Immunoglobulin cleavage by hypochlorous acid treatment.

IgA, IgG and IgM were cleaved by hypochlorous acid treatment. The apparent calculated molecular masses of three polypeptides obtained from IgA were 81.1.

Use of pattern recognition methods in the interpretation of heavy metal (lead and cadmium) in children's scalp hair.

A study has been performed to identify the exposure to toxic metals and possible adverse effects in children from various rural and industrial areas in southern Poland. The population studied consisted of school children of age 7-12. The concentrations of Pb and Cd were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry.

Relation between insulinaemia and lipoprotein composition in men with primary arterial hypertension with and without hypertriglyceridaemia.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate a relationship between HDL, triglyceride levels and insulinaemia in primary arterial hypertension. The study population consisted of 60 men aged 32-68 years (mean age 50.87 years, s.

Arterial vascularization of the terminal ileum in human fetuses.

In 67 human fetuses of the crown-rump length from 58 mm to 285 mm (10 to 28 weeks of fetal age) the variability of the arterial vascularization of the terminal ileum was studied using the injection method. Three main angiomorphological types were distinguished on the basis of the frequency of occurrence of the ileocolic artery and the superior mesenteric artery ramifications and their contribution to vascularization of this part of the alimentary canal. Most frequent was found type I [46.

Microvasculature of the human fetal extra-ocular muscles. A SEM corrosion casts.

In the light of already known differences on the vascular patterns between slow and fast contracing skeletal and extra-ocular muscles (EOM) which has been described in both mammals and man we were interested to see if same of these features are presented in the human EOM during the second half of the gestation. Therefore the microvasculature bed of EOM was studied by SEM of vascular corrosion casting technique. 15 human embryos at 16-20 week of gestation, after spontaneous abortion, were used for this study.

Evaluation of zinc content in children's hair.

The zinc content in the hair of 654 children living in various rural and industrial areas in southern Poland was assayed by means of the atomic absorption spectrometry, following the dry digestion procedure. The hair of girls exhibited statistically significant higher level of Zn than the boys' hair, although in the site of extremal Zn contamination, the inverse relation was found.

Influence of SIN-1 and sodium nitroprusside (NANP) on ox-LDL metabolism in macrophages.

Effects of NO-donors (3-morpholinosydnonimine-SIN-1 and sodium nitroprusside NaNP) on the accumulation and degradation of oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) by macrophages were studied. Ox-LDL, but not native-LDL (n-LDL) suppressed the LPS-stimulated biosynthesis of NO by macrophages. SIN-1 at low concentrations < 100 microM was without any effect while SIN-1 at high concentration (300 microM) and NaNP (30-300 microM) stimulated the accumulation and degradation of ox-LDL by macrophages.

Modulation of LDL catabolism by sodium nitroprusside and PGE2 in human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

The effect of nitric oxide donor--sodium nitroprusside (NaNP) and PGE2 on the LDL-receptor activity and LDL cellular accumulation by isolated human blood lymphocytes was investigated. Preincubation of lymphocytes with lipoprotein deficient medium (LPDS) resulted in the increase of the LDL-receptor activity and the LDL-cellular accumulation. NaNP (30-300 microM) dose-dependently prevented the increase of the LDL-receptor activity as well as the accumulation of LDL by lymphocytes.

Effect of environmental fluorides on key biochemical processes in humans.

Several biochemical parameters connected with energy metabolism were studied in the inhabitants living in the neighbourhood of the Aluminium Smelter and in inhabitants of Chorzów, one of the most polluted towns in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region, chronically exposed to environmental fluorides and other toxic compounds. In people exposed to environmental fluorides excessive excretion of fluorides in urine was noted. This effect was connected with a decrease in urine and erythrocyte magnesium concentrations.