Kontinuität im Wandel der Zeit. Deutsches Kalenderschrifttum um die Wende zum 20. Jahrhundert in der Provinz Posen

oai:ojs.pressto.amu.edu.pl:article/770Continuity in changing times. The German calendar literature by the turn of the 20th century in the Province of Poznań Calendars were originally developed for the purpose of temporal orientation and coordination of activities of a group of people. Over time, they have been used as an important means of forming opinions. In regards to that, one cannot underestimate the role of narrative text forms which have been present in calendars since the 16th century and gradually grew in size and importance. The composition of a wide variety of text types and the combination of text and illustration were responsible for the mass distribution of such publications in the 19th century. In the Province of Poznań calendars also enjoyed great popularity. Of special interest is the Evangelical People’s Calendar, which was published in Poznań for around 80 years (1861–1941). It accompanied the German population in this area through the major transition points from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. In relation to the German calendar literature of the Poznań area, the following questions will be investigated in this article: which turning points of the 20th century were included in the calendar? Which events were considered epochal by the calendar makers? In which form were they presented in the calendars? What was the role of the historical-political and socio-mental context? How was the potential of calendars used to give the readers the sense of continuity and stability by the turn of the century?In the centre of the analysis stands the autoreferential dimension of Thomas Mann’s Doktor Faustus and its relation to the novel’s socio-philosophical message, which, although not free from ironical overtones, tends to be a didactic plea for humanism. However, the main emphasis of the investigation is not the humanist idea itself but, above all, the narrative methods used to infuse this idea with new means of expression. Therefore, the music-motif in the novel is interpreted as a metaphor of an intertextual literary motif. From a metaliterary perspective, the main question in Mann’s partly consistent, yet partly paradoxical art- and soul-study is the following: how can (and should) the Faust-legend be reshaped and interpreted to match the demands of the modern age? The attempt to discuss the ‚national myth‘ in such a new way is made by three authorities: two fictional and one real. The protagonist, Adrian Leverkühn, the first-person narrator, Serenus Zeitblom, and, finally, the author himself, Thomas Mann, each in turn, whether wilfully or unconsciously, offers their own art-concept. To a great extent, the general semantic picture of the story told in Faustus is determined by various distinctions between the intratextual ideological confrontation ‚Leverkühn vs. Zeitblom‘ and the extratextual outside-perspective of the author, who stays paramount to the novel-figures. My article attends to the narratological as well as the philosophical decoding of this overall-picture.Continuity in changing times. The German calendar literature by the turn of the 20th century in the Province of Poznań Calendars were originally developed for the purpose of temporal orientation and coordination of activities of a group of people. Over time, they have been used as an important means of forming opinions. In regards to that, one cannot underestimate the role of narrative text forms which have been present in calendars since the 16th century and gradually grew in size and importance. The composition of a wide variety of text types and the combination of text and illustration were responsible for the mass distribution of such publications in the 19th century. In the Province of Poznań calendars also enjoyed great popularity. Of special interest is the Evangelical People’s Calendar, which was published in Poznań for around 80 years (1861–1941). It accompanied the German population in this area through the major transition points from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. In relation to the German calendar literature of the Poznań area, the following questions will be investigated in this article: which turning points of the 20th century were included in the calendar? Which events were considered epochal by the calendar makers? In which form were they presented in the calendars? What was the role of the historical-political and socio-mental context? How was the potential of calendars used to give the readers the sense of continuity and stability by the turn of the century

Synthesis and characterisation of PEG-peptide surfaces for proteolytic enzyme detection

Peptide surfaces were obtained by the covalent immobilisation of fluorescently labelled pentapeptides carboxyfluorescein–glycine–arginine–methionine–leucine–glycine, either directly or through a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linker on modified silicon wafers. Each step during the preparation of the peptide surfaces was confirmed by several surface characterisation techniques. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to determine the surface composition, the wafers philicity was measured by contact angle and atomic force microscopy was used to investigate the surface morphology. Exposure of the peptide surfaces to trypsin resulted in the release of a fluorescently labelled peptide product, which allowed the kinetics of the enzymatic reaction to be followed with the aid of fluorescence spectroscopy. The electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry analysis of the post-digestion solution confirmed that the pentapeptides attached to the solid support undergo specific trypsin hydrolysis at the C-terminus of the arginine residues. Detailed surface analyses before and after the enzyme action was performed using ToF-SIMS. Because of the limited accessibility of the short peptide directly attached to the surface, a quantitative yield of enzymatic hydrolysis was observed only in case when the peptide was bound through the PEG linker. The insertion of the PEG linker increased the number of immobilised peptides and the rate of enzymatic digestion which consequently improved the quality of the enzyme assays. The described approach may be used for different peptide sequences designed for other proteases. Figure Monitoring of trypsin hydrolysis on PEG-peptide surfac

