The Ccz1 protein interacts with Ypt7 GTPase during fusion of multiple transport intermediates with the vacuole in S. cerevisiae.

Previously we have shown that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae CCZ1 (YBR131w) gene encodes a protein involved in protein trafficking. Deletion of this gene leads to fragmentation of the vacuole typical of the class B vps mutants. Genetic and biochemical data indicated that Ccz1p is required for fusion of various transport intermediates with the vacuole. Here we present data indicating that CCZ1 is a close partner of the YPT7 gene, which encodes Rab GTPase and is required for fusion of transport vesicles to vacuole and homotypic vacuole fusion. We isolated extragenic suppressors of CCZ1 deletion. All these suppressors belong to one complementation group and correspond to mutated alleles of the YPT7 gene. The mutated residues are located in two Ypt7p domains responsible for guanine binding. These data suggest that Ccz1p and Ypt7p interact physically. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments provide direct evidence that this indeed is the case. A possible mechanism of Ccz1p action is discussed.

Models of protein crystal growth.

The growth of large and well ordered protein crystals remains the major obstacle in protein structure determination by means of X-ray crystallography. One of the reasons is that the physico-chemical aspect of protein crystallization process is not understood. This article reviews efforts towards formulation of models that could become theoretical frameworks for the interpretation of voluminous experimental data collected on protein crystal growth. Special attention is devoted to microscopic models that recognize the role of the shape of protein molecules in crystal formation.

[Attempts at surgical treatment of nasal septum deformities in the XIX century with instruments powered by an "electric motor"]. / Próby leczenia znieksztalconej przegrody nosa w XIX w. narzedziami napedzanymi "elektromotorem".

The methods of surgical treatment of nasal spetum deformations by electrical instruments in the XIX century were used especially in United States of America. In the begining of seventieth of the XIX century D.H. Goodwillie used the machine by foot. In the half of eightieth of the XIX century and later the nasal trephine was used by C. Astier, W. Wróblewski, J. Wright, M. Schmidt, J. Wolff, F. Kretschmann and others, G. Spiess employed the special protected speculum. The special saws were also in prewailing use (G. Spiess and others). Those methods were generally not many effective.

The effect of transcription and translation initiation frequencies on the stochastic fluctuations in prokaryotic gene expression.

The kinetics of prokaryotic gene expression has been modelled by the Monte Carlo computer simulation algorithm of Gillespie, which allowed the study of random fluctuations in the number of protein molecules during gene expression. The model, when applied to the simulation of LacZ gene expression, is in good agreement with experimental data. The influence of the frequencies of transcription and translation initiation on random fluctuations in gene expression has been studied in a number of simulations in which promoter and ribosome binding site effectiveness has been changed in the range of values reported for various prokaryotic genes. We show that the genes expressed from strong promoters produce the protein evenly, with a rate that does not vary significantly among cells. The genes with very weak promoters express the protein in "bursts" occurring at random time intervals. Therefore, if the low level of gene expression results from the low frequency of transcription initiation, huge fluctuations arise. In contrast, the protein can be produced with a low and uniform rate if the gene has a strong promoter and a slow rate of ribosome binding (a weak ribosome binding site). The implications of these findings for the expression of regulatory proteins are discussed.

[The importance of Adam Politzer for the Polish otiatrics]. / Znaczenie Adama politzera dla polskiej otiatrii.

The difficult start of world otiatrics is described. The importance of Adam Politzer (1835-1920) and Joseph Gruber (1827-1900) in the origin of otiatric clinic in Vienna is depicted. The professional and scientific career is described of Politzer with a wide experiences with the educational otiatric institutions abroad. He was the author of many scientific papers and books. His best-known contribution to clinical otology is his inflation of the middle ear by "politzerization". He contributed to knowledge in every department of otology especially in the surgical treatment of endocranial complications of aural diseases. Politzer was a constructor of many otological instruments. He was also a lover of fine arts. The impressions of Samuel Meyerson (1851-1939), a Warsaw physician from the Politzer's clinic are described in detail.

Microscopic model of protein crystal growth.

