Stress-related Disorders Research Articles

Mental health stigma in the medical profession: Where do we go from here?

Mental health conditions are highly prevalent among physicians with high rates of depression, anxiety, stress-related disorders, suicidal ideation and burnout reported among medical practitioners at all levels of training and practice. This phenomenon is in part contributed by a highly stressful clinical environment with an often suboptimal support system for doctors. Concerningly, there is hitherto a striking reluctance amongst medical trainees/practitioners to seek treatment/help for mental health-related conditions due to fear of associated stigma and negative career repercussions. In this article, we sought to raise awareness of the mental health stigma that has long been prevailing in the medical community, and review the key drivers of such stigma at the individual, community and organisational level. In general, drivers of mental health stigma in the medical profession include self-stigmatisation predisposed by physician personality and character traits, societal stereotypes about mental illness permeating through the medical community, and systemic constructs such as mandatory mental health declarations for medical licensure that perpetuate the unfortunate perception that mental illness appears synonymous with job impairment or incompetency. To destigmatise mental health issues in the medical profession, we herein propose multi-pronged strategies which can practically be implemented: 1) normalisation of mental health issues through open dialogue and sharing, 2) creating a supportive, “psychologically friendly” work environment through increased accessibility to workplace mental health support services, peer support systems, and reduction of psychiatric “name-calling” practices, and 3) reviewing systemic practices, in particular the mandatory mental health declarations for medical registration, that perpetuate mental health stigma.

The Role of Telomere Length in Stress-related Aging and its Implications for Mental Health

Telomeres, the protective caps at chromosome ends, have emerged as crucial biomarkers of cellular aging and potential mediators of stress-induced physiological decline. This review synthesized current evidence on how chronic stress and various mental health conditions are associated with accelerated telomere shortening, potentially serving as a biological mechanism linking psychological distress to cellular aging and increased risk of age-related diseases. Research studies showed that major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders have been consistently linked to shorter telomeres, while findings for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia remain mixed. The review explored the biological mechanisms underlying stress-induced telomere attrition, including oxidative stress, inflammation, and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. It critically evaluated telomere length as a potential biomarker for stress-related aging and mental health disorders, assessing its reliability and clinical relevance. The review also examined interventions targeting telomere biology, including lifestyle modifications, stress reduction techniques, and pharmacological approaches. These interventions showed promise in mitigating the effects of stress-related aging and improving mental health outcomes. However, methodological challenges and high inter-individual variability currently limit the clinical utility of telomere length assessment. Ethical implications of telomere-based interventions and diagnostics were also discussed, including issues of privacy, potential discrimination, and the blurring lines between treatment and enhancement.

Multiple Sex- and Circuit-Specific Mechanisms Underlie Exercise-Induced Stress Resistance.

Prior physical activity reduces the risk of future stress-related mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Rodents allowed to engage in voluntary wheel running are similarly protected from behavioral consequences of stress. The present review summarizes current knowledge on mechanisms underlying exercise-induced stress resistance. A conceptual framework involving the development (during exercise) and expression (during stress) of stress resistance from exercise is proposed. During the development of stress resistance, adaptations involving multiple exercise signals and molecular mediators occur within neural circuits orchestrating various components of the stress response, which then respond differently to stress during the expression of stress resistance. Recent data indicate that the development and expression of stress resistance from exercise involve multiple independent mechanisms that depend on sex, stressor severity, and behavioral outcome. Recent insight into the role of the prefrontal cortex in exercise-induced stress resistance illustrates these multiple mechanisms. This knowledge has important implications for the design of future experiments aimed at identifying the mechanisms underlying exercise-induced stress resistance.

Cortisol Quantification for Assessing Stress-Induced Changes in Zebrafish Larvae.

The stress response, mainly mediated by cortisol, plays a critical role in the regulation of physiological and behavioral homeostasis through a variety of mechanisms. Different aquatic animal models have been widely employed to understand the pathobiology of stress and stress-related brain disorders. The early life stress can affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis and induce cellular and molecular impairments that impact the brain functioning later in life. However, these alterations have been poorly explored mainly due to the lack of suitable models. In this chapter, the vortex flow stimulation, an acute stress that causes a forced swimming and activates the HPI axis, is described and its correlations with behavioral outputs reported. To this end, the early life stages of zebrafish are used as animal models for modeling stress disorders experimentally. The behavioral despair model can be employed as an initial screening tool for assessing neural circuit activation and motor alterations. Taken together, the implementation of this strategy in this animal model allows the analysis of stress responses in a simple manner and its correlation with neural circuitries and motor alterations.

