Ethics committees and consensus in the post-totalitarian society.

Ethics committees are usually expected to reach and frame their decisions by consensus. In a post-totalitarian society the conception of consensus might somewhat differ from the one present in societies with a long-term, uninterrupted tradition of democratic development. In 1990s, post totalitarian societies of Central and East Europe have been walking difficult paths from the situation, when matters of public interest had been decided almost solely within the structures of a totalitarian power (usually a 'communist' party and by the party dominated governmental or municipal structures) and the political decisions implemented by more or less coercive exercise of that power (while requiring the broadest community attainment--'imposed consensus'); toward societies deciding their fate and matters of public interest via institutions of a modern, pluralistic, parliamentary democracy (subscribing implicitly or even explicitly to consensus, perceived mostly as 'overlapping' or 'procedural').

Study of in vitro conditions modulating expression of MN/CA IX protein in human cell lines derived from cervical carcinoma.

In an effort to better understand the biological significance of MN/CA IX human tumor-associated protein, we have investigated its expression in human cervical carcinoma cell lines in vitro. SiHa cells that naturally express MN/CA IX were used as a model for expression study at the protein level. In addition, we have transfected MN/CA9 gene-negative but transcription-competent C33A cells with a plasmid carrying CAT reporter gene under a control of MN/CA9 promoter.

Intracellular markers in acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis.

In our study we used a new proposed system of CD45 monoclonal antibody in combination with the side scatter (SSC) parameter as a very useful gating method allowing myeloblast detection especially in cases with low blasts percentage in examined samples. Immunological demonstration of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the cytoplasm of AML blasts is considered to be a reliable and highly sensitive marker. Using a direct single and double immunofluorescence staining method and flow cytometry we evaluated the intracellular expression of two granular constituents of myeloid cells--MPO and lactoferrin (LF) in leukemia cells from 18 patients at AML diagnosis, two patients in remission after allogenic bone marrow transplantation and in six controls.

Phenotypic heterogeneity and aberrant markers expression in T-cell leukemia.

For exact determination of lineage assessment there is a need of surface membrane and intracellular (cytoplasmic and nuclear) immunophenotyping performed by flow cytometry. We evaluated in detail the results of surface and intracellular immunophenotyping of 34 T-ALL cases. The great heterogeneity of T-cell differentiation markers has been observed which did not allow relevant subclassification of T-ALL according to the existing subclassification schemes and the proposed three-stage model of physiological T-cell differentiation.