Non-tariff barriers in Ukrainian export to the EU

The economic relations between the EU and Ukraine have intensified in recent years. Following the 2004 enlargement, Ukraine became the direct neighbour of the EU. At the same time, the country has been developing rapidly and both local production capacities and demand for foreign produce have been increasing. Ukraine also become more open to external partners. All this is reflected in the gradual effective trade integration with the EU; i.e. in growing bilateral trade flows. The overall EU tariffs for Ukrainian products are rather low and other tradition protection measures apply to selective sectors only. Moreover they are expected to disappear gradually within the next few years, following Ukraine WTO entry and expected establishment of the free trade area in manufacturing goods between the EU and Ukraine. However, there exist other so called 'non-tariff’ barriers to trade that protect and will protect the EU market. For a relatively poorer country these barriers may turn to be prohibitive. This is probably the cause that there is general perception about Ukrainian export to the EU still being below its potential. The goal of this report is to explore whether the non-tariff barriers impede Ukrainian export to the EU and to what extent. This report is published about the time when the free trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine is negotiated. The authors hope that the findings will turn useful for designing the extent of this agreement and contribute to the discussion about it by showing the extent of non-tariff barriers faced currently by Ukrainian exporters. The report starts from the overview of Ukraine trade policy (chapter 1), with the special emphasis put on economic relations between the EU and Ukraine. Evolution of bilateral trade flows is discussed next (chapter 2). This is supplemented with the brief discussion of recently conducted surveys on barriers hampering Ukrainian exports (chapter 3). The experience of some current EU members from Central and Eastern Europe, which together with gradual phasing out of tariff and traditional protection measures in the 1990s faced growing non-tariff barriers to trade with the EU, seems to be relevant for Ukraine. Chapter 4 reviews the exposure of CEECs exports to the EU’s non-tariff barriers, and describes how the countries were changing its trade-related legislation towards the EU laws in order to tackle these barriers. Chapter 4 also shows the extent of the EU’s technical barriers to trade in different sectors and how well CEE enterprises were prepared to meet them, once the EU commodity markets opened up completely for the new EU members in 2004. Results of the survey on non-tariff barriers to trade that are faced by Ukrainian exporters to the EU are presented in chapter 5. This is the main empirical contribution and the focus of this paper. The survey covered such areas as certification of origin, customs procedures and technical standards. Finally, chapter 6 concludes with policy recommendations. The authors are grateful for the assistance received from the State Committee of Ukraine for Technical Regulation and Consumer Policy and Association of Light Industry Producers of Ukraine. This publication was made possible due to the financial support provided by the 2006 Foreign Aid Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland.Ukraine, EU neighbourhood, trade, non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs), technical barriers to trade (TBTs)

SMA Therapy in Poland: New Hopes and Challenges

Abstract: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetically inherited disease whose symptoms appear in children at a fairly early age. The main cause of the disease is a mutation of the SMN1 gene, which causes the lack of production of SMN This results in the disappearance of motoneurons, which consequently leads to the disappearance of the patient's ability to move and his death. An important element of coping with the disease is its early detection in newborn screening, because the earlier we start the drug, the greater the chance that the patient will maintain motor efficiency. The article describes treatment options for children in Poland, i. e. the use of such drugs as Nusinersen, which increases the amount of SMN protein, gene therapy Onasemnogen aeparvovec, which increases the amount of SMN gene, Ridisplam, which increases the amount of SMN protein, and salbutamol, which helps patients to breathe. The article also provides information about new drug therapies for the treatment of SMA and the stage of clinical trials at which they are currently being developed. It is important to look for new solutions in the treatment of SMA. Objective: To familiarize the readers of the article with the problems of SMA treatment in Poland, as well as to broaden their knowledge of new available drugs for the treatment of this disease

Will Tirzepatide become a game-changer in the pharmacological treatment of obesity? - literature review

Introduction and objective: Obesity has become an important public health issue in Poland. Furthermore, it is one of the most common preventable causes of diseases and mortality. Pharmacological methods of treating obesity have been developing significantly in recent years.Tirzepatide is a new dual incretin receptor agonist that activates both GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptors. The aim of this review is to assess the effectiveness of this medication in reducing body weight. Current state of knowledge: According to data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) in Poland, 65% of men and 49% of women are struggling with the issue of excessive body weight [1]. Obesity in Polish society is steadily increasing in every age group. However, it affects most significantly children aged 7-13 years and adolescents. In 2022, the novel dual GLP and GIP-1 agonist has been registered for the treatment of type 2 diabetes which is not satisfactorily controlled. It can be also used together with diet and physical activity in patients diagnosed with obesity (BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more) or who are overweight (BMI 27-30 kg/m2) and have weight-related health problems such as hypertension, metabolic syndrome, dislipidaemia and diabetes mellitus [2]. Summary: The increasing prevalence of obesity leads to a dynamic search for the most effective pharmacological methods of treating obesity. The combined activation of GLP-1 and GIP receptors by Tirzepatide has been shown to have additional benefits beyond satisfying glucose control. The biological mechanism of action of this medication additionally causes decreased food intake, slowed gastric emptying and enhanced insulin secretion, all of which can contribute to weight reduction

Effect of initial pH of medium with potato wastewater and glycerol on protein, lipid and carotenoid biosynthesis by Rhodotorula glutinis

