Social participation of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: The effect multiple sclerosis (MS) has on the social functioning and integration of patients has been recently considered as an important factor of the disease.

Objectives: To assess social participation of MS patients with regard to demographic and disease-related variables.

Material And Methods: The study comprised 201 MS patients: 140 women, 61 men, aged 24-69 years.

Altered gene expression in early postnatal monoamine oxidase A knockout mice.

We reported previously that monoamine oxidase (MAO) A knockout (KO) mice show increased serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) levels and autistic-like behaviors characterized by repetitive behaviors, and anti-social behaviors. We showed that administration of the serotonin synthesis inhibitor para-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA) from post-natal day 1 (P1) through 7 (P7) in MAO A KO mice reduced the serotonin level to normal and reverses the repetitive behavior. These results suggested that the altered gene expression at P1 and P7 may be important for the autistic-like behaviors seen in MAO A KO mice and was studied here.

Cholesterol affects retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in patients with multiple sclerosis with optic neuritis.

Background And Purpose: To evaluate the associations between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and lipid profiles in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: This study enrolled 136 patients with MS (n = 272 eyes; 108 females, 28 males, mean age: 46.7 ± 8.