Pascal's 'Orders' Viewed Through the Lens of the Philosophy of Rush Rhees

This thesis argues that a close reading of the writings of Rush Rhees on religious belief can offer a deeper insight into Blaise Pascal’s apologetics, in particular his understanding of the three ‘orders’ by which the searcher can come to true faith. It proceeds by close readings of Pascal and Rhees’s presentations of the nature of belief, religious and secular, and its relationship with philosophy and man’s/woman’s place in the contemporaneous world. The views of the two writers on the intelligibility and reality of life and the limits of human understanding of God’s reality are compared. The following synthesis is essentially a study of the epistemology of Pascal and Rhees and brings into comparison Pascal’s presentation of the role of principles with Rhees’s analysis of Moore’s propositions and world-picture/form of life. The role of custom and habit in coming to ‘human faith’ is then compared with language, conversation, community, and ritual. The ‘dawning’ of belief is investigated through Rhees’s, and Wittgenstein’s, views on aspect-seeing and ‘wonder’. It is concluded that Rush Rhees’s philosophy of religion offers a modern re-appraisal of Blaise Pascal’s apologetics. This applies particularly to the role of habit and custom in coming to God-given faith but is by no means confined to it. The thesis reveals how Rhees’s concepts of the nature of God, world-picture, hinge propositions and the unchallenged foundations of belief can be applied to provide an effective challenge to the pervasive scientific ‘spirit’ of modern secularism by offering an alternative epistemology and clearer understanding of the difference between knowledge and belief

Cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma of the uterus: a case report

Cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma of the uterus is a recently described rare variant of benign uterine leiomyoma. We report a case of cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma in a 52 year old woman who presented with menorrhagia and abdominal pain. An ultrasound scan showed a bulky uterus and a cystic heterogenous mass near the left ovary. At hysterectomy, the left broad ligament mass was removed. This was continuous with an ill-defined nodular area in the myometrial fundus. Microscopy revealed a benign smooth muscle proliferation in the myometrium that extended beyond the uterus and into the broad ligament. The lesion appeared to be dissecting the myometrial fibres and showed areas of oedema, hyalinisation and perinodular hydropic change. Cellular atypia, mitoses and coagulative necrosis were absent. The patient is alive and well 18 months after surgery. It is important to recognize this benign and unusual appearing variant of leiomyoma in order to prevent inappropriate treatment

A Case of Ovarian Fibromatosis and Massive Ovarian Oedema Associated With Intra-Abdominal Fibromatosis, Sclerosing Peritonitis and Meig's Syndrome

Purpose:To discuss a case of ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, intra-abdominal fibromatosis, sclerosing peritonitis and Meig's syndrome. To review the reported therapeutic options

Published text: A case of ovarian fibromatosis and massive ovarian oedema associated with intra-abdominal fibromatosis, sclerosing peritonitis and Meig's syndrome

Abstract Purpose: To discuss a case of ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, intra-abdominal fibromatosis, sclerosing peritonitis and Meig's syndrome. To review the reported therapeutic options. Patients: Case report of a 27-year-old female with the combined pathology of ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, intra-abdominal fibromatosis, sclerosing peritonitis and Meig's syndrome. Methods: This patient was treated with supportive care and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Results: Despite the benign nature of the ovarian pathology, this patient presented with life-threatening complications. Response to treatment was probably multi-factorial combining the effects of cytotoxics, use of steroids and good supportive care. She remains in complete remission 4 years post completion of chemotherapy. Conclusion: There are reports in the literature of ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, luteinised thecomas, intraabdominal fibromatosis and Meig's syndrome occurring together in a variety of combinations. Treatment has been described with radiotherapy, cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens. This case provides a link between ovarian fibromatosis/massive ovarian oedema, intra-abdominal fibromatosis, sclerosing peritonitis and Meig's syndrome not previously described. Presentation of case AP is a 27-year-old female who presented to her local accident and emergency department in July 1999 with a history of bloating, abdominal pain and altered bowel habit. On examination she was found to have an abdominal mass and clinical ascites. An ultra-sound scan confirmed bilateral ovarian enlargement with significant ascites. Beta-HCG, CA-125 and alpha-fetoprotein were within normal range. Past medical history was significant for a termination of pregnancy 2 years previously and a renal calculus. There was no history of colonic polyps and no significant family history. The patient was taking the combined oral contraceptive at the time of presentation. A laparotomy with bilateral ovarian biopsies was undertaken. At laparotomy, 4.5 l of ascites were drained and the abdominal structures appeared normal. The histology from the ovarian biopsies was thought to be consistent with a sclerosing stromal tumour of the ovary. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and infra-colic omentectomy was then undertaken. Following the second laparotomy the patient became increasingly symptomatic with worsening ascites and vomiting. A barium follow-through revealed incomplete small bowel obstruction in the pelvis as well as a 15 cm stricture in the sigmoid colon thought to be due to extrinsic compression. A flexible sigmoidoscopy was performed and biopsies taken which revealed inflammation only. The subacute bowel obstruction was initially managed conservatively and the patient commenced total parenteral nutrition (TPN). At the end of July 1999 a third laparotomy was undertaken for persistent small bowel obstruction and clinical evidence of recurring mass in the abdomen. At laparotomy the entire pelvis and lower abdomen were involved in a retroperitoneal mass matting the bowel together. Biopsies were taken from the retroperitoneal mass, the omentum and the sigmoid colon

Prognostic value of measurements of angiogenesis in serous carcinoma of the ovary

The study objective was to determine whether tumor vascularity correlates with patient survival, to compare newer semiautomated methods of angiogenesis assessment to older methods, and to determine if advanced image analysis methods can offer useful patient outcome data in serous ovarian cancer. Using the specific endothelial marker CD34, microvessel determinations were quantified in 132 serous ovarian tumors by manual counting at final magnifications of x200 and x400 in the most highly vascular areas. Computer-assisted image analysis microvessel counts, endothelial area estimates, and minimum spanning tree (MST) analysis of capillary architecture, which involves assessment of intercapillary distances, were correlated with traditional manual techniques. Manual, semiautomated, and advanced image analysis methods were found to be highly reproducible and express strong correlation with one another. Univariate cyclooxygenase analysis revealed angiogenesis parameters to be highly significant predictors for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival. Multivariate cyclooxygenase analysis revealed maximum MST (P = 0.009), length MST (P = 0.005), 1 nearest neighbor (P <= 0.01) and mean microvessel density (x400) (P = 0.0001) to be significant predictors for OS, and mean endothelial area (P <= 0.01) and stage (P = 0.001) significant predictors for disease-free survival. Despite showing prognostic significance on univariate analysis, most clinicopathologic parameters did not retain independent significance on multivariate analysis. Microvessel determination is an independent prognostic indicator for survival in patients with serous ovarian carcinoma. Computer-assisted image analysis is a highly reproducible method of assessment capable of accurately evaluating tumor vascularity. Minimum spanning tree analysis of capillary architecture was found to be the strongest prognosticator for OS, suggesting this to be a promising marker