Early Stress Research Articles

Melatonin seed priming improves early establishment and water stress tolerance of peanut

Water stress is a major cause of yield loss in peanut cultivation. Melatonin seed priming has been used to enhance stress tolerance in several crops, but not in peanut. We investigated the impact of seed priming with melatonin on the growth, development, and drought tolerance of two peanut cultivars, TUFRunner™ ‘511’, a drought tolerant cultivar, and New Mexico Valencia A, a drought sensitive cultivar. Peanut seed priming tests using variable rates of melatonin (0–200 μM), indicated that 50 μM of melatonin resulted in more uniform seed germination and improved seedling growth in both cultivars under non stress conditions. Seed priming with melatonin also promoted vegetative growth, as evidenced by higher whole-plant transpiration, net CO2 assimilation, and root water uptake under both well-watered and water stress conditions in both cultivars. Higher antioxidant activity and protective osmolyte accumulation, lower reactive oxygen species accumulation and membrane damage were observed in primed compared with non-primed plants. Seed priming with melatonin induced a growth promoting effect that was more evident under well-watered conditions for TUFRunnner™ ‘511’, whereas for New Mexico Valencia A, major differences in physiological responses were observed under water stress conditions. New Mexico Valencia A primed plants exhibited a more sensitized stress response, with faster down-regulation of photosynthesis and transpiration compared with non-primed plants. The results demonstrate that melatonin seed priming has significant potential to improve early establishment and promote growth of peanut under optimal conditions, while also improve stress tolerance during water stress.

Expression profiling of Nuclear Factor-Y (NF-Y) transcription factors during dehydration and salt stress in finger millet reveals potential candidate genes for multiple stress tolerance.

Expression profiling of NF-Y transcription factors during dehydration and salt stress in finger millet genotypes contrastingly differing in tolerance levels identifies candidate genes for further characterization and functional studies. The Nuclear Factor-Y (NF-Y) transcription factors are known for imparting abiotic stress tolerance in different plant species. However, there is no information on the role of this transcription factor family in naturally drought-tolerant crop finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.). Therefore, interpretation of expression profiles against drought and salinity stress may provide valuable insights into specific and/or overlapping expression patterns of Eleusine coracana Nuclear Factor-Y (EcNF-Y) genes. Given this, we identified 59 NF-Y (18 NF-YA, 23 NF-YB, and 18 NF-YC) encoding genes and designated them EcNF-Y genes. Expression profiling of these genes was performed in two finger millet genotypes, PES400 (dehydration and salt stress tolerant) and VR708 (dehydration and salt stress sensitive), subjected to PEG-induced dehydration and salt (NaCl) stresses at different time intervals (0, 6, and 12h). The qRT-PCR expression analysis reveals that the six EcNF-Y genes namely EcNF-YA1, EcNF-YA5, EcNF-YA16, EcNF-YB6, EcNF-YB10, and EcNF-YC2 might be associated with tolerance to both dehydration and salinity stress in early stress condition (6h), suggesting the involvement of these genes in multiple stress responses in tolerant genotype. In contrast, the transcript abundance of finger millet EcNF-YA5 genes was also observed in the sensitive genotype VR708 under late stress conditions (12h) of both dehydration and salinity stress. Therefore, the EcNF-YA5 gene might be important for adaptation to salinity and dehydration stress in sensitive finger millet genotypes. Therefore, this gene could be considered as a susceptibility determinant, which can be edited to impart tolerance. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that finger millet NF-Y genes share strong evolutionary and functional relationship to NF-Ys governing response to abiotic stresses in rice, sorghum, maize, and wheat. This is the first report of expression profiling of EcNF-Ys genes identified from the finger millet genome and reveals potential candidate for enhancing dehydration and salt tolerance.

APSIM-based modeling approach to understand sorghum production environments in Mali

