Ota Gál | Charles University, Prague (original) (raw)

Papers by Ota Gál

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire in patients with Parkinson’s disease treated with deep brain stimulation

Neurological Sciences, Jan 2, 2020

To revalidate the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q), patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) ... more To revalidate the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q), patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) were randomly assigned to receive rasagiline (1 mg/day) (n ϭ 150), entacapone (200 mg with each dose of levodopa) (n ϭ 150), or placebo (n ϭ 154). Patients were assessed at baseline and after 10 weeks using the FOG-Q, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). FOG-Q dimensionality, test-retest reliability, and internal reliability were examined. Convergent and divergent validities were assessed by correlating FOG-Q with UPDRS, BDI, and PDQ-39. Comparisons between FOG-Q item 3 and UPDRS item 14 were also made. Principal component analysis indicated that FOG-Q measures a single dimension. Test-retest reliability and internal reliability of FOG-Q score was high. FOG-Q was best correlated to items of the UPDRS relating to walking, general motor issues, and mobility. Correlations between baseline and endpoint suggested that FOG-Q item 3 is at least as reliable as UPDRS item 14. At baseline, 85.9% of patients were identified as "Freezers" using FOG-Q item 3 (Ն1) and 44.1% using UPDRS item 14 (Ն1) (P Ͻ 0.001). FOG-Q was a reliable tool for the assessment of treatment intervention. FOG-Q item 3 was effective as a screening question for the presence of FOG.

Research paper thumbnail of Unitas Multiplex as the Basis of Plotinus’ Conception of Beauty

The essay first succinctly points out shortcomings in previous interpretations of Plotinus' notio... more The essay first succinctly points out shortcomings in previous interpretations of Plotinus' notion of beauty. Beauty is to be connected primarily with Intellect, which is to be understood as a special unity in diversity. The section of the essay devoted to aesthetics is therefore preceded by a short analysis of Intellect's unity and diversity. The hypothesis about the primary relation of beauty to the Intellect is then corroborated by a reading of Ennead V.8 and further developed. The emphasis is on three basic aspects of beauty: its being a unity of a mixture whose character is shared by all ontological levels; its function of referring to what is above it; and its fundamental accessibility. Though Plotinus opposes the Stoic notion of beauty as symmetry and stresses beauty's simplicity, it follows for him that beauty has the character of unitas multiplex, albeit a special one. Unitas multiplex als Grundlage von Plotins Auffassung von Schönheit. Eine Interpretation von Enneade V.8 Der Beitrag thematisiert zunächst kurz die Schwächen, die die Interpretationen von Plotins Auffassung von Schönheit in der Fachliteratur aufweisen. Schönheit ist vor allem mit dem Intellekt zu verbinden, und dieser ist als spezifische Einheit in der Mannigfaltigkeit aufzufassen. Dem Hauptteil des Beitrags wird deshalb eine kurze Analyse der Einheit und Mannigfaltigkeit des Intellekts voran gestellt. Aufgrund einer Interpretation von Enneade V.8 wird die oben erwähnte Hypothese über die primäre Bindung der Schönheit an den Intellekt im Text nachgewiesen und ihre Interpretation vertieft. Drei Grundcharakteristika der Schönheit werden hervorgehoben: 1. die Tatsache, dass die Schönheit die Einheit einer Mischung ist, die alle ontologischen Ebenen umfasst, 2. ihre Funktion als Verweis auf etwas Höheres und 3. die ihr inhärente fundamentale Zugänglichkeit. Obwohl Plotin sich also gegenüber der stoischen Auffassung von Symmetrie abgrenzt und die Einfachheit der Schönheit betont, hat die Schönheit bei ihm den Charakter einer-gleichwohl spezifischen-unitas multiplex. General histories of aesthetics usually present Plotinus' conception of beauty as a theory intentionally competing with the concept of beauty based on symmetry and harmony. For example, Władysław Tatarkiewicz, the author of the still largest history of aesthetics 1 and an important work on the history of key aesthetics 172

Research paper thumbnail of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training in Multiple System Atrophy: A Pilot Study

Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, May 19, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Co-designing an Integrated Care Network With People Living With Parkinson’s Disease: From Patients’ Narratives to Trajectory Analysis

Qualitative Health Research, 2021

An integrated care model for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) offers the promise of me... more An integrated care model for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) offers the promise of meeting complex care needs in a person-centered way that addresses fragmentation and improves quality of life. The purpose of our research was to co-design a care delivery model that supports both social and medical care from the perspective of patients and care partners. In the first step of our co-design approach, participants from five countries were invited to share their experiences of living with PD during a narrative interview. A qualitative analysis of these narrative interviews based on the Corbin and Strauss model was done to map out patients’ trajectories. Three typical trajectories were identified: (a) the “unpredictable” trajectory, (b) the “situated” trajectory, and (c) the “demanding” trajectory. Based on the analysis of these trajectories, we were able to integrate various patient experiences into the design of an integrated care network.

