Forecasting of top athletic performance.

The limiting factors of top athletic performance and the psycho-physiological mechanisms involved remain controversial. The aim of this study was to attempt a prediction of world records (WR) for the next ten years in five athletic track and field and events. Our prediction has been produced by means of computer--aided mathematical models.

Stress assessment by means of questionnaires.

A comprehensive methodology for the measurement of stress comprises objective physiological and biochemical methods as well as application of self-reporting scales. This overview focuses on the subjective procedures, their psycho-physiological theoretical background and practical issues. We discuss the most valuable procedures used to assess stress factors, reactions to stress and relationships between the stressed subject and the physical and psychosocial environment.

The brain and other sites of erythropoietin production.

Ischemic hypoxia of the head induced in dogs by carotid compression produces EPO secretion, upon direct cerebral stimulation, and adaptive carotid-respiratory reflexes via sino-carotid stimulation. During hypoxic hypoxia, there also occurs extrarenal EPO production, as shown in binephrectomized rats compared to controls. Ischemic hypoxia of a single kidney transplanted in the neck area (the other kidney being removed) does not induce EPO secretion.

Newer issues on the topics of stress and of exercise physiology.

The background concerns the present-day psychobiological construct on stress and its models. Psychoneuroendocrine mechanisms, cellular and molecular alterations, oxidative and immune reactions and stress system disorder, related to physical, psychosocial and emotional stress became hot research areas. Other important directions regard occupational stress, objective and subjective assessment methods and stress prevention and management.

Blood levels of some electrolytes and hormones during exercise in athletes.

Athletes (8 trained medium and long distance runners) have been explored before and after physical exercise under two testing procedures. After the ergometric test significant increases of Ca++ and Mg++ in serum and significant decrease of Mg++ in erythrocytes occurred. A marked increment of the cortisol level and lesser changes of the thyroid hormones have been found.

Immunity and stress.

The relationship between stress and immunity is not a hot topic of psychoneuroimmunology. The review outlines the main aspects of these interrelations; stress sensitive immunological markers, experimental research and studies on humans which underline the prevailing immunosuppressive effects of stress are discussed. A classification of stress-related diseases comprises autoimmune, acute, psychosomatic and neuroendocrine diseases.

Romanian contribution to stress research.

This review outlines in brief the research performed in Romania on several directions of the stress topics, as follows: historical background, theoretical developments and critical approaches to Selye's theory, experimental research, methodological aspects, occupational stress, stress and immunity, clinical studies, including studies on post-traumatic stress disorder. Five books on stress published by Romanian authors are mentioned and the importance of a psychoneuro-endocrinological insight is underlined.

The psychoanalytical concept from a neurophysiological perspective.

Many neurobiologists remain reluctant concerning the perspectives of a fruitful dialogue between psychoanalysis and neurosciences. Our attempt aims to underline the impact of recent neurophysiological and psychophysiological data on a scientific foundation of the three basic components of psychoanalysis: unconsciousness, sexuality and dreams. The psychoanalytical and the neuroscientific theory and practice of the posttraumatic stress disorders and of the stress concept are also discussed.

Analysis of psychophysiological mechanism with cardiovascular risks.

The review summarises newer findings on the relations between personality and behavioural traits and the risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). After a critical analysis of the type of A behavioural pattern (TABP), the role of hostility as a crucial element of this behaviour is underlined. Emphasis is put on the cardiovascular overarousal on the psychophysiological mechanisms of TABP and on the relationship proved by the authors too, between TABP and diseases other than CHD.

Post-traumatic stress disorders; psychophysiological and medical aspects.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychobiological concept. Distressing events outside the range of usual human experience produce several somatovegetative and especially several psychic disturbances. The psychoneuroendocrine mechanisms of PTSD concern the impact of cognitive factors, a disorder of arousal and alterations of the central sympathoadrenal system and of the noradrenergic mediation.

Phagocytic response in rats following chemical sympathectomy with 6-hydroxydopamine.

Wistar rats were injected i.p. at 2, 4 and 7 days after birth with 6-OHDA (50 mg/kg).

Effects of ingestion of radioactive cesium on behavioral indices in rats.

The experiments were carried out on 35 male (M) and female (F) rats contaminated by ingestion of Cesium--137(Cs) for 38 or 84 days; the total Cs activity was 288 Bq 460 Bq, and respectively. The duration of forced swimming decreased significantly in the contaminated groups as compared with controls (n = 16). The active avoidance reaction in the shuttle-box shows an increase in F groups and a decrease in M groups.

