Aggression and allergic disorder in depressives.

This paper investigates the correlation between aggression and allergic disorder in various forms of depression. As a control factor to allergic disorder we used the factor infectious disease. The aggression was measured with 2 scales of the FAF (Fragebogen zur Erfassung von Aggressivitätsfaktoren--the Questionnaire for Measuring Factors of Aggression). The sample consists of 115 depressives, of whom 26 suffer from allergic disorders and 79 have a previous history of infectious diseases. We recorded significantly higher aggression scores for allergic subjects as opposed to non-allergic subjects (p less than 0.05) in nearly all the subgroups. We also discovered a similar though not so marked tendency for people with infectious diseases. Higher aggression scores are therefore not only specific for depressives with allergic disorders. Sex, psychiatric differential diagnosis and the form of the aggression are important for the degree of the aggression.

Albumin transport analysis of different collected and processed plasma products by electron spin resonance spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Changes of albumin conformation flexibility and binding characteristics in plasma products can be determined by electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) with spin probes as reporter molecules. METHODS: Quality of albumin transport was analyzed in different processed plasma units using a new ESR method which provides estimation of albumin properties by examination of albumin molecular structure changes. RESULTS: In serum of healthy donors could not be obtained any abnormalities. Transport function of albumin in plasma products can be influenced by various methods of plasma collection, preparation, and filtration. Evident are changes in capacity of fatty acid binding sites and ordering changes of bound substrates. Transport respiratory detoxification efficiency is decreased between 30% and 70% in all FFP compared to control values. CONCLUSIONS: ESR spectroscopy can be used as a quality test for plasma. The ESR technique has a big potential for determination of conformation changes of macromolecules and as a global tumor marker test for donor screening.

[Psychosomatic aspects of psoriasis: affectivity and conflict]. / Zur Psychosomatik der Psoriasis: Affektivität und Konflikt.

With a sample of 32 patients with psoriasis--compared with 22 control-persons--possible disturbances of the development of affectivity in the childhood of the patients were investigated (cluster- and factor-analysis). By this an essential point in psychosomatic theories could be explained: the inhibition of an immediate psychic discharge of affects. Further investigation concerned the question--, of how far conflict-coping-behavior of psoriatic patients is characterized by denial of reality, excessive repression and over-adjustment. Disturbed affective development and pathological conflict-behavior together may result in a chronic overstrain of psychic structures--as a correlate of the psychosomatic illness. Our results show a pathological conflict-behavior and a disturbed development of affectivity in the genesis of psoriasis. We found two subtypes of psoriatic patients with specific character-traits--whereas a typical personality could not be found.

[Anthropological aspects of behavioural development (author's transl)]. / Anthropologische Aspekte der Verhaltensentwicklung.

Resulting from psychological, evolutionary and genetical aspects of behavioural development it is attempted go more fully into extent and significance of anthropological researches analysing the conditions of behaviour, particularly by motor development. So the general assertion will be more exact that all anthropological researches applied to structural and functional fundamentals of man are important for analysis of behaviour, its variability, its variability and development too.

Aggression in depressives and psoriatics.

The Questionnaire for Measuring Factors of Aggression (Fragebogen zur Erfassung von Aggressivitätsfaktoren, FAF) was completed by 113 depressive patients, 38 psoriatics, and 32 healthy controls. The controls had the lowest aggression scores, the neurotic depressives the highest. The monopolar endogeneous depressives had extremely high scores for autoaggressions and extremely low ones for outward aggressions, whereas the psoriatics show a contrary tendency: extremely high scores for outward aggressions and very low ones for autoaggressions.

Partner relationships of depressives.

A study of the partnerships of 15 endogenous bipolar, 15 endogenous unipolar, 15 neurotic and 16 unclassified depressives, and of 36 control persons showed that there were some common factors and some differences due to sex among the depressives as a total group. The greater differences were to be found, however, among the depressive subgroups. Bipolars: particularly great desire for closeness and for love and attention, low self-esteem where the partner is concerned, the strongest aggression inhibition. Unipolars: arrogance, indirect aggression and emotional distance to the partner. Neurotic depressives: many conflicts, directly and indirectly aggressive, dissatisfied and demanding. Unclassified depressives: extreme fluctuations between clinging and arrogance and withdrawal.

Childhood experiences of endogenous and neurotic depressives.

The parent-child relationship, the relationship between the parents, and the contact of the child with the outside world was investigated on the basis of retrospective interview data concerning the childhood of endogenous and neurotic depressives and a nonclinical control group. A number of significant links between childhood experiences and the various forms of depression emerges.