Circadian rhythms of S-IgA and cortisol in whole saliva —Compensatory mechanism of oral immune system for nocturnal fall of saliva secretion—

Impact of the menstrual cycle phases and time of day on markers of stress: salivary α-amylase and secretory immunoglobulin A

Previous reports suggest that the menstrual cycle (MC) phases can impact cortisol concentrations. However, research is needed on whether the MC impacts other markers of stress and immune function. It has also been shown that some biomarkers are impacted by time of day, although differences between morning (AM) and afternoon (PM) biomarkers have not been studied over the course of the MC. This study assessed the effect of MC phases and time of day on salivary stress biomarkers [salivary α-amylase (sAA), secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA)], progesterone, resting blood pressure and resting heart rate (RHR). A single-group repeated measure design was employed in which seventeen participants (n = 17) monitored their MC for two months while attending eight experimental sessions which included both AM and PM sessions during each predicted 1) menses, 2) follicular, 3) ovulatory and 4) luteal phases. Resting blood pressures, heart rates, body composition parameters (assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis), sAA and SIgA concentrations were assessed. No time of day x MC phase interactions (p > 0.05) were noted for sAA or SIgA, resting blood pressure, heart rate, or body composition parameters. However, sAA and RHR were significantly higher in the PM, while SIgA was significantly higher in the AM. These data suggest that the MC phases do not impact sAA or SIgA, resting blood pressure, heart rates, or body composition parameters. However, time-of-day impacts RHR and concentrations of sAA and SIgA. These findings provide implications for female participants in research dealing with these biomarkers.

Salivary Immunoglobulin a Alterations in Health and Disease: A Bibliometric Analysis of Diagnostic Trends from 2009 to 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) is a mediator of local immunity and host defence. Altered IgA levels may predispose to bacterial invasion of the mucosa in the gastrointestinal tract, including the oral cavity. Our study aimed to present the diagnostic trends related to salivary IgA in health and disease based on a bibliometric analysis of published papers between 2009 and 2024.

METHODS

By 14 September 2024, 1247 English original articles were found in the database Web of Science. We selected 838 records considering the diagnostic usefulness of IgA in human subjects. Based on bibliographic data, we created citation and keyword co-occurrence maps using VOSviewer 1.6.20.

RESULTS

Most articles belonged to the "Sport Sciences" category (n = 169), followed by the "Immunology" category (n = 93). The Brazilian researcher Alexandre Moreira from the University of Sao Paulo had the most published and most frequently cited papers. Most of the included articles came from the USA (n = 158), England (n = 105), Brazil (n = 95), and Japan (n = 95). The most cited article described research on IgA in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection (n = 690), but the subsequent two papers considered the role of salivary IgA in the dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota in inflammatory bowel diseases (n = 272) and the formation of systemic immune responses from the gastrointestinal tract (n = 245).

CONCLUSIONS

Salivary IgA is a widely evaluated diagnostic marker in both patients and healthy individuals. Numerous reports have identified its changes as a result of physical exertion in various groups of athletes, during infections (including SARS-CoV-2) and in the course of local diseases (e.g., periodontal disease) or systemic diseases (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease).

Effect of hospitalization on equine local intestinal immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration measured in feces

During hospitalization horses may develop gastrointestinal conditions triggered by a stress-associated weak local immune system. The prospective, clinical trial was conducted to find out whether fecal immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations could be determined in hospitalized horses and how they changed during hospitalization and in response to various stressors. Samples were obtained from 110 horses and a control group (n = 14). At arrival in the hospital, horses were categorized into pain grades (1-5), and elective versus strenuous surgery (> 2 hours, traumatic and emergency procedures). Feces were collected on day 1, day 2, day 3, and day 7 in all horses. Blood samples were obtained at the same intervals, but additionally after general anaesthesia in horses undergoing surgery (day 2). IgA concentration in feces was determined by ELISA and measured in optical density at 450nm. The control group showed constant IgA concentrations on all days (mean value 0.30 OD450 ±SD 0.11, 1.26 mg/g; n = 11). After general anaesthesia fecal IgA concentrations decreased considerably independent of duration and type of surgery (P < 0.001 for elective and P = 0.043 for traumatic surgeries). High plasma cortisol concentrations were weakly correlated with low fecal IgA on the day after surgery (P = 0.012, day 3, correlation coefficient r = 0.113). Equine fecal IgA concentrations showed a decline associated with transport, surgery, and hospitalization in general, indicating that stress has an impact on the local intestinal immune function and may predispose horses for developing gastrointestinal diseases such as enterocolitis.

