Sample records for stress physiology

  1. Determinants of physiological and perceived physiological stress reactivity in children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Evans, Brittany E; Greaves-Lord, Kirstin; Euser, Anja S; Tulen, Joke H M; Franken, Ingmar H A; Huizink, Anja C

    2013-01-01

    Abnormal physiological stress reactivity is increasingly investigated as a vulnerability marker for various physical and psychological health problems. However, studies are inconsistent in taking into account potential covariates that may influence the developing stress system. We systematically tested determinants (individual, developmental, environmental and substance use-related) of physiological and perceived physiological stress reactivity. We also examined the relation between physiological and perceived physiological stress reactivity. In a stratified sample of 363 children (7-12 years) and 344 adolescents (13-20 years) from the general population, we examined cortisol, heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia and perceived physiological stress reactivity to a psychosocial stress procedure. Using multivariate linear regression models, we found that individual, developmental, environmental and substance use-related factors were related to each of the stress response indices. These determinant factors were different for each of the stress reactivity indices, and different in children versus adolescents. Perceived physiological stress reactivity predicted cortisol reactivity in adolescents only. All other relations between perceived physiological and physiological stress reactivity were not significant. As physiological stress variables are often examined as vulnerability markers for the development of health problems, we maintain that it is essential that future studies take into consideration factors that may account for found relations. Our study provides an overview and indication of which variables should be considered in the investigation of the relation between physiological stress indices and illness.

  2. Determinants of Physiological and Perceived Physiological Stress Reactivity in Children and Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Evans, Brittany E.; Greaves-Lord, Kirstin; Euser, Anja S.; Tulen, Joke H. M.; Franken, Ingmar H. A.; Huizink, Anja C.

    2013-01-01

    Aims Abnormal physiological stress reactivity is increasingly investigated as a vulnerability marker for various physical and psychological health problems. However, studies are inconsistent in taking into account potential covariates that may influence the developing stress system. We systematically tested determinants (individual, developmental, environmental and substance use-related) of physiological and perceived physiological stress reactivity. We also examined the relation between physiological and perceived physiological stress reactivity. Method In a stratified sample of 363 children (7–12 years) and 344 adolescents (13–20 years) from the general population, we examined cortisol, heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia and perceived physiological stress reactivity to a psychosocial stress procedure. Results Using multivariate linear regression models, we found that individual, developmental, environmental and substance use-related factors were related to each of the stress response indices. These determinant factors were different for each of the stress reactivity indices, and different in children versus adolescents. Perceived physiological stress reactivity predicted cortisol reactivity in adolescents only. All other relations between perceived physiological and physiological stress reactivity were not significant. Conclusions As physiological stress variables are often examined as vulnerability markers for the development of health problems, we maintain that it is essential that future studies take into consideration factors that may account for found relations. Our study provides an overview and indication of which variables should be considered in the investigation of the relation between physiological stress indices and illness. PMID:23620785

  3. Early caregiving and physiological stress responses.

    PubMed

    Luecken, Linda J; Lemery, Kathryn S

    2004-05-01

    Inadequate early caregiving has been associated with risks of stress-related psychological and physical illness over the life span. Dysregulated physiological stress responses may represent a mechanism linking early caregiving to health outcomes. This paper reviews evidence linking early caregiving to physiological responses that can increase vulnerability to stress-related illness. A number of high-risk family characteristics, including high conflict, divorce, abuse, and parental psychopathology, are considered in the development of stress vulnerability. Three theoretical pathways linking caregiving to physiological stress responses are outlined: genetic, psychosocial, and cognitive-affective. Exciting preliminary evidence suggests that early caregiving can impact long-term physiological stress responses. Directions for future research in this area are suggested.

