Twórczość malarza-kameduły o. Wincentego z Subbiaco w świetle najnowszych badań

A Camaldolese painter, Father Venanzio da Subiaco (around 1570-1659), was active in Poland from 1624 to 1632, when he stayed in the  hermitages at Bielany, near Cracow, and at Rytwiany. His name has been familiar to Polish scholars since 1871 (L. Zarewicz), and in 1952 his first brief monograph was written by Witold Urbanowicz, devoted,  however, merely to his achievements in Poland. The monograph was later supplemented and verified by other researchers (J. Z. Łoziński and T. Przypkowski, W Kret., A. Ryszkiewicz, A. Małkiewicz). Venanzio’s work accomplished in Italy remained iong unknown. It was only in 1995 that Lucilia Conigliello organized an exhibition in Poppi featuring 14 paintings by Venanty, which she discovered in a Camaldolese hermitage and coenobium in Camaldoli. In the catalogue she discussed his 34 Italian works. In a catalogue of another exhibition of the Baroque art in Castentino (Poppi 2001), Conigliello included a short monograph of the painter, presenting his art both from the Italian and Polish period. The aim of this paper is to present a critical overview of the present state of research on Venanzio. His art created prior to joining the Order in 1618 remains unknown. As a Camaldolese monk he worked almost entirely for the congregation and sporadically for people connected with it, which limited the iconography of his paintings to religious themes. The artist’s preserved works include three sets of mural painitng (Monte Rua, near Padua, Bielany, Rytwiany) and 50 oil paintings, 10 of which are in Polish monasteries. Their style bears influence of Caravaggio and is characterized by certain conservatism. The artist was also inspired by the paintings of great Renaissance masters, especially Titian, through the mediation of graphics. An important contribution of Venanzio was creating an iconographical canon of the Camaldolese church painting decoration, which was accomplished by the artist during his stay in Poland and transplanted in the churches o f the Order in Italy. He achieved this thanks to the pressure from the rich founders of the Polish monasteries, who demanded - contrary to monastic rules - to give churches a splendid architectural form and rich decoration.Artykuł przedstawia życie i twórczość malarza-kameduły o. Wincentego z Subbiaco w świetle najnowszych badań.  W ostatnich latach Wenanty z Subiaco został ponownie odkryty - głównie dzięki Lucilli Conigliello - jako malarz o raczej wyrazistym stylu, mieszczący się w nurcie włoskiego caravaggionizmu, jako artysta, który w ramach kontrreformacyjnej ikonografii opracował program dostosowany do celów i potrzeb zakonu pustelniczego

Comparative analysis of GOLPH3 expression in lymph node-positive prostate cancer: immunohistochemistry staining patterns and clinical significance

IntroductionProstate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men worldwide. Lymph node metastasis is a poor prognostic factor for PCa. Previous studies have found that Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) is overexpressed in various cancers, including PCa. We examined GOLPH3 expression in PCa cells from primary tumor and, as the first, also in metastatic lymph nodes to assess its potential as a new risk factor for PCa progression.MethodsThe study included 78 patients diagnosed with lymph node-positive PCa confirmed in the postoperative material. All the patients underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) with extended lymphadenectomy. The clinical data of the patients were retrospectively analyzed, and their histopathological specimens were selected for further analysis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed and the expression of GOLPH3 was assessed by an experienced uropathologist using an immunoreactive scale (IRS). A correlational analysis of the obtained data with the clinicopathological data of patients was performed.ResultsA positive IHC reaction for GOLPH3 was observed in all samples. IRS score for GOLPH3 expression was higher in the metastatic lymph nodes than in the prostate (not statistically significant; p=0.056). Several significant correlations were identified in connection with GOLPH3 expression levels in the prostate and metastatic lymph node tissues. No significant correlations were found between GOLPH3 expression and patient characteristics (e.g. BMI, EAU risk group, or preoperative PSA level), pathological features, or postoperative outcomes. However, we found that lymphovascular invasion (LVI) tended to be more common in patients with a higher percentage of GOLPH3-positive cells (p=0.02). We also found a positive association between the intensity of GOLPH3 staining in metastatic lymph nodes and the EAU classification. Finally, we found a significant negative correlation between the GOLPH3 expression and the efficacy of RP – the higher the expression of GOLPH3, the lower the efficacy of RP was (p<0.05).ConclusionGOLPH3 is expressed in both prostate and metastatic lymph nodes, with higher expression in metastatic lymph nodes. High GOLPH3 expression was associated with the occurrence of LVI, higher-risk group in the EAU classification, and lower efficacy of the RP, but there was no significant correlation with other pathological features or postoperative outcomes

