Are Art-Based Interventions Effective in Improving Psychological Well-Being Among Informal Caregivers of Cancer Patients? A Systematic Review

Objectives: To systematically synthesize the current evidence on the effects of art-based interventions on improving anxiety, depression, stress, sleep, and well-being of cancer caregivers. Design: A systematic review. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases from their inception up to April 2024. Studies exploring the effects of art-based interventions on the psychological symptoms of cancer caregivers were included. We did not restrict the publication to the particular study designs, including randomized controlled trials, quasiexperimental studies, and qualitative studies. Results: Fifteen studies of 607 participants were identified in this systematic review. Overall, the existing studies provided preliminary evidence to suggest that art-based interventions may benefit cancer caregivers in improving anxiety, depression, stress, caregiver burden, and quality of life. However, the relatively low quality of the current evidence limits the efficacy of these findings. Conclusions: According to the existing evidence, the therapeutic benefits of using art-based interventions for improving the psychological well-being of cancer caregivers are uncertain. More high-quality and well-designed studies are still required to confirm the psychological effectiveness of art-based interventions for cancer caregivers in the future.

The feigned annoyance and frustration test to activate the sympathoadrenal medullary system

When perceived as threatening, social interactions have been shown to trigger the sympathoadrenal medullary system as well as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis resulting in a physiologic stress response. The allostatic load placed on human health and physiology in the context of acute and chronic stress can have profound health consequences. The purpose of this study was to develop a protocol for a lab-based stress stimulus using social-evaluative threat. While several valid, stress-stimulating protocols exist, we sought to develop one that triggered a physiologic response, did not require significant lab resources, and could be completed in around 10 min. We included 53 participants (29 men and 24 women) and exposed them to a modified version of the Stroop Color-Word Interference Task during which the participants were made to feel they were performing the task poorly while the lead researcher feigned annoyance and frustration. After exposure to this Feigned Annoyance and Frustration (FAF) Test, both the men and women in this study demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful increase in subjective stress on the visual analog scale. Additionally, the men in this study demonstrated a statistically significant increase in heart rate and salivary α-amylase concentrations after exposure to the test. The women in this study did not demonstrate a statistically significant increase in the physiologic stress biomarkers. This protocol for the FAF Test shows promise to researchers with limited time and resources who are interested in experimentally activating the sympathoadrenal medullary system.

Integrating the social determinants of health into curriculum: AMEE Guide No. 162

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) as the non-medical factors influencing health outcomes. SDOH is associated with conditions in which people are born, grow, work, and live. Medical schools and licensing bodies are increasingly recognizing the need for doctors and healthcare professionals to be aware of their patient's social context and how it impacts their states of health and disease. However, there is considerable variation in the approaches of different institutions and countries to incorporating SDOH into their curricula. In order to allow clinicians to adopt a holistic approach to patient health, equipping them with extensive knowledge of SDOH would give learners the confidence, skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to effectively engage with patients and their families. This approach aids health professionals with knowledge of the influence of the social context and cultural factors that affect patients' behaviors in relation to health. Incorporating the SDOH in medical and health professional school curricula would contribute towards adequately preparing future healthcare practitioners to provide effective, comprehensive, and equitable care, especially to marginalized and underserved populations. The Guide will take an evidence-based approach grounded in the available contemporary literature and case studies. The focus will be on integrating SDOH into undergraduate and postgraduate medical curricula to promote an understanding of the social factors that influence patients' and communities' health. Ultimately, this guide seeks to contribute to the reduction of inequalities in health.

Impact of sleep-wake features on fatigue among female shift work nurses

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbance and fatigue are prevalent in nurses. Little is known about the characteristics of shift work nurses' sleep-wake features and their subsequent impact on work performance. The study aimed to describe the characteristics of the sleep-wake index, reaction time, saliva cortisol level, and fatigue severity among female shift work nurses.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional exploratory study. A convenience sample of 152 female nurses (8-hour day-evening-night, n = 70; 12-hour day-night, n = 82) participated in this study from nine intensive care units (ICUs) from two teaching hospitals in Beijing, China. A consecutive 7-day actigraphy data were used to analyse sleep-wake indexes, including total sleep time (TST) and circadian activity rhythms (CAR). Before and after shifts, the following data were collected, psychomotor vigilance task for reaction time, saliva cortisol for the level of alertness, and self-reported fatigue severity with the Lee Fatigue Scale-Short Form.