  4. Stress response physiology of thermophiles.

    PubMed

    Ranawat, Preeti; Rawat, Seema

    2017-04-01

    Thermo (or hyperthermo) philic microorganisms are ubiquitous having a wide range of habitats from freshly fallen snow to pasteurized milk to geothermal areas like hot springs. The variations in physicochemical conditions, viz., temperature, pH, nutrient availability and light intensity in the habitats always pose stress conditions for the inhabitants leading to slow growth or cell death. The industrial processes used for harvesting secondary metabolites such as enzymes, toxins and organic acids also create stressed environments for thermophiles. The production of DNA-binding proteins, activation of reactive oxygen species detoxification system, compatible solute accumulation, expression of heat shock proteins and alterations in morphology are a few examples of physiological changes demonstrated by these microscopic lifeforms in stress. These microorganisms exhibit complex genetic and physiological changes to minimize, adapt to and repair damage caused by extreme environmental disturbances. These changes are termed as 'stress responses' which enable them to stabilize their homeostasis. The exploration of important thermophilic factors would pave the way in engineering the microbial strains for various biotechnological applications. This review article presents a picture of physiological responses of thermophiles against various stress conditions as their mechanisms to respond to stress make them model organisms to further explore them for basic and applied biology purposes.

  5. Character strengths, social anxiety, and physiological stress reactivity.

    PubMed

    Li, Tingting; Duan, Wenjie; Guo, Pengfei

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, the effects of character strengths on the physiological reactivity to social anxiety induced by the Trier Social Stress Task were reported. On the basis of their scores in the Chinese Virtues Questionnaire, 30 college students were assigned to either high- ( n  = 15) or low-character-strength ( n  = 15) groups. Their psychological stress and physiological data across three laboratory stages (namely, baseline, stress exposure, and post-stress) were collected. Results indicated that individuals with high character strengths exhibited rapid cardiovascular recovery from baseline to post-stress even if high- and low-character-strength groups showed similar patterns of cardiovascular arousal in response to the stress at baseline and stress exposure. These results prove that character strengths are stress-defense factors that allow for psychological and physiological adaptation to stress.

  6. Character strengths, social anxiety, and physiological stress reactivity

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, the effects of character strengths on the physiological reactivity to social anxiety induced by the Trier Social Stress Task were reported. On the basis of their scores in the Chinese Virtues Questionnaire, 30 college students were assigned to either high- (n = 15) or low-character-strength (n = 15) groups. Their psychological stress and physiological data across three laboratory stages (namely, baseline, stress exposure, and post-stress) were collected. Results indicated that individuals with high character strengths exhibited rapid cardiovascular recovery from baseline to post-stress even if high- and low-character-strength groups showed similar patterns of cardiovascular arousal in response to the stress at baseline and stress exposure. These results prove that character strengths are stress-defense factors that allow for psychological and physiological adaptation to stress. PMID:28584721

  7. Stress and translocation: alterations in the stress physiology of translocated birds

    PubMed Central

    Dickens, Molly J.; Delehanty, David J.; Romero, L. Michael

    2009-01-01

    Translocation and reintroduction have become major conservation actions in attempts to create self-sustaining wild populations of threatened species. However, avian translocations have a high failure rate and causes for failure are poorly understood. While ‘stress’ is often cited as an important factor in translocation failure, empirical evidence of physiological stress is lacking. Here we show that experimental translocation leads to changes in the physiological stress response in chukar partridge, Alectoris chukar. We found that capture alone significantly decreased the acute glucocorticoid (corticosterone, CORT) response, but adding exposure to captivity and transport further altered the stress response axis (the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis) as evident from a decreased sensitivity of the negative feedback system. Animals that were exposed to the entire translocation procedure, in addition to the reduced acute stress response and disrupted negative feedback, had significantly lower baseline CORT concentrations and significantly reduced body weight. These data indicate that translocation alters stress physiology and that chronic stress is potentially a major factor in translocation failure. Under current practices, the restoration of threatened species through translocation may unwittingly depend on the success of chronically stressed individuals. This conclusion emphasizes the need for understanding and alleviating translocation-induced chronic stress in order to use most effectively this important conservation tool. PMID:19324794

