[Toxins of Clostridium perfringens as a natural and bioterroristic threats]. / Toksyny Clostridium perfringens jako zagrozenie naturalne i bioterrorystyczne.

Clostridium perfringens is absolutely anaerobic rod-shaped, sporeforming bacterium. The morbidity is connected with producing toxins. Depending on the type of toxin produced Clostridium perfringens can be divided into five serotypes:A-E. Under natural conditions, this bacterium is responsible for local outbreaks of food poisoning associated with eating contaminated food which which was improperly heat treated. Some countries with lower economic level are endemic foci of necrotizing enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens. The bacterium is also a major cause of gas gangrene. It is a disease, associated with wound infection, with potentially fatal prognosis in the case of treatment's delays. In the absence of early radical surgery, antibiotic therapy and (if available) hyperbaric treatment leads to the spread of toxins in the body causing shock, coma and death. Due to the force of produced toxins is a pathogen that poses a substrate for the production of biological weapons. It could potentially be used to induce outbreaks of food poisoning and by missiles contamination by spore lead to increased morbidity of gas gangrene in injured soldiers. C. perfringens types B and D produce epsilon toxin considered to be the third most powerful bacterial toxin. Because of the ability to disperse the toxin as an aerosol and a lack of methods of treatment and prevention of poisoning possible factors it is a potential tool for bioterrorism It is advisable to continue research into vaccines and treatments for poisoning toxins of C. perfringens.

[Role of positron emission tomography in diagnosis and monitoring of sarcoidosis]. / Zastosowanie pozytronowej tomografii emisyjnej w rozpoznawanlu i monitorowaniu sarkoidozy.

Positron emission tomography is a three-dimensional nuclear imaging technique. It is often use in diagnosis of neoplasms, disease of cardiovascular and central nerve system. There are some researches which show role of this method in diagnosis and monitoring some of pulmonary disease. This paper sums up current reports about role of positron emission tomography in diagnosis and monitoring of: occupancy of organs and treatment in sarcoidosis. It shows limited capability to differentiating sarcoidosis from chest malignancy at use 18-fluorodeoxyglucose as radiolabel and result of promising research which show usefulness 18-metyltyrosine in this range. We summarise papers which present benefits of PET in determination of advancing disease especially in multi-systemic and atypical cases. Advantage of PET over present use radiological patechnique in defining of sarcoidosis activity allows using it in monitoring of treatment with standard therapy and help in determination of usefulness of new drugs. Future large randomised studies could help in using this still expensive method in wide range of patient to diagnose and monitoring of sarcoidosis and other nowadays unused recommendation.

[Supplementation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in pulmonary disease]. / Suplementacja kwasów omega-3 w wybranych chorobach ukladu oddechowego.

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, principally docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, present important group of fatty acids in correct diet of people. They have antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, antiarrythmic, hypolipidemic and vasodilatory properties. These beneficial effects have been shown in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and in some autoimmune diseases. Carried research showed beneficial effects in prevention and treatment some chronic diseases of respiratory system. This paper sums up current reports about role of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in prevention and treatment of some pulmonary diseases.

[Fungal diseases of the respiratory tract]. / Zakazenia grzybicze ukladu oddechowego.

Fungal infections are becoming more common causes of respiratory disease, since most species of pathogenic fungi occurring in Europe are responsible for developing opportunistic infections. Most cases of fungal infections of the respiratory system are caused by a species commonly encountered in the environment or colonizing saprophytic species such as the gastrointestinal tract. Some recognition of fungal diseases can be determined on the basis of: breeding material taken from the affected places, or blood, or microscopic histopathology. In the treatment of fungal infections of the respiratory system are currently used 3 classes of antifungal drugs: antifungal polyene antibiotics, triazoles and echinocandines.

[Solid focal lesions in the lungs as first sign of hypereosinophilic syndrome]. / Lite zmiany naciekowe w miazszu pluc jako pierwszy objaw zespolu hipereozynofilowego--opis przypadku.

The paper introduces a case of 50 years old women who was diagnosed because of solid focal lesions in the lungs with coexist hypereosinophilia in blood smear. During diagnostics neoplastic and infectious diseases were excluded. In the meanwhile secondary causes of hypereosinophilia was not found. The diagnosis of the hypereosinophilic syndrome was diagnosed and atypical (solid) character of focal lesions in the lungs was underlined.

[The frequency of allergy in lung cancer patients]. / Ocena czestosci wystepowania alergii u chorych na raka pluca.

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy in the world and frequency of allergic diseases increases especially in high-developed countries. In the literature there have been published articles about association between lung cancer and allergic diseases, which don't give a simple answer if there is any connection between them. The aim of this study was the assessment of frequency of allergy in patients with lung cancer. The study was based on medical records and questionnaire performed among patients hospitalized in Department of Pneumonology and Allergology Medical University of Warsaw and in Department of Thoracic Surgery Institute of Tuberculosis in Warsaw. The study included 113 patients (30 women and 83 men). Coexistence of allergy with primary lung cancer was observed in 7 cases which makes 6.2% (frequency of: asthma 1.8%, allergy to drugs 3.5%, allergy to animal's dander 0.9%). The result of this examination reveals that there is significant lower frequency of allergic diseases in patients with lung cancer in comparison with frequency of allergic diseases in adult population of Poland estimated at 15.8%.