bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Global Argument from Evil
Authors: van Inwagen Peter
Published: May 2007

The global argument from evil proceeds from a premise about the vast amount of suffering that actually exists. The popular contention that there is something morally objectionable about treating this argument as ‘just one more philosophical argument’ is examined and rejected. Atheist — an idealized proponent of the argument — presents the argument to an audience of idealized agnostics in an attempt to convert them to atheism. Theist — an idealized critic of the argument — tries to block this attempt at conversion. The idea of a ‘defence’ is introduced: the idea of a story that contains both God and all the evils that actually exist, a story that is put forward not as true but as ‘true for all anyone knows’. Theist is represented as employing a version of the ‘free-will defence’, a story according to which the evils of the world result from the abuse of free will by created beings.
Kant
Authors: Potter Michael
Published: May 2007

The problem of reconciling the necessity of arithmetic with its applicability illustrates of the more general problem of explaining the applicability of the propositions of pure reason to experience. For Kant, it becomes urgent only in relation to propositions which, although in some sense the products of pure reason, nevertheless have a subject matter: the danger is that we conceive of this subject matter as consisting of objects existing in a realm wholly isolated from the world of experience, and it is then apt to seem puzzling how features of this abstract realm could possibly be relevant to reasoning about the empirical one. The key to the way out of this difficulty that Kant recommended is for us to contrive that those concepts and principles which we adopt a priori be used for viewing objects from two different points of view — on the one hand, in connection with experience, as objects of the senses and of the understanding, and on the other hand, using isolated reason that strives to transcend all limits of experience.
Hilbert's Programme
Authors: Potter Michael
Published: May 2007

By the time Hilbert's first series of published research on the foundations of mathematics came to an end around 1904, he had formulated but not solved the problem of finding — for a formal system of arithmetic such as that supplied by Peano — proof of consistency not reliant on the construction of a model. Even if he succeeded in obtaining such a non-semantic proof, there would remain two substantial objections to placing any philosophical significance on the result. First is Frege's objection that the consistency of a list of axioms does not in itself ensure the existence of anything satisfying them. Second is Poincaré's objection that the proof of consistency must make use of the principle of mathematical induction, and is therefore inherently circular. This chapter studies how Hilbert maintained the centrality to his project of finding a consistency proof for arithmetic while adopting a sort of formalism that transformed the significance of such a proof so as to address these two objections.
Conclusion
Authors: Potter Michael
Published: May 2007

This concluding chapter summarizes the discussion in the preceding chapters. The book sought an answer to the question: can we give an account of arithmetic which does not make it depend for its truth on the way the world is? And if so, what constrains the world to conform to arithmetic? All the accounts we have considered have turned out to be flawed. But what is striking is how often an account was rejected not for philosophical reasons but for technical ones. It is shown that since the problem of arithmetic participates in the larger puzzle of the relationship between thought, language, experience, and the world, we can distinguish accounts that look to each of these to supply the content we require.
The Emotions As Value Judgements In Chrysippus
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

Chrysippus (Stoic, 3rd century BCE) gives an intellectualist account of emotions: they are value judgements stating that the situation is good or bad, and that it is appropriate to react accordingly. In appetite and fear, pursuit and avoidance, in pleasure and distress, a felt expansion or sinking (contraction) of soul are judged appropriate. All other emotions fall under these four generic emotions. Shocks to soul (e.g., expansion and sinking) and to body are not part of the emotion, but only necessary accompaniments. The judgements are not involuntary appearances, but voluntary assents to how things appear. Most should be reconsidered, as mistaken, assent withheld, and the emotion thus eradicated. This leaves motivation intact, since we can keep both good emotions which involve no mistake (eupatheiai), and unemotional judgements (eklogai) about what is natural and preferable, though it falls short of being good. Preferable things can be desired ‘with reservation’.
The Arts
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

According to Seneca, the arts, including tragedy and music, can only produce first movements. So Aristotle's claim that tragedy and comedy produce catharsis by arousing emotion is wrong, as is Posidonius' belief in wordless music changing emotion without changing judgements. But, pace Seneca, there is a residue of cases of genuine emotion about the content of the play or about the melody, and a better defence of Stoicism in these cases would be that the relevant judgements are there. But when wordless music changes emotion, Posidonius prefers to say that the emotion is non-judgemental; Philodemus, his Epicurean contemporary, says that the emotion persists and one is merely distracted. The debate involved Pythagoreans, the Stoics Zeno and Diogenes of Babylon, and later Augustine.
The Concept Of Will
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

