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Context. EE Cep is an unusual long-period (5.6 yr) eclipsing binary discovered during the mid-twentieth century. It undergoes almost-grey eclipses that vary in terms of both depth and duration at different epochs. The system consists of a Be type star and a dark dusty disk around an invisible companion. EE Cep together with the widely studied ε Aur are the only two known cases of long-period eclipsing binaries with a dark, dusty disk component responsible for periodic obscurations. Aims. Two observational campaigns were carried out during the eclipses of EE Cep in 2003 and 2008/9 to verify whether the eclipsing body in the system is indeed a dark disk and to understand the observed changes in the depths and durations of the eclipses. Methods. Multicolour photometric data and spectroscopic observations performed at both low and high resolutions were collected with several dozen instruments located in Europe and North America. We numerically modelled the variations in brightness and colour during the eclipses. We tested models with different disk structure, taking into consideration the inhomogeneous surface brightness of the Be star. We considered the possibility of disk precession. Results. The complete set of observational data collected during the last three eclipses are made available to the astronomical community. The 2003 and 2008/9 eclipses of EE Cep were very shallow. The latter is the shallowest among all observed. The very high quality photometric data illustrate in detail the colour evolution during the eclipses for the first time. Two blue maxima in the colour indices were detected during these two eclipses, one before and one after the photometric minimum. The first (stronger) blue maximum is simultaneous with a "bump" that is very clear in all the UBV(RI)C light curves. A temporary increase in the I-band brightness at the orbital phase ∼0.2 was observed after each of the last three eclipses. Variations in the spectral line profiles seem to be recurrent during each cycle. The Na i lines always show at least three absorption components during the eclipse minimum and strong absorption is superimposed on the Hα emission. Conclusions. These observations confirm that the eclipsing object in EE Cep system is indeed a dark, dusty disk around a low luminosity object. The primary appears to be a rapidly rotating Be star that is strongly darkened at the equator and brightened at the poles. Some of the conclusions of this work require verification in future studies: (i) a complex, possibly multi-ring structure of the disk in EE Cep; (ii) our explanation of the "bump" observed during the last two eclipses in terms of the different times of obscuration of the hot polar regions of the Be star by the disk; and (iii) our suggested period of the disk precession (∼11-12 Porb) and predicted depth of about 2m ̇ for the forthcoming eclipse in 2014. © 2012 ESO.

An experimental model, based on Pringle's scheme of acute warm hepatic ischemia in normothermia was employed in order to study the hepatoprotective properties of prolactin (PRL). In the proposed model one liver lobe was maintained in the portal circulation and the remaining lobes were perfused with HTK solution for 2 hours. The experiment was carried out on female rabbits of the Chinchilla race. In the control group (n= 10) the liver was perfused with HTK solution. In the examined group (n=10), 3 microg of PRL per g of liver per hour was added to HTK solution. Additionally, the animals in the PRL-treated group were intravenously administered a dose of 600 microg of PRL / kg body weight. 1 h before the surgical treatment. The activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP). gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and the lactate concentration were determined in the eluate obtained from the perfused part of the liver. It was found that administration of prolactin during 2 h of perfusion led to a significant decrease of ALT, ALP and lactate concentrations in the eluate. In addition, increase of calcium concentration in the liver was significantly lower with the prolactin group. The observed results let us to draw the conclusion that administration of PRL shows signs of protective effects on hepatocytes in normothermic acute ischemia.

Authors have presented a very rare case of young woman favourable surgically treated for morphologically correct breast tissue in the unilateral axilla. They have paid the peculiar attention to possibility of ectopically placed breast tissue malignancy of every that case.

99 surgical procedures of thoracic part of esophagus resections were performed between 1985 and 1995. All thoracotomies were right-sided and alimentary canal continuity were substituted with a stomach (or with a small intestine or a colon in only a few cases) transposed inside a thorax cavity. Almost all cases there were planoepitheliale cancers. The sex index (men to women) was 6:1. The main reason of perioperative mortality were pulmonary complications (almost 90%): a respiratory insufficiency, an atelectasias, infections, and a broncho-pleural leakage. The nutrition state, stapler-using, anastomosis leak, and wound-healing way had no influence on mortality rate. Other mortality reasons there were a pleural hemorrhage, a mediastinitis as a result of esophago-gastric anastomosis disruption, a heart infarct, and a thrombo-embolic complications.

