Junguo Zhang

The rapid expansion of digital health technologies—including telemedicine, wearable devices, and AI‐driven diagnostics—has transformed healthcare practices by mediating how care is delivered, perceived, and experienced. While ethical debates in digital health often focus on data governance, privacy, and equitable access, less attention has been paid to digitally mediated healthcare as an embodied practice, particularly in nursing contexts. This article develops a nursing‐phenomenological framework for digital health ethics by focusing on how digital technologies mediate patients' embodied experiences of illness and care. Drawing on Merleau‐Ponty's phenomenology of the lived body, the analysis examines how digitally mediated care reshapes bodily schema, perception, and presence in clinical encounters. Integrating Don Ihde's postphenomenology, the article further shows how technologies actively mediate perception, co‐constitute embodiment, and generate multiple stabilities that shape clinical interpretation, patient engagement, and nursing practice. The central claim is that digital health ethics must attend not only to abstract bioethical principles but also to the embodied and technologically mediated conditions under which care is experienced and enacted. By clarifying the experiential and technological dimensions of digitally mediated healthcare, this approach offers a situated ethical lens with practical implications for nursing practice, technological design, and health policy.

Autistic masking has emerged as a pivotal topic of contemporary debate, highlighting the concealment of one's authentic self – a process that often leads to inauthenticity. While the negative impacts of masking are widely acknowledged, the nuanced role of inauthenticity within this phenomenon, particularly its dialectical relationship with authenticity, remains underexplored. In this article, I build on empirical work published by scholars in Psychology, Sociology, Psychiatry, and other fields to argue that, informed by Heidegger's philosophical insights, the act of masking – an attempt to blend in with non‐autistic individuals – can paradoxically facilitate the growth of the authentic self. Rather than viewing the authentic and inauthentic selves as opposing forces, I propose that they coexist in a dynamic interplay for individuals with autism. The autistic self does not exist as an isolated ‘I’ in authenticity. Instead, autistic individuals can only experience their authentic selves through social interactions with others. Furthermore, Heidegger's concepts illuminate how autistic individuals often grapple with anxiety and feelings of uncanniness in interactions with non‐autistic peers; these existential moods can drive them toward a more genuine self‐expression. Consequently, navigating the delicate balance between their authentic and inauthentic selves becomes essential during social interactions. Equally important is the role of non‐autistic individuals in cultivating inclusive attitudes and supportive environments that enable diverse behavioral expressions and interaction styles within mixed neurotypical relationships.

This paper critically evaluates Matthew Burch’s interpretations and critiques of the phenomenological account of health and illness, which are predominantly situated within the realm of static phenomenology within Husserl’s framework, thereby neglecting the potential insights offered by genetic phenomenology. The primary focus of this paper is to explore genetic phenomenology in order to present an alternative interpretation of PHI. It argues that illness experience involves subjectivity, intersubjectivity, and objectivity, unified within a structural interdependence. Additionally, normality comprises subjective, intersubjective, and objective dimensions, reflecting its multifaceted nature. It encompasses both a pregiven aspect and a constitutive process. Moreover, the distinction between the lived body and the physical body is a result of first-person subjectification and third-person objectification perspectives. These perspectives mutually complement and intertwine, where bodily transparency and bodily conspicuousness do not necessarily conflict.

This paper re-examines phenomenological accounts of autism in light of the double empathy theory. I fully endorse the compelling critique by contemporary phenomenologists such as Gallagher, Fuchs, and Zahavi of the Theory of Mind framework, as they ground autistic social difficulties in impairments of primary and secondary intersubjectivity. However, their analyses tend to underemphasize or overlook the reciprocal structure of empathy, an aspect that is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of autistic-allistic social interactions. This omission has been rightly criticized by proponents of the double empathy theory, such as Rizzo and Ekdahl, who emphasize that social breakdowns between autistic and allistic individuals are bidirectional. Drawing on Husserl’s classical phenomenology of empathy, I argue that a deeper phenomenological understanding reveals empathy to be inherently reciprocal and co-constituted. Thus, Husserlian phenomenology not only aligns with the core insights of the double empathy theory but also offers a conceptual foundation for rethinking autistic experience beyond unidirectional deficit models.

