[A study of psychoneuroendocrinological effects of music therapy].

The objective evaluation of Psychoneuroendocrinological effects of music is performed in listening and performing. Subjects were classified into 3 groups; a control group and performance/listening groups voluntarily in each 10 subjects. Urine 17-KS-S (abbreviated S) and 17-OHCS (abbreviated OH) were measured before (phase I), after the experiments (phase II) and on the following morning (phase III). They enjoyed listening to their favorite music by stereo sets or performing favorite music instruments. No directions were done on the quality of music. OH showed decreasing effects in both control and performance/listening groups. S showed significant increase in listening group. From a rise of S/OH a wear and tear by stress and a skewness of balance of restoration were corrected. Music is considered that it contributed to relaxation from stress and a wear and tear by the stress and correction of balance of restoration. The fact that the efficacy persisted until the morning of the following day indicates the efficacy persists for a relatively long period of time.

Impact of feeding ethanolic extracts of Achyranthes aspera Linn. on reproductive functions in male rats.

Feeding 50% ethanolic extract of A. aspera to male rats resulted in reduced sperm counts, weight of epididymis, serum level of testosterone and testicular activity of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, while motility of the sperm and activity of the HMG CoA reductase were not affected. Cholesterol level in the testis, incorporation of labelled acetate into cholesterol, 17-ketosteroids in urine and hepatic and fecal bile acids were increased. The results suggest that ethanolic extract of A. aspera caused reproductive toxicity in male rats and the action may be by suppressing the synthesis of androgen.

Garlic supplementation increases testicular testosterone and decreases plasma corticosterone in rats fed a high protein diet.

The effects of garlic supplementation on protein metabolism were investigated by measuring testis testosterone and plasma corticosterone in rats fed diets with different protein levels. In Experiment 1, rats were fed experimental diets with different protein levels (40, 25 or 10 g/100 g casein) with or without 0.8 g/100 g garlic powder. After 28 d of feeding, testosterone contents in the testis were significantly higher and plasma corticosterone concentrations were significantly lower in rats fed 40 and 25% casein diets with garlic powder than in those fed the same diets without garlic powder. Urinary excretion of 17-ketosteroid (an index of testosterone), nitrogen balance and hepatic arginase activity were significantly higher in rats fed the 40% casein diet with garlic powder than in the 40% casein controls. In Experiment 2, the effect of diallyldisulfide (a major volatile sulfur-containing compound in garlic) on the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, which regulates testosterone production in the testis, was investigated in anesthetized rats. Plasma LH concentration increased dose dependently after administration of diallyldisulfide (P < 0.01, r = 0.558). These results suggest that dietary supplementation with 0.8 g/100 g garlic alters hormones associated with protein anabolism by increasing testicular testosterone and decreasing plasma corticosterone in rats fed a high protein diet.

[17-ketosteroid sulfates and its application to kampo-medicine].

Traditional oriental medicine tells us that everything is interrelated and consists of combinations of opposing factors, "Yin-Yang". So we need to evaluate the normal state and pathologic condition from the perspective of dynamic hormone balance between cortisol and DHEA which are opposing and physiologically very important. Cortisol has a more functional side and is considered Yang, while DHEA has a more material side and is considered Yin. We tried to explain the concepts of KAMPO which include SHO (Yin-Yang. Excess-Deficiency), the 6 Stages of Disease and Deficiency of the Kidney, by measuring urinary 17-OHCS and 17-KS-S, metabolites of cortisol and DHEA. We think our effort may develop a good objective indicator of KAMPO's diagnosis and be useful for selecting of treatment.

The value of the dehydroepiandrosterone-annexed vitamin C infusion treatment in the clinical control of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). I. A Pilot study of the new vitamin C infusion treatment with a volunteer CFS patient.

A series of publications from our laboratory have indicated that the practice of megadose vitamin C drip infusion treatment enhanced the activity of endogenous glucocorticoids in such a way as to improve the clinical course of allergy and autoimmune disease-a disease entity that is known to respond to the therapeutic effect of glucocorticoids. The present paper represents an extention of our vitamin C studies, and intends to investigate the problem whether or not chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), an acquired immunodeficiency disease, can also be counted as one of the candidate diseases for the vitamin C infusion treatment. We prepared two kinds of vitamin C infusion sets for the clinical use: the dehydroepiandrosterone-annexed vitamin C infusion set (the new set) and the annex-free vitamin C infusion set (the old set). The new set was expected to enhance the endogenous activities of both glucocorticoids and gonadal steroids. We followed the clinical course of a male CFS patient using the old and new vitamin C infusion sets, and with and without the oral intake of erythromycin and chloramphenico. Results obtained are as follows: a) the observation period of a study subject covered a period of August 1995 to May 1996. Combination of pneumonia signs and dermatomyositis signs marked the onset of his CFS. b) Old infusion treatment together with the short term antibiotics treatment was found effective for the control of pneumonia in the first stage of the disease (from August to October, 1995). c) Signs of pneumonia recurrence gradually became eminent in the second stage of disease (from November, 1995, to January, 1996) in spite of the moderate frequency of the old treatment together with stepwise prolongation of the antibiotics treatment. d) The alternate practice of the old and new infusion treatments together with the long-term antibiotics treatment, as conducted in the 3rd stage of disease (from February to May, 1996) led to substantial extinction of pneumonia signs (leucocytosis, tachycardia etc). e) The practice of the new infusion treatment markedly increased the excretion of both 17-ketosteroids and 17-hydroxycorticosteroids in the urine. Evidence was also available to indicate that the dehydroepiandrosterone annex was converted to testosterone, which in turn made a contribution to the control of CFS. f) The immunological survey of lymphocyte subsets including NK cell percent failed to find a coherent change in a study subject with CFS. In conclusion, the above results could be taken as evidence to indicate that the new vitamin C infusion treatment effectuates the clinical control of CFS by fortifying the endogenous activities of both cortisol and testosterone. The significance of parallelism between pulmonary infection and CFS, as observed in the clinical course of the test subject, was discussed in the light of the focal infection theory of nephritis.

