What is it like to survive near-death? An interpretative phenomenological study of the experience of surviving sudden cardiac arrest

This dissertation explores outlook and emotional well-being in cardiac arrest survivors at least 2 years after the event. Ten participants were interviewed, using semi-structured interviews focusing on emotional and psychological well-being, and the material was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three superordinate themes were identified. The first highlighted psychological dissonance in the wake of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA); the immediate impact of surviving and awakening to hear that they had suffered SCA was sudden, unexpected and confusing. The second was existential loss, relating to what SCA represented during this transitional and assimilative period. Finally, the third was ‘living in the here and now,’ which characterized their post-transformative journey and view of life as meaning emerged. Existing literature on the psychological and psychosocial effects of SCA on survivors was examined to shed light on the results. Existential themes of death, loss, and finitude, as well as an ontological awakening of conscious, meaningful and appreciative living, also proved useful. The clinical significance of the study included a recommendation to build awareness of the difficulty of emotional adjustment and increased availability of counselling and mental health support. The study also recommends a focus on peer support and ensuring that counsellors are familiar with or have experience of how this phenomenon affects many areas of life. The choice of IPA as a method is deemed a useful one, as its clear guidelines together with a solid methodological grounding informed both the quality of the interviews and depth of analysis. Further qualitative research is suggested on this prevailing area, using varied methodologies

Médias à la carte

La représentation de la préparation et de la consommation du repas dans les médias audiovisuels et numériques est soit une conséquence, soit un élément actif de la construction de la vie sociale, en termes symboliques et culturels. Avec une approche socio-sémiotique, les auteurs analysent les fonctions communicationnelles de la figure du chef et de l’action de cuisiner dans les différents médias. Et ce, pour ce qui concerne le paysage italien. En particulier, les auteurs traitent du cinéma (du néoréalisme aux films actuels), de la télévision (dans les genres comme le talent show, le reality show et le game show), des médias numériques comme blogs et réseaux sociaux.The representation of the acts of preparation and consumption of food in audio-visual and digital media is both a reflex and an active element of the symbolic and cultural construction of social life. Adopting a socio-semiotics approach, this article focuses on the communicative functions of the figure of the chef and of the act of cooking as they are employed in different media, with a particular focus on the Italian mediascape. The first paragraph briefly retraces the symbolic and narrative valences of food in the history of Italian cinema from Neorealism to the present. The second paragraph focuses on the “spectacular” role of food in contemporary tv genres, such as talent show, reality show and game show. The third paragraph point out the “exhibitionist” exploitation of food in participatory and user-generated content media such as weblogs and social network sites

Infectious endocarditis during pregnancy, problems in the decision-making process: a case report

Infective endocarditis in pregnancy has a low incidence, often being associated with a previous history of rheumatic or congenital heart disease. In most reports the disease tends to run a subacute course and to appear more frequently in the third trimester of pregnancy. We present the case of a 36-year-old woman with large vegetations on the mitral valve due to infective endocarditis detected at the 32nd week of her first pregnancy. The difficulties in selecting the appropriate management strategy, particularly optimal time and mode of delivery, optimal time and type of valve surgery, are emphasized

Intracranial bleeding mimicking an extensive acute myocardial infarction with reversible apical ballooning and systolic left ventricular dysfunction. A case report

A novel syndrome with transient asynergy of the apical segments of the left ventricle, also known as tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, has been recently described and presents characteristics and effects similar to acute myocardial infarction. We report the case of a 69-year-old woman presenting with chest pain typical of myocardial ischemia, electrocardiographic abnormalities typical of antero-lateral transmural myocardial infarction, and unstable clinical and hemodynamic condition. Trans-thoracic echocardiography showed a left ventricular dysfunction with a markedly decreased ejection fraction. The patient received heparin and abciximab bolus but coronary angiography demonstrated the absence of coronary stenoses, thrombi, and coronary spasm. Due to impaired neurological conditions the patient underwent brain tomography that showed subarachnoid haemorrhage secondary to a right vertebral artery aneurysm rupture. The possible occurrence of a reversible cardiomyopathy mimicking an acute coronary syndrome in presence of intracranial bleeding should be always considered

An unusual case of myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction may be the result of embolism of calcified material from the aortic valve or thrombotic formations adhering to the same. We report a case of late myocardial infarction secondary to embolization from a thrombus adherent to the aortic valve jutting out in the ostium of the left main coronary artery. Keywords: Myocardial infarction, thromboti

Nietypowy echokardiograficzny obraz przepukliny rozworu przełykowego przepony

Diagnosis of a hiatal hernia (HH) is typically made using an upper gastro-intestinal barium X-ray. A complementary test is gastroscopy or upper-intestinal endoscopy. There are reports in which HH has been diagnosed by echocardiography. We here describe a case of a HH visible on an echocardiogram in a female with palpitations. Kardiol Pol 2011; 69, 4: 398-39

BCI devices and their capacity to express human will having legal value: A model of risk-based classification

One of the ultimate frontiers in biotechnology is Brain-computer-interface. BCI devices are currently developed for therapeutic purposes (e.g., as assistive tools) but also recreational ones. A BCI system detects brain activity, allowing a decoding of patterns of neural signals, then ‘translatable’ in commands a computer can understand and even carry out in the external reality. That’s why BCI is now becoming more used (or experimented), considering the advantages that could derive from it. Nevertheless, it also raises some questions from a legal perspective. This Paper focuses on BCI-based devices used for assistive and augmented communication of users, and wonders what legal regime should be accorded to the personal will expressed through those tools. Once the risks have been identified, the parameters and requirements a BCI device must meet, for the human will expressed through it having legal value, are outlined. The Paper proposes, in conclusion, a self-assessment strategy to operationalize BCI technologies applicable to the context of legal relations, implementing methods of risk evaluation and management. A risk- based classification model is also suggested

Spalling tests on embedded cores and slabs: A comparative study

A comparative analysis of the spalling of (a) cores made of 3 concrete mixes embedded into 3 slabs made of the 3 same concrete mixes; and (b) 3 reference slabs made again of the same 3 concrete mixes has been made. Samples have been exposed to the French Increased HydroCarbon temperature curve. Results confirm that concrete spalling phenomena is not only related to the material properties. Concrete spalling is also very much influenced by the geometry of the samples