Individual Stress Research Articles

Photoinhibition and photosynthetic regulation in fluctuating light under compound stresses of drought and heat

AbstractUnder the background of global climate change, crop leaves usually experience fluctuating light (FL) under compound stresses of drought and heat in the field. However, photoinhibition and photosynthetic regulation in FL under these compound stresses are little known. To elucidate this, we measured gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, P700 redox state and electrochromic shift signals for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves exposed to FL under individual and compound stresses of moderate drought and heat stresses. After treatment with short‐term FL, photosystem I (PSI) activity decreased slightly in all treatments. By comparison, photosystem II (PSII) activity was reduced slightly under individual stress but largely decreased by 46% under compound stresses. Therefore, PSI is more tolerant than PSII when exposed to FL under compound stresses of drought and heat. Under compound stresses, PSII photoinhibition largely downregulated linear electron flow and photorespiration became a major electron sink downstream. Concomitantly, cyclic electron flow (CEF) was highly enhanced to help the building up of trans‐thylakoid proton gradient. This study highlights the importance of PSII activity and CEF in crop tolerance under future compound climate extremes such as drought and heat.

High Intensity Interval Exercise Causes Acute Microvascular Dysfunction in Elderly Individuals with Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness - A Pilot Study

Background: Frailty is strongly associated with low physical and cardiorespiratory fitness, and unfortunately is observed in 20-50% of the ~50 million adults that experience surgical stress in the U.S. each year. The peripheral microvasculature may serve as a potential target to increase resilience to stress and improve postoperative outcomes. A better understanding of how the microvasculature responds to stress in elderly individuals with low fitness is thus needed. Objective: To define the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and microvascular resiliency to stress in elderly individuals. Hypothesis: Elderly individuals with low cardiorespiratory fitness will show acute reductions in acetylcholine (Ach)-mediated dilation of the skin microvasculature following the physiological stressful stimulus of high intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Methods: This was a prospective, observational study that enrolled elderly individuals aged 65-85 years from the community. Each participant was asked to complete two study visits. During visit 1, participants completed the Frailty Index and performed a graded cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) on a cycle ergometer with a metabolic cart to measure peak total body oxygen consumption (VO2 Peak). During visit 2, laser Doppler flowmetry with dermal microdialysis was performed on the ventral forearm to measure peak cutaneous microvascular vasodilation to Ach (10 mM). After baseline assessment, the participants performed a HIIE protocol where they repetitively switched between exercising at 70% of the peak workload achieved during the CPET for 60 seconds, followed by a 60 second active recovery at 10 watts. These intervals were repeated 12 times, for a total exercise duration of 24 min. Thirty minutes following exercise, Ach-mediated dilation of the cutaneous microvasculature was reassessed. Maximum dilator capacity of each site was assessed by infusing sodium nitroprusside (28 mM) and heating the skin to 43 °C. Results: Six individuals (1 male, 5 females; mean age 68 ±4 years) completed all study procedures. Based on age- and sex-predicted normative values for VO2 Max, three of the individuals had high physical fitness while three had low fitness (mean VO2 Peak = 27.5±1.1 vs. 13.6±3.4 ml/kg/min, respectively). Prior to HIIE there was no difference in peak dilation to Ach between the individuals with high vs. low fitness (% max dilation = 72±13 vs. 83±13, respectively). During HIIE, the individuals reached a Borg rating of perceived exertion of 15±4 (out of 20) and their peak heart rate was 74±15% of their age-predicted maximum. Ach-mediated dilation of the dermal microvasculature was reduced following HIIE in elderly individuals with low cardiorespiratory fitness (pre vs. post % maximum dilation = 82±13 vs. 49±27, respectively; mean change = -34±40 %) but unchanged in those with high fitness (pre vs. post % maximum dilation = 72±13 vs. 78±10, respectively; mean change = 5±3 %). Using Pearson correlation tests there was a strong correlation between the change in peak Ach-mediated dilation pre vs. post HIIE and both VO2 Peak (r=0.82, p=0.04) and Frailty Index score (r=-0.98, p<0.001). Conclusion: Microvascular resilience to acute stress is decreased in elderly individuals with low cardiorespiratory fitness compared to those with high fitness. None. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Influences of sleep, cortisol reactivity, and risk/reward-based decision-making on suicide

