Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Od Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej do Polski Ludowej : ewolucja systemu ochrony zdrowia w Polsce w latach 1944–1950

Artykul poświecony zostal procesom ksztaltowania sie systemu ochrony zdrowia w Polsce w pierwszych latach po zakonczeniu II wojny światowej. Jego celem jest ukazanie ewolucji, jaka sie w tym czasie w tej dziedzinie polityki spolecznej dokonywala. Polegala ona na przejściu od regul ustanowionych jeszcze przed wojną i bedących podstawą funkcjonowania ochrony zdrowia tuz po wyzwoleniu do systemu opartego na centralizacji, upanstwowieniu i planowaniu, wzorowanego na rozwiązaniach sowieckich i bedącego w zamierzeniu jednym z nieodlącznych elementow systemu stalinowskiego w Polsce. Ramy czasowe artykulu obejmują okres od wyzwolenia cześci ziem polskich i przejecia wladzy przez Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego do roku 1950, gdy zakonczone zostaly zasadnicze przemiany w organizacji systemu ochrony zdrowia w Polsce. From the Second Polish Republic to the People’s Poland. The evolution of the health care system in Poland in the years 1944–1950 First years after the Second World War were very difficult for the health care in Poland. The end of German occupation brought a wide range of challenges. They resulted from war damage, a significant loss of medical staff and a large scale of health risks. One of important goals of the health policy was to create the public health service available to all citizens. Initially, the restoration of the health care system was based on the model created in the interwar period. With time, along with political changes taking place in Poland, the transformation of the system began to adapt it to the centrally planned economy. The main part of this process ended in 1950. The new system was compatible with the Soviet model and was based on central and directive management which included all elements of the so-called “social health service”. The private medical practice was pushed to the margin and insurance health service was taken over by the state. The system built after the war, however, was still not widespread. Most of the rural population, which represented nearly half of the country`s population, were deprived of equal access to health care.
Promising investigational drug candidates in phase I and phase II clinical trials for mesothelioma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and lethal malignancy primarily affecting the pleura and peritoneum. Mesothelioma incidence is expected to increase worldwide and current treatments remain ineffective, leading to poor prognosis. Within this article potential targets to improve the quality of life of the patients and assessment of further avenues for research are discussed. Areas covered: This review highlights emerging therapies currently under investigation for malignant mesothelioma with a specific focus on phase I and phase II clinical trials. Three main areas are discussed: immunotherapy (immune checkpoint blockade and cancer vaccines, among others), multitargeted therapy (such as targeting pro-angiogenic genes) and gene therapy (such as suicide gene therapy). For each, clinical trials are described to detail the current or past investigations at phase I and II. Expert opinion: The approach of applying existing treatments from other cancers does not show significant benefit, with the most promising outcome being an increase in survival of 2.7 months following combination of chemotherapy with bevacizumab. It is our opinion that the hypoxic microenvironment, the role of the stroma, and the metabolic status of mesothelioma should all be assessed and characterised to aid in the development of new treatments to improve patient outcomes.
Propofol modulates activation and desensitization of GABAA receptors in cultured murine hippocampal neurons

Propofol (2,6 di-isopropylphenol) is an alkyphenol recently introduced for use as a general anesthetic. The modulation of GABAA receptor activation and desensitization by propofol was studied using a rapid perfusion system and whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings from mouse hippocampal neurons. The effects of concentrations of propofol used clinically on single-channel and synaptic currents were also examined. Propofol evoked current responses (EC50 = 61 microM) and shifted the dose-response curve of GABA-activated current to the left without altering the maximum of the GABA response. Preincubation with propofol and GABA led to desensitization of the GABA response (EC50 = 454 microM and 23 microM, respectively). Saturating concentrations of GABA (600 microM) evoked currents that peaked and then declined in a biexponential fashion with fast and slow time constants of tau f = 1.0 sec and tau s = 3.5 sec. Propofol (10 microM) did not change the amplitude of the peak response but decreased the rates of decay approximately 1.5-fold and enhanced the steady-state current proportionately. Recovery from desensitization was also biexponential (tau f = 11 sec, tau s = 69 sec) but not influenced by propofol. Single- channel recordings from outside-out patches demonstrated that both propofol and GABA activated channels with a 30 pS and 21 pS open state. Propofol increased the frequency but not the duration or conductance of GABA-activated events. Miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mlPSCs) were evoked by the application of hypertonic sucrose to the cell soma. Propofol (2 microM) prolonged the decay time of mlPSCs to an extent similar to which it increased the open probability of GABA- activated channels (2.3- vs 3-fold). A sequential model, based on a previous scheme of GABA receptor gating (Weiss and Magelby, 1989), is presented to summarize propofol's actions on GABAA receptor function. We show through simulation that the model reliably reproduced the whole- cell tracings. Our results indicate that propofol's neurodepressive actions will be associated with enhancement of inhibitory synaptic transmission.
Factors affecting the adoption of information and communication technology in small and medium enterprises: a perspective from rural Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can play an important role in the national economy of developing countries. The adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) has enabled local SMEs to participate in the international market. However, little research has addressed issues related to SMEs adopting ICTs, especially in rural areas of Middle Eastern developing countries such as Saudi Arabia. Using the extended technology-organization-environment framework with personal innovativeness, this study examined the factors that influence the adoption of ICTs among SMEs in rural areas of Saudi Arabia. The study found that relative advantages, top management support, culture, regulatory environment, owner/manager innovativeness and ICT knowledge had a significant relationship with ICT adoption among SMEs in Saudi Arabia, whereas compatibility, complexity and a competitive environment had no significant relationship with ICT adoption. The findings of this study will potentially help SME managers/owners and the Saudi government in the successful adoption and diffusion of ICT in SMEs located in rural areas in Saudi Arabia.
Chemotherapy for nonmetastatic osteogenic sarcoma: the Memorial Sloan-Kettering experience.

