αB-crystallin is a member of a small family of thermal shock proteins that protects cells from stress. Because of lack of its expression in peripheral blood leukocytes, it was proposed as a molecular marker of circulating tumor cells in canine mammary gland tumors. The aim of the present study was to determine if αB-crystallin shows stability of expression, what is the requirement for this type of marker. It was also assessed whether there is co-expression of αB-crystallin with the basal marker, cytokeratin 17. For this purpose, samples of various types of canine mammary gland tumors of epithelial origin, were selected. Using RT-qPCR, we have found αB-crystallin and cytokeratin 17 co-expression in benign and malignant canine mammary gland tumors. It has been demonstrated that the expression of αB-crystallin in tested neoplastic samples is not stable in comparison to the control group. Furthermore αB-crystallin overor down- expression was associated witch the same cytokeratin 17 pattern. αB-crystallin can be a marker of circulating tumor cells in the bloodstream, but for cancers in which basal marker expression occurs and thus not universal for all cancers originating from the mammary gland tissue.

The article presents the results of the research on thermal actions on the materials occurring in the cross section along the depth of the bridge deck and bituminous pavement during its construction. The impulse to curried out the research was the need to explain the causes of the blistering of bituminous waterproofing membranes and asphalt pavements often observed on the bridge decks. The paper presents the examples of such failures and the analyses of possible mechanisms of the phenomenon. Research indicates a significant influence of all technological processes on the temperature of materials in the cross section as well as daily temperature changes. The probability of initiation of reactions between concrete components with gaseous products has been confirmed in such conditions. The susceptibility of bituminous materials to gas emission and blistering is the subject of a separate study. The research was part of a research project carried out under the contract INNOTECHK3/IN3/50/229332/NCBR /14 [13].

In plants belonging to the Ranunculaceae the floral nectaries may differ in origin, location in the flower, shape and structure. In many cases they are defined as modified tepals or modified stamens. The nectary organs in this family are frequently termed "honey leaves," and staminodial origin is attributed to them. Gynopleural and receptacular nectaries are rarely found in Ranunculaceae. To date there are no reports on the structure of the nectary organs in plants of the genus Pulsatilla. We used light and scanning electron microscopy to study the location and structure of the nectaries in Pulsatilla slavica and P. vulgaris flowers. The staminodial nectaries were found to be nectar-secreting organs. The number of stamens per flower (102-398) increases with plant age. The share of staminodes is 12-15%. The staminodes are composed of a filament and a modified head. They are green due to the presence of chloroplasts in the epidermal and parenchymal cells. The parenchymal cells are in a loose arrangement. Stomata (3-20), through which nectar exudation occurred, were found only in the abaxial epidermis of the staminode head. The stomata are evenly distributed and have well-developed outer cuticular ledges. Some of them are immature during nectar secretion, with their pores covered by a layer of cuticle. During the activity of the nectariferous organs in the flowers, primary (on the staminode surface) and secondary nectar (at the base of tepals) are presented. The staminodes of the two Pulsatilla species show similar structural features and have similar shares in the androecium.

Abstract Atherosclerosis as one of the crucial causes of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is the leading reason of death worldwide. One of the contributing factors to this phenomenon is endothelial dysfunction, which is associated with the impact of various agents and their interactions. Tobacco smoke is one of the well known factors here. For better understanding of its significance a model of its impact on atherosclerotic plaque formation has been proposed. The model contains selected aspects of the influence of tobacco smoke, dual function of nitric oxide (NO) (influence of various mechanisms on NO bioavailability), oxidative stress which promotes low density lipoproteins oxidation, macrophages significance and other mechanisms leading to an aggravation of the endothelial disturbances. The model has been built using Petri nets theory and the analysis has been based on t-invariants. This approach allowed to confirm the important role of inflammation and oxidative stress in atherosclerosis development and moreover it has shown the considerable influence of the cigarette smoke.