Background and objectivesPoor sleep quality is a known contributor to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This study examines whether sleep quality modulates the effect of an individual's stress response and risk/reward-based decision making on suicide risk. MethodsParticipants were 160 adults at a residential substance use treatment facility with lifetime exposure to trauma who completed a clinician-administered measure of suicide risk, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), and a self-report measure of sleep. Cortisol reactivity (i.e., changes in cortisol before and after a personalized trauma script) was used to measure stress response. We used quantile regression to examine the effects of sleep, cortisol, and risk/reward decision-making on suicide risk. ResultsWe found poor sleep quality to be increasingly salient in individuals at greater risk for suicide than those at lower risk for suicide. Furthermore, individuals with moderate to moderate-high levels of suicide risk seem to have greater cortisol reactivity. In the low-moderate quantile, we found suicide risk to be associated with both high stress reactivity and low-risk, high-reward decision-making, as well as low stress reactivity and high-risk/low-reward decision-making. LimitationsThese findings should be interpreted considering several methodological constraints, such as the use of a pre-determined sample and instruments not tailored for our hypotheses, the MINI ‘Suicide’ Module's limited differentiation between suicidal ideation and behavior, and variably timed cortisol sampling. ConclusionsDespite these limitations, the findings from this study support the use of evidence-based interventions focused on improving sleep quality and managing emotional reactivity to decrease suicide risk.

Wellbeing and collective grievances among farmers: The case of Flanders, Belgium

Media coverage and policy at both national and EU level is increasingly paying attention to how farming populations in multiple countries in Europe are facing problems in terms of wellbeing. Similar attention is also being paid to this issue in Flanders (Belgium), although research data on this problem is lacking. The present study fills this gap by investigating what type of stressors farmers are experiencing in their daily activities. Through qualitative interviews (15) and focus group discussions (9), reaching 81 Flemish farmers, 2 categories of stressors are identified as negatively impacting on farmers wellbeing. The first category encompasses regulations and administrative burdens which are understood to be increasingly strict and complex, adding to workload and reducing the autonomy of the farmer. A second category relates to financial insecurity, including points such as anxieties as to the overall future of the farm enterprise and price volatility. These stressors and their direct impact can also be retrieved in other countries.In addition to these findings, this article will argue that these stressors are inextricably tied to perceptions by Flemish farmers about a changing socio-political climate that is understood to be increasingly anti-farming. Throughout the individual and group interviews on stress and wellbeing, a discourse emerges about a lack of societal respect towards farming in which farmers express increasingly feeling alienated from society. Hence, these individual stress factors cannot be detached from a set of collective grievances about the place of farmers as a professional group in the larger societal fabric. The point on regulations and administrative burdens is put in a framework wherein farmers indicate increasingly being misunderstood and disrespected. A specific symbol of contention in this regard are so-called ‘green regulations’ centred around biodiversity, animal welfare, climate … The issue of financial insecurity is tied to a larger moral critique wherein society supposedly no longer wishes to pay a fair price for honest labour and healthy food products.

Maternal lifetime stress and psychological functioning in pregnancy is associated with preschoolers' temperament: Exploring effect modification by race and ethnicity