The term ‘free will’ appears first in Lucretius' Latin, but will plays little role in accounts of freedom until Augustine, and that innovation was not clarifying. The concept of will was composed by Augustine out of elements that had flourished better in pagan philosophy when separate. ‘Will’ translates Greek boulêsis or thelêsis. Freedom and responsibility are treated together in Plato's Republic, but will power is treated separately, and none are discussed under the name boulêsis by him or until Posidonius. In Aristotle, boulêsis is a rational desire for end not means, and for good not pleasure or honour, but it is not closely connected with freedom, responsibility or will power. A connexion between will (voluntas) and responsibility (voluntarius) emerges in Seneca's Latin, but his will is not distinct from reason. Alexander (Aristotelian) follows Epictetus (Stoic), who first tied responsibility closely to Aristotle's prohairesis, rational desire for means.
From First Movements To the Seven Cardinal Sins Evagrius
Authors: Sorabji Richard
Published: May 2007

Evagrius (4th century CE Christian) found himself as desert hermit assailed by the eight involuntary bad thoughts of gluttony, lust, avarice, distress, anger boredom (akêdia), vanity (concern with others' opinions), and pride (belief in self-sufficiency). These evolved into the seven cardinal sins, but they were not yet sins nor emotions, only temptations. It was up to us whether they turned into emotions or lingered. Like Origen, he pictures the bad thoughts sometimes being presented by crafty demons who know how innocent thoughts can be used to lead to bad ones. In the counter-attack, one must notice in what sequences thoughts come, the timings of the bad ones, and how thoughts of lust and vanity can repel each other, or conquest of gluttony defeat lust. We need to know which thought is helped, which inflamed, by leaving one's cell. Thus, we may progress towards the Stoic goal of apatheia.
Imagination and Emotion
Authors: Schroeder Timothy , Matheson Carl
Published: May 2007

Theorists in the philosophy of art and philosophy of psychology are converging on the view that imagining is a distinct propositional attitude. When one imagines that P (while engaging with a fiction, daydreaming, contemplating, etc.), one tokens a representation that P, and this representation plays the functional role that is distinctive of imagining. In particular, this representation plays a role that is distinct from the role of belief, but that also triggers the kinds of strong feelings (emotions) that beliefs trigger. This chapter begins by surveying this trend to convergence and the evidence presented for it, and then turns to adding a further piece of evidence. The claim imagining that P can cause strong feelings is, at bottom, a causal claim amenable to neuroscientific investigation. But philosophers have not yet paid much attention to the available evidence from neuroscience. This chapter rectifies this omission, tracing the causal network between tokenings of representations that P, on the one hand, and strong feelings, on the other. It concludes that there is all but decisive evidence in favour of the view that imagining is a propositional attitude, distinct from belief, and capable of causing the strong feelings associated with its exercise.
Imagination and Misimagination
Authors: Morton Adam
Published: May 2007

This chapter tries to say what it is to misimagine another person's mind. The idea that misimagination of mind is possible, that there is a difference between correct or accurate imagination of another and faulty imagination, is not obviously right. A defence of the possibility of misimagination is constructed in terms of one person's grasp of the perspectives in terms of which another operates. The chapter also discusses ways in which we systematically misimagine other people, and relates this to the depiction of character in literature. It is possible that many vivid literary personalities could not exist in real life, since we can easily imagine people having characteristics that humans in fact do not have. Imagining people's minds is closely related to intuitive understanding of others' actions, since in both cases one has to grasp the perspectives that organize a person's actions. An analysis is given of what these perspectives consist; reproducing them accurately is an important aspect of accurate imagination. One consequence is that imagining someone's imagining is more likely to be accurate than simple imagining.
Why Pretend?
Authors: Carruthers Peter
Published: May 2007

This chapter studies the question of children's motivations to engage in pretence, using an account provided by Nichols and Stich in 2003 as a stalking horse. It argues that they are correct about much of the basic cognitive architecture necessary to explain pretence, but wrong on the question of motivation. Following a discussion of the views of Currie and Ravenscroft in 2002 on this issue, the chapter draws on Damasio's 1994 description of the way in which emotions enter into practical reasoning involving mental rehearsal. It concludes by defending a novel explanation of the motivations underlying pretence.
On the (So‐called) Puzzle of Imaginative Resistance
Authors: Walton Kendall
Published: May 2007

What has been called the ‘puzzle of imaginative resistance’, sometimes attributed to David Hume and discussed recently by Tamar Gendler and others, is actually a collection of related but distinct puzzles, none of them aptly described by that phrase. They include the aesthetic puzzle, in several varieties (Do moral failings of a work of art affect its aesthetic value?); the imaginative puzzle, which also divides into several (Why do we refuse to, or why are we unable to, engage in certain imaginings?); and the fictionality puzzle (Why do we resist allowing that certain propositions are fictional, true in a fiction — notably principles of morality that we strongly disagree with?). Only by disentangling these puzzles can we hope to make progress in solving them.
Risk
Authors: Wolff Jonathan , De-Shalit Avner
Published: May 2007