RESULTS

All nurses reported clinically significant fatigue severity. Compared with the 8-hour shift nurses, the 12-hour shift nurses had significantly more TST (456 vs. 364 min), higher saliva cortisol levels before the day shift (0.54 vs. 0.31), but longer reaction time before the night shift (286 vs. 277 ms). In both shifts, those with better CAR had significantly longer TST.

CONCLUSION

Female nurses experienced fatigue and desynchronized CAR, especially nurses on a 12-hour shift. The CAR-friendly shift work schedule is needed to minimize the health and safety impacts of circadian misalignment for nurses.Key messagesThis is the first use of consecutive 7-day actigraphy data to explore the link between sleep disturbances as a stressor to CAR, salivary cortisol, and reaction time among clinical nurses.CAR may be a helpful indicator for overworked nurses, and it can serve as a modifiable target for interventions to enhance nurses' well-being.

Saliva as Biomarker for Oral and Chronic Degenerative Non-Communicable Diseases

Saliva is a very complex fluid and it is essential to maintain several physiological processes and functions, including oral health, taste, digestion and immunological defenses. Saliva composition and the oral microbiome can be influenced by several factors, like diet and smoking habits, and their alteration can represent an important access point for pathogens and, thus, for systemic illness onset. In this review, we explore the potentiality of saliva as a new tool for the early detection of some pathological conditions, such as oral diseases, chronic degenerative non-communicable diseases, among these chronic kidney disease (CKD). We also examined the possible correlation between oral and systemic diseases and oral and gut microbiota dysbiosis. In particular, we deeply analyzed the relationship between oral diseases and CKD. In this context, some salivary parameters can represent a new device to detect either oral or systemic pathologies. Moreover, the positive modulation of oral and gut microbiota induced by prebiotics, postbiotics, or symbiotics could represent a new possible adjuvant therapy in the clinical management of oral diseases and CKD.

The Dynamic Interplay of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors for Cardiovascular Health

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The recent rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths in the USA has sparked interest in identifying and implementing effective strategies to reverse this trend. Healthy lifestyle behaviors (i.e., healthy diet, regular physical activity, achieve and maintain a healthy weight, avoid tobacco exposure, good quality sleep, avoiding and managing stress) are the cornerstone for CVD prevention.

RECENT FINDINGS

Achieving all of these behaviors significantly benefits heart health; however, even small changes lower CVD risk. Moreover, there is interplay among healthy lifestyle behaviors where changing one may result in concomitant changes in another behavior. In contrast, the presence of one or more unhealthy lifestyle behaviors may attenuate changing another lifestyle behavior(s) (poor diet, inadequate physical activity, overweight/obesity, poor sleep quality, tobacco exposure, and poor stress management). It is important to assess all of these lifestyle behaviors with patients to plan an intervention program that is best positioned for adherence.

Serum-Derived Neuronal Exosomal miRNAs as Biomarkers of Acute Severe Stress

Stress is the physical and psychological tension felt by an individual while adapting to difficult situations. Stress is known to alter the expression of stress hormones and cause neuroinflammation in the brain. In this study, miRNAs in serum-derived neuronal exosomes (nEVs) were analyzed to determine whether differentially expressed miRNAs could be used as biomarkers of acute stress. Specifically, acute severe stress was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats via electric foot-shock treatment. In this acute severe-stress model, time-dependent changes in the expression levels of stress hormones and neuroinflammation-related markers were analyzed. In addition, nEVs were isolated from the serum of control mice and stressed mice at various time points to determine when brain damage was most prominent; this was found to be 7 days after foot shock. Next-generation sequencing was performed to compare neuronal exosomal miRNA at day 7 with the neuronal exosomal miRNA of the control group. From this analysis, 13 upregulated and 11 downregulated miRNAs were detected. These results show that specific miRNAs are differentially expressed in nEVs from an acute severe-stress animal model. Thus, this study provides novel insights into potential stress-related biomarkers.