  8. Neuronal Responses to Physiological Stress

    PubMed Central

    Kagias, Konstantinos; Nehammer, Camilla; Pocock, Roger

    2012-01-01

    Physiological stress can be defined as any external or internal condition that challenges the homeostasis of a cell or an organism. It can be divided into three different aspects: environmental stress, intrinsic developmental stress, and aging. Throughout life all living organisms are challenged by changes in the environment. Fluctuations in oxygen levels, temperature, and redox state for example, trigger molecular events that enable an organism to adapt, survive, and reproduce. In addition to external stressors, organisms experience stress associated with morphogenesis and changes in inner chemistry during normal development. For example, conditions such as intrinsic hypoxia and oxidative stress, due to an increase in tissue mass, have to be confronted by developing embryos in order to complete their development. Finally, organisms face the challenge of stochastic accumulation of molecular damage during aging that results in decline and eventual death. Studies have shown that the nervous system plays a pivotal role in responding to stress. Neurons not only receive and process information from the environment but also actively respond to various stresses to promote survival. These responses include changes in the expression of molecules such as transcription factors and microRNAs that regulate stress resistance and adaptation. Moreover, both intrinsic and extrinsic stresses have a tremendous impact on neuronal development and maintenance with implications in many diseases. Here, we review the responses of neurons to various physiological stressors at the molecular and cellular level. PMID:23112806

  9. Physiological adaptation to recurrent social stress of extraversion.

    PubMed

    Lu, Wei; Wang, Zhenhong

    2017-02-01

    The present studies examined the influence of extraversion on physiological reactivity, recovery, and physiological habituation-sensitization to repeated social stressors. In Study 1, subjective and physiological data were collected from 97 college students who were categorized as high (n = 51) and low (n = 46) on extraversion (NEO-FFI) across five laboratory stages: baseline, stress 1, poststress 1, stress 2, and poststress 2. Results indicated high extraversion (HE) participants exhibited relative lesser heart rate (HR) reactivity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) withdrawals to, and more complete HR and RSA recovery after the first social stress, and also exhibited relative lesser HR reactivity to the second social stress. When repeatedly exposed to a social stressor, HE participants showed pronounced systolic blood pressure (SBP) adaptation, low extraversion (LE) participants displayed diastolic blood pressure (DBP) sensitization. In Study 2, data were collected from another 78 participants (HE: n = 40, LE: n = 38) across the same laboratory stages with speech performance videotaped. After controlling for the speech styles, Study 2 found the same HR response and SBP/DBP adaptation pattern across extraversion groups to social stress as Study 1 but not RSA reactivity. These findings suggest extraverts exhibit more adaptive physiological reactivity to recurrent social stressors, which thus might benefit their health. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  10. Physiological effects of handling and hauling stress on smallmouth bass

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Carmichael, G.J.; Wedemeyer, G.A.; McCraren, J.P.; Millard, J.L.

    1983-01-01

    Basic physiological information on the stress caused by current hatchery practices is helpful in developing new and improved techniques to increase survival. In view of the present fishery management requirements for stocking smallmouth bas (Micropterus dolomieu), baseline information on the physiological effects of handling and hauling hatchery-reared fish is needed to serve as the foundation for improving transport methods. Shell (1959) summarized several physiological characteristics of smallmouth bass, but little information on their physiological tolerance to stress exists. The present study was designed to determine the physiological effects of handling and short-term hauling in small mouth bass. Plasma chloride, sodium, potassium, and glucose dynamics were monitored in indicate the severity of the resulting stress and the recovery time needed.

  11. Stress inoculation training supported by physiology-driven adaptive virtual reality stimulation.

    PubMed

    Popović, Sinisa; Horvat, Marko; Kukolja, Davor; Dropuljić, Branimir; Cosić, Kresimir

    2009-01-01

    Significant proportion of psychological problems related to combat stress in recent large peacekeeping operations underscores importance of effective methods for strengthening the stress resistance of military personnel. Adaptive control of virtual reality (VR) stimulation, based on estimation of the subject's emotional state from physiological signals, may enhance existing stress inoculation training (SIT). Physiology-driven adaptive VR stimulation can tailor the progress of stressful stimuli delivery to the physiological characteristics of each individual, which is indicated for improvement in stress resistance. Therefore, following an overview of SIT and its applications in the military setting, generic concept of physiology-driven adaptive VR stimulation is presented in the paper. Toward the end of the paper, closed-loop adaptive control strategy applicable to SIT is outlined.