This chapter argues the importance of examining not only what functionings a person achieves, but also his or her prospect of securing and sustaining a level of functioning should he or she attempt to do so. Key determinants of their prospects are: their probability of success, and what they have to sacrifice to achieve that probability of success. Thus, a key aspect of disadvantage is for one's functionings being or becoming insecure involuntarily, or when in order to secure certain functionings, one is forced to make other functionings insecure in a way that other people do not have to do. Accordingly, a policy of rectifying disadvantage would need to pay special attention to the question of how to secure functionings and how to avoid cross-category risk, i.e., when a risk spreads to other functionings. It is suggested that if a snapshot of a person's functioning is to be represented as a bar chart, the heights and widths of each bar should represent the functioning level achieved and the functioning's security, respectively.
Oral and Written Texts
Authors: Samely Alexander
Published: May 2007

Rabbinic documents present themselves to some extent as having their root in the oral transmission of information. This chapter attempts to summarize some important aspects of the rabbis' own explanation of this, nowadays treated under the label ‘oral Torah’. It then explores the hermeneutic effect of oral contexts, as well as the constitution of ‘social texts’ in the interaction of several voices in conversation. For the latter, two scenarios are considered: the selective use of an existing text in a discussion setting; and a kind of ‘committee’ meeting in which a record of rabbinic information is created from scratch. The chapter concludes with a critique of the idea that rabbinic texts were shaped by or for oral performance.
The Talmud as Conversation and Repository
Authors: Samely Alexander
Published: May 2007

This chapter examines the literary features in the Babylonian Talmud. The Gemara's use of earlier rabbinic voices appears partly carefully orchestrated and partly merely accumulative. The lemmatic division which defines the Gemara as a commentary of sorts on the Mishnah is described, the dialectical conversation which gives it its ‘talmudic’ flavour is analyzed, and some recurrent drills by which the Gemara interprets the Mishnah are listed. The way in which the Gemara suggests that the statements it quotes were historically connected, while presenting itself in an unbounded diversity of form and contents, is discussed.
Cooperation is less likely to evolve in a finite population with a highly skewed distribution of family size
Authors: Lessard Sabin
Published: May 2007

In the context of the finitely repeated Prisoner's Dilemma with the possibility of cooperating or defecting each time, the strategy tit-for-tat (TFT) consists in cooperating the first time and copying the strategy previously used by the opponent the next times. Assuming random pairwise interactions in a finite population of always defecting individuals, TFT can be favoured by selection to go to fixation following its introduction as a mutant strategy. We deduce the condition for this to be the case under weak selection in the framework of a general reproduction scheme in discrete time. In fact, we show when and why the one-third rule for the evolution of cooperation holds, and how it extends to a more general rule. The condition turns out to be more stringent when the numbers of descendants left by the individuals from one time-step to the next may substantially differ. This suggests that the evolution of cooperation is made more difficult in populations with a highly skewed distribution of family size. This is illustrated by two examples.
Factors During Pregnancy, Delivery and Birth Affecting Global Quality of Life of the Adult Child at Long-term Follow-up. Results from the Prospective Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort 1959-61
Authors: Ventegodt Søren , Flensborg-Madsen Trine , Andersen Niels Jørgen , Merrick Joav
Published: May 2007

This paper presents a prospective cohort study, where we explore associations between pregnancy, delivery and the global quality of life (QOL) of the adult child 31-33 years later. The data is from the Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort 1959-61 using two sets of questionnaires send to 7,222 persons: one filled out by physicians during pregnancy and delivery, while the follow-up questionnaire was completed by the adult children 31-33 years later. The main outcome measures were objective factors describing pregnancy and delivery along with global quality of life, including: Well-being, life satisfaction, happiness, fulfilment of needs, experience of life's temporal and spatial domains, expression of life's potentials and objective measures. Results showed two main factors in pregnancy that seemed to be associated with a reduced quality of life for the child 31-33 years later: the mother's smoking habits and the mother's medication–especially painkillers and different psychopharmacological drugs with the association being most prevalent early in pregnancy. Considering what can and do go wrong during the various stages of labour and delivery and considering how few connections we found between the factors examined and the later global QOL, it seems that the child is remarkably resilient to external influences during pregnancy and delivery concerned with global QOL, as an adult.
The Extent of Lymphadenectomy at the Time of Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer and its Impact on Prognosis and Survival
Authors: Josephson David Y. , Stein John P.
Published: May 2007

