Tubular NF-κB is overexpressed in proteinuric patients with IgA nephropathy

Increasing evidence suggests that nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) plays a pivotal role in many glomerulopathies. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the tubular immunoexpression of NF-κB in non-proteinuric (n = 22) and proteinuric patients (n = 16) with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Another purpose of this study was to examine the possible relationship between NF-κB immunoexpression and proteinuria, interstitial fibrosis as well as interstitial infiltrates. Tubular immunoexpression of NF-κB, interstitial monocytes/macrophages, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and interstitial area were determined using a computer image analysis system. The mean values of the tubular immunoexpression of NF-κB, interstitial area and interstitial monocytes/macrophages were in proteinuric IgAN patients significantly increased compared to non-proteinuric IgAN cases, whereas interstitial T and B lymphocytes did not differ between these groups. In proteinuric patients, tubular immunoexpression of NF-κB was highly significantly positively correlated with the degree of proteinuria. Moreover, in both the non-proteinuric and the proteinuric groups with IgAN, tubular immunoexpression of NF-κB was positively correlated with the interstitial area and interstitial monocytes/macrophages. Our findings raise the possibility that proteinuria causes tubular overexpression of NF-κB and, in the process, recruitment of monocytes/macrophages and tubulointerstitial injury in IgAN patients

Czy Arabki mogą przemówić? Twórczość Assii Djebar w walce z opresją i dominacją

Jednym z najczęściej przywoływanych argumentów zachodniego imperializmu na rzecz kulturowej wyższości Europy jest sytuacja rdzennych kobiet w krajach Bliskiego Wschodu. Europejski kolonializm często usprawiedliwiał swoją „cywilizacyjną misję” koniecznością uwalniania ich z ucisku patriarchalnej dominacji, podczas gdy w rzeczywistości to właśnie on zintensyfikował podporządkowanie kobiet na skolonizowanych terytoriach. Na przykładzie twórczości prozatorskiej algierskiej pisarki Assii Djebar zamierzam zbadać, w jaki sposób zjawisko to przedstawiane jest w literaturze i czy może ona stać się narzędziem walki zarówno z rodzimym patriarchatem, jak i z imperialnymi stereotypami podwójnie skolonizowanej „natywnej kobiety”. Przeanalizuję również strategie literackie, za pomocą których frankofońska autorka stara się przywrócić głos swoim bohaterkom.One of the most commonly mentioned western imperialism’s arguments attempting to justify the cultural superiority of Europe is the situation of indigenous women in the Middle East. European colonialism often justified its “civilizing mission” by the necessity of setting them free from the oppression of patriarchal domination. In reality, the colonialism has intensified women’s subordinations in dependent territories. By an example of Assia Djebars’s fiction, I intend to examine how this phenomenon is represented in literature and whether the literature can become a tool in the struggle with the patriarchate and the imperial stereotypes of the double-colonized “native woman”. I will also analyze author’s literary strategies that are supposed to make women’s voice heard again.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00. Publikacja została sfinansowana z opłat konferencyjnych oraz dofinansowana przez Dziekanów Wydziału Ekonomiczno-Socjologicznego UŁ, Wydziału Filozoficzno-Historycznego UŁ, Dziekana Wydziału Zarządzania i Inżynierii Produkcji oraz Dyrektora Instytutu Nauk Społecznych i Zarządzania Technologiami Politechniki Łódzkiej

Human papillomavirus in sinonasal inverted papillomas and squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. In situ hybridization with human papillomaviruses DNA probes