  12. Teaching Stress Physiology Using Zebrafish ("Danio Rerio")

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Michael; Dhawale, Shree; Mustafa, Ahmed

    2009-01-01

    A straightforward and inexpensive laboratory experiment is presented that investigates the physiological stress response of zebrafish after a 5 degree C increase in water temperature. This experiment is designed for an undergraduate physiology lab and allows students to learn the scientific method and relevant laboratory techniques without causing…

  13. Physiological responding to stress in middle-aged males enriched for longevity: a social stress study.

    PubMed

    Jansen, Steffy W M; van Heemst, Diana; van der Grond, Jeroen; Westendorp, Rudi; Oei, Nicole Y L

    2016-01-01

    Individuals enriched for familial longevity display a lower prevalence of age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular- and metabolic diseases. Since these diseases are associated with stress and increased cortisol levels, one of the underlying mechanisms that may contribute to healthy longevity might be a more adaptive response to stress. To investigate this, male middle-aged offspring from long-lived families (n = 31) and male non-offspring (with no familial history of longevity) (n = 26) were randomly allocated to the Trier Social Stress Test or a control condition in an experimental design. Physiological (cortisol, blood pressure, heart rate) and subjective responses were measured during the entire procedure. The results showed that Offspring had lower overall cortisol levels compared to Non-offspring regardless of condition, and lower absolute cortisol output (AUCg) during stress compared to Non-Offspring, while the increase (AUCi) did not differ between groups. In addition, systolic blood pressure in Offspring was lower compared to Non-offspring during the entire procedure. At baseline, Offspring had significantly lower systolic blood pressure and reported less subjective stress than Non-offspring and showed a trend towards lower heart rate. Offspring from long-lived families might thus be less stressed prior to potentially stressful events and consequently show overall lower levels in physiological responses. Although attenuated physiological responding cannot be ruled out, lower starting points and a lower peak level in physiological responding when confronted with an actual stressor, might already limit damage due to stress over a lifetime. Lower physiological responding may also contribute to the lower prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and other stress-related diseases in healthy longevity.

  14. Microbial stress-response physiology and its implications for ecosystem function.

    PubMed

    Schimel, Joshua; Balser, Teri C; Wallenstein, Matthew

    2007-06-01

    Microorganisms have a variety of evolutionary adaptations and physiological acclimation mechanisms that allow them to survive and remain active in the face of environmental stress. Physiological responses to stress have costs at the organismal level that can result in altered ecosystem-level C, energy, and nutrient flows. These large-scale impacts result from direct effects on active microbes' physiology and by controlling the composition of the active microbial community. We first consider some general aspects of how microbes experience environmental stresses and how they respond to them. We then discuss the impacts of two important ecosystem-level stressors, drought and freezing, on microbial physiology and community composition. Even when microbial community response to stress is limited, the physiological costs imposed on soil microbes are large enough that they may cause large shifts in the allocation and fate of C and N. For example, for microbes to synthesize the osmolytes they need to survive a single drought episode they may consume up to 5% of total annual net primary production in grassland ecosystems, while acclimating to freezing conditions switches Arctic tundra soils from immobilizing N during the growing season to mineralizing it during the winter. We suggest that more effectively integrating microbial ecology into ecosystem ecology will require a more complete integration of microbial physiological ecology, population biology, and process ecology.

  15. Socioeconomic Status, Subjective Social Status, and Perceived Stress: Associations with Stress Physiology and Executive Functioning.

