Post-surgical Pancreatitis Masquerading as Recurrent Neuroendocrine Cancer

Neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas can have a spectrum of behaviour from relatively benign to aggressive. Resection can result in cure although metastatic disease is described. We present an unusual case of an apparent local recurrence of previously resected neuroendocrine tumour in a young man who had undergone distal pancreatectomy. Pathological analysis demonstrated focal post-surgical pancreatitis with radiological appearances bearing striking similarity to the original primary tumour

The Influence Of Environmental, Cognitive, And Pharmacological Factors On Alcohol-related Behaviours

A variety of effects previously attributed to pharmacological properties of alcohol have been shown to result from cognitive factors. For example, subjects believing alcohol was consumed show greater craving for alcohol and consume more beverage than subjects believing alcohol was not consumed, regardless of whether these beliefs are accurate. This has been demonstrated using the balanced placebo design. Many researchers, however, have argued that these experiments should be conducted in a natural drinking environment to assess the external validity of previous laboratory findings, and to investigate possible interaction effects resulting from the presence of alcohol-associated environmental cues. This is important for clinical considerations, as treatment recommendations based on laboratory findings may be less relevant in the natural setting where the behaviour to be treated actually occurs.;To permit maximization of ecological validity in Study II, the drinking practices of undergraduate males were assessed in Study I. Results indicated that most often beer is consumed in on-campus bars, and that significant high levels of drinking and alcohol-associated problems were evident. In Study II, the balanced placebo experiment was conducted in an on-campus bar, and in a laboratory, thus permitting investigation of the relative influence of pharmacological, cognitive, and environmental variables on alcohol-related behaviour. Results indicated that beverage consumption in the laboratory was primarily determined by subjects\u27 beliefs regarding the alcohol content, but that subjects\u27 reported beliefs had no effect on consumption in the barroom. In the barroom, subjects began drinking sooner, drank more, and neither beliefs nor actual alcohol content had any influence on drinking behaviour. Subjective drunkenness was influenced by beliefs and setting, while behavioural impairment was influenced by beliefs and alcohol content.;It was concluded that analogue alcohol studies can and should be replicated in natural drinking environments, as results and clinical implications may differ. These findings suggest that pharmacological, cognitive, and environmental variables interact in a complex manner to produce a variety of effects, and that of these variables, consideration of environmental influences in alcohol treatment programs may be critical to their success

An examination of Max Scheler’s phenomenological ethics

This thesis examines the little-known phenomenological ethical theory of Max Scheler, discussed in his Formalism in Ethics and Non-Formal Ethics of Values and The Nature of Sympathy, also bringing in various other complementary philosophers. It argues that Scheler’s theory, when supplemented with complementary ideas, is superior to those offered by contemporary analytic intuitionism and other meta-ethical theories. It argues that a theory of pluralist emotive intuitionism provides a better description of both our experience of ethical value and the logical requirements for the ethical knowledge presumed by that experience. This thesis places Scheler’s theory in the context of ethical intuitionism up until the present. It considers why intuitionism has been generally rejected, looking at outstanding philosophical questions facing ethical intuitionism and previous attempted answers, and discussing current theories of analytic ethical intuitionism and their flaws. It explains the significant elements of Scheler’s ethical theory and how it can be understood in its phenomenological context. To demonstrate how Scheler’s material intuitionism is better than current theories of rationalist intuitionism, and other meta-ethical alternatives, this thesis looks at two main groups of issues. Firstly, the epistemological issues raised by Scheler’s theory and how it offers a possible solution to the problem of ethical knowledge, along with a brief consideration of ontological issues. Secondly, normative issues raised by Scheler’s theory: major issues on normative judgement raised but not answered by Scheler’s theory and, following this, a chapter dedicated to Scheler’s theory of ‘persons’, particularly with reference to Emmanuel Levinas. It concludes that an adapted Scheleran theory of ethical intuitionism can be superior to contemporary theories. It explains how the fundamental features of ethical experience may be epistemologically and phenomenologically justified based on objective values. It provides better responses to standard problems raised against intuitionism while also providing a natural explanation for a wider range of moral phenomena than standard meta-ethical alternatives. This demonstrates its superior explanatory power and provides strong arguments for its value as an over-arching meta-ethical theory