Subjective and family factors determining parental attitudes in parents of children with primary immunodeficiency treated with immunoglobulin substitute

This paper presents the results of aquestionnaire about parental attitudes carried out on 47 parents of children with primary immunodeficiency hospitalized at the University Children’s Hospital in Kraków-Prokocim, Poland, and treated with intravenous immunoglobulin substitute. The following questionnaires were used in the study: the Parental Attitudes Scaleby Plopa, NEO-Five Factor InventorybyCosta and McCrae, FACES-IV SOR (adapted into Polish by Margasiński), and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. The quantitative research was supplemented by qualitative methods such as psychological inquiries. The study revealed differences with normalized groups across all techniques. Empirical analysis was aimed at testing which of the variables adopted in the study explain parental attitudes in parents of children with primary immunodeficiency. In order to do this, aprogressive stepwise regression analysis was conducted. As aresult, several interesting multiple regression models were isolated for parental attitudes, which Plopa describes in his typology as dependent variables. The variables specified in the FACES-IV SOR turned out to be statistically significant predictors for autonomy (balanced flexibility: β = 0.406; p = 0.007) and inconsistency (rigidity: β= 0.573; p = 0.005)

The role of the phosphopantetheinyltransferase enzyme, PswP, in the biosynthesis of antimicrobial secondary metabolites by <em>Serratia marcescens </em>Db10

Phosphopantetheinyltransferase (PPTase) enzymes fulfil essential roles in primary and secondary metabolism in prokaryotes, archaea and eukaryotes. PPTase enzymes catalyse the essential modification of the carrier protein domain of fatty acid synthases, polyketide synthases (PKSs) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). In bacteria and fungi, NRPS and PKS enzymes are often responsible for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites with clinically relevant properties; these secondary metabolites include a variety of antimicrobial peptides. We have previously shown that in the Gram-negative bacterium Serratia marcescens Db10, the PPTase enzyme PswP is essential for the biosynthesis of an NRPS-PKS dependent antibiotic called althiomycin. In this work we utilize bioinformatic analyses to classify PswP as belonging to the F/KES subfamily of Sfp type PPTases and to putatively identify additional NRPS substrates of PswP, in addition to the althiomycin NRPS-PKS, in Ser. marcescens Db10. We show that PswP is required for the production of three diffusible metabolites by this organism, each possessing antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Genetic analyses identify the three metabolites as althiomycin, serrawettin W2 and an as-yet-uncharacterized siderophore, which may be related to enterobactin. Our results highlight the use of an individual PPTase enzyme in multiple biosynthetic pathways, each contributing to the ability of Ser. marcescens to inhibit competitor bacteria by the production of antimicrobial secondary metabolites

The insect pathogen Serratia marcescens Db10 uses a hybrid non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-polyketide synthase to produce the antibiotic althiomycin

There is a continuing need to discover new bioactive natural products, such as antibiotics, in genetically-amenable micro-organisms. We observed that the enteric insect pathogen, Serratia marcescens Db10, produced a diffusible compound that inhibited the growth of Bacillis subtilis and Staphyloccocus aureus. Mapping the genetic locus required for this activity revealed a putative natural product biosynthetic gene cluster, further defined to a six-gene operon named alb1-alb6. Bioinformatic analysis of the proteins encoded by alb1-6 predicted a hybrid non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-polyketide synthase (NRPS-PKS) assembly line (Alb4/5/6), tailoring enzymes (Alb2/3) and an export/resistance protein (Alb1), and suggested that the machinery assembled althiomycin or a related molecule. Althiomycin is a ribosome-inhibiting antibiotic whose biosynthetic machinery had been elusive for decades. Chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses confirmed that wild type S. marcescens produced althiomycin and that production was eliminated on disruption of the alb gene cluster. Construction of mutants with in-frame deletions of specific alb genes demonstrated that Alb2-Alb5 were essential for althiomycin production, whereas Alb6 was required for maximal production of the antibiotic. A phosphopantetheinyl transferase enzyme required for althiomycin biosynthesis was also identified. Expression of Alb1, a predicted major facilitator superfamily efflux pump, conferred althiomycin resistance on another, sensitive, strain of S. marcescens. This is the first report of althiomycin production outside of the Myxobacteria or Streptomyces and paves the way for future exploitation of the biosynthetic machinery, since S. marcescens represents a convenient and tractable producing organism