Salivary secretory immunoglobulin A as a potential biomarker of psychosocial stress response during the first stages of life: A systematic review

Mucosal secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) has been recognized as a key component of human first line defense against infection. However, its reactivity to psychosocial stressors is poorly understood. This systematic review aimed to explore whether s-IgA levels changed after psychosocial stress in subjects under the age of 18. Fifteen articles were included. s-IgA basal levels are increased in children older than 9 years old exposed to stress. Furthermore, s-IgA seems to follow a circadian rhythm, which is altered under stress conditions. Finally, the collective evidence suggests that salivary s-IgA rapidly increases under acute stress after puberty. Overall, our review indicates that s-IgA could be considered a potential psychosocial stress biomarker of interest for pediatric and child-juvenile psychiatric population. Further studies are needed to validate the role of s-IgA circadian rhythm and basal levels as psychosocial stress biomarkers and disentangle the role of age and type of stressor.

Disease-related disgust promotes antibody release in human saliva

The behavioral immune system (BIS) comprises manifold mechanisms, that may assist the physiological immune system (PIS) in counteracting infection and can even reduce the risk of contagion. Previous studies have found initial evidence for possible interactions between the two systems. However, most of these findings were correlative and have not been replicated. Further, none of these studies examined whether disease stimuli that indicate an enhanced airborne transmission risk may trigger a different immune response in comparison to stimuli that predominantly evoke core disgust. In the present study, we employed a video-priming approach to get further insight in the influence of the perception of disgust- and disease-related stimuli on the rapid physiological immune response, as indicated by changes of secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) in saliva. We created three video primers that represented different categories of disgust- and/or disease-associated content. Two of the videos showed disease-related situations that were associated with contagious respiratory virus infections, varying in concealment of aerosols. The third video incurred no heightened airborne contagion risk, but comprised situations that are known to elicit core disgust, such as rotten foods, decaying animal carcasses, or cockroaches. A fourth video acted as control showing landscape impressions. The different video primers varied in their contagion risk and disgust-evoking potential. Given the role of S-IgA in the mucosal immune defense, we expected differences in the S-IgA response between the two videos indicating a heightened airborne contagion risk and the core disgust video, with the highest S-IgA to occur after the aerosol video. For this, we used the data of 107 healthy participants in a between-subjects design with the four video primers. We found a significant increase of S-IgA in response to both the disease- and the disgust-related videos, which correlated positively with the perceived contagion risk of the displayed situations. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in the increase between the three disease- and disgust-related videos. We also found that people with a high contamination disgust produced less S-IgA in such situations, which is a hint for a compensating relationship between the BIS and PIS. Our observations suggest that the mere visual perception of videos showing realistic situations of an increased contagion risk can elicit a heightened release of salivary antibodies.

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Realistic videos of respiratory diseases are efficient to trigger immune responses.

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Secretory Immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) in saliva increases after video-priming.

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S-IgA increase is positively correlated with perceived contagion risk.

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S-IgA increase is inversely correlated with the trait contamination disgust.

