Somatic Stressors Research Articles

The Effects of Single Testosterone Administration and Stress Induction on Steroid Hormone Levels in Hair

Hair steroid analysis is increasingly recognized for its ability to capture cumulative hormone secretion, thought to reflect an individual’s response to long-term environmental conditions. Despite its growing use, the influence of single, isolated events on hair steroid concentrations remains underexplored. Our study therefore examined the effects of a single-dose transdermal testosterone administration (150mg) and acute laboratory stress induction on hair testosterone and cortisol levels in a randomized, between-subject, placebo-controlled, and double-blind design. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed a significant increase in hair testosterone levels seven weeks post-testosterone administration, underscoring the efficacy of hair analysis in detecting single-use hormone intake. Moreover, we observed a significant elevation in hair cortisol levels seven weeks post-exposure to the laboratory somatic stressor (Cold pressor test), highlighting the efficacy of hair analysis in capturing experimentally induced hormonal responses. The exploration of contextual factors revealed that individuals in committed relationships exhibited lower levels of both hair cortisol and testosterone compared to those who were single or in uncommitted relationships.Our study provides new insights into the sensitivity of hair analysis for detecting hormonal changes following single-dose hormone administration and experimentally induced short-term stress events. The exploratory findings emphasize the importance of individual contextual factors in influencing hair hormone concentrations and lay the groundwork for further investigation into the dynamics of cumulative hair hormone measurements.

The impact of mental and somatic stressors on physical activity and sedentary behaviour in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a diary study.

BackgroundAdopting an active lifestyle is key in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Nevertheless, the majority of individuals with T2DM fails to do so. Additionally, individuals with T2DM are likely to experience mental (e.g., stress) and somatic (e.g., pain) stressors. Research investigating the link between these stressors and activity levels within this group is largely lacking. Therefore, current research aimed to investigate how daily fluctuations in mental and somatic stressors predict daily levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour among adults with T2DM.MethodsIndividuals with T2DM (N = 54) were instructed to complete a morning diary assessing mental and somatic stressors and to wear an accelerometer for 10 consecutive days. The associations between the mental and somatic stressors and participants’ levels of PA and sedentary behaviour were examined using (generalized) linear mixed effect models.ResultsValid data were provided by 38 participants. We found no evidence that intra-individual increases in mental and somatic stressors detrimentally affected participants’ activity levels. Similarly, levels of sedentary behaviour nor levels of PA were predicted by inter-individual differences in the mental and somatic stressors.

The effects of testosterone on the physiological response to social and somatic stressors

Higher testosterone levels in males have previously been linked to decreased stress reactivity, but in other cases, testosterone has been reported to increase the stress response. We addressed these inconsistencies in a placebo-controlled single-dose testosterone administration study, in which 120 male participants were randomly assigned to undergo a cold-pressor test (CPT, a non-social somatic stressor), a socially evaluated cold-pressor test (SECPT, a social-somatic stressor), or a lukewarm water test (LWT, a non-stressful control condition). Throughout the experiment, blood pressure and interbeat intervals were measured continuously, and saliva samples for hormonal analyses were taken repeatedly at predefined time points. When comparing the groups treated with placebo, the SECPT elicited a larger increase in the systolic blood pressure than CPT, in agreement with previous studies. However, testosterone administration altered this pattern. Compared to placebo, testosterone increased systolic blood pressure during the CPT, whereas the opposite effect was found during the SECPT. Cortisol reactivity was not affected by testosterone administration. The CAG repeat polymorphism of the androgen receptor gene was unrelated to the effects of testosterone on the stress response, but it was correlated with blood pressure across the whole sample. Our findings demonstrate that testosterone’s effects on the stress response are dependent on the social context. Testosterone’s ability to flexibly influence the response to stressors may be an important mechanism through which the hormone promotes adaptive behavior. Our results are also in line with research showing that testosterone decreases social anxiety and suggest it may help to modulate the effects of stress in socially challenging situations.

An Insider View of the Cancer Radiation Experience Through the Eyes of a Cancer Patient.

While oncology providers see and treat thousands of cancer patients every year, few have had cancer themselves, or know what’s it like to be in the shoes of a cancer patient days in and days out. This article written by a cancer survivor, writer, and experience design consultant lifts the lid on the cancer patient experience, for the benefit of noncancer patients. Through visual imageries, the author helps oncology providers and caregivers visualize and realize the vulnerability of the cancer experience and discover the treatment experience through new eyes. The article reveals emotional, mental, and somatic stressors, which add stress and/or trauma to the treatment experience and have been largely overlooked by health-care providers.