    PubMed

    Ursache, Alexandra; Noble, Kimberly G; Blair, Clancy

    2015-01-01

    Several studies have investigated associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and indicators of children's physiological and cognitive self-regulation. Although objective measures of family SES may be good proxies for families' experiences of disadvantage, less is known about subjective aspects of families' experiences. We hypothesize that subjective social status (SSS) and perceived stress may be important independent predictors of children's stress physiology and executive functioning (EF). Eighty-two children from diverse SES backgrounds were administered EF measures and provided saliva samples for cortisol assay. Caregivers reported on objective SES, SSS, and perceived stress. Results suggest that SES and SSS are both independently and positively related to EF. In models predicting stress physiology, higher perceived stress was associated with lower baseline cortisol. Moreover, SES and age interacted to predict cortisol levels such that among younger children, lower SES was associated with higher cortisol, whereas among older children, lower SES was associated with lower cortisol. Results highlight the importance of considering both objective and subjective indicators of families' SES and stressful experiences in relation to multiple aspects of children's self-regulation.

  16. Maternal effects on offspring stress physiology in wild chimpanzees.

    PubMed

    Murray, Carson M; Stanton, Margaret A; Wellens, Kaitlin R; Santymire, Rachel M; Heintz, Matthew R; Lonsdorf, Elizabeth V

    2018-01-01

    Early life experiences are known to influence hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis development, which can impact health outcomes through the individual's ability to mount appropriate physiological reactions to stressors. In primates, these early experiences are most often mediated through the mother and can include the physiological environment experienced during gestation. Here, we investigate stress physiology of dependent offspring in wild chimpanzees for the first time and examine whether differences in maternal stress physiology are related to differences in offspring stress physiology. Specifically, we explore the relationship between maternal rank and maternal fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentration during pregnancy and early lactation (first 6 months post-partum) and examine whether differences based on maternal rank are associated with dependent offspring FGM concentrations. We found that low-ranking females exhibited significantly higher FGM concentrations during pregnancy than during the first 6 months of lactation. Furthermore, during pregnancy, low-ranking females experienced significantly higher FGM concentrations than high-ranking females. As for dependent offspring, we found that male offspring of low-ranking mothers experienced stronger decreases in FGM concentrations as they aged compared to males with high-ranking mothers or their dependent female counterparts. Together, these results suggest that maternal rank and FGM concentrations experienced during gestation are related to offspring stress physiology and that this relationship is particularly pronounced in males compared to females. Importantly, this study provides the first evidence for maternal effects on the development of offspring HPA function in wild chimpanzees, which likely relates to subsequent health and fitness outcomes. Am. J. Primatol. 80:e22525, 2018. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. An introduction to the 'Psycho-Physiological-Stress-Test' (PPST)-A standardized instrument for evaluating stress reactions.

    PubMed

    Neureiter, Elisabeth; Hajfani, Loreen; Ahnis, Anne; Mierke, Annett; Rose, Matthias; Danzer, Gerhard; Klapp, Burghard F

    2017-01-01

    Using a standardized instrument to evaluate patients' stress reactions has become more important in daily clinical routines. Different signs or symptoms of stress are often unilaterally explored: the physiological, psychological or social aspects of stress disorders are each viewed on a single dimension. However, all dimensions afflict patients who have persistent health problems due to chronic stress. Therefore, it is important to use a multidimensional approach to acquire data. The 'Psycho-Physiological-Stress-Test' (PPST) was established to achieve a comprehensive understanding of stress and was further developed at the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin in collaboration with the Psychological Department of Freie Universität Berlin. The PPST includes a series of varying stress phases, embedded in two periods of rest. Physiological and psychological parameters are simultaneously measured throughout the test session. Specifically, the PPST activates the sympathetic stress axis, which is measured by heart rate, blood pressure, respiration depth and rate, electro dermal activation and muscle tension (frontalis, masseter, trapezius). Psychological data are simultaneously collected, and include performance, motivation, emotion and behavior. After conducting this diagnostic test, it is possible to identify individual stress patterns that can be discussed with the individual patient to develop and recommend (outpatient) treatment strategies. This paper introduces the PPST as a standardized way to evaluate stress reactions by presenting the results from a sample of psychosomatic inpatients (n = 139) who were treated in Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. We observed that the varying testing conditions provoked adjusted changes in the different physiological parameters and psychological levels.

