Tekst natchniony w obliczu nowych technologii. Biblia Tysiąclecia w aplikacji na telefon. Perspektywa wydawcy

Civilization advance and progress in technology have changed the appearance of the Holy Bible. Over the centuries, the Book of Books has been subject to constant evolution: new translations appear, depending on technical advancements and aesthetic fashions and trends, the form of presenting and sharing the text varies. Today, mobile applications become more and more popular, e.g. Pismo Święte application, a digital version of the Holy Bible for mobile phones (Przemysław Bierut). Facing separation of the text of a book from its traditional media, one should seek answers to the following questions: How and why has the editorial form of the Holy Bible varied over the centuries? What transformations occurred at the time of entry of the Holy Bible into the world of digital media? How has its editorial model transformed along with its transition to mobile world?Przemiany technologiczne i cywilizacyjne zmieniają oblicze Biblii. Na przestrzeni wieków Księga ksiąg podlegała nieustannej ewolucji: pojawiają się nowe tłumaczenia, zależnie od możliwości technicznych, a także mód i prądów estetycznych, zmieniają się formy prezentowania tekstu i jego udostępniania. Dziś coraz większą popularność zdobywają aplikacje mobilne. W artykule zaprezentowano najpopularniejszą mobilną wersję Biblii Tysiąclecia dostępną za pośrednictwem aplikacji Pismo Święte Przemysława Bieruta, przeprowadzono badania typograficzne edycji, porównano, pod względem edytorskim formę mobilną z kodeksem oraz przeanalizowano wpływ nowoczesnych technologii na zmiany procesu wytwarzania Księgi Ksiąg, wyciągając jednocześnie wnioski o charakterze ogólniejszym

Growth factors and their receptors derived from human amniotic cells in vitro

In vitro studies have shown that amnion-produced growth factors participated in angiogenesis, re-epithelialization, and immunomodulation. The aim of our study was to investigate the growth factors and receptors produced by human amnion tissue and amniotic cells. Human amnions (hAM) were isolated, and amnion circles were dissected for in vitro analysis. Some amnion fragments were digested by the use of different methods to obtain two cell fractions, which were analysed for mesenchymal and epithelial cell markers. Amniotic circles and human amniotic cell fractions were cultured in a protein-free medium. Proteins secreted into the culture medium were analysed with a human growth factor antibody array. Conditioned culture media were added to human umbilical vein epithelial cells (HUVECs) to test for stimulation of migration (scratch test) and proliferation (Ki67 expression). Fraction 1 cells expressed both cytokeratin and mesenchymal cell markers which indicated that it was composed of a mixture of human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs) and mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSCs). Fraction 2 cells mainly expressed cytokeratin and, therefore, were designed as hAECs. Secretion of proteins by the cultured cells increased with time. The hAM cultures secreted EGF-R, IGF, and IGFBP-2,-3 and -6; Cell Fraction 1 secreted NT-4, whereas Cell Fraction 2 secreted G-CSF, M-CSF, and PDGF. Conditioned media of hAM cultures stimulated HUVECs migration. We have showed for the first time that human amnions and amniotic cells secreted IGFBP-6, MCSF-R, PDGF-AB, FGF-6, IGFBP-4, NT-4, and VEGF-R3. We found that Cell Fraction 1, Cell Fraction 2, and the whole amnion secreted different proteins, possibly due to different proportions of amnion-derived cells and different cell-cell interactions. The hAM cell factors remained functional in vitro and induced intensified migration of HUVECs. The growth factors and receptors found in amnion or amniotic cell media might be used for regenerative medicine

Propuesta metodológica para la identificación de tierras marginales mediante productos derivados de teledetección y datos auxiliares