BackgroundPsychosocial stress and psychopathology frequently co-occur, with patterns differing by race and ethnicity. We used statistical mixtures methodology to examine associations between prenatal stress and child temperament in N = 382 racially and ethnically diverse maternal-child dyads to disentangle associations among maternal stressful life events, maternal psychological functioning in pregnancy, childhood neurobehavior, and maternal race and ethnicity. MethodsThis study utilized data from a longitudinal pregnancy cohort, PRogramming of Intergenerational Stress Mechanisms (PRISM). Mothers completed the Lifetime Stressor Checklist-Revised, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale during pregnancy. When their children were 3–5 years of age, they completed the Children's Behavior Questionnaire, which yields three temperament dimensions: Negative Affectivity (NA), Effortful Control (EC), and Surgency (S). We used weighted quantile sum regression to derive a weighted maternal stress index encompassing lifetime stress and depression and anxiety symptoms and examined associations between the resulting stress index and child temperament. Differential contributions of individual stress domains by race and ethnicity also were examined. ResultsMothers self-identified as Black/Black Hispanic (46.1 %), non-Black Hispanic (31.9 %), or non-Hispanic White (22 %). A higher maternal stress index was significantly associated with increased child NA (β = 0.72 95 % CI = 0.35, 1.10). Lifetime stress was the strongest contributor among Hispanic (36.7 %) and White (17.8 %) mothers, whereas depressive symptoms in pregnancy was the strongest contributor among Black (16.7 %) mothers. ConclusionPrenatal stress was most strongly associated with negative affectivity in early childhood. Consideration of multiple stress measures as a mixture accounted for differential contributions of individual stress domains by maternal race and ethnicity. These findings may help elucidate the etiology of racial/ethnic disparities in childhood neurobehavior.

Demographic and occupational determinants of technical overload, techno-intrusion and techno-complexity

Main goal of this paper was to draw more attention to the pervasiveness of technostress in the consulting environment. As TS tends to be perceived differently in terms of what it entails, authors have focused, instead, on its relationship with such demographical variables as gender, age, work level and family status in the research. Study was conducted using a quantitative questionnaire. Sample consisted of 702 consulting employees (417 men and 275 women) aged 18-65. Data analysis was based on ANOVA and stepwise regression models. Results reveal that female participants and employees older than 35, experience significantly more Techno-Complexity compared to other groups. No significant effect of family status on Techno-Complexity was found. Senior-rank employees experience more Techno-Overload and Techno-Invasion, compared to co-workers in more junior positions. The authors’ findings point out to the necessity of workplace-stress prevention solutions focusing specifically on gender, age and the seniority level of an employee. The Results imply that such focus can prove essential in the prevention of burnout and considerable decrease in individual stress levels, loss of workplace focus and overall workplace productivity

ABA-mediated stomatal response modulates the effects of drought, salinity and combined stress on tomato plants grown under elevated CO2

Plants are often exposed to drought and salinity stress concurrently but our knowledge about the effects of combined stress is limited, especially in a CO2-enriched environment. This study investigated how these three variables interacted and affected two tomato genotypes with contrasting endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) levels (wild-type AC, ABA-deficient mutant flacca). Plants were grown at ambient (400 μmol mol−1) (a[CO2]) or elevated (800 μmol mol−1) CO2 (e[CO2]), and exposed to progressive soil drying, salt and combined stress; and plant growth and physiological responses to the treatments were tested. The results showed that, under either CO2 growth environment, for both genotypes the individual and combined stress significantly decreased plant growth and water status, with the combined stress having the most pronounced effect on water status. Compared with plants grown at a[CO2], e[CO2] significantly enhanced plant aboveground biomass and attenuated the decrease of water status induced by drought and salt, but this only occurred in AC. In addition, salt stress increased the sensitivity of stomatal response to drought in both genotypes, yet it exacerbated the e[CO2]-induced depression of stomatal conductance (gs) only in the AC plants. On the other hand, drought increased Na+:K+ ratio in leaves for both genotypes while decreasing it in roots of AC plants under salt stress. In addition, e[CO2] favored ionic homeostasis in leaves of plants under salt and combined stresses by limiting leaf Na+ accumulation and enhancing K+ selective transport, but this was only evident for AC, suggesting that e[CO2]-induced plant responses were dependent on plant endogenous ABA levels. The results of this study improve our understanding on the interactive effects of drought and salt stress on tomato plants under e[CO2], which are helpful for improving crop resilience to a future drier, saltier and CO2-enriched environment.

