Roth’s Humorous Art of Ghost Writing

In her article Roth\u27s Humorous Art of Ghost Writing Paule Lévy analyses Philip Roth\u27s Exit Ghost, the last novel featuring Nathan Zuckerman, in which Roth reassesses his favorite alter ego\u27s itinerary while exploring the troubled relation between writing and aging. Lévy considers Exit Ghost as an ironic sequel to The Ghost Writer and posits that in the light of Derrida\u27s theories of writing and hauntology the central motifs of ghosts and spectrality in the novel are a means for Roth to reflect anew on the ambiguous relation between autobiography and fiction. Lévy asks whether Exit Ghost should be read as an expression of Roth\u27s pessimism, as a ghost novel predicting its own disappearance as a cultural artifact, or whether it should be read as an assertion of Roth\u27s indefatigable vitality and faith in the priceless value of art. Lévy\u27s study is a textual analysis and a close examination of the dialogic links between the storyline and its haunting multifarious intertext—in particular Joseph Conrad\u27s partly autobiographical novel The Shadow Line, a central reference in Exit Ghost

The effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on the dopamine system

Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, is a pressing concern to global mental health. Patterns of use are changing drastically due to legalisation, availability of synthetic analogues (‘spice’), cannavaping and aggrandizements in the purported therapeutic effects of cannabis. Many of THC’s reinforcing effects are mediated by the dopamine system. Due to complex cannabinoid-dopamine interactions there is conflicting evidence from human and animal research fields. Acute THC causes increased dopamine release and neuron activity, whilst long-term use is associated with blunting of the dopamine system. Future research must examine the long-term and developmental dopaminergic effects of the drug

Place of the child psychiatrist in the handling of HIV + families

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Placing dignity at the centre of welfare policy

Fully packed loop models describe the statistics of closely packed nested polygons on the square lattice. Many exact results can be obtained for these models, even for finite geometries, using their close relationship to alternating-sign matrices and the solvable six-vertex and O(n=1) lattice models. Some results for the exact partition function of fully packed loop models on various finite geometries are briefly reviewed, as well as the well-known order-disorder bulk phase transition present in these models. A detailed study is presented of the distribution of boundary nests of polygons in fully packed loop models with mirror or rotational symmetry. The probability distribution function of such nests, as well as the average number of nests, are obtained analytically, albeit conjecturally. It is further shown that fully packed loop models undergo another phase transition as a function of the boundary nest fugacity. At criticality, we derive a scaling form for the nest distribution function which displays an unusual non-Gaussian cubic exponential behaviour.Comment: 30 pages, contributed chapte

A nationwide study of acquired C1-inhibitor deficiency in France : Characteristics and treatment responses in 92 patients

International audienceAcquired angioedema (AAE) due to C1-inhibitor (C1INH) deficiency is rare. Treatment options for acute attacks are variable and used off-label. Successful treatment of the associated lymphoma with rituximab seems to prevent acute attacks in subjects with AAE. The aim of this study was to describe AAE manifestations, its associated diseases, and patients’ responses to treatments in a representative cohort.A retrospective nationwide study was conducted in France. The inclusion criteria were recurrent angioedema attacks and an acquired decrease in functional C1INH <50% of the reference value.A total of 92 cases were included, with a median age at onset of 62 years. Facial edema and abdominal pain were the most frequent symptoms. Fifteen patients were hospitalized in the intensive care unit because of laryngeal edema, and 1 patient died. Anti-C1INH antibodies were present in 43 patients. The associated diseases were primarily non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 44, with 24 splenic marginal zone lymphomas) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (n = 24). Three patients had myeloma, 1 had amyloid light-chain (of immunoglobulin) (AL) amyloidosis, 1 patient had a bronchial adenocarcinoma, and 19 patients had no associated disease. Icatibant relieved the symptoms in all treated patients (n = 26), and plasma-derived C1INH concentrate in 19 of 21 treated patients. Six patients experienced thromboembolic events under tranexamic acid prophylaxis. Rituximab prevented angioedema in 27 of 34 patients as a monotherapy or in association with chemotherapy. Splenectomy controlled AAE in 7 patients treated for splenic marginal zone lymphoma. After a median follow-up of 4.2 years, angioedema was on remission in 52 patients.AAE cases are primarily associated with indolent lymphoma—especially splenic marginal zone lymphoma—and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance but not with autoimmune diseases or other conditions. Icatibant and plasma-derived C1INH concentrate control attacks; splenectomy and immunochemotherapy prevent angioedema in lymphoma setting

Real-world Evaluation of Oral Vinorelbine in the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer: An ESME-MBC Study

International audienc