Cerebral blood flow in autogenic training and hypnosis

In 12 healthy volunteers with at least an experience of six months in autogenic training (AT), the cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured at rest, in AT and in hypnosis (H). The results were correlated with individual test profiles. The cortical flow pattern at rest of our AT trained volunteers did not show the hyperfrontality which is described in the literature. This may be interpreted as an effect of better and habitualized relaxation in long trained AT practitioners. This flow pattern corresponds to the low grades of neuroticism and aggressivity found in the tests. Furthermore an activation in central cortical areas and a deactivation in regions which are associated with acoustic and autonomous functions occur.Possible explanations for these phenomena as well as for the relatively low perfusion of the left hemisphere at rest and activation in AT are discussed. The global rise of CBF in H may be an activation effect caused by resistance against the hypnotizer: the deeper the trance, the smaller the CBF increase in the motor cortical area needed for maintaining catalepsy of the right arm and in temporal cortical fields processing acoustic inputs.     

Dysphagia lusoria: proposal of a new treatment

Summary Recent observation of one patient suffering from dysphagia lusoria has suggested critical review of treatment of the symptomatic aberrant right subclavian artery. Surgical correction of such an anomaly is difficult and may produce serious complications, and is not always successful. Endoscopic dilatation of the oesophageal stricture, even though it might only produce temporary relief of dysphagia, represents a valid therapeutical alternative because of its favourable cost/benefit ratio, low incidence of complications and patient acceptability.     

Plasma concentration and vascular effect of β-endorphin in spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats

Summary In order to find out whether -endorphin (-E) is involved in the development of hypertension, we performed two series of experiments. Firstly, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive Wistar Kyoto controls (WKY) were submitted to ether stress. Plasma concentrations of -endorphin-like immunoreactivity (-EI), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and -melanotropin (-MSH) were measured by radioimmunoassay. The basal concentration of -EI was similar in WKY and SHR, whereas WKY had higher levels of ACTH and lower levels of -MSH than SHR. In both strains acute stress enhanced the plasma concentration of -EI to the same extent and with a similar time-course. The increase of plasma -El coincided with a rise in ACTH but not -MSH. Gel chromatography of -EI revealed that plasma extracts contain similar amounts of -lipotropin- (-LPH) and -E-sized immunoreactive components, and that acute stress elevated both forms of -El. Secondly, isolated tail arteries of SHR and WKY were perfused and field stimulated with two pulses at 1 Hz. -E depressed stimulation-evoked vasconstriction with the same potency in both strains. Thus, basal and stress-induced levels of -EI did not differ in SHR and WKY. Moreover, in the tail artery of both strains the sensitivity of presynaptic opioid receptors towards -E was almost identical. If the -E sensitivity of these receptors in other arteries of WKY and SHR is also similar, a major role of the circulating peptide in the development of hypertension is rather unlikely.This work was partly supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 325) Send offprint requests to B. Bucher at the above address     

Age-related changes in the response to vasoconstrictor and dilator agents in isolated beagle coronary arteries

Summary Responses to vasoactive agents were compared in helical strips of coronary arteries isolated from beagles of 30 days, 3 months, 2 years and 12 years old. Serotonin contracted the arterial strips dose-dependently, the contraction being greater in the arteries of proximal portion than in the distal arteries. The contraction increases with age from 3 months to 12 years, although EC50 values did not differ. Angiotensin II contracted distal coronary arteries to a greater extent than the proximal ones. Age did not alter the peptide-induced contraction. In prostaglandin F₂-contracted coronary arteries, acetylcholine-induced relaxations, dependent on endothelium, were less in the arteries from senescent beagles than in those from adult beagles (2 years old). Histamine relaxed the infant beagle arteries to a lesser extent than the adult and senescent beagle arteries. Histamine-induced relaxations were attenuated selectively by cimetidine. Relaxations caused by adenosine and prostaglandin I₂ did not differ in coronary arteries from beagles of different ages. It may be concluded that greater responsiveness to serotonin of senescent beagle coronary arteries is due preferentially to increased function of serotonergic receptors rather than impaired function of the arterial endothelium responsible for the release of relaxing factor(s), although some impairment of the function is supposed, on the basis of interferences with acetylcholine-induced relaxation in the aged beagle arteries. Histaminergic H₂ receptor function appears to develop in beagle coronary arteries until 3 months of age. Send offprint requests to N. Toda     

