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Tekst omawia problemy i nieprawidłowości związane z przeobrażeniami politycznymi i gospodarczymi Polski na przełomie XX i XXI wieku. Autorka artykułu zwraca uwagę czytelnika na problemy wynikające z prywatyzacji i restrukturyzacji przedsiębiorstw państwowych, które przekładają się na trudności z tworzeniem w Polsce sektora prywatnego. M. Jarosz punktuje powstałe w wyniku procesu problemy systemowe, m. in rozwój tzw. „szarej strefy” aktywności ekonomicznej czy nierówności materialne pomiędzy mieszkańcami wsi, a mieszkańcami dużych aglomeracji. Artykuł wymienia także patologie związane z działalnością instytucji i władzy takie jak: skorumpowanie urzędników państwowych (zwłaszcza członków rad nadzorczych spółek Skarbu Państwa, których działania były przedmiotem pogłębionych badań autorki) a tym samym korumpowanie systemu sprawowania władzy, kapitalizm polityczny czy nepotyzm. W tekście ukazany został również problem przejawów dyskryminacji i uprzywilejowania wybranych grup społecznych. Narzędziem skutecznie umożliwiającym takie działania jest według autorki lustracja, która służy do eliminacji przeciwników politycznych i destabilizacji społecznej. Na zakończenie M. Jarosz pozostawia otwartą dyskusję na temat możliwości poprawy wizerunku polskich elit rządzących.

Delirium is a disorder of consciousness and it is caused by acute brain disfunction in the course of, e.g., severe somatic condition, intoxication or withdrawal syndrome. Delirium management is based on the treatment of the state that caused disturbance in central nervous system. Severe delirium syndromes such as agitation, disorganized behavior or hallucinations require additional pharmacological treatment with antypsychotics. Aripiprazole is used in treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and Tourette syndrome, but also off-label in delirium. A systematic review of databases was carried out and results were limited to case reports, clinical trials and randomized controlled trials. There is evidence that there is no difference in effectiveness of aripiprazole compared to haloperidol and other atypical neuroleptics. Aripirazole could be a better option in particular groups of patients due to its safer cardiological and metabolic profile as well as better tolerance of treatment. However, data from clinical findings are still insufficient to recommend a routine use of aripiprazole in the treatment of delirium. Therefore, further investigations are necessary to work out new strategy of managing delirium syndrome.

Blood vascular supply significantly affects progression of tumor growth. Inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation by antiangiogenic drugs should lead to growth arrest of both primary tumors and metastases. During the course of lengthy therapy, endothelial cells may, however, become refractory to the action of antiangiogenic agents. Novel approaches to anticancer treatment should explore the issue of drug resistance shown by endothelial cells. One possible therapeutic solution might be tumor immunotherapy directed against antigens expressed on the surface of endothelial cells which co-form tumor blood vasculature. Such therapy is supposed to break immune tolerance to own antigens and to eliminate tumor blood vessel endothelial cells by activating cytotoxic T lymphocytes. This kind of response can be obtained against endoglin (CD105). Endoglin is overexpressed in proliferating endothelial cells which line tumor blood vessels. Presence of endoglin in solid tumor blood vessels has prognostic value in cancer treatment. CD105 is also expressed by certain cancer cells (prostate, melanoma and Ewing sarcoma). It appears that therapeutic strategies directed against endoglin allow several mechanisms of resistance to antiangiogenic drugs to be omitted. The therapeutic approach that we propose, i.e. a tumor blood vessel-destroying strategy combined with immunotherapy, may become an effective therapeutic tool.

