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Journal Article 2004; 25(3): 207-210 PubMed PMID: 15349087 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Concanavalin A:pharmacology, Depression:immunology, Depressive Disorder:immunology, Female, Humans, Lymphocyte Activation:drug effects, Male, Middle Aged, Mitogens:pharmacology, Phytohemagglutinins:pharmacology, Reference Values, T-Lymphocytes:drug.   

BACKGROUND: The biological basis of treatment resistance in depression still remains unclear. Some studies suggest that there exists a relationship between a disturbance in the immune system and depression.

AIMS: To investigate the immune status of patients with treatment resistant depression, we compared the in-vitro lymphocytic responses to three different mitogens in 10 drug-free patients with treatment resistant depression and 10 normal controls matched for age and sex.

RESULTS: We observed a marked increase in the lymphocyte mitogenic activity to mitogens of T lymphocytes.

DISCUSSION: This activation of lymphocyte function may be indicative of a pathological stimulation in cell-mediated immunity in patients with treatment resistant depression....

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Journal Article 2004; 25(3): 201-206 PubMed PMID: 15349086 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Electromagnetic Fields, Estradiol:blood, Follicle Stimulating Hormone:blood, Humans, Low Back Pain:blood, Luteinizing Hormone:blood, Male, Middle Aged, Physical Therapy Modalities, Prolactin:blood, Testosterone:blood, Time Factors,.   

OBJECTIVES: There is widespread public concern that electromagnetic fields might be hazardous. However, studies on the biological effects of magnetic fields (MFs) have not always been consistent. Influence of extremely-low frequency MFs used in physiotherapy on endocrine system was rarely examined. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the concentrations of some pituitary (FSH, LH, prolactin) and sex (testosterone, estradiol) hormones in men with back pain exposed to magnetic fields applied during magnetotherapy or magnetostimulation over the period of three weeks.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was performed on 20 men aged 28-62 years (mean+/-SEM: 46.4+/-2.0 years) suffering from chronic low back pain who underwent magnetotherapy (10 patients, mean age+/-SEM: 48.4 years, range: 28-62 years) or subjected to magnetostimulation (10 patients, mean age+/-SEM: 44.3 years, range: 34-52 years) for 15 days (daily at 10:00 h, with weekend breaks). Blood samples were collected at 08:00 before magnetic field application, one day and one month following the application. Concentrations of hormones were measured by micromethod of chemiluminescence.

RESULTS: Both magnetotherapy and magnetostimulation lowered levels of prolactin. The levels of LH decreased significantly one month after magnetotherapy in comparison with the baseline whereas following magnetostimulation slight but insignificant increase was observed. Estradiol concentrations were significantly lower one day and one month following magnetosimulation in comparison to the baseline and did not change after magnetotherapy. No statistically significant changes were observed in levels of FSH and testosterone after either magnetotherapy or magnetosimulation at any time examined.

CONCLUSION: Magnetic fields applied in physiotherapy exert no or very subtle effect on concentrations of FSH, LH, prolactin, testosterone, and estradiol in men....

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Comparative Study 2004; 25(3): 176-177 PubMed PMID: 15349081 Citation  Keywords:  Alzheimer Disease:blood, Cognition:physiology, Humans, Nervous System:physiopathology, Reference Values, Vitamin B 12:blood,.   

: In this contribution we investigated the correlation between plasma vitamin B12 levels and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease. We could demonstrate a significant inverse correlation when the MMSE scores of those patients with the lowest 10% Vitamin B12 plasma levels (<184 ng/ml) were compared with the upper 10% Vitamin B12 plasma levels (>598 ng/ml): p=0.008, Spearman-Rho= -0.36. MMSE in the upper percentile of plasma B12 levels was 20.0 +/- 4.6 and in the lower percentile 15.7 +/- 6.1, resulting in a difference of 4.3 MMSE points. We conclude, that vitamin B12 deficiency could aggravate or accelerate the course of Alzheimer disease as vitamin B12 possesses neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties....

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Case Reports 2004; 25(3): 173-175 PubMed PMID: 15349080 Citation  Keywords:  Child, Cysts:surgery, Female, Humans, Luteinizing Hormone:blood, Pineal Gland:surgery, Puberty, Precocious:etiology,.   

