Vimentin association with nuclear grooves in normal MEF 3T3 cells

Vimentin, an intermediate filament protein present in leukocytes, blood vessel endothelial cells, and multiple mesenchymal cells, such as mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF 3T3), is crucial for various cellular processes, as well as for maintaining the integrity and durability (stability) of the cell cytoskeleton. Vimentin intermediate filaments (VIFs) adhere tightly to the nucleus and spread to the lamellipodium and tail of the cell, serving as a connector between the nucleus, and the cell’s edges, especially in terms of transferring mechanical signals throughout the cell. How these signals are transmitted exactly remains under investigation. In the presented work, we propose that vimentin is involved in that transition by influencing the shape of the nucleus through the formation of nuclear blebs and grooves, as demonstrated by microscopic observations of healthy MEF (3T3) cells. Grooved, or “coffee beans” nuclei, have, to date, been noticed in several healthy cells; however, these structures are especially frequent in cancer cells—they serve as a significant marker for recognition of multiple cancers. We observed 288 MEF3T3 cells cultured on polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO), polylactide (PLA), and glass, and we identified grooves, coaligned with vimentin fibers in the nuclei of 47% of cells cultured on PHO, 50% of cells on glass, and 59% of cells growing on PLA. We also observed nuclear blebs and associated their occurrence with the type of substrate used for cell culture. We propose that the higher rate of blebs in the nuclei of cells, cultured on PLA, is related to the microenvironmental features of the substrate, pH in particular

Insights into in vitro wound closure on two biopolyesters-polylactide and polyhydroxyoctanoate

Two bio-based polymers have been compared in this study, namely: polylactide (PLA) and polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO). Due to their properties such as biocompatibility, and biointegrity they are considered to be valuable materials for medical purposes, i.e., creating scaffolds or wound dressings. Presented biopolymers were investigated for their impact on cellular migration strategies of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) 3T3 cell line. Advanced microscopic techniques, including confocal microscopy and immunofluorescent protocols, enabled the thorough analysis of the cell shape and migration. Application of wound healing assay combined with dedicated software allowed us to perform quantitative analysis of wound closure dynamics. The outcome of the experiments demonstrated that the wound closure dynamics for PLA differs from PHO. Single fibroblasts grown on PLA moved 1.5-fold faster, than those migrating on the PHO surface. However, when a layer of cells was considered, the wound closure was by 4.1 h faster for PHO material. The accomplished work confirms the potential of PLA and PHO as excellent candidates for medical applications, due to their properties that propagate cell migration, vitality, and proliferation—essential cell processes in the healing of damaged tissue

Norwid’s <i>Quidam</i> or A Parable About People and Stones

A reinterpretation of the title of the poem on the basis of analysis of the semantic context of the uninflected work quidam as an indefinite pronoun is the starting point of the study. The author proves that the title Quidam is not restricted to a particular nameless protagonist, but it is a condensed sign of indeterminateness (not only personal) as a structural dominant of the poem. Hence it can only have an uninflected form. This is how Norwid always treated it. In the course of further argument the author justifies the proposition that the main subject of Quidam is Rome as the Eternal City, ever built anew on its ruins, maintaining the continuity of life for ages and being a sign of hope. The poem is a picture of the mature Empire in the epoch of Hadrian shown as the time of a slowly ripening coup, when in the multicultural environment Christianity grew, even if it was mysterious for many people and persecuted by the authorities. Interpreted in the context of F. R. Chateaubriand's Les Martyrs the parable is an equivocal reflection on the tragic character of history and on the role that heroic and often nameless sacrifice of people and stones of the city plays in building its meaning. It is also a reflection on how intolerance and weakness resulting from selfish conceit makes coexistence of various religions and cultures in mutual respect impossible

Poetry and thought will come out safe and sound even from the straightjacket of theory

The article is a critical discussion of a book by Piotr Śniedziewski, who made the subject of his research a comparative analysis of the work and thought of two poets of the second half of the 19th century: Mallarmé and Norwid, treating them both as precursors of the esthetics of modernism. The author of the review remarks that the analytical arguments of the book are subjected to its real and main aim, that is practical verification of the theoretical construct projected by the Poznań researcher. The construct is the “rhetoric of silence” that could replace the traditional category of rhetoric based on classical models. After a synthesizing characteristic of the whole that is competently and clearly built by the author very well read in the poetry of the researched epoch and in the literature of the subject, the reviewer reminds shortly the achievements to date of comparative Norwidology, with the publications by Maciej Żurowski leading the way. Next she presents six chapters as subsequent stages of Piotr Śniedziewski's argument, commenting them economically, in a way that does not disturb objectivity of the presentation. The predominant feature of the commentaries is the reviewer's conviction that although the author emphasizes the connections between Norwid and Romantic poetry as well as his philosophy that is distant from modernism, the thesis about a common basis of both the poets' work is a peculiar attempt at imposing a straightjacket of an a priori constructed theory on the subject he studies. However, the work of both the poets (both their poetry and thought) emerges victorious from this ordeal. It is so both because of the resistance of art as a domain of independent mastery, and of the fact that Śniedziewski, a follower of the “new comparative study”, comparing rather differences than similarities, consciously dissociated himself from extreme deconstruction that is in fashion. Hence ultimately there are no losers in the book: the rhetoric of silence does work in the workshop practice, and works by the two outstanding poets are not overshadowed by a risky interpretation. From the point of view of Norwidology let us just add that we still have to wait for broadening the comparative background of his work

