Between Anzac Day and Waitangi Day

This paper discusses the historical background and significance of the two most important national holidays in New Zealand: Waitangi Day and Anzac Day. Waitangi Day is celebrated on the 6th February and it commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between British representatives and a number of Māori chiefs in 1840. Following the signing of the treaty New Zealand became effectively a British colony. Anzac Day is celebrated on 25th April, i.e., on the anniversary of the landing of soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey in 1915, during World War One. There are three major differences between these two holidays: the process of those days becoming national holidays, the level of contestation, and the changing messages they have carried. The present study analyzes the national discourse around Anzac Day and Waitangi Day in New Zealand, and attempts to reveal how the official New Zealand government rhetoric about national unity becomes deconstructed. The following analysis is based on a selection of online articles from the New Zealand Herald and Stuff published in Auckland and Wellington, respectively. Both cities are populated by multi-ethnic groups, with Auckland featuring the largest Māori population

Innowacyjność w bibliotece – doświadczenia bibliotek europejskich

The article discusses the reasons for the decrease in interest in the traditional library. The solutions proposed in the literature of the subject and examples of practical solutions used in European libraries are presented

Folk Art and Culture in the Historical and Educational Context.

Folk art is the expression of artistic activity of the inhabitants of rural areas. In encompasses visual arts, music, and oral traditions. They are indivisible from each other as well as from the lives of villages and their inhabitants. Folk art is an element of the peasant culture which changes rapidly with the development of civilisation and it is unfortunately more and more frequently displaced by modern forms of life and the resulting different needs of rural and urban populations. It is, however, the heritage of our ancestors which we are obliged to preserve. One of the ways of preserving folk art is school education. Thanks to diverse forms of education used by teachers it is possible to get the students acquainted with all the areas of folk art in a compelling and inspiring way

Sovremennye predstavlenia o partnerstve i ih verbalizacia v molodeznoj reci

Leksyka podstandartu, pozostająca do niedawna poza kręgiem zainteresowań badaczy, stała się w chwili obecnej przedmiotem badań wielu językoznawców rosyjskich, którzy zajmują się jej gromadzeniem, analizą i opisem leksykograficznym. Stanowiące materiał ilustracyjny i badawczy niniejszego artykułu laksemy zaczerpnięte zostały z żywego języka, a nie z opublikowanych źródeł leksykograficznych. Przedstawione czytelnikowi materiały do słownika żargonu młodzieżowego odzwierciedlają układy stosunków partnerskich między młodymi obywatelami współczesnej Rosji. Ann

Fruits of Hippophaë rhamnoides in human leukocytes and Caco-2 cell monolayer models—A question about their preventive role in lipopolysaccharide leakage and cytokine secretion in endotoxemia

Preparations from Hippophaë rhamnoides L. (sea buckthorn) have been traditionally used in the treatment of skin and digestive disorders, such as gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, uterine erosions, as well as oral, rectal, and vaginal mucositis, in particular in the Himalayan and Eurasian regions. An influence of an aqueous extract from the fruits of H. rhamnoides (HR) on leakage of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli through gut epithelium developed from the human colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) monolayer in vitro and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) translocation were the principal objectives of the study. Additionally, the effect of HR on the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukins: IL-8, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-6; tumor necrosis factor: TNF-α) by the Caco-2 cell line, human neutrophils (PMN), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was evaluated. The concentration of LPS on the apical and basolateral sides of the Caco-2 monolayer was evaluated with a Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay. GLUT2 translocation was evaluated using an immunostaining assay, whereas secretion of cytokines by cell cultures was established with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assay. HR (500 μg/ml) significantly inhibited LPS leakage through epithelial monolayer in vitro in comparison with non-treated control. The treatment of Caco-2 cells with HR (50–100 μg/ml) showed GLUT2 expression similar to the non-treated control. HR decreased the secretion of most pro-inflammatory cytokines in all tested models. HR might prevent low-grade chronic inflammation caused by metabolic endotoxemia through the prevention of the absorption of LPS and decrease of chemotactic factors released by immune and epithelial cells, which support its use in metabolic disorders in traditional medicine

Expression of cyclins A and E in melanocytic skin lesions and its correlation with some clinicopathologic features

Cyclins play a fundamental role in the cell cycle. Recent studies have focused on their role in the development of various malignancies. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the expression of cyclins A and E in common nevi, dysplastic nevi and malignant melanomas, and to investigate the relationship between cyclin expression and some pathological parameters such as tumor thickness, ulceration, regression, and mitotic rate, as well as several clinical and phenotypic parameters such as skin phototype, hair and eye color, number of nevi, personal or family melanoma history, and personal history of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). A total of 102 melanocytic skin lesions, including 30 common nevi, 38 dysplastic nevi and 34 melanomas, were examined. Expression of cyclins was detected by immunohistochemistry and quantified as a percentage of immunostained cell nuclei in each sample. Significant differences in expression of both cyclins were found between all lesion types: the median percentage of cyclin A-positive nuclei was 8.2% in melanomas, 3.4% in dysplastic nevi, and 0.95% in common nevi (p < 0.001). The corresponding percentages for cyclin E were 9.5%, 4.25% and 1.44% (p < 0.001). Expression of both cyclins was significantly higher among patients with a personal history of NMSC. Cyclin A was also significantly overexpressed in patients with a high total nevus count (TNC) compared to moderate and low TNC. Expression of cyclins did not significantly correlate with the other clinicopathologic features investigated. These findings indicate the possible involvement of cyclins A and E in the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma. Our results also show a potential diagnostic significance of these cyclins as markers allowing discrimination between dysplastic nevi and melanoma

