bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VHL mutation as a cause of three generations familial pheochromocytoma
Authors: Moran-Espinosa Mari Carmen , Diaz-García Héctor , Sánchez-Urbina Rocío , Granados-Riveron Javier T. , Rodriguez-Piña Miriam Deyanira , Avilés-García Ángeles Leyda , Rubio-Leal Miguel Ángel , Martínez-Camacho Karla Ariadna , Mendieta-Zeron Hugo
Published: June 2024

Background

Pheochromocytoma is a rare disease, and its familial occurrence is quite uncommon. The aim of this paper is to report a three-generation phenotypical expression of a case familial occurrence of pheochromocytoma.

Case presentation

A 25-year-old female, with a history of adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma, arrived at the shock room during her third pregnancy with an adrenergic crisis and hypoglycemia. To prevent perinatal complications, the patient was stabilized and the newborn was delivered through a Kerr-type cesarean section. A detailed history revealed that the paternal grandfather of the patient had an unilateral pheochromocytoma, whereas her paternal uncle had a bilateral pheochromocytoma. Additionally, a brother of the patient presented a unilateral pheochromocytoma. Amplicons for PCR assays were designed to span the protein-coding segments of the three Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) exons, and the PCR products were sequenced using the Sanger method. In the trace of exon 3, we detected in the sample of the proband a heterozygous guanine to adenine transition (NM_000551.4 c. 552G > A) within the protein-coding segment of exon 3 of the VHL gene, which leads to a substitution of the arginine residue at position 161 by a glutamine residue in the encoded peptide (NP_000542.1p.R161Q). This mutation was absent in two unaffected daughters.

Conclusion

A VHL mutation was suspected and confirmed in this family that was not transmitted to a fourth generation. This case illustrates the importance of molecular genetics methodologies to assist genetic counseling in cases of pheochromocytoma where familial aggregation is presumed.
A new mathematical technique and its Python program to assess wind potential
Authors: Rehman Shafiq Ur , Sadiq Naeem , Tariq Iqbal , Khan Mahwish Mobeen , Zahid Muhammad Mustaqeem , Rajput Ahmed Ali , Uddin Zaheer
Published: June 2024

Background

A new approach based on the Newton–Gauss method is used to find the Weibull parameters.

Results

A Python program was developed to employ the Newton–Gauss method. It is implemented to find Weibull parameters and wind potential of Pakistan’s eight cities (Hyderabad, Khuzdar, Multan, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar). Wind speed data recorded at an interval of ten minutes for 2016 is used to implement a Python program to calculate wind potential. To compare the values of the parameters, five known methods, the empirical method, method of moments, energy pattern factor method, maximum likelihood method, and modified maximum likelihood method, were also used to model and determine the wind potential. The root mean square error, mean absolute error, coefficient of determination, and Akaike information criterion were calculated to compare values of wind parameters and average wind speed. The correlation between recorded and modeled Weibull pdf was almost 99% for each city.

Conclusions

The new method only caters to those wind speeds that contribute to the wind potential; therefore, the average value of the wind speed is the least in the case of the new method. The maximum wind potential was observed for Hyderabad.
Augmentative biological control of stink bugs on soybean: the Brazilian scenario
Authors: de F. Bueno Adeney , Sutil Weidson P. , Roswadoski Leonardo , Colmenarez Yelitza Coromoto
Published: June 2024

Augmentative Biological Control (ABC) is one of the essential strategies for building a more sustainable agriculture, especially in commodities such as soybean, where the overuse of insecticides has been the subject of much concern over the last years. Due to its high potential for parasitism, the egg parasitoid
Telenomus podisi
has been considered one of the main ABC agents of stink bugs, especially
Euschistus heros
, one of the major pests of soybean in South America. In this context, this article presents a review of the current situation of ABC against stink bugs with
T
.
podisi
. Despite promising results, it should be taken into account that parasitoids are fragile organisms of small size, and biotic and abiotic factors can negatively impact their parasitism efficacy. Thus, we present published results with
T. podisi
to introduce a more sustainable management of stink bugs and discuss the existing challenges related to the correct adoption of
T. podisi
in ABC programs which need more attention in order to reach the greatest potential benefits.
A study of critically ill obstetric patients admitted to intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Syed Wajeeha , Liaqat Nazia , Ashraf Muhammad Shehryar , Khan Nayab
Published: June 2024

