Symmetry of retinal vessel arborisation in normal and amblyopic eyes.

Purpose: Arborisation of retinal vessels might be influenced by the physiological activity of the retina. It seems that the pattern of retinal vessels is an obvious object for fractal analysis. The fractal dimension of normal retinas was therefore used by us as a control value for comparison with the values collected from patients with amblyopia in one eye connected with strabismus and normal vision in the other.

Influence of osteoprotegerin (OPG) on experimentally induced ectopic bone.

In this paper the effect of osteoprotegerin (OPG) on slowing down the resorption process of heterotopically induced bone tissue is described. The induced ossicle is resorbed ex inactivitate. This system is analogous to osteoporosis in immobilised skeletal bones.

Effects of old age on vascular complexity and dispersion of the hepatic sinusoidal network.

Objectives: In old age, there are marked changes in both the structure of the liver sinusoidal endothelial cell and liver perfusion. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are also aging changes in the microvascular architecture and vascular dispersion of the liver that might influence liver function.

Methods: Vascular corrosion casts and light micrographs of young (4 months) and old (24 months) rat livers were compared.

Expression of genes for bone morphogenetic proteins BMP-2, BMP-4 and BMP-6 in various parts of the human skeleton.

Background: Differences in duration of bone healing in various parts of the human skeleton are common experience for orthopaedic surgeons. The reason for these differences is not obvious and not clear.

Methods: In this paper we decided to measure by the use of real-time RT-PCR technique the level of expression of genes for some isoforms of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), whose role is proven in bone formation, bone induction and bone turnover.

[The evaluation of mineral crystallinity of mandibular bone tissue using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in patients suffering from renal osteodystrophy].

Mineral crystallinity of bone tissue is subject to changes during one's development, as well as in many systemic diseases, especially renal osteodystrophy. The aim of the study was qualitative evaluation of the mandibular bone tissue in patients suffering from renal osteodytrophy, treated with renal-replacement therapy: hemo-dialysis or allogeneic kidney transplantation. The mineral crystallinity coefficient was evaluated using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) based on the observation that ionizing radiation induces paramagnetic centers in hydroxyapatites.

Comparison of efficiency of platelet rich plasma, hematopoieic stem cells and bone marrow in augmentation of mandibular bone defects.

Comparison of the effectiveness of three techniques used for the programmed augmentation of mandibular bone, which is part of the therapeutic procedure used in pre-prosthetic, pre-implantology surgery. The techniques are based on stimulation of natural events continuously present in living bone, that is, the process of bone remodelling. We compared the effects of stimulation of osteogenesis of alveolar bone by transplants of 1.

Fractal and Fourier analysis of the hepatic sinusoidal network in normal and cirrhotic rat liver.

The organization of the hepatic microvascular network has been widely studied in recent years, especially with regard to cirrhosis. This research has enabled us to recognize the distinctive vascular patterns in the cirrhotic liver, compared with the normal liver, which may explain the cause of liver dysfunction and failure. The aim of this study was to compare normal and cirrhotic rat livers by means of a quantitative mathematical approach based on fractal and Fourier analyses performed on photomicrographs and therefore on discriminant analysis.

[Medicine based on stem cells].

The theoretical and practical aspects of applying stem cells in medicine are discussed.

Osteoinductive properties of urothelium depend on inherent bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs).

Background: The mechanism of heterotopic ossicle formation induced by grafted transitional epithelium, described in several species, has not yet been elucidated. This phenomenon is not species specific, but in xenogeneic systems, immunosuppression of the host is needed to protect the implant long enough for it to exert its osteoinductive potency. We showed a strong correlation between the intensity of bone induction caused by implantation of HeLa cell lines and their ability to synthesize and secrete seven different isoforms of BMPs (bone morphogenetic proteins).

[Effect of salmon calcitonin on bone mineral density and calcium-phosphate metabolism in chronic hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism].

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of salmon calcitonin on bone mineral density, parathyroid and thyroid C cells, and calcium-phosphate metabolism in chronic hemodialysis patients with uremic hyperparathyroidism. Forty five patients with serum 1-84 PTH >220 pg/ml were divided into 2 groups: group I (n = 25), treated with intranasal salmon calcitonin (200 IU, thrice a week) and control group II (n = 20). Patients received calcium carbonate (up to 6 g/d) alone or with aluminum hydroxide (up to 3 g/d) as phosphate binders; dialysate calcium was 1.

Influence of osteoprotegerin (OPG) on resorption of heterotopically induced ossicle.

In this paper, the effect of osteoprotegerin (OPG) on slowing down the resorption process of heterotopically induced bone tissue is described. The induced ossicle is resorbed ex inactivitate. This system mimics osteoporosis in immobilised skeletal bones.

Endometrial morphology and pituitary-gonadal axis dysfunction in women of reproductive age undergoing chronic haemodialysis--a multicentre study.

Background: Although disorders of the reproductive system are very common in women undergoing chronic haemodialysis, this issue remains a neglected area. The aim of the study was to evaluate the endometrial morphology and its relationship with pituitary-gonadal axis dysfunction in uraemic women of reproductive age undergoing haemodialysis.

Methods: The baseline survey with determination of the sex hormones concentrations was performed in 75 haemodialysed women aged 18-45 years.

[Red cell zinc protoporphyrin and its ratio to serum ferritin (ZPP/logSF index) in the detection of iron deficiency in patients with end-stage renal failure on hemodialysis].

Monitoring of iron metabolism has become a major clinical issue in end-stage renal patients undergoing hemodialysis. It can be done at three levels: storage, transport and marrow availability. The objective of that study was to evaluate if a combination of an iron storage marker, serum ferritin (SF) with red cell zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP), a marker of iron availability for erythron, will improve diagnostic value of both tests.

[Menstrual disturbances and alternations in hypophyseal gonadal axis in end-stage premenopausal women undergoing hemodialysis: a multi-center study].

The results of the studies of hypophyseal-gonadal axis in dialysis women are not uniform. Mostly the increased serum concentrations of prolactine and pituitary gonadotropins are observed; the data about ovarian secretion are much more scanty and contradictory. The aim of this crossectional study was to assess changes in sexual hormones secretion and their associations with menstrual disturbations in premenopausal women with end-stage renal failure undergoing hemodialysis.

Human mucosal epithelium involvement in prenatal growth of maxillary sinuses.

The mechanism of formation of the maxillary sinuses is not elucidated as yet, although their morphology during embryogenesis is well described. In the prenatal period, the pneumatization hypothesis is not valid. As the molecular approach to this problem is difficult to apply to human samples, we decided to apply immunohistochemical reactions to analyse the synthesis of selected molecules involved in the rebuilding of tissues.

Cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen in serum before and after treatment with alfacalcidol and calcium carbonate in early and moderate chronic renal failure.

The diagnosis of renal osteodystrophy (RO) in chronic renal failure (CRF) in everyday practice depends on noninvasive methods. Still there is no widely accepted bone resorption marker in RO. The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation of serum cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (s-CTx) as the resorption marker with clinical and biochemical data and to evaluate s-CTx level changes after treatment with low dose of alfacalcidol and calcium carbonate.

BMP-4 and BMP-6 involvement in the osteogenic properties of the HeLa cell line.

The heterotopically induced ossicles are used in our research on bone tissue. The ossicles are formed in the thigh muscle of BALB/c mice under the influence of injected suspension of 3 x 10(6) HeLa cells. We postulate that the mechanism of bone induction is based on the secretion of bone morphogenetic proteins BMP-4 and BMP-6 by the grafted HeLa cells.