Family and schizophrenia - psychoeducational group in a pilot programme.

Aim: The paper aims to present the programme, the outcomes and the conclusions of a psychoeducational training series for families with schizophrenia carried out by the Babiński Specialist Hospital in Kraków, Poland. The paper sets out to describe an explorative project based on qualitative study methods. The programme described in the paper adheres to the systemic and narrative approach to therapy.

Inhalation dose due to presence of 131I in air above septic tank system of an endocrinology hospital.

We present here measurements of the 131I concentration for both: gaseous and aerosol fraction of 131I in the air above the septic tank containing wastes from medical application of this isotope. Aerosols were collected using air filters, whereas gaseous forms of iodine were trapped in KI impregnated charcoal double layer cartridge. Besides an active method (pumping of the air through system of filters) an attempt for using a passive method (charcoal traps) for monitoring of radio-iodine is described.

Radon concentration in soil gas around local disjunctive tectonic zones in the Krakow area.

The purpose of this study was to investigate radon in the vicinity of geologic fault zones within the Krakow region of Poland, and to determine the influence of such formations on enhanced radon concentrations in soil. Radon ((222)Rn and (220)Rn) concentration measurements in soil gas (using ionization chamber AlphaGUARD PQ2000 PRO and diffusion chambers with CR-39 detectors), as well as radioactive natural isotopes of radium, thorium and potassium in soil samples (using gamma ray spectrometry with NaI(Tl) and HPGe detectors), were performed. Site selection was based on a geological map of Krakow.

MCP-N (LiF:Mg,Cu,P) TLDs for radon measurements with charcoal canisters.

A method of measurement of radon concentration in air was developed, based on high-sensitivity LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-N, TLD Poland) thermoluminescent detectors installed in charcoal canisters. The canisters were exposed typically for 72 h in a calibration chamber with a radon concentration ranging from 100 Bq x m(-3) to 87 kBq x m(-3). It was found that in these conditions the signal registered by the TL detectors was proportional to the 222Rn concentration and the lowest limit of detection (LLD) was at a level of 100 Bq x m(-3).

Oculomotor phenomena in petit-mal.

Objective: To determine the temporal relationship among behavior, eye movements and respiration during absence seizures.

Method: This included simultaneous videorecording of a patient's face, EEG and respirogram, in 5 patients with absence seizures. Absence seizures were defined as a sudden lapse of consciousness with impairment of mental functions.