Depression, perceived social control, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in African-American adults

Association between personality and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

BACKGROUND

Nearly half of adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) experience HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND), characterized by cognitive impairments in two or more cognitive domains, which can interfere with everyday functioning. Many factors are thought to influence such cognitive impairments in adults with HIV; one factor seldom examined is personality.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the association between five major dimensions of personality (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and cognitive function in older adults with HIV.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a secondary data analysis was conducted on 261 HIV + participants. Participants completed a norm-based cognitive battery covering seven cognitive domains, which yielded the following indices: global cognitive impairment, and global and domain-specific T-scores. The Big Five Inventory was used to assess personality traits.

RESULTS

Higher openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness were associated with better performance on individual cognitive domains while agreeableness and openness were also positively associated with global cognitive T-scores (p < .01). Only openness significantly predicted global cognition when adjusting for covariates (p < .01).

DISCUSSION

Openness was associated with better global cognitive function in persons with HIV. This study provides a basis for further investigation of potential mechanisms for the association between personality and cognition in people with HIV in order to ultimately inform intervention strategies.

Anxiety Sensitivity and Fast-Food Ordering Habits Among Black Adults

Background

Black adults experience high rates of overweight/obesity, which is linked to chronic diseases and is exacerbated by fast-food consumption. Anxiety sensitivity, a relative stable fear of anxiety-related sensations, has been linked to high caloric intake. Here, we examine whether anxiety sensitivity is associated with fast-food ordering habits within a convenience sample of Black adults.

Methods

Of 124 adults (79.4% women; M_age=49.3±11.6; 84.8% overweight/obese), 107 (86.3%) reported eating from a fast-food restaurant in the last month. Participants completed the Anxiety Sensitivity-Index 3, which has a total score and physical, cognitive, and social concerns subscales. Investigator-generated items queried frequency of ordering "supersized" quantities of fast-food (e.g., cheeseburgers, fries), and healthy items (e.g., salads, oatmeal, yogurt), respectively, from "never" to "always." Covariate-adjusted ordinal logistic regression models were used to assess relations between measures of interest.

Results

Anxiety sensitivity (total and physical concerns) was associated with greater odds of more frequently ordering supersized unhealthy fast-food; and anxiety sensitivity (total and cognitive concerns) was associated with lower odds of more frequently ordering healthy items from fast-food restaurants.

Conclusions

Results suggest that adults with greater anxiety sensitivity may engage in fast-food ordering habits that can contribute to the overweight/obesity epidemic. Future studies should replicate results and determine the potential for anxiety sensitivity-reduction interventions to affect dietary choices that contribute to overweight/obesity.

Combining Global Positioning System (GPS) with saliva collection among sexual minority adults: A feasibility study

BACKGROUND

This is the first study, of which we are aware, to evaluate the feasibility and accessibility of simultaneous use of Global Positioning System (GPS) and saliva collection for biomarker assessment as an objective measure of stress physiology among sexual minority (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and other non-heterosexual identities) individuals. The principal motivation for pairing GPS and saliva collection was to investigate how characteristics of the built and social environments along with participants' daily activity paths affect stress. This can contribute to a better understanding of health and health behaviors in the sexual minority community.

METHODS

A convenience sample of enrolled participants (N = 124) from Houston, Texas was asked to complete questionnaires, carry with them a GPS unit daily, and collect and store 6 samples of saliva at specific times across the span of a day prior to a second visit around one week later.

RESULTS

Of 124 participants, 16 participants (12.90%) provided no useable GPS data and 98 (79.03%) provided at least 4 days of data. More than three-fourths (n = 98, 79.03%) also provided complete saliva samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that the simultaneous use of GPS and saliva collection to assess sexual minority individuals' activity paths and stress level is feasible.

Red wine polyphenols reverse depressive-like behaviors in mice induced by repeated corticosterone treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate the antidepressant-like effect of red wine phenolic extracts in mouse model exposed to exogenous corticosterone. The results showed that 3-week corticosterone injections caused depression-like behavior in mice, as indicated by the significant decrease in sucrose consumption and increase immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST). Red wine phenolic extracts treatment significantly reduced serum corticosterone levels. Moreover, it was found that red wine phenolic extract increased the brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein (BNDF) and tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) phosphorylation and cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. However, K252a, an inhibitor of TrkB, completely abolished those antidepressant-like effects. These results suggested that the red wine phenolic extracts produce an antidepressant-like effect in corticosteronetreated mice, at least in part, which is possibly mediated by modulating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, BDNF, TrkB and CREB phosphorylation levels in the brain region of mice.

Inter-correlations Among Clinical, Metabolic, and Biochemical Parameters and Their Predictive Value in Healthy and Overtrained Male Athletes: The EROS-CORRELATIONS Study

Objectives: The Endocrine and Metabolic Responses on Overtraining Syndrome (EROS) study identified multiple hormonal and metabolic conditioning processes in athletes, and underlying mechanisms and biomarkers of overtraining syndrome (OTS). The present study's objective was to reveal independent predictors and linear correlations among the parameters evaluated in the EROS study to predict clinical, metabolic, and biochemical behaviors in healthy and OTS-affected male athletes. Methods: We used multivariate linear regression and linear correlation to analyze possible combinations of the 38 parameters evaluated in the EROS study that revealed significant differences between healthy and OTS-affected athletes. Results: The testosterone-to-estradiol (T:E) ratio predicted the measured-to-predicted basal metabolic rate (BMR) ratio; the T:E ratio and total testosterone level were inversely predicted by fat mass and estradiol was not predicted by any of the non-modifiable parameters. Early and late growth hormone, cortisol, and prolactin responses to an insulin tolerance test (ITT) were strongly correlated. Hormonal responses to the ITT were positively correlated with fat oxidation, predicted-to-measured BMR ratio, muscle mass, and vigor, and inversely correlated with fat mass and fatigue. Salivary cortisol 30 min after awakening and the T:E ratio were inversely correlated with fatigue. Tension was inversely correlated with libido and directly correlated with body fat. The predicted-to-measured BMR ratio was correlated with muscle mass and body water, while fat oxidation was directly correlated with muscle mass and inversely correlated with fat mass. Muscle mass was directly correlated with body water, and extracellular water was directly correlated with body fat and inversely correlated with body water and muscle mass. Conclusions: Hypothalamic-pituitary responses to stimulation were diffuse and indistinguishable between the different axes. A late hormonal response to stimulation, increased cortisol after awakening, and the T:E ratio were correlated with vigor and fatigue. The T:E ratio was also correlated with body metabolism and composition, testosterone was predicted by fat mass, and estradiol predicted anger. Hydration status was inversely correlated with edema, and inter-correlations were found among fat oxidation, hydration, and body fat.