The Coexistence of Contradictory Properties in the Same Subject According to Aristotle

In Metaphysics, Book Gamma, Aristotle argues that he who asserts a contradiction is committed to a rejection of degrees. On the other hand, though, Aristotle claims that there can be no intermediary situation in-between pure or entire truth or existence and utter, complete falseness or nonexistence. Such a combination of views can be rendered noncontradictory at best through objectionable manoeuvres. Although Aristotle accepts that two contrary properties can be both present in the same object to some extent, he is, in order to keep clear of contradictions, bound to regard intermediary situations as something irreducibly different from both extremes.Peer reviewe

Differences in Heart Rate Variability Associated with Long-Term Exposure to NO2

BACKGROUND: Heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of cardiac autonomic tone, has been associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Short-term studies have shown that subjects exposed to higher traffic-associated air pollutant levels have lower HRV. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate the effect of long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide on HRV in the Swiss cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA). METHODS: We recorded 24-hr electrocardiograms in randomly selected SAPALDIA participants >or= 50 years of age. Other examinations included an interview investigating health status and measurements of blood pressure, body height, and weight. Annual exposure to NO2 at the address of residence was predicted by hybrid models (i.e., a combination of dispersion predictions, land-use, and meteorologic parameters). We estimated the association between NO2 and HRV in multivariable linear regression models. Complete data for analyses were available for 1,408 subjects. RESULTS: For women, but not for men, each 10-microg/m3 increment in 1-year averaged NO2 level was associated with a decrement of 3% (95% CI, -4 to -1) for the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal RR intervals (SDNN), -6% (95% CI, -11 to -1) for nighttime low frequency (LF), and -5% (95% CI, -9 to 0) for nighttime LF/high-frequency (HF) ratio. We saw no significant effect for 24-hr total power (TP), HF, LF, or LF/HF or for nighttime SDNN, TP, or HF. In subjects with self-reported cardiovascular problems, SDNN decreased by 4% (95% CI, -8 to -1) per 10-microg/m3 increase in NO2. CONCLUSIONS: There is some evidence that long-term exposure to NO2 is associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction in elderly women and in subjects with cardiovascular disease

Epidemic Microclusters of Blood-Culture Proven Sepsis in Very-Low-Birth Weight Infants: Experience of the German Neonatal Network

INTRODUCTION: We evaluated blood culture-proven sepsis episodes occurring in microclusters in very-low-birth-weight infants born in the German Neonatal Network (GNN) during 2009-2010. METHODS: Thirty-seven centers participated in GNN; 23 centers enrolled ≥50 VLBW infants in the study period. Data quality was approved by on-site monitoring. Microclusters of sepsis were defined as occurrence of at least two blood-culture proven sepsis events in different patients of one center within 3 months with the same bacterial species. For microcluster analysis, we selected sepsis episodes with typically cross-transmitted bacteria of high clinical significance including gram-negative rods and Enterococcus spp. RESULTS: In our cohort, 12/2110 (0.6%) infants were documented with an early-onset sepsis and 235 late-onset sepsis episodes (≥72 h of age) occurred in 203/2110 (9.6%) VLBW infants. In 182/235 (77.4%) late-onset sepsis episodes gram-positive bacteria were documented, while coagulase negative staphylococci were found to be the most predominant pathogens (48.5%, 95%CI: 42.01-55.01). Candida spp. and gram-negative bacilli caused 10/235 (4.3%, 95%CI: 1.68% -6.83%) and 43/235 (18.5%) late-onset sepsis episodes, respectively. Eleven microclusters of blood-culture proven sepsis were detected in 7 hospitals involving a total 26 infants. 16/26 cluster patients suffered from Klebsiella spp. sepsis. The median time interval between the first patient's Klebsiella spp. sepsis and cluster cases was 14.1 days (interquartile range: 1-27 days). First patients in the cluster, their linked cases and sporadic sepsis events did not show significant differences in short term outcome parameters. DISCUSSION: Microclusters of infection are an important phenomenon for late-onset sepsis. Most gram-negative cluster infections occur within 30 days after the first patient was diagnosed and Klebsiella spp. play a major role. It is essential to monitor epidemic microclusters of sepsis in surveillance networks to adapt clinical practice, inform policy and further improve quality of care

