Metaphor and metonymy as the basis of naming

Proučavanje metafore i metonimije kao poticaja u procesu imenovanja rijetko je bilo predmetom interesa tradicionalne lingvistike, pa ni onomastike. U ovome se radu pokušava sažeto izložiti nov pristup tomu problemu sa stanovišta kognitivne lingvistike, osobito u odnosu na tradicionalna tumačenja metafore u procesu imenovanja. Osobit doprinos kojim je kognitivna lingvistika tijekom posljednja dva desetljeća napravila važan i inovativan iskorak upravo je u preispitivanju tradicionalnih tumačenja metafore i metonimije. Za razliku od tradicionalnoga pristupa, kognitivna lingvistika promatra metaforu i metonimiju ne kao stilske figure kojima se služimo u jeziku već kao misaone modele s pomoću kojih čovjek konceptualizira i kategorizira svijet oko sebe. Unatoč tomu što su posljednjih godina mnogobrojni radovi, pa i važne monografije posvećene upravo tumačenju metafore i metonimije, gotovo da i nema radova unutar kognitivne lingvistike koji su te procese pokušali razmatrati pri tumačenju nastanka vlastitih imena.One of the major “innovations” Cognitive linguistics introduces is the re-evaluation and re-interpretation of the traditional notions of metaphor and metonymy. Metaphor and metonymy are primarily viewed as cognitive models or processes by means of which we conceptualize and categorize the world around us. Although research on metaphor and metonymy has been very intensive within the theoretical framework of Cognitive Linguistics during the last fifteen years, so far this approach has not been applied to onomastic data. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to see how productive can the cognitive linguistic view of metaphor and metonymy be in the creation of proper names from common nouns. Data from Croatian is analyzed, especially names connected to the basic conceptual metaphor PEOPLE ARE PLANTS. The analysis particularly stresses the importance of cultural salience and convention

Salivary Analytes in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Literature data indicates that measurement of certain salivary constituents might serve as a useful diagnostic/prognostic tool in the patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In 24 patients with OSCC (60±2.5yrs) and in 24 controls (24±3.7yrs) we have determined levels of salivary magnesium, calcium, copper, chloride, phosphate, potassium, sodium, total proteins and amylase. Sodium, potasium and chloride were determined by indirect potentiometry whereas copper, magnesium and phosphate were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Total proteins were determined by pyrogalol colorimetric method. Amylase levels were determined by continued colorimetric method. Statistical analysis was performed by use of c2 test and Spearman´s correlation test. The results of this study indicate that the concentrations of sodium and chloride were significantly elevated in patients with OSCC when compared to the controls. However, level of total protein was significantly decreased when compared to the healthy controls. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between alcohol consumption and total protein concentration in patients with oral carcinoma. We might conclude that in patients with OSCC increased salivary sodium and chloride might reflect their overall dehydration status due to alcohol consumption rather than consequence of OSCC iteself

La pandémie a besoin d'une stratégie cantonale et supracantonale : changement de perspective après deux ans de gestion du Covid-19 = Zeit für eine kantonale und überkantonale Corona-Strategie : Perspektivenwechsel nach zwei Jahren Corona-Politik

Das Ende der Corona-Pandemie für die Schweiz zeichnet sich ab. Damit wird sich die Gesundheitspolitik wieder auf ihre Regelstrukturen abstützen und sich statt nur auf die Kapazität der Intensivpflegestationen wieder auf umfassendere Ziele ausrichten können. Eine besondere Bedeutung werden dabei kantonale und überkantonale Corona-Strategien erlangen. = La fin de la pandémie de coronavirus se dessine en Suisse. Ainsi, la politique de la santé pourra s’appuyer à nouveau sur ses structures ordinaires et se recentrer sur des objectifs plus larges que la seule capacité des unités de soins intensifs. Les stratégies cantonales et supracantonales en matière de coronavirus revêtiront une importance particulière

Associations between depressive symptoms and disease progression in older patients with chronic kidney disease: results of the EQUAL study