Objectives: To evaluate characteristics, indications, complications and outcome of obstetric patients admitted to ICU of tertiary care hospital in KPK, Pakistan.
Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in department of OBGYN of Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from January 2021 till December 2021. A total of 62 patients were enrolled into the study using nonprobability consecutive sampling technique. Their data were collected on a proforma. All patients were followed till their death or discharge home from hospital.
Results: The mean duration of ICU stay of patients, was 6.85±4.82 days. Out of 62 patients 17 (27.41%) expired in ICU, while 45 (72.58%) patients survived and were discharged. Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia was the commonest primary diagnosis, accounting for 28 cases (45.2%) with a case fatality rate of 25%, followed by 13 cases (21%) of primary postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) as the second commonest reason for ICU admission and a case fatality rate of 38%. The underlying primary diagnosis had no statistically significant association with outcome of the patient. Acute Renal failure had statistically significant association with outcome of the patient with adjusted OR 4.79, CI:1.17-19.66, p-0.02. Similar positive association with mortality existed for patients having DIC (aOR:6.59; CI:1.34-32.34, p-0.02).
Conclusion: Pre-eclampsia/Eclampsia is the commonest reason for intensive care admission, however PPH has the highest case fatality rate. The outcome of critically ill obstetric patients is dependent on complications and not primary underlying diagnosis.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.7734
How to cite this: Syed W, Liaqat N, Ashraf MS, Khan N. A study of critically ill obstetric patients admitted to intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.7734
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Financial burden and social implications of chronic liver disease in a patient population group in Pakistan
Authors: Salim Adnan , Muhammad Omer Farooq  , Sonia Saleem  , Kashif Malik
Published: June 2024

Objective: To assess economic and social issues faced by cirrhotic patients & its financial burden for developing nations like Pakistan.
Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out at the Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan during the period between July & December 2019. Patients with liver cirrhosis were recruited and information regarding disease, financial status, treatment expenses & dependency was recorded.
Results: A total of 450 patients were recruited, 272 (60%) were males & 178 (40%) were females, with mean age 55.4±6.2 years. HCV was cause of cirrhosis in 86% of cases, 65% were diagnosed incidentally and 39.6% were illiterate. About 82.7% were urban while only 28.7% own their own home. Co-morbid conditions including diabetes, hypertension & ischemic heart disease were present in 54% of cases. Monthly income was <PKR 45,000 in 23% of cases while 47% were non-earning.
Conclusions: Our study shows the financial difficulties & dependency faced by patients with liver cirrhosis. Aggressive national screening is required to discover infected patients before cirrhosis develops.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.7976
How to cite this: Salim A, Farooq MO, Saleem S, Malik K. Financial burden and social implications of chronic liver disease in a patient population group in Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.7976
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Clinical pattern, neuroimaging findings and outcome of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis in children: A retrospective study
Authors: Mukhtiar Khairunnisa , Raza Mohammad , Ishaque Sidra , Maha Quratulain , Noor Ayesha
Published: June 2024

Objective: To determine the clinical spectrum, neuroimaging findings, and outcome of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) in children.
Method: We conducted a descriptive cross sectional study of all children aged 6 months to 18 years, diagnosed with ADEM at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi from January 2018 till December 2022.
Results: This retrospective study enrolled 30 cases of ADEM, with a mean age of 6.43 ± 4.079, including 13 males and 17 females. The average hospital stay was 7.29 ± 4.379 days. The most common clinical features were fever, headache, and altered consciousness, while motor deficit was observed in 15 (53.5%) patients. Abnormal cerebrospinal fluid was found in 14 (46.6%) patients. Brain MRI identified bilateral and multifocal lesions in 22 (78.6%) patients, with brainstem lesions detected in 7 (25%) patients. Treatment included IV methylprednisolone (22; 73%), IVIG (9; 30%), or both (6; 20%). Clinical improvement was observed in 25 (89.3%) patients, with residual weakness present in eight (26%) patients at discharge. There was one reported death. Long-term complications included motor deficits, seizures, poor scholastic performance, and behavioral issues.
Conclusion: The clinical presentation of ADEM is variable, but the most common symptoms are fever, headache, and altered consciousness. Despite generally favorable outcome, long-term monitoring revealed that patients may experience motor deficits, seizures, cognitive impairment, and academic difficulties.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8015
How to cite this: Mukhtiar K, Raza M, Ishaque S, Maha Q, Noor A. Clinical pattern, neuroimaging findings and outcome of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis in children: A retrospective study. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8015
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comparison of linear distance of glenoid fossa to frontomaxillary nasal suture in skeletal Class-II and skeletal Class-I malocclusion
Authors: Siddiqui Sadaf , Afzal Ehsan Ambreen , Sakrani Hasnain , Samdani Sadia Asif
Published: June 2024