Radical cystectomy has become a standard and effective treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, however, the role and appropriate extent of a concomitant lymphadenectomy continues to evolve. We performed a detailed review of the English medical literature pertaining to the historical development and rationale for an extended lymphadenectomy in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. An historical perspective of lymphadenectomy and an anatomic account of bladder lymphatic drainage are presented. The boundaries and technique of an extended lymphadenectomy are also highlighted. Autopsy and contemporary survival data are presented to suggest that a more extensive lymphadenectomy has both prognostic and therapeutic utility. Furthermore, the stage of the primary bladder tumor, total number of lymph nodes removed, and the lymph node tumor burden are shown to be important prognostic variables in patients undergoing cystectomy with pathologic evidence of lymph node metastasis. Radical cystectomy provides not only excellent local cancer control with low pelvic recurrence rates, but also the best long-term survival. Radical cystectomy with an appropriate extended lymphadenectomy, while surgically more challenging, does not significantly increase the morbidity or mortality of the procedure. Although the absolute limits of the lymph node dissection remain to be determined, there is an evolving body of data to support that an extended lymphadenectomy provides further diagnostic and therapeutic benefit.
Neutron Capture Radiography: Neutron Capture Radiography:a technique for isotopic labelling and analytical imaging with a few stable isotopes
Authors: Thellier Michel , Ripoll Camille
Published: May 2007

NCR (neutron capture radiography) may be used successfully for the imaging of one of the stable isotopes of a few chemical elements (especially6Li and10B, possibly also14N,17O, and others) and for labelling experiments using these stable isotopes. Other physical techniques compete with NCR. However, NCR can remain extremely useful in a certain number of cases, because it is usually more easily done and is less expensive than the other techniques.
Human development III: Bridging Brain-Mind and Body-Mind. Introduction to “Deep” (Fractal, Poly-Ray) Cosmology
Authors: Ventegodt Søren , Hermansen Tyge Dahl , Rald Erik , Flensborg-Madsen Trine , Nielsen Maj Lyck , Clausen Birgitte , Merrick Joav
Published: May 2007

Reality can be interpreted in many ways, but two distinctly different ways are the mental and the emotional interpretation. The traditional way of thinking in science today is the first: an often simple and mechanical interpretation of reality that empowers us to handle the outer physical world with great, often brutal efficiency. The development of a mind that enables us to handle the outer physical world and survive makes a lot of sense from an evolutionary perspective; the problem is that the mental reason and linear logic reduces all phenomena to well-defined interacting objects, which might not exist from a deeper perspective of reality. A more intuitive way to interpret the world makes much more sense, when it comes to our human relations. So to function as a human being, we need both these two ways of seeing the world, and two different modi operandi. In many patients, we find an internalized conflict between logical and mental reasoning on one hand, and emotional and sexual approach to reality and human needs on the other. We speculate that this conflict causes the deep emotional problems that really are the basis of most human diseases. Only by merging brain-mind and body-mind will we be whole and free and truly ourselves. We need to develop our mental understanding, deepen our cosmology, and develop our sexuality and body-mind in order to make them meet and merge. To facilitate this existential healing, we propose a third integrative way of looking at our human nature, which we call “the energetic-informational interpretation of reality”. What it does is allows us to look at both brain-mind and body-mind as a highly structured field of “energy and information”. Energy and information are actually the same from a scientific point of view; when the world is seen through the body-mind, it looks more like energy; when seen though the brain-mind, it looks more like information.
Human development IV: The Living Cell has Information-Directed Self-Organisation
Authors: Ventegodt Søren , Hermansen Tyge Dahl , Flensborg-Madsen Trine , Nielsen Maj Lyck , Clausen Birgitte , Merrick Joav
Published: May 2007

In this paper, restricted to describe the ontogenesis of the cell, we discuss the processing of DNA through RNA to proteins and argue that this process is not able to transfer the information necessary to organize the proteins in the cell, but only to transfer the information necessary to form the shape of the proteins. We shortly describe the structure of the information carrying field recruited by the cells that we think is responsible for building the organelles and other cellular structures. We use the cells superior control of its cytoskeleton as an example of how the cell is using an informational field giving the positional information guiding all the local chemical processes behind the cell movement. We describe the information-directed self-organization in cells and argue that this can explain the ontogenesis of the cell. We also suggest the existence of an undiscovered phenomenon behind the information transmitting cell interactions. We conclude that during evolution the cell has developed into an information-guided self-organizing structure. The mystery we want to solve is: what is the mechanical cause and nature of biological information?
Multiple Myeloma and B Cell Lymphoma. Investigation of IL-6, IL-6 Receptor Antagonist (IL-6RA), and GP130 Antagonist (GP130A) Using Various Parameters in anIn VitroModel
Authors: Kovacs Eva
Published: May 2007

