Common Interests and the Most Important Areas of Political Cooperation between Poland and Romania in the Context of the European Union

The article addresses several issues that constitute the main areas of Polish-Romanian relations in the 21st century in the political dimension and in the broad sense of security. Relations between Poland and Romania have been characterized in the context of the membership of both countries in the European Union. Particular emphasis was placed on the period of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of EU, which lasted from January to the end of June 2019. The article indicates the most important common interests of both countries, the ways for their implementation, as well as potential opportunities for the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The article also takes into account the key challenges that Poland and Romania must face in connection with EU membership

Osseointegration of hydroxyapatite coatings doped with silver nanoparticles: scanning electron microscopy studies on a rabbit model

Background: Modern joint arthroplasties rely on osseointegration of metal components through bone ingrowth into hydroxyapatite (HA) layers. However, such surfaces are prone to colonisation by bacteria and formation of biofilms. Application of silver nanoparticles (SNs) to hydroxyapatite coatings could reduce the risk of infection; however, little is known about how this would affect the process of bone ingrowth. This study examined osseointegration of conventional and SN doped HA coatings in a rabbit model.  Materials and methods: In this study, 12 cylindrical implants coated with conven- tional and SN doped HA were implanted into New Zealand white rabbit femora, with each animal receiving both types of implants. After 12 weeks, rabbits were sacrificed, their femora were harvested and implants removed during pull-out testing. Retrieved samples were dehydrated, sputter coated and observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to verify bony ingrowth and retention of SNs.  Results: The percentage of implant in direct contact with bone was measured in cross-sections of implants. The SEM analysis demonstrated that osseointegration of the SN doped coatings was similar to the conventional HA samples. A similar morphology of newly formed trabecular bone was observed in both implants, with silver doped HA-coated implants retaining multiple nanoparticles in areas which were not overgrown by bone. Analysis of the bone-implant contact area revealed comparable results for both types of coatings. These finding indicated that SN doped HA coatings are characterised by good osseointegrative properties.  Conclusions: Since SNs were found in areas not covered by mineralised bone, it is assumed that the antimicrobial properties of the modified coating may be retained for 12 weeks after implantation. Additional studies are required to fine--tune the composition of HA coatings with SNs, to ensure optimal osseointegrative and antimicrobial properties.

Polityka zagraniczna Polski wobec Ameryki Łacińskiej w okresie pozimnowojennym

The work is a compendium of information and a study of Polish-Latin American relations, with particular emphasis on the implications of Poland’s accession to the structures of the European Union in the context of the country’s policy towards Latin America. The monograph is the first in the literature on the subject in which the title issue has been presented within the framework of the entire post-cold war period, i.e. 1989/1990–2016, and in a comprehensive way, on the political, economic, scientific and cultural levels. The author has focused on the analysis of bilateral relations with Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. The determinant of such a choice was the desire to discuss Poland’s relations with its main Latin American partners. In accordance with the government document Strategia RP w odniesieniu do pozaeuropejskich krajów rozwijających się [Strategy of the Republic of Poland with regard to non-European developing countries] of 2004, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico were included among the priority partners, while Colombia and Venezuela were defined as important. These are the Latin American countries with which Poland conducts political dialogue both bilaterally and multilaterally (within the EU or the Pacific Alliance, which includes three of the countries listed in the Strategy – Mexico, Chile and Colombia), and Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile account for the largest percentage of Poland’s trade with the region (about 75%). As far as the historical experience of mutual contacts is concerned, it should be noted that these countries, especially Brazil and Argentina, were the main directions of emigration from Poland to Latin America. The work also mentions Poland’s relations with other countries of the region, such as Cuba, Peru, Panama and Ecuador. The study is devoted to the post-war period, but it takes into account the context of Poland’s earlier policy towards Latin America, divided into the most characteristic stages, corresponding to continuity and change in the bilateral relations. It discusses Poland’s contacts with the countries of this region in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as in the 19th century, when there was an increased emigration of Poles, especially to Brazil (the so-called Brazilian fever) and Argentina. The title issue has been presented in the bilateral and multilateral dimension, taking into account the formal and legal basis and the results of meetings at the highest and lowest levels. Factors hindering and facilitating relations between Poland and Latin American countries and the position of these countries in the foreign policy of Poland have been identified. Determinants and tendencies in Polish policy towards the Latin American region, its manifestations, as well as dilemmas and challenges that appeared in the 21st century have been presented. Moreover, arguments for intensification of mutual relations in bilateral and multilateral forums and potential areas of cooperation in the field of political, economic, scientific and cultural relations have been indicated