Comparison of Escitalopram Alone versus in Combination with Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Patients with Neurotic, Stress Related and Somatoform Disorders: A Randomised Clinical Study

Introduction: Anxiety disorders have a prevalence rate of 2.57% and significantly impact well-being and productivity. The course of anxiety disorders is characterised by fluctuating symptom severity, a high relapse rate, and chronicity. Patients with anxiety disorders are typically prescribed antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, but these treatments often have limited long-term efficacy. Combining pharmacotherapy with non-pharmacological techniques, such as Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), may enhance the effectiveness of treatment for anxiety disorders. Aim: To assess and compare the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) scores at six-month between Group-E (who received Escitalopram exclusively) and Group-E+PMR (who received Escitalopram in addition to PMR). Materials and Methods: A randomised clinical study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry at Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Amritsar, Punjab, India, from March 2020 to March 2021. The study was carried out following approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC). Participants were individuals aged 18 to 45 years who visited the Psychiatry Department's Outpatient Department (OPD) and met the ICD-10 criteria for Neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders (F40-F48). One hundred and seventeen participants were randomly allocated to the two groups using a simple randomization method. Group-E received a daily dose of 10 mg Escitalopram for six months, while Group-E+PMR received the same dosage of Escitalopram along with Jacobson’s PMR exercises lasting 20 minutes, twice daily, at their place of residence. The HAM-A scale was employed to assess anxiety levels in both groups. Paired t-tests were conducted to compare pre- and post-treatment HAM-A scores within each group, while independent t-tests were used to compare scores between the groups. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 24.0 and a significance level of p<0.05 was adopted for the statistical assessments. Results: Both groups were comparable in terms of sociodemographic variables, mean age, and baseline HAM-A scores. The majority of participants, 70 (70%), were females. Significant improvements were noted in the HAM-A scores at six-month mark compared to baseline for both, Group-E and Group-E+PMR (p<0.001). Furthermore, Group-E+PMR exhibited a significant decrease in the HAM-A score at six months compared to Group-E (p<0.001), indicating more substantial improvements. Conclusion: Escitalopram and Escitalopram combined with PMR treatment effectively lowered anxiety. However, the incorporation of PMR Exercises alongside Escitalopram demonstrated more favourable outcomes in individuals with anxiety disorders.

Ultrasound Stimulation Attenuates CRS-Induced Depressive Behavior by Modulating Dopamine Release in the Prefrontal Cortex.

Depression is one of the most serious mental disorders affecting modern human life and is often caused by chronic stress. Dopamine system dysfunction is proposed to contribute to the pathophysiology of chronic stress, especially the ventral tegmental area (VTA) which mainly consists of dopaminergic neurons. Focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS) is a promising neuromodulation modality and multiple studies have demonstrated effective ultrasonic activation of cortical, subcortical, and related networks. However, the effects of FUS on the dopamine system and the potential link to chronic stress-induced depressive behaviors are relatively unknown. Here, we measured the effects of FUS targeting VTA on the improvement of depression-like behavior and evaluated the dopamine concentration in the downstream region - medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We found that targeting VTA FUS treatment alleviated chronic restraint stress (CRS) -induced anhedonia and despair behavior. Using an in vivo photometry approach, we analyzed the dopamine signal of mPFC and revealed a significant increase following the FUS, positively associated with the improvement of anhedonia behavior. FUS also protected the dopaminergic neurons in VTA from the damage caused by CRS exposure. Thus, these results demonstrated that targeting VTA FUS treatment significantly rescued the depressive-like behavior and declined dopamine level of mPFC induced by CRS. These beneficial effects of FUS might be due to protection in the DA neuron of VTA. Our findings suggest that FUS treatment could serve as a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of stress-related disorders.

Antimicrobial Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants from Around Ujjain City, India

Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medical system, emphasizes the use of natural elements to treat diseases and promote a balanced, healthy life. Polyherbalism—the practice of combining multiple herbs—enhances therapeutic efficacy and reduces toxicity. In this study, three medicinal plants, Moringa oleifera, Withania somnifera, and Acorus calamus, were examined for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Phytochemical screening of these plants identified active compounds like alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and flavonoids. Solvent extractions using methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether, and water were conducted, and antimicrobial activity was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using the disc diffusion method. Additionally, antioxidant properties were measured with the DPPH radical scavenging assay. This research highlights the potential of these plants to combat microbial infections and oxidative stress-related disorders.

