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This edited collection examines alternative or entangled modernities as competitive narratives that blend ethics, aesthetics, and critical thinking to depict the human condition. It includes chapters covering the rivalry between scientific and aesthetic revolutions; contemporary trends in postmodernity; and study-cases on visual arts and cinema. The collection applies a philosophical view of visual arts and cinema, and competitive narratives of (post)modernity that arise from ethics and aesthetics as complementary fields. Key audiences for the book are students, PhD candidates, and scholars from the field of philosophy, aesthetics and cultural studies. This volume emerges from contributions held at the International Conference Rethinking Modernity: Transitions and Challenges, organized by the Research Center for the History and Circulation of Philosophical Ideas of the University of Bucharest.

Romanian folklore, despite its richness, remains marginal within global cultural consciousness compared to German, Russian, or Scandinavian traditions. This essay analyses the historical, political, and cultural factors that have constrained its international visibility, including late scholarly codification, linguistic barriers, political interference during the communist period, and persistent cultural stereotypes. Drawing on folklore studies and translation theory, my essay argues that global circulation depends less on cultural value than on systems of archiving, translation, and mediation. The figure of Dracula is examined as a case study of cultural misrepresentation illustrating how popular culture has simultaneously increased Romania’s visibility but also distorted perceptions of the country. The essay concludes by emphasising the need for more responsible, contextualised forms of cultural mediation.

Tuberculosis (TB) arthritis remains a diagnostic challenge. In addition to clinical presentation, the use of imaging techniques and confirmation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are essential. We present the case of a 69-year-old female in whom the diagnosis of knee TB arthritis was simultaneously established with the diagnosis of MALT lymphoma. This case report aims to highlight the role of multimodal ultrasound (US) in both diagnosis and its utility in interventional procedures, such as aspiration and synovial biopsy.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease characterized by symmetrical involvement of the joints and tendons, especially of the hands and wrists, but also of the feet and ankles from the very beginning of the disease. For the patient, the foot and ankle involvement is equally important as the other joints, since it affects the functionality of the feet and the quality of life of the patients. It is already known that subclinical involvement of the ankles and feet occurs even in patients that are considered in clinical remission, thus they do not need for changes of therapy, but still might benefit from it. In spite of this, theclinicians do not give enough care to the ankle and foot in RA patients, especially if asymptomatic, resulting future deformities, joint damage and feet disability. In order to show the importance of the feet and ankles in RA patients and to demonstrate the indispensable role of ultrasonography (US) for that purpose, at the same time displaying the US abnormalities that should draw our attention, we performed this review of the literature. 

Intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) injections are widely used for the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Adverse reactions were described in a limited number of patients and consist in local inflammatory reactions and severe acute inflammatory reactions (pseudosepsis). We present the case of a 71-year-old woman who experienced a severe acute adverse effect immediately (within minutes) following intraarticular HA administration, attributed to HA precipitation. The severe very early local manifestations were accompanied by important systemic reactions, necessitating treatment with systemic corticosteroids besides joint lavage.

Aim: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance,  interobserver reliability, and practical utility of two lacrimal gland ultrasound (LGUS) scoring systems – LGUS score I, a complex multi-parameter score, and LGUS score II, a simplified single-parameter score – for diagnosing primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS). The additional role of two-dimensionalshear wave elastography (2D-SWE) in assessing lacrimal gland stiffness was also evaluated.Material and methods: This observational, cross-sectional study included 35 pSS patients and 35 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. LGUS score I incorporated four grey-scale ultrasound parameters, while LGUS score II relied solely on glandular homogeneity. Both scoring systems were evaluated for diagnostic accuracy and interobserver agreement. SWE measurements of lacrimal gland elasticity were also recorded and compared between groups.Results: LGUS score II achieved diagnostic performance comparable to LGUS score I, with areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.831 and 0.829, respectively (p=0.961). Sensitivity was higher for LGUS score II (94.29%) than for LGUS score I (85.70%), with both scores demonstrating identical specificity (68.57%). Interobserver agreement was good for LGUS score II (κ=0.707) and moderate for LGUS score I (κ=0.553). SWE measurements showed no significant differences in mean elasticity values between the pSS and control groups (8.78±2.03 kPa vs. 9.27±2.07 kPa, p=0.158).Conclusion: LGUS score II (glandular homogeneity) offers a reliable, time-efficient diagnostic approach for pSS, providing similar accuracy to the more complex LGUS score I with enhanced interobserver reliability, while the potential of 2D-SWE remains limited by methodological inconsistencies and requires further standardization.