Background Depressive symptoms are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with end-stage kidney disease; however, few small studies have examined this association in patients with earlier phases of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied associations between baseline depressive symptoms and clinical outcomes in older patients with advanced CKD and examined whether these associations differed depending on sex. Methods CKD patients (>= 65 years; estimated glomerular filtration rate <= 20 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) were included from a European multicentre prospective cohort between 2012 and 2019. Depressive symptoms were measured by the five-item Mental Health Inventory (cut-off <= 70; 0-100 scale). Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to study associations between depressive symptoms and time to dialysis initiation, all-cause mortality and these outcomes combined. A joint model was used to study the association between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time. Analyses were adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Results Overall kidney function decline in 1326 patients was -0.12 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/month. A total of 515 patients showed depressive symptoms. No significant association was found between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time (P = 0.08). Unlike women, men with depressive symptoms had an increased mortality rate compared with those without symptoms [adjusted hazard ratio 1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.93)]. Depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with a higher hazard of dialysis initiation, or with the combined outcome (i.e. dialysis initiation and all-cause mortality). Conclusions There was no significant association between depressive symptoms at baseline and decline in kidney function over time in older patients with advanced CKD. Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with a higher mortality rate in men

Attenuation of immune-mediated influenza pneumonia by targeting the inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) molecule on T cells.

Inducible Co-stimulator (ICOS) plays a critical role in mediating T cell differentiation and function and is considered a key player in balancing T effector and T regulatory (Treg) cell responses. Here we show that activation of the ICOS signalling pathway during acute influenza A virus (IAV) infection by application of an agonistic ICOS antibody reduced the frequency of CD8+ T cells in the respiratory tract of IAV infected animals and delayed pathogen elimination. In line with this, immune-mediated influenza pneumonia was significantly ameliorated in mice that received ICOS agonist as indicated by significantly reduced alveolar infiltrations and bronchointerstitial pneumonia, while at the same time virus-related pathology remained unaffected. Importantly, ICOS agonist treatment resulted in expansion of CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs in IAV infected mice, which was associated with elevated levels of the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10 in the alveolar space. Together, our findings suggest a prominent role of ICOS signaling during acute IAV infection by increasing the Treg/CD8+ T cell ratio with beneficial outcome on immune-mediated pneumonia and underline the suitability of ICOS as potential therapeutic target for immune intervention in those infectious conditions characterized by strong immunopathology rather than virus-mediated cytopathic effects

Serum concentration of the phytohormone abscisic acid is associated with immune-regulatory mediators and is a potential biomarker of disease severity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

COPD and asthma are two distinct but sometimes overlapping diseases exhibiting varying degrees and types of inflammation on different stages of the disease. Although several biomarkers are defined to estimate the inflammatory endotype and stages in these diseases, there is still a need for new markers and potential therapeutic targets. We investigated the levels of a phytohormone, abscisic acid (ABA) and its receptor, LANCL2, in COPD patients and asthmatics. In addition, PPAR-γ that is activated by ABA in a ligand-binding domain-independent manner was also included in the study. In this study, we correlated ABA with COPD-propagating factors to define the possible role of ABA, in terms of immune regulation, inflammation, and disease stages. We collected blood from 101 COPD patients, 52 asthmatics, and 57 controls. Bronchoscopy was performed on five COPD patients and 29 controls. We employed (i) liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and HPLC to determine the ABA and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase levels, respectively; (ii) real-time PCR to quantify the gene expression of LANCL2 and PPAR-γ; (iii) Flow cytometry to quantify adipocytokines; and (iv) immunoturbidimetry and ELISA to measure CRP and cytokines, respectively. Finally, a multinomial regression model was used to predict the probability of using ABA as a biomarker. Blood ABA levels were significantly reduced in COPD patients and asthmatics compared to age- and gender-matched normal controls. However, PPAR-γ was elevated in COPD patients. Intriguingly, ABA was positively correlated with immune-regulatory factors and was negatively correlated with inflammatory markers, in COPD. Of note, ABA was increased in advanced COPD stages. We thereby conclude that ABA might be involved in regulation of COPD pathogenesis and might be regarded as a potential biomarker for COPD stages

Increased frequency of T_regs and elevated IL-10 levels in mice treated with ICOS agonist during acute IAV infection.

