Influence of prenatal psychosocial stress on cytokine production in adult women.

The aim of the present study was to determine the association between prenatal stress and immune function in human adults. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 34 healthy young women whose mothers experienced major negative life events during their pregnancy (Prenatal Stress, PS group, mean age 25, SD +/- 4.34 years), and from a female comparison group (n = 28, CG, mean age 24 +/- 3.40 years), were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and subsequent cytokine production was measured. A bias for T-helper 2 (Th2) cytokine production due to an overproduction of IL-4 relative to IFN-gamma after PHA stimulation was observed in PS subjects. In addition, IL-6 and IL-10 were also significantly elevated. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to suggest a direct association between prenatal stress exposure and alterations in immune parameters in adult women.

Neuroticism, cortisol reactivity, and antibody response to vaccination.

This study examined whether neuroticism was related to the antibody response to influenza vaccination and whether the relationship was mediated by cortisol reactions to acute laboratory mental stress. Antibody status was assessed at baseline and to a trivalent influenza vaccination in 57 students at 5-week and 5-month follow-up. Neuroticism was also measured at baseline. Cortisol was measured at rest and in response to a pressurized mental arithmetic task. At both follow-ups, higher neuroticism scores were associated with poorer A/Panama antibody response, following adjustment for baseline antibody titer. Higher neuroticism scores were also associated with blunted cortisol reactivity, and blunted cortisol reactivity was associated with poorer A/Panama antibody response, but only at 5 months. However, there was no conclusive evidence that cortisol reactivity mediated the association between neuroticism and antibody response.

Potential psychosocial mechanisms linking depression to immune function in elderly subjects.

Although depression and immune changes in elderly subjects constitute a considerable health risk, mechanisms underlying the association between depression and immune function are unclear. The question of whether personality and social support can explain the variation in immune function during depression was addressed in 21 elderly depressive and 23 control subjects. The following variables were studied: neuroticism, extraversion, received social support, depression-related immune parameters [i.e. numbers of lymphocytes, lymphocyte subsets CD3+, CD8+, natural killer-like T cells (NKT), CD4/CD8 ratio, and interleukin-6 (Il-6)]. We found that neuroticism reduced the association between depression and Il-6 (from 62 to 22.4%) and between depression and CD3+ (from 27.6 to 21.6%), and was also directly related to Il-6 (i.e. adjusted for age and depression). Social support reduced the association between depression and NKT cells from 25 to 18%, while it was also directly related to NKT cells. Extraversion, adjusted for age and depression, was negatively related to CD4/CD8 ratio. Subjects with high extraversion and high social support had more NKT cells. We concluded that changes in immune function during depression can partly be explained by neuroticism and received social support, whereas immune function is also directly related to these psychosocial variables. Neuroticism may exert its contribution to the risk for depression partly via Il-6 production.

[The clinico-pathogenetic characteristics of neurosis-like states in the participants in the cleanup of the aftermath of the accident at the Chernobyl Atomic Electric Power Station]. / Kliniko-patogeneticheskie osobennosti nevrozopodobnykh sostoianii u uchastnikov likvidatsii posledstvii avarii na ChAES.

A clinical and paraclinical examination was done in 120 individuals with neurosis-like disorders, who had taken part in the elimination of the aftermath of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant breakdown. A complex of etiological factors in the disorder has been identified. The most important syndrome was cerebral asthenia associated with depressive disorders and apparent vegetovascular dysfunction. Cerebral influences were implicated in the origination and development of neurosis-like disorders, with functional inadequacies having been disclosed in the patients' bodily catecholamine and immune systems.

[The correlation of stress and neurosis vulnerability in the structure of nonspecific resistance to extreme factors in intact and pregnant rats]. / O sootnoshenii stress- i nevrozouiazvimosti v strukture nespetsificheskoi rezistentnosti k ékstremal'nym faktoram u intaktnykh i beremennykh krys.

