Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to K Wojciechowski.
This paper presents the usefulness of rectal endosonography in the diagnostics of the rectal wall and anorectal lesions in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, mainly with Crohn's disease. Value of endosonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were compared.
The term "emerging diseases" has been used recently to refer to different scenarios, all of which indicate changes in the dynamics of disease in the population. Of the OIE List A diseases, major changes have been experienced with rinderpest, peste des petit ruminants (PPR), contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, lumpy skin disease, and Rift Valley fever. Rinderpest represents a success story of the 1990s, thanks to the programs of the Pan African Rinderpest Campaign (PARC). The situation has changed from that of the 1980s when rinderpest was widespread throughout most of Tropical Africa and the Middle East. PPR is a disease that has become of increasing importance throughout Tropical Africa and the Middle East. CBPP, which had previously been reduced to sporadic incidence within endemic areas, invaded new areas, causing heavy mortality. African swine fever has extended to West Africa and to Madagascar, in both regions resulting in heavy losses. Climatic changes in both East and West Africa were associated with an upsurge of Rift Valley fever. Deficiencies in national veterinary services have contributed to failures in early detection and response; in many regions investigation and diagnosis services have deteriorated. The continuing structural adjustment program for national veterinary services will need to take into account their transformation from providers of services (e.g., vaccinations, medicines) to inspection and quality assurance services. Surveillance, early warning, and disease emergency preparedness will need to be pursued more vigorously in Africa and the Middle East as vital components of national veterinary services.
African swine fever was reported for the first time in the Côte d'Ivoire on 16 April 1996, in Abidjan. The epizootic resulted in the death of 135,000 pigs, equivalent to 29% of the pig population, of which 80% came from the commercial sector. By November, the outbreaks had stabilised and were then eliminated. All epidemiological evidence showed that the active form of disease ceased in September 1996. A variety of factors were responsible for limiting and then halting progression of the disease from the end of August 1996, including a new strategy which gave priority to local information, better control of the situation, depopulation of the infected area in Abidjan, the epidemiological containment of most cases within the villages, and also the assistance and direct involvement of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The contribution of the FAO was decisive. It provided a diagnosis of the situation, recommended emergency measures, developed a control strategy, ensured the implementation of the control programme, set up a diagnostic laboratory unit and provided training for staff, slaughtered and destroyed any remaining pigs, set up and implemented a local information programme, developed and implemented a scheme for sentinel animals and for epidemiological surveillance, and designed, performed and analysed an epidemiological survey. From the commencement of the epizootic, two major shortcomings became apparent: inadequate dissemination of information, and a shortage of technical resources allocated for the control of African swine fever. These two shortcomings were compounded by other technical and socio-economic constraints.
TGF alpha shows structural and functional homology to EGF, but TGF alpha's mitogenic potency is greater. Our previous study showed that EGF may inhibit parietal cell secretory response through the induction of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). The aim of this study was to determine parietal cell acid production in vitro in response to stimulation by TGF alpha and EGF and to compare the effect of these two growth factors on ODC activity and ODC mRNA in isolated rat gastric glands. 45 min treatment with TGF alpha and EGF had no effect on basal acid production but did inhibit histamine-stimulated acid production in a dose dependent manner. The two growth factors did not inhibit histamine-stimulated aminopyrine (AP) uptake from incubation medium with concentration of KCl increased from 5 to 70 mM. In the presence of specific ODC inhibitor, alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), both EGF and TGF alpha failed to inhibit histamine-stimulated AP accumulation. Polyamine spermine also inhibited AP accumulation but this inhibitory effect was not affected by DFMO. After 1 h treatment with TGF alpha and EGF, ODC activities increased to an average 283 +/- 78% and 227 +/- 64% above the basal activity, respectively. 