Clinical estimation of Shouldice procedure in the surgical treatment of inguinal hernia was performed in the group of 95 patients (102 operations) treated in the Second Department of General and Vascular Surgery Clinic at Zabrze between 1994 and 1996. Their ages ranged from 18 to 78 years with an average 53.6. The sex index (men to women) was 11:1. The bilateral hernia was found in seven cases and all of them were treated surgically at the same time. The most treated hernias was considered as type II and V by Gilbert classification. Among treated patients there were six cases of recurrence hernia earlier operated according to other procedures (mainly Bassini, Girard, Halsted, and artificial knitted-graft placed up intraperitoneally). In 28 cases of fascia transversalis large deficiency (the third and fourth type of Gilbert classification) authors used the two-layer modification method of reconstruction instead four layer of hernial canal posterior wall reconstruction the typical for Shouldice procedure. It was sufficient in all cases without respect to hernia size and fascia transversalis deficiency. There were no complications in postoperative periods. The recurrence of hernia, appeared only in one patient (0.98%) nine months after operation. In authors opinion, the Shouldice procedure is the most effective among all classical ways of inquinal hernia repairs.

Plasma selenium concentration was assessed in 44 patients with cancer of the gastrointestinal tract (19 subjects with stomach cancer and 25 with colon cancer) and 25 age-matched healthy control subjects. Selenium concentration was determined by the fluorometric method. The observed plasma selenium concentrations in gastrointestinal cancer patients (37.0 +/- 11.05 ng Se/ml or 38.4 +/- 12.6 ng Se/ml in stomach or colon cancer patients, respectively) were significantly lower as compared to the healthy age-matched control group (51.4 +/- 14.4 ng Se/ml). The diagnosed low selenium status may be considered as a high risk for cancer development.

The attention is paid to the frequently overlooked in clinical practice problem of diagnosis and strumectomy, in the light of literature data on peripheral nerve regeneration. The authors point to important causes of frequent failures in the treatment of such complications. They conclude that at the present level of knowledge, the only practical way to avoid the aforementioned complication is the change of surgical technique in routine strumectomy.

A case is presented of a female patient in whom after the operation of partial small intestinal bypass 45 + 15 + PV for extreme obesity, extreme emaciation developed caused by episodes of hectic fever of not completely explained aetiology, refractory to conservative treatment. Complete permanent regression of symptoms and signs was achieved after restoration of physiological continuity of the alimentary tract.

In the study the relative bioavailability as well as the extent of bioavailability of selenium after a single intragastric administration of selenium yeast and sodium selenite have been determined. Also, the mean values of biopharmaceutical parameters of the tested selenium preparations have been presented.

The group of children infested with Giardia intestinalis consisted of 52 children aged from 3 to 10 years. The infestation was diagnosed on the basis of duodenal contents examination. The control group comprised 50 children in whom no infestation with intestinal parasites was found. Mean age of children in both groups was not different. Disturbances were found in zinc metabolism in children with Giardia intestinalis infestation. Mean serum zinc concentration in those children was 58% of serum zinc concentration in children in the control group. Similarly, zinc concentration in the erythrocytes of children in the infested group was lower and was 64% of the concentration in children in the control group. Elimination of zinc with urine in infested children was lower than in the control group, and was 36% of the level in non-infested children. Mean concentrations of serum zinc carriers, total protein, albumin fraction and transferrin were not differing between both studied group of children. Also the concentration of picolinic acid--a zinc absorption factor in the gastrointestinal tract--in duodenal contents was similar in both groups. The above mentioned results show that in children infested with Giardia intestinalis a decrease occurs of zinc absorption from the gastrointestinal tract which causes zinc deficiencies in the those children.

Elastin metabolism parameters (elastin-derived peptides and elastase-like activity) were determined in sera of patients with lung cancer and in healthy controls. The concentration of elastin-derived peptides was statistically significantly elevated in the lung cancer group. There was no statistically significant difference in the serum elastase-like activity between the groups studied. These data seem to indicate an enhanced metabolism of elastin in patients with lung cancer.

Two patients are presented with recurrent inguinal hernias. In view of excessive tissue damage hernial sac adhesions and extensive scar, both hernias were closed from intraperitoneal access, suturing onto the borders of deep inguinal ring doubled leaflets of Dallop fascia. The authors consider this method of hernia closures as recommendable and safe.

A retrospective analysis is reported of 110 pregnant women with acute appendicitis on the basis of inquiry with participation of 23 surgical centres in the period 1979-1989. Attention is called mainly to diagnostic difficulties and peculiarities of the clinical course of this acute abdomen syndrome in pregnancy. The authors found that acute appendicitis was most frequent in primiparae in the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy and the always high mortality was caused mainly to delay of operation.