Research paper thumbnail of Where is the zero of Tardieu for proximal trans-joint lower limb muscles? The relevance for the estimation of muscle shortening and weakness

Research paper thumbnail of The Stoic Conception of Bodily Beauty as Symmetry

Aither

This paper provides an interpretation of the Stoic notion of bodily beauty as the symmetry of par... more This paper provides an interpretation of the Stoic notion of bodily beauty as the symmetry of parts with respect to one another and to the whole. Symmetry is caused by the structuring activity of the rational spirit in multiplicity, making the beautiful thing an ordered whole. This is true for particular bodies in the world and, even more so, for the cosmos as a particular world order. I follow some traces in Stoic texts suggesting that this is also (and a fortiori) true for the cosmos, in the sense of God in conflagration, which somehow represents symmetry in its purest state. * The writing of this article was supported by the Charles University Research Centre programme no. 204053. ** Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Vladimír Mikeš for reviewing the manuscript and Chad Jorgenson for correcting my English. 1 Cf. also Čelkytė (2020, 144-145) and Hon and Goldstein (2008, 2-3). Hon and Goldstein also provide the historical background and development of this understanding of symmetry. They argue that such a concept is more recent and emerged only several centuries after the main historical representatives of the old Stoa were dead.

Research paper thumbnail of Beyond Unified Multiplicity

Ancient Philosophy

This article traces the limits of the understanding of beauty as unified multiplicity in Plotinus... more This article traces the limits of the understanding of beauty as unified multiplicity in Plotinus’ Enneads vi 2 and vi 6. These treatises can be read as insisting on the significance of multiplicity for beauty and as implying a distinction between the illuminated and the unilluminated beauty of Intellect. In treatise vi 7, this distinction is made explicit and a deeper understanding of beauty as the manifestation of the Good in Intellect is introduced.

Research paper thumbnail of The role of beauty in Plato's philosophy

Diplomová práce si klade otázku po roli krásy v Platónově filosofii. Za tím účelem se v první kap... more Diplomová práce si klade otázku po roli krásy v Platónově filosofii. Za tím účelem se v první kapitole snaží získat vhodnou interpretační perspektivu k Platónovým dialogům. Jelikož dialogy čte na základě podobenství o jeskyni jednotně, dospívá k tomu, že je lze rozčlenit do tří strukturně rozdílných skupin s různými cíli - elenktické, anabatické a katabatické. Druhá kapitola analyzuje dialog Hippiás Větší, v němž sleduje ontologické implikace jeho negativních výsledků, stejně jako si všímá poukazů k pojmům, v jejichž souvislosti bude Platón svou koncepci krásy budovat. Následně analyzuje dialog Faidón a snaží se jeho pomocí rekonstruovat základy teorie idejí, mezi něž krása spadá. Třetí kapitola analyzuje problematiku krásy v dialozích Symposion a Faidros detailněji, tzn. v souvislosti s láskou, dobrem, blažeností, plozením, duší a řečí. Krása je určena jakožto zářící jak coby idea, tak ve své tělesné formě, a erós se tak může mýlit ve zdroji svého podráždění. Erótický pohyb duše je...

Research paper thumbnail of Z řečtiny do řečtiny. Krátce o Plótínovi a Pavlosu Kalligasovi

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the freezing of gait questionnaire in patients with Parkinson's disease

Movement Disorders, 2009

To revalidate the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q), patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) ... more To revalidate the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q), patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) were randomly assigned to receive rasagiline (1 mg/day) (n ϭ 150), entacapone (200 mg with each dose of levodopa) (n ϭ 150), or placebo (n ϭ 154). Patients were assessed at baseline and after 10 weeks using the FOG-Q, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). FOG-Q dimensionality, test-retest reliability, and internal reliability were examined. Convergent and divergent validities were assessed by correlating FOG-Q with UPDRS, BDI, and PDQ-39. Comparisons between FOG-Q item 3 and UPDRS item 14 were also made. Principal component analysis indicated that FOG-Q measures a single dimension. Test-retest reliability and internal reliability of FOG-Q score was high. FOG-Q was best correlated to items of the UPDRS relating to walking, general motor issues, and mobility. Correlations between baseline and endpoint suggested that FOG-Q item 3 is at least as reliable as UPDRS item 14. At baseline, 85.9% of patients were identified as "Freezers" using FOG-Q item 3 (Ն1) and 44.1% using UPDRS item 14 (Ն1) (P Ͻ 0.001). FOG-Q was a reliable tool for the assessment of treatment intervention. FOG-Q item 3 was effective as a screening question for the presence of FOG.

Research paper thumbnail of Kinesiological Bases of Ancient and Present Rehabilitation Medical Practices

The thesis deals with kinesiological conceptions of Galen of Pergamum and present day science, wh... more The thesis deals with kinesiological conceptions of Galen of Pergamum and present day science, which it examines from the pespective of philosophical hermeneutics. The research question of the thesis is following: Is there a conception of man and movement in the writings of ancient doctors especially of Galen which can enrich present scientific positions? And the hypothesis is that ancient kinesiology is able to inspire present rehabilitation medical practices and ordinary clinical praxis supports this. Chapters 2.1 to 2.3 sketch out Galen's physical basis, where he follows Aristotele, his psychology, massively influenced by Plato, and therapeutics that belongs to hippocratian tradition. The outcome of these chapters is the teleological character of motion, it's therapeutical as well as originary link to soul and holistic conception of man. Chapters 3.1 to 3.3 analyze corelatively the kinesiological basis of present day science. It is based on biomechanics, genetic conceptio...

