Acute reduction in secretory immunoglobulin A following smoking cessation

Smokers report an increase in upper respiratory infections in the early phase of stopping smoking. One possible cause is a depletion in secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) which has been observed in one study. The present study sought to establish this finding in smokers using nicotine patches. Ninety-two smokers, trying to stop smoking, were assessed whilst smoking and for up to six weeks of abstinence. All smokers were prescribed 15 mg 16-h nicotine patches. Among abstinent smokers, changes in S-IgA and saliva volume were assessed. During the preliminary analyses, we observed that for the pre-smoking cessation measure a longer time since the last cigarette was significantly related to Lower S-IgA levels (P = 0.006). Consequently, the main analysis, of changes in S-IgA from pre-cessation to post-cessation, was confined to those who had smoked within 0.5-1.5 h of the pre-cessation measure (n = 51). There was a significant decline in S-IgA, relative to pre-smoking abstinence levels, following abstinence of one day (P = 0.027), but Levels returned to pre-abstinence values after one week. There was no evidence of any significant changes in saliva volume following smoking cessation, relative to pre-cessation levels. Users of 15 mg patches are likely to experience a decline in S-IgA levels on the first day of smoking cessation, independent of saliva volumes, and this decline in S-IgA is Likely to occur acutely, within the first few hours of smoking abstinence. This acute drop in S-IgA appears to stem from a factor other than depletion of nicotine from the body. The observed decrease in S-IgA may help to explain the increased susceptibility of smokers to upper respiratory tract infections in the immediate post-cessation period. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. ALL rights reserved

Post-menopausal women exhibit greater interleukin-6 responses to mental stress than older men

BACKGROUND: Acute stress triggers innate immune responses and elevation in circulating cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6). The effect of sex on IL-6 responses remains unclear due to important limitations of previous studies. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in IL-6 responses to mental stress in a healthy, older (post-menopausal) sample accounting for several moderating factors. METHODS: Five hundred six participants (62.9 ± 5.60 years, 55 % male) underwent 10 min of mental stress consisting of mirror tracing and Stroop task. Blood was sampled at baseline, after stress, and 45 and 75 min post-stress, and assayed using a high sensitivity kit. IL-6 reactivity was computed as the mean difference between baseline and 45 min and between baseline and 75 min post-stress. Main effects and interactions were examined using ANCOVA models. RESULTS: There was a main effect of time for the IL-6 response (F 3,1512 = 201.57, p = <.0001) and a sex by time interaction (F 3,1512 = 17.07, p = <.001). In multivariate adjusted analyses, IL-6 reactivity was significantly greater in females at 45 min (M = 0.37 ± 0.04 vs. 0.20 ± 0.03 pg/mL, p = .01) and at 75 min (M = 0.57 ± 0.05 vs. 0.31 ± 0.05 pg/mL, p = .004) post-stress compared to males. Results were independent of age, adiposity, socioeconomic position, depression, smoking and alcohol consumption, physical activity, statin use, testing time, task appraisals, hormone replacement, and baseline IL-6. Other significant predictors of IL-6 reactivity were lower household wealth, afternoon testing, and baseline IL-6. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy, post-menopausal females exhibit substantially greater IL-6 responses to acute stress. Inflammatory responses if sustained over time may have clinical implications for the development and maintenance of inflammatory-related conditions prevalent in older women

Associations Between Financial Strain and Emotional Well-Being With Physiological Responses to Acute Mental Stress

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between financial strain and emotional wellbeing, health, and physiological responses to acute mental stress. METHODS: Participants were 542 healthy men and women aged 53-76y from the Whitehall II study divided into those who reported no (n = 316), some (n =135) or moderate/severe (n = 91) financial strain. Emotional wellbeing and self-reported health were assessed at baseline and 3 years later. Laboratory mental stress testing involved assessment of blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and lipid reactivity and recovery, and plasma interleukin 6 (IL-6) responses to challenging behavioral tasks. Analyses adjusted for objective financial status, age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and marital status. RESULTS: Financial strain was positively associated with more depressive symptoms, lower positive affect, greater loneliness, and lower optimism, self-esteem and sense of control, and with poorer self-reported physical health, mental health and sleep (all p <.001). Longitudinally, financial strain predicted poorer outcomes 3 years later, but associations were attenuated after baseline levels were taken into account. Financial strain was associated with reduced systolic and diastolic BP reactivity to acute stress (mean systolic BP increase 32.34 ± 15.2, 28.95 ± 13.1 and 27.26 ± 15.2 mmHg in the none, some, and moderate/severe financial strain groups), but not with heart rate, IL-6 or lipid responses. CONCLUSIONS: Financial strain was correlated with a range of emotional and health-related outcomes independently of objective financial status. The diminished BP reactions to acute mental stress suggest that financial strain may contribute to dynamic chronic allostatic load

