Re-imagining socialist childhoods: Changing narratives of spatial and temporal (dis)orientations

The focus of attention of this special issue has both personal and professional significance for the guest editors and most of the contributors, whose childhoods were touched by either the experience of socialism or its collapse and consequences. Influenced by Foucault’s (1977) idea that reporting evidence and significant moments from the past contributes to histories that are authentic and accurate, this special issue offers insights into the changing narratives of socialist and post-socialist childhoods. We are mindful of the risks associated with revisionism; that is, revisiting and, through that, re-evaluating the past in light of what we know in the present. Mitigating this risk, to some extent, is that many of the authors whose secondary research papers are published in this issue were privileged to work with original documents written in local languages. In this way, they were able to interrogate the past and reveal the nature of discourses and practices in order to make a contribution to better understand the present (Skehill, 2007)

Flower visiting preferences of bumblebees (Apidae: Bombus spp.) in grasslands of the Velyka Dobron' Game Reserve (Transcarpathia, Ukraine)

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Flower visiting preferences of bumblebees (Apidae: Bombus spp.) in grasslands of the Velyka Dobron’ Game Reserve (Transcarpathia, Ukraine)

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Emelkedett szérum-dipeptidilpeptidáz-4 enzimaktivitása 1-es típusú diabetesben: összehasonlító vizsgálat = Elevated serum dipeptidyl peptidase-4 activity in type 1 diabetes mellitus: a direct comparison

A dipeptidil-peptidáz-4 enzim – amely azonos a T-lymphocyta membránfelszínhez kötött CD26 molekulával – az inkretin hormonok bontásával jelentős szerepet játszik a szénhidrát-anyagcsere szabályozásában. Célkitűzés: Vizsgálatunk célja az volt, hogy meghatározzuk az éhomi és postprandialis szérum-DPP-4 enzimaktivitását 41 1-es, 87 2-es típusú cukorbetegben, valamint 25 egészséges személyben. Módszer: A szérum-DPP-4-enzimaktivitás meghatározása microplate-alapú kinetikus eljárással történt éhomi, majd étkezést követően 60 és 120 perces időszakokban. Eredmények: A DPP-4-enzimaktivitás mind éhomi, mind postprandialis állapotban szignifikánsan magasabb volt az 1-es típusú diabetesben szenvedőknél, mint a 2-es típusú diabeteses vagy a kontrollszemélyekben. Nem találtunk változást az enzimaktivitásban egyik csoporton belül sem a postprandialis és az éhomi állapot között. Nem volt korreláció sem az éhomi plazmaglükóz- és a szérum-DPP-4-enzimaktivitás, sem a HbA 1c és a szérum-DPP-4-enzimaktivitás között. Következtetés: Eredményeink felvetik annak a valószínűségét, hogy a DPP-4-gyel kapcsolatba hozható vércukorszint-változás nem a szérumban mérhető DPP-4-aktivitás-változás következménye, hanem parakrin módon ható DPP-4-hatásként jelentkezik. Az 1-es típusú diabetesben észlelhető emelkedett DPP-4-enzimaktivitás ugyanakkor a pancreas autoimmun folyamatára utalhat, de hormonális feed-back mechanizmust, esetleg célszervkárosodást is jelezhet. | Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) has an important role in the carbohydrate metabolism with the degradation of incretin hormones. Aim: We assessed the serum DPP-4 activity both in fasting and postprandial condition in patients with type 1-, type 2 diabetes and healthy controls. Methods: Serum DPP-4 activities were determined at fasting sate and at 60 and 180 minutes after test meal. DPP-4 activity was measured by microplate-based kinetic assay in 41 type 1-, and in 87 type 2 diabetic patients and in 25 healthy volunteers. Results: Serum DPP-4 activities were found significantly higher both in fasting and postprandial state in patients with type 1 diabetes than in type 2 and control subjects. No change in the enzyme activities was found after test meal. Correlation was neither detected between the fasting plasma glucose nor between the HbA 1C and the DPP-4 values in any of the groups studied. Conclusions: Results suggest that it is not the hyperglycemia, rather the type of diabetes which determinates the serum DPP-4 enzymatic activity. The exact background of this phenomenon is not yet clear, however, increased serum DPP-4 enzyme activity in type 1 diabetes mellitus may refer to pancreatic autoimmune process, concomitant autoimmune diseases, hormonal feed back mechanism, or even target organ damage

Policies and practices of early childhood education and care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives from five countries

The COVID-19 pandemic, which affects all areas of life, has also affected children in need of education and care. It is of great importance to develop policies that take into account the best interests of children in this process. In this review article, the policies developed for early childhood education and care during the pandemic period in five countries (Australia, Croatia, Hungary, Spain, and Turkey), how they are implemented, the problems that arose, and the solutions produced are discussed. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that we need to focus on eliminating the educational inequalities, set policies for the welfare of children on foundations that are more realistic, rebuild teacher training, and improve the welfare of families. Priorizating the best interests of the child in the policies to be developed and building the social ecology on justice will ease overcoming the crises that will be faced

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Recreational Exercise in TNBS-Induced Colitis in Rats: Role of NOS/HO/MPO System

There are opposite views in the available literature: Whether physical exercise has a protective effect or not on the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therefore, we investigated the effects of recreational physical exercise before the induction of colitis. After 6 weeks of voluntary physical activity (running wheel), male Wistar rats were treated with TNBS (10 mg). 72 hrs after trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) challenge we measured colonic gene (TNF-, IL-1 , CXCL1 and IL-10) and protein (TNF-) expressions of various inflammatory mediators and enzyme activities of heme oxygenase (HO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzymes. Wheel running significantly increased the activities of HO, constitutive NOS (cNOS) isoform. Furthermore, 6 weeks of running significantly decreased TNBS-induced inflammatory markers, including extent of lesions, severity of mucosal damage, and gene expression of IL-1 , CXCL1, and MPO activity, while IL-10 gene expression and cNOS activity were increased. iNOS activity decreased and the activity of HO enzyme increased, but not significantly, compared to the sedentary TNBS-treated group. In conclusion, recreational physical exercise can play an anti-inflammatory role by downregulating the gene expression of proinflammatory mediators, inducing anti-inflammatory mediators, and modulating the activities of HO and NOS enzymes in a rat model of colitis