Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (30515) (remove)
Language
- English (15219)
- German (13289)
- Portuguese (696)
- French (387)
- Croatian (251)
- Spanish (250)
- Italian (133)
- Turkish (113)
- Multiple languages (36)
- Latin (35)
Has Fulltext
- yes (30515)
Keywords
- Deutsch (503)
- taxonomy (421)
- Literatur (297)
- Hofmannsthal, Hugo von (185)
- new species (179)
- Rezeption (178)
- Übersetzung (163)
- Filmmusik (155)
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (131)
- Vormärz (113)
Institute
- Medizin (5128)
- Physik (1728)
- Biowissenschaften (1108)
- Extern (1108)
- Biochemie und Chemie (1099)
- Gesellschaftswissenschaften (798)
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) (697)
- Geowissenschaften (582)
- Präsidium (453)
- Philosophie (448)
Objectives: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare, distinct pulmonary vascular disease, and therefore, there is a lack of data regarding its clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management at a national basis. We aimed to describe the demographics and management of patients with CTEPH in Northern Greece. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study by a joint collaboration between two pulmonary hypertension expert centers in Greece, and the study included patients diagnosed with CTEPH. The patient population was divided into two groups depending on their operability. Results: Overall, 27 consecutive patients were included (59% female, mean age 59.3±15.1 years). Dyspnea and fatigue were the most common presenting symptoms. History of pulmonary embolism was present in 82%. Of patients, 18 (67%) were assessed as operable, of whom 10 (55%) finally underwent pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). There were no differences in symptoms, WHO functional class, 6-min walking test distance, and hemodynamics between the operable and nonoperable groups. At the end of follow-up, all non-operable and operable patients who did not receive surgical treatment were treated with at least one pulmonary hypertension-specific drug. Conclusion: This is the first report that presents data of patients diagnosed with CTEPH in Greece. The percentage of patients who underwent surgical treatment is lower but approaches the reported rates in large registries. Considering that PEA is a relatively safe and potentially curative surgical procedure, we emphasize the need for establishing a designated PEA center in Greece. Keywords: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary endarterectomy, registry, riociguat.
nzidenz und Mortalität von Gebärmutterhalskrebs (C53 nach ICD-10) müssen signifikant nach oben korrigiert werden, wenn aus der betrachteten Referenzbevölkerung die Frauen ausgeschlossen werden, deren Gebärmutter operativ entfernt wurde. Diese Arbeit stützt sich auf die Studie zur Gesundheit Erwachsener in Deutschland (DEGS1), nach der die Hysterektomie-Prävalenz in Deutschland 2011 bei über 18-jährigen Frauen bei 17,4% lag. Auf Grundlage der Altersverteilung dieser Prävalenz werden die Inzidenz- und Mortalitätsraten von Gebärmutterhalskrebs entsprechend korrigiert. Maximale Korrekturen resultieren bei 70–79-jährigen Frauen mit einer Inzidenzkorrektur von 13,6 auf 22,5, d.h. um 65,4% und einer Mortalitätskorrektur von 7,5 auf 12,4, d.h. um 65,3%. Die mögliche Prävention durch eine HPV-Impfung gewinnt damit an Relevanz.
"En tierras bajas" de Herta Müller: mirada crítica hacia las cicatrices de una infancia irrespirable
(2016)
A través de la mirada y la voz narrativa de una niña rumana, la escritora Herta Müller nos acerca con su ópera prima Niederungen (En tierras bajas) a las cicatrices aún hoy vivas de su propia infancia en un pequeño pueblo ubicado en la región de Timisoara en la época de la dictadura de Nicolae Ceaucescu. Este artículo pretende una aproximación crítica a la recurrente temática centrada en la denuncia del país dejado atrás por la escritora tras su experiencia de exilio a la entonces Alemania occidental en el año 1987. Un análisis crítico de esta primera obra publicada por Müller en lengua alemana nos acerca a la literatura intercultural de la escritora migrante rumano-alemana cuya calidad y trayectoria literaria la hizo merecedora en 2009 del Premio Nobel de Literatura.
Introduction. The use of ultrasound during resuscitation is emphasized in the latest European resuscitation council guidelines of 2013 to identify treatable conditions such as pericardial tamponade. The recommended standard treatment of tamponade in various guidelines is pericardiocentesis. As ultrasound guidance lowers the complication rates and increases the patient’s safety, pericardiocentesis should be performed under ultrasound guidance. Acute care physicians actually need to train emergency pericardiocentesis. Methods. We describe in detail a pericardiocentesis ultrasound model, using materials at a cost of about 60 euros. During training courses of focused echocardiography n=67, participants tested the phantom and completed a 16-item questionnaire, assessing the model using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Results. Eleven of fourteen questions were answered with a mean VAS score higher than 60% and thus regarded as showing the strengths of the model. Unrealistically outer appearance and heart shape were rated as weakness of the model. A total mean VAS score of all questions of 63% showed that participants gained confidence for further interventions. Conclusions. Our low-cost pericardiocentesis model, which can be easily constructed, may serve as an effective training tool of ultrasound-guided pericardiocentesis for acute and critical care physicians.
Geoarchaeological reconstructions of land-use changes may help to reveal driving cultural factors and incentives behind these processes and relate them to supra-regional economic and political developments. This is particularly true in the context of complete abandonment of a settlement. Here we present a case study from the site of Faule Pfütze, a small catchment in the Eastern Ore Mountains (Saxony). The historical record of this site is confined to the report of a settlement called Hohenwalde in 1404 CE and two later references to the then-abandoned settlement in 1492 and 1524 CE in this area. Combined geoarchaeological studies allowed for the reconstruction of several phases of land use. While a first phase of alluvial sedimentation occurred during the late 12th century, archaeological evidence for a permanent settlement is absent during this period. The onset of settlement activity is identified during the late 14th century and included a hitherto unknown massive stone building. Mining features are present nearby and are dated to the early 15th century. The local palynological record shows evidence for reforestation during the mid 15th century and thereby corroborates the time of abandonment indicated by written sources. These processes are discussed in the context of a local political conflict (Dohna Feud) leading to the redistribution of properties and the development of a mining economy during this time. Later land use from the mid 16th century onwards appears restricted to charcoal production, probably in the context of smelting works operating in nearby Schmiedeberg as indicated by rising lead concentrations in the alluvial record.