Diurnal and eating-associated microbial patterns revealed via high-frequency saliva sampling

The oral microbiome is linked to oral and systemic health, but its fluctuation under frequent daily activities remains elusive. Here, we sampled saliva at 10- to 60-min intervals to track the high-resolution microbiome dynamics during the course of human activities. This dense time series data showed that eating activity markedly perturbed the salivary microbiota, with tongue-specific Campylobacter concisus and Oribacterium sinus and dental plaque-specific Lautropia mirabilis, Rothia aeria, and Neisseria oralis increased after every meal in a temporal order. The observation was reproducible in multiple subjects and across an 11-mo period. The microbiome composition showed significant diurnal oscillation patterns at different taxonomy levels with Prevotella/Alloprevotella increased at night and Bergeyella HMT 206/Haemophilus slowly increased during the daytime. We also identified microbial co-occurring patterns in saliva that are associated with the intricate biogeography of the oral microbiome. Microbial source tracking analysis showed that the contributions of distinct oral niches to the salivary microbiome were dynamically affected by daily activities, reflecting the role of saliva in exchanging microbes with other oral sites. Collectively, our study provides insights into the temporal microbiome variation in saliva and highlights the need to consider daily activities and diurnal factors in design of oral microbiome studies.

Influence of Swimming Training Session on Selected Saliva Components in Youth Swimmers

Exercise may induce many changes in biochemical parameters of the saliva. Thanks to non-invasive access, saliva can be used as a diagnostic material in physical activity monitoring. The aim of the study was comparison of selected salivary components in swimmers before and after training session. 40 male subjects aged 12–15, out of whom 30 were competitive swimmers and 10 control were involved in the study. Salivary samples were collected from all subjects in the morning, and in the afternoon; from the swimmers, they were also collected before and after the workout. Salivary flow rate-V, pH, total protein-P, alpha-amylase-Amy, salivary peroxidase-SPO, cortisol-C, total antioxidant status-TAS, sialic acid (free-FSA, bound-GSA, total-TSA), calcium-Ca, magnesium-Mg were measured. The swimmers assessed the workout intensity of training session using the RPE Foster’s scale. The circadian rhythm pattern of some salivary components and differences after training were found. In swimmers after the morning exercise significant increase of P (0.83 ± 0.27 vs. 1.10 ± 0.58 g/L), Amy (64.91 ± 70.86 vs. 87.07 ± 92.46IU/L), Ca (3.83 ± 1.33 vs. 4.99 ± 2.24 mg/L), Mg (0.52 ± 0.32 vs. 0.73 ± 0.34 mg/L), TAS (0.64 ± 0.27 vs. 0.72 ± 0.26 mmol/L) and decrease V (0.47 ± 0.37 vs. 0.36 ± 0.22 mg/min), C (5.86 ± 5.00 vs. 3.54 ± 5.07 μg/ml) were found. After the afternoon training significant increase of pH (7.13 ± 0.33 vs. 7.27 ± 0.24), Amy (111.53 ± 120.13 vs. 130.91 ± 161.14IU/L), Ca (3.72 ± 1.34 vs. 4.61 ± 1.58 mg/L), Mg (0.48 ± 0.28 vs. 0.60 ± 0.39 mg/L), TSA (5.64 ± 3.78 vs. 6.10 ± 3.08 mg/L), GSA (3.00 ± 3.06 vs. 3.38 ± 2.26 mg/L), and decrease of V (0.63 ± 0.63 vs. 0.49 ± 0.39 ml/min) were noticed. Before training in the morning in the swimmers significantly higher of V (0.47 ± 0.37 vs. 0.26 ± 0.15 mg/min), TAS (0.64 ± 0.27 vs. 0.40 ± 0.16 mmol/L), and lower pH (7.01 ± 0.46 vs. 7.53 ± 0.33), P (0.83 ± 0.27 vs. 1.86 ± 1.28 g/L), Amy (64.91 ± 70.86 vs. 146.56 ± 114.45IU/L) compared to the control were found. In the afternoon in swimmers before training session significantly lower pH (7.13 ± 0.33 vs. 7.53 ± 0.49) and Amy (111.53 ± 120.13 vs. 170.98 ± 107.72IU/L) in comparison to the control were noticed. The RPE scores were negatively correlated with V (rho = −0.500, p = 0.05 and pH (rho = −0.382, p = 0.03) measured after the morning session and after the afternoon training with V (rho = −0.570, p = 0.01) and Ca (rho = −0.401, p = 0.08). The levels of salivary flow rate, alpha amylase, cortisol, calcium, magnesium were associated with swimming training session, and showed circadian variation without a significant effect on their responses to exercise.

