Jaka jest „idealna matka”? Rozumienie roli matki przez współczesne kobiety

The aim of the study was to answer the question of how contemporary Polish women understand the role of mother and how this understanding refers to a theoretical model defined by Maria Ziemska. For this purpose, 35 indicators of parental attitudes were specified and then, reference to the discourses on motherhood publicized on the Internet through six blogs written by contemporary mothers, was made. Thanks to conducted analysis of maternal experience (published during one year), there were diagnosed not only the current reinterpretation of the ideas of perfect mother, but also the diversity of present-day parental attitudes of Polish women. Interpretation of results was based on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.W niniejszym opracowaniu autorki próbują udzielić odpowiedzi na pytanie, jak współczesne Polki rozumieją rolę matki i czy to rozumienie odnosi się do teoretycznego modelu idealnej/dobrej matki określonego przez M. Ziemską. W tym celu wyszczególniono 35 wskaźników postaw rodzicielskich, po czym odniesiono się do internetowych dyskursów na temat macierzyństwa upublicznionych za pośrednictwem sześciu blogów prowadzonych przez współczesne matki. Dzięki przeprowadzonej analizie doświadczeń macierzyńskich (opublikowanych w ciągu roku) rozpoznano nie tylko aktualną reinterpretację wyobrażeń o matce idealnej, ale także różnorodność postaw rodzicielskich typowych dla współczesnych Polek. Interpretacji wyników dokonano w oparciu o Interpretacyjną Analizę Fenomenologiczną

Evidence of stem cells mobilization in the blood of patients with pancreatitis : a potential link with disease severity

A growing number of studies indicate the potential involvement of various populations of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) in tissue repair. However, the mobilization of BMSCs to the peripheral blood (PB) in acute and chronic pancreatitis (AP and CP) has not been investigated. A total of 78 patients were assigned into AP, CP, and healthy control groups in this study. Using flow cytometry, we found that VSELs, EPCs, and $CD133^{+}SCs$ were mobilized to the PB of patients with both AP and CP. Interestingly, AP and CP patients exhibited lower absolute number of circulating MSCs in the PB compared to healthy individuals. SC mobilization to the PB was more evident in patients with AP than CP and in patients with moderate/severe AP than mild AP. Using ELISA, we found a significantly increased HGF concentration in the PB of patients with AP and $SDF1\alpha$ in the PB of patients with CP. We noted a significant positive correlation between $SDF1\alpha$ concentration and the mobilized population of $CD133^{+}SCs$ in AP and between C5a and the mobilized population of VSELs moderate/severe AP. Thus, bone marrow-derived SCs may play a role in the regeneration of pancreatic tissue in both AP and CP, and mobilization of VSELs to the PB depends on the severity of AP

An intensified systemic trafficking of bone marrow-derived stem/progenitor cells in patients with pancreatic cancer

Various experimental studies indicate potential involvement of bone marrow (BM)-derived stem cells (SCs) in malignancy development and progression. In this study, we comprehensively analysed systemic trafficking of various populations of BM-derived SCs (BMSCs), i.e., mesenchymal, haematopoietic, endothelial stem/progenitor cells (MSCs, HSCs, EPCs respectively), and of recently discovered population of very small embryonic/epiblast-like SCs (VSELs) in pancreatic cancer patients. Circulating CD133^+/Lin^−/CD45^−/CD34^+ cells enriched for HSCs, CD105^+/STRO^-1^+/CD45− cells enriched for MSCs, CD34^+/KDR^+/CD31^+/CD45− cells enriched for EPCs and small CXCR4^+CD34^+CD133^+ subsets of Lin^−CD45^− cells that correspond to VSELs were enumerated and sorted from blood samples derived from 29 patients with pancreatic cancer, and 19 healthy controls. In addition, plasma levels of stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), growth/inhibitory factors and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P; chemoattractants for SCs), as well as, of complement cascade (CC) molecules (C3a, C5a and C5b-9/membrane attack complex – MAC) were measured. Higher numbers of circulating VSELs and MSCs were detected in pancreatic cancer patients (P < 0.05 and 0.01 respectively). This trafficking of BMSCs was associated with significantly elevated C5a (P < 0.05) and C5b-9/MAC (P < 0.005) levels together with S1P concentrations detected in plasma of cancer patients, and seemed to be executed in a SDF-1 independent manner. In conclusion, we demonstrated that in patients with pancreatic cancer, intensified peripheral trafficking of selected populations of BMSCs occurs. This phenomenon seems to correlate with systemic activation of the CC, hepatocyte growth factor and S1P levels. In contrast to previous studies, we demonstrate herein that systemic SDF-1 levels do not seem to be linked with increased mobilization of stem cells in patients with pancreatic cancer

Assessment of Complement Cascade Components in Patients With Bipolar Disorder

Introduction: The immune system is undoubtedly involved in the pathogenesis of various psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression. Although its role is not fully understood, it appears that this area of research can help to understand the etiology of mental illness. One of the components of the human immune system is the complement system, which forms a part of the innate immune response. Physiologically, except for its essential protective role, it is a vital element in the regeneration processes, including neurogenesis. To date, few studies have tried to clarify the role of the complement cascade in mental disorders.Materials and Methods: We evaluated concentrations of C3a, C5a, and C5b-9 complement cascade components in the peripheral blood of 30 patients suffering from bipolar disorder (BD) for at least 10 years, in euthymia, who were not treated with lithium salts. In addition, we divided our study sample into BD type I (BD-I, 22 persons), and BD type II (BD-II, 8 patients). The control group consisted of 30 healthy volunteers matched for age, sex, BMI, and smoking habits.Results: Compared to healthy controls, BD patients had elevated concentrations of all the investigated components. Furthermore, in patients with BD-II, we observed higher concentrations of C5b-9 as compared to patients with BD-I. However, there was a significant effect of BD diagnosis only on the levels of C3a and C5a but not on the level of C5b-9 after adjustment for potential confounding factors.Conclusions: Increased concentrations of components C3a and C5a of the complement system in the investigated group as compared to healthy controls suggest involvement of the complement cascade in the pathogenesis of BD, and provides further evidence of immune system dysregulation in BD patients

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Poland and the European Banking Union: to join or to wait?

