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An interview with Chinese conceptual visual artist Mel Chin is presented. When asked on the relative percentage of art and activism in his work, he states that it is a question of desire. Chin states that he is interested in psychological space and in how situational context affects one's experiences. He believes that artists have problems with art in their social realms because they constrain themselves and limit their potentials with such roles.

An interview with New York-based artist Sue Williams is presented. She comments on a review that her work portrays woman as victim. She stated that her work used to be humorous but less specific because she did not know what her feelings were. She was asked whether the issue of control or lack of control was something that worried her as it came up in the artwork.

Celem pracy było określenie zmian zawartości selenu ogółem oraz aktywności wybranych enzymów niezbędnych w przemianach oksydoredukcyjnych w glebie w warunkach zróżnicowanego nawożenia i zmianowania. Próbki glebowe pobrano trzykrotnie w 2002 roku z doświadczenia prowadzonego przez IUNG w Puławach na terenie RZD Grabów n/Wisłą, z obiektów, na których uprawiano jęczmień jary w wariancie zubożającym i wzbogacającym glebę w substancję organiczną. Nawożenie obornikiem zastosowano (jednorazowo w trakcie rotacji) pod ziemniaki w dawkach 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 t • ha-1, natomiast azot w ilości 0, 40, 80 i 120 kg N • ha-1. Wykazano, że nawożenie obornikiem w całym okresie badawczym istotnie wpływało na koncentrację selenu ogółem w glebie, która wzrastała wraz z jego dawką, niezależnie od terminu pobierania próbek glebowych i rodzaju zmianowania. Nie wykazano natomiast jednoznacznego wpływu azotu w tym zakresie. Zawartość tego pierwiastka oraz aktywność katalazy i dehydrogenaz w glebie podlegała stałym wahaniom i wykazywała zmienność sezonową. Nawożenie obornikiem wyraźnie stymulowało aktywność dehydrogenaz i katalazy w glebie. Stwierdzono ścisłą zależność między aktywnością enzymatyczną gleby a zawartością w niej selenu ogółem. Uzyskane z obliczeń statystycznych wartości współczynników korelacji wykazały istotne zależności między aktywnością badanych enzymów glebowych a zawartością węgla organicznego i azotu ogółem.

Background: Orthorexia nervosa (ON), or the obsessive desire to eat only healthy foods, is closely linked to eating behaviors. Among adolescents, the risk of developing ON and its consequences, including weight loss and malnutrition, can be particularly significant due to the crucial impact of eating behaviors on an individual's psychophysical development., Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the eating behaviors of high school students and the risk of ON., Material and Methods: Observational study was conducted using the PAPI method among 514 students aged 14-19, of which 59.3% (N=305) were female. The research tool was a proprietary, validated questionnaire that included the ORTO-15 test (cutoff score=35) and the BSQFVF. The questionnaire was used to assess the frequency of consumption of selected food products, the level of dietary fiber intake, the quantity and regularity of meals consumed, as well as other eating behaviors of the participants. The individual responses were then analyzed according to the risk of ON using correlation coefficients., Results: The prevalence of ON risk was found to be 32.1% (N=165). The percentage of individuals at risk of ON was higher among vegetarians. The results regarding the frequency of consumption of animal protein sources, dietary fiber intake, the number of meals and their regularity were similar in both the group at risk of ON and the group not at risk. Over 80% of individuals who never consumed bars, gummies, and candies were at risk of developing ON., Conclusions: The risk of ON was higher among vegetarians. Individuals who excluded highly processed foods from their diet were more susceptible to developing ON.

AXL, a TAM receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), and its ligand growth arrest-specific 6 (GAS6) are implicated in cancer metastasis and drug resistance, and cellular entry of viruses. Given this, AXL is an attractive therapeutic target, and its inhibitors are being tested in cancer and COVID-19 clinical trials. Still, astonishingly little is known about intracellular mechanisms that control its function. Here, we characterized endocytosis of AXL, a process known to regulate intracellular functions of RTKs. Consistent with the notion that AXL is a primary receptor for GAS6, its depletion was sufficient to block GAS6 internalization. We discovered that upon receptor ligation, GAS6-AXL complexes were rapidly internalized via several endocytic pathways including both clathrin-mediated and clathrin-independent routes, among the latter the CLIC/GEEC pathway and macropinocytosis. The internalization of AXL was strictly dependent on its kinase activity. In comparison to other RTKs, AXL was endocytosed faster and the majority of the internalized receptor was not degraded but rather recycled via SNX1-positive endosomes. This trafficking pattern coincided with sustained AKT activation upon GAS6 stimulation. Specifically, reduced internalization of GAS6-AXL upon the CLIC/GEEC downregulation intensified, whereas impaired recycling due to depletion of SNX1 and SNX2 attenuated AKT signaling. Altogether, our data uncover the coupling between AXL endocytic trafficking and AKT signaling upon GAS6 stimulation. Moreover, our study provides a rationale for pharmacological inhibition of AXL in antiviral therapy as viruses utilize GAS6-AXL-triggered endocytosis to enter cells., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