Dementia challenges conventional autonomy models that equate moral agency with rational decision-making and consistent choice. Clinical responses—reliance on advance directives and surrogate decision-makers—often fail to capture the lived reality of persons with dementia, assuming a static self whose prior preferences remain authoritative despite cognitive decline. This paper uses phenomenology to rethink ethical recognition beyond cognitive capacity. Ricoeur’s distinction between idem and ipse identity shows narrative persistence despite memory loss. Merleau-Ponty’s embodied subjectivity reveals selfhood expressed through gestures, emotions and habits beyond language. Levinas’s ethics emphasises moral responsibility arising from vulnerability rather than cognitive reciprocity. Together, these views support shifting from cognition-based autonomy to a model grounded in narrative, embodiment and relational responsibility. Dementia reshapes, rather than erases, moral presence. Practical implications highlight how phenomenology can deepen moral attunement in clinical and familial care.

Paul Ricoeur distinguishes two views of time: Aristotle's cosmological time, based on objective measurement, and Augustine's psychological time, rooted in subjective experience. Ricoeur suggests narrative time mediates between them. This paper argues that clock technology functions as a narrative tool shaping both dimensions. Drawing on Ricoeur's narrative theory and Don Ihde's post-phenomenology, we examine how clock technology structures time consciousness while enhancing temporal precision. As clocks promote efficiency and instantaneity, they also heighten time anxiety and fragment lived experience. This dynamic reveals a technological dialectic: while technology bridges objective and subjective time, it also risks intensifying their divide. In a world dominated by measurable time, sustaining authentic temporal experience becomes harder. Clock technology thus plays an ambivalent role-both reconciling and disrupting our perception of time-highlighting the tension between control and alienation in technologically mediated life.

Patočka’s phenomenology engages in the exploration of the truth of the world and concrete human existence. While acknowledging the merits of their thoughts, Patočka also critiques the absolute subjectivity and consciousness of Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology and the incompleteness and negativity of Heidegger’s existentialism. Drawing from their influence, Patočka introduces the concept of the natural world, emphasizing the world’s concreteness and practicality. At the core of Patočka’s philosophy lies the belief that human existence is profoundly rooted in our embodiment, moods, and the dynamic interplay of home-world and alien-world. These elements signify both our inherent limitations and our capacity for transcendence. He argues that embodiment is fundamental to the two dimensions of human existence: the intricate interaction between freedom and necessity within the world. In relation to Husserl and Heidegger, Patočka’s phenomenological approach is characterized by a creative interpretation that upholds the problematic nature of their philosophies while striving to transcend them conceptually, remaining faithful to their core ideas.

This paper critically evaluates Matthew Burch’s interpretations and critiques of the phenomenological account of health and illness, which are predominantly situated within the realm of static phenomenology within Husserl’s framework, thereby neglecting the potential insights offered by genetic phenomenology. The primary focus of this paper is to explore genetic phenomenology in order to present an alternative interpretation of PHI. It argues that illness experience involves subjectivity, intersubjectivity, and objectivity, unified within a structural interdependence. Additionally, normality comprises subjective, intersubjective, and objective dimensions, reflecting its multifaceted nature. It encompasses both a pregiven aspect and a constitutive process. Moreover, the distinction between the lived body and the physical body is a result of first-person subjectification and third-person objectification perspectives. These perspectives mutually complement and intertwine, where bodily transparency and bodily conspicuousness do not necessarily conflict.

This paper delves into the realm of hermeneutical medicine, focusing on the physician-patient relationship through the lens of Gadamer’s hermeneutics. It argues that in this approach, true dialogue between patients and physicians does not silence or dominate one another, but rather allows for the discovery of new insights from shared experiences, including those of a negative nature. Gadamer rehabilitates prejudices in medical encounters. Through genuine conversation, both physicians and patients gain a better understanding of themselves, each other, and the illness at hand. Gadamer suggests that fruitful and meaningful conversation does not necessitate complete agreement but instead aims to expand individual horizons and foster the fusion of perspectives. This process represents a form of self-correction, and personal growth. Within this hermeneutical context, even as authorities, physicians acknowledge their limitations and willingly open themselves up to truly listen to patients, creating an environment where patients’ voices are heard and respected.

