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Biomedical subjects

A Czernik

Publications and source records attributed to A Czernik.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

[Causal analytic studies on demonstration of neuroendocrine parameters in combined hypoglycemia test in depressive subgroups].

With the help of an analytical path structure model (causal analysis) the aim of the study was to elucidate further, in female patients with various depressive disorders, some correlations of causal interdependencies between changes both in basal secretion of anterior pituitary hormones and in their responses to the (combined) insulin tolerance test (ITT) with extraneous factors--such as age, deviation from ideal body weight (in percentage), severity of depression and score in the Newcastle Scale (NCS)--that may influence these abnormalities. In various depressive subgroups the strength of influence and the different importance of deviation from ideal body weight and basal growth hormone (GH) concentration (as exclusion criteria) for their neuroendocrine reactivity in the combined ITT was shown. The hypothesis that cortisol hypersecretion may be the primary disturbance and the other possible neuroendocrine changes such as blunted GH, cortisol and TSH responses to stimuli in some depressive patients all may be secondary to the (elevated) cortisol level could not be corroborated. The endogenous mono- and bipolar subtypes of major depressive disorders showed intimate connections between the various neuroendocrine functional systems and the above mentioned extraneous factors resulting in a narrowed variability and a stronger coupling in the reactivity of these hormonal functional systems, a condition which can be seen as analogous to experimental results at the psychophysiological level in these nuclear groups of depressed patients, whose psychopathological state is also characterized by similar limitations in their "degree of freedom" (Heimann).

Adult↗
PubMed1980

[Clinical chemical diagnosis of affective diseases by means of a neuroendocrine function test (author's transl)].

The stimulation of pituitary hormone secretion with thyroliberin and by insulin-induced hypoglycemia was investigated on 52 depressive patients and 12 postdepressive, lithiumtreated subjects. The serum concentrations of somatotropin, cortisol, prolactin, thyrotropin and glucose were followed for 2 hours. Differences in the neuroendocrine response between endogenous and reactive (neurotic) depressive patients were observed, and changes during the course of the diseases were also recorded. 1. Stimulation of somatotropin and cortisol secretion, and the decrease of glucose are diminished in endogenous depressive patients, as compared to those of reactive depressive patients and healthy controls. 2. Somatotropin stimulation maxima below 40 mU/l in depressive phase are indicative of endogenous depression, rather than the reactive form, with a confidence probability of 0.9. 3. An increase in the stimulation of somatotropin and cortisol secretion can be shown after termination of endogenous depression. However, the somatotropin maxima are then also lower than those found in reactive depression. 4. The stimulation of somatotropin secretion in lithiumtreated psychosis-free subjects shows no difference from that of healthy controls; thyrotropin secretion increase. The weak, insulin-induced hypoglycemia, observed in these subjects, is higher (66%) than in the healthy controls. 5. Fear and agitation have an inhibitory effect on the stimulation of the prolactin secretion during the depressive phase. The pituitary stimulation test offers a means of ascertaining the disturbed neuroendocrine function in affective diseases and objectifying the differential diagnosis of depressive syndromes.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1979

[Neuroendocrinological changes under longterm therapy with lithium salts (author's transl)].

15 patients with formerly endogenous recurrent depression or manic-depressive illness free of psychotic symptoms, who are under lithium prophylaxis about 3,9 years, and 16 healthy controls with approximately the same age and sex were tested with 0,1 U Insulin/kg, 200 micrograms TRH and 50 micrograms LHRH for their hGH-, TSH-, hPRL-, FSH-, LH-and Cortisol levels about 2 hours. hPRL, FSH and LH did not show any change under lithium salts. All patients under lithium showed elevated TSH-levels under basal conditions and after stimulation compared with the control groups. For the young women before menopause the difference was highly significant. Men and praemenopausal women had significantly higher hGH-levels after stimulation under lithium than the normal controls. However postmenopausal women did not show this lithium effect on their hGH levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[EEG changes induced by long-term lithium therapy].

The effect of longstanding therapy using lithium salts compared to other psychotropic drugs in combination with lithium salts or other psychotropic drugs alone, on the human EEG is examined and compared with the literature. We found in our sample of 56 patients under lithium therapy: (1) that lithium salts - like other psychotropic drugs - evoke a significant increase in paroxysmal dysrhythmic activity and EEG abnormalities collectively; (2) that lithium salts cause an increase in rhythmical patterns and abnormalities in vigilance; and that (3) the combination of lithium salts with other psychotropic drugs leads to a significant augmentation of focal abnormalities of the left brain area and epileptic potentials, while EEG recordings without abnormalities are significantly diminished under this therapy. It results from this investigation that the risk for central decompensation in relation to the individual disposition seems to be especially high for the combination therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

[Dysfunctions of space perception and spatial ability in schizophrenia (author's transl)].

Thirty-seven acute schizophrenics and 25 normal subjects were investigated with regard to their spatial perception, representation, and their spatial ability, Schizophrenics showed significantly poorer performances (in terms of quantity) in those variables, which characterized the ocular apprehension of structures and wholes, the relation of parts to a whole, or the analysis of a whole in its various components as well as the availability of visual engrams, partly in the sense of spatial representation, and the practical realization of imagined spatial configurations. On the other hand, in ocular apprehension, interpretation, and when necessary the practical realization of two-dimensional represented spatial symbols and configurations and perspective abilities there was only statistical trend for quantitatively poorer performances in schizophrenics compared with healthy persons. Factor analysis of the intercorrelation matrices for 14 variables separated out the same 4 factors in each group for space perception and spatial ability. In spite of the demonstrated "quantitative" differences for the single variables between the two groups a marked similarity in a "qualitative" sense was found, when the two-factor structures were compared mathematically (similarity coefficient: 0.664). In order to specify these differences, 56 schizophrenics were classified as paranoid or nonparanoid and investigated in the above-mentioned manner. While these groups did not show any significant quantitative difference concerning their performances at variable level, they showed entirely different structures using factor analysis. Spatial perception of the paranoid schizophrenics seemed less structured and their perceptual conception less systematical. On the other hand, when factor structures from nonparanoids and healthy controls were compared mathematically, both groups showed a marked similarity (0.783). An attempt was made to relate these results to other findings of literature and to theories of cognitive and perceptual dysfunctions of schizophrenics.

Adult↗