Research paper thumbnail of Early manifestation of spasticity after first stroke in the territory of the internal carotid artery. A prospective multicenter study

Biomedical Papers, 2018

Aims. The main aim of this study was to provide an estimate of the incidence and prevalence of sp... more Aims. The main aim of this study was to provide an estimate of the incidence and prevalence of spasticity following stroke in the internal carotid artery territory for Regional Stroke Centers in the Czech Republic. A secondary goal was to identify predictors for the development of spasticity. Methods. In a prospective cohort study, 256 consecutive patients with clinical signs of central paresis due to a firstever stroke were examined in the acute stage. All patients had primary stroke of carotid origin and paresis of the upper and/or lower limb for longer than 7 days after stroke onset. All were examined between 7-10 days after the stroke. We evaluated the degree and pattern of paresis, spasticity using the Modified Ashworth scale and the Barthel Index, baseline characteristics and demographic data. Results. Of 256 patients (157 males; mean age 69.9±12.4 years), 115 (44.9%) patients developed spasticity during the first 10 days after stroke onset. Eighty-three (32.5%) patients presented with mild neurological deficit (modified Rankin Scale 0-2) and 69 (27.0%) patients were bedridden. Conclusion. Spasticity was noted in 44.9% patients with neurological deficit due to first-ever stroke in the carotid territory in the first 10 days after stroke onset. Severe spasticity was rare.

Research paper thumbnail of Severely disabled multiple sclerosis patients can achieve the performance of healthy subjects after expiratory muscle strength training

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 2021

BACKGROUND The efficacy of expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) in patients with multiple s... more BACKGROUND The efficacy of expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is controversial. The current study's primary objective was to test the effects of a progressive and intensive 12 week home based EMST program on expiratory muscle strength and voluntary cough strength. The secondary objective was to determine the retention of EMST benefits. METHODS Thirty-five severely disabled MS patients (relapsing-remitting MS, n = 15; primary progressive MS, n = 5; secondary progressive MS, n = 15) with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 5.0 - 7.0 were included in the study. Within 36 weeks, patients completed 12 weeks of a non-training period, 12 weeks of EMST and 12 weeks of a detraining period. Maximal expiratory pressure (PEmax) and voluntary peak cough flow (vPCF) were assessed 4 times: at week 0 (baseline), week 12 (pre-training), week 24 (post-training), and week 36 (post-detraining). MS patients included in the study were compared to age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. In the healthy controls, the PEmax and vPCF were assessed once to obtain normative data. RESULTS Twenty-six patients completed the training period (mean age 52.7 ± 10.2, EDSS 5.9 ± 0.6) and were compared to 26 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects (mean age 53.5 ± 5.8). Patients with MS had a lower PEmax (p = 0.002) and vPCF (p = 0.022) at baseline than the healthy control group. In training period, the PEmax and vPCF increased (p = 0.0000; effect size: d = 0.94 and p = 0.0036; d = 0.57 respectively) in comparison with the non-training period (p = 0.0692; d = -0.36 and p = 0.5810; d = 0.11 respectively). Following the 12 weeks detraining period, the PEmax and vPCF declined but remained 16.7% and 5.5% respectively above the pre-training values. No differences were observed in the PEmax and vPCF between the MS group at the post-training and post-detraining timepoint and the healthy control group normative values. CONCLUSIONS EMST improves expiratory muscle strength and voluntary cough strength in severely disabled MS patients.

Research paper thumbnail of Guidelines for nutritional support in stroke

Ceska A Slovenska Neurologie A Neurochirurgie, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Krása jako unitas multiplex u Plótína

Práce zkoumá Plótínovo pojetí krásy. První kapitola se zabývá dvěma metodologickými otázkami: výv... more Práce zkoumá Plótínovo pojetí krásy. První kapitola se zabývá dvěma metodologickými otázkami: vývoji v Plótínově myšlení a nastíněním problémů, kterým se věnují pojednávané Enneady. Jelikož Plótínos napsal dvě Enneady o kráse, které Porfyrios očísloval a pojmenoval I.6 O kráse a V.8 O inteligibilní kráse, věnují se kapitoly 2 a 3 těmto dvěma pojednáním v kontextu dalších relevantních Ennead. Výsledkem tohoto zkoumání je, že krása se primárně vypovídá o Intelektu a že je úzce spjata s jednotou v mnohosti. Tato problematika je proto dále prozkoumávána. Práce načrtává pět vzájemně se prolínajících perspektiv, z nichž se Plótínos snaží myslet jednotu mnohosti, která je vlastní Intelektu. Dvě z nich, které se týkají povahy intelekce a inteligibilií, jsou představeny v kapitolách 2 a 3. Perspektiva geneze Intelektu se prolíná napříč jednotlivými kapitolami. Většina kapitoly 4 se proto soustředí na zbývající dvě perspektivy spojené s hierarchicnkou (Enneada VI.2) a strukturální (Enneada VI...

