Unusual Antonymy: Inter-Part-Of-Speech Interaction in English Fictional Discourse

The article focuses on the phenomenon of inter-part-of-speech antonymy and types of inter-part-of-speech antonymic oppositions typical of the English language and represented in authentic sources, in particular, fiction books of English-speaking writers. The paper analyzes cognitive foundation and linguistic sources of the oppositions in question, describes their range within each part of speech as well as contextual means of intensifying the oppositional contrast. The authors argue that the traditional point of view, according to which only words belonging to one and the same part of speech can form antonymic oppositions, is insufficient and claims that inter-part-of-speech antonymy has a semantical and grammatical nature as it is based on the ability of the language to give different categorial form to the same fragments of reality. The results of the research show that practically all works of fiction include inter-part-of-speech antonymic oppositions, which thus can be treated as a regular language phenomenon. The paper contributes to the theory of parts of speech, giving additional information about their interaction and its cognitive basis. It also enriches the theory of antonymy, proposing a wide approach to antonymic oppositions

Cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy in the treatment of difficult bile ducts stones – Bulgarian and Egyptian experience

Introduction: Up to 10% of bile duct stones are deemed ‘difficult’ because they cannot be extracted using standard endoscopic techniques. In these situations, cholangioscopy allows for stone fragmentation under direct visual control. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a digital single-operator cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy in cases of difficult stones and to analyze factors related to adverse events and procedure time. Materials and methods: A retrospective review of prospective databases from two tertiary referral centers was performed, which included 38 patients with difficult bile duct stones. All of the patients had previous endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies and at least one unsuccessful surgery to remove a stone. Following the standard protocol, we performed a digital single-operator cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy using either electrohydraulic or laser lithotripsy. The main goal was to achieve ductal clearance, which was confirmed by a negative occlusive cholangiogram. We also investigated the occurrence of complications, the factors associated with them, and the variables influencing procedure duration. Results: For the study period, 38 patients were treated with digital single-operator cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy (33 with laser lithotripsy and 5 with electrohydraulic lithotripsy). Complete ductal clearance was achieved in 92.1% of cases, and in 78.9% of cases, it was accomplished in a single session. The average number of procedures until complete stone removal was 1.22 (1-3). The mean procedure times for electrohydraulic lithotripsy and laser lithotripsy was 83 minutes and 115 minutes, respectively. Complications, which were defined as mild, were observed in four (10.5%) patients. There was no correlation between age, size of stone, duration of the procedure and amount of saline used during lithotripsy and occurrence of complications. The presence of a stricture, barrel shaped or irregular shaped stones was associated with an increased risk of complications (p<0.05). Large stones, multiple lithiases, intrahepatic location, and failed previous EPLBD/ML were related to prolonged procedure time (p<0.05).  Conclusions: A single-operator cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy is a highly effective and safe procedure. The presence of a distal common bile duct stricture and complex shape of stones is associated with a higher risk of procedure complications

Neuroprotective Effects of Krypton Inhalation on Photothrombotic Ischemic Stroke

This is the first in vivo study to investigate the neuroprotective effects of krypton on focal cerebral ischemia. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of 2 h of inhalation of a krypton–oxygen mixture (Kr 70%/O2 30%) on the recovery of neurological functions and the degree of brain damage in rats after photoinduced ischemic stroke (PIS) and to investigate the possible mechanisms responsible for this neuroprotection. Experiments were performed on male Wistar rats weighing 250–300 g (n = 32). Animals were randomized into four groups. Two groups (n = 20) underwent photoinduced ischemic stroke, followed by 2 h of inhalation of krypton–oxygen mixture consisting of Kr 70%/O2 30% or a nitrogen–oxygen breathing mixture consisting of N2 70%/O2 30%, followed by neurological examinations on days 3 and 7. The other two groups (n = 12) received only gas mixtures of the same concentration and exposure duration as in those in the PIS groups, then Western blot analysis of the potential molecular mechanisms was performed. The results of the study show that treatment with the krypton–oxygen mixture consisting of Kr 70%/O2 30% improves the neurological status on day 7 of observation, reduces the lesion volume according to the MRI examination and the number of Iba-1- and caspase-3-positive cells in the damaged area, promotes the activation of neoangiogenesis (an increase in the von Willebrand factor), and reduces the penumbra area and the number of NeuN-positive cells in it on day 14 of observation. Inhalation of the krypton–oxygen mixture also significantly increases the levels of phosphorylated AKT kinase (protein kinase B) and glycogen synthase kinase 3b (pGSK3b) and promotes the expression of transcription factor Nrf2, which was accompanied by the lowered expression of transcription factor NFkB (p50). Thus, we showed pronounced neuroprotection induced by krypton inhalation after stroke and identified the signaling pathways that may be responsible for restoring neurological functions and reducing damage

Heterogeneity of neuroblastoma cell identity defined by transcriptional circuitries

International audienceNeuroblastoma is a tumor of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system(1), derived from multipotent neural crest cells (NCCs). To define core regulatory circuitries (CRCs) controlling the gene expression program of neuroblastoma, we established and analyzed the neuroblastoma super-enhancer landscape. We discovered three types of identity in neuroblastoma cell lines: a sympathetic noradrenergic identity, defined by a CRC module including the PHOX2B, HAND2 and GATA3 transcription factors (TFs); an NCC-like identity, driven by a CRC module containing AP-1 TFs; and a mixed type, further deconvoluted at the single-cell level. Treatment of the mixed type with chemotherapeutic agents resulted in enrichment of NCC-like cells. The noradrenergic module was validated by ChIP-seq. Functional studies demonstrated dependency of neuroblastoma with noradrenergic identity on PHOX2B, evocative of lineage addiction. Most neuroblastoma primary tumors express TFs from the noradrenergic and NCC-like modules. Our data demonstrate a previously unknown aspect of tumor heterogeneity relevant for neuroblastoma treatment strategies