Lysine vasopressin stimulation of cortisol secretion in patients with adrenocorticotropin-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia.

We present two patients with Cushing's syndrome due to ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia who showed marked plasma cortisol response to lysine-8-vasopressin (LVP) injection (from 930 and 731 pmol/L to 2177 and 1920 pmol/L, respectively), while plasma ACTH levels remained undetectable. The ACTH independence of cortisol secretion in the two patients was determined from the following endocrinological findings. Plasma cortisol levels were not increased by corticotropin-releasing hormone injections and were not suppressed by high dose (16 mg) dexamethasone administrations. The plasma ACTH levels, measured by two independent sensitive immunoassays, were persistently undetectable even after corticotropin-releasing hormone injection, metyrapone administration, and bilateral adrenalectomy. The particular pathological finding of the two cases, atrophic lesions in nonnodular parts of the adrenal cortexes, also indicated ACTH independence of the macronodular hyperplasia. In vitro examination revealed a direct effect of LVP on cortisol secretion from the adrenal cells of the macronodules. We also examined seven patients with Cushing's syndrome caused by adrenal adenoma and found a statistically significant plasma cortisol response to LVP injection. The direct effect of LVP was also demonstrated in cultured adenoma cells. In conclusion, we discovered a direct adrenal effect of LVP on cortisol secretion in patients with ACTH-independent macronodular hyperplasia and, to a lesser extent, in patients with cortisol-producing adrenal adenoma. The cortisol response to LVP may serve to facilitate their diagnosis and choice of therapy.

Acute and chronic effects of human recombinant GH (hrGH) on adrenal steroidogenesis in children affected with isolated GH deficiency (IGHD).

In a previous study we demonstrated that, in children affected with isolated GH deficiency, an acute high-dose human recombinant GH (hrGH) treatment increases the 11-deoxycortisol and induces an IGF-I responsiveness to ACTH. The aim of the present study was to reevaluate, in the same children, the adrenal and IGF-I responsiveness to ACTH after a chronic replacement-dose GH therapy. Ten children (seven males and three females, mean age 7 years) affected with isolated GH deficiency underwent a synthetic ACTH 1-17 test before and after sc administration of human recombinant GH at a dose of 0.6 UI/kg/week for 3 months. After therapy, the 11-deoxycortisol responsiveness to ACTH significantly decreased compared with that observed after acute treatment (P < 0.001), and so it returned to baseline. No differences were detected in the responsiveness to ACTH of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate, D4-androstenedione, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone. On the other hand, the chronic treatment induced an IGF-I responsiveness to ACTH (P < 0.001). In conclusion, our study demonstrates that, in isolated GH deficiency, replacement doses of hrGH do not modify the adrenal steroid basal levels or its responsiveness to ACTH, whereas both replacement and high doses of hrGH induce an IGF-I responsiveness to ACTH.

[Stress and adaptation in humans--aging, illness, psychosocial stress].

We conducted research to determine compounds in human urine which show high values in healthy individuals, decrease with failing health (or bodily decay), clearly decline with advancing illness and finally reach very low values during terminal and severe illness. We have initially established that 17-ketosteroid sulfates (17-KS-S) are the substances we were searching for. Hans Selye regarded stress as the rate of wear and tear and 17-OHCS (cortisol) as its indicator. He further considered that stress is distinct from aging: There is no difference in the stress of ordinary life between young and old people, and there is no difference in 17-OHCS levels between the two. Aging is, however, accompanied by decreased adaptability. In terms of adaptability, we consider that, different from inanimate objects, energy transforming live organisms exist in a dynamic balance between "wear and tear" and "repair and recovery". This shows the need to determine the organism's adaptability to at least these two factors. We regarded 17-OHCS as a compound related to tissue "wear and tear" and searched for a compound related to tissue "repair and recovery", leading us to an identification of 17-KS-S. In other words, we have been considering the relation between "repair and recovery" and "wear and tear". The measurement of 17-KS-S which decreases with failing health, when combined with 17-OHCS, may make it possible to evaluate distortion of adaptation in a Yin-Yang like fashion, which can demonstrate the presence of illness, susceptibility to illness and progress of disease in individuals. It further adds a new dimension to clinical diagnostic acumen in an objective evaluation of psychosocial stress where results of routine clinical tests are often within normal limits, thus facilitating the monitoring of health and illness.