Response of salivary biomarkers to an empathy triggering film sequence-a pilot study

Empathy is a multifaceted phenomenon that is difficult to measure. Self-report questionnaires are the most common and well-validated measures while currently no validated protein biomarkers associated with the empathic reaction have been established. Trigger films have been previously used in psychological research to evoke emotions. Thus, in the present randomized cross-over study we investigated the responses of nine salivary biomarkers that have been related to emotions and stress following an empathy triggering and a control film sequence. Additionally, questionnaires for empathy (Saarbrucken Personality Questionnaire (SPQ)) and current mental stress were applied and participants were asked to assess the film protagonists’ emotions using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Data from 46 participants were included in the analysis. α-Amylase, IgA, IL-1β and estradiol showed a significantly different response between the empathy and control intervention. Moreover, normalized levels of these biomarkers significantly correlated with single scales of the SPQ (control film sequence: α-amylase and IgA with personal distress; estradiol with empathic concern; IL-1β with fantasy; empathy triggering film sequence: IgA with empathic concern, fantasy and the total empathy score). These findings indicated that the observed changes in salivary biomarker levels were reflective of a physiological response to the empathy triggering film sequence. Future studies using different triggers and settings will show if the identified biomarkers can be considered as surrogate markers for empathic reactions in general.

Cancer and stress: NextGen strategies

Chronic stress is well-known to cause physiological distress that leads to body balance perturbations by altering signaling pathways in the neuroendocrine and sympathetic nervous systems. This increases allostatic load, which is the cost of physiological fluctuations that are required to cope with psychological challenges as well as changes in the physical environment. Recent studies have enriched our knowledge about the role of chronic stress in disease development, especially carcinogenesis. Stress stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), resulting in an abnormal release of hormones. These activate signaling pathways that elevate expression of downstream oncogenes. This occurs by activation of specific receptors that promote numerous cancer biological processes, including proliferation, genomic instability, angiogenesis, metastasis, immune evasion and metabolic disorders. Moreover, accumulating evidence has revealed that β-adrenergic receptor (ADRB) antagonists and downstream target inhibitors exhibit remarkable anti-tumor effects. Psychosomatic behavioral interventions (PBI) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) also effectively relieve the impact of stress in cancer patients. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the underlying mechanisms that are responsible for stress in promoting malignancies. Collectively, these data provide approaches for NextGen pharmacological therapies, PBI and TCM to reduce the burden of tumorigenesis.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Bears and Other Gay Men: A Descriptive Study from Poland

A risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased by multiple factors including psychosocial stress and health behaviors. Sexual minority men who identify as Bears form a subculture distinguished by characteristics associated with increased CVD risk such as elevated stress and high body weight. However, none of the previous studies comprehensively investigated CVD risk in this population. Our study compared Bears (N = 31) with other gay men (N = 105) across a wide range of CVD risk factors. Logistic regression and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models were performed to compare both groups concerning behavioral (e.g., physical activity), medical (e.g., self-reported hypertension), and psychosocial (e.g., depressiveness) CVD risk factors. Bears were characterized by older age and higher body mass index (BMI) than the control group. We also observed higher resilience, self-esteem, as well as greater prevalence of self-reported hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia in Bears. None of these differences remained statistically significant after adjusting for age and, in the case of self-reported diagnosis of diabetes, both age and BMI. Our study demonstrates that Bears are characterized by increased CVD risk associated predominantly with older age and higher BMI. Health promotion interventions addressed to this community should be tailored to Bears' subcultural norms and should encourage a healthier lifestyle instead of weight loss.

Lp-PLA2 evaluates the severity of carotid artery stenosis and predicts the occurrence of cerebrovascular events in high stroke-risk populations

Background

Lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase A2 (Lp‐PLA2) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, relationship between carotid artery stenosis and cerebrovascular events in high stroke‐risk populations is still unclear.

Methods

A total of 835 people at a high risk of stroke were screened from 15,933 people aged >40 years in April 2013 and followed at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Finally, 823 participants met the screening criteria, and the clinical data and biochemical parameters were investigated.

Results

Among the 823 participants, 286 had varying degrees of carotid artery stenosis and 18 had cerebrovascular events. The level of Lp‐PLA2 in the carotid artery stenosis group was higher than that in the no stenosis group, and the level in the event group was higher than that in the no event group (p < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that Lp‐PLA2 was positively correlated with the degree of carotid artery stenosis (r = 0.093, p = 0.07) and stenosis involvement (r = 0.094, p = 0.07). The correlation coefficient between Lp‐PLA2 and lipoprotein was the highest on the levels of sdLDL (r = 0.555, p < 0.001), followed by non‐HDL, LDL, TC, and TG. Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that, compared with the first quantile of Lp‐PLA2 level (Q1, low level), the risk of cerebrovascular events in the fourth quantile of Lp‐PLA2 was 10.170 times that of the first quantile (OR = 10.170, 95% CI 1.302–79.448, p = 0.027).

