Emotional management therapy in early psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Emotional management therapy (EMT) aims to improve handling of emotional stress in schizophrenia. It consists of two sub-programmes: the first includes relaxation techniques, the second stress coping skills. METHOD: A pilot study of EMT in 19 patients with early psychosis produced positive results and a post-hoc study of 16 patients was commenced. RESULTS: EMT showed positive results, with chronic patients improving more than patients with early psychosis. CONCLUSION: EMT can be effective in early psychosis, especially for cognitive functioning.

Screening for thyroid disorders in a working population.

Subclinical thyroid disorders have received increasing attention in recent years due to refined laboratory methods and a stronger emphasis on the role of preventive medicine. We performed a screening for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) on 6884 persons in a working population. In cases in which TSH was not within the normal range we also measured the levels of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG). All persons who did not present with exclusion criteria or other nonthyroidal illnesses (n = 59) and the controls (n = 39) were submitted to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-testing. Additionally, sonography of the thyroid was performed on 120 persons (59 subjects with abnormal hormone levels and 61 controls) to determine thyroid size and rule out morphological abnormalities. Based on the TRH test and T3, T4, and TBG measurements we found a prevalence of 0.03% (2/6884) for overt hyperthyroidism, 0.33% (23/6884) for subclinical hypothyroidism, 0.09% (6/6884) for subclinical hypothyroidism, and 0.015% (1/6884) for overt hypothyroidism in the healthy population. In subjects with overt or subclinical hyperthyroidism the prevalence of goiters (thyroid volume > 18 ml in women, > 25 ml in men) was 28%. Of this group 48% had structural abnormalities. All persons with goiters and/or structural abnormalities were over 35 years of age. Among the euthyroid, 20% had thyroid enlargement, and the same proportion presented with structural abnormalities. There were no differences between the two age groups. In the group with overt/subclinical hypothyroidism 47% presented with structural abnormalities of the thyroid; however, none presented with thyroid enlargement. Thyroid nodules were found only in older persons (> 35 years) with euthyroidism or hypothyroidism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Subclinical hyperthyroidism: physical and mental state of patients.

We investigated whether subclinical hyperthyroidism [subnormal basal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, attenuated TSH response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation, peripheral thyroid hormones within normal range] is accompanied by physical and mental changes. Thirty-five subclinically hyperthyroid patients (27 female, 8 male) were compared with 60 overtly hyperthyroid patients (51 female, 9 male) and with 28 euthyroid control patients (18 female, 10 male) with respect to physical symptoms, affective state, short-term memory, ability to concentrate and psychomotor performance. Patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism ranged between the other two groups. The major difference between controls and subclinically hyperthyroid patients was an increase in frequency of nervous symptoms and symptoms due to an increase of metabolic rate and thermal regulation changes. The major differences between subclinically hyperthyroid and overtly hyperthyroid patients were psychomotor impairment and symptoms of increased metabolic rate. Self-ratings of affective state tended to be similar in patients with subclinical and overt hyperthyroidism. The ability to concentrate and short-term memory were not impaired in any group. Symptoms in patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism probably result from central changes which lead to attenuated TSH responses to TRH, or from elevated but still normal thyroxine levels, which possibly enhance the effect of catecholamines.

Immunologic findings in tissue of thyroid carcinoma.

We studied the occurrence of DR-antigen (DR-Ag) positive thyroid epithelial cells (TEC), lymphocyte (Ly)-subsets, and antigen-presenting cells (APC) in thyroid carcinoma and the influence of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) on immunologic behavior. Tissue slices from various thyroid carcinomas (n = 14) and endemic goiters (n = 12) were investigated by immunohistochemical methods (PAP/APAAP/FITC) using monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) against DR-Ag, dendritic cells (APC), endothelial cells, CD-3 Ly, CD-4 Ly, and CD-8 Ly. Monolayers of TEC were cultured in the presence or absence of TSH (0.01 mU/ml) and/or PHA (0.1 mg/ml) over 24 h and screened for DR-Ag expression. Various ranges of DR-Ag expression were detectable in 13 thyroid carcinomas. One thyroid carcinoma and all endemic goiters were DR-Ag-. The amount of APC and local infiltrating Ly correlated very well with the presence and intensity of DR-Ag+ TEC. The lymphocytic CD-4/CD-8 ratio varied in a wide range. No prevalence of Ly-distribution for any type of carcinoma was found. PHA induced DR-Ag expression in all thyroid carcinomas and endemic goiters. This effect was enhanced significantly by TSH. DR-Ag expression on thyroid carcinoma cells may be considered as an immune activating factor. These "neoantigens" may be induced by lymphokines released by the local immune competent cells. The distribution of Ly and DR-Ag+ TEC in thyroid carcinoma seems to represent the individual immunologic response against the tumor. Whether TSH acts as an immune modulator directly or indirectly, as described elsewhere, cannot be concluded from these results.

