Aura

AURA (from Latin aura-breath), a symptom that precedes an epileptic seizure and stereotypically repeats. Often aura is expressed as a characteristic sensation of breath, from which the name originates. Aura can be diverse: sensory (including higher sense organs), motor, vasomotor, secretory, visceral, psychic. In some cases, patients experience various sensations from the skin (trunk, limbs, head) or sense organs or internal organs; in other cases, A. is expressed as a spasm, twitching, turning of the head, eyes, sweating, tearing, rush of blood; sometimes it is a rather prolonged complex experience with a series of actions. Observation and study of A. are very important for determining the localization of changes in the patient's brain and for the question of surgery. MIN, Auramin (hydrochloric salt of amidotetramethyl-diamido-diphenylmethane), a yellow powder, easily soluble in hot water and in alcohol. Used for vital staining of small aquatic animals. Solution A. in clove oil is used for differentiating preparations stained with methylene blue. NTSIYA, Aurantia (NH₄- or Na-salt of hexa-nitro-diphenyl-amine), a yellow amorphous powder or red-brown crystals, soluble in water, alcohol and benzene. Aurantia is an acidic plasma dye. A 1% solution of aurantia in 70° alcohol is used for restaining preparations stained with acid fuchsin and thionin by Kull's method (see Kull method), as well as for differentiation after staining by Mann's method (see Mann method).