During translation initiation, the heterotrimeric archaeal translation initiation factor 2 (aIF2) recruits the initiator tRNAi to the small ribosomal subunit. In the stationary growth phase and/or during nutrient stress, Sulfolobus solfataricus aIF2 has a second function: It protects leaderless mRNAs against degradation by binding to their 5′‐ends. The S. solfataricus protein Sso2509 is a translation recovery factor (Trf) that interacts with aIF2 and is responsible for the release of aIF2 from bound mRNAs, thereby enabling translation re‐initiation. It is a member of the domain of unknown function 35 (DUF35) protein family and is conserved in Sulfolobales as well as in other archaea. Here, we present the X‐ray structure of S. solfataricus Trf solved to a resolution of 1.65 Å. Trf is composed of an N‐terminal rubredoxin‐like domain containing a bound zinc ion and a C‐terminal oligosaccharide/oligonucleotide binding fold domain. The Trf structure reveals putative mRNA binding sites in both domains. Surprisingly, the Trf protein is structurally but not sequentially very similar to proteins linked to acyl‐CoA utilization—for example, the Sso2064 protein from S. solfataricus—as well as to scaffold proteins found in the acetoacetyl‐CoA thiolase/high‐mobility group‐CoA synthase complex of the archaeon Methanothermococcus thermolithotrophicus and in a steroid side‐chain‐cleaving aldolase complex from the bacterium Thermomonospora curvata. This suggests that members of the DUF35 protein family are able to act as scaffolding and binding proteins in a wide variety of biological processes.
Five new species of Hercostomus Loew, 1857 from Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania and South Africa are described and illustrated. They belong to the Hercostomus longiventris lineage, which also appears similar to the Palaearctic H. chetifer subgroup and the Oriental H. takagii and H. absimilis groups on the basis of the modified male fore tarsus. The male cercus of almost all Afrotropical species is remarkable in having ventral processes or projections and are conditionally divided into H. nectarophagus and H. perturbus subgroups on the basis of the presence of one or two ventral projections on the cercus, respectively. Hercostomus brandbergensis sp. nov. and H. fedotovae sp. nov. are associated with the H. nectarophagus subgroup; H. koshelevae sp. nov., H. vikhrevi sp. nov., and H. sanipass sp. nov. are associated with the H. perturbus subgroup. The new species differ by fine structures of the male fore tarsus, cercus and postgonite. An identification key to males of 23 Afrotropical species of Hercostomus is compiled for the first time. New records are given for some known species.
A legislação que fundamenta a inclusão da pessoa com deficiência na escola e na empresa vigora desde o final dos anos 1980. Devido à obrigatoriedade, pessoas com deficiência têm sido matriculadas nas escolas e contratadas por empresas. Esta pesquisa analisa tal processo de inclusão, sob a ótica da teoria do reconhecimento social de Honneth. Com base em seu conceito tridimensional de reconhecimento, mostramos, inicialmente, que a inclusão compreende dois processos articulados: individuação e inclusão. Em seguida, realizamos um estudo da legislação, finalidades e estratégias de consecução, mostrando que a perspectiva adotada permite interpretar a lei de modo mais generoso, desfazendo um equívoco positivista derivado de uma redação imprecisa. Por fim, desenvolvemos algumas considerações acerca da condição de escolas e empresas implementarem a legislação de maneira a efetivar a inclusão/individuação.
Background & Aims: Renal function assessed by creatinine is a key prognostic factor in cirrhotic patients. However, creatinine is influenced by several factors, rendering interpretation difficult in some situations. This is especially important in early stages of renal dysfunction where renal impairment might not be accompanied by an increase in creatinine. Other parameters, such as cystatin C (CysC) and beta‐trace protein (BTP), have been evaluated to fill this gap. However, none of these studies have considered the role of the patient's sex. The present study analysed CysC and BTP to evaluate their prognostic value and differentiate them according to sex.
Patients and methods: CysC and BTP were measured in 173 transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS)‐patients from the NEPTUN‐STUDY(NCT03628807) and analysed their relationship with mortality and sex. Propensity score for age, MELD, etiology and TIPS indication was used.
Results_ Cystatin C and BTP showed excellent correlations with creatinine values at baseline and follow‐up. CysC was an independent predictor of overall mortality (HR = 1.66(1.33‐2.06)) with an AUC of 0.75 and identified a cut‐off of 1.55 mg/L in the whole cohort. Interestingly, CysC was significantly lower in females, also after propensity score matching. In males, the only independent predictor was the creatinine level (HR = 1.54(1.25‐1.58)), while in females CysC levels independently predicted mortality (HR = 3.17(1.34‐7.52)).
Conclusion: This study demonstrates for the first time that in TIPS‐patients creatinine predicts mortality in males better than in females, whereas CysC is a better predictor of mortality in females. These results may influence future clinical decisions on therapeutic options for example, allocation for liver transplantation in TIPS‐patients.
Rationale: The clinical relevance of sensitization to Aspergillus (A) fumigatus in cystic fibrosis (CF) is unclear. Some researchers propose that specific A fumigatus IgE is an innocent bystander, whereas others describe it as the major cause of TH‐2‐driven asthma‐like disease.
Objectives: Lung function parameters in mild CF patients may be different in patients with and without A fumigatus sensitization. We aimed to ascertain whether allergen exposure to A fumigatus by bronchial allergen provocation (BAP) induces TH‐2 inflammation comparable to an asthma‐like disease.
Methods: A total of 35 patients, aged 14.8 ± 8.5 years, and 20 healthy controls were investigated prospectively. The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 18): specific (s)IgE negative, and group 2 (n = 17): sIgE positive (≥0.7 KU/L) for A fumigatus. Lung function, exhaled NO, and induced sputum were analysed. All sensitized patients with an FEV1 > 75% (n = 13) underwent BAP with A fumigatus, and cell counts, and the expression of IL‐5, IL‐13, INF‐γ, and IL‐8 as well as transcription factors T‐bet, GATA‐3, and FoxP3, were measured.
Results: Lung function parameters decreased significantly compared to controls, but not within the CF patient group. After BAP, 8 of 13 patients (61%) had a significant asthmatic response and increased eNO 24 hours later. In addition, marked TH‐2‐mediated inflammation involving eosinophils, IL‐5, IL‐13, and FoxP3 became apparent in induced sputum cells.
Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the clinical relevance of A fumigatus for the majority of sensitized CF patients. A distinct IgE/TH‐2‐dominated inflammation was found in induced sputum after A fumigatus exposure.
Objective: Fluconazle or posaconazole is a standard of care in antifungal prophylaxis for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, many patients need to interrupt standard prophylaxis due to intolerability, drug‐drug interactions, or toxicity. Micafungin has come to prominence for these patients. However, the optimal biological dose of micafungin stays unclear.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of micafungin as antifungal prophylaxis in HSCT patients. Micafungin was applied as bridging in patients who were not eligible to receive oral posaconazole. Micafungin was either given at a dose of 100 mg or 50 mg SID.
Results: A total of 173 patients received micafungin prophylaxis, 62 in the 100 mg and 111 in the 50 mg dose group. The incidence of probable or proven breakthrough IFDs during the observation period was one in the 100 mg and one in the 50 mg group. Fungal‐free survival after 100 days was 98% and 99% (P = .842), and overall survival after 365 days was 60% and 63% (P = .8) respectively. In both groups, micafungin was well tolerated with no grade 3 or 4 toxicities.
