Post-apocalypse now!

Diese Masterarbeit soll auf die wegweisende Rolle zeitgenössischer künstlerischer Praktiken bei der Vermittlung und Bekämpfung von ökologischen Krisen hinweisen und zieht dafür After ALife Ahead von Pierre Huyghe aus dem Jahr 2017 als Fallbeispiel heran. Das Werk kann als ein postapokalyptisches Szenario interpretiert werden, welches das anthropozentrische Weltbild durch die Dekonstruktion binärer Oppositionen wie Natur und Kultur, Mensch und Nichtmensch, Leben und Nichtleben vor eine Herausforderung stellt. Die Dekonstruktion dieser binären Oppositionen geht Hand in Hand mit einem Neudenken der Rolle, die zeitgenössische Kunst in dieser Verstrickung spielt. In dieser Arbeit argumentiere ich, dass wir überholte Vorstellungen von Natur, Künstlichkeit, Hybridität und Leben neu evaluieren müssen, um neue ethische Werte zu etablieren, die inklusiv und adäquat für aktuelle Probleme von ökologischen Katastrophen, der Erschöpfung natürlicher Ressourcen und dem ethischem Umgang mit künstlichem Leben sind. Zu diesem Zweck diskutiere ich Konzepte aus den Bereichen der Umweltwissenschaften, der Philosophie sowie Science Fiction und liefere eine relationale Analyse von After ALife Ahead. Da ökologische Probleme uns alle betreffen, müssen wir relationales und rekursives Denken üben, um die Vernetzung von menschlichen und nicht-menschlichen Akteur*innen auf dem Planeten vollständig zu verstehen. Basierend auf asynchronen Kapiteln, die sich auf Themen wie Ortsspezifität, Ruinen oder Biomacht konzentrieren, kann diese Arbeit quer gelesen werden, um miteinander verknüpfte Interpretationen von unserer Verantwortung bezüglich aktuellen Naturkatastrophen zu fördern. Abschließend schlage ich vor wie postapokalyptisches Denken wie es in After A Life Ahead demonstriert wird genutzt werden kann um Maßnahmen auf individueller Ebene in die Wege zu leiten.This Master’s thesis aims to point out the crucial role contemporary artistic practices play in mediating and combatting ecological crises and refers to After ALife Ahead by Pierre Huyghe from 2017 as a case study. The work can be interpreted as a post- apocalyptic scenario challenging the anthropocentric worldview through the deconstruction of binary oppositions such as nature and culture, human and non- human, and life and non-life. Deconstructing these binary oppositions also means to re-think the role of contemporary art in the entanglement thereof. In this thesis, I argue that we need to re-evaluate age-old notions of nature, artificiality, hybridity, and life to establish new ethical values that are inclusive and appropriate for our contemporary issues of ecological disasters, exhaustion of resources, and ethical dealings with artificial life. In order to do so, I trace back to concepts from the environmental sciences, philosophy, and science fiction narratives while providing a relational analysis of After ALife Ahead. Since ecological problems affect us all, we need to practice relational and recursive thinking to fully understand the interconnectedness of human and non-human agents on the planet. Built on asynchronous chapters focusing on topics like site-specificity, ruins, or bio- power, this thesis can be read transversally to encourage intertwined interpretations of our role in recent natural disasters. Finally, I propose how post-apocalyptic thinking as demonstrated in After ALife Ahead can be appropriated to take action on an individual level

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults in a young male following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection: a case report

Abstract Background Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A) is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition that may occur during or in the weeks following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection. To date, only case reports and small case series have described typical findings and management of patients with MIS-A. The prevalence of MIS-A is largely unknown due to the lack of data. Case summary A 30-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with new-onset of fever, chest discomfort, macular exanthema, abdominal pain, mild dyspnoea, and coughing. The patient reported a mildly symptomatic recent coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Significantly increased markers of inflammation and a modest increase of cardiac troponin were found upon laboratory work-up at admission. Despite broad-spectrum antibiotics, the patient’s clinical status deteriorated continuously. Cardiac work-up, including echocardiography, coronary angiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, was done and signs of acute myocarditis with mildly reduced left ventricular systolic function were found. The complex multi-organ symptom constellation facilitated the diagnosis of MIS-A following COVID-19 infection. Besides aspirin, intravenous, continuous hydrocortisone treatment was initiated, resulting in a prompt improvement of symptoms and clinical findings. Discussion We report a case of successfully treated MIS-A in the context of COVID-19, which further adds to the existing literature on this rare but clinically significant condition. Our case highlights the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach to correctly diagnose this complex, multi-organ disease and enable fast and appropriate management of these high-risk patients. </jats:sec

B-type natriuretic peptide in low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis : relationship to hemodynamics and clinical outcome : results from the Multicenter Truly or Pseudo-Severe Aortic Stenosis (TOPAS) study.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is unknown in low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis (AS). We sought to evaluate the relationship between AS and rest, stress hemodynamics, and clinical outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS: BNP was measured in 69 patients with low-flow AS (indexed effective orifice area 1.0 cm2). BNP was inversely related to ejection fraction at rest (Spearman correlation coefficient r(s)=-0.59, P or = 550 pg/mL was only 47+/-9% versus 97+/-3% with BNP or = 550 pg/mL (53+/-13% versus 92+/-7%). CONCLUSIONS: BNP is significantly higher in truly severe than pseudosevere low-gradient AS and predicts survival of the whole cohort and in patients undergoing valve replacement