Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2020 September 25

Welcome to the Wikipedia Science Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

September 25

Crazy seeds

I am looking for further information concerning a plant that grows wild in Southern Africa especially near the eastern coast. In Afrikaans they are referred to as Malpitte (spelling?) or Crazy seeds, perhaps crazy pips. I am curious to know the Latin name for this plant and what the active ingredient is that makes people mad if the seeds are eaten. Thank you 86.186.232.90 (talk) 08:15, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

Google gives this directly on a search for Malpitte. Apparently they are Datura stramonium, Jimsonweed, — not a South African native but widely distributed. Michael D. Turnbull (talk) 10:18, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

And our article says the toxins are atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 11:45, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

I've seen Jimsonweed growing wild in Riverside County, California. Seemed happy in the baking sun. Regards, Zindor (talk) 14:57, 27 September 2020 (UTC)

Can childhood sexual assault lead to low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) findings later in adulthood?

To what degree can child sexual abuse confound LSIL findings on a cervical or rectal PAP smear years or decades later in adulthood? Yanping Nora Soong (talk) 20:09, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

The Supreme Court did a horrible thing when it made the death penalty for child rape cruel and unusual punishment. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 20:17, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

Please stay on topic, Sagittarian. --OuroborosCobra (talk) 20:32, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

LSIL (Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion) is a common abnormal result on a woman's cervical Pap test. It may be caused by HPV infection but 90% of cases clear up without treatment within 2 years. There are many possible causes of mild inflammation seen on a Pap test, such as allergies to spermicides or latex in condoms, that need no treatment. See Tai YJ, et al. (2017). Clinical management and risk reduction in women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion cytology: A population-based cohort study. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188203. Anal pap smears from males and females are similarly examined by a pathologist looking for pre-cancerous or dysplastic changes.

A study of evidence in child sexual abuse Sexual Assault Evidence: National Assessment and Guidebook, R. E. Gaensslen Ph.D. ; Henry C. Lee Ph.D. finds abnormal Pap smears in only a small proportion of rape victims. This seems to be considered only as evidence of recent trauma with no expectation of a decades old causation. 84.209.119.241 (talk) 21:59, 26 September 2020 (UTC)