Henricus Wijsenbeek

THE PERCEPTION OF MENOPAUSEIN FIVE ETHNIC GROUPS IN ISRAEL

Abstract. An investigation was made into the menopausal symptoms and attitudes of 1, 148 Israeli women of five different ethnic origins. The results show that, while some of the somatic menopausal symptoms are independent of ethnic origin, psychic and psychosomatic symptoms are more closely associated with this variable. Similarly, attitudes to the climacteric vary across cultural origins, especially with regard to husband‐wife relationships. This study underlines the necessity of a multi‐factorial, biological, sociological, psychological and anthropological approach to problems of menopause.

Serotonin uptake by blood platelets of acute schizophrenic patients.

Active uptake of serotonin by blood platelets of acute schizophrenic patients has been compared to that of a control group. Preliminary results presented in this article indicate that the uptake of the schizophrenic patients was about 40% lower than that of controls. Patients were followed over a period of 5 weeks with no significant change in uptake.

Cell-mediated immunity to human myelin basic protein in schizophrenic patients

Cell-mediated immune response to myelin human basic protein was studied by the macrophage migration inhibition test in patients suffering from schizophrenia. Eighteen out of 32 patients with chronic schizophrenia demonstrated human basic protein-induced inhibition of the migration index, while 4 out of 41 acute schizophrenics showed an inhibition of macrophage migration.

Response to amitriptyline and urinary MHPG in bipolar depressive patients.

This investigation was done in order to test the hypothesis that urinary MHPG levels provide a predictor of response to therapy in depressed patients. 15 elderly biopolar depressives were included in this study. Their depressive state was estimated by the Hamilton Depressive Scale and their urinary MHPG levels were simultaneously measured before and after 5 weeks of amitriptyline therapy. When comparing amitriptyline responders to nonresponders by parametric techniques, the responders excreted significantly higher mean MHPG levels before the treatment than the nonresponders. During treatment MHPG levels rose significantly in both groups.

The Correlation of Increased Serum Prolactin Levels with Decreased Sexual Desire and Activity in Elderly Men

Serum prolactin levels and sexual function were evaluated in 28 men from 60 to 64 years of age and in 44 men from 65 to 70 years of age. All subjects were married, physically healthy, and had no psychopathology or marital problem. About a third of the men aged 60 to 70 years suffered from impotence. No obvious correlation between elevated levels of serum prolactin and impotence was obtained. Subjects aged 65 to 70 who had decreased libido exhibited a significant elevation of serum prolactin levels, while subjects of the same age group who had reserved (normal) libido appeared to have low serum prolactin levels. Nine of ten men aged 60 to 70 years with serum prolactin levels above 40 ng/ml reported decreased libido. Potent men of both age groups (60–70 years) with high prolactin levels showed a tendency to have a decrease in frequency of sexual intercourse. Thus, it seems that mild hyperprolactinemia in aging men may be associated with decreased sexual desire and frequency of sexual activity.

The active uptake of serotonin by platelets of schizophrenic patients and their families: Possibility of a genetic marker

The active uptake of serotonin (5-HT) by blood platelets of 20 schizophrenic patients and their families was studied. The uptake was studied over a wide range of 5-HT concentrations (0.1–20μM), and Km and Vmax of the uptake process were calculated. Of 20 patients, 18 exhibited a lower rate of uptake than the family average at 5-HT concentrations lower than the Km value. At a 5-HT concentration of 0.1 μM, the average 5-HT uptake of patients was 2.15 pmol/108 platelets/min, while that of families was 2.99 pmol/108 platelets/min (33% difference). At a high 5-HT concentration, only the drug-treated patients had lower Vmax than the family average, and this might be attributed to the effect of the drugs. Km of patients and families were very similar. In eight families, one or more of the family members showed 5-HT uptake patterns very similar to that of the patient. We termed these healthy family members “schizophrenic risks”. Our findings indicate the involvement of some genetic factors in this disease.

Behavior Therapy, Pimozide Treatment and Prolactin Secretion in Anorexia Nervosa

The involvement of the hypothalamic dopaminergic pathway in the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN) was evaluated by monitoring the serum prolactin (PRL) levels in 10 adolescent anorectic females. 5 patients were treated by behavior therapy program and 5 were treated with pimozide, an antidopaminergic drug. The study was conducted for a period of 20 weeks. Elevation of PRL levels was used as an indicator of antidopaminergic activity. PRL was increased in the 5 patients receiving the antidopaminergic agent, while no elevation was observed in the patients undergoing behavior therapy. All 10 patients were treated successfully as expressed by their gradual gain in weight. It is concluded that antidopaminergic activity does not seem to be a prerequisite for clinical improvement.

High dose diazepam treatment and its effect on prolactin secretion in adolescent schizophrenic patients

Thirteen acute schizophrenic patients aged 14–18 years were treated with gradually increasing doses of diazepam to a maximum of 100–400 mg/day/p.o. with a total duration of treatment of 4 weeks. The clinical antipsychotic effect was evaluated by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), while the impact on the hypothalamic hypophyseal pathway was evaluated by monitoring the serum prolactin levels (SPL) determined by a highly sensitive homologous radioimmunoassay (RIA).High diazepam doses (100–400 mg/day) caused sedation but no clinical antipsychotic effect was observed. Diazepam treatment with doses up to 250 mg/day caused no significant rise in SPL, while the treatment with doses of higher than 250 mg/day resulted in a mild but still significant increase in SPL.The clinical and laboratory data suggest that diazepam has no direct antidopaminergic activity. The mild hyperprolactinemia achieved with the extremely high doses of diazepam (>250 mg/day) is possibly due to activation of the GABA system which stimulates prolactin release directly or by inhibiting the dopaminergic neurons or alternatively to activation of the endopphinergic system.

The heart image as a model to internal-organ body image.

We show that there is indeed an internal-organ body image: the heart. Using questionnaires and drawings, we compared a group of healthy subjects, a group of acutely ill cardiac patients and a group of chronic cardiac patients. A constant body image emerged which was not influenced by heart disease. It seems to us that this approach can serve as a model of further studies of internal-organ body image.

Internal Body Image of the Brain

We show that there is a body image of an internal organ--the brain. Using questionnaires and drawings to compare three groups--healthy subjects, acutely ill and chronic patients (with a brain disease)--we demonstrate that there is constant body image, which is very little influenced by brain disease.