[Considerations in clinical testing--implications of urinary 17-ketosteroid sulfate and 17-hydroxycorticosteroid measurements for stress research].

With the recent increase in number of patients with stress, the search is continuing for health-indicators that can be used to determine stress reliably and quickly. These indicators rely on subjective evaluations, and the establishment of an objective method of determining stress is necessary. We have developed a method involving the determination of the 17-Ketosteroid sulfates (17-KS-S) which has proved valuable for stress research. By simultaneous measurement of both 17-KS-S and 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OHCS), which have different biological significance, and which originate from the adrenal gland, an organic Yin-Yang evaluation of the adrenocortical function can be made. The two values (mainly the 17-KS-S values) are closely correlated to the biological stress state as evaluated from psychosocial factors. This method should prove to be valuable in the clinic as an objective method of determining stress.

[Primary care considerations--17-ketosteroid sulfate-17-hydroxycorticosteroid method as a clinical stress indicator].

In primary care, the management of stress-related diseases occupies a wide spectrum of prevention and treatment, from holistic health care to final cure, centered on medical health and an organic integration of body, mind, and social parameters. Inquiries are being made at examinations and interviews to obtain information on the health condition of the patient, but, they are inadequate. There is a need for an objective indicator to help in the diagnosis. With the introduction of the Stress Barometer (measurements of 17-ketosteroid sulfates and 17-hydroxy-corticosteroids) it has become possible to obtain critical information on a patient in a very short time. This method allows early detection of stress, depression state and tiredness from work which is not presently possible from blood tests. It then becomes possible to call the patient's attention to these matters and to work at increasing awareness, energy levels, and responses to the conditions that are determined in this manner.

[Endocrine function in stomach yin deficiency syndrome (SYDS): research on patients with SYDS following abdominal surgery or severe acute abdominal diseases (II)].

Patients with SYDS following abdominal operation or with severe acute abdominal diseases were observed on changes of the thyroid, adrenal function and digestive hormones. The results showed that the serum concentration of T3 in patients with SYDS decreased by about 50% with the control (P less than 0.001). The concentration of T4 decreased too (P less than 0.001). The rT3 content increased and there were no obvious changes in the content of TSH and T3RUR. The manifestations conformed to "low T3 syndrome" in nonthyroid diseases. The amount of urine 17-KS and 17-OHCS per 24 hours decreased (P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.05 respectively). The serum gastrin level decreased by 60.4% with the control (P less than 0.002) and that of VIP increased (P less than 0.05). The results suggested that the patients had decreased thyroid and adrenal function and the secretion of hormones of digestive tract decreased.

Physiological and behavioral effects of prolonged exposure to 915 MHz microwaves.

Long-Evans male adult rats were exposed for 16 weeks to 915-MHz CW microwaves at an average power density of 5 mW/cm2. The resulting dose rate was 2.46 (+/- 0.29 SEM) mW/g. The animals were exposed eight hours a day, five days a week, for a total of 640 h in a monopole-above ground radiation chamber while housed in Plexiglas cages. Daily measures of body mass and of food and water intake indicated no statistically significant effects of microwave irradiation. Measures by activity wheels and stabilimetric platforms of spontaneous locomotion indicate than mean activity levels increased about 25% after microwave exposure, but the findings are doubtful statistical significance (Ps < .10 but > .05). Studies of blood sampled after 2, 6, 10, and 14 weeks of exposure revealed alterations of free sulfhydryls. Measures of levels of urinary 17-ketosteroids at weeks 1, 5, 9, and 12 of exposure, and measures of brain hypothalamic tissue, and of mass of adrenals, heart, and liver at the end of the 16-week period, revealed no significant differences between irradiated and control animals. Cortical EEGs sampled after conclusion of microwave exposures also revealed no significant differences.

The CAP Urine Chemistry Survey Program for 1977.

Eleven analytes were presented in the Urine Chemistry Survey Program during the year 1977. These included amylase, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, creatinine, osmolality, 17-ketosteroids, total protein, glucose, and urea nitrogen. More than 450 laboratories participated. Deficiencies in assay performance were found for amylase, 17-ketosteroids, and total protein. Sharp shifts in precision performance were seen in urea nitrogen analysis. Severe biases are apparent in glucose analysis using neocuproine and ferricyanide methods.

Urinary chemistry. A new CAP program.

A pilot survey program for urinary chemistry was implemented by the College of American Pathologists during the year 1976. The nine analytes selected for the program were amylase, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, creatinine, osmolality, 17-ketosteroids and total protein. Data obtained from more than 230 enrolled laboratories indicate deficiencies in assay performance for amylase, 17-ketosteroids and total protein as measured by consensus evaluation. Acceptable performance was apparent for the remaining analytes.