DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL FYZIOLOGY

prof. RNDr. Beňadik Šmajda, CSc.

Workplace: Institute of Biology and Ecology
Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Košice,
Faculty of Science
Address: , 040 01 Košice
Phone: +421 55 234-1181
Email: benadik.smajda@upjs.sk

Personal data:
Born 1953, married (wife: Dr.Valeria Šmajdová), children : Zuzana (1985), Michal (1986)

Academic degrees
2006 - professor of Animal Physiology
1995 - assistant professor
1985 - PhD. in General Biology

Career
1971 - 1976 : study at the Faculty of Science,University of P.J.Šafárik in Košice
1976 - 1977 : doctoral student at the Faculty of Science, University of P.J.Šafárik in Košice
1977 - 1981 : Research assistant at the Dept. of General Biology of the Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice
1981 - 1983 : Research worker at the Institute of Radioecology and Nuclear Technology in Košice, Slovak republic
1983 - 1987 : Research assistant at the Dept. of General Biology of the Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice
1987 - 1995 : lecturer at Dept. of General Biology (since 1990: Dept. of Animal and Human Physiolgy),
Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice
1995 - 2006 : Associate Professor at Dept. of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice (since 1998: Head of Department)
2006 - present : professor at the Dept. of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice

Study abroad
1996 : Cambridge University, Great Britain (1 month) 2001 : Universität Beureuth, Germany (1 month)

Study
Teaching subjects : Animal Physiology, Biophysical Principles of Physiological Processes, Chronophysiology, Biostatistics, Radiation Ecology, Evolutionary Biology (participation)

Diploma thesis of students (M.S.) tutored: 18 students
Doctoral students:
a) former: RNDr.Igor Majláth,PhD. RNDr.Erika Kereskényiová
b) current : RNDr.Jana Kisková RNDr. Peter Orendáš, Mgr. Lenka Tomášová, Mgr. Martin Bona, Mgr.Izabela Bertková (external)

Research activities
My research activities are oriented on the study of the effects of ionizing radiation on some physiological functions in animals. I am especially interested in radiation effects on the nervous system and in manifestation of these on changes in behavioral charactistics of the animal, including learning, memory and open-field behavior and sensitivity to pain.
Currently we are carrying out experiments on laboratoty rats, aimed to study the effects of very low doses of radiation applied during embryonal develop-ment on behavioral parameters in adult age. We try to correlate the behavioral changes with changes in neurogenesis in the hippocampal area of the brain, using immunohistochemical methods.

Supervisor
Supervisor of the study programm "Zoology and animal physiology" for magister students.
Supervisor of the study program "Animal Physiology" for doctoral students.

Membership
Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic
Slovak Academy of Science, section Biological and Ecological Sciences (since 2002)
Scientific Board, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia
Scientific Board of the Neurobiological Institute of the Slovac Acade-my of Sciences, Košice
Slovak Society of Neurosciences
Slovak Physiological Society
Society for Radiology, Radiation Physics and Radiation Biology of the Slovak medical society.

Projects
1. Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Science VEGA No. č.1/6025/99 "The role of the opiate system in behavioral changes in irradiated rats" 1999 - 2001 (principal inves-tigator)

2. Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Science VEGA No.1/0440/03 "Behavioral changes in rats irradiated with low doses of ionizing radiation in adult age or during embryonal development" 2002 - 2005 (principial investigator)

3. Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Science VEGA No. 1/4345/07 "Effects of low doses of ionizing radiation on behavior and neurogenesis in hippocampus in adult rats irradiated during different phases of embryonal development" 2007 - 2009 (prin- cipial investigator)

Collaboration
Neurobiological Institute of the Slovac Academy of Sciences, Košice
Veterinary University, Košice, Dept. Environmental Protection
CNRS UMR 6553, Station Biologique de Paimpont, 35380 Paimpont, France

Recent publications
• NOSKOVIČ,P., ŠMAJDA,B., RAČEK,?., AHLERS,I., ŠALAGOVIČ,D.: Vlijanije gipokinezii na potreblenije pišči i atrofiju myšc konečnostej u krys: dejstvije insulina. Aviakosm.Med.25, 60-61, 1991.
ŠMAJDA,B.: Vlijanije nejtronnogo i gamma-oblučenija na fizičeskuju vynoslivos? krys v teste plavanija. Radiobiologija 34, 278-281, 1991.