Older people's experiences of vulnerability in a trust-based welfare society affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak inflicted vulnerability on individuals and societies on a completely different scale than we have seen previously. The pandemic developed rapidly from 1 day to the next, and both society and individuals were put to the test. Older people's experiences of the early outbreak were no exception. Using an abductive analytical approach, the study explores the individual experiences of vulnerability as described by older people hospitalised with COVID-19 in the early outbreak. In these older people, we found that the societal context and the individual experiences of vulnerability were inextricable linked. The study demonstrates that despite significant individual stress, informants displayed an interesting ability to also view their situation to reorient their perspective. The experience of vulnerability is both conditional and individual, which imposes a degree of unpredictability that neither they nor others were able to negotiate. The article discusses the phenomenon of unpredictability in light of a modern society with regard to how individuals and society may encounter unexpected events in the future where the potential to reorient will be vital.

Loss of the ceramide synthase HYL-2 from Caenorhabditis elegans impairs stress responses and alters sphingolipid composition

Sphingolipids, essential membrane components and signaling molecules in cells, have ceramides at the core of their metabolic pathways. Initially termed as "longevity assurance genes", the encoding genes of ceramide synthases are closely associated with individual aging and stress responses, although the mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to explore the alterations and underlying mechanisms of three ceramide synthases, HYL-1, HYL-2, and LAGR-1, in the aging and stress responses of Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results showed the knockdown of HYL-1 extends the lifespan and enhance stress resistance in worms, whereas the loss of HYL-2 function significantly impairs tolerances to heat, oxidation, and ultraviolet stress. Stress intolerance induced by HYL-2 deficiency may result from intracellular mitochondrial dysfunction, accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and abnormal nuclear translocation of DAF-16 under stress conditions. Loss of HYL-2 led to a significant reduction of predominant ceramides (d17:1/C20∼C23) as well as corresponding complex sphingolipids. Furthermore, the N-acyl chain length composition of sphingolipids underwent dramatic modifications, characterized by a decrease in C22 sphingolipids and an increase in C24 sphingolipids. Extra d18:1-ceramides resulted in diminished stress resilience in wild-type worms, while supplementation of d18:1/C16 ceramide to HYL-2-deficient worms marginally improved stress tolerance to heat and oxidation. These findings indicate the importance of appropriate ceramide content and composition in maintaining subcellular homeostasis and nuclear-cytoplasmic signal transduction during healthy aging and stress responses.

Dissecting the role of salicylic acid in mediating stress response in mungbean cultivars concurrently exposed to Macrophomina phaseolina infection and drought stress

The combined stress studies provide fundamental knowledge that could assist in producing multiple stress resilient crops. The fungal phytopathogen, Macrophomina phaseolina is a major limiting factor in the productivity of the crop, Vigna radiata (mungbean). This fungal species tends to flourish under hot and dry conditions. Therefore, in this study the salicylic acid (SA) mediated stress responses in contrasting mungbean cultivars (Shikha and RMG-975) exposed to combined M. phaseolina infection (F) and drought stress (D) have been elucidated. The combined stress was applied to ten days seedlings in three orders i.e. drought followed by fungal infection (DF), drought followed by fungal infection with extended water deficit (DFD) and fungal infection followed by drought stress (FD). The severity of infection was analyzed using ImageJ analysis. Besides, the concentration of SA has been correlated with the phenylpropanoid pathway products, expression of pathogenesis-related proteins (β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase) and the specific activity of certain related enzymes (phenylalanine ammonia lyase, lipoxygenase and glutathione-S-transferase). The data revealed that the cultivar RMG-975 was relatively more tolerant than Shikha under individual stresses. However, the former became more susceptible to the infection under DFD treatment while the latter showed tolerance. Otherwise, the crown rot severity was reduced in both the cultivars under other combined treatments. The stress response analysis suggested that enhanced chitinase expression is vital for tolerance against both, the pathogen and drought stress. Also, it was noted that plants treat each stress combination differently and the role of SA was more prominently visible under individual stress conditions.