The study was aimed at verification of previously found, in animals with experimentally induced atherosclerosis, the disturbances of serum proteinases inhibitors: alpha-2-antiplasmin, alpha-1-antitrypsin and alpha-2-macroglobulin. In humans with hypercholesterolemia the decrease of serum activity of alpha-2-antiplasmin was observed. In humans with hypercholesterolemia and increased serum concentration of triacylglycerols no significant changes in activity of alpha-1-antitrypsin and alpha-2-macroglobulin were found--in comparison with control subjects.

The cholesterol test was previously described and preliminary experience suggested it might be a rapid, inexpensive, and reliable indicator of fetal lung maturity. In this expanded series of 1342 patients delivered of infants within 72 hours of amniotic fluid analysis, the predictive value for mature test was 98.6%. Predictive value for immature test was 55.4%. For the phospholipid profile the predictive value was 97.0% for a mature test result, 31.2% for an immature result. These observations, coupled with its methodologic simplicity, make the cholesterol palmitate test a good first step in a cascade scheme of tests for fetal lung maturity and a valuable test in a facility where the phospholipid profile is not available 24 hours a day.

Sera from 96 patients with lung cancer were assayed in order to evaluate the concentrations of IgG, IgA, IgM, C3c and C4. Histologically, 49 of the patients had squamous cell carcinoma, 11--adenocarcinoma, 20--small cell carcinoma and 16--not identified lung cancer. No statistically significant differences were found between the concentrations of IgG and IgM in patients with carcinoma of the lung versus subjects in the control group. Both serum IgA and complement components (C30 and C4) were significantly elevated in almost all patients from the tumor group as compared with the levels in the control group.

Selenium deficiency may be implicated in the pathogenesis of some human diseases, including colon cancer. The incidence of carcinoma of the colon is increased in patients with ulcerative colitis. We measured the serum concentration of selenium in 22 patients with ulcerative colitis and 22 sex-, age-, height and weight-matched controls. Although no significant difference was found in mean serum selenium between patients and controls (patients: 0.92 mumol/l, controls: 0.79 mumol/l), the serum selenium level decreased with increasing extension of the disease. The differences between serum selenium concentrations in patients with proctitis-sigmoiditis, left-sided colitis and pan-colitis were statistically significant. No correlation was found between serum selenium concentrations and the sex, age, height, or weight of the patients. The inverse correlation between serum selenium concentration and the extension of the disease may be caused by a decreased absorption of selenium from the diseased colon in ulcerative colitis.

The effect of elastin peptides (kappa-elastin) was investigated on murine fibroblasts. The data indicate that elastin peptides increase the activities of antioxidant enzymes detoxifying free radicals and increase the lipid peroxide concentration within the cell. These results suggest that the influence of elastin peptides on oxygen metabolism may be related to their activities in vivo following elastin degradation and can contribute to their role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Thie biological effect of low dose radiation is little known. In the current study male Wistar rats were exposed monthly to a 60Co-source low dose whole body irradiation (0.25 Gy, per 18 months; total dose: 4.5 Gy). The glutathione disulphide (GSSH): total glutathione (GSH) ratio, the concentration of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and the activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione transferase in: small intestine, spleen, kidney, soleus muscle, and liver were analysed. Low dose irradiation is accompanied by distinct peroxidative changes in organs, observed in the small intestine, the spleen and in the kidneys. The current study suggests that the measurement of glutathione status and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances can be proposed as sensitive parameters for low dose radiation induced changes.

The authors present three patients with fever of hectic profile following partial excluding jejuno-ileal anastomosis for extreme obesity. Cause of such a high fever was not detected in any patient. Despite the treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics and intensive treatment no decrease in body temperature was achieved. Failure of these conservative methods forced surgeons to restore physiological integrity of the small intestine. Rapid normalization of body temperature and improvement in patients health status were noted after surgery.

In patients with precancerous states and cancer of the uterine cervix prior to and after radiotherapy exhibit the decreased activity of neutrophil beta-glucuronidase. Moreover, patients treated by radiotherapy before the age 6 to 9 years demonstrate deficiency of N-acetyl-beta-glucuronidase in the above cells. The main finding in lymphocytes of the patients studied was in the appearance by diffusion of the above enzymes and of acid phosphatase in the cytoplasm, reflecting their release from lysosomes and immunological mobilization of these cells. The authors discuss the possible role of neutrophil enzymatic deficiency in lowering the antitumor cytotoxic effect of these cells.