Objective: To compare linear distance of glenoid fossa to frontomaxillary nasal suture in skeletal Class-I and II malocclusions.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Orthodontics, Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi Pakistan. The duration of study was one year from January, 2019 to January, 2020. After taking informed consent from patient and hospital ethical committee a total of 60 patients were included in the study using WHO sample size calculator. Two groups comprising 30 patients each i.e., Skeletal Class-I malocclusion and Skeletal Class-II malocclusion with mandibular retrusion both having normal vertical relationship were included in the study. The cephalometric measurements SNA, SNB, SNMP, FHMP, GF-FMN, CO-GO, CO GN on lateral cephalograms were measured and compared between the two groups. Independent t test was applied and p value ≤ 0.05 was considered as significant.
Results: In skeletal Class-I malocclusion the mean linear distance of GF-FMN was 70.2 ± 4.02 mm and in skeletal Class-II malocclusion it was 73.4 ± 4.04 mm (p value .004). Glenoid fossa was 3.2 mm distally placed in patients with Class-II malocclusion.
Conclusion: Glenoid fossa position is a diagnostic feature of Class-II malocclusion associated with mandibular retrusion. One of the effective cephalometric measurements to check glenoid fossa position is the distance from the glenoid fossa(GF) to the frontomaxillary nasal suture FMN (GF-FMN).
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8506
How to cite this: Siddiqui S, Ehsan AA, Sakrani H, Samdani SA . Comparison of linear distance of glenoid fossa to frontomaxillary nasal suture in skeletal Class-II and skeletal Class-I malocclusion. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8506
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Clinical features of thymoma with and without myasthenia gravis
Authors: Wang Yaxuan , Qi Guoyan , Yang Ying , Yang Hongxia
Published: June 2024

Objective: To explore the clinical features of thymoma with and without myasthenia gravis (MG).
Methods: This was a retrospective study. Two hundred and thirty-three patients with mediastinal masses who were initially diagnosed in People’s Hospital of Shijiazhuang, China, between January 2014 and June 2022 and had complete clinical data and underwent surgical treatment at People’s Hospital of Shijiazhuang were retrospectively analyzed.
Result: The age of patients with thymoma alone was significantly older than that of thymoma patients complicated with MG. The number of female patients was slightly more than males for both groups. Proportions of type A, AB, B1, B2, and B3 thymomas in Group-A were 0.77, 11.54, 11.51, 33.85, and 31.54%, respectively, and the proportions in Group-B were 9.68, 22.58, 12.90, 32.26, and 22.58%. The size of tumors in patients with thymoma alone was larger than that of patients with thymoma complicated with MG. The proportion of patients with tumor size of more than 10 cm in the thymoma alone group was significantly higher than that in the MG group. There were no relapses in patients with type A disease and relapses were noted in a few patients with type B1, B2 and B3 diseases. The same survival rates were reported for the two groups.
Conclusion: MG rarely occurs in type A and type C diseases. The prognosis of thymoma with MG is similar to that of thymoma alone. The main causes of death may be myasthenia crisis in thymoma patients with MG and advanced tumor stage in patients with thymoma alone.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8698
How to cite this: Wang Y, Qi G, Yang Y, Yang H. Clinical features of thymoma with and without myasthenia gravis. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8698
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
COVID-19 vaccination and menstrual disturbances: A prospective study from Pakistan
Authors: Parveen Nuzhat
Published: June 2024

Objective: To evaluate whether or not immunization against COVID-19 is associated with changes in the duration and frequency of the menstrual cycle.
Methods: This prospective analysis included the menstrual cycle data of 154 females after COVID-19 vaccination from August 2021 to March 2022. This study included Pakistani females aged 18 to 45 years and who had taken at-least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination. After two months of COVID vaccine the participants were interviewed again about the timing and duration of their menstrual cycle. The increase in menstrual length for >eight days was labelled as increased menstrual cycle duration.
Results: Mean age of participants was 33.53±8.52 years. Among 154, 113 (73.4%) were married. Among 154 females, menstrual abnormality was reported by 59 (38.3%) females, increase in cycle duration was reported by 25 (16.2%) patients and decrease by 22 (14.3%), increase in number of bleeding days by 20 (13%) females and decrease by 15 (9.7%), increase in pain intensity was reported by 19 (12.3%) females and decrease by 17 (11.0%), increased intensity of blood flow was reported by 20 (13.0%) patients and decreased intensity by 19 (12.3%) females.
Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccination is not associated with menstrual abnormalities in a significant number of females.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8709
How to cite this: Parveen N. COVID-19 vaccination and menstrual disturbances: A prospective study from Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8709
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comparing contribution of bony and cartilaginous endplate changes to intervertebral disc degeneration
Authors: Salman Amber , Khawaja Asma Sajjad , Baig Kashif , Zehra Uruj
Published: June 2024

