Slow magnetosonic solitons detected by the cluster spacecraft.

Experimental evidence is provided for the existence of slow-mode magnetosonic solitons in the col-lisionless plasma at the magnetopause boundary layer. The solitons were detected by the fleet of Cluster spacecraft at the dusk flank of the magnetosphere as magnetic field depressions (up to 85%) accom-panied with enhancement of the plasma density and temperature by a factor of 2. The solitons propagate 250 km/s with respect to the satellites and have perpendicular size of 1000-2000 km, which is a few ion inertial scale lengths. The comparison with numerical solutions of a theoretical model shows quantitative agreement between the model and observations.

[Occurrence of Escherichia coli O157 in feces of healthy persons, from selected groups, in the country]. / Wystepowanie paleczek Escherichia coli O157 w kale zdrowych osób, z wybranych grup, na terenie kraju.

The purpose of the study was determination of the occurrence of E. coli O157 in faeces samples of healthy subjects and characterization of the isolated strains with respect to their potential pathogenicity. The study was carried out in two stages. In the first one in 5 sanitary-epidemiological stations samples were tested from healthy subjects after inoculation onto McConkey (MC) or/and McConkey with sorbitol (SMC) media and isolating from each culture 10 lactose-positive (on MC medium) or sorbitol-negative (on SMC) colonies. Then latex test was done with each isolate for E. coli O157 presence. In all, 1005 samples were studied, including 260 taken from children aged 0-2 years, 180 samples from children aged 3-10 years, and 565 samples from older children and adults. E. coli O157 rods were cultured from 6 adults (0.6%). In the second stage carried out at the Laboratory of Enterobacteriaceae, Bacteriology Department, National Institute of Hygiene strains obtained from territorial laboratories were studied determining their phenotypic and genotypic traits regarded as virulence markers of verotoxic E. coli O157 strains, such as inability to ferment sorbitol and MUG breakdown, and production of verotoxins and enterohaemolysin. By the PCR method fragments were sought of genes coding for production of verotoxins, intimin and enterohaemolysin. The results showed that no E. coli O157 strain obtained from healthy individuals produced verotoxins, but three studied strains contained the eae gene determining intimin production and they were regarded as enteropathogenic.

[Lovastatin in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia]. / Lowastatyna w leczeniu hipercholesterolemii.

In 9 clinics 177 patients (68 men and 109 women) aged 23-69 years with primary hypercholesterolemia (TC above 6.5 mmol/L) were treated with lovastatin for 12 weeks. The treatment was started with 20 mg daily. The dose was doubled every 4 weeks, if the total serum cholesterol level did not fall below 5.2 mmol/L. For 4 weeks before treatment with lovastatin all patients received placebo. After the first 4 weeks of therapy the mean TC level decreased significantly (from 8.09 mmol/L to 6.54 mmol/L) by 18.5%. In comparison with the results after placebo (the starting value), after the 8 weeks of the therapy the TC level reduction reached 22.4% and after 12 weeks 23.5%. The mean LDL cholesterol decreased by 26.1%, 30.8% and 32.9% after 4.8 and 12 weeks of lovastatin treatment respectively. An increase in HDL cholesterol by 5.9%, 6.0% and 7.6% and decrease in triglyceride level by 10.7%, 14.9% and 14.0% respectively was also observed. In 6 patients on lovastatin treatment symptoms of acute pancreatitis in 1 case, a cataract in 1 case and aggravation of coronary insufficiency in 4 cases were noticed. These symptoms in the light of our knowledge of the mechanism of action of the drug used and of its side effects described in other trials, may be considered of independent on lovastatin. The treatment was discontinued in 5 cases (because of gastrointestinal intolerance in 2 patients, of aggravation of coronary insufficiency in 2 patients and of pain in the right hypochondrium in 1 patient who himself decided to stop the therapy).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Studies on the method of removing foreign bodies from the reticulum with the use of the Eisenhut probe]. / Badania nad wartoscia zapobiegawcza metody usuwania cial obcych z czepca zglebnikiem magnetycznym Eisenhuta.

So far a number of different opinions have been published in various publications on the possibilities of preventing diseases caused by foreign bodies--by removing them from the reticulum with the use of the magnetic probe. It was decided to test the practical value of the Eisenhut probe. Studies on 58 cows were carried out in the 1967-1973 period. Among the tested animals fere those suffering persistent rumen fistula and others which were being examined after rumenotomy. The animals under observation were divided into 5 groups. The object of the experiment was to test: a) the properties of the probe and possible dangers which might have resulted from its application. b) the usefulness and effectiveness of this rather expensive instrument. On the strength of experiments carried out it was found that the possibilities in moving the end of the probe, when introduced into reticulum, are very limited and, what more, a direct application of that into the reticulum cavity is difficult in "mass-probing", thus largely restricting the efficiency of the given instrument. The "retrieving crown" of the magnetic end has no essential part in the process of removing foreign bodies from the reticulum. Results obtained after having starved the animals for a period of time were even worse. When applying the probe to animals in good health, cases of rupturing the oesophagus and thus aspiring the alimentary content into the respiratory tract were recorded. When using the above-mentioned instrument, it was never possible to recover more than 50% of the foreign bodies introduced previously into the reticulum, which was mainly due to the difficulty in introducing the magnetic end into the reticulum.