Sorghum production system in the semi-arid region of Africa is characterized by low yields which are generally attributed to high rainfall variability, poor soil fertility, and biotic factors. Production constraints must be well understood and quantified to design effective sorghum-system improvements. This study uses the state-of-the-art in silico methods and focuses on characterizing the sorghum production regions in Mali for drought occurrence and its effects on sorghum productivity. For this purpose, we adapted the APSIM-sorghum module to reproduce two cultivated photoperiod-sensitive sorghum types across a latitude of major sorghum production regions in Western Africa. We used the simulation outputs to characterize drought stress scenarios. We identified three main drought scenarios: (i) no-stress; (ii) early pre-flowering drought stress; and (iii) drought stress onset around flowering. The frequency of drought stress scenarios experienced by the two sorghum types across rainfall zones and soil types differed. As expected, the early pre-flowering and flowering drought stress occurred more frequently in isohyets < 600 mm, for the photoperiod-sensitive, late-flowering sorghum type. In isohyets above 600 mm, the frequency of drought stress was very low for both cultivars. We quantified the consequences of these drought scenarios on grain and biomass productivity. The yields of the highly-photoperiod-sensitive sorghum type were quite stable across the higher rainfall zones > 600 mm, but was affected by the drought stress in the lower rainfall zones < 600 mm. Comparatively, the less photoperiod-sensitive cultivar had notable yield gain in the driest regions < 600 mm. The results suggest that, at least for the tested crop types, drought stress might not be the major constraint to sorghum production in isohyets > 600 mm. The findings from this study provide the entry point for further quantitative testing of the Genotype × Environment × Management options required to optimize sorghum production in Mali.

0201 Early Postpartum Maternal Stress and Mother-Infant Bonding Predicted Infant Nighttime Wakefulness at Six Months

0201 Early Postpartum Maternal Stress and Mother-Infant Bonding Predicted Infant Nighttime Wakefulness at Six Months

Play stimulation as a possible means to buffer early stress from commercial hatchery treatment in laying hen chicks

In commercial hatcheries, laying hen chicks are exposed to a range of stressors that have previously been shown to induce long-term negative effects on their welfare. It has been suggested that stimulation of play behaviour, a self-rewarding activity associated with positive emotions, may be a way to improve animal welfare. We have previously found that chicks play extensively during their first weeks of life if offered the possibility. Our hypothesis was therefore that stimulating play in chicks could buffer the long-term consequences of stress from commercial hatchery routines. Sixty female Lohmann LSL chicks were hatched at a commercial hatchery and transported for four hours before being randomly allocated to two different treatments. Play-stimulated chicks (PC) were taken out of the home pens and introduced in groups of five into a spacious, object-enriched play arena 3×30 min per week for five weeks starting from 9 days of age. Control chicks (CC) were taken out of the home pens at the same time as PC and placed in cardboard boxes for the same amount of time as PC were allowed to play. Between 46 and 57 days of age,behavioural and corticosterone reactivity tests were conducted. There were no differences between the treatment groups in open field activity, but in a novel object test PC were more active and interacted more with the novel object, indicating reduced fear. There were no differences between the treatment groups in duration of tonic immobility or in corticosterone reaction to a brief restraint. Contrary to our predictions, PC showed a more negative bias compared to CC in a cognitive judgement bias test. In conclusion, play stimulation may reduce fearfulness in early-stressed chickens, but the reason for the opposite reaction in the cognitive judgement bias needs further investigation.

Early human contact and housing for pigs – part 2: resilience to routine husbandry practices

The ability of pigs to cope with routine farming practices can affect their welfare. This paper is part of a series on early experiences and stress, and reports on the effects of early human contact and housing on the responses of pigs to routine husbandry practices. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, 48 litters of pigs were raised in either a conventional farrowing crate (FC) or a loose farrowing pen (LP; PigSAFE pen) which was larger, more physically complex and allowed the sow to move freely. Piglets were provided with either routine contact from stockpeople (C), or routine contact plus regular opportunities for positive human contact (+HC) involving 5 min of scratching, patting and stroking imposed to the litter 5 days/week from 0 to 4 weeks of age. At 4 weeks of age, piglets were weaned and re-housed with controlled mixing of litters within treatment. At 4 days of age, after only 3 bouts of the handling treatment, +HC pigs showed less escape behaviour than C pigs after capture by a stockperson for vaccinations and tail docking, and shorter durations of vocalisations throughout the procedures. The +HC pigs also showed less escape behaviour when captured by a stockperson at 3 weeks of age. The FC pigs showed less escape behaviour than LP pigs after capture by a stockperson at 4 days of age but not at 3 weeks of age. Serum cortisol concentrations were lower in FC pigs than LP pigs 2 h after weaning but not at 49 h after weaning, whereas serum cortisol concentrations were lower in +HC pigs than C pigs at 49 h after weaning but not at 2 h after weaning. In the period from 0 to 1 h after weaning, C pigs from LP performed the most escape attempts, although escape attempts were rare overall. When being moved out of the home pen by a stockperson at 21 weeks of age, FC pigs showed less baulking than LP pigs, but there were no detected effects of human contact treatment. In conclusion, both housing system and human contact during lactation affected the stress responses of pigs to routine husbandry practices. The +HC and FC pigs appeared to cope better than C and LP pigs, based on lower responses indicative of stress including escape behaviour, vocalisations and cortisol concentrations. These findings are consistent with corresponding reductions in fear that were reported in Part 1 of this series of papers.