The Impact of Curcumin, Resveratrol, and Cinnamon on Modulating Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Activity in Type 2 Diabetes: Moving beyond an Anti-Hyperglycaemic Evaluation.

Research indicates that up to half of the population resorts to dietary supplements for managing diseases such as type 2 diabetes rather than changing their nutritional habits. These supplements not only aim to have an anti-hyperglycaemic effect but also seek to reduce oxidative stress to prevent diabetes complications. This systematic literature systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of curcumin, resveratrol, and cinnamon in modulating oxidative stress and antioxidant activity in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected from PubMed, Web of Sciences, and Scopus databases regarding the impact of curcumin, resveratrol, and cinnamon on total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels for this review. Effect sizes for each study were calculated using Cohen's or Hedges's d coefficient. Parameters of oxidative stress and inflammatory status, such as TAC, MDA, TNF-α, IL-6, and hs-CRP, improved following phytochemicals. Additionally, curcumin, resveratrol, and cinnamon exhibited regulatory effects on carbohydrate metabolism by reducing glucose, insulin, and glycated haemoglobin concentrations and lipid metabolism by lowering total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides (TG) and increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Incorporating curcumin, resveratrol, and cinnamon into diets may be beneficial for maintaining organism homeostasis and improving metabolic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, the conflicting results reported in the literature highlight the need for further detailed investigations into the effectiveness of phytochemical use for type 2 diabetes.

Sex differences in neural response to an acute stressor in individuals with an alcohol use disorder.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and stress influence overlapping neural circuits in the brain. The literature is mixed regarding the presence of sex differences in the neural response to acute stressors, and this issue has not been examined in individuals with AUD. We validated a stress functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm in individuals with AUD and tested for sex differences. Twenty-five treatment-seeking individuals with AUD (15M/10F) were recruited to participate in the neuroimaging study linked to a clinical trial of ibudilast (NCT03594435). To assess social-evaluative stress, participants completed the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST). Whole brain and amygdala region-of-interest analyses were conducted. Subjective ratings of anxiety and distress were collected. Repeated measures ANCOVAs were performed to evaluate the effect of stress on anxiety and distress and to evaluate sex differences. There were trend-level effects of stress on anxiety ratings and amygdala activation (p's = 0.06). There was a significant effect of stress in the bilateral thalamus, ventral tegmental area, and paracingulate (Z's > 4.09, p's < 0.03). There was a trend-level effect of sex on subjective ratings of stress (p's = 0.07). Females had higher amygdala activation in response to stress (p = 0.02). Females also had greater activation than males in the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, and right inferior frontal gyrus during acute stress (Z's > 3.56, p's < 0.03). This study provides an initial validation of the MIST in a sample of individuals with AUD. It also provides preliminary evidence of sex differences in the response to social-evaluative stress, which is important, given the relevance of stress and negative emotionality as motivators for alcohol use in females.

The experiences of family resilience in patients with permanent colostomy and their spouses: A dyadic qualitative study

PurposeWith the prolonged survival time of patients with permanent colostomy for colorectal cancer, they and their spouses face tremendous pressure and development dilemmas that can easily lead to family adaptation crises. This qualitative study amid to explore the dyadic experiences of family resilience among Chinese patients with permanent colostomy and their spouses. MethodsA phenomenological research method was adopted. Semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 10 dyads of patients with permanent colostomy and their spouses were recruited through purposive sampling from a public tertiary hospital in China from March 2023 to July 2023.The Dyadic interview analysis and Colaizzi methods were used to analyze the interview data. ResultsThree themes and nine subthemes were developed. (1) family crisis and dichotomous coping with stress-family crisis and coping pressure caused by enterostomy; (2) Adjustment and adaptation within the family-Joint adjustment and adaptation within the couple's family; and (3) integration and utilization of multi-dimensional social external resources (micro-level, meso-level, and macro-level). ConclusionsCouples living with permanent colostomy often undergo a complex emotional journey, experiencing varied levels of individual stress as they navigate social interactions and daily activities, which can contribute to a decline in family adaptation. With the help of the perspective of family advantage, health practitioners should pay attention to the evaluation of individual factors and family environmental resources, to fully mobilize advantage resources and give effective interventions to improve the family and social adaptation level of patients and their spouses.

