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Maciej Falkowski podejmuje w książce Armenia. Obieg zamknięty próbę krytycznego spojrzenia na kulturę ormiańską, przedstawiając ją w sposób mało zniuansowany i uproszczony. Stąd nasza potrzeba podjęcia polemiki z autorem i przedstawienia alternatywnej interpretacji kwestii związanych z kulturą ormiańską, w oparciu o znane nam badania oraz własną praktykę terenową i dostępne opracowania. Skupiamy się na trzech wybranych zagadnieniach: nacjonalizmie Ormian, ich stosunku do religii oraz problemom związanym z niską pozycją kobiet w społeczeństwie. Pokazujemy, że kwestie te są o wiele bardziej złożone, niż przedstawia to Falkowski, oraz próbujemy wyjaśnić je pełniej, w oparciu o dostępną literaturę oraz przy uwzględnieniu szerszych czynników społeczno-ekonomicznych oraz kulturowych. Słowa kluczowe: Armenia, Turcja, feminizm, Apostolski Kościół Ormiański, generalizacja, esencjalizacja, nacjonalizm

Depression and anxiety have both been associated with cognitive biases, namely a more negative bias compared to the positive bias which is often present in healthy controls. The dual process theory identifies two different information processing systems: the reflective (explicit) route, and the impulsive (implicit) route. People can hold both implicit and explicit attitudes towards a target; at times these can be highly related, whereas at other times they can be more independent. Social evaluation learning involves using social information and cues to make judgements; these can take place both in the moment (on-line), and also later after the event has occurred in a reflective manner. Alterations in both of these modes of judgement have been linked to depression and social anxiety. We will be exploring both in-the-moment responses as well as global reflections in order to explore the relationship between implicit and explicit social evaluation learning with respect to depression and social anxiety. To do this we will be using an adaptation of the social evaluation learning task used by Button et al (2015).

In humans, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) deficiency impairs brain energy metabolism by reducing the availability of the functional acetyl‑CoA pool. This "hypometabolic defect" results in congenital lactic acidosis and abnormalities of brain morphology and function, ranging from mild ataxia to profound psychomotor retardation. Our previous study showed reduction in total cell number and dendritic arbors in the cerebellar Purkinje cells in systemic PDC‑deficient mice. Phenylbutyrate has been shown to increase PDC activity in cultured fibroblasts from PDC‑deficient patients. Hence, we investigated the effects of postnatal (days 2‑35) phenylbutyrate administration on the cerebellar Purkinje cell population in PDC‑deficient female mice. Histological analyses of different regions of cerebellar cortex from the brain‑specific PDC‑deficient saline‑injected mice revealed statistically significant reduction in the Purkinje cell density and increased cell size of the individual Purkinje cell soma compared to control PDC‑normal, saline‑injected group. Administration of phenylbutyrate to control mice did not cause significant changes in the Purkinje cell density and cell size in the studied regions. In contrast, administration of phenylbutyrate variably lessened the ill effects of PDC deficiency on Purkinje cell populations in different areas of the cerebellum. Our results lend further support for the possible use of phenylbutyrate as a potential treatment for PDC deficiency.

The main source of energy for brain and other organs is glucose. To obtain energy for all tissue, glucose has to come through glycolysis; then as pyruvate it is converted to acetyl-CoA by pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) and finally enters citric acid cycle. What happens when one of these stages become disturb? Mutation in genes encoding subunits of PDC leads to pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency. Abnormalities in PDC activity result in severe metabolic and brain malformations. For better understanding the development and mechanism of pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency the murine model of this disease has been created. Studies on a murine model showed similar malformation in brain structures as in the patients suffered from pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency such as reduced neuronal density, heterotopias of grey matter, reduced size of corpus callosum and pyramids. There is still no effective cure for PDC-deficiency. Promising therapy seemed to be ketogenic diet, which substitutes glucose to ketone bodies as a source of energy. Studies have shown that ketogenic diet decreases lactic acidosis and inhibits brain malformations, but not the mortality in early childhood. The newest reports say that phenylbutyrate increases the level of PDC in the brain, because it reduces the level of inactive form of PDH. Experiments on human fibroblast and zebra fish PDC-deficiency model showed that phenylbutyrate is promising cure to PDC-deficiency. This review summarizes the most important findings on the metabolic and morphological effects of PDC-deficiency and research for treatment therapy.