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy — single-center retrospective study

Objectives: The SARS-CoV-2 virus infection has spread to almost all countries in the last two years. Pregnancy complicated with COVID-19 is a unique situation and challenge for doctors. The study aimed to evaluate obstetric results, and biochemical test results and to analyze the treatment used in pregnant patients complicated with COVID-19 infection. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of 146 pregnant patients hospitalized at the Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology Jagiellonian University Medical College (JUMC) in Krakow was conducted from July 2020 to August 2021. Results: In the analyzed group respiratory failure occurred in 19.19% of cases and intravascular coagulation syndrome (DIC) in 1.37%. One patient died (0.68%). 16.6% of cases were transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and required intubation. The remaining cases were mild: 39.04% were asymptomatic, 41.78% reported cough, 30.82% dyspnoea and 23.97% myalgia. In the laboratory tests increased values of CRP and IL-6 were observed with normal levels of leukocytes. Additionally, a decreased level of total protein and an increased level of d-dimers were detected. 98.63% of patients received a prophylactic dose of low molecular weight heparin. 46.58% of cases needed additional antibiotic therapy. Cesarean sections were performed in 59.59% of cases. The children were born in good general condition. Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to the newborn has not been confirmed. Conclusions: Data from the above study show a significant effect of COVID-19 on pregnant patients. Almost one in five pregnant women occurred respiratory failure and most of them had to be transferred to the ICU department and had to be intubated

Interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, successful aging, and mortality : the PolSenior study

BACKGROUND: In the elderly, chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) is a risk factor for the development of aging-related diseases and frailty. Using data from several thousand Eastern Europeans aged 65 years and older, we investigated whether the serum levels of two proinflammatory factors, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), were associated with physical and cognitive performance, and could predict mortality in successfully aging elderly. RESULTS: IL-6 and CRP levels systematically increased in an age-dependent manner in the entire study group (IL-6: n = 3496 individuals, p < 0.001 and CRP: n = 3632, p = 0.003), and in the subgroup of successfully aging individuals who had never been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, type 2 diabetes, or cancer, and had a Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥24 and a Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score ≥5 (IL-6: n = 1258, p < 0.001 and CRP: n = 1312, p < 0.001). In the subgroup of individuals suffering from aging-related diseases/disability, only IL-6 increased with age (IL-6: n = 2238, p < 0.001 and CRP: n = 2320, p = 0.249). IL-6 and CRP levels were lower in successfully aging individuals than in the remaining study participants (both p < 0.001). Higher IL-6 and CRP levels were associated with poorer physical performance (lower ADL score) and poorer cognitive performance (lower MMSE score) (both p < 0.001). This association remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, lipids, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and smoking status. Longer survival was associated with lower concentrations of IL-6 and CRP not only in individuals with aging-related diseases/disability (HR = 1.063 per each pg/mL, 95 % CI: 1.052-1.074, p < 0.001 and HR = 1.020 per each mg/L, 95 % CI: 1.015-1.025, p < 0.001, respectively) but also in the successfully aging subgroup (HR = 1.163 per each pg/mL, 95 % CI: 1.128-1.199, p < 0.001 and HR = 1.074 per each mg/L, 95 % CI: 1.047-1.100, p < 0.001, respectively). These associations remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, lipids and smoking status. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed similar results (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Both IL-6 and CRP levels were good predictors of physical and cognitive performance and the risk of mortality in both the entire elderly population and in successfully aging individuals

„Evangelischer Volkskalender". Ewangelicki Kalendarz Ludowy w Poznaniu (1861-1941)