In this article, we attempt to explore Husserl’s transcendental subjectivity and its relation to the world. Our focus is on the question of whether Husserl’s transcendental subjectivity can be seen as transcendental ‘being-in-the-world,’ in response to critical examinations made by philosophers such as Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Patočka, and Biemel. While their critiques have complex implications and are subject to debate, they contribute to our understanding of the intricate relationship between transcendental subjectivity and the world. It is important to clarify that this article aims to defend Husserl’s perspective rather than provide an exhaustive analysis of the critiques. We argue that, according to Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology, transcendental subjectivity is, in fact, integrated within the world’s transcendental structure. This argument is supported by three main points. Firstly, Husserl’s transcendental subjectivity and its internal consciousness are not secluded but remain open and intentionally related to the external world. Secondly, Husserl clarifies the sense of transcendental ‘being-in-the-world,’ with subjective constitution revealing its sense. Lastly, Husserl proposes the notion of transcendental person as an attempt to address how transcendental subjectivity exists concretely in the life-world. This holistic perspective sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of transcendentally grounded subjectivity and its embodied existence in the world with the essential state of ‘being-in-the world.’

Jan Patočka starts the phenomenology of existence movement as a response to the crisis brought about by modern technology. This movement aims to liberate both humanity and the world from the absolute dominance of technologism, while addressing the spiritual crisis faced by human beings. Patočka offers a new phenomenological perspective on human existence, viewing it as a continuous movement. He emphasizes that human embodiment in the world is characterized by an existential movement, which involves rootedness, self-extension, and breakthrough. Through the concrete and practical movement of human existence, Patočka underscores the existential responsibility that is intrinsic to human subjects. This perspective enables us to confront existential problems and reestablish a sense of purpose and meaning to human existence within the natural world.

© 2015 The Authors.In the heart, augmented Ca 2+ fluxing drives contractility and ATP generation through mitochondrial Ca 2+ loading. Pathologic mitochondrial Ca 2+ overload with ischemic injury triggers mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening and cardiomyocyte death. Mitochondrial Ca 2+ uptake is primarily mediated by the mitochondrial Ca 2+ uniporter. Here, we generated mice with adult and cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Mcu, which produced mitochondria refractory to acute Ca 2+ uptake, with impaired ATP production, and inhibited MPTP opening upon acute Ca 2+ challenge. Mice lacking Mcu inthe adult heart were also protected from acute ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, resting/basal mitochondrial Ca 2+ levels were normal in hearts of Mcu-deleted mice, and mitochondria lacking MCU eventually loaded with Ca 2+ after stress stimulation. Indeed, Mcu-deleted mice were unable to immediately sprint on a treadmill unless warmed up for 30min. Hence, MCU is a dedicated regulator of short-term mitochondrial Ca 2+ loading underlying a"fight-or-flight" response that acutely matches cardiac workload with ATP production.

Background: In vivo, non-invasive optical coherence tomography permits high-resolution imaging of tissue surfaces and subsurfaces, with the potential capability for detection and mapping of epithelial pathologies. Purpose: To evaluate the clinical capability of non-invasive in vivo OCT for diagnosing oral dysplasia and malignancy. Experimental Design: In 50 patients with oral lesions, conventional clinical examination was followed by OCT imaging, then standard biopsy and histopathology. Two blinded, pre-standardized investigators separately diagnosed each lesion based on OCT and histopathology. Results: Intra- and inter-observer agreement between diagnoses based on histopathology and imaging data was excellent, with λ values between 0.844 and 0.896. Sensitivity and specificity were also very good. Conclusions: These data demonstrate the excellent capability of in vivo OCT for detecting and diagnosing oral premalignancy and malignancy in human subjects. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Early detection of cancer and its precursors remains the best way to ensure patient survival and quality of life. Our specific aim is to test a multimodality approach to noninvasive diagnostics of oral premalignancy and malignancy. In the hamster cheek pouch model, in vivo optical coherence tomography and optical Doppler tomography map epithelial, subepithelial, and vascular change throughout carcinogenesis. In vivo multiwavelength multiphoton and second-harmonic generated fluorescence techniques provided parallel data on surface and subsurface tissue structure, specifically collagen presence and structure, cellular presence, and vasculature. Images are diagnosed by two blinded, prestandardized investigators using a scale from 0 to 6 for all modalities. After sacrifice, histopathology is evaluated on a scale of 0 to 6. Imaging data are reproducibly obtained with good accuracy. Carcinogenesis-related structural and vascular changes are clearly visible to tissue depths of 2 mm. Sensitivity and specificity compare well with conventional techniques. Our conclusions are that OCT/ODT and MPM/SHG are promising noninvasive in vivo diagnostic modalities for oral dysplasia and malignancy. © 2005 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