Oxidative Stress Reaction to Hypobaric-Hyperoxic Civilian Flight Conditions.

In military flight operations, during flights, fighter pilots constantly work under hyperoxic breathing conditions with supplemental oxygen in varying hypobaric environments. These conditions are suspected to cause oxidative stress to neuronal organ tissues. For civilian flight operations, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also recommends supplemental oxygen for flying under hypobaric conditions equivalent to higher than 3048 m altitude, and has made it mandatory for conditions equivalent to more than 3657 m altitude. We hypothesized that hypobaric-hyperoxic civilian commercial and private flight conditions with supplemental oxygen in a flight simulation in a hypobaric chamber at 2500 m and 4500 m equivalent altitude would cause significant oxidative stress in healthy individuals. Twelve healthy, COVID-19-vaccinated (third portion of vaccination 15 months before study onset) subjects (six male, six female, mean age 35.7 years) from a larger cohort were selected to perform a 3 h flight simulation in a hypobaric chamber with increasing supplemental oxygen levels (35%, 50%, 60%, and 100% fraction of inspired oxygen, FiO2, via venturi valve-equipped face mask), switching back and forth between simulated altitudes of 2500 m and 4500 m. Arterial blood pressure and oxygen saturation were constantly measured via radial catheter and blood samples for blood gases taken from the catheter at each altitude and oxygen level. Additional blood samples from the arterial catheter at baseline and 60% oxygen at both altitudes were centrifuged inside the chamber and the serum was frozen instantly at -21 °C for later analysis of the oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde low-density lipoprotein (M-LDL) and glutathione-peroxidase 1 (GPX1) via the ELISA test. Eleven subjects finished the study without adverse events. Whereas the partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) levels increased in the mean with increasing oxygen levels from baseline 96.2 mm mercury (mmHg) to 160.9 mmHg at 2500 m altitude and 60% FiO2 and 113.2 mmHg at 4500 m altitude and 60% FiO2, there was no significant increase in both oxidative markers from baseline to 60% FiO2 at these simulated altitudes. Some individuals had a slight increase, whereas some showed no increase at all or even a slight decrease. A moderate correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.55) existed between subject age and glutathione peroxidase levels at 60% FiO2 at 4500 m altitude. Supplemental oxygen of 60% FiO2 in a flight simulation, compared to flying in cabin pressure levels equivalent to 2500 m-4500 m altitude, does not lead to a significant increase or decrease in the oxidative stress markers M-LDL and GPX1 in the serum of arterial blood.

Assessment of Levels of Occupational Stress among the Intensive Care Workers in a Selected Hospital in Lagos State

Background: Working in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) comes with a great deal of physical, emotional, and psychological strain that can get worse with time if not properly managed. Numerous factors contribute to the extreme levels of stress experienced by healthcare professionals, such as long and demanding work hours, the burden of paperwork and legal matters, the disruption of work-life balance, the complexity of shared decision-making, and the high expectations placed ICU workers by on both patients and carers. Some outcomes of occupational stress among intensive care workers include bad safety culture, poor standard of care for patients and depression. Research Objective: The Purpose of the study was to ascertain the levels of occupational stress among the intensive care workers of a hospital. Methodology: The research was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). An aggregate of 108 intensive care workers were sampled for the study. A pre-tested, semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to gather the data, and the statistical package for social sciences, SPSS version, was used for analysis. The means and standard deviations, or the median and interquartile range, were used to express continuous variables. The expressions for categorical variables were frequencies accompanied by percentages. The study employed chi square statistics to evaluate the correlation between categorical variables. Results: There is an average prevalence of stress among intensive care workers of LASUTH. Recommendation: Staff sshould undergo training on stress handling, in order to be able to manage their individual stressors and reduce the overall stress.

