Moderate Chronic Stress Research Articles

Investigation of Perceived Stress During COVID-19 Pandemic Self-Isolation Periods

Background and Objectives: The study purpose was to analyze possible health consequences of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to evaluate diagnostics methods. Specifically, we analyzed perceived stress of self-isolation with the aim of evaluating the suitability of psychological and laboratory diagnostics methods for routine clinical practice. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the following objectives were formulated: to compare the results of psychological and laboratory diagnostic methods between case and control groups; and to evaluate associations between psychological and laboratory stress indicators separately in case and control groups. Materials and Methods: The research study consisted of control and case groups of 28 volunteers each. The main selection criterion for the case group was self-isolation due to COVID-19 and a maximum period of 3 months after post-isolation, while the control group had to be of a similar age but did not have to be isolated or self-isolated. Both groups consisted of young (18–24 years) individuals. All participants had to fill out a Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire and were subjected to a laboratory test for stress indicators (alpha-amylase, secretory cortisol, and immunoglobulin A) from a saliva sample. Results: A comparison of the laboratory stress indicator scores for both study groups revealed statistically significant differences between the clinical subgroups, i.e., the distributions of the control and case groups were significantly different within the affected case group and control. The values obtained for study groups and PSS scores showed no discrepancies between the two investigation methods, i.e., PSS assessment and laboratory stress indicators results. The PSS values between the clinical groups were significantly different from each other, suggesting that the laboratory stress indicator scores differed but were consistent or complementary to the PSS results. A separate comparison of age and stress indicator levels in the control group revealed a correlation between age and PSS scores, indicating that younger individuals were more prone to subjective perception of moderate stress. Conclusions: The results showed that COVID-19 self-isolation during quarantine affected people’s psychological health. Using psychological examination and laboratory stress indicators, the results of the case group reliably differed from the results of the control group, allowing us to conclude that self-isolation more often caused moderate chronic stress, with or without decompensation. Besides the main study objective, we observed that laboratory stress biomarkers may be acceptable for broader clinical application during routine psychological treatment. The clinical application of laboratory stress biomarkers had been validated previously by another method, i.e., psychological investigation using PSS.

Effects of Withania somnifera Extract in Chronically Stressed Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Stress is a known causative factor in modulating cognitive health, which overall well-being and quality of life are dependent on. Long-term stress has been shown to disrupt the balance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Adaptogens, such as Withania somnifera (ashwagandha), are commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine for stress relief and ameliorating HPA-axis dysfunction. The aim of this study was to support the role of a root and leaf water-extracted ashwagandha extract (WS) in stress reduction by confirming the lowest clinically validated dose for stress management (125 mg/day) in a dose-dependent clinical study in adults with self-reported high stress. An 8-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study to compare the effects of three different WS extract doses (125, 250 and 500 mg) was performed. A total of 131 adults were enrolled, and 98 were included in the final analysis. Attenuation of chronic stress was measured using the 14-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and biochemical-related stress parameters. We have shown that aqueous WS extract (roots and leaves) safely reduces mild to moderate chronic stress at doses of 125 mg, 250 mg, and 500 mg/day for 8 weeks. Our findings demonstrate the stress-reduction capabilities of this well-characterized aqueous extract of WS (root and leaf) at the low dose of 125 mg/day, in a dose-dependent manner, via the modulation of the HPA axis. This study was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI) with the registration number: CTRI/2019/11/022100.

Assessment of chronic stress in the adult population of the Vladimir region

Aim. To assess the prevalence of chronic stress in the adult population in the Vladimir region, taking into account sex characteristics.Material and methods. This cross-sectional population study was performed in five cities of the Vladimir Oblast (Vladimir, Kovrov, Murom, Yuryev-Polsky and Vyazniki) from May 2018 to March 2020. From six health care facilities, 9 therapeutic areas were selected. Then, from the assigned population aged 30-69 years, respondents from each area were invited to the study. To identify chronic stress, the Reeder questionnaire was used, which makes it possible to identify three types of disorders: low, moderate and severe stress. The study analyzed fully completed Reeder L. chronic stress questionnaires from 1081 respondents (393 men and 688 women).Results. Among men, every second person has a low chronic stress, 42% — moderate stress, while high chronic stress was found in 6.4% of cases. A similar trend is observed among women. High levels of chronic stress were detected in 8% of women, and the gap between the prevalence of low and moderate chronic stress was minimal. In general, the prevalence of various levels of chronic stress between men and women was comparable, without significant differences. Sex variability in the prevalence of chronic stress was revealed in various cities of the Vladimir Oblast. In Vladimir, the prevalence of high stress among men was three times higher than in women, while in Vyazniki and Kovrov the opposite pattern was observed. In the other two cities (Murom and Yuryev Polsky), the prevalence of high chronic stress between men and women was comparable.Conclusion. In the working-age population, a high chronic stress level is detected in up to 10%. In some cities, there are sex differences between men and women. The mean level of chronic stress is determined in 42-43% of cases. The results obtained indicate the need for large-scale preventive measures to combat chronic stress among working-age men and women of in the Vladimir Oblast.

Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites and ectoparasites as biomarkers of heat stress close to roads in a Mediterranean lizard

Differences between air and ground temperatures are expected to narrow with the advance of the season in temperate regions (aka seasonal restriction in the availability of thermal microhabitats), which may activate behavioral and physiological responses of ectotherm species adapted to temperate climates. However, according to cost-benefit models of ectotherm thermoregulation, we hypothesize that these responses may also carry some costs. We quantified seasonal shifts in thermoregulatory precision, concentration of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites, and load of ectoparasites in a Mediterranean lizard, Psammodromus algirus. We also tested whether the proximity to a road, a putative source of chronic stress, can facilitate the glucocorticoid-mediated response of lizards to heat stress. As expected, differences between body and environmental temperatures narrowed during the reproductive season and lizards responded by increasing their thermoregulatory precision and the secretion of glucocorticoids, as indicated by metabolites in feces. Interestingly, lizards tended to have higher glucocorticoid concentration when captured far from the road. This might reflect either a putative impairment of the glucocorticoid-mediated response of the lizards to heat stress close to the road or the plastic capability of P. algirus to acclimate to sources of moderate chronic stress. In the latter direction, the increase of both glucocorticoid metabolites and thermoregulatory precision supported that this Mediterranean species responds to environmental thermal restrictions with adaptive behavioral and physiological mechanisms. However, this was also associated with an increase in its susceptibility to ectoparasites, which represents an added cost to the current cost-benefit models of ectotherm thermoregulation.

Мембранный гидролиз углеводов и всасывание глюкозы в тонкой кишке крыс при хроническом иммобилизационном стрессе

The paper presents the results of an experimental study in rats about the effect of moderate chronic stress - daily three-hour immobilization of animals at room and low (5 - 6 °C) temperatures - on the absorption of glucose in the small intestine, the content of glucose transporters SGLT1 and GLUT2 in its enterocytes, as well as on the activity of a number of enzymes that carry out membrane hydrolysis of carbohydrates. According to the data obtained, the addition of the cold component to chronic immobilization stress significantly modifies the adaptation of HPA axis and the digestive characteristics of the small intestine to this type of stressor with the dominant contribution of the effects of cold exposure to this process.

ADAPTATION OF CHILDREN TO STUDYING IN VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS: THE INFLUENCE OF VEGETATIVE HOMEOSTASIS AND PERSONAL ADAPTIVE RESOURCES

In order to study the peculiarities of children’s adaptation to the impact of moderate chronic stress we examined 177 healthy children from 10 to 12 years, who began to study in various institutions. We studied the volume of the educational load, academic performance, parameters of vegetative homeostasis, personal characteristics and the style of adaptive behavior. The cardiovascular system was evaluated by daily ECG monitoring and blood pressure. The duration of follow-up was 2.5 years. Adaptation of children, regardless of the type of educational institution, was accompanied by a tension of the vegetative regulation mechanisms. The children with formed adaptive personal resources and a balanced state of the autonomic nervous system adapted most successfully. At the beginning of adaptation we observed increase in blood pressure in 25.4% of children, and arterial hypertension in 3.3% of children. In 24 months there was found sinus bradycardia in 8.5% of children. Regardless of the type of institution, the depletion of adaptive capacity was associated with abnormalities in the state of the children’s health, low training effectiveness and poor tolerance of educational load. Thus, we believe that personal characteristics, styles of adaptive behavior and the state of vegetative regulation mechanisms should be taken into account when preparing recommendations for the training and organization of medical and psychological-pedagogical support for students.

Chronic Stress is Prospectively Associated with Sleep in Midlife Women: The SWAN Sleep Study.

Evaluate whether levels of upsetting life events measured over a 9-y period prospectively predict subjective and objective sleep outcomes in midlife women. Prospective cohort study. Four sites across the United States. 330 women (46-57 y of age) enrolled in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Sleep Study. N/A. Upsetting life events were assessed annually for up to 9 y. Trajectory analysis applied to life events data quantitatively identified three distinct chronic stress groups: low stress, moderate stress, and high stress. Sleep was assessed by self-report and in-home polysomnography (PSG) during the ninth year of the study. Multivariate analyses tested the prospective association between chronic stress group and sleep, adjusting for race, baseline sleep complaints, marital status, body mass index, symptoms of depression, and acute life events at the time of the Sleep Study. Women characterized by high chronic stress had lower subjective sleep quality, were more likely to report insomnia, and exhibited increased PSG-assessed wake after sleep onset (WASO) relative to women with low to moderate chronic stress profiles. The effect of chronic stress group on WASO persisted in the subsample of participants without baseline sleep complaints. Chronic stress is prospectively associated with sleep disturbance in midlife women, even after adjusting for acute stressors at the time of the sleep study and other factors known to disrupt sleep. These results are consistent with current models of stress that emphasize the cumulative effect of stressors on health over time.