[EN] The concept of marginal land (ML) is dynamic and depends on various factors related to the environment, climate, scale, culture, and economic sector. The current methods for identifying ML are diverse, they employ multiple parameters and variables derived from land use and land cover, and mostly reflect specific management purposes. A methodological approach for the identification of marginal lands using remote sensing and ancillary data products and validated on samples from four European countries (i.e., Germany, Spain, Greece, and Poland) is presented in this paper. The methodology proposed combines land use and land cover data sets as excluding indicators (forest, croplands, protected areas, impervious areas, land-use change, water bodies, and permanent snow areas) and environmental constraints information as marginality indicators: (i) physical soil properties, in terms of slope gradient, erosion, soil depth, soil texture, percentage of coarse soil texture fragments, etc.; (ii) climatic factors e.g. aridity index; (iii) chemical soil properties, including soil pH, cation exchange capacity, contaminants, and toxicity, among others. This provides a common vision of marginality that integrates a multidisciplinary approach. To determine the ML, we first analyzed the excluding indicators used to delimit the areas with defined land use. Then, thresholds were determined for each marginality indicator through which the land productivity progressively decreases. Finally, the marginality indicator layers were combined in Google Earth Engine. The result was categorized into 3 levels of productivity of ML: high productivity, low productivity, and potentially unsuitable land. The results obtained indicate that the percentage of marginal land per country is 11.64% in Germany, 19.96% in Spain, 18.76% in Greece, and 7.18% in Poland. The overall accuracies obtained per country were 60.61% for Germany, 88.87% for Spain, 71.52% for Greece, and 90.97% for Poland.[ES] El concepto de tierra marginal (ML) es dinámico y depende de factores relacionados con el entorno, el clima, la escala, la cultura y la economía. los métodos actuales de identificación de ML son también diversos y están basados en múltiples parámetros y variables derivados del uso y cobertura del suelo reflejando, en su mayoría, fines de gestión específicos. En este artículo se presenta una propuesta metodológica para la identificación de tierras marginales mediante el uso de productos derivados de teledetección y datos auxiliares, validándose sobre muestras obtenidas en cuatro países europeos: Alemania, España, Grecia y Polonia. La metodología combina datos de usos y coberturas del suelo como indicadores excluyentes (bosque, tierras de cultivo, áreas protegidas, áreas impermeables, cambios de usos del suelo, cuerpos de agua y áreas de nieve permanente) e información ambiental como indicadores de marginalidad, esto es, (i) propiedades físicas del suelo como la pendiente, profundidad de suelo, erosión del suelo, textura, porcentaje de fragmentos de textura gruesa del suelo, etc.; (ii) factores climáticos como el índice de aridez; (iii) propiedades químicas del suelo como pH, capacidad de intercambio catiónico, contaminantes y toxicidad, entre otros, con el objetivo de abordar una visión común de la marginalidad que integre un enfoque multidisciplinar. Para obtener las coberturas de ML primero se analizaron los indicadores excluyentes para delimitar las áreas con un uso del suelo establecido. En segundo lugar, se determinaron los umbrales para cada indicador de marginalidad a través de los cuales el suelo se transforma, disminuyendo progresivamente su aprovechamiento productivo. Finalmente, la superposición de las capas de indicadores de marginalidad se llevó a cabo con la herramienta Google Earth Engine. El resultado final se categorizó en 3 niveles de ML con diferente productividad: alta, baja y tierras potencialmente inadecuadas. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el porcentaje de tierras marginales sobre la extensión total de cada país analizado es de 11,64% en Alemania, 19,96% en España, 18,76% en Grecia y 7,18% en Polonia. La precisión global obtenida por país fue del 60,61% para Alemania, del 88,87% para España, del 71,52% para Grecia y del 90,97% para Polonia.This research has been funded by the European Commission through the H2020-MSCA-RISE-2018 MAIL project (grant 823805) and by the Fondo de Garantía Juvenil en I+D+i from the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy.Torralba, J.; Ruiz, L.; Georgiadis, C.; Patias, P.; Gómez-Conejo, R.; Verde, N.; Tassapoulou, M.... (2021). Methodological proposal for the identification of marginal lands with remote sensing-derived products and ancillary data. En Proceedings 3rd Congress in Geomatics Engineering. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 248-257. https://doi.org/10.4995/CiGeo2021.2021.12729OCS24825

Etablierung eines Tierversuchersatzmodells für Therapieversuche beim Pankreaskarzinom

