Postawy twórcze dzieci w młodszym wieku szkolnym – tendencje zmian

In the article, the authors put forward and develop a thesis on the regression of creative attitudes in the course of school education. The process of developing creative attitudes among children is analyzed in the perspective of the role and objectives of school education. The authors examine the level and dynamics of the development of creative attitudes in the course of school education (the first 3 years of early school teaching). Creative attitudes include: divergent thinking, creative motivation, and strategies of coping with difficult tasks (intrapersonal and interpersonal strategies). The research was conducted on a representative nationwide sample. The data gathered as a result of this research point to a low level of creative attitudes among early school children, and their negative development in the course of school education

Total antioxidant status (TAS) in childhood cancer survivors

Total antioxidant status (TAS), and the influence of treatment and correlation between TAS and parametersinvolved in metabolic syndrome (MS) in pediatric cancer survivors were evaluated. One hundred childrenand adolescents were studied. Twenty-five survivors received radiotherapy, 12 were obese or overweight.Additionally, we analyzed TAS in eight children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at diagnosis andduring treatment after remission induction. The control group consisted of 22 healthy children. Serum concentrationsof TAS, glucose, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, fibrinogen and insulin were measured. Incancer survivors, independently of diagnosis and kind of treatment (radiotherapy anthracyclines administration),the mean serum TAS did not differ significantly from the control group. No correlations were observedwith age at the time of diagnosis or interval after the end of treatment. TAS values did not correlate with traits ofthe metabolic syndrome. In a group of eight patients with ALL at diagnosis and after induction of remission,TAS values were lower than in the control and cancer survivor groups. Antioxidant status was not found to bedeteriorated in children after anticancer treatment, irrespective of diagnosis or kind of treatment, which mightindicate sufficient antioxidant prevention. However, the possibility of the development of MS and cardiovasculardisease in adulthood indicates the need for future studies.Total antioxidant status (TAS), and the influence of treatment and correlation between TAS and parametersinvolved in metabolic syndrome (MS) in pediatric cancer survivors were evaluated. One hundred childrenand adolescents were studied. Twenty-five survivors received radiotherapy, 12 were obese or overweight.Additionally, we analyzed TAS in eight children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at diagnosis andduring treatment after remission induction. The control group consisted of 22 healthy children. Serum concentrationsof TAS, glucose, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, fibrinogen and insulin were measured. Incancer survivors, independently of diagnosis and kind of treatment (radiotherapy anthracyclines administration),the mean serum TAS did not differ significantly from the control group. No correlations were observedwith age at the time of diagnosis or interval after the end of treatment. TAS values did not correlate with traits ofthe metabolic syndrome. In a group of eight patients with ALL at diagnosis and after induction of remission,TAS values were lower than in the control and cancer survivor groups. Antioxidant status was not found to bedeteriorated in children after anticancer treatment, irrespective of diagnosis or kind of treatment, which mightindicate sufficient antioxidant prevention. However, the possibility of the development of MS and cardiovasculardisease in adulthood indicates the need for future studies

Fetal activin A in labor complicated by meconium-stained amniotic fluid

Objective: During pregnancy the placenta and the fetal membranes are the main sources of activin A. An increased level of activin A has been found in the serum of women with preeclampsia, diabetes mellitus and intrauterine growth restriction. Meconium is the predictor for adverse perinatal outcome, such as meconium aspiration syndrome or brain damage. The aim of our study was to evaluate the levels of fetal activin A in labors complicated by meconium-stained amniotic fluid. Material and methods: Cord blood samples were collected from 65 full-term neonates from single pregnancies. In each case, the hematological parameters of cord blood and activin A (ELISA – Oxford Bio-Innovation Activin A Assay Kit) were assessed. Results: There were no significant differences in the concentration of activin A in cord blood between the group with and the group without meconium-stained amniotic fluid. The mean count of nucleated erythrocytes and white blood cells as well as the percentage of reticulocytes was significantly higher in the meconium group. There were no significant differences between concentration of fetal activin A in a vaginal delivery (0,58±0,38ng/ml) and cesarean section after labor (0,44 ±0,32ng/ml) or elective cesarean section (0,62±0,47ng/ml) groups. There were also no correlations between the levels of activin A and the parameters of fetal acid base status or cord blood hematological values. Conclusions: Fetal activin A has a limited significance for diagnosing fetal hypoxia in labors complicated by meconium-stained amniotic fluid. There were no correlations between the parameters of fetal acid base status and fetal activin A. The levels of fetal activin A do not depend on the mode of the delivery. Meconium-stained amniotic fluid resulted in significant changes of the hematological variables in cord blood

Increased percentage of T cells with the expression of CD127 and CD132 in hypertrophic adenoid in children with otitis media with effusion

