Les spécificités discursives des Questions au Gouvernement – le pouvoir des mots

This text analyzes the power of words in French parliamentary discourse. The objective is to describe the discursive and semantic specifi cities of the discourse of “Questions to the Government”

L’ironie et le sarcasme dans l’argumentation politique sur l’exemple des séances des Questions au Gouvernement

This research is based on the discursive and logometric analysis of the French parliamentary political discourse. The purpose of the article is to note irony and sarcasm as forms of political argument in parliamentary discourse.This research is based on the discursive and logometric analysis of the French parliamentary political discourse. The purpose of the article is to note irony and sarcasm as forms of political argument in parliamentary discourse

Les défis et enjeux dans l’enseignement / apprentissage du français scientifique à l’université

Cet article envisage les défis et enjeux dans l’enseignement/apprentissage du discours scientifique au niveau de licence, de maîtrise et dans une moindre mesure de doctorat. Quel est le rôle du séminaire universitaire dans la découverte du discours scientifique ? Quel est le statut du français scientifique par rapport au français langue étrangère et au français langue spécialisé ? Dans l’article nous ferons part de l’expérience des études de lettres romanesà l’Université de Gdansk sur ce sujet. Il s’agira de constater quel est le lien entre l’enseignement/apprentissage explicite du français scientifique et la réussite des projets individuels de recherches scientifiques disciplinaires en linguistique

Ultrastructural features of supraspinal muscles in rabbits after long-term transcutaneous lateral electrical surface stimulation (LESS)

Lateral electrical surface stimulation is one of methods used in the therapy of the progressive form of idiopathic scoliosis (IS) in children and youth. However, there are data suggesting that this method may lead to serious adverse side effects, when used for a too long period of time per day. To clarify this issue, the present study was aimed at disclosing possible changes in the ultrastructural appearance of rabbit supraspinal muscles undergoing long-term stimulation (9 h per day, 3 months), an animal model successfully used to mimic the situation in humans. In comparison to the control animals, muscles of "overstimulated" rabbits exhibited clear signs of microscopical lesions, including depletion and disintegration of myofilaments, proliferation, dilatation and, sometimes, swelling of sarcoplasmic reticulum and/or mitochondria, as well as signs of destruction of the Z line. The above-mentioned abnormalities, especially the signs of degenerative processes associated with the Z line and the observed microlesions strongly suggest that the failure of the long-term LESS therapy of the IS may be attributable to these ultrastructural lesions

Ketoacidosis and otitis media as a potencial cause of cerebral venous thrombosis in a 7-year-old boy

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) in childhood is a rare disorder, occurring most often in the neonatal period, with mortality approaching 10%. This condition has multifactorial etiology including common childhood illnesses such as fever, infection, dehydration, and anemia, as well as acute and chronic medical conditions such as congenital heart disease, nephrotic syndrome,  and malignancy. Thrombosis can also develop and propagate in response to local venous stasis. A large number of children have coincident local head or neck pathology, including head trauma, brain tumors, or recent intracranial surgery. Clinical symptoms are frequently nonspecific and include seizures, depressed level of consciousness, coma, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, headache, visual impairment, papilledema, and hemiparesis, which may often obscure the diagnosis and delay treatment. In the case of patients with neurological symptoms, imaging studies such as computed tomography (CT)  and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are invaluable in diagnostics of various pathologies of the nervous system, because of their non-invasiveness, high sensitivity, and specificity. Early diagnosis with management along with a plan for secondary prevention can save from catastrophic consequences

Gradient chitosan hydrogels modified with graphene derivatives and hydroxyapatite : physiochemical properties and initial cytocompatibility evaluation

In this study, we investigated preparation of gradient chitosan-matrix hydrogels through a novel freezing–gelling–thawing method. The influence of three types of graphene family materials (GFM), i.e., graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and poly(ethylene glycol) grafted graphene oxide (GO-PEG), as well as hydroxyapatite (HAp) on the physicochemical and biological properties of the composite hydrogels was examined in view of their potential applicability as tissue engineering scaffolds. The substrates and the hydrogel samples were thoroughly characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy, digital and scanning electron microscopy, rheological and mechanical analysis, in vitro chemical stability and bioactivity assays, as well as initial cytocompatibility evaluation with human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs). We followed the green-chemistry approach and avoided toxic cross-linking agents, using instead specific interactions of our polymer matrix with tannic acid, non-toxic physical cross-linker, and graphene derivatives. It was shown that the most promising are the gradient hydrogels modified with GO-PEG and HAp

