The cultural situation in the basin of the Upper San River during the Roman Period : introduction to the Conference : "Movement and stabilization. Przeworsk culture in the Upper Tisa River basin in the Roman Period”

Archaeological finds document Przeworsk culture peoples' migration towards the southeast in phases B2 of early Roman Period and C1a of younger Roman Period. Finds of graves, mostly with grave goods typical of male burials are known from this period in the territories of eastern Slovakia, Transcarpathian Ukraine, north-east Hungary, and north-west Romania. We can correlate this migration with the historically documented expansion of Vandals in the direction of Dacia. Chair of Iron Age Archaeology of Institute of Archaeology of Jagiellonian University has led a series of excavations on the sites in the region of Sanok, both on the settlements (Pakoszówka, site 1, site 26, Sanok 54) and cemeteries (Prusiek, site 25, Pakoszówka, site 33). The concentration of settlements from the Roman period in the region of Sanok can be treated as a link etween the sites of Przeworsk culture in the San River middle catchment basin and from the Tisa River catchment basin. The presence of Przeworsk culture in the Carpathian Basin in the younger and late Roman Period is not evident. We can, therefore, conclude, that they have assimilated – after a phase of migration, they have entered a phase of stability

Preclinical evaluation of 1,2,4-triazole-based compounds targeting voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) as promising anticonvulsant drug candidates

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting nearly 65–70 million people worldwide. Despite the observed advances in the development of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), still about 30-40% of patients cannot achieve a satisfactory seizure control. In our current research, we aimed at using the combined results of radioligand binding experiments, PAMPA-BBB assay and animal experimentations in order to design a group of compounds that exhibit broad spectrum of anticonvulsant activity. The synthesized 4-alkyl-5-substituted-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione derivatives were primarily screened in the maximal electroshock-induced seizure (MES) test in mice. Next, the most promising compounds (17, 22) were investigated in 6 Hz (32 mA) psychomotor seizure model. Protective effect of compound 22 was almost similar to that of levetiracetam. Moreover, these compounds did not induce genotoxic and hemolytic changes in human cells as well as they were characterized by low cellular toxicity. Taking into account the structural requirements for good anticonvulsant activity of 4-alkyl-5-aryl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones, it is visible that small electron-withdrawing substituents attached to phenyl ring have beneficial effects both on affinity towards VGSCs and protective activity in the animal models of epilepsy

Individual differences in cortisol stress response predict increases in voice pitch during exam stress

Despite a long history of empirical research, the potential vocal markers of stress remain unclear. Previous studies examining speech under stress most consistently report an increase in voice pitch (the acoustic correlate of fundamental frequency, F0), however numerous studies have failed to replicate this finding. In the present study we tested the prediction that these inconsistencies are tied to variation in the severity of the stress response, wherein voice changes may be observed predominantly among individuals who show a cortisol stress response (i.e., an increase in free cortisol levels) above a critical threshold. Voice recordings and saliva samples were collected from university psychology students at baseline and again immediately prior to an oral examination. Voice recordings included both read and spontaneous speech, from which we measured mean, minimum, maximum, and the standard deviation in F0. We observed an increase in mean and minimum F0 under stress in both read and spontaneous speech, whereas maximum F0 and its standard deviation showed no systematic changes under stress. Our results confirmed that free cortisol levels increased by an average of 74% (ranging from 0 to 270%) under stress. Critically, increases in cortisol concentrations significantly predicted increases in mean F0 under stress for both speech types, but did not predict variation in F0 at baseline. On average, stress induced increases in voice pitch occurred only when free cortisol levels more than doubled their baseline concentrations. Our results suggest that researchers examining speech under stress should control for individual differences in the magnitude of the stress response