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Abstract: Historians have long come to realize the importance of the World War I as the seminal event leading to a short 20th century. If traditional research has often conceptualized the war and post-war years as two distinct historical periods, new studies have emphasized entangle-ments and intertwinements between war- and post-war processes. This turn was influenced by a gradual geographical balance and the inclusion of Eastern and Central Europe in the re-search focus. Wars, collapse of Empires and long-existing State structures, and similar events brought about processes of redefinition of territories and its peoples. The focus on volatile, overlapping and, at times, competing centers of power (States, national, regional and local structures), will allow us to reconsider criteria and concepts of citizenship and belonging that have shaped European politics of governance. Our conference focuses on the Northern Adri-atic transnational borderland from the beginning of World War I in July 1914 to the Treaty of Rome in January 1924, when the Adriatic question was temporarily settled. This decade is of fundamental importance at the global level, while the Northern Adriatic represents a unique laboratory to study the transformations of Europe in the Twentieth Century. The focus is on the question of citizenship beyond nation-state frameworks and monothematic disciplines, in which the question of citizenship is linked to the migratory movement of people. Taking the Northern Adriatic as a case study, this conference aims at rethinking the questions of citizen-ships, national affiliations, territorial belongings and state sovereignty. This will enable us to contribute to a growing dialogue in international academia and to contemporary societal de-bates at a time, when citizenship and the rights linked to it are the subject of intense discus-sions. We aim at reconsidering rigid understandings of center and periphery and restoring a more composite history of twentieth century Europe.
Published in DiRROS: 29.05.2024; Views: 125; Downloads: 129
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Abstract: The mutual-visibility problem in a graph $G$ asks for the cardinality of a largest set of vertices $S\subseteq V(G)$ so that for any two vertices $x,y \in S$ there is a shortest $x,y$-path $P$ so that all internal vertices of $P$ are not in $S$. This is also said as $x,y$ are visible with respect to $S$, or $S$-visible for short. Variations of this problem are known, based on the extension of the visibility property of vertices that are in and/or outside $S$. Such variations are called total, outer and dual mutual-visibility problems. This work is focused on studying the corresponding four visibility parameters in graphs of diameter two, throughout showing bounds and/or closed formulae for these parameters. The mutual-visibility problem in the Cartesian product of two complete graphs is equivalent to (an instance of) the celebrated Zarankiewicz's problem. Here we study the dual and outer mutual-visibility problem for the Cartesian product of two complete graphs and all the mutual-visibility problems for the direct product of such graphs as well. We also study all the mutual-visibility problems for the line graphs of complete and complete bipartite graphs. As a consequence of this study, we present several relationships between the mentioned problems and some instances of the classical Turán problem. Moreover, we study the visibility problems for cographs and several non-trivial diameter-two graphs of minimum size.
Keywords: mutual-visibility set, mutual-visibility number, diameter-two graphs, line graphs, cographs
Published in DiRROS: 27.05.2024; Views: 128; Downloads: 121
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Abstract: Testicular cancer is the most common malignancy in young men. Considering increasing incidence, exceptionally high cure rate, as well as long life expectancy, assessment of long term toxicity in testicular cancer survivors is of great importance. In the last decades a major effort has been made in order to reduce toxicity of treatment, while maintaining its high effectiveness. Conclusions Actual knowledge on treatment toxicity is based on outdated treatment modalities. Hopefully, modern treatment modalities could reduce toxicity, but, there is no firm confirmation for that at the moment, as data dealing with late sequelae of modern treatment of testicular cancer are not available yet due to the short period of observation. The life-threatening cardiovascular toxicity in testicular cancer survivors is major complication of platinum-based chemotherapy, mediastinal radiotherapy and even subdiaphragmatic radiotherapy.