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is one of the most lethal malignancies and new therapeutic options are urgently needed. Personalized tumor models derived from xenotransplantation of fresh patient tissue to mice are emerging as a promising tool for therapy studies, but ethical concerns, long experimental duration and high costs limit the efficacy. In the present study, we asked if the xenotransplantation of freshly resected PDA tissues to the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) might be superior. Neoplastic tissue of pancreatic origin from 42 patients, including 23 PDA tumors, was transplanted to the CAM, which resulted in the growth of solid, neovascularized tumors. The median grafting efficiency of PDA tumors was 70 %, which was higher than in a murine model. The time until tumor growth became evident on the CAM (latency) was on average 3 days and thus shorter than that of tumors cultivated in mice. Importantly, the morphology with a pronounced tumor stroma resembled the primary tumors. The immunohistochemical analysis of the established markers for cancer stem cells (CSCs), k-Ras and fibronectin revealed that the histological features of the original tumors remain stable in their corresponding egg xenografts. Also, this model is suited for personalized therapeutic evaluation as shown by our data measuring tumor take, tumor volume and proliferation of untreated, gemcitabine and dexamethasone pre-treated tumors, as well as tumor volume and proliferation under in ovo treatment by intratumoral and intravenous injection of gemcitabine. Furthermore the cultivation of giant cell tumor of bone tumors (GCTBs), derived from stromal cells of 8 different patients and osteosarcoma tumors, derived from three cell lines, was established on the CAM. The replacement of rodent models with the CAM model may also contribute to a more ethical experimental technique. Fertilized chicken eggs are widely used in the biomedical research and have been suggested as an alternative to mammalian models. Unfortunately, it is mostly not taken into account, that the chick embryo is susceptible to pain from day 7 of breeding. In my view, this model is only in accordance with the “3 R” principles of ethical experimentation, if an appropriate anaesthesia of the chick embryo in potentially painful procedures is provided. Although many experimental approaches are performed on the non-innervated CAM, the euthanasia of the embryo strongly requires a more humane technique than freezing at -20° C, decapitation or in ovo fixation with paraformaldehyde without prior anaesthesia. These methods are commonly applied and are not acceptable. However, protocols regarding feasible and ethical methods for anaesthesia and euthanasia of avian embryos are currently not available. Therefore, we established an easy and readily achievable method for the euthanasia and short-term anaesthesia of the chick embryo. In summary, the CAM is a promising model to accelerate data acquisition in personalized medicine and to promote progress towards a more ethical biomedical research.Das duktale Adenokarzinom des Pankreas (PDA) ist eine der fatalsten Krebsarten und neue Therapieoptionen werden dringend gebraucht. In letzter Zeit kristallisierte sich heraus, dass personalisierte Tumormodelle, die auf der Xenotransplantation von frischem Patientengewebe auf Mäuse basieren, ein vielversprechendes Werkzeug für Therapiestudien darstellen. Jedoch stellen ethische Bedenken, lange Versuchsdauer und hohe Kosten wesentliche limitierende Faktoren dieser Modelle dar. In der vorliegenden Studie untersuchten wir, ob die Xenotransplantation von frisch entfernten PDAs auf die Chorioallantoismembran (CAM) des bebrüteten Hühnereies das Mausmodell ersetzen kann. Neoplastisches Gewebe pankreatischen Ursprungs von 42 Patienten, darunter 23 PDAs, wurde auf die CAM transplantiert, was in der Bildung solider, neovaskularisierter Tumore resultierte. Die mittlere Anwachsrate der PDA Tumore betrug 70 %, was höher ist als in vergleichbaren Mausmodellen. Die Latenzzeit, welche der Zeit bis zur sichtbaren Bildung des Tumors auf der Membran entspricht, betrug im Mittel 3 Tage und war somit kürzer als in der Maus. Darüber hinaus blieben die morphologischen Charakteristika der Originaltumore in den Eiertumoren erhalten. Die immunohistochemische Analyse zeigte ferner, dass die Expressionsprofile der etablierten Marker für Krebsstammzellen (CSCs), das extrazelluläre Matrixprotein Fibronectin, sowie das Proto-Onkogen k-Ras in den auf Eiern gewachsenen Tumoren die der Patiententumore widerspiegeln. Das Modell eignet sich ebenfalls für personalisierte Therapiestudien, wie unsere Messungen der Tumoranwachsrate, des Tumorvolumens und der Proliferation von mit Gemcitabine und Dexamethasone vorbehandelten Tumoren, sowie des Tumorvolumens und Proliferation von in ovo intratumoral und intravenös mit Gemcitabine behandelten Tumoren demonstrieren. Ferner wurde die Kultivierung von Riesenzelltumoren des Knochens, die aus Stromazellen von 8 verschiedenen Patienten stammten, sowie von Osteosarkomen, die aus drei Zelllinien stammten, auf der CAM etabliert. Das Ersetzen von Nagermodellen mit dem CAM Modell mag ebenso einen Schritt in Richtung einer ethisch besser vertretbaren Experimentierkultur bedeuten. Die Verwendung befruchteter Hühnereier ist in der biomedizinischen Forschung weit verbreitet und wird oft als Alternative zu Versuchen an Säugern angesehen. Leider wird jedoch meistens außer Acht gelassen, dass der Hühnerembryo bereits ab dem 7. Bebrütungstag Schmerzempfindlichkeit entwickelt. In meinen Augen erfüllt dieses Modell aber nur dann die Anforderungen der „3 R“ Prinzipien der humanen Experimentiertechnik, wenn in potenziell schmerzhaften Eingriffen für eine angemessene Anästhesie des Hühnerembryo gesorgt wird. Wenn auch in vielen Versuchsansätzen nur die nicht innervierte CAM verwendet wird, muss die Euthanasie des Embryos am Ende der Experimente mit einer humaneren Technik durchgeführt werden, als die üblicherweise verwendeten Methoden, wie Einfrieren bei -20° C, Enthauptung, oder die in ovo Fixierung des nicht narkotisierten Embryos mit Paraformaldehyd. Bedauerlicherweise existieren zur Zeit keine Protokolle zur Anästhesie und Euthanasie von Vogelembryonen. Aus diesem Grund entwickelten wir eine einfache und verlässliche Methode für die Kurzzeitanästhesie und Euthanasie des Hühnerembryos. Zusammenfassend birgt das CAM Modell großes Potenzial die Datenerhebung in der personalisierten Medizin zu erleichtern und den Fortschritt in Richtung einer ethisch orientierten Forschung zu beflügeln