HMGB1 is an evolutionarily conserved protein with a wide spectrum of action. Its main receptors are RAGE and TLR found on the surface of immune system cells as well as endothelial cells. Although signaling pathways for both receptor groups are different, ultimately they both activate NFκB transcription factor which, in turn, activates genes encoding adhesion proteins, proinflammatory cytokines and proangiogenic factors. Inside cells, HMGB1 is found mainly in the cell nucleus, where it participates in replication, recombination, transcription and DNA repair processes. Following release into the extracellular space, HMGB1 becomes a proinflammatory cytokine which stimulates formation of new blood microvessels, enhances cell migration, activates the inflammatory condition and affects cell proliferation. HMGB1 protein also takes part in regeneration of damaged tissues and stimulates autophagy. HMGB1 plays a potential role in anticancer therapy. Increased amounts of HMGB1 in cancer cells and elevated levels in the bloodstream are noted among patients afflicted with various cancers. HMGB1 protects cells from apoptosis, as it affects telomere stability. HMGB1 also stimulates a number of proteins involved in proliferation of cancer cells and inhibits signals that control cell growth. Ability to arrest HMGB1 release from cells or to inhibit its activity appears to be a promising therapeutic approach. At present, several inhibitors of HMGB1 are known and can be used in anticancer therapy.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and a particularly aggressive form of glial primary brain tumors. This malignancy accounts for ca. 70% of all diagnosed cases. Unfortunately, average survival of glioma patients does not exceed one year from diagnosis. Specific vascularization pattern (presence of numerous microvessels and glomerular vessels) and exceptional invasiveness are characteristic features of glioblastoma tumors. Both of these features reflect complex underlying processes forming two vicious circles. Common to both of these circles is the state of tumor underoxygenation. Hypoxia that occurs in the vicinity of abnormal tumor blood vessels stimulates formation of novel microvessels and invasiveness of tumor cells. In their essence, both of the vicious circles are processes allowing tumor cells to adapt to an underoxygenated tumor milieu. These processes play an important role in tumor progression, which reflects a specific type of evolution of cancer cells. Late effects of this evolution include appearance of highly aggressive, chemo- and radiotherapy resistant neoplastic cells. Increased adaptation capabilities of such cancer cells have a negative influence on the therapeutic process. Effective therapeutic strategies should not be directed against single cancer cell markers; instead, they should be targeted so as to break both vicious cycles. Herein we discuss several such strategies. In our opinion, effective therapeutic approaches must include a combination of several agents that recognize and simultaneously break both vicious cycles, i.e. vascularization and invasiveness. Also, agents that decrease hypoxia in cancer cells, for example drugs inhibiting activity of HIF-1α, might also prove therapeutically effective in such approaches.

An alarming increase the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is forcing to constant analysis the lifestyle factors which can affect the risk of this illness. The research in the last ten years revealed new knowledge concerning the inverse association between habitual coffee drinking and risk of type 2 diabetes. The study indicate that people who drink at least 3 cups of coffee per day more seldom have diabetes and positive effect of coffee is rising along with the amount of the coffee in the diet. It is not clear what mechanism may be responsible for such association but the attention is focus mainly on caffeine, polyphenols, magnesium. Because of the fact that high coffee consumption can cause other adverse health effects coffee should not be treat as a public health strategy to prevent type 2 diabetes, but collected data have scientific character at the moment.

For young people energy drinks have become the new fashion and also a quick way to increase the fitness of the body. Lack of legal regulations gives freedom in active ingredients concentration, based sometimes on the principle "the more the better". In the literature there are increasing data about adverse effects of energy drinks consumption. Children and adolescents are the risk group for negative health consequences. This article is a comprehensive literature review on the effects of energy drinks on the developing human body and its health safety.

Growth of tumors usually depends on the development of the tumor’s own vasculature. Small avascular tumors (1–2 mm3) cannot continue growth provided an equilibrium between pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors is maintained within the tumor environment. Angiogenesis is not the only factor responsible for tumor blood vessels forming, as vasculogenic mimicry plays an equally substantial role in this process. Vessel-like structures formed during this process are made up from cancer cells, macrophages and mast cells. Certain neoplasms are capable of growing without developing their own vasculature; instead they secure growth via normal blood vessels of the host. Slowed-down blood flow through an abnormally built tumor vascular network is the main reason for cancer cells’ underoxygenation (hypoxia). Defective blood vessels, with hypoxia resulting, play a major role in tumor progression. Underoxygenation induces formation of novel vessels and these new defective vessels are in turn the principal reason for hypoxia. The latter increases cancer cells’ malignancy and invasiveness. A particular process, called transdifferentiation, takes place in tumor vasculature when hypoxia is present and involves neoplastic cells transforming into endothelial cells. Since growth of a tumor is dependent on its own blood supply, inhibition of such vascular network growth and/or damage to this network should exert a strong impact on tumor growth. Long-term administration of anti-angiogenic drugs, however, encounters unexpected problems. Anti-angiogenic drug resistance, together with paradoxical stimulation of invasiveness and metastasis by these drugs, has lately become a dominant issue in anticancer therapy.

