Neuropeptides isotocin and arginine vasotocin in urophysis of three fish species

In this study, for the first time, both neuropeptides isotocin (IT) and arginine vasotocin (AVT) have been identified and measured in urophysis, the neurohaemal organ of the caudal neurosecretory system of teleost fish. So far, AVT, but not IT, was quantified by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in urophysis of several fish species. We have used high-performance liquid chromatographic assay with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FL) preceded by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI MS/MS) technique to determine both neuropeptides in urophysis of three fish species. The efficiency of peptide’s SPE extraction was 79–85 %. In HPLC-FL method, the limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were estimated as 1.0 and 3.4 pmol/mL for IT and 0.25 and 2.20 pmol/mL for AVT. In LC–MS/MS method, LOD and LOQ were estimated as 0.4 and 1.2 pmol/mL for IT and 0.06 and 0.2 pmol/mL for AVT. The chromatographic methods are good alternative for RIA, because enable to measure both nonapeptides simultaneously in one sample. In round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and sea bream (Sparus aurata), urophysial IT concentrations ranged between 0.056 and 0.678 pmol/mg tissue and AVT concentrations ranged between 0.0008 (or even below detection threshold) and 0.084 pmol/mg tissue

Wpływ kryzysu energetycznego na zarządzanie polityką inwestycyjną w jednostkach samorządu terytorialnego

The continuous increase in prices of raw materials and fuels, disrupted supply chains, the European Union’s climate policy, and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine are some of factors that have led to the energy crisis. Recently, energy prices have been growing on an unprecedented scale. The energy crisis is also encountered by local governments, which have already taken measures to reduce costs related to energy consumption. Local governments are increasingly taking advantage of energy efficiency solutions. Several options have been launched in recent years to support the implementation of such investments, based on domestic and European funds. Howev er, the availability of these funds for local governments in different provinces varies, as does the scope of their investment. Therefore, the assessment of the actual state of affairs seems extremely important from the perspective of management efficiency and social economy. It should also be noted that on 29 September 2022, the Parliament passed the Law on Special Solutions for the Protection of Electricity Consumers in 2023. It imposed obligation on the public sector to save energy, and failure to comply may lead to restrictions. The study examines results of research on investments made by local governments in the Łódzkie and Dolnośląskie provinces in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, with the aim to mitigate effects of the energy crisis. The analysis presented shows the direction of actions taken and their scale in 2018–2022, as well as investment objectives for 2023. Two hundred and twenty-three local governments participated in the study, which made it possible to formulate valid conclusions. The study can fill the gap in the literature on the subject.Systematyczny wzrost cen surowców i paliw, zakłócone łańcuchy dostaw, polityka klimatyczna Unii Europejskiej oraz agresja Rosji na Ukrainę to czynniki, które wymienia się w gronie tych, które doprowadziły do kryzysu energetycznego. Oczywiście wzrost cen energii obserwowany jest od lat, jednak ich skala, w ostatnim okresie, postrzegana jest jako niespotykana do tej pory. Z kryzysem energetycznym borykają się również jednostki samorządu terytorialnego, które podejmowały już działania mające na celu obniżenie kosztów związanych z zużyciem energii. Samorządy coraz częściej korzystają z rozwiązań zwiększających efektywność energetyczną. Uruchomionych zostało w ostatnich latach wiele opcji umożliwiających wsparcie implementacji takich inwestycji zarówno z funduszy pochodzących ze Skarbu Państwa, jak i funduszy europejskich. Skala wykorzystania tych środków w samorządach zlokalizowanych w poszczególnych województwach jest jednak różna, podobnie jak zakres inwestycyjny. Zdiagnozowanie stanu rzeczywistego wydaje się zatem niezmiernie istotne z perspektywy efektywności zarządczej oraz ekonomii publicznej. Należy również zaznaczyć, że 29 września 2022 roku Sejm uchwalił dodatkowo ustawę o szczególnych rozwiązaniach służących ochronie odbiorców energii elektrycznej w 2023 roku, która narzuca obowiązek oszczędzania energii przez sferę budżetową, a nie spełnienie jej zapisów obłożone zostało restrykcjami. Opracowanie ukazuje wyniki badań dotyczących inwestycji realizowanych przez jednostki samorządu terytorialnego zlokalizowanych na terenie województwa łódzkiego i dolnośląskiego w obszarze energooszczędności oraz odnawialnych źródeł energii, których celem jest osłabienie skutków kryzysu energetycznego. Przedstawiona analiza ukazuje kierunek podejmowanych działań i ich skalę w latach 2018–2022 oraz założenia inwestycyjne na rok 2023. W przeprowadzonych badaniach uczestniczyło 223 samorządy terytorialne, co pozwoliło sformułować wiążące wnioski. Opracowanie może stanowić uzupełnienie luki w literaturze przedmiotu