The creation of Camaldolese painter Father Vincent of Subbiaco in light of recent studies

A Camaldolese painter, Father Venanzio da Subiaco (around 1570-1659), was active in Poland from 1624 to 1632, when he stayed in the hermitages at Bielany, near Cracow, and at Rytwiany. His name has been familiar to Polish scholars since 1871 (L. Zarewicz), and in 1952 his first brief monograph was written by Witold Urbanowicz, devoted, however, merely to his achievements in Poland. The monograph was later supplemented and verified by other researchers (J. Z. Łoziński and T. Przypkowski, W Kret., A. Ryszkiewicz, A. Małkiewicz). Venanzio’s work accomplished in Italy remained iong unknown. It was only in 1995 that Lucilia Conigliello organized an exhibition in Poppi featuring 14 paintings by Venanty, which she discovered in a Camaldolese hermitage and coenobium in Camaldoli. In the catalogue she discussed his 34 Italian works. In a catalogue of another exhibition of the Baroque art in Castentino (Poppi 2001), Conigliello included a short monograph of the painter, presenting his art both from the Italian and Polish period. The aim of this paper is to present a critical overview of the present state of research on Venanzio. His art created prior to joining the Order in 1618 remains unknown. As a Camaldolese monk he worked almost entirely for the congregation and sporadically for people connected with it, which limited the iconography of his paintings to religious themes. The artist’s preserved works include three sets of mural painitng (Monte Rua, near Padua, Bielany, Rytwiany) and 50 oil paintings, 10 of which are in Polish monasteries. Their style bears influence of Caravaggio and is characterized by certain conservatism. The artist was also inspired by the paintings of great Renaissance masters, especially Titian, through the mediation of graphics. An important contribution of Venanzio was creating an iconographical canon of the Camaldolese church painting decoration, which was accomplished by the artist during his stay in Poland and transplanted in the churches o f the Order in Italy. He achieved this thanks to the pressure from the rich founders of the Polish monasteries, who demanded - contrary to monastic rules - to give churches a splendid architectural form and rich decoration

Portraits of Marian Sokołowski by Leon Wyczółkowski

The Jagiellonian University Museum has two portraits of Marian Sokołowski (1839– –1911), created by Leon Wyczółkowski (1852–1936). Sokołowski was the fi rst Polish art historian, who was appointed to hold the chair of art history. His larger portrait (inv. no. 130, crayon on cardboard, 140 x 111.5 cm, signed and dated) features the model shown down to his hips, standing behind a table against a background of plaster casts of antique bas-reliefs, one of which can be identifi ed as a copy of the front plate of a Greek sarcophagus dating back to 320 BC, and featuring the Battle with Amazons (Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum). The fi gures are treated sketchily, with long streaks of colour which makes the viewer focus on the face of the model painted with meticulous care, which gives perfect psychological characteristics. As shown in the dedication, the artist painted the scholar’s portrait in 1899 as a gift to him, most probably on the sixtieth anniversary of his birth. The smaller portrait (inv. no. 17,370, crayon on canvas, 86 x 59.5 cm) features the half-fi gure of the same model. The difference in the size of the portrait results from a different cropping and the fact that the background is signifi cantly reduced. A more thought-out and mature composition uses the iconographic motif of a plaster cast of the sarcophagus as a frame for the model’s face. The face itself, however, though basically identical to the fi rst, does not have the same power of expression. These features, as well as some historical evidence, suggest that the portrait was created later – a larger portrait – and is the artist’s replica of his own work. Following oral tradition, based on the accounts of Adam Bochnak, made known by Lech Kalinowski, the smaller portrait was presented by Sokołowski to his student and successor Julian Pagaczewski (1874–1940). Years later, the latter passed it down to his former student, co-worker, friend and successor, Adam Bochnak (1899–1974), who also intended to follow this set tradition and to pass it down to a scholar of the younger generation. For unknown reasons, however, he did not do it, though numerous indications suggest that he might have chosen Lech Kalinowski (1920–2004). In spite of its rather formal style, the larger portrait – the artist’s gift to the model – has become a private family memento. Its smaller replica, though more modest, has performed a public role. It was commissioned by Sokołowski, probably late in his life, ca. 1910, with the intention of bequeathing it to his successors at the university. On the one hand it was intended to commemorate the person and merits of the development of Polish art history while, on the other, it has become a symbol of leadership in the relevant discipline. It is for this memorial and symbolic function that the Jagiellonian University Museum decided to purchase the replica in 2008, although it already possessed the original, more formal version of the painting, in which the model’s psychological characteristics are expressed with greater perfection

