Past and future of an IMI-PharmaTrain (IMI-PhT)-initiated multinational pharmaceutical medicine course at the Semmelweis University in Hungary.

The pharmaceutical medicine course at the Semmelweis University of Budapest, Hungary, was initiated as part of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI is the main program, IMI-PharmaTrain is one of the IMI projects) Pharmaceutical Medicine Training Programs (16 IMI Call 2008/1/16). The aim was to extend training in the development of pharmaceutical medicine to those EU member states where no such education was present. The final program envisaged the development of a cooperative education supported by universities located in Central and Eastern Europe. It was considered to be the economically and scientifically most viable approach to combine the expertise from these countries to form a united teaching staff and provide education jointly for young professionals of the region. Semmelweis University was selected to manage this coordinated program. In this report, we describe the organization and functioning of this international university-based pharmaceutical medicine education project called the Cooperative European Medicines Development Course (CEMDC) and evaluate its successes and shortcomings. During the pandemic, the educational course was interrupted. The follow-on program is reorganized as a postgraduate MSc course named "Semmelweis Pharma MBA" and will be started in 2025. It will continue the established PharmaTrain educational tradition. However, it will deal in more detail with the transition from basic pharmacological to industrial research, as well as biopharmaceutical formulation and manufacturing and marketing aspects of medicines development.

Mobility and distribution of arsenic in contaminated mine soils and its effects on the microbial pool.

Three soils, coming from a former mining site and characterized by a different degree of pollution, were analysed in terms of Arsenic (As) content, using three different analytical approaches, and its distribution in various soil fractions. The effect of As on soil microbial biomass (size, respiration and microbial quotients) was also analysed. Total arsenic concentration between soil fractions was significantly different and ranged from 189 to 4357mgkg(-1), indicating a high level of pollution. Soil sequential fractioning showed that more than 60 percent of total As was bound to Fe-Al oxides, suggesting a minor availability and environmental risk regardless the total concentration of As in the sample. On the contrary, water soluble As fraction showed a significant difference among the three samples. The largest water soluble As concentration was found in the sample with intermediate total As amount. As far as microbial biomass is concerned, it was found that bioavailable As negatively impacted microbial metabolism in terms of basal and cumulative respiration, and microbial quotients, suggesting a strong selection within microbial pool.

Analysis of the contribution of I(to) to repolarization in canine ventricular myocardium.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The contribution of the transient outward potassium current (I(to)) to ventricular repolarization is controversial as it depends on the experimental conditions, the region of myocardium and the species studied. The aim of the present study was therefore to characterize I(to) and estimate its contribution to repolarization reserve in canine ventricular myocardium. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Ion currents were recorded using conventional whole-cell voltage clamp and action potential voltage clamp techniques in canine isolated ventricular cells. Action potentials were recorded from canine ventricular preparations using microelectrodes. The contribution of I(to) to repolarization was studied using 100 µM chromanol 293B in the presence of 0.5 µM HMR 1556, which fully blocks I(Ks). KEY RESULTS: The high concentration of chromanol 293B used effectively suppressed I(to) without affecting other repolarizing K(+) currents (I(K1), I(Kr), I(p)). Action potential clamp experiments revealed a slowly inactivating and a 'late' chromanol-sensitive current component occurring during the action potential plateau. Action potentials were significantly lengthened by chromanol 293B in the presence of HMR 1556. This lengthening effect induced by I(to) inhibition was found to be reverse rate-dependent. It was significantly augmented after additional attenuation of repolarization reserve by 0.1 µM dofetilide and this caused the occurrence of early afterdepolarizations. The results were confirmed by computer simulation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The results indicate that I(to) is involved in regulating repolarization in canine ventricular myocardium and that it contributes significantly to the repolarization reserve. Therefore, blockade of I(to) may enhance pro-arrhythmic risk.

Chlamydia pneumoniae exacerbates aortic inflammatory foci caused by murine cytomegalovirus infection in normocholesterolemic mice.

Inflammatory foci induced by murine cytomegalovirus infection in normocholesterolemic mice were present temporarily in the aortic wall, but some of these foci developed into advanced lesions that persisted late after infection. The early foci induced by virus infection were significantly exacerbated following a single inoculation with Chlamydia pneumoniae.

