The Beginning of Ukrman – a Fighter against the Evil and the Coronavirus

Comics have a big task in Ukraine: Through them nation is built, historical events are discussed and identity is constructed. In 2018 Ukraine’s first superhero was introduced: UKRMAN. In the past, the Cossacks have been the heroes of Ukraine and were also portrayed in various comics. But in a time when the national integrity of Ukraine is tested through an armed conflict in the East, a new superhero is sorely needed. The comic combines the past (Communist era with the Chernobyl nuclear accident) and the present of Ukraine in a unique way. The article will show why the implementation of a new superhero (especially his look, his behavior and the background of the plot) is necessary for Ukrainian nation building. The symbols UKRMAN uses tend to unify the country by giving it a superhero everybody can identify him- or herself with. The message of the comic is that someone does not have to wear a cape to be depicted as a hero. The comic as the beginning of a project with videos and merchandise is the first one of that kind in Ukraine.

Meningiomas Related to the Chernobyl Irradiation Disaster in North-Eastern Romania Between 1990 and 2015

Even if meningiomas are the most common radio-induced tumors that occur in the adult population, the epidemiology of these types of tumors after Chernobyl nuclear accident, is still unclear. This paper aims to determine the tumoral behavior of intracranial meningiomas in North-Eastern Romania, affected by the radioactive cloud from Chernobyl nuclear accident , over a period of 25 years, namely between 1990 and 2015. Our research consists of an analytical, observational, cohort-based and retrospective study, conducted in Prof. Dr. N. Oblu Clinical Emergency Hospital of Iasi, Romania, on a group of 1287 patients diagnosed with intracranial meningiomas and operated between 1990 and 2015. In these period there was an increased number of intracranial meningiomas, with first peak between 1993-1996 and the second peak between 2007-2015, corresponding to 7-10 years and 21-30 years, after the Chernobyl accident. Regarding the annual frequency of histopathologic grading, for grade I meningiomas there were no trend or cyclicity of the cases diagnosed each year, but for grade II and III meningiomas there were an ascending trend in the period 1996-2000, that corresponds to the 10-14 years from the Chernobyl accident.