Research paper thumbnail of Ataxie a posturální instabilita: možnosti rehabilitace u pacientů s roztroušenou sklerózou

Research paper thumbnail of Guidelines for nutritional support in stroke

Ceska A Slovenska Neurologie A Neurochirurgie, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of <i>Unitas Multiplex</i> as the Basis of Plotinus’ Conception of Beauty: An Interpretation of <i>Ennead</i> V.8

Estetika: The European Journal of Aesthetics, Nov 25, 2011

The essay first succinctly points out shortcomings in previous interpretations of Plotinus' notio... more The essay first succinctly points out shortcomings in previous interpretations of Plotinus' notion of beauty. Beauty is to be connected primarily with Intellect, which is to be understood as a special unity in diversity. The section of the essay devoted to aesthetics is therefore preceded by a short analysis of Intellect's unity and diversity. The hypothesis about the primary relation of beauty to the Intellect is then corroborated by a reading of Ennead V.8 and further developed. The emphasis is on three basic aspects of beauty: its being a unity of a mixture whose character is shared by all ontological levels; its function of referring to what is above it; and its fundamental accessibility. Though Plotinus opposes the Stoic notion of beauty as symmetry and stresses beauty's simplicity, it follows for him that beauty has the character of unitas multiplex, albeit a special one. Unitas multiplex als Grundlage von Plotins Auffassung von Schönheit. Eine Interpretation von Enneade V.8 Der Beitrag thematisiert zunächst kurz die Schwächen, die die Interpretationen von Plotins Auffassung von Schönheit in der Fachliteratur aufweisen. Schönheit ist vor allem mit dem Intellekt zu verbinden, und dieser ist als spezifische Einheit in der Mannigfaltigkeit aufzufassen. Dem Hauptteil des Beitrags wird deshalb eine kurze Analyse der Einheit und Mannigfaltigkeit des Intellekts voran gestellt. Aufgrund einer Interpretation von Enneade V.8 wird die oben erwähnte Hypothese über die primäre Bindung der Schönheit an den Intellekt im Text nachgewiesen und ihre Interpretation vertieft. Drei Grundcharakteristika der Schönheit werden hervorgehoben: 1. die Tatsache, dass die Schönheit die Einheit einer Mischung ist, die alle ontologischen Ebenen umfasst, 2. ihre Funktion als Verweis auf etwas Höheres und 3. die ihr inhärente fundamentale Zugänglichkeit. Obwohl Plotin sich also gegenüber der stoischen Auffassung von Symmetrie abgrenzt und die Einfachheit der Schönheit betont, hat die Schönheit bei ihm den Charakter einer-gleichwohl spezifischen-unitas multiplex. General histories of aesthetics usually present Plotinus' conception of beauty as a theory intentionally competing with the concept of beauty based on symmetry and harmony. For example, Władysław Tatarkiewicz, the author of the still largest history of aesthetics 1 and an important work on the history of key aesthetics 172

Research paper thumbnail of The Category of Conventional Physiotherapy: The Case of Parkinson’s Disease Guidelines

Journal of Personalized Medicine

This opinion paper reviews the use of the category of “conventional physiotherapy” (CPT) in Parki... more This opinion paper reviews the use of the category of “conventional physiotherapy” (CPT) in Parkinson’s disease (PD)-relevant reviews and meta-analyses and points out serious inconsistencies within and among them. These are first discussed in general, leading to the conclusion that, in most cases, the category of CPT encompasses a range of incompatible interventions. This undermines previous conclusions about their superiority or inferiority relative to various other treatment modalities. Next, the update to the European Physiotherapy Guidelines is discussed in detail, since it treats CPT as a global and time-independent category per se, ascribing effects in various domains to it. This introduces several important biases into the findings presented in this publication. These are subsequently discussed, and it is concluded that the categorisation of various physiotherapy techniques under the umbrella term of CPT is empty, or even dangerous, and should be abandoned. Other categories a...

Research paper thumbnail of Spasticita a její léčba

Komplexni monografie zaměřena na prakticke aspekty lecby spasticity u dospělých s různými neurolo... more Komplexni monografie zaměřena na prakticke aspekty lecby spasticity u dospělých s různými neurologickými poruchami a nemocemi. Ctenař se seznami s přehledem farmakologicke lecby vcetně lokalni lecby botulotoxinem a intratekalnim baclofenem, dozvi se o rehabilitacnich přistupech i chirurgických intervencich. Důraz je kladen na prakticnost a přehlednost. Soucasti knihy bude diferencialni diagnostika spasticity u různých nemoci – např. u chronickeho poraněni mozku a michy, roztrousene sklerozy, cevni mozkove přihody, neurodegenerativnich onemocněni a jiných vzacných stavů spojených se spasticitou. Významným aspektem komplexniho terapeutickeho přistupu ke spasticitě je lecba bolesti, ve ktere ma dnes zcela zasadni misto pregabalin a gabapentin. Kniha je urcena zejmena pro neurology a rehabilitacni pracovniky, take vsak pro prakticke lekaře, neurochirurgy, ortopedy a dalsi lekaře se zajmem o tuto problematiku.