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) affects the survival and proliferation of myeloma cells via autocrine and/or paracrine mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the effects of IL-6, IL-6 receptor antagonist (IL-6RA), and gp130 antagonist (gp130A) on the membrane expressions of IL-6R and gp130, on the viability, on the proliferation, on the DNA synthesis, and on the cell cycle phases in several multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines and B cell lymphoma cell lines. Our results showed that (1) all five MM cell lines (OPM-2, RPMI-8226, U-266, KMS-12-BM, MOLP-8) expressed surface IL-6R and gp130, the B cell lymphomas (WSU-1, DOHH-2, U-698) expressed only gp130; (2) exogenous IL-6 markedly up-regulated the expression of membrane IL-6R (up to 186%) and down-regulated the gp130 receptor (down to 4%) in MM cell lines, the membrane expression of gp130 in B cell lymphomas was not altered; (3) IL-6 markedly increased the spontaneous proliferation (up to 151%) in all MM cell lines, that of B cell lymphomas was not affected; (4) IL-6 increased the DNA synthesis in the S cell cycle phase of MM cells and arrested the stage G2/M, IL-6 was ineffective in any cell cycle phase of B cell lymphoma; (5) IL-6RA inhibited the membrane IL-6R partially, the proliferation was decreased only slightly; and (6) although gp130A inhibited the membrane gp130 completely, the proliferation was decreased 81—78% in MM and B cell lymphoma cell lines. This means that gp130 is not absolutely necessary for the cellular signalling cascade via JAK/STAT and RAS/MAPK pathways involved in proliferation and viability. Our results give an indication in the therapy of MM: IL-6 antibody (IL-6A) alone or in combination with IL-6RA. The latter could be more effective. This kind of therapy is not recommended for B cell lymphoma, as these cells have no IL-6R.
The Bacterial Microflora of Fish, Revised
Authors: Austin B.
Published: May 2007

The results of numerous studies indicate that fish possess bacterial populations on or in their skin, gills, digestive tract, and light-emitting organs. In addition, the internal organs (kidney, liver, and spleen) of healthy fish may contain bacteria, but there is debate about whether or not muscle is actually sterile. Using traditional culture-dependent techniques, the numbers and taxonomic composition of the bacterial populations generally reflect those of the surrounding water. More modern culture-independent approaches have permitted the recognition of previously uncultured bacteria. The role of the organisms includes the ability to degrade complex molecules (therefore exercising a potential benefit in nutrition), to produce vitamins and polymers, and to be responsible for the emission of light by the light-emitting organs of deep-sea fish. Taxa, including Pseudomonas, may contribute to spoilage by the production of histamines in fish tissue.
Effects of Caloric Restriction and Exercise Training on Skeletal Muscle Histochemistry in Aging Fischer 344 Rats
Authors: Lowenthal David T. , Kendrick Zebulon V. , Starnes Joseph W. , Carmeli Eli
Published: May 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of calorie restriction and exercise on hindlimb histochemistry and fiber type in Fischer 344 rats as they advanced from adulthood through senescence. At 10 months of age, animals were divided into sedentary fedad libitum, exercise (18 m/min, 8% grade, 20 min/day, 5 days/week) fedad libitum, and calorie restricted by alternate days of feeding. Succinic dehydrogenase, myosin adenosine triphosphatase (mATPase at pH 9.4), nicotine adenonine dinucleotide reductase, and Periodic Acid Shiff histochemical stains were performed on plantaris and soleus muscles. The results indicated that aging resulted in a progressive decline in plantaris Type I muscle fiber in sedentary animals, while exercise resulted in maintenance of these fibers. The percent of plantaris Type II fibers increased between 10 and 24 months of age. Exercise also resulted in a small, but significant, increase in the percentage of plantaris Type IIa fibers at 24 months of age. The soleus fiber distribution for Type I fibers was unaffected by increasing age in all groups of animals. The implications of these results suggest the implementation of exercise as a lifestyle modification as early as possible.
Effects of Pesticides on Occupationally Exposed Humans
Authors: Piperakis Stylianos M. , Kontogianni Konstantina , Piperakis Michael M. , Marcos Ricardo , Tsilimigaki Smaragdi
Published: May 2007

Pesticides are known to contain numerous genotoxic compounds; however, genotoxicity biomonitoring studies of workers occupationally exposed to pesticides have produced variable results. In this study, we employed the Comet assay to examine DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from 64 greenhouse workers from Almería in south-eastern Spain in comparison to PBLs from 50 men from the same area but not engaged in any agricultural work. The results indicated that there were no differences in the basal levels of DNA damage in the two study groups. In addition, exposure of PBL from the workers and controls to hydrogen peroxide or γ-irradiation led to similar levels of DNA damage; the subsequent repair of the induced DNA damage was also similar for both study populations. Smoking had no impact on any of the responses. The results of this study indicate that the greenhouse workers had no detectable increase in DNA damage or alteration in the cellular response to DNA damage compared to our control population.
Effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S.: Preliminary Objective and Subjective Outcome Evaluation Findings
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L.
Published: May 2007