Objective: To compare the degenerative features of cartilaginous endplate with bony endplate in association with intervertebral degeneration in local population at radiographic, macroscopic and microscopic level in human motion segments.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study examined 59 lumbar spine motion segments from adult male cadavers at the Department of Anatomy, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, between May and September, 2022. Radiographic assessment observed bony endplate (BEP) for the presence of sclerosis & osteophytes and degeneration scores from 1-8 were assigned. Macroscopic assessment was done to evaluate BEP, cartilaginous endplate (CEP) and IVD, and scores ranged from 1to 28 for BEP, 1-4 for CEP and 1-64 for IVD were assigned. Microscopic assessment revealed degeneration scores of CEP ranged from 1-42 and 1-30 for IVD. Segments with BEP defects were also identified on radiographs & macroscopy.
Results: Significant correlations were observed between the total degeneration scores of BEP with IVD and CEP scores (r=0.88 and r=0.909, respectively, p<0.001). Similarly, the total degeneration scores of the CEP is also significantly correlated with total IVD (r=0.86, p<0.001). Additionally, the samples with BEP defects were having higher IVD degeneration scores (p<0.001).
Conclusion: This study, for the first time identifies that there exists a critical association of bony and cartilaginous endplate with intervertebral disc degeneration individually in the same tissue sections using multi-dimension assessment methods. Degeneration in any of the components of VEP is consonantly associated with IVD degeneration. The BEP & CEP, though, they are unique structures but are interlinked with each other structurally and functionally.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8762
How to cite this: Salman A, Khawaja AS, Baig K, Zehra U. Comparing contribution of bony and cartilaginous endplate changes to intervertebral disc degeneration. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.8762
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The Frequency of occupational health hazards and factors responsible among the waste handlers at the tertiary care hospitals of Karachi
Authors: Eshwar Das  , Shaikh Shiraz , Umm-e-Rabab  , Dileep Kumar
Published: June 2024

Background & Objectives: Hospital waste handlers (HWHs) are in contact with contaminated waste that put them at risk for occupational health hazards. The objective of the study was to determine the frequency of occupational health hazards and identify factors contributing to them among the HWHs at tertiary care hospitals of Karachi.
Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted from January 2021 till June 2022 on 417 conveniently selected HWHs of the public and private tertiary care hospitals of the Karachi including three Public sector hospitals (Civil Hospital Karachi, National Institute of Child Health, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center) and five private sector hospitals (Sohail University Hospital, Darulsehat Hospital, Kharadar General Hospital, Patel Hospital and Hamdard University Hospital) using a structured questionnaire. Chi Square test was applied to determine the differences in occurrence of different hazardous outcomes (Needle stick injury, Sharp Injury, Eye Symptoms, Skin symptoms, Cough) between different groups of age, gender, type of hospitals and status of being trained in Hospital Waste Management (HWM).
Results: Around half of the HWHs (52.6%) labeled the bins of the waste according to their level of hazard. Only 17.9% disinfected the infected waste. The proportion of participants who experienced needle stick and sharp injury in the last six months was 16.3% and 15.8% respectively. Majority of them used disposable gloves (95.7%) and face masks (94.3%). One thirds had access to aprons while only 10.5% had access to protective shoes at their work place. HWHs of private sector were significantly less likely to experience Needle stick injuries, skin symptoms, cough, breathing difficulty and throat burning.
Conclusion: The HWM practices in tertiary care hospitals of Karachi is far from being satisfactory. HWHs must be trained and monitored for safe disposal of waste.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.9113
How to cite this: Das E, Shaikh S, Umm-e-Rabab, Kumar D. Frequency of occupational health hazards and factors responsible among the waste handlers at the tertiary care hospitals of Karachi. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.9113
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Respecting the whole child
Authors: Cummins Sarah
Published: June 2024

In the second article in this series all about Maria Montessori, Sarah Cummins, senior lecturer in the School of Education at Leeds Trinity University, outlines some of Maria Montessori’s key theories comprising her pioneering approach.
Retour Vers Le Futur
Authors: Doyle Wesley
Published: June 2024

Renault look back to go forward with the Renault E-Tech Electric, an EV version of the classic 5 hot hatch and enduring pop culture icon
Part of the Family
Authors: stone Tom
Published: June 2024

Lotus is embracing an all-electric future with the latest edition to its line-up bringing its EV range to four – which also happens to be the number of occupants that can enjoy the thrill of Lotus performance
Future Defined
Authors: Poultney Leon
Published: June 2024

Hyundai Motor Company president Chang-Hyeon Song, who heads up the OEM’s Transportation-as-a-Service Division, discusses the importance of software defined mobility in shaping the future of vehicles
EV Las Vegas
Authors: Poultney Leon
Published: June 2024

Artificial Intelligence, in-car entertainment and software-defined vehicles all proved hot topics at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, cementing the fact that cars are rapidly becoming extensions of our digital lives. Here’s a look at the automotive tech highlights from the Sin City show floor, and trends we can expect to see in the very near future
Lightening the Load
Authors: Francis Trinity
Published: June 2024

With any vehicle, keeping weight down is key to efficiency. But for EVs it’s becoming increasingly important that all components – from chassis to wheels to casings – are as lightweight as possible. Here we speak to OEMs who are watching their weight.
Tire Tech
Authors: Francis Trinity
Published: June 2024

As the passenger vehicle market pivots to focus on low and zero emission powertrains, new challenges arise that require innovative product solutions, namely in tire technology. We spoke to five different tire suppliers to understand their various approaches to manufacturing EV tires, and what the future holds
Corporate Concerns
Authors: Challen John
Published: June 2024

Around the world EV uptake has largely been driven by government subsidies and tax breaks, but consultants are now working hard on fleet electrification business models that save money without any third-party assistance
Evolving End to End Traceability
Authors: Jarvis Graham
Published: June 2024