Serum 18:2 (9, 11) linoleic acid concentration was measured in normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. The 18:2 (9, 11) linoleic acid in normal pregnancy increased progressively with advancing gestation, reaching the highest value at the end of pregnancy. The 18:2 (9, 11) linoleic acid concentration in pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia was significantly higher than in normal pregnancy after week 28. It is suggested that measurement of the 18:2 (9, 11) linoleic acid concentration in plasma may be useful as a predictor of the likely development of pre-eclampsia.

Anti-elastin antibodies which seem to play an important role in atherogenesis were studied in serum of rabbits fed with a cholesterol-rich diet using the dot-immunobinding assay. These antibodies appeared only in rabbits of the experimental group after the sixth week of the experiment and a progressive rise in their titer was observed. The concentration of total serum cholesterol and the elastase-like activity in aorta which were determined additionally showed a statistically significant increase of both analyzed parameters in animals from the experimental group when compared to the controls. Anti-elastin antibodies seem to reflect an increased elastin turnover during the induction of experimental atherosclerosis.

Proteoglycans (PG) from normal and atherosclerotic rabbits aortas were extracted with 4 M guanidine hydrochloride and digested with collagenase in the presence of protease inhibitors. The contents of uronic acid and hexosamine from PG fractions purified by isopycnic CsCl gradient ultracentrifugation under associative and dissociative conditions were significantly higher in the atherosclerotic aortas (up to 40%) than in the control tissue. The uronic acid/protein ratio increased from 0.7 to 1.3 in the monomers PG fraction of atherosclerotic aortas. Chromatographic separation and electrophoretic analysis of PG monomers indicated the presence of three different subfractions PGI, PGII and PGIII in both groups of animals. The uronic acid/protein ratio in PGI from experimental aorta was increased whereas this ratio in PGIII was decreased compared to contrast tissue. The observed increase of sugar component in the core proteins suggests their over glycosylation.

This study investigated the influence of the location of the sampling site during enzymatic analyses of 31 human term placentae. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione transferase, glutathione reductase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were measured in fetal membranes, umbilical cords and placental disc. The disc samples were obtained from central (peri-insertion and mid-disc fetal and maternal halves), and peripheral regions. Significant variations were found. This study demonstrates the importance of defining the location of the sampling site in studies involving enzymatic analysis of the placenta.

Immunological factors seem to play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, which is a multifactorial chronic disease. It was demonstrated on animals that antibodies, immune complexes and cells may be the reason why the immunological damage in the vascular wall appears and may lead in consequence to the development of atherosclerotic changes. Immunological mechanisms of atherosclerosis are discussed.

The characteristics of the human neutrophil collagenase and intracellular and extracellular mechanism regulating this enzyme were given. There were presented molecular basis collagenase latent state , activation of latent enzyme form through the system dependent on free oxygen radicals and the role of glutathione peroxidase in the regulation of the activity of the human leukocyte collagenase.

A review of the results published up to now of the determinations of serum zinc and copper levels showed that the criteria of selection of the groups of healthy subjects were lacking precision and rather arbitrary. The authors determined serum concentrations in 112 of healthy subjects fulfilling the individual criteria. No significant differences were found between the concentrations of these metals in the serum in this group of subjects and the mean concentration of these metals reported in the investigations quoted in the available literature. Serum copper concentration in patients was significantly higher than in healthy controls, while serum zinc concentration in the patients was not significantly different from that determined in healthy subjects.

Immunological response to elastin-derived peptides may cause tissue damage with subsequent degradation of the elastic fibres. Therefore, an incidence of anti-elastin antibodies in sera of patients with the systemic lupus erythematosus was studied. Sixty sera from 50 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 50 healthy subjects were assayed with dot-immunobinding technique. Titre 1:10 was considered diagnostically significant. Anti-elastin antibodies were diagnosed in 19 patients (31%) where as they were absent in the control group. In all cases anti-elastin antibodies were IgG.

Phospholipase A2 activity was significantly increased in placental homogenates from 22 patients with pre-eclampsia in comparison to placental homogenates from women with uncomplicated pregnancy. Such an abnormality may be responsible for an altered release of free arachidonic acid, thus playing a major role in the pathogenesis of this syndrome.