The Impact of Somatic Stressors on Pilot

Nowadays, we encounter almost every day the effects of various stressors and stimuli that cause a stress response. This article deals with the influence of selected somatic stressors on the pilot during flight. The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of noise, hypoglycemia and increased blood alcohol on piloting accuracy during the ILS Precision Approach procedure, since the landing is the phase of flight with the highest accident rate and the pilot is subjected to the greatest mental stress. For the sake of safety, we decided to make our measurements on a flight simulator located at Zilina Airport. Five of our pilots took part in our measurements, and the ILS approach to the runway 06 of the Zilina airport was gradually completed. The results of the measurements, the flight accuracy data of the descent axis and the deviations of the flight speed from the speed determined by the flight procedures. Based on the evaluation of the measurement results for the accuracy of the piloting, the conclusions suggest that hypoglycemia had the greatest impact on the accuracy of piloting, followed by increased blood alcohol levels and the least impact on increased noise.

Impact of Somatic Stress among Undergraduate Engineering Students – An Analysis

This study aimed to assess the somatic stress among undergraduate engineering students. Effective stress management techniques equip a person to deal with their stress. The objective of the study is to find out the impact of somatic stress among the students in undergraduate engineering courses. The study takes into account various criteria like physical, habitual, demographical and environmental factors among undergraduate engineering students. The sample comprises of 795 students studying undergraduate engineering courses in Nagapattinam and Karaikal District. Data were collected through the structured questionnaire using convenient sampling method. The findings of the study reveals that the students have an impact of somatic stressors and it would affect their studies as well as personal wellbeing. It was concluded that the management should consider some stress management techniques to students to reduce the detrimental effect of stress on health and academic performance among them. Students should be treated with utmost care in the campus by giving healthy food and beverages, constant interaction and counseling. Students should also cooperate in managing their emotions effectively by developing an optimistic view in their life style.

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy in the critically ill — Why inotropes fail to improve outcome

Cardiac dysfunction is common in ICU patients and is a poor prognostic factor [1,2]. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is commonly diagnosed in ICU patients and cardiospecific proteins are detected in up to 47% of these patients. An AMI diagnosis is often based only on detection of cardiospecific proteins in plasma and/or ECG and echocardiographic findings. Angiographic evidence is rarely present [2]. Furthermore, reported plasma troponin levels are often mildly to moderately elevated, a laboratory finding that is consistent not only with a small or moderately sized AMI but also with stress-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC). It is thus possible that many or perhaps most cases of myocardial infarction diagnosed in the ICU may in fact be SIC. SICwas first described in 1990 but is nowan increasingly recognized acute cardiac syndrome and an important differential diagnosis in patients presenting with chest pain [3]. SIC is characterized by severe regional myocardial hypokinesia or akinesia, often but not always involving apical segments, in the absence of an explanatory coronary lesion [4]. Although the pathomechanisms behind SIC is believed to differ substantially from that of AMI the two conditions appear clinically similar and cannot, as yet, be differentiated by non-invasive modalities [5]. However, plasma troponin levels are typically mildly to moderately elevated in SIC and extreme values are rare. SIC is typically preceded by an emotional or somatic stressor and although the pathophysiology of SIC is poorly understood, there exist strong evidence for an important role of catecholamine overstimulation [5]. Among the evidence indicating catecholamines in the pathogenesis of SIC are the observations that plasma levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine are severely elevated in SIC patients, also compared to AMI patients, and several reports where iatrogenously administered beta-adrenergic agonists have triggered SIC or worsened the patients' condition [5,6]. Furthermore, we have shown that i.p. administration of isoprenaline, a nonselective β-adrenoreceptor agonist, induces SIC-like left ventricular apical akinesia in rats [7]. We believe that there is reason to believe that SIC may be particularly prevalent among patients admitted because of severe non-cardiac disease, conditions associated with internal somatic stress and a strong adrenergic drive. A recent report showed that N20% of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) displayed SIC-like left ventricular apical ballooning. Development of SIC-like cardiac dysfunction was particularly likely in sepsis, a condition associated with a profound endogenous stress response [1]. Considering the liberal use of inotropic support in ICU patients, including catecholamine, detection of SIC patients in this setting may be of particular importance and may merit re-evaluation of treatment strategies [6,8]. Cardiac output is often inadequate in ICUpatients despite optimization of filling pressures and afterload. These patients therefore require additional support tomaintain adequate tissue perfusion. Typical regimens include positive inotropes and/or vasopressor substances, manyofwhich are catecholamines.Webelieve that further stimulation of adrenergic signaling pathways may exacerbate cardiac dysfunction in somepatients andmay lead toparadoxical deterioration of these patients condition (Fig.1). In patients suffering from severe heart failure inotropic support by the β-adrenoreceptor agonist dobutamine was associated with a near statistically significantly increased mortality compared to placebo [8]. We believe that suspicion of stress-induced cardiac dysfunction should deter the anesthesiologist towards switching to non-catecholamine vasopressors. Similarly, non-catecholamine vasopressors may also be preferable in these patients. We propose that many so-called AMIs detected in the ICU may in fact be SIC and in many cases these SICs may have been caused or exacerbated by iatrogenously administered inotropic agents, especially β-adrenoreceptor agonist. Non-catecholamine inotropes and/or vasopressors or mechanical assist may be preferable in patients at risk of developing SIC. Until SIC is better understood and these patients can be identified we argue for judicious use of catecholamine inotropes and liberal use of mechanical assist, particularly in patients displaying signs of cardiac dysfunction or injury.