In humans, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) deficiency impairs brain energy metabolism by reducing the availability of the functional acetyl‑CoA pool. This "hypometabolic defect" results in congenital lactic acidosis and abnormalities of brain morphology and function, ranging from mild ataxia to profound psychomotor retardation. Our previous study showed reduction in total cell number and dendritic arbors in the cerebellar Purkinje cells in systemic PDC‑deficient mice. Phenylbutyrate has been shown to increase PDC activity in cultured fibroblasts from PDC‑deficient patients. Hence, we investigated the effects of postnatal (days 2‑35) phenylbutyrate administration on the cerebellar Purkinje cell population in PDC‑deficient female mice. Histological analyses of different regions of cerebellar cortex from the brain‑specific PDC‑deficient saline‑injected mice revealed statistically significant reduction in the Purkinje cell density and increased cell size of the individual Purkinje cell soma compared to control PDC‑normal, saline‑injected group. Administration of phenylbutyrate to control mice did not cause significant changes in the Purkinje cell density and cell size in the studied regions. In contrast, administration of phenylbutyrate variably lessened the ill effects of PDC deficiency on Purkinje cell populations in different areas of the cerebellum. Our results lend further support for the possible use of phenylbutyrate as a potential treatment for PDC deficiency.

Amygdala is a limbic structure involved in the stress response. The immunohistochemical and morphometric methods were used to examine whether the chronic mild psychological stress during the early postnatal period would change activation of amygdaloid nuclei in response to the same stressor in adult. In the study we focused on the role of neurons containing calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR), parvalbumin (PV) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The rats were divided into three groups: control non-stressed animals and two experimental: EI consisted of animals that were exposed to acute stress in the high-light, open-field test (HL-OF) at P90 (P - postnatal day) and EII consisted of rats that were exposed to chronic stress in HL-OF, daily during the first 21 postnatal days and then once at P90. The scheme of activation of amygdaloid nuclei under stress in EI and EII group was similar. The highest density of c-Fos-ir cells (c-Fos - a marker of neuronal activation) was demonstrated by the medial nucleus (Me) and bed nucleus of the accessory olfactory tract (BAOT). The amygdaloid nuclei diversity after HL-OF was determined by the high activation of the NOS-ir cells in the Me and NOS- and CR-ir cells in the BAOT. These are probably projection neurons involved in modulation of defensive, reproductive and autonomic behavior in stress response and creation/storage of aversive memory. However, in comparison with EI group, significant decrease in density of c-Fos-ir cells, in almost all amygdaloid nuclei of EII group was revealed. Particularly in BAOT and Me the strong decrease of activity of NOS- and CR-ir neurons was observed. It probably results in attenuation of stress responses what, depending on the circumstances, can be adaptive or maladaptive.

Cadmium was determined in 230 daily food rations of children aged 8-9 years and 12-13 years. The study was carried out in spring and in autumn during three successive days. Daily meals were collected from the households selected in the area of five villages. Cadmium was determined by the extraction ASA method, after dry mineralization at about 450 degrees C. The level of cadmium in the examined food rations varied from 6 to 569 micrograms/person/day, with the mean value of 43.5 +/- 52.6 micrograms/person/day, and the median of 31.3 micrograms. In 93% of food rations the amount of cadmium was below the upper limit--the dose permitted by the WHO for adults i.e. 57-71 micrograms/day. Considering the children's smaller body weight the daily cadmium intake in food rations was converted into the daily cadmium intake per 1 kilogram body weight. In the group of children aged 8-9 years cadmium intake was 0.3-15 micrograms, with the mean value of 1.7 micrograms, and in the group of 12-13-years-old children it was 0.1-13.9 micrograms, with the mean of 1.3 micrograms. Only 36% of food rations in the group of younger children and 58% of food rations in the older group contained the amount of cadmium below the tolerable value of 1 microgram/kg body weight/day. The weekly cadmium intake was calculated for each child based on its amount in daily food rations during the successive three days. The mean value was 12.3 micrograms/kg body weight, with the median of 8.1 micrograms, within the range of values 2.1-58.8 micrograms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In the region of Puławy where the operation of the Nitrogen-Compound Manufacturing Plant has lead to an increase in nitrogen compound emission to the environment, nitrate and nitrite contents in daily food rations of children were determined. Daily food rations of children aged 8-9 and 12-13 years were collected from individual farms in four villages situated in the vicinity of the Nitrogen Plant, as well as--for control--from individual farms in Janowiec, a village distant from this Plant. Nitrate and nitrite contents were assayed in 300 daily food rations taken in spring and autumn. Nitrate was reduced to nitrite on a cadmium column whereupon it was determined colorimetrically using sulphanilic acid and N-1-napthyl-ethylenediamine. It was found that in the group of younger children as many as 70%, on the average, of the examined food rations displayed nitrate contents exceeding the admissible levels. In the group of the 12-13 years old children, the percentage of daily food rations whose nitrate content exceeded the admissible level was lower, averaging ca. 30% of all rations examined. The percentage of the daily food rations in which the nitrite content was higher than admissible level was closely similar in both groups of children, averaging ca. 30% of all rations examined. Food rations collected in spring, as compared with those taken in autumn, contained significantly greater amount of nitrate. In both periods of studies, nitrate contents were greater in the food rations from the farms situated near the Nitrogen Plant than in the food rations from farms in Janowiec.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)