Zooplankton of some water bodies of the Zoological Garden in Kraków

The aim of this study was to register the zooplanktonic organisms in water bodies in the Zoological Garden in Kraków, especially from a point of view of the occurrence of species of the Paramecium aurelia complex. Only P. caudatum was found in one habitat, in several sampling places. The species seems very resistant and can survive in poor or polluted habitats in which the P. aurelia ssp. are eliminated.     

Józef Heller-one of organizers of Polish biochemistry in 1942-1973

The article commemorates the activity of Józef Heller starting in 1921 with Jakub Parnas's group in Lvov which investigated the phosphorolysis of glycogen. The unknown events of His biography were disclosed, like military service in the Pi?sudski's Legions at the rebirth of the Polish State and, subsequently, during the Nazi occupation of Poland--participation in the clandestine teaching of medical students. In the post-war times Józef Heller undertook teaching of medical students in Wroc?aw and next in Warsaw. In 1954 He begun to organize the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences--it now continues its activity. Professor Heller initiated the publication in Poland of three major biochemical journals, including Postepy Biochemii (1954). Thanks to His leadership the first Polish Medical Dictionary was published (1981). The article summarizes the pursuit of Józef Heller in various branches of academic life, which were and still are appreciated by subsequent generations of Polish biochemists.     

Occurrence of Isóenzymes of Glutamine Synthetase in the Alga Chlorella kessleri

Two forms (GS₁ and GS₂) of glutamine synthetase have been isolated, separated by ion exchange chromatography, and partly characterized from cells of the green alga Chlorella kessleri. Both forms are present in cells grown autotrophically or heterotrophically on various nitrogen sources, but under all nutritional conditions GS₁ was found to be the major isoenzyme present (60-80%). The activity of both isoenzymes was greatest in cells grown under nitrogen-limiting conditions. Both isoenzymes have molecular weights in the range 340 to 350,000 daltons. GS₁ was found to have a greater thermostability than GS₂: GS₁ was stable at 30°C while GS₂ lost 95% of its activity in 30 minutes. GS₁ was much less sensitive to thiol reactive reagents than GS₂.     

Airborne pollen and spores of León (Spain)

A qualitative and quantitative analysis of airborne pollen and spores was carried out over 2 years (from September 1987 to August 1989) in the city of León. Slides were prepared daily using a volumetric pollen trap, which was placed on the Faculty of Veterinary Science building (University of León) 12m above ground-level. Fifty-one pollen types were observed; the most important of these were: Cupressaceae during the winter,Pinus andQuercus in spring, and Poaceae, Leguminosae and Chenopodiaceae in the summer. The results also showed the existence of a rich mould spore assemblage in the atmosphere. The group of Amerospores (Penicillium, Aspergillus andCladosporium) as well as Dictyospores (Alternaria) were the most abundant;Puccinia was common in the air in August. Fluctuations in the total pollen and spores m³ of air were compared with meteorological parameters (temperature, relative humidity and rainfall). From the daily sampling of the atmosphere of León, considering the maximum and minimum temperature and duration of rainfall, the start of the pollen grain season was observed generally to coincide with a rise in temperature in the absence of rain.     

The occurrence of Ambrosia pollen in Rzeszów,Kraków and Poznań, Poland: investigation of trends and possible transport of Ambrosia pollen from Ukraine

Previous studies have shown that ragweed pollen arrives in Poland from sources in the south, in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. It is likely that ragweed pollen also arrives from sources in the southeast (e.g. Ukraine). This hypothesis was investigated using 13 years of pollen data and back-trajectory analysis. Ambrosia pollen data were collected at three sites in Poland, Rzeszów, Kraków and Poznań. The amount of ragweed pollen recorded at Rzeszów was significantly higher than in Poznań and Kraków. This can be related to either a higher abundance of local populations of Ambrosia in south-east Poland or the proximity of Rzeszów to foreign sources of ragweed pollen. The combined results of pollen measurements and air mass trajectory calculations identified plumes of Ambrosia pollen that were recorded at Rzeszów, Kraków and Poznań on 4 and 5 September 1999 and 3 September 2002. These plumes arrived at the pollen-monitoring sites from an easterly direction, indicating sources of Ambrosia pollen in eastern Poland or Ukraine. This identifies Ukraine as a possible new source of ragweed pollen for Poland and therefore an important source area of Ambrosia pollen on the European Continent.     

Revaluación de la versión española del cuestionario Diabetes Quality of Life (EsDQOL)

La experiencia acumulada a lo largo de varios años con la versión española del Diabetes Quality of Life Questionnaire (EsDQOL) nos ha conducido a proponer una serie de modificaciones que incrementan la fiabilidad y mejoran la aplicación del cuestionario.Se ha realizado un nuevo análisis de la fiabilidad (consistencia interna) mediante α de Cronbach, con la exclusión de los ítems 3, 8 y 16 de la subescala “Impacto”, al observar que estos ítems pueden generar confusión en la interpretación y evaluación del cuestionario. El análisis se ha llevado a cabo en una población de 823 pacientes diabéticos (711 tipo 1 y 112 tipo 2) tratados con insulina. Este nuevo análisis muestra que la eliminación de los tres ítems incrementa α de Cronbach en ambos grupos de pacientes, tanto en la subescala de “Impacto” como en la fiabilidad global del cuestionario, por lo que se propone la utilización de esta versión reducida del cuestionario EsDQOL.