Evaluation of 12-Lipoxygenase (12-LOX) and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) as Prognostic Markers in Prostate Cancer

In carcinoma of prostate, a causative role of platelet 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) for tumor progression has been firmly established in tumor and/or adjacent tissue. Our goal was to investigate if 12-LOX and/or PAI-1 in patient’s plasma could be used to predict outcome of the disease. The study comprised 149 patients (age 70±9) divided into two groups: a study group with carcinoma confirmed by positive biopsy of prostate (n=116) and a reference group (n=33) with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The following parameters were determined by the laboratory test in plasma or platelet-rich plasma: protein level of 12-LOX, PAI-1, thromboglobulin (TGB), prostate specific antigen (PSA), C-reactive protein (CRP), hemoglobin (HGB, and hematocrit (HCT), as well as red (RBC) and white blood cells (WBC), number of platelets (PLT), international normalized ratio of blood clotting (INR), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). The only difference of significance was noticed in the concentration of 12-LOX in platelet rich plasma, which was lower in cancer than in BPH group. Standardization to TGB and platelet count increases the sensitivity of the test that might be used as a biomarker to assess risk for prostate cancer in periodically monitored patients

Better together–Salmonella biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance

ABSTRACTSalmonella poses a serious threat to public health and socioeconomic development worldwide because of its foodborne pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance. This biofilm-planktonic lifestyle enables Salmonella to interfere with the host and become resistant to drugs, conferring inherent tolerance to antibiotics. The complex biofilm structure makes bacteria tolerant to harsh conditions due to the diversity of physiological, biochemical, environmental, and molecular factors constituting resistance mechanisms. Here, we provide an overview of the mechanisms of Salmonella biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance, with an emphasis on less-studied molecular factors and in-depth analysis of the latest knowledge about upregulated drug-resistance-associated genes in bacterial aggregates. We classified and extensively discussed each group of these genes encoding transporters, outer membrane proteins, enzymes, multiple resistance, metabolism, and stress response-associated proteins. Finally, we highlighted the missing information and studies that need to be undertaken to understand biofilm features and contribute to eliminating antibiotic-resistant and health-threatening biofilms