O niektórych błędach szyku wyrazów w wypowiedzeniu pojedynczym we współczesnym języku polskim

Zadanie pt. Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki nr 885/P-DUN/2014 zostało dofinansowane ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region from Germany’s perspective. OSW Commentary No. 69, 2011-01-10

Germany is one of the eight EU member states which participate in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region along with Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. Germany had a positive approach to the EUSBSR strategy (see Appendix 1) right from planning stage. This project contributed to the continuation of Germany’s co-operation with the countries in this region, which has been conducted since the mid 1980s mainly by German federal states. Germany is playing a major role as part of this strategy because it is the coordinator of its three priority areas.However, the German federal government sees the EUSBSR as a project to be implemented at the level of federal states. This has been proven by the great activity of three German federal states participating in the strategy (Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein) and at the same time the low level of engagement from the Bundestag, the federal government and expert circles. Furthermore, federal states more often formulate evaluations of the effects of co-operation achieved so far as part of the EUSBSR. Still, the relatively low level of Berlin’s engagement does not mean that it is not interested in co-operation in the Baltic region as such. Germany actively participates in the work of such bodies as the Council of the Baltic Sea States or the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM). All German entities engaged in the strategy make its future attractiveness and the success of individual projects as part of it dependent on including Russia in the EUSBSR. As long as Germany has the opportunity of regional co-operation with Russia at other forums (for example, the Council of the Baltic Sea States), it is unlikely to become more engaged in developing the strategy and enhancing co-operation as part of this project

Ordnung muss nicht sein. Developments on the German political scene. OSW Commentary No. 55, 2011-06-27

The results of parliamentary elections in seven German federal states, ongoing since early 2011, show the collapse of the existing order on the German political scene, both on a national level and on the level of the individual federal states. So far, the federal states have been governed by one of the catch-all parties1 – i.e. the Christian Democrats or Social Democrats – in coalitions with smaller partners – the FDP and the Greens, respectively2. This year’s elections have fully revealed the extent of social transformation in Germany and its impact on voting preferences and the hitherto stable party system in this country. The largest and most popular parties so far – the CDU and the SPD – are losing the voters’ confidence and support, whereas the parties associated with protest movements (such as the Greens) are gaining prominence. Moreover, the German political scene is undergoing increasing fragmentation, as new small, local groups are appearing who have no political aspirations at the federal level but who are attractive to voters acting as successful groups of common cause. The changes in the existing balance of power on the German political scene are being sped up by the specific features of the federal system. Elections to the parliaments of the federal states are held at regular intervals which increasingly affects policies on the national level. The key decisions that concern domestic and foreign affairs are made under the pressure of constant election campaigns

The strength of the Christian Democrats, the weakness of the opposition. Germany before the parliamentary elections. OSW Commentary No. 114, 12.09.2013

The political campaign before Germany’s parliamentary elections to be held on 22 September has in all its glory reflected the trends visible during the last four years of the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel – the strength of the Christian Democrats, the weakness of the opposition and the increasing marginalisation of the coalition partner, the FDP. The CDU/CSU remains the most popular political choice in Germany, largely because Angela Merkel has consistently remained the most popular German politician. Everything indicates that the CDU/CSU will win the election, even though it has been running a passive campaign and the Chancellor herself has been avoiding confrontation, presenting herself as a kind of cross-party representative of the interests of all social groups. The Christian Democrats’ main competitors, the Social Democrats, have been unable to play to their strengths and present themselves as a serious alternative to the CDU/CSU. The Christian Democrats, despite their difficult cooperation with the liberal FDP, have declared their willingness to continue doing so during the next parliamentary term. If the numbers make that impossible, and the Social Democrats and the Greens have too few votes to be able to form a government, a grand coalition of the Christian Democrats and the SPD will be formed in Germany

Characterising the role of Valosin Containing Protein (VCP) in autophagy and cell differentiation.