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire in patients with Parkinson’s disease treated with deep brain stimulation

Neurological Sciences, Jan 2, 2020

To revalidate the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q), patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) ... more To revalidate the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q), patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) were randomly assigned to receive rasagiline (1 mg/day) (n ϭ 150), entacapone (200 mg with each dose of levodopa) (n ϭ 150), or placebo (n ϭ 154). Patients were assessed at baseline and after 10 weeks using the FOG-Q, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). FOG-Q dimensionality, test-retest reliability, and internal reliability were examined. Convergent and divergent validities were assessed by correlating FOG-Q with UPDRS, BDI, and PDQ-39. Comparisons between FOG-Q item 3 and UPDRS item 14 were also made. Principal component analysis indicated that FOG-Q measures a single dimension. Test-retest reliability and internal reliability of FOG-Q score was high. FOG-Q was best correlated to items of the UPDRS relating to walking, general motor issues, and mobility. Correlations between baseline and endpoint suggested that FOG-Q item 3 is at least as reliable as UPDRS item 14. At baseline, 85.9% of patients were identified as "Freezers" using FOG-Q item 3 (Ն1) and 44.1% using UPDRS item 14 (Ն1) (P Ͻ 0.001). FOG-Q was a reliable tool for the assessment of treatment intervention. FOG-Q item 3 was effective as a screening question for the presence of FOG.

Research paper thumbnail of Unitas Multiplex as the Basis of Plotinus’ Conception of Beauty

The essay first succinctly points out shortcomings in previous interpretations of Plotinus' notio... more The essay first succinctly points out shortcomings in previous interpretations of Plotinus' notion of beauty. Beauty is to be connected primarily with Intellect, which is to be understood as a special unity in diversity. The section of the essay devoted to aesthetics is therefore preceded by a short analysis of Intellect's unity and diversity. The hypothesis about the primary relation of beauty to the Intellect is then corroborated by a reading of Ennead V.8 and further developed. The emphasis is on three basic aspects of beauty: its being a unity of a mixture whose character is shared by all ontological levels; its function of referring to what is above it; and its fundamental accessibility. Though Plotinus opposes the Stoic notion of beauty as symmetry and stresses beauty's simplicity, it follows for him that beauty has the character of unitas multiplex, albeit a special one. Unitas multiplex als Grundlage von Plotins Auffassung von Schönheit. Eine Interpretation von Enneade V.8 Der Beitrag thematisiert zunächst kurz die Schwächen, die die Interpretationen von Plotins Auffassung von Schönheit in der Fachliteratur aufweisen. Schönheit ist vor allem mit dem Intellekt zu verbinden, und dieser ist als spezifische Einheit in der Mannigfaltigkeit aufzufassen. Dem Hauptteil des Beitrags wird deshalb eine kurze Analyse der Einheit und Mannigfaltigkeit des Intellekts voran gestellt. Aufgrund einer Interpretation von Enneade V.8 wird die oben erwähnte Hypothese über die primäre Bindung der Schönheit an den Intellekt im Text nachgewiesen und ihre Interpretation vertieft. Drei Grundcharakteristika der Schönheit werden hervorgehoben: 1. die Tatsache, dass die Schönheit die Einheit einer Mischung ist, die alle ontologischen Ebenen umfasst, 2. ihre Funktion als Verweis auf etwas Höheres und 3. die ihr inhärente fundamentale Zugänglichkeit. Obwohl Plotin sich also gegenüber der stoischen Auffassung von Symmetrie abgrenzt und die Einfachheit der Schönheit betont, hat die Schönheit bei ihm den Charakter einer-gleichwohl spezifischen-unitas multiplex. General histories of aesthetics usually present Plotinus' conception of beauty as a theory intentionally competing with the concept of beauty based on symmetry and harmony. For example, Władysław Tatarkiewicz, the author of the still largest history of aesthetics 1 and an important work on the history of key aesthetics 172

Research paper thumbnail of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training in Multiple System Atrophy: A Pilot Study

Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, May 19, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Co-designing an Integrated Care Network With People Living With Parkinson’s Disease: From Patients’ Narratives to Trajectory Analysis

Qualitative Health Research, 2021

An integrated care model for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) offers the promise of me... more An integrated care model for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) offers the promise of meeting complex care needs in a person-centered way that addresses fragmentation and improves quality of life. The purpose of our research was to co-design a care delivery model that supports both social and medical care from the perspective of patients and care partners. In the first step of our co-design approach, participants from five countries were invited to share their experiences of living with PD during a narrative interview. A qualitative analysis of these narrative interviews based on the Corbin and Strauss model was done to map out patients’ trajectories. Three typical trajectories were identified: (a) the “unpredictable” trajectory, (b) the “situated” trajectory, and (c) the “demanding” trajectory. Based on the analysis of these trajectories, we were able to integrate various patient experiences into the design of an integrated care network.

