Hiccups usually stop within a few minutes to a few hours. Hiccups that last longer than 48 hours are called persistent hiccups. Hiccups that last longer than a month are called intractable hiccups. While very rare, intractable hiccups can cause exhaustion, lack of sleep, and weight loss.
Gap junctions. Gap junctions. connections between cells which allow passage of small molecules and electric current. Gap junctions were first described anatomically as regions of close apposition between cells with a narrow (1-2 nm) gap between cell membranes. The variety in the properties of gap junctions is reflected in the number of connexins, the family of proteins which form the junctions. Please contribute to this project, if you have more information about this term feel free to edit this page.
1. All-or-None Law-Gap junctions allow all cardiac muscle cells to be linked electrochemically, so that activation of a small group of cells spreads like a wave throughout the entire heart. This is essential for synchronistic contraction of the heart as opposed to skeletal muscle. 2. Automicity (Autorhythmicity) - some cardiac muscle cells are self-excitable allowing for rhythmic waves of contraction to adjacent cells throughout the heart.