The ability to retrieve information about parts is central to aviation reliability and safety
Weight Lifters
Authors: Millard Frank
Published: June 2024

Extensive environmental testing is needed to accomplish standards and light weighting targets for a more electric aeronautical future
NDT Inspection
Authors: Nickels Liz
Published: June 2024

Nondestructive testing technologies are being applied in innovative ways on in-service aircraft
Unleashing The Power of 4.0
Authors: Sampson Ben
Published: June 2024

Understanding digitalization's benefits needs to be at the core of Nondestructive Evaluation 4.0
Ḥusayn Ardabīlī: The First Narrator of Jaʿfarī Thought in Persian
Authors: Mayil-Hiravi Najib
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT: One of the most well-known scholars of the Imāmī thought during the ninth and tenth centuries ah was Mawlā Ḥusayn ibn Sharaf al-Din ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Ardabīlī (henceforth referred to as 'Ardabīlī'). He had a broad knowledge in both rational sciences ( ʿulum ʿaqlīyyah ) and traditional disciplines ( ʿulum naqlīyyah ) and was involved in teaching and medicine. He has been described as a radical and fiery Shi'a. This fact is evident in his writings to the extent that on occasions he has exaggerated about the Imams, peace be upon them, and leaders of the Twelver Shi'a faith.
Philosophical-Mystical Kalām: A Case Study on Muḥsin Fayḍ Kāshānī's Theological Methodology
Authors: Sarmadi Nafiseh Ahl , Izadi Janan , Jomeh Seyyed Mehdi Emami
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT: After Naṣīr Al-Dīn Al-Ṭūsī and Al-Ḥillī transformed the structure and method of Imāmī Kalām, Muḥsin Fayḍ Kāshānī (1598-1679) provided the ground for integration of Mysticism and Philosophy with Kalām. He worked on a version of philosophical Kalām. Although Ṭūsī introduced philosophical approaches and doctrines to Imāmī Kalām, Fayḍ brought about changes in Imāmī Kalām based on philosophical approaches and doctrines made by his master – Mullā Ṣadrā. Thus, he recognised the necessity for more change in Imāmī Kalām and did so in his works including his book ʿIlm al-Yaqīn (The Knowledge of Certainty). He presented a new structure in Imāmī Kalām and expanded its capacity in facing religious subjects and responsiveness to the questions of Muslims about Shi'i beliefs. Being inspired by Transcendental Wisdom, he believes that the arcs of descent and ascent ( qawsayn al-nuzūl wa al-ṣuʿūd ) of existence are the most axial ontological basis for the Qur'an, Wisdom and mysticism and regulates Kalām problems accordingly. He considers the methods and doctrines of Transcendent Wisdom as a substructure for expanding and deepening Imāmī Kalām. Fayḍ considers some of the previous schools of Islamic Kalām method inefficient. He speaks of the need for philosophical proofs instead of dialectic debates. We will investigate core aspects of this transformation.
The Encyclopaedic Aspect of Bihār al-Anwār (Part I)
Authors: Jafarian Rasul
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT: This article examines the encyclopaedic nature of the book Bihār al-Anwār , compiled by Muhammad Bāqir Majlisī in the 17th century Safavid era. It first provides context on the tradition of compiling encyclopaedic works covering various sciences in Islamic civilisation. It then focuses on encyclopaedic writing during the Safavid period, including examples like Lisān al-Khawāṣ by Āqā Raḍī Qazwīnī . The article argues that the Safavid era saw a shift towards grounding all knowledge in religious texts and Shi'a narrations, which influenced Majlisī's approach in Bihār al-Anwār . While some scholars tried to interpret natural sciences through narrations, Majlisī's views on whether all sciences derived from religious sources are unclear. The text examines how Majlisī approached subjects like astrology and medicine by trying to align them with narrations while acknowledging conflicts with religion at times. Overall, Bihār al-Anwār aimed to present a comprehensive Shi'a perspective on human knowledge and the world derived from religious sources like the Qur'an and Ḥadīth . The encyclopaedic nature stemmed from this ambition to cover various subjects through a religious lens.
Women Till and Women Weave: Rice, Cotton, and the Gendered Division of Labor in Jiangnan
Authors: Wang You
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Composing roughly 40 percent of the total Chinese population, village women were the linchpin of the thriving rural economy in late imperial China. This article addresses the question of women's work by reassessing the millennia-old "men till and women weave" trope, which asserted that farming (or the outer sphere it represented) was improper for women. It argues that, despite being marginalized or even eroticized in male-centered narratives, many women in Jiangnan China's economic and cultural center sweated in the fields and swiftly shifted their tasks for the family or market needs. Specifically, men dominated the more lucrative, more recognizable, and, in many cases, less arduous tasks in rice cultivation, while women significantly contributed to other tasks in the rice paddies and dominated cotton farming. Such a gender division of labor was affected less by biological factors or gender norms than by a combination of the physical property of crops (especially if the crop invites animal traction), the labor market, and a constantly evolving gendered narrative. In addition to self-conscious scholarly records of the gendered labor regime, much of the research relies on an original use of 891 criminal cases in the First Historical Archives (aka xingke tiben) to approach rural work patterns and the digital humanities methods to analyze and visualize the cases that serve as random samples of the crop regimes and everyday activities of rural men and women.
Fighting to Keep the Land Wild: Huifang and Vernacular Forestry in Nineteenth-Century Manchuria
Authors: Kim Kwangmin
Published: June 2024

