Aspects of Prophetic Piety in the Early Modern Period

The article reviews the Muslims’ commitment to their Prophet and their views on his continuing presence as a source of blessing, inspiration and eschatological expectation. It came to shape Muslim religious culture in many regions, and with increasing intensity, over the whole of the early modern period. Attachment to the Prophet was extended to his descendants, who after the vanishing of the universal caliphate came to enjoy particular respect in the Muslim world. Prophetic piety with its doctrinal, literary, socio-cultural and political expressions still remains insufficiently explored for the early modern period, for which the hermeneutics of continuity and transformation are yet to be balanced out. The article offers an overview of central aspects of this field.Sont ici étudiées la dévotion des musulmans envers leur Prophète et leurs vues concernant sa présence continue en tant que source de bienfait, d’inspiration et d’attente eschatologique, lesquelles ont façonné la culture religieuse tout au long de l’ère moderne. L’attachement envers le Prophète a été étendu à ses descendants qui, après la disparition du califat islamique universel, ont joui d’un respect particulier dans le monde islamique. La piété prophétique, avec ses différents moyens d’expression doctrinaux, littéraires, socioculturels et politiques, reste un domaine trop peu examiné pour la période moderne, dans le cadre de laquelle l’herméneutique de la continuité et celle de la transformation doivent encore être équilibrées ; les aspects centraux de ce domaine sont abordés.Se estudian aquí la devoción de los musulmanes hacia su Profeta y sus perspectivas respecto de su presencia continua en tanto que fuente de bienestar, de inspiración y de esperanza de salvación, que formatearon la cultura religiosa a lo largo de la era moderna. El apego al Profeta se extendió hacia sus descendientes, que después de la desaparición del califato islámico universal gozaron de un respeto particular en el mundo islámico. La piedad profética, con sus diferentes medios de expresión doctrinales, literarios, socioculturales y políticos, sigue siendo un ámbito muy poco examinado para el período moderno, en el marco de la cual la hermenéutica de la continuidad y la de la transformación deben ser aún equilibradas. Se abordarán aquí los aspectos centrales de este espacio

Expression profiling with RNA from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Molecular characterization of breast and other cancers by gene expression profiling has corroborated existing classifications and revealed novel subtypes. Most profiling studies are based on fresh frozen (FF) tumor material which is available only for a limited number of samples while thousands of tumor samples exist as formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks. Unfortunately, RNA derived of FFPE material is fragmented and chemically modified impairing expression measurements by standard procedures. Robust protocols for isolation of RNA from FFPE material suitable for stable and reproducible measurement of gene expression (e.g. by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR, QPCR) remain a major challenge.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We present a simple procedure for RNA isolation from FFPE material of diagnostic samples. The RNA is suitable for expression measurement by QPCR when used in combination with an optimized cDNA synthesis protocol and TaqMan assays specific for short amplicons. The FFPE derived RNA was compared to intact RNA isolated from the same tumors. Preliminary scores were computed from genes related to the ER response, HER2 signaling and proliferation. Correlation coefficients between intact and partially fragmented RNA from FFPE material were 0.83 to 0.97.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We developed a simple and robust method for isolating RNA from FFPE material. The RNA can be used for gene expression profiling. Expression measurements from several genes can be combined to robust scores representing the hormonal or the proliferation status of the tumor.</p

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Discourses of Orientalism?

In the work of Edward Said, Orientalism describes an intellectual tradition of defining and constructing the Orient, of stressing the eternal difference between “East and West” and of preparing the way for domination and hegemony over states and societies of the Middle East and other parts of Africa and Asia. It must be stated that, from the era of the German Empire and beyond, both the German public and literary and scholarly circles widely shared those sentiments of cultural distance and at..