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Objective: Irregular sleep duration has been linked with systemic diseases as well as chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, most of the evidence is low-quality and from cross-sectional data. We hereby present a meta-analysis of cohort studies examining the longitudinal association between short and long sleep with the risk of CKD or proteinuria., Methods: Databases of Embase, PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched up to 5th April 2024. The risk of CKD/proteinuria was assessed with short or long sleep duration., Results: Nine studies were included. Both short and long sleep duration were associated with a mild increase in the risk of CKD/proteinuria. Based on different cutoffs for short sleep, we noted that sleep of ≤ 7 h was not associated with a significantly increased risk of CKD/proteinuria. A mild significant risk was noted in the subgroup of ≤ 6 h while a significant association was noted for sleep ≤ 5 h. For longer sleep duration, individuals with ≥ 8 h of sleep had an increased risk of CKD/proteinuria. However, the results were non-significant for individuals with ≥ 9 h of sleep. Non-significant results were noted for separate analyses on male, female, high body mass index, and elderly (≥ 60 years) individuals., Conclusion: Both short and long sleep durations are associated with a significant increase in the risk of CKD/proteinuria in the adult population., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Nephrology.)

Objective: Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignant neoplasms in elderly males, with radical prostatectomy being the established therapeutic approach for localized disease. Patients undergoing this surgical procedure frequently experience increased negative emotions and symptomatology during the perioperative period, likely due to concerns about the illness and its treatment. The present study aims to investigate the effects of a novel educational approach involving a whole-process visualization and collaborative nursing discussions on perioperative symptoms and emotional well-being in radical prostatectomy patients., Methods: Data were prospectively collected from 310 patients admitted to the hospital between June 2021 and December 2023, all of whom were scheduled to undergo radical prostatectomy. These patients were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (receiving new model education) or the control group (receiving conventional education), with 155 patients in each group. The study compared basic demographic information, anxiety and depression scores, fear of disease progression scores, quality-of-life scores, main symptom scores, and changes in perioperative vital signs between the two groups., Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of age, comorbidities, insurance type, education level, income, and tumor history (P > 0.05). Similarly, there were no significant differences in anxiety and depression scores, proportion of patients with anxiety and depression, vital signs, and fear of disease progression scores between the two groups at Time 1 stage (P > 0.05). During stages Time 2 and Time 3, the intervention group exhibited lower anxiety and depression scores, a lower proportion of anxious and depressed patients, as well as significantly reduced blood pressure and heart rate fluctuations compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Following radical prostatectomy, the main symptoms of patients, such as pain, nausea, and fatigue, were assessed using the MADIS Symptom Assessment Scale on days 1-3 post-surgery. The intervention group exhibited significantly lower scores for three symptoms compared to the control group (P < 0.05); at Time 4 stage, the patients in the intervention group also demonstrated significantly improved quality-of-life scores compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, blood pressure and heart rate of patients returned to baseline levels at Time 4 stage, with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, the anxiety and depression scores in the intervention group at the Time 4 stage remained significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the fear of disease progression scores in both groups were lower than those at the Time 1 stage, with a more pronounced improvement observed in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Patients diagnosed with malignant tumors often experience fear and anxiety regarding the progression of their disease and upcoming surgery, as well as uncertainty surrounding their treatment and prognosis. This heightened emotional distress can contribute to a greater symptom burden during the perioperative period. Utilizing a whole-process visualization and collaborative nursing discussion approach, as compared to traditional communication methods, has been shown to alleviate patients' fears, reduce anxiety and depression, and ultimately lessen the symptom burden experienced during the perioperative phase. Ultimately, this approach can enhance the overall quality of life for patients facing malignant tumors., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

This document is a corrigendum for an article titled "Morning sympathetic activity after evening binge alcohol consumption" published in the American Journal of Physiology: Heart & Circulatory Physiology. The corrigendum acknowledges an error in the calculations assessing hemodynamic reactivity to Valsalva's maneuver (VM) in the original article. The authors state that this error did not impact their primary outcome variable of MSNA (muscle sympathetic nerve activity) and did not affect the conclusions of the study. The corrigendum provides the corrected texts for the abstract, methods, results, discussion, and figure legends sections of the original article. [Extracted from the article]

Alcohol and caffeine are two of the most commonly used substances for altering human consciousness. While their adverse effects on sleep have been separately examined in the laboratory and epidemiological levels, how they impact real-world night-to-night sleep, in isolation or together, remains unclear. This is especially true in occupations wherein the use of alcohol and caffeine is high (e.g., financial services sector). Using a six-week micro-longitudinal study, here we examined the real-world impact of alcohol, caffeine, and their combined consumption in a cohort of financial traders. We demonstrate that alcohol consumption significantly degrades the subjective quality of sleep (p < 0.001). Caffeine consumption led to a different phenotype of sleep impairment, resulting in a detrimental reduction in sleep quantity (p = 0.019), rather than a marked alteration in sleep quality. Contrary to our hypothesis, when consumed in combination, evening alcohol consumption interacted with ongoing caffeine consumption such that alcohol partially mitigated the impairments in sleep quantity associated with caffeine (p = 0.032). This finding suggests the sedating effects of alcohol and the psychoactive stimulant effects of caffeine obscure each other's impact on sleep quantity and sleep quality, respectively–potentially explaining their interdependent use in this cohort (i.e., "self-medication" of evening sedation with alcohol to combat the prior daytime ingestion of caffeine and vice versa). More generally, these results contribute to a unique understanding of the singular and combinatory impacts of two of the most commonly used substances for augmenting human consciousness under free-living, real-world conditions, the performance-impairing (and thus economic-cost) consequences of which may be important to the business sector and the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Some of the conditions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic were Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) and bruxism. The present study compares the effect of the pandemic on TMD and bruxism (sleep and awake) in three time periods: before the pandemic (pre-COV), during the pandemic (during-COV) and after the pandemic subsided (post-COVR). Material and Methods: A total of 587 adult patients (108 in the pre-COV group, 180 in the during-COV group and 252 in the post-COVR group) who arrived for a routine dental treatment between October 2018 and January 2023 were evaluated according to Axis I diagnosis of the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). Each patient received a DC/TMD Axis I diagnosis as follows: (i) Painful TMD (defined by the presence of at least one of the following - local myalgia, myofascial pain with referral, arthralgia or headache attributed to TMD); (ii) Non painful TMD (defined by the presence of disc displacement with/without reduction, degenerative joint disorders and/or dislocation), (iii) Possible sleep bruxism (SB) and/or (iv) Possible awake bruxism (AB). Statistical methods: Logistic regression analyses were conducted to establish the impact of time and gender on the prospects of painful TMD, non-painful TMD, SB and AB. Results: The odds of subjects to be diagnosed with painful TMD at the post-COVR era were 3.3 times higher compared to the pre-pandemic time period (pre-COV, 95% C.I. 1.438–7.585). The odds of subjects to be diagnosed with non-painful TMD during-COV were 4 times higher compared to the pre-COV era (95% C.I. 1.332–12.542). The odds of subjects to present possible SB at post-COVR were 2.7 times higher compared to pre-pandemic (pre-COV, 95% C.I. 1.258–5.889, p < 0.05) and the odds to present possible AB after the pandemic subsided (post-COVR) were 3.2 times compared to the pre-pandemic period (95% C.I. 1.496–6.949). The odds of female subjects to be diagnosed with either painful or non-painful TMD were 3.7–4.4 times higher, compared to males. Conclusions: Results indicate that with regard to TMD and bruxism the pandemic adverse effects persist also after COVID-19 subsides and the restrictions caused by it are abolished. Apparently, during the pandemic females were affected more seriously by painful and non-painful TMD than males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite National Institute of Health (NIH) mandates requiring sex as a biological variable (SABV), female underrepresentation persists in research, driving the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology (Am J Physiol-Heart Circ) to publish SABV expectations in 2021. To determine progress within the Am J Physiol-Heart Circ, this mini-review evaluated SABV during the first 6 mo of each decade from 1980 to 2020, and 2019, to mitigate pandemic influence. Of the 1,205 articles published, 1,087 articles were included in this review (articles without original research subjects were excluded), of which 72.9% identified subjects. There were consistently fewer female human participants than males, except within 2019 (1980: females n = 3, males n = 5; 1990: females n = 70, males n = 199; 2000: females n = 305, males n = 355; 2010: females n = 186, males n = 472; 2019: females n = 1,695, males n = 1,550; 2020: females n = 1,157, males n = 1,222) and fewer female animals than males (1980: females n = 58, males n = 1,291; 1990: females n = 447, males n = 2,628; 2000: females n = 590, males n = 3,083; 2010: females n = 663, males n = 4,517; 2019: females n = 338, males n = 1,340; 2020: females n = 1,372, males n = 1,973). Only 16 (12.3%) articles including humans discussed SABV from 1980 to 2020. There are persistent SABV disparities within Am J Physiol-Heart Circ with some improvements in recent years. It is imperative that organizations such as the American Physiological Society and NIH foster an expectation of SABV as the norm, not the exception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to sleep disturbances and significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Furthermore, vascular dysfunction and sleep are independently associated with CVD. Uncovering the link between PTSD symptom severity, sleep disturbances, and vascular function could shine a light on mechanisms of CVD risk in trauma-exposed young women. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of sleep efficiency and PTSD symptom severity on vascular function. We recruited 60 otherwise healthy women [age, 26 ± 7 yr and body mass index (BMI), 27.7 ± 6.5 kg/m²] who had been exposed to trauma. We objectively quantified sleep efficiency (SE) using actigraphy, microvascular endothelial function via Framingham reactive hyperemia index (fRHI), and arterial stiffness via pulse-wave velocity (PWV). PTSD symptom severity was assessed using the PTSD checklist for fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (PCL5). PWV was correlated with age (r = 0.490, P < 0.001) and BMI (r = 0.484, P < 0.001). In addition, fRHI was positively correlated with SE (r = 0.409, P = 0.001) and negatively correlated with PTSD symptoms (r = -0.382, P = 0.002). To explore the predictive value of SE and PTSD symptoms on PWV and fRHI, we conducted two multivariate linear regression models. The model predicting PWV was significant (R² = 0.584, P < 0.001) with age, BMI, blood pressure, and SE emerging as predictors. Likewise, the model predicting fRHI was significant (R² = 0.360, P < 0.001) with both PTSD symptoms and SE as significant predictors. Our results suggest that although PTSD symptoms mainly impact microvascular endothelial function, sleep efficiency is additionally associated with arterial stiffness in young trauma-exposed women, after controlling for age and BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The relationships between sleep quality and sleep hygiene awareness in the Chinese population were unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations and related factors between sleep quality and sleep hygiene awareness in adults and to identify the most central domain for sleep quality using network analysis. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from April 22 to May 5, 2020. Adults (18 years old or above) who had access to smartphones were invited to participate in this survey. The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Sleep Hygiene Awareness and Practice Scale (SHAPS) were used to evaluate the sleep quality and sleep hygiene awareness of the participants. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used as sensitivity analysis to reduce the confounding effects. Multiple logistic regression was performed to evaluate the associations. The R packages "bootnet" and "qgraph" were used to estimate the connection and calculate the network centrality indices between good and poor sleepers. Results: In total, 939 respondents were included in the analysis. Of them, 48.8% (95% CI: 45.6–52.0%) were identified as poor sleepers. Participants with nervous system diseases, psychiatric diseases, and psychological problems were more likely to have poor sleep quality. The notion that using sleep medication regularly was beneficial to sleep was associated with poor sleep quality. Similarly, the notion that waking up at the same time each day disrupted sleep was also associated with poor sleep quality. The findings were consistent before and after PSM. Subjective sleep quality was the most central domain for sleep quality in good and poor sleepers. Conclusion: Poor sleep quality was positively associated with certain sleep hygiene notions in Chinese adults. Effective measures such as self-relief, sleep hygiene education, and cognitive behavioral treatment may have been needed to improve sleep quality, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The increased stress the world experienced with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affected mental health, disproportionately affecting females. However, how perceived stress in the first year affected menstrual and menopausal symptoms has not yet been investigated. Objectives: This study evaluates the effect that the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic had on female reproductive and mental health. Methods: Residents in British Columbia, Canada, were surveyed online as part of the COVID-19 Rapid Evidence Study of a Provincial Population-Based Cohort for Gender and Sex. A subgroup of participants (n = 4171), who were assigned female sex at birth (age 25–69 years) and were surveyed within the first 6–12 months of the pandemic (August 2020–February 2021), prior to the widespread rollout of vaccines, was retrospectively asked if they noticed changes in their menstrual or menopausal symptoms, and completing validated measures of stress, depression and anxiety. Design: This is a population-based online retrospective survey. Results: We found that 27.8% reported menstrual cycle disturbances and 6.7% reported increased menopause symptoms. Those who scored higher on perceived stress, depression and anxiety scales were more likely to report reproductive cycle disturbances. Free-text responses revealed that reasons for disturbances were perceived to be related to the pandemic. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to research female-specific health issues, such as menstruation. Our data indicate that in the first year of the pandemic, almost one-third of the menstruating population reported disturbances in their cycle, which was related to percieved stress, depression and anxiety scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory processes are increased by stress and contribute to the pathology of mood disorders. Stress is thought to primarily induce inflammation through peripheral and central noradrenergic neurotransmission. In healthy individuals, these pro-inflammatory effects are countered by glucocorticoid signaling, which is also activated by stress. In chronically stressed individuals, the antiinflammatory effects of glucocorticoids are impaired, allowing pro-inflammatory effects to go unchecked. Mechanisms underlying this glucocorticoid resistance are well understood, but the precise circuits and molecular mechanisms by which stress increases inflammation are not as well known. In this narrative review, we summarize the mechanisms by which chronic stress increases inflammation and contributes to the onset and development of stress-related mood disorders. We focus on the neural substrates and molecular mechanisms, especially those regulated by noradrenergic signaling, that increase inflammatory processes in stressed individuals. We also discuss key knowledge gaps in our