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Biomedical subjects

S Stephanos

Publications and source records attributed to S Stephanos.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

[24-hour blood pressure decrease with nifedipine with a new galenic action].

OBJECTIVE: Testing of the blood pressure-lowering effect of a slow-release (24 hours) nifedipine preparation. STUDY DESIGN: Single blind, randomized placebo controlled, single cross-over test; duration eight days. PATIENTS: 18 inpatients with essential hypertension and a blood pressure of more than 160/95 mmHg. MEDICATION: A single 60 mg slow-release nifedipine tablet (Aprical long 60 mg) administered daily at 1800 hours. MEASURING PARAMETERS: Pulse and blood pressure measured after 3, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22 and 24 hours post-administration. RESULTS: Even 18 to 24 hours after administration, the systolic blood pressure was reduced on average by 20 mmHg, the diastolic pressure by 14 mmHg. In the case of the test substance, the percentage of blood pressures in the target range (less than 160/95 mmHg) was 40 percentage points (systolic) and 49 percentage points (diastolic) higher than in the case of placebo. In 15 patients, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was maintained within the defined target range for 24 hours. Reflex tachycardia was not observed, while other side effects such as headache, flushing, hot flashes, and leg edema occurred only rarely. There was evidence that an evening administration of the drug had a favorable effect on the morning blood pressure increase.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Libidinal cathexis and emotional growth in the analytical treatment of psychosomatic patients.

The paper deals with a form of analytical therapy in psychosomatics, which was developed and applied for many years in a model research ward. The therapeutic arrangement, or setting, was designed to make provision for all 3 elements of a person's make-up - his environment, his mind and his body. At the heart of the model is the therapeutic team, which offers the patient empathatic 'holding' and encourages his emotional growth. The members of the team have learned to offer themselves to the patient as a unit with a common inner attitude towards him. This means that they must first have worked out a unified approach, a hermeneutic structure, with which to understand him. Against the background of a special genetic conception of a mother's function for her child, the ward was turned into a setting that confronts the patient, in psychodramatized form, with a specific form of 'physical ambience'. In coming to grips with the team's physical, sensual presence, the patient is stimulated into developing a transference relationship to the empathizing, maternal father-figure, the 'père maternel'. In this way he can break loose from his clinging dependency on an 'omnipotent object', his dyadic partner, and, through internalizing the therapist both in his female and his male aspects, create a libidinal object in his inner world.

Cathexis↗
PubMed1978

Pathological primary identifications and their effects on the psychosomatic economy of the individual.

The paper deals with the problem of the unstable psychosomatic economy and the patient's consequent susceptibility to psychosomatic disturbances. This goes back to a primary psychobiological defect in the sphere of his earliest identifications, which comes to the surface in emotional crisis situations. The term "Psychosomatic Phenomenon' is used to describe this basic disturbance in the patient's relationships, which can be observed in his interactions with the psychotherapist or interviewer, where it takes the form of a noticeable lack of fantasy, poor relationships and a reduced capacity for psychic experience and elaboration. The author's object-psychological approach has grown out of years of experience in the analytical treatment of hospitalized psychosomatic patients. A 'toxic environment' can be seen to have been a disturbing influence on the early development of the infant. A child whose mother herself knows no autonomy cannot develop its own fantasies through autoerotic activity and thus cannot build up a libidinal object in its inner world. The result is that such an individual is incapable of meeting the inevitable somatic disorganizations with differentiated reorganization processes and so has no defense against physical illness.

Humans↗
PubMed1977

[Elaboration of the psychosomatic phenomenon: observations on the biography of Blaise Pascal].

The paper aims to take a closer look at some of the problems surrounding the 'psychosomatic phenomenon'. The origin, development and effects of the phenomenon, as well as the way in which one individual managed to overcome it, are illustrated in the example of the French philosopher and physicist, Blaise Pascal. The authors hold the view that the psychosomatic phenomenon is rooted in disturbances in the early identification processes of the infant. Somatic symptoms flare up whenever the individual, in a phase of disorganization, becomes dominated by his psychosomatic phenomenon. If, however, the person concerned has the ability to go through with the suffering involved in experiencing and elaborating these early defects, thus giving them a psychic dimension, he may be able to overcome them and in this way even attain to creativity. The genius Pascal is an extreme example of one who had this ability and so gained access to his own truth, which he found in God.