• CHLEBOVSKÁ,K., CHLEBOVSKÝ,O., ŠMAJDA,B.: Serum proteins in rats exposed to ionizing radiation and thermal injury. Physiol.Res.42, 403-407, 1993.

• AHLERS,I.,AHLERSOVÁ,E., NOSKOVIČ,P.,TOTH,G.,RAČEK,?., ŠMAJDA,B., SMOLNICKÁ,J.: Suspension hypokinesia in rats: effects of the time of day on metabolic and hormonal changes. Physiol.Res.42,397-402, 1993.

• SOLÁR,P., TÓTH,G.,ŠMAJDA,B., Ahlers,I., Ahlersová,E.:Circadian and circannual oscillations of tissue lipoperoxides in rats. Physiol.Res.44, 249-256, 1995.

• MAJLÁTH,I., ŠMAJDA,B., KUNDRÁT,M.: Biometrical analysis of morphological traits in common lizard (Lacerta agilis,Laur.) from East Slovakia. Folia Zoologica 46,253-262,1997.

• AHLERSOVÁ,E., AHLERS,I., KASSAYOVÁ,M., SMAJDA,B.: Circadian oscillations of serum thyroid hormones in the laboratory rat: the effect of photoperiods. Physiol.Res.46, 443 - 449, 1997.

• AHLERS,I.,SOLÁR,P.,AHLERSOVÁ,E.,KASSAYOVÁ,M.,ŠMAJDA,B.: The influence of melatonin on metabolic changes in female rats induced by continous irradiation and/or administration of 7,12-dimethylbenz/a/anthracen. Neoplasma 44, 253 - 257, 1997.

• AHLERSOVA,E., PASTOROVA,B., KASSAYOVA,M., AHLERS,I., SMAJDA,B.: Reduced pineal biosynthesis in fractionally irradiated rats. Physiol.Res. 47, 133-136, 1998.

• ŠMAJDA,B., MAJLÁTH,I.: Variability of some morphological traits of the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara) in Slovakia. Biologia,Bratislava 54, 5, 585-589, 1999.

• ŠMAJDA,B., JALČ,P., KALANIN,P.: Neuropepetides as a modulation of immune functions. Chem. listy, 94, 640, 2000.

• ŠMAJDA,B., JALČ,P., KALANIN,P.: The role of intestinal vasoactive polypeptide in sexual function. Chem. listy, 94, 652, 2000.

• KERESKENYIOVÁ E.,ŠMAJDA B., Endogenous opioids and analgesic effects of ionising radiation in rats. Acta Vet.(Brno) 73(3), 195-199, 2004

• KISKOVÁ,J., ŠMAJDA,B.: Behavioral changes in prenatal rats irradiated with low dosage of g-rays. Bull.Vet.Inst.Pulawy 50, 4, 595-598, 2006.

• BEŇOVÁ,K., CIGÁNKOVÁ,V., FALIS,M., ŠMAJDA,B. : Clinical symptoms and histological changes in Poecilia reticulata following gamma-rays irradiation. Acta Vet. Brno, 75, 4, 557-560, 2006.

• SURGET-GROBA,Y., HEULIN,B., GUILLAUME,C.-P., PUKY,M., SEMENOV,D., ORLOVA,V., KUPRIYANOVA,L., GHIRA,I., ŠMAJDA,B.: Multiple origins of viviparity, or reversal from viviparity to oviparity? The European common lizard (Zootoca vivipara, Lacertidae) and the evolution of parity. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 87, 1-11, 2006

• ŠMAJDA,B., JALČ,P.: Vazoaktívny intestinálny polypeptid. Orbis Medicinae, 2, 29 -37, 2001.

• KALANIN,P., DANKO,J., ŠMAJDA,B.: Calcium exchange and axoplasmic transport in rabbits. Folia Veterinaria 45, 177 - 179, 2001.

• ŠMAJDA,B., KISKOVÁ,J., LIEVAJOVÁ,K., ČAPIČÍKOVÁ,M.: The effects of a head-only gamma-irradiation on learning and spatial memory and on open field behavior in rats.Folia Veterinaria, 50, 3:, Suppl 23 - 25, 2006