Background and Purpose: a substantial number of studies have reported evidence on the involvement of human papillomaviruses (HPV) in oral and sinonasal papillomas and carcinomas. Oncogenic HPV subtypes 16 and 18 seem to play an important role in carcinogenesis, whereas low risk HPV subtypes 6 and 11 are usually characteristic of benign lesions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a role for HPV in the development of sinonasal inverted papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx. Materials and Methods: A ten sinonasal inverted papillomas and eight squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx were retrieved from archival material. All examined cases showed histological features of HPV infections (koilocytosis, binucleated squamous cells and abnormal mitoses). All cases have been analyzed using in situ hybridization. A wide spectrum probe for HPV was used initially. Further subtyping was carried out using specific probes for HPV low risk and HPV high risk. Results: Of the ten studied cases of inverted papillomas, one was positive for both: wide spectrum probe and low risk probe, and one was positive for HPV high risk probe only. One of the eight cases of carcinomas was positive for both HPVDNAprobes: wide spectrum probe and high risk probe. Additional positive reactions for HPV DNA using high risk probe were noted in three examined cases of squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx. Conclusions: Our study confirms the role of high risk HPV subtypes in carcinomas. In contrast to other studies, one case only suggests the possible involvement of HPV 6 and HPV 11 in etiology of sinonasal inverted papillomas. The data concerning of the role of HPV in transformation inverted papillomas to squamous cell carcinomas still need further confirmation

The strategies of translation versus postcolonial theories on the example of novels’ translation by Alain Mabanckou

The translation of the postcolonial literature is a specific task. The translator needs to face challenges that arises from its particularity and finds himself involved in power relations, sociological and historical factors, questions of western cultural hegemony and national identity. It implicates also translator’s responsibility as his work will inevitably affect the perception of a dominated culture by former colonizers. As a consequence, the translation may become an instrument of decolonization, but it may also encourage Western stereotypes of colonized subjects and confirm the unequal status of cultures. In the postcolonial context, the translator needs to be also extremely accurate when it comes to intertextual references. Polish and English translations of Alain Mabanckou’s novel Broken Glass will serve us as an exemple to point out the challenges posed by postcolonial literature. We will analyze possible strategies of such translation and its consequences for the perception of the text

Immunohistochemical study on neuropilin 1 (NRP1) immunoexpression in oral squamous cell carcinoma

  Introduction. Neuropilins (NRPs) are multifunctional glycoproteins that play an important role in angiogenesis and cancer progression. The aim of the study was to examine the immunoexpression of neuropilin 1 (NRP1), the number of NRP1+ infiltrating cells and CD163+ macrophages, and density of microvessels (MVD) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Material and methods. The study was performed on 45 OSCC patients with metastases (OSCCM+), 51 patients without metastases (OSCCM-) and 17 control cases. The microvessels were identified by the presence of CD31 and the expression of the studied proteins was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results. The immunoexpression of NRP1, the mean numbers of NRP1+, CD163+ infiltrating cells, and MVD were significantly increased in OSCCM+ patients in comparison to OSCCM-, and control groups. Moreover, in OSCCM- patients all these parameters were also significantly increased in comparison to controls. In OSCCM+ and OSCCM- groups, there were positive correlations between the immunoexpression of NRP1 and MVD (r = 0.41, p < 0.006; r = 0.51, p < 0.001, respectively), and between the number of NRP1+ infiltrating cells and CD163+ macrophages (r = 0.56, p < 0.001, r = 0.49, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions. The present study revealed overexpression of NRP1 in OSCC, especially in OSCC patients with metasta­sis, suggesting that NRP1 could potentially contribute to metastasis of oral cancer. The correlation between the number of NRP1+ infiltrating cells and CD163+ macrophages suggests that NRP1+ infiltrating macrophages are present in tumor microenvironment and may play a role in the progressions of oral cancer

Effect of human papillomavirus on cell cycle-related proteins p16INK4A, p21waf1/cip1, p53 and cyclin D1 in sinonasal inverted papilloma and laryngeal carcinoma. An in situ hybridization study

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is implicated as an important risk factor in the development of head and neck cancers. Many studies focusing on the relationships between HPV infection and cell cycle proteins immunoexpression in laryngeal lesions have provided contradictory results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between HPV DNA presence and p16INK4a, p21waf1/cip1, p53 and cyclin D1 immunoexpression in heterogenous HPV-positive and HPV-negative groups of laryngeal cancers and inverted papillomas. The HPV DNA expression was detected using an in situ hybridization method and immunoexpression of p16INK4a, p21waf1/cip1, p53 and cyclin D1 using immunohistochemistry. The immunoexpression of p21waf1/ /cip1 and p53 proteins was lower in the HPV-positive group compared to the HPV-negative group, although only the difference of p53 staining was statistically significant. The immunoexpression of p16INK4a and cyclin D1 was significantly increased in the HPV-positive group compared to the HPV-negative group. The increased immunoexpression of p16INK4a and cyclin D1, and the lower immunoexpression of p21waf1/cip1 and p53 in the HPV-positive group compared to the HPV-negative group, supports the hypothesis that HPV may play an important role in cell cycle dysregulation. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 34–40

