[Visualisation methods for etheric formative forces]. / Die "bildschaffenden" Methoden der anthroposophischen Medizin (I). Eine kritische Analyse.

UNLABELLED: Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, suggested the development of visualisation methods for "etheric formative forces". The essential methods, their "spiritual scientific" basis and indications are described and their claims critically tested. SUMMARY: The methods are not validated, the key criteria for diagnostic tests (reproducibility, sensitivity, specifity) are not given.

[Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia].

Sixty-two patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and neurasthenia were studied. The effect of selank (30 patients) was compared to that of medazepam (32 patients). Patient's state was assessed with psychometric scales (Hamilton, Zung, CGI). Enkephalin activity in the blood serum was measured as well. The anxiolytic effects of both drugs were similar but selank had also antiasthenic and psychostimulant effects. The clinical-biological study revealed that patients with GAD and neurasthenia had the decreased level of tau(1/2) leu-enkephalin which was correlated with disease duration, severity of symptoms related to anxiety and asthenia and autonomic disorders. The increase of this parameter and stronger positive correlations with anxiety level were observed during the treatment with selank mostly in patients with GAD.

Structural abnormalities and changes in Na,K-ATPase activity in erythrocyte membranes in patients with neurotic disorders.

We studied structural and metabolic characteristics of erythrocyte membranes in 19 patients with neurotic disorders (neurasthenia and dysadaptation). Microviscosity of the lipid phase in erythrocyte membranes increased in 13 patients, and Na,K-ATPase activity decreased in 6 patients. Various changes in test parameters are probably associated with different adaptive capacities of the organism under stress conditions.

[Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in patients with ischemic stroke]. / Czynnik martwicy nowotworu alfa (TNF-alfa) u chorych z udarem niedokrwiennym mózgu.

Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a proinflammatory cytokine. Stroke induces a rapid increase in TNF-alpha levels within and around the focus of damaged brain. The aim of our study was to evaluate, whether patients with stroke differ from control patients in the concentrations of TNF-alpha in cerebrospinal fluid and serum. We studied TNF-alpha levels in cerebrospinal fluid and serum in 30 patients with stroke within 24 h after onset of neurological signs and in 15 patients of control group with the diagnosis of tension headache and neurasthenia. In patients with stroke the levels of TNF-alpha in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum were significantly higher in comparison with control group. The results of our study may suggest the overproduction of TNF-alpha during first twenty-four hours of stroke.

[The differential use of trace element electrophoresis in neurasthenia]. / Differentsirovannoe primenenie élektroforeza mikroélementov pri nevrastenii.

Copper and cobalt deficiencies were found in the blood of hypersthenic neurasthenia, while hyposthenic neurasthenia patients lacked manganese. Pathogenetic physiotherapeutic methods are proposed for differentiated treatment of neurasthenia--cobalt or copper electrophoresis in hypersthenic and manganese electrophoresis in hyposthenic neurasthenia.

[The effect of potable mineral waters on the hormonal and psychological status (experimental and clinical research)]. / Vliianie pit'evykh mineral'nykh vod na gormonal'nyi i psikhologicheskii statusy (éksperimental'no-klinicheskoe issledovanie).

Experiments on 80 Wistar rats revealed the ability of Essentuki mineral waters to stimulate the reserves and sensitivity of the intestinal serotonin-producing system. A clinical trial on two groups of children (exposed to low-dose ionizing radiation or with posttraumatic astheno-neurotic syndrome) found out pronounced positive changes in the psychological status of the children which progressed in correlation with an increase of the blood serotonin levels.

[Health effects on workers exposed to low concentration carbon monoxide at high altitude].

Workers exposed to carbon monoxide (CO) at a concentration of 26.8mg/m3 at an altitude of 2,300 metres above sea level were compared with a control group of local inhabitants. There were significant differences in symptoms of headache, vertige fatigue and weakness memory impairment, insomnia, palpitation and neurobehavioral functions. CO concentration in respiratory air and HbCO in blood was higher but partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) and saturation of oxygen (SaO2) in blood was lower in the exposed group than the control group. Self-comparison of CO in respiratory air and HbCO in blood was higher after work than before work. Neurasthenia rate was significantly higher but PO2 and SaO2 significantly lower at high altitude than in the plain. The results indicated that under same CO concentrations the hazards to workers at high altitude were greater than to those working in the plain. The author recommends that at high altitude the CO permissible level should be appropriately lowered.

[5-HT contents change in peripheral blood of workers exposed to microwave and high frequency radiation].

