Culture of human nasal epithelial cells from nasal polyps on collagen matrix.

Epithelial cell cultures became an experimental model employed for both animal and human studies. We established a modified method of culture of human nasal epithelial cells from nasal polyps using serum-free, hormonally supplemented Ham's F-12 medium and Vitrogen 100 collagen matrix. Cells reached confluent monolayer structures in 5 to 7 days (mean time 6 +/- 0.89 days) of culture. The confluent cultures consisted of pure epithelial cells, which was confirmed by light and electron microscopy, and immunohistochemical staining with anticytokeratin antibody. The success ratio of cultures was 61.5%. The culture system described is efficient enough to provide pure epithelial cells for further functional studies.

Observations on the subgenus Argas (Ixodoidea: argasidae: Argas). 17. Argas (A.) polonicus sp. n. parasitizing domestic pigeons in Krakow, Poland.

Argas (A.) polonicus sp. n. is described from males, females, nymphs, and larvae from the steeple tower of St. Mary's Church, Karkow, Poland, where it feeds on domestic rock pigeons, Columba livia Gmelin. This species is related to the widely distributed Eurasian A. (A.) vulgaris Filippova and to certain other species of the eastern area of the Palearctic Faunal Region; it differs distinctly from A. (A.) reflexus (Fabricius) of western Europe. Comparative study under the light microscope. and especially under the scanning electron microscope, reveals numerous structural differences in adult and immature stages of these species, chiefly in the Haller's organ roof of each stage, adult body shape and integumental formations, dental formulae, and setal lengths and numbers on the larval dorsum.

Emergency medical service in Poland--current state and a need of reform.

The article focuses on the question of reorganisation of Emergency Medical Service in Poland. First part of the paper contains a short description of a project of the Integrated Rescue System, which have been included in the National Emergency Medical Service Act enacted by Parliament in 2001. Considering to the fact, that implementation of this reform has been stopped after general elections in autumn 2001, in the second part of the paper some arguments supporting the postulate of urgent realisation of this project are discussed. The arguments refer to five spheres: epidemiological, social, political, legal and economical. The conclusions of the discussion are, that in every of those spheres negative consequences of blocking the reform may be observed. The final conclusion is, that reorganisation of ineffective Emergency Medical Service in Poland is still a challenge, which public authorities have to manage.

[Incidence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes in Ixodes ricinus ticks from a museum collection evaluated by PCR]. / Wystepowanie kretków Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato w kleszczach Ixodes ricinus z muzealnej kolekcji kleszczy ocenione metoda lancuchowej reakcji polimerazy (PCR).

Ixodes ricinus ticks (total n = 51:14 larvae, 16 nymphs, 17 females and 11 males) collected at 21 different sites during 1948-1987 were examined individually for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochaetes. Detection of spirochaetes was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers complementary to chromosomal sequence. Borreliae were found in 3 (3.56%) examined ticks (nymphs) collected at the same site (two in June, 1952 and one in August, 1987). The low number of infected ticks found in this investigation do not reflects real infection rate in tick population.

[Borrelia burgdorferi infection of ticks in some regions of Poland]. / Zakazenie kleszczy Borrelia burgdorferi w wybranych rejonach Polski.

Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks were collected by flagging from the vegetation at five different locations in Poland in May 1994. I. ricinus (n191) and D. reticulatus (n48), as well as 24 Argas reflexus collected from Katowice, Kornie, Szcyglice, Urwitalt and Zwierzyniec, were examined for the presence of Borrelia spirochetes by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFA). Borrelia were found in adult I. ricinus ticks at all 5 collection sites. Nine out of 39 I. ricinus males (23%) and 16 out of 72 I. ricinus females (22.2%) were infected. In addition, 2 out of 72 I. ricinus larvae (2.7%) were heavily infected, whereas none of the D. reticulatus and A. reflexus contained Borrelia. These results show that I. ricinus is also in Poland the main vector of Lyme disease-causing spirochetes. The finding that some larvae are also infected merits further investigations into the relative role of transovarial transmission of Borrelia in field populations of I. ricinus ticks.

[Tick fauna (Acari: Ixodida) in Poland]. / Fauna kleszczy (Acari: Ixodida) w Polsce.

20 valid species of Ixodida (3 Argasidae and 17 Ixodidae) are actually recognized as permanently existing in Poland. Cases of transferring 5 other Ixodidae were also recorded. Argasidae are nests- and burrows-dwelling species having multi-host development cycle, they are mainly synanthropic and semisynanthropic, nocturnal active, with the peak seasonal activity in the middle of summer. The most of Polish Ixodidae species are burrows- and nests-dwelling parasites, more common species are out of nest-dwelling, having three-host development cycle; they are basically polyxenic, active during the warm season of year, normally with two peaks of activity--in spring and at the end of summer, beginning of autumn; in most cases live in forests.

[A case of bringing along Mediterranean ticks Ixodes (Ixodes) festai Rondelli, 1926 (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) to Poland by migrating birds]. / Przypadek zawleczenia do Polski przez ptaki wedrowne sródziemnomorskiego kleszcza Ixodes (Ixodes) festai Rondelli, 1926 (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae).

A partly fed female of I. festai was collected from Turdus merula L. caught in Hel Peninsula (Southern Coast of Baltic Sea). This species (known only as females) is a parasite of birds, and inhabits western part of the Mediterranean area. I. festai is a second species after Hyalomma marginatum which probably every spring is transferred by migratory bird into territory of Poland. This finding is the first recorded case of transfer of I. festai to Poland, therefore the description of female is given.

[Morphological anomalies in ticks (Acari: Ixodida) collected from natural environment]. / Morfologiczne anomalie u kleszczy (Acari: Ixodida) zebranych w naturze.

Among the ticks with morphological anomalies were: Argas persicus--fed female with atrophia of the third right leg together with the coxa from the chicken in the hen house (Mfakar Alsrki--Syria); Hyalomma marginatum--partly fed female with complete absence of the fourth right leg, was found on a sheep (Mfakar Alsrki); Ixodes ricinus--partly fed female with asymmetry of the body from the roe-deer (Popielno, province Suwalki); I. I. ricinus--partly fed female with anomaly in shape of the dorsal disk, was found probably on a cattle in province Kraków.

[Preliminary studies of the occurrence of Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) in the areas of the Cracow-Czestochowa highland at various stages of human industrial activities]. / Wstepne badania nad wystepowaniem Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) na obszarach Jury Krakowsko-Czestochowskiej w róznym stopniu zmienionych antropopresja.

In the years 1987-88 the density of the population of I. ricinus on the territory of Kraków-Czestochowa Highland including the Ojców National Park was studied. The method of collection of ticks from 100 m2 fields was applied. On the spite of similar ecological conditions there was marked variation in the population density of I. ricinus. It decreased from East to West, where territories are under the strong pressure of the Upper Silesia and Olkusz industry.