The relationship between salivary amylase and the physical and psychological changes elicited by continuation of autogenic training in patients with functional somatic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to clarify the changes in biological measures during autogenic training (AT) sessions and the relationship between these biological measures and the changes in physical and psychological measures induced by continuation of AT in patients with functional somatic syndrome (FSS). We used the salivary amylase (SAMY) level, skin temperature of the finger (TEMP), subjective symptom scores, and psychological characteristics to assess these changes. METHODS: We assessed 24 patients with FSS and 23 healthy controls before and after AT. We then conducted the same tests after the participants had practiced AT at home 1 and 2 months later. RESULTS: The baseline SAMY levels in the first session were significantly higher in the FSS group than in the control group. However, this difference was not significant in the second and third sessions. The pattern of changes in TEMP induced by AT was not different between the FSS and control groups. Tension-anxiety and somatic symptoms in patients with FSS were improved by AT. In the FSS group, the baseline SAMY levels in the first session showed a significant negative correlation with the changes in the subjective symptom score and tension-anxiety score at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The practice of AT, both during the first session and after 1 month of continuation, eased the dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system that is reflected in SAMY in patients with FSS. AT also contributed to decreases in the tension-anxiety and somatic symptoms in patients with FSS. We suggest that SAMY is related to both physical and psychological effects of AT in patients with FSS.

Saliva amylase as a measure of sympathetic change elicited by autogenic training in patients with functional somatic syndromes.

The aim of this study was to discuss the effect of autogenic training (AT) on patients with functional somatic syndrome (FSS) using salivary amylase, the skin temperature of the finger, subjective severity of symptoms, and psychological characteristics as measures. We assessed 20 patients with FSS and 23 healthy controls before and after AT. Baseline levels of salivary amylase prior to an AT session were significantly higher in the FSS group than in the control group. However, this difference was not significant after AT. The skin temperature of the finger increased after AT in both the FSS and control groups. AT contributed to the improvement of somatic symptoms in patients with FSS. Our results regarding psychological characteristics suggest that mood disturbances are deeply involved in the pathology of FSS. Individuals with FSS exhibited elevated levels of sympathetic activity compared with healthy controls. Our data indicates that AT eased dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system in patients with FSS. Thus, salivary amylase may be a useful index of change induced by AT in patients with FSS.

Characterization of beta-tricalcium phosphate as a novel immunomodulator.

Calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics including hydroxyapatite (HA) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) have been widely used for bone substitution in orthopedic, maxillofacial and dental surgery, as well as in tumor resections. CaP particles are also known to cause inflammatory responses, which are thought to be an unfavorable characteristic of prosthetic coating materials. On the other hand, the immunostimulatory effect of ß-TCP induces an anti-tumor effect in xenograft tumor models in athymic mice. To date, in depth analysis of the biological effects of ß-TCP has not been studied in mice. In the present study, in vivo biological effects of ß-TCP were investigated by subcutaneously injecting ß-TCP particles into mice. This induced extensive migration of immune cells to the area surrounding the injection. In addition, we found that in vitro treatment with ß-TCP in murine monocyte/macrophage cells (J774A.1) induced up-regulation of surface expression of CD86, and increased production of TNF-α, MIP-1α, and sICAM-1. Furthermore, conditioned medium from J774A.1 cells treated with ß-TCP facilitated migration of murine splenocytes in a transwell migration assay. These findings clarify that ß-TCP induces an immunostimulatory effect in mice, and suggest a potential for ß-TCP as a novel adjuvant for cancer therapy.

[Case report of an elderly woman who developed a pain disorder following her husband's death].

We present the case of an elderly woman who developed a pain disorder following her husband's death. This patient consulted two or three gynecology clinics with anxiety due to external genital pain, the cause of which could not be identified. Subsequently, the patient came to our university hospital where she was diagnosed with "pain disorder" and "depression" by a psychiatrist. With medication and supportive psychotherapy, the patient showed positive clinical progress. The operational diagnosis of pain disorder was useful as it permitted the establishment of a diagnosis for a patient with pain, the cause of which could not be identified. In this case, the patient's external genital pain was thought to be a symptom of her loss of sexual identity and her depression following the death of her husband. It has been reported that such somatic pain appears when the patient does not mourn, leading to pathological symptons. Therefore, in supportive psychotherapy, it is important to listen carefully to the patients' complaints about their pain in order to provide them with the opportunity to finish grieving. As a complementary therapy to SSRI medication, supportive psychotherapy contributed strongly to this case's recovery.