Flüchtige Inhaltsstoffe der Volatile Substances from Formica rufa L. und polyctena Forst / Volatile Substances from Formica rufa L. and F. polyctena Forst

The terpenes camphene, camphor, isopulegol, isoborneol, bomeol and the terpenoid methyl 3-isopropyl-pentanoate are identified from both species while n-nonanal was only found in F. rufa.

Untersuchungen über Pherom one bei Formica polyctena (Förster) / Studies on the Pheromones of Formica polyctena (Förster)

Methyl-3-isopropylpentanoate is identified from the heads of workers and in higher concentration from heads of old queens of Formica polyctena (Förster). In laboratory bioassays this terpenoid ester showed a strong aggression inhibiting effect. While in the abdomina of workers the alarm pheromone undecane is the main compound it is almost completely absent in the abdomina of old queens.

[Childhood diseases, infectious diseases, and fever as potential risk factors for cancer?]

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the assertion that past childhood diseases, acute and febrile infections as well as allergies have a preventive effect on cancer. Former studies on this topic show controversial results and methodical deficits. PATIENTS AND METHODS The investigation was conducted as a retrospective case control study with 111 cancer patients and a group of 109 control persons from 3 hospitals in Berlin.

RESULTS

A significant change in the risk of developing cancer could only be observed for mumps (OR = 2.6; increased risk), whooping cough (OR = 2.7; increased risk), and colds in the recent past (OR = 0.7; decreased risk). Fever within the last 5 years showed no association with the development of malign tumors.

CONCLUSION

We could not confirm the results of former studies which assumed a preventive effect of childhood diseases and fever on the cancer risk. On the contrary, on the basis of this investigation one might postulate a 2- to 3-fold rise of the cancer risk by mumps or whooping cough. Because of divergent study results, deficits in the study designs, and a low evidence of the present findings no final statement on the association between childhood diseases or fever and cancer should be made.

Course in massage therapy for medical students

Massage courses for medical students have been held at Frankfurt University Medical School since 1987. To evaluate the motives for participation and to record possible changes in the attitude towards massage therapy, the students were asked to fill out a standardized questionnaire in 1990, 1993 and 1995/96. The results show that the motive for participation and the attitude towards massage therapy remained widely unchanged during these years. Summarizing all data (n = 199) the motives for participation were: (1) to practise massage therapy (86%), (2) to be better able to (later) prescribe massage therapy (66%), (3) to improve palpation skills (75%), (4) to do 'something practical' (56%), and (5) to (later) practise massage therapy as a medical doctor (23%). On average, the proportion of theory and practical instruction of 1:3.2 was considered suitable.

[Special therapeutic practices from the viewpoint of naturopathy]

Naturopathy being orientated towards natural science and conventional medicine does not lead to basically different judgements about unconventional treatments nor about special therapies such as homeopathy, phytotherapy or anthroposophic medicine. It may, however, be more open-minded towards new ideas and theoretical even philosophical concepts and it is more likely used to question the 'state of the art' of actual medical knowledge. It is only for a relatively small part of unconventional treatments, that naturopathy recognizes a certain plausibility, which causes scientific investigation of the method to be meaningful. Naturopathy sometimes proposes traditional anthropologies and nosologies to be used for the election of suitable indications. A variety of psychologic effects of different methods of naturopathy may not be excluded by protocols used for clinical studies. As far as the majority of unconventional and paramedical treatments is concerned, naturopathy raises ethical beside scientific objections. Beyond a probable success of the treatment, it insists on a certain rationale and intellectual honesty. A differentiation between the more pragmatic interests of a health insurance and the scientific obligations of university medicine is given. An important and decisive criterium for the health insurances results from the demand for economics.

Unchanged response to stimulation of pituitary hormone release after serial UV irradiation in men

A group of 24 healthy young men were evaluated before and after serial suberythematous ultraviolet (UV) radiation: group I, control (no irradiation); groups II and III, 12 radiations in 4 weeks with two different spectra (both containing UV-B). Before the first and 2 days after the last exposure all the volunteers were given an intravenous injection of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH, protirelin 0.2 mg) and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LH-RH, gonadorelin 0.1 mg). The serum concentrations of TSH, follicle stimulating hormone, LH and prolactin were measured at 0, 20, 30, 45 and 60 min by radioimmunoassay. Neither basal nor stimulated levels of the pituitary hormones showed significant changes after UV radiation. The results showed that exposure to suberythematous doses of UV did not influence the regulation of pituitary hormones in these healthy individuals.

Enhancement of the antiemetic action of metoclopramide against cisplatin-induced emesis by transdermal electrical nerve stimulation

In a double-blind sequential trial, the influence of transdermal electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was studied in patients who were treated with total infusions of metoclopramide 3.5 mg/kg to counter the emetic action of cisplatin 60-90 mg/m2. Transdermal electrical nerve stimulation further reduced the emetic episodes in ten of 11 treatment pairs (2 alpha = .10). This effect was blocked by naloxone. More surprisingly, TENS reduced the incidence of extrapyramidal effects of metoclopramide (i.e., akathisia and dystonia). These effects may be explained by the involvement of central nervous and peripheral TENS-induced production of opioid neuromodulators. An alternate hypothesis is the stimulation of serotonergic mechanisms via neuromodulation by opioid peptides, or by involvement of both systems.

