A Yoga and Compassion Meditation Program Reduces Stress in Familial Caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Familial caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease exhibit reduced quality of life and increased stress levels. the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week yoga and compassion meditation program on the perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and salivary cortisol levels in familial caregivers. A total of 46 volunteers were randomly assigned to participate in a stress-reduction program for a 2-month period (yoga and compassion meditation program-YCMP group) (n = 25) or an untreated group for the same period of time (control group) (n = 21). the levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and morning salivary cortisol of the participants were measured before and after intervention. the groups were initially homogeneous; however, after intervention, the groups diverged significantly. the YCMP group exhibited a reduction of the stress (P < 0.05), anxiety (P < 0.000001), and depression (P < 0.00001) levels, as well as a reduction in the concentration of salivary cortisol (P < 0.05). Our study suggests that an 8-week yoga and compassion meditation program may offer an effective intervention for reducing perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and salivary cortisol in familial caregivers.Associacao Fundo de Incentivo a Pesquisa-AFIPUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilInst Appana Mind Desenvolvimento Humano, Departiment Res, BR-05436020 São Paulo, BrazilHosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Inst Cerebro, BR-05601901 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Div Endocrinol, Dept Med, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Div Endocrinol, Dept Med, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

PTPN22 Polymorphism is Related to Autoimmune Disease Risk in Patients with Turner Syndrome

Individuals with Turner syndrome (TS) clearly have an increased risk for autoimmune diseases. Recently, an allelic variation (C1858T) of the PTPN22 gene was revealed to be associated with the development of autoimmunity. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of the PTPN22 C1858T polymorphism in women with Turner syndrome (TS) compared to controls. Case-control study comprises 142 women with TS (cases) and 180 healthy and fertile women without a history of autoimmune disease (controls). Detection of the PTPN22 C1858T polymorphism (rs2476601) was performed by TaqMan real-time PCR. the chi-square test was used to compare allele and genotype frequencies between groups and to estimate the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. All P-values were two-tailed, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Genotypes CC, CT and TT of the PTPN22 C1858T polymorphism presented frequencies of, respectively, 67.6%, 28.2% and 4.2% in the TS, and 82.8%, 16.1% and 1.1% in the control group (P = 0.0043). Alleles C and T were present in, respectively, 81.7% and 18.3% of the patients with TS (P = 0.001, OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.39-3.54) and in 90.8% and 9.2%, respectively, of the controls. the data suggest that in Brazilian patients with TS, the PTPN22 C1858T polymorphism may be an important genetic factor predisposing to autoimmune disease risk.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Endocrinol, Dept Med, São Paulo, BrazilABC, Fac Med, Div Gynecol Pathol & Human Reprod, Dept Gynecol & Obstet, Santo Andre, SP, BrazilUniv Cuiaba, Div Med Genet & Mol Biol, Cuiaba, MT, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Endocrinol, Dept Med, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 2009/05250-0Web of Scienc