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a recommendation (Technical Consultation: Paris 2006, Luxembourg 2007) that salt consumption, as a risk factor for hypertension, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, and select cancers, should be restricted. The European Commission looked to adhere to this recommendation by creating the High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical Activity. According to WHO recommendations, a daily allowance of 5 g NaCl (i.e., 2 g Na) for individual salt consumption should not be exceeded. At present, mean individual salt consumption in Poland totals 13.5 g, of which salt used in household constitutes 8.8 g. In some regions of Poland, this number reaches upwards of 15.0 g/person. The Position Paper on Initiatives Aimed at Decreasing Salt Consumption in Poland, developed by an expert group at the National Food and Nutrition Institute, set the course for intervention, including changing recipes for mass-produced food products and large-scale catering, improving oversight by food control agencies, and continuing legislative changes. These interventions should also include education directed towards consumers, food producers, public health professionals, healthcare workers, and media representatives. The Position Paper of the Polish Hypertension Society also sets the course for promoting restricted salt consumption and controlling hypertension on a population level. However, household salt is the main carrier of iodine in the Polish model of iodine prophylaxis. Thus, any interventions also require synchronized action with the Polish Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders. Current efforts aimed at preventing iodine-deficiency look to increase consumption of other iodine-rich products (e.g., milk, mineral water) with standardized levels of iodine. Once they achieve an iodine concentration of 0.1-0.2 mg, these products can easily supplement any decrease in physiological iodine levels resulting from reduced salt consumption. Also required are wide-ranging educational campaigns which will be coordinated by the new designated WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition at the Chair of Endocrinology at Jagiellonian University, Collegium Medicum in Kraków.

A lot of people, particularly young people begin smoking tobacco with the belief, that it is an effective means of body weight control. The decision to quit coming in a later stage of life is accompanied by the fear of gaining weight after stopping smoking. The mechanism through which nicotine may be an agent in the process of controlling body weight consists in increased energy expenditure of the organism and reduced appetite. However tobacco smoking is not an effective means of combating excessive weight. This is because it stimulates formation of abdominal adipose tissue, thus increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. Therapy of tobacco addiction should be combined with diet counselling and promotion of physical activity, which will help to limit the increase of body weight.

Introduction: Chemodectomas are relatively frequent tumors of the head and neck but their diagnosis in consideration of the slow growth is difficult. The aim of this study is pointing out of the attention on: (1) non-typical beginning of ill and diagnostic difficulties leading to delaying of putting the proper diagnosis, (2) symptoms which are cause of notifying the patient to the doctors of different specializations e.g. the laryngologist and the neurologist., Material and Methods: The case of 72-year-old man with the paraganglioma situated near to the foramen of the jugular vein is discribed. Clinical symptoms, giving at last typical picture of Vernet's syndrome, the diagnostic procedure as well as treatment of the entity are discussed in the report., Conclusions: (1) In cases of paralysis of any cranial nerve is necessary close cooperation among a laryngologist and a neurologist. (2) In idiopathical paralysis of the vocal fold, changes runing near by the internal jugular vein's foramen should be taken into account. (3) The computer scanning of skull's bases and angiograpy are the most useful in the differential diagnostics. (4) The radiotherapy allow to obtain good therapeutic's results especially in persons stricken in years.

Vitamin B(12) stores at birth are adequate for infants until the end of the first year of life even if it 's concentration in maternal breast milk is low. However, there are some situations in which infants have depleted vitamin B(12) stores and in addition have a low dietary intake of cobalamin. Vitamin B(12) depletion occurs in infants who are exclusively breastfed by mothers who have unrecognized pernicious anemia or are strict vegetarians for many years. In those infants symptoms of bone marrow disfunction and impaired development of the central nervous system appear already in the first months of life. Unrecognized cobalamin deficiency may lead to serious neurologic consequences, and even to the death of the child. The authors present a case of a 7.5 month old girl admitted to the Department of Paediatrics, Haematology, Oncology and Endocrinology. Gdańsk Medical University suspected of acute leukaemia. Based on a detailed diagnostic procedure a final diagnosis of vitamin B(12) deficiency anaemia was established. The child was exclusively breast-fed. Results of investigations into the reason for cobalamin deficiency in the patient s organism. Led to the diagnosis of pernicious anaemia in the mother. Such a suspicion had been made during pregnancy, but no continuation of investigations nor appropriate treatment were implemented. After treatment with vitamin B(12) supplements and modification of the diet the patient improved quickly and remarkably. A few months follow-up was enough to observe remarkable improvement of psychomotor development of this child.

