Zooplankton in the artificial pond of the Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

Paramecium caudatum and the predominant zooplanton organisms were registered in the studied pond of the Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The finding of Stentor coeruleus indicates an improvement in the environmental conditions in Kraków, connected with the partial liquidation of the huge steelworks.     

Fine structural recognition specificities of IgE antibodies distinguishing amoxicilloyl and amoxicillanyl determinants in allergic subjects.

IgE antibodies in the sera of subjects allergic to beta-lactam antibiotics detect a spectrum of specificities ranging from side-chain groups to an entire penicillin or cephalosporin molecule. In addition to such structural heterogeneity of allergenic determinants, IgE antibodies in the sera of different allergic subjects show heterogeneous recognition responses. Detailed immunochemical studies were carried out on the sera of penicillin-allergic subjects that showed selective and unexpected reactions with the frequently prescribed penicillin, amoxicillin. Antibodies from one subject reacted only with the amoxicilloyl determinant while IgE from another subject showed multiple reactivity with penicilloyl and penicillanyl determinants of different penicillins but not with the amoxicilloyl determinant. Quantitative hapten inhibition studies revealed that the combining sites of the former antibodies were complementary to amoxicillin in a form that permits binding to the hydroxyaminobenzyl side-chain and the thiazolidine ring carboxyl. These conditions are satisfied with the drug in the '-oyl' but not in the '-anyl' form which involves linkage through the 2-carboxyl of the thiazolidine ring. With the second serum, adsorption studies showed that the wide-ranging reactivity of IgE was due to a single population of antibodies that detected a common specificity on the different penicillins. Combining site studies revealed clear recognition of the benzyl portion of the side-chain of benzylpenicilloyl, benzylpenicillanyl, ampicilloyl, ampicillanyl and amoxicillanyl determinants when free antibody access to the side-chain was possible but little or no recognition of the ring hydroxyl of amoxicillin. Such uninhibited access may not occur, however, when amoxicillin is conjugated in the '-oyl' form since opening the beta-lactam ring allows increased flexibility and rotation of the molecule and the possibility of close association of the hydroxyaminobenzyl side-chain of amoxicillin with the linked peptide carrier. In such close steric association, H-bonding involving the ring hydroxyl and amino acids of the carrier may prevent antibody access to the side-chain region of the amoxicilloyl determinant.     

Parametric and Nonparametric Analyses of Repeated Ordinal Categorical Data

We compare two models for the analysis of repeated ordinal categorical data: the classical parametric model for means of scores assigned to the categories of the response variable and a nonparametric model based on relative effects derived from the marginal distribution functions of the response. An example in the field of Dentistry is used to illustrate and to compare the models. We also consider a simulation study to evaluate the type‐I error rates and the power of tests under both models in a balanced design setup. The simulation results suggest that both approaches behave similarly for equally spaced scores but may perform differently otherwise. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of various supplies of vitamin B2 in the rat body on the activity of enzymes participating in the metabolism of xenobiotics

Studies on the effect of different content of vitamin B2 (alimentary deficiency, additional administration) in the rat organism on the activity of enzymes participating in the metabolism of foreign substances and on the inducing effect of phenobarbital have shown that vitamin B2 to a considerable extent controls the activity of flavin-containing enzymes participating in the metabolism of xenobiotics (D-amino acid oxidase, xanthine and aldehyde oxidases, NADH- and NADPH-reductase activity of neotetrazolium) and a number of enzymes for which flavins do not play the role of prosthetic group (esterases aldehyde and formaldehyde dehydrogenases, demethylase and hydroxylase). Different content of vitamin B2 in animal organism also influences the action of phenobarbital, an inductor of xenobiotics metabolism, and the acetanilide biotransformation rate.     

Dynamics of immunoglobulins and immunocompetent lymphocytes in guinea pigs with experimental ascariasis

The paper presents data on variations in the level of serous immunoglobulins (Ig M and Ig G classes), immunocompetent T- and B-lymphocytes in lymphoid organs (spleen, mesenteric, portal and mediastinal lymph nodes) and specific antiparasitic antibodies in guinea pigs during the dynamics of experimental ascariasis.     

Effect of the cytoplasm of irradiated cells on chromatin degradation in mouse thymocytes and hepatocytes

The addition of a cytoplasmic fraction, isolated from cells 3h after irradiation of mice, to exposed or intact thymocyte nuclei causes a 2- or 3-fold acceleration of chromatin degradation in the nuclei incubated in conditions optimum for activity of Ca2+,Mg2+-dependent endonuclease to be manifest. In contrast to thymocytes, no chromatin degradation products are found in liver cells of irradiated mice. The cytoplasmic fraction isolated from hepatocytes of irradiated animals fails to activate chromatin degradation in thymocyte nuclei.     

The effect of repeated administration of insulin on pain threshold and gamma-aminobutyric acid level in mouse brain

In experiments on male Albino-Swiss mice weighing 18-22 g insulin given in doses of 2 i.u./kg caused no change in the time of reaction to pain, while the same dose administered daily for 7 days potentiated the analgesic action of morphine (3 mg/kg s.c.). Glucose caused no change in this effect of insulin. After 14 days of insulin treatment the time of reaction to pain in the animals subjected to the action of morphine returned to its initial value. Twenty-four hours after the last administration of morphine the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was found to be decreased in the animals receiving insulin with glucose. These results suggest that the central action of insulin is dependent not only on hypoglycaemia produced by it, but may be due also to its direct action on the central structures and an indirect action mediated by its effect on other neurotransmitter systems.     

Role of motor activity in the development of hypothyroid rat pups

Studies have been made on the role of the thyroid in the development of rats. In the first group of experiments, newborn rat received within a month mercazolyl which inhibits the activity of the thyroid; in animals of the second group, mercazolyl injections were combined with cold exposures which stimulated motor activity in animals. It was found that hypothyroid rats in both groups exhibit retardation of growth as compared to normal animals. However, retardation is less significant in animals of the second group, as it is indicated by smaller changes in the protein content and total mass of skeletal muscles.