Trait sensitivity to stress and cognitive bias processes in fish: A brief overview.

Like other animals, fish have unique personalities that can affect their cognition and responses to environmental stressors. These individual personality differences are often referred to as "behavioural syndromes" or "stress coping styles" and can include personality traits such as boldness, shyness, aggression, exploration, locomotor activity, and sociability. For example, bolder or proactive fish may be more likely to take risks and present lower hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axis reactivity as compared to shy or reactive individuals. Likewise, learning and memory differ between fish personalities. Reactive or shy individuals tend to have faster learning and better association recall with aversive stimuli, while proactive or bold individuals tend to learn more quickly when presented with appetitive incentives. However, the influence of personality on cognitive processes other than cognitive achievement in fish has been scarcely explored. Cognitive bias tests have been employed to investigate the interplay between emotion and cognition in both humans and animals. Fish present cognitive bias processes (CBP) in which fish's interpretation of stimuli could be influenced by its current emotional state and open to environmental modulation. However, no study in fish has explored whether CBP, like in other species, can be interpreted as long-lasting traits and whether other individual characteristics may explain its variation. We hold the perspective that CBP could serve as a vulnerability factor for the onset, persistence, and recurrence of stress-related disorders. Therefore, studying fish's CBP as a state or trait and its interactions with individual variations may be valuable in future efforts to enhance our understanding of anxiety and stress neurobiology in animal models and humans.

Subjective fatigue in individuals with anxiety and mood disorders correlates with specific traits of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Fatigue is a common debilitating symptom in individuals with anxiety and mood disorders, also known as common mental disorders (CMD). Aspects of fatigue are seen to be independently associated with the presence of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) in individuals with CMD. However, the relationship between different traits of OCPD and fatigue is still under-researched. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine the associations between individual OCPD traits and fatigue in those with CMD. This cross-sectional study investigated 203 individuals (76.8% female, mean age 40.8 ± 11.8) attending a stress-related disorders day care unit. Participants were evaluated for OCPD traits by using the Compulsive Personality Assessment Scale and completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20. Out of 203 participants, 42 (20.7%) fulfilled operational criteria for OCPD (73.8% female). Participants with OCPD had greater reduced motivation, mental and physical fatigue scores than those without OCPD (13.2 ± 3.6 vs. 14.5 ± 3.6, p = 0.035; 14.4 ± 4.3 vs. 16.1 ± 3.5, p = 0.023; 13.5 ± 4.3 vs. 15.0 ± 4.3, p = 0.049, respectively). In individuals with OCPD, higher levels of rigidity correlated with physical fatigue (ρ = 0.463, p = 0.002) and reduced activity (ρ = 0.363, p = 0.018), while preoccupation with details was associated with reduced motivation (ρ = 0.437, p = 0.004). In conclusion, in individuals with CMD and comorbid OCPD, several OCPD traits were significantly related to subjective measures of fatigue. As traits are considered stable features, there results suggest they might play a causative role in generating subjective fatigue in CMD.

Sociological Research and Teaching in the Context of Medical Faculties - An Autobiographical Report

With the introduction of medical psychology and medical sociology as examination subjects in the medical curriculum, as enacted by the year 1970 in Germany, medical faculties established professorships and departments for these disciplines. This raised the concern of how the two separate scientific cultures of the social and behavioural sciences and of medicine, rooted in basic sciences, could reconcile their teaching and research activities in a constructive way. It turned out that the quality and the thematic affinity of new research aligning with core medical interests were important preconditions of successful integration of the new disciplines. This paper exemplifies a respective success in case of a scientific development in medical sociology. Based on a theoretical model, a longstanding, internationally collaborating research program analysing social determinants of stress-related disorders resulted in a series of innovative insights. Furthermore, the paper illustrates close links between biographical luck and structural opportunities and constraints, and it emphasizes the important role of committed inter-disciplinary scientific collaboration.

