A Study in Positivism and Physiology: Readings of Gustave Courbet

This thesis explores ways in which the mid-nineteenth-century current of positivist thought impacted upon the work of the French artist Gustave Courbet (1819-1877). Guided by certain methodological imperatives set out in the theories of Hayden White and Dominick LaCapra – in particular LaCapra’s identification of the need for historical practice to avoid reductive interpretation of data and to recognise the formulation of concepts through intersecting domains of knowledge and the specificity of their articulation in different primary sources – this thesis focuses upon interpretations of Courbet’s work formulated between 1848 and 1878, examines ideas developed within the intersecting domains of positivism and medical science, and highlights the deployment of these ideas for political leverage across the entire political spectrum. The thesis discovers ways in which positivist interpreters of Courbet’s work, including the artist himself, sought to criticise and resolve the social and political problems of the time by drawing upon theories designed to achieve social harmony through scientific understanding of human nature and its evolution. The thesis demonstrates that numerous social commentators referred to the images of people and social conditions in Courbet’s paintings to express positivist views about social decay, the enduring human potential to reform such decay, and an inevitable achievement of social harmony. I show that positivists interpreted the artist’s work with recourse to disciplines such as biology, physiology and physiognomy, as well as concepts such as ‘the physical and the moral,’ according to which the various physical, mental, emotional and moral dimensions of the human constitution were closely interconnected, evident in physical appearance, and crucially influenced by the changing environmental conditions impacting upon them, including society. I also show that, according to such prescriptions, the physical appearance of ordinary contemporary people represented in Courbet’s paintings indicated their physical and moral state and by extension the social conditions forming this state. Such physiognomical principles were often associated with caricature and portraiture to advance the critical and affective nature of Courbet’s paintings, which were seen as aesthetic stimulants in an evolutionary process of social reform. As the project shows, positivists thought that Courbet’s paintings expressed certain ideal notions of equality and materiality that served the political, ideological and often anti-religious interests of the writers concerned; in these views, all humans fostered the same inherent physiological desire for altruistic existence and shared equal status with animals and organisms as physiological beings conceived and sustained within biological nature

Anti-spasmogenic activity of isoenzyme-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitors in guinea-pig trachealis

1. The anti-spasmogenic potential of SK&F 94120 (PDE3-selective), rolipram (PDE4-selective), zaprinast (PDE5-selective), zardaverine (dual PDE3/4 inhibitor) and theophylline (non-selective) was evaluated in guinea-pig trachealis. 2. SK&F 94120 or rolipram (10 and 100 μM) antagonized histamine-induced tension generation in a concentration-dependent and non-competitive manner whereas ACh-induced contractions were unaffected. Similarly, SK&F 94120 and rolipram in combination were anti-spasmogenic with respect to both contractile agonists to an extent that was greater than the effect of either drug alone. Identical results were obtained with zardaverine (1, 10 and 100 μM) and theophylline (100 μM and 1 mM). 3. Zaprinast protected guinea-pig trachealis against histamine-, but not ACh-induced contractile responses in a manner that was indistinguishable from the results obtained with SK&F 94120. However, in contrast to the interaction between SK&F 94120 and rolipram, no further antagonism was seen when zaprinast and rolipram were used in combination. 4. Pre-treatment of tissues with SNP (10 and 100 μM) antagonized histamine-induced tension generation in a concentration-dependent and non-competitive manner. However, no further antagonism was produced when SNP and rolipram were used concurrently. Likewise, the protection afforded by a combination SNP and SK&F 94120 was no greater than that produced by SNP alone. 5. These results demonstrate that an inhibitor of PDE3 enhances the anti-spasmogenic activity of rolipram but not drugs that elevate cyclic GMP mass. Moreover, the ability of SNP and zaprinast to protect guinea-pig trachealis against histamine-induced contractions apparently is not due to the inhibition of PDE3

Digitalizing and Upgrading Severe Acute Respiratory Infections Surveillance in Malta: System Development

BackgroundIn late 2020, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and Epiconcept started implementing a surveillance system for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) across Europe. ObjectiveWe sought to describe the process of digitizing and upgrading SARI surveillance in Malta, an island country with a centralized health system, during the COVID-19 pandemic from February to November 2021. We described the characteristics of people included in the surveillance system and compared different SARI case definitions, including their advantages and disadvantages. This study also discusses the process, output, and future for SARI and other public health surveillance opportunities. MethodsMalta has one main public hospital where, on admission, patient data are entered into electronic records as free text. Symptoms and comorbidities are manually extracted from these records, whereas other data are collected from registers. Collected data are formatted to produce weekly and monthly reports to inform public health actions. From October 2020 to February 2021, we established an analogue incidence-based system for SARI surveillance. From February 2021 onward, we mapped key stakeholders and digitized most surveillance processes. ResultsBy November 30, 2021, 903 SARI cases were reported, with 380 (42.1%) positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of all SARI hospitalizations, 69 (7.6%) were admitted to the intensive care unit, 769 (85.2%) were discharged, 27 (3%) are still being treated, and 107 (11.8%) died. Among the 107 patients who died, 96 (89.7%) had more than one underlying condition, the most common of which were hypertension (n=57, 53.3%) and chronic heart disease (n=49, 45.8%). ConclusionsThe implementation of enhanced SARI surveillance in Malta was completed by the end of May 2021, allowing the monitoring of SARI incidence and patient characteristics. A future shift to register-based surveillance should improve SARI detection through automated processes

Role of p38 MAP kinase in LPS-induced airway inflammation in the rat

1. We investigated the effect of the p38 kinase inhibitor SB 203580 on airway inflammation induced by aerosolized lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in male Wistar rats. SB 203580 significantly inhibited (ED(50)=15.8 mg kg(−1)) plasma levels of TNF-α in rats challenged with LPS (1.5 mg kg(−1), i.p.). 2. Aerosolized LPS induced a peak in TNF-α levels and the initiation of a neutrophilic response in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid at the 2 h time point. Furthermore, the 4 h time point was associated with the peak in IL-1β levels and the initial plateau of neutrophilia observed in the BAL fluid. 3. SB 203580 (100 mg kg(−1)), had no effect on peak TNF-α levels or the associated neutrophilia in the BAL. Interestingly, the PDE 4 inhibitor RP 73401 (100 mg kg(−1)) significantly reduced both TNF-α levels and neutrophilic inflammation. However, the BAL fluid from rats pre-treated with either compound significantly inhibited TNF-α release from cultured human monocytes 18 h after LPS treatment (83.6 and 44.5% inhibition, respectively). 4. Alternatively, SB 203580 (100 mg kg(−1)) produced dose-related inhibition of BAL IL-1β levels (67.5% inhibition, P<0.01) and BAL neutrophilia (45.9% inhibition, P<0.01) 4 h after LPS challenge. 5. P38 protein was present in lung tissue and the level of expression was not affected by LPS treatment. 6. P38 kinase appears to be involved in the release of IL-1β and the sustained neutrophilic response in the BAL fluid. This data may suggest a role for p38 inhibitors in the treatment of airway inflammatory diseases in which neutrophilia is a feature of the lung pathology