Circadian and homeostatic sleep-wake regulation of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA): Effects of environmental light and recovery sleep

Secretory Immunoglobulin A (sIgA) builds the first line of the human immune defense. It is not clear whether the power of this defence line is constant across the 24-h day, depends on sleep pressure levels and can be influenced by external lighting conditions. Thus, in 10 healthy young volunteers, we retrospectively analyzed saliva samples for sIgA levels under strictly controlled laboratory conditions across 40 ​h of extended wakefulness under two lighting conditions (dim light 8 lx and blue-enriched light 250 lx, 9000 ​K) to test for circadian and homeostatic sleep-wake influences. We compared the temporal profile of sIgA with the circadian time course of melatonin and cortisol along with subjective sleepiness levels, assessed in the same study by Gabel et al. (2017). The 40-h time course of sIgA exhibited a clear circadian modulation with peak values in the mornings coinciding with the individuals' habitual rise-time. In addition, sIgA levels progressively increased throughout the 40 ​h of extended wakefulness and were temporally correlated with subjective sleepiness but not with subjective ratings of tension and discomfort. In contrast to the circadian profile of melatonin and cortisol, sIgA levels were not significantly altered by the lighting conditions. Unexpectedly, sIgA levels in the morning after recovery sleep from 40 ​h of extended wakefulness rose considerably by more than an order of magnitude (10 times more) compared to morning levels after baseline sleep. We have evidence that diurnal sIgA levels in humans are regulated by the circadian timing system, and challenging the status of the sleep-wake homeostat (i.e. extended wakefulness) boosts human sIgA levels. Thus, besides a person's circadian phase position, the first line of human immune defense also strongly depends on the person's sleep-wake history and actual sleepiness levels. In sum, the fight against pathogenic microorganisms by a key immunological component (sIgA) is modulated by two fundamental processes implicated in human sleep-wake regulation.

Circadian Rhythm of Salivary Immunoglobulin A and Associations with Cortisol as A Stress Biomarker in Captive Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)

Salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) has been proposed as a potential indicator of welfare for various species, including Asian elephants, and may be related to adrenal cortisol responses. This study aimed to distinguish circadian rhythm effects on sIgA in male and female Asian elephants and compare patterns to those of salivary cortisol, information that could potentially have welfare implications. Subjects were captive elephants at an elephant camp in Chiang Mai province, Thailand (n = 5 males, 5 females). Salivette^® kits were used to collect saliva from each elephant every 4 h from 06:00 to 22:00 h for 3 consecutive days (n = 15 samples/elephant). Enzyme immunoassays were used to quantify concentrations of IgA and cortisol in unextracted saliva. Circadian rhythm patterns were determined using a generalized least-squares method. Both sIgA and cortisol followed a circadian rhythm, although the patterns differed. sIgA displayed a daily quartic trend, whereas cortisol concentrations demonstrated a decreasing linear trend in concentrations throughout the day. There was no clear relationship between patterns of sIgA and salivary cortisol, implying that mechanisms of control and secretion differ. Results demonstrate for the first time that circadian rhythms affect sIgA, and concentrations follow a daily quartic pattern in Asian elephants, so standardizing time of collection is necessary.

Free light chains as an emerging biomarker in saliva: Biological variability and comparisons with salivary IgA and steroid hormones

BACKGROUND

Salivary free light chains (FLCs) are an emerging biomarker in health and behavioural research. However, little is known regarding biological variability of salivary FLCs and how they relate to other established salivary biomarkers. This study aimed to investigate the diurnal and day-to-day variation of salivary FLCs and their relationship with salivary IgA and steroid hormones.

