Suchergebnisse

This article is focused on the social and moral problems of insolvency and indebtedness, presenting and analysing the legal structure of the Swedish Act (1994) of Reconstruction of Insolvency. The analysis is related to a revitalisation of Durkheim's sociology on the forms of social solidarity and, thereby, to the search for moral bonds in our modern and rationalised society. Thus, the analysis will focus on the importance of the sacred symbolism of making efforts and presenting good will. By connecting the insolvency law to a Durkheimian analysis of social solidarity, the article presents functionality and morality as different forces that emphasise the 'sacred symbolism of punishment', in order to both strengthen 'work ethics' and make legitimate the principle of social welfare and the 'security net'. According to the analysis, an individual must trustworthily deserve, in a moral sense, the legal opportunity of clearing his or her debts. The clearing of the debt must be pointed out as fair and proved, through the quality of effort and sacrifice.

Studies of traumatic brain injury from all causes have found evidence of chronic hypopituitarism, defined by deficient production of one or more pituitary hormones at least 1 year after injury, in 25–50% of cases. Most studies found the occurrence of posttraumatic hypopituitarism (PTHP) to be unrelated to injury severity. Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and hypogonadism were reported most frequently. Hypopituitarism, and in particular adult GHD, is associated with symptoms that resemble those of PTSD, including fatigue, anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, cognitive deficiencies, and decreased quality of life. However, the prevalence of PTHP after blast-related mild TBI (mTBI), an extremely common injury in modern military operations, has not been characterized. We measured concentrations of 12 pituitary and target-organ hormones in two groups of male US Veterans of combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. One group consisted of participants with blast-related mTBI whose last blast exposure was at least 1 year prior to the study. The other consisted of Veterans with similar military deployment histories but without blast exposure. Eleven of 26, or 42% of participants with blast concussions were found to have abnormal hormone levels in one or more pituitary axes, a prevalence similar to that found in other forms of TBI. Five members of the mTBI group were found with markedly low age-adjusted insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels indicative of probable GHD, and three had testosterone and gonadotropin concentrations consistent with hypogonadism. If symptoms characteristic of both PTHP and PTSD can be linked to pituitary dysfunction, they may be amenable to treatment with hormone replacement. Routine screening for chronic hypopituitarism after blast concussion shows promise for appropriately directing diagnostic and therapeutic decisions that otherwise may remain unconsidered and for markedly facilitating recovery and rehabilitation.