Early human contact and housing for pigs – part 3: ability to cope with the environment

Early experiences can have long-term impacts on stress adaptability. This paper is the last of three in a series on early experiences and stress in pigs, and reports on the effects of early human contact and housing on the ability of pigs to cope with their general environment. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, 48 litters of pigs were reared in either a farrowing crate (FC) or a loose farrowing pen (LP; PigSAFE pen) which was larger, more physically complex and allowed the sow to move freely. Piglets were provided with either routine contact from stockpeople (C), or routine contact plus regular opportunities for positive human contact (+HC) involving 5 min of scratching, patting and stroking imposed to the litter 5 days/week from 0 to 4 weeks of age. At 4 weeks of age (preweaning), C piglets that were reared in FC had considerably lower concentrations of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) than piglets from the other treatment combinations. Compared to C pigs, +HC pigs had fewer injuries at 4 weeks of age. There were no clear effects of human contact on BDNF concentrations or injuries after weaning, or on basal cortisol or immunoglobulin-A concentrations, behavioural time budgets, tear staining, growth, or piglet survival. Compared to FC piglets, LP piglets showed more play behaviour and interactions with the dam and less repetitive nosing towards pen mates during lactation. There was no evidence that early housing affected pigs’ behavioural time budgets or physiology after weaning. Tear staining severity was greater in LP piglets at 4 weeks of age, but this may have been associated with the higher growth rates of LP piglets preweaning. There was no effect of lactation housing on growth after weaning. Preweaning piglet mortality was higher in the loose system. The findings on BDNF concentrations, injuries and play behaviour suggest improved welfare during the treatment period in +HC and LP piglets compared to C and FC piglets, respectively. These results together with those from the other papers in this series indicate that positive human interaction early in life promotes stress adaptability in pigs. Furthermore, while the farrowing crate environment deprives piglets of opportunities for play behaviour and sow interaction, there was no evidence that rearing in crates negatively affected pig welfare or stress resilience after weaning. Whether these findings are specific to the two housing systems studied here, or can be generalised to other housing designs, warrants further research.

Influence of early childhood parental hostility and socioeconomic stress on children's internalizing symptom trajectories from childhood to adolescence.

Children and adolescents with elevated internalizing symptoms are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, and other psychopathology later in life. The present study examined the predictive links between two bioecological factors in early childhood-parental hostility and socioeconomic stress-and children's internalizing symptom class outcomes, while considering the effects of child sex assigned at birth on internalizing symptom development from childhood to adolescence. The study used a sample of 1,534 children to test the predictive effects of socioeconomic stress at ages 18 and 27 months; hostile parenting measured at child ages 4-5; and sex assigned at birth on children's internalizing symptom latent class outcomes at child ages 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, and 16-19. Analyses also tested the mediating effect of parenting on the relationship between socioeconomic stress and children's symptom classes. Other covariates included parent depressive symptoms at child ages 4-5 and child race and ethnicity. Analyses identified three distinct heterogenous internalizing symptom classes characterized by relative symptom levels and progression: low (35%); moderate and increasing (41%); and higher and increasing (24%). As anticipated, higher levels of parental hostility in early childhood predicted membership in the higher and increasing symptom class, compared with the low symptom class (odds ratio (OR) = .61, 95% confidence interval (CI) [.48,.77]). Higher levels of early childhood socioeconomic stress were also associated with the likelihood of belonging to the higher-increasing symptom class compared to the low and moderate-increasing classes (OR = .46, 95% CI [.35,.60] and OR = .56, 95% CI [.44,.72], respectively). The total (c = .61) and direct (c' = .57) effects of socioeconomic stress on children's symptom class membership in the mediation analysis were significant (p <.001). Study findings suggest that intervening on modifiable bioecological stressors-including parenting behaviors and socioeconomic stressors-may provide important protective influences on children's internalizing symptom trajectories.

