Brown adipose tissue. III. Effect of ethanol, nicotine and caffeine exposure.

Brown adipose tissue is known to be the most important organ for generating heat in non-shivering thermogenesis. Process of thermogenesis and thermoregulation may be affected by many drugs. The paper deals with actual literary data of effect of ethanol, nicotine and caffeine on brown adipose tissue, heat production and its regulation in experimental animals and in human.

[The spleen in hereditary spherocytosis]. / Slezina pri hereditárnej sférocytóze.

Hereditary spherocytosis is the most common inherent, autosomal dominant hemolytic anemia. Mild splenomegaly, venostasis and common decrease of while pulp is characteristic for hereditary spherocytosis. Cords are filled with spherocytes, sinuses can be empty or squeezed. Both sinuses and veins include ghost erythrocytes that lost haemoglobin. They are seen light-microscopically in differential interferent contrast. Macrophages are numerous, sinus lining cells are hypertrophic. Erythrophagocytosis is hardly seen by electron microscope. Not all red blood cells are spherocytes. Spherocytes are seen well in electronmicroscopy. We did not observed transition of erythrocytes through sinus walls. In certain circumstances lots of ferritin is seen both intra and extracytoplasmically. Iron accumulation in cords can result in their fibrosis.

Brown adipose tissue. I. Morphology. (Review).

Brown adipose tissue appeared in mammals with the development of homeothermy. In consequence of this, their organism became able to maintain constant body temperature independent on the thermal conditions of the surroundings. This tissue-contrary to the white adipose tissue-is distributed only in certain restricted portions of the body. The paper deals with actual literary data of morphology and function of brown adipose tissue.

Brown adipose tissue. II. Effect of pathologic and environmental conditions (Review).

Brown adipose tissue is an important source of non-shivering thermogenesis. Its metabolic activity and development are regulated by adrenalin secretion. The greatest amount of brown adipose tissue in humans was observed during the first decade of life. Later it disappears from many sites, but is preserved in the neck and around the kidneys and the adrenal glands. Increased amounts of brown adipose tissue have been reported to occur in association with certain situations and diseases. A review of these literary data is presented.