Early atherosclerosis and cardiac autonomic responses to mental stress: a population-based study of the moderating influence of impaired endothelial function

Childhood Family Stress and Women's Health: Parasympathetic Activity as a Risk and Resiliency Factor

Childhood family stress (CFS) exacerbates risk for physical health problems across the lifespan. Health risks associated with CFS are particularly relevant for women who tend to endorse more CFS than men. Importantly, some evidence suggests that individuals may vary in their susceptibility to CFS. Parasympathetic activity, which helps to regulate automatic bodily activity (e.g., breathing, digestion), has been proposed to represent a marker of plasticity to environmental exposure. However, no research to date has tested whether parasympathetic activity may modulate the impact of early adversity on health. We examined whether parasympathetic activity would moderate the link between CFS and health complaints in a sample of 68 undergraduate women (Mean age = 19.44). Participants self-reported CFS and health complaints. Parasympathetic activity was indexed using high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and was evaluated by measuring changes in HF-HRV in response to and following a laboratory-based stress induction. Multiple regression analyses indicated that CFS was significantly associated with more health complaints. Further, HF-HRV in response to stress and during recovery relative to baseline significantly moderated relationship between CFS and health complaints. Specifically, more CFS was significantly associated with more health complaints among women who showed mean or greater decreases in HF-HRV in response to stress. Additionally, lower levels of CFS were associated with fewer health complaints among women who showed mean or greater HF-HRV during recovery relative to baseline. Findings highlight the importance of parasympathetic activity in modulating stress-health links.

Some Molecular and Cellular Stress Mechanisms Associated with Neurodegenerative Diseases and Atherosclerosis

Chronic stress is a combination of nonspecific adaptive reactions of the body to the influence of various adverse stress factors which disrupt its homeostasis, and it is also a corresponding state of the organism's nervous system (or the body in general). We hypothesized that chronic stress may be one of the causes occurence of several molecular and cellular types of stress. We analyzed literary sources and considered most of these types of stress in our review article. We examined genes and mutations of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes and also molecular variants which lead to various types of stress. The end result of chronic stress can be metabolic disturbance in humans and animals, leading to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress, energy deficiency in cells (due to a decrease in ATP synthesis) and mitochondrial dysfunction. These changes can last for the lifetime and lead to severe pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases and atherosclerosis. The analysis of literature allowed us to conclude that under the influence of chronic stress, metabolism in the human body can be disrupted, mutations of the mitochondrial and nuclear genome and dysfunction of cells and their compartments can occur. As a result of these processes, oxidative, genotoxic, and cellular stress can occur. Therefore, chronic stress can be one of the causes forthe occurrence and development of neurodegenerative diseases and atherosclerosis. In particular, chronic stress can play a large role in the occurrence and development of oxidative, genotoxic, and cellular types of stress.

CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ALTERATIONS IN DIFFERENT TACTICAL PROFILES OF BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU

ABSTRACT Introduction Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is an individual sport, characterized by intermittent body movements aimed at the submission (defeat) of the opponent. The sport involves two tactical profiles of fighters: the guard (GG) and the passer (PG), which present potential differences in relation to anthropometric patterns and cardiac autonomic modulation. Objectives To evaluate the effects of different BJJ fighting styles on cardiac autonomic modulation. Methods Twelve PG-style athletes and 12 GG-style athletes, both male, with mean ages of 30.4 ± 1.9 and 30.6 ± 1.3 years, respectively, participated in the study. The following measurements were taken at rest: anthropometric profile, body composition and hemodynamic parameters (blood pressure [BP], basal heart rate [HR] and heart rate variability [HRV], the latter through linear and nonlinear analysis). Results The PG fighters had higher waist and hip circumference diameters compared to the GG fighters (p <0.05). There were no differences regarding baseline hemodynamic parameters of HR and BP. Total HRV as well as parasympathetic modulation indices in both the time and frequency domains were significantly lower in the GG fighters than in the PG fighters (p <0.05). In contrast, the sympathovagal modulation markers in the frequency domain, and the sympathovagal index, were higher in GG than in PG (p <0.05). The SD1 index of nonlinear analysis was lower in the GG fighters than in the PG (p <0.05). Conclusion In general, guardian style fighters have lower vagal modulation and cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity at rest, compared to passing fighters. Level of evidence IV; Case series.

Early physiological markers of cardiovascular risk in community based adolescents with a depressive disorder

BACKGROUND

Depression is recognised as an independent cardiovascular risk factor in adults. Identifying this relationship early on in life is potentially important for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study investigated whether clinical depression is associated with multiple physiological markers of CVD risk in adolescents from the general community.