Wrodzone i nabyte mechanizmy odporności komórkowej w patogenezie przewlekłych nieswoistych zapaleń jelit

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic autoimmune conditions that include Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The exact aetiology of IBD has not been fully elucidated yet, although it appears that the main pathogenic factor is abnormal response of the immune system against host microflora in genetically susceptible patients. Immunological processes underlying development of IBD include interactions between the cells of both innate and adaptive immune response. Novel advances in immunology demonstrate the role of imbalance between proinflammatory and regulatory mechanisms in the chronic inflammatory conditions. Recently described innate lymphoid cells and new subclasses of T helper cell (Th) and regulatory T cells (Treg) have joined the classical components of the immune system such as T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and macrophages. This review provides an over view of the most impor tant cellular components of the innate and the adaptive immune response involved in the pathogenesis of IBD. It also presents the role of interactions between cells of both systems, highlighting the role of IL-22, IL-23 and IL-17, in the development and progression of IBD. Described dependencies may contribute to the discovery of new treatment for this group of diseases.Przewlekłe nieswoiste zapalenia jelit (PNZJ; IBD) stanowią grupę autoimmunologicznych schorzeń obejmujących dwie główne jednostki kliniczne: chorobę Leśniowskiego-Crohna (CD) i wrzodziejące zapalenie jelita grubego (UC). Etiologia tych chorób nie została jeszcze w pełni wyjaśniona, jednak wydaje się, że główną przyczyną jest nadmierna aktywacja układu odpornościowego skierowana przeciwko antygenom naturalnej flory bakteryjnej jelit u osób predysponowanych genetycznie. Procesy immunologiczne leżące u podstaw patomechanizmów PNZJ obejmują interakcje pomiędzy komórkami zarówno odpowiedzi wrodzonej, jak i nabytej. W ostatnich latach do klasycznych elementów układu immunolo­gicznego, takich jak limfocyty T i B, komórki dendrytyczne i makrofagi, dołączyły tak zwane wrodzone komórki limfoidalne (ILC) oraz nowe podklasy limfocytów pomocniczych (Th) oraz regulatorowych (Treg). Niniejsza praca stanowi przegląd najistotniejszych elementów komórkowych wrodzonych i nabytych mechanizmów układu odpornościowego zaangażowanych w rozwój PNZJ. Wspomniane również zostały najważniejsze interakcje pomiędzy komórkami obu układów, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem roli interleukin IL-22, IL-23 i IL-17 w etiologii PNZJ. Opisane patomechanizmy PNZJ mogą przyczynić się do odkrycia nowych możliwości leczenia tej grupy chorób

Urban Living Labs: how to enable inclusive transdisciplinary research?