  18. Early life stress increases testosterone and corticosterone and alters stress physiology in zebra finches.

    PubMed

    Zito, J Bayley; Hanna, Angy; Kadoo, Nora; Tomaszycki, Michelle L

    2017-09-01

    Early life stress has enduring effects on behavior and physiology. However, the effects on hormones and stress physiology remain poorly understood. In the present study, parents of zebra finches of both sexes were exposed to an increased foraging paradigm from 3 to 33days post hatching. Plasma and brains were collected from chicks at 3 developmental time points: post hatching days 25, 60 and adulthood. Plasma was assayed for testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and corticosterone (CORT). The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus was assessed for corticotrophin releasing factor (CRH) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression. As expected, body mass was lower in nutritionally stressed animals compared to controls at multiple ages. Nutritionally stressed animals overall had higher levels of CORT than did control and this was particularly apparent in females at post hatching day 25. Nutritionally stressed animals also had a higher number of cells expressing CRH and GR in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus than did controls. There was an interaction, such that both measures were higher in control animals at PHD 25, but higher in NS animals by adulthood. Females, regardless of treatment, had higher circulating CORT and a higher number of cells expressing CRH than did males. Nutritionally stressed animals also had higher levels of T than did control animals, and this difference was greatest for males at post hatching day 60. There were no effects of nutritional stress on E2. These findings suggest that nutritional stress during development has long-lasting effects on testosterone and stress physiology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Psychosocial versus physiological stress – meta-analyses on deactivations and activations of the neural correlates of stress reactions

    PubMed Central

    Kogler, Lydia; Mueller, Veronika I.; Chang, Amy; Eickhoff, Simon B.; Fox, Peter T.; Gur, Ruben C.; Derntl, Birgit

    2015-01-01

    Stress is present in everyday life in various forms and situations. Two stressors frequently investigated are physiological and psychosocial stress. Besides similar subjective and hormonal responses, it has been suggested that they also share common neural substrates. The current study used activation-likelihood-estimation meta-analysis to test this assumption by integrating results of previous neuroimaging studies on stress processing. Reported results are cluster-level FWE corrected. The inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the anterior insula (AI) were the only regions that demonstrated overlapping activation for both stressors. Analysis of physiological stress showed consistent activation of cognitive and affective components of pain processing such as the insula, striatum, or the middle cingulate cortex. Contrarily, analysis across psychosocial stress revealed consistent activation of the right superior temporal gyrus and deactivation of the striatum. Notably, parts of the striatum appeared to be functionally specified: the dorsal striatum was activated in physiological stress, whereas the ventral striatum was deactivated in psychosocial stress. Additional functional connectivity and decoding analyses further characterized this functional heterogeneity and revealed higher associations of the dorsal striatum with motor regions and of the ventral striatum with reward processing. Based on our meta-analytic approach, activation of the IFG and the AI seems to indicate a global neural stress reaction. While physiological stress activates a motoric fight-or-flight reaction, during psychosocial stress attention is shifted towards emotion regulation and goal-directed behavior, and reward processing is reduced. Our results show the significance of differentiating physiological and psychosocial stress in neural engagement. Furthermore, the assessment of deactivations in addition to activations in stress research is highly recommended. PMID:26123376

  20. Intermittent Noise Induces Physiological Stress in a Coastal Marine Fish

    PubMed Central

    Nichols, Tye A.; Anderson, Todd W.; Širović, Ana

    2015-01-01

    Anthropogenic noise in the ocean has increased substantially in recent decades, and motorized vessels produce what is likely the most common form of underwater noise pollution. Noise has the potential to induce physiological stress in marine fishes, which may have negative ecological consequences. In this study, physiological effects of increased noise (playback of boat noise recorded in the field) on a coastal marine fish (the giant kelpfish, Heterostichus rostratus) were investigated by measuring the stress responses (cortisol concentration) of fish to increased noise of various temporal dynamics and noise levels. Giant kelpfish exhibited acute stress responses when exposed to intermittent noise, but not to continuous noise or control conditions (playback of recorded natural ambient sound). These results suggest that variability in the acoustic environment may be more important than the period of noise exposure for inducing stress in a marine fish, and provide information regarding noise levels at which physiological responses occur. PMID:26402068