Transformation of the international system in Latin America in the second decade of the 21st century

Od momentu zakończenia zimnej wojny i rozpadu dwublokowego podziału świata w Ameryce Łacińskiej następowały istotne przemiany o charakterze politycznym, gospodarczym i społecznym. Państwa latynoamerykańskie rozpoczęły w latach dziewięćdziesiątych XX wieku proces przeobrażeń systemowych, a także przeprowadziły liczne reformy gospodarcze, które korzystnie i skutecznie wpłynęły na wzrost znaczenia tych państw w stosunkach międzynarodowych. Brazylia - największe państwo Ameryki Południowej - odgrywa rolę mocarstwa regionalnego,a także zaliczana jest do mocarstw wschodzących. W pierwszej dekadzie i połowie drugiej dekady XXI wieku do miana coraz bardziej liczących się rynków w międzynarodowych stosunkach politycznych i gospodarczych aspirują także inne kraje regionu Ameryki Łacińskiej, jak na przykład: Chile, Meksyk czy - w regionie Ameryki Środkowej - Panama

Największe wyzwania i problemy Polski w relacjach z państwami Ameryki Łacińskiej i Karaibów po 1990 roku

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych RP określa Amerykę Łacińską i Karaiby jako ważny obszar. Faktycznie jednak nigdy nie zajmował on szczególnie istotnego miejsca w polskiej dyplomacji. Uwarunkowania i doświadczenia polskiej polityki zagranicznej pozwalają domniemywać, że region ten w przyszłości również nie zyska priorytetowego znaczenia. Jest to determinowane wieloma czynnikami wynikającymi zarówno z licznych trudności towarzyszących współpracy z tym regionem, jak i ograniczonymi możliwościami naszego kraju, jeżeli chodzi o ekspansję na dalekie rynki, co powoduje, że polska polityka zagraniczna i współpraca gospodarcza ukierunkowane są głównie na tradycyjnych partnerów

Polityka zagraniczna Polski wobec Ameryki Łacińskiej w okresie pozimnowojennym

Bilateral relations between Poland and Latin American countries have been largely determined by the history At the time when the countries of that region fought for their independence, Poland did not exist as a sovereign state and was erased from the political map of Europe for many years. Therefore, the establishment of diplomatic or commercial relations with the states of the Latin American region was not possible. However, the countries of Latin America, which in the last century began an intense process of political and economic changes, have rapidly gained recognition in international relations, which as a result influenced their relations with the rest of the world. The active policy towards the Latin American region, conducted, among the others by the European Union, including countries neighbouring Poland, as well as the growing political and economic needs of our country, pose a number of new challenges to the Latin American policy of Poland. The research area of this paper focuses on Poland's foreign policy towards some specified Latin American and Caribbean countries in the post-Cold War period from 1989/1990 to the end of 2016 (regarding also some relevant topics in the first half of 2017). The main part of the work focuses on the analysis of Poland's foreign policy in relation to several Latin American countries: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. The choice of the countries was aimed at presenting Poland's relations with the main partners of our country in Latin America. In order to show the whole spectrum of Poland's foreign policy towards some specified Latin American countries, its character was described in a multidimensional manner in four different and complementary dimensions: political, economic, cultural and scientific. The main research objective of this paper has been to present the essence of Poland's foreign policy towards Latin American countries in the post-Cold War period, at a political, economic, cultural and scientific level, taking into account the key aspects of relations from previous years, as well as presenting trends and elements of continuity and change shaping policy of the Third Republic of Poland towards the countries of the Latin American region. The author's aim was to present the main dilemmas and problems of the Latin American policy of Poland, as well as potential areas and reasons for intensifying cooperation on various levels with the countries of the region, in view of the challenges facing Latin American policy of Poland in the second decade of the 21st century

Sytuacja Polaków osadzonych w ekwadorskich więzieniach za przemyt narkotyków w kontekście kryzysu wymiaru sprawiedliwości w Ekwadorze