Valosin containing protein (VCP)/p97 is a hexameric ATPase of the AAA family, which regulates a wide array of essential cellular processes. Dominant mutations in the N-domain of the VCP give rise to the complex disease syndrome known as Inclusion body myopathy with Paget disease of the bone and frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD). VCP plays a key role in the ubiquitin-proteasome dependent protein degradation although mutations in VCP seem to result in a late stage autophagy defect. Osteoclast precursors containing VCP mutations are hyper-responsive to RANKL and M-CSF treatment. This suggests that under normal homeostasis VCP plays an important role in regulating the response of osteoclasts to bone microenvironment. However, the mechanisms by which VCP mutations stimulate osteoclast differentiation in Paget disease of the bone (PDB) are not completely understood. To gain insight into disease phenotype associated with VCP mutations I examined the role of VCP in autophagy and the role of autophagy on osteoclastogenesis. I have shown that VCP co-localises with p62 and LC3 at the subcellular level in cells undergoing autophagy and that VCP co-immunoprecipitates with p62 in the autophagy-dependant manner. I have also examined the stability of VCP in the cell and shown that p62 has a role in stabilising the VCP protein and that the mutant protomers seem to be less stable than the normal VCP protomers. Initiation of autophagy in RAW264.7 cells in the presence of RANKL resulted in marked reduction in osteoclast formation, regardless of the time point at which the treatment begun. I also found that RANKL and TNFα induced NFκB activation is increased (in an autophagy dependent manner) in macrophages from the heterozygous VCP mouse compared to normal macrophages. These data together with the already existing knowledge on VCP, and the link with PDB, suggest that modulation of the autophagy pathway by VCP may represent a major regulator of bone remodelling and maintenance. Autophagy has direct effect on the fate of osteoclast progenitor cells thus regulation of osteoclastogenesis is a key process underlying the pathogenesis of PDB. This work acts to further our understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of VCP-related disease and will facilitate the search for modifiers of the disease phenotype

The NSA: the impact of the wiretapping scandal on German-American relations. OSW Commentary No. 124, 14.01.2014

Edward Snowden revealed that America’s National Security Agency (NSA) had tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone and had collected date en masse. This has caused the largest crisis of confidence in relations between Germany and the US since the Iraq war. Due to the technological advantage which American intelligence services have, Germany wishes to continue close co-operation with the US but is making efforts to change the legal basis of this co-operation dating back to Cold War times. Berlin would like to secure part of provisions similar to the Five Eyes alliance – agreements signed between the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia in the second half of the 1940s, aimed at intelligence sharing and a ban mutual bugging. This could spell the end of the last (not including the military presence) relic of Germany’s dependence on the US which emerged following World War II and took shape in the shadow of the Cold War. The process of Germany’s emancipation in trans-Atlantic relations, which began after Germany’s reunification, would be complete. The US is however opposed to such far-reaching changes as it is interested in continued co-operation with Germany without limiting it. Were it not to sign agreements satisfactory for Berlin, this would lead to a protracted crisis of confidence in German-American relations

Praktyczne aspekty leczenia żylnej choroby zakrzepowo-zatorowej

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious and often fatal medical condition with an increasing incidence due to population aging. The treatment of VTE is undergoing tremendous changes with the introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), therefore clinicians need to understand the new treatment paradigms. The DOAC include dabigatran, which inhibits thrombin, and ri­varoxaban, apixaban and edoxaban, which inhibit factor Xa. When compared with conventional VTE treatment consisting of a parenteral anticoagulant followed by a vitamin K antagonist, the DOAC were equally effective for prevention of recurrence, but were associated with less bleeding. This paper identifies VTE patients, who are or are not candidates for DOAC, provides guidance on how to choose among DOAC, discusses the optimal treatment duration for VTE and finally, reviews the management of bleeding, including the role of specific reversal agents. Furthemore, this article provides clinical guidance, based on the newest existing guidelines and consensus expert opinion, on the management of patients presenting with cancer-associated VTE, patients with VTE and thrombocytopenia or renal insufficiency, as well as patients with venous thrombosis in unusual sites, such as splanchnic vein thrombosis, cerebral vein thrombosis and retinal vein occlusion.Żylna choroba zakrzepowo-zatorowa (VTE) jest często występującym groźnym schorzeniem, o zwiększającej się zachorowalności w związku ze starzeniem się społeczeństw. Leczenie VTE zmieniło się zasadniczo po wprowadzeniu bezpośrednio działających doustnych antykoagulantów (DOAC), do których należą inhibitory czynnika krzepnięcia Xa — apiksaban, riwaroksaban, i edo­ksaban, oraz bezpośredni inhibitor trombiny — dabigatran. W porównaniu z leczeniem standardo­wym (antykoagulant stosowany parenteralnie z doustnym antykoagulantem z grupy antagonistów witaminy K) DOAC wykazują podobną skuteczność w zapobieganiu nawrotom VTE, powodując przy tym mniej powikłań krwotocznych. W artykule określono, którzy pacjenci kwalifikują się do leczenia z zastosowaniem DOAC, jaki lek z tej grupy wybrać w określonych sytuacjach klinicznych i jaki jest zalecany optymalny czas leczenia. Omówiono także leczenie powikłań krwotocznych związanych ze stosowaniem DOAC z uwzględnieniem leków swoiście odwracających ich działanie. W artykule zawarto także aktualne, praktyczne zalecenia dotyczące leczenia pacjentów z VTE zwią­zaną z chorobą nowotworową, pacjentów z małopłytkowością, niewydolnością nerek, a także lecze­nia zakrzepicy żylnej o nietypowej lokalizacji — żył trzewnych, żył mózgowych i żył siatkówki oka.