Conclusion: In this retrospective analysis, which was not powered to detect non‐inferiority, micafungin is effective and complements posaconazole as fungal prophylaxis in HSCT.
Characteristics and clinical outcome of breast cancer patients with asymptomatic brain metastases
(2020)
Simple Summary: The prognosis for patients with breast cancer that has spread to the brain is poor, and survival for these women hasn’t improved over the last few decades. We do not currently test for asymptomatic brain metastases in breast cancer patients, although this does happen in some other types of cancer. In this study we wanted to find out more about breast cancer that has spread to the brain and in particular to see whether there might be any advantage to spotting brain metastases before the development of neurological symptoms. Overall, our results suggest that women could be better off if their brain metastases are diagnosed before they begin to cause symptoms. We now need to carry out a clinical trial to see what happens if we screen high-risk breast cancer patients for brain metastases. This will verify whether doing so could increase survival, symptom control or quality of life.
Abstract: Background: Brain metastases (BM) have become a major challenge in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Methods: The aim of this analysis was to characterize patients with asymptomatic BM (n = 580) in the overall cohort of 2589 patients with BM from our Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer Network Germany (BMBC) registry. Results: Compared to symptomatic patients, asymptomatic patients were slightly younger at diagnosis (median age: 55.5 vs. 57.0 years, p = 0.01), had a better performance status at diagnosis (Karnofsky index 80–100%: 68.4% vs. 57%, p < 0.001), a lower number of BM (>1 BM: 56% vs. 70%, p = 0.027), and a slightly smaller diameter of BM (median: 1.5 vs. 2.2 cm, p < 0.001). Asymptomatic patients were more likely to have extracranial metastases (86.7% vs. 81.5%, p = 0.003) but were less likely to have leptomeningeal metastasis (6.3% vs. 10.9%, p < 0.001). Asymptomatic patients underwent less intensive BM therapy but had a longer median overall survival (statistically significant for a cohort of HER2-positive patients) compared to symptomatic patients (10.4 vs. 6.9 months, p < 0.001). Conclusions: These analyses show a trend that asymptomatic patients have less severe metastatic brain disease and despite less intensive local BM therapy still have a better outcome (statistically significant for a cohort of HER2-positive patients) than patients who present with symptomatic BM, although a lead time bias of the earlier diagnosis cannot be ruled out. Our analysis is of clinical relevance in the context of potential trials examining the benefit of early detection and treatment of BM.
The ecological validity of neuropsychological testing (NT) has been questioned in the sports environment. A frequent criticism is that NT, mostly consisting of pen and paper or digital assessments, lacks relevant bodily movement. This study aimed to identify the determinants of a newly developed testing battery integrating both cognitive and motor demands. Twenty active individuals (25 ± 3 years, 11 males) completed the new motor-cognitive testing battery (MC), traditional NT (Stroop test, Trail Making test, Digit Span test) and isolated assessments of motor function (MF; Y-balance test, 20m-sprint, counter-movement jump). Kendal’s tau and partial Spearman correlations were used to detect associations between MC and NT/MF. Except for two items (Reactive Agility A and counter-movement jump; Run-Decide and sprint time; r = 0.37, p < 0.05), MC was not related to MF. Similarly, MC and NT were mostly unrelated, even when controlling for the two significant motor covariates (p > 0.05). The only MC item with (weak to moderate) associations to NT was the Memory Span test (Digit Span backwards and composite; r = 0.43–0.54, p < 0.05). In sum, motor-cognitive function appears to be largely independent from its two assumed components NT and MF and may represent a new parameter in performance diagnostics.
Diverse extracellular signals induce plasma membrane translocation of sphingosine kinase-1 (SphK1), thereby enabling inside-out signaling of sphingosine-1-phosphate. We have shown before that Gq-coupled receptors and constitutively active Gαq/11 specifically induced a rapid and long-lasting SphK1 translocation, independently of canonical Gq/phospholipase C (PLC) signaling. Here, we further characterized Gq/11 regulation of SphK1. SphK1 translocation by the M3 receptor in HEK-293 cells was delayed by expression of catalytically inactive G-protein-coupled receptor kinase-2, p63Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (p63RhoGEF), and catalytically inactive PLCβ3, but accelerated by wild-type PLCβ3 and the PLCδ PH domain. Both wild-type SphK1 and catalytically inactive SphK1-G82D reduced M3 receptor-stimulated inositol phosphate production, suggesting competition at Gαq. Embryonic fibroblasts from Gαq/11 double-deficient mice were used to show that amino acids W263 and T257 of Gαq, which interact directly with PLCβ3 and p63RhoGEF, were important for bradykinin B2 receptor-induced SphK1 translocation. Finally, an AIXXPL motif was identified in vertebrate SphK1 (positions 100–105 in human SphK1a), which resembles the Gαq binding motif, ALXXPI, in PLCβ and p63RhoGEF. After M3 receptor stimulation, SphK1-A100E-I101E and SphK1-P104A-L105A translocated in only 25% and 56% of cells, respectively, and translocation efficiency was significantly reduced. The data suggest that both the AIXXPL motif and currently unknown consequences of PLCβ/PLCδ(PH) expression are important for regulation of SphK1 by Gq/11.
Crustal structure at the western end of the North Anatolian Fault Zone from deep seismic sounding
(2001)
The first deep seismic sounding experiment in Northwestern Anatolia was carried out in October 1991 as part of the "German - Turkish Project on Earthquake Prediction Research" in the Mudurnu area of the North Anatolian Fault Zone. The experiment was a joint enterprise by the Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics of Frankfurt University, the Earthquake Research Institute (ERI) in Ankara, and the Turkish Oil Company (TPAO). Two orthogonal profiles, each 120 km in length with a crossing point near Akyazi, were covered in succession by 30 short period tape recording seismograph stations with 2 km station spacing. 12 shots, with charge sizes between 100 and 250 kg, were fired and 342 seismograms out of 360 were used for evaluation. By coincidence an M b = 4.5 earthquake located below Imroz Island was also recorded and provided additional information on Moho and the sub-Moho velocity. A ray tracing method orginally developed by Weber (1986) was used for travel time inversion. From a compilation of all data two generalized crustal models were derived, one with velocity gradients within the layers and one with constant layer velocities. The latter consists of a sediment cover of about 2 km with V p » 3.6 km/s, an upper crystalline crust down to 13 km with V p » 5.9 km/s, a middle crust down to 25 km depth with V p » 6.5 km/s, a lower crust down to 39 km Moho depth with V p » 7.0 km/s and V p » 8.05 km/s below the Moho. The structure of the individual profiles differs slightly. The thickest sediment cover is reached in the Izmit-Sapanca-trough and in the Akyazi basin. Of particular interest is a step of about 4 km in the lower crust near Lake Sapanca and probably an even larger one in the Moho (derived from the Imroz earthquake data). After the catastrophic earthquake of Izmit on 17 August 1999 this significant heterogeneity in crustal structure appears in a new light with regard to the possible cause of the Izmit earthquake. Heterogeneities in structure are frequently also heterogeneities in strength and stress that impede or even lock rupture. The Izmit earthquake is discussed in relation to a large stepover or jog at the North Anatolian Fault.