understanding of the communication between nervous and immune systems during stress and considerations for future therapeutic strategies. Here we highlight the mechanisms by which noradrenergic signaling contributes to inflammatory processes during stress and how this inflammation can contribute to the pathology of stress-related mood disorders. Understanding the mechanisms underlying crosstalk between the nervous and immune systems may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for mood disorders and/or provide important considerations for treating immunerelated diseases in individuals suffering from stress-related disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol tolerance is a simple form of behavioural and neural plasticity that occurs with the first drink. Neural plasticity in tolerance is likely a substrate for longer term adaptations that can lead to alcohol use disorder. Drosophila develop tolerance with characteristics similar to vertebrates, and it is a useful model for determining the molecular and circuit encoding mechanisms in detail. Rapid tolerance, measured after the first alcohol exposure is completely metabolized, is localized to specific brain regions that are not interconnected in an obvious way. We used a forward neuroanatomical screen to identify three new neural sites for rapid tolerance encoding. One of these was composed of two groups of neurons, the DN1a and DN1p glutamatergic neurons, that are part of the Drosophila circadian clock. We localized rapid tolerance to the two DN1a neurons that regulate arousal by light at night, temperature‐dependent sleep timing, and night‐time sleep. Two clock neurons that regulate evening activity, LNd6 and the 5th LNv, are postsynaptic to the DN1as, and they promote rapid tolerance via the metabotropic glutamate receptor. Thus, rapid tolerance to alcohol overlaps with sleep regulatory neural circuitry, suggesting a mechanistic link. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of poor subjective sleep quality in elite judo athletes. A subjective cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with 106 elite judo athletes who participated in the training camp of the Japanese national team. Eighty-six respondents (men: 52.3%; average age: 22.9 ± 3.1 years) with complete responses were included in the analysis (valid response rate: 81.1%). Subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The prevalence of poor sleep quality (PSQI score ≥ 5.5), the mean PSQI score, and subscale scores were investigated. Relationships between poor sleep quality and attributes, lifestyle habits, competition-based activities, and psychological distress were explored using Fisher's exact tests and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Thirty-five respondents (40.7%) reported poor sleep quality. The percentage and subscale scores of the respondents for sleep latency, sleep duration, and daytime dysfunction were higher than those of the population of Japanese national-level athletes. The mean PSQI score of the respondents was similar to that of some elite athlete populations but higher than those of others. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that psychological distress was associated with poor sleep quality. In conclusion, the prevalence of poor subjective sleep quality in elite judo athletes was suggested to be similar or higher among elite athlete population. Sleep latency, sleep duration, and daytime dysfunction status were worse in elite judo athletes than in Japanese national-level athletes. Psychological distress was a risk factor for poor subjective sleep quality in elite judo athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High fish consumption may be associated with lower inflammation, suppressing atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD). Long sleep duration, as well as short sleep, may contribute to inflammation, thus facilitating ASCVD. This study investigated the overall association between fish consumption, sleep duration and leucocytes count. We conducted a cross-sectional study between April 2019 and March 2020 with a cohort of 8947 apparently healthy participants with no history of ASCVD (average age, 46·9 ± 12·3 years and 59 % males). The average frequency of fish consumption and sleep duration were 2·13 ± 1·26 d/week and 6·0 ± 0·97 h/d. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that increased fish consumption was an independent determinant of sleep duration (β = 0·084, P < 0·0001). Additionally, habitual aerobic exercise (β = 0·059, P < 0·0001) or cigarette smoking (β = −0·051, P < 0·0001) and homoeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (β = −0·039, P = 0·01) were independent determinants of sleep duration. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analysis identified fish consumption as an independent determinant of leucocytes count (β = −0·091, P < 0·0001). However, a significant U-shaped curve was found between leucocytes count and sleep duration, with 6–7 h of sleep as the low value (P = 0·015). Higher fish consumption may be associated with a lower leucocytes count in the presence of adequate sleep duration and healthy lifestyle behaviors. However, long sleep duration was also related to increased inflammation, even in populations with high fish consumption. Further studies are needed to clarify the causality between these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interestingly, Mohammadieh et al. found an increase in parasympathetic activity in PAF patients with OSA, suggesting vagal predominance as the main contributor to AF induction in this population. Classification of AF episodes into those occurring at day- or nighttime has demonstrated that especially nocturnal AF might be associated with an increase in parasympathetic activity without any change in sympathetic tone (Table 1). In line with previous work suggesting OSA as an independent risk factor for AF [[1]], Mohammadieh et al. describe that PAF patients with severe OSA (apnea hypopnea index >= 30/h) had more AF beats than those without severe OSA as well as a higher AF burden than patients with moderate or without OSA. The autonomic nervous system is well known to play an integral role in the development and progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) as well as in sleep and circadian rhythm pathophysiology [[1]]. [Extracted from the article]

Traditional chemical pesticides pose potential threats to human health, the environment, and food safety, and there is an urgent need to develop botanical pesticides that are easily degradable, renewable, and environmentally compatible. This research serves to detect the lethal impacts of Amanita pantherina(DC.:Fr) Schrmm.(Agaricales, Amanitaceae, Amanita), Amanita virgineoides Bas (Agaricales, Amanitaceae, Amanita), Coprinus comatus (O.F.Müll.) Pers. (Agaricales, Psathyrellaceae, Coprinus), Pycnoporus cinnabarinus(Jacq.:Fr) Karst (Polyporales, Polyporaceae, Polyporus) and Phallus rubicundus (Bosc) Fr. (Phallales, Phallaceae, Phallus) on Drosophila melanogaster(Diptera, Drosophilidae, Drosophila), including their effects on lifespan, fecundity, offspring growth and developmental characteristics, antioxidant enzyme activity, peroxide content, and the gene transcription associated with signaling pathways and lifespan of D. melanogaster. The results demonstrated that they all produced lethal effects on D. melanogaster. Female flies were more sensitive to the addition of macrofungi to their diet and have a shorter survival time than male flies. The toxic activity of A. pantherina-supplemented diet was the strongest, so that the D. melanogaster in this group had no offspring. The macrofungal-supplemented diets were able to significantly reduce the activity of antioxidant enzymes, accumulate peroxidation products, up-regulatd the transcription of genes related to signaling pathways, inhibit the expression of longevity genes, reduce the lifespan and fertility of D. melanogaster. Consequently, we hypothetically suggest that medicinal C. comatus, P. cinnabarinus and P. rubicundus hold the potential to be developed into an environmentally friendly biopesticide for fly killing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to explore changes in sleep quality and sleep disturbances in the general population from before to during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods: The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021256378) and the PRISMA guidelines were followed. The major databases and gray literature were systematically searched from inception to 28/05/2021 to identify observational studies evaluating sleep changes in the general population during the lockdown with respect to the pre-lockdown period. A random effects meta-analysis was undertaken for studies reporting (a) the means of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global scores or the means of the sleep onset latency (SOL) times (minutes - min) before and during the lockdown, (b) the percentages of poor sleep quality before and during the lockdown, or (c) the percentages of changes in sleep quality. Subgroup analysis by risk of bias and measurement tool utilized was carried out. A narrative synthesis on sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, insomnia and sleep medication consumption was also performed. Results: Sixty-three studies were included. A decline in sleep quality, reflected in a pooled increase in the PSQI global scores (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.26; 95% CI 0.17-0.34) and in SOL (SMD = 0.38 min; 95% CI 0.30-0.45) were found. The percentage of individuals with poor sleep quality increased during the lockdown (pooled relative risk 1.4; 95% CI 1.24-1.61). Moreover, 57.3% (95% CI 50.01-61.55) of the individuals reported a change in sleep quality; in 37.3% (95% CI 34.27-40.39) of these, it was a worsening. The studies included in the systematic review reported a decrease in sleep efficiency and an increase in sleep disturbances, insomnia, and in sleep medication consumption. Discussion: Timely interventions are warranted in view of the decline in sleep quality and the increase in sleep disturbances uncovered and their potentially negative impact on health. Further research and in particular longitudinal studies using validated instruments examining the long-term impact of the lockdown on sleep variables is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health-related challenges caused and worsened by the global COVID-19 pandemic have proven broad and multifaceted, particularly for racial/ethnic minority women living with HIV (WLWH). The 2020 pandemic has affected the wellbeing and access to care for WLWH in Southeastern Florida, a region that experienced simultaneous high rates of COVID-19 and HIV. WLWH, over a short- or long-term period, likely utilize different coping mechanisms as they face these challenges. Methods: This analysis compared pandemic-related stress and support endorsed by participants attending an urban clinic in South Florida, from January through May 2021. Participants completed an adapted version of the Pandemic Stress Index (PSI). The items in the PSI assessed emotional distress, stigma, and support, and were dichotomized, as either "stress" or "support". Mann–Whitney U-test assessed differences in distributions of PSI scores (stress and support) comparing long-term survivors (≥ 10 years with an HIV diagnosis) to those more recently diagnosed (< 10 years). Results: The cohort consisted of 63 WLWH, aged 21– 71 (Mean = 42 years± 12.95). The group of WLWH were almost evenly split, with 50.8% having been diagnosed in the last 10 years (short-term survivors). The high-stress group endorsed lower levels of support, compared to the low-stress group. There was a non-significant trend of higher stress scores for short-term survivors, compared to long-term survivors; and, higher support scores for long-term survivors, compared to short-term survivors. Conclusion: Results suggest a trend in long-term survivor WLWH endorsing lower stress and higher support; the contrary was found for their short-term survivor counterparts. Patterns in COVID-19 related stressors and maladaptive behaviors need further exploration to establish suitable interventions that address disparities within groups of WLWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an editorial that emphasizes the importance of rigor and reproducibility in cardiovascular research. It discusses the need for improving methods and models, incorporating sex as a biological variable, and testing assumptions in order to enhance the reliability and replicability of research. The document provides practical recommendations and protocols for standardizing data collection and analysis, quantifying diastolic dysfunction, and assessing the impact of factors such as sex and assumptions on research outcomes. It also highlights the responsibility of researchers to produce precise and accurate research to maintain the reputation of the cardiovascular physiology community. Funding acknowledgments and author contributions are included. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Sex-based inequalities in healthcare have been exposed and amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have reported sex differences in medication utilization and no studies have examined sex differences in prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids utilization. Aim: To compare the utilization patterns of prescribed NSAIDs and opioids between males and females in Manitoba, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A cohort of incident and prevalent users of prescribed NSAIDs and opioids was created. Interrupted times series analysis using autoregressive models were used to evaluate the quarterly change in the prevalent and incident users before and after COVID-19 restrictions were applied (first quarter of 2020). Results: COVID-19 restrictions were associated with a significant decrease in the utilization of prescribed NSAIDs and opioids in all users, followed by a revert to the pre-pandemic trends. Among female prevalent and incident NSAIDs users, there was a significant change in trend after COVID-19 restrictions were introduced (β3 = 0.087 and 0.078, P = 0.023 and 0.028, respectively). However, there was non-significant change in trend among male prevalent and incident NSAIDs and opioids users during the pandemic. Conclusion: In this study, a significant sharp decline in the use of prescribed NSAIDs and opioids was shown in both sexes at the onset of the pandemic. However, a significant upward trend is observed in female NSAIDs users as restrictions began to be lifted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Blood pressure and plasma catecholamines normally decline during sleep and rapidly increase in early morning. This is blunted in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Objective We hypothesize that increased sympatho-adrenal activity during sleep differentiates youth with T2D from nondiabetic obese youth and lean youth. Methods Fasting spot morning and 24-hour urines were collected in obese adolescents with and without T2D, and normal-weight controls. Fractionated free urine catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) were measured, and the ratio of fasting spot morning to 24-hour catecholamines was calculated. Results Urinary 24-hour catecholamine levels were comparable across the 3 groups. Fasting morning epinephrine and the ratio of fasting morning/24-hour epinephrine were higher in youth with T2D (P = 0.004 and P = 0.035, respectively). In males, the ratio of fasting morning/24-hour epinephrine was also higher in youth with T2D (P = 0.005). In females, fasting morning norepinephrine and the ratio of fasting morning/24-hour dopamine were lower in obese youth with and without T2D (P = 0.013 and P = 0.005, respectively) compared with lean youth. Systolic blood pressure was higher in diabetic participants than other groups; males trended higher than females. Conclusion Circadian rhythm in catecholamines is disrupted in youth-onset T2D, with a blunted overnight fall in urinary epinephrine in males. Conversely, fasting morning norepinephrine and dopamine levels were lower in obese females with or without T2D. Higher nocturnal catecholamines in males with T2D might associate with, or predispose to, hypertension and cardiovascular complications. Lower catecholamine excretion in females with obesity might serve an adaptive, protective role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undergraduate programs related to allied health are often pursued by students to prepare for entrance into professional programs, but many students also ask about what types of employment options they may have upon completion of the bachelor's degree. This experiential learning course in cardiovascular and sleep technology was designed to provide opportunities for students to gain hands-on clinical skills that could help them to enter professional programs or to find employment in an allied health field such as cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, cardiovascular technology, or sleep technology. The prerequisites for this course were the completion of two semesters of anatomy and physiology. This course was based on experiential learning and was structured into three modules: clinical exercise physiology, autonomic physiology, and sleep physiology. As part of the course students completed a 4-page scientific report for one designated topic within each of the modules. The two exams in the course were essay based. The design of this course required students to review key topics from anatomy and physiology, to comprehend peer-reviewed manuscripts, to gain hands-on experiences with sophisticated physiological equipment, to work as individuals and in groups, and to become better oral and written communicators. The sleep physiology module included an introduction to electroencephalography (EEG) and a student-led nap study, which may be an effective way to introduce students to sleep medicine. We are hopeful that the summary of this course will be useful to physiology educators as they work to provide the most meaningful experiences to their undergraduates in the health sciences. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Experiential learning in clinical exercise, autonomic regulation, and sleep physiology is an impactful way to train undergraduate biomedical students to enter a variety of careers in healthcare, graduate programs in the health professions, or traditional research graduate programs. A hands-on course such as Cardiovascular and Sleep Technology provides a way, in addition to or independent of original research, to provide clinically relevant training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mental health-related positive and negative aspects of telework are understudied. This study aimed to evaluate anxiety, depression and sleep quality in full-time teleworkers during lockdown imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and explore potential relationships between these variables, sociodemographic characteristics, quality of life and perceived productivity. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 143 full-time teleworkers. Participants were assessed for anxiety, depression and sleep quality using validated clinical instruments. Results This study found a high prevalence of poor sleep quality (74%, N  = 106). Participants reported anxiety/depressive symptoms with the predominance of anxiety and very high levels of sleep impairment. Better sleep quality was associated with longer sleep duration and better job satisfaction, whereas the use of hypnotic medication and higher depression/anxiety scores seem to point a correlation with sleep impairment. Anxiety/depression positively correlated with worse sleep quality and negatively associated with quality of life. Male sex was negatively associated with perceived productivity. Conclusions A higher prevalence of poor sleep quality was found in comparison with other studies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as high levels of anxiety and depression. These results highlight the relevance of considering the potential negative impact of telework on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the sleep characteristics of British student-athletes and examines the relationships between sport scheduling and time demands on sleep outcomes. Student-athletes (n = 157, 51% male) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI). Self-reported sleep characteristics on weekdays and weekends, weekly frequencies of early morning and late evening sport sessions, and academic-related and sport-related time demands were also collected. Questionnaires revealed a high prevalence of undesired sleep characteristics including poor sleep quality (global PSQI >5 in 49.0%) and low sleep durations on weekdays (25% reporting <7 h). Paired t-tests revealed significant differences in bedtime, waketime, sleep duration, and sleep onset latency between weekdays and weekends (all p < 0.01). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that early morning sport frequency was a significant predictor of PSQI (β = 0.30) and SHI (β = 0.24) global scores, weekday waketimes (β = -0.17), and weekday sleep durations (β = -0.25; all p < 0.05) in models adjusted for participant characteristics. Late evening sport frequency, and academic-related and sport-related time demands, were not significant predictors of any sleep outcome. Adjusting sport scheduling to avoid early start times could provide a means to improve sleep outcomes and may improve sporting performance and academic attainment., (© 2024 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science In Sports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: This survey aimed to better comprehend the factors influencing patient response to insomnia treatment. Methods: We conducted an online survey. A total of 1,395 patients completed the questionnaire at baseline. Insomnia, anxiety and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder assessment (GAD-7) and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), respectively. A total of 488 patients completed at least two surveys (baseline and monthly surveys thereafter) and reported that the online CBT was effective at the 1-year follow-up. The 488 patients were divided into three groups: the rapid (treatment effective at 4 weeks), intermediate (4–16 weeks), and delayed-response group (over 16 weeks). Results: Analysis of the demographic characteristics of the 488 patients did not reveal significant sex differences among the three groups (P = 0.111). However, the groups significantly differed in age (P = 0.001) and education (P = 0.006). Compared to the rapid response group, the delayed-response group had a higher mean age (P < 0.01) and a slightly lower level of education. The duration of the disorder was longer in the delayed-response group. Multivariate logistic regression showed that male sex, junior high school education, and higher PSQI were independent risk factors for the delayed response to treatment. Conclusion: Many factors affected the efficiency of insomnia treatment. Male sex, junior school education, and a high PSQI score predicted delayed response to insomnia treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic and its social restrictions have affected mental health globally. This systematic review aims to analyze the psychological responses of the general population and its related sociodemographic risk factors, excluding the most vulnerable groups (e.g., healthcare workers, COVID-19 patients and survivors, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases or preexisting psychiatric disorders). A reproducible search from June 2020 to February 2021 was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar, following the PRISMA guidelines. Papers that (1) considered the most at-risk populations, (2) did not report sociodemographic data, and (3) did not use validated scales were excluded from our analysis. Non-English papers and review articles were also excluded. Of 1116 papers identified, 25 were included for this review (n = 162,465). The main risk factors associated with the emergence of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder were: female gender, younger and later age, high level of education, Latino origin, free marital status, living quarantine in a house with no outdoor, negative coping strategies, close proximity to positive cases, high concern about contracting COVID-19 and living in a most affected area. High income, physical activity, resilience, family support, and a high level of knowledge about COVID-19, seems to be protective factors against the onset of psychological symptoms. In a general population, COVID-19 restrictions are linked to risk factors for psychological disorders caused by gender and sociodemographic conditions. In this regard governments should pay more attention to the public’s mental health and its risk and protective factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous basic studies have shown that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has anti-inflammatory effects that protect against asthma. Our study was aimed at examining the association between blood lipid levels and sleep quality in the adult population with asthma. We evaluated the blood lipid levels and sleep scores of 1013 adult participants in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study to investigate the association of lipid levels with overall sleep quality using linear regression models in subjects with asthma and without asthma, respectively. In a total of 1013 participants (with asthma = 127 and without asthma = 886) included in our study, participants with asthma had poor sleep quality, compared with participants without asthma. Moreover, our smooth curves suggested that blood HDL-C and triglyceride levels, rather than total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), were significantly associated with global sleep score. Multivariate correction models were used to further evaluate blood lipid profiles and the overall sleep quality. We observed that only blood HDL-C levels were still negatively and independently associated with global sleep score in participants with asthma (Sβ = − 0.224, 95% CI − 0.448, − 0.001, P = 0.049) but not in participants without asthma (Sβ = − 0.016, 95% CI − 0.087, 0.055, P = 0.656) in Model 3 after adjusting for age, gender, ever smoker, number of drinking years, exercise and body mass index (BMI). Obviously, asthma had a modification effect on the independent association (P interaction = 0.022). Our study suggested that elevated blood HDL-C levels are associated with a reduced risk for poor sleep quality in the adult population with asthma but not in those without asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigated the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction trough a meta‐analysis of echocardiographic studies providing data on RV mechanics as assessed by longitudinal strain (LS). A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, OVID‐MEDLINE, and Cochrane library databases to search English‐language review papers published from inception to March 31, 2022. Only studies reporting data on RV free‐wall or global LS in patients with OSA of different severity and non‐OSA controls were reviewed. Data of interest were pooled to obtain standard means difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The meta‐analysis included 628 participants (436 with OSA and 192 controls) from