[Reflex dystrophy following so-called whiplash injury of the cervical spine]

In bad cases of whiplash injury of the cervical spine the post-accidental course is complicated by pain, vegetative dysfunctional syndromes and by psychic and psychiatric disorders over many years. There is no satisfactory concept to understand the pathophysiology of these processes. The paper deals with the possibility of a reflex dystrophy. Sympathetic reflex dystrophy syndromes are seen principally in patients with joint, tendon or vascular lesions. In case of whiplash injury, it would concern the cervical spine itself as well as visceral organs including the central nervous system. For the CNS the lymphostatic encephalopathy is a well defined entity. Above all, a reflex dystrophy develops on the basis of a special personality structure. In case of psychic and psychiatric complaints after whiplash injury patients with a so called Sudeck-personality should not be suspected to aggravate; in contrast, especially in these patients complications by reflex dystrophy are credible. Consequences for the assessment and for rehabilitation are discussed.

[Clinical course and pathophysiology of hyperthermia]

In 221 hyperthermic baths with 138 healthy volunteers thermoregulatory, circulatory, respiratory, renal, hematological, immunological, and endocrinological function values and sudomotoric activity have been determined. The endocrinological investigations demonstrate an increased glucocorticoidal activity (eosinopenia, T-lymphocytopenia) while plasmatic cortisole concentrations are slightly decreased. This discrepancy may be explained by an increased dissociation of biologically active cortisole and transcortin and by a more rapid activation of the steroid-receptor complex within the endocrine target cell. During a series of ten hyperthermic baths on ten consecutive days mineralocorticoidal activity during hyperthermia is increased (sudomotor activity, excretion of urine and sodium); urinary excretion of aldosterone does not change. These results indicate an increased sensitivity of the mineralocorticoidal target cell after adaptation to heat. The hypothesis can be confirmed by experiments with aldosterone i.v.

[Tissue damage following paravenous cytostatic drug application. An additional treatment with percutaneous electric nerve stimulation]

Some aspects in the development of severe tissue damage after an adriamycin extravasation are considered as a sympathetic reflex dystrophy syndrome. In this, a peripheral stimulus (e.g. pain) activates efferent autonomic and motor nerves resulting in vasomotor changes and other "dystrophic" changes in soft tissues. A typical state is the Sudeck's dystrophy syndrome. With a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation it should be possible to interrupt this vicious circle. A case with a good clinical result is reported.

Cardiovascular and respiratory function values in hyperthermia: the effect of beta-receptor blockade with bunitrolol

During hyperthermia in water, the rectal temperature of 12 healthy young test subjects rose by on average 1.16 degrees C. Under treatment with placebo, the pulse rate increased by 40.6 beats/min, systolic pressure by 14.6 mm Hg, oscillatory respiratory resistance fell by 0.29 hPa/1/s and time-averaged flow ventilation increased by 3.62 1/min. Under treatment with a beta-receptor blocker (10 mg of bunitrolol) there was no change in the tachycardiac response, there was slightly less of a rise of blood pressure, slightly less of a fall of oscillatory respiratory resistance and time-averaged flow ventilation remained low (2p less than 0.05). The response of the cardiovascular parameters and oscillatory respiratory resistance is discussed in connection with redistributions of blood volume during hyperthermia. The less pronounced hyperventilation is considered to be due to the effect of beta-receptor blockade in warding off external stress-induced factors.

[Acute virus hepatitis and venereal infection (author's transl)]

100 patients with acute viral hepatitis were examined. In 10 of these the infection was found to be associated with homosexual activity and in 7 with promiscuity. Sexual intercourse was a likely cause of infection in 61% of all men aged from 20-40 years who had contracted hepatitis B by a non-parenteral route. Of these patients, 8 had acute syphilis and 2 had acute gonorrhea along with their hepatitis. The clinical course of the hepatitis was more severe in the group of syphilitic patients than in the controls. These observations indicate that simultaneous venereal disease influences the incidence and course of acute viral hepatitis.

[Sympatho-adrenal activity in acute cold stress. The mechanism of sudden death following water immersion]

In addition to currently known mechanisms of sudden death following water immersion, predominantly vagal cardio-depressive reflexes are discussed. The pronounced circulatory centralization in diving animals as well as following exposure to cold water indicates additional sympathetic activity. In cold water baths of 15 degrees C, our own measurements indicate an increase in plasma catecholamine levels by more than 300%. This may lead to cardiac arrhythmias by the following mechanism: Cold water essentially induces sinus bradycardia. Brady- and tachyarrhythmias may supervene as secondary complications. Sinusbradycardia may be enhanced by sympathetic hypertonus. Furthermore, ectopic dysrhythmias are liable to be induced by the strictly sympathetic innervation of the ventricle. Myocardial ischemia following a rise in peripheral blood pressure constitutes another arrhythmogenic factor. Some of these reactions are enhanced by alcohol intoxication.

Peripheral T lymphocytopenia under exogenous thermal stress

A transient decrease in T lymphocytes in peripheral blood was observed in twelve healthy volunteers immersed in hot water baths which raised their mean rectal temperature by 1.35 C. T lymphocytes declined from 59 to 41 rel % (2p less than 0.001) or from a mean of 1990 to 1300 per mm3. T lymphocytopenia was accompanied by a relative increase in the fraction of B lymphocytes. Total lymphocyte count remained unchanged. In vitro heating alone to 39 C did not influence the total of SRBC-labelled lymphocytes. The findings are interpreted to be the result of a change in lymphocyte distribution with increased recirculation of mobile T lymphocytes.

[Quantitative changes in peripheral T-lymphocytes during hyperthermia (author's transl)]

A uniform, highly significant fall in T-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, without any change in the absolute lymphocyte count occurred in 6 healthy test subjects in a standardized hyperthermal bath with a mean rise in the rectal body temperature of 1.35 degrees C. A redistribution from the blood into the tissue structures of the rapidly recirculating T-lymphocytes in the body is assumed. The clinical significance of this redistribution cannot yet be stated. With increased recirculation of immunoreactive T-lymphocytes an increased contact with antigenic material in the tissues traversed would be possible. This could be the basis of the "immunostimulation" during hyperthermia assumed by some authors.