Unsettling Appearances: Diane Arbus, Erving Goffman and the Sociological Eye

Both the photographer Diane Arbus and sociologist Erving Goffman were fascinated by the way we present ourselves to others and this paper sets out how each understood the drama of human interaction. It begins by exploring how their work parallels some developments in the sociology of deviance, and notes how Goffman was one of the earliest critics of this field, before briefly sketching out Arbus’s controversial career and then turning to a more detailed look at three of her images. It concentrates on how the gap between intention and effect, or what Goffman terms the difference between the impressions we ‘give’ and those we actually ‘give off’, are at the core of her work and this sociological insight animates her compositions. The paper then describes how their work unsettles ‘normal appearances’ and provides rich resources for understanding human conduct

Photography as an act of collaboration

The camera is usually considered to be a passive tool under the control of the operator. This definition implicitly constrains how we use the medium, as well as how we look at – and what we see in – its interpretations of scenes, objects, events and ‘moments’. This text will suggest another way of thinking about – and using – the photographic medium. Based on the evidence of photographic practice (mine and others’), I will suggest that, as a result of the ways in which the medium interprets, juxtaposes and renders the elements in front of the lens, the camera is capable of depicting scenes, events and moments that did not exist and could not have existed until brought into being by the act of photographing them. Accordingly, I will propose that the affective power of many photographs is inseparable from their ‘photographicness’ – and that the photographic medium should therefore be considered as an active collaborator in the creation of uniquely photographic images

Predicted reciprocal serum creatinine at age 10 years as a measure of renal function in children with nephropathic cystinosis treated with oral cysteamine

The predicted reciprocal creatinine at age 10 years (PRC 10 ), a parameter of renal function based upon the linear relationship between reciprocal serum creatinine and age, incorporates age, serum creatinine, and rate of renal deterioration into a single term. PRC 10 measurements were employed to assess renal function in children with nephropathic cystinosis treated with oral cysteamine, a cystine-depleting agent. In 71 children receiving oral cysteamine for at least 1 year, PRC 10 decreased linearly with initial serum creatinine concentration. This indicated that, although established renal damage in cystinosis was irreversible, early intervention with cysteamine therapy could favorably alter the rate of glomerular deterioration. In other analyses, mean PRC 10 was shown to increase with duration of cysteamine therapy and extent of leukocyte cystine depletion. The predicted reciprocal creatinine value at a certain age can be useful in analyzing the effects of therapeutic intervention in a disease with a relatively uniform rate of renal deterioration.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47828/1/467_2004_Article_BF00858823.pd

Daily rhythms of the sleep-wake cycle

The amount and timing of sleep and sleep architecture (sleep stages) are determined by several factors, important among which are the environment, circadian rhythms and time awake. Separating the roles played by these factors requires specific protocols, including the constant routine and altered sleep-wake schedules. Results from such protocols have led to the discovery of the factors that determine the amounts and distribution of slow wave and rapid eye movement sleep as well as to the development of models to determine the amount and timing of sleep. One successful model postulates two processes. The first is process S, which is due to sleep pressure (and increases with time awake) and is attributed to a 'sleep homeostat'. Process S reverses during slow wave sleep (when it is called process S'). The second is process C, which shows a daily rhythm that is parallel to the rhythm of core temperature. Processes S and C combine approximately additively to determine the times of sleep onset and waking. The model has proved useful in describing normal sleep in adults. Current work aims to identify the detailed nature of processes S and C. The model can also be applied to circumstances when the sleep-wake cycle is different from the norm in some way. These circumstances include: those who are poor sleepers or short sleepers; the role an individual's chronotype (a measure of how the timing of the individual's preferred sleep-wake cycle compares with the average for a population); and changes in the sleep-wake cycle with age, particularly in adolescence and aging, since individuals tend to prefer to go to sleep later during adolescence and earlier in old age. In all circumstances, the evidence that sleep times and architecture are altered and the possible causes of these changes (including altered S, S' and C processes) are examined

Assessment of Translocator Protein Density, as Marker of Neuroinflammation, in Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot, Multicenter, Comparative, Controlled, Brain PET Study (INFLADEP Study)

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious public health problem with high lifetime prevalence (4.4–20%) in the general population. The monoamine hypothesis is the most widespread etiological theory of MDD. Also, recent scientific data has emphasized the importance of immuno-inflammatory pathways in the pathophysiology of MDD. The lack of data on the magnitude of brain neuroinflammation in MDD is the main limitation of this inflammatory hypothesis. Our team has previously demonstrated the relevance of [18F] DPA-714 as a neuroinflammation biomarker in humans. We formulated the following hypotheses for the current study: (i) Neuroinflammation in MDD can be measured by [18F] DPA-714; (ii) its levels are associated with clinical severity; (iii) it is accompanied by anatomical and functional alterations within the frontal-subcortical circuits; (iv) it is a marker of treatment resistance.Methods: Depressed patients will be recruited throughout 4 centers (Bordeaux, Montpellier, Tours, and Toulouse) of the French network from 13 expert centers for resistant depression. The patient population will be divided into 3 groups: (i) experimental group—patients with current MDD (n = 20), (ii) remitted depressed group—patients in remission but still being treated (n = 20); and, (iii) control group without any history of MDD (n = 20). The primary objective will be to compare PET data (i.e., distribution pattern of neuroinflammation) between the currently depressed group and the control group. Secondary objectives will be to: (i) compare neuroinflammation across groups (currently depressed group vs. remitted depressed group vs. control group); (ii) correlate neuroinflammation with clinical severity across groups; (iii) correlate neuroinflammation with MRI parameters for structural and functional integrity across groups; (iv) correlate neuroinflammation and peripheral markers of inflammation across groups.Discussion: This study will assess the effects of antidepressants on neuroinflammation as well as its role in the treatment response. It will contribute to clarify the putative relationships between neuroinflammation quantified by brain neuroimaging techniques and peripheral markers of inflammation. Lastly, it is expected to open innovative and promising therapeutic perspectives based on anti-inflammatory strategies for the management of treatment-resistant forms of MDD commonly seen in clinical practice.Clinical trial registration (reference: NCT03314155): https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03314155?term=neuroinflammation&cond=depression&cntry=FR&rank=

Idiopathic membranous glomerulopathy in Canadian children: A clinicopathologic study

The 1,025 renal biopsies performed at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, were reviewed to identify membranous glomerulopathy. Fourteen patients had a clinicopathologic diagnosis of idiopathic membranous glomerulopathy. Typical thickening of glomerular capillary basement membranes, a spike-and-dome pattern, and subepithelial electron-dense deposits were noted. Strong deposits of IgG and weaker deposits of C3, IgM, and IgA were present in glomeruli. Stages of membranous glomerulopathy on electron microscopy were I in one biopsy, II in nine biopsies, and III in four biopsies. Two additional biopsies from one child initially showed minimal lesion-type disease; later, a third showed membranous glomerulopathy. At presentation 11 patients had nephrotic syndrome, seven had hypertension, and eight had hematuria. Now four are in remission, seven have active disease with normal renal function, and three have renal failure. Patients with hypertension tended to do worse than those without. Age at onset, presence of nephrotic syndrome or hematuria, and administration of steroids or immunosuppressive drugs did not adversely affect outcome. Furthermore, clinical outcome did not correlate with stage of disease. Hence pathologic and most clinical features do not predict long-term prognosis in children with membranous glomerulopathy. © 1982 The C. V. Mosby Company