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy (Takotsubo) – broken heart and mind?

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC), also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is characterized by severe but potentially reversible regional left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, ie, akinesia, in the absence of explanatory angiographic evidence of a coronary occlusion. The typical pattern is that of an akinetic apex with preserved contractions in the base, but other variants are also common, including basal or midmyocardial akinesia with preserved apical function. The pathophysiology of SIC remains largely unknown but catecholamines are believed to play a pivotal role. The diverse array of triggering events that have been linked to SIC are arbitrarily categorized as either emotional or somatic stressors. These categories can be considered as different elements of a continuous spectrum, linked through the interface of neurology and psychiatry. This paper reviews our current knowledge of SIC, with focus on the intimate relationship between the brain and the heart.

Aversive faces activate pain responsive regions in the brain

Recent evidence points to an overlap in the neural systems processing pain and social distress. In this functional MRI study we focus on the possible interplay between the processing of a psychosocial stressor and somatic pain within pain responsive brain regions, the latter being identified in an independent localizer experiment. A paradigm based on emotional induction (Hariri et al., 2000, Neuroreport 11(1):43-48) was combined with moderate heat pain to yield a factorial design with factor 'pain' as somatic stressor and factor 'faces' as nonpainful psychosocial stressor. Pain responsive regions of interest in the insula, SII cortex, and thalamus were activated by the factor 'faces' to a various extent. The hemodynamic response to both factors tends to aggregate in a compressive manner in these regions.

Cell resilience in species life spans: a link to inflammation?

Species differences in life span have been attributed to cellular survival during various stressors, designated here as 'cell resilience'. In primary fibroblast cultures, cell resilience during exposure to free radicals, hypoglycemia, hyperthermia, and various toxins has shown generally consistent correlations with the species characteristic life spans of birds and mammals. However, the mechanistic links of cell resilience in fibroblast cultures to different species life spans are poorly understood. We propose that certain experimental stressors are relevant to somatic damage in vivo during inflammatory responses of innate immunity, particularly, resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS), low glucose, and hyperthermia. According to this hypothesis, somatic cell resilience determines species differences in longevity during repeated infections and traumatic injuries in the natural environment. Infections and injury expose local fibroblasts and other cells to ROS generated by macrophages and to local temperature elevations. Systemically, acute phase immune reactions cause hypoglycemia and hyperthermia. We propose that cell resilience to somatic stressors incurred in inflammation is important in the evolution of longevity and that longer-lived species are specifically more resistant to immune-related stressors. This hypothesis further specifies Kirkwood's disposable soma theory. We suggest expanding the battery of stressors and markers used for comparative studies to additional cell types and additional parameters relevant to host defense and to their ecological specificities.

Numerical analysis of recurrence plots to detect effect of environmental-strength magnetic fields on human brain electrical activity

Environmental magnetic fields may activate the neuroendocrine stressor system leading to some human diseases. The stressor theory predicts that the fields can trigger changes in brain electrical activity, like known stressors. We exposed subjects to 1 and 5 μT, 60 Hz while recording electroencephalograms (EEGs) from six derivations, and used a novel method based on numerical analysis of recurrence plots computed from the signals to detect brain electrical potentials evoked by onset and/or offset of the field. The EEGs were also analyzed using linear methods (time averaging). Evoked potentials occurred in all 22 subjects (family-wise error rate less than 0.05 for each subject); the average latency was 250 ms, as expected based on earlier studies using stronger magnetic fields. Field-induced changes in brain electrical activity were not found using time averaging. Control procedures and measurements obtained from electrical phantoms reasonably excluded recording artifacts or chance as explanations for the effects. Onset and offset of magnetic fields produced immediate changes in brain electrical activity, suggesting that the fields were detected by sensory transduction, like ordinary somatic stressors.