METHODS

A total of 46 healthy adults participated in studies exploring the biological variability of FLCs. Diurnal variation was investigated by collecting saliva samples immediately upon waking, 0.5 h, 3 h, 6 h, 9 h and 14 h post-waking. Saliva samples were assessed for FLCs, IgA, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Between-day variation in FLCs and IgA was assessed by collecting saliva samples immediately upon waking for seven consecutive days. Participants underwent a dental examination to exclude oral health as a potential confounding variable. Within and between-person day-to day variation was explored in relation to a range of different factors: awakening time, sleep, exercise, well-being and alcohol consumption.

RESULTS

Salivary secretion rates of FLCs decreased following waking and up to 3 h post-waking and then plateaued. This same pattern was observed for IgA. DHEA was stable upon waking and higher levels were seen in the morning with significantly lower levels thereafter. Cortisol levels significantly increased 0.5 h post-waking then continued to decline across the day. FLCs were significantly correlated with IgA but not cortisol or DHEA. Both FLCs and IgA parameters showed day-to-day variability, with coefficients of variation ≥ 40%. Earlier waking time was significantly correlated with higher FLC and IgA secretion rates. Inter-person differences in saliva parameter variability were observed but the degree of variation in FLCs and IgA was related within person. Inter-person day-to-day variation appeared to be uninfluenced by lifestyle or behavioural factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Saliva FLCs secretion exhibits diurnal fluctuation that mirrors IgA fluctuation. Findings strongly indicate salivary FLC secretion is orchestrated by local plasma cells. FLCs and IgA both showed notable variability day-to-day, which was similar within person and influenced by awakening time. FLCs offer a promising adjunct to IgA in the measurement of oral immune activation.

Diurnal variation of salivary oxidative stress marker 8-hydroxyguanine

INTRODUCTION

Oxidative stress is a risk factor for life-style related diseases, including cancer. We recently reported that the oxidative stress marker 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OHGua) can be measured in saliva non-invasively. Understanding the diurnal pattern of salivary 8-OHGua levels is crucial for evaluating the oxidative stress. In this study, we analyzed the diurnal variation of salivary 8-OHGua levels.

FINDINGS

The salivary 8-OHGua levels were relatively stable in the daytime (10:00-22:00). The daytime 8-OHGua levels seemed to represent the individual oxidative stress status. The average amount and the variation of the salivary 8-OHGua levels immediately after awakening were higher than those of the daytime levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The 8-OHGua levels in saliva exhibited diurnal variation. The levels were higher at the time of awakening. At this point, the daytime levels of salivary 8-OHGua may be appropriate for evaluating the individual oxidative stress status. Further study is needed for understanding and utilizing the 8-OHGua levels at the time of awakening.

Daily life habits associated with eveningness lead to a higher prevalence of dental caries in children

Background/purpose

Circadian rhythm is an endogenous daily variation observed in most physiological functions including salivary secretion. Irregular lifestyle causes many diseases such as obesity and sleep disorders. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the timings of sleep and meal on the prevalence of dental caries.

Materials and methods

Study was conducted at university hospital in Japan. We asked 230 children (1–16 years old) to record the following life habits for 8 days: waking time, bedtime, mealtimes, snacking frequency, and tooth brushing frequency. We analyzed sleep habits from all data and compared dental caries and life habits using data from subjects with primary (2–7 years old) or permanent (11–16 years old) dentition period.

Results

The number of dental caries assessed using the decay or filled teeth (dft) index correlated with bedtime, supper time, regularity of supper time, and snacking frequency in subjects with primary dentition. Multiple regression analysis revealed that bedtime and snacking frequency were mutually independent risk factors for dental caries. No correlations were found between the prevalence of dental caries and other measurement items. The number of caries correlated with the regularity of supper time and age in subjects with permanent dentition.

Conclusion

Children with daily life habits associated with eveningness have a higher prevalence of dental caries.