Dispositional resilience as a moderator of the relationship between chronic stress and irregular menstrual cycle

Purpose: Menstrual-cycle irregularity may have an important influence on the subsequent development of chronic diseases. Several risk factors for irregular menstrual cycles have been detected, including stress. Our aim was to extend research on the link between chronic stress and menstrual-cycle irregularity and to assess potential protective factors, such as dispositional resilience, which we hypothesize to be associated with the maintenance or promotion of a healthy menstrual cycle.Methods: For this cross-sectional study, data on 696 healthy women aged 20–40 years were obtained. The women completed measures of chronic stress, dispositional resilience and menstrual-cycle irregularity. Furthermore, potential confounds were assessed.Results: Of the participants, 383 (55%) reported no current use of hormonal contraceptives; 313 (45%) reported current use hormonal contraception and were included as a control group. The results suggest that in women not using hormonal contraception, chronic stress (OR = 1.05, 95%CI = 1.02–1.08, p = 0.001) and dispositional resilience (OR = 0.43, 95%CI = 0.31–0.59, p < 0.001) have a main effect on menstrual cycle regularity. In addition, women with greater dispositional resilience have reduced risk for irregular menstrual cycles in the face of low to moderate chronic stress; however, this association is changed at the highest level of chronic stress.Conclusions: These findings suggest that dispositional resilience may be a protective psychological trait that modulates reproductive functioning.

The Role of Psychologic Stress‐Induced Hypoxia‐Inducible Factor‐1α in Rat Experimental Periodontitis

Studies have shown that psychologic stress plays a significant role in the outcome of many diseases. The present study is designed to investigate the effect of stress on experimental ligature-induced periodontal disease in rats by means of a variable moderate chronic stress model. Sixty-six age-matched male Wistar rats of specific pathogen-free grade were randomly divided into four groups: 1) normal control group, naive rats; 2) experimental periodontitis group, received only silk ligatures at the gingival margins of the second maxillary molar; 3) stress-stimulation group, treated only with experimental stress conditions; and 4) experimental periodontitis plus stress-stimulation group (e.g., experimental groups also exposed to stress). Stress was imposed by means of restraint stress, cold-water immersion stress, and cat shock stress, which were all applied randomly. The rats were sacrificed at weeks 1, 4, 6, and 8 of the experiment. Attachment losses (AL) were measured by a specially made periodontal probe. The histopathologic changes of periodontia stained with hematoxylin and eosin were observed under a microscope. The expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α used to evaluate tissue hypoxic degree in periodontal tissues was tested by immunohistochemistry. Our results show that there was no significant difference of AL among the normal control and the stress-stimulation groups (P >0.05); AL of the periodontitis plus stress-stimulation group was significantly higher than that of the experimental periodontitis group at weeks 4, 6, and 8 (P <0.01), and the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression scores of the periodontitis plus stress-stimulation group were significantly higher than those of the experimental periodontitis group at weeks 4, 6, and 8 (P = 0.0477). Stress-stimulation may aggravate periodontitis by decreased tissue oxygenation in rats. We conclude that there is a correlation of periodontitis severity with psychologic stress and periodontal tissue hypoxia.

Effect of variable moderate chronic stress on ligature‐induced periodontal disease in Wistar rats

The aim of this investigation was to study the impact of stress on ligature‐induced periodontal disease in rats by means of a variable moderate chronic stress model. Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to six groups. Control groups received only ligatures around the second maxillary molars, while experimental groups were exposed to stress in additional. Stress was imposed by means of flashing light, isolation, rat blood smelling, new environment exposure, immobilization in cold temperature and immobilization at room temperature. Stress was applied randomly, thereby diminishing adaptation of the animals to the model. The animals were killed after 29, 43, and 57 days. The distance between the cementum‐enamel junction and the alveolar bone (CEJ‐AB) was measured. Alveolar bone loss was statistically different between stressed and control animals, whereas differences were not observed between experimental periods. The mean CEJ‐AB distance in animals exposed to stress was 154.50 μm smaller than the corresponding distance in the controls. It might be concluded that variable moderate chronic stress decreased alveolar bone loss in a ligature‐induced periodontal disease model.