A microscopic, reversible model to study protein crystal nucleation and growth is presented. The probability of monomer attachment to the growing crystal was assumed to be proportional to the protein volume fraction and the orientational factor representing the anisotropy of protein molecules. The rate of detachment depended on the free energy of association of the given monomer in the lattice, as calculated from the buried surface area. The proposed algorithm allowed the simulation of the process of crystal growth from free monomers to complexes having 10(5) molecules, i.e. microcrystals with already formed faces. These simulations correctly reproduced the crystal morphology of the chosen model system--the tetragonal lysozyme crystal. We predicted the critical size, after which the growth rate rapidly increased to approximately 50 protein monomers. The major factors determining the protein crystallisation kinetics were the geometry of the protein molecules and the resulting number of kinetics traps on the growth pathway.

[The achievement of Warsowian physicians in otolaryngology after introduction of laryngoscopy]. / Dokonania warszawskich lekarzy w otolaryngologii po wprowadzeniu largoskopii.

The professional and scientific activities of Konstanty Karwowski (1834-1918), one of the pioneers of the laryngoscopy in Warsaw are described. The widespread contacts of Ignacy Baranowski (1833-1919) with the Viennese scientific medical world are stressed. The beginning of otological lectures by Wiktor Szokalski (1811-1897) in 1864, the famous Polish ophtalmologist is mentioned. The achievements of eminent Polish surgeons: Aleksander A. Le Brun (1803-1868), Hipolit Korzeniowski (1827-1897), Polikarp Girsztowt (1827-1877) and Julian Kosinski (1833-1914) from surgical clinics in Warsaw are presented. The first total laryngectomy in Poland, performed by Kosinski in 1877 is presented in detail.

[Professional education of Polish physicians in otologic centers of Vienna in the 19th century]. / Szkolenia polskich lekarzy w otiatrycznych osrodkach Wiednia w XIX stuleciu.

The foundations of the modern otology in Vienna created Adam Politzer, Joseph Gruber, Victor Urbantschitsch. The professional and scientific achievements of Joseph Gruber and Victor Urbantschitsch are described briefly. Gruber was one of two heads of otiatric clinic in Vienna. Urbantschitsch was an authority of psychophysiology of hearing. Such well-known otologists in Vienna as Gustav Alexander, Robert Bárány, Beniamin Gomperz, Erich Ruttin and others were a good teachers of many foreign physicians also from Polish territories. Robert Bárány was a Nobel prize winner.

3-Methyladenine-DNA glycosylase I from Escherichia coli-computer modeling and supporting experimental evidence.

TagA (3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase I) excises 3-methyadenine and 3-methylguanine from alkylated DNA. The structure of this enzyme has not yet been determined experimentally. We propose a three-dimensional model of the TagA protein based on the threading algorithm. The model shows that TagA is a mostly alpha-helical protein, in agreement with circular dichroism measurements. None of the eight cysteines present in the TagA sequence forms a disulfide bridge in the model structure, which has also been experimentally verified with the use of Ellman method.

[Struggles with nasal septum malformations in the XIX century]. / Zmagania ze znieksztalcona przegroda nosa w XIX w.

The maxilla-premaxilla approach to extensive nasal septum surgery performed in 1959 by M.H. Cottle and all is a obligatory method today. The struggle with a nasal septum deformations from the half of eighteenth of XIX century is presented (S.T. Quelmaltz). The correction of nasal septum by "the compression method", usually the vain method performed by A. Jurasz sen., P.L-B. Guersant, M. Warren, E.P. Chassaignac, F. Petersen and others are described in detail. The willful nasal septum perforation was performed by P.F. Blondin and P.T. Rupprecht. The special forceps were used by A. Jurasz sen. and R. Adams. The dorsum nasal cut was performed by J.N. Demarquay and B.R. Langenbeck. The destruction of inferior nasal concha was performed by M. Mackenzie and P. Delavan. The employment of galvanokauterization and electrolysis by A. Jurasz sen., F.E. Voltolini, C. Miot and E.M. Moure is mentioned. A description of fenestrated resection of septi nasi by Krieg in 1886 and then modified by G. Killian is presented.

[Training of Polish physicians in rhinolaryngology in XIX century Vienna]. / Szkolenia lekarzy polskich w rynolaryngologicznych XIX-wiecznych osrodkach Wiednia.