Adult attachment style and cortisol responses across the day in older adults.

The association between cortisol and adult attachment style, an important indicator of social relationships, has been relatively unexplored. Previous research has examined adult attachment and acute cortisol responses to stress in the laboratory, but less is known about cortisol levels in everyday life. The present study examined adult romantic attachment style and cortisol responses across the day. Salivary cortisol was collected at six time points during the course of the day in 1,807 healthy men and women from a subsample of the Whitehall II cohort. Significant associations were found between attachment on cortisol across the day and slope of cortisol decline. The lowest cortisol output was associated with fearful attachment, with preoccupied attachment having the highest levels and a flatter cortisol profile. The results tentatively support the proposition that attachment style may contribute to HPA dysregulation

Parenting style in childhood and mortality risk at older ages: a longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND: Parenting style is associated with offspring health, but whether it is associated with offspring mortality at older ages remains unknown. AIMS: We examined whether childhood experiences of suboptimal parenting style are associated with increased risk of death at older ages. METHOD: Longitudinal cohort study of 1964 community-dwelling adults aged 65-79 years. RESULTS: The association between parenting style and mortality was inverse and graded. Participants in the poorest parenting style score quartile had increased risk of death (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.72, 95% CI 1.20-2.48) compared with those in the optimal parenting style score quartile after adjustment for age and gender. Full adjustment for covariates partially explained this association (HR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.02-2.18). Parenting style was inversely associated with cancer and other mortality, but not cardiovascular mortality. Maternal and paternal parenting styles were individually associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Experiences of suboptimal parenting in childhood are associated with increased risk of death at older ages

Low socioeconomic status and psychological distress as synergistic predictors of mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease.

The purpose of this study was to test whether lower socioeconomic status (SES) augments the effect of psychological distress on mortality from stroke or coronary heart disease (CHD)

Positive and Negative Experiences of Social Support and Risk of Dementia in Later Life: An Investigation Using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

BACKGROUND: Having a network of close relationships may reduce the risk of developing dementia. However, social exchange theory suggests that social interaction entails both rewards and costs. The effects of quality of close social relationships in later life on the risk of developing dementia are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of positive and negative experiences of social support within key relationships (spouse or partner, children, other immediate family, and friends) on the risk of developing dementia in later life. METHODS: We analyzed 10-year follow up data (2003/4 to 2012/13) in a cohort of 10,055 dementia free (at baseline) core participants aged 50 years and over from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Incidence of dementia was identified from participant or informant reported physician diagnosed dementia or overall score of informant-completed IQCODE questionnaire. Effects of positive and negative experiences of social support measured at baseline on risk of developing dementia were investigated using proportional hazards regression accommodating interval censoring of time-to-dementia. RESULTS: There were 340 (3.4%) incident dementia cases during the follow-up. Positive social support from children significantly reduced the risk of dementia (hazard ratio, HR = 0.83, p = 0.042, 95% CI: 0.69 to 0.99). Negative support from other immediate family (HR = 1.26, p = 0.011, CI: 1.05 to 1.50); combined negative scores from spouse and children (HR = 1.23, p = 0.046, CI: 1.004 to 1.51); spouse, children, and other family (HR = 1.27, p = 0.021, CI = 1.04 to 1.56); other family & friends (HR = 1.25, p = 0.033, CI: 1.02 to 1.55); and the overall negative scores (HR = 1.31, p = 0.019, CI: 1.05 to 1.64) all were significantly associated with increased risk of dementia. CONCLUSION: Positive social support from children is associated with reduced risk of developing dementia whereas experiences of negative social support from children and other immediate family increase the risk. Further research is needed to better understand the causal mechanisms that drive these associations