AXL, a receptor tyrosine kinase from the TAM (TYRO3 AXL and MER) subfamily, and its ligand growth arrest-specific 6 (GAS6) are implicated in pathogenesis of a wide array of cancers, acquisition of resistance to diverse anticancer therapies and cellular entry of viruses. The continuous development of AXL inhibitors for treatment of patients with cancer and COVID-19 underscores the need to better characterize the cellular effects of AXL targeting., In the present study, we compared the cellular phenotypes of CRISPR-Cas9-induced depletion of AXL and its pharmacological inhibition with bemcentinib, LDC1267 and gilteritinib. Specifically, we evaluated GAS6-AXL signaling, cell viability and invasion, the endo-lysosomal system and autophagy in glioblastoma cells. We showed that depletion of AXL but not of TYRO3 inhibited GAS6-induced phosphorylation of downstream signaling effectors, AKT and ERK1/2, indicating that AXL is a primary receptor for GAS6. AXL was also specifically required for GAS6-dependent increase in cell viability but was dispensable for viability of cells grown without exogenous addition of GAS6. Furthermore, we revealed that LDC1267 is the most potent and specific inhibitor of AXL activation among the tested compounds. Finally, we found that, in contrast to AXL depletion and its inhibition with LDC1267, cell treatment with bemcentinib and gilteritinib impaired the endo-lysosomal and autophagy systems in an AXL-independent manner., Implications: Altogether, our findings are of high clinical importance as we discovered that two clinically advanced AXL inhibitors, bemcentinib and gilteritinib, may display AXL-independent cellular effects and toxicity., (©2021 American Association for Cancer Research.)

AXL, a member of the TAM (TYRO3, AXL, MER) receptor tyrosine kinase family, and its ligand, GAS6, are implicated in oncogenesis and metastasis of many cancer types. However, the exact cellular processes activated by GAS6-AXL remain largely unexplored. Here, we identified an interactome of AXL and revealed its associations with proteins regulating actin dynamics. Consistently, GAS6-mediated AXL activation triggered actin remodeling manifested by peripheral membrane ruffling and circular dorsal ruffles (CDRs). This further promoted macropinocytosis that mediated the internalization of GAS6-AXL complexes and sustained survival of glioblastoma cells grown under glutamine-deprived conditions. GAS6-induced CDRs contributed to focal adhesion turnover, cell spreading, and elongation. Consequently, AXL activation by GAS6 drove invasion of cancer cells in a spheroid model. All these processes required the kinase activity of AXL, but not TYRO3, and downstream activation of PI3K and RAC1. We propose that GAS6-AXL signaling induces multiple actin-driven cytoskeletal rearrangements that contribute to cancer-cell invasion., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

This work investigates the potential application of various sterilization methods for microorganism inactivation on the thermoplastic starch blend surface. The influence of the e-beam and UV radiation, ethanol, isopropanol and microwave autoclave on structural and packaging properties were studied. All the applied methods were successful in the inactivation of yeast and molds, however only the e-beam radiation was able to remove the bacterial microflora. The FTIR analysis revealed no significant changes in the polymer structure, nevertheless, a deterioration of the mechanical properties of the blend was observed. The least invasive method was the UV radiation which did not affect the mechanical parameters and additionally improved the barrier properties of the tested material. Moreover, it was proved that during the e-beam radiation the chain scission and cross-linking occurred. The non-irradiated and irradiated samples were subjected to the enzymatic degradation studies performed in the presence of amylase. The results indicated that irradiation accelerated the decomposition of material, which was confirmed by the measurements of weight loss, and mass of glucose and starch released to the solution in the course of biodegradation, as well as the FTIR and thermal analysis., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Background: Low concentration of plasma pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP) is associated with hyperhomocysteinemia and inflammation. Most methods for the measurement of plasma PLP require large specimen volume and involve the use of toxic reagents., Methods: We have developed a HPLC method for the measurement of PLP and 4-pyridoxic acid (4-PA) in plasma, which requires small specimen volume. The samples are prepared without adding any toxic reagents. Furthermore, we have examined whether intake of vitamin B6 affects the concentration of plasma PLP and 4-PA., Results: The coefficient of variation of the method was 6% and the recovery of the added vitamin in plasma was about 100%. The concentrations of plasma PLP and 4-PA in 168 healthy subjects were 40.6 (8.4-165.0) nmol/L, median and (range) and 17.5 (3.7-114.79) nmol/L, median and (range) respectively. In the multiple regression analyses, the concentration of plasma PLP was associated with the concentration of plasma 4-PA (p<0.0001), BMI, (p=0.02) and sex, (p=0.0008). The concentration of plasma 4-PA was associated with plasma PLP (p<0.0001), serum folate (p=0.004), smoking (p=0.03) and vitamin B6 intake (p=0.01)., Conclusion: The present method is suitable for large clinical studies for the measurement of plasma PLP and 4-PA. Our findings demonstrate that plasma 4-PA, BMI and sex are the major determinants of plasma PLP in healthy individuals., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A collaborative primary health care service demonstration program was conducted to improve diabetes care among limited English-proficient (LEP) Latino patients. The intervention provided a multilevel approach aimed at patients and health care providers: Community health workers (CHWs) were mobilized to offer diabetes education in Spanish to LEP Latino diabetes patients, and health professions students and providers were offered intensive Spanish language training and cultural competency workshops. Positive outcomes for patients included a significant decrease in HbA1c. Health care providers reported improved patient communication and greater appreciation for cultural influences on health. Collaborating institutions realized ongoing benefits from expansion of CHWs' role and incorporation of cultural and language classes into health professions students' and house officers' training programs. Lessons learned included the importance of working together at every stage to identify and provide for the CHWs' training and support needs and to link the program's intervention with evaluation of multilevel outcomes.