Conclusions

Lp‐PLA2 levels can evaluate carotid artery stenosis and predict the occurrence of cerebrovascular events in high stroke‐risk populations and provide scientific guidance for risk stratification management.

An Epigenetics-Based, Lifestyle Medicine-Driven Approach to Stress Management for Primary Patient Care: Implications for Medical Education

Over 75% of patients in the primary care setting present with stress-related complaints. Curiously, patients and health care providers all too often see stress as a relatively benign sequela of many common illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, lung disease, dementia, diabetes, and mental illness. Unfortunately, various day-to-day lifestyle choices and environmental factors, unrelated to the presence of any disease, can cause stress sufficient to contribute to the development of various diseases/disorders and suboptimal health. There is evidence suggesting that counseling in stress management-oriented therapeutic interventions (as offered by lifestyle medicine-oriented practitioners) may prevent or reduce the onset, severity, duration, and/or overall burden of stress-related illnesses. Such counseling often involves considerations such as the patient's nutrition, physical activity, interest in/capacity to meditate, drug abuse/cessation, and so on. Unfortunately, lifestyle medicine-oriented approaches to stress management are rarely offered in primary care-the patient care arena wherein such counseling would likely be best received by patients. Would health care outcomes improve if primary care providers offered counseling in both stress management and positive lifestyle choices? The purpose of this article is to provide both primary care practitioners and educators in health care training programs with an introductory overview of epigenetics. An emerging field of science offering insights into how factors such as stress and lifestyle choices interact with our genes in ways that can both positively and negatively impact the various micro (eg, cellular) through macro (eg, physiologic, pathophysiologic) processes that determine our tendencies toward illness or wellness. A deeper understanding of epigenetics, as provided herein, should enable primary care providers and medical educators to more confidently advocate for the primary benefits associated with counseling in both stress reduction and the pursuit of healthy lifestyle choices.

Outcomes of Therapeutic Artmaking in Patients Undergoing Radiation Oncology Treatment: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study

A cancer diagnosis can be extremely stressful and life-altering for patients. Chronically high levels of stress can increase inflammation and affect the progression of the cancer. Psychosocial interventions could reduce stress and address cancer patients’ emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. This mixed-methods pilot study compared 2 single-session arts-based approaches for patients in active radiation treatment in a large urban hospital. Participants were assigned to either the active control of independent coloring or the therapeutic intervention of open studio art therapy. Participants completed pre-session and post-session saliva samples and standardized psychosocial measures of stress, affect, anxiety, self-efficacy, and creative agency. Both conditions significantly increased participants’ positive affect, self-efficacy, and creative agency, and decreased negative affect, perceived stress, and anxiety. No changes of note were seen in the salivary measures. Participants’ narrative responses corroborated the quantitative findings and highlighted additional benefits such as supporting meaning-making and spiritual insights. Both arts-based interventions can support the emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs of cancer patients while each has features that may be more suited to the needs of certain patients. Further replication of these findings could support our initial findings that suggest that patients could benefit from having art studio spaces with art therapists and choices of art materials available on the oncology unit.

Sex differences in the interaction of short-term particulate matter exposure and psychosocial stressors on C-reactive protein in a Puerto Rican cohort

There is substantial evidence linking particulate matter air pollution with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, health disparities between populations may exist due to imprecisely defined non-innate susceptibility factors. Psychosocial stressors are associated with cardiovascular disease and may increase non-innate susceptibility to air-pollution. We investigated whether the association between short-term changes in ambient particulate matter and cardiovascular health risk differed by psychosocial stressors in a Puerto Rican cohort, comparing women and men. We used data from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS), a longitudinal study of cardiovascular health among adults, collected between 2004 and 2013. We used mixed effect models to estimate the association of current-day ambient particle number concentration (PNC) on C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, and effect modification by psychosocial stressors (depression, acculturation, perceived stress, discrimination, negative life events and a composite score). Point estimates of percent difference in CRP per interquartile range change in PNC varied among women with contrasting levels of stressors: negative life events (15.7% high vs. 6.5% low), depression score (10.6% high vs. 4.6% low) and composite stress score (16.2% high vs. 7.0% low). There were minimal differences among men. For Puerto Rican adults, cardiovascular non-innate susceptibility to adverse effects of ambient particles may be greater for women under high stress. This work contributes to understanding health disparities among minority ethnic populations.