Creativity↗
PubMed1977

Some properties of interferons induced by stimulants of T and B lymphocytes.

Murine interferons induced by viruses and by non viral substances such as lectins, tilorone, lipopolysaccharide and Brucella have been analysed by affinity chromatography on a column of Sepharose coupled to anti-bodies directed against viral interferon. B cell stimulants induced interferons which are antigenically related to viral interferon and T cell dependent mitogens induced an interferon species which appears to be antigenically and physicochemically different. Despite their antigenic differences, both kinds of interferon seem to follow similar pathways for the induction of the antiviral state (sensitivity to antimetabolites, and in vitro phosphorylation of a 67 000 MW protein).

Animals↗
PubMed1975

A concept of analytical treatment for patients with psychosomatic disorders. Report on the psychosomatic phenomenon and its consequence for therapy.

With the Paris school the author holds the view that the 'pensée opératoire' is pathognomic for the psychosomatic patient. This archaic, 'automatistisch-mechanistisch' thinking is a consequence of defects in the sphere of the physiological pre-ego. Certain typical findings, such as reduplication and mechanized object relations are seen as correlates of disturbances in the patient's early identification processes. Analytical therapy must thus aim at shifting the all but inaccessible psychosomatic phenomenon into a historical perspective. The psychological event can set in only when the patient has discovered the connexion between his somatic reaction patterns and the emotions he is beginning to feel for the security-giving therapist. An account of the development of the treatment of one patient (Birgit) illustrates the author's concept of analytical therapy in psychosomatics. The 'facilitating environment' helped the patient Birgit to differentiate herself from her dual object and thus to be able to cathect the level of the triangular relationship. The concept of the model ward led on to the development of an ambulatory method of therapy, 'relaxation analytique', which is based on investigations into the concept of the holding function. 'Taking care' of the patient is function of the therapist's own inner attitude, of his being prepared to do everything to encourage the therapeutic regression. The correlate of this attitude, on the side of the patient, is the sense of security which is an essential condition for the 'new beginning' to set in.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gestosis and the psychosomatic phenomenon--an empirical investigation.

Patients suffering from psychosomatic diseases in the strict sense of the term (asthma, ulcers, colitis etc.) have characteristic object relations which we call the 'relation blanche'. The present investigation aims at finding out whether similar features can be observed in patients suffering from early and late gestosis. The results indicate that there is a definite connection between gestosis and the group of strictly psychosomatic diseases, thus confirming our hypothesis that gestosis does not primarily represent a neurotic conflict situation nor a psychotic breakdown.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A 4-year follow-up study of in-patient psychosomatic patients.

The subjects of the inquiry were 13 psychosomatic patients who had all undergone psychotherapy in the special research unit of the University Clinic for Psychosomatics in Giessen (FRG) in 1971. Data collection took place at the beginning (time a) and end (time b) of in-patient treatment, and then again 4 years later (time c). The same test battery was administered each time. The results indicate that a significant change in the patients' self-image came about during in-patient treatment and the catamnesis carried out 4 years later attests to the stability of this development. The question of whether this change reflects the patient's adjustment to the ideals of his therapist--conformity with the 'norm'--or can be interpreted as a criterium for true ego development in the sense of an expansion of his psychic possibilities, is discussed.

Depression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Therapy-oriented research in psychosomatic medicine].

The author takes the view the patients with psychosomoatic disturbances show peculiarities in their psychic structure based on psychological ego defects. These typical characteristics are closely related to what is described as the "psychosomatic phenomenon" and the patient's resulting inability to give himself over spontaneously to the therapeutic process. The objectification of these clinical observations in patients taken from various branches of medicine is described. These studies support a number of hypotheses on aspects of the characteristic "lack" and have contributed to the development of a special theoretical model based on an object-psychological approach to understanding psychosomatic pathology. On the basis of this model the author developed a special analytically-oriented therapeutic method for the treatment of psychosomatic patients, which has proved itself in many years of application in a model research ward. Follow-up studies show that the positive therapeutic results achieved remained stable over a period of at least 4 years.

Ego↗