Viewer-centered temporal biasing of 3-D rotation percepts.

The perceived direction of rotation of a 3-D cloud of dots can be biased by a prior rotation (Jiang, Pantle, and Mark, 1998 Perception & Psychophysics 60 275-286). In a series of experiments, it is shown that the temporal rotation bias is reversed by a 180 degrees change of head orientation between two rotation sequences; i.e. the perceived direction of rotation reverses for the second of two sequences when head orientation is changed. The bias is, therefore, viewer-centered. Perceptual reversals are not obtained when the orientation of the head is changed and returned to its original position between rotation sequences. It was also found that the viewer-centered bias combined additively with viewer-independent near-far luminance information. Finally, the bias was manifest when 3-D depth was re-established, but not maintained, between rotation sequences. A model, in descriptive and flowchart forms, is used to explain the integration of world-centered information and a viewer-centered temporal bias on the presence/absence of perceptual reversals of the rotating virtual sphere. In the model, the temporal bias is the result of the coupling of depth values to persisting 2-D retinal motion signals.

[Intracystic tumors of the breast]. / Intracysticus daganatok az emlöben.

The authors report their experience obtained on the diagnostics of intracystic breast tumours in the last five years. It can be stated that ultrasound is currently the most valuable supplementary imaging method for the diagnosis of this rarely observed tumour. With the aid of ultrasonography, guided sampling can easily be carried out, and hence the preoperative diagnostic accuracy is increased. Pneumocystography is needed only in special cases.

[Collagenous sprue--a rare form of celiac disease in adulthood]. / Die kollagene Sprue--eine seltene Form der Zöliakie im Erwachsenenalter.

The authors report a case of collagenous sprue. This condition is characterized by coeliac type small bowel malabsorption, resistant to gluten free diet and other therapeutic efforts, associated with poor prognosis. The diagnosis depends on the histological demonstration of extensive collagenization of the lamina propria in the flat jejunal mucosa. This disease must be kept in mind at differential diagnosis of chronic diarrhea with progressive malabsorption, especially if it is resistant to gluten withdrawal in contrast to conventional coeliac disease.

[Collagen sprue--a rare form of adult celiac disease]. / Kollagén sprue--a felnöttkori coeliakia ritka formája.

The authors report the first case of collagenous sprue in Hungary. This condition is characterized by coeliac type small bowel malabsorption, resistant to gluten free diet and other therapeutic efforts, associated with poor prognosis. The diagnosis depends on the histological demonstration of extensive collagenization of the lamina propria in the flat jejunal mucosa. This disease must be kept in mind at differential diagnosis of chronic diarrhoea with progressive malabsorption, especially if it is resistant to gluten withdrawal than conventional coeliac disease.

Malignant müllerian tumours of the uterus.

Thirty-two cases of malignant Müllerian tumours of the uterus of the mixed mesodermal type were investigated. Histological examinations were performed on tissue obtained during curettage or biopsy and/or surgical removal of the uterus; in 4 cases postmortem examination was also carried out. The biphasic tumours of the uterus were classified into four groups and comprised 44% of alle uterine sarcomas. In 10 of the 28 cases in which uterine curettage or cervical biopsy was carried out, the final diagnosis was clarified when the tumorous uterus was removed. The prognosis was poorer for heterologous than for homologous tumours. In the heterologous group, the prognosis was better for the form with chondrosarcomatous features (2 patients are still alive after more than 5 years) than for the form containing striated muscle tissue (all 5 patients died within 1 year). Attention is drawn to the fact that the adenosarcoma should be considered a separate type; its prognosis was relatively good (2 such patients are still alive after more than 5 years).

Palliative surgical treatment of inoperable oesophageal and cardia tumours with prosthesis.

During a 12-year period, 112 palliative surgical intubations were performed for nutritional inability due to tumours causing oesophageal stricture, tumours of the cardia and of the stomach unmanageable by anastomosis, and to that of the gastric stump. Surgical complications and mortality can be considerably reduced by careful preparation and practice. Palliative intubation is suitable for making the patient's normal nutrition possible and the rest of his or her life more endurable. The intervention is recommended to replace the bypass anastomosis incurring a great risk and gastrostomy producing several objective and psychic complaints.