An enquiry into Nicolai Hartmann's appreciation of Nietzsche's axiology

In a world and a time when man is confronted with but one ultimate choice: either a return to self-responsibility or the annihilation of life, in which, because of his now proverbial technical ascendancy and its train of spiritual impoverishment, he can indeed neglect to relearn the ability of exercising a wilful choice only at the risk of sacrificing his being as such - in such a world it is a fatal omission to neglect any thinker whose object it is to reconstruct for us our sense of responsibility. In the field of philosophy no contemporary thinker has done more in this respect than Nicolai Hartmann who considers Friedrich Nietzsche to have been his immediate predecessor. Yet Hartmann is not well known in the English-speaking world. The following study represents an attempt to explain Hartmann's position in epistemology, ontology and ethics, stressing the inter-dependence of these disciplines for the philosopher; in the light of Hartmann's appreciation of Nietzsche, to review Nietzsche's critique of "Christo-European morals" or the spiritual decadence of the West; and to show why Hartmann made so much of Nietzsche's supra-moral philosophy of Becoming the philosophy "beyond good and evil"

The effect of running nine marathons in nine days on proprioception and balance

Background: Multi-day running events are becoming increasingly popular with nonprofessional athletes. However, it is unknown how and when this type of event affects injury risk factors such as proprioception and balance. Objective: To evaluate the effect of running one, five consecutive and nine consecutive marathons on joint position sense (JPS) and dynamic balance. Design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Setting: Sports-injury clinic. Participants: 21 athletes completing the event (age 44.8±8.09 yrs, mass 74.4±13.14 kg, years running 10.4±7.39 yrs, average weekly mileage 44.8±12.09 miles) entered the study. Ten athletes completed the JPS testing and five athletes completed the dynamic balance testing. Assessment of Risk Factors: Risk factors were assessed the day before the event (day zero) and then following completion of one (day one), five (day five) and nine (day nine) consecutive marathons. The independent variable was time. Main Outcome Measurements: JPS error into flexion and extension, star-excursion balance test (SEBT) and number of injuries per runner. Results: Friedman's ANOVAs indicated no effects of time on JPS into extension (p=0.94), dominant-leg anterior (p=0.52) or posterior-lateral (p=0.65) SEBT reach. JPS flexion error significantly decreased by 1.3° from day one to five (p=0.032). Non-dominant leg anterior, posterior-medial and posterior-lateral SEBT reaches significantly decreased from day zero to nine by 0.09% (p=0.043), 0.13% (p=0.043) and 0.17% (p=0.043) of leg length respectively. Dominant leg posterior-medial SEBT reach also significantly decreased by 0.12% of leg length (p=0.043) from day zero to nine. There were 4.2 injuries per runner. Conclusions: The results suggest multi-day running events can cause over four lower limb injuries per runner and reduce dynamic balance ability. Nonprofessional athletes completing these events should be aware of this high injury occurrence and prepare appropriately. Injury prevention programmes incorporating dynamic balance may be recommended. However future studies with additional risk factors and larger sample sizes are needed to substantiate these findings

Mulat-estetiek: ’n Analise van Adam Small se dramas

Opsomming In hierdie artikel word die dramakonvensies van Adam Small ondersoek met besondere aandag aan perspektiewe op die mulat as ’n sosiale gegewe. Hierdie element bied ’n gepaste invalshoek omdat dit enersyds ‘n verskynsel is wat Small in sy dramas en ander skryfwerk aansny en daar andersyds ’n uitgebreide literatuur bestaan waarin oor die dramatiese, lewensbeskoulike en literêr-teoretiese inkleding daarvan besin word. Die werk van onder andere Langston Hughes en Derek Walcott word ondersoek om ’n leesstrategie te ontwikkel waarmee die Small-teks geanaliseer kan word.Web of Scienc

Hippocampal Subregions Differentially Associate with Standardized Memory Tests

Recent studies suggest that individual hippocampal subregions perform distinct cognitive operations and are differentially targeted by aging and disease. Although originally developed to assess global hippocampal function, whether performance on standard memory tests used in neuropsychological batteries is associated with individual hippocampal subregions remains unknown. Here we addressed this issue by imaging 210 neuropsychologically characterized subjects using a high-resolution variant of functional magnetic resonance imaging that generates maps reflective of basal hippocampal metabolism. Regression analysis revealed memory tests that differentially associate with two hippocampal subregions, the entorhinal cortex (EC) and the dentate gyrus (DG). Whereas performance on the delayed retention component of the Selective Reminding Test was associated with the EC, performance on the recognition component of the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) was associated with the DG. Furthermore, elevation in blood glucose, previously shown to target the DG, was found to correlate selectively with the recognition component of the BVRT. These findings provide further evidence that the hippocampal subregions perform distinct roles, and, interpreted in the context of previous neuropsychological and imaging studies, confirm that aging and Alzheimer's disease target different hippocampal subregions

