Why do we hiccup? - John Cameron

Zakaj kolcamo? - John Cameron

Translator: Klavdija Cernilogar Reviewer: Matej Divjak

Charlesu Osbornu se je začelo kolcati, ko je leta 1922 nanj padel prašič.

Charles Osborne began to hiccup in 1922 after a hog fell on top of him.

He wasn't cured until 68 years later

Kolcanja se je znebil šele po 68 letih

and is now listed by Guinness as the world record holder

in je sedaj v Guinnessovi knjigi rekordov zapisan

for hiccup longevity.

kot tisti z najdlje trajajočim kolcanjem.

Jennifer Mee, najstnica s Floride,

Meanwhile, Florida teen Jennifer Mee

may hold the record for the most frequent hiccups,

pa je verjetno rekorderka v najpogostejšem kolcanju,

50 times per minute for more than four weeks in 2007.

50-krat na minuto več kot štiri tedne leta 2007.

So what causes hiccups?

Kaj povzroča kolcanje?

Doctors point out that a round of hiccups often follows from stimuli

Zdravniki menijo, da ga pogosto povzročijo dražljaji,

that stretch the stomach,

ki raztezajo želodec,

like swallowing air

denimo požiranje zraka

ali ko prehitro jemo ali pijemo.

or too rapid eating or drinking.

Others associate hiccups with intense emotions

Drugi kolcanje povezujejo z intenzivnimi čustvi

or a response to them:

ali odzivom nanje:

laughing,

smeh,

ihtenje,

sobbing,

anxiety,

tesnoba

and excitement.

in vznemirjenje.

Let's look at what happens when we hiccup.

Poglejmo, kaj se zgodi, ko kolcamo.

It begins with an involuntary spasm or sudden contraction of the diaphragm,

Začne se z nehotenim krčem ali nenadnim skrčenjem diafragme,

the large dome-shaped muscle below our lungs

velike kupolaste mišice pod pljuči,

that we use to inhale air.

s pomočjo katere vdihavamo zrak.

This is followed almost immediately by the sudden closure of the vocal chords

Temu skoraj takoj sledi nenadna zapora glasilk

and the opening between them,

ter odprtine med njima,

ki se imenuje glotis.

which is called the glottis.

Gibanje diafragme povzroči nenaden vdih zraka,

The movement of the diaphragm initiates a sudden intake of air,

but the closure of the vocal chords stops it from entering the wind pipe

a zaprti glasilki mu preprečita vstop v sapnik

and reaching the lungs.

ter naprej do pljuč.

It also creates the characteristic sound: "hic."

To tudi povzroči značilen zvok kolcanja.

To date, there is no known function for hiccups.

Doslej še niso odkrili namena kolcanja.

They don't seem to provide any medical or physiological advantage.

Zdi se, da ne prinaša medicinskih ali fizioloških koristi.

Why begin to inhale air only to suddenly stop it from actually entering the lungs?

Zakaj bi vdihnili, takoj nato pa zraku preprečili vstop v pljuča?

Anatomical structures,

Anatomske strukture

or physiological mechanisms, with no apparent purpose

ali fiziološki mehanizmi brez jasnega namena

present challenges to evolutionary biologists.

so izzivi za evolucijske biologe.

Do such structures serve some hidden function that hasn't yet been discovered?

Ali take strukture igrajo za sedaj še skrito vlogo?

Or are they relics of our evolutionary past,

Ali so ostanki evolucijske preteklosti,

having once served some important purpose

ki so nekoč služili pomembnemu namenu

only to persist into the present as vestigial remnants?

ter se do danes obdržali kot ostanki iz davnine?

One idea is that hiccups began

Ena od teorij pravi, da kolcanje obstaja že milijone let, dlje od človeka.

many millions of years before the appearance of humans.

The lung is thought to have evolved as a structure to allow early fish,

Pljuča naj bi se razvila, da bi prvim ribam,

many of which lived in warm, stagnant water with little oxygen,

ki so pogosto živele v toplih stoječih vodah z malo kisika,

to take advantage of the abundant oxygen in the air overhead.

omogočila izkoriščanje s kisikom bogatega zraka nad gladino.

When descendants of these animals later moved onto land,

Ko so se njihovi potomci kasneje preselili na kopno,

they moved from gill-based ventilation to air-breathing with lungs.

so prešli z dihanja s škrgami na dihanje s pljuči.

That's similar to the much more rapid changes faced by frogs today

Podobne spremembe danes mnogo hitreje doživljajo žabe,

as they transition from tadpoles with gills

ko prehajajo od paglavcev s škrgami

to adults with lungs.

k odraslim živalim s pljuči.

This hypothesis suggests that the hiccup is a relic of the ancient transition

Ta hipoteza meni, da je kolcanje ostanek prehoda

from water to land.

iz vode na kopno.

An inhalation that could move water over gills

Vdihu, ki vodi vodo preko škrg,

followed by a rapid closure of the glottis preventing water from entering the lungs.

sledi hitra zapora glotisa, ki vodi prepreči vstop v pljuča.

That's supported by evidence

Dokazi kažejo na to,

which suggests that the neural patterning involved in generating a hiccup

da so živčni vzorci pri tvorjenju kolcanja

is almost identical to that responsible for respiration in amphibians.

skoraj enaki tistim, ki urejajo dihanje pri dvoživkah.

Another group of scientists believe that the reflex is retained in us today

Druga skupina znanstvenikov meni, da imamo ta refleks,

because it actually provides an important advantage.

ker prinaša pomembno prednost.

They point out that true hiccups are found only in mammals

Pravijo, da je pravo kolcanje prisotno samo pri sesalcih,

and that they're not retained in birds, lizards, turtles,

ne pa pri pticah, kuščarjih, želvah

or any other exclusively air-breathing animals.

ali drugih živalih, ki dihajo samo zrak.

Further, hiccups appear in human babies long before birth

Še več, človeški zarodki kolcajo dolgo pred rojstvom

in kolcanje je veliko bolj pogosto pri majhnih otrocih kot odraslih.

and are far more common in infants that adults.

Their explanation for this

Menijo, da je razlaga za to povezana z dojenjem.

involves the uniquely mammalian activity of nursing.

Prvotni refleks kolcanja so sesalci morda osvojili,

The ancient hiccup reflex may have been adapted by mammals

to help remove air from the stomach as a sort of glorified burp.

da bi odstranili zrak iz želodca, kot neke vrste veličastno riganje.

The sudden expansion of the diaphragm would raise air from the stomach,

Nenadna širitev diafragme dvigne zrak iz želodca,

while a closure of the glottis would prevent milk from entering the lungs.

zaprtje glotisa pa prepreči, da bi mleko vstopilo v pljuča.

Sometimes, a bout of hiccups will go on and on,

Včasih kolcanje kar ne preneha

and we try home remedies:

in poskušamo domača zdravila:

sipping continuously from a glass of cold water,

stalno srkanje iz kozarca hladne vode,

holding one's breath,

zadrževanje diha,

žlica medu ali kikirikijevega masla,

a mouthful of honey or peanut butter,

breathing into a paper bag,

dihanje v papirnato vrečko,

or being suddenly frightened.

ali da kolcajočega prestrašimo.

Unfortunately, scientists have yet to verify that any one cure

Na žalost znanstveniki še preverjajo, ali katero od zdravil

works better or more consistently than others.

deluje bolje in bolj stalno od drugih.

However, we do know one thing that definitely doesn't work.

Vemo pa, kaj zagotovo ne deluje.