René Girard and the Mimetic Nature of Eating Disorders

French historian and literary critic René Girard (1923–2015), most widely known for the concepts of mimetic desire and scapegoating, also engaged in the discussion of the surge of eating disorders in his 1996 essay Eating Disorders and Mimetic Desire. This article explores Girard’s ideas on the mimetic nature and origin of eating disorders from a clinical psychiatric perspective and contextualizes them within the field of eating disorders research as well as in relation to broader psychological, sociological and anthropological models of social comparison and non-consumption. Three main themes in Girard’s thinking on the topic of eating disorders are identified and explored: the ‘end of prohibitions’ as a driving force in the emergence of eating disorders, eating disorders as a phenomenon specific to modernity, and the significance of ‘conspicuous non-consumption’ in the emergence of eating disorders.     

La religiosité au Paléolithique

During the oldest periods of the Palaeolithic, evidence of distinct behaviours related to technicity, hunting and settlement patterns is difficult to clearly interpret. Yet such evidence increases from the Lower to Middle Palaeolithic, with the appearance of the first incontestable burials and symbolic representations, in the form of collected shells and colorants. With the Upper Palaeolithic, the archaeological record is more abundant. It is then possible to address spiritual aspects, the component of non-technological human behaviour beyond subsistence, lithic reduction or hafting techniques. Figurative art appears, in both mobile and parietal form, the iconography and organisation of which are structured. Painted caves seem to have been places for ritual practices in addition to having been selected for art alone. Evidence of visits and archaeological deposits reflect a space for possible exchanges between the human and spirit worlds in the framework of an animist world view. In the religious domain, such data allow the reconstruction of some elements of mythical thought, analogous to that described by ethnologists and historians of religions in other contexts. Their study does not allow precise recovery of the myths themselves, but rather consideration of their existence and structuring function within these prehistoric societies.     

L'évaluation de l'incapacité dermatologique en santé au travail.

This paper presents a simple method for evaluating the extent of impairment in occupational dermatosis based on the portion (P) of the anatomic area involved (A) and the coefficient of physiologic disturbance (C). A percentage value is assigned to each anatomic area on the basis of its functional importance. The coefficient of physiologic disturbance is the average of four factors (stiffness, dehydration, thickening, and pruritus or pain). The formula (P X A). C gives the final percentage of impairment.     

ClearPEM,un TEP dédié au sein

Conventional breast imaging (mammography, ultrasound, MRI) relies on the analysis of anatomical characteristics. Whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) allows for the acquisition of a metabolic image, yet is limited by its poor spatial resolution. The Crystal Clear Collaboration developed a PET dedicated for breast imaging, the ClearPEM, in order to offer a high-resolution nuclear imaging technique. The patient is installed in the prone position on the exam bed, with two detector plates rotating around to breast to acquire a 3-dimensional image. Two prototypes were built and installed in hospitals. We summarize the technical solutions necessary for the development of this system and present a summary of its performances as well as an outlook on preclinical and clinical tests.     

René Couteaux (1909-1999) and the morphological identification of synapses

During a historical research, we realized that René Couteaux (1909-1999) was the first histologist who stained the postsynaptic structure of the neuromuscular junction. By means of Janus Green B dye, he revealed the membranous 'subneural apparatus' related to the 'synaptic gutter'. Hence, he justified the use of the physiological term 'synapse' in histology. A few years later, Couteaux localized acetylcholinesterase activity on this subneural apparatus with a histo-enzymatic method. The histochemical staining confirmed his histological observations that the subneural apparatus of the muscle cells was distinct from the nerve terminal. Thus Couteaux not only supported Cajal's neuron theory, but also gave decisive morphological basis to the concept of the synapse, thought to be up to that time a physiological entity. These observations were performed several years before the first electron microscopic data obtained in the U.S.A. When the electron microscopy became available in Europe, Couteaux studied the ultrastructural details of the myoneural synapse. He found evidence for the presynaptic 'active zone' as a restricted zone of the thickened presynaptic membrane flanked on both sides with synaptic vesicles, some of which were observed to be opening into the synaptic cleft by exocytosis. Furthermore, the synaptic vesicles were shown to be displayed in two rows along the linearly prolonged active zone which is situated just above the 'trench-like' junctional folds of the muscle membrane. The discontinuity of the synaptic structure was confirmed by the three-dimensional observation of the intraneuronal network of neurofibrils with the first prototype of high-voltage electron microscope.     

Hommage à rené delépine à l'occasion de son départ à la retraite

A tribute to René Delépine on the occasion of his retirement. The career of René Delépine is reviewed on the occasion of his retirement. When he was a student, a meeting with Jean Feldmann led to a lifelong inclination towards phycology. Eventually appointed to the position of assistant professor at the University of Paris-VI (University Pierre-et-Marie-Curie), René Delépine worked and published primarily on the taxonomy of antarctic and subantarctic marine algae but he was also interested in seaweed aquaculture and utilizations. After organizing the national colloque ValVA (Valorisation des végétaux aquatiques), he became increasingly involved in the commercial application of seaweeds. His main activity, however, remained university teaching for which he was always enthusiastic, especially for teaching in the field and on the subject of the utilizations of algae. A list of his publications is given at the end of this article.     

Pollution de l’eau souterraine et risques sanitaires à Yaoundé au Cameroun

The aim of this article consists of developing an ecosystemic approach to collect information about groundwater pollution in order to determine its origin and infer the health risks in Mingoa's watershed through the study of 12 spontaneous settlements. From an environmental point of view, family interviews and direct observations allowed us to inventory springs, wells and latrines, and to collect information. So, we have selected, on the basis of predefined criteria, 21 wells and springs for physico-chemical and bacteriological laboratory analyses. Two hundred children aged less than 5 years were subjected to KOAP examination. A number of 1224 latrines were inventoried, for an average use of 15 people per latrine, producing 913.3 kg/year of excreta. Most of 91% of people use these latrines. The superficial aquifers, connected to the wells and springs, present high values of nitrogen, phosphorous pollutant and fecal contamination indicators (coliforms and fecal streptococcus), which make water inappropriate to human consumption. PCA analysis establishes that water pollution comes mainly from traditional pit latrines. The overall prevalence of diarrhea and parasite infestation was important (= 40%). The presence of cysts of Entamoeba histolytica, Ascaris limbricoides, and Entamoeba coli confirms this high prevalence and testify to very approximate hygiene and environment conditions.     

Risque viral lié au virus de l’hépatite C en AMP

Medical assistance to procreation in a couple where one or both parents has hepatitis C viral infection (HCV) raises the issue of the transmission of the infection to the baby and/or of possible contamination of both the technicians and the gemetes or embryos from virus-free parents in the laboratory. It becomes essential to assess transmission risk in Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) in order to clearly define the management of couples according to their viral status. To define the HCV transmissibility risk in ART related to the presence of virus in semen from infected infertile men, RNA HCV-detection was performed in sera, and semen and sperm fractions obtained after Percoll gradient centrifugation. RNA HCV was detected in 5% (2/39) of the semen tested: in the raw semen, in the seminal fluid and in the cell pellet but never after Percoll selection. According to these results, we suggest a strategy for HCV infected infertile men who need ART.     

Sur la Production d'Anticorps au Moyen d'Un Antigène Enrobé dans la Lanoline-Vaseline

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