eight studies. Compared to controls, RV free wall LS was significantly reduced in the pooled OSA group (SMD 1.02 ±.33, CI:.17/1.24, P <.002); this was also the case for RV global LS (SMD:.72 ±.11, CI:.50/.93, P <.0001). Notably, compared to patients with mild‐OSA those with moderate and severe OSA exhibited significantly lower RV free‐wall LS and global LS values; this was not the case for tricuspid annular plane excursion. In conclusions, both RV free‐wall and global LS are impaired in patients with OSA; deterioration of these indices, unlike TAPSE, was already evident in the early stages and was related to the severity of the syndrome. Thus, RV myocardial strain should be considered to be included in echocardiographic evaluation of OSA patients in order to detect subclinical cardiac damage in these patients regardless of its degree of severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A better understanding of the factors and their correlation with clinical first-line nurses’ sleep, fatigue and mental workload is of great significance to personnel scheduling strategies and rapid responses to anti-pandemic tasks in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Objective: This multicenter and cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the nurses’ sleep, fatigue and mental workload and contributing factors to each, and to determine the correlation among them. Methods: A total of 1,004 eligible nurses (46 males, 958 females) from three tertiary hospitals participated in this cluster sampling survey. The Questionnaire Star online tool was used to collect the sociodemographic and study target data: Sleep quality, fatigue, and mental workload. Multi-statistical methods were used for data analysis using SPSS 25.0 and Amos 21.0. Results: The average sleep quality score was 10.545 ± 3.399 (insomnia prevalence: 80.2%); the average fatigue score was 55.81 ± 10.405 (fatigue prevalence: 100%); and the weighted mental workload score was 56.772 ± 17.26. Poor sleep was associated with mental workload (r = 0.303, P < 0.05) and fatigue (r = 0.727, P < 0.01). Fatigue was associated with mental workload (r = 0.321, P < 0.05). COVID-19 has caused both fatigue and mental workload. As 49% of nurses claimed their mental workload has been severely affected by COVID-19, while it has done slight harm to 68.9% of nurses’ sleep quality. Conclusion: In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, the high prevalence of sleep disorders and fatigue emphasizes the importance of paying enough attention to the mental health of nurses in first-class tertiary hospitals. Efficient nursing strategies should focus on the interaction of sleep, fatigue and mental workload in clinical nurses. In that case, further research on solutions to the phenomenon stated above proves to be of great significance and necessity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs). HCWs are highly exposed to shift work and their work schedules have been subject to increasing unpredictability since the start of the pandemic. This review aims to: (1) map the studies providing information about factors associated with sleep characteristics in HCWs working in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic during the first and second waves and (2) examine the state of the evidence base in terms of the availability of information on the influence of atypical work schedules. A literature search was performed in PubMed. Studies containing information about factors (demographic; psychological; occupational; COVID-19-specific; work schedule; lifestyle; medical; or other) associated with various sleep characteristics among HCWs working in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic were included. Particular attention was paid to the availability of information on the role of atypical work schedules on HCW sleep. Fifty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were reports of quantitative cross-sectional surveys using self-report measures. Associations between female sex, frontline HCW status, psychological factors, and poorer sleep were observed. Six studies included a measure of shift work in their analyses, 5 of which reported an association between shift work status and sleep. A wide range of factors were investigated, with female sex, frontline HCW status, and psychological factors repeatedly demonstrating associations with poorer sleep. Sleep was predominantly measured in terms of self-reported sleep quality or insomnia symptoms. Few studies investigated the influence of atypical work schedules on HCW sleep in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research on this topic is lacking in terms of reliable and consistent measurements of sleep outcomes, longitudinal data, and knowledge about the influence of covariates such atypical work schedules, comorbidity, and medical history on HCW sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, although many studies had focused on the impact of environmental factors on sleep, how to choose the proper assessment method for objective sleep quality was often ignored, especially for healthy subjects in bedroom environment. In order to provide methodological guidance for future research, this paper reviewed the assessments of objective sleep quality applied in environmental researches, compared them from the perspective of accuracy and interference, and statistically analyzed the impact of experimental type and subjects' information on method selection. The review results showed that, in contrast to polysomnography (PSG), the accuracy of actigraphy (ACT), respiratory monitoring‐oxygen saturation monitoring (RM‐OSM), and electrocardiograph (ECG) could reach up to 97%, 80.38%, and 79.95%, respectively. In terms of sleep staging, PSG and ECG performed the best, ACT the second, and RM‐OSM the worst; as compared to single methods, mix methods were more accurate and better at sleep staging. PSG interfered with sleep a great deal, while ECG and ACT could be non‐contact, and thus, the least interference with sleep was present. The type of experiment significantly influenced the choice of assessment method (p < 0.001), 85.3% of researchers chose PSG in laboratory study while 82.5% ACT in field study; moreover, PSG was often used in a relatively small number of young subjects, while ACT had a wide applicable population. In general, researchers need to pay more attention at selection of assessments in future studies, and this review can be used as a reliable reference for experimental design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of this study was to investigate the psychosocial and cardiovascular markers in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a STROBE compliant, blended exploratory study. Residents, staff physicians, nurses, and auxiliary healthcare professionals from both inpatient and outpatient medicine services were recruited using a planned random probability sample. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Fuster-BEWAT score (FBS), and socio-demographic factors, as well as sleep quality, were studied. The correlations between burnout severity and cardiovascular risk were examined using multivariable linear regression models adjusted for confounding variables, such as sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics. Results: The regression analysis with FBS as the outcome showed a negative association between cardiovascular health and emotional exhaustion [Coef.(95%CI): −0.029 (−0.048, −0.01), p = 0.002]. The higher the emotional exhaustion the lower the cardiovascular health. Further, the model showed a positive association between personal accomplishment and cardiovascular health [Coef.(95%CI): 0.045 (0.007, 0.082), p = 0.02]. Emotional exhaustion was significantly positive correlated with REM sleep and light average (Spearman's rank correlation: 0.37 and 0.35, respectively, with P < 0.05). Conclusion: The data from this study show that healthcare practitioners who are with burnout and emotional exhaustion have an elevated cardiovascular risk, however, causality cannot be determined. As an adaptive response to stressful situations, REM sleep increases. The findings of this study may be relevant in creating preventive strategies for burnout and cardiovascular risk reduction or prevention. Clinical Trial Registration: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT04422418]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep disturbance, state anxiety, and cognitive complaints (CCs) have been recognized as important issues in public health. Although the mediating role of CCs has been proposed, their role in the relationships between sleep disturbance, state anxiety, and subjective well-being (SWB) and subjective ill-being (SIB) are not yet fully understood. This study used path analyses to investigate whether CCs mediate these relationships.Methods: The study recruited 523 Japanese adult volunteers using convenience sampling. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y), Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment, and Subjective Well-Being Inventory to evaluate sleep disturbance, state anxiety, CCs, and SWB and SIB, respectively. Path analyses were conducted to assess the mediating effects of CCs.Results: The path analyses showed significant indirect associations of sleep disturbance and state anxiety with SWB (p = 0.024 and p = 0.012) and SIB (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), respectively, mediated by CCs. Furthermore, there were significant indirect associations of sleep disturbance with CCs (p < 0.001), SWB (p < 0.001), and SIB (p < 0.001), via state anxiety, respectively.Conclusions: This study suggests that CCs mediate the associations of sleep disturbance and state anxiety with SWB and SIB, respectively, in adult community volunteers. To address SWB and SIB associated with sleep disturbance and state anxiety, evaluating CCs may be useful in public mental health. Our findings will encourage health care workers to assess CCs more systematically. Future studies may need to target CCs to develop interventions for SWB and SIB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent move to require sex as a biological variable (SABV), which includes gender, into the reporting of research published by the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology follows a growing, and much-needed, trend by journals. Understandably, there is concern over how to do this without adding considerable work, especially if one's primary research focus is not on elucidating sex/gender differences. The purpose of this article is to provide additional guidance and examples on how to incorporate SABV into the conduct and reporting of basic and clinical research. Using examples from our research, which includes both studies focused and not focused on sex/gender differences, we offer suggestions for how to incorporate SABV into basic and clinical research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aims of this retrospective study were to (i) provide a description of sleep quality in elite athletes as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), (ii) provide normative PSQI data, (iii) identify differences across sex and sport, (iv) identify components that contribute to high PSQI scores and (v) assess PSQI test–retest reliability. Methods: The PSQI was completed by 479 athletes (371 female and 108 male) across 20 Olympic team and individual sports. For ordinal and categorical variables, the Wilcoxon rank sum test and Chi Squared tests were used, respectively. A random forest regression was built to determine the importance of each PSQI component. Test–retest reliability was assessed using two-way mixed effects intraclass correlation coefficients. Results: Fifty-two percent of athletes had a global PSQI score ≥ 5. Team sport athletes reported significantly longer sleep onset latency times but longer sleep durations compared with individual sport athletes. Sleep onset latency and sleep quality made the greatest contribution to the global PSQI scores. The PSQI demonstrated variability over periods of 2 months or more, with a minimal detectable change of 3 arbitrary units (AU). Conclusion: Long sleep onset latency and poor perceived sleep quality made the greatest contribution to the high PSQI scores observed in approximately half of elite athletes investigated. The PSQI should be administered at regular intervals due to variability within individuals over periods of 2 months or more. Individual questionnaire items or component scores of the PSQI may be useful for practitioners in guiding decision-making regarding sleep interventions in athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the contribution of several physiological systems to arterial blood pressure regulation has been studied extensively, the role of normal and disrupted sleep as a modifiable determinant of blood pressure control, and in the pathophysiology of hypertension, has only recently emerged. Several sleep disorders, including sleep apnea and insomnia, are thought to contribute to the development of hypertension, although less attention is paid to the relationship between sleep duration and blood pressure independent of sleep disorders per se. Accordingly, this review focuses principally on the physiology of sleep and the consequences of abnormal sleep duration both experimentally and at the population level. Clinical implications for patients with insomnia who may or may not have abbreviated sleep duration are explored. As a corollary, we further review studies of the effects of sleep extension on blood pressure regulation. We also discuss epidemiological evidence suggesting that long sleep may also be associated with hypertension and describe the parabolic relationship between total sleep time and blood pressure. We conclude by highlighting gaps in the literature regarding the potential role of gut microbial health in the cross-communication of lifestyle patterns (exercise, diet, and sleep) with blood pressure regulation. Additionally, we discuss populations at increased risk of short sleep, and specifically the need to understand mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities in women, pregnancy, the elderly, and in African Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study was to identify latent profiles of COVID-19 fear, depression, anxiety, stress, mindfulness, and resilience among university students. A total of 506 university undergraduate and graduate students from various universities were recruited through online platforms in Turkey. Data were collected utilizing self-report scales and were analyzed utilizing latent profile analysis. Results indicated significant relationships among COVID-19 fear, depression, anxiety, stress, resilience, and mindfulness. A three-class solution was adapted to fit the current data. Findings revealed that 46% of the participants were classified into the high COVID-19 fear and medium psychological symptoms profile. Also, 38% of the participants were identified as low psychological symptoms and high mindfulness and resilience. Additionally, 16% of the participants were classified as high COVID-19 fear, psychological symptoms and low mindfulness and resilience. Female gender was positively associated with COVID-19 fear, depression, anxiety, and stress. Life satisfaction and social support were positively associated with the mindfulness and resilience, and were negatively related to COVID-19 fear, depression, anxiety, and stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To study different mask types' impact on a sinonasal quality of life. Methods: For this observational cross-sectional study, a web-based survey was distributed via social media forums. We used the validated Hebrew version of the Sinonasal Outcome Test–22 followed by a questionnaire developed specifically for the present study, focusing on the time of the COVID-19 pandemic (Mask Sinonasal Outcome Test), and questions regarding general health issues. The participants' mask-wearing routine was also studied. Results: Seventy percent of 351 participants had experienced a change in their breathing during the time of the pandemic. The median total Sinonasal Outcome Test–22 score was 13, and 10% of the participants reported a significantly impaired quality of life. According to multivariate analyses, the only subject-related variables significantly associated with the reduced sinonasal quality of life were female gender, younger age, a background of chronic rhinitis and sinusitis, and the mask-wearing average daily duration. The mask sinonasal outcome test convergent validity was confirmed. Conclusion: The majority of our survey's responders, predominantly female and younger participants, reported reduced sinonasal quality of life in the COVID-19 pandemic period. It can be attributed to mask-wearing, especially for a prolonged time, irrespective of the existing mask type. These findings should encourage medical companies to produce more "airway-minded" personal protection equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Chronic insufficient sleep is a common occurrence around the world and results in numerous physiological detriments and consequences, including cardiovascular complications. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship between habitual total sleep time (TST) measured objectively via at-home actigraphy and heart rate (HR) reactivity to nocturnal cortical arousals. We hypothesized that short habitual TST would be associated with exaggerated cardiac reactivity to nocturnal cortical arousals. Participants included 35 healthy individuals [20 men, 15 women, age: 24 ± 1 yr, body mass index (BMI): 27 ± 1 kg/m2], and were split using a median analysis into short-sleeping (SS; n = 17) and normal-sleeping (NS; n = 18) adults based on a minimum of 7 days of at-home actigraphy testing. All participants underwent a full overnight laboratory polysomnography (PSG) testing session, including continuous HR (electrocardiogram, ECG) sampling. HR reactivities to all spontaneous cortical arousals were assessed for 30 cardiac cycles following the onset of the arousal in all participants. Baseline HR was not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05). Spontaneous nocturnal arousal elicited an augmented HR response in the SS group, specifically during the recovery period [F(5.261,163.08) = 3.058, P = 0.01, ηp 2 = 0.09]. There were no significant differences in HR reactivity between sexes [F(3.818,118.368) = 1.191, P = 0.318]. These findings offer evidence of nocturnal cardiovascular dysregulation in habitual short sleepers, independent from any diagnosed sleep disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies investigating the psychosomatic effects of social isolation in animals have shown that one of the physiologic system that gets disrupted by this environment-affective change is the Endocannabinoid System. As the levels of endocannabinoids change in limbic areas and prefrontal cortex during stressful times, so is the subject more prone to fearful and negative thoughts and aggressive behavior. The interplay of social isolation on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and cannabinoid tone triggers a vicious cycle which further impairs the natural body's homeostatic neuroendocrine levels and provokes a series of risk factors for developing health complications. In this paper, we explore the psychosomatic impact of prolonged quarantine in healthy individuals, and propose management and coping strategies that may improve endocannabinoid tone, such as integration of probiotics, cannabidiol, meditation, and physical exercise interventions with the aim of supporting interpersonal, individual, and professional adherence with COVID-19 emergency public measures whilst minimizing their psycho-physical impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research shows that female athletes sleep better according to objective parameters but report worse subjective sleep quality than male athletes. However, existing sleep studies did not investigate variations in sleep and sleep stages over longer periods and have, so far, not elucidated the role of the menstrual cycle in female athletes' sleep. To address these methodological shortcomings, we investigated sex differences in sleep and sleep stages over 61 continuous days in 37 men and 19 women and examined the role of the menstrual cycle and its phases in 15 women. Sleep was measured by a non-contact radar, and menstrual bleeding was self-reported. Associations were investigated with multilevel modeling. Overall, women tended to report poorer subjective sleep quality (p =.057), but objective measurements showed that women obtained longer sleep duration (p <.001), more light (p =.013) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM; hours (h): p <.001, %: p =.007), shorter REM latency (p <.001), and higher sleep efficiency (p =.003) than men. R2 values showed that sleep duration, REM and REM latency were especially affected by sex. Among women, we found longer time in bed (p =.027) and deep sleep (h: p =.036), and shorter light sleep (%: p =.021) during menstrual bleeding vs. non-bleeding days; less light sleep (h: p =.040), deep sleep (%: p =.013) and shorter REM latency (p =.011) during the menstrual than pre-menstrual phase; and lower sleep efficiency (p =.042) and more deep sleep (%: p =.026) during the follicular than luteal phase. These findings indicate that the menstrual cycle may impact the need for physiological recovery, as evidenced by the sleep stage variations. Altogether, the observed sex differences in subjective and objective sleep parameters may be related to the female athletes' menstrual cycle. The paper provides unique data of sex differences in sleep stages and novel insights into the role of the menstrual cycle in sleep among female athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In late 2019, a new coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease 2019) was identified. As there is no any drug to treat this pandemic, the healthcare professionals are disproportionately at higher risk. The mental health outcome is expected to be high. Anxiety is expected to have a significant impact on health professionals, especially among those who work without adequate resources for self-protection. Objectives: The objectives of this research was to assess self-reported anxiety symptoms and associated factors among Ethiopian healthcare professionals in the early stages of the pandemic. Methods: We have conducted an online cross-sectional study to collect information from healthcare professionals in Ethiopia during the early stage of the outbreak from April 7, 2020 to May 19, 2020. GAD-7 was used for measurement of anxiety. We have used a cut of point of 10 and above to report anxiety symptoms. We have used Google Forms for online data collection and SPSS-22 for analysis. To determine associated factors for anxiety, a binary logistic regression model was used. Variables with p-value < 0.2 during the bivariable binary logistic regression were exported for further analysis in the multivariable binary logistic regression. Finally, variables with p-value <0.05 were considered as significantly associated with the outcomes. Results: Three hundred and eighty-eight healthcare professionals filled the online questionnaire; Majority (71.1%) were males. Significant number of respondents (78.9%) reported lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) at the work place. The prevalence of anxiety was 26.8%. Being female (AOR: 1.88; 95% C.I:1.11, 3.19), visiting/treating 30–150 patients per day (AOR: 3.44; 95% C.I:1.51, 7.84), those employed at private healthcare institutions (AOR: 2.40; 95% C.I:1.17, 4.90), who do not believe that COVID-19 is preventable (AOR: 2.04; 95% C.I:1.04, 4.03) and those who reported lack of PPE (AOR: 1.98; 95% C.I:1.04, 3.79) were more likely to be anxious. Conclusions: The anxiety prevalence among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia during early stage of COVID-19 pandemic was high. This study shows that lack of preventive equipment, being female, contact with many patients, low self-efficacy and working in private health facilities were risk factors for anxiety. Anxiety prevention among health professionals during COVID-19 pandemic requires a holistic approach including provision of sufficient PPE, improving self-efficacy and addressing problems both at public and private institutions and focusing more on female health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruption of sleep due to acute or chronic stress can lead to changes in emotional memory processing. Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but still, the contribution of sleep deprivation on the susceptibility to PTSD has received little attention. To determine whether rapid eye movement sleep deprivation (SD) alters the development of fear expression or fear-associated memory impairment in adolescent rats, we performed animal emotional behavior tests using an SD animal model with the flowerpot technique. SD rats showed an increase in locomotor activity frequency and a decrease in sucrose consumption compared to control rats. An increase in freezing behavior during shock trials was observed in SD rats. Noticeably, it was observed that when applying the SD condition after fear stimuli exposure, fear extinction was delayed more in SD rats than in control rats. Overall, these results indicate that SD in adolescent rats leads to increased locomotor activity and anhedonic behavior, as well as increased fear expression and delayed fear extinction, suggesting that SD would lead to increased severity of PTSD-like phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a global effect on people's lifestyles. Many people have become physically inactive and developed irregular eating patterns, which leads to unhealthier lifestyles and aggravation of lifestyle-related diseases; these in turn increase the severity of COVID-19. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a smartphone application called "Taberhythm" to investigate eating patterns, physical activity, and subjective feelings of happiness. We aimed to compare lifestyle data before and during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to objectively assess lifestyle changes during quarantine. A total of 464 smartphone users (346 women, 35 ± 12 years old, body mass index [BMI] 23.4 ± 4.5) participated in Period A (January 7 to April 28, 2019) and 622 smartphone users (533 women, 32 ± 11 years old, BMI 23.3 ± 4.0) participated in Period B (January 6 to April 26, 2020). Compared with Period A, there was a sharp decline in physical activity during Period B (4642 ± 3513 vs. 3814 ± 3529 steps/day, p<0.001), especially during the final 9 weeks in both periods (4907 ± 3908 vs. 3528 ± 3397 steps/day, p<0.001); however, there were large variations in physical activity among participants. We found a surprising trend during Period B toward increased happiness among women aged 30–50 years, the group most affected by stay-at-home policies that led to working from home and school closure. Moreover, daily eating duration declined in this population. Additionally, there was a positive association of happiness with steps per day in Period B (ρ = 0.38, p = 0.02). Despite the many negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, subjective feelings of happiness among middle-aged Japanese women tended to increase, which indicates that some favorable lifestyle changes that could be adopted during quarantine in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]