The level of subjective visibility at different stages of memory processing

Recent research suggests that the content of iconic memory (IM) and fragile visual short-term memory could be associated with a similar level of conscious accessibility as working memory (WM). The results of our studies, in which we used a subjective visibility scale in a partial-report change detection paradigm, indicate that it is possible to distinguish separate stages of memory based on both discriminative accuracy and conscious accessibility. The highest scores were associated with IM and the lowest with WM, while somewhere in the middle there was fragile memory. Based on classical assumptions, WM accessibility should be greater than the other two types of memory; however, our study showed that this might not always be the case. We discuss the potential sources of this outcome, of which one may be the task construction, as we only tested items that were directly in the focus of attention

21-year retrospective study of the prevalence of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis in patients suspected of superficial mycoses

Introduction: In the genus Scopulariopsis, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis is the most common aetiological agent of infections in humans. It usually affects nails and is one of the commonest moulds associated with onychomycoses. Other forms of infections (skin, subcutaneous, deep tissues, and disseminated infections) have also been described. Aim: To examine the prevalence of S. brevicaulis in clinical materials obtained from patients suspected of keratinized tissues mycoses. Material and methods: The analysis of the prevalence of S. brevicaulis in clinical specimens was based on mycological test's results carried out for patients who were referred with a suspicion of superficial mycoses to the Department of Mycology, Chair of Microbiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College from 1992 till 2012. Results: In the years 1992-2012 16,815 clinical samples (nail scrapings, nail swabs, skin scrapings, skin swabs, hair) were collected. Pathogenic fungi were detected in 7193 samples and S. brevicaulis was present in 255 (3.5%). The prevalence of S. brevicaulis in males and females was comparable. The species was most often isolated from toenails (80%), both from males and females. In the analysed period we observed a decrease in the prevalence of S. brevicaulis. In most cases (60%) S. brevicaulis occurred alone in 40% of S. brevicaulis positive cultures, other fungi were also isolated. The fungi most frequently isolated with S. brevicaulis were Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, Penicillium sp., Candida sp., and Aspergillus sp. Conclusions: Scopulariopsis brevicaulis is not a common cause of superficial fungal infections of keratinized tissues, but is a typical mould associated with toenail onychomycosis. A proper identification of this species in onychomycoses is essential for the implementation of effective antifungal therapy

Iwan Iwanowicz Bielanin, wygnaniec rosyjski w Gdańsku. Przyczynek do „międzynarodówki szpiegowskiej” Wolnego Miasta lat 1920–1939

After the Bolshevik Revolution, 1–2 million political refugees fled from Russia. Some of them (a few thousand) settled in the Free City of Gdańsk. Some people, especially ex‑military – attracted by the special status of the quasi‑state – entered in a kind of an “international espionage” community. They were mercenaries of various secret services. We can sketch the motifs and the ways taken by this interesting faction of refugees taking a perspective of one of them, Ivan Ivanovich Bielanin. He worked for the Polish, German and Soviet secret services, as well as for the “white” Russians. In fact, it was a drama of a rootless man who in other circumstances would probably have taken a better advantage of his inborn talents. Free City was an area conducive to business intelligence, because espionage was not penalized there. The agendas of German and Polish intelligence were particularly active in Gdańsk, as well as, to a lesser extent, the Soviet, French, Lithuanian and English. […] The Free City of Gdańsk in the the period of 1920–1939 there was a strong, staff‑wise, Polish military intelligence agency. It was was to inquire the north‑eastern territories of the Reich and to observe the area of Gdańsk. An officer of outstanding talents, Karol Dubicz‑Penther, was the head of the institution in the period of 1920–1926. We can describe Bielanin’s activities mainly on the basis of his reports. Bielanin was an officer in the tsarist army. After the Bolshevik Revolution, he briefly collaborated with the Communists. Then he fought in anti‑Communist Russian troops. In 1919–1923, he worked for the Polish military intelligence in Gdańsk. He traveled with missions to Berlin and Warsaw. He provided a lot of very valuable information about the German intelligence and Russian emigration environments. But he was not loyal and with time people lost confidence in him. His instability and nihilism can be considered as characteristic for the drama of Russian refugees. To raise funds to maintain themselves and gain the favours of the authorities, they became “mercenaries spies”. Finally, the German, Polish and Soviet services considered Bielanin a traitor

Cryoglobulinemia in the course of a primary Sjögren’s syndrome

A 58-year-old woman with primary Sjögren’s syn­drome (pSS), peripheral neuropathy and positive serum cryoglobulin was admitted for evaluation of purpura on her skin. Cryoglobulinemic vasculitis was diagnosed based on clinical and laboratory find­ings . There was no response to cyclophosphamide pulse therapy, steroid therapy and cyclosporine. We presente the discussion about cryoglobulinemic vasculitis in pSS, the overall prognosis (B-cell lym­phomas) and differential diagnosis

Distribution of Malassezia species in patients with atopic dermatitis : quality assessment

The fungi Malassezia are a constituent of the skin microbiota in humans and some animals. The fungi may cause skin diseases or even organ and/or generalized infections in the presence of appropriate predisposing factors. To evaluate the occurrence of Malassezia fungi on the skin in patients with psoriasis and search for a relationship between the occurrence of Malassezia and the severity of skin lesions, age and sex of the patients. The materials comprised smears sampled from four sites: scalp, face, chest and back. Malassezia spp. were isolated in cultures on modified Dixon medium and identified on the basis of morphological and biochemical features. Malassezia spp. were isolated in 55.1% of the patients. The fungi were most prevalent on the back (33.3%) and least on the scalp (17.5%) and face (19%). The prevalence on the chest was 30.2%. In the group of patients with AD localized to the head and neck Malassezia spp. were cultured in 71.4% of patients. No statistically significant differences were found between Malassezia prevalence in males vs. females. No relationship with the patients' age was found. Higher values of the atopic dermatitis severity index (SCORAD) were found in the patients in whom Malassezia spp. were isolated. Malassezia spp. were particularly common in the group of patients with AD localized to the head and neck

Organizacja, struktura i obsada sowieckich komendantur wojskowych (wojennych) na terytorium Polski w latach 1944–1946. Rekonesans badawczy

The article describes the legislative basis for the creation of Soviet military commandantries in Central Europe. The Red Army created them in 1944–1945, some were still active in 1946. In the beginning, their task was to secure the frontline background and to organise the army supplies. They were the first administrative authority after the German occupation (often not accepted by the population). Later, military commandants were asked to subjugate the conquered territories of Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The author describes the types of commandantries (district, municipal, county and commune ones), their personnel (types of posts) and the number of staff of commandantries (from five to several hundred people).W artykule opisane zostały podstawy prawne tworzenia w Europie Środkowej sowieckich komendantur wojskowych. Armia Czerwona tworzyła je w latach 1944–1945, niektóre działały jeszcze w 1946 roku. Ich zadaniem było początkowo zabezpieczenie zaplecza frontu i organizacja zaopatrzenia armii. Były one pierwszą władzą administracyjną po likwidacji okupacji niemieckiej (często nieakceptowaną przez ludność). Później komendanci wojskowi mieli zadanie podporządkować zdobyte terytoria Polski, Niemiec, Czechosłowacji i Węgier. Autor charakteryzuje rodzaje komendantur (okręgowe, miejskie, powiatowe, gminne), a także ich obsadę personalną (rodzaje stanowisk) i liczebność komendantur (od pięciu do kilkuset osób)