Attachment insecurities, emotion dynamics and stress in intimate relationships during the transition to parenthood

BackgroundIn intimate relationships, which are characterized by emotional interdependence, partners act as attachment figures which serve emotion regulation functions. The experience of emotions as well as the strategies that partners use to regulate them and to respond to relational experiences, especially during stressful periods, differ greatly according to their attachment orientation. An important aspect in emotion dynamics is emotional inertia, which reflects the degree to which a person’s current affective state is resistant to change on a moment-to-moment basis. Inertia has been related to maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, like suppression and rumination, preferentially used by highly anxious and avoidant individuals. The aim of this study is to examine associations between attachment orientations and reports on the experience of positive and negative affect, and their dynamics in daily life across the transition to parenthood.MethodsLongitudinal data from a sample of 152 mixed-gender couples collected across the transition to parenthood was analyzed. We predicted that individuals with a more insecure attachment would report more negative and less positive affect, and that their emotional experience would be more resistant to change over time. We explored effects when participants reported feeling stressed.ResultsThe data suggested that attachment anxiety was associated with less positive and more negative affect and that attachment avoidance was associated with more positive affect. Anxious individuals showed lower emotional inertia and not higher as we expected. Reported stress for anxious and avoidant individuals was significantly associated with more negative but not less positive affect.ConclusionsResults are discussed in the light of their impact on couples during stressful periods. Differences between anxiety and avoidance are found, emphasizing the importance of attachment insecurities on the experience of emotion. Furthermore, our findings on momentary fluctuating affect offer complementary insight into the emotional functioning of individuals with different attachment orientations.

Modeling the relationship between depression in people with cancer and perceived stress, with the mediating role of eating problems, sexual satisfaction, emotion regulation and self-compassion.

With the rising prevalence of cancer and the adverse physical and psychological experiences endured by affected individuals, this study aims to establish a model illustrating the relationship between depression in people with cancer and perceived stress. Additionally, it examines the mediating influence of eating problems, sexual satisfaction, emotional regulation, and self-compassion. This study employs a descriptive-correlational research method, utilizing structural equation analysis (modeling) to explore the role of mediators. The research sample comprised 200 individuals diagnosed with cancer, selected based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Participants completed Beck's 13-item depression questionnaire, a 10-item perceived stress questionnaire, an 8-item appetite measurement questionnaire, a 25-item sexual satisfaction questionnaire, a 10-item emotion regulation questionnaire, and a 12-item compassion questionnaire. The data were subsequently analyzed using SPSS-24 and Lisrel 80/8 software. The research findings indicate a significant positive relationship between perceived stress and depression in people with cancer. Furthermore, eating problems exhibited a mediating role in the relationship between perceived stress and depression, with a direct effect coefficient of (t = 0.28, ß = 0.02). However, the path from perceived stress to depression, mediated by sexual satisfaction, was found to be statistically insignificant, with a standard coefficient of 0.01 at the p < 0.05 level. Emotion regulation demonstrated a direct effect coefficient of (t = -3.52, ß = -0.33) on depression. Likewise, self-compassion exhibited a direct effect coefficient of (t = -3.08, ß = -0.28) on depression, while the path from perceived stress to depression was mediated by self-compassion, with a standard coefficient of 0.12 at the p < 0.05 level. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the interplay between depression and perceived stress in individuals with cancer, revealing a significant positive association. Eating problems emerged as a mediating factor, directly influencing the manifestation of depressive symptoms. However, the mediation pathway through sexual satisfaction was found to be statistically insignificant. Emotion regulation and self-compassion were identified as influential factors, with direct effects on depression and self-compassion also serving as a mediator in the relationship between perceived stress and depression. The findings emphasize the importance of targeted interventions addressing eating problems, enhancing emotion regulation, and fostering self-compassion to alleviate the impact of depression and perceived stress in individuals facing cancer-related challenges. Further research is encouraged to refine and expand upon these insights, advancing holistic care for this population.