White male rats, intact and pregnant females were subjected for 3 days to deprivation of paradoxical sleep by the technique of Jouvet. The main resulting vectors of the extreme state outcome, i.e., lethality, susceptibility to stress, and neurotization, made it possible to establish corresponding levels of resistance. A relationship of each of the levels with the ability to form conditioned reflexes, initial functional interhemispheric asymmetry and behavioural status, expression of protective reactions and paradoxical sleep under conditions of an insoluble conflict situation was followed. High resistance of pregnant rats is considered to be associated with the formation of gestational ambilaterality of the brain of intact animals. Such an increase in resistance is selective as far as it concerns the organism of the pregnant and it does not ensure stability of the feto-maternal complex under extreme conditions. It was established that there was an inverse relationship between the expression of neurotic disorders of the higher nervous activity and vegeto-morphological features of acute stress. This gives reason to define more exactly the role of neurotic disorders in the pathogenesis of stress and mechanisms of resistance to extreme factors.

Viruses, neurosis and fatigue.

The evidence for viral infections as a cause of anxiety, depression and fatigue is reviewed. It is argued that in order to fully understand any proposed relationship the effects of psychosocial factors on immunity, convalescence and illness behaviour must be acknowledged.

[The immunocytopoietic signs of circulating human lymphocytes in pathological states]. / Immunotsitopoéticheskie priznaki tsirkuliruiushchikh kimfotsitov cheloveka pri patologicheskikh sostoianiiakh.

The dynamics of associative, size, and immediate rosette classes of circulating lymphocytes was studied in donors and patients with different pathogenesis of migration of activated lymphocytes. On the basis of the associated dynamics of lymphocyte classes in blood and pleural exudation as well as the correlation analysis two functional groups of lymphocytes were distinguished: a group of early proliferative activated lymphocytes and a group of temporarily intact lymphocytes circulating for a long time.

[The characteristics of the interferon system parameters in typologically different groups of patients with borderline mental disorders during treatment]. / Kharakteristika nekotorykh parametrov sistemy interferona v tipologicheski razlichnykh gruppakh bol'nykh s pogranichnymi psikhicheskimi rasstroistvami v protsesse lecheniia.

Lymphocyte gamma-interferon production and levels of serum interferon were studied in 94 patients with borderline psychiatric disorders on treatment. It was shown that parameters of interferon system in the acute disease period and their dynamics through the treatment depend on typological features of personality and initial level of interferon production. The patients with aggressive features of personality in acute disease exhibit significantly higher levels of serum interferon than those in patients with submissive features which drop after recovery. The same tendency occurred in hysterical patients (hystero-expressive and hystero-impressive types). These findings may be due to different reaction of immune system to chronic emotional stress in different types of personality.

[The dynamics of the autoimmune process in guinea pigs during their acquisition of an experimental neurosis]. / Dinamika autoimmunnogo protsessa u morskikh svinok pri vyrabatyvanii u nikh éksperimental'nogo nevroza.

Pathogenetic role of the neuroautoimmune reactions in dynamics of the experimental neurosis development has been investigated. Application of the dynamic approach in estimation of the pathological process has permitted analyzing changes in the immunological indices in dynamics of the experimental neurosis development. The results obtained testify to that maximum content of autoantibodies to the nervous tissue, circulating immune complexes and changes in the reaction of neutrophilic injury are observed in the beginning of the experimental neurosis development.

Immune activation in multiple sclerosis: study of IL-2, sIL-2R, and gamma-IFN levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid.

Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), and gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) were measured in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected patients and normal controls (NC). Increased levels of both IL-2 and sIL-2R were found in MS serum. Moreover, 11 of 50 MS patients showed detectable levels of IL-2 in the CSF. HIV-1-infected patients had increased levels of sIL-2R in serum and, less frequently, in the CSF. gamma-IFN was never detected in serum and CSF of all the patients studied. These findings confirm preliminary reports, further stress a systemic T-cell activation in MS, and support the hypothesis that an immunologic disorder exists in such patients.

[Post-stress correlation of the functional activity of macrophages by tuftsin and its derivatives]. / Poststressornaia korreliatsiia funktsional'noi aktivnosti makrofagov taftsinom i ego proizvodnymi.

The effect of 15 day programmed neurotization on the functional activity of the peritoneal macrophages has been studied. The NBT-test and the adhesion measurements were used. The experimental neurosis resulted in the decrease of the macrophage functional activity and in leukopenia. Tuftsin did not restore the stress induced depression of macrophage activity but led to additional rise of the adrenal glands weight and to pronounced granulocyte-monocytosis. Pentapeptide analog of tuftsin gave the additional inhibition of NBT-activity of the macrophage. Heptapeptide analog favoured the restoration of the macrophage activity after neurotization and stimulated lymphopoiesis.