PSYCHOSOMATIC MANIFESTATIONS OF MILITARY PSYCHOTRAUMA

Introduction. War is a super-powerful extreme event that causes adaptive capacity to decline. The need for a clearer understanding of the specifics of war psychotrauma and its clinical consequences for all components of human health determines the relevance of the topic of this study.
 The aim of the work is to study the peculiarities of psychosomatic relationships in persons with the consequences of war psychotrauma.
 Materials and methods. The experimental study group consisted of 32 patients from the number of temporarily displaced persons, the control group – 34 patients who did not change their place of residence during the entire period of the full-scale war. The diagnosis was aimed at identifying neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders, according to the rubric (F40-F48) of the ICD-10. Assessment of the somatic condition was carried out on the basis of analysis of anamnestic data, clinical examination of the patient and indicators of laboratory tests. Psychodiagnostic methods were used to assess the mental states of patients (Clinical Questionnaire for the Detection and Assessment of Neurotic States; Methodology for the express diagnosis of neurosis by K. Heck and H. Hess; Questionnaire SAN (Mood, Activity, Mood); Methodology for the diagnosis of Taylor's anxiety level; Self-assessment of mental states according to Eysenck; Ch. Spibleger's Reactive and Personal Anxiety Assessment Scale in the modification of Y. Hanin. Statistical processing of the research results was carried out in the Microsoft Excel program and with the help of the Social Science Statistics online calculator.
 Results. As a result of the analysis of anamnestic data, clinical examination and analysis of laboratory tests, psychosomatic disorders were found in patients of both research groups: in 29 (90.63%) patients of the experimental group and in 26 (74.47%) patients of the control group.
 Conclusions. It has been confirmed that a prolonged stressful extreme situation of a full-scale war causes the formation of negative mental states accompanied by psychosomatic manifestations, the formation of a closed vicious circle of a pathological psychosomatic process. A high close direct correlation was found between the level of reactive anxiety, autonomic disorders, well-being, activity, mood of patients and psychosomatic symptoms. The absence of a statistically significant difference in the risk of developing psychosomatic disorders as a result of war psychotrauma in temporarily displaced persons and those who did not change their place of residence was revealed.

Genetic polymorphism and the link to stress-induced metabolic dysfunction

Background: The impact of stress on health is well-established and it continues to influence modern life. While some individuals may manage stress well, others may experience detrimental impacts on their physical and emotional health. As stress has been related to several illnesses, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and more, there is growing concern about stress-induced metabolic dysfunction. Main body: Here we review recent literature, elucidating the role of genetic polymorphisms in modulating an individual's reactivity to stress and susceptibility to stress-related metabolic disorders. This article discusses the genetic components, in particular the polymorphisms, that may predispose individuals toward metabolic dysregulation brought on by stress. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence differences that affect more than 1% of the population are known as genetic polymorphisms. Changes from genetic polymorphisms result in different gene expression, protein function, and other outcomes. Genetic polymorphisms in key stress-regulating genes can influence an individual's susceptibility to metabolic disturbances in response to chronic stress. Conclusion: The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and related molecular pathways play a pivotal role in mediating the effects of stress on metabolism. Understanding the genetic basis of stress-induced metabolic dysfunction has implications for personalized medicine and preventive strategies. By identifying individuals with genetic susceptibility to metabolic disturbances, targeted interventions can be designed to mitigate the adverse effects of stress on metabolic health. Furthermore, lifestyle modifications, stress management techniques, and tailored dietary interventions may be employed to promote overall well-being and prevent stress-induced metabolic disorders.

Inter- and transgenerational heritability of preconception chronic stress or alcohol exposure: Translational outcomes in brain and behavior

Chronic stress and alcohol (ethanol) use are highly interrelated and can change an individual’s behavior through molecular adaptations that do not change the DNA sequence, but instead change gene expression. A recent wealth of research has found that these nongenomic changes can be transmitted across generations, which could partially account for the “missing heritability” observed in genome-wide association studies of alcohol use disorder and other stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we summarize the molecular and behavioral outcomes of nongenomic inheritance of chronic stress and ethanol exposure and the germline mechanisms that could give rise to this heritability. In doing so, we outline the need for further research to: (1) Investigate individual germline mechanisms of paternal, maternal, and biparental nongenomic chronic stress- and ethanol-related inheritance; (2) Synthesize and dissect cross-generational chronic stress and ethanol exposure; (3) Determine cross-generational molecular outcomes of preconception ethanol exposure that contribute to alcohol-related disease risk, using cancer as an example. A detailed understanding of the cross-generational nongenomic effects of stress and/or ethanol will yield novel insight into the impact of ancestral perturbations on disease risk across generations and uncover actionable targets to improve human health.

