Jinichi Suzuki

Accentuated vagal antagonism of beta-adrenergic effects on ventricular repolarization. Evidence of weaker antagonism in hostile type A men.

BackgroundPrior research has suggested a weaker parasympathetic antagonism of sympathetic effects on the heart in type A (coronary-prone) men. To confirm this phenomenon and extend our understanding of it, we investigated the effects of prior muscarinic blockade on the electrocardiogram T wave and other cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to isoproterenol in type A and type B (non-coronary-prone) men. Methods and ResultsResponses to two 5-minute intravenous isoproterenol infusions (0.01 μg/kg/min and 0.02 Xμg/kg/min) were evaluated in six type A and six type B men after pretreatment with either dextrose placebo or atropine (1.2 mg). Atropine significantly potentiated T wave attenuation in the recovery period after isoproterenol infusion (0.30±0.07 mV) compared with placebo (0.54±0.09 mV, p<0.00l). Atropine also potentiated the heart rate increase to isoproterenol (39±3 beats per minute versus 20±2 beats per minute after placebo). Atropine enhanced decreases in systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures as well as pulse pressure to isoproterenol. Atropine enhancement of many of these responses was increased among subjects with high scores on various hostility/anger scales. Isoproterenol alone produced greater T wave attenuation in type A than in type B men. However, atropine enhancement of T wave attenuation and blood pressure falls by isoproterenol was present only in type B men. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that there is accentuated parasympathetic antagonism of T wave attenuation and blood pressure responses induced by β-adrenergic stimulation. Relative weakness of this antagonism of sympathetic effects on the heart in hostile type A individuals may contribute to their higher coronary disease risk.

Impact of stress on alcoholic liver injury; a histopathological study.

Certain behaviors can have an influence on the cause and progression of liver disorders. To clarify the relation between histopathological change of the liver and psychosocial stress, behavioral traits, and psychological state, patients with fatty liver (n = 14) were compared with patients with chronic hepatitis (n = 16). Both groups were alcohol-induced without other causes and consumed the same dose of alcohol. By morphometric methods, fat deposit ratio (FDR) and degree of liver damage (DLD) which reflects lobular fibrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, and necrosis were evaluated. Life Change Unit scores from the Social Readjustment Rating Scale were significantly higher in chronic hepatitis than in fatty liver (p less than 0.001). DLD was significantly correlated with Life Change Unit (r = 0.59, p less than 0.01). It is suggested that psychosocial stress is one of the aggravating factors of fibrosis and inflammatory change of the liver which is previously damaged by alcohol in man just like the rat liver following stress.

Psychophysiological Study on Fasting Therapy

The Tohoku University method of fasting therapy was performed on 380 patients. The clinical results revealed an efficacy rate of 87%. With regard to psychosomatic diseases, irritable colon syndrome, neurocirculatory asthenia, mild diabetes mellitus, obesity and borderline hypertension were good indications for this therapy. In order to clarify the therapeutic mechanism, several clinical examinations were administered before, during and after therapy. EEG data was analysed according to the power spectral method. The peak frequency decreased as fasting progressed, while it increased as re-fed continued. Percent energy of alpha waves after fasting therapy was significantly higher than that of the pre-fasting stage. The dexamethasone suppression rate of urine 17-OHCS after fasting therapy was significantly lower than that of the pre-fasting stage. It seems that ketone nutrition may work as a strong stressor in the brain cell, temporarily placing all biological mechanisms in a stress state and then activating the natural healing power inherent to the human body, thereby bringing about homeostasis.

Fasting Therapy for Psychosomatic Disorders in Japan

It has been well known in Japan that fasting therapy has an excellent effect on various kinds of psychosomatic diseases. From 1967 to 1977 the therapy was carried out on about 382 cases of psychosomatic diseases in our clinic with an efficacy rate of 87%. The following diseases were considered as suitable indications for the therapy; irritable colon, behavioral disturbance of eating, functional disorders of the G-I tract, neurocirculatory asthenia, labile hypertension, variable psychosomatic symptoms of puberty, conversion hysteria and many kinds of neurosis with somatic complaints. The mechanism of effectiveness of the therapy is discussed from the psychological and biological aspects. It is concluded that the regulating mechanisms of the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system may change the whole functioning of the body including the brain, resulting in a spontaneous deconditioning of maladaptive bodily and mental behavior and an improved homeostatic adjustment to life.

Environmental Stress Factors and Their Psychosomatic Correlates in Diabetes Mellitus

The ward of environmental stress contains two meanings that one is the physical or chemical stimulation come from the nature, the other is psychological stress coming from human society which we are living now. On this paper, I would like to take up the later mental stressor in our country Japan. Recently almost Japanese are stone-tossed in their psychosocial and ethical confusion which caused by end of megaloindustriazation and beginning of slowing down of socioeconomical development. Consequently many stress induced diseases are progressing with rapid gradient, such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular accident and diabetes mellitus. At first, I will mention an analytic result of diabetes morbidity rate which is increasing parallel with socio-economical change, next I will represent how the mental stress aggravate diabetic process experimentally, at last I want to show you new diabetic type among the school teachers who are exposed to the violence by misconducted young generation in junior high school.

Psychosomatic education in Japan

In the field of undergraduate education, there are eighty medical schools in Japan but only five of these have independent departments of psychosomatic medicine. Another seventeen schools have a curriculum including psychosomatic medicine. However, oriental psychotherapies such as fasting therapy, Naikan therapy and Morita therapy are taught in only a few schools. The postgraduate education is mainly promoted by the Japanese Psychosomatic Society which has about 1700 members including psychologists, nurses and social workers as well as medical doctors. The society has seven local branches throughout the country which hold one or two educational meetings per year as well as the Annual General Congress. Unfortunately, the growth of the Japanese psychosomatic movement has been fairly static over the last five years. The reasons are varied. Firstly, the Japanese economy has been affected by the recession and the Ministry of Education do not have the funds available to create any new psychosomatic departments in medical schools. The second reason lies with the general medical practitioners who fail to recognise the importance of psychosomatic medicine. In spite of such opposition our executive councillors are working hard to overcome these difficulties.