Kanon literatury polskiej jako wyzwanie dla zagranicznego polonisty. Problem przekładu

POLISH LITERARY CANON AS A CHALLENGE FOR A FOREIGN SPECIALIST IN POLISH STUDIES: THE PROBLEM OF TRANSLATIONIn the article an attempt is made to answer the question why some Polish literary works are included in the world canon and some others, endorsed by Polish critics as excellent, are not. The author discusses The Western Canon of Harold Bloom and the criteria for including some literary works in Bloom’s canon and excluding  thers from this canon. There are only a few works of Polish literature on Bloom’s list. This is a starting point for the discussion about the presence of Polish literature in the world canon. As far as non-English literary works are concerned, the shape of the canon is infl uenced by several factors. Translation into English is only a prerequisite for a more important role in the world canon. Anthologies also play a decisive role in this process. However, there are a few other equally important factors: an infl uential, well known translator; a mainstream publishing house; recommendations of renowned critics; and reviews in prestigious journals and magazines. For that reason there are works and authors that can be found in the world canon, e.g. the latest translation of Ferdydurke, included as the only Polish literary work on a list of 501 Must-Read Books published by Bounty Books in 2007. This translation was included because it was published by Yale University Press, recommended by Susan Sontag and favourably reviewed by „The Observer”. This is also the case with the poetry Adam Zagajewski – he is in the canon not only because he is an excellent poet but also because he is a professor of prestigious American universities; his poetry and essays are present in magazines, such as „New Yorker”; he has an influential translator; his works are published by well known publishers and reviewed by „The New York Review of Books”. Only in such circumstances is there a chance to include a work of a minor literature in the world canon

Profesor Zbigniew Jerzy Nowak (1919-1993)

Dnia 17 maja 1993 roku zmarł Profesor Zbigniew Jerzy Nowak, wybitny historyk literatury polskiej, znakomity wykładowca, wychowawca wielu pokoleń polonistów. Należałem do najmłodszego pokolenia jego uczniów i współpracowników. Tak wiele mu zawdzięczam, choć nie był nigdy moim wykładowcą czy promotorem, a jego zainteresowania naukowe były przeważnie dalekie od tego, czym się zajmowałem. Jednak niemal od początku studiów Profesor Nowak dyskretnie czuwał nad moim rozwojem naukowym , przez rok uczestniczyłem w jego seminarium magisterskim, był recenzentem mojej pracy magisterskiej, a już po przejściu na emeryturę, w roku 1992, recenzował rozprawę doktorską

Pisarze łacińscy w dawnej Polsce: rekonesans

Studiując literaturę polską epok dawnych, a zwłaszcza średniowiecza, renesansu i baroku, musimy pamiętać o tym, że większość piśmiennictwa tych epok powstała w języku łacińskim. Stanowił on uniwersalne narzędzie komunikami między ludźmi wykształconymi, a ci przecież pisali i czytali teksty literackie. Polska nie była tu wyjątkiem i trzeba stwierdzić od razu, że dzida literatury polskiej pisano wówczas w dwu językach - polskim i łacińskim. [fragm.

A modified heterotopic heart transplantation in the rat - as an important model in experimental regeneration and replacement of the failing organ

The qualification of new knowledge is one of the oldest problems in experimental medicine that provides a link between fundamental discovery, hypothesis, ‘proof of concept’ preclinical studies and development of clinical trials. The biggest challenge in animal models is the proper evaluation of all the aspects that are crucial in specific studied pathologies as well as the prediction of their progression. The aim of this review was to describe and discuss the rat animal model of heart transplant. The rat model of heart transplantation is an excellent yet underestimated method of research of prevention, monitoring and treatment of acute and chronic, immune and nonimmune response to organ transplantation. Despite being a technically and logistically demanding model, it provides a tool for reproducible experiments with longterm animal survival and excellent graft survival

Cell death in the epithelia of the intestine and hepatopancreas in Neocaridina heteropoda (Crustacea, Malacostraca)

The endodermal region of the digestive system in the freshwater shrimp Neocaridina heteropoda (Crustacea, Malacostraca) consists of a tube-shaped intestine and large hepatopancreas, which is formed by numerous blind-ended tubules. The precise structure and ultrastructure of these regions were presented in our previous studies, while here we focused on the cell death processes and their effect on the functioning of the midgut. We used transmission electron microscopy, light and confocal microscopes to describe and detect cell death, while a quantitative assessment of cells with depolarized mitochondria helped us to establish whether there is the relationship between cell death and the inactivation of mitochondria. Three types of the cell death were observed in the intestine and hepatopancreas- apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy. No differences were observed in the course of these processes in males and females and or in the intestine and hepatopancreas of the shrimp that were examined. Our studies revealed that apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy only involves the fully developed cells of the midgut epithelium that have contact with the midgut lumen-D-cells in the intestine and B- and F-cells in hepatopancreas, while E-cells (midgut stem cells) did not die. A distinct correlation between the accumulation of Ecells and the activation of apoptosis was detected in the anterior region of the intestine, while necrosis was an accidental process. Degenerating organelles, mainly mitochondria were neutralized and eventually, the activation of cell death was prevented in the entire epithelium due to autophagy. Therefore, we state that autophagy plays a role of the survival factor

