Recovery of visual function after endarterectomy - series of cases report

Carotid arteriosclerosis is the main cause of the stroke but it can also lead to ophthalmic symptoms. In this article, we aim to present four patients. All of them had hemodynamically significant but asymptomatic unilateral carotid stenosis and underwent internal carotid endarterectomy. Postoperatively, their visual function improved. Mean deviation in perimetry and values of amplitudes in pattern visual evoked potentials increased. Two patients improved visual acuity; in the other two, it remained stable

Ubiquitous presence of gluconeogenic regulatory enzyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, within layers of rat retina

To shed some light on gluconeogenesis in mammalian retina, we have focused on fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), a regulatory enzyme of the process. The abundance of the enzyme within the layers of the rat retina suggests that, in mammals in contrast to amphibia, gluconeogenesis is not restricted to one specific cell of the retina. We propose that FBPase, in addition to its gluconeogenic role, participates in the protection of the retina against reactive oxygen species. Additionally, the nuclear localization of FBPase and of its binding partner, aldolase, in the retinal cells expressing the proliferation marker Ki-67 indicates that these two gluconeogenic enzymes are involved in non-enzymatic nuclear processes

Influence of endarterectomy on the structure and function of the retina and optic nerve

Carotid arteries are the main blood vessels supplying the brain, neck, and face as well as ophthalmic arteries.Internal carotid arteriosclerosis is strictly associated with ophthalmic symptoms caused by damage to the optic nerve. This condition can manifest as an ocular ischemic syndrome or anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. One of the surgical procedures that treat carotid arteriosclerosis is an endarterectomy. It has been proved that this surgical procedure can additionally reduce intraocular pressure and improve visual acuity, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), visual field, a bioelectrical function of the optic nerve and retina, and perfusion of the optic nerve head. It has been also observed that the procedure does not affect retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and ganglion cell layer. The aim of this review was, to sum up information on the influence of endarterectomy on the function of the optic nerve based on the up-to-date internet database

Current technical approaches to brain energy metabolism

Neuroscience is a technology‐driven discipline and brain energy metabolism is no exception. Once satisfied with mapping metabolic pathways at organ level, we are now looking to learn what it is exactly that metabolic enzymes and transporters do and when, where do they reside, how are they regulated, and how do they relate to the specific functions of neurons, glial cells, and their subcellular domains and organelles, in different areas of the brain. Moreover, we aim to quantify the fluxes of metabolites within and between cells. Energy metabolism is not just a necessity for proper cell function and viability but plays specific roles in higher brain functions such as memory processing and behavior, whose mechanisms need to be understood at all hierarchical levels, from isolated proteins to whole subjects, in both health and disease. To this aim, the field takes advantage of diverse disciplines including anatomy, histology, physiology, biochemistry, bioenergetics, cellular biology, molecular biology, developmental biology, neurology, and mathematical modeling. This article presents a well‐referenced synopsis of the technical side of brain energy metabolism research. Detail and jargon are avoided whenever possible and emphasis is given to comparative strengths, limitations, and weaknesses, information that is often not available in regular articles.Fondecyt, Grant Number: 1160317; MINECO, Grant Numbers: SAF2016‐78114‐R and RTC‐2015‐3237‐1; CIBERFES, Grant Numer: CB16/10/00282; SP3‐People‐MC‐ITN program, Grant Number: 608381; EU BATCure, Grant Number: 666918; FEDER (European regional development fund); Investissement d'Avenir, Grant Number: ANR‐11‐INBS‐0011; French State in the context of the “Investments for the future” Program IdEx and the LabEx TRAIL, Grant Numbers: ANR‐10‐IDEX and ANR‐10‐LABX‐57; French–Swiss ANR‐FNS, Grant Numer: ANR‐15‐ CE37‐0012. University of Nottingham; BBSRC, Grant Numers: BB/L019396/1 and BB/K009192/1; MRC, Grant Number: MR/L020661/1; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Grant Numers: DFG SPP 1757, SFB 894, and FOR 2289; European Commission, Grant Number: H2020‐FETPROACT 732344; Neurofibres, Grant Number: H2020‐MSCA‐ITN‐722053 EU‐GliaPhD; US National Institutes of Health, Grant Number: R01NS087611; Teva Pharmaceuticals; Agilent Technologies. IdEx, Grant Number: ANR‐10‐IDEX‐03‐02; French–Swiss ANR‐FNS, Grant number: 310030E‐164271; National Institutes of Neurologic Disease and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health, Grant Numer: R01 NS077773; University of Zurich and the Swiss National Science Foundation; Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Grant Numer: PB 01; Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, Grant Numer: 1160317; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Grant Numer: RTC‐2015‐3237‐1,SAF2016‐78114‐R; Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Grant Numers: ANR‐10‐IDEX, ANR‐10‐IDEX‐03‐02, ANR‐10‐LABX‐57, ANR‐11‐INBS‐0011, and ANR‐15‐ CE37‐0012; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Grant Numers: BB/L019396/1 and BB/K009192/1; Medical Research Council, Grant Numer: MR/L020661/1.Peer reviewe