Role of medicinal plants as antioxidants in the treatment of oxidative stress-related human health disorders

Oxidative stress refers to an imbalance between the production of free radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species, and the body's ability to neutralize or detoxify them within a biological system. Although free radicals are essential for several physiological functions and cell signalling, excessive production triggered by factors such as stress, xenobiotic drugs, unhealthy lifestyle habits, and poor diet can lead to oxidative stress. While the human body possesses natural defence mechanisms to counter oxidative stress to a certain extent, uncontrolled levels of free radicals can disrupt normal bodily functions, causing damage to cells and tissues. This disruption can have negative implications on the body's overall function, potentially resulting in the development of various chronic disorders. These disorders encompass inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, arthritis, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and diabetes, among others. Antioxidants play a pivotal role in mitigating the effects of oxidative damage. They are substances that counteract the toxic impact of free radicals within cells, thereby promoting overall health. Natural antioxidants derived from plants are particularly instrumental in reducing oxidative stress within the human body. Compounds like flavonoids and phenolics found in medicinal plants act as essential defenders against stress-induced cellular damage. Consequently, these antioxidants contribute to the treatment of stress-related ailments, including neurodegenerative problems, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, atherosclerosis, and cancer – conditions that hold significant prevalence in modern-day society. Keyword: Chronic diseases, Medicinal plants, Natural antioxidants, Oxidative stress

A Double Hit of Social and Economic Stress in Mice Precipitates Changes in Decision-Making Strategies

BackgroundEconomic stress can serve as a second hit for people who have already accumulated a history of adverse life experiences. How one recovers from a setback is a core feature of resilience but is seldom captured in animal studies. MethodsWe challenged mice in a novel 2-hit stress model by first exposing them to chronic social defeat stress and then testing adaptations to increasing reward scarcity on a neuroeconomic task. Mice were tested across months on the Restaurant Row task, during which they foraged daily for their primary source of food while on a limited time budget in a closed-economy system. An abrupt transition into a reward-scarce environment elicits an economic challenge, precipitating a drop in food intake and body weight to which mice must respond to survive. ResultsWe found that mice with a history of social stress mounted a robust behavioral response to this economic challenge that was achieved through a complex redistribution of time allocation among competing opportunities. Interestingly, we found that mice with a history of social defeat displayed changes in the development of decision-making policies during the recovery process that are important not only for ensuring food security necessary for survival but also prioritizing subjective value and that these changes emerged only for certain types of choices. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that an individual’s capacity to recover from economic challenges depends on that person’s prior history of stress and can affect multiple decision-making aspects of subjective well-being, thus highlighting a motivational balance that may be altered in stress-related disorders such as depression.

Lateral prefrontal cortex thickness is associated with stress but not cognitive fatigue in exhaustion disorder.

Impaired executive functioning, including cognitive fatigue, is a core feature of the long-term stress-related condition exhaustion disorder (ED). Recent research suggests that a key area for executive control, the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), may be mechanistically linked to cognitive fatigue due to stress. Here, we therefore asked if and how stress, the LPFC and cognitive fatigue may be related in ED. We used a multimodal cross-sectional study design with high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), self-reported measures, and path analysis modeling in 300 participants with ED. We found positive associations between stress and cognitive fatigue, and stress and LPFC thickness,but no association between LPFC thickness and cognitive fatigue. Furthermore, LPFC thickness did not mediate or moderate the association between stress and cognitive fatigue. These findings suggest that LPFC brain morphology is related to perceived stress levels but not cognitive fatigue, expanding previous research on the role of the LPFC in executive functioning. Moreover, the results support the notion that the LPFC may be mechanistically involved in stress-related executive function impairment but prompt further research into if and how this may be related to cognitive symptoms in ED.

Targeting Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ receptor to rescue cognitive symptoms in a mouse neuroendocrine model of chronic stress.

Chronic stress causes cognitive deficits, such as impairments in episodic-like hippocampus-dependent memory. Stress regulates an opioid-related neuropeptide named Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ (N/OFQ), the ligand of the G protein-coupled receptor NOP. Since this peptide has deleterious effects on memory, we hypothesized that the N/OFQ system could be a mediator of the negative effects of stress on memory. Chronic stress was mimicked by chronic exposure to corticosterone (CORT). The NOP receptor was either acutely blocked using selective antagonists, or knocked-down specifically in the hippocampus using genetic tools. Long-term memory was assessed in the object recognition (OR) and object location (OL) paradigms. Acute injection of NOP antagonists before learning had a negative impact on memory in naive mice whereas it restored memory performances in the chronic stress model. This rescue was associated with a normalization of neuronal cell activity in the CA3 part of the hippocampus. Chronic CORT induced an upregulation of the N/OFQ precursor in the hippocampus. Knock-down of the NOP receptor in the CA3/Dentate Gyrus region prevented memory deficits in the CORT model. These data demonstrate that blocking the N/OFQ system can be beneficial for long-term memory in a neuroendocrine model of chronic stress. We therefore suggest that NOP antagonists could be useful for the treatment of memory deficits in stress-related disorders.

