Realisation of Bologna Declaration at the Slovak medical schools.

Implementation of Bologna Declaration should result in development and facilitating of the education system. Following tasks need to be done: (1) Establish committees of expert, at the level of institutes, schools and universities, which would compare and harmonize syllabus and credits of individual courses with the aim to maximally support students' and teachers' mobility. (2) It is necessary to re-evaluate the transformation of medical education in Slovakia in the near future, so as key identical courses within Slovak schools of medicine have similar syllabus, number of hours and number of given credits. Then medical study at the School of Medicine Comenius University Bratislava will be comparable to study at Slovak, Czech and other European schools of medicine. (3) Harmonize academic titles within European Union. (4) Finish all syllabi of new study programs according the programs of European Union. (5) Evaluate the prerequisites and consider the variability of some study programs. (6) Maintain flexibility of theory and practice in relation 1:2 in theoretical and practical study. (7) Determine possible forms of thesis, their content and forms, technical equipment considering experience in student's research activity. (8) Develop conditions for an adequate teachers input. (9) Objectively validate and evaluate students' gained knowledge regarding their use in practice. (10) Solve transparent conditions of support and economic guarantee of higher education for universities, teachers and students by Ministry of Education of Slovak Republic (Ref. 18). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.

Position of information science in the medical and health studies curricula.

Innovation of both the content and forms of informatics teaching directed on exploitation of technical facilities and methods of information and communication technologies (ICT) in non-informatics universities study programmes and in life-long education is still actual today. Expanding knowledge base of the life and health sciences requires to form new skills to educate the end-users and facilitate an immediate information access. Theoretical and practical teaching in pregradual medical and health studies includes the basic contacts of students with the modern technique and special medical devices supported or completed by computers. The teaching of information science and corresponding subjects represents small but important part of medical and health studies curricula at all medical faculties in Slovakia (Fig. 2, Ref. 8).

The role of medical physics in the scheme of diagnostic and therapeutic processes by keeping safety and hygienic regulations.

According to Standards of European Union the pregradual education should tend toward preparation of multidisciplinary working teams that can manage the health service using principles of evidence-based medicine, nowadays. The primary aims of teaching process is to direct the students to acquire, identify, analyze, process and select the reproducible results of physical measurements, to that the medical interpretation will be assigned. Our scientific research was directed at the existing conditions for professional use of different types of medical technique in the surgical and internal disciplines in health service institutions in all the regions of Slovakia. It also looked at the possibilities of eliminating the various unwanted effects of certain physical factors (Fig. 3, Ref. 9).

Chemistry, physiology and pathology of free radicals.

The superoxide anion radical and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed in all aerobic organisms by enzymatic and nonenzymatic reactions. ROS arise in both physiological and pathological processes, but efficient mechanisms have evolved for their detoxification. Similarly, reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) have physiological activity, but can also react with different types of molecules, including superoxide, to form toxic products. ROS and RNI participate in the destruction of microorganisms by phagocytes, as in the formation of a myeloperoxidase-hydrogen peroxide-chloride/iodide complex which can destroy many cells, including bacteria. It is known that the cellular production of ROS and RNI is controlled by different mechanisms. These free radicals can react with key cellular structures and molecules, thus altering their biological function. An imbalance between the systems producing and removing ROS and RNI may result in pathological consequences.

Modulatory effect of glucans on the functional and biochemical activities of guinea-pig macrophages.

The particulate and soluble glucan preparations isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans affected various activities of guinea-pig macrophages. The stimulation of INT reduction and superoxide production were observed in the presence of all insoluble and some soluble glucans in vitro, but most of the preparations under study had an inhibitory effect on phagocytic activity. On the other hand, the stimulation of both metabolic and functional activities was obtained in vivo. Macrophages from guinea-pigs treated with glucans exerted an increased ability to reduce INT and to produce superoxide. Their candidacidal capacity was rapidly elevated, and peritoneal macrophages had raised phagocytic activity as well. A more pronounced stimulatory effect was observed in the presence of insoluble rather than soluble glucans, and this was more expressive in vitro than in vivo.

