Michał Porwolik

In memory of professor Czesław Niżankowski, Head of the Department of Anatomy, Wroclaw Medical University

Professor Czesław Niżankowski was an academic teacher and researcher at several universities; head of the Department of Anatomy at Wroclaw Medical University (1966-1982); and head of the Department of Biological Sciences at the Wrocław School of Physical Education (since 1972 University School of Physical Education in Wrocław), as well as the chancellor there. He contributed greatly to the development of morphological sciences, supervising many doctoral and post-doctoral works. He dedicated considerable time to the preparation of anatomical specimens of lungs, hearts and organs of the gastrointestinal tract. At the Museum of Anatomy, there are over 100 specimens of lungs prepared using the forced air technique improved by Professor Niżankowski, along with specimens of the bronchial tree and vascular system prepared using a corrosive technique. Professor Niżankowski was an active member of scientific societies in Wrocław and in other cities in Poland. For his accomplishments, he received a number of ministerial and state awards, including the Knights Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, and was granted an honorary doctorate by Wroclaw Medical University.

Remembrance of Professor Tadeusz Marciniak – Lviv Tradition in Wrocław

After the seizure of Lviv by the Soviets, in the years 1944-1946, Tadeusz Marciniak worked in the Descriptive Anatomy Department in the State-Medical Institute of Lviv and also performed the function of the dean of the Medical Faculty. On receiving a proposal to assume the Chair of the Anatomy Department in Wrocław, he made the decision to leave Lviv. By July 2nd, 1946, prof. Tadeusz Marciniak had taken over the duties of full professor of the Descriptive Anatomy Department of the Medical Faculty of the University and the Technical College of Wrocław. On taking his job in Wrocław, prof. Marciniak undertook attempts to restore the worn out parts of the Anatomy Department building. Due to the lack of Polish manuals, he also took to the preparation of scripts for medical students. Professor Marciniak was a member of the Wrocław Section of the Polish Anthropological Association and a regular member of the Wroclaw Association of Science. His main scientific interests referred to the morphogenesis of the central nervous system and urinary system. He concentrated on circulatory system and muscular system tetralogies. Professor Marciniak also actively participated in administrative work at the university. In the years 1947-1948, he held the office of associate dean of the Medical Faculty, and till 1950 was a member of the Senate of the University and Technical College of Wrocław. In the years 1959-1962, he was a vice rector of the Medical University of Wrocław.

The sequence of lanugo pattern development on the trunk wall in human fetuses

BACKGROUND Due to a growing interest in developmental disorders, and in the long-term skin appendage diseases, both in the cosmetic industry and among specialists in dermatology (broadly defined), there is an increasing number of papers on hair development. The publications by the present team of authors are part of this trend. OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to describe the topography and typology of skin pilosity patterns in human fetuses. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 278 fetuses (141 male and 137 female) were qualified for the study. The gestational age ranged from 69 to 226 days after conception. All fetuses were taken from a local collection. RESULTS The study revealed that the first single hairs occur on the posterior wall of the trunk in the 17th week of fetal life, and on the anterior wall between the 18th and 19th week. It was found that in human fetuses lanugo appears statistically significantly later on the skin of the anterior of the trunk than on its posterior. The difference in absolute time is almost 2 weeks of fetal life. No other differences were found in the development cycle of lanugo on the anterior and posterior walls of the trunk. A full pattern was first observed on the posterior wall of the trunk in a fetus in the 19th week, and on the anterior wall in the 21st week. It was found that the process of lanugo development was completed on the posterior wall in the 23rd week, and on the surface of the abdomen in the 26th week. CONCLUSIONS The lanugo developmental cycle, consisting in the appearance of the first single hairs, then partial hair and subsequently the formation of final patterns, is the same on both walls of the trunk.

Typology of the antegonial notch in the human mandible.

BACKGROUND Surgical treatment for serious malocclusions and fractures of the organ of mastication is a golden standard in medicine. Procedures performed on the mandible require detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the organ. Antegonial notching constitutes a serious technical challenge for surgeons. Therefore, a detailed anatomical description of this structure, which is the subject of this paper, is essential. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analysed 251 human Caucasian mandibles of identified sex and took measurements of all sections describing the mandibular antegonial notch. Depending on the proportion between sections we classified the shape of the antegonial notch into three types. The surface area of the notch was calculated. We analysed the dimorphic and bilateral differences for each of the three types of notch. We used variance analysis for the assessment of statistical difference. RESULTS The analysis revealed that in both men and women, regardless of body side, the type 3 antegonial notch was the most frequent. Type 3 occurred with a frequency of between 38% in men on the right side and 55.9% in women on the left side of the body. Type 1 was the least frequent. Dimorphic differences in the presence of individual types of antegonial notch were statistically significant only for the left side of the body. The symmetrical type (type 2) occurred more frequently in men (by 11%) than in women. Type 3 was found more frequently in women (by 10%) than in men. Bilateral differences in men were revealed for the frequencies of types 1 and 3. On the right side type 1 was more frequent (by 8%), and on the left side type 3 was also more frequent (by 8%). The greatest surface area was found for the asymmetrical posterior type (type 1). The smallest surface area was found for the asymmetrical anterior type 3. This difference was statistically significant with respect to the surface area of types 1 and type 2 and found for both sexes for both sides of the body. However, no statistically significant differences were found between the surface areas of types 1 or 2. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge of the preangular notch anatomy can be useful for surgeons during reconstructive and plastic procedures on the body of the mandible.

Is the secular trend reflected in early stages of human ontogenesis

Abstract There are a limited number of studies on secular changes in the neonatal period, and the majority of them concern research related to childhood and puberty The objective of our study was to carry out a comparative analysis of body weight and length at birth in neonates born in Wrocław in subsequent decades since 1950 to find out if these parameters are subject to secular trend, and what values they attained during the studied period of 50 years. The study was carried out in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and in 2000 to analyse changes in body length, body weight and Rohrer index over time. The sample studied consisted of 7510 neonates, 3882 males and 3628 females, born in Wroclaw. Secular changes were tested using one-way variance analysis. The values of F statistics were compared to the critical values of the F Snedecor distribution. Changes in the features of neonates in subsequent study years were analysed using the modified z-score. Data were normalised for standard deviation in decade increments. Results demonstrated very slight, though statistically insignificant increase in body weight at birth. Over the 50-year period the mean body weight of neonates was in the range of 3.3-3.4 kg, regardless of sex. Results demonstrated very slight, though statistically insignificant increase in body weight at birth. Over the 50-year period the mean body weight of neonates was in the range of 3.3-3.4 kg, regardless of sex. The acceleration in the body length of neonates caused a gradual decrease in the mean values of the Rohrer index. No secular trend in body weight was found in Wrocław neonates over the 50-year period between 1950 and 2000 With regard to body length at birth, four waves of deceleration and acceleration were found: period 1 (1950s): deceleration in the increase of the analysed body parameters of neonates; period 2 (1960s): acceleration in neonates’ growth; period 3 (1970s and 1980s): economic crisis and political transformations in Poland; this is reflected by the stable mean values of body dimensions in neonates. The secular trend clearly decelerated, and period 4 (1990s and 2000) - very intense acceleration in both body weight and length and the Rohrer index.