“There must be Someone’s Name Under Every Bit of Text, Even if it is Unimportant or Incorrect”: Plagiarism as a Learning Strategy

The article offers analyses of the phenomenon of copying (plagiarism) in higher education. The analyses were based on a quantitative survey using questionnaires, conducted in 2019 at one of the Polish universities. Plagiarism is discussed here both as an element of the learning process and a subject of public practices. The article presents students’ definitions of plagiarism, their strategies for unclear or difficult situations, their experiences with plagiarism and their opinions on how serious and widespread this phenomenon is. Focusing on the non-plagiarism norm, that is the rule that students are not allowed to plagiarize, and in order to redefine it we have determined two strategies adopted by students. The first is withdrawing in fear of making a mistake (omitting the norm), which means not using referencing in unclear situations, e.g. when the data about the source of information are absent. The second is reducing the scope of the norm applicability (limiting the norm), characterized by the fact that there are areas where the non-plagiarism norm must be observed more closely and those where it is not so important, e.g. respondents classify works as credit-level and diploma-level texts, as in the credit-level work they “can” sometimes plagiarize since the detection rate is poor and consequences are not severe. The presented results are particularly significant for interpreting plagiarism in an international context (no uniform definition of plagiarism) and for policies aimed at limiting the scale of the phenomenon (plagiarism detection systems(1))

Training Using a Commercial Immersive Virtual Reality System on Hand-Eye Coordination and Reaction Time in Young Musicians: A Pilot Study

The implementation of virtual reality (VR) opens up a wide range of possibilities for the development of dexterity, speed and precision of movements. The aim of this study was to investigate whether immersive VR training affected the hand-eye coordination and reaction time in students of the state music school. This study implemented a single-group pre-post study design. This study enrolled 14 individuals, submitted to a 15 min training session of the immersive music game "Beat Saber", once a day for 5 consecutive days. The plate-tapping test (PTT) and the ruler-drop test (Ditrich's test) were used to assess the reaction time. Trial-making test (TMT) A and TMT B were used to assess coordination and visual attention. Analysis of the results showed a statistically significant improvement in hand-eye coordination and reaction time of music school students using the TMT-A (p < 0.002), TMT-B (p < 0.001), Ditrich's test for the non-dominant hand (0.025) and PTT (0.0001) after applying a week-long training period in immersive VR. The results obtained in the present study show that the VR system, along with the immersive music game, has the potential to improve hand-eye coordination and reaction time in young musicians, which may lead to the faster mastering of a musical instrument

Management of melanoma metastases in the brain

The basic principle for the diagnosis of melanoma metastases in the brain should be the management of multidisciplinary teams including at least a neurosurgeon, radiotherapist and clinical oncologist experienced in the treatment of melanoma and melanoma metastases in the CNS. Detection of brain lesions is associated with poor prognosis; metastases in the brain are the cause of death in 20–50% patients, and symptomatic tumours are a direct cause of death in about 90% patients. Treatment of melanoma with CNS metastases may include local management and/or systemic and symptomatic treat­ment. In the last 5 years, 10 new advanced melanoma drugs have been registered in Europe. Two-drug therapy anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 (nivolumab with ipilimumab) is the treatment of choice for asymptomatic melanoma metastases in the brain, while in the presence of BRAF mutations and asymptomatic metastases systemic treatment with BRAFi and MEKi may be the first-choice treatment

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour (MPNST)

MPNST is a malignant neoplasm of peripheral nerves, usually arising in connection with nerve trunks of the limbs and torso. It can develop de novo or on the basis of an already existing neurofibroma. Such tumours constitute about 5% of soft tissue sarcomas. In 90%, they occur in patients in the 2–5 decade of life. The main risk factor for this cancer is type 1 neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen disease). The radical surgical treatment — tumour excision, within the limits of healthy tissues (wide local excision), combined with adjuvant radiotherapy, is of primary importance in the treatment of MPNST. In cases of metastatic disease, palliative chemotherapy is used, using doxorubicin or doxorubicin with ifosfamide. Clinical improvement after chemotherapy is observed in approximately 25–30% of patients. Considering the development of molecular biology research of MPNST, one can hope for development of inhibitors that show greater effectiveness than typical chemotherapy in these patients in the near future. Currently, clinical trials with pembrolizumab, nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab, pexidartinib (KIT inhibitor, CSF1R and FLT3) in combination with sirolimus, sapanisertib (TORC 1/2 inhibitor) or LOXO-195 (inhibitor of neurotrophic tyrosine kinase inhibitors NTRK type 1, 2 and 3) are performed in MNSNT patients

Złośliwy nowotwór osłonek nerwów obwodowych (MPNST)