The effect of long-term intake of hydralazine on myocardial lipid peroxidation (measured as formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and lipid peroxide concentrations), superoxide dismutase activity, and the protective action of vitamin A were studied in rats. Hydralazine was administered to rats for 6 months. Compared with the controls, the left ventricle of the hydralazine-treated animals had an increased thiobarbituric-acid reactive substance content and lipid hydroperoxide concentrations per g of wet tissue. Simultaneous administration of vitamin A prevented the changes in lipid peroxidation and significantly increased the superoxide dismutase activity compared with that in hydralazine-treated rats. The results seem to indicate that the increase of lipid peroxidation in rats treated with hydralazine is due not only to the stimulation, but also to the inhibition of superoxide dismutase activity.

In rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis induced by a cholesterol-rich diet, alpha 1-antitrypsin concentration was decreased as compared with control, by 34%, whereas alpha 2-macroglobulin concentration was increased by 86%. In animals fed a methionine-rich diet changes in concentration of both inhibitors involved in elastase metabolism were but slight, if any.

The retinol effect on symptoms of late toxicity of hydralazine in rats of Wistar strain during induction of the collagenosis-like syndrome has been studied. Studies have been performed during 360 days, and examination were done in three months lasting intervals. Animals were divided into 3 groups: the first was treated with hydralazine, the second with hydralazine plus retinol, and the third corresponded to the control group. It has been stated that the long-term administration of hydralazine caused the lowering of the retinol level in the serum and liver progressing according to the time of the drug use. The mean lowering of the retinol concentration for animals of the first group was 20.7% in the serum and 24.7% in the liver. Analogous results in the second group were 12.1% and 14.7%, respectively. Simultaneously activity of superoxide dismutase measured in the kidney and heart muscle homogenates was significantly lowered in animals receiving hydralazine solely. Retinol administered together with hydralazine caused an increase in the enzyme activity (about 30%) when compare with animals treated only with hydralazine. The lowering of the retinol level and of dismutase activity caused beneficial conditions for increased lipid peroxidation measured by an increase in the malonic aldehyde concentration. The concentration of malonic dialdehyde in kidneys of rats treated solely with hydralazine increased about twofold, and in the heart muscle about 3.5-fold. The supplementation of the diet with retinol in rats treated solely with hydralazine partially limited effects of enhanced free radical activity reflected in increased lipid peroxidation.

Murine fibroblasts cultured in vitro were treated with hydrazinophthalazine drugs inducing the lupus erythematosus-like syndrome. Collagenase enzyme activity in the growth medium was found to be increased 3-fold by hydralazine and 1.8-fold by binazine, as compared to the control cultures. The enhanced level of collagenolytic activity points to the metabolic changes in the connective tissue in response to hydrazinophtalazines.

High serum levels of total hydroxyproline (Hyp) and hydroxylysine (Hyl) in patients with acute viral hepatitis were found to be due to a marked increase of the peptide-bound form of these aminoacids. The concentrations of free Hyp and Hyl were only slightly changed. The levels of serum Hyp and Hyl were higher in patients with bilirubin concentration, and decreased during recovery.

Clinical and experimental studies have previously shown the effect of thyroid state on the activity of non-specific phosphohydrolases. This research was undertaken to determine the influence of thyroid hormones on the activity of specific phosphohydrolase-5'-nucleotidase. The activity of 5'-nucleotidase was estimated in blood serum, tissues (liver, kidney, lung, brain) and mitochondrial fraction of liver of normal, methylothiouracil-induced hypothyroid and thyroxin-induced hyperthyroid rats of Wistar strain. The experiments have shown that the hypothyroid state induced decrease of the activity of 5'-nucleotidase in all studied materials, and on the contrary, the hyperthyroidism induced the increase of the enzyme activity. The hypothetical mechanism of the effect of thyroid hormones on the processes of feed back regulation of oxydative phosphorylation and delivery of substrates and oxygen is presented. The key role of 5'-nucleotidase in this mechanism is discussed.

Serum antinuclear antibodies were induced in rats by treatment with hydralazine or todralazine, given in daily dose of 25 mg/kg of body wt. for 12 months. An increased activity of alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase, beta-galactosidase, alpha-fucosidase, beta-xylosidase was found in heart muscle, liver, kidney and lung. Hydralazine produced a more significant increase in the enzyme activity than todralazine. The obtained results suggest drug-induced connective tissue damage, probably of an inflammatory type. The mechanism of this phenomenon and its relationship to immunological alterations remain unclear.