The acute and medium-term effects of treatment with electroconvulsive therapy on memory in patients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Current literature provides insufficient information on the degree of cognitive impairment during and after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), mostly due to the fact that applied tests lacked sensitivity and flexibility. Our goal was to evaluate cognitive functioning in adult depressed patients treated with bi-temporal ECT, using tests sensitive for detection of possible acute and medium-term memory changes. METHOD: Thirty adult patients with major depressive disorder, treated with a course of bi-temporal ECT, underwent clinical and cognitive measurements three times: at baseline, immediately after a course of ECT, and 1 month later. For cognition assessment, we used learning and visual, spatial and figural memory tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). RESULTS: Bi-temporal ECT has proven to be an effective treatment. The linear mixed model, used to analyze changes in depression severity and patients' cognitive performances over time and to assess dynamic correlations between aforementioned features, did not show any significant memory impairment as a potential acute or medium-term ECT effect. However, it yielded significant improvement on visual memory and learning at the follow-up, which positively correlated with the improvement of depression. CONCLUSION: Good progress is being made in the search for ECT-related acute and medium-term cognitive side-effects by using the tests sensitive to detect memory dysfunction with parallel forms of the tasks (to counter practice effects on repeat testing). Our results on learning and memory in relation to ECT during treatment of depression did not bring forth any prolonged and significant bi-temporal ECT-related memory deficit.

Photothermal microscopy: a step from thermal wave visualization to spatially localized thermal analysis.

The calculation of photothermal response detected by a photothermal microscope is presented. By using a technique based on Green's functions and integral transforms, a model for laser-induced temperature distribution functions has been derived. The mathematical method for solution of inverse problem is proposed. It suggests that photothermal microscopy, besides imaging subsurface of solids, has the potential for quantitative thermal analysis of various samples.

Contribution to interaction between magnesium and toxic metals: the effect of prolonged cadmium intoxication on magnesium metabolism in rabbits.

The results obtained up to now indicate that increased intake of some heavy metals causes disorder of bioelements metabolism leading to their blood and organs decrease and higher elimination via the urine. As to lead and magnesium, our investigations indicated that the reaction is reversible and that increased intake of Mg eliminates Pb via urine. Some other findings suggest similar relations between Mg and certain heavy metals, thus pointing to significant role of Mg in toxicology of heavy metals and announcing a new chapter in the toxicology of metals entitled 'Mg in professional and ecotoxicology'. In this report we present the results of our investigations on the effect of Cd on Mg metabolism. The experiment was performed on rabbits given orally, every day, for 4 weeks 10 mg Cd/kg b.w. as aqueous solution of CdCl2. Magnesium content was determined in blood, urine, soft tissues and bones by the AAS method. Under the experimental conditions, Cd lead to statistically significant decrease of blood Mg (p < 0.001 after day 16) which was associated with increased Mg elimination via urine (p < 0.01). Statistically significant changes were not detected in the tissues, except in the liver where we found enhanced Mg content (p < 0.05), while its level in the muscles decreased (p < 0.01).

[Acute appendicitis in pregnancy, labour, and puerperium]. / Akutni apendicitis u trudnoci, porodu i babinjama.

Four patients with appendicitis in pregnancy and one in puerperium are described. In two pregnant women, in the 12th and the 15th week of pregnancy, the surgery was applied in time and normal deliveries followed. The third patient, after a perforated appendicitis and applied appendectomy, developed the obstruction of the intestines, was operated on again, and then had a spontaneous abortion. The fourth patient, in the 20th week of pregnancy, came to hospital with a diffuse peritonitis following a perforated appendicitis and with a dead fetus. During appendectomy the fetus was removed by using small cesarean section. The fifth patient was surgically treated on the 8th day following delivery for retrocecal perforative appendicitis and diffuse peritonitis. All the patients survived.