This paper delves into the complex and conflicting relationship between the body-subject and body-object, as well as the self and the other, within the context of anorexia nervosa. Within the field of phenomenology of medicine and health, the emphasis tends to be on the dimension of the lived body, with limited attention given to the physical dimension of the body. Recognizing the work of scholars who have acknowledged this oversight and made progress in addressing it, this paper aims to further unify the two bodily dimensions of the lived body and the physical body by drawing primarily on Husserl’s phenomenology of constitution and intersubjectivity. The central argument put forth is that in the case of anorexia nervosa, confronted with the inherent split between these dimensions and the conflicting relationship between the self and other, it is crucial to adhere to the constitutive principle of irreducibility of subjectivity. Moreover, there is a need to promote the constitutive interplay between the two dimensions and accentuate the constitutive dialectic structure of the self and other. Through these insights, the paper offers potential avenues for understanding and addressing the lived experiences of individuals battling anorexia nervosa.

This article adopts Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology to explore the complex relationship between patients and physicians. It delves into the coexistence of two distinct voices in the realm of medicine and health: the “voice of medicine” and the “voice of life-world.” Divided into three sections, the article emphasizes the importance of shifting from a scientific-medical attitude to a more personalistic approach in physician–patient interactions. This shift aims to prevent depersonalization and desubjectification. Additionally, it highlights the equal and irreducible nature of patients while acknowledging the vital role physicians hold in the realm of illness. The article stresses the need for a balanced and equitable relationship between both parties, rooted in the shared life-world. Moreover, empathy is underscored as a crucial element in fostering meaningful dialogue, wherein understanding diverse perspectives and attitudes towards illness is paramount. The article argues that differences between patients and physicians are necessary for empathy, while shared similarities form its foundation. Ultimately, a harmonious relationship facilitates empathy and enables the constitution of a new sense of life for both patients and physicians.

The discussion of the debate on the two approaches to Husserl’s phenomenology and of the debate between David Carr and Dan Zahavi on the paradox of subjectivity signify a fundamental problem: What is the relationship between subjectivity, intersubjectivity, and the world? For this problem, I argue that subjectivity, intersubjectivity, and the world are Co-originary in Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology, in the sense of their structural necessity. I define this co-originary relationship from the perspective of unification of constitution and givenness—this unification establishes their equiprimordial relationship. According to this co-originariness, subjectivity, intersubjectivity, and the world are not three isolated and independent origins, but are interdependent and absolute origins of sense of being in their own right. In sum, this essay proposes that transcendental co-originariness can be recognized as another way of reading Husserl’s phenomenology.

Purpose: To assess noninvasive optical coherence tomography and optical Doppler tomography for early detection and evaluation of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. Experimental Design: Cheek pouches of 10 Syrian golden hamsters were imaged using OCT/ODT during development of chemotherapy-induced mucositis. I.p. injections of 5-fluorouracil and mechanical irritation induced oral lesions. At 2, 4, 7, and 11 days, one hamster was sacrificed and processed for histopathology. OCT images were visually examined; ODT results were semiquantified. Imaging data were compared with histologic findings. Results: During the development of mucositis, OCT/ODT identified the following events: change in epithelial thickness, loss of surface keratinized layer continuity, loss of epithelial and submucosal integrity, changes in axial blood flow velocity, and changes in blood vessel size. The semiquantitative imaging-based scoring system identified the severity of mucositis as defined by histopathology. The combination of imaging criteria used allowed for the detection of early, intermediate, and late mucositic changes. Imaging data gave higher scores compared with clinical scores early on, suggesting that the imaging-based diagnostic scoring was more sensitive to early mucositic change than the clinical scoring system. Once mucositis was established, imaging and clinical scores converged. Conclusion: OCT/ODT identified chemotherapy-induced oral changes before their clinical manifestation, and the proposed scoring system for oral mucositis was validated for the semiquantification of mucositic change. © 2007 American Association for Cancer Research.