Lysosomal enzyme activities in polymorphonuclear leukocytes, macrophages, serum, and spleen of conventional, germ-free, and antigen-free Minnesota miniature swine.

The activities of lysozyme, myeloperoxidase, and elastase were lower in PMNs and AMs from GF and AF Minnesota miniature piglets than in the leukocytes from their CONV counterparts. In the spleen and serum of gnotobiotic piglets only the levels of lysozyme were slightly reduced. Substantially depressed activities of these LEs were found also in PMNs from precolostral piglets in comparison with PMNs from their CONV mother. The bisassociation of GF piglets with Enterococcus liquefaciens and Escherichia coli caused an increase of LE activities in their AMs, spleens, and sera. Fewer LEs were released after phygocytic stimulation with zymosan from PMNs of GF, AF, and precolostral piglets than from PMNs of CONV animals of the same age. These data suggest that the antigenic-microbial stimulation is important for the development of normal lysosomal enzyme activities in PMNs and AMs from gnotobiotic animals.

[Reactive products of oxygen, antioxidative and lysosomal enzymes in the blood cells as markers of aging and indicators for the determination of functional age]. / Reaktívne produkty kyslíka, antioxidacné a lyzozómové enzýmy v krvných bunkách ako markery starnutia a ukazovatele pre výpocet funkcného veku.

Reactive products of oxygen, lysosomal enzymes, and catalase in PMNL were studied in 174 men of different ages. In two age groups also superoxide dismutase was determined in erythrocytes. Of the given parameters of PMNL markers of aging were selectively established by using the method of correlation analysis and simple linear regression. Combinations of the parameters studied assessed by the method of multivariant linear regression provided equations for calculating the functional age are required due to underestimation or overestimation of the results in the extreme parts of the regression curve.

Free radicals derived from oxygen, and medicine.

Toxic free radicals may be produced by many reactions, which are necessary for the maintenance of normal metabolism, and the production of energy in cells. The origin, reactivity with other molecules and removal of free radicals, is in the foreground of interest since their effect is mostly toxic and result in a whole series of pathological states of cells, organs and whole organisms. Production of these radicals increases in oxidative stress and in the presence of ions of metals (chiefly iron), leads to the creation of more reactive metabolites. The generally accepted view is that the main biological actor in damaged tissues is the hydroxyl radical (OH), which is created in the iron catalyzed Haber-Weiss reaction. The balance between the increased creation of free radicals in various pathological states, or unfavourable conditions in the environment, and natural antioxidants of a low-molecular (vitamin C, E, glutathione etc.) or enzyme character (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase, etc.), plays the chief role in damage which is the cause of many diseases and ageing. (Fig. 3, Tab. 5, Ref. 62.).

The superoxide dismutase-like activity of some copper(II) complexes derived from tridentate Schiff bases.

Oxygen free radicals are the final or intermediate products of many metabolic reactions. Of greatest significance to the organism are superoxide anion radical (O2-.), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl radical (.OH), singlet oxygen (1O2) etc. A proper ratio between both production and breakdown of oxy-radicals is essential for the maintenance of a dynamic equilibrium of vital processes. The superoxide dismutases protect cells against toxic influence of the superoxide. In addition, some square-pyramidally pentacoordinated copper(II) complexes, derived from tridentate Schiff bases of the N-salicylideneaminoalcanoate type, show remarkable SOD-like activity. A selected set of complexes of this type have been tested: potassium [aqua-(N-salicylideneglutamato) cuprate] (L- and D,L-form), potassium [(isothiocyanato)-(N-salicylideneglycinato) cuprate], potassium [(isothiocyanato)-(N-salicylidene-D,L-alaninato) cuprate], potassium [(isothiocyanato)-(N-salicylidene-beta-alaninato) cuprate] and potassium [(isocyanato)-(N-salicylideneglycinato) cuprate]. Our results suggest that the copper complexes are not only antioxidants, but may also possess anti-inflammatory, cytostatic and radioprotective properties.