E. coli antibodies in schizophrenia.

The present investigation demonstrates relatively high antibody titres against an E. coli O-antigen in sera from somatically healthy male schizophrenic patients. This observation supports the suggestion that abnormal portasystemic collaterals are relevant to the manifestation of schizophrenia.

Hepatitis A and B markers and presumable non-A, non-B hepatitis in a psychiatric institution.

The frequencies of hepatitis A and hepatitis B markers were determined in 291 members of the staff and 714 patients of a psychiatric institution for adults. 71.8% of the patients suffered from psychosis, 17.7% from neurosis, and 10.6% from oligophrenia. 84.4% of the patients and 69.2% of the staff were anti-HAV-positive. - 26.8% of the patients and 19.9% of the staff showed at least one HBV marker. The frequency of anti-HBc increased with age but not with hospitalization. Anti-HBc-positive persons did not show transaminase abnormalities more often as reported previously. - 2.6% of the patients were presumable Non-A, Non-B hepatitis cases after excluding IgM-anti-HAV, IgM-anti-CMV or -EBV and possible toxic effects. The rate of presumable Non-A, Non-B hepatitis equaled the frequency of HBsAg-positive persons.

The choroid plexus and system disease in mental illness. II. Systemic lupus erythematosus: a combined transport dysfunction model for schizophrenia.

Carr et al. (1978) and Rudin (1979) independently suggested tat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) might provide a model for schizophrenia since SLE is strongly associated with schizophreniform psychoses and exhibits only a covert CNS pathology revealed by immunofluorescent immune complex deposits in the choroid plexus. To carry the concept forward we here examine SLE employing the ideas developed in the preceding paper (Rudin, 1980) indicating that the choroid plexus is part of a second blood-brain barrier guarding the periventricular primary personality brain, the limbic system, and that the choroid plexus is also but one of a set of "transport organs" sharing common vulnerability to covert basal lamina immune complex pathology. In this context both SLE and schizophrenia are viewed as expressions of combined transport dysfunction syndromes, resulting from polygenic-induced sensitivity to exogenous peptides or viruses causing basal laminar immune complex disease, but exhibiting differing statistical expressions over the transport organ group due to difference in genes which elicit different transport organ sensitivities to different exogenous viruses or peptide antigens. Immune disease processes are briefly reviewed.

Early and delayed skin reactivity to solubilized antigens of herpesvirus hominis 1 in psychiatric patients and guinea pigs.

Intradermal tests with a mixture of Herpesvirus hominis 1 (HVH 1) antigens containing quantitated neutralization antigen were done in 39 schizophrenics (SCH), 42 senile demented (DS) persons, 28 alcoholics, neurotics and psychopaths (ANP) and 33 control persons. Local induration, erythema and fading was evaluated according to diameter and intensity after 15 to 30 min for anaphylactic type I reaction, after 5 hr for Arthus type III reaction and after 24 and 48 hr for delayed hypersensitivity (type IV). The diagnosed clinical forms influenced the incidence of positive reactions I, III or IV at the level alpha = 0.01. The incidence of positivity in all reactions (I, III plus IV) was significantly higher in the patients than in the control group. Type I and III reactions were most intensive in ANP and SCH, respectively. Type IV reaction was most pronounced in SCH, including the highest incidence of purple lesions, eventually with a lightly cyanotic target. In the DS group, type IV reaction surpassed the control the least of all patients' groups. Unfavourable side effects of the skin tests were not observed. The importance of repeated contact with HVH 1 for a marked type IV reaction ws confirmed in experimentally infected guinea pigs, which also served for safety tests and selection of antigen preparations.

[Reactivity of toxoplasmin intradermal test in neurotic and manic-depressive patients]. / Reactividad a la prueba intradérmica con toxoplasmina en enformos neuróticos y psicóticos maniacodepresivos.

Fifty patients with manic-depressive psychosis, 120 neurotics and 100 healthy individuals were studied. They underwent the toxoplasmin intradermal test. The highest percentage of reactors was found among patients with manic-depressive psychosis (66,0%). Patients with depressive neurosis accounted for the highest number among neurotics (55,6%). The intensity of reaction was higher among patients with manic-depressive psychosis. Neurotic patients were compared to schizophrenic patients from a previous study conducted by one out of the authors. It is concluded that the percentage of reactors is higher among patients with depressive mental disorders, and also that this percentage increases with mental deterioration in patients.