[Usefulness of determination of various leukocyte enzymes in progressive muscular dystrophy]. / Wartosc oznaczania niektórych enzymów w leukocytach w postepujacej dystrofii miesniowej.

The activity of enzymes participating mainly in oxidative processes taking place in peripheral blood leucocytes was determined: malic dehydrogenase, glycerophosphate oxidase, and mitochondrial ATP-ase. The investigations were carried out in 29 patients with Duchenne type of muscular dystrophy, their 23 mothers, 4 sisters, and in 14 cases of other muscular dystrophies, and 4 patients with spinal muscular atrophy as well as in controls. Changes were found in the activity of these enzymes, particularly malic dehydrogenase in patients with Duchenne type of dystrophy and in some carriers of this disease.

[Changes in peripheral nerves conduction velocity following Guillain-Barré syndrome]. / Zmiany szybkosci przewodzenia nerwów obwodowych po przebytym zespole Guillaina-Barrego.

The material reported includes 14 patients with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome of relatively mild course many years ago. No abnomalities were found in them on neurological examination. Electrophysiological investigations of peripheral nerves revealed, however, changes indicating slight but persistent subclinical lesions. Conduction changes involved the sensory and motor fibres in the tested nerves and were most evident in the ulnar nerve. Changes of maximal motor conduction velocity were , apart from some cases, parallel to the changes in the minimal conduction velocity. Late subclinical sequelae in this group were compared with those in a group of cases with severe course of the disease and no significant differences were disclosed. It seems thus that the electrophysiological sequelae are not relevant to the clinical pattern of the acute stage and may persist even after the mildest form of the syndrome without evidence of any clinical abnormalities.

[Serum lipids in various polyneuropathies]. / Lipidy surowicy krwi w niektórych polineuropatiach.

Serum lipids were determined in 40 cases of polyneuropathy including 17 cases of Charcot-Marie-Tooth peroneal muscular atrophy, 7 cases of Dejerine-Sot-tas polyneuropathy, 7 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, 2 cases of diabetic polyneuropathy, 2 cases of toxic polyneuropathy and 5 cases of polyneuropathy of unclear aetiology. In the studied material shifts were observed in the composition of serum lipids, in particular, sphingomyelin and cholesterol esters. No correlation was found beteen the type of lipid pattern changes and the clinical syndrome, type of histological changes in the sural nerve, the age at onset, as well as the duration of the disease. The probable mechanism of development of changes is discussed.