The aim of the study was a screening assessment of the nutritional status of patients admitted to hospitals and discharged from hospitals. The study was carried out in 4 university hospitals, 4 woivodeship hospitals and 4 district hospitals. In randomly selected 3310 patients (every 10th patient admitted to hospital) anthropometric parameters were assessed: body height, body mass, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), arm circumference, blood morphological and biochemical parameters were determined (erythrocyte, white blood cell and lymphocyte count in blood, albumin and haemoglobin concentration in serum). The mean values of the assessed parameters in the whole studied population of patients admitted to various types of hospitals were not different from the normative values for adults, however, a gradual decrease of the values of certain parameters in the over 70 years age group was observed. Although, the mean values of the studied parameters of the nutritional status were within the accepted normal range, 10.43% of the studied patients had BMI below 20 kg/m2, and 20.7% of the patients the serum albumin level was below 3.5 g/dl on admission, which could suggest protein-energy malnutrition. In a yet higher proportion of patients (21%) lymphocyte count was below 1500/mm3. During hospital stay tendency became even more pronounced. On discharge from hospital the proportion of patients with BMI below 20 kg/m2 rose to 11.21%, and with serum albumin level below 3.5 g/dl rose to 28.6%. Only the proportion of patients with low lymphocyte count remained unchanged during hospital stay and was 21.1% on discharge. In the studied population 42.29% of the patients reported receiving of additional food beyond hospital diet.

The purpose of the study was a more thorough assessment of the nutrition state of patients admitted to hospitals in Poland. The study was carried out in four hospitals at teaching centre level, in four hospitals at province level, and in four county hospitals. The patients for the study were selected randomly from 3310 adult patients (every 10th patient admitted to these hospitals). For the study 210 patients (122 women and 88 men) were qualified. Their mean age was 54 +/- 16 years (range 15-82 years). The patients were subjected to various biochemical tests including determination of antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, E and C), vitamin B12, folic acid, ferritin, and homocysteine and blood lipids. Vitamin deficiency accepted as vitamin malnutrition was found in the case of vitamin C in 51.8% of the patients, folic acid in 32%, vitamin E in 10%, vitamin B12 in 6.8%, vitamin A in 1.4%. Vitamin deficiency was equally frequent in patients with malnutrition, overweight or with obesity. Lipid profile disturbances were found in 51% and high homocysteine level in 63% of the studied patients.

The paper overviews food-drug interactions. The part 2 reviews the interactions of foods with the drugs which occur at the level of metabolism. Concomitant intake with food increases or decreases the concentrations of many agents in humans. The effect seems to be mediated mainly by suppression of the cytochrome P450 in the liver and in the small intestine wall. This results in a diminished first pass metabolism with higher bioavailability and increased maximal concentrations of substrates of this enzyme. To avoid the interactions many drugs should not be taken with the meal and citrus juices, particularly grapefruit juice.

The paper overviews food-drug interactions. The part 1 reviews the interactions of foods with the many different agents which occur at the level of absorption, considering the mechanisms involved. The food-drug interactions can cause an increase, decrease, or delay in the bioavailability of the drugs. There is an aspect of therapy which may have an important clinical repercussion, which it must not be forgotten.

In previous papers (3, 4, 5) the author presented a hypothesis concerning important features of clinical picture of paranoid schizophrenia, that is selectivity and polarity (bipolarity). Numerous research works aimed at closer recognition of some differences of clinical picture of paranoid schizophrenia have been conducted under the author's direction. The formation of certain psychopathological proportions discerned by the author has been researched with intentionally elaborated scales. The research results have led to distinguishing autistic and syntonic schizophrenia.

