In-Vitro Assessment of Hapten-Induced Immune Regulation in Children with Asthenoneurotic Syndrome.

The study employed in vitro assay to examine the peculiarities of immune status in children with functional disorders of the autonomic nervous system diagnosticated as asthenoneurotic syndrome. In contrast to control children without asthenoneurotic syndrome, the examined group was characterized by significantly (p<0.05) elevated hapten-specific immunological sensitization (indicated by anti-Al IgG), induction of inflammatory reactions (IL-1), activation of apoptosis (CD3+CD95+ and р53) observed against the background inhibition of adaptive immune response (CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD16+56+, and CD19+), as well as hyperexpression of glutamic acid, NO, and VEGF combined with deficiency of serotonin. In cultured immunocompetent cells derived from children with hapten-modified immune status, the combined application of cytokine stimulator IL-1 with hapten sensitizer aluminum or with endocrine stimulator cortisol significantly (p<0.05) up-regulated expression of IL-8 and IL-10, but down-regulated production of IL-17 in a dose-dependent manner.

Phenolic acids isolated from the fungus Schizophyllum commune exert analgesic activity by inhibiting voltage-gated sodium channels.

The present study was designed to search for compounds with analgesic activity from the Schizophyllum commune (SC), which is widely consumed as edible and medicinal mushroom world. Thin layer chromatography (TLC), tosilica gel column chromatography, sephadex LH 20, and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) were used to isolate and purify compounds from SC. Structural analysis of the isolated compounds was based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The effects of these compounds on voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels were evaluated using patch clamp. The analgesic activity of these compounds was tested in two types of mouse pain models induced by noxious chemicals. Five phenolic acids identified from SC extracts in the present study included vanillic acid, m-hydroxybenzoic acid, o-hydroxybenzeneacetic acid, 3-hydroxy-5-methybenzoic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. They inhibited the activity of both tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-r) and tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-s) NaV channels. All the compounds showed low selectivity on NaV channel subtypes. After intraperitoneal injection, three compounds of these compounds exerted analgesic activity in mice. In conclusion, phenolic acids identified in SC demonstrated analgesic activity, facilitating the mechanistic studies of SC in the treatment of neurasthenia.

[Astrocytes--anonymous cells in the brain, participating in neurasthenic symptoms]. / Astrocyterna--hjärnans doldisar, delaktiga i neurastena symtom.

During rehabilitation after brain damage due to stroke or trauma, or after meningitis, patients often suffer from mental fatigue and decreased capacity for concentration and learning. We hypothesize that one pathogenic cause of these symptoms could be a failure on the part of astroglia to remove glutamate and K+ from synaptic regions during glutamatergic transmission. As astroglial support of neuronal glutamate transmission has been shown to be of utmost importance, such an astroglial failing might lead to a decreased signal-to-noise ratio in glutamatergic neurotransmission, especially when the transmission is intense for a considerable time period. Three aspects of astroglial failing are focused upon: decreased capacity of the astroglial glutamate transporters, depolarization of the astroglial network, and uncoupling of the gap junction coupled astroglial network. It has been shown that several neuroactive substances, present within the nervous system even long after damage or infection, influence upon these three astroglial properties.

[The role and place of central mediators and peptide bioregulators in the pathogenesis of emotional disorders in neurotic patients]. / Rol' i mesto tsentral'nykh mediatorov i peptidnykh bioreguliatorov v patogeneze émotsional'nykh narushenii u bol'nykh nevrozom.

The accumulated evidence on central mediators indicates that they may play an important part in the maintenance of emotional activity. Their significance is also great in the pathogenesis of affective disorders, including endogenous psychoses and borderline states. But further work in this area is needed relative to interrelation of the above mediators to a new class of bioregulators, viz peptide regulators. The results obtained suggest the existence of differentiated brain mechanisms of formation of emotional disturbances in different forms of neurosis that provide criteria for the diagnosis thereof and differential diagnosis and should be considered in conducting an adequate pathogenetically validated therapy.

Circulating and cerebrospinal fluid catecholamines in asthenic neorosis.

The behaviour of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood catecholamines (CA) was investigated in 18 cases (men and women in equal number) suffering from asthenic neurosis. The values of the total CA both in the CSF and in blood did not show significant statistic variations as compared to normal subjects, and yet, both in the CSF and in blood a modification of the values of the CA fractions - adrenaline (A) and noradrenaline (NA) - was noticed, even more visible in the CSF, i.e. a decrease of the absolute values of NA and an increase of the absolute values of A, determining an important increase of the adrenaline percentage (A%) values from the total CA which, from 23% (in normal subjects) reached 52% in the blood and 63% in the CSF in the case of asthenic neurosis.

Depression or asthenia related to metabolic disturbances in obese patients after intestinal bypass surgery.

This study was an attempt to compare psychological and biological variables in 43 obese patients after intestinal bypass surgery. The difficulties in expressing the psychological variables quantitatively are discussed on the basis of the concept of transferability. By use of an expanded version of the Beck Depression Inventory and the Marke-Nyman Temperament Scale we could demonstrate that items concerning asthenia (self-dislike, irritability, work retardation, insomnia, fatigability, somatic preoccupation about aches and pains, loss of libido, headache, vertigo, palpitations, dryness of the mouth, thirst or increased liquid intake) had, when summed up, a score distribution indicating bimodality. The asthenic group of patients (n = 19) when compared with the non-asthenic patients (n = 24) showed metabolic deficiencies related to the vitamin D complex with no response to oral vitamin D3 administration measured by plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. The lack of response was associated with low calcium excretion in the urine, higher plasma alkaline phosphatase, and a tendency to higher blood levels of parathyroid hormone.