The Multifaceted Nature of Immunoglobulin A and Its Complex Role in HIV

IgA is the most abundant immunoglobulin in mucosal secretions, and understanding the role of IgA in both protection from HIV acquisition and modulation of HIV disease progression is a field of considerable controversy and renewed research interest. Analysis of the RV144 clinical trial associated plasma HIV envelope-specific monomeric IgA from vaccines with reduced vaccine efficacy. The RV144 trial, however, only assessed for plasma IgA, which was not further subclassed, and the role of mucosal IgA was not addressed as mucosal samples were not collected. On the other hand, several studies have detected envelope-specific IgA in mucosal secretions of highly exposed persistently seronegative cohorts, while recent macaque simian-HIV passive immunization studies have suggested a potentially protective role for mucosal IgA. It is well established that total IgA in serum appears to correlate with HIV disease progression. In contrast, a selective deficit of anti-HIV IgA responses in HIV infection is apparent, with a number of recent studies beginning to elucidate the mechanisms behind these dysfunctional IgA responses. In this review, we highlight the dichotomy that exists in the literature as to whether anti-HIV IgA is protective or harmful to the host. Herein, we emphasize the importance of distinguishing between monomeric, multimeric, and isoforms of IgA and review what is known about the complex and diverse interactions of various molecular forms of IgA with HIV in both the systemic circulation and mucosal compartments.

Linking stress and immunity: Immunoglobulin A as a non-invasive physiological biomarker in animal welfare studies

As the animal welfare community strives to empirically assess how care and management practices can help maintain or even enhance welfare, the development of tools for non-invasively measuring physiological biomarkers is essential. Of the suite of physiological biomarkers, Immunoglobulin A (IgA), particularly the secretory form (Secretory IgA or SIgA), is at the forefront because of its crucial role in mucosal immunity and links to physical health, stress, and overall psychological well-being. While interpretation of changes in SIgA concentrations on short time scales is complex, long-term SIgA patterns are consistent: conditions that create chronic stress lead to suppression of SIgA. In contrast, when welfare is enhanced, SIgA is predicted to stabilize at higher concentrations. In this review, we examine how SIgA concentrations are reflective of both physiological stress and immune function. We then review the literature associating SIgA concentrations with various metrics of animal welfare and provide detailed methodological considerations for SIgA monitoring. Overall, our aim is to provide an in-depth discussion regarding the value of SIgA as physiological biomarker to studies aiming to understand the links between stress and immunity.

Diurnal Changes in Distribution Characteristics of Salivary Cortisol and Immunoglobulin A Concentrations

Salivary cortisol and secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) are important biomarkers for environmental and public health research. The present study investigated the diurnal variations of these salivary biomarkers, with a focus on the change of distribution characteristics (i.e., skewness and kurtosis) of the concentrations. The participants in this study were 113 healthy young males. Salivary samples were collected in the morning (6:30–7:30 a.m.) and afternoon (1:00–4:00 p.m.). The skewness and kurtosis of salivary cortisol concentrations in afternoon samples (skewness = 1.06, kurtosis = 4.78) were significantly higher than those in morning samples (skewness = 0.49, kurtosis = 2.80). The differences in skewness and kurtosis of S-IgA concentrations were non-significant; however, the standard deviation and interquartile ranges for afternoon S-IgA concentrations were significantly smaller than those for morning S-IgA concentrations. Logarithmic transformation improved the distribution of afternoon cortisol values, making it an almost normal distribution, but the transformation showed no improvement in the distribution of morning cortisol or S-IgA values. The present study explored diurnal changes in the distribution characteristics of salivary cortisol and S-IgA. Consideration of a possible diurnal change in the distribution characteristics is needed when we compare the difference in these salivary biomarkers between different times of day.