We present an advanced case form of chronic calcifying pancreatitis (ch.c.p.) of 19's age man, whose first clinical symptoms appeared when he was 5 years old. For the rest 14 years his complains were diagnosed as vegetative neurosis. The patient was admitted in to the Department in 4th day of severe abdominal pain. High increase of serum and urine amylase activity, changes in USG and CT examinations (20 mm wide pancreatic duct with numerous calcified stones) were find. Acute pancreatitis in the course of ch.c.p. was diagnosed. After typical treatment abdominal pain disappeared and results of laboratory tests achieved a normal range. During 1.5 year follow up (diet, pancreatic enzymes) substitution abdominal pain did not appear and the body weight increased 8 kg.

The case of acute alcoholic pancreatitis, complicated by internal pancreatic fistula is being reported. The general patients symptom in initial illness period was ascites in peritoneal cavity. Biochemical investigation of ascites has shown elevated activity of amylase and protein which is typical for pancreatic ascites. The late diagnosis of ascites cause (in 3rd week of the illness) and complications decreased efficacy of the treatment used (parenteral nutrition and somatostatin). Thus worse the course of the illness.

The conventional concept of schizophrenic personality splitting maintains its significant values but needs regard for the considerable changes that have happened within psychology and psychopathology of personality. This concerns mainly the need of giving up the concept of mosaic feature or static symptom and adopting that of dimension and dynamic proportion. Accepting the base of mentioned notions, concerning mainly the described psychopathological proportions has enabled us to notice and measure the dynamic features significant for personality dissociation. This procedure has also afforded possibilities for measuring the opposed features (concentrated on the opposing poles of proportion).

Different conditions of magical thinking have been analyzed. A formation of the proportion "realistic thinking - magical thinking" in paranoid schizophrenia has been discussed and the characteristic features of magical thinking in schizophrenia have been indicated.

Microproteinuria is a recognized sign of early nephropathy in the course of arterial hypertension. There is few data concerning the excretion of proteins other than albumin in this group of patients. The aim of the study was to examine circadian rhythm of alfa-l-microglobulin (AlMG), albumin (ALB), immunoglobulin G (IgG) excretion and N-acetyl-beta-glukosaminidase (beta NAG)-activity, then to compare the results with the results of 24 hour ambulatory monitoring of arterial blood pressure in patients with arterial hypertension. The study comprised 28 patients. The control group included 27 healthy volunteers. Albumin concentration was determined by Beckman ICS2 nephelometer, using Beckman and Dako reagents. Blood pressure and ECG were monitored by analysis with ABP-system (AMP-USA). In patients with arterial hypertension significantly higher levels of ALB, AlMG, IgG and increased beta NAG activity were observed in morning urine samples. Despite hypotensive treatment blood pressure values were slightly, though significantly higher than in the control group. Among patients in the study circadian BP rhythm was disturbed. The results obtained suggest that in this group of patients subclinical nephropathy develops involving renal glomeruli and proximal tubules--probably resulting from vascular and humoral disorders, with accompanied hypertension.

In etiopathogenesis of Leśniowski-Crohn disease we consider environmental genetical, immunological and physical factors. Among the bacteria that are of importance in a disease process there are: Jarsinia, tubercle bacillus and para- tubercle bacillus. We are to state that the pro.... of the bacteria per se doesn't influence the initiation of a disease. The initiation is caused by a change of the immune response. The introduced case shows the occurrence of Leśniowski-Crohn disease proceeded by Jarsinia pseudotuberculosis. Thai sequence of occurrence doesn't prove the dependence of an effect upon the cause. What is more-there are many controversial opinions in literature considering Leśniowski-Crohn disease. That is why we would like the introduced case to be a contribution to a discussion on the subject of: Possibility of a distant initiation of a disease by some bacterial infection types.

The influence was studied of undernourishment in patients with chronic pancreatitis on amino acid utilization by the pancreas after its hormonal stimulation. After 45 minute of intravenous infusion of secretin (1 CU/kg) and cerulein (75 ng/kg) the decrease of plasma amino acid concentration was significantly lower (p < or = 0.001) than in undernourishment not depending on pancreas dysfunction, nor in patients with chronic pancreatitis with normal nutritional status.