Research paper thumbnail of Where is the zero of Tardieu for proximal trans-joint lower limb muscles? The relevance for the estimation of muscle shortening and weakness

Research paper thumbnail of The Stoic Conception of Bodily Beauty as Symmetry

Aither

This paper provides an interpretation of the Stoic notion of bodily beauty as the symmetry of par... more This paper provides an interpretation of the Stoic notion of bodily beauty as the symmetry of parts with respect to one another and to the whole. Symmetry is caused by the structuring activity of the rational spirit in multiplicity, making the beautiful thing an ordered whole. This is true for particular bodies in the world and, even more so, for the cosmos as a particular world order. I follow some traces in Stoic texts suggesting that this is also (and a fortiori) true for the cosmos, in the sense of God in conflagration, which somehow represents symmetry in its purest state. * The writing of this article was supported by the Charles University Research Centre programme no. 204053. ** Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Vladimír Mikeš for reviewing the manuscript and Chad Jorgenson for correcting my English. 1 Cf. also Čelkytė (2020, 144-145) and Hon and Goldstein (2008, 2-3). Hon and Goldstein also provide the historical background and development of this understanding of symmetry. They argue that such a concept is more recent and emerged only several centuries after the main historical representatives of the old Stoa were dead.

Research paper thumbnail of Beyond Unified Multiplicity

Ancient Philosophy

This article traces the limits of the understanding of beauty as unified multiplicity in Plotinus... more This article traces the limits of the understanding of beauty as unified multiplicity in Plotinus’ Enneads vi 2 and vi 6. These treatises can be read as insisting on the significance of multiplicity for beauty and as implying a distinction between the illuminated and the unilluminated beauty of Intellect. In treatise vi 7, this distinction is made explicit and a deeper understanding of beauty as the manifestation of the Good in Intellect is introduced.

Research paper thumbnail of The role of beauty in Plato's philosophy

Diplomová práce si klade otázku po roli krásy v Platónově filosofii. Za tím účelem se v první kap... more Diplomová práce si klade otázku po roli krásy v Platónově filosofii. Za tím účelem se v první kapitole snaží získat vhodnou interpretační perspektivu k Platónovým dialogům. Jelikož dialogy čte na základě podobenství o jeskyni jednotně, dospívá k tomu, že je lze rozčlenit do tří strukturně rozdílných skupin s různými cíli - elenktické, anabatické a katabatické. Druhá kapitola analyzuje dialog Hippiás Větší, v němž sleduje ontologické implikace jeho negativních výsledků, stejně jako si všímá poukazů k pojmům, v jejichž souvislosti bude Platón svou koncepci krásy budovat. Následně analyzuje dialog Faidón a snaží se jeho pomocí rekonstruovat základy teorie idejí, mezi něž krása spadá. Třetí kapitola analyzuje problematiku krásy v dialozích Symposion a Faidros detailněji, tzn. v souvislosti s láskou, dobrem, blažeností, plozením, duší a řečí. Krása je určena jakožto zářící jak coby idea, tak ve své tělesné formě, a erós se tak může mýlit ve zdroji svého podráždění. Erótický pohyb duše je...

Research paper thumbnail of Z řečtiny do řečtiny. Krátce o Plótínovi a Pavlosu Kalligasovi

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the freezing of gait questionnaire in patients with Parkinson's disease

Movement Disorders, 2009

To revalidate the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q), patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) ... more To revalidate the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q), patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) were randomly assigned to receive rasagiline (1 mg/day) (n ϭ 150), entacapone (200 mg with each dose of levodopa) (n ϭ 150), or placebo (n ϭ 154). Patients were assessed at baseline and after 10 weeks using the FOG-Q, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). FOG-Q dimensionality, test-retest reliability, and internal reliability were examined. Convergent and divergent validities were assessed by correlating FOG-Q with UPDRS, BDI, and PDQ-39. Comparisons between FOG-Q item 3 and UPDRS item 14 were also made. Principal component analysis indicated that FOG-Q measures a single dimension. Test-retest reliability and internal reliability of FOG-Q score was high. FOG-Q was best correlated to items of the UPDRS relating to walking, general motor issues, and mobility. Correlations between baseline and endpoint suggested that FOG-Q item 3 is at least as reliable as UPDRS item 14. At baseline, 85.9% of patients were identified as "Freezers" using FOG-Q item 3 (Ն1) and 44.1% using UPDRS item 14 (Ն1) (P Ͻ 0.001). FOG-Q was a reliable tool for the assessment of treatment intervention. FOG-Q item 3 was effective as a screening question for the presence of FOG.

Research paper thumbnail of Kinesiological Bases of Ancient and Present Rehabilitation Medical Practices

The thesis deals with kinesiological conceptions of Galen of Pergamum and present day science, wh... more The thesis deals with kinesiological conceptions of Galen of Pergamum and present day science, which it examines from the pespective of philosophical hermeneutics. The research question of the thesis is following: Is there a conception of man and movement in the writings of ancient doctors especially of Galen which can enrich present scientific positions? And the hypothesis is that ancient kinesiology is able to inspire present rehabilitation medical practices and ordinary clinical praxis supports this. Chapters 2.1 to 2.3 sketch out Galen's physical basis, where he follows Aristotele, his psychology, massively influenced by Plato, and therapeutics that belongs to hippocratian tradition. The outcome of these chapters is the teleological character of motion, it's therapeutical as well as originary link to soul and holistic conception of man. Chapters 3.1 to 3.3 analyze corelatively the kinesiological basis of present day science. It is based on biomechanics, genetic conceptio...

