The highest average pressure and velocity have been occurred in the trachea. Among other salient results of this report, increased average static pressure of larynx to approximately 10 kPa can be pointed which indicates that this area is critical so that the thyroid cartilage defect is likely to occur. It is also noteworthy that the increase of speed at nasopharynx is up to 125 m/s so that the cross-section changing in this area leads the fluid acts as a jet flow. Due to the specific geometry of the nasal cavity, some streams similar to poor shocks are formed, these shocks get stronger by increasing of the flow rate. The thyroid cartilage and nasal cavity are exposed to maximum static pressure extremums, respectively. We introduced a model simulating a normal sneezing for two cases using a healthy 30-year-old male person. We believe that the model should be applied for different persons and an atlas of data could be obtained from different cases. This may help the medical system to have more data about the sneezing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sneezing is an almost universal daily phenomenon as a reflex to evacuate irritants from the nasal cavities. An autonomic-controlled buildup of intrathoracic pressure against a closed glottis followed by sudden release results in a burst of 1 kPa of air through the upper airway. Active intervention to limit a sneeze can be deleterious. Closure of the airway during a sneeze can result in over 20 times the airway pressures resulting in a variety of untoward events. This review summarizes all reported injuries that occurred as the result of a sneeze. Objective: The objective of this review is to summarize the risks of closed-airway sneezing and determine if there are any trends which can help understand such injuries. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was performed from 1948 to 2018 to identify all reports of sneeze-related injuries. Information was compiled from reports to gain insights into comorbidities and risk factors for sneeze injuries. Results: There were 52 unique reports of sneeze-related injuries in the literature that were categorized into 6 areas of injury: intrathoracic, laryngeal/pharyngeal, ocular/orbital, intracranial/neurological, otologic, and other. The mean age of subjects who suffered a sneeze injury was 40 years old (range: 15–84 years), with 81% being male gender. Thirty percent had a risk factor for injury of prior trauma (5) or respiratory compromise (5). Conclusion: A variety of injuries can occur during a sneeze, especially when a closed-airway sneeze is attempted, and high Valsalva pressure is transmitted to the other systems. Men are more at risk for these injuries with the majority occurring in patients with no known risk factor. When triggered, a sneeze should be allowed to proceed without intervention to prevent associated injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Photic sneeze reflex (PSR) also known as autosomal dominant compelling helioophthalmic outburst is a rare condition characterized by uncontrolled sneezing in response to bright light. The exact mechanism causing this is poorly understood. However, various hypotheses have been proposed. Ophthalmic examination involves exposing the patient to bright light like slit lamp, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and surgical microscope, which can trigger sneezing in PSR patients., Purpose: The purpose of this video is to draw light to this rare phenomenon and its implication in ophthalmic surgery., Synopsis: A 74-year-old male patient presented with diminution of vision in left eye. On routine slit lamp and IDO examination, patient had repeated sneezing. We diagnosed him to have photic sneeze reflex. He had pseudophakic bullous keratopathy in the right eye and senile immature cataract in the left eye. Taking into consideration his one eyed status and PSR, measures were taken accordingly and cataract surgery was performed uneventfully. We describe in this video the challenges encountered with this phenomenon and approach in such cases., Highlights: In this video, we tried to give an idea about photic sneeze reflex and its theories. Also, we tried to bring out the impact of PSR on ophthalmologic practice., Video Link: https://youtu.be/KMZ&#95;PC0hzhI., Competing Interests: None

The respiratory pattern generator of mammals is anatomically organized in lateral respiratory columns (LRCs) within the brainstem. LRC compartments serve specific functions in respiratory pattern and rhythm generation. While the caudal medullary reticular formation (cMRF) has respiratory functions reportedly related to the mediation of expulsive respiratory reflexes, it remains unclear whether neurons of the cMRF functionally belong to the LRC. In the present study we specifically investigated the respiratory functions of the cMRF. Tract tracing shows that the cMRF has substantial connectivity with key compartments of the LRC, particularly the parafacial respiratory group and the Kölliker-Fuse nuclei. These neurons have a loose topography and are located in the ventral and dorsal cMRF. Systematic mapping of the cMRF with glutamate stimulation revealed potent respiratory modulation of the respiratory motor pattern from both dorsal and ventral injection sites. Pharmacological