Pneumorrhachis: A Rare Prognostic Lesson

Objective: We present a case of poly-traumatic epidural pneumorrhachis of an 87-year-old gentleman who had unremarkable neurology on presentation. We give an overview of aetiology and indications for intervention in pneumorrhachis. Background: Pneumorrhachis is the presence of air within the spinal canal, aetiologically it is widely variable though its observation in practice is rare. Methods: Descriptive. Results: We show figures illustrating CT images of pneumorrhachis at C3/4 level. The patient underwent progressive neurological deterioration over the course of four days on intensive care, and subsequently passed away. Conclusion: The presence of pneumorrhachis is well known to be associated with poor prognosis, and in our case predicted his subsequent neurological decline despite initial presentation. The presence of pneumorrhachis also serves as an important clue for hidden injuries.

“Understanding as Translation”: The Gadamerian Legacy in George Steiner’s Philosophy of Internal Translation

This essay investigates the similarities between Steiner’s and Ga­da­mer’s views on “understanding as translation”, since both thinkers were par­tic­ularly in­ter­ested in the case of so-called translation-from-within. The main aim of this essay, how­ever, is not to discuss how Gadamer and Steiner addressed the problem of trans­lation per se. Instead, by starting with the assumption that, for both thinkers, trans­lation serves as a category to depict the complexities of understanding, my objective is to demonstrate how similar their ideas are con­cern­ing factors which either revolve around the act of understanding (cir­cu­lar­ity), or determine its speci­fici­ty (historicity). My analysis shows that both Ga­damer and Steiner devoted much attention to the impact of history on a human being’s interpretation of certain frag­ments of reality and to the di­a­log­i­cal interaction with texts (broadly understood), this being a specific form of her­meneutic conversation which proceeds according to the interpretive cir­cu­lar­ity specific to the hermeneutic tradition. The connection between Ga­da­mer­ian and Steinerian thought may serve as an important clue to the un­derstanding of the philosophical systems of the two thinkers, in particular their views on trans­lation characterized as the act of intralingual communication, an issue which still remains significantly understudied. These findings may also prove use­ful for the development of translation theory, especially its hermeneutic dimension.

KNUCKLE HYPERPIGMENTATION AS A PRELIMINARY MARKER OF VITAMIN B 12 DEFICIENCY: A CASE SERIES

Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in vegetarian population in India and can present with variable Hematological (megaloblastic anemia), Neuropsychiatric, Mucocutaneous (glossitis, angular stomatitis), Skin (pallor, hyperpigmentation) and Hair changes (dry, brittle, thin, lustreless, prematurely grey). Knuckle hyperpigmentation has been described in vitamin B12 deficiency but usually these patients are dermatologically asymptomatic but they have systemic manifestations like megaloblastic anemia, pancytopenia or neurological deficits. The foreground of this study is highlighting the importance of knuckle hyperpigmentation as an early cutaneous sign of vitamin B12 deficiency which points an important clue towards the aetiology of Megaloblastic anemia.

Distracted? Blame Your Claustrum!

To succeed in reading these sentences, your brain must ignore a variety of distractions—sights, sounds, and smells. Resisting distractions is a vital ability for our daily lives, and it poses a unique challenge for people who are dealing with attention disorders. In a recent study, we asked whether an area in the brain called the claustrum supports the ability to ignore distractions. We developed methods that allowed us to silence the claustrum in mice. We challenged these mice with tasks requiring them to pay attention. We found that mice whose claustra were silenced were especially sensitive to distractions. These results provide an important clue about the function of the claustrum, and we hope that they will contribute to the development of new methods that will assist people dealing with attention disorders.

The Perpetrator-Victim Relationship: An Important Clue in Understanding Intimate Partner Homicide in China

Intimate partner homicide (IPH) is a global public health issue that has serious consequences for an individual’s health. Whereas prior research has made some progress analyzing the perpetrator-victim relationship in understanding the dynamics of IPH, research set in the context of China in this field using the perpetrator-victim relationship as a focal variable in analyzing IPH is still lacking. The current study addresses this gap and builds on existing research by exploring the significance of the perpetrator-victim relationship in order to facilitate a deeper understanding of IPH in China. After examining 979 IPH criminal judgments, the findings revealed that the perpetrator-victim relationship is an important clue in understanding IPH in China today. By analyzing the correlation between intimate relationships as a focal variable and other variables such as IPH characteristics and risk factors, it is possible to understand the prevalence of IPH in China in greater detail. Irrespective of the kind of relationship between the perpetrator and victim, the findings revealed that most of them come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, have no previous history of intimate partner violence, and are not satisfied with their marriages. Although research has provided detailed explanations, the perpetrator-victim relationship remains neglected, especially in the context of research on contemporary China. The findings showed that over half of the perpetrators and victims had intimate relationships with people outside their marriages. This may be the main reason for the rapid increase in the number of instances of IPH, which seems to be in tandem with China’s rapid modernization and urbanization.

The role of thrombophilia related polymorphisms in Coronavirus pandemic mortality

The current study represents a comprehensive analysis in several databases and extensive bibliographic review, aiming to evaluate the correlation between the frequency of thrombophilia related polymorphisms with mortality rates by COVID-19 worldwide. We found 8 polymorphisms at 8 genes statistically correlated with Daily Death Rates of COVID-19, being an important clue to assignment of genes involved in poor prognosis of COVID-19, specifically the ones related to thromboembolic events.

Momentum dependent $$d_{xz/yz}$$ band splitting in LaFeAsO

The nematic phase in iron based superconductors (IBSs) has attracted attention with a notion that it may provide important clue to the superconductivity. A series of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies were performed to understand the origin of the nematic phase. However, there is lack of ARPES study on LaFeAsO nematic phase. Here, we report the results of ARPES studies of the nematic phase in LaFeAsO. Degeneracy breaking between the $$d_{xz}$$ d xz and $$d_{yz}$$ d yz hole bands near the $$\Gamma$$ Γ and M point is observed in the nematic phase. Different temperature dependent band splitting behaviors are observed at the $$\Gamma$$ Γ and M points. The energy of the band splitting near the M point decreases as the temperature decreases while it has little temperature dependence near the $$\Gamma$$ Γ point. The nematic nature of the band shift near the M point is confirmed through a detwin experiment using a piezo device. Since a momentum dependent splitting behavior has been observed in other iron based superconductors, our observation confirms that the behavior is a universal one among iron based superconductors.

Six Modernist Poets in Search of Du Fu

Conventional wisdom has it that Chinese modernism arose as part of the May Fourth literary reform, a movement purportedly predicated on radical anti-traditionalism. The fact that Du Fu is the “author” worshiped by multiple modern Chinese poets during the past century prods us to reconsider the motivations of Chinese literary modernity. Their “search” for the ancient “sage of poetry” not only points to a unique dialogical relationship between the moderns and a premodern “author” but also offers an important clue to the genealogy of Chinese literary modernity. The way in which Chinese modernists have continually treated Du Fu as a source of inspiration, finding in him a kindred spirit, is a highly intriguing phenomenon. This essay introduces six modernist Chinese and Sinophone poets in search of Du Fu—Huang Canran 黃燦然‎, Xi Chuan 西川‎, Wai-lim Yip 葉維廉‎, Xiao Kaiyu 蕭開愚‎, Luo Fu 洛夫‎, and Luo Qing 羅青‎—along with their aspirations and conjurations, appropriations and revisions.