The scope and potential of psychotherapy in psychological and pedagogical counselling centers

Autorzy artykułu przedstawiają wyniki badań ankietowych przeprowadzonych w ramach projektu, którego celem była diagnoza zakresu i warunków stosowania psychoterapii w systemie poradni psychologiczno-pedagogicznych. Konkluzją z badań jest konieczność unowocześnienia i stworzenia w poradniach psychologiczno-pedagogicznych kultury zarządzania sprzyjającej stosowaniu psychoterapii w systemie edukacji. Wzrasta zapotrzebowanie na tę formę pomocy ze względu na stale rosnące wskaźniki coraz poważniejszych problemów emocjonalnych wśród dzieci i młodzieży. Autorzy podkreślają, iż istnieją warunki kadrowe oraz możliwości prawne do stosowania profesjonalnej psychoterapii w poradniach psychologiczno-pedagogicznych.The authors of the article present the findings of a questionnaire survey conducted as part of a project, which aimed at diagnosing the scope and conditions of applying psychotherapy in psychological and pedagogical counselling centers. The project has the nature of basic research, so it answers the question: what is it like? It is the first step in the process of developing standards for the use of individual, group and family psychotherapy. The psychotherapy is grasped as a post-diagnostic assignment of counselling centers included in Regulation of the Minister of Education, dated February 1st 2013. 172 questionnaires out of 482 were collected and analysed. Psychotherapy is applied in 127 counselling centers by 434 psychotherapists. The psychotherapists were trained or are being trained in comprehensive four year or modular courses. Family therapy was applied in 100 counselling centers group therapy in 91 counselling centers and individual therapy in 65. The research shows the need to update and create a management culture, which supports applying psychotherapy in education. There is trained personnel, legal framework to develop psychotherapy and demand for this kind of help, because of the growing emotional problems in children and young people

The Central Embassy in Bangkok. A new icon of the West in the East?

Current realities have promoted a migration of charismatic artists. Wojciech Kosinski notes that, in a way, it has created a global colonisation – “an export in the creation of skyscrapers from the West to the East” – which results in the shift of the leading centres of the skyscrapers construction to the Middle and Far East.” In the aftermath of the rapid development and urbanisation of Asia, the demand for tall architecture has significantly increased. One of the most striking examples of this phenomenon is the city of Dubai, where the newly erected buildings have changed the city’s skyline. The same has happened in other cities, where modern, tall buildings exist either alongside traditional buildings, or have replaced them completely. [...]Current realities have promoted a migration of charismatic artists. Wojciech Kosinski notes that, in a way, it has created a global colonisation – “an export in the creation of skyscrapers from the West to the East” – which results in the shift of the leading centres of the skyscrapers construction to the Middle and Far East.” In the aftermath of the rapid development and urbanisation of Asia, the demand for tall architecture has significantly increased. One of the most striking examples of this phenomenon is the city of Dubai, where the newly erected buildings have changed the city’s skyline. The same has happened in other cities, where modern, tall buildings exist either alongside traditional buildings, or have replaced them completely. [...

Charakterystyka obrazu siebie i własnej cielesności u osób niewidomych : studium empiryczne

W artykule relacjonującym wyniki badań własnych zawarto charakterystykę obrazu siebie i własnej cielesności dorosłych osób niewidomych od urodzenia (n=30), zestawiając uzyskane przez tę grupę wyniki badań kwestionariuszowych z rezultatami osób widzących (grupa kontrolna n=30). Analizy empiryczne oparto na poznawczej teorii obrazu ciała Thomasa Casha i Thomasa Pruzinsky'ego. Kwestie związane z doświadczeniem cielesność i w zakresie poznawczych, emocjonalnych i behawioralnych wymiarów funkcjonowania analizowania w aspekcie wpływu struktury osobowości na obraz niewidomych. Uwzględniono również rolę czynników demograficznych w kształtowaniu tego obrazu