30 min treatment of gastric glands with TGF alpha and EGF resulted in, respectively, 2.9 +/- 0.4- and 2.7 +/- 0.5-fold increases of ODC mRNA level, as assessed by RT-PCR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The present experiments were undertaken to extent our earlier observations (J Physiol Pharmacol 1991, 42, 367-79) relating membrane potential with membrane recycling of parietal cells. Studies were performed in vitro using gastric glands that were isolated through the use of rat stomachs transformed into "everted sacs" and filled with hyperosmolar NaCl-EDTA solution. Acid production was indirectly determined by accumulation of 14C-aminopyrine (AP) and its translocation by measurement of acridine orange fluorescence. H+/K(+)-ATPase activity was assayed by measurement of K(+)-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase (pNPPase) of the proton pump. Morphologic state of parietal cells in relation to their functional activity was observed using electron microscopy. Changes in the membrane potential were obtained by the treatment of gastric glands with protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) in the incubation media of different pH. CCCP caused time-dependent decrease in AP accumulation by parietal cells from the medium of pH 6.6 but not that of pH 7.8. pNPPase activity increased in aplical and decreased in tubulovesical membrances prepared from CCCP treated glands which were incubated in the medium being more acidic than cell cytoplasm. Electron microscopic assessment showed morphological transformation of resting parietal cells treated with CCCP in pH 6.6 from nonsecreting to secreting state. CCCP acting in acidic incubation medium also caused the decrease in acridine orange fluorescence in the cytoplasm of parietal cells with some temporary increase of its fluorescence in the lumen o gastric glands. These findings support our hypothesis that changes in parietal cell membrane potential by protonophore CCCP may translocate HCl from tubulovesicles to secretory canaliculi. While the above explanation is suggestive, the exact mechanisms controlling a membrane recycling during the secretory response of parietal cells in vitro remain to be elucidated.
The present studies were designed to evaluate the parietal cell acid production in response to short-time stimulation by epidermal growth factor (EGF). Studies were performed in vitro using isolated cells from rat stomachs, and acid production was indirectly determined by [14C]aminopyrine accumulation. EGF inhibited histamine-stimulated aminopyrine accumulation from standard incubation medium (K+ = 5 mM) but not from that with increased K+ concentration (K+ = 70 mM). EGF significantly stimulated ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, an effect that was blocked by the specific ODC inhibitor, difluoromethylornithine (DFMO). In the presence of DFMO, EGF failed to inhibit histamine-stimulated aminopyrine uptake. Like EGF, the polyamine spermine, which is a direct product of enhanced ODC activity, also inhibited histamine-stimulated aminopyrine uptake. Unlike EGF, the spermine-induced inhibition of aminopyrine accumulation was not altered by DFMO. Thus the DFMO effect was specific to EGF. Taken together, these results are consistent with the postulate that EGF inhibits parietal cell secretory response through the induction of ODC activity and increased synthesis of polyamines.
In 56 patients with various liver diseases and in 15 healthy controls fasting serum concentrations of caffeine (HPLC method) and total endogenous bile acids (enzymatic-spectrophotometric assay) were determined. Serum caffeine concentrations were significantly higher in patients with chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis than in controls but no differences was found between patients with obstructive jaundice and controls. Contrary to caffeine, fasting serum bile acids concentrations were higher in all patients groups than in controls. In all studied groups there was no correlation between caffeine and serum bile acids estimations. In patients with liver cirrhosis there was correlation between caffeine test and the Child's classification score. However, no correlation existed between the Child's classification and the serum bile acids concentration. Our data suggest that fasting serum caffeine concentration is more usefull indicator of liver injury than determination of total endogenous serum bile acids.
A case of thoracoomphalopagus twins diagnosed preoperatively by computed tomography is described.
Men affected with unilateral and bilateral undescended testicles have been examined 10 to 20 years after orchidopexy. The examined patients were divided into groups of individuals operated before and after the 8th year of life. Fertility, structure of the genitals, somatotype, psychosexual behavior, and plasma testosterone levels were tested. It was found that a significant number of cryptorchid patients was infertile, especially the bilateral ones. Abnormalities in the structure of the genitals, somatotype, and in some cases psychosexual behavior disorders as well as plasma testoterone levels lower than normal, have also been found.
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