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Ultrasound assessment of morphological parameters of the internal jugular veins and vertebral veins in healthy individuals as well as their dependence on the patient's position.The examinations were conducted in 185 healthy individuals (101 females and 84 males) aged 18-89. Ultrasound examinations were conducted with the use of a linear probe with the frequency of 5-9 MHz in the supine (0°) and sitting position (90°).In 154 cases (83.2%) on the left side and in 150 cases (81.1%) on the right side, the jugular veins were completely closed in the sitting position. In 31 cases (16.8%) on the left side and in 35 cases (18.9%) on the right side, they were merely narrowed. By contrast with the jugular veins, the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the vertebral veins was greater in the sitting position than in the supine position in a statistically significant way. The CSA values of the jugular veins in the supine position ranged from 0 cm(2) to 4.3 cm(2). There were no statistically significant differences in the CSA between men and women. The cross-sectional area of the right jugular vein in the supine position was greater in a statistically significant way than that of the left jugular vein. In this study population, the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the jugular veins on both sides amounted to 8.5:1.The width of the jugular and vertebral veins significantly varies depending on the patient's position. The range of the CSA values for the jugular veins is broad, which should be taken into account when interpreting imaging findings. The internal jugular veins can show considerable asymmetry.

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the caliber of the following arteries in the lower extremities: the common femoral artery, superficial femoral artery, popliteal artery, posterior tibial artery and dorsalis pedis artery and to determine the relation of the calibers to age, sex and morphological parameters of the body such as weight, height and BMI of the subject.Two hundred and twenty-eight healthy persons aged 18-81 were examined (average ±SD; 43.1±16.71): 134 women aged 19-74 (43.2±15.63) and 94 men aged 18-81 (43±18.22).The study was conducted with the use of a linear probe of 7.5 MHz frequency. The vascular caliber was assessed after the color map (color Doppler) was placed on a B-mode image.The average and standard deviation values for the calibers of examined vessels were determined. The calibers of all vessels examined in the group of men were statistically significantly larger than those in the group of women. No statistically significant differences between the calibers of the right and left sides were determined. The statistically significant correlations were specified between the age and the caliber of the examined vessels; positive for large femoral arteries and negative for the arteries of the crus and foot. Positive, statistically significant correlations between the caliber and the height, weight and BMI were also reported.The reported calibers of the arteries in the lower extremities and their relation to age, sex and morphological parameters of the subjects enable the differentiation of the physiological remodeling of the vessels from the pathological processes in e.g. atherosclerosis or hypertension.Celem pracy jest ocena średnicy światła tętnic kończyn dolnych: tętnicy udowej wspólnej, tętnicy udowej powierzchownej, tętnicy podkolanowej, tętnicy piszczelowej tylnej i tętnicy grzbietowej stopy u osób zdrowych oraz ustalenie jej zależności od wieku, płci oraz parametrów morfologicznych ciała (waga, wzrost, BMI) badanego.Zbadano 228 zdrowych osób w wieku 18–81 lat (średnia ±SD; 43,1±16,71): 134 kobiety w wieku 19–74 lat (43,2±15,63) i 94 mężczyzn w wieku 18–81 lat (43±18,22).Badania przeprowadzano za pomocą sondy liniowej, o częstotliwości 7,5 MHz. Światło naczyń oceniano po nałożeniu na obraz w prezentacji B mapy kolorów (kolorowy doppler).Ustalono średnie i odchylenie standardowe dla średnicy światła badanych naczyń. Średnice światła wszystkich zbadanych naczyń w grupie mężczyzn były istotnie statystycznie większe od wartości w grupie kobiet. Nie stwierdzono istotnych statystycznie różnic średnicy światła naczyń pomiędzy stronami (prawa – lewa). Wykazano występowanie istotnych statystycznie korelacji pomiędzy wiekiem a średnicą światła badanych naczyń, dla dużych tętnic uda – dodatnich, dla tętnic podudzia i stopy – ujemnych. Odnotowano także istotne statystycznie dodatnie korelacje pomiędzy wzrostem badanych, wagą i BMI a średnicą światła naczyń.Ustalone średnice światła tętnic kończyn dolnych oraz ich zależności od wieku, płci i parametrów morfologicznych badanego umożliwią odróżnienie fizjologicznej przebudowy naczynia od procesu patologicznego, zachodzącego na przykład w przebiegu miażdżycy czy nadciśnienia.

Introgressive hybridization is a widespread evolutionary phenomenon which may lead to increased allelic variation at selective neutral loci and to transfer of fitness-related traits to introgressed lineages. We inferred the population genetic structure of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Poland from mitochondrial (CR and cyt b) and sex-linked markers (ZFX, SRY, DBY4 and DBY8). Analyses of CR mtDNA sequences from 452 individuals indicated widespread introgression of Siberian roe deer (C. pygargus) mtDNA in the European roe deer genome, 2000 km from the current distribution range of C. pygargus. Introgressed individuals constituted 16.6% of the deer studied. Nearly 75% of them possessed haplotypes belonging to the group which arose 23 kyr ago and have not been detected within the natural range of Siberian roe deer, indicating that majority of present introgression has ancient origin. Unlike the mtDNA results, sex-specific markers did not show signs of introgression. Species distribution modelling analyses suggested that C. pygargus could have extended its range as far west as Central Europe after last glacial maximum. The main hybridization event was probably associated with range expansion of the most abundant European roe deer lineage from western refugia and took place in Central Europe after the Younger Dryas (10.8-10.0 ka BP). Initially, introgressed mtDNA variants could have spread out on the wave of expansion through the mechanism of gene surfing, reaching high frequencies in European roe deer populations and leading to observed asymmetrical gene flow. Human-mediated introductions of C. pygargus had minimal effect on the extent of mtDNA introgression.

We used 10 microsatellite loci to determine the mating system and male reproductive success in a natural population of the root vole (Microtus oeconomus). By genotyping 21 females and their 111 offspring (5.28 ± 0.27 S.E. pups per female), we found evidence for multiple paternity in 38% of the litters sired by two or three males. Paternity was not significantly skewed away from the null expectation of equal proportions of offspring sired in any of the multiple-sired litters, and the most successful male fathered between 40% and 60% of the pups in a litter. The results indicate that promiscuity is a common mode of reproduction, consistent with the previous classification of the mating system based on the spatial structure of the root vole population. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.