Aim: This meta-analysis evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound (US) for bone fractures over the past 47 years, comparing it to established imaging standards.Material and methods: We adhered to PRISMA 2020 guidelines to search Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library using tailored search strategies. The primary outcome, US diagnostic performance, was analyzed across various subgroups including clinical relevance, patient age, and anatomical considerations. The QUADAS-2 tool was employed to assess study quality and minimize bias.Results: From 5,107 initially identified studies, 75 met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 7,769 participants and 3,575 diagnosed fractures. The majority of studies were prospective (79%) and compared US primarily with plain radiography (76%) and CT scans (19%). Of these, 61 studies were amenable to systematic analysis, revealing US to have a sensitivity and specificity of 91% (95% CI: 90%-92%) and 91.3% (95% CI: 90.5%-92.1%), respectively. Likelihood ratios were favorable, with a positive value of 9.955 and a negative value of 0.087, and an odds ratio of 132.67. The area under the curve stood at 0.9715, indicating high diagnostic accuracy despite significant heterogeneity (I²=81.3% for sensitivity, 89.3% for specificity).Conclusion: The evidence supports US as a highly accurate diagnostic tool for bone fractures, rivalling standard imaging methods like CT and radiography. Its notable diagnostic efficacy, combined with advantages in reducing pain, wait times, and radiation exposure, advocates for its broader application. Further validation in large-scale, randomized trials is essential to integrate US more fully into clinical guidelines for fracture management.

To evaluate the ankle, hindfoot, and heel changes (determined by physical examination, ultrasound and baropodometry) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, to compare the findings with healthy subjects, and to analyze if these findings are associated with ankle pain and could affect the quality of life. We enrolled 35 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 35 healthy controls, and evaluated their ankles (tibiotalar joints, tendons), hindfeet (talonavicular, subtalar joints) and heels using clinical examination, DAS28-CRP, RAPID3 for the evaluation of functional status, quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis questionnaire, ultrasound, and baropodometry. The ultrasound inter-observer agreement was good for the subtalar joint, and very good for the other structures. Flat foot was identified in 50% of feet in rheumatoid arthritis patients, with 83.8% having concomitant hindfoot valgus and less subtalar joint synovitis visible from the lateral approach (32.4% 55.6%, = 0.041). The body mass index, RAPID3 and subtalar synovitis were independent predictors for the symptomatic ankle (all <0.05). Midfoot and heel plantar pressures were higher in rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to healthy controls, but when subtalar synovitis was present, the pressures decreased (avoidance of heel support). Poor quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis patients was independently predicted by DAS28-CRP, RAPID3, disease stage, hindfoot valgus, tibiotalar and subtalar synovitis, tendon pathology, Achilles tendon enthesophytes, calcaneal erosions, plantar fasciitis, and perifasciitis (all <0.05). The quality of life of rheumatoid arthritis patients is significantly affected by ankle and hindfoot pathology (inflammatory modifications, but also degenerative findings and deformities). Ultrasound scanning is an important tool in the evaluation of inflammatory and degenerative lesions in these regions, and their early detection might contribute to a better therapeutic management in these patients.

The second part of the paper highlights biopolitical art's capacity, following Esposito, to depict both the immunity developed by oppressed communities in response to violence and the sense of community they seek to reconstruct in long processes of historical recovery and social inclusion, decades after the Holocaust. [...]art, initially autonomous, tends to function as \"an effective tool of the capitalist state\" (Berry 2018, 12). [...]memorial cultural heritage-including its aestheticized content-possesses a biopolitical potential for two reasons. Challenges of biopolitical art Regarding the problematics of biopolitical art in relation to memorial cultural heritage, one point is clear: biopolitics is still often recalled as a negative framework for understanding power relations, authority, and domination-embedded in political regimes that determine the administration, optimization, and