Michał Rać

Publications of Michał Rać

• [64-slice computer tomography for diagnostics of the small bowel: computer tomography enteroclysis].

  Authors: Błazej Richter, Anna Walecka, Ewa Gabrysz-Trybek, Wojciech Marlicz, Teresa Starzyńska, Michał Rać

  Annales Academiae Medicae Stetinensis. 01/2010; 56(1):28-35.

  Radiologic imaging of the small bowel is the method of choice because other methods are of limited availability. Computer tomography (CT) enteroclysis is the leading modern method for diagnosticRadiologic imaging of the small bowel is the method of choice because other methods are of limited availability. Computer tomography (CT) enteroclysis is the leading modern method for diagnostic imaging of the small intestine. It combines the advantages of conventional small bowel infusion with those of abdominal CT and can serve to disclose a wide range of small bowel pathologies. 101 patients underwent CT enteroclysis at the Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin. The procedure of CT enteroclysis is described starting from patient preparation and infusion technique to the scanning protocols. The results served to characterize the patients, establish indications and contraindications to CT enteroclysis, and reveal common errors of the method. Preliminary findings bring to light the considerable usefulness of CT enteroclysis. Other methods like ultrasound, MRI, conventional enteroclysis, or capsule endoscopy can be complementary in special cases.

• [Molecular bases of prion diseases]

  Authors: Monika Rać, Michał Rać

  Annales Academiae Medicae Stetinensis. 02/2006; 52(3):5-13.

  Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative conditions that include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie in animals. The normal cellularPrion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative conditions that include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie in animals. The normal cellular prion protein (PrP(c)) is a membrane sialoglycoprotein of unknown function having the unique property of adopting an abnormal tertiary conformation. The pathological conformer (PrP(sc)) would be the agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases. Prion propagation involves recruitment of host cellular prion protein, primarily of alpha-helical structure, into a disease-specific isoform rich in beta-sheet structure. The existence of multiple prion strains has been difficult to explain in terms of a protein-only infectious agent, but recent studies suggest that strain specific phenotypes can be encoded by different prion protein conformations and glycosylation patterns. It is an intriguing proposition that the post-translational modifications alone, or in combination with amino acid changes, play dominant roles in the pathogenic transformation of PrP(c) to PrP(sc). Prion diseases are unique in that they comprise sporadic, genetic (autosomal dominant inheritance), and iatrogenically or environmentally acquired forms. Point mutations in the prion protein gene lead to neurodegenerative disease.

• [Optimized diagnostic performance of brain magnetic resonance imaging in children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency]

  Authors: Michał Rać

  Annales Academiae Medicae Stetinensis. 02/2006; 52(1):25-33; discussion 33-4.

  PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to search for correlations between anatomic changes in the pituitary gland and hormonal disturbances in children with short stature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: ChildrenPURPOSE: The aim of this study was to search for correlations between anatomic changes in the pituitary gland and hormonal disturbances in children with short stature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Children with short stature were enrolled when criteria of pituitary growth hormone deficiency were partly or completely met. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 87 children and particular attention was given to the pituitary gland. Measurements were compared with pituitary dimensions accepted as normal in the literature. Contrast with GdDTPA was used to visualize the pituitary gland and associated structures (stalk, infundibulum). T1-weighted images in the sagittal and coronal planes were obtained. The results were statistically analyzed with non-parametric tests. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Magnetic resonance imaging is a very sensitive method for detecting changes in the pituitary gland and may well be recommended as a method of choice even though the percentage of changes detected with it is rather small. 2. The use of contrast agent may be abandoned to limit costs when searching for cause of growth deficit in children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency, save for the following cases: hypoplasia or aplasia of the pituitary gland, transection of the stalk, empty sella syndrome or tumor in the central nervous system. 3. Pituitary volume and height appear to be of greatest diagnostic significance, while width (which varies little) can serve as an auxiliary parameter.