Changes of coagulation parameters during high altitude expedition

Data on changes of haemostatic parameters at altitudes above 5000 m are very limited. So far it is unknown, whether altered coagulation could contribute to the development of acute mountain sickness.

Glomerular filtration rate estimates decrease during high altitude expedition but increase with Lake Louise acute mountain sickness scores

AIM: Acute mountain sickness (AMS) can result in pulmonary and cerebral oedema with overperfusion of microvascular beds, elevated hydrostatic capillary pressure, capillary leakage and consequent oedema as pathogenetic mechanisms. Data on changes in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at altitudes above 5000 m are very limited. METHODS: Thirty-four healthy mountaineers, who were randomized to two acclimatization protocols, undertook an expedition on Muztagh Ata Mountain (7549 m) in China. Tests were performed at five altitudes: Zurich pre-expedition (PE, 450 m), base camp (BC, 4497 m), Camp 1 (C1, 5533 m), Camp 2 (C2, 6265 m) and Camp 3 (C3, 6865 m). Cystatin C- and creatinine-based (Mayo Clinic quadratic equation) GFR estimates (eGFR) were assessed together with Lake Louise AMS score and other tests. RESULTS: eGFR significantly decreased from PE to BC (P < 0.01). However, when analysing at changes between BC and C3, only cystatin C-based estimates indicated a significant decrease in GFR (P = 0.02). There was a linear decrease in eGFR from PE to C3, with a decrease of approx. 3.1 mL min(-1) 1.73 m(-2) per 1000 m increase in altitude. No differences between eGFR of the two groups with different acclimatization protocols could be observed. There was a significant association between eGFR and haematocrit (P = 0.01), whereas no significant association between eGFR and aldosterone, renin and brain natriuretic peptide could be observed. Finally, higher AMS scores were significantly associated with higher eGFR (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Renal function declines when ascending from low to high altitude. Cystatin C-based eGFR decreases during ascent in high altitude expedition but increases with AMS scores. For individuals with eGFR <40 mL min(-1) 1.73 m(-2), caution may be necessary when planning trips to high altitude above 4500 m above sea level.

Report by A.Berson about the aerological expedition of the Royal Aeronautic Observatory to East Africa in 1908

This paper is the edited translation of the paper “A. Berson's Bericht über die aerologische Expedition des königlichen aeronautischen Observatoriums nach Ostafrika im Jahre 1908” (Report by A. Berson about the aerological expedition of the Royal Aeronautic Observatory to East Africa in 1908) that was published 1910 in the Meteorologische Zeitschrift 27, 536–542. The paper, provided by R. Süring, co-editor of the journal, is a summary of a more extensive report published in the same year.

Wie man die anderen verstehen soll und wie man über sie schreiben kann. Der Paris-Bericht Rifāʿa Rāfiʿ aṭ-Ṭahṭāwīs (1801-1873) als vielseitige Vermittlung von 'Kultur'

Im vorliegenden Essay wird eine Lesart des viel diskutierten Paris-Berichts von Rifāʿa aṭ-Ṭahṭāwī vorgestellt. Kontrastierend zu der Annahme, Ṭahṭāwī habe eine Reise aus einer Kultur in eine andere unternommen, soll hier dargelegt werden, wie sich aus dem Text des Ägypters ein eigenes Kulturverständnis erschließen lässt. Besonders Ṭahṭāwīs Bemühungen um die Übersetzung des französischen Begriffs 'civilisation' deuten auf ein plurales Verständnis von 'Kultur'. Denn im Text lassen sich diejenigen Dimensionen des Begriffs 'Kultur' finden, die auch aus der europäischen Geistesgeschichte rekonstruiert werden können: Kultur als bestimmter Lebensstil, als Prozessbegriff zur Beschreibung gesellschaftlicher Entwicklung und als kreative oder künstlerische Aktivität.

Where Empires Meet: Orientalism and Marginality at the Former Russo-British Frontier

This article explores the intersection of orientalism and marginality in two regions at the former Russo-British frontier between Central and South Asia. Focussing on Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan and Gilgit-Baltistan in today’s Pakistan, an analysis of historical and contemporary orientalist projections on and in the two border regions reveals changing modes of domination through the course of the twentieth century (British, Kashmiri, Pakistani and Russian, Soviet, Tajik). In this regard, different local experiences of “ colonial ” rule, both in Gorno-Badakhshan and Gilgit-Baltistan, challenge “ classical ” periodisations of colonial/postcolonial and colonial/socialist/postsocialist. This article furthermore maintains that processes of marginalisation in both regions can be interpreted as effects of imperial and Cold War contexts that have led to the establishment of the frontier. Thus, a central argument is that neither the status of the frontier between Central and South Asia as a stable entity, nor the periodisations that have conventionally been ascribed to the two regions as linear timelines can be taken for granted.