Free vibrations of an unbounded periodically reinforced elastic layer

The object of analysis is an unbounded layer made of two isotropic, linear elastic materials and periodically laminated along the Ox1 axis (cf. Fig.1). The layer is resting on the rigid base. It is assumed that the laminas are homogeneous and their number is very large. Hence we deal with a certain microstructured layer. The aim of this contribution is to propose a certain mass discretized model for the analysis of vibrations of the layer. It is shown that there exist two kinds of these vibrations which are independent of x2 and x3 coordinates

Aberrant Tubulointerstitial Immunoexpression of Matrix Metalloproteinases MMP-2, MMP-9 and Tissue Inhibitor of Matrix Proteinase-2 (TIMP-2) in Acute Cellular Rejection of Human Renal Allograft

Acute cellular rejection (ACR) may initiate chronic allograft dysfunction with alterations in the extracellular matrix compartment (ECM). Turnover of ECM proteins is regulated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The aim of the present study was to determine the immunoexpression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-2 in ACR, and to examine the relationship between expression of MMPs and monocytes/macrophages, transforming growth factor β-1 (TGFβ-1), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Immunoperoxidase study with antibodies against MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-2, CD68, TGFβ-1 and α-SMA was carried out on 24 renal allograft biopsy specimens from patients with ACR and 11 allograft biopsy specimens from patients with no signs of rejection. Our study revealed increased immunoexpression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIM-2 in ACR as compared with controls, and signifi cant positive correlations between immunostaining of MMP-2 and TGF-β-1, as well as between MMP-2 and α-SMA. Increased immunoexpression of MMP-9 was positively correlated with α-SMA, and the number of interstitial CD68+cells. In conclusion our study supports a role of gelatinases in tissue damage in human renal acute cellular allograft rejection and provides some interesting insights into early renal remodeling which may lead to chronic allograft dysfunction

Expression of Selected Integrins and Selectins in Bullous Pemphigoid

Blister development in bullous pemphigoid (BP) results from destruction of hemidesmosomes and basement membrane components within the dermoepidermal junction by autoantibodies. Adhesion molecules can take part in pathogenesis of this disease. The aim of the study was to determine the localization and expression of L- and E-selectins and β1, β3, and β4 integrins by immunohistochemistry in skin lesions of 21 patients with BP, compared with 10 healthy subjects. Expression of L and E selectins and β1, β3 integrins was detected mainly in basal keratinocytes and in inflammatory infiltrates in the dermis, expression of β4 integrin was irregular and was detected mainly in dermal part of the blister, while in the control group only weak and single expression of the examined molecules was detected in basal keratinocytes and endothelium cells. The obtained results reveal the important role of selected selectins and integrins in development of skin lesions in BP

Occupational themes and ambiguity tolerance level in career decision-making

The process of adaptation to professional career remains an important issue, especially in the domain of professional consultancy. This article aims at the analysis of the relationships between the occupational themes, the ambiguity tolerance level in career decisions and the style of coping with career decision-making difficulties. The study covered 227 students. The participants were assigned occupational themes according to the results obtained from a Multifaceted Occupational Preferences Assessment questionnaire. They have been analysed for the diversity in terms of ambiguity tolerance in career decision-making (Career Decisions Ambiguity Tolerance questionnaire) and the styles of coping with difficulties in career decisions (Coping with Career Decisionmaking Difficulties questionnaire). It has been established that sex is not related to the aforesaid personality dispositions. Persons with the social occupational theme seek social support more often than persons categorised as other types; the artistic theme is most closely connected with the unproductive coping style, while persons categorised as enterprising exhibit the opposite tendency. Furthermore, a correlation between the ambiguity tolerance and the productive coping style in career decisions has been noted