There are two tiers of programs in the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes). In the Tier 1 Program, teaching units based on different positive youth development constructs are covered. Pre- and post-test data utilizing the Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale (CPYDS) and post-test subjective outcome evaluation data were collected from 546 students who participated in the 20h Tier 1 Program of the P.A.T.H.S. Project. Results showed that high proportions of the respondents had positive perceptions of the program and the instructors, with 85.3% of the respondents regarding the program as helpful to them. Positive changes in the program participants in many measures of positive youth development were also observed. Although there were some increases in problem behavior in some areas, adolescent problem behavior was generally stable. The present study provides preliminary support for the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong.
Combined Dexamethasone Suppression-Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Stimulation Test in Studies of Depression, Alcoholism, and Suicidal Behavior
Authors: Sher Leo
Published: May 2007

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis controls the secretion of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), corticotropin (adrenocorticotropic hormone, ACTH), and cortisol. The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) is the most frequently used test to assess HPA system function in psychiatric disorders. Patients who have failed to suppress plasma cortisol secretion, i.e., who escape from the suppressive effect of dexamethasone, have a blunted glucocorticoid receptor response. After CRH became available for clinical studies, the DST was combined with CRH administration. The resulting combined dexamethasone suppression-corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation (DST–CRH) test proved to be more sensitive in detecting HPA system changes than the DST. There is a growing interest in the use of the DEX-CRH test for psychiatric research. The DEX-CRH test has been used to study different psychiatric conditions. Major depression, alcoholism, and suicidal behavior are public health problems around the world. Considerable evidence suggests that HPA dysregulation is involved in the pathogenesis of depressive disorders, alcoholism, and suicidal behavior. Over the past 2 decades, there has been a shift from viewing excessive HPA activity in depression as an epiphenomenon to its having specific effects on symptom formation and cognition. The study of HPA function in depression, alcoholism, and suicidal behavior may yield new understanding of the pathophysiolgy of these conditions, and suggest new approaches for therapeutic interventions. The combined DEX-CRH test may become a useful neuroendocrinological tool for evaluating psychiatric patients.
Human Development IX: A Model of the Wholeness of Man, His Consciousness, and Collective Consciousness
Authors: Ventegodt Søren , Hermansen Tyge Dahl , Flensborg-Madsen Trine , Rald Erik , Nielsen Maj Lyck , Merrick Joav
Published: May 2007

In this paper we look at the rational and the emotional interpretation of reality in the human brain and being, and discuss the representation of the brain-mind (ego), the body-mind (Id), and the outer world in the human wholeness (the I or “soul”). Based on this we discuss a number of factors including the coherence between perception, attention and consciousness, and the relation between thought, fantasies, visions and dreams. We discuss and explain concepts as intent, will, morals and ethics. The Jungian concept of the human collective conscious and unconscious is also analyzed. We also hypothesis on the nature of intuition and consider the source of religious experience of man. These phenomena are explained based on the concept of deep quantum chemistry and infinite dancing fractal spirals making up the energetic backbone of the world. In this paper we consider man as a real wholeness and debate the concepts of subjectivity, consciousness and intent that can be deduced from such a perspective.
Osteoporosis in Rett Syndrome: A Study on Normal Values
Authors: Zysman Lilit , Lotan Meir , Ben-Zeev Bruria
Published: May 2007

Osteoporosis is the reduction of calcium density in bones, usually evident in postmenopausal females, yet the tendency for osteoporosis can also be identified at a young age, especially in patients with chronic diseases, disabilities, and on chronic anticonvalsant treatment. Individuals with Rett syndrome (RS) have been found to show signs of osteoporosis at a young age. This condition may cause pathological fractures, inflict pain, and seriously damage mobility. In such cases, the quality of life of the individual and her primary caretakers will be severely hampered. This article reviews the current knowledge of the phenomenon and suggests some clinical directions for the individual with RS who shows signs of osteoporosis. The article also presents novel findings from a screening test of bone strength in 35 individuals with RS at different ages using the Sunlight Omnisense 7000P ultrasound apparatus. The primary results from this investigation showed a strong and significant positive correlation between calcium intake and bone strength (p< 0.0001) as well as bone density Z values (p< 0.005). The occurrence and frequency of fractures were found connected with reduced bone strength in measurements of both the radius (p< 0.0001) and the tibia (p< 0.004) as well as with negative bone strength Z values (p= 0.03). Other findings specified within the content of the article support the implementation of a comprehensive antiosteoporotic preventive management for this population.
Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Parathyroid Hyperplasia in Dialysis Patients
Authors: Pavlovic Drasko , Tomic Brzac Hrvojka
Published: May 2007

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is one of the most common complications in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Bone and mineral disorders, increased morbidity and mortality are the consequences of SHPT. Therefore, prevention and control of hyperparathyroidism is one of the main objectives in the management of patients with CKD, particularly in dialysis patients.It is well known that SHPT in CKD is not only a state of increased parathyroid hormone (PTH) synthesis and secretion, but more importantly, it is a state of parathyroid gland (PTG) hyperplasia. The serum concentration of intact PTH is the main method used to assess PTG overactivity. Unfortunately, estimating the size and shape of the PTG in SHPT diagnosis, i.e., parathyroid hyperplasia, is still neglected. Among the various procedures, ultrasonography could be the method of choice to detect PTG size and shape because of its simplicity and noninvasiveness. This method can be sufficiently sensitive to distinguish diffuse and nodular hyperplasia.
Genetics of Malignant Hyperthermia
Authors: Brandom Barbara W.
Published: May 2007