Kalender als eine Buchform, die neben einem Kalendarium und den dazu gehörenden Infor- mationen wie Finsternisse des entsprechenden Jahres, Jahresmarktverzeichnis und Genealogien der regierenden Häuser auch aus einem belletristischen Teil bestand, hat seit seiner Popularisierung im15. Jahrhundert große Entwicklung durchgemacht. Als der einzige säkulare Lesestoff, der neben Bibel und einem Gesangbuch sogar von sozialen Untersichten gelesen wurde, hat Kalender schnell an Bedeutung gewonnen und große Rolle in der Herausbildung der konfessionellen und nationalen Identität von den einzelnen Gesellschaftsgruppen gespielt. Im Mittelpunkt dieses Artikels steht eins der deutschsprachigen Kalender, die im 19. und um die Wende zum 20. Jahrhundert in Großpolen in großer Zahl erschienen sind. Evangelischer Volkskalender war eins der Unternehmen, die im Rahmen der sog. Inneren Mission den Christen sowohl die geistliche als auch die materielle Unter- stützung gewähren sollten. An dieser Stelle hat man ausführlich über die evangelische Kirche in der Provinz Posen berichtet und u. a. von den neu entstehenden Kirchengemeinden geschrieben.13 Jahre nach der Erstausgabe des Evangelischen Volkskalenders wurde er von dem Posener Diakonissenhaus übernommen, was nicht ohne Einfluss sowohl auf die Form als auch die Inhalte des Kalenders blieb.Kalender als eine Buchform, die neben einem Kalendarium und den dazu gehörenden Infor- mationen wie Finsternisse des entsprechenden Jahres, Jahresmarktverzeichnis und Genealogien der regierenden Häuser auch aus einem belletristischen Teil bestand, hat seit seiner Popularisierung im15. Jahrhundert große Entwicklung durchgemacht. Als der einzige säkulare Lesestoff, der neben Bibel und einem Gesangbuch sogar von sozialen Untersichten gelesen wurde, hat Kalender schnell an Bedeutung gewonnen und große Rolle in der Herausbildung der konfessionellen und nationalen Identität von den einzelnen Gesellschaftsgruppen gespielt. Im Mittelpunkt dieses Artikels steht eins der deutschsprachigen Kalender, die im 19. und um die Wende zum 20. Jahrhundert in Großpolen in großer Zahl erschienen sind. Evangelischer Volkskalender war eins der Unternehmen, die im Rahmen der sog. Inneren Mission den Christen sowohl die geistliche als auch die materielle Unter- stützung gewähren sollten. An dieser Stelle hat man ausführlich über die evangelische Kirche in der Provinz Posen berichtet und u. a. von den neu entstehenden Kirchengemeinden geschrieben.13 Jahre nach der Erstausgabe des Evangelischen Volkskalenders wurde er von dem Posener Diakonissenhaus übernommen, was nicht ohne Einfluss sowohl auf die Form als auch die Inhalte des Kalenders blieb

Zwischen Bewunderung und Kritik – Theodor Fontanes Reisebericht „Ein Sommer in London“ als ‘Dokument einer Gesellschaft und eines Zeitalters’

Zwischen Bewunderung und Kritik – Theodor Fontanes Reisebericht „Ein Sommer in London“ als ‘Dokument einer Gesellschaft und eines Zeitalters

Protective Effect of <i>Urtica dioica</i> Extract against Oxidative Stress in Human Skin Fibroblasts

Urtica dioica is a species with well-established significance in folk medicine in many countries. It was utilized to support the treatment of arthritis, allergies, and urinary tract disorders; however, the substantial presence of antioxidants suggests that nettle extract could also have a positive impact on the skin. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of nettle extract on human skin fibroblasts subjected to oxidative stress. Various solvents were tested to prepare an extract rich in polyphenolic compounds with high antioxidant potential. The chemical composition was determined using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-MS). H2O2 treatment was used to induce oxidative stress and cell viability, and the metabolism was evaluated through NR and MTT assays. Our study demonstrated that extraction with 80% ethanol, followed by the drying and re-dissolving of the extract in pure water, was more efficient than direct extraction with water. This yielded an extract rich in polyphenolic compounds, with chlorogenic acid and caffeoylmalic acid as the predominant compounds, averaging 64.9 and 114.4 µg/mL, respectively. The extract exhibited antioxidant properties in the DPPH and ABTS assays. Furthermore, it did not exhibit cytotoxicity and did not negatively affect cell metabolism. In addition, it effectively reduced ROS in the H2O2-stimulated cells, and at the highest concentration tested, the ROS levels returned to those of the untreated control. The extract also protected against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity. The cell viability was maintained at the level of the untreated control when the cells were pretreated with the extract before H2O2 exposure. These findings indicate that U. dioica extract is a valuable and safe additive in skincare products