Procrastination and well-being among elderly people

Celem pracy było zbadanie zależności pomiędzy prokrastynacją a odczuwanym dobrostanem życiowym wśród osób po 60. roku życia oraz sprawdzenie jej w grupie osób mieszkających w domach i w grupie pensjonariuszy Zakładu Opiekuńczo-Leczniczego. W badaniu użyto polskich adaptacji skróconej wersji kwestionariusza do badania prokrastynacji Pure Procrastination Scale P. Steel’a oraz pełnej wersji kwestionariusza do badania dobrostanu Psychological Well-Being Scale C. Ryff. Ponadto, za pomocą pytań własnego autorstwa oceniano subiektywne zdrowie. Zbadano łącznie 60 osób z podziałem na dwie grupy: osób mieszkających w domach oraz pensjonariuszy Zakładu Opiekuńczo-Leczniczego w Krakowie. Z analiz międzygrupowych wskaźników zdrowia, dobrostanu i prokrastynacji wynika, iż grupa osób mieszkających w domach cechuje się wysokim wynikiem oceny zdrowia, grupa pensjonariuszy Zakładu Opiekuńczo-Leczniczego natomiast, wysokim wynikiem na skali dobrostanu. Nie zanotowano różnic między grupami w zakresie zjawiska prokrastynacji. Stwierdzono, iż wyższe wyniki w zakresie prokrastynacji umiarkowanie korelują z niższymi wynikami w zakresie dobrostanu życiowego. Wystąpiły także różnice międzypłciowe w zakresie tejże zależności. Dodatkowo wskazano, iż wysokie wyniki na skali zdrowia nie determinują wysokich wyników na skali dobrostanu.The aim of this study was to investigate how procrastination impacts on subjective well-being in elderly and how this relationship differs among the group of elderly people living in homes and residents of the House of Care and Treatment. The short version of the Pure Procrastination Scale by P. Steel and the full version of the Psychological Well-Being Scale by C. Ryff have been used. Additionally, three questions of own authorship related to subjective health has been asked. A total of 60 people were examined divided into two groups: elders living in their homes and residents of the House of Care and Treatment in Cracow. The intergroup analysis of health, well-being and procrastination indicators shows that the group of people living in homes is characterized by a high score of health assessment, while the group of residents of the House of Care and Treatment is characterized by a high score on the scale of well-being. There were no differences between the groups in terms of procrastination. It was found that higher procrastination results moderately correlate with lower results in terms of well-being. Differences between gender were additionally found. Moreover, it was pointed out that high results on the health scale do not determine high results on the scale of well-being

Vimentin Association with Nuclear Grooves in Normal MEF 3T3 Cells

Vimentin, an intermediate filament protein present in leukocytes, blood vessel endothelial cells, and multiple mesenchymal cells, such as mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF 3T3), is crucial for various cellular processes, as well as for maintaining the integrity and durability (stability) of the cell cytoskeleton. Vimentin intermediate filaments (VIFs) adhere tightly to the nucleus and spread to the lamellipodium and tail of the cell, serving as a connector between the nucleus, and the cell&rsquo;s edges, especially in terms of transferring mechanical signals throughout the cell. How these signals are transmitted exactly remains under investigation. In the presented work, we propose that vimentin is involved in that transition by influencing the shape of the nucleus through the formation of nuclear blebs and grooves, as demonstrated by microscopic observations of healthy MEF (3T3) cells. Grooved, or &ldquo;coffee beans&rdquo; nuclei, have, to date, been noticed in several healthy cells; however, these structures are especially frequent in cancer cells&mdash;they serve as a significant marker for recognition of multiple cancers. We observed 288 MEF3T3 cells cultured on polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO), polylactide (PLA), and glass, and we identified grooves, coaligned with vimentin fibers in the nuclei of 47% of cells cultured on PHO, 50% of cells on glass, and 59% of cells growing on PLA. We also observed nuclear blebs and associated their occurrence with the type of substrate used for cell culture. We propose that the higher rate of blebs in the nuclei of cells, cultured on PLA, is related to the microenvironmental features of the substrate, pH in particular

Internet Use as Determinant of Voting in the 2011 Parliamentary Elections

In the information society, the digital divide may result in political exclusion, while the access to new technologies may reinforce civic activity. The purpose of the article is determining whether political presence on the Internet (defined as both conscious and unconscious contact with online political content) has any influence on voting independent of socio-demographic factors influencing both voting and Internet use. The analysis was conducted on data from survey conducted by CBOS Public Opinion Research Centre after 2011 parliamentary elections on N=969 respondents representative for adult population of Poland. Statistical analysis revealed that there is independent effect of political activity on the Internet on voting behavior. However, the hypothesis about unconscious effect of Internet on voting was rejected.W społeczeństwie informacyjnym wykluczenie cyfrowe może przekładać się na wykluczenie polityczne. Z kolei dostęp do nowych technologii może wzmacniać postawy obywatelskie. Celem artykułu jest ustalenie, czy obecność w Internecie – polegająca zarówno na świadomym, jak i nieświadomym kontakcie z treściami politycznymi online – wywiera wpływ na zachowania wyborcze niezależny od wpływu czynników socjdemograficznych, determinujących zarówno korzystanie z Internetu, jak i zachowania wyborcze. Do analizy zostały wykorzystane dane sondażu CBOS przeprowadzonego po wyborach parlamentarnych w 2011 roku na reprezentatywnej próbie losowej dorosłych mieszkańców Polski, liczącej 969 osób. Statystyczna analiza danych potwierdziła istnienie niezależnego, samodzielnego związku między korzystaniem z treści politycznych w Internecie a deklarowanym udziałem w wyborach parlamentarnych. Nie potwierdziła się natomiast hipoteza o nieświadomym, mimowolnym wpływie korzystania z Internetu na frekwencję wyborczą