Abstract: The situation of Poles inmates in the Ecuadorian prisons, in the context of the crisis of justice in Ecuador Smuggling drugs from Latin American countries, with the participation of European citizens is a complex and multi‑faceted phenomenon. There is a variety of its manifestations and scale, as well as the variety of profiles and stories of people smugglers who are involved in the smuggling process. Unfortunately, among them there are also Poles although the trend, compared with the initial years of the first decade of the twenty‑first century, is decreasing. In media there are shown some information about the smuggling, but only periodically there are some news about smuggling attempts undertaken by organized criminal groups. Too rarely informed about the people running, whether on behalf of drug gangs, whether on their own responsibility, and about the specifics of conditions in Latin American prisons, radically different from European penitentiary systems

Selected Aspects of Polish-Mexican Relations on the Political, Economic and Cultural-Scientific Level in the 21st Century

Polish-Mexican relations on the political, economic, cultural and scientific levels have developed over the decades. The first political contacts between our two countries, after Poland regained its independence, were established in the 1920s. However, interstate contacts have not been developed on a larger scale. This was due, among others, to the fact that the Latin American countries did not occupy a priority position in Polish foreign policy neither before or after World War II. After 1990, Mexico became one of Poland’s most important Latin American partners. The Polish-Mexican trade exchange has been growing systematically. In 2015, it exceeded USD 1 billion for the first time in history. In April 2017 the first, historic visit at the highest level of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, took place in Mexico. It was a positive manifestation of the need to strengthen relations at the highest level and to testify the political will to intensify Poland’s relations with Mexico. In the second decade of the 21st century, we can talk about a “new opening” in Polish-Mexican relations. This manifests itself in both political and economic as well as cultural and scientific contacts. This article shows the most important manifestations of Poland’s relations with Mexico in the first and second decade of the 21st century with some references to previous years

Process of neovascularisation compared with pain intensity in tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps brachii tendon associated with concomitant shoulder disorders, after arthroscopic treatment. Microscopic evaluation supported by immunohistochemical

Background: Tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps brachii tendon (LHBT) is one of the most common, painful conditions of the anterior part of the shoulder and often coexists with rotator cuff tears. Multifactorial aetiopathology of tendi­nopathy is poorly understood; however, several studies indicated that it is seen predominantly in areas with decreased vascularity of the tissue; the pathology is also characterised by expansive and abundant neovascular in-growth. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between the neovascularisation of proximal part of the LHBT and pain along the bicipital groove. Materials and methods: Tissue material was obtained from 28 patients who underwent a shoulder arthroscopy and experienced pain along the bicipital groove measured using Visual-Analog Scale (VAS) score. CD31 and CD34 molecules were visualised by immunohistochemical method to assess biceps tendon neovascula­risation and quantify it based on a Bonar scoring system. Results: Although all patients reported pain prior to arthroscopy (mean VAS score was 7.5), microscopic examination did not reveal neovascularisation in all cases. Immunohistochemical staining for CD31 and CD34 allowed for very precise visualisation and quantification of neovascularisation; however there was also no correlation between vessels in-growth scores and pain. Conclusions: The obtained data suggest that neovascularisation process in tendino­pathy is not directly related to pain; however, further studies are needed to explain its significance in the LHBT tendinopathy. (Folia Morphol 2018; 77, 2: 378–385

Electron microscope study of the advanced tendinopathy process of the long head of the biceps brachii tendon treated arthroscopically

Background: The ultrastructural alterations related to tendinopathy have not been well described. Most studies on this subject have been conducted many years ago and focused on material from the Achilles tendon. It was demonstrated that various comorbidities can affect ultrastructural alterations in the advanced tendinopathy; however, there is very little data on ultrastructural morphology in tendinopathies related to mechanical overload as in case of the long head of the biceps brachii tendon (LHBT). The aim was to determine intermediate ultrastructural alterations in middle to severe grade the LHBT tendinopathy and to establish if they are different than those reported in the literature for other anatomical locations. Materials and methods: In this study we examined the ultrastructure of a series of the LHBT fragments arthroscopically removed due to tendinopathy and inve­stigated the morphology of tenocytes and collagen fibres in cases of the LHBT tendinopathy. Results: In pathological samples tenocytes were randomly scattered, their shape was round and the shape of nuclei was also disrupted. The presence of apoptotic­-like features in tenocytes’ nuclei was noted. All samples showed replacement of collagen fibrils by non-collagen extracellular matrix and diffuse collagen disorganisation. Conclusions: It was demonstrated at ultrastructural level that the LHBT tendino­pathy is not simply a wear and tear phenomenon, since chronic degeneration of the extracellular matrix and tenocytes were present, similarly as in tendinopathies, in other anatomical locations. (Folia Morphol 2018; 77, 2: 371–377