Research paper thumbnail of Early manifestation of spasticity after first stroke in the territory of the internal carotid artery. A prospective multicenter study

Biomedical Papers, 2018

Aims. The main aim of this study was to provide an estimate of the incidence and prevalence of sp... more Aims. The main aim of this study was to provide an estimate of the incidence and prevalence of spasticity following stroke in the internal carotid artery territory for Regional Stroke Centers in the Czech Republic. A secondary goal was to identify predictors for the development of spasticity. Methods. In a prospective cohort study, 256 consecutive patients with clinical signs of central paresis due to a firstever stroke were examined in the acute stage. All patients had primary stroke of carotid origin and paresis of the upper and/or lower limb for longer than 7 days after stroke onset. All were examined between 7-10 days after the stroke. We evaluated the degree and pattern of paresis, spasticity using the Modified Ashworth scale and the Barthel Index, baseline characteristics and demographic data. Results. Of 256 patients (157 males; mean age 69.9±12.4 years), 115 (44.9%) patients developed spasticity during the first 10 days after stroke onset. Eighty-three (32.5%) patients presented with mild neurological deficit (modified Rankin Scale 0-2) and 69 (27.0%) patients were bedridden. Conclusion. Spasticity was noted in 44.9% patients with neurological deficit due to first-ever stroke in the carotid territory in the first 10 days after stroke onset. Severe spasticity was rare.

Research paper thumbnail of Severely disabled multiple sclerosis patients can achieve the performance of healthy subjects after expiratory muscle strength training

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 2021

BACKGROUND The efficacy of expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) in patients with multiple s... more BACKGROUND The efficacy of expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is controversial. The current study's primary objective was to test the effects of a progressive and intensive 12 week home based EMST program on expiratory muscle strength and voluntary cough strength. The secondary objective was to determine the retention of EMST benefits. METHODS Thirty-five severely disabled MS patients (relapsing-remitting MS, n = 15; primary progressive MS, n = 5; secondary progressive MS, n = 15) with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 5.0 - 7.0 were included in the study. Within 36 weeks, patients completed 12 weeks of a non-training period, 12 weeks of EMST and 12 weeks of a detraining period. Maximal expiratory pressure (PEmax) and voluntary peak cough flow (vPCF) were assessed 4 times: at week 0 (baseline), week 12 (pre-training), week 24 (post-training), and week 36 (post-detraining). MS patients included in the study were compared to age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. In the healthy controls, the PEmax and vPCF were assessed once to obtain normative data. RESULTS Twenty-six patients completed the training period (mean age 52.7 ± 10.2, EDSS 5.9 ± 0.6) and were compared to 26 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects (mean age 53.5 ± 5.8). Patients with MS had a lower PEmax (p = 0.002) and vPCF (p = 0.022) at baseline than the healthy control group. In training period, the PEmax and vPCF increased (p = 0.0000; effect size: d = 0.94 and p = 0.0036; d = 0.57 respectively) in comparison with the non-training period (p = 0.0692; d = -0.36 and p = 0.5810; d = 0.11 respectively). Following the 12 weeks detraining period, the PEmax and vPCF declined but remained 16.7% and 5.5% respectively above the pre-training values. No differences were observed in the PEmax and vPCF between the MS group at the post-training and post-detraining timepoint and the healthy control group normative values. CONCLUSIONS EMST improves expiratory muscle strength and voluntary cough strength in severely disabled MS patients.

Research paper thumbnail of Guidelines for nutritional support in stroke

Ceska A Slovenska Neurologie A Neurochirurgie, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Krása jako unitas multiplex u Plótína

Práce zkoumá Plótínovo pojetí krásy. První kapitola se zabývá dvěma metodologickými otázkami: výv... more Práce zkoumá Plótínovo pojetí krásy. První kapitola se zabývá dvěma metodologickými otázkami: vývoji v Plótínově myšlení a nastíněním problémů, kterým se věnují pojednávané Enneady. Jelikož Plótínos napsal dvě Enneady o kráse, které Porfyrios očísloval a pojmenoval I.6 O kráse a V.8 O inteligibilní kráse, věnují se kapitoly 2 a 3 těmto dvěma pojednáním v kontextu dalších relevantních Ennead. Výsledkem tohoto zkoumání je, že krása se primárně vypovídá o Intelektu a že je úzce spjata s jednotou v mnohosti. Tato problematika je proto dále prozkoumávána. Práce načrtává pět vzájemně se prolínajících perspektiv, z nichž se Plótínos snaží myslet jednotu mnohosti, která je vlastní Intelektu. Dvě z nich, které se týkají povahy intelekce a inteligibilií, jsou představeny v kapitolách 2 a 3. Perspektiva geneze Intelektu se prolíná napříč jednotlivými kapitolami. Většina kapitoly 4 se proto soustředí na zbývající dvě perspektivy spojené s hierarchicnkou (Enneada VI.2) a strukturální (Enneada VI...