Background: Rhodotorula glutinis is capable of synthesizing numerous valuable metabolites with extensive potential industrial usage. This paper reports the effect of initial culture medium pH on growth and protein, lipid, and carotenoid biosynthesis by R. glutinis. Results: The highest biomass yield was obtained in media with pH 4.0\u20137.0, and the value after 72 h was 17.2\u201319.4 gd.w./L. An initial pH of the medium in the range of 4.0\u20137.0 has no significant effect on the protein (38.5\u201341.3 g/100 gd.w.), lipid (10.2\u201312.7 g/100 gd.w.), or carotenoid (191.7\u2013202.9 \u3bcg/gd.w.) content in the biomass or on the profile of synthesized fatty acids and carotenoids. The whole pool of fatty acids was dominated by oleic (48.1\u201353.4%), linoleic (21.4\u201325.1%), and palmitic acids (13.0\u201315.8%). In these conditions, the yeast mainly synthesized torulene (43.5\u201347.7%) and \u3b2-carotene (34.7\u201338.6%), whereas the contribution of torularhodin was only 12.1\u201316.8%. Cultivation in medium with initial pH 3.0 resulted in a reduction in growth (13.0 gd.w./L) and total carotenoid (115.8 \u3bcg/gd.w.), linoleic acid (11.5%), and torularhodin (4.5%) biosynthesis. Conclusion: The different values of initial pH of the culture medium with glycerol and deproteinized potato wastewater had a significant effect on the growth and protein, lipid, and carotenoid biosynthesis by R. glutinis

Działania opiekuńcze w profilaktyce i terapii

Praca recenzowana / Peer-reviewed paperOpieka jest potrzebna wszystkim, zarówno dzieciom, jak i dorosłym, a w sposób szczególny osobom starszym, w tym terminalnie chorym. Prezentowane w niniejszej monografi i teksty uwzględniają właśnie tę wieloczynnikową aktywność opiekuńczą. Autorami poszczególnych rozdziałów są pracownicy naukowi zaangażowani w proces edukacyjny w zakresie nauk o zdrowiu, pracujący w Krakowskiej Akademii im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego, ale także studenci PWSZ w Tarnowie. W różnorodnym zakresie przedstawili i omówili oni główne tezy monografii

"La Machine Infernale" of Jean Cocteau as an example of the ancient myths' interpretations in the French theatre of the first part of the 20th century

Tematyka pracy dotyczy interpretacji mitów antycznych w literaturze ery starożytnej i pierwszej połowy XX-go wieku. W pierwszej części zobrazowano ewolucję koncepcji mitu w powyższych epokach. W przypadku Starożytności ograniczono się do pism greckich i rzymskich z uwagi na ich znaczący wpływ na rozwój literatury europejskiej. Następnie omówiono kilka najważniejszych teorii mitu, które sformułowano przed 1950 r. Przedstawiono również powrót do mitologii w teatrze francuskim z początku XX-go stulecia. Szczególną uwagę poświęcono postaci Jeana Cocteau, francuskiego dramaturga, który często nawiązywał do mitów w swojej twórczości oraz "osobistej mitologii", z której wyodrębniono i zbadano kilka hipotetycznych elementów. Druga część pracy skupia się na analizie jego sztuki "La Machine Infernale", będącej nowoczesną interpretacją greckiego mitu o Edypie. Porównano ją ze sztuką "Król Edyp" Sofoklesa, greckiego dramaturga z V-go w. p.n.e., uznawaną za najpopularniejszą wersję tego mitu.This thesis explores the ancient myths' interpretations in the literature of the Antiquity and the first part of the 20th century. The first part illustrates the evolution of the myth's concept in these epochs. Considering the Antiquity, I chose only Greek and Roman works due to their great impact on the european literature's progress. Then, I described several major myth's theories created before 1950. I also presented the return to mythologies in the French theatre from the beginning of the 20th century. I paid a particular attention to Jean Cocteau, a French playwright who often refered to myths in his oeuvre and "personal mythology", from which I extracted and studied several theoretical elements. The second part analyses Cocteau's play "La Machine Infernale", a modern interpretation of the Greek myth of Oedipus. It was compared to the play "Oedipus the King" of Sophocles, a Greek playwright from the 5th century BC, considered as the most known version of this myth.La thématique de ce travail concerne les interprétations des mythes antiques dans la littérature antique et moderne. Dans la première partie, on a illustré l'évolution de la conception du mythe dans ces époques. Quant à l'Antiquité, on s'est limité aux écritures gréco-latines vu leur influence majeure sur l'essor de la littérature européenne. Puis, on a décrit les plus importantes théories du mythe parues avant 1950. De même, on a présenté le retour à la mythologie dans le théâtre français moderne. On a fait une attention particulière à Jean Cocteau, dramaturge français qui se récourait souvent aux mythes dans son œuvre et sa "mythologie personnelle". On en a tiré et étudié certains éléments hypothétiques. La deuxième partie se concentre sur l'analyse de la pièce coctalienne "La Machine Infernale", une réinvention moderne du mythe grec d'Œdipe. On l'a comparée avec la pièce "Œdipe roi" de Sophocle, dramaturge grec du Ve siècle av. J.-C., perçue comme la plus connue version de ce mythe