[Background and purpose - Allergy is an endemic disease and has a considerable impact on the quality of life. This study aimed to measure the effect of active allergic rhinitis on memory functions of physically active and inactive patients with ragweed allergy. Methods - Memory functions were assessed before and after allergen exposure. Participants in both groups were provoked nasally with 30 IR/mL ragweed allergen in each nostril. Explicit memory was measured with story-recalling and implicit memory was investigated with reaction time task. Results - In neuropsychological assessments athletes performed significantly better, compared with the control group after allergen provocation in short-term and long-term memory functions. There was no difference between the groups in the implicit tasks. Athletes have achieved better results after provocation, comparing to the baseline test and the tests that measured short-term and long-term memory functions. Conclusion - Short-term disturbing factors, e.g. swollen nasal mucosa, sneezing, and watery eyes after provocation did have not caused deterioration in cognitive functions. A single-shot allergen in high doses have caused an increase of mental concentration, which was more pronounced in athletes.]

[INTRODUCTION - The aim of our study is to show how people can live with a diagnosis of a psychiatric disease, a schizophrenia diagnosis in Hungary. METHODOLOGY - We made 25 narrative life story interviews with Hungarian people diagnosed with mental illnesses. We examined what the main obstacles and supporting factors may be in the life stories regarding the independent lifestyle and participation in community. RESULTS - According to the interviewees the main obstacles are their states or diseases, the stigmas after their diagnoses, the function of the psychiatric care system and the lack of self-reliance following the patient role. They mentioned the family and their own motivations as supporting factors. CONCLUSION - The examination of the institutional functions can reveal what the supporting factors may be which can facilitate the social participation of people diagnosed with mental illnesses on the level of the system. ]

[A wild, stormy night raged along the southwest coast of the New Hebrides. The gloomy cliffs braved the sea's renewed onslaught, sometimes lost among the darkly churning wave crests. Otherwise, the above was of no particular significance for our story, which took place not on the south-western shores of the New Hebrides but in Hungary, although it is true that the weather conditions there were not very good at the time.]