: Accelerated development of secondary sexual characteristics or sexual precocity is a well-known entity. Most authors recognize two groups of patients, those described as having central precocious puberty (CPP) and those with precocious pseudopuberty. CPP results from premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and pseudopuberty is caused by lesions that secrete gonadotropin-like substances or hormones. The onset of CPP is usually before age 8 in females and age 9 in males; however, there is contention that the age of onset is much earlier and also differs depending on the patients' race. Previously reported causes of CPP include intracranial neoplasm, infection, trauma, hydrocephalus and Angelman's syndrome. Pineal cysts are usually asymptomatic incidental findings, but have been associated with CPP. We present an interesting case of a patient with CPP and an associated pineal cyst. We review the literature on the pathogenesis of CPP and associated pineal cyst, the neuroendocrine relationship between the pineal gland and puberty and the neurosurgical role in these cases....

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Historical Article 2004; 25(3): 169-172 PubMed PMID: 15349079 Citation  Keywords:  Arabia, China, Documentation, History, Ancient, History, Medieval, Humans, Japan, Persia, Poetry as Topic:history,.   

: A periodicity of about 500 years has been discovered in the history of poetry and documented by means of inferential statistics. Great poets of Arabia, Persia, China and Japan emerged periodically every 500 years. Moreover, the waves of poetic creativeness in the West and in the East have been synchronous for the last 3000 years. It is a surprising fact, that this periodicity has been known already before 800 B.C. to the priests of Babylon, who ascribed it to the influence of goddess Inanna. A set of psychological symptoms typical for pubescence recurs on a global (worldwide) scale during these historical epochs every 500 years. One possible explanation would be to search for a cosmophysical factor, which impacts the neuroendocrine system of men....

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Journal Article 2004; 25(3): 164-168 PubMed PMID: 15349078 Citation  Keywords:  Environment, Genetics, Medical:trends, Humans, Phylogeny, Primary Prevention, Sociology:trends,.   

: Prevention of environment- and gene-dependent, teratogenic malfunctions ("Functional Teratogenesis")-- caused by abnormal hormone, neurotransmitter and cytokine concentrations during organization of the neuro-endocrine-immune system (NEIS) should be considered as a global challenge of outstanding relevance. By optimizing the natural and social environment and correcting in time abnormal concentrations of hormones, neurotransmitters and cytokines during the critical perinatal (pre- and early postnatal) organization period of the NEIS ("Neuro-Endocrine-Immune Prophylaxis") human ontogenesis and sociogenesis can be decisively improved ("Primary Prevention of Maldevelopments of Human Beings and their Societies"). Finally, phylogenesis is dependent on incessant sequencies of ontogenesis and sociogenesis ("Onto-Socio-Phylogenesis")....

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Editorial 2004; 25(3): 159-163 PubMed PMID: 15349077 Citation  Keywords:  Decision Making, Freedom, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Play and Playthings,.   

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Clinical Trial 2004; 25(1-2): 141-147 PubMed PMID: 15159698 Citation  Keywords:  Brain Ischemia:cerebrospinal fluid, Humans, Interleukin-1:cerebrospinal fluid, Interleukin-6:cerebrospinal fluid, Intracranial Aneurysm:cerebrospinal fluid, Rupture, Spontaneous, Subarachnoid Hemorrhage:cerebrospinal fluid, Time Factors, Vasospasm, Intrac.   

: Cytokines play a key role in mutual influence of the immunological, endocrine and CNS systems. It has been proven that proinflammatory ILs may intensify the cascade of biochemical changes in ischemic brain damage. Vasospasm, which may accompany SAH and often coexists with symptoms of DINDs, is the cause of ischemic changes in the brain. It is thought that immunological mechanisms may be one of the causes of degenerative-productive changes in vessel walls, in delayed vasospasm following SAH, which lead to substantial vasospasm and in consequence too cerebral ischemia. In the randomly selected group of patients, who underwent surgical treatment after aneurysmal SAH, we determined the concentration of IL-1 beta and IL-6 in CSF in the periods between Days 0 to 3; 4 to 7; and 8 to 15 after the occurrence of SAH. The presence and dynamics of development of vasospasm were assessed on the basis of increasing DINDs as well as CT and cerebral angiography. We examined the concentrations of ILs in CSF using radioimmunological methods, applying commercially available tests for their assessment. We found that in the period between 8 and 15 days after SAH, in increasing delayed vasospasm and DINDs, here is a statistically significant increase concentration of IL-1 beta in CSF (105.4 +/- 46.9 pg x ml-1; p<0.005), and no significant changes in patients without vasospasm and neurological deficits. On the other hand, we noted a statistically significant increase concentration of IL-6 in CSF (4802 +/- 1170 ng x ml-1; p<0.05) only in the acute phase after SAH (Days 0-3) in patients in poor clinical condition, in whom delayed vasospasm and cerebral ischemia developed later. This increase of ILs level in CSF is probably related to the intensity of the SAH, and secondarily aggravates the vasospasm and ischemic changes in the brain....

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