Graphene functionalized with arginine decreases the development of glioblastoma multiforme tumor in a gene-dependent manner

Our previous studies revealed that graphene had anticancer properties in experiments in vitro with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells and in tumors cultured in vivo. We hypothesized that the addition of arginine or proline to graphene solutions might counteract graphene agglomeration and increase the activity of graphene. Experiments were performed in vitro with GBM U87 cells and in vivo with GBM tumors cultured on chicken embryo chorioallantoic membranes. The measurements included cell morphology, mortality, viability, tumor morphology, histology, and gene expression. The cells and tumors were treated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and rGO functionalized with arginine (rGO + Arg) or proline (rGO + Pro). The results confirmed the anticancer effect of graphene on GBM cells and tumor tissue. After functionalization with amino acids, nanoparticles were distributed more specifically, and the flakes of graphene were less agglomerated. The molecule of rGO + Arg did not increase the expression of TP53 in comparison to rGO, but did not increase the expression of MDM2 or the MDM2/TP53 ratio in the tumor, suggesting that arginine may block MDM2 expression. The expression of NQO1, known to be a strong protector of p53 protein in tumor tissue, was greatly increased. The results indicate that the complex of rGO + Arg has potential in GBM therapy

Impact of graphene-based surfaces on the basic biological properties of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells : implications for ex vivo cell expansion aimed at tissue repair

The potential therapeutic applications of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and biomaterials have attracted a great amount of interest in the field of biomedical engineering. MSCs are multipotent adult stem cells characterized as cells with specific features, e.g., high differentiation potential, low immunogenicity, immunomodulatory properties, and efficient in vitro expansion ability. Human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly-derived MSCs (hUC-MSCs) are a new, important cell type that may be used for therapeutic purposes, i.e., for autologous and allogeneic transplantations. To improve the therapeutic efficiency of hUC-MSCs, novel biomaterials have been considered for use as scaffolds dedicated to the propagation and differentiation of these cells. Nowadays, some of the most promising materials for tissue engineering include graphene and its derivatives such as graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Due to their physicochemical properties, they can be easily modified with biomolecules, which enable their interaction with different types of cells, including MSCs. In this study, we demonstrate the impact of graphene-based substrates (GO, rGO) on the biological properties of hUC-MSCs. The size of the GO flakes and the reduction level of GO have been considered as important factors determining the most favorable surface for hUC-MSCs growth. The obtained results revealed that GO and rGO are suitable scaffolds for hUC-MSCs. hUC-MSCs cultured on: (i) a thin layer of GO and (ii) an rGO surface with a low reduction level demonstrated a viability and proliferation rate comparable to those estimated under standard culture conditions. Interestingly, cell culture on a highly reduced GO substrate resulted in a decreased hUC-MSCs proliferation rate and induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, our analysis demonstrated that hUC-MSCs cultured on all the tested GO and rGO scaffolds showed no alterations of their typical mesenchymal phenotype, regardless of the reduction level and size of the GO flakes. Thus, GO scaffolds and rGO scaffolds with a low reduction level exhibit potential applicability as novel, safe, and biocompatible materials for utilization in regenerative medicine

Nutrients composition in fit snacks made from ostrich, beef and chicken dried meat

The aim of the study was to compare three types of meat snacks made from ostrich, beef, and chicken meat in relation to their nutrients content including fat, fatty acids, heme iron, and peptides, like anserine and carnosine, from which human health may potentially benefit. Dry meat samples were produced, from one type of muscle, obtained from ostrich (m. ambiens), beef (m. semimembranosus), and broiler chicken meat (m. pectoralis major). The composition of dried ostrich, beef, and chicken meat, with and without spices was compared. We show that meat snacks made from ostrich, beef, and chicken meat were characterized by high concentration of nutrients including proteins, minerals (heme iron especially in ostrich, than in beef), biologically active peptides (carnosine-in beef, anserine-in ostrich then in chicken meat). The, beneficial to human health, n-3 fatty acids levels differed significantly between species. Moreover, ostrich jerky contained four times less fat as compared to beef and half of that in chicken. In conclusion we can say that dried ostrich, beef, and chicken meat could be a good source of nutritional components

Rocznik Lubuski (t. 31, cz.1): Muzea i ochrona dziedzictwa kulturowego na Środkowym Nadodrzu

Muzea i Ochrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego na Środkowym Nadodrzu