Towards an interdisciplinary analysis of stress.

This survey provides an outline of some recent integrative research of stress, concerning two main approaches: psychoneuroendocrinological and mathematical. The first is focused on the progress of the study of nontraditional stress hormones and on their nervous control, the second on the contribution of statistical computation of data and on the construction of various models of stress.

Neurobehavioral and biochemical response to manganese and selenium exposure in rats.

Aiming to extend previous findings, male Wistar rats were treated per os for 13 weeks with manganese chloride in two doses: 300 mg/kg body weight (group I) and 20 mg/kg b.w. (II), the former was associated (III) with a microdose (1 ppm) of natrium selenite.

Psychophysiological assessment of cardiovascular risk factors.

An overview of recent data concerning the evaluation of overall risk for CHD shows the drawbacks of existing formulae. On this basis a more complete screening score and a new mathematic formula for computing the probability of risk for CHD have been assessed. Besides the primary and classical risk factors the latter also includes psychophysiological variables concerning stress and coronary prone behaviour.

Exercise performance tests in the rat.

The advantages and shortcomings of various exercise tests applied to rats are discussed. Special attention is devoted to two procedures used by our team: swimming till exhaustion in thermoindifferent water and treadmill run with recording of maximal run distance and duration. Contributions obtained in three research areas (changes of the exercise performance after treatment with various substances, modifications of biochemical and physiological parameters following exercise, endocrine, neuromotor and systemic features of training) are summarized, differences between running and swimming effects are underlined and experimental and practical prospects of these tests are outlined.

Some specific features of exercise stress in athletes.

Stress factors which can elicit several psychoemotional, neuromotor and cardiovascular reactions in athletes before or during training and competition are discussed. The authors' data concern firstly the significance of ACTH depletion. Exploration of the neuromotor system, the flicker test, evaluation of the urinary excretion of amine metabolites and several types of questionnaires (related to stress, anxiety and coronary risk factors) in a group of 35 athletes have outlined their psychophysiological reactions and behaviour.

Central and peripheral effects of 6-hydroxydopamine on exercise performance in rats.

6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injected into the lateral cerebral ventricles of rats impaired their exercise performance until exhaustion (treadmill run and swimming). The injected rats displayed significantly less training-induced improvement of swimming performance than did the control animals. Reduced performance also was seen in adult rats treated intraperitoneally with 6-OHDA in the neonatal or adult periods.

Psychophysiological typological aspects in relation to the risk for coronary heart disease and to the work load.

The application of Jenkins activity survey allowed to assess the behavior pattern of 76 managers (white collar workers) exposed to professional stress. In 54-82% of the subjects the type A behavioral pattern was found; conventional risk factors for coronary heart disease existed in more than 50% of the cases. Individual advices to prevent or restrain the coronary risk were given.

Effects of 6-hydroxydopamine on the carbohydrate metabolism of skeletal and heart muscles in rest and during exercise.

A mild 10 min exercise, induced by "in vivo" electrical stimulation of the rat gastrocnemius, causes decreases of the muscle glycogen content (G) and phosphorylase alpha activity (PA), and an increase of its overall glycolytic capacity (OGC); in the myocardium, PA decrease of liver glycogen were brought about by peripheral administration of 6-OHDA; these were probably also related to tissue hypoxia. Modifications elicited by exercise in 6-OHDA treated rats (increase of PA, but no modification of G and OGC in GM; decrease of G in the liver; decrease of OGC in M) suggest some impairments of the ability to adapt the tissue metabolism to increased energetic needs.

New data concerning the effects of 6-hydroxydopamine on the exercise performance in rats.

An injection of 250 micrograms 6-OHDA into the right cerebral ventricle of adult rats tested after 45 days led to a reduction of the run performance on the treadmill compared with the control group, but only in the first period of this test, repeated 10-11 times, every 2-3 days. This behavior was more obvious in male and in exercise-enduring rats. The histological examination proved partial destruction of central monoaminergic (especially dopaminergic) structures in the 6-OHDA treated rats.

Other effects of monoaminergic inhibition with 6-hydroxydopamine and of disulfiram on the response to exercise in rats.

A considerable reduction of the run performance (tread-mill test) and a smaller impairment of the swimming capacity occurs in adult rats injected intraperitoneally in the neonatal period with three doses of 50 mg/kg b.w. or 6-hydroxydopamine.