METHODS

Participants aged 12-18 years were recruited from the general community and screened for depressive symptoms. Individuals with high and low depressive symptoms were administered a diagnostic interview. Fifty participants, 25 with a current depressive episode and 25 matched healthy controls, subsequently completed cardiovascular assessments. Variables assessed were automatic brachial and continuous beat-to-beat finger arterial blood pressure, heart rate, vascular functioning by pulse amplitude tonometry following reactive hyperaemia and pulse transit time (PTT) at rest. Blood samples were collected to measure cholesterol, glucose and glycohaemoglobin levels and an index of cumulative risk of traditional cardiovascular risk factors was calculated.

RESULTS

Depressed adolescents had a significantly lower reactive hyperaemia index and shorter PTT, suggesting deterioration in vascular integrity and structure. Higher fasting glucose and triglyceride levels were also observed in the depressed group, who also had higher cumulative risk scores indicative of increased engagement in unhealthy behaviours and higher probability of advanced atherosclerotic lesions.

LIMITATIONS

The sample size and number of males who completed all cardiovascular measures was small.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinically depressed adolescents had poorer vascular functioning and increased CVD risk compared to controls, highlighting the need for early identification and intervention for the prevention of CVD in depressed youth.

Atherosclerosis in coronary artery and aorta in a semi-urban population by applying modified American Heart Association classification of atherosclerosis: An autopsy study

Background:

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) following atherosclerosis is a giant killer and the incidence of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries is rapidly increasing among Indians. The study was formulated to assess the histomorphological atherosclerotic changes in aorta and coronary arteries at autopsy by applying the modified American Heart Association classification of atherosclerosis based on morphological descriptions to find out the age and sex related prevalence of atherosclerosis in the semi-urban population of Kolar, a district in Southern India.

Materials and Methods:

Autopsy was conducted on 113 cases whose age ranged from 8-85 years. Autopsy was conducted by the conventional technique; heart and the aorta were removed and fixed in 10% formalin. The heart was dissected along the direction of flow of blood and aorta along the posterior surface. Microscopic assessment of the three main coronary arteries and aorta was done using the modified American Heart Association classification of atherosclerosis. Proportions were analyzed using Chi-square test.

Results:

The number of males was 78 (69%) and number of females was 35 (31%). Mean age was 37.11 ± 15.69 years. Increased incidence of intermediate lesions was noted in young individuals (15-34 yrs). Atherosclerotic lesions were more in left anterior descending artery compared to other coronary arteries and in abdominal aorta compared to thoracic and ascending aorta. Vulnerable plaques were more in right coronary artery.

Conclusion:

With cardiovascular disease attaining pandemic proportions, the study of subclinical atherosclerosis is the need of the hour to estimate the disease burden in the asymptomatic population. The increased amount of atherosclerosis (advanced and intermediate lesions) found in the young population in this study gives an indication that anti-atherogenic preventive measures need to be implemented in young individuals, so as to prevent coronary artery disease from causing premature death.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase polymorphisms and adaptation of parasympathetic modulation to exercise training

PURPOSE

There is a large interindividual variation in the parasympathetic adaptation induced by aerobic exercise training, which may be partially attributed to genetic polymorphisms. Therefore, we investigated the association among three polymorphisms in the endothelial nitric oxide gene (-786T>C, 4b4a, and 894G>T), analyzed individually and as haplotypes, and the parasympathetic adaptation induced by exercise training.

METHODS

Eighty healthy males, age 20-35 yr, were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and haplotypes were inferred using the software PHASE 2.1. Autonomic modulation (i.e., HR variability and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity) and peak oxygen consumption (VO(2peak)) were measured before and after training (running, moderate to severe intensity, three times per week, 60 min·day(-1), during 18 wk).

RESULTS

Training increased VO(2peak) (P < 0.05) and decreased mean arterial pressure (P < 0.05) in the whole sample. Subjects with the -786C polymorphic allele had a significant reduction in baroreflex sensitivity after training (change: wild type (-786TT) = 2% ± 89% vs polymorphic (-786TC/CC) = -28% ± 60%, median ± quartile range, P = 0.03), and parasympathetic modulation was marginally reduced in subjects with the 894T polymorphic allele (change: wild type (894GG) = 8% ± 67% vs polymorphic (894GT/TT) = -18% ± 59%, median ± quartile range, P = 0.06). Furthermore, parasympathetic modulation percent change was different between the haplotypes containing wild-type alleles (-786T/4b/894G) and polymorphic alleles at positions -786 and 894 (-786C/4b/894T) (-6% ± 56% vs -41% ± 50%, median ± quartile range, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

The polymorphic allele at position -786 and the haplotype containing polymorphic alleles at positions -786 and 894 in the endothelial nitric oxide gene were associated with decreased parasympathetic modulation after exercise training.