Background: A large number of idiosyncratic drug induced liver injury (iDILI) and herb induced liver injury(HILI) cases of variable quality has been published but some are a matter of concern if the cases were not evaluated for causality using a robust causality assessment method (CAM) such as RUCAM (Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method) as diagnostiinjuryc algorithm. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the worldwide use of RUCAM in iDILI and HILI cases. Methods: The PubMed database (1993–30 June 2020) was searched for articles by using the following key terms: Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method; RUCAM; Idiosyncratic drug induced liver injury; iDILI; Herb induced liver injury; HILI. Results: Considering reports published worldwide since 1993, our analysis showed the use of RUCAM for causality assessment in 95,885 cases of liver injury including 81,856 cases of idiosyncratic DILI and 14,029 cases of HILI. Among the top countries providing RUCAM based DILI cases were, in decreasing order, China, the US, Germany, Korea, and Italy, with China, Korea, Germany, India, and the US as the top countries for HILI. Conclusion: Since 1993 RUCAM is certainly the most widely used method to assess causality in IDILI and HILI. This should encourage practitioner, experts, and regulatory agencies to use it in order to reinforce their diagnosis and to take sound decisions.
We model the decisions of young individuals to stay in school or drop out and engage in criminal activities. We build on the literature on human capital and crime engagement and use the framework of Banerjee (1993) that assumes that the information needed to engage in crime arrives in the form of a rumour and that individuals update their beliefs about the profitability of crime relative to education. These assumptions allow us to study the effect of social interactions on crime. In our model, we investigate informational spillovers from the actions of talented students to less talented students. We show that policies that decrease the cost of education for talented students may increase the vulnerability of less talented students to crime. The effect is exacerbated when students do not fully understand the underlying learning dynamics.
Various strategies have been employed to speed tissue regeneration using bioactive molecules. Interestingly, platelet concentrates derived from a patient’s own blood have been utilized as a regenerative strategy in recent years. In the present study, a novel liquid platelet formulation prepared without the use of anti-coagulants (injectable-platelet-rich fibrin, i-PRF) was compared to standard platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with gingival fibroblasts cultured on smooth and roughened titanium implant surfaces. Standard PRP and i-PRF (centrifuged at 700 rpm (60× g) for 3 min) were compared by assays for fibroblast biocompatibility, migration, adhesion, proliferation, as well as expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), collagen1 (COL1) and fibronectin (FN). The results demonstrate that i-PRF induced significantly higher cell migration, as well as higher messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of PDGF, TGF-β, collagen1 and fibronectin when compared to PRP. Furthermore, collagen1 synthesis was highest in the i-PRF group. These findings demonstrate that liquid platelet concentrates can be formulated without the use of anticoagulants and present much translational potential for future research. Future animal and clinical trials are now necessary to further investigate the potential of utilizing i-PRF for soft tissue regenerative protocols in combination with various biomaterials.
We aim to understand whether Greek and Italian, two null subject languages, differ in the use and interpretation of null subjects, based on evidence from both a production and a comprehension experiment. The results of the two experiments show that the two languages differ in the extent to which they comply with the Position of Antecedent Strategy as formulated by Carminati (2002). In order to account for this difference, we introduce a principle which defines prominence of sentence constituents in terms of hierarchical height, elaborating on a recent proposal by Rizzi (2018). Then we show that the prominence of subject and object constituents in Greek and Italian reflects word-order differences between the two languages (Roussou & Tsimpli 2006). In more general terms, this paper argues in favour of a multi-factorial approach to reference interpretation, in that syntactic factors interact with discourse factors, leading to a gradient variety of reference possibilities.
Background and objectives: Preoperative anaemia is an independent risk factor for a higher morbidity and mortality, a longer hospitalization and increased perioperative transfusion rates. Managing preoperative anaemia is the first of three pillars of Patient Blood Management (PBM), a multidisciplinary concept to improve patient safety. While various studies provide medical information on (successful) anaemia treatment pathways, knowledge of organizational details of diagnosis and management of preoperative anaemia across Europe is scarce.
Materials and methods: To gain information on various aspects of preoperative anaemia management including organization, financing, diagnostics and treatment, we conducted a survey (74 questions) in ten hospitals from seven European nations within the PaBloE (Patient Blood Management in Europe) working group covering the year 2016.
Results: Organization and activity in the field of preoperative anaemia management were heterogeneous in the participating hospitals. Almost all hospitals had pathways for managing preoperative anaemia in place, however, only two nations had national guidelines. In six of the ten participating hospitals, preoperative anaemia management was organized by anaesthetists. Diagnostics and treatment focused on iron deficiency anaemia which, in most hospitals, was corrected with intravenous iron.
Conclusion: Implementation and approaches of preoperative anaemia management vary across Europe with a primary focus on treating iron deficiency anaemia. Findings of this survey motivated the hospitals involved to critically evaluate their practice and may also help other hospitals interested in PBM to develop action plans for diagnosis and management of preoperative anaemia.
Aim: To provide distribution information and preliminary conservation assessments for all species of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae), one of the most diverse and ecologically important plant groups of the American tropics—a global biodiversity hotspot. Furthermore, we aim to analyse patterns of diversity, endemism and the conservation status of the Bromeliaceae on the continental level in the light of their evolutionary history.
Location: The Americas.
Methods: We compiled a dataset of occurrence records for 3,272 bromeliad species (93.4% of the family) and modelled their geographic distribution using either climate‐based species distribution models, convex hulls or geographic buffers dependent on the number of occurrences available. We then combined this data with information on taxonomy and used the ConR software for a preliminary assessment of the conservation status of all species following Criterion B of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Results: Our results stress the Atlantic Forest in eastern Brazil, the Andean slopes, Central America and the Guiana Highlands as centres of bromeliad diversity and endemism. Phylogenetically ancient subfamilies of bromeliads are centred in the Guiana highlands whereas the large radiations of the group spread across different habitats and large geographic area. A total of 81% of the evaluated bromeliad species are Possibly Threatened with extinction. We provide range polygons for 3,272 species, as well as newly georeferenced point localities for 911 species in the novel “bromeliad” r package, together with functions to generate diversity maps for individual taxonomic or functional groups.
