Mastery, functional disability and perceived health status in patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that is difficult to predict and to cope with. Mastery refers to the extent to which patients see themselves as being in control of the forces that affect their lives. It may play an important role in perceived health status and well-being. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether mastery is associated with functional disability and perceived health status in MS patients and how such an association might function. METHODS: Two hundred and three MS patients completed the Short-Form-36 Health Survey as well as the Pearlin-Schooler Mastery Scale. Functional disability was assessed using the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were performed on the data from two MS age groups: <45 and > or =45 years of age. RESULTS: Functional disability was negatively associated with perceived physical health status in both age groups and with perceived mental health status in younger age group. Mastery was positively associated with perceived health status in older age group. DISCUSSION: The findings confirm that mastery might be helpful for older MS patients. Education strategies for MS patients aimed at personal empowerment for the maintaining of physical and mental well-being may be important.

Biotransformation of flubendazole and selected model xenobiotics in Haemonchus contortus.

Haemonchus contortus is one of the most pathogenic parasites of small ruminants (e.g., sheep and goat). The treatment of haemonchosis is complicated because of frequent resistance of H. contortus to common anthelmintics. The development of resistance can be facilitated by the action of drug metabolizing enzymes of parasites that can deactivate anthelmintics and thus protect parasites against the toxic effect of the drug. The aim of this project was to investigate the Phase I biotransformation of benzimidazole anthelmintic flubendazole in H. contortus and to determine the biotransformation of other model xenobiotics. For this purpose, in vitro (subcellular fractions of H. contortus homogenate) as well as ex vivo (live nematodes cultivated in flasks with medium) experiments were used. The results showed that cytosolic NADPH-dependent enzymes of H. contortus metabolize flubendazole via reduction of its carbonyl group. The apparent kinetic parameters of this reaction were determined (V'max=39.8+/-2.1 nM min(-1), K'm=1.5+/-0.3 microM). The reduction of flubendazole in H. contortus is stereospecific, the ratio of (-):(+) enantiomers of reduced flubendazole formed was 90:10. Reduced flubendazole was the only Phase I metabolite found. Effective reduction of other xenobiotics with carbonyl group (metyrapon, daunorubicin, and oracin) was also found. Significant activity of carbonyl-reducing enzymes may be important for H. contortus to survive the attacks of anthelmintics or other xenobiotics with carbonyl group.

Altered axons and axon terminals in the nucleus gracilis of the dog.

Altered axons and axon terminals in the nucleus gracilis o the dogs were followed by means of electron microscopy. The axon terminals with characteristic ultrastructure were accompanied by synapses with altered presynaptic part. The changes of the presynaptic part were expressed by the evident decrease in synaptic vesicle number, hyperplasia of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and by abnormal mitochondrial figures. The altered axons measuring 14,6 micrometers in average contained hyperplastic and quite often dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum as well as multiplied microtubular profiles. The mitochondria of the altered axons were characterized by the different degree of degeneration. The above mentioned structures in synapses as well as in axoplasma of the nucleus gracilis were found in the dogs of both sexes.