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Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with lower mitochondrial energy production and higher oxidative stress. We investigated whether these alterations manifest in patients with current mild to moderate MDD severity. We observed no differences in mitochondrial respiration and density (i.e., citrate-synthase activity) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and oxidative stress markers (i.e., 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, 8-isoprostane) in blood serum of 20 female MDD patients compared to 24 non-depressed women. Alterations in mitochondrial energy production and oxidative stress did not linearly depend on the current severity of MDD. However, biological alterations might rather manifest with higher MDD severity/chronicity and at higher age.

Abstract. Background: Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel are frequently confronted with multiple stressful and potentially traumatic events as well as adverse working conditions. Objective: This narrative review provides an overview of the impact of adverse mission experiences and working conditions on the mental and physical health of EMS personnel. Methods: We summarize the empirical findings on prevalence rates as well as individual vulnerability factors and resilience. Results: EMS personnel show the highest prevalence rates of stress-related health problems among first responders. The article outlines prevention and intervention approaches that contribute to maintaining and improving the mental and physical health of EMS personnel. Conclusion: In the future, further evidence-based intervention measures should be developed to adequately support this professional group.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) comprises experiences of abuse and neglect during childhood. CM causes psychological as well as biological alterations in affected individuals. In humans, it is hardly explored whether these CM consequences can be transmitted directly on a biological level to the next generation. Here, we investigated the associations between maternal CM and mitochondrial bioenergetics (mitochondrial respiration and intracellular mitochondrial density) in immune cells of mothers and compared them with those of their newborns. In n = 102 healthy mother-newborn dyads, maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells and neonatal umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells were collected and cryopreserved shortly after parturition to measure mitochondrial respiration and intracellular mitochondrial density with high-resolution respirometry and spectrophotometric analyses, respectively. Maternal CM was assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Maternal and neonatal mitochondrial bioenergetics were quantitatively comparable and positively correlated. Female newborns showed higher mitochondrial respiration compared to male newborns. Maternal CM load was significantly and positively associated with mitochondrial respiration and density in mothers, but not with mitochondrial respiration in newborns. Although maternal and neonatal mitochondrial bioenergetics were positively correlated, maternal CM only had a small effect on mitochondrial density in newborns, which was not significant in this study after adjustment for multiple comparisons. The biological relevance of our finding and its consequences for child development need further investigation in future larger studies. This study reports data on mitochondrial bioenergetics of healthy mother-newborn dyads with varying degrees of CM.

Background Stress-related alterations in the regulation of several endocrine systems, including the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and -gonadal (HPG) axes and the endocannabinoid system are proposed to be involved in the etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Therefore, this study examines whether altered concentrations of glucocorticoids, testosterone, endocannabinoids, and related N-acylethanolamines accumulated in hair are present in MDD. Methods Female participants (range: 19–59, Mdn = 30.5 years) were recruited, including n = 21 with a current MDD episode and n = 27 nondepressed controls without any current mental disorder. Weight-standardized samples of 3 cm hair segments were analyzed which equals to three months of retrospectively assessed biomarkers in hair. Concentrations of cortisol, cortisone, testosterone, endocannabinoids (i.e., anandamide [AEA], 2-arachidonylglycerol [2-AG]), and selected N-acylethanolamines (i.e., stearoylethanolamide [SEA], oleoylethanolamide [OEA], palmitoylethanolamide [PEA]) were measured using mass spectrometry. Results Female MDD patients exhibited lower cortisol and cortisone levels in hair than nondepressed controls, whereas the hair concentrations of endocannabinoids, N-acylethanolamines, and testosterone did not differ between the groups. Conclusions Our results add to the heterogeneous body of findings on alterations in hair-stored glucocorticoids and endocannabinoids in MDD. As in previous studies, there was no evidence of altered testosterone concentrations in the hair of MDD patients. Larger and longitudinal studies are needed to comprehensively explore the overall picture of endocrine alterations in MDD.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) compromises resilience against stress and trauma throughout life. Therefore, it could present a major risk factor for the health of frequently trauma-exposed professionals such as emergency medical service (EMS) personnel.We investigated, whether EMS personnel's history of CM increased their risk for mental and physical stress symptoms after occupational trauma exposure.Data from 103 German EMS personnel (age: Mdn±QD = 26.00 ± 8.50 years) were collected as part of a cross-sectional survey distributed among employees of the regional German Red Cross EMS division (response rate 46.6%). The sample corresponded well to the division's entire staff in terms of socio-anagraphic characteristics.CM and occupational trauma exposure as well as posttraumatic, depressive, and somatic symptoms were assessed with self-report questionnaires.Moderation analyses indicated stronger positive associations between occupational trauma exposure and the severity of posttraumatic (β = .30, p.001), depressive (β = .20, p = .026), and somatic symptoms (β = .18, p = .059) among EMS personnel who reported a higher exposure to CM.Our study provides initial evidence that CM could increase the EMS personnel's vulnerability to the detrimental consequences of critical incidents on duty. Future research is needed (i) to replicate and generalize our observation on various trauma-exposed professions as well as (ii) to develop preventive measures for targeting the mediating and protective factors which influence the relationship between CM and the negative consequences of occupational trauma exposure.