Salivary neuropeptides, stress, and periodontitis

BACKGROUND

Scientific evidence for psychologic stress as a risk factor for periodontitis is fragmentary and relies mostly on either questionnaire-based or biomarker studies. The aim of this study is to investigate brain-derived neurotrophic factor, substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), calcitonin gene-related peptide, and adrenomedullin as well as cortisol in saliva and serum in periodontal health and disease combined with different aspects of stress and possible associations with clinical parameters.

METHODS

In total, 56 patients with aggressive and chronic periodontitis and 44 healthy controls were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and mass spectrometry for presence of neuropeptides and cortisol in saliva and serum. Psychologic stress was evaluated by validated questionnaires. All substances were explored for a possible relationship to periodontitis, clinical parameters, and stress.

RESULTS

VIP and NPY showed significantly higher levels in saliva but not in serum of patients with periodontitis. These neuropeptides correlated with the extent, severity, and bleeding on probing scores in patients with periodontitis. Females had significantly lower salivary VIP levels. There were no differences among participants regarding psychologic stress.

CONCLUSION

VIP and NPY in saliva could be potential sex-specific salivary biomarkers for periodontitis regardless of psychologic stress.

Beta-2 Adrenergic and Glucocorticoid Receptor Agonists Modulate Ozone-Induced Pulmonary Protein Leakage and Inflammation in Healthy and Adrenalectomized Rats

We have shown that acute ozone inhalation activates sympathetic-adrenal-medullary and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal stress axes, and adrenalectomy (AD) inhibits ozone-induced lung injury and inflammation. Therefore, we hypothesized that stress hormone receptor agonists (β2 adrenergic-β2AR and glucocorticoid-GR) will restore the ozone injury phenotype in AD, while exacerbating effects in sham-surgery (SH) rats. Male Wistar Kyoto rats that underwent SH or AD were treated with vehicles (saline + corn oil) or β2AR agonist clenbuterol (CLEN, 0.2 mg/kg, i.p.) + GR agonist dexamethasone (DEX, 2 mg/kg, s.c.) for 1 day and immediately prior to each day of exposure to filtered air or ozone (0.8 ppm, 4 h/day for 1 or 2 days). Ozone-induced increases in PenH and peak-expiratory flow were exacerbated in CLEN+DEX-treated SH and AD rats. CLEN+DEX affected breath waveform in all rats. Ozone exposure in vehicle-treated SH rats increased bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) protein, N-acetyl glucosaminidase activity (macrophage activation), neutrophils, and lung cytokine expression while reducing circulating lymphocyte subpopulations. AD reduced these ozone effects in vehicle-treated rats. At the doses used herein, CLEN+DEX treatment reversed the protection offered by AD and exacerbated most ozone-induced lung effects while diminishing circulating lymphocytes. CLEN+DEX in air-exposed SH rats also induced marked protein leakage and reduced circulating lymphocytes but did not increase BALF neutrophils. In conclusion, circulating stress hormones and their receptors mediate ozone-induced vascular leakage and inflammatory cell trafficking to the lung. Those receiving β2AR and GR agonists for chronic pulmonary diseases, or with increased circulating stress hormones due to psychosocial stresses, might have altered sensitivity to air pollution.

Sex differences in brain activation patterns with mental stress in patients with coronary artery disease

Background

Stress is an important contributor to myocardial ischemia and the progression of coronary artery disease (CAD), and women are more susceptible than men to these effects. Little is known, however, about the neural basis of these sex differences.

Methods

We investigated sex differences in neural correlates of mental stress in a sample of 53 female and 112 male participants (N = 165) with CAD, with and without mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSI), during exposure to mental arithmetic tasks and public speaking stress tasks using high-resolution positron emission tomography (HR-PET) and radiolabeled water imaging of the brain.

Results

Women compared to men had significantly greater activation with stress in the right frontal (BA 9, 44), right parietal lobe (Area 3, 6, 40), right posterior cingulate gyrus (BA 31), bilateral cerebellum, and left temporal/fusiform gyrus (BA 37) and greater deactivation in bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus (BA 24, 32), bilateral medial frontal gyrus (BA 6, 8, 9, 10), right parahippocampal gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus (BA 21). Women with MSI (but not those without MSI) showed significantly greater activation than men in the right posterior cingulate gyrus (BA 31) and greater deactivation in several frontal and temporal lobe areas.

