Free Republic

The greatest collapse of a mighty state, a large human so­ciety and a fruitful civilization of which we possess a reasonably ac­curate record, has been immortal­ized by Edward Gibbon’s histori­cal classic, The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire. Henry Adams remarked that Gibbon did not really explain the fall; but this criticism is not altogether just. As the following excerpts from The Decline and Fall show, the philosophic historian offered a number of reflections on the symp­toms and causes of the drama which he set out to describe: "This long peace and the uni­form government of the Romans introduced...

Skeletal muscle plays an extremely important role in supporting movement and energy metabolism. However, its function can be impaired by aging and muscle-related diseases, resulting in decreased endurance or strength of skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle function decreases with the increase of age or the development of disease. After the age of 30, muscle mass decreases by about 3%–8% every decade. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a common muscular dystrophy in children, causes proximal muscle weakness and calf hypertrophy, eventually leading to degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Therefore, healthy skeletal muscle is very important to the body. However, skeletal muscle is...

A study by researchers at the University of São Paulo's Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP) in Brazil, reported in an article in the journal Psychological Medicine, finds for the first time that individuals exposed to a combination of these two factors - the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood and cannabis use (either daily or during adolescence) - are more likely to suffer from psychosis than those who are exposed to neither or to only one. According to the authors, the study provides "the first clinical evidence that immune dysregulation modifies the cannabis-psychosis association".

Grizzly bears spend many months in hibernation, but their muscles do not suffer from the lack of movement. The bear's metabolism and heart rate drop rapidly. It excretes neither urine nor feces. The amount of nitrogen in the blood increases drastically and the bear becomes resistant to the hormone insulin. A person could hardly survive this four-month phase in a healthy state. Afterwards, he or she would most likely have to cope with thromboses or psychological changes. Above all, the muscles would suffer from this prolonged period of disuse. The scientists from Berlin, Greifswald and the United States were particularly...

Many people don’t get the opportunity to come face-to-face with a person who has a disability. Rarer still is getting an honest view of how a person feels about their disability. But millions caught a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary individual living with a disability after actor Ashton Kutcher shared the following video with 18 million of his followers on social media. Cashel Gardner is a 17-year-old living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which, for Cashel, means that he cannot move, breathe, talk, or eat on his own. But he made this video to show that his life is...

What is enhanced external counterpulsation? Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) is a treatment for angina (also called angina pectoris), or chest pain. Angina occurs when the muscle cells of the heart do not get enough blood to properly maintain their pumping function. The lack of blood supply is most likely to cause pain during physical activity, when the heart pumps fastest and needs the most oxygen. In most people, angina is caused by coronary artery disease. Results of clinical trials show that EECP is a safe and effective choice for people who are considered at high risk for bypass surgery and...