The eminent Viennese rhinolaryngologists in the XIX century were: Leopold Schroetter, Karl Stoerk, Johann Schnitzler, Ottokar Chiari, Markus Hajek and others. Stroerk, the pupil of Ludwig Türck was a head of rhinolaryngological clinic since 1891, he was also the author of valuable papers, among other things on rhinoscleroma. Schnitzler, the assistant of Johann R. von Oppolzer was a head of Viennese polyclinic. The therapeutical nihilism in Viennese clinics is mentioned. Ottokar Chiari, the assistant of Schroetter was an eminent rhinolaryngologist. Markus Hajek was a head of otorhinolarynoglogical clinic in Vienna performed in 1919. Theodor Billroth, professor of surgery in Vienna was the first to remove the larynx for cancer in 1873.

[Leopold Schroetter von Kristelli and Polish laryngologists]. / Leopold Schroetter von Kristelli a polscy laryngolodzy.

The researches of Leopold Schroetter von Kristelli, Karl Stoerk, Johann Schnitzler, Ottokar Chiari, Markus Hajek and others, the best Viennese rhinolaryngologists clarified our knowledge on rhinolaryngology. Leopold Schroetter, the famous rhinolaryngologist and internist, was a head of rhinolaryngological clinic in Vienna. He is shown as a precursor of treatment tracheas stenosis, he was also the author of many scientific papers and several books, coeditor of scientific medical magazines, a good teacher of a great number of physicians also from Polish territories. The Polish doctors: Samuel Meyerson, Wladyslaw Rudnicki and Alfred M. Sokolowski were a reporters from Schroetter's clinic.

[Otolaryngologic hospital wards and out-patient clinics in Warsaw in the second part of the XIX-th and the beginning part of the XX-th century]. / Oddzialy szpitalne i ambulatoria przyszpitalne o profilu otolarynolgicznym w Warszawie w drugiej polowie XIX i w poczatkach XX stulecia.

The origin of the first otolaryngological hospital wards in Warsaw: laryngological ward of St. Roch Hospital and otological ward of Ujazdowski Hospital, both founded in 1881, and laryngological out-patient clinic at St. Spirit Hospital, founded in 1883, is described. The rise of the first otolaryngological hospital ward in Warsaw Orthodox Jew Hospital established in 1903 is thoroughly described. The activity of Warsaw hospital wards and hospital out-patient clinics at Infant Jesus Hospital, the Warsaw Hospital for Children, the Berson and Bauman Hospital, the Wolski Hospital, the Blessed Virgin Mary Hospital, the Evangelical Hospital, the Charles and Mary Hospital for Children, the Warsaw Municipal Lazaret is presented in detail.

[The otolaryngological pilgrimage of Polish physicians to Vienna in the 19th century]. / Otolaryngologiczne peregrynacje dziewietnastowiecznych polskich lekarzy do Wiednia.

The conditions of studying and specialistic training of Polish physicians at Vienna University in the 19th century are presented briefly. The teaching methods at Vienna University by professors, assistant professors and assistants are outlined. The origin and development of polyclinic in Vienna (Allgemeine Poliklinik) is described in detail. The therapeutical nihilism in Viennese clinics at that time is mentioned. The enumeration of such famous scientists in otiatrics and rhinolaryngology in Vienna in the 19th century as Adam Politzer, Joseph Gruber, Victor Urbantschitsch, Leopold von Schroetter, Karl Stoerk, Johann Schnitzler is pointed out finally.

[A Polish physician's impressions from the Viennese Clinic of Winternitz]. / Wrazenia polskiego lekarza z wiedenskiej kliniki Winternitza.

The achievements of Vincenz Priestnitz, Sebastian Kneipp and Wilhelm Winternitz for the development of hydrotherapy are presented at the beginning. The professional and scientific activities of Winternitz are strongly pointed out. Eugeniusz Piasecki (1872-1947), the Polish physician and theorist of physical education impressions from Vieneese Clinic of Winternitz are depicted widely. The role of Winternitz in formation of modern hydrotherapy in Polish territories is presented finally.

[How a Warsaw physician helped Sienkiewicz in his literary debut]. / Jak warszawski lekarz pomógl Sienkiewiczowi w jego literackim debiucie?