  1. Neuroticism and extraversion in relation to physiological stress reactivity during adolescence.

    PubMed

    Evans, Brittany E; Stam, Jacqueline; Huizink, Anja C; Willemen, Agnes M; Westenberg, P Michiel; Branje, Susan; Meeus, Wim; Koot, Hans M; van Lier, Pol A C

    2016-05-01

    The current study examined mean level and change in extraversion and neuroticism across adolescence in relation to physiological stress reactivity to social evaluation. Adolescents (n=327) from the Dutch general population reported on personality measures at five annual assessments. At age 17 years, adolescents participated in a psychosocial stress procedure characterized by social evaluation during which cortisol, heart rate, pre-ejection period (PEP) and heart rate variability were assessed. Dual latent growth curve models were fitted in which the intercepts (mean level) and slopes (change) of personality across adolescence predicted the intercepts (baseline) and slopes (reactivity) of the physiological stress measures. Most comparisons revealed no relation between personality and stress reactivity. Adolescents with higher mean level scores on extraversion did show lower cortisol reactivity. Adolescents with higher mean level neuroticism scores showed higher PEP reactivity. Our findings lend partial support for a relation between personality and physiological stress reactivity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. The physiological determinants of drug-induced lysosomal stress resistance

    PubMed Central

    Woldemichael, Tehetina; Rosania, Gus R.

    2017-01-01

    Many weakly basic, lipophilic drugs accumulate in lysosomes and exert complex, pleiotropic effects on organelle structure and function. Thus, modeling how perturbations of lysosomal physiology affect the maintenance of lysosomal ion homeostasis is necessary to elucidate the key factors which determine the toxicological effects of lysosomotropic agents, in a cell-type dependent manner. Accordingly, a physiologically-based mathematical modeling and simulation approach was used to explore the dynamic, multi-parameter phenomenon of lysosomal stress. With this approach, parameters that are either directly involved in lysosomal ion transportation or lysosomal morphology were transiently altered to investigate their downstream effects on lysosomal physiology reflected by the changes they induce in lysosomal pH, chloride, and membrane potential. In addition, combinations of parameters were simultaneously altered to assess which parameter was most critical for recovery of normal lysosomal physiology. Lastly, to explore the relationship between organelle morphology and induced stress, we investigated the effects of parameters controlling organelle geometry on the restoration of normal lysosomal physiology following a transient perturbation. Collectively, our results indicate a key, interdependent role of V-ATPase number and membrane proton permeability in lysosomal stress tolerance. This suggests that the cell-type dependent regulation of V-ATPase subunit expression and turnover, together with the proton permeability properties of the lysosomal membrane, is critical to understand the differential sensitivity or resistance of different cell types to the toxic effects of lysosomotropic drugs. PMID:29117253

  3. Physiology-driven adaptive virtual reality stimulation for prevention and treatment of stress related disorders.

    PubMed

    Cosić, Kresimir; Popović, Sinisa; Kukolja, Davor; Horvat, Marko; Dropuljić, Branimir

    2010-02-01

    The significant proportion of severe psychological problems related to intensive stress in recent large peacekeeping operations underscores the importance of effective methods for strengthening the prevention and treatment of stress-related disorders. Adaptive control of virtual reality (VR) stimulation presented in this work, based on estimation of the person's emotional state from physiological signals, may enhance existing stress inoculation training (SIT). Physiology-driven adaptive VR stimulation can tailor the progress of stressful stimuli delivery to the physiological characteristics of each individual, which is indicated for improvement in stress resistance. Following an overview of physiology-driven adaptive VR stimulation, its major functional subsystems are described in more detail. A specific algorithm of stimuli delivery applicable to SIT is outlined.

