Schwarmdynamik und soziales Miteinander. Zur 'improvisierten Choreographie' You've Changed von Thomas Hauert und der Kompanie ZOO

Der Aufsatz beschäftigt sich mit der 'improvisierten Choreographie' You've Changed des Schweizer Choreographen Thomas Hauert und seiner in Brüssel angesiedelten Kompanie ZOO. Mittels der Denkfigur des Schwarms werden die Funktions- und Organisationsprinzipien der schwärmenden Konstellationen, welche die Tanzenden immer wieder bilden, beschrieben und analysiert. Zusätzlich werden die kinästhetischen Übertragungsprozesse erläutert, die sich in dieser Live-Improvisation zwischen den Tanzenden ereignen. Mittels Überlegungen, die der französische Philosoph Jean-Luc Nancy in seiner Schrift singulär plural sein entwickelt hat, wird anschließend diskutiert, wie in dieser 'improvisierten Choerographie' das gemeinsame Sein beständig ausgehandelt wird, wobei eine heterogene und zugleich integrierte Gemeinschaft entsteht.

Stress and hemostasis: an update

Numerous naturalistic, experimental, and mechanistic studies strongly support the notion that-as part of fight-or-flight response-hemostatic responses to acute psychosocial stress result in net hypercoagulability, which would protect a healthy organism from bleeding in case of injury. Sociodemographic factors, mental states, and comorbidities are important modulators of the acute prothrombotic stress response. In patients with atherosclerosis, exaggerated and prolonged stress-hypercoagulability might accelerate coronary thrombus growth following plaque rupture. Against a background risk from acquired prothrombotic conditions and inherited thrombophilia, acute stress also might trigger venous thromboembolic events. Chronic stressors such as job strain, dementia caregiving, and posttraumatic stress disorder as well as psychological distress from depressive and anxiety symptoms elicit a chronic low-grade hypercoagulable state that is no longer viewed as physiological but might impair vascular health. Through activation of the sympathetic nervous system, higher order cognitive processes and corticolimbic brain areas shape the acute prothrombotic stress response. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and autonomic dysfunction, including vagal withdrawal, are important regulators of hemostatic activity with longer lasting stress. Randomized placebo-controlled trials suggest that several cardiovascular drugs attenuate the acute prothrombotic stress response. Behavioral interventions and psychotropic medications might mitigate chronic low-grade hypercoagulability in stressed individuals, but further studies are clearly needed. Restoring normal hemostatic function with biobehavioral interventions bears the potential to ultimately decrease the risk of thrombotic diseases.

Progressive regression of left ventricular hypertrophy two years after bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a systemic disorder associated with an increase in left ventricular mass and premature death and disability from cardiovascular disease. Although bariatric surgery reverses many of the hormonal and hemodynamic derangements, the long-term collective effects on body composition and left ventricular mass have not been considered before. We hypothesized that the decrease in fat mass and lean mass after weight loss surgery is associated with a decrease in left ventricular mass. METHODS: Fifteen severely obese women (mean body mass index [BMI]: 46.7+/-1.7 kg/m(2)) with medically controlled hypertension underwent bariatric surgery. Left ventricular mass and plasma markers of systemic metabolism, together with body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences, body composition (fat mass and lean mass), and resting energy expenditure were measured at 0, 3, 9, 12, and 24 months. RESULTS: Left ventricular mass continued to decrease linearly over the entire period of observation, while rates of weight loss, loss of lean mass, loss of fat mass, and resting energy expenditure all plateaued at 9 [corrected] months (P <.001 for all). Parameters of systemic metabolism normalized by 9 months, and showed no further change at 24 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Even though parameters of obesity, including BMI and body composition, plateau, the benefits of bariatric surgery on systemic metabolism and left ventricular mass are sustained. We propose that the progressive decrease of left ventricular mass after weight loss surgery is regulated by neurohumoral factors, and may contribute to improved long-term survival.

Current Resources

Reviews include: The Managed Care Answer Book for Mental Health Professionals. ( 1997) Gayle McCracken Tuttle and Dianne Rush Woods. Bristol, P A: Brunner/Mazel, Inc. Reviewed by Patricia Newlin Somebody Else's Children: and the Struggle to Save America's Troubled Families. (1996) John Hubner and Jill Wolfson. New York: Three Rivers Press. Reviewed by John Nasuti Assessing the Long-Term Effects of Foster Care-A Research Synthesis. (1996) Thomas P. McDonald, Reva I. Allen, Alex Westerfield, and Irving Piliavin. Washington, D.C.: CWLA Press. Reviewed by Anthony N. Ma/uccio

"Die Schweiz sollte eine aktivere Rolle spielen" (Interview mit Thomas Cottier von Andreas Valda)

Thomas Cottier, Experte für Handelsrecht, erklärt, warum die Pharmaindustrie beim Freihandelsabkommen mit Indien zu viel verlangt. Und warum die Schweiz bei internationalen Handelskonflikten mehr unternehmen müsste.