Diminishing the Gender-Related Disparity in Survival among Chemotherapy Pre-Treated Patients after Radical Cystectomy—A Multicenter Observational Study

There is a well-documented problem of inferior outcome of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) after radical cystectomy (RC) in women. However, previous studies were conducted before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was widely adopted to multidisciplinary management of MIBC. In our study, we assessed the gender-related difference in survival between patients who received NAC and those who underwent upfront RC, in two academic centers. This non-randomized, clinical follow-up study enrolled 1238 consecutive patients, out of whom 253 received NAC. We analyzed survival outcome of RC according to gender between NAC and non-NAC subgroups. We found that female gender was associated with inferior overall survival (OS), compared to males (HR, 1.234; 95%CI 1.046–1.447; p = 0.013) in the overall cohort and in non-NAC patients with ≥pT2 disease (HR, 1.220 95%CI 1.009–1.477; p = 0.041). However, no gender-specific difference was observed in patients exposed to NAC. The 5-year OS in NAC-exposed women in ≤pT1 and ≥pT2 disease, was 69.333% 95%CI (46.401–92.265) and 36.535% (13.134–59.936) respectively, compared to men 77.727% 95%CI (65.952–89.502) and 39.122% 95%CI (29.162–49.082), respectively. The receipt of NAC not only provides downstaging and prolongs patients’ survival after radical treatment of MIBC but may also help to diminish the gender specific disparity

Diminishing the Gender-Related Disparity in Survival among Chemotherapy Pre-Treated Patients after Radical Cystectomy—A Multicenter Observational Study

There is a well-documented problem of inferior outcome of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) after radical cystectomy (RC) in women. However, previous studies were conducted before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was widely adopted to multidisciplinary management of MIBC. In our study, we assessed the gender-related difference in survival between patients who received NAC and those who underwent upfront RC, in two academic centers. This non-randomized, clinical follow-up study enrolled 1238 consecutive patients, out of whom 253 received NAC. We analyzed survival outcome of RC according to gender between NAC and non-NAC subgroups. We found that female gender was associated with inferior overall survival (OS), compared to males (HR, 1.234; 95%CI 1.046–1.447; p = 0.013) in the overall cohort and in non-NAC patients with ≥pT2 disease (HR, 1.220 95%CI 1.009–1.477; p = 0.041). However, no gender-specific difference was observed in patients exposed to NAC. The 5-year OS in NAC-exposed women in ≤pT1 and ≥pT2 disease, was 69.333% 95%CI (46.401–92.265) and 36.535% (13.134–59.936) respectively, compared to men 77.727% 95%CI (65.952–89.502) and 39.122% 95%CI (29.162–49.082), respectively. The receipt of NAC not only provides downstaging and prolongs patients’ survival after radical treatment of MIBC but may also help to diminish the gender specific disparity

Management of Bladder Cancer Patients with Clinical Evidence of Lymph Node Invasion (cN+)

