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Problematic Cases (problematic + case)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences60%
Humanities and Social Sciences40%

Selected Abstracts

Knowability, Closure, and Anti-Realism

DIALECTICA, Issue 1 2008
Sven Rosenkranz
In light of the paradox of knowability anti-realists ought to revise their wholesale equation of truth and knowability, lest they be committed to the absurd conclusion that there are no truths that will never be known. The task accordingly becomes to identify the problematic statements the knowability of whose truth would force that conclusion and to restrict the equation in appropriate ways to all but the problematic statements. This restriction strategy was first implemented by Tennant. However, recently Williamson and Brogaard and Salerno have argued that the restriction strategy, and in particular Tennant's implementation of it, fail to avert the paradoxical conclusion. Here I argue, first, that the arguments devised by Brogaard and Salerno are ineffective because they rely on an invalid closure principle and, second, that while Williamson's argument may suffice to undermine Tennant's specific proposal, it fails to discredit the restriction strategy as such. To this end, I give a better characterisation of the problematic cases, which is immune to Williamson's criticism, and then show how the restricted anti-realist thesis fares in light of the meaning-theoretical arguments anti-realists typically advance in support of their view. [source]

Expression of cytokeratin subtypes in intraepidermal malignancies: a guide for differentiation

JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 8 2006
Figen Aslan
Background:, Among intraepidermal malignancies of epithelial origin, Bowen's disease, bowenoid actinic keratosis (BAK), intraepidermal malignant eccrine poroma (MEP), and Paget's disease may pose diagnostic difficulties. Methods:, Histologic features and immunohistochemical profiles of 24 cases of Bowen's disease, 21 cases of BAK, 18 cases of intraepidermal MEP, and 11 cases of Paget's disease were analyzed. Results:, Using multivariate logistic regression test, multinuclear giant cells and solar degeneration were found to be the only histologic parameters of diagnostic help. On the other hand, a widespread positive reaction for CK 5/8, CK 7, CK 19, and negative reaction for CK 10, was a helpful feature in the differentiation of Paget's disease from Bowen's disease and BAK. The widespread and strong expression of CK 10 was seen in almost all cases of Bowen's disease in contrast to BAK. The widespread expression of CK 5/8 and CK 7, and negative reaction for CK 10, was in favor of Paget's disease, compared to intraepidermal MEP. On the other hand, widespread expression of CK 19 was a common finding in intraepidermal MEP, in contrast to Bowen's disease. Conclusion:, An immunohistochemical panel may provide significant hints on the differentiation of common intraepidermal malignancies, especially in problematic cases. [source]

Incidental calcifying fibrous tumor of the stomach presenting as a polyp

PATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2006
Gülsüm Özlem Elpek
Calcifying fibrous tumor (CFT) is an uncommon lesion of uncertain cause and pathogenesis that has a unique histological appearance. These lesions are described mainly in the subcutaneous or deep soft tissues, followed by subserosal locations. Intrinsic visceral CFT is extremely rare. Herein is described a rare case of CFT that involved the gastric wall, along with a review of the literature. An incidental small polypoid lesion was excised during urgent surgery for penetrating injury at the lesser curvature in a 25-year-old man, previously healthy. The lesion was a well-demarcated, small (10 mm) tumor that occupied the submucosa. The characteristic histopathological features and the presence of spindle cells that express factor XIIIa allowed a diagnosis of CFT to be made. The present case and the review revealed that, despite their frequent subperitoneal location, intra-abdominal CFT might present as intrinsic visceral lesions and might be found incidentally. These lesions tend to be smaller when compared to their symptomatic counterparts. The diffuse factor XIIIa expression in CFT might be useful to differentiate this entity from other intra-abdominal soft-tissue tumors in problematic cases. Although rarity of intrinsic visceral CFT necessitates new cases to determine their exact biological behavior, the present case highlights their presence in the stomach as a symptomless small polypoid lesion. [source]

Pseudoinvasion of the colorectal polypoid tumors: Serial section study of problematic cases

PATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 9 2003
Tohru Tanizawa
Ten cases of endoscopically removed colorectal polypoid tumors exhibiting lobular growth patterns in the submucosa without prominent desmoplastic changes in the interstitium were investigated using serial sections, and four cases were confirmed to be pseudoinvasion. The growth pattern of these four cases (pseudoinvasive tumors) was morphologically compared with the other six tumors (microinvasive tumors) in which obviously infiltrating foci were seen in minimal ranges. In the pseudoinvasive tumors, intramucosal tumor tissue spread into the submucosa through the narrow gap of the muscularis mucosae and formed a lobulated nodule larger than the gap of the muscularis mucosae. This suggested that squeezing of the herniated tumor tissue by muscularis mucosae at the gap was crucial to forming a typical feature of pseudoinvasion. The maximum diameters of the gap of the muscularis mucosae (G) and the submucosal tumor nodule (N) were measured under a microscope and compared between both groups. The mean N/G ratio of the pseudoinvasive tumors (1.73 ± 0.46) indicated a significantly higher value than that of the microinvasive tumors (1.04 ± 0.06; P < 0.01). The N/G ratio could be one of the indices used to distinguish a pseudoinvasive tumor from a microinvasive tumor in colorectal polypoid tumors. [source]

ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE ATTRIBUTIONS

THE PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY, Issue 238 2010
Maria Aloni
We discuss the ,problem of convergent knowledge', an argument presented by J. Schaffer in favour of contextualism about knowledge attributions, and against the idea that knowledge- wh can be simply reduced to knowledge of the proposition answering the question. Schaffer's argument centrally involves alternative questions of the form ,whether A or B'. We propose an analysis of these on which the problem of convergent knowledge does not arise. While alternative questions can contextually restrict the possibilities relevant for knowledge attributions, what Schaffer's puzzle reveals is a pragmatic ambiguity in what ,knowing the answer' means: in his problematic cases, the subject knows only a partial answer to the question. This partial knowledge can be counted as adequate only on externalist grounds. [source]