How the Mind-World Problem Shaped the History of Science: A Historiographical Analysis of Edwin Arthur Burtt's The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science Part I.

This manuscript, divided into two parts, provides a contextual and historiographical analysis of Edwin Arthur Burtt's classic The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science. My discussion corroborates the sparse technical literature on Burtt (Moriarty, 1994; Villemaire, 2002), positioning his work in the aftermath of American idealism and the rise of realist, pragmatist and naturalist alternatives. However, I depart from the existing interpretations both in content and focus. Disagreeing with Moriarty, I maintain that Burtt's Metaphysical Foundations is not an idealist work. Moreover, I provide an alternative to Villemaire's mainly Deweyite/pragmatist reading, emphasizing the import of new realism and naturalism. Burtt's historical thesis should not be viewed as outlining a systematic philosophical position, but rather as a (coherent) culmination of numerous philosophical problematics. To support my conclusion, I provide a substantial summary of Burtt's text alongside a contextual analysis of the philosophical issues that preoccupied his teachers and peers in Columbia's philosophy department. I conclude with a historiographical section, rendering explicit the connections between Burtt's understanding of the scientific revolution, and his distinctive early 20th century American intellectual context.

How the Mind-World Problem Shaped the History of Science: A Historiographical Analysis of Edwin Arthur Burtt's The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science Part II.

This manuscript, divided into two parts, provides a contextual and historiographical analysis of Edwin Arthur Burtt's classic The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science. My discussion corroborates the sparse technical literature on Burtt (Moriarty 1994; Villemaire, 2002), positioning his work in the aftermath of American idealism and the rise of realist, pragmatist and naturalist alternatives. However, I depart from the existing interpretations both in content and focus. Disagreeing with Moriarty, I maintain that Burtt's Metaphysical Foundations is not an idealist work. Moreover, I provide an alternative to Villemaire's mainly Deweyite/pragmatist reading, emphasizing the import of new realism and naturalism. Burtt's historical thesis should not be viewed as outlining a systematic philosophical position, but rather as a (coherent) culmination of numerous philosophical problematics. To support my conclusion, I provide a substantial summary of Burtt's text alongside a contextual analysis of the philosophical issues that preoccupied his teachers and peers in Columbia's philosophy department. I conclude with a historiographical section, rendering explicit the connections between Burtt's understanding of the scientific revolution, and his distinctive early 20th century American intellectual context.

Increasing fear of adverse effects drops intention to vaccinate after the introduction of prophylactic HPV vaccine.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was (1) to explore for socio-demographic factors that could potentially affect the intention of women to vaccinate themselves, their 13-year-old daughter and their 13-year-old son against HPV, and (2) to investigate the main reasons for declining vaccination. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was used in participants of the project (N = 5,249). Logistic regression analysis was applied in order to examine the correlation between vaccine acceptability and a list of potential predictors. In women declining vaccination, the reported reasons for decline were analyzed. RESULTS: Residence in rural areas and low to medium tiers of family income were the most constant factors in favor of intention to vaccinate. Receiving information from a healthcare professional was found to positively affect vaccine acceptability for the woman herself, but it did not affect her intention to vaccinate her daughter or her son. The acceptance rates decreased significantly after the vaccine became available, both for the women themselves and for their daughters or sons. During the same year, a shift was noted in the reason for declining vaccination; the self-perception of insufficient knowledge significantly decreased and the fear of adverse effects significantly increased in all three cases. CONCLUSION: Apart from demographic factors which may favor or disfavor vaccine acceptability, the intention to vaccinate decreased significantly and the proportion of women rejecting vaccination for safety concerns increased significantly after the introduction of the vaccine, coinciding with isolated cases of negative publicity and highlighting the potential of misinformation by the media.

Comparison between 20G and 22G needle for second trimester amniocentesis in terms of technical aspects and short-term complications.