Abstract: This article examines the "association houses" (huifang) that emerged in the late nineteenth century as a major political force in the mountainous area of southern Manchuria and the Russian Far East. Using Chinese, Russian, English and Japanese primary sources, this article examines the formation of the Tanghe huifang, a prominent huifang in the Mt. Changbai area, and its tumultuous relations with the Qing state from 1880 1910. The central argument of the article is that the huifang was an autonomous polity a mini-state of sorts organized by hunter-gatherers (primarily Han Chinese migrants from Shandong), and based on the utilization of forest resources such as deer antlers, medicinal herbs, gold, and most importantly, ginseng plantations. The huifang protected the community from the threat of bandits, taxed the forest industries, regulated trade, and protected the forest resources from destruction, if only on a limited scale. Initially unofficially managed by the Jilin military authority, the huifang collided with the Qing state in the 1880s 1890s and finally revolted against the state in 1897 when the state opened the mountain forests for agrarian development—known as the "Opening the wasteland" (fanghuang) policy. Unable to subdue the resistance, the Qing state decided to incorporate the mountain polity into its political domain, accommodating the huifang as the government's police force and its leaders as the police heads in 1908. This article qualifies the current scholarship that examines the politics of the Chinese borderland primarily through the lens of the national and international politics—a lens that focuses on the top-down process of central state power and state-initiated agricultural and industrial development that took place in the context of growing imperialist expansion into the Qing frontier. Instead, this article highlights an alternative pattern of politics and economic transformation articulated from the bottom up, a pattern predicated on the decentralized utilization of the forest resources in Manchuria's mountains.
Abraham Ibn Ezra's "Way of Peshat " in Light of Shifting Christian Conceptions of the Literal Sense
Authors: Cohen Mordechai Z.
Published: June 2024

Abstract: The reputation of Abraham Ibn Ezra (1089 or 1092/93–1164 or 1167) as a key proponent of the peshat ("plain sense") of Scripture has been questioned due to his tendency (1) to adjust his exegesis to conform with rabbinic halakhic (religious-legal) traditions and (2) his philosophical readings, especially in the Psalms. Drawing upon evidence from his own Sefardic intellectual heritage and by analogy with the complexities of the Christian conception of the "literal sense" brought to light in recent scholarship, this study aims to clarify the broader definition of peshat conceived by Ibn Ezra that incorporated interpretive considerations beyond the simplest philological construal of the biblical text.
Rashi, Honorius Augustodunensis, and the Shulamite: The Nexus of Exegesis and Interreligious Confrontation Early in the 12th Century
Authors: Cohen Jeremy
Published: June 2024

Abstract: This essay explores the convergence of new emphases on the literal-historical sense in biblical exegesis, the burgeoning of interreligious polemic, and aspects of the commonality of Jewish and Christian cultural experiences early in the 12th century. It probes instructive similarity and difference in the Song of Songs commentaries of Rashi (Solomon ben Isaac of Troyes, 1040–1105) and Honorius Augustodunensis (d. after 1140), particularly in the Song's praise of the Shulamite in 6:10–7:11. Their commentaries signal the importance of contemporary interreligious debate, of Christian hopes to convert the Jews, and of expectations for the ultimate salvation of exiled Israel at the end time. Most impressively, they reflect a shared landscape characterized by growing awareness of the other and the need to situate the other on one's own map of the world.
The raison d'être of "The New Colossus"
Authors: Kramer Michael P.
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Combining textual analysis, cultural contextualization, and the history of ideas, this essay excavates the complex "literal sense" of Emma Lazarus's iconic sonnet, "The New Colossus." Beginning with the deliberate misreading of the statue's intended and acknowledged signification and noting the poem's network of contrarieties, the essay dwells on the contrast between the "wretched refuse" on Ward's Island and decadent Gilded Age exhibition where the poem was first read; it goes on to argue that the poem disables the connection between progress and poverty, reinvigorates the rhetoric of asylum, points to the Hebraic roots of American history, and reimagines American modernity as a benign merging of contrarieties.
World Poetics?
Authors: D'haen Theo
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Since the turn of the twenty-first century, we have seen a revival of interest in world literature and, in its wake, interest in its parent discipline: comparative literature. Many of the more recent interventions charge these disciplines, including the subdiscipline of poetics, with Eurocentrism. Though the debate ranges most intensively in US academe, Chinese scholars also have increasingly ventured onto this terrain. The present contribution elaborates on the "re-orientation" of comparative poetics and on the possibility of a world poetics.
Desynonymizing (World) Theory and Poetics
Authors: Tihanov Galin
Published: June 2024

