Acute left ventricular systolic and acute left ventricular diastolic failures are very common conditions with a significant negative impact on the patient’s quality of life. Therefore, it is necessary that…

Wound management represents a great burden for the patients’ quality of life and also for the healthcare expenditures. The understanding of the complex cellular and molecular mec­hanisms involved in the…

Exocytosis, part of which is the merger of the vesicle and the plasma membrane, is charac­teristic for eukaryotic cells, which engage this process in a myriad of cell functions. For…

Endothelial dysfunction represents one of the earliest changes in arterial function and is an important event in the atherosclerotic process. Reduced production or bioavailability of nitric oxide is the most…

Skeletal muscle is the most abundant of the human body's tissues and it represents a substantial percentage of body mass. Its main function is contraction, which produces force for different types…

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic cytokine which, as a part of complex cytokine system, controls the synthesis and expression of other cytokines and their receptors through the activation…

The object of this study was to determine reference levels of vitamin D and its metabolites in the sera of individuals with normal vitamin D metabolism. The measurements were done…

Oxygen free radicals play an important role in many processes: they are involved in various phases of the inflammatory process and therefore take part in the defence of the organism.…

Oxygen free radicals are obligatory side product of the aerobic cell metabolism. In the first part of the paper their main characteristics and formation paths as well as the reactions…

Mechanically induced peripheral nerve lesions are among the commonest neurological disorders. Pressure neuropathies (due to acute compression) differ form entrapment neuropathies (due to chronic constriction, repeated pressure or angulation) in…

Pathophysiological mechanisms of flaccid and spastic paralysis are presented. Characteristic features of flaccid paralysis described in the paper include decreased muscle strength, hypotonia or atonia, depressed or absent proprioceptive reflexes,…

Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive, degenerative disorder of the substantia nigra of unknown etiology. The main pathomorphological finding in Parkinson's disease is the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the…

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort with altered frequency of defecation and stool consistency. Some people with IBS also experience urgency…

Celiac disease is a systemic disease with autoimmune inflammatory response triggered by gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. It is more prevalent than previously thought and may appear at any age.…

The aim of the study was to determine: - whether in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) the duration of the QTc interval correlates with the echocardiographically determined left ventricular…

Microcystins damage liver tissue by disorganizing the cytoskeleton and inhibiting serine/threonine protein phosphatases. Liver cells shrink and blood penetrates the liver tissue. Internal bleeding may lead to haemorrhagic shock. Water…

Background. The basis for the function of the nervous system is signalling among the nerve cells through the synapses. Normal signalling requires precise synthesis and localisation of synaptic structures within…

Neurotrophins are a subgroup of growth factors acting within the nervous system. They are small proteins forming a family of several members. Among these, NT-3 is the most abun­dantly distributed…

Antidepressants are known to influence the kinetics of histamine. The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine the influence of various doses of antidepressants fluvoxamine and mapro­tiline on induced…

Collateral sprouting of axons in the pe­ripheral nervous system is a branching out­growth of new axon terminals from non-injured axons into adjacent denervated regions of tar­get tissue. The initiation of…

The mechanism of action of the actino­porins, substances from the sea anemone Actinia equina, is by cation selective pore formation in the cellular membranes that consequently cause cell lysis. The…

Numerous preclinical and clinical studies have shown a correlation between the consumption of moderate amounts of red wine and a reduced risk of cardiovascular complications asso­ciated with atherosclerosis. Both polyphenolic…

The following hypotheses were examined: 1. Rapid initial elongation of the regenerating axons in crushed nerves observed even in the absence of distal cell support is later slowed down or stops…