inhibition of the cMRF with the GABA-receptor agonist isoguvacine produced significant and robust changes to the baseline respiratory motor pattern (decreased laryngeal post-inspiratory and abdominal expiratory motor activity, delayed inspiratory off-switch and increased respiratory frequency) after dorsal cMRF injection, while ventral injections had no effect. The present data indicate that the ventral cMRF is not an integral part of the respiratory pattern generator and merely serves as a relay for sensory and/or higher command-related modulation of respiration. On the contrary, the dorsal aspect of the cMRF clearly has a functional role in respiratory pattern formation. These findings revive the largely abandoned concept of a dorsal respiratory group that contributes to the generation of the respiratory motor pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sneezing is a poorly understood, protective reflex response. It's characterized by the following sequence: eye closure, inspiration, glottic closure, forced expiration with sudden glottic opening, and release of an elevated intrathoracic pressure creating a flow of explosive air through the nose. 1 Studies have indicated an anatomic sneezing area of the brainstem corresponding to the central recipient zone of the nasal sensory neurons in the lateral medulla. 2 The traditional pathophysiology of the sneeze is thought to begin by stimulation of the distal branches of the trigeminal nerve within the nasal mucosa. Afferent neural stimuli are transmitted to the trigeminal ganglion and then the lateral medulla. The efferent phase then begins, giving rise to the sneezing sequence described earlier. 1 In addition to direct nasal irritation, sneezing has been shown to be triggered by several other causes (Table 1). This suggests that alternative mechanisms of sneeze induction other than direct nasal stimulation exist. We report a case of a 34-year-old man undergoing an awake craniotomy for a recurrent World Health Organization grade 2 oligodendroglioma (IDH-mutant, 1p19q-codeleted, ATRX preserved). During the operation we elicited a sneeze response on 3 occasions on stimulation of the olfactory nerve (Video 1). Although we cannot completely exclude costimulation of the sensory trigeminal terminations in the anterior fossa floor, the actual sneezing occurred during tumor peeling away from the arachnoid surface overlaying the olfactory nerve. This suggests a potential accessory route of sneeze stimulation involving the olfactory nerve distinct from the previously described trigemino-related, autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic systems) and psychogenic etiologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global COVID-19 and its variants put us on notice of the importance of studying the spread of respiratory diseases. The most common means of propagation was the emission of droplets due to different respiration activities. This study modeled by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques a high risk scenario like a hospital elevator. The cabin was provided with an extraction fan and a rack for air renewal. Inside, a sneeze, a cough and a continuum speech were simulated. Inside the lift, two occupants were introduced to observe the risk of propagation of emitted droplets and the impact in diseases spreading risk. The fan effectivity over the droplets ejection was analyzed, as well as environmental condition of a clinical setting. For this purpose the amount of droplets inside were counted during whole time of simulations. The effect of the fan was concluded as able to eject the 60% of small droplets, but also a high performance in spreading particles inside. Among the three cases, the riskiest scenario was the continuum speech due to the saturation of droplets in airborne., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Aims: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is common in post-menopausal women. The present study therefore examined how aging and estrogen deficiency induced by ovariectomy (OVX) affect the urethral continence mechanism that prevents sneeze-induced SUI in rats. Methods: Young (3 months old) and middle-aged (12 months old) female rats underwent bilateral OVX or shamoperation. Urethral activity was measured by the amplitude of urethral responses during sneezing (A-URS) and urethral baseline pressure (UBP). Apoptotic changes in urethral tissue sections were examined by the TUNEL method. Results: In middle-aged rats,UBP, but not A-URS, was significantly decreased compared to young rats. In 3-weekOVXrats, A-URSwas significantly decreased compared to shamrats in both young andmiddle-aged groups, and theOVX-induced reduction in A-URSwas more pronounced in middle-aged rats. Neither young 3-weekOVXnor shamrats leaked during sneezing; however, SUI occurred in 2/8 middle-aged rats with 3-week OVX, and after 6 weeks of OVX, SUI was observed in 5/8 young rats and 6/8 middle-aged rats. In middle-aged rats, TUNEL positive cells were significantly increased in urethral striated muscles whereas, after OVX, the increased number of positive cells was also found in the mucosa. Conclusions: These results indicate that aging is more likely to impair baseline urethral function than striated muscle-mediated reflex