Study of the genetics of the malignant hyperthermia syndrome began in families in which both malignant hyperthermia (MH) episodes had been experienced and individuals had strongly positive contracture tests diagnostic of susceptibility to MH. Linkage studies associated this MH phenotype to the ryanodine receptor gene (RYR1) at chromosome 19q13.1 in many families. Although the MH phenotype is not always linked to chromosome 19, theRYR1has remained the focus of experimentation. Other candidate genes exist, but few MH-susceptible families have variants of these genes. Hundreds of MH-susceptible people have variants ofRYR1.
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors and Shock State
Authors: Esposito Emanuela , Cuzzocrea Salvatore , Meli Rosaria
Published: May 2007

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors that are related to retinoid, steroid, and thyroid hormone receptors. Three isotypes of PPARs have been identified: alpha, beta/delta, and gamma, encoded by different genes and distributed in various tissues. PPARs are implicated in the control of inflammatory responses and in energy homeostasis and, thus, can be defined as metabolic and anti-inflammatory transcription factors. They exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the induction of proinflammatory cytokines, adhesion molecules, and extracellular matrix proteins, or by stimulating the production of anti-inflammatory molecules. Moreover, PPARs modulate the proliferation, differentiation, and survival of immune cells. This review presents the current state of knowledge regarding the involvement of PPARs in the control of inflammatory response, and their potential therapeutic applications in several types of shock, as well as hemorrhagic, septic, and nonseptic shock.
Early Contact Stage of Apoptosis: Its Morphological Features and Function
Authors: Mikadze Etheri , Mamatsashvili Teo
Published: May 2007

Apoptosis has been a biological phenomenon of intense interest for 20 years, but the earlier morphological features of apoptosis have not been determined hitherto. Using the methods of semi- and ultrathin sections, the livers of intact embryos and young rats have been studied under the effect of cycloheximide to determine morphological features of an early stage of apoptosis. It is discovered that both in hepatoblasts and hepatocytes, apoptosis, besides the well-known stages, also includes an early contact stage, distinguishing features of which are agglutination of bound ribosomes (breaking of translation), elimination of the nucleolus, reduction of free polysomes (and in hepatocytes, reduction of cisterns of rough endoplasmic reticulum), formation of cytoplasmic excrescences, and cell shape changes. The early stage of apoptosis is characterized by close contact with neighboring cells. At a certain phase of the contact stage of apoptosis, the nucleolus reappears in the nucleus and the number of free polysomes in the cytoplasm increases, which suggests the renewal of synthesis of new RNA and proteins. Close contact of differentiating and mitotic hepatoblasts with apoptotic cells indicates a certain functional relationship between these cells that is realized not only by micropinocytosis, but through gap junctions as well. We assume that the apoptotic cell, besides proteolytic products, can contain newly synthesized, low-molecular substances, the relocation of which from apoptotic to neighboring cells may contribute to both functional activity and proliferation of adjacent hepatoblasts and, therefore, the function of apoptosis may not be limited only to the elimination of harmful, damaged, and unwanted cells.
Limb Regeneration in Axolotl: Is It Superhealing?
Authors: Roy Stéphane , Lévesque Mathieu
Published: May 2007

The ability of axolotls to regenerate their limbs is almost legendary. In fact, urodeles such as the axolotl are the only vertebrates that can regenerate multiple structures like their limbs, jaws, tail, spinal cord, and skin (the list goes on) throughout their lives. It is therefore surprising to realize, although we have known of their regenerative potential for over 200 years, how little we understand the mechanisms behind this achievement of adult tissue morphogenesis. Many observations can be drawn between regeneration and other disciplines such as development and wound healing. In this review, we present new developments in functional analysis that will help to address the role of specific genes during the process of regeneration. We also present an analysis of the resemblance between wound healing and regeneration, and discuss whether axolotls are superhealers. A better understanding of these animals' regenerative capacity could lead to major benefits by providing regenerative medicine with directions on how to develop therapeutic approaches leading to regeneration in humans.
Clinical Holistic Medicine: The Case Story of Anna. I. Long-Term Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Incest with a Treatment Approach
Authors: Ventegodt Søren , Clausen Birgitte , Merrick Joav
Published: May 2007

