[The majority of patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease are treated at specialized movement disorder centers. Currently, there is no clear consensus on how to define the stages of Parkinson’s disease; the proportion of Parkinson’s patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease, the referral process, and the clinical features used to characterize advanced Parkinson’s disease are not well delineated. The primary objective of this observational study was to evaluate the proportion of Parkinson’s patients identified as advanced patients according to physician’s judgment in all participating movement disorder centers across the study. Here we evaluate the Hungarian subset of the participating patients. The study was conducted in a cross-sectional, non-interventional, multi-country, multi-center format in 18 countries. Data were collected during a single patient visit. Current Parkinson’s disease status was assessed with Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) parts II, III, IV, and V (modified Hoehn and Yahr staging). Non-motor symptoms were assessed using the PD Non-motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS); quality of life was assessed with the PD 8-item Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (PDQ-8). Parkinson’s disease was classified as advanced versus non-advanced based on physician assessment and on questions developed by the Delphi method. Overall, 2627 patients with Parkinson’s disease from 126 sites were documented. In Hungary, 100 patients with Parkinson’s disease were documented in four movement disorder centers, and, according to the physician assessment, 50% of these patients had advanced Parkinson’s disease. Their mean scores showed significantly higher impairment in those with, versus without advanced Parkinson’s disease: UPDRS II (14.1 vs. 9.2), UPDRS IV Q32 (1.1 vs. 0.0) and Q39 (1.1 vs. 0.5), UPDRS V (2.8 vs. 2.0) and PDQ-8 (29.1 vs. 18.9). Physicians in Hungarian movement disorder centers assessed that half of the Parkinson’s patients had advanced disease, with worse motor and non-motor symptom severity and worse QoL than those without advanced Parkinson’s disease. Despite being classified as eligible for invasive/device-aided treatment, that treatment had not been initiated in 25% of these patients.]

[Background - Spinal cord stimulation has become an established clinical option for treatment of refractory chronic pain and angina pectoris, but its precise mechanism of action is unclear. We investigated the effect of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on heart rate variability (HRV) and evaluating its influence on the sympathetic/parasympathetic balance in chronic pain. Materials and purpose - Seven patients (three men, four women) with SCS due to chronic pain were included. The SCS was programmed in three different ways: (i) to stimulate at an amplitude known to generate paresthesias (ON-state), (ii) at a subliminal level (SUB state), or (iii) switched off (OFFstate). HRV analysis was based on 5-min segments of the consecutive normal RR intervals and was performed with custom software (Kubios HRV Analysis). Results - The mean heart rate was higher in ON state compared to SUB state (p=0.018) and the high-frequency component of the HRV was lower in ON compared to OFF period (p=0.043). Other HRV parameters values did not significantly differ during the three tested periods. Conclusion - Spinal cord stimulation in chronic pain seems to be accompanied by reduced parasympathetic tone, unlike SCS in angina pectoris where previous studies found a reduced cardiac sympathetic tone. Our study might lead to understand the mechanism of action of SCS We investigated a relatively small number of patients, which is the main limitation of our study. Thus, further studies with larger number of patients are required for validation of our results.]

[The fact that there are two significant Hungarian pioneers in humanistic psycho­therapy is still not recognised in the Hungarian academic community. In order to redress this omission the author compares and considers the careers of András Angyal and Béla Mittelmann. Both individuals left Hungary in 1920, settling first in Europe and subsequently in America, where they separately enjoyed successful careers. According to the author the trajectory of their lives is quite representative of many Hungarian emigrants during this period in history. This study examines the course of their life and explores their main achievements in the context of their contemporary relevance and enduring legacies. In the case of Angyal, it is the holistic-organismic theory of personality and influence on Maslow, which are his paramount achievements. As regards Mittelmann his topical contribution has been to the practice of “coaching” on the one hand and the application of dance and body therapy to recovery on the other. ]

[The aim of the study: The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of smoking and identify factors that predict smoking cessation motivation among health workers. Material and method: Cross-sectional, self-reported survey filled out by all healthcare workers of Jósa András Teaching Hospital. Statistical analyses were performed by chi-square analysis and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Of all responses (N =1561), 29.9% reported actively smoking, 52.0% smoked between 11-20 cigarettes a day. A total of 20.4% had tried to quit smoking before. Those who would not participate in a smoking cessation program outweighed those who favored participation (43.2% vs. 35.6%). Significant relationships were found between the technique of smoking cessation and intent to quit smoking (χ2 = 7,73; p = 0,02) and between smoking cessation and stress induced smoking habits (r = 0,1; p = 0,12). Those not wanting to quit smoking appraised smoking as a social link to others (Z = -2.34; p = 0,02). Conclusion: Besides putting a stronger emphasis on smoking cessation and on negative health effects of smoking, nurse managers should promote working environments where improvement in stress management and collegial relationships will minimize the need for smoke related groups.. ]

[Since the prevalence of obesity has been dramatically increasing worldwide, a better understanding of obesity-related comorbidities leading to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism disorders has become essential. As an active endocrine organ, white adipose tissue secretes adipokines with diverse biological functions. We have found strong correlations between serum chemerin level and atherogenic lipoprotein sub-fractions in obese non-diabetic patients. To better characterize obese patients with and without manifest insulin resistance, we plan to determine serum levels of novel adipokines (omentin-1, vaspin, visfatin, lipocalin-2 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) and various oxidative stress markers including paraoxonase-1 activity, tumor necrosis factor-alfa and interleukin-6 levels, as well as low- and high-density lipoprotein subfractions in them and compare their data with lean individuals. We plan to determine correlations between the levels of novel adipokines and oxidative stress markers and lipoprotein subfractions. Furthermore, based upon our previous observations, we plan to study the potential alterations in the adipokine profile and the ratios of lipoprotein subfractions during a 5-year follow-up in obese patients. Our expected results may help to characterize the involvement of the adipokine profile in the regulation of lipoprotein metabolism. Early screening and treatment of lipid abnormalities may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in obesity. ]