[Macrophage activity during high dose steroid pulse therapy and 7S-immunoglobulin administration in patients with collagenoses. Comparison with in vitro studies]. / Makrophagenaktivität unter hochdosierter Steroid-Stosstherapie und 7S-Immunglobulingabe bei Patienten mit Kollagenosen. Vergleich mit In-vitro-Untersuchungen.

Patients with connective tissue diseases show increased neopterin levels indicating the activation of the monocyte system. Corticosteroids reduce the release of neopterin in vivo and in vitro. After i.v. 7S-Ig administration neopterin increases in vivo transiently and decreases beyond the pretherapeutic levels. Addition of 7S-Ig to cell cultures reduces the macrophage activation.

Thyrotoxic crisis in Graves' disease: indication for immediate surgery.

Thyrotoxic crisis (thyroid storm) is a rare complication of hyperthyroidism. It can be observed not only in thyroid autonomy with latent hyperfunction after exposure to iodine, but also in Graves' disease with overt hyperfunction. Adequate management of thyrotoxic crisis is still controversial. We report about four patients (four women, mean age 75 years) with Graves' disease who developed thyrotoxic crisis during therapy with antithyroid drugs so that surgical intervention became necessary. The patients had been admitted to the hospital for nonspecific symptoms such as headache, cachexy, and psychosis. Thyroid hormone levels had reached twice the normal range prior to surgery. All patients showed severe neurological deficits leading to coma. In three cases euthyroidism was achieved within two days after surgery. The neurological symptoms disappeared after an average of four days. The postoperative course did not show severe complications and all patients recovered completely. Especially in the elderly a monosymptomatic or nonspecific course of thyroid storm with neurological symptoms may represent a severe and life-threatening situation. In these cases surgery can become necessary even if euthyroidism has not been achieved preoperatively.

[Intrathecal production of neopterin in meningitis in childhood]. / Intrathekale Produktion von Neopterin bei Meningitis im Kindesalter.

A major activator of antigen presenting cells (APC) is gamma interferon a product of activated T-lymphocytes. CNS is not well studied and represents a unique system with respect to the immune reactions. Neopterin is an indirect marker of gamma interferon deliberation and may give some new information on the role of APC in CNS. Neopterin in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was determined by specific RIA in children who were lumbar punctured to exclude meningitis. Neopterin was found in various concentrations in serum and CSF of all patients (n = 47). Bacterial meningitis (group 3) was diagnosed in 12 and aseptic meningitis in 18 children (group 2). CSF was drawn in 17 children with febrile convulsions (group 1). Elevated serum neopterin in childhood was only reported in children with an atypical PKU, while data on CSF neopterin were published only in a few cases of adults with CNS involvement. The results show that the APC is stimulated rapidly in childhood similar as in adults following severe viral or bacterial infections. Furthermore neopterin in CSF is not only explained by alteration of the blood-brain barrier but also it may reflect local intrathecal response with activation of accessory cells (APC) in the CNS itself. Between the stimulation of the cellular immune system indicated by increased levels of neopterin and the severity of the disease seems to be a positive correlation.

[The role of TSH psychological and somatic changes in thyroid dysfunctions]. / Die Rolle des TSH für psychische Veränderungen und Befindlichkeitsveränderungen bei Schilddrüsenfunktionsstörungen.

The characteristic psychic and somatic features found in patients with overt hyper- or hypothyroidism are usually attributed to elevated or diminished levels, respectively, of thyroid hormones. This concept does not sufficiently explain our previous investigations in which the same symptoms, albeit attenuated, were also seen in patients suffering from so-called latent disturbances of thyroid function. This state of disorder, however, exhibits normal concentrations of peripheral thyroid hormones. Only the response of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation is in accordance with the behaviour of the overt thyroid dysfunction and enables its differentiation from the euthyroid state. In this context, we investigated the question as to whether pathologic signs in thyroid disorders are correlated to alterations of peripheral thyroid hormones or to changes in the hypothalamus pituitary axis. Therefore, we investigated two groups of ten patients each who suffered from latent hyper- or hypothyroidism, respectively, and ten euthyroid controls. All were matched from sex and age. Endocrine function was estimated by TRH testing, TT3, TT4 and thyroxine binding globulin (TBG). Psychologic testing was performed by questionnaires concerning subjective somatic symptoms, emotional disturbances, psychomotoric performance, cognitive impairment and personality. Patients with latent hyperthyroidism were more subject to somatic symptoms and affective complaints than were those who had latent hypothyroidism. As compared with controls, there were significant differences in exhaustion and pain in the limbs and heart. In terms of affective complaints, patients were more depressive, anxious, touchy and irritable; their personalities showed a higher degree of emotional lability, excitement and irritability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Sequential psychological testing during the course of autoimmune hyperthyroidism.