Life in a dark biosphere: a review of circadian physiology in "arrhythmic" environments

Most of the life with which humans interact is exposed to highly rhythmic and extremely predictable changes in illumination that occur with the daily events of sunrise and sunset. However, while the influence of the sun feels omnipotent to surface dwellers such as ourselves, life on earth is dominated, in terms of biomass, by organisms isolated from the direct effects of the sun. A limited understanding of what life is like away from the sun can be inferred from our knowledge of physiology and ecology in the light biosphere, but a full understanding can only be gained by studying animals from the dark biosphere, both in the laboratory and in their natural habitats. One of the least understood aspects of life in the dark biosphere is the rhythmicity of physiology and what it means to live in an environment of low or no rhythmicity. Here we describe methods that may be used to understand rhythmic physiology in the dark and summarise some of the studies of rhythmic physiology in "arrhythmic" environments, such as the poles, deep sea and caves. We review what can be understood about the adaptive value of rhythmic physiology on the Earth's surface from studies of animals from arrhythmic environments and what role a circadian clock may play in the dark.

Sleep quality and stress in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension and gestational diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Pregnant women with complications including pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) often experience disrupted sleep patterns because of activation of the sympathetic nervous system. These pathologies are aggravated by sympathetic nervous system activation and may be related to stress. The present study aimed to clarify the characteristics of and changes in sleep quality and stress in pregnant women with PIH and GDM during the second and third trimesters.

METHODS

We enrolled 56 women in their second or third trimesters who were diagnosed with PIH or GDM. Participants completed questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Secretory immunoglobulin A (SlgA) concentrations were measured as a biological indicator of stress.

RESULTS

PSS scores and subjective stress parameters were significantly higher than those reported from previous studies of healthy pregnant women (15.2 points and 15.1 points for the second and third trimesters, respectively). Mean one-day values for SIgA were 168.3 and 205.7 μg/mL for the second and third trimesters, respectively. During the second and third trimesters, SIgA scores were higher than those reported for healthy pregnant women in previous studies. The PSQI component scores sleep disturbance (C5) and sleep duration (C3) in follow up case were significantly higher in the third trimester than in the second trimester.

DISCUSSION

This investigation suggests that pregnant women with PIH and GDM experience higher stress levels than do non-pregnant women and healthy pregnant women. Further, our results indicate that sleep quality worsens during the third trimester compared with the second trimester.

Development of an on-site measurement system for salivary stress-related substances based on microchip CE

Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in saliva has been suggested to be a potential marker of chronic, long-term stress due to suppression of the immune system. A rapid point-of-care testing platform for stress measurement based on immunoassay and capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation was -developed using a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chip and a laboratory-built microchip CE system. A method for the quantitative determination of sIgA in human saliva is introduced.

Recovery of immune control over herpes simplex virus type 1 in female victims of intimate partner violence

OBJECTIVES

To assess the course of immune control over Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) through three salivary measures: neutralization of HSV-1, levels of specific antibody against HSV-1 (HSV-1-sIgA) and total immunoglobulin A (total sIgA), and to determine the factors that contribute to its recovery or deterioration. Several studies have demonstrated that intimate partner violence (IPV) affects immune responses in women, but none have investigated the impact longitudinally over time.

METHODS

Women (n = 60), who participated in our previous cross-sectional study (T-1) and who had been either physically/psychologically (n = 22) or psychologically abused (n = 14) by their partners, were evaluated 3 years later (T-2). A control group of women (n = 24) was included for comparison. Saliva samples were collected twice a day (8 AM-9 AM, and 8 PM-9 PM) on 2 days spaced 2 weeks apart. Information about psychological and lifestyle variables was obtained by structured interviews.

RESULTS

Physically/psychologically abused women had a significant improvement in both the capacity to neutralize HSV-1 and HSV-sIgA levels, and at T-2 the capacity of their saliva to inhibit virus was no longer different from the other two groups. Regression analysis indicated that the cessation of physical IPV was the main predictor of this recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that recovery of immune control over HSV-1 is possible in women who had been exposed to physical/psychological IPV despite an initially low antiviral capacity. Other longitudinal studies are needed to determine which factors best predict the restoration of physical and emotional well-being in order to design more effective intervention programs.