The relationship between 5-HT contents in peripheral blood and power density among workers exposed to microwave or high frequency radiation in the workshops were studied. At the same time, systems and disorder of central nervous system and cardiovascular system were examined. The results of study showed that the average 5-HT content in whole blood for high frequency radiation exposure group was lower than that of the control, but without statistical significance. Value for the microwave exposure group was significantly lower than that of the control (P less than 0.01). The 5-HT content of mechanical maintainers exposed to microwave of high frequency radiation were all lower than the contents of their corresponding control groups (P less than 0.01). But for the mechanic operators as compared with their corresponding control, no significant difference was found (P greater than 0.05). The power density exposed by the maintainers of both tested groups were all higher than that of the operators. The 5-HT contents in the whole blood were inversely proportional to the power density of microwave and high frequency groups. The incidence of neurasthenic syndrome, unsymmetric skin temperature in both limbs and hypotension was higher in the microwave and high frequency radiation groups than that in the control group. The incidence of bradycardia and some abnormal items of electrocardiograph in the microwave group was obviously greater than that in high frequency group, which may be related to different frequency exposed for these two exposure groups. Whether it is related to the contents of 5-HT needs further investigation.

[Hormone content of the blood in neurotic patients]. / Soderzhanie nekotorykh gormonov v krovi u bol'nykh nevrozami.

Radioimmunoassay was applied to study the hormones (corticotropin, cortisol, T3, T4, testosterone, prolactin, follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones) in 52 male neurotic patients and 120 healthy donors in Arkhangelsk city, as compared to latitudinal mean values. In patients, prolactin, cortisol, thyroid hormones and gonadotropins were increased by 82.7%, 48.7%, 41%, 52.6%, respectively. Patients also had lower production of ACTH, higher blood contents of T3, prolactin and testosterone. Unidirectional shifts were detected in hormonal systems of neurotic patients, with respect to the time of the disease onset and the duration of last exacerbation: ACTH secretion increased with reduced response of adrenal cortisol production, compensatory increase in thyroid functions, redistribution of gonadotropic fractions increasing the FSH/LH ratio, decrease in testosterone production. At the initial stages prolactin secretion increased to reach later its plateau.

[Pharmacokinetics and the clinical effect of bemitil after a single administration]. / Farmakokinetika i klinicheskii éffekt bemitila posle odnokratnogo primeneniia.

It was found on studying a novel psychotropic drug bemitil that after its single administration kinetic curves significantly differed depending on a clinical effect of the test dose in patients with asthenic states. At predomination of the psychoactivating component of action one could note a larger area under the concentration-time relationship curve and a shorter period of half-excretion than in patients with the tranquilizing action. The obtained data on the difference in the drug test dose effect depending on the drug pharmacokinetics should be taken into consideration at determination of bemitil course therapy duration in patients with neuroses and neurosis-like states with predominance of asthenic disturbances in the clinical picture.

[Pharmacokinetics of fenazepam and its metabolite 3-oxyfenazepam in animals of different species and in man]. / Farmakokinetika fenazepama i ego metabolita 3-oksifenazepama u zhivotnykh raznykh vidov i cheloveka.

It has been established that phenazepam is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract of animals and man. The maximal concentrations of the unchanged drugs are reached 1, 0.5, 2 and 4 hours in rats, dogs, cats and man, respectively. The half-life of phenazepam in animal and human blood decreases in the following order: man greater than cat greater than dog greater than rat. The metabolite 3 + hydroxyphenazepam was identified in appreciable amounts in cat and rat blood.

[Study of the interrelationship of glycemia-nonesterified fatty acids in physical activity in diabetics and patients with a normal glucose tolerance test]. / Prouchvaniia vurkhu vzaimootnoshenieto glikemiia-neesterifitsirani mastni kiselini pri fizicheska aktivnost u diabetitsi i bolni s normalen gliukozotoleransen test

Sixty four experiments were carried out in middle aged diabetics with normal and over-normal body weight and in a control group of patients with NGTT with a parallel follow-up of blood sugar and NEFA with an uptake of 50 g glucose per os and the performance of a moderately difficult physical loading (hiking) or complete rest in a bed for 2.5 hours. A better glucose utilization was found after physical loading in both groups of patients as compared with the rest period. Glucose utilization in patients with diabetes mellitus in physical loading is the same independently of the blood sugar initial level, providing grounds to admit that the betacyte formation apparatus is not strained. NEFA decrease by the 60th minute in diabetics, both in physical loading and at rest does not substantially differ from the subject with NGTT. That comes to show that NEFA utilization in that period is almost the same for the two groups. In patients with NGTT at the end of the physicalloading NEFA is sharply elevated over the initial level (lipolysis), while in diabetics, they remained at the level of the 60th minute.