MPNST jest nowotworem złośliwym nerwów obwodowych, powstającym zazwyczaj w łączności z pniami nerwowymi kończyn i tułowia. Może się rozwinąć de novo lub na bazie istniejącego wcześniej nerwiakowłókniaka. Nowotwory tego typu stanowią ok. 5% mięsaków tkanek miękkich. W 90% występują u chorych w 2.–5. dekadzie życia. Głównym czynnikiem ryzyka powstania tego nowotworu jest nerwiakowłókniakowatość typu 1 (choroba von Recklinghausena). W leczeniu nerwiakomięsaka podstawowe znaczenie ma radykalne leczenie chirurgiczne — wycięcie guza w granicach zdrowych tkanek (szerokie wycięcie miejscowe), skojarzone z uzupełniającą radioterapią. W przypadkach choroby uogólnionej podejmuje się paliatywną chemioterapię, opartą na doksorubicynie lub doksorubicynie z ifosfamidem. Poprawę kliniczną po chemioterapii obserwuje się u około 25–30% chorych. Biorąc pod uwagę rozwój badań nad biologią molekularną MPNST, można mieć nadzieję na opracowanie w bliskiej przyszłości inhibitorów, które wykażą u tych chorych skuteczność większą niż typowa chemioterapia. Obecnie u chorych z MNSNT prowadzone są badania kliniczne z pembrolizumabem, niwolumabem w skojarzeniu z ipilimumabem, peksydartynibem (inhibitor KIT, CSF1R i FLT3) w skojarzeniu z syrolimusem, sapanisertibem (inhibitor TORC 1/2) czy LOXO-195 (inhibitor receptorów neurotroficznych kinaz tyrozynowych NTRK typu 1, 2 i 3)

Mięsak jasnokomórkowy

Mięsak jasnokomórkowy (CCS), zwany również czerniakiem tkanek miękkich, to rzadki nowotwór złośliwy tkanek miękkich. Nowotwór ten ma charakterystyczne cechy mięsaka tkanek miękkich (MTM) w postaci wolno rosnącego, niebolesnego guza, który następnie nabiera agresywnego przebiegu, CCS charakteryzuje translokacja t(12;22) (q13;q12), co oprócz implikacji diagnostycznych może mieć w przyszłości znaczenie dla leczenia celowanego. Mięsak jasnokomórkowy występuje głównie na kończynach, najczęściej dolnych (stopy, okolica kostek), w okolicy ścięgien i rozcięgien, często u osób w młodym wieku. Cechuje się znaczną zdolnością do tworzenia przerzutów do regionalnych węzłów chłonnych (ok. 30% przypadków). W postępowaniu diagnostycznym należy uwzględnić wykonanie biopsji węzła wartowniczego z ewentualną następową radykalną limfadenektomią w przypadku stwierdzenia przerzutów. Leczenie postaci zlokalizowanych ogranicza się do radykalnego miejscowego wycięcia z uzupełniającą radioterapią. W związku z opornością na klasyczną chemioterapię i obecnością charakterystycznych zaburzeń molekularnych trwają obecnie badania nad zastosowaniem leczenia celowanego molekularnie w tej grupie nowotworów. W badaniach klinicznych oceniano skuteczność inhibitorów MET, inhibitorów kinaz tyrozynowych (TKI) — sunitynibu i pazopanibu. Mięsak jasnokomórkowy był także jednym z podtypów nowotworów ocenianych w ramach badania klinicznego CREATE z zastosowaniem kryzotynibu

Clear cell sarcoma

Clear cell sarcoma (CCS), also referred as to melanoma of soft tissues, is a rare malignant tumour of soft tissues. This tumour harbors the characteristic features of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and is a slowly growing, painless tumour, which then acquires an aggressive course. CCS is characterized by a translocation t(12; 22)(q13; q12), which in addition to the diagnostic implications may be important for targeted treatment in the future. CCS occurs mainly on the limbs, most often shin (in feet and ankle area) in the tendons and aponeurosis, often at a young age. CCS is characterized by high potential to develop metastases in regional lymph nodes (about 30% of cases). In the diagnostic process one should consider performing a sentinel node biopsy with possible subsequent radical lymphadenectomy in the case of metastases detection. Treatment of localized disease is limited to radical local excision with complementary radiotherapy. Due to the resistance to classical chemotherapy and the presence of characteristic molecular abnormalities, trials of molecular targeted therapies in this group of cancers are ongoing. In clinical trials, MET inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) — sunitinib and pazopanib were evaluated. CCS was also one of the subtypes of tumours evaluated in the CREATE clinical trial with crizotinib