Main conclusions: Diversity centres of the Bromeliaceae agreed with macroecological patterns of other plant and animal groups, but show some particular patterns related to the evolutionary origin of the family, especially ancient dispersal corridors. A staggering 2/3rds of Bromeliaceae species might be threatened with extinction, especially so in tropical rain forests, raising concerns about the conservation of the family and bromeliad‐dependent animal species.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed tumor in humans and one of the most common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. The pathogenesis of CRC follows a multistage process which together with somatic gene mutations is mainly attributed to the dysregulation of signaling pathways critically involved in the maintenance of homeostasis of epithelial integrity in the intestine. A growing number of studies has highlighted the critical impact of members of the tripartite motif (TRIM) protein family on most types of human malignancies including CRC. In accordance, abundant expression of many TRIM proteins has been observed in CRC tissues and is frequently correlating with poor survival of patients. Notably, some TRIM members can act as tumor suppressors depending on the context and the type of cancer which has been assessed. Mechanistically, most cancer-related TRIMs have a critical impact on cell cycle control, apoptosis, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), metastasis, and inflammation mainly through directly interfering with diverse oncogenic signaling pathways. In addition, some recent publications have emphasized the emerging role of some TRIM members to act as transcription factors and RNA-stabilizing factors thus adding a further level of complexity to the pleiotropic biological activities of TRIM proteins. The current review focuses on oncogenic signaling processes targeted by different TRIMs and their particular role in the development of CRC. A better understanding of the crosstalk of TRIMs with these signaling pathways relevant for CRC development is an important prerequisite for the validation of TRIM proteins as novel biomarkers and as potential targets of future therapies for CRC.
Summary
Wild relatives of crops thrive in habitats where environmental conditions can be restrictive for productivity and survival of cultivated species. The genetic basis of this variability, particularly for tolerance to high temperatures, is not well understood. We examined the capacity of wild and cultivated accessions to acclimate to rapid temperature elevations that cause heat stress (HS).
We investigated genotypic variation in thermotolerance of seedlings of wild and cultivated accessions. The contribution of polymorphisms associated with thermotolerance variation was examined regarding alterations in function of the identified gene.
We show that tomato germplasm underwent a progressive loss of acclimation to strong temperature elevations. Sensitivity is associated with intronic polymorphisms in the HS transcription factor HsfA2 which affect the splicing efficiency of its pre‐mRNA. Intron splicing in wild species results in increased synthesis of isoform HsfA2‐II, implicated in the early stress response, at the expense of HsfA2‐I which is involved in establishing short‐term acclimation and thermotolerance.
We propose that the selection for modern HsfA2 haplotypes reduced the ability of cultivated tomatoes to rapidly acclimate to temperature elevations, but enhanced their short‐term acclimation capacity. Hence, we provide evidence that alternative splicing has a central role in the definition of plant fitness plasticity to stressful conditions.
Aim: Predicting future changes in species richness in response to climate change is one of the key challenges in biogeography and conservation ecology. Stacked species distribution models (S‐SDMs) are a commonly used tool to predict current and future species richness. Macroecological models (MEMs), regression models with species richness as response variable, are a less computationally intensive alternative to S‐SDMs. Here, we aim to compare the results of two model types (S‐SDMS and MEMs), for the first time for more than 14,000 species across multiple taxa globally, and to trace the uncertainty in future predictions back to the input data and modelling approach used.
Location: Global land, excluding Antarctica.
Taxon: Amphibians, birds and mammals.
Methods: We fitted S‐SDMs and MEMs using a consistent set of bioclimatic variables and model algorithms and conducted species richness predictions under current and future conditions. For the latter, we used four general circulation models (GCMs) under two representative concentration pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP6.0). Predicted species richness was compared between S‐SDMs and MEMs and for current conditions also to extent‐of‐occurrence (EOO) species richness patterns. For future predictions, we quantified the variance in predicted species richness patterns explained by the choice of model type, model algorithm and GCM using hierarchical cluster analysis and variance partitioning.
Results: Under current conditions, species richness predictions from MEMs and S‐SDMs were strongly correlated with EOO‐based species richness. However, both model types over‐predicted areas with low and under‐predicted areas with high species richness. Outputs from MEMs and S‐SDMs were also highly correlated among each other under current and future conditions. The variance between future predictions was mostly explained by model type.
Main conclusions: Both model types were able to reproduce EOO‐based patterns in global terrestrial vertebrate richness, but produce less collinear predictions of future species richness. Model type by far contributes to most of the variation in the different future species richness predictions, indicating that the two model types should not be used interchangeably. Nevertheless, both model types have their justification, as MEMs can also include species with a restricted range, whereas S‐SDMs are useful for looking at potential species‐specific responses.
In 2010, the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity agreedon the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As this planapproaches its end, we discussed whether marine biodiversity and prediction studieswere nearing the Aichi Targets during the 4th World Conference on Marine Biodiversityheld in Montreal, Canada in June 2018. This article summarises the outcome of a five-day group discussion on how global marine biodiversity studies should be focusedfurther to better understand the patterns of biodiversity. We discussed and reviewedseven fundamental biodiversity priorities related to nine Aichi Targets focusing onglobal biodiversity discovery and predictions to improve and enhance biodiversitydata standards (quantity and quality), tools and techniques, spatial and temporal scaleframing, and stewardship and dissemination. We discuss how identifying biodiversityknowledge gaps and promoting efforts have and will reduce such gaps, including via theuse of new databases, tools and technology, and how these resources could be improvedin the future. The group recognised significant progress toward Target 19 in relationto scientific knowledge, but negligible progress with regard to Targets 6 to 13 whichaimed to safeguard and reduce human impacts on biodiversity.
Cardiac reactions to emotional words in adolescents and young adults with PTSD after child abuse
(2019)
Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with alterations in cardiac reactivity to threat cues. Meta‐analyses have summarized that adults with PTSD have increased heart rates in response to trauma‐related stimuli. However, the opposite effect (i.e., cardiac hyporeactivity) has recently been reported in subgroups of PTSD patients. In children and adolescents with PTSD, reports of cardiac alterations are rare and ambiguous. So far, most studies in adolescents and young adults are restricted to victims of accidents, even though PTSD is highly prevalent in victims of child maltreatment. The present study aimed at investigating cardiac reactions in adolescents and young adults with PTSD after child abuse. Cardiac responses to standardized emotional words were studied in 39 adolescent and young adult PTSD patients after childhood sexual and/or physical abuse as compared to 39 healthy control subjects (age range: 15–20 years). The experimental paradigm consisted of a passive reading task with neutral, positive, physically threatening, and socially threatening (swear) words. Results showed that cardiac reactions to negative stimuli, particularly physically threatening stimuli, were less pronounced in PTSD patients than in controls. Moreover, cardiac reactions in response to socially threatening words were less variable in the PTSD group. No differences between and within groups were present in reaction to neutral or positive stimuli. Findings suggest that a physiologically blunted subtype of PTSD may already manifest during adolescence and young adulthood. Moreover, the results of the present study emphasize the relevance of individual trauma history for physiological reactions.