Retrospective data analysis of the history of patients treated for malignant melanoma at the Department of Dermatology, Jagiellonian University between 1991 and 2008

Melanoma is the most worrisome melanocytic skin lesion. It is also one of the most malignant tumours, and rapidly forms metastases. Melanoma incidence and mortality rates are increasing in most countries throughout the world. To analyse retrospectively the history of patients who were diagnosed with malignant melanoma at the Department of Dermatology Jagiellonian University, Krakow. Using retrospective data we analysed history cases of 194 patients, 83 men (42.8%) and 111 women (57.2%) with melanoma. The patients' age, sex, location and number of the lesions and melanoma type were analysed. Statistical analysis was performed using STATISTICA. According to the observations there was a significant increase of morbidity rate between 1991 (1 case) and 2001 (23 cases). In all investigated populations melanoma was more commonly observed on the trunk (37.5%) than on the head and neck (2.1%). Melanomas were predominant on the trunk in males (51.2%), and equally on the lower limb and trunk for females (27.3%, p = 0.003). In most cases melanoma developed from a pre-existing naevus (64.4%). Lentigo maligna was found on sun-exposed areas in 72.2% of cases, mostly among patients over 60 years old. Nodular melanoma was the predominant type (30.7%), while acral lentiginous melanoma was the rarest one (1%). Most of the melanoma cases were at Clark level IV when diagnosed (32.8%), whereas cases at Clark level V were found in 5.2%. The majority of melanoma lesions were at Breslow stage III and IV when excised (p = 0.006). Our results confirmed that patients with melanoma had decided to visit the dermatologist too late, when the tumour was at an advanced stage. There is still insufficient knowledge of the self-examination of the naevi as well as of the need for regular dermatological examination of suspicious lesions and early surgical excision if necessary

Daily levels of sex hormones in 15 subfertile women formulate a menstrual cycle profile predominant with progesterone secretion

Introduction: Changes in sex hormone secretions during the menstrual cycle may affect fertility. It has been shown that a prematurely raised progesterone (P4) level after therapeutic injection of human chorionic gonadotropin caused changes in endometrial gene expression and lowered the pregnancy rate. The aim of the present study was to investigate the complete menstrual patterns of P4 together with its derivatives testosterone (T) and oestradiol (E2) in subfertile women during their natural cycles. Material and methods: Daily serum levels of P4 (ng/mL), T (ng/mL), E2 (pg/mL), and sex hormone binding protein (SHBG, nmol/L) were measured throughout a single 23–28-day menstrual cycle in 15 subfertile women aged 28–40 years with patent oviducts and normospermic partners. Knowing SHBG levels, the free androgen (FAI) and free oestrogen (FEI) indexes were calculated for each cycle day in each patient. Results: Baseline (cycle day one) levels of luteinising hormone (LH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), P4, and T were comparable with reference intervals for a normal cycle, whereas follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), E2, and SHBG exceeded those. During cycles, the levels of P4 correlated positively with E2 levels (r = 0.38, p < 0.05, n = 392) an  negatively with T (r = –0.13, p < 0.05, n = 391). T correlated negatively with E2 (r = –0.19, p < 0.05, n = 391). Menstrual cycle phases were hidden. The curve of the mean/median daily levels of P4 rose prematurely, was parallel with the E2 rise, and culminated closely, but with more than 4 times greater amplitude of P4 (2571% of baseline levels in day 16) than of E2 (580% in day 14). In turn, the curve of T declined in a U-shaped manner with a nadir (–27%) on day 16. Averaged daily levels of FEI, but not FAI, varied significantly between 23 and 26 days long and the 27–28-day cycles. Conclusions: 1. Throughout the entire menstrual cycle length in subfertile women, P4 secretion predominates quantitatively over secretions of the remaining sex hormones when menstrual cycle phases are hidden. 2. The rise of E2 secretion is in parallel with the P4 rise, but with 4 times lower amplitude of E2. 3. T secretion declines and is inversely related to both P4 and E2 secretions. 4. Changes in E2 bioavailability are related to menstrual cycle length.

Torque Teno virus — potencjalny biomarker w monitorowaniu kompetencji immunologicznej

Infectious complications and rejection processes constitute two major types of post-transplant complications. The gold standard of post-transplant pa­tients’ management is to keep recipient’s immune system at such optimal level of competence that is low enough to prevent rejection being the same time high enough to protect them from serious infectious complications. Unfortunately, at present, there are no tools that would allow for the precise defining the optimal immunosuppression in individual recipients. The development of biomarkers that would help de­termine the state of immunosuppression remains the holy grail of current transplantology. Torque Teno virus (TTV) is a highly prevalent, nonpathogenic DNA virus emerging as a promising marker since its levels seem to reflect the level of immune competence of the host. Data collected so far implicate, that TTV may be clini­cally useful in predicting the risk of both rejection and infectious complications in grafts’ recipients.Infectious complications and rejection processes constitute two major types of post-transplant complications. The gold standard of post-transplant pa­tients’ management is to keep recipient’s immune system at such optimal level of competence that is low enough to prevent rejection being the same time high enough to protect them from serious infectious complications. Unfortunately, at present, there are no tools that would allow for the precise defining the optimal immunosuppression in individual recipients. The development of biomarkers that would help de­termine the state of immunosuppression remains the holy grail of current transplantology. Torque Teno virus (TTV) is a highly prevalent, nonpathogenic DNA virus emerging as a promising marker since its levels seem to reflect the level of immune competence of the host. Data collected so far implicate, that TTV may be clini­cally useful in predicting the risk of both rejection and infectious complications in grafts’ recipients