Although the psychological disturbances accompanying Graves' disease are well known, the time required for normalisation of these disturbances during antithyroid drug treatment is not known. Therefore sequential psychological testing during the course of Graves' disease was done. There are also contradictory results concerning the possible correlation of neurophysiological and psychological test results during the course of Graves' disease with thyroid hormone values. Finally, psychological disturbances have been proposed as possible etiologic factors in Graves' disease. In our study, a significant decrease in anxiety and irritability could be observed at the time euthyroidism was achieved. Self-evaluations of depressivity, activity, exhaustion, well-being, extraversion, introversion, and the ability to concentrate changed 1 or 2 months after euthyroidism was induced. Similar test results could be observed after induction of euthyroidism by antithyroid drugs and subtotal thyroid resection. Therefore the mode of therapy does not seem to influence the course of normalisation of psychological parameters. In contrast to other investigations there was hardly any correlation between thyroid hormone values and psychological test results or the ability to concentrate. Nontheless, patients with Graves' disease showing high scores for depression and anxiety exhibit abnormal peripheral helper/suppressor T-lymphocyte relations. Furthermore, patients suffering from Graves' disease tend to be more anxious than controls. It remains to be determined whether an increased susceptibility to psychological disturbances has led to these alterations of lymphocyte subsets in Graves' disease patients with severe depression and anxiety.

Evidence for a role of anti-idiotypic antibodies in the induction of remission in Graves' disease.

Serum and Ig samples obtained from a patient with Graves' disease during exacerbation and remission were evaluated in the nu/nu bioassay. Blocking of the exacerbation serum's biological activity was demonstrated by several biological assay parameters after it was mixed with the remission serum. Since this blocking effect can be ascribed to immunoglobulins, anti-idiotypic antibodies in the remission serum and immunoglobulin samples are the most likely cause of this blocking effect. Therefore a role of anti-idiotypic antibodies in the induction of remission in Graves' disease is postulated.

Significance of latent hyperthyroidism.

In euthyroidism the circadian rhythm and pulsatility of TSH is well known. With regard to hyperthyroidism only very preliminary data were described. In this study we investigated the secretion pattern of the pituitary-thyroid axis hormones during 24 h in latent and overt hyperthyroidism and in euthyroidism with regard to common and different properties. Blood was obtained for 24 h at 10-min intervals. In euthyroidism we found intraindividually three overlapping patterns of TSH, which are different in amplitude and frequency and can be found interindividually, too. These patterns are equal to the circadian rhythm, pulsatile secretion and lastly to the methodic rustle. The circadian rhythm in latent hyperthyroidism is distinctly suppressed and in overt hyperthyroidism totally. Whereas in latent hyperthyroidism pulsatile secretion is extant, in overt hyperthyroidism the TSH pulses are absent. To record the patients' TSH circadian rhythm with only three blood samples, we defined the TSH-Triplex. In young as well as in elderly healthy volunteers it demonstrated significantly higher TSH levels at midnight (at 24:00 h) than it did at 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. The present study shows a significantly different TSH pattern in latent hyperthyroidism compared to euthyroidism. It should be discussed whether latent hyperthyroidism could be defined as hyperthyroidism stage I. On the other hand, latent hyperthyroidism could be an illness with its own cause, different from hyperthyroidism. Our data suggest that the laboratory findings of latent hyperthyroidism in each age are non-physiological. However, the cause for this disorder is unclear until now; hence further investigations are necessary.

[Detection of HIV-1 antigen--determination using 3 different test systems]. / Der Nachweis von HIV-1-Antigen--Bestimmung mit Hilfe von drei verschiedenen Testsystemen.

51 human sera containing antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus 1 (= HIV-1) were examined for HIV-1-antigen by three different enzyme immunoassay procedures (= EIA) of Abbott, Organon and Dupont. Sensibilities, handling as well as the correlation with the clinical stages of HIV-infection were compared. The EIA's diagnosed in accordance 6 sera which contained HIV-1-antigen and 42 sera to be HIV-1-antigen negative. 3 sera showed differences: according to the EIA of Organon none of these sera contained HIV-1-antigen, the EIA of Abbott (but not of Dupont) analysed HIV-1-antigen in one of these sera, in the other two sera only the EIA of Dupont showed HIV-1-Antigen. It is concluded that the differences in these 3 serum samples may originate not only in the different types of EIA used (indirect/direct procedure) but also in the different capture antibodies provided (antibodies against p-24 antigen or polyvalent antibodies).