Health economics of Patient Blood Management: a cost‐benefit analysis based on a meta‐analysis
(2019)
Background and Objectives: Patient Blood Management (PBM) is the timely application of evidence‐based medical and surgical concepts designed to improve haemoglobin concentration, optimize haemostasis and minimize blood loss in an effort to improve patient outcomes. The focus of this cost‐benefit analysis is to analyse the economic benefit of widespread implementation of a multimodal PBM programme.
Materials and Methods: Based on a recent meta‐analysis including 17 studies (>235 000 patients) comparing PBM with control care and data from the University Hospital Frankfurt, a cost‐benefit analysis was performed. Outcome data were red blood cell (RBC) transfusion rate, number of transfused RBC units, and length of hospital stay (LOS). Costs were considered for the following three PBM interventions as examples: anaemia management including therapy of iron deficiency, use of cell salvage and tranexamic acid. For sensitivity analysis, a Monte Carlo simulation was performed.
Results: Iron supplementation was applied in 3·1%, cell salvage in 65% and tranexamic acid in 89% of the PBM patients. In total, applying these three PBM interventions costs €129·04 per patient. However, PBM was associated with a reduction in transfusion rate, transfused RBC units per patient, and LOS which yielded to mean savings of €150·64 per patient. Thus, the overall benefit of PBM implementation was €21·60 per patient. In the Monte Carlo simulation, the cost savings on the outcome side exceeded the PBM costs in approximately 2/3 of all repetitions and the total benefit was €1 878 000 in 100·000 simulated patients.
Conclusion: Resources to implement a multimodal PBM concept optimizing patient care and safety can be cost‐effectively.
Emancipação tem sido, na teoria crítica da Escola de Frankfurt, o critério normativo último à luz do qual tanto a reconstrução de teorias sociais como a análise de realidades sociais específicas foram avaliadas. Como na Teoria da Ação Comunicativa, de Habermas, houve uma certa restrição ao mundo da vida em detrimento dos subsistemas político-administrativo e econômico, Axel Honneth propôs, em sua Teoria do Reconhecimento, retomar o projeto de uma teoria crítica que analise todas as dimensões da vida social à luz de critérios éticos imanentes, tendo a emancipação como horizonte teleológico. Em seu livro O direito da liberdade: esboço de uma eticidade democrática, lançado em junho de 2011, ele desenvolve uma teoria da justiça que, em distinção à tradição em que se insere o autor, coloca a liberdade como o critério ético nas diferentes esferas da vida. O texto analisa as raízes da obra perguntando-se como a questão da emancipação foi relacionada ao propósito de uma teoria da justiça. Sua atenção está menos voltada para o conteúdo concreto do diagnóstico de época e mais para a proposta metodológica de reconstrução normativa como uma ferramenta para a análise da sociedade.
O artigo tem por objetivo precípuo socializar o estudo empreendido na Teoria do Reconhecimento, do sociólogo e filósofo alemão Axel Honneth, em estágio pós-doutoral no Núcleo de Pesquisa "Violência e Cidadania", no Programa de Pós-graduação em Sociologia, da UFRGS, no período 2010-2011. A meta foi articular a pesquisa teórica sobre o "reconhecimento intersubjetivo e social" com uma investigação empírica qualitativa sobre as origens do fenômeno de rualização infanto-juvenil, no meio urbano. A hipótese preconizou o primado do reconhecimento negado a crianças e jovens em situação de vulnerabilidade social, em detrimento de condições econômicas desfavoráveis, como causa da migração para a vida nas ruas e da ocorrência dos múltiplos conflitos sociais deflagrados por essa condição. A pesquisa de campo foi realizada em parceria com duas instituições assistenciais de Porto Alegre, que oferecem o Serviço de Apoio Socioeducativo (SASE), conveniadas com a prefeitura municipal. Os resultados corroboraram a hipótese de que as políticas públicas de distribuição de renda desarticuladas das práticas assistenciais e educativas não contribuem para arrefecer as conflitualidades urbanas. Nesse sentido, o Programa SASE, voltado ao atendimento de crianças e jovens das classes populares que vivenciam diuturnamente a desestruturação familiar, o abandono afetivo, moral, intelectual e o desprezo social, contribui para o fortalecimento das três dimensões do reconhecimento: o amor, o direito e a estima social, reintegrando o público alvo ao núcleo familiar e à sociedade.
Objective: Novel treatments are needed to control treatment‐resistant status epilepticus (SE). We present a summary of clinical cases where oral topiramate (TPM) was used in refractory SE (RSE) and superrefractory SE (SRSE).
Methods: A review of medical records was carried out to detect TPM administration in SE patients treated in Frankfurt and Marburg between 2011 and 2016. The primary outcome question concerned SE resolution after TPM initiation.
Results: In total, TPM was used in 106 of 854 patients having a mean age of 67.4 ± 18.1 years, 61 of whom were female (57.5%). The median latency from SE onset to TPM initiation was 8.5 days. Patients with SE had previously failed a median of five other antiepileptic drugs. The median initial TPM dose was 100 mg/d, which was uptitrated to a median maintenance dose of 400 mg/d. Treatment with TPM was continued for a median time of 12 days. TPM was the last drug provided to 42 of 106 (39.6%) patients, with a resultant response attributed to TPM observed in 29 of 106 (27.4%) patients. A response was attributed to TPM in 21 (31.8%) of 66 RSE cases and eight (20%) of 40 SRSE cases. Treatment‐emergent adverse events were attributed to TPM usage in two patients, one each with pancreatitis and hyperchloremic acidosis, and in 38 patients (35.8%), hyperammonemia was seen. Thirty‐four of these patients received a combination of TPM and valproate and/or phenobarbital. The intrahospital mortality rate was 22.6% (n = 24).
Significance: The rate of SE cessation attributed to TPM treatment (27.4%) represents a relevant response given the late treatment position of TPM and the treatment latency of more than 8 days. Based on these results and in line with the findings of other case series, TPM can be considered an alternative option for treating RSE and SRSE.
This article discusses freedom of movement under the lens of shifting boundaries of membership and traces the tension between the political and the economic rationale of European integration. It first reflects on the normativity of free movement and links it to the foundations of modern democratic citizenship. Subsequently, it discusses the role of free movement in the construction of EU citizenship and argues that the genesis in market integration casts a long shadow which hinders EU citizenship's potential to fully display the logic of political and social equality. Under current conditions of huge wealth discrepancies between member states, the prevailing form of horizontal integration necessarily brings about a tension between mobility and solidarity, which in turn creates a barrier for further developing EU citizenship. It is concluded that strengthening an intra‐European dimension of solidarity is needed in order to substantiate the right to move as an equal European citizenship right.
Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with a hypersensitivity to potential threat. This hypersensitivity manifests through differential patterns of emotional information processing and has been demonstrated in behavioral and neurophysiological experimental paradigms. However, the majority of research has been focused on adult patients with PTSD. To examine possible differences in underlying neurophysiological patterns for adolescent patients with PTSD after childhood sexual and/or physical abuse (CSA/CPA), ERP correlates of emotional word processing in 38 healthy participants and 40 adolescent participants with PTSD after experiencing CSA/CPA were studied. The experimental paradigm consisted of a passive reading task with neutral, positive (e.g., paradise), physically threatening (e.g., torment), and socially threatening (i.e., swearing, e.g., son of a bitch) words. A modulation of P3 amplitudes by emotional valence was found, with positive words inducing less elevated amplitudes over both groups. Interestingly, in later processing, the PTSD group showed augmented early late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes for socially threatening stimuli, while there were no modulations within the healthy control group. Also, region‐specific emotional modulations for anterior and posterior electrode clusters were found. For the anterior LPP, highest activations have been found for positive words, while socially and physically threatening words led to strongest modulations in the posterior LPP cluster. There were no modulations by group or emotional valence at the P1 and EPN stage. The findings suggest an enhanced conscious processing of socially threatening words in adolescent patients with PTSD after CSA/CPA, pointing to the importance of a disjoined examination of threat words in emotional processing research.
Objectives: Whereas stationary stability of implants has been postulated for decades, recent studies suggested a phenomenon termed implant migration. This describes a change in position of implants as a reaction to applied forces. The present study aims at employing image registration of in vivo micro‐CT scans from different time points and to assess (a) if migration of continuously loaded implants is possible and (b) migration correlates with the force magnitude.
Material and methods: Two customized machined implants were placed in the dorsal portion of caudal vertebrae in n = 61 rats and exposed to standardized forces (0.5 N, 1.0 N, and 1.5 N) applied through a flat nickel–titanium contraction spring, or no forces (control). Micro‐CT scans were performed at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after surgery. The baseline image was registered with the forthcoming scans. Implant migration was measured as the Euclidean distance between implant tips. Bone remodeling was assessed between the baseline and the forthcoming scans.
Results: The findings confirmed a positional change of the implants at 2 and 8 weeks of healing, and a linear association between applied force and velocity of movement (anterior implant: χ2 = 12.12, df = 3, and p = .007 and posterior implant: χ2 = 20.35, df = 3, and p < .001). Bone apposition was observed around the implants and accompanied by formation of load‐bearing trabeculae and a general cortical thickening close and also distant to the implants.
Conclusion: The present analysis confirmed that implants can migrate in bone. The applied forces seemed to stimulate bone thickening, which could explain why implants migrate without affecting stability.
O objetivo deste artigo é discutir como os projetos intelectuais de Fraser e Honneth seguiram vias diversas após o debate que ambos publicaram em 2003 e como estas vias podem ser apropriadas pela teoria social feita no Brasil. Se no momento da discussão, tanto Fraser quanto Honneth pro- curaram demonstrar a maior adequação de suas respectivas teorias para a análise das lutas sociais e a possibilidade de uma apropriação deu seus modelos pelos movimentos sociais, de modo que o caráter político do debate fosse expresso na forma como movimentos sociais, remeteriam aos termos redistribuição e/ou reconhecimento (I); e, ao longo dos últimos, ambos mudaram o foco de suas análises para um entendimento do próprio sistema capitalista, chegando a concepções alteradas da dinâmica de conflitos sociais (II). Na medida em que este potencial analítico mediou sua recepção no Brasil, isso implica, afinal, novas formas de apropriação e diálogo com as ideias de Fraser e Honneth (III).
Em diálogo com Axel Honneth, analiso os desafios do reconhecimento nas relações íntimas à luz de pesquisas qualitativas realizadas com homens e mulheres heterossexuais de classes média e média alta sobre o amor romântico nos dias de hoje. As pesquisas revelaram as ambiguidades da concepção de amor que resultou do crescente processo de individualização e democratização das relações de gênero na intimidade. Ainda que o reconhecimento no amor seja importante para homens e mulheres, estas explicitaram, de forma mais enfática, o déficit de reconhecimento nas relações íntimas – não reconhecimento, reconhecimento limitado ou falso. Destaco as formas de sofrimento emocional feminino criadas com a institucionalização do campo sexual, que separou sexo de envolvimento afetivo, apontando os dilemas e contradições da liberdade sexual para as mulheres. Se, por um lado, a reconstrução normativa das relações íntimas de Honneth consegue elucidar as regras morais tacitamente postas nas interações amorosas e a importância do amor para uma teoria moral da “boa vida”, por outro, superestima as potencialidades do reconhecimento na esfera íntima. Além disso, pretendo mostrar as ambivalências do “novo feminismo” e as limitações dos estudos de gênero e sexualidade contemporâneos, com ênfase nas sexualidades “não normativas” e na desconstrução dos binarismos de gênero que, contraditoriamente, contribuem para eclipsar diferenças de gênero em torno do amor e da sexualidade e, com isso, acabam colaborando para tornar imperceptíveis sofrimentos femininos.
Recent years have witnessed a revival of interest in Marcuse's critical theory. This can be partly ascribed to Marcuse's interdisciplinary approach to humanities and social sciences. Many of Marcuse's ideas and concepts are tacitly present in contemporary social and ecological movements. Contemporary literature on Marcuse is positively inclined to his theory while the critique of Marcuse dates back to the '70s, and remains largely unimpaired. This fact poses significant challenges to the revival of Marcuse's critical theory. This study sets out to report on current interest in Marcuse's critical theory trying to correct "past injustices" by responding to negative criticism. The main flaw of such criticism - as we see it - is in failing to perceive interdisciplinary character of Marcuse's critical theory. Marcuse's renaissance cannot be complete without, to use dialectical term, sublating the history of negative criticism.
