[Intoxication of botulinum toxin]. / Toksyny Clostridium perfringens jako zagrozenie naturalne i bioterrorystyczne.

Botulinum toxin is an egzotoxin produced by Gram positive bacteria Clostridium botulinum. It is among the most potent toxins known. The 3 main clinical presentations of botulism are as follows: foodborne botulism, infant botulism and wound botulism. The main symptom of intoxication is flat muscles paralysis. The treatment is supportive care and administration of antitoxin. In prevention the correct preparing of canned food is most important. Botulinum toxin is accepted as a biological weapon.

[Serum biomarkers in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis]. / Biomarkery surowicze w samoistnym wlóknieniu pluc.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common of interstitial lung diseases and is characterised by a significant mortality rate. That is way both clinicists and patients are interested to identify factors that may influence outcome of disease. This factors are named biological markers or biomarkers. Their usefulness in diagnostic, monitoring and prognosis of interstitial pneumonia, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was estimated in many researches. The most of them was concerned to serum biomarkers, such as surfactant proteins, mucin-connected proteins, Clara cells proteins, cytoceratines and cytokines.

[Cardiac tumors located of different areas: four cardiac chambers--four cases]. / Nowotwory serca o róznej lokalizacji: czteryjamy--cztery przypadki.

One can seldom meet heart as a place of the cardiac tumors process in reference to both primary and metastatic changes. While taking transthoracic echocardiography one ought to remember of possibility of cardiac tumour in this particular place. In this case report presenting four cases of the cardiac tumors authors underline that this type of tumor can be found in each cardiac chamber. We show varied symptoms of cardiac tubers: beginning from lack of symptoms, through unspecific manifestations (syncopes, embolism) till signs connected with generalization of the proliferative process.

[Parapneumonic pleural effusion: difficulties in making therapeutic decisions]. / Parapneumoniczny wysiek oplucnowy: Trudnosci w podejmowaniu decyzji terapeutycznych.

Pneumonia is the second most common cause of pleural effusion. The presence of pleural fluid makes the prognosis in patients with pneumonia worse and causes a higher mortality rate. This is why it is very important to undertake suitable treatment as soon as possible. Most parapneumonic pleural effusions resolve with antibiotic alone, but sometimes more invasive treatment is necessary. Therapeutic decisions are based on different criteria. For many years determining biochemical fluid characteristics has been used for this purpose. Presentlythe usefullness of new parameters is being evaluated. Their application in diagnostics was possible thanks to better knowledge of mechanisms that participate in the development of parapneumonic pleural effusion.