The use of zinc in medicinal skin cream was mentioned in Egyptian papyri from 2000 BC (for example, the Smith Papyrus), and zinc has apparently been used fairly steadily throughout Roman and modern times (for example, as the American lotion named for its zinc ore, 'Calamine'). It is, therefore, somewhat ironic that zinc is a relatively late addition to the pantheon of signal ions in biology and...

There is an imperious need of redefining placebo effect in contemporary times. The effects of sham medical intervention, combined with a careful observation of the natural evolution of a disease, could reveal the true efficiency and impact of active drugs. This interest is not driven only by a scientific curiosity, but also by the pragmatic fact that the standard process of approving new medici...

1Department of Neurosurgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan 2Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan 3Department of Biological Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan 4Department of Anesthesiology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung...

Verbal autopsy is an interview-based technique to determine the cause distribution of death in a population. The use of verbal autopsy for understanding neurological diseases is crucial to burden of disease analyses in many countries, particularly in locations where civil registration systems are non-functioning or absent. We review the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses in the use of verbal a...

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, or ubiquinone) is a small electron carrier of the mitochondrial respiratory chain with antioxidant properties. CoQ10 supplementation has been widely used for mitochondrial disorders. The rationale for using CoQ10 is very powerful when this compound is primary decreased because of defective synthesis. Primary CoQ10 deficiency is a treatable condition, so heightened "clinical...

Picture the scene. Neurologist on the telephone to a Departmental Librarian on a Friday morning. The last 5 years have seen a major transformation in neurology, particularly in the understanding of those disorders where inheritance is either auto-somal dominant, recessive or X-linked. Collaboration between Departments of Molecular Genetics and Neurology has developed to a point where gene marke...