The nervous breakdown of a 22-year-old, young woman was caused by severe sexual abuse in childhood, which was repressed over many years. During therapy, the patient accumulated resources to start the painful integration of these old traumas. Using holistic existential therapy in accordance with the life mission theory and the holistic process theory of healing, she finally was able to confront her old traumas and heal her existence. She seemingly recovered completely (including regaining full emotional range) through holistic existential therapy, individually and in a group. The therapy took 18 months and more than 100 hours of intensive therapy. In the beginning of the therapy, the issues were her physical and mental health; in the middle of the therapy, the central issue was her purpose of life and her love life; and at the conclusion of the therapy, the issue was gender and sexuality. The strategy was to build up her strength for several months, mobilizing hidden resources and motivation for living, before the old traumas could be confronted and integrated. The therapy was based on quality of life philosophy, on the life mission theory, the theory of ego, the theory of talent, the theory of the evil side of man, the theory of human character, and the holistic process theory of healing. The clinical procedures included conversation, philosophical training, group therapeutic tools, extended use of therapeutic touch, holistic pelvic examination, and acceptance through touch was used to integrate the early traumas bound to the pelvis and scar tissue in the sexual organs. She was processed according to 10 levels of the advanced toolbox for holistic medicine and the general plan for clinical holistic psychiatry. The emotional steps she went through are well described by the scale of existential responsibility. The case story of Anna is an example of how even the most severely ill patient can recover fully with the support of holistic medical treatment, making her feel, understand, and let go of her negative beliefs and life-denying decisions.
Clinical Holistic Medicine: The Case Story of Anna. III. Rehabilitation of Philosophy of Life During Holistic Existential Therapy for Childhood Sexual Abuse
Authors: Ventegodt Søren , Clausen Birgitte , Merrick Joav
Published: May 2007

When we experience life events with overwhelming emotional pain, we can escape this pain by making decisions (in our mind) that transfer responsibility from our existence to the surrounding world. By doing this, we slowly destroy the essence of our being, health, quality of life, and ability to function. The case of Anna is an excellent example of such a systematic destruction of self, done to survive the extreme pressure from childhood abuse and sexual abuse. The case study shows that the damage done to us by traumatic events is not on our body or soul, but rather our philosophy of life. The important consequence is that we can heal our existence by letting go of the negative decisions taken in the past painful and traumatic situations. By letting go of the life-denying sentences, we come back to life and take responsibility for our own life and existence. The healing of Annas existence was done by existential holistic therapy. Although the processing did not always run smoothly, as she projected very charged material on the therapists on several occasions, the process resulted in full health and a good quality of life due to her own will to recover and heal completely. The case illustrates the inner logic and complexity of intensive holistic therapy at the most difficult moment, where only a combination of intensive medical, psychiatric, and sexological treatment could set her free. In the paper, we also present a meta-perspective on intensive holistic therapy and its most characteristic phases.
Clinical Holistic Medicine: Pilot Study on the Effect of Vaginal Acupressure (Hippocratic Pelvic Massage)
Authors: Ventegodt Søren , Clausen Birgitte , Merrick Joav
Published: May 2007

This is a pilot study of 20 female patients with a long history of sexual problems (mean is 8.92 years) who received vaginal acupressure (VA) with a quantitative and qualitative evaluation: 56% experienced help and none reported setbacks, 89% rated the treatment to be of high quality, and 89% rated it as valuable. After the treatment, most reported their problems to be less serious and their general quality of life improved. Only 17% reported minor or temporary side effects. VA was found statistically and clinically significant (p< 0.05, improvement more than 0.5 step on a 5-point Likert scale) to help patients with chronic genital pains, pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse, lack of desire or orgasm, and subjective sexual insufficiency, and all patients taken as one group (about 1 step up a 5-point Likert scale). Self-evaluated physical and mental health was significantly improved for the total group; the relationship with partner, the subjective sexual ability, and the quality of life that were measured with QOL1 and QOL5 questionnaires were all significantly improved. VA or Hippocratic pelvic massage is technically a simple procedure corresponding to the explorative phase of the standard pelvic examination, supplemented with the patient’s report on the feelings provoked followed by processing and integration of these feelings, but ethical aspects are complicated. Acupressure through the vagina/pelvic massage must be done according to the highest ethical standard with great care, after obtaining consent and the necessary trust of the patient within the framework of the local laws. It must be followed by conversational therapy and further holistic existential processing.
Sense of Coherence and Health. The Construction of an Amendment to Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC II)
Authors: Flensborg-Madsen Trine , Ventegodt Søren , Merrick Joav
Published: May 2007

In two previous papers, we concluded that (1) the sense of coherence (SOC) scale developed by Aaron Antonovsky (1923—1994) is unable to prove the association between SOC and the physical health empirically and (2) the SOC scale is unlikely to be a fair materialization of Antonovskys idea and, thus, unlikely to measure SOC correctly. In order to improve the scale, we developed some new questions that we suggest should be incorporated in a new questionnaire and scale (SOC II) derived directly from Antonovsky's idea and the three key explanatory concepts of SOC: comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. We hope that this new scale will demonstrate a stronger correlation between SOC and physical health.