[History of the usage of chosen psychoactive substances]. / Zarys historii stosowania wybranych srodków psychoaktywnych.

The some facts from the history of the usage of chosen psychoactive substances including natural narcotics, tobbacco and alcohol were described.

[Mild clinical course of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm]. / Tetniak rzekomy lewej komory serca o lagodnym przebiegu klinicznym.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm from myocardial infarction is rare but is associated with a high risk of rapid enlargement and rupture. This report describes a 57 year old woman with left ventricular pseudoaneurysm and delayed surgical repair. Seven weeks after myocardial infarction control transthoracic echocardiography revealed a inferolateral left ventricular pseudoaneurysm. Early surgical intervention was recommended but the patient refused hospitalization and surgical repair and continued every day home activity. The symptoms and signs were so mild that she was qualified to 1st class of NYHA classification and 1st class of CCS classification. Six weeks later-ventriculography confirmed the primary diagnosis. During heart surgery the pseudoaneurysm was incised, its fibrous wall with thrombus was resected and the ruptured left ventricular myocardium was satured. She had an uneventful postoperative course. Definitive diagnosis of the pseudoaneurysm was confirmed by histopathological evaluation of the excised left ventricular wall.

[Energy metabolism in the failing heart]. / Metabolizm energetyczny niewydolnego serca.

Daily heart consumption of energy (about 6 kg of ATP) exceeds significantly energy consumption of other organs. Deprivation of energy is considered as one of the main factors in development of heart failure. Currently available research methods permit not only to evaluate more precisely the role of impaired energy metabolism in the heart failure, but also give a hope for the future metabolic therapy.

[Spontaneous regression of cancer--review of cases from 1988 to 2006]. / Spontaniczna regresja nowotworów--przeglad przypadków od 1988 do 2006 roku.

Spontaneous regression of malignant tumours is a rare and enigmatic phenomenon. We reviewed the cases of spontaneous regression of cancer in medical literature according to MEDLINE database in the period 1988-2006 and compared them with similar reviews from 1900-1987 period. The number of reported cases of spontaneous regression increased steadily in XX century, probably due to a rising interest in this problem and new possibilities of radiological and biopsy examinations. Spontaneous regression of malignancy was reported in almost all types of human cancer, although the greatest number of cases in years 1988-2006 were reported in patients with nephroblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, lymphoma. Elucidation of the process of spontaneous regression offers the possibility of improved methods of preventing andlor treating cancer.

[Determination of nicotine and cotinine in human biological materials and their significance in toxicological studies]. / Problematyka oznaczania nikotyny i kotyniny w ludzkim materiale biologicznym w aspekcie badan toksykologicznych.

The aim of this study was the preparation of reliable procedure of the determination of nicotine and cotinine both in classic (serum, urine) and alternative biological materials (hair, saliva) and evaluation of their significance for clinical and forensic toxicology. Biological material samples (blood, urine, saliva) were taken from patients after Percutaneous Trans-luminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA). The determination of cotinine and nicotine concentration in the biological material should be optimized depending on the aim of analysis. Liquid-liquid extraction procedure and high performance liquid chromatography HPLC/UV-DAD are reliable, specific and relatively cheap. Serum and saliva are valuable biological materials which allow to determine temporary nicotine and cotinine content on the similar level of concentrations. In the near future it will be able to replace blood with saliva sample because of an easy and non-invasive way of sampling. Evaluation of cotinine concentration in urine allows to distinguish the passive from the active tobacco smokers. Hair analysis allows to control a nicotine abstinence as well as a long-term evaluation of the history of smoking. However usage of hair is limited because of difficulty with sampling. Interpretation of results in analysis of alternative materials (hair, saliva) pose a problem because of lack of sampling standardization and lack of standardization of final analysis method.

[An assessment of active and passive exposure to cigarette smoking among patients after percuteneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with the usage of cotinine level in the serum, urine and saliva. Preliminary study]. / Ocena narazenia na czynne i bierne palenie tytoniu wsród chorych po zabiegach przezskórnej angioplastyki wiencowej (PTCA) za pomoca oznaczenia poziomu kotyniny w surowicy, moczu i slinie. Doniesienie wstepne.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the study was an objective assessment of active and passive exposure to cigarette smoke among patients after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). A questionnaire was answered by 24 patients (18 men and 6 women) aged 48 to 76 (av. 61.2) years. Cotinine (metabolite of nicotine) level was measured in blood, urine and saliva of the patients as objective verification of the questionnaire answers. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Among the PTCA patients 41.6% of them were active smokers. 2. 30% of smokers concealed the fact of active smoking. 3. We assume that smoking habit among the patients should be verified by measurement of cotinine in serum, saliva and urine. 4. The main motivations for smoking cessation were myocardial infarction, PTCA and hospitalizations. 5. All patients were aware of the harmful effects of smoking and were able to identify the main risks.

[Problems in tobacco smoking in opinion of VI year of medical students]. / Problematyka nikotynizmu w opinii studentów VI roku medycyny.

UNLABELLED: The aim of our study was the evaluation of tobacco smoking among students of VI year of Medical University of Gdansk. Anonymous questionnaire was done among one hundred and ten students including 70 women and 40 men in the age from 23 to 29 (24.82 +/- 1.03) years. CONCLUSIONS: 1. There were 12.7% of daily smoking students including 8.6% women and 15% men. 2. Almost 79% volunteers ineffectively attempted to give up smoking within last year. 3. The smoking students abused alcohol (with high likelihood) and used recreational drugs twice more than nonsmoking colleagues. 4. Almost all volunteers (96.4%) want to use smoking cessation intervention in their patients. 5. Above 75% students declared to broaden their knowledge about diagnostic and smoking cessation therapy.

[Neuroleptic malignant syndrome]. / Zlosliwy zespól neuroleptyczny.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is the most dangerous side effect of phenothiazines therapy. In the period of time from 1995 to 2002 in the Intensive Toxicological Unit there were five patients, 3 men and 2 women, aged from 25 to 62 (average 44.2) years-old, admitted from the regional inpatients psychiatric units with the diagnosis of pneumonia and/or sepsis. The patients about 48-72 hours before admittance were given some phenotiazine derivatives (promazine, perphenazine, clozapine, pipamperon) and/or buthyrophenone (haloperidol) because of psychotic state. Altered consciousness, muscle rigidity, hyperpyrexia (39.0-41.0 degrees C), sweating, tachycardia (120-150/min.), tachypnoea (respiratory rate more than 25/min.) and high level of creatine kinase activity (23,751-112,288 U/l) dominated. Only one patient had clinical picture of pneumonia. Because of the rapid development of acute respiratory failure, respirathorotherapy was initiated and continued for 8 and 10 days in two patients respectively. Transient thrombocytopenia (26,000/microliter) in one subject was observed. The neuroleptic drug was withdrawn and intensive supportive care with administration of bromocriptine (15-20 mg/24 h) was provided. None one of the doctors told the patients about the possibility of NMS during phenothiazines therapy.