Confidence in correct inhaler technique and its association with treatment adherence and health status among US patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BackgroundImproper use of bronchodilators is associated with poor disease control, nonadherence to long-term therapy, and poor clinical outcomes. Our current understanding of factors associated with correct inhaler use and adherence is limited. We measured physician-and patient-reported confidence in device usage and associations with treatment adherence and COPD-related health status.MethodsThis was an analysis of a US observational, point-in-time survey of physicians and patients. Physicians who met study eligibility criteria completed surveys for 5 consecutive, eligible patients who were then invited to respond to questionnaires. We assessed patient demographics, type of prescribed inhaler device(s), device training, COPD severity, comorbidities, physician-and patient self-reported confidence in device usage, treatment adherence, and health status.ResultsCompleted questionnaires for 373 patients were provided by 134 physicians. Complete confidence in device usage was observed for 22% and 17% of patients as reported by patients and physicians, respectively. Greater confidence was associated with higher self-reported adherence to inhaler usage. Physicians were more likely than patients to report lower levels of patient confidence in device usage. High physician- and patient-reported confidence were associated with more favorable health status. Predictors of confidence in device usage included fewer comorbidities, no depression, and higher education levels.ConclusionLow confidence in inhaler usage was associated with lower adherence and poor COPD-related health status. Choice of inhaler device tailored to patients' ability to use specific devices and ongoing education to support optimal inhaler usage may improve patient confidence and enhance both adherence and health status

Systematic review of micro-RNA expression in pre-eclampsia identifies a number of common pathways associated with the disease

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a complex, multi-systemic condition of pregnancy which greatly impacts maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. MicroRNAs (miRs) are differentially expressed in PE and may be important in helping to understand the condition and its pathogenesis. Methods: Case-control studies investigating expression of miRs in PE were collected through a systematic literature search. Data was extracted and compared from 58 studies to identify the most promising miRs associated with PE pathogenesis and identify areas of methodology which could account for often conflicting results. Results: Some of the most frequently differentially expressed miRs in PE include miR-210, miR-223 and miR-126/126* which associate strongly with the etiological domains of hypoxia, immunology and angiogenesis. Members of the miR-515 family belonging to the imprinted chromosome 19 miR cluster with putative roles in trophoblast invasion were also found to be differentially expressed. Certain miRs appear to associate with more severe forms of PE such as miR-210 and the immune-related miR-181a and miR-15 families. Patterns of miR expression may help pinpoint key pathways (e.g. IL-6/miR-223/STAT3) and aid in untangling the heterogeneous nature of PE. The detectable presence of many PE-associated miRs in antenatal circulatory samples suggests their usefulness as predictive biomarkers. Further progress in ascertaining the clinical value of miRs and in understanding how they might contribute to pathogenesis is predicated upon resolving current methodological challenges in studies. These include differences in diagnostic criteria, cohort characteristics, sampling technique, RNA isolation and platform-dependent variation in miR profiling. Conclusion: Reviewing studies of PE-associated miRs has revealed their potential as informants of underlying target genes and pathways relating to PE pathogenesis. However, the incongruity in results across current studies hampers their capacity to be useful biomarkers of the condition

Pinpointing Synaptic Loss Caused by Alzheimer’s Disease with fMRI

During its earliest stage, before cell loss and independent of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes synaptic loss affecting the basal functional properties of neurons. In principle, synaptic loss can be detected by measuring AD-induced changes in basal function, or by measuring stimulus-evoked responses on top of basal changes. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is sensitive to both basal changes and evoked-responses, and there are therefore two experimental approaches in which fMRI can be used to pinpoint synaptic loss in AD. In this review, we will compare and contrast both approaches for pinpointing when and where synaptic loss in AD begins and for monitoring therapeutic efficacy

‘Jy is die vertolker’: die lewensloop van Adam Small

Imaginative autobiography in The Orange Earth en my kinderdae. The Orange Earth is baie relevant nou met die Waarheids- en Versoeningskommissie. Ek het my jare gelede voorgeneem dat die stuk in Afrikaans oorgesit moet word. Dit mag net wees dat Daniël Hugo nou aan die ding sal werk, want sy siel is ’n digterlike siel. Ek hoop dit kan gepubliseer word, aangesien dit ’n outobiografiese werk is, oor dinge wat my baie seer gemaak het