The purpose of this review is to present the current knowledge about the diagnostic and treatment options for bladder cancer (BCa) patients with clinically positive lymph nodes (cN+). This review shows compaction of CT and MRI performance in preoperative prediction of lymph node invasion (LNI) in BCa patients, along with other diagnostic methods. Most scientific societies do not distinguish cN+ patients in their guidelines; recommendations concern muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and differ between associations. The curative treatment that provides the best long-term survival in cN+ patients is a multimodal approach, with a combination of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and radical cystectomy (RC) with extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND). The role of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) remains uncertain; however, emerging evidence indicates comparable outcomes to NAC. Therefore, in cN+ patients who have not received NAC, AC should be implemented. The response to ChT is a crucial prognostic factor for cN+ patients. Recent studies demonstrated the growing importance of immunotherapy, especially in ChT-ineligible patients. Moreover, immunotherapy can be suitable as adjuvant therapy in selected cases. In cN+ patients, the extended template of PLND should be utilized, with the total resected node count being less important than the template. This review is intended to draw special attention to cN+ BCa patients, as the oncological outcomes are significantly worse for this group

Prognostic and Therapeutic Role of CD15 and CD15s in Cancer

CD15 (Lewis X/Lex) is a fucosyl (3-fucosly-N-acetyl-lactosamine) moiety found on membrane proteins of various cancer cells. These cancers include renal cancer, prostate and bladder cancers, acute leukaemias, hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer and melanoma. The biological role of CD15 is interaction with E-, L- and P-selectins (adhesion molecules), allowing for adhesion with endothelial cells. In this way, cancer cells start to interact with the endothelia of blood vessels and consequently move out from the blood flow to the surrounding tissues. Blockage of the antigen’s function results in reduced metastatic potential. Moreover, the molecule may be a therapeutic target against cancer in monoclonal antibody-based therapies. CD15 may serve as a prognostic marker for patients and there are high hopes for its use in the immunotherapeutic treatment of tumours. CD15s is a sialyl derivative of CD15 that possesses its own unique characteristics. Its soluble form may act as a competitive inhibitor of the interaction of cancer cells with epithelial cells and thus disallow migration through the vessels. However, the prognostic relevance of CD15 and CD15s expression is very complex. This review presents a comprehensive description of the role of CD15 and CD15s in cancer development and metastasis and overviews its significance for clinical applications

Association of Lymphovascular Invasion with Lymph Node Metastases in Prostate Cancer—Lateralization Concept

Background. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a vital but often overlooked prognostic factor in prostate cancer. As debates on lymphadenectomy’s overtreatment emerge, understanding LVI laterality gains importance. This study pioneers the investigation into PCa, aiming to uncover patterns that could influence tailored surgical strategies in the future. Methods. Data from 96 patients with both LVI and lymph node invasion (LNI) were retrospectively analyzed. All participants underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) with modified-extended pelvic lymph node dissection (mePLND). All specimens underwent histopathological examination. The assessment of LVI was conducted separately for the right and left lobes of the prostate. Associations within subgroups were assessed using U-Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests, as well as Kendall’s tau-b coefficient, yielding p-values and odds ratios (ORs). Results. Out of the 96 patients, 61 (63.5%) exhibited exclusive left-sided lymphovascular invasion (LVI), 24 (25.0%) had exclusive right-sided LVI, and 11 (11.5%) showed bilateral LVI. Regarding nodal involvement, 23 patients (24.0%) had LNI solely on the left, 25 (26.0%) exclusively on the right, and 48 (50.0%) on both sides. A significant correlation was observed between lateralized LVI and lateralized LNI (p p = 0.047) and increased odds ratios (OR) of bilateral LNI (OR = 2.795; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.231–6.348) compared to those with exclusive right-sided LVI (OR = 0.692; 95% CI: 0.525–0.913). Conclusions. Unilateral LVI correlates with ipsilateral LNI in PCa patients with positive LNs, notably in cases of exclusively right-sided LVI. Left-sided LVI associates with higher pT stages and a higher percentage of bilateral LNI cases