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Pulmonary sarcoidosis is not a common diagnosis in outpatient physiotherapy practice and yet it can be found there. It belongs to the group of interstitial lung diseases, which affects lung functions and exercise capacity of patients. These patients suffer from changes in breathing mechanics, which both cause and deteriorate the common symptoms of the disease, namely dyspnoea. The article describes breathing mechanics in healthy subjects and those having pulmonary sarcoidosis, as well as recommendations for the therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gagauzská menšina je ve východní Evropě unikátem v několika ohledech. Prvním je nepochybně doposud neobjasněný původ této skupiny. Při důkladném hledání lze nalézt až 20 teorií o původu Gagauzů. Druhým unikátem je dozajista gagauzský jazyk spojený s náboženstvím.

Background: During the last decades a significant progress in rehabilitation of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been achieved. This pilot study aims to study effect of weeks-lasting rehabilitation programme of MS patients in conditions of non-profiled inpatient rehabilitation unit., Methods and Results: The rehabilitation program of 25 hospitalised patients was mostly aimed at complex kinesitherapy and physical therapy, partly also at ergotherapy and orthetics. Functional status of patients was evaluated at the beginning of the hospital stay and before dismission. Spasticity of lower limbs was scored using Global Assessment of Spasticity Scale (GSA) and modified Ashwort's scale. Motor subscore of Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was used to assess the patient's disability. In interval of 5 to 6 months a questionnaire was distributed among the patients to evaluate the rehabilitation stay. During the rehabilitation none of the studied patients got worse. At the beginning of hospitalisation average EDSS was 6.7 (median 6.5) +/- 1.0, before the demission it was 6.5 (6.5) +/- 0.9. Among the parameters studied statistically significant improvement came in the modified Ashwort's scale (from 2.5 +/- 0.8 to 1.8 +/- 0.6) and in the motor subscore of Functional Independence Measure (from 59 +/- 15 to 64 +/- 14). No statistically significant difference was found when the Global Assessment of Spasticity Scale was used--the improvement score of the group was 1.0 +/- 0.7. Not all of questionnaires returned. The results obtained from responders showed positive evaluation of the rehabilitation program, which lasted for several months., Conclusion: Results of the study correspond to the literary data both in immediate effects of the treatment and in its persistence after dismission. As important reveals the fact that most of the patients has primary or secondary progressive MS. It can be reasonably presumed that further improvement of the rehabilitation of patients with neurological diseases could be achieved in specialised neurorehabilitation centres.

In patients with disseminated sclerosis and in a control group inhibition of granulocyte adherence was investigated after stimulation with the ionophore A23187 and the effect of autologous thrombocytes on this reactivity was investigated. The granulocyte adherence was not markedly influenced in the described experimental set-up by the ionophore alone not by incubation with thrombocytes alone. The ionophoretic stimulation of granulocytes incubated with thrombocytes caused marked inhibition of leucocyte adherence in healthy controls and to a significantly smaller extent in patients with multiple sclerosis without corticosteroid treatment. In patients treated with corticosteroids this response was not observed. The results suggest a change of membrane properties, dependent on thrombocytes, in the early stage of non-specific granulocyte activation in patients with multiple sclerosis.

The author assessed the effect of leucotrienes B4 and C4 and the calcium ionophore A23187 on the adherent reactivity of mononuclear leucocytes in patients with multiple cerebrospinal sclerosis and in controls. The calcium ionophore A23187 in concentrations of 200 nmol/1 - 5 mumol/1 induced inhibition of leucocyte adherence, depending on the concentration used. This reactivity was, as compared with controls, significantly lower in patients with multiple sclerosis who did not take cortisoid preparations and in patients taking prednisone in doses up to 5 mg/day. In patients treated with higher prednisone doses (20-90 mg/day) the values of the non-adherence index reached values insignificantly higher than in controls. Leukotrienes B4 and C4 (1 nmol/1 - 100 nmol/1 stimulated leucocyte adherence in patients treated with higher corticoid doses, in the remaining patients and in controls they did not influence the leukocyte adherence. The results of the investigation provide evidence of abnormalities of the membrane properties of the mononuclear leucocytes in patients with multiple sclerosis and draw attention to the association of these changes with metabolic chains of arachidonic acid and with calcium ion homeostasis.