Where the Italians sing charmingly : the musical patronage of Władysław IV Vasa in 17th-century sources

The article presents a Polish monarch of the House of Vasa, Władysław (Ladislaus) IV, as a patron of music. The author analyses his influence on Polish culture, shows the most important musicians and composers employed by the king, and the music present at the Polish court – everything according to vivid passages taken from the primary sources. While his father and predecessor Zygmunt III liked to sing in the presence of family and friends, Władysław IV preferred to listen to others performing. He employed dozens of musicians – not only Polish, but also famous Italian artists such as Marco Scacchi, Margherita Basile-Cattaneo or Baldassare Ferri. During his reign, a musical novelty appeared in Poland – the opera (dramma per musica). At the time, Poland was one of the most prolific opera centres in Europe, staging 10 original drammi in the years 1635-48 (more than in Florence, Ferrara or Bologna). Futhermore, the before-mentioned chapel master (maestro di capella) Marco Scacchi was a well-known music theorist. Cognition of this extraordinary chapter of Polish musical culture (which had not regained such significance before the 18th or 19th century) can and should be done according to numerous primary sources (i.e. journal of Jan Hagenaw or Adam Jarzębski’s poem Gościniec), which not only present a factual material, but also depict a distinct and interesting image of the epoch

“There are already three hundred thousand of us:” A self-referential look at fans and performers in Polish big-beat songs from the 1960s and early 1970s

Autor skupia się na polskiej muzyce bigbeatowej z lat 60. i początku lat 70. XX wieku. Analizując teksty wybranych utworów z tego okresu, wskazuje na występujący w nich autotematyzm – prezentuje różne sposoby, na jakie wykonawcy bigbeatowi wypowiadali się w piosenkach o swoich słuchaczach, o samych sobie i o muzyce młodzieżowej jako zjawisku. Wykorzystuje przy tym zarówno utwory popularnych zespołów, jak i mniej znanych, lokalnych grup. Rozważania umieszczone są w szerszym kontekście społecznym i politycznym, a źródła muzyczne uzupełniono cytatami z ówczesnej prasy, wypowiedziami polityków oraz organizatorów życia kulturalnego. Autor wykazuje, że autotematyzm obecny w tekstach piosenek bigbeatowych świadczy o sporej samoświadomości polskich artystów w omawianym okresie.The author focuses on Polish big-beat music from the 1960s and early 1970s. He analyzes the lyrics of selected songs from that period, pointing to their self-referential nature and explaining how big beat performers described their fans, themselves, and teenage music in their songs. Songs by both popular and less known local bands are analyzed. The analysis functions in a broader social and political context, and the study of lyrics is further supplemented with quotations from the contemporary press and statements by politicians, journalists, and managers. The author shows that the self-referentiality present in the lyrics of big-beat songs proves that Polish artists in the 1960s and early 1970s were aware of their lyrical and musical strategies