High-risk pregnancy and its relationship with the neurodevelopment and behavior of 2-year-old children

AbstractHigh-risk pregnancies elevate maternal stress, impacting offspring neurodevelopment and behavior. This study, involving 112 participants, aimed to compare perceived stress, neurodevelopment, and behavior in high-risk and low-risk pregnancies. Two groups, high-risk and low-risk, were assessed during pregnancy for stress using hair cortisol and psychological analysis. At 24 months post-birth, their children’s neurodevelopment and behavior were evaluated. Results revealed higher perceived stress and pregnancy-related concerns in high-risk pregnancies, contrasting with low-risk pregnancies. Offspring from high-risk pregnancies displayed elevated internalizing behavior scores, while low-risk pregnancies showed higher externalizing behavior scores. Additionally, women in low-risk pregnancies exhibited increased cortisol concentrations 24 months post-delivery. These findings underscore the necessity for early stress detection and prevention programs during pregnancy, particularly in high-risk cases, to enhance maternal and infant health.

Phosphorus fertilisation differentially affects morpho-physiological traits and yield in soybean exposed to water stress

Abstract Background and aims Soybean plants frequently encounter challenges such as phosphorus (P) deficiency and water stress in many regions. However, the mechanisms governing low P and water stress tolerance in soybeans at different growth stages remain unclear. This study investigates the effect of P availability and water stress on soybean growth, morpho-physiological traits, and seed yield. Methods We conducted experiments using the soybean genotype (PI 561271) grown under two P levels (10 or 60 mg P kg−1 dry soil) with three watering conditions: well-watered (WW), early water stress (EWS) and terminal water stress (TWS). Plant assessments occurred at the vegetative, flowering, seed formation, and maturity stages. Results Water stress decreased leaf area, shoot and root dry weights, root length, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, total carboxylates, water use, water use efficiency, shoot, root and seed P contents, seed nitrogen contents, and seed yield compared to WW at the corresponding P level and growth stage. P60 significantly increased all parameters except P use efficiency (PUE) under all water treatments. EWS plants supplemented with P60 exhibited the highest root dry weight, root length and total carboxylates. Notably, flowering and seed formation stages had the highest carboxylate proportions (oxalic, malic, malonic and citric acids) under WW and EWS at P60. P10 had significantly higher PUE than P60, irrespective of water treatments during flowering and seed formation, while the opposite trend occurred at the maturity stage. Seed protein content significantly varied between P treatments regardless of the water stress. Conclusions Our findings underscore the adverse impacts of combined low P and water stress on soybean growth, morpho-physiological traits, seed yield and protein content. Moreover, increased P availability alleviated the adverse effects of water stress, highlighting the importance of adequate P fertilisation for soybean resilience to water stress.

Early stress during NICU stay and parent-reported health-related quality of life after extremely preterm birth: an exploratory study with possible targets for early intervention.

The association between neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) related stress in preterm infants and their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the first year following preterm birth remains unexplored. Understanding this association is crucial for enhancing preventive and supportive measures for infants and parents within and beyond the NICU. From a single center observational cohort study, we included infants with gestational ages below 30 weeks and/or birth weights under 1,000 grams. HRQoL was quantified using the Infant Quality of Life Instrument (IQI) at 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-months corrected age, covering seven domains. NICU stress was quantified using the Neonatal Infant Stressor Scale (NISS) for the first week of life. We performed Spearman's correlation analyses to test this association. Of the 45 included infants, the IQI was completed for 27 (60%) at 3, 15 (33%) at 6, 14 (31%) at 9 and 15 (33%) at 12 months. The HRQoL sum scores were related to neonatal stress at 9 and 12 months (ρ = 0.643 and 0.591, p = 0.013 and p = 0.019, respectively) but not at 3 and 6 months (ρ = -0.001 and -0.077 respectively, p > 0.05). Higher NICU stress tended to be associated with more respiratory and mood problems throughout the first year. From a parental perspective on infant HRQoL, extremely preterm infants with higher stress exposure show more problems in the second half-year of life, mainly breathing and possibly mood-related problems. This knowledge may help improve our neonatal care, both during NICU stay and in follow-up clinics, by implementing targeted interventions.

Decoding early stress signaling waves in living plants using nanosensor multiplexing.

Increased exposure to environmental stresses due to climate change have adversely affected plant growth and productivity. Upon stress, plants activate a signaling cascade, involving multiple molecules like H2O2, and plant hormones such as salicylic acid (SA) leading to resistance or stress adaptation. However, the temporal ordering and composition of the resulting cascade remains largely unknown. In this study we developed a nanosensor for SA and multiplexed it with H2O2 nanosensor for simultaneous monitoring of stress-induced H2O2 and SA signals when Brassica rapa subsp. Chinensis (Pak choi) plants were subjected to distinct stress treatments, namely light, heat, pathogen stress and mechanical wounding. Nanosensors reported distinct dynamics and temporal wave characteristics of H2O2 and SA generation for each stress. Based on these temporal insights, we have formulated a biochemical kinetic model that suggests the early H2O2 waveform encodes information specific to each stress type. These results demonstrate that sensor multiplexing can reveal stress signaling mechanisms in plants, aiding in developing climate-resilient crops and pre-symptomatic stress diagnoses.