Abstract: This article enquires into the notion of world poetics constructed by Wang Ning in the lead article of this symposium. By examining the relationship between the discourses of world literature and literary theory, and between theory and poetics in the context of Western, Middle Eastern, and Chinese cultural production, I argue that poetics and theory should be desynonymized. The notions of theory and poetics in these cultural zones were shaped and functioned differently. My analysis of these differences involves a conceptual toolkit that goes beyond the current assumptions of Western theory.
Worlding and Reworlding of Weltliteratur as Place and Value: From Asia into Oceania
Authors: Wilson Rob Sean
Published: June 2024

Abstract: World literature entangled in the forms, values, terms, and genres of comparative poetics makes the literatures of sites like Asia Pacific, India, and Oceania better recognized in world creativity and border-crossing archipelagic agency. World literature can become enframed not just along "borderlands" of nations and regions but also across "borderwaters" of entangled places, regions, and zones. Given the increasing recognition of this postcolonial world-literary creativity and agency—which implies taking seriously the reworlding power of these literatures—world poetics will have to revise and decenter its literary and theoretical frameworks.
Transforming Perspectives: Reconfiguration in the Poetics of World Literature
Authors: Bing Jin
Published: June 2024

Abstract: The first part of the present paper offers a critical response to Wang Ning's proposed construction of world poetics, based on a brief reexamination of the changing meanings and implications regarding the concept of world literature. The second part is an elucidation of the dynamics and tensions between global tendencies and local manifestations, taking the May Fourth writers and Xueheng School as examples. I argue that by transcending the binary opposition between the local and global, world poetics transforms perspectives from Eurocentrism to a "glocalized" vision, and provides a solid foundation for further exploration of world literary theories.
The Role of Translation in the Worlding of Poetics
Authors: Lee Tong King
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Following Wang Ning's postulation that world poetics is "an open theoretical body that gains in translation and cross-cultural interpretation and can be constantly reconstructed," I expound on the role of translation in the making of world poetics. I argue that the worlding of poetics manifests as a mode of circulating and reading literary theory and criticism by transcending the boundaries of languages and cultures. With reference to two polemical episodes in a Chinese literary context, I illustrate how world poetics serves as a platform for the cross-cultural engagement of literary theory; and conversely, how it is contingent on translation and cross-cultural interpretation.
"I Trot Like a Horse": The Early Modern Animal Debate in Gulliver's Travels
Authors: Laitinen Dana
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Does Gulliver's apparent equiphilia (love for equines) at the conclusion of Jonathan Swift's satire signify madness or misanthropy? I say neither, and propose that the neighing narrator is a satirical figure encompassing the animal debate between Michel de Montaigne and René Descartes. Swift's satire, I argue, addresses the early-modern controversy over human-animal distinctions by dramatizing a profound skepticism toward human reason. Swift's stance is registered in a vacillation between literalization of human-animal conversations, lampooning Montaigne, and satirizing Cartesian mechanism. I conclude that the greatest paradox of Gulliver's Travels is that Swift's satirization of skepticism is an endorsement of skepticism itself.
Biofictional Nietzsche among the Biofictionalists
Authors: Lackey Michael
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Friedrich Nietzsche is the protagonist of many novels, but for authors of biofictions of the German iconoclast, their Nietzsche is not supposed to be seen as the real Nietzsche. Following Nietzsche's method in Thus Spoke Zarathustra , which is an early and vitally important biofiction, authors of biofiction about Nietzsche use the life of the German philologist to give readers themselves. By analyzing and interpreting Thus Spoke Zarathustra as a biofiction, I show how authors of Nietzsche biofictions fictionalize and metaphorize, rather than represent, the life of Nietzsche in order to project into existence their own vision of life and the world.
Everything to Do with Dionysus: Reading The Birth of Tragedy through the Lens of Satyr Play
Authors: Tarnopolsky Christina
Published: June 2024

Abstract: This article offers a new reading of Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy by reading it as a satyr play that utilizes motifs from Euripides's Bacchae , which itself has recently been read as a satyr play. Reading The Birth of Tragedy this way offers new insights into Nietzsche's notion of satyr plays and their relation to Greek tragedy. It also helps to shed light on Nietzsche's depiction of the dual nature of Dionysus and the complex character of human suffering. Finally, it even helps explain Euripides's and Socrates's eventual recognition of the importance of illusion for life.
A surrealistic vérité: Chahine’s in-betweenness in his illustration of Cairo
Authors: Abdel-Ghani Taher , Fareed Mohamed W.
Published: June 2024