Research paper thumbnail of Ataxie a posturální instabilita: možnosti rehabilitace u pacientů s roztroušenou sklerózou

Research paper thumbnail of Guidelines for nutritional support in stroke

Ceska A Slovenska Neurologie A Neurochirurgie, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of <i>Unitas Multiplex</i> as the Basis of Plotinus’ Conception of Beauty: An Interpretation of <i>Ennead</i> V.8

Estetika: The European Journal of Aesthetics, Nov 25, 2011

The essay first succinctly points out shortcomings in previous interpretations of Plotinus' notio... more The essay first succinctly points out shortcomings in previous interpretations of Plotinus' notion of beauty. Beauty is to be connected primarily with Intellect, which is to be understood as a special unity in diversity. The section of the essay devoted to aesthetics is therefore preceded by a short analysis of Intellect's unity and diversity. The hypothesis about the primary relation of beauty to the Intellect is then corroborated by a reading of Ennead V.8 and further developed. The emphasis is on three basic aspects of beauty: its being a unity of a mixture whose character is shared by all ontological levels; its function of referring to what is above it; and its fundamental accessibility. Though Plotinus opposes the Stoic notion of beauty as symmetry and stresses beauty's simplicity, it follows for him that beauty has the character of unitas multiplex, albeit a special one. Unitas multiplex als Grundlage von Plotins Auffassung von Schönheit. Eine Interpretation von Enneade V.8 Der Beitrag thematisiert zunächst kurz die Schwächen, die die Interpretationen von Plotins Auffassung von Schönheit in der Fachliteratur aufweisen. Schönheit ist vor allem mit dem Intellekt zu verbinden, und dieser ist als spezifische Einheit in der Mannigfaltigkeit aufzufassen. Dem Hauptteil des Beitrags wird deshalb eine kurze Analyse der Einheit und Mannigfaltigkeit des Intellekts voran gestellt. Aufgrund einer Interpretation von Enneade V.8 wird die oben erwähnte Hypothese über die primäre Bindung der Schönheit an den Intellekt im Text nachgewiesen und ihre Interpretation vertieft. Drei Grundcharakteristika der Schönheit werden hervorgehoben: 1. die Tatsache, dass die Schönheit die Einheit einer Mischung ist, die alle ontologischen Ebenen umfasst, 2. ihre Funktion als Verweis auf etwas Höheres und 3. die ihr inhärente fundamentale Zugänglichkeit. Obwohl Plotin sich also gegenüber der stoischen Auffassung von Symmetrie abgrenzt und die Einfachheit der Schönheit betont, hat die Schönheit bei ihm den Charakter einer-gleichwohl spezifischen-unitas multiplex. General histories of aesthetics usually present Plotinus' conception of beauty as a theory intentionally competing with the concept of beauty based on symmetry and harmony. For example, Władysław Tatarkiewicz, the author of the still largest history of aesthetics 1 and an important work on the history of key aesthetics 172

Research paper thumbnail of The Category of Conventional Physiotherapy: The Case of Parkinson’s Disease Guidelines

Journal of Personalized Medicine

This opinion paper reviews the use of the category of “conventional physiotherapy” (CPT) in Parki... more This opinion paper reviews the use of the category of “conventional physiotherapy” (CPT) in Parkinson’s disease (PD)-relevant reviews and meta-analyses and points out serious inconsistencies within and among them. These are first discussed in general, leading to the conclusion that, in most cases, the category of CPT encompasses a range of incompatible interventions. This undermines previous conclusions about their superiority or inferiority relative to various other treatment modalities. Next, the update to the European Physiotherapy Guidelines is discussed in detail, since it treats CPT as a global and time-independent category per se, ascribing effects in various domains to it. This introduces several important biases into the findings presented in this publication. These are subsequently discussed, and it is concluded that the categorisation of various physiotherapy techniques under the umbrella term of CPT is empty, or even dangerous, and should be abandoned. Other categories a...

Research paper thumbnail of Spasticita a její léčba

Komplexni monografie zaměřena na prakticke aspekty lecby spasticity u dospělých s různými neurolo... more Komplexni monografie zaměřena na prakticke aspekty lecby spasticity u dospělých s různými neurologickými poruchami a nemocemi. Ctenař se seznami s přehledem farmakologicke lecby vcetně lokalni lecby botulotoxinem a intratekalnim baclofenem, dozvi se o rehabilitacnich přistupech i chirurgických intervencich. Důraz je kladen na prakticnost a přehlednost. Soucasti knihy bude diferencialni diagnostika spasticity u různých nemoci – např. u chronickeho poraněni mozku a michy, roztrousene sklerozy, cevni mozkove přihody, neurodegenerativnich onemocněni a jiných vzacných stavů spojených se spasticitou. Významným aspektem komplexniho terapeutickeho přistupu ke spasticitě je lecba bolesti, ve ktere ma dnes zcela zasadni misto pregabalin a gabapentin. Kniha je urcena zejmena pro neurology a rehabilitacni pracovniky, take vsak pro prakticke lekaře, neurochirurgy, ortopedy a dalsi lekaře se zajmem o tuto problematiku.