We studied the utilization of amino acids by the pancreas after its hormonal stimulation in diseases in which disturbances occur of amino acid and protein metabolism. After 45 minutes of intravenous infusion of secretin (1 CU/kg) and cerulein (75 ng/kg) we found a significantly lower (p 0.05) decrease of amino acid concentration than in healthy individuals, both in chronic pancreatitis and in undernutrition and post-inflammatory cirrhosis with decompensation of liver function. Greatest disturbances in amino acid utilization by the pancreas were found in the case of valine, leucine and isoleucine. The results of studies show certain limitations in the use of this method for the assessment of the exocrine function of the pancreas.

The relevant literature was reviewed, focusing on available evidence which emphasizes common occurrence of lack of insight among the sufferers of schizophrenia. The opinion has long been considered one-sided as it ignores occurrence of partial insight. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to attempt to find out to what extent the patient can afford to have insight and when he or she fails in doing so. A group of 100 paranoid schizophrenics were examined and both "insight and lack of insight" scales were applied. The results negate the hypothesis that insight does not take place in schizophrenia. A quarter of those examined displayed partial insight, with 16% of them showing pronounced insight indicating some awareness of changes in their psychic state due to "some" unidentified pathological factors. Different approaches and hypotheses were taken into consideration that would oscillate between the two extreme attitudes of insight and lack of insight. Contiguity between the examined phenomenon and that of coexistence of logically correct trains of thought with incorrect ones, as it occurs in hypomaniacal states, were indicated. An attempt to explain the so-called McEvoy's riddle was made. Final conclusion: It can be assumed that the interpenetration of the two antithetic trains of thought, where one displays partial lack of insight and the other partial insight, may be particularly characteristic of schizophrenia, more so than lack of insight.

Both magical thinking among healthy persons and magical and symbolic thinking in schizophrenia were discussed. The investigation covered 100 paranoid schizophrenics. They also underwent an examination in connection with the formation of the remaining 3 proportions. Both "realistic thinking and magical thinking" scales were used. An ability to think realistically was preserved, to a varying degree, in all patients, with 50% of those examined having shown an explicit or very explicit ability to follow realistic thinking. The above findings deviate from a simplified cognitive model within the discussed range. It was further confirmed that realistic thinking may coexist with magical thinking, and, in some cases, it concerns the same events. That type of disorders of the content of thinking are referred to as magical-realistic interpenetration. The results, and particularly high coefficient of negative correlation within the scales of the examined proportions, confirm the correctness of the assumption that the investigated modes of thinking form an antithetic bipolarity of proportions, aggregating antithetic values, therefore being also complementary.

This paper recapitulates the research conducted in recent years, including the results of the first stage of research presented in 1988. The research is characterized by meticulous preparation of 8 scales which enables us to observe the formation of 4 fundamental proportions. Of vital importance for the interpretation of the results are correlations among the proportions and among scales. Explicit correlation (r = 0.69) between the syntonic-autistic proportion and that of "vitality and emotional adequacy--emotional dementia" was recorded. This observation is of great significance in isolating paranoid schizophrenia subgroups. Emotional dementia is also significant (r = 0.64) in cases characterized by profound autism. Thus, syntony is not only a quality which strongly correlates negatively with autism (r = 0.79) but above all there exists a high positive correlation between syntony and emotional vitality (r = 0.58). Not included here is a discussion on complex relationships between syntonic-autistic proportion and the one of "insight vs lack of insight". The obtained results confirm the correctness of earlier hypothesis and correlate with the results of the research on the formation of syntonic-autistic proportion. In other words, they verify a hypothesis which makes us isolate autistic and syntonic schizophrenias within paranoid schizophrenia.

Research was conducted on a sample of 100 patients. The diagnosis was carefully verified according to the DSM-III. The "Syntonic" Scale and the "Autism" Scale, described in a separate paper were used. A literature review was performed with special attention to the fact that surprisingly rarely are references made to syntonia in research upon schizophrenic patients. The results are presented in table 1 and Figures 1 and 2. In all of the 100 subjects both factors studied were present though to varying degrees of severity. Both factors showed evident characteristics of selectivity. The numerical data revealed a definite predominance of autism over syntony, which is a well known fact in schizophrenia, however, of significant importance is the presence of syntony as an additional factor. The correlation variable of both scales is expressed by r = -0.79, which indicates that there is a strong negative relationship. For the needs of further analysis the groups were split into smaller subgroups. Subgroup I was characterized by the predominance of autism over syntony (47 cases). In subgroup II a predominance of syntony over autism was found (33 cases). On the basis of greater confidence the subgroup III was described, which contained the cases in which neither factor was predominant (20 cases). The majority of the sample of patients ill with schizophrenia showed the ability to react syntonically. The obtained results support the view that autism and syntony are two poles of the same dimension, they also support the hypothesis which states that there is evidence to suggest that the are two basic subgroups of paranoidal schizophrenia.