activity although apoptotic changes are found in urethral striated muscle. Estrogen deficiency additionally impairs the striated muscle-mediated continence reflex. Thus, aging and estrogen deficiency differently and additively affect baseline urethral function and neurally-evoked, striated muscle-mediated urethral continence mechanisms to induce SUI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global health problem. The effectiveness of currently available medications is limited and therefore investigation for more effective drugs is essential. The aim of the present study was to establish a model of AR in guinea pigs that can be utilized for the further investigation of new drugs. Guinea pigs were intranasally sensitized with 1 µg Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) dissolved in 40 µl saline once daily for 14 days. One week after the last sensitization, the same treatment was applied intranasally once every four days for a total of 30 times. In the treatment group, terfenadine was administered orally 70 min before the 4th, 14th and 24th challenge. Sneezing and nasal scratching were evaluated following each of the 30 challenges. The quantity of antigen-specific antibodies in the serum was measured. Between the 19th and 30th challenges, the guinea pigs in the model group produced significant biphasic elevations in sneezing number, with peaks 10 min-2 h and 4-8 h after the SEB challenges. In addition, the guinea pigs produced significantly more sneezing in the first peak during the 19th to 30th challenges than during the first to 18th challenges (P<0.01). Terfenadine significantly inhibited the early- and late-phase sneezing at all challenge times. The serum levels of SEB-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E and IgG1 were higher in the model group in comparison with those in the control group (P<0.01). This experiment demonstrated that SEB can induce typical AR with biphasic sneezing in guinea pigs. Histamine may play an important role in the early- and the late-phase sneezing in the model of AR. This model can be potentially used for the investigation of new drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sneeze is a violent reflex act of expulsion of air from the lungs into the nostrils and mouth. It is caused by various agents or some substances which are produced by plants (named as "secondary metabolites"), which may be of the type: essential oils, phenolic acids, alkaloids, coumarins, phytosterols, flavones, flavonoids, glycosides, sesquiterpene lactones, mucilages, saponins, tannins and terpenes (mono, di, tri, sesquiterpenes), etc. Noteworthy, among them being sneezing, they are certain essential oils, sesquiterpene lactones, saponins and naphthoquinones. This property has given to some plants their common or scientific name. As an example: "arnica" (Arnica spp). These plants are used in traditional (folk) medicine for sneezing purposes in the treatment of different ailments. The objective of this paper is to constitute an approach to knowledge of sneezing, its etiology, physiology, conception and ethnomedical uses, as well as certain myths and traditions. Also, list some characteristics of plants used in different parts of the world by the traditional medicine in order to provoke it. The information obtained through literature review corresponds to 40 plants of different families, and is presented in alphabetical order according to their scientific name, includes also its popular (in different languages) denomination, and the corresponding botanical family, the part used, some observations and chemical aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To investigate the role of the glutamatergic pathway and its relationship to noradrenergic and serotonergic pathways in modulation of the urethral continence reflex during sneezing in rats. Methods In female Sprague-Dawley rats under urethane anesthesia, the effects of an α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-meth-ylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) glutamate receptor antagonist, a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and a serotonin [5-hydeoxytripitamine (5-HT)]2B/2C agonist on the amplitude of urethral responses during sneezing (AURS), urethral baseline pressure (UBP), and sneeze-induced leak point pressure (S-LPP) were investigated. Results Intrathecal application (i.t.) of NBQX disodium salt (an AMPA receptor antagonist) decreased AURS dose-dependently by approximately 60% without affecting UBP and caused stress urinary incontinence (SUI) during sneezing in 60% of normal rats. Nisoxetine (i.t.), a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, and mCPP (i.t.), a 5-HT2B/2C, agonist increased AURS, and NBQX (i.t.) abolished these excitatory effects of nisoxetine (i.t.) and mCPP (i.t.), whereas nisoxetine (i.t.) and mCPP (i.t.) did not enhance AURS in the presence of NBQX (i.t.). Conclusion These results indicate that the glutamatergic pathway acting through AMPA receptors plays a crucial role on the active urethral closure reflex during sneezing at the spinal level, and noradrenergic and serotonergic pathways modulate the reflex via the spinal glutamatergic system in rats. Neurourol. Urodynam. 34:475-481, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]