OBJECTIVE: To compare short-term complications of amniocentesis using 20G versus 22G needle. METHODS: A total of 200 women referred for mid-trimester amniocentesis were randomized to a 20G (Group I, n = 100) or 22G amniocentesis needle (Group II, n = 100). The primary outcome was intrauterine bleeding at needle insertion. The operator reported technical aspects and patient's reactions immediately after the procedure. Women's perception of discomfort 30 min after the procedure and complications after 2 weeks were recorded. RESULTS: Intrauterine bleeding at needle insertion was similar between groups (4/100 vs 8/100). When only transplacental taps were analyzed, bleeding was significantly lower in Group I (4/20 vs 8/14, p = 0.035). Fluid retrieval was faster in Group I (9.6 vs 26.8 sec, p < 0.001). In all, 65% of women in Group I versus 30% in Group II reported discomfort during the procedure, although discomfort 30 min after the procedure and complications within 2 weeks after the procedure were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Amniocentesis with 20G needle is associated with lower risk of intrauterine bleeding in case of transplacental needle insertion and allows for faster fluid retrieval, as compared with 22G needle. Nevertheless, 20G needle is associated with more immediate discomfort during the procedure.

Can HPV testing replace the pap smear?

The most compelling question in evaluating the possible replacement of the conventional Papanicolaou smear from a high-risk HPV testing method is the balance between specificity and sensitivity for detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade ≥CIN 2 (CIN 2+). Multiple studies have shown that HPV testing has higher sensitivity than cytology for the detection of high-grade CIN. Positivity increases the test cut-off for HPV and may reduce false positive results without significantly compromising the sensitivity, potentially alleviating the concern of low specificity. Overall, available evidence convincingly shows that HPV testing is superior to traditional screening for the detection of high-grade cervical lesions, and efforts are focused on improving its sensitivity, either by increasing its cut-off for positivity or by selecting those subgroups where HPV testing is expected to have higher positive predictive value for cervical disease, or by seeking to optimize triage tests after a positive HPV result.

Safety of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines: a review of the international experience so far.

Despite the advent of the Papanicolaou smear test almost 50 years ago, cervical cancer remains the second most common malignant disease in women and the leading cause of cancer death in developing countries. Thus the two prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines currently available have been greeted with enthusiasm internationally, as an emerging primary prevention strategy against cervical cancer. Prior to licensure the vaccines were trialed in over 60,000 women and assessed as safe, within the statistical constraints of the trials to detect very rare events. Post-licensure surveillance is underway as vaccination programs are undertaken. We reviewed published post-licensure surveillance data, as at January 2009, and concur with international advisory bodies that both HPV vaccines are safe, effective and of great importance for women's health. Ongoing monitoring is required to maintain confidence in the safety of the vaccines.

Strangulation of the umbilical cord by an amnion band - a rare cause of intrauterine demise: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: The amniotic band syndrome has a scarce prevalence and intrauterine death as a result of amniotic bands formation is extremely rare. CASE PRESENTATION: We present an illustrative case of intrauterine death of an embryo in the 24th gestational week in an 30-year old primigravida. The death was ascribed to the twisting of the umbilical cord around the left upper extremity, causing a strangulation of the umbilical cord in a very impressive way. CONCLUSION: Constriction of the umbilical cord by an amniotic band is extremely rare and very hard, if not impossible, to diagnose with antenatal sonography.

Laparoscopic management of unicornuate uterus with non-communicating rudimentary horn (three cases).

This article describes the laparoscopic management of unicornuate uterus with a non-communicating rudimentary horn in three women who presented with lower abdominal pain and dysmenorrhoea. The patients were managed with laparoscopic removal of the rudimentary horn along with the ipsilateral salpinx. No complications were noted intraoperatively and the patients remain asymptomatic.

Aggressive angiomyxoma of the vulva extending into the pelvis: report of two cases.

Aggressive angiomyxoma is a rare soft-tissue neoplasm found mainly in the female pelvis. Approximately 130 cases have been reported in the literature to date. In most cases treatment consists of surgical resection, but local recurrence rates remain high (36-72%). Therefore, long-term follow up is necessary and magnetic resonance imaging seems to be the preferred method for detecting recurrence. We report our experience of a primary and a recurrent aggressive angiomyxoma.