The relationship of adverse childhood experiences, hair cortisol, C-reactive protein, and polygenic susceptibility with older adults’ psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to poorer mental health outcomes, and growing evidence implicates biological and genetic pathways from early adversity to psychopathology. However, little is known about the relationship of ACEs and their underlying biological and genetic mechanisms with older people’s mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. We tested the associations of ACEs, hair cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), and polygenic scores (PGS) with depression, anxiety, and loneliness among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for the potential interplay of ACEs with biological and genetic risk markers. Data were drawn from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a prospective cohort study of older adults living in England. Retrospective information on ACEs were collected in 2006/7, while CRP and hair cortisol were measured at wave 6 (2012/13). Psychological distress was assessed before the pandemic (2018–19) and at two COVID-19 assessments in 2020 (June-July and November-December). Associations were tested on 2050 participants using linear/logistic regression models adjusted for pre-pandemic outcome measures and mixed-effect models to assess changes before and during the pandemic. The results showed that ACEs were associated with higher levels of depression (OR = 2.55[95%CI:1.81,3.59]) anxiety (OR = 1.84[95%CI:1.13,3.01]), and loneliness (b = 0.28[95%CI:0.14,0.42]) during the pandemic. Hair cortisol was related to an increased risk of depression (OR = 1.15[95%CI:1.04,1.26]), and CRP was associated with greater loneliness scores (b = 0.16[95%CI:0.03,0.30]). The relationship between cortisol and psychological distress was larger among participants with ACEs (e.g., ORdepression = 1.07[95%CI:1.00,1.14]). Further, individuals with high CRP experienced greater increases in feelings of loneliness from before to during the pandemic, compared to those with lower CRP levels (interaction effect=0.23; 95%CI:0.1–0.37). Individuals with 2+ ACEs experienced greater increases in depressive symptoms compared to those with none (interaction effect=2.09; 95%CI:1.1–3.98). Higher levels of hair cortisol were also related to worse changes in depressive symptoms across timepoints (interaction effect=1.84;95%CI:1.41–2.41). These results highlight the lasting impact of biosocial vulnerabilities on older adults’ mental health responses to new environmental stressors. They also implicate biological mechanisms in the pathophysiology of later-life psychological distress

Did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the dietary intake of individuals living with and beyond breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer and who were most likely to experience change?

Purpose: The present work investigated dietary changes amongst individuals living with and beyond cancer (LWBC) from before to during the pandemic. To identify those at greatest risk of unhealthy changes, it was further examined whether patterns varied by sociodemographic, health-related, and COVID-19-related characteristics. // Methods: This longitudinal cohort study analysed data from 716 individuals LWBC participating in the Advancing Survivorship Cancer Outcomes Trial (ASCOT). Using data provided before and during the pandemic, changes in fruit and vegetable, snack, and alcohol intake were tested using mixed-effect regression models. // Results: Fruit and vegetable (95%CI: − 0.30; − 0.04) and alcohol consumption (95%CI: − 1.25; − 0.31) decreased, whilst snacking increased (95%CI: 0.19; 0.53). Women and individuals with limited social contact were more likely to reduce fruit and vegetable intake during the pandemic. Women and individuals with poorer sleep quality, limited social contact, and shielding requirements and without higher education were more likely to increase snacking during the pandemic. Individuals with poorer sleep quality, poorer mental health, and regular social contact were more likely to decrease alcohol consumption during the pandemic. // Conclusions: Findings suggest decreased intake for fruit, vegetable, and alcohol consumption and increased snack intake in response to the pandemic amongst individuals LWBC. These changes appear to differ across various characteristics, suggesting the pandemic has not equally impacted everyone in this population. Findings highlight the need for targeted post-COVID strategies to support individuals LWBC most adversely affected by the pandemic, including women and socially isolated individuals. This encourages resources to be prioritised amongst these groups to prevent further negative impact of the pandemic. Whilst the findings are statistically significant, practically they appear less important. This is necessary to acknowledge when considering interventions and next steps

The Hydration Status of Female Collegiate Soccer Players Over Consecutive Training and Match Days

Purpose: Hydration has been shown to play a pivotal role in sport. Soccer is a team sport in which the integrity of all players is vital for team performance; thus, individual player hydration status is important. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the hydration status of female collegiate soccer players during regular season. Methods: Sixteen collegiate female soccer players (age: 20.4 ± 0.8 years; height: 163.6 ± 6.9 cm; weight: 65.3 ± 12 kg) provided urine over 9 days to monitor their hydration status. Hydration was determined by urine specific gravity (Usg). Usg was analyzed in the morning (AM) and in the afternoon before practice/game (PM). Results: All 16 players were at least minimally hypohydrated (Usg \u3e 1.010) in the AM on 5 of the 9 days tested. Players had significantly higher Usg values in the AM as compared to PM (F(1,250) = 23.09; p \u3c 0.0001); however, there was no significant time*day interaction (F(1,250) = 1.98; p = 0.16). Conclusion: Data show a high prevalence of hypohydration occurring in this specific population. This sub-optimal hydration status could be a cause for concern in terms of overall performance. Efforts should be made to integrate hydration interventions and daily monitoring to minimize hypohydration in players

The Hydration Status of Female Collegiate Soccer Players Over Consecutive Training and Match Days