<p>(A) Mice were treated as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100970#pone-0100970-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1A</a>. On day 7, 8 and 9 post infection, mice were sacrificed and CD4⁺ T cells isolated from the lung (left panel: day 8 p.i.; right panel: day 9 p.i.), BLN (left panel: day 7 p.i.; right panel: day 9 p.i.) (pooled data from two independent experiments) and spleen (left panel: day 8 p.i.; right panel day 9 p.i.) (pooled data from two independent experiments) were analyzed for the intracellular expression of the T_reg-specific transcription factor Foxp3. (B) Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of mice infected with IAV and treated with ICOS agonist or control antibody was collected on day 8 post infection and IL-10 concentration was determined by ELISA. The data obtained were pooled from two independent experiments (C) In addition, tryptophan (trp) and kynurenine (kyn) concentrations were determined in serum samples (pooled data from two independent experiments) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid by reversed-phase HPLC technology. IDO enzymatic activity is estimated as kyn/trp ratio. Dots represent data obtained for individual mice. Statistical analysis was done by non-parametric Mann-Whitney test.</p

Schematic representation of the experimental procedure.

<p>(A) BALB/c mice were infected intranasal with a sub-lethal dose of IAV on day 0. Intraperitoneal injection of ICOS agonistic antibody or hamster IgG isotype control antibody was performed on day 1 (200 µg/mouse) and day 5 (100 µg/mouse) post infection followed by body weight monitoring for 2 weeks. For functional analyses, mice were sacrificed and analyzed between day 7 and 9 post infection, i.e. during the peak of adaptive immunity. (B) Mice were IAV infected and treated with ICOS agonist (n = 5) or PBS (n = 5) as described above and body weight was monitored over a time period of two weeks post IAV infection (non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used to observe weight difference between two groups).</p

Delayed virus clearance as a consequence of ICOS agonist treatment during acute IAV infection in mice.

<p>(A) BALB/c mice were infected and treated with ICOS agonist or control antibody as depicted in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100970#pone-0100970-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1A</a>. On day 9 post infection, influenza-specific <i>in vivo</i> CTL assays were performed, as described in materials and methods. Dot plots represent percentage specific lysis of peptide-loaded APCs by IAV-specific cytotoxic T cells in ICOS agonist and isotype control treated mice. Every dot represents data obtained for an individual mouse. (B) BALB/c mice were treated as described before with ICOS agonist antibodies and the respective isotype control antibodies. On day 7, 8 and 9 post IAV infection mice were sacrificed and NP copy numbers as an indicator for viral load was determined in the lung by quantitative RT-PCR. Dots represent data obtained for individual mice. The data were pooled from two independent experiments. Statistical analysis was done by non-parametric Mann-Whitney test.</p

ICOS agonist treatment reduces the frequency of CD8⁺ T cells but does not affect the polyclonal CD4⁺ T cell compartment.

<p>IAV infected BALB/c mice were treated with ICOS agonist or hamster IgG isotype (control antibodies) as depicted in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100970#pone-0100970-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1A</a>. On day 7–9 post infection the percentage of CD8⁺ in BAL (day 7, pooled data from two independent experiments) and lung (day 8) as well as CD4⁺ T cells in lung (day 9) was determined by flow cytometry. The dots in all experiments represent data from individual mice (A). <i>In vitro</i> apoptosis assays were performed, as described in materials and methods, followed by annexin-V staining on live T cells and subsequent flow cytometric analysis. Dot plot graphs indicate percentages of apoptotic CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cells (mean of triplicate wells) plotted against increasing concentration of ICOS agonist antibody added to the culture. CD3 alone (mean of triplicate wells) represents that cells were stimulated by anti-CD3 treatment, in the absence of ICOS agonist; untreated (mean of duplicate wells) represents that cells were neither anti-CD3 stimulated nor treated with ICOS agonist. Column statistics were performed for the apoptosis assay (the data is expressed by mean/SEM) (B and C).</p