This article is on the borderline between history of medicine and history of literature. The life and works are presented of Konrad Dobrski (1849-1915), with description of his works in Warsaw and scientific visits to Vienna. He was a well-known Warsaw's physician, especially in laryngology and pulmonology. His friendly relations with Henryk Sienkiewicz, a famous Polish writer, in adolescence are described in more details. The Dobrski's participation in origin of first Sienkiewicz's novel "Na marne" is presented with full particulars. The Józef Ignacy Kraszewski's assistance in this matter is also depicted.

Lattice simulations of protein crystal formation.

A new algorithm is presented for the lattice simulation of protein crystal growth. The algorithm allows the calculation of the size distribution of microcrystals in the volume and timescale of experiments and within the framework of the previously-published microscopic model [A.M. Kierzek, W.M. Wolf, P. Zielenkiewicz, Biophys. J. 73 (1997) 571-580]. Simulations for the tetragonal lysozyme crystal show that there are two critical sizes in the development of ordered phase. The first one corresponds to the size of the smallest stable complex which, in the case of the tetragonal lysozyme crystal, is the particular tetramer. In a volume of 5 mul the tetramer appears in the millisecond timescale. The second critical radius of approximately 100 monomers is only reached by a few of all the smallest stable complexes formed in the solution. The model predicts that out of 10(7) tetramers which appear in solution, only eight reach the size of 100 monomers within 8 h. After exceeding the second critical radius the microcrystals grow to the size of 10(4) monomers in the minute timescale and are thus assumed to quickly lead to macroscopic crystals. The predicted number of crystals formed during 8 h of nucleation is in qualitative agreement with arrested nucleation experiments.

[A little about the nineteenth-century history of a health resort in Ciechocinek]. / Nieco o dziewietnastowiecznej historii uzdrowiska Ciechocinek.

Impression of a Warsaw physician, hygienist and social worker Ludwik Natanson (1822-1896) from his journey to Ciechocinek in 1853 was reported. Brief history of this resort as well as contemporary indications and contraindications to treatment there were described. A role which in creation of this resort was played by Roman Ignatowski (1805-1889), who was a resort-doctor for many years, was presented.

[The organization and activity of the otolaryngological institutions in Warsaw in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century]. / Organizacja i dzialalnosc instytucji medycznych o profilu otolaryngologicznym w Warszawie w drugiej polowie XIX i w poczatkach XX wieku.

The importance of various otolaryngological institutions: hospital wards, outpatient clinics, infirmaries and consulting rooms in the formation of the new specialization, otolaryngology, is described in this paper. An important role of surgery in the first period of the development of otolaryngology is mentioned. At that time all major otolaryngological operations were performed by general surgeons. The necessity to create new separate hospital otolaryngological wards became evident. The attainment of general surgical education and management of suitable post-operation treatment by otolaryngologists as well as creation of autonomous operating rooms were also evident. Poor state of Warsaw otolaryngological outpatient clinics is described in detail. The state of otolaryngological institutions in Europe, in the United States of North America and in the Kingdom of Poland is described briefly.

[The participation of the Warsaw otolaryngologists in medical conferences and congresses in the 19th century]. / Udzial XIX-wiecznych otolaryngologów warszawskich w zjazdach i kongresach lekarskich.

The participation of a famous Polish laryngologist Teodor Heryng (1847-1925) in many scientific congresses was presented in separate publications. Many Varsovian otolaryngologists also took part in a great number of international congresses. Jan Sedziak's (1861-1932) participation in international congress in Vienna in 1908 on account of the 50th anniversary of the invention of laryngoscopy by Manuel Garcia is stressed. Sedziak was specially esteemed in Great Britain and in the United States of North America. Very significant contribution of Alfred M. Sokolowski (1849-1924) to the medical congress in Rome in 1894 is described. The widespread contacts of Varsovian otolaryngologists: Zdzislaw Dmochowski, Feliks Erbrich, Leopold Lubliner, Edmund Modrzejewski, Zygmunt Srebrny. Jan Szmurlo, Witold Szumlanski with the European scientific world are mentioned, as well as their active participation in many medical meetings and congresses.