Cairo has been described as a city of dualities, in the sense of its conflict between the traditions of the past and the modern values of the present. The city has witnessed rapid transformations in terms of its sociocultural aspects due to political, economic and religious changes. In his work, the acclaimed and legendary Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine portrayed such changes in his 1991 short semi-documentary Al-Qahira Munawwara bi Ahlaha (Cairo as Told by Youssef Chahine) in surrealistic and flâneurie ways. This article breaks down Chahine’s visual interpretation of Cairo to reveal his sense of in-betweenness as a form of urban surrealism. The film offers fragmented episodes of Cairo that are assembled to reflect Chahine’s imagination and collective memory. In filming Cairo, Chahine transformed his portrait of the city into a self-reflexive illustration of a filmmaker who expresses deep admiration for Cairo and its inhabitants.
Richard Green in South African Film: Forging Creative New Directions, Keyan G. Tomaselli and Richard Green (2023)
Authors: Felando Cynthia
Published: June 2024

Review of: Richard Green in South African Film: Forging Creative New Directions, Keyan G. Tomaselli and Richard Green (2023)

Cape Town: BestRed, 270 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-92824-660-2, p/bk, USD $45.00
Intergenerációs jógyakorlat: kutatás és projekt a Szeged Klebelsberg-telepi generációk összekapcsolására
Authors: Királykuti Anna
Published: June 2024

Szeged Klebelsberg-telep egy olyan sajátos, lokális kulturális örökséggel és közösséggel rendelkezik, amely figyelemreméltó értéket képvisel napjainkban. Gróf Klebelsberg Kuno munkássága jelentősen meghatározta a telep kialakulását, s ezzel jelenlegi életét is. A telepen élő lakosok, nagyrészt a Baby-boomer generáció tagjai, jelenleg is őrzik a kultuszminiszter iránti tiszteletet és hagyományokat. A telepen megfigyelhető egy generációs szakadék, a Baby-boomer és a Z-generáció tagjai között. Az idősebb generáció számára nehézséget jelent a fiatalok bekapcsolása a közösségi életbe, illetve a múlt értékeinek átadása. Egy kutatás során kiderült, hogy szükség lenne segítségre a generációs kapcsolódás kialakítása érdekében. A generációs probléma megoldására kidolgoztam egy olyan projekttervet, csapatvetélkedő ötletét, amellyel fiatalos, játékos formában lehet a középiskolásokkal megismertetni a helyi örökségek fontosságát. A csapatvetélkedő 2023. október 20-án valósult meg, az említett két generáció részvételével. A vetélkedő szervezése és megvalósítása remek tapasztalatszerzést jelentett számomra, továbbá hasznos mintaként szolgálhat a generációs problémák megoldására.
Mindennapi olvasmányok
Authors: Kerpics Judit
Published: June 2024

Tanulmányomban a 19-20. századi magyar művelődés egyik meghatározó műfajával, a kalendáriummal foglalkozom két konkrét kötet vizsgálatán keresztül. A 19. század közepére a magyar kalendárium-irodalom egyre gyarapodott és új attribútumokat is felvett. Az eredeti időjelző funkció, jeles napok és ünnepek felsorolása mellett egyre több praktikus tanács, ismeretterjesztő írás és szépirodalmi szöveg került be ezekbe az eredendően olcsó, széles néprétegekhez eljutó kiadványokba. Podmaniczky Frigyes és nővére, Jósika Júlia mindketten szerkesztettek kalendáriumot: az előbbi az 1857-es Délibáb Képes Naptár, míg az utóbbi a 1861-es Hölgynaptár szerkesztője volt. Egyikük sem folytatta a vállalkozást az első kötet után, és mindketten egy-egy hetilaphoz kapcsolódó kiadványt szerkesztettek. Dolgozatom a korszakra jellemző olvasási szokásokra, művelődési lehetőségekre világít rá két, egymáshoz időben közeli példán keresztül.
Tankötelezettség és generációs közösségi tanulás a tanyai népiskolákban
Authors: T. Molnár Gizella
Published: June 2024

Magyarországon a kiegyezést és az 1868-as tankötelezettségi törvényt követően vett nagyobb lendületet a közoktatás, amire nagy szükség volt, mert 1880-ban analfabéta volt a hat éven felüli lakosság közel hatvan százaléka. De nem volt elegendő iskola és tanító sem.
A törvény nyomán tanyai iskolák létesültek, melyek köré hamarosan közösségek szerveződtek, amiben nagy szerepe volt az ott működő tanítóknak. Eötvös kultuszminiszter számított is a tanítóság elhivatottságára, s 1870-ben körrendeletben buzdította a tanítókat, hogy segítsék az elmaradottakat az írás, olvasás, számolás és egyéb elemi ismeretek elsajátításában. A tanítók feladataként a tankötelezettek oktatása mellett az általános műveltség és közhasznú ismeretek terjesztését is megjelölte. A közmegbecsülésnek örvendő tanító a közösségi tanulás, az intergenerációs ismeretátadás számos formáját valósította meg az iskola falai között. A tanulmány ezt a folyamatot, benne a tanítók szerepét mutatja be konkrét példákkal.