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Simple Summary: Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) can be used to salvage at least a proportion of plasma cell myeloma patients who relapse after a previous auto-HCT. It may, however, occur that there is either no or an insufficient stem cell dose in storage to proceed to transplantation. Remobilization to procure new cells is then required. There are very limited data in the literature concerning the efficacy of stem cell remobilization after previous auto-HCT. In our previous report, we showed that remobilization with cytarabine was associated with a lower risk of remobilization failure in comparison to etoposide or cyclophosphamide. In the current study, we analyze the efficacy and safety of different doses of cytarabine (800, 1600, and 2400 mg/m2), showing that all doses are efficacious but that the dose of 2400 mg/m2 is associated with the most toxicity. Therefore, lower doses of cytarabine seem to be preferable, with plerixafor rescue when needed. Salvage autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) may be used to treat relapse of plasma cell myeloma occurring after previous auto-HCT. When an insufficient number of hematopoietic stem cells have been stored from the initial harvest, remobilization is necessary. Here, we aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of different doses of cytarabine (total 800 vs. 1600 vs. 2400 mg/m2) for remobilization. Sixty-five patients, 55% male, with a median age at remobilization 63 years, were included. Remobilization was performed with cytarabine_800 in 7, cytarabine_1600 in 36, and cytarabine_2400 in 22 patients. Plerixafor rescue was used in 25% of patients receiving cytarabine_1600 and 27% of those receiving cytarabine_2400. Patients administered cytarabine_800 were not rescued with plerixafor. Remobilization was successful in 80% of patients (57% cytarabine_800; 86% cytarabine_1600; 77% cytarabine_2400; p = 0.199). The yield of collected CD34+ cells did not differ between the different cytarabine doses (p = 0.495). Patients receiving cytarabine_2400 were at the highest risk of developing severe cytopenias, requiring blood product support, or having blood-stream infections. One patient died of septic shock after cytarabine_2400. In summary, remobilization with cytarabine is feasible in most patients. All doses of cytarabine allow for successful remobilization. Cytarabine_2400 is associated with higher toxicity; therefore, lower doses (800 or 1600 mg/m2) seem to be preferable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Order of St. Augustine, along with the Canons Regular of the Penitence of the Blessed Martyrs and the Canons Regular of the Lateran, constitutes "the family of St. Augustine" - religious congregations rooted in the Rule of St. Augustine and actively developing the spirituality inspired by the bishop of Hippo. This paper aims to explore the churches affiliated with these orders in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It seeks to address the question of whether the communal spirit is reflected in the formal solutions employed in these churches, and whether these orders adhered to typical architectural forms, or each order developed its own distinctive architectural character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to present the position of the Visegrad Group countries towards the war in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022 with the attack of the Russian Federation on this country. On the one hand, the aim is to show the motivation and actions of the authorities of the four Visegrad Group countries towards Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the forms and types of assistance provided to Ukraine by each country separately. On the other hand, the aim is to answer the question: how did Hungary's different position affect cooperation within the Visegrad Group? What are the reasons for Hungary's different approach to the war in Ukraine and Russia's policy? It can be observed that the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia presented a pro-Ukrainian position in their actions towards the war in Ukraine, while Hungary, unlike the other Visegrad countries, presented a pro-Russian position, which caused a crisis in cooperation within the Visegrad Group. Slovakia's attitude changed to a more pro-Russian one after the Smer party, headed by Robert Fico, came to power at the end of 2023. Now we can observe the division of the Visegrad Group into two camps: Polish-Czech and Slovak-Hungarian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: February 2022's wholesale Russian invasion of Ukraine strongly impaired the availability of hematological treatments including hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) during the first months. Many activities were initiated by Ukrainian physicians with the support of the international community. Ukrainian refugees received almost unlimited access to treatment in some EU countries, such as Poland. Material and methods: Activities of the 'Help for Ukrainian Hematology Patients' (HUP) initiative are described in this article. Information on HCT and cell therapy in refugee patients in Polish transplant centers was collected by questionnaire between 24 February 2022 and 24 February 2023. Results: Data on 65 patients was available: 22 males and 43 females, with a median age of 35 years. The most frequent diagnoses were Hodgkin's lymphoma (20 patients) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (17 patients). Allo-HCT was performed in 24 patients, auto-HCT in 36 patients and CAR-T-cells in five patients. Fourteen patients (21.5%) received treatment that was unavailable in Ukraine. The major challenges included social and language issues. Conclusions: The number of initiatives of Ukrainian physicians and HUP led to a significant increase in the number of HCT procedures in Ukraine after the initial drop-down. The almost unlimited access to healthcare in some EU