Exploring the antioxidant activity of Fe(III), Mn(III)Mn(II), and Cu(II) compounds in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Galleria mellonella models of study.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are closely related to oxidative stress, aging, and the onset of human diseases. To mitigate ROS-induced damages, extensive research has focused on examining the antioxidative attributes of various synthetic/natural substances. Coordination compounds serving as synthetic antioxidants have emerged as a promising approach to attenuate ROS toxicity. Herein, we investigated the antioxidant potential of a series of Fe(III) (1), Mn(III)Mn(II) (2) and Cu(II) (3) coordination compounds synthesized with the ligand N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)[(3-chloro)(2-hydroxy)]-propylamine in Saccharomyces cerevisiae exposed to oxidative stress. We also assessed the antioxidant potential of these complexes in the alternative model of study, Galleria mellonella. DPPH analysis indicated that these complexes presented moderate antioxidant activity. However, treating Saccharomyces cerevisiae with 1, 2 and 3 increased the tolerance against oxidative stress and extended yeast lifespan. The treatment of yeast cells with these complexes decreased lipid peroxidation and catalase activity in stressed cells, whilst no change in SOD activity was observed. Moreover, these complexes induced the Hsp104 expression. In G. mellonella, complex administration extended larval survival under H2O2 stress and did not affect the insect's life cycle. Our results suggest that the antioxidant potential exhibited by these complexes could be further explored to mitigate various oxidative stress-related disorders.

Development and validation of a machine learning model using electronic health records to predict trauma- and stressor-related psychiatric disorders after hospitalization with sepsis

A significant minority of individuals develop trauma- and stressor-related disorders (TSRD) after surviving sepsis, a life-threatening immune response to infections. Accurate prediction of risk for TSRD can facilitate targeted early intervention strategies, but many existing models rely on research measures that are impractical to incorporate to standard emergency department workflows. To increase the feasibility of implementation, we developed models that predict TSRD in the year after survival from sepsis using only electronic health records from the hospitalization (n = 217,122 hospitalizations from 2012-2015). The optimal model was evaluated in a temporally independent prospective test sample (n = 128,783 hospitalizations from 2016-2017), where patients in the highest-risk decile accounted for nearly one-third of TSRD cases. Our approach demonstrates that risk for TSRD after sepsis can be stratified without additional assessment burden on clinicians and patients, which increases the likelihood of model implementation in hospital settings.

The utility of wearable headband electroencephalography and pulse photoplethysmography to assess cortical and physiological arousal in individuals with stress-related mental disorders.

Several stress-related mental disorders are characterised by disturbed sleep, but objective sleep biomarkers are not routinely examined in psychiatric patients. We examined the use of wearable-based sleep biomarkers in a psychiatric sample with headband electroencephalography (EEG) including pulse photoplethysmography (PPG), with an additional focus on microstructural elements as especially the shift from low to high frequencies appears relevant for several stress-related mental disorders. We analysed 371 nights of sufficient quality from 83 healthy participants and those with a confirmed stress-related mental disorder (anxiety-affective spectrum). The median value of macrostructural, microstructural (spectral slope fitting), and heart rate variables was calculated across nights and analysed at the individual level (N = 83). The headbands were accepted well by patients and the data quality was sufficient for most nights. The macrostructural analyses revealed trends for significance regarding sleep continuity but not sleep depth variables. The spectral analyses yielded no between-group differences except for a group × age interaction, with the normal age-related decline in the low versus high frequency power ratio flattening in the patient group. The PPG analyses showed that the mean heart rate was higher in the patient group in pre-sleep epochs, a difference that reduced during sleep and dissipated at wakefulness. Wearable devices that record EEG and/or PPG could be used over multiple nights to assess sleep fragmentation, spectral balance, and sympathetic drive throughout the sleep-wake cycle in patients with stress-related mental disorders and healthy controls, although macrostructural and spectral markers did not differ between the two groups.