The aim of the article is to analyze the opportunities and risks for Poland related to the banking union. Opting in would allow Poland to strengthen integration with the European Union. Its participation in the SSM as a host country could translate into enhancing the positive image of the Polish banking market for foreign investors. Considered as a response to the global financial crisis and a mechanism to tighten the integration of the euro area, the banking union is still an incomplete project that does not include all EU Member States. Its third pillar, i.e. the Single Deposit Guarantee Scheme (SDGS), is yet to start operating. Therefore, in the case of Poland, the so-called close cooperation should be preceded bya balance of benefits and costs

Jaka jest „idealna matka”? Rozumienie roli matki przez współczesne kobiety

The aim of the study was to answer the question of how contemporary Polish women understand the role of mother and how this understanding refers to a theoretical model defined by Maria Ziemska. For this purpose, 35 indicators of parental attitudes were specified and then, reference to the discourses on motherhood publicized on the Internet through six blogs written by contemporary mothers, was made. Thanks to conducted analysis of maternal experience (published during one year), there were diagnosed not only the current reinterpretation of the ideas of perfect mother, but also the diversity of present-day parental attitudes of Polish women. Interpretation of results was based on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.W niniejszym opracowaniu autorki próbują udzielić odpowiedzi na pytanie, jak współczesne Polki rozumieją rolę matki i czy to rozumienie odnosi się do teoretycznego modelu idealnej/dobrej matki określonego przez M. Ziemską. W tym celu wyszczególniono 35 wskaźników postaw rodzicielskich, po czym odniesiono się do internetowych dyskursów na temat macierzyństwa upublicznionych za pośrednictwem sześciu blogów prowadzonych przez współczesne matki. Dzięki przeprowadzonej analizie doświadczeń macierzyńskich (opublikowanych w ciągu roku) rozpoznano nie tylko aktualną reinterpretację wyobrażeń o matce idealnej, ale także różnorodność postaw rodzicielskich typowych dla współczesnych Polek. Interpretacji wyników dokonano w oparciu o Interpretacyjną Analizę Fenomenologiczną

Lysophosphatidic acid plasma concentrations in healthy subjects: circadian rhythm and associations with demographic, anthropometric and biochemical parameters

Abstract Background Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid with a wide biological activity. Previous studies have shown its potential usefulness as a diagnostic marker for ovarian cancer. The aim of the study was to investigate which factors may influence plasma LPA concentrations in healthy subjects and to propose reference values. Methods The study group consisted of 100 healthy subjects. From all of them the blood samples were taken at 7 a.m. (fasting state). From 40 volunteers additional blood samples were taken at 2 p.m., at 8 p.m. and at 2 a.m. next morning. Concentrations of LPA were measured in plasma samples using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Analysis of samples from 100 healthy volunteers showed significant influence of sex and age on plasma LPA. The reference range for the plasma LPA concentration corrected for age and sex, determined at 2.5–97.5 percentile interval is 0.14–1.64 μM. LPA correlates positively with BMI, serum total cholesterol, triacylglycerols, uric acid and negatively with estimated glomerular filtration rate and serum albumin. Concentration of LPA at 2 a.m. was lower than at 2 p.m. There were not any significant differences between plasma LPA at 7 a.m. and any other time of the day. Conclusions Plasma LPA is associated with demographic, anthropometric and biochemical parameters. It seems that LPA concentrations have no specific circadian rhythm and the time of donation and fasting state have marginal effect on plasma LPA. These findings may be helpful in future incorporation of LPA as a diagnostic marker

The Influence of Circadian Rhythm on the Activity of Oxidative Stress Enzymes

The circadian system synchronizes daily with the day&ndash;night cycle of our environment. Disruption of this rhythm impacts the emergence and development of many diseases caused, for example, by the overproduction of free radicals, leading to oxidative damage of cellular components. The goal of this study was to determine the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), glutathione transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (R-GSSG), and the concentration of glutathione (GSH) in the circadian rhythm. The study group comprised 66 healthy volunteers (20&ndash;50 years; 33 women; 33 men). The blood was collected at 2, 8 a.m., and 2, 8 p.m. All samples marked the serum melatonin concentration to confirm the correct sleeping rhythm and wakefulness throughout the day. The activity of study enzymes and the concentration of GSH were measured by the spectrophotometric method. Confirmed the existence of circadian regulation of oxidative stress enzymes except for GST activity. The peak of activity of study enzymes and GSH concentration was observed at 2 a.m. The increased activity of enzymes and the increase in GSH concentration observed at night indicate that during sleep, processes allowing to maintain of the redox balance are intensified, thus limiting the formation of oxidative stress