Liquid Crystal Dimers and the Twist-Bend Phases: Non-Symmetric Dimers Consisting of Mesogenic Units of Differing Lengths.

The syntheses and characterisation of the 4-[{[4-({n-[4-(4-cyanophenyl)phenyl]-n-yl}oxy)phenyl]-methylidene}amino]phenyl-4-alkoxybenzoates (CBnOIBeOm) are reported with n=8 and 10 and m=1-10. The two series display fascinating liquid crystal polymorphism. All twenty reported homologues display an enantiotropic nematic (N) phase at high temperature.

To Be or Not To Be Polar: The Ferroelectric and Antiferroelectric Nematic Phases.

We report two new series of compounds that show the ferroelectric nematic, N, phase in which the terminal chain length is varied. The longer the terminal chain, the weaker the dipole-dipole interactions of the molecules are along the director and thus the lower the temperature at which the axially polar N phase is formed. For homologues of intermediate chain lengths, between the non-polar and ferroelectric nematic phases, a wide temperature range nematic phase emerges with antiferroelectric character.

Using Lateral Substitution to Control Conformational Preference and Phase Behaviour of Benzanilide-based Liquid Crystal Dimers.

The inclusion of secondary and tertiary benzanilide-based mesogenic groups into liquid crystal dimers is reported as a means to develop new materials. Furthermore, substitution at the nitrogen atom is shown to introduce an additional synthetic 'handle' to modify the molecular structure of the tertiary materials. The design of these materials has proved challenging due to the strong preferences of 3° benzanilides for the E amide conformation.

Multiple Polar and Non-polar Nematic Phases.

Liquid-crystal materials exhibiting up to three nematic phases are reported. Dielectric response measurements show that while the lower temperature nematic phase has ferroelectric order and the highest temperature nematic phase is apolar, the intermediate phase has local antiferroelectric order. The modification of the molecular structure by increasing the number of lateral fluorine substituents leads to one of the materials showing a direct isotropic-ferronematic phase transition.

Photonic Bandgap in Achiral Liquid Crystals-A Twist on a Twist.

Achiral mesogenic molecules are shown to be able to spontaneously assemble into liquid crystalline smectic phases having either simple or double-helical structures. At the transition between these phases, the double-helical structure unwinds. As a consequence, in some temperature range, the pitch of the helix becomes comparable to the wavelength of visible light and the selective reflection of light in the visible range is observed.

Twist-Bend Nematic Glasses: The Synthesis and Characterisation of Pyrene-based Nonsymmetric Dimers.

A selection of pyrene-based liquid crystal dimers have been prepared, containing either methylene-ether or diether linked spacers of varying length and parity. All the diether linked materials, CBOnO.Py (n=5, 6, 11, 12), exhibit conventional nematic and smectic A phases, with the exception of CBO11O.

Yolk proteins in the male reproductive system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster: spatial and temporal patterns of expression.

In insects, spermatozoa develop in the testes as clones of single spermatogonia covered by specialized somatic cyst cells (cc). Upon completion of spermatogenesis, spermatozoa are released to the vas deferens, while the cc remain in the testes and die. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the released spermatozoa first reach the seminal vesicles (SV), the organ where post-testicular maturation begins.

[Heart injury secondary to carbon monoxide poisoning--the use of imaging techniques].

The heart muscle is particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of carbon monoxide. Cardiovascular complications are present in 30-40% poisoned patients. Currently, multiple ECG records and at least two-time determination of cardiac markers' concentration (mainly troponin I) are known as the gold standard practice in the diagnosis of cardiac injury especially with regard to medium and severe poisoning.

[Transient and permanent damage to the heart in the course of acute poisoning].

Transient and permanent myocardial damage is a vital element of toxicological practice. This applies both to poisonings in which heart injury is typical and to those in which it is only a rare complication. Vital signs of poisoned patients, especially unconscious ones, must be carefully monitored, because the consequences of late diagnosis or improper treatment can be potentially fatal.

Cell cycle-dependent modulations of fenestrin expression in Tetrahymena pyriformis.

In Tetrahymena, besides apparent cell polarity generated by specialized cortical structures, several proteins display a specific asymmetric distribution suggesting their involvement in the generation and the maintenance of cell polarization. One of these proteins, a membrane skeleton protein called fenestrin, forms an antero-posterior gradient, and is accepted as a marker of cell polarity during different cellular processes, such as cell division or oral replacement. In conjugating cells, fenestrin forms an intracytoplasmic net which participates in pronuclear exchange.

Microbiologically active Mannich bases derived from 1,2,4-triazoles. The effect of C-5 substituent on antibacterial activity.

Our research proved that chemical character of the C-5 substituent significantly determines the antibacterial activity of the Mannich bases derived from 4,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones. This activity was considerably increased by an introduction of a chlorine atom to the phenyl ring. The obtained compounds were particularly active against opportunistic bacteria ( and ).

[Prolonged toxic coma and anisocoria secondary to doxepin, lorazepam and phenobarbital poisoning--case study].

Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant from the group of dibenzoxepines. Apart from the antidepressant effect, it has also the sedative and anxiolytic effect, so it is used in the treatment of anxiety disorder in the course of psychosis, organic diseases and alcoholism. Doxepin increases concentration of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain by preventing inactivation and blocking their reuptake.

[Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema in the course of poisoning with clozapine, ketoprofen and thiethylperazine].

Pulmonary edema is a severe, potentially fatal clinical condition. It happens, when interstitial fluid is accumulating in the alveoli, impeding proper gas exchange. Typically we distinguish cardiogenic and noncardiogenic pulmonary edema.

[Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy in the course of carbon monoxide poisoning].

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is a clinical syndrome induced by a strong mental or physical stress, characterized by a transient hypokinesia, akinesia or dyskinesia middle segments of the left ventricle and apical, with associated electrocardiographic changes of ST-T segment like in acute coronary syndrome, with no significant changes in coronary arteries in coronary angiography. Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is mainly found in women in the sixth and seventh decade of life and represents 1-2% of cases originally diagnosed as acute coronary syndrome. We present a case of tako-tsubo syndrome in the course of carbon monoxide poisoning in a 56-year-old patient, with a positive history of ischemic heart disease and hypertension.

[Severe rhabdomyolysis syndrome in the course of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and hyponatremia].

Rhabdomyolysis and associated kidney failure is a medical problem, often faced by doctors working in the centers of toxicology. Its most common cause is mechanical damage to the muscles, but predisposing factors include a big group of other pathologies and clinical conditions, including: electrolyte imbalance, immobility, infections, drug or psychoactive substances poisoning. The article presents an example of a patient with severe rhabdomyolysis syndrome caused by an alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

[Three-fold ethylene glycol poisoning over 3 years--a case report].

This paper describes a case of now 49-year-old patient with alcohol dependence syndrome, hospitalized three times in the Center of Clinical Toxicology in 2009-2012 due to ethylene glycol poisoning. Twice, the course of poisoning was defined as severe. It was complicated by respiratory failure, severe metabolic acidosis, renal failure, disorders of the central nervous system; once referred to it as a medium, complicated by renal failure.

[Sodium azide poisoning--a rare reason of hospitalization in toxicological units--case report].

Sodium azide poisonings are a rare reason for hospitalization in toxicological units. They are observed as rarely as once within a number of years per hospital. Consequently, an algorithm for the optimum procedure of treating such intoxications does not exist and, as a result, there is a need to describe every single clinical case.

[Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and its lactone (GBL) as psychoactive substances].

Gammabutyrolactone is included in the solvent such as wheel cleaners, pesticides, cosmetics, drugs. After ingestion GBL is converted to gamma-hydroxybutyrate. Both substances are classified as so called "club drugs" and their action is characterized by euphoria, sedation, and induction of retrograde amnesia of events.

[Silibinin and its hepatoprotective action from the perspective of a toxicologist].

Silibinin is the most active component of a complex of flavonoids -silymarin contained in fruit milk thistle (Sylibum marianum). Its mechanism of action is complex and highly beneficial in protecting hepatocytes. On the one hand this compound blocks the penetration of various toxins (for example amanitin) into the hepatocytes not allowing in this way for the cell death and on the other hand, it prevents apoptosis through intracellular.

[Myocardial injury in the course of carbon monoxide poisoning].

Carbon monoxide still remains one of the most common causes of fatal poisonings. Mechanisms of carbon monoxide toxic effects are complex and lead to hypoxia of body tissues. The most sensitive to tissue hypoxia are: the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system.

Is cortisol a modulator of interferon tau action in the endometrium during early pregnancy in cattle?

Glucocorticoids (GCs) were recently found to be potent modulators of the secretion of uterine prostaglandins (PGs) in ruminants. The aim of the present study was to examine whether GCs may serve as a mediator/modulator of interferon-τ (IFNT) action during early pregnancy in cows. We examined whether IFNT affects cortisol output and expression of GC receptors (NR3C1) and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (enzymes responsible for GC conversion: HSD11B1 and HSD11B2) in bovine endometrium.

Effects of cortisol on pregnancy rate and corpus luteum function in heifers: an in vivo study.

To determine whether glucocorticoids affect the function of the bovine corpus luteum (CL) during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy, we examined the effects of exogenous cortisol or reduced endogenous cortisol on the secretion of progesterone (P4) and on pregnancy rate. In preliminary experiments, doses of cortisol and metyrapone (an inhibitor of cortisol synthesis) were established (n=33). Cortisol in effective doses of 10 mg blocked tumor necrosis factor-induced prostaglandin F(2α) secretion as measured by its metabolite (PGFM) concentrations in the blood.

[Extremely severe metabolic acidosis and multi-organ complications in ethylene glycol intoxication: a case study].

The paper presents the case of a female, 36, hospitalised in the Lublin Regional Center of Clinical Toxicology, diagnosed with heavy ethylene glycol intoxication. The patient suffered from metabolic acidosis with pH at 6.6, bases shortage - 35,5 mmol/l, renal failure, acute respiratory failure, symptoms of CNS damage such as prolonged coma, followed by dysphasia and the lower limbs paresis persisting for a few weeks.

[Myocardial infarction secondary to carbon monoxide poisoning--a study of two cases].

The carbon monoxide poisoning still remains a main cause of fatal poisoning. The carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after inhalation of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide binds strongly to molecules, such as cytochrome oxidase, myoglobin, hemoglobin, causing hypoxia of tissues and organs.