[Correlation of "latent hyperthyroidism" with psychological and somatic changes]. / Korrelation einer "Latenten Hyperthyreose" mit psychischen und somatischen Veränderungen.

The study reported here was undertaken to establish the degree to which a person in a preclinical state of hyperthyroidism, with (by definition) euthyroid T3 and T4 levels but suppressed TRH on testing, already exhibits psychological changes and clinical symptoms. Two groups of 20 patients each, with clear clinical and preclinical hyperthyroidism (as defined by laboratory parameters), were studied, as well as a group of 20 controls. The subjects' psychological state of mind was investigated using self-rating scales, including the state-trait-anxiety inventory (STAI), "Befindlichkeits"-Skala (Bf-S'), depression scale (D-S'), and a list of adjectives (EWL-K) with 14 different aspects of affective moods. Cognitive achievements were evaluated using the d2 test. Subjects were examined for somatic symptoms in accordance with Crooks' index of hyperthyroidism. The results clearly showed that typical psychological and somatic changes are already present in preclinical hyperthyroidism, these changes being partly identical with those of definite hyperthyroidism. In both patient groups, a significant increase in anxiety, a sense of not feeling well, and emotional irritability were found, as well as a tendency towards depressiveness, and an increased lack of vitality and activity. Attentiveness and concentration in both patient groups were lower than in the control group. Both patient groups showed the same prevalence of symptoms, such as palpitations, preference of cold over heat, excessive sweating, nervousness, fine digital tremor, and increased heart rate. With regard to the results, the diagnosis "preclinical hyperthyroidism" thus gains importance. Further prospective studies are required to answer the question whether antithyroidal treatment will influence the described psychological and somatic state of patients with preclinical hyperthyroidism.

[The hypothalamo-hypophyseal thyroid axis, plasma protein concentrations and the hypophyseo-gonadal axis in low T3 syndrome following acute myocardial infarct]. / Hypothalamo-hypophysäre Schilddrüsen-Achse, Plasmaproteinkonzentrationen und die hypophysäre Gonaden-Achse im Low-T3-Syndrom nach akutem Myokardinfarkt (AMI).

In patients with severely acute diseases, a special relationship of thyroidal hormones with decreased T3 and increased rT3 levels is known, the so-called low T3 syndrome. The aim of this study was to elucidate the involvement of the hypothalamo-pituitary thyroid axis, the pituitary-gonadal axis, the altered hepatic function, the plasma proteins in the low T3 syndrome, and the evaluation of these parameters for prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Thirty-one patients (29 male, 2 female) with AMI entered the study for the determination of hypothalamo-pituitary thyroid axis and the plasma proteins. Besides routine laboratory determinations, TRH, TSH, T4, T3, rT3, CHE, albumin, total protein, TBG, and estradiol concentrations in plasma were measured daily for 5 days after AMI using immunological and other methods. Twelve male patients with AMI entered the study for the determination of pituitary-gonadal axis; the T3, rT3, estradiol, testosterone, FSH, and LH concentrations in serum were determined using immunological methods. We found that T3 and T4 decreased significantly to a minimum on the first and the second day, respectively, after admission and increased in the course of the observation period. In contrast, rT3 was elevated significantly within the first 2 days and decreased later. TSH and TRH decreased in the first 2 days and increased in the following days. CHE, albumin, and total protein levels significantly showed a minimum on day 4 and TBG significantly showed a minimum on the second day after AMI and increased to day 4.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Transplantation of human endocrine tissues to nude mice: a suitable in vivo model for the study of pathomechanisms involved in autoimmune thyroid diseases.

After transplantation of human tissue to nu/nu mice the human lymphocytes disappear. In this context, interestingly, the DR-expression is not detectable anymore after transplantation of the tissues from patients with autoimmune thyrotoxicosis and cancer. Neopterin release was only demonstrable when T-lymphocytes from patients with autoimmune thyrotoxicosis or PHA-stimulated lymphocytes were added, independently of the presence of DR-expression in the used culture tissues. These results seem to exclude a functional role of DR-expression as a trigger mechanism of autoimmunity. It is supposed that DR-priming on epithelial cells is mediated by kinine production of activated T-lymphocytes or macrophages.

Is remission of Graves' disease regulated by anti-idiotypic antibodies?

Our results show evidence for regulation of Graves' disease remission by anti-idiotypic antibodies in a biologic assay. The polyclonality and functional heterogeneity of thyroid receptor antibodies is most likely the reason why evidence for idiotypic-anti-idiotypic regulation can be demonstrated in the autologous but not consistently in the homologous system.