No differences in cardiovascular autonomic responses to mental stress in chronic fatigue syndrome adolescents as compared to healthy controls

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disabling disease with unknown etiology. There is accumulating evidence of altered cardiovascular autonomic responses to different somatic stressors, in particular orthostatic stress, whereas autonomic responses to mental stress remain to be investigated. In this study, we explored cardiovascular autonomic responses to a simple mental stress test in CFS patients and healthy controls.A consecutive sample of 13 patients with CFS, aged 12 to 18 years, and a volunteer sample of 53 healthy control subjects of equal age and gender distribution were included. Blood pressure, heart rate and acral skin blood flow were continuously recorded during an arithmetic exercise.At baseline, heart rate was significantly higher among CFS patients than controls (p = 0.02). During the arithmetic exercise, however, there were no significant differences in the responses between the two groups.In conclusion, CFS patients have unaltered autonomic responses to simple mental stress as compared to healthy control subjects.

Effects of interleukin-1β and mild stress on alterations of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission: a regional microdialysis study

The effects of systemically administered interleukin-1β (1.0 μg) on in vivo variations of monoamines was assessed in several brain regions. Administration of the cytokine provoked a modest increase of extracellular 5-HIAA and HVA from the nucleus accumbens, and 5-HIAA from the hippocampus. Following mild neurogenic stressor (application of a series of air puffs), a still greater increase of accumbal 5-HIAA and HVA was evident, a transient increase of hippocampal 5-HT was noted and the 5-HIAA increases were augmented. Additionally, while the air puff stress was without effect on DOPAC and HVA in the prefrontal cortex of saline treated rats, a significant rise of these metabolites was apparent in rats treated with the cytokine. It appears that interleukin-1 administration may have effects on forebrain monoamines, and also results in greater neuronal reactivity to mild neurogenic stressors. This study reveals that although effects of neurogenic stressors (air puffs) and cytokine (somatic stressor) may share some similarities (e.g., HPA activation), the pattern of central neurochemical changes elicited by the cytokine could be distinguished from that induced by a more neurogenic stressor (air puffs), and that these effects showed selective synergism. These data also lend support to the contention that neurogenic stressors may have a much greater impact on central neurotransmission under conditions of immune activation.

The relationship of demographic variables, antepartum depression, and stress to postpartum depression

This study examined the contributions of demographic variables, antepartum depressive symptoms, and sources of stress to level of postpartum depression. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and demographic data sheet were administered to 69 women during the eighth month of pregnancy. One month after delivery, subjects completed the post-delivery questionnaire and BDI. A stratified hierarchical regression analysis revealed that marital status, antepartum depressive symptoms, and difficulty of pregnancy predicted level of postpartum depression. Somatic stressors of pregnancy may trigger depressive symptoms that persist after childbirth, particularly in unmarried mothers.

Sex hormones and stress in the human male

Six blood samples were obtained from each of a group of 33 healthy males between the ages of 19 and 31, following which radioimmunoassays were used to determine the serum concentrations of testosterone (T ser), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and estradiol (E 2). In addition, the free testosterone (T sal) was also measured using saliva samples provided by 23 of the subjects. A questionnaire of our own design was administered together with the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF-Test) at the time of the first blood sample in order to check the long-term stress loads of our subjects as well as their abilities to deal with stress. During the investigational period, subjects kept daily records of their sleeping and working hours and noted the appearance of stressful situations. Weather data for Hamburg was also included as a variable in this study. A number of significant relationships between sex hormones and stress could be ascertained; however, it should be kept in mind that the correlation coefficients are low and explain only a small percentage of the variance between the variables. The stress variables “weather condition” and the “Q 4” factor of the 16 PF-Test are significantly related to E 2 (intersubject correlations). For all samples of all subjects, psychic stress correlates positively with the ratio of T sal T ser . There is a significant positive intersubject relationship between T sal and long-term plus concurrent somatic stress, while somatic Stressors on the day preceding a blood and saliva sample (acute somatic stress) correlate positively with T sal and T ser.