Affixoidhungrig? Skitbra! Comparing Affixoids in German and Swedish

In this article we offer a comparative survey of word-forming elements in German and Swedish known as “affixoids”. A highly controversial topic in German linguistics, the notion of “affixoid” does remain useful given the position of the elements in question midway along the cline between compounding and derivation – so useful in fact that we feel it ought to be adopted into Swedish linguistics, where it is as yet unknown. After an overview of the main positions and issues in the debate over affixoids in German, we survey the corresponding elements in Swedish, point out some convergent and divergent tendencies in the two languages, and then compare a few selected affixoids in more detail. We end with some wider issues, focusing mainly on the advantages of the crosslinguistic perspective and on the idea that the relationship of affixoids with their respective “parent morphs” can be described in terms of grammaticalization

Treatment of pre-existing cardiomyopathy during pregnancy

Heart failure is an established predictor of primary cardiac events during pregnancy. Adequate heart failure treatment in pregnant women is hampered by important foetotoxicity of several conventional drugs. Hydralazine with or without long-acting nitrates has been proposed as an alternative for ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. There are no published data, however, on the use of hydralazine to treat heart failure during pregnancy. We describe the course and outcome of pregnancy in two patients with heart failure. A 31-year-old woman with dilated cardiomyopathy was not treated with hydralazine during pregnancy and developed worsening heart failure. A 36-year-old woman with ischaemic cardiomyopathy was treated with hydralazine early during pregnancy and remained stable throughout and after pregnancy. We assume that early initiation of hydralazine as an alternative for ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers during pregnancy in patients with cardiomyopathy could prevent further left ventricular dilatation and worsening heart failure