[Adipose tissue, adipokines and aging]. / Tkanka tluszczowa i adipokiny a proces starzenia.

Adipokines are substances secreted by white adipose tissue of auto-, para- and endocrine functions. They play part mainly in maintaining energy balance. Aging influences the profile of secreted adipokines, what is caused probably by increasing visceral fat, intensified low grade systemic inflammation (LGSI) and the change in adipocyte size. In this article we focus on some selected adipokines (leptin, adiponectin, visfatin, vaspin, omentin, chemerin and retinol binding protein 4 - RBP4) paying special attention to the impact of aging on their blood concentrations and functions. Blood concentrations of leptin, vaspin, chemerin and RBP4 increase with age. It is associated with adverse lipid profile, insulin resistance and the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, malignancies and autoimmunity. It has been proved that long-lived people have more beneficial adipokines profile i.e. low leptin and especially high adiponectin concentrations what is additionally connected with higher concentration of HDL cholesterol, lower concentrations of HbA1C hemoglobin and C-reactive protein, lower waist-to-hip ratio and fat mass. Moreoer, it seems that maintaining high adiponectin and omentin blood concentrations with low fat mass and preserved insulin sensitivity promote longevity. Furthermore, it has been proved that intensive exercises in old age lead to beneficial changes in adipokines profile, decrease in visceral fat, better insulin sensitivity and lipid profile.

[Positron emission tomography (PET) in malignant ovarian tumors]. / Pozytonowa tomografia emisyjna (PET) w nowotworach zlosliwych jajnika.

Accessibility of positron emission tomography integrated with computed tomography (PET/CT) has improved significantly in recent years. PET/CT with the use of 18F-deoxyglucose (FDG) is widely used in patients with ovarian malignancies at different stages of the management. FDG PET/CT shows high diagnostic accuracy in the differentiation of benign and malignant ovarian lesions with the exception of borderline tumors that may cause false negative results. Moreover FDG PET/CT is used in some centers for preoperative staging and determining the prognosis of ovarian cancer However further studies including larger groups of patients are needed to confirm the applicability of FDG PET/CT in case of the two abovementioned indications. Until now, the best documented indication for FDG PET/ CT in patients with ovarian cancer has been the detection of recurrence, especially in subjects with elevated CA 125 marker and negative results of other imaging techniques. This review focuses on the applicability of PET with the use of FDG in ovarian malignancies and points out to the limitations of this method.