The Aesthetic and Financial Markets. Beyond Mere Representing and Supporting

The aesthetic, according to Wolfgang Welsch, has several semantic variants. One of them is a phenomenalistic one. Referring to this variant, I show that the aesthetic is something more than a secondary component of electronic capital markets, which reflects what is happening to them and supports economic actors in their investment decisions. Namely, it is something that reaches out to such important things as the very existence and functioning of financial markets, their moral and social legitimization, the mode of participation of economic actors on these markets, their experiences and behavior and the popularity of investing in the markets. Thus, it can be said that the aesthetic is an integral and constitutive element of capital markets and not just their supplement, which only represents these markets and supports financial subjects in their investment behavior

INFLUENCE OF A 6-WEEK MIXED BALLISTIC-PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ON THE LEVEL OF SELECTED STRENGTH AND SPEED INDICES OF THE LOWER LIMBS IN YOUNG FOOTBALL PLAYERS

The development of muscle power should be taken into account in soccer training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of a 6-week of mixed power training on the level of the motor skills of the lower limbs of young soccer players. The training was conducted during the starting period. The study included twelve 16-18-year-old players who regularly participated in specific soccer trainings and played in regional competitions. Their basic anthropometric features were measured. The assessment of the power of the lower limbs was carried out using two jump tests: CMJ and SJ. The maximum anaerobic power was calculated and was expressed in relation to body weight and lean body mass. In addition, Drop Jump tests were performed from three different heights on the basis of which RSI reactive strength index were calculated. On completion of the training program an increase in the level of the results of all the tests was observed: SJ (cm) (cohen's d: 0.43), CMJ (cm) (cohen's d: 0.33), SJPmax (W/kg) (cohen's d: 0.43), CMJPmax (W/kg) (cohen's d: 0.30), SJPmax (W/LBMkg) (cohen's d): 0,57), CMJPmax (W/LBMkg) (cohen's d: 0,44), RSI 0,2 (cohen's d: 0,59), RSI 0,3 (cohen's d: 0,45), RSI 0,4 (cohen's d: 0,58). An additional six-week ballistic-plyometric training program, used as a supplement to the basic training plan during the start period, resulted in an increase in the motor skills of the lower limbs of young soccer players. The application of combined ballistic and plyometric training methods helps to improve the strength and speed potential of young soccer players.

Identification of Combined Genetic Determinants of Liver Stiffness within the SREBP1c-PNPLA3 Pathway

The common PNPLA3 (adiponutrin) variant, p.I148M, was identified as a genetic determinant of liver fibrosis. Since the expression of PNPLA3 is induced by sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP1c), we investigate two common SREBP1c variants (rs2297508 and rs11868035) for their association with liver stiffness. In 899 individuals (aged 17–83 years, 547 males) with chronic liver diseases, hepatic fibrosis was non-invasively phenotyped by transient elastography (TE). The SREBP1c single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped using PCR-based assays with 5'-nuclease and fluorescence detection. The SREBP1c rs11868035 variant affected liver fibrosis significantly (p = 0.029): median TE levels were 7.2, 6.6 and 6.0 kPa in carriers of (TT) (n = 421), (CT) (n = 384) and (CC) (n = 87) genotypes, respectively. Overall, the SREBP1c SNP was associated with low TE levels (5.0–8.0 kPa). Carriers of both PNPLA3 and SREBP1c risk genotypes displayed significantly (p = 0.005) higher median liver stiffness, as compared to patients carrying none of these variants. The common SREBP1c variant may affect early stages of liver fibrosis. Our study supports a role of the SREBP1c-PNPLA3 pathway as a “disease module” that promotes hepatic fibrogenesis

Recenzja książki: Polityka publiczna we współczesnym państwie

Book Review: Public Policy in a Contemporary StateRecenzja książki: Polityka publiczna we współczesnym państwi

A vaccine for Beethoven's vulnerable liver

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Plastid super-barcodes as a tool for species discrimination in feather grasses (Poaceae: Stipa)

Abstract Present study was designed to verify which or if any of plastome loci is a hotspot region for mutations and hence might be useful for molecular species identification in feather grasses. 21 newly sequenced complete plastid genomes representing 19 taxa from the genus of Stipa were analyzed in search of the most variable and the most discriminative loci within Stipa. The results showed that the problem with selecting a good barcode locus for feather grasses lies in the very low level of genetic diversity within its plastome. None of the single chloroplast loci is polymorphic enough to play a role of a barcode or a phylogenetic marker for Stipa. The biggest number of taxa was successfully identified by the analysis of 600 bp long DNA fragment comprising a part of rbcL gene, the complete rbcL-rpl23 spacer and a part of rpl23 gene. The effectiveness of multi-locus barcode composed of six best-performing loci for Stipa (ndhH, rpl23, ndhF-rpl32, rpl32-ccsA, psbK-psbI and petA-psbJ) didn’t reach 70% of analyzed taxa. The analysis of complete plastome sequences as a super-barcode for Stipa although much more effective, still didn’t allow for discrimination of all the analyzed taxa of feather grasses

A frequent variant in the human bile salt export pump gene ABCB11 is associated with hepatitis C virus infection, but not liver stiffness in a German population

Background: The human ATP-binding cassette, subfamily B, member 11 (ABCB11) gene encodes the bile salt export pump, which is exclusively expressed at the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes. A frequent variant in the coding region, c.1331 T > C, leading to the amino acid exchange p.V444A, has been associated with altered serum bile salt levels in healthy individuals and predisposes homozygous carriers of the [C] allele for obstetric cholestasis. Recently, elevated bile salt levels were shown to be significantly associated with rates and risk of cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection treated with pegylated interferon-alpha2 and ribavirin, suggesting a potential role for bile salt levels in HCV treatment outcomes and in the fibrogenic evolution of HCV-related liver disease. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible association of ABCB11 c.1331 T > C with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and fibrosis stages as assessed by non-invasive transient elastography in a German cohort of patients. Methods: ABCB11 c.1331 T > C genotype was determined by allelic discrimination assay in 649 HCV infected cases and 413 controls. Overall, 444 cases were staged for fibrotic progression by measurement of liver stiffness. Results: Homo- or heterozygous presence of the frequent [C] allele was associated with HCV positivity (OR = 1.41, CI = 1.02 - 1.95, p = 0.037). No association was detectable between the ABCB11 c.1331 T > C genotype and increased liver stiffness. Conclusions: Our data confirm that homozygous presence of the major [C] allele of ABCB11 c.1331 T > C is a genetic susceptibility factor for HCV infection, but not for liver fibrosis