The membrane potential of vascular smooth muscle appears to modulate uptake2 of 3H-isoprenaline

Summary Segments of the rabbit main pulmonary artery and of its two branches were exposed for 10 min to 50 nmol/l ³H-(±)-isoprenaline, and the accumulation of tritium in the tissue was determined; COMT was inhibited in all experiments. 1. The accumulation of the tritium label was sensitive to 3-O-methyl-isoprenaline (OMI), showing that this vascular smooth muscle possesses uptake₂. 2. In the presence of 0.01 to 1 mol/l (–)-noradrenaline, the accumulation of tritium was depressed (in a concentration-dependent manner). This decline involved the OMI-sensitive accumulation of ³H-isoprenaline. 3. The presence of any one of three selective alpha₁-adrenoceptor antagonists (1 gmol/l prazosin, 1 mol/l WB4101, 10 gmol/l corynanthine) prevented the effect of 1 mol/l (–)-noradrenaline on the accumulation of tritium. However, in the absence of (–)-noradrenaline, the three antagonists failed to affect the accumulation of tritium. 4. 10 mol/l nicorandil caused the accumulation of tritium to increase. 5. As stimulation of alpha₁-adrenoceptors is known to result in depolarization, and as nicorandil is known to hyperpolarize this smooth muscle, it is concluded that the resting membrane potential modulates uptake₂. Send offprint requests to U. Trendelenburg at the above address     

Regional cerebral blood flow after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery

Occlusions of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) are mostly of embolic origin (appr. 80%) and give rise to about one third of all ischemic strokes, most of these being major strokes. MCA occlusions lasting for less than 1/2 h are tolerated without occurrence of permanent tissue damage. Occlusions lasting between 1/2 h to 4-8 h lead to permanent tissue damage and neurological deficits that are proportional to the duration of occlusion. Maximal tissue damage is obtained after 4-8 h occlusion. A cerebral blood flow of 8-23 ml/100 gr/min is sufficient for cellular viability but insufficient for normal tissue function ("ischemic penumbra"). Cellular function is completely abolished in the interval 8-16 ml/100 gr/min and flow at that level is tolerated only for 1-3 h before neuronal death ensues. In the interval 18-23 ml/100 gr/min there is some functional activity although it is reduced. Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that flow in this interval may be tolerated for several days, months or even longer ("chronic ischemic penumbra"). After MCA occlusion the blood flow falls below 8 ml/100 gr/min in most cases and permanent MCA occlusion always leads to relatively large areas of frank infarction. The ischemic infarcts may be surrounded by collaterally perfused areas where the blood flow is pressure-dependent (impaired autoregulation) and quite commonly insufficient for normal neuronal function (below 23 ml/100 gr/min). Such collaterally perfused areas may include a "chronic ischemic penumbra". Emboli causing MCA occlusions commonly disintegrate and/or migrate more peripherally within the first few weeks post stroke. This leads to reperfusion and changes of ischemic infarcts into hyperemic infarcts where flow is severely increased. The vascular reactivity is completely abolished in hyperemic infarcts and the hyperemic state lasts for about two weeks. Probably, anemic infarcts are equivalent to ischemic infarcts while the hemorrhagic variety is equivalent to hyperemic infarcts. The "partial infarct" with selective neuronal necrosis occurs in experimental animals after MCA occlusions of less than four h but not after permanent MCA occlusion. The significance of partial infarction in human stroke is not clarified. The extent of irreversible tissue damage can be reduced only if therapy sets in within 4-8 h after the occlusion. If a "chronic penumbra" exists the extension of reversible tissue damage can be reduced if therapy aimed at increasing the blood flow in the penumbra sets in within weeks or even months after the stroke.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Intracerebral mass lesions in patients affected by AIDS

Summary Toxoplasma gondii cerebral abscess is a common opportunistic infection in patients affected by AIDS. Making a reliable diagnosis of acute cerebral toxoplasmosis is difficult in AIDS patients because of the lack of specificity of serological data and neuroradiological findings. Brain biopsy is the only procedure which enables a reliable diagnosis to be made a trial of specific medical therapy for toxoplasmosis in patients affected by AIDS and intracranial mass lesion can be advisable before performing brain biopsy. The authors report the cases of three patients affected by AIDS and cerebral toxoplasmosis.Tissue diagnosis was made in the first patient from autopsy material while a presumptive diagnosis was made in the other two cases since specific medical therapy resulted in a dramatic improvement of the neurological status.Despite the good possibilities in the treatment of this complication AIDS, however, carries a poor prognosis.     