The hypertrophic adenoid may promote chronic suppurative otitis media in children as it fulfills its immune function. The number of lymphocytes in the adenoid and their cooperation in the immune response depend of on their proliferation and migration to the effector sites. Interleukin 7 (IL-7) is essential for the normal development and function lymphocytes. IL-7 plays pivotal role for activation and proliferation of T and B cells. The heterodimeric interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) is composed of the IL-7Rα (127) and the common cytokine receptor γc (CD132). The aim of this study was to evaluate the percentage of lymphocytes T (CD4+ and CD8+) with IL-7R (CD127 and CD132) expression in hypertrophic adenoid in children suffering with otitis media with effusion for a duration of 3 months. Adenoid excised due to hypertrophy with or without chronic otitis media with effusion was used as study material. CD4+ CD127+, CD4+132+, CD8+CD127+ and CD8+CD132+ cell subpopulations were identified using monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry. The percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with CD127 receptor expression in hypertrophic adenoid of children with otitis media with effusion was statistically significantly higher than in hypertrophic adenoid group. The percentage of CD4+ T cells with CD132 expression in the study group was statistically significantly higher than in the reference group. The percentage of CD8+ T cells with CD132+ expression was not statistically different in both groups. The increased percentage of T lymphocytes with IL-7R expression (CD127 and CD132) in hypertrophic adenoid seems to influence the quantity of lymphocytes and upset the immunological function of tonsils which can influence the course of otitis media with effusion

Poland, Slovenia, the World : Challenges of present-day education

Publikacja recenzowana / Peer-reviewed publicationTransformations of education in changing Europe are multifaceted. One of the latter is the process of strengthening the cooperation among universities in this part of the world. This cooperation is carried out in many fields – from joint projects and researches – to joint analyses, discourses and publications. This monograph – a collection of reflections, thoughts and polemics deriving from theoretical and empirical researches, carried out as a part of a joint research project simultaneously undertaken at both these universities under the name “Problems and challenges of modern education” – constitutes one of the fruits of the cooperation between Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Cracow University and the University of Ljubljana

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Urzeczywistnienie idei integracji na przykładzie działalności Bodelschwinghowych Zakładów "Bethel"

W północno-zachodniej części Niemiec — we wschodniej Westfalii1 — spotykamy się z fenomenem natury społecznej, którym są funkcjonujące od ponad stu lat Bodelschwinghowe Zakłady „Bethel”2 (Bodelschwingsche Anstalten „Bethel”). Żyją i pracują w nich ludzie zróżnicowani pod wzglę­dem religijnym i — szerzej — światopoglądowym, a ponadto ze względu na wiek, płeć, rodzaj choroby, poziom rozwoju umysłowego, czy problem uniemożliwiający im funkcjonowanie w społeczeństwie. Ludzie ci tworzą lokalną społeczność, a więc są pewną zbiorowością mieszkającą w obrębie zwartej jednostki terytorialnej (zwanej później przez nas miasteczkami), powiązaną więzią sąsiedztwa, wspólnotą warunków życia i wspólną kultu­rą

Quality of the "student-master" relationships in perception and experience of students of Polish universities in the context of a general vision of studying

The vision of the university and the lecturer-student relationship in the perceptions and experiences of those surveyed are heterogeneous, showing in many areas a tendency to this ambivalence, resulting probably from an internal contradiction between the expected (ideal conceptions), the general challenges (labor market requirements, economics), and the actually experienced necessity of finding oneself under the hard conditions which reality (mainly economic) present to the students (as well as lecturers). The students (although declaratively) associate the University with exceptional quality of education, particular relationship with the lecturer, and ethics, and even with transgression (positive perspective, because it is that which initiates development). At the same time, the narrow, pragmatic vision of education preparing one mainly for the requirements of the labor market - practical knowledge (negative perspective, because it is restricts the scope of development) limits this. It is a space where there is no room for "student life" and "developing of culture", where experienced emotions are clearly ambivalent, dominated by frustration and stress and accompanying fear (deactivating emotions). This makes university space a place for experiencing clear mental discomfort and negative learning experiences often marked by "student-lecturer" relationship of negative traits, limiting, hostile, or indifferent

Nitric oxide and platelet energy metabolism.

This study was undertaken to determine whether nitric oxide (NO) can affect platelet responses through the inhibition of energy production. It was found that NO donors: S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicyllamine, SNAP, (5-50 μM) and sodium nitroprusside, SNP, (5-100 μM) inhibited collagen- and ADP-induced aggregation of porcine platelets. The corresponding IC50 values for SNAP and SNP varied from 5 to 30 μM and from 9 to 75 μM, respectively. Collagen- and thrombin-induced platelet secretion was inhibited by SNAP (IC50 = 50 μM) and by SNP (IC50 = 100 μM). SNAP (20-100 μM), SNP (10-200 μM) and collagen (20 μg/ml) stimulated glycolysis in intact platelets. The degree of glycolysis stimulation exerted by NO donors was similar to that produced by respiratory chain inhibitors (cyanide and antimycin A) or uncouplers (2,4-dinitrophenol). Neither the NO donors nor the respiratory chain blockers affected glycolysis in platelet homogenate. SNAP (20-100 μM) and SNP (50-200 μM) inhibited oxygen consumption by platelets. The effect of SNP and SNAP on glycolysis and respiration was not reduced by 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo-[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one, a selective inhibitor of NO-stimulated guanylate cyclase. SNAP (5-100 μM) and SNP (10-300 μM) inhibited the activity of platelet cytochrome oxidase and had no effect on NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase and succinate dehydrogenase. Blocking of the mitochondrial energy production by antimycin A slightly affected collagen-evoked aggregation and strongly inhibited platelet secretion. The results indicate that: 1) in porcine platelets NO is able to diminish mitochondrial energy production through the inhibition of cytochrome oxidase, 2) the inhibitory effect of NO on platelet secretion (but not aggregation) can be attributed to the reduction of mitochondrial energy production