Intracranial bleedings in patients on long-term anticoagulant treatment: Benefits from oral thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors in clinical practice

Dabigatran, a direct thrombin inhibitor and activated factor X inhibitors, rivaroxaban and apixaban, used in the prevention of stroke or systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF), have several advantages over vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). The non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been shown to reduce the risk of intracranial bleedings by 50%. The current review summarizes the available data on the epidemiology, mechanisms and treatment of intracranial bleedings observed on oral anticoagulation with the focus on the specificity of NOACs in this context

Hereditary thrombophilia and venous thromboembolism

Wrodzona trombofi lia występuje u około 8% polskiej populacji i u ponad połowy chorych na żylną chorobę zakrzepowo-zatorową (VTE). Niedobór antytrombiny, białka C lub białka S zwiększa ryzyko zachorowania na VTE 4–10-krotnie, ale zdarza się rzadko tj. u mniej niż 0,5% populacji. Występujące u około 5% populacji przyczyny wrodzonej trombofi lii — czynnik V Leiden i mutacja 20210A genu protrombiny — zwiększają to ryzyko 2–5-krotnie. Nie przeprowadzono dotąd u pacjentów z VTE randomizowanych badań klinicznych, w których oceniono by wpływ diagnozowania trombofi lii na sposób leczenia i jego wyniki. Z badań obserwacyjnych wynika, że obecność trombofilii nie wpływa na skuteczność leków przeciwkrzepliwych, a częstość nawrotów VTE u pacjentów z trombofi lią jest tylko nieznacznie zwiększona. W związku z tym badania w kierunku trombofi liinie powinny być wykonywane rutynowo. Decyzję w tej sprawie powinno się podejmować indywidualnie u każdego pacjenta, z uwzględnieniem jego preferencji. Natomiast, ze względu na zwiększone ryzyko pierwszego zachorowania, nawrotu VTE i powikłań ciąży, badania w kierunku trombofilii powinno się przeprowadzać u kobiet bez objawów w wieku koncepcyjnym z rodzin obciążonych niedoborem antytrombiny, białka C lub białka S albo nosicielstwem homozygotycznych postacimutacji Leiden genu czynnika V lub mutacji 20210A genu protrombiny, a także u pacjentów po przebyciu samoistnej VTE, z wywiadem rodzinnym obciążonym VTE u krewnego pierwszej linii, gdy zamierza się przerwać leczenie przeciwkrzepliwe.Hereditary thrombophilia can be identifi ed in about 8% of Polish population and in approximately half of patients presenting with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Defi ciency of antithrombin, protein C and protein S increases the risk of a fi rst VTE by 4–10-fold but is rare (< 0.5% of population), whereas factor V Leiden and the prothrombin G20210A gene increase this risk by 2–5-fold and are common (about 5% of population). There are no randomized trials that have compared testing for thrombophilia with no testing. Observational studies indicate that anticoagulants are equally effective in patients with and without thrombophilia, and that patients who have had VTE and have thrombophilia are at most at slightly increased risk of recurrence. Therefore, routine thrombophilia testing of patients with VTE is not indicated. Careful counseling with knowledge of absolute risks helps patients in making an informed decision in which their own preferences should be taken into account. Thrombophilia testing may be useful in asymptomatic women who intend to be pregnant in families with antithrombin, protein C, and protein S defi ciency or homozygosityfor factor V Leiden or prothrombin G20210A gene, as well as to patients who have had unprovoked VTE and who have a fi rst-degree relative who has had VTE if it is planned to stop anticoagulationtreatment