PURPOSE Adjuvant chemotherapy improves disease-free survival (DFS) for patients with osteogenic sarcoma (OS). We reviewed our experience with OS to determine prognostic factors, the role of preoperative chemotherapy and subsequent histologic response, and the role of salvage chemotherapy after poor initial response. METHODS From 1975 to 1984, we saw 279 patients with previously untreated OS without metastasis. All patients received intensive chemotherapy and underwent surgical resection of primary tumor. Chemotherapy included high-dose methotrexate; Adriamycin (doxorubicin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH); and bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, and dactinomycin (BCD). Selected patients also received cisplatin. RESULTS DFS was not affected by use of preoperative chemotherapy versus immediate surgery, by use of limb-sparing surgery versus amputation, age, sex, or dose intensity of chemotherapy. DFS did correlate with serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase, primary tumor site, race, and histologic response to preoperative chemotherapy. There was no difference in DFS for patients with a poor histologic response who did or did not receive cisplatin, although patients who did receive cisplatin had a longer time to relapse. The 5-year DFS was 76% for patients aged less than or equal to 21 years who had extremity primary tumor and were treated with the T10 protocol. CONCLUSIONS Intensive chemotherapy can achieve DFS for a high proportion of patients with OS. Although it is a powerful predictor of DFS, histologic response to preoperative chemotherapy cannot be assessed at diagnosis. We have not shown an ability to salvage patients with an unfavorable response. We need to increase the proportion of patients with a favorable response, identify the patients who will have an unfavorable response, and develop novel treatments to salvage poor responders.
Impact of co-located general practitioner (GP) clinics and patient choice on duration of wait in the emergency department

Objective To empirically model the determinants of duration of wait of emergency (triage category 2) patients in an emergency department (ED) focusing on two questions: (i) What is the effect of enhancing the degree of choice for non-urgent (triage category 5) patients on duration of wait for emergency (category 2) patients in EDs; and (ii) What is the effect of co-located GP clinics on duration of wait for emergency patients in EDs? The answers to these questions will help in understanding the effectiveness of demand management strategies, which are identified as one of the solutions to ED crowding. Methods The duration of wait for each patient (difference between arrival time and time first seen by treating doctor) was modelled as a function of input factors (degree of choice, patient characteristics, weekend admission, metro/regional hospital, concentration of emergency (category 2) patients in hospital service area), throughput factors (availability of doctors and nurses) and output factor (hospital bed capacity). The unit of analysis was a patient episode and the model was estimated using a survival regression technique. Results The degree of choice for non-urgent (category 5) patients has a non-linear effect: more choice for non-urgent patients is associated with longer waits for emergency patients at lower values and shorter waits at higher values of degree of choice. Thus more choice of EDs for non-urgent patients is related to a longer wait for emergency (category 2) patients in EDs. The waiting time for emergency patients in hospital campuses with co-located GP clinics was 19% lower (1.5 min less) on average than for those waiting in campuses without co-located GP clinics. Conclusion These findings suggest that diverting non-urgent (category 5) patients to an alternative model of care (co-located GP clinics) is a more effective demand management strategy and will reduce ED crowding.
Measurements of in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra in neuroectodermal tumors for the evaluation of the effects of chemotherapy.