W marcu 1944 roku Frankfurt nad Menem został zniszczony w znacznym stopniu w wyniku ataków bombowych brytyjskiego lotnictwa. W sierpniu 1945 roku Kurt Blaum, nadburmistrz Frankfurtu w latach 1945–1946, utworzył Radę Miejską, która natychmiast rozpoczęła pracę nad organizacją odbudowy. Miasto przejęło pokryte gruzem parcele oraz utworzyło spółkę, której zadaniem było usuwanie i recykling gruzu. Jednocześnie nadburmistrz Blaum opracowywał nowe przepisy, które ostatecznie znalazły się w podsumowaniu uchwalonej w 1948 roku w Hesji Ustawie o Odbudowie. W praktyce pierwszeństwo realizacji w okresie urzędowania nadburmistrza Waltera Kolba (1946–1956) miały projekty odbudowy budynków użyteczności publicznej oraz uszkodzonych w niewielkim stopniu domów prywatnych, szczególnie na peryferiach. Dopiero w następnych latach rozpoczęto właściwe planowanie odbudowy, z czym związana była również restrukturyzacja urzędów budowlanych w 1947 roku. W tym samym czasie rozpisany został konkurs na plan reorganizacji ciągów komunikacyjnych. Stare Miasto nie zostało w nim ujęte, dopiero rok później włączono tę część aglomeracji do koncepcji. Debata nad jej kształtem doprowadziła do znacznych kontrowersji między zwolennikami tradycyjnych i nowoczesnych rozwiązań urbanistycznych. Tradycjonaliści chcieli odbudowy większości ulic i linii budynków Starego Miasta, wiernej rekonstrukcji znaczących zabytków oraz odbudowy pozostałych budynków z zachowaniem przedwojennego charakteru miasta. W przeciwieństwie do nich zwolennicy koncepcji nowoczesnych planowali budowę luźno stojących bloków mieszkalnych – bez uwzględnienia wcześniejszego układu przestrzennego miasta. Ostatecznie zawarto kompromis, w którym przewidywano odejście od ciasnego układu Starego Miasta oraz bardziej rozproszoną zabudowę poprzez uproszczenie dawnego układu przestrzennego.
Trata-se de uma réplica ao texto "Uma filosofia da história tornada sóbria", de Georg Lohmann. Nessa réplica o autor justifica que procura vincular uma teoria exigente da evolução social com a da consciência falível, porém não derrotista, de um ethos kantiano que nos obriga a contribuir de algum modo para a melhoria do mundo.
Trata-se de uma réplica ao texto "Uma filosofia da história tornada sóbria", de Georg Lohmann. Nessa réplica o autor justifica que procura vincular uma teoria exigente da evolução social com a da consciência falível, porém não derrotista, de um ethos kantiano que nos obriga a contribuir de algum modo para a melhoria do mundo.
El giro pragmático de Rorty
(1997)
El artículo examina la concepción neopragmatista desde la cual Rorty defiende una concepción antirrcalista del conocimiento. A fin de evaluar si es correcta la radicalización del «signo lingüístico) emprendida por el autor estadounidense, se compara la problemática contextualista con la duda epistemológica del escéptico moderno y se analiza el problema -tradicionalrnente ligado a las concepciones de la verdad como coherencia que subyacen a los planteamientos contextualistas-> de cómo distinguir la verdad de la aceptabilidad racional. Ante esta cuestión las opiniones se dividen: mientras que Rorty asimila verdad y justificación al precio de sacrificar la intuición realista cotidiana, otros autores intentan dar cuenta de esta intuición desde dentro del paradigma lingüístico, ya sea mediante una deflación de la problemática de la verdad o mediante una idealización del proceso de justificación mismo. El autor reacciona frente a ambas posiciones: por un lado, contra un deflacionismo que se apoya en el concepto semántico de verdad, hace valer aquí una posición pragmática; por otro, desde esta misma óptica, crítica un tipo de epistemologizacíón del concepto de verdad que él mismo había defendido hasta el momento. Por esta vía se articula unaalternativa frente a la liquidación de las pretensiones de verdad incondicionales que ha llevado a Rorty a una naturalización de la razón lingüística muy problemática.
Frente a quienes afirman que la «razón anamnétíca» es una cultura ausente del pensamiento occidental, Habermas defiende en este artículo que es la «razón comunicativa» su natural heredera. Habermas reconoce que a esa cultura que viene de Jerusalén debe la filosofía europea la Inspiración de sus topoi más sobresalientes: los de sujeto, autonomía, liberación, historia... Pero en tiempos postmetafísicos sólo la pragmática universal de su «razón comunicativa» puede hacerse con el potencial semántico inserto en la cultura del monoteísmo judío.
L’omaggio di due amici
(2019)
Il primo maggio del 2009 è stato celebrato presso il St Anthony’s College di Oxford l’ottantesimo compleanno di Ralf Dahrendorf. Nell’occasione si è tenuto, in sua presenza, un seminario internazionale nel quale si è affrontato, nelle diverse prospettive tipiche delle scienze sociali, il topos della libertà, un tema che è stato la stella polare della sua vita di pensatore a cavallo tra mondo accademico ed impegno politico. L’evento è stato coordinato dal professor Timothy Garton Ash che SMP ringrazia caldamente per aver autorizzato la pubblicazione, qui di seguito, di due importanti interventi ora raccolti nel libro da lui stesso curato On Liberty.The Dahrendorf Questions (University of Oxford, 2009).
Habermas defensa en aquest escrit l’existència d’un nexe intern entre l’Estat de dret i lademocràcia. Aquest nexe sorgeix del concepte modern de dret i del fet que el dret positiuja no pot legitimar-se a partir d’un dret d’ordre superior. Així doncs, el dret es legitima apartir de l’autonomia que tot ciutadà té garantida, de tal manera que l’autonomia pública ila privada es pressuposen mútuament. Aquest nexe es fa visible en la dialèctica entre la concepcióliberal del dret i el paradigma jurídic de l’Estat social, dialèctica que fa necessària unaautocomprensió procedimental de l’Estat democràtic de dret. Finalment aquest nou paradigmajurídic procedimental és exemplificat a partir de les polítiques feministes d’emancipació.
La revitalització de les grans religions: un repte per a l’autocomprensió secular de la modernitat?
(2014)
La vitalitat de la religió ha conduït a un qüestionament de la tesi que vincula la modernització i la secularització. Cal, doncs, repensar el mateix significat de la “modernitat” per tal d’adaptar-la a l’escala mundial. A l’hora de dur a terme un diàleg intercultural ja no es pot confiar en un suposat universalisme de la raó. La raó secular no pot pretendre establir els criteris de la racionalitat sense prendre en consideració també altres tradicions, com les que beuen de la religió. Es planteja, doncs, la pregunta si el pensament postmetafísic por aprendre alguna cosa de les tradicions religioses i si per fer-ho cal que s’hi relacioni de manera agnòstica.
En el presente artículo se analiza la actualidad de La propuesta de construir un orden mundial pacífico perfilada por Kant en su 'opúsculo <i>La paz perpetua</i>, publicado en 1795. Aunque los fundamentos filosóficos que subyacen en este emblemático e influyente ensayo han sido problematizados y el marco histórico se ha transformado profudamente, obligando a una radical reformulación, siguen en gran medida vigentes los principales objetivos propuestos. A la luz de Las ideas básicas del texto kantiano el autor examina algunas observaciones formuladas contra la política de derechos humanos, mostrándose especialmente crítico con las objeciones vertidas por Carl Schmítt contra el pacifismo jurídico.