Conclusion

Men and women with CAD show differences in responses to stress in brain limbic areas that regulate emotion, and these functional responses differ by MSI status. Our results suggest that the cingulate gyrus may be involved in sex differences in MSI.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13293-019-0248-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Sickle Cell Disease, More Than Just Pain: The Mediating Role of Psychological Symptoms

OBJECTIVES

Perceived stress is associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) pain; however, little is known about psychological mechanisms that may clarify this link among adult patients. This study explored whether anxiety and depression symptoms explained the relation between perceived stress and SCD pain episode frequency among 70 African-American adults (51.4% women, mean age 35.6 years).

METHODS

Participants completed measures of perceived stress, pain, and psychological symptoms in an outpatient clinical setting.

RESULTS

A serial multiple mediation model showed that psychological symptoms collectively reduced the association between perceived stress and SCD pain frequency (b = 0.116, P = 0.141). However, only the indirect effect of stress on pain frequency through anxiety symptoms was significant (b = 0.089).

CONCLUSIONS

Anxiety but not depression symptoms best explain the association between stress and SCD pain. Further research is needed to identify the specific components of negative affect that drive the experience of SCD pain.

Innovations in biological assessments of chronic stress through hair and nail cortisol: Conceptual, developmental, and methodological issues

Much of the existing research on biological mechanisms underlying the stress experience has focused largely on moment-to-moment stress, rather than on chronic stress, an arguably more powerful predictor of long-term outcomes. Recent methodological innovations have paved the way for new lines of research on chronic stress, with promising implications for developmental researchers and for those who study health and adversity. In particular, there are increasing studies that have focused on chronic stress assessments by relying on cortisol derived from hair and nails as a biomarker for chronic stress. In this paper, we provide an overview of their use, describe how hair and nail cortisol ought to be conceptualized differently across the lifespan, how developmental factors may impact its interpretation, and the circumstances under which its use may be more methodologically sensible. The purpose of this review is to provoke further discussion and encourage careful research designs that utilize hair and nail cortisol for understanding the effects of chronic stress exposure from the early developmental period, across adverse contexts, and in association with psychological and physical health outcomes.

Effect of a mindfulness exercise on stress in veterinary students performing surgery

OBJECTIVE

To determine students' stress while performing surgery and evaluate the ability of a mindfulness intervention to reduce this stress.

STUDY DESIGN

Quasi-experimental design.

SAMPLE POPULATION

Eighteen fourth-year DVM program students (n = 9 student/group).

METHODS

Utilizing a quasi-experimental design, students were randomly assigned to a control or treatment group. The treatment group performed a 5-minute breathing (mindfulness) exercise immediately prior to performing surgery. Each student provided 3 samples of saliva, at time 0, at 10 minutes before surgery, and at 10 minutes after surgery. Students' salivary cortisol and α-amylase levels were compared between groups. Students' self-reported mood measures were also correlated to levels of salivary biomarkers.

RESULTS

Cortisol and α-amylase levels of students in both groups greatly exceeded normative reference groups (>90th percentile) prior to surgery and diminished to average levels (50th-60th percentile) after surgery but did not differ between groups at any time point. Immediately prior to surgery when stress values were likely to peak, salivary α-amylase levels decreased approximately 30 U/L units for students in the treatment group compared with an increase of approximately 10 U/L units for students in the control group. Students in the treatment group reported being more calm (mean [M] 2.67, SD 1.03, d = 0.75) and relaxed (M 2.33, SD 1.51, d = 0.90) than students in the control group (M 3.44, SD 1.01 and M 3.44, SD 0.88, respectively).

CONCLUSION

This study provides some evidence that the mindfulness intervention temporarily decreased stress levels and improved students' sense of calmness and relaxation immediately before operating on a live animal.

CLINICAL IMPACT

Students who are experiencing less stress may be less likely to commit a medical error and negatively impact animal health. This study, the first of its kind in veterinary surgery, may serve as a model for related future studies.