Keywords: testicular cancer, cardiovascular toxicity, long-term survivors
Published in DiRROS: 24.05.2024; Views: 157; Downloads: 114
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Abstract: Background Leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignant mesenchymal tumour. Some cases of leiomyosarcoma of the renal vein (LRV) have been reported in the literature, but no analysis of data and search for prognostic factors have been done so far. The aim of this review was to describe the LRV, to analyse overall survival (OS), local recurrence free survival (LRFS) and distant metastases free survival (DMFS) in LRV world case series and to identify significant predictors of OS, LRFS and DMFS. Methods Cases from the literature based on PubMed search and a case from our institution were included. Results Sixty-seven patients with a mean age of 56.6 years were identified; 76.1% were women. Mean tumour size was 8.9 cm; in 68.7% located on the left side. Tumour thrombus extended into the inferior vena cava lumen in 13.4%. All patients but one underwent surgery (98.5%). After a median follow up of 24 months, the OS was 79.5%. LRFS was 83.5% after a median follow up of 21.5 months and DMFS was 76.1% after a median follow up of 22 months. Factors predictive of OS in univariate analysis were surgical margins, while factors predictive of LRFS were inferior vena cava luminal extension and grade. No factors predictive of DMFS were identified. In multivariate analysis none of the factors were predictive of OS, LRFS and DMFS. Conclusions Based on the literature review and presented case some conclusions can be made. LRV is usually located in the hilum of the kidney. It should be considered in differential diagnosis of renal and retroperitoneal masses, particularly in women over the age 40, on the left side and in the absence of haematuria. Core needle biopsy should be performed. Patients should be managed by sarcoma multidisciplinary team. LRV should be surgically removed, with negative margins.
Keywords: leiomysarcoma, renal vein, surgery, outcomes, prognostic factors
Published in DiRROS: 24.05.2024; Views: 139; Downloads: 135
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Abstract: Tumor irradiation combined with adjuvant treatments, either vascular targeted or immunomodulatory, is under intense investigation. Gene electrotransfer of therapeutic genes is one of these approaches. The aim of this study was to determine, whether gene electrotransfer of plasmid encoding shRNA for silencing endoglin, with vascular targeted effectiveness, can radiosensitize melanoma B16F10 tumors. Materials and methods. The murine melanoma B16F10 tumors, growing on the back of C57Bl/6 mice, were treated by triple gene electrotransfer and irradiation. The antitumor effect was evaluated by determination of tumor growth delay and proportion of tumor free mice. Furthermore, histological analysis of tumors (necrosis, apoptosis, proliferation, vascularization, presence of hypoxia and infiltration of immune cells,) was used to evaluate the therapeutic mechanisms. Results. Gene electrotransfer of plasmid silencing endoglin predominantly indicated vascular targeted effects of the therapy, since significant tumor growth delay and 44% of tumor free mice were obtained. In addition, irradiation had minor effects on radioresistant melanoma, with 11% of mice tumor free. The combined treatment resulted in excellent effectiveness with 88% of mice tumor free, with more than half resistant to secondary tumor challenge, which was observed also with the plasmid devoid of the therapeutic gene. Histological analysis of tumors in the combined treatment group, demonstrated similar mode of action of the gene electrotransfer of plasmid encoding shRNA for silencing endoglin and devoid of it, both through the induction of an immune response. Conclusions. The results of this study indicate that irradiation can in radioresistant melanoma tumors, by release of tumor associated antigens, serve as activator of the immune response, besides directly affecting tumor cells and vasculature. The primed antitumor immune response can be further boosted by gene electrotransfer of plasmid, regardless of presence of the therapeutic gene, which was confirmed by the high radiosensitization, resulting in prolonged tumor growth delay and 89% of tumor free mice that were up to 63% resistant to secondary challenge of tumor. In addition, gene electrotransfer of therapeutic plasmid for silencing endoglin has also a direct effect on tumor vasculature and tumors cells; however in combination with radiotherapy this effect was masked by pronounced immune response.
Keywords: gene therapy, electrotransfer, plasmid, irradiation, immune response, melanoma
Published in DiRROS: 24.05.2024; Views: 148; Downloads: 132
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