Cytochrome c oxidase (COX), the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, is one of the key functional and regulatory sites of the mammalian energy metabolism. Owing to the importance of the enzyme, pathogenetic mutations affecting COX frequently result in severe, often fatal metabolic disorders. No satisfactory therapy is currently available so that the treatment remains largely symptomatic and does not improve the course
of the disease. While only few genetic defects of COX are caused by mutations in mitochondrial genome, during the last five years a large number
of pathogenetic mutations in nuclear genes have been discovered. All these mutations are located in genes encoding COX-specific assembly proteins including SURF1, SCO1, SCO2, COX10, and COX15. Despite the identification of increasing number of mutations, their precise etiopathogenetic mechanisms, which are necessary for the development of
future therapeutic protocols, still remain to be elucidated. This review summarizes recent developments, including our efforts in elucidation of the molecular basis of human mitochondrial diseases due to specific defects of COX with special focus on SURF1 assembly protein.
Some comments on problems connected with our knowledge and understanding of events observable during the meteoroid flight through the atmosphere are presented. The review is divided into
three parts. Tbe first part deals with the section of flight characterized by the increase of body temperature from the value reached at the heliocentric distance 1 AU, i.c. at the frontier of the Earth´s atmosphere, which was estimated to be approximatelly 280° K, to the temperature at which the evaporation of the meteoroid can start. This process is designated as pre-ablation heatlng. The second part deals with efects connected with the visible trajectory as well as with ionization trails and problems related to them. There exists generic connection between luminous flight of meteoroids and dark flight with possibility of finding the meteorites fallen to the ground namely with the predictabllity of the impact area and the impact itself. This is the subject of the third part.
The work describes briefly the application of the complete solution oí the basic equations of meteoric physics, found in connection with solving the problems of photographic meteor theory, to the construction of theoretical Fresnel characteristics. It is shown how the meteoroid deceleration can be incorporated into concepts of radar physics. The corresponding equations are derived and the possibility of using these Fresnel characteristics for the evaluation of the ablation parameter^and the pre-atmospheric velocity v^ from the registered amplitudes is briefly discussed.