Executive Stress Management: Physiological Load of Stress and Recovery in Executives on Workdays

Objective: The use of high-performance sports technology to describe the physiological load of stress and the quality of recovery in a population of executives during the workday. Methodology: Heart rate variability values were recorded during 48 h from which the relationship between stress/recovery quality (stress balance) was obtained for three differentiated time slots: work, after work, and night in a workday. Results: We observed a negative stress balance during the 24 h of measurement in the course of a workday, being negative at work and after work, and positive at night. The stress generated or maintained outside working hours correlates significantly with a lower quality of recovery during the 24 h workday. Conclusions: It is necessary to prioritize strategies that help improve stress management in executives through the improvement of tools and strategies that mainly promote greater relaxation outside working hours.

The Childhood Roots of Cardiovascular Disease Disparities

A recent national review of the social determinants of cardiovascular disease (CVD) underscored the growing recognition that poor socioeconomic conditions early in life place children at higher risk for CVD as adults. There is growing evidence that chronic elevation of allostatic load as a consequence of high levels of early childhood stress can trigger early atherosclerotic changes in children independently of behaviors. Elevated levels of circulating cortisol have been documented in children as young as 4 years who were raised in highly stressful circumstances. Chronic elevation of cortisol is associated with increased release of inflammatory proteins such as interleukin 6, which can lead to fibrosis and scarring in the vessel walls of the arterial circulation, resulting in increased intima-media thickness. Increased intima-media thickness of the carotid artery has been found in individuals with low socioeconomic status as early as age 18 years and has been associated with increased CVD risk throughout the adult years. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that it is the task of pediatricians and other health care professionals to screen for toxic stress among children during their early years and to take steps known to reduce stress reactivity, thereby helping these children to reduce their risk of early atherosclerotic changes and increased CVD throughout the life course.

Interleukin-1 Antagonism Decreases Cortisol Levels in Obese Individuals

CONTEXT

Increased cortisol levels in obesity may contribute to the associated metabolic syndrome. In obesity, the activated innate immune system leads to increased interleukin (IL)-1β, which is known to stimulate the release of adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH).

OBJECTIVES

We hypothesized that in obesity IL-1 antagonism would result in downregulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to decreased cortisol levels.

DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS

In this prospective intervention study, we included 73 patients with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2) and at least one additional feature of the metabolic syndrome.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary end point was change in morning cortisol from baseline to after the administration of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra/Kineret®, total dose 3 × 100 mg). Secondary end points were effects on salivary cortisol and ACTH.

RESULTS

Median age was 56 years, 50.7% of patients were female, and median BMI was 36.3 kg/m2. Median morning serum cortisol levels (nmol/L) decreased significantly after IL-1 antagonism [from baseline, 452 to 423; absolute difference, -38.7; 95% confidence interval (CI), -64 to -13.4; P = 0.0019]. Similar effects were found for salivary cortisol levels (-2.8; 95% CI, -4.4 to -1.3; P = 0.0007), ACTH levels (-2.2; 95% CI; -4.2 to -0.1; P = 0.038), systolic blood pressure (-5.2, 95% CI, -8.5 to -1.8; P = 0.0006), and heart rate (-2.9; 95% CI, -4.7 to -1.0; P = 0.0029).

CONCLUSION

IL-1 antagonism in obese individuals with features of the metabolic syndrome leads to a decrease in serum cortisol, salivary cortisol, and ACTH levels along with a reduction in systolic blood pressure and heart rate.

Salivary cortisol and α-amylase: subclinical indicators of stress as cardiometabolic risk

Currently, the potential for cardiovascular (CV) stress-induced risk is primarily based on the theoretical (obvious) side effects of stress on the CV system. Salivary cortisol and α-amylase, produced respectively by the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system during stress response, are still not included in the routine evaluation of CV risk and require additional and definitive validation. Therefore, this article overviews studies published between 2010 and 2015, in which salivary cortisol and α-amylase were measured as stress biomarkers to examine their associations with CV/CMR (cardiometabolic risk) clinical and subclinical indicators. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases was performed, and 54 key articles related to the use of salivary cortisol and α-amylase as subclinical indicators of stress and CV/CMR factors, including studies that emphasized methodological biases that could influence the accuracy of study outcomes, were ultimately identified. Overall, the biological impact of stress measured by salivary cortisol and α-amylase was associated with CV/CMR factors. Results supported the use of salivary cortisol and α-amylase as potential diagnostic tools for detecting stress-induced cardiac diseases and especially to describe the mechanisms by which stress potentially contributes to the pathogenesis and outcomes of CV diseases.