Opalski's Syndrome with Cerebellar Infarction

A 64-year-old man presented with sudden onset of right-sided hemiparesis, headache, gait disturbance, and recurrent vomiting. A physical examination revealed right-sided hemiparesis, right Horner syndrome, ataxia of the right limbs, and diminished sensation on the left side of his body. Diffusion-weighted MRI revealed an acute right lateral medullary infarction extending from the rostral medulla to the upper cervical cord, and an acute cerebellar infarction in the territory of the medial branch of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Magnetic resonance angiography revealed suspicious severe stenosis or near occlusion of the proximal and distal parts of the right vertebral artery, and hypoplasia of the left vertebral artery. We diagnosed ipsilateral hemiparesis with lateral medullary infarction (Opalski's syndrome) and concomitant cerebellar infarction

The Ethnic 'Other' in Ukrainian History Textbooks: The Case of Russia and the Russians

This paper examines portrayals of Russia and the Russians in two generations of Ukrainian history textbooks. It observes that the textbooks are highly condemning of Ukraine's main ethnic other in the guise of foreign ruler: the tsarist authorities and the Soviet regime are always attributed dubious and malicious intentions even if there is appreciation for some of their policies. By contrast, the books, certainly those of the second generation, refrain from presenting highly biased accounts of the ethnic other as a national group (i.e. Russians). Instances where negative judgements do fall onto Russians are counterbalanced by excerpts criticizing ethnic Ukrainians or highlighting conflicting interests within the Ukrainian ethnic group. The negative appraisal of the ethnic other as foreign ruler is clearly instrumental for the nation-building project as it sustains a discourse legitimating the existence of Ukraine as independent state. However, recent trends in history education, the paper concludes, suggest that the importance of nurturing patriotism as a national policy objective is diminishing

Callose-mediated resistance to pathogenic intruders in plant defense-related papillae

Plants are exposed to a wide range of potential pathogens, which derive from diverse phyla. Therefore, plants have developed successful defense mechanisms during co-evolution with different pathogens. Besides many specialized defense mechanisms, the plant cell wall represents a first line of defense. It is actively reinforced through the deposition of cell wall appositions, so-called papillae, at sites of interaction with intruding microbial pathogens. The papilla is a complex structure that is formed between the plasma membrane and the inside of the plant cell wall. Even though the specific biochemical composition of papillae can vary between different plant species, some classes of compounds are commonly found which include phenolics, reactive oxygen species, cell wall proteins, and cell wall polymers. Among these polymers, the (1,3)-β-glucan callose is one of the most abundant and ubiquitous components. Whereas the function of most compounds could be directly linked with cell wall reinforcement or an anti-microbial effect, the role of callose has remained unclear. An evaluation of recent studies revealed that the timing of the different papilla-forming transport processes is a key factor for successful plant defense