New Urbanization of the Steppe. Astana: A Capital Called the Capital

Relocating the capital of Kazakhstan from Almaty to Akmola (then renamed Astana) in 1997 has been the subject of an intense debate, particularly within media. The process of creating the new capital of Kazakhstan should consider the broader perspective of historical, political and ideological, social, climatic and geographical factors, and finally to put the matter in terms of architecture and urban planning. The author considers this very broad perspective, finally expressing the hope that the project of “the city of the future” analyzed in the article, will become a permanent part of the Kazakh reality

Imbalance in the levels of angiogenic factors in patients with acute and chronic central serous chorioretinopathy

Background: The pathogenesis of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) remains a subject of intensive research. We aimed to determine correlations between plasma levels of selected angiogenic factors and different forms of CSC. Methods: Eighty patients were enrolled in the study including 30 with a chronic form of CSC, 30 with acute CSC, and 20 controls. Presence of active CSC was determined by fluorescein angiography (FA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). Plasma concentrations of angiopoietin-1, endostatin, fibroblast growth factor, placental growth factor (PlGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-AA), thrombospondin-2, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF-D, and pigment epithelium–derived factor were measured, and the results were compared between groups. Additionally, mean choroidal thickness (CT) was measured in all patients. Results: Levels of angiopoietin-1 (p = 0.008), PlGF (p = 0.045), and PDGF-AA (p = 0.033) differed significantly between the three groups. Compared with the controls, VEGF (p = 0.024), PlGF (p = 0.013), and PDGF-AA (p = 0.012) were downregulated in the whole CSC group, specifically PDGF-AA (p = 0.002) in acute CSC and angiopoietin-1 (p = 0.007) in chronic CSC. An inverse correlation between mean CT and VEGF levels was noted in CSC patients (rho = −0.27, p = 0.044). Conclusions: Downregulated angiopoietin-1, VEGF, PDGF-AA, and PlGF levels may highlight the previously unknown role of the imbalanced levels of proangiogenic and antiangiogenic factors in the pathogenesis of CSC. Moreover, downregulated VEGF levels may suggest that choroidal neovascularization in CSC is associated with arteriogenesis rather than angiogenesis

New Urbanization of the Steppe. Astana: A Capital Called the Capital

Relocating the capital of Kazakhstan from Almaty to Akmola (then renamed Astana) in 1997 has been the subject of an intense debate, particularly within media. The process of creating the new capital of Kazakhstan should consider the broader perspective of historical, political and ideological, social, climatic and geographical factors, and finally to put the matter in terms of architecture and urban planning. The author considers this very broad perspective, finally expressing the hope that the project of “the city of the future” analyzed in the article, will become a permanent part of the Kazakh reality

Polish minorities in the Central Asian post‑Soviet states

The aim of this paper is to explore the issue of Polish communities in Central Asia. The first part of the article provides some basic historical and socio‑demographic characteristics of Poles and people of Polish descent in this region. Next, the author discusses the characteristics and living conditions in subsequent eras (deportation and war time, post‑war Stalinist period, Khrushchev’s and Brezhnev’s rule, perestroika). The final section examines the situation of Poles in the newly independent post‑Soviet states. Moreover, the author looks at the issue of ties between Poles and their motherland, particularly in the context of migration/repatriation to Poland

Statistical analysis of the content of metals in blood serum and in the alternative material in head and neck carcinoma

The study attempted to demonstrate the differences in the content of essential and toxic metals in the blood serum and in the alternative material (hair and nails) in patients with head and neck cancer compared to healthy people. Selected metals were determined in the test material with the ICP MS technique. The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to verify the hypothesis that each tested chemical compound taken from other tissue affects the possibility of developing head and neck cancer or is an indicator of the disease. All variables (n = 30) were evaluated to verify significant differences (p < 0.05) in each mean between healthy (n = 55) and cancer groups (n = 68). The data matrix was pre-standardized prior to the analyzes due to large differences in the mean of the compounds tested. The unsupervised learning methods were used and supervised learning methods. On the basis of the statistical analysis, the usefulness of the analysis of alternative material was demonstrated in the potential identification of changes caused in people with cancerous changes at a time when they are not yet visible in the blood serum and can be used as a supplementary test in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer. This is particularly important at early cancer as usually laryngeal cancer is diagnosed in advanced stage

Consumption of milk and milk products in the population of the Upper Silesian agglomeration inhabitants

Background: Providing the appropriate amount of nutrients at every stage of life is a key element determining the proper development and functioning of the body. Objective: Because of the nutritional value and resulting position of milk and milk products in the daily diet, this study was undertaken to assess the consumption of milk and milk products among the inhabitants of the Upper Silesian agglomeration. Design: The survey covered 600 people, including 339 women (56.5%) and 261 men (43.5%) aged 18–78 years. To assess the consumption of milk and milk products, as a research tool an original survey with the closed-ended and open-ended questions was used. The questions concerned the characteristics of the surveyed group and various aspects of the consumption of milk and milk products. The results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistica 10.0 program with a chi-square test for quality features. Results: The level of consumption of milk and milk products among the Upper Silesian agglomeration inhabitants is insufficient in relation to nutrition recommendations. However, despite many controversies surrounding milk, the respondents also claimed that it played an important role in their daily diet. Conclusions: The most frequently consumed type of milk in the surveyed group is ultra heat treated (UHT) milk with average fat content