Heterogenous effect of early adulthood stress on cognitive aging and synaptic function in the dentate gyrus.

Cognitive aging widely varies among individuals due to different stress experiences throughout the lifespan and vulnerability of neurocognitive mechanisms. To understand the heterogeneity of cognitive aging, we investigated the effect of early adulthood stress (EAS) on three different hippocampus-dependent memory tasks: the novel object recognition test (assessing recognition memory: RM), the paired association test (assessing episodic-like memory: EM), and trace fear conditioning (assessing trace memory: TM). Two-month-old rats were exposed to chronic mild stress for 6 weeks and underwent behavioral testing either 2 weeks or 20 months later. The results show that stress and aging impaired different types of memory tasks to varying degrees. RM is affected by combined effect of stress and aging. EM became less precise in EAS animals. TM, especially the contextual memory, showed impairment in aging although EAS attenuated the aging effect, perhaps due to its engagement in emotional memory systems. To further explore the neural underpinnings of these multi-faceted effects, we measured long-term potentiation (LTP), neural density, and synaptic density in the dentate gyrus (DG). Both stress and aging reduced LTP. Additionally, the synaptic density per neuron showed a further reduction in the stress aged group. In summary, EAS modulates different forms of memory functions perhaps due to their substantial or partial dependence on the functional integrity of the hippocampus. The current results suggest that lasting alterations in hippocampal circuits following EAS could potentially generate remote effects on individual variability in cognitive aging, as demonstrated by performance in multiple types of memory.

Adverse childhood experience and depression: the role of gut microbiota.

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder that burdens modern society heavily. Numerous studies have shown that adverse childhood experiences can increase susceptibility to depression, and depression with adverse childhood experiences has specific clinical-biological features. However, the specific neurobiological mechanisms are not yet precise. Recent studies suggest that the gut microbiota can influence brain function and behavior associated with depression through the "microbe-gut-brain axis" and that the composition and function of the gut microbiota are influenced by early stress. These studies offer a possibility that gut microbiota mediates the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and depression. However, few studies directly link adverse childhood experiences, gut microbiota, and depression. This article reviews recent studies on the relationship among adverse childhood experiences, gut microbiota, and depression, intending to provide insights for new research.

Maternal separation regulates sensitivity of stress-induced depression in mice by affecting hippocampal metabolism

Depression is a serious mental illness. Previous studies found that early life stress (ELS) plays a vital role in the onset and progression of depression. However, relevant studies have not yet been able to explain the specific effects of early stress on stress-induced depression sensitivity and individual behavior during growth. Therefore, we constructed a maternal separation (MS) model and administered chronic social frustration stress at different stages of their growth while conducting metabolomics analysis on the hippocampus of mice. Our results showed that the immobility time of mice in the forced swimming test was significantly reduced at the end of MS. Meanwhile, mice with MS experience significantly decreased total movement distance in the open field test and sucrose preference ratio in the sucrose preference test when subjected to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) during adolescence. In adulthood, the results were the opposite. In addition, we found that level changes in metabolites such as Beta-alanine, l-aspartic acid, 2-aminoadipic acid, and Glycine are closely related to behavioral changes. These metabolites are mainly enriched in Pantothenate, CoA biosynthesis, and Beta Alanine metabolism pathways. Our experiment revealed that the effects of ELS vary across different age groups. It will increase an individual's sensitivity to depression when facing CSDS in adolescence, but it will reduce their sensitivity to depression when facing CSDS in adulthood. This may be achieved by regulating the hippocampus's Pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis and Beta Alanine metabolism pathways represented by Beta-alanine, l-Aspartic acid, 2-aminoadipic acid, and Glycine metabolites.