A sample of 100 paranoidal schizophrenic patients were assessed. Scales of "vitality and the adequacy of emotion" and "emotional blunting" which are described in a separate paper were used. At the beginning attention was focused on the fact that several synonimous terms are used to describe the blunting of emotion (flatness of affect, blunted or inappropriate affect, presence of affect as opposed to flatness). The results indicate that in only a very few cases the intensity of both studied qualities was negligible, however in the majority of the cases it appeared that the quality of "vitality" and its opposite is present. In 62 patients the emotional blunting was moderate. Emotional vitality in these cases remained in the wide range from moderate to significant. Both factors may be considered to be additional factors on the basis of the size and type of correlation. The coefficient of both Scales is expressed by r = -0.77. The correlation between the studied proportion and the syntonic-autistic proportion is expressed by r = 0.69. The cases of emotional blunting which occurred at different levels of intensity were generally accompanied by relative vitality and adequate emotional reaction. The formation of the studied proportion and in particular the high correlation coefficient between this proportion and the syntonic-autistic proportion suggests that autistic schizophrenia and syntonic schizophrenia form two basic subgroups of paranoidal schizophrenia.

The concept of psychopathological proportions which has been described on the grounds of the analysis of the selectivity and bipolarity phenomenon, facilitates perceiving and describing clinical features of schizophrenia. The proportions make one pay closer attention to important features opposing the leading features of schizophrenia, that are not always being taken into consideration. The results of the research have verified the autistic and syntonic schizophrenia hypothesis. It may be possible that the serious and numerous differences in the results of studies on schizophrenia held by various authors are partly caused by not regarding the distinction between the syntonic and the autistic form of this psychosis.

The authors on the basis of extensive literature discuss the phenomenon of syntonia, autism and proportion in schizophrenia. Referring to their own research on the formation of different types of proportion, the authors define the understanding of syntonia and autism.

On the basis of analyzed clinical material several observations were attempted which were related to the patients' awareness of one's own affective psychosis. It was discovered that patients with endogenous depression considered themselves to be ill, but only in relation to depression. They usually do not perceive in themselves any psychotic illness. It was noticed that in depression past achievements appeared to be foreign to the patients. This was described in among other terms as "emotionally empty judgments". Analyzing the clinical picture of hypomanic states, stress was placed on the notion of the coexistence of logical thinking (and in some cases these thinking patterns are concerned with a feeling of heightened cognitive ability) with thinking styles based on logical errors. In all patients hypermnesia appears more important than other factors. The above mentioned phenomena are the subject of further research.

A well known in physiology fact is that stimulation with enterohormones (secretin, cholecystokinin) causes a steep increase in the synthesis of pancreatic enzymes, and this might affect the plasma level of amino acids. In view of this, this level was studied in healthy subjects and patients with chronic pancreatitis. Hormonal stimulation was observed to cause in healthy subjects a significant rapid fall of the levels of all amino acids, which was greatest in the 20th minute. A less evident fall of the amino acid level was observed in chronic pancreatitis. A high correlation was noted (r = 0.9) between the value of amino acid fall in plasma and the degree of failure of the exocrine pancreatic function measured with the NBT-PABA test. All results are an encouraging indication that plasma amino acid level fall may be used for the assessment of the pancreatic exocrine potential. In the analysis of individual amino acids the most significant fall was noted of methionine, serine, valine, isoleucine, glutamine and tyrosine.

A retrospective epidemiological-clinical analysis of patients with chronic pancreatitis living in the Bródno District of Warsaw is reported. It was found that the approximated coefficients of morbidity and incidence per 100 thousand of the population in 1987 were 17.0 and 5.0 respectively, and they were similar to those reported from Rochester (USA) and Copenhagen (Denmark). However, the incidence has risen from 2 in 1982 to 5 in 1987 per 100 thousand, which might be connected with increasing alcohol consumption by the population or increased detectability of chronic pancreatitis in this city district.