Purpose: Hydration has been shown to play a pivotal role in sport. Soccer is a team sport in which the integrity of all players is vital for team performance; thus, individual player hydration status is important. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the hydration status of female collegiate soccer players during regular season. Methods: Sixteen collegiate female soccer players (age: 20.4 ± 0.8 years; height: 163.6 ± 6.9 cm; weight: 65.3 ± 12 kg) provided urine over 9 days to monitor their hydration status. Hydration was determined by urine specific gravity (Usg). Usg was analyzed in the morning (AM) and in the afternoon before practice/game (PM). Results: All 16 players were at least minimally hypohydrated (Usg \u3e 1.010) in the AM on 5 of the 9 days tested. Players had significantly higher Usg values in the AM as compared to PM (F(1,250) = 23.09; p \u3c 0.0001); however, there was no significant time*day interaction (F(1,250) = 1.98; p = 0.16). Conclusion: Data show a high prevalence of hypohydration occurring in this specific population. This sub-optimal hydration status could be a cause for concern in terms of overall performance. Efforts should be made to integrate hydration interventions and daily monitoring to minimize hypohydration in players

Acid and inflammatory sensitisation of naked mole-rat colonic afferent nerves.

Acid sensing in the gastrointestinal tract is required for gut homeostasis and the detection of tissue acidosis caused by ischaemia, inflammation and infection. In the colorectum, activation of colonic afferents by low pH contributes to visceral hypersensitivity and abdominal pain in human disease including during inflammatory bowel disease. The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) shows no pain-related behaviour to subcutaneous acid injection and cutaneous afferents are insensitive to acid, an adaptation thought to be a consequence of the subterranean, likely hypercapnic, environment in which it lives. As such we sought to investigate naked mole-rat interoception within the gastrointestinal tract and how this differed from the mouse (Mus Musculus). Here, we show the presence of calcitonin gene-related peptide expressing extrinsic nerve fibres innervating both mesenteric blood vessels and the myenteric plexi of the smooth muscle layers of the naked mole-rat colorectum. Using ex vivo colonic-nerve electrophysiological recordings, we show differential sensitivity of naked mole-rat, compared to mouse, colonic afferents to acid and the prototypic inflammatory mediator bradykinin, but not direct mechanical stimuli. In naked mole-rat, but not mouse, we observed mechanical hypersensitivity to acid, whilst both species sensitised to bradykinin. Collectively, these findings suggest that naked mole-rat colonic afferents are capable of detecting acidic stimuli; however, their intracellular coupling to downstream molecular effectors of neuronal excitability and mechanotransduction likely differs between species.The authors declare no competing financial interests. This work was supported by Rosetrees Postdoctoral Grant (A1296; JRFH and EStJS), BBSRC grant (BB/R006210/1; JRFH and EStJS), Versus Arthritis Pain Challenge Grant (RG21973; GC and EStJS), AstraZeneca PhD studentshipt (KHB), EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (ALTF1565-2015; ZH) and University of Cambridge Vice Chancellor’s Award (TST)

Advancing Equity In The Pandemic Treaty

There is a broad consensus around equity’s importance. Even countries that hoarded supplies during the acute phase of COVID-19 seem to understand that the international community must find a means to ensure fairer allocation of medical resources when the next health crisis hits. But there has been little agreement about the concrete steps needed to operationalize fairer access and benefit sharing. That is, what are the workable mechanisms that could reduce the divide between richer and poorer populations? The World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization, has appointed an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to develop a pandemic convention, agreement, or other instrument under the WHO constitution. The February 2023 draft is designed “to achieve greater equity … through the fullest national and international cooperation.” It is important that the negotiators develop specific, measurable metrics that directly impact equity. The mechanisms and metrics agreed upon should allow the public to evaluate whether a more equitable system is emerging through this new regime. Equity won’t just happen. We need to plan and prepare for equity, and we need international norms with which nations must comply to achieve the fairness we strive for

The Grizzly, March 9, 2006

Two Juniors Attend C.O.O.L. Idealist National Conference in Tennessee • Celebration of Student Achievement • SPINT: Overview of House Projects • Understanding Abortion • Imperfect World of Auguste Rodin • Kelly Stirs Up Laughs • Marche aux Puces and Other Shopping Advice • Opinions: Letter to the Editor; Gimme Fiction Drips with Musical Ambition; Line Between Personal Offense and Free Speech • Bears Crush Crusaders • Respect!https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1709/thumbnail.jp

Alternative activation of macrophages by filarial nematodes is MyD88-independent

AbstractAlternative macrophage activation is largely defined by IL-4Rα stimulation but the contribution of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling to this phenotype is not currently known. We have investigated macrophage activation status under Th2 conditions in the absence of the core TLR adaptor molecule, MyD88. No impairment was observed in the ability of MyD88-deficient bone marrow derived macrophages to produce or express alternative activation markers, including arginase, RELM-α or Ym1, in response to IL-4 treatment in vitro. Further, we observed no difference in the ability of peritoneal exudate cells from nematode implanted wild type (WT) or MyD88-deficient mice to produce arginase or express the alternative activation markers RELM-α or Ym1. Therefore, MyD88 is not a fundamental requirement for Th2-driven macrophage alternative activation, either in vitro or in vivo