Facilitating interaction between rauwolscine and angiotensin in the mesenteric artery of the rabbit

Summary The interaction between rauwolscine and angiotensin II was investigated in the isolated mesenteric artery of the rabbit. Rauwolscine, known as an antagonist at ₂-adrenoceptors, did not induce contraction itself but interacted with angiotensin to produce a facilitated response of the vascular tissue. In the presence of rauwolscine, the contractile response of the tissue to angiotensin was markedly enhanced. The degree of facilitation appeared to be dependent on the rauwolscine concentration used rather than that of angiotensin. Moreover, rauwolscine induced a concentration-dependent increase in tension (pD₂=6.8) in the presence of even subcontractile concentrations of angiotensin (10^–10 mol/l). This effect was not attributable to an indirect action involving presynaptic catecholamines, as revealed by the use of tissue strips from animals pretreated with reserpine or after chemical sympathectomy. Furthermore, an interaction via the prostaglandin system was excluded by negative results obtained with indomethacin. The agonistic effect of rauwolscine was significantly attenuated by phentolamine (₁/₂) but not by prazosin (₁) or phenoxybenzamine when applied for only a short time. The ₂-antagonist BDF 6143 behaved like rauwolscine whereas the ₁-antagonist corynanthine, a stereoisomer of rauwolscine, did not. The results indicate that the rauwolscine effect is mediated by a receptor with ₂-characteristics. In general, angiotensin appears to interfere with some process which determines the expression of a drug's intrinsic effect.This study was supported by a grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

44例5~7岁痉挛型脑瘫儿童言语流利性障碍的临床特征

目的 基于看图说话语言任务,分析上海市5~7岁痉挛型脑瘫儿童言语流利性障碍的临床特征,为解决言语不流利性问题提供参考依据。方法 2020年11—12月在上海地区选取符合纳入标准的5~7岁痉挛型脑瘫儿童与普通儿童各44例为研究对象,以《做家务》主题图片作为测试材料收集语音样本,比较两组儿童在看图说话语言形式下语速、停顿、拖延与重复的言语流利性特征差异。结果 痉挛型脑瘫儿童的言语速率、构音速率得分低于普通儿童,差异有统计学意义(t＝-44.288、-25.665,P＜0.05);而异常停顿次数、异常停顿时长、拖延次数、拖延时长与重复次数得分高于普通儿童,差异有统计学意义(t=28.891、39.188、28.960、18.393、26.246,P＜0.05)。结论 5~7岁痉挛型脑瘫儿童在连续语音过程中存在典型的言语流利性障碍特征,表现为语速偏慢、异常停顿、异常拖延与异常重复等问题。     

南宁市壮族青少年家庭亲密度和心理韧性与非自杀性自伤行为的关联

目的 了解壮族青少年家庭亲密度和心理韧性与非自杀性自伤行为之间的关联关系。方法 2019年采用年级分层班级整群抽样的方法,在南宁市抽取2 242名壮族初中学生进行家庭亲密度、心理韧性和非自杀性自伤行为的问卷调查。结果 壮族初中生NSSI得分为（4.52±5.31）分,NSSI检出率为40.50%。在是否留守经历、不同教养方式、不同学习压力间NSSI检出率相比较,差异均有统计学意义（χ² = 13.203、34.362、13.245,P＜0.001）。有NSSI者家庭亲密度、心理韧性得分低于无NSSI者,差异有统计学意义（t = - 14.619、 - 18.118,P＜0.001）。中介效应检验结果显示,家庭亲密度对心理韧性有正向影响（β = 0.48, P＜0.01）,家庭亲密度对NSSI有正向影响(β = 0.650, P＜0.01),心理韧性对NSSI的有正向影响（β = 0.320, P＜0.01）。心理韧性在家庭亲密度和NSSI的标准化间接效应为0.15,中介效应占总效应的18.75%。结论 心理韧性在壮族中学生家庭亲密度和NSSI之间起到中介作用,可通过提高壮族中学生心理韧性、家庭亲密度的方式或途径降低NSSI的发生风险。