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Background: Experiments on humans and their organs produce legal, moral and ethical dilemmas. Nowadays, the use of domestic swine as an experimental animal is increasing steadily. Thus it is important to know the structure and characteristics of swine organs., Objectives: The purpose of the study was to investigate the shape, dimensions and volume of the renal collecting system in swine, based on authors own outline of division of this anatomical structure, as well as comparing some features of the pelvi-caliceal collecting system for swine and man., Material and Methods: The study was carried out on 36 kidneys of adult swine (Sus scrofa domestica) of both sexes. The authors generated the corrosion specimens by applying Plastogen G. The authors took the density of the stained and hardened mass into consideration and weighed the corrosion casts. Then the authors could estimate the volume of the pelvi-caliceal collecting system by applying the formula which states that volume is a quotient of weight and density., Results: The mean dimensions of the pelvi-caliceal collecting system in swine are: length--69.2 mm, width--23.5 mm, thickness--15.8 mm; the volume of this system is on average 7.0 cm3. The renal collecting system originates from the minor calices which are in the shape of flattened cones. Their mean dimensions are: diameter--9.3 mm, height--3 mm. The major calices, taking the form ofa cylindrical body, emerge from the minor calices. The mean dimensions of the primary major calices inserted in the renal pelvis are: length--.0 mm, diameter--6 mm; the primary calices which come into secondary ones: length--7 mm, diameter--3 mm; the secondary major calices: length--.3 mm, diameter--0 mm. The renal pelvis is the last part of the pelvi-caliceal collecting system and takes the form of a distorted triangle. Its mean dimensions are: width--.1 mm, height--.7 mm., Conclusions: The pelvi-caliceal collecting system in swine is a massive structure of high volume, with a well-developed structure of the renal calices and swollen renal pelvis. The studied structure is more massive and its volume is about three times larger than that in man. Despite some disadvantages, perhaps in the future a swine kidney will be transplanted into a man, but nowadays due to lack of dissection material it may be used as a teaching model or in experimental research.

Introduction: The use of modern technologies enables constructing and producing perfected intraocular lenses. Recently, aspheric implants have become widely available., Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate functional results, contrast sensitivity in scotopic conditions and spherical aberrations of the optical system of the eye after phacoemulsification with implantation of aspheric intraocular lens., Materials and Methods: The material was gathered prospectively from January until July 2006. The examined group included patients who received aspheric intraocular lenses Adapt AO or AcrySof SN60WF and who previously had received a conventional foldable spherical lens in the fellow eye. The examined group with an intraocular lens Adapt AO consisted of 25 eyes (25 patients) and the examined group with an intraocular lens AcrySof SN60WF consisted of 12 eyes (12 patients). We examined best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure. Contrastometry in scotopic conditions and aberrometry were performed. Intraoperative and early postoperative complications were noted. For statistical analysis non-parametric U Mann-Whitney test was used, all calculations were performed for the level of significance alpha = 0.05., Results: In the examined groups there were no intraoperative and early postoperative complications. In both groups, there was no statistically significant difference in mean postoperative BCVA between eyes with an aspheric implant and eyes with a spherical lens. Assuming the mean contrast sensitivity in eyes with spherical implants as 100%, we observed that in eyes with an aspheric lens it was better nearly by one third. Mean value of spherical aberrations with a pupil diameter of 5mm (Zernike RMS 5 mm) in eyes with an aspheric lens was significantly lower in comparison with eyes with a spherical implant (p < 0.05). Similarly, mean value of higher order spherical aberrations with a pupil diameter of 5 mm (Higher Order Zernike RMS 5 mm), in eyes with an aspheric lens was significantly lower in comparison with eyes with a spherical implant (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Using aspheric lenses Adapt AO and AcrySof SN60WF allows for achieving very good functional and anatomic results and it enables to achieve better contrast sensitivity in scotopic conditions, as well as significantly decreases spherical aberrations of the optical system of the eye, in comparison with conventional spherical lenses.