Negative synergistic effects of drought and heat during flowering and seed setting in soybean

Rising intense heat waves combined with lower precipitations are the new norms of current global scenarios. These altered climatic conditions negatively impact soybean yield potential and quality. Ten soybean cultivars were subjected to four different growing conditions: control, drought, heat, and combined drought and heat to understand the physiological, yield, quality and molecular changes. Stomatal conductance was reduced by 62% and 10% under drought and heat, respectively. This reduction was further exacerbated to 93% when exposed to combined stress. The highest canopy temperature was recorded at +8 °C with combined stress treatment, whereas drought and heat exhibited +2 °C and +5.4 °C, respectively. Furthermore, combined stress displayed a more pronounced negative impact on greenness-associated vegetative index; the gene expression analysis further corroborated these findings. Each degree Celsius increase in temperature during flowering and seed-filling reduced seed weight by approximately 7% and 4% with and without drought, respectively. The seed protein increased under drought, whereas the oil showed a converse trend under drought and combined stresses. Most physiological and yield traits showed no significant correlations between control and individual or combined stress. This suggests that selecting crops for combined stress tolerance may not be appropriate based on nonstress or individual stress performance. Thus, incorporating combined stress-resilient traits into elite soybean cultivars could significantly boost soybean production under hot and dry climatic conditions.

The halotolerant white sea anemone Anthothoe chilensis, highly abundant in brine discharges zones, as a promising biomonitoring species for evaluating the impacts of desalination plants

Seawater desalination raises concerns about its environmental repercussions, particularly the impact of brine discharge on benthic communities. In this study, we evaluated the effects of desalination and artificial brines on the sea anemone Anthothoe chilensis, following its observed proliferation near a brine outfall from a Chilean desalination plant. We measured biomarkers for oxidative stress (ROS content, lipid peroxidation, and protein carbonylation), antioxidant response (thiols), and osmotic stress (free amino acids and proline) in individuals collected from a brine discharge pipe (∼56 psu) and compared them to a population living in natural seawater salinity. Additionally, we conducted controlled laboratory experiments where A. chilensis specimens were exposed to a control salinity of 33 psu and to elevated salinities of 37 and 42 psu for 24 and 48 h. Results revealed a significant decrease in oxidative damage biomarkers, such as protein carbonylation and ROS content, along with an increase in free amino acids, proline, and thiols content at higher salinity levels, particularly under controlled conditions. These findings demonstrate the remarkable efficient cellular stress responses of this highly halotolerant species, which could potentially promote risky A. chilensis blooms in brine discharges areas. Additionally, this study provides valuable biomarker information for assessing the short-term impacts of brine discharges, which can be used in biomonitoring programs within the desalination sector.

Relationship Between Stress, its Management and Public Well-being in Lithuania: Effect of Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors

The aim of the study was to assess the individual stress intensity and its management in Lithuania in the context of public well-being, concentrating on the effects of socio-demographic and clinical factors on stress intensity. To reach the aim, a quantitative study was conducted. 1137 residents of Lithuania participated in the online survey. A visual analogue scale (1–10, VAS) was used to determine stress intensity and management, and the Arizona Integrative Outcome Scale was used to determine the sense of well-being. The research results indicate that 98% of respondents experience stress with an average stress intensity and only 50% of respondents experience a higher-than-average sense of well-being formed by physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual state. The measured relationships between stress, socio-demographic and clinical factors suggest that the marital status, education, profession, nature of work, salary, work experience, duration of work and rest, consequences of COVID-19 have the greatest potential for perceived stress. High-intensity stress is prevalent in Lithuania with moderate management. In the study it was identified, that the main tools for reducing stress are communication with supportive persons, daily regimen and sleep, leisure time for a hobby and rehabilitation, avoiding bad habits, appropriate medical SPA treatments or wellness practices.