Technical knowledge and driving behaviour of young drivers. An empirical study

Forschungsergebnisse, die sich auf das allgemeine und kraftfahrzeugbezogene Technikwissen junger Fahrer beziehen, liegen bislang im Rahmen der Unfall- und Verkehrssicherheitsforschung nur wenige vor. Der Forschungsbericht befasst sich daher mit dem Stellenwert technischer Kenntnisse im Problemfeld Risikobereitschaft und Fahrverhalten junger Kraftfahrer. Untersucht wird, in welcher Weise und in welchem Ausmaß Wissen und Einstellungen des jungen Kraftfahrers mit seinem Verhalten im Straßenverkehr zusammenhängen. Im einzelnen wurden untersucht die Fahrzeugbeherrschung und der Kraftstoffverbrauch beim Fahrverhalten, das Technikwissen und das kraftfahrzeugbezogene Gefahrenwissen sowie im Bereich des Erwartungs- und Einstellungsverhaltens die Parameter Zukunftserwartung, Umweltbewusstsein, Technikakzeptanz, Risikobereitschaft, Gefahrenbewertung und Leistungsmotivation. 115 Versuchspersonen im Alter bis 26 Jahren mit maximal 3 Jahren Fahrpraxis wurden in die Untersuchung einbezogen.A "discovery study" was carried out, which should give information on the place of technical knowledge in the field of problems "readiness to take risks" and "driving behavior" of young drivers. The central question of this study was to work out in what way and to what extent the knowledge and attitude of the young driver are related to his behavior in traffic. The following were examined in detail: driving behavior (controlling the vehicle, fuel consumption); knowledge (technical knowledge in general and related to vehices, realization of danger); attitude (future expectations, awareness of the environment, technical acceptance, readiness to take risks, assessment of danger, motivation for performance). The Shell Study 81 is explained (study of young people, social research, attitude to technology) and so are technical knowledge, experiments (trips, test section, driving tasks, measurements of fuel consumption, questionnaire), carrying out experiments (assessing results, driving practice) and the relationship between knowledge, attitude and driving behaviour. A further training program should be offered to interested drivers

Consumption of analgesics before a marathon and the incidence of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and renal problems: a cohort study

Objectives: To prevent pain inhibiting their performance, many athletes ingest over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics before competing. We aimed at defining the use of analgesics and the relation between OTC analgesic use/dose and adverse events (AEs) during and after the race, a relation that has not been investigated to date. Design: Prospective (non-interventional) cohort study, using an online questionnaire. Setting: The Bonn marathon 2010. Participants: 3913 of 7048 participants in the Bonn marathon 2010 returned their questionnaires. Primary and secondary outcomes: Intensity of analgesic consumption before sports; incidence of AEs in the cohort of analgesic users as compared to non-users. Results: There was no significant difference between the premature race withdrawal rate in the analgesics cohort and the cohort who did not take analgesics (‘controls’). However, race withdrawal because of gastrointestinal AEs was significantly more frequent in the analgesics cohort than in the control. Conversely, withdrawal because of muscle cramps was rare, but it was significantly more frequent in controls. The analgesics cohort had an almost 5 times higher incidence of AEs (overall risk difference of 13%). This incidence increased significantly with increasing analgesic dose. Nine respondents reported temporary hospital admittance: three for temporary kidney failure (post-ibuprofen ingestion), four with bleeds (post-aspirin ingestion) and two cardiac infarctions (post-aspirin ingestion). None of the control reported hospital admittance. Conclusions: The use of analgesics before participating in endurance sports may cause many potentially serious, unwanted AEs that increase with increasing analgesic dose. Analgesic use before endurance sports appears to pose an unrecognised medical problem as yet. If verifiable in other endurance sports, it requires the attention of physicians and regulatory authorities