Olive Senior - b. 1941

Dominique DUBOIS: Would you regard yourself as a feminist writer? Olive SENIOR: When I started to write, I wasn't conscious about feminism and those issues. I think basically my writing reflects my society and how it functions. Obviously, one of my concerns is gender. I tend to avoid labels. Jeanne DEVOIZE: How can you explain that there are so many women writers in Jamaica, particularly as far as the short story is concerned. O.S.: I think there are a number of reasons. One is that it reflec..

Muriel Spark - b. 1918

Muriel Spark’s versatility — a novelist with some twenty titles, a playwright, a biographer and literary critic, and of course a short story writer — her delightful unconventionality, the incisiveness of her wit, her narrative power, are only a few of the traits that make of her one of the best loved and most widely‑read British writers of our times. Jeanne DEVOIZE: How did you become a writer originally? How did you decide it would be your profession? Muriel SPARK: Well, I was quite a child ..

Salivary biomarkers and burning mouth syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature

Introduction: Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is defined by a burning sensation or intraoral dysesthesia without obvious causal lesion. Despite the development of research, diagnostic aids for this syndrome are non-existent and treatments are partially ineffective. Some studies have shown changes in salivary composition, viscosity or flow in patients with BMS. The evaluation of the salivary biochemical characteristics of patients with BMS could then help to better understand the pathogenesis of this disease. The objective of this meta-analysis is to perform a qualitative and quantitative synthesis of the literature concerning the salivary biomarkers present in patients with BMS in comparison to healthy subjects. Materials and methods: The PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane databases were searched to identify articles corresponding to the defined inclusion criteria. Review Manager 5.4.1 software was used to perform the quantitative analysis. Results: The quantitative analysis included 15 articles and found a significant increase in salivary concentrations of cortisol and immunoglobulin A (IgA) with a standardized mean difference SMD = 0.53 and a 95% confidence interval CI [0.33 to 0.74] and SMD = 0.32 to 95% CI [0.10 to 0.55] respectively. For calcium and copper, the analysis found no significant difference in patients with BMS with SMD = 0.06 at 95% CI [–0.19 to 0.32] and SMD = -0.19 at 95% CI [–0.44 to 0.06]. Finally, for magnesium, the analysis found a probable decrease with SMD = -0.29 at 95% CI [–0.52 to -0.06]. Four other biomarkers (potassium, alpha amylase, zinc and total protein) showed too high levels of heterogeneity (I² > 44%) to be able to interpret the results with confidence. Discussion: This strong heterogeneity can be explained by different saliva sampling methods or biomarker measurement techniques that are not strictly identical between the studies. In addition, some saliva samples may have undergone blood contamination which may bias the results. Conclusion: This meta-analysis nevertheless confirms all the interest of focusing on salivary biomarkers in BMS patients; the measurement of cortisol and/or salivary IgA could be a line of research for the establishment of a standardized biological assessment. Nevertheless, the number of available studies being low and of variable methodological quality with a limited number of patients, additional studies are necessary to give a firm and definitive conclusion

Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Autoimmunity: A French Cohort Study

Background and ObjectivesTo report the clinical, biological, and imaging features and clinical course of a French cohort of patients with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) autoantibodies.MethodsWe retrospectively included all patients who tested positive for GFAP antibodies in the CSF by immunohistochemistry and confirmed by cell-based assay using cells expressing human GFAPα since 2017 from 2 French referral centers.ResultsWe identified 46 patients with GFAP antibodies. Median age at onset was 43 years, and 65% were men. Infectious prodromal symptoms were found in 82%. Other autoimmune diseases were found in 22% of patients, and coexisting neural autoantibodies in 11%. Tumors were present in 24%, and T-cell dysfunction in 23%. The most frequent presentation was subacute meningoencephalitis (85%), with cerebellar dysfunction in 57% of cases. Other clinical presentations included myelitis (30%) and visual (35%) and peripheral nervous system involvement (24%). MRI showed perivascular radial enhancement in 32%, periventricular T2 hyperintensity in 41%, brainstem involvement in 31%, leptomeningeal enhancement in 26%, and reversible splenial lesions in 4 cases. A total of 33 of 40 patients had a monophasic course, associated with a good outcome at last follow-up (Rankin Score ≤2: 89%), despite a severe clinical presentation. Adult and pediatric features are similar. Thirty-two patients were treated with immunotherapy. A total of 11/22 patients showed negative conversion of GFAP antibodies.DiscussionGFAP autoimmunity is mainly associated with acute/subacute meningoencephalomyelitis with prodromal symptoms, for which tumors and T-cell dysfunction are frequent triggers. The majority of patients followed a monophasic course with a good outcome

Le problème du dédoublement dans The Way of All Flesh de Samuel Butler

Devoize Jeanne. Le problème du dédoublement dans The Way of All Flesh de Samuel Butler. In: Caliban, n°31, 1994. L'auto/biographie. pp. 107-113

Lésions buccales chez le patient VIH+ à l'ère des multithérapies antirétrovirales (étude des patients suivis au CHRU de Clermont-Ferrand de 1999 à 2002)

CLERMONT FD-BCIU-Santé (631132104) / SudocPARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Etude épidémiologique sur la santé bucco-dentaire de la personne âgée en EHPAD

CLERMONT FD-BCIU Odontol. (631132226) / SudocPARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocCLERMONT FD-BCIU-Santé (631132104) / SudocSudocFranceF