En-route for an Automatic early stress &amp; non-stress detection analysis for supervised learning with Bayes’ theorem based on multimodal measurements

&lt;p&gt;Chronic stress leads to mental health issues as well as other physical health issues such as cardiovascular disease. Excessive use of social media leads to Psychological stress. Around 20% of the world’s, among those aged 15 to 29, children and adolescents agonize from psychological illness through suicide is the second largest reason for impermanence. Mental Health Conditions may have a substantial effect on all aspects of life such as work performance or school, family and friend relationships, and socializing in society. A state of total well-being is one in which the mind is at ease and the body is upright. While much research has been done to determine the mind-body connection, a recent study found that heart health is strongly related to mental wellness. In a recent statement issued in the journal Circulation by the American Heart Association on March 9th, 2021, it was established that good psychological health can minimize the risk of heart disease. Today’s challenge is Covid 19 pandemic which caused anxiety, loneliness, fear of the pandemic, being infected, pessimism, etc. are the causes of major Heart diseases. People have turned to the Internet for help due to the lack of access to face-to-face management. The critical need for dependable and effective digital solutions is highlighted and designated by many available and widely accessible. We have proposed the framework for identifying the values of stress words and non-stress words using the Bayes theorem formula. If the words are stress words, then an action plan can be formulated thereby reducing the suicides and assuring the well-being of individuals. Finally, precision and accuracy are achieved with ISDF (Improved Stress Detection Framework) and Stress Detection using Bayes Theorem, unlike TensiStrength.&lt;/p&gt;

Early Stress Detection in Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass

Early Stress Detection in Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass

Can Baseline Patient Clinical and Demographic Characteristics Predict Response to Early Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Interventions After Physical Injury?

Objective A growing evidence base supports stepped care interventions for the early treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after physical injury. Few investigations have examined the characteristics of patients who do and do not respond to these interventions. Method This investigation was a secondary analysis that used previously collected data from three randomized clinical trials of stepped care interventions (patient N = 498). The study hypothesized that a subgroup of patients would manifest persistent PTSD symptoms regardless of randomization to intervention or control conditions, and that characteristics present at the time of baseline injury hospitalization could distinguish patients who would develop persistent symptoms from potential treatment responders. Regression analyses identified baseline patient clinical and demographic characteristics that were associated with persistent PTSD symptoms over the 6-months post-injury. Additional analyses identified treatment attributes of intervention patients who were and were not likely to demonstrate persistent symptoms. Results A substantial subgroup of patients (n = 222, 44.6%) demonstrated persistent PTSD symptoms over time. Greater numbers of pre-injury trauma, pre-injury PTSD symptoms, elevated early post-injury PTSD symptoms, unemployment, and non-White race identified patients with persistent symptoms. Patients with ≥3 of these baseline risk characteristics demonstrated diminished treatment responses when compared to patients with <3 characteristics. Intervention patients with ≥3 risk characteristics were less likely to engage in treatment and required greater amounts of interventionist time. Conclusions Injured trauma survivors have readily identifiable characteristics at the time of hospitalization that can distinguish responders to PTSD stepped care interventions versus patients who may be treatment refractory.

Impact of suicidality on delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder is modified by age: A two-year longitudinal study

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between early suicidality and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) onset in patients with physical injuries, focusing on age as a modifying factor. MethodsAt baseline, 1014 patients were evaluated for suicidality, age divided into younger (<60 years) vs. older (≥60 years) groups, and potential covariates. PTSD was diagnosed at follow-up at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, and then were categorized into early-onset (within the first six months after trauma) and delayed-onset (more than six months after trauma). Logistic regression models were used after adjusting for covariates. ResultsPresence of suicidality at baseline was significantly associated with delayed-onset PTSD in older but not younger patients with significant interaction terms, whereas it was significantly associated with early-onset PTSD across all age groups. ConclusionAge-specific associations were found between suicidality and PTSD onset. The findings highlight the importance of early suicidality assessment, especially in older patients for ongoing monitoring and support, and underscore the critical need for early PTSD identification and intervention for all ages.

Childhood adverse life events and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function.

Social stress experienced in childhood is associated with adverse health later in life. Mitochondrial function has been implicated as a mechanism for how stressful life events "get under the skin" to influence physical well-being. Using data from the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging (n = 879, 59% women), linear models examined whether adverse childhood events (i.e., physical abuse) were associated with two measures of skeletal muscle mitochondrial energetics in older adults: (i) maximal adenosine triphosphate production (ATPmax) and (ii) maximal state 3 respiration (Max OXPHOS). Forty-five percent of the sample reported experiencing one or more adverse childhood events. After adjustment, each additional event was associated with -0.08 SD (95% confidence interval = -0.13, -0.02) lower ATPmax. No association was observed with Max OXPHOS. Adverse childhood events are associated with lower ATP production in later life. Findings indicate that mitochondrial function may be a mechanism for understanding how early social stress influences health in later life.