The effects of chemotherapy on living tumor tissue in hamsters and rats were investigated by measuring the 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra using topical magnetic resonance. Human neuroblastoma, human glioblastoma, and rat glioma tumor cells were inoculated s.c. in the lumbar region of the animals. After the diameter of the tumors increased to 1.5 cm, in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were measured selectively in the tumors with a TMR-32 spectrometer. Adenosine triphosphate, inorganic phosphate (Pi), phosphodiester, and phosphomonoester peaks were observed. The phosphocreatine peak was hardly detectable, adenosine triphosphate and phosphomonoester peaks were high, and tissue pH, calculated from the chemical shift of Pi, declined. Regardless of the tumor origin or the histological type, the spectral pattern of each neuroectodermal tumor was found to be essentially the same. After i.v. injection of a large dose of a chemotherapeutic agent, adenosine triphosphate peaks decreased and Pi increased gradually, resulting in a dominant Pi peak pattern after 6 to 12 hours. However, during the same period, there were no observable changes in the spectra of normal organs. These findings indicated that the drugs have a selective and direct action on the energy metabolism of tumor cells. With lower drug doses, no remarkable changes were seen in the spectrum. Measurement of in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra is valuable not only to investigate the energy metabolism in tumor tissue but also to evaluate the effects of chemotherapy.
Rural Financing, Infrastructural Investment and Agricultural Productivity: any hope for Poverty Reduction in Africa?

Poverty is the root cause of hunger which in turn causes malnutrition, low productivity and low income, leading to a phenomenon called ‘vicious circle of poverty and hunger’, which is a common feature associated with African countries. A breakaway out of this circle is to improve agricultural productivity of the continent via infrastructural investment. The preoccupation of this paper, therefore, is to provide a link between rural financing, infrastructural investment, agricultural productivity and income inequality in some selected African countries. The Generalized least square (GLS) estimation technique is adopted to analyse the panel data drawn from secondary sources. The analysis reveals that electricity per capita and health expenditure which are proxy for infrastructural investment have significant impact on agricultural output. The policy implication that emanates from this study highlights the need for the various African States to improve on its electricity generation so as to meet the increasing demand of the growing population and also increase the percentage of health expenditure to GDP in order to improve the health sector.
Current Perspectives of Oxidative Stress and its Measurement in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

ABSTRACT Cigarette smoking, the principal aetiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the developed countries, delivers and generates oxidative stress within the lungs. This imbalance of oxidant burden and antioxidant capacity has been implicated as an important contributing factor in the pathogenesis of COPD. Oxidative processes and free radical generation orchestrate the inflammation, mucous gland hyperplasia, and apoptosis of the airway lining epithelium which characterises COPD. Pivotal oxidative stress/pro-inflammatory molecules include reactive oxygen species such as the superoxides and hydroxyl radicals, pro-inflammatory cytokines including leukotrienes, interleukins, tumour necrosis factor alpha, and activated transcriptional factors such as nuclear factor kappa-B and activator protein 1. The lung has a large reserve of antioxidant agents such as glutathione and superoxide dismutase to counter oxidants. However, smoking also causes the depletion of antioxidants, which further contributes to oxidative tissue damage. The downregulation of antioxidant pathways has also been associated with acute exacerbations of COPD. The delivery of redox-protective antioxidants may have preventative and therapeutic potential of COPD. Although these observations have yet to translate into common clinical practice, preliminary clinical trials and studies of animal models have shown that interventions to counter this oxidative imbalance may have potential to better manage COPD. There is, thus, a need for the ability to monitor such interventions and exhaled breath condensate is rapidly emerging as a novel and noninvasive approach in the sampling of airway epithelial lining fluid which could be used for repeated analysis of oxidative stress and inflammation in the lungs.
The clinical impact of histopathologic response assessment by residual tumor cell quantification in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas

The objectives of this study were to investigate histomorphologic features as a response classification after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RTx/CTx) and to correlate the results with clinical outcome parameters (e.g., postoperative morbidity and mortality, recurrence, and survival) in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
Statistical modeling of propagation channels for Terahertz band

Digital revolution and recent advances in telecommunications technology enable to design communication systems which operate within the regions close to the theoretical capacity limits. Ever-increasing demand for wireless communications and emerging numerous high-capacity services and applications mandate providers to employ more bandwidth-oriented solutions to meet the requirements. Trend and predictions point out that marketplace targets data rates around 10Gbps or even more within the upcoming decade. It is clear that such rates could only be achieved by employing more bandwidth with the state-of-the-art technology. Considering the fact that bands in the range of 275GHz-3000GHz, which are known as Terahertz (THz) bands, are not allocated yet for specific active services around the globe, there is an enormous potential to achieve the desired data rates. Although THz bands look promising to achieve data rates on the order of several tens of Gbps, realization of fully operational THz communications systems obliges to carry out a multidisciplinary effort including statistical propagation and channel characterizations, adaptive transceiver designs, reconfigurable platforms, advanced signal processing algorithms and techniques along with upper layer protocols equipped with various security and privacy levels. Therefore, in this study, several important statistical parameters for line-of-sight (LOS) channels are measured. High resolution frequency domain measurements are carried out at single-sweep within a span of 60GHz. Impact of antenna misalignment under LOS conditions is also investigated. By validating exponential decay of the received power in both time and frequency domain, path loss exponent is examined for different frequencies along with the frequency-dependent path loss phenomenon. Furthermore, impact of humidity is also tested under LOS scenario. Measurement results are presented along with relevant discussions and future directions are provided as well.
Enhancing the natural frequency doublet splitting in almost periodic azimuthally corrugated cavities