Relationship between ROS production, MnSOD activation and periods of fasting and re-feeding in freshwater shrimp Neocaridina davidi (Crustacea, Malacostraca)

The middle region of the digestive system, the midgut of freshwater shrimp Neocaridina davidi is composed of a tube-shaped intestine and the hepatopancreas formed by numerous caeca. Two types of cells have been distinguished in the intestine, the digestive cells (D-cells) and regenerative cells (R-cells). The hepatopancreatic tubules have three distinct zones distinguished along the length of each tubule-the distal zone with R-cells, the medial zone with differentiating cells, and the proximal zone with F-cells (fibrillar cells) and B-cells (storage cells). Fasting causes activation of cell death, a reduction in the amount of reserve material, and changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential. However, here we present how the concentration of ROS changes according to different periods of fasting and whether re-feeding causes their decrease. In addition, the activation/deactivation of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) was analyzed. The freshwater shrimps Neocaridina davidi (Crustacea, Malacostraca, Decapoda) were divided into experimental groups: animals starved for 14 days, animals re-fed for 4, 7, and 14 days. The material was examined using the confocal microscope and the flow cytometry. Our studies have shown that long-term starvation increases the concentration of free radicals and MnSOD concentration in the intestine and hepatopancreas, while return to feeding causes their decrease in both organs examined. Therefore, we concluded that a distinct relationship between MnSOD concentration, ROS activation, cell death activation and changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential occurred

Biomechanical and morphological stability of acellular scaffolds for tissue-engineered heart valves depends on different storage conditions

Currently available bioprosthetic heart valves have been successfully used clinically; however, they have several limitations. Alternatively, tissue-engineering techniques can be used. However, there are limited data concerning the impact of storage conditions of scaffolds on their biomechanics and morphology. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different storage conditions on the biomechanics and morphology of pulmonary valve dedicated for the acellular scaffold preparation to achieve optimal conditions to obtain stable heart valve prostheses. Scaffold can then be used for the construction of tissue-engineered heart valve, for this reason evaluation of these parameters can determine the success of the clinical application this type of bioprosthesis. Pulmonary heart valves were collected from adult porcines. Materials were divided into five groups depending on the storage conditions. Biomechanical tests were performed, both the static tensile test, and examination of viscoelastic properties. Extracellular matrix morphology was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Tissue stored at 4 °C exhibited a higher modulus of elasticity than the control (native) and fresh acellular, which indicated the stiffening of the tissue and changes of the viscoelastic properties. Such changes were not observed in the radial direction. Percent strain was not significantly different in the study groups. The storage conditions affected the acellularization efficiency and tissue morphology. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first that attributes the mechanical properties of pulmonary valve tissue to the biomechanical changes in the collagen network due to different storage conditions. Storage conditions of scaffolds for tissue-engineered heart valves may have a significant impact on the haemodynamic and clinical effects of the used bioprostheses

The influence of sense of coherence on emotional response in heart transplant recipients : a preliminary report

INTRODUCTION: The success of heart transplantation in prolonging life and well-being must be considered in reference to its psycho-social outcomes, which intrinsically affect the long-term post-transplant morbidity. Sense of coherence and emotional response to organ reception are important factors in this group of patients. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY: The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of sense of coherence to emotional response to transplantation in heart transplant recipients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on a group of 46 heart transplant recipients. The following research tools were applied in the assessment of personal resources (sense of coherence) and emotional response to heart transplant surgery: the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire developed by Antonovsky (SOC-29) and the Transplant Effects Questionnaire (TxEQ). The data were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Heart transplant recipients do not experience guilt toward the donors and have no difficulties in disclosing their identities as heart transplant recipients. The study reports good adherence to immunosuppressive treatment recommendations and both a moderate concern about and a sense of responsibility for the transplanted organs among the patients. Global SOC was associated with guilt toward the donor, concern about the transplanted heart, and disclosure of the recipient's identity. CONCLUSIONS: The strength of the patients’ global sense of coherence is related to the level of their emotional response to the heart transplant surgery