countries has allowed refugees to get treatment that is unavailable in Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that significantly affects the social and professional life of patients, causing distortion of reality and loss of identity and cognitive abilities. Psychopharmacological treatment is an integral part of modern psychiatry, and the introduction of new "atypical" antipsychotic drugs has brought significant progress in the treatment of this disorder. One of these drugs is olanzapine, which has an effective effect on the productive symptoms of schizophrenia while having an almost minimal potential to cause extrapyramidal syndrome. However, its effectiveness is confronted with frequent side effects, referred to as "metabolic disorders". Therefore, to ensure the effectiveness of treatment and to minimize the side effects caused by olanzapine, it is recommended to monitor the drug level during therapy. This article reviews the bioanalytical methodologies that enable efficient extraction and sensitive analysis of olanzapine. We considered the advantages and disadvantages of different sample pretreatment methods, including traditional and novel strategies. The analytical conditions required for the separation and detection of olanzapine and its metabolites were analyzed using chromatographic methods combined with various detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) is a complex disorder that typically manifests after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). It is a major cause of non-relapse mortality, which makes finding biomarkers associated with its occurrence a priority. Recent studies increasingly indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs, short regulatory RNA molecules) can be used as biomarkers of various disorders. They can circulate in patients' bodies encapsulated within extracellular vesicles (EVs). Objectives. To identify miRNAs associated with the occurrence of cGvHD in EVs isolated from the plasma of patients after allogeneic HSCT. Materials and methods. We performed global miRNA expression profiling in a pilot cohort of 3 cGvHD cases and 4 non-cGvHD patients without disease symptoms 90 days after the transplantation (control group). Results. The 2 groups were naturally clustered according to their miRNA profiles using unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis. We identified 3 miRNAs that were differentially expressed in the cGvHD patients compared to the non-cGvHD patients. The levels of hsa-miR-630 and hsa-miR-374b-5p were lower in the cGvHD patients: 4.1-fold (p = 0.002) and 2.7-fold (p = 0.044), respectively. In contrast, the levels of hsa-miR-29c-3p were 5.8-fold higher (p = 0.004). Conclusions. Our results suggest that miRNA profiles from plasma EVs may act as markers of cGvHD onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this research was to assess teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education (IE) of students with special developmental needs in the school space. The article is a comparative study in which teachers from Polish and South African schools -- special and public schools -- took part. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: Following a pragmatic paradigm, a quantitative strategy and diagnostic survey method were applied. The specially prepared tool, the Scale for Attitudes Towards IE, was used to generate data. With 444 cases in total, we considered only the randomly selected 82 teachers from Poland and 81 teachers from South Africa. Confirming the normal distribution of variables, ANOVA and t-test were used for independent variables and descriptive statistics.. For post-hoc analyses, Tukey's HSD test was used for equal or different N. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The own research on teachers' attitudes towards IE was preceded by theoretical considerations on the idea of educational inclusion. Determinants supporting the inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools were identified. International scholars reported that one of the many factors considered as conducive to the implementation of the IE was teachers' attitude towards the idea of inclusion, which became fundamental for research about "otherness" in mainstream education. The teachers' attitudes were assessed as a whole and separately in division according to the type of institution, nationality and seniority. RESEARCH RESULTS: In the overall assessment of attitudes towards inclusive education there were no statistically significant intergroup differences between teachers in Polish and South African schools. However, clear differences emerged in post-hoc analyses of the variables such as: type of the institution and seniority within the two different contexts. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The presented international comparative research on teachers' attitudes towards IE takes into account not only the current state, but also the historical context of both nations, marked by the stigma of segregation and the fight against discrimination. The study shows how it is important to pay attention to the process of teachers' education -- pedagogues, especially, the ones prepared to work in mainstream institutions, for eliminating barriers, adapting curricula to the students' individual needs, and building openness. It is essential to monitor the correlation between seniority and the direction and intensity of attitudes towards education open for all. Further research is recommended in the area of teachers' burnout, work routine and teachers' level of empathy, which change in the span of life and may affect the attitude towards children not only with special educational needs in the system. It is postulated to conduct research also in the context of teachers' professional burnout, routine and the level of empathy, which change in the space of life and may affect the attitude towards children with special educational needs not only in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]