A symmetry of a corrugated periodic structure can be broken due to loading or/and fabrication defects so that frequency doublets may appear, whose frequencies are just slightly splitted. In this letter, we study the potentials to enhance this splitting by enhancing the asymmetry of the cavity. This is provided by a single (loaded) resonator which differs in its geometry from other resonators. The initial causes of the asymmetry are not taken into account. The used characteristic matrix equation is obtained by a mode-matching technique. It is shown that the doublet splitting can reach several percent due to a convenient choice of the geometry of the loaded resonator.
DYRK1A phosphorylates caspase 9 at an inhibitory site and is potently inhibited in human cells by harmine

DYRK1A is a member of the dual‐specificity tyrosine‐phosphorylation‐regulated protein kinase family and is implicated in Down’s syndrome. Here, we identify the cysteine aspartyl protease caspase 9, a critical component of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, as a substrate of DYRK1A. Depletion of DYRK1A from human cells by short interfering RNA inhibits the basal phosphorylation of caspase 9 at an inhibitory site, Thr125. DYRK1A‐dependent phosphorylation of Thr125 is also blocked by harmine, confirming the use of this β‐carboline alkaloid as a potent inhibitor of DYRK1A in cells. We show that harmine not only inhibits the protein–serine/threonine kinase activity of mature DYRK1A, but also its autophosphorylation on tyrosine during translation, indicating that harmine prevents formation of the active enzyme. When co‐expressed in cells, DYRK1A interacts with caspase 9, strongly induces Thr125 phosphorylation and inhibits caspase 9 auto‐processing. Phosphorylation of caspase 9 by DYRK1A involves co‐localization to the nucleus. These results indicate that DYRK1A sets a threshold for the activation of caspase 9 through basal inhibitory phosphorylation of this protease. Regulation of apoptosis through inhibitory phosphorylation of caspase 9 may play a role in the function of DYRK1A during development and in pathogenesis.
An Innate Response to Allogeneic Nonself Mediated by Monocytes1

The mammalian innate immune system has evolved diverse strategies to distinguish self from microbial nonself. How the innate immune system distinguishes self-tissues from those of other members of the same species (allogeneic nonself) is less clear. To address this question, we studied the cutaneous hypersensitivity response of lymphocyte-deficient RAG−/− mice to spleen cells transplanted from either allogeneic or syngeneic RAG−/− donors. We found that RAG−/− mice mount a specific response to allogeneic cells characterized by swelling and infiltration of the skin with host monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. The response required prior priming with allogeneic splenocytes or skin grafts and exhibited features of memory as it could be elicited at least 4 wk after immunization. Neither depletion of host NK cells nor rechallenging immunized mice with F1 hybrid splenocytes inhibited the response, indicating that the response is not mediated by NK cells. Depletion of host monocytes/macrophages or neutrophils at the time of rechallenge significantly diminished the response and, importantly, the adoptive transfer of monocytes from alloimmunized RAG−/− mice conferred alloimmunity to naive RAG−/− hosts. Unlike NK- and T cell-dependent alloresponses, monocyte-mediated alloimmunity could be elicited only when donor and responder mice differed at non-MHC loci. These observations indicate that monocytes mount a response to allogeneic nonself, a function not previously attributed to them, and suggest the existence of mammalian innate allorecognition strategies distinct from detection of missing self-MHC molecules by NK cells.
Efficiency of National Innovation Systems – Poland and Bulgaria in The Context of the Global Innovation Index

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explain how national innovation systems may transform innovation input into innovation output in different counties. Using the Global Innovation Index (GII) we discuss what can be understood by the term ‘innovation’ and how it is translated into the national level. The research question is founded on the assumption that the higher the innovation input, the higher the innovation output attained by a country. We use cluster analysis to verify our assumption, referring to a total of 228 countries. Afterwards we conduct a more in‑depth analysis of two cases (Poland and Bulgaria), where the research question does not find confirmation. Using the cross‑comparison method we aim to verify how and why national innovation systems failed (or succeeded) in creating innovations.