The Urban Living Lab (ULL) approach has the potential to create enabling environments for social learning and to be a successful arena for innovative local collaboration in knowledge co-creation and experimentation in the context of research and practice in sustainability transitions. Nevertheless, complex issues such as the urban Food-Water-Energy (FWE) Nexus present a challenge to the realization of such ULL, especially regarding their inclusiveness. We present ULL as a frame for a local knowledge co-creation and participation approach based on the project "Creating Interfaces - Building capacity for integrated governance at the Food-Water-Energy-nexus in cities on the water". This project aims at making FWE Nexus linkages better understandable to the stakeholders (citizens and associations, city government, science, businesses), and to facilitate cooperation and knowledge exchange among them. This paper focuses on and discusses inclusiveness as a key aspect and challenge of ULLs and on what literature and our experiences in this regard suggest for the advancement of the concept of ULL towards ULL 2.0. These findings often also relate to framing transdisciplinary research in a wider sense

Functional analysis of TL1A/DR3 interactions during T cell-mediated immune responses

Members of the tumour necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) are important regulators of inflammation and immunity. TL1A (TNFSF15), ligand for death receptor 3 (DR3), is the most recently discovered member of this superfamily and full understanding of its structure and the role in T cell-mediated immune responses is currently incomplete. DR3 expression is strongly up-regulated on activated T cells, although it also is present on resting CD4+ T cells, while the expression of TL1A is rapidly and transiently upregulated on activated cells of the immune system such as dendritic cells, monocytes and T cells. The research published to date shows that TL1A/DR3 interaction is involved in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases and enhances activation of CD4+ T cells, however very little is known about its role in co-stimulation of CD8+ T cells. Several studies showed that TL1A also acts as a polarizer of the immune response by inducing secretion of IFN-?, IL-4, IL-10 and/or IL-17A from activated CD4+ T cells, although the results vary depending on the conditions of a given experiment. The research presented in this thesis identifies Toll-like receptors 3 and 4 as the inducers of TL1A expression on dendritic cells. Furthermore, different binding patterns of anti- TL1A monoclonal antibody (raised against the homotrimeric form of TL1A) and DR3.Fc construct to cells transfected with TL1A cDNA and cells naturally expressing TL1A suggest that TL1A may exist as a homo- and heterotrimeric protein. Ecotopic expression of TL1A on J558L tumour cells promotes their elimination in a CD8+ T celldependent manner and renders mice immune to a subsequent challenge with tumour cells. Moreover, TL1A promotes the proliferation and accumulation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells both in vitro and in vivo as well as their activation and differentiation into cytotoxic T cells in vivo. It also enhances the secondary expansion of endogenous antigen-specific memory CD8+ T cells. The studies presented here also show that TL1A/DR3 interaction enhances the proliferation and activation of CD4+ T cells. CD11c-TL1A transgenic and CD2-TL1A transgenic mice that constitutively express TL1A on dendritic cells and T cells, respectively, show elevated levels of IL-13 and IL- 17A in the secondary lymphoid organs suggesting that in this setting TL1A skews the immune response toward Th2 and Th17 type. Furthermore, CD11c-TL1A transgenic mice develop a striking goblet cell hyperplasia in the ileum. TL1A also enhances regulatory T cell accumulation in vivo. The findings presented in this thesis show that TL1A may have the potential for enhancing vaccines that aim to elicit CD8+ T cell responses and also identify mechanisms by which sustained expression of TL1A could promote pathogenesis in inflammatory bowel diseas

Stigmatized by language – representations of people with disability in Poland and the United States

Language is one of the elements that create reality. The following paper aims at showing the role of particular languages in constructing the image of disability. Speaking in a particular way, people portray different items, persons etc. The process of the construction may result in shaping varied attitudes and emerging different labels. The paper is a comparison of words used in the field of disability in two countries: Poland and the United States. The vocabulary comes from two sources: in the case of Poland it is the website niepelnosprawni.pl while in the case of the United States – the resources of Disability History Museum, which are available online. There are two reference points for the analysis. The first one is the Stigma concept by Erving Goffman. It implies stereotyping and labeling. On the other side there is the Other – the idea by Emmanuel Levinas. In turn, the basis of his approach are respect and love. The paper aims at demonstrating in which country the vocabulary used is closer to the Levinas` theory. It is also a try to show where the usage of words may be more challenging. Keywords: ; ;