  4. Physiological changes induced in four bacterial strains following oxidative stress.

    PubMed

    Baatout, S; De Boever, P; Mergeay, M

    2006-01-01

    In order to study the behaviour and resistance of bacteria under extreme conditions, physiological changes associated with oxidative stress were monitored using flow cytometry. The study was conducted to assess the maintenance of membrane integrity and potential as well as the esterase activity, the intracellular pH and the production of superoxide anions in four bacterial strains (Ralstonia metallidurans, Escherichia coli, Shewanella oneidensis and Deinococcus radiodurans). The strains were chosen for their potential usefulness in bioremediation. Suspensions of R. metallidurans, E. coli, S. oneidensis and D. radiodurans were submitted to 1 h oxidative stress (H2O2 at various concentrations from 0 to 880 mM). Cell membrane permeability (propidium iodide) and potential (rhodamine-123, 3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide), intracellular esterase activity (fluorescein diacetate), intracellular reactive oxygen species concentration (hydroethidine) and intracellular pH (carboxyflurorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (5(6)) were monitored to evaluate the physiological state and the overall fitness of individual bacterial cells under oxidative stress. The four bacterial strains exhibited varying sensitivities towards H2O2. However, for all bacterial strains, some physiological damage could already be observed from 13.25 mM H2O2 onwards, in particular with regard to their membrane permeability. Depending on the bacterial strains, moderate to high physiological damage could be observed between 13.25 mM and 220 mM H2O2. Membrane potential, esterase activity, intracellular pH and production of superoxide anion production were considerably modified at high H2O2 concentrations in all four strains. In conclusion, we show that a range of significant physiological alterations occurs when bacteria are challenged with H2O2 and fluorescent staining methods coupled with flow cytometry are useful for monitoring the changes induced not only by oxidative stress but also by other

  5. Young Children's Physiological Reactivity during Memory Recall: Associations with Posttraumatic Stress and Parent Physiological Synchrony.

    PubMed

    Gray, Sarah A O; Lipschutz, Rebecca S; Scheeringa, Mike S

    2018-05-01

    Autonomic reactivity is implicated in stress response and social engagement - both key components of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - but few studies have examined autonomic reactivity in pediatric samples, and no known studies have examined physiological synchrony among children with PTSD and caregivers. In a sample of 247 young children (94 girls, 153 boys), most (85%) of whom had exposure to trauma and 40% who met criteria for PTSD, we examined children's patterns of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at baseline and in response to a memory recall task, as well as correspondence between parents' and children's RSA. Children with PTSD demonstrated significantly higher reactivity than other groups during their recollection of a traumatic memory, but not during other memory tasks. Regarding synchrony, caregivers' and children's RSA were more significantly and positively correlated during the trauma recall task among children who had had exposure to a potentially traumatic event but did not meet PTSD criteria, suggesting physiological synchrony may be protective in contexts of trauma. Overall, findings demonstrate physiological reactivity differences among young children with PTSD. While more work is needed to understand the meaning of parent-child physiological synchrony, these data suggest that children's psychopathology is associated with physiological synchrony processes among young children with exposure to trauma.

  6. Some problems with the physiological concept of "stress".

    PubMed

    Rushen, J

    1986-11-01

    Stress has become a central concept in discussion of animal welfare, partly because it has been seen to have a precise physiological definition. However, stress is a term in ordinary language with a variety of connotations, not all of which can be related to activity of the pituitary adrenal axis. There is good evidence against the idea that the rise in plasma corticosteroids that occurs in response to some treatment can be used to assess the degree of suffering or distress experienced by an animal. The rise may simply reflect demands on the learning abilities of the animals. Veterinarians should be careful in their use of the term, and in their interpretation of such physiological data, in the context of animal welfare.

  7. Complexity of physiological responses decreases in high-stress musical performance.

    PubMed

    Williamon, Aaron; Aufegger, Lisa; Wasley, David; Looney, David; Mandic, Danilo P

    2013-12-06

    For musicians, performing in front of an audience can cause considerable apprehension; indeed, performance anxiety is felt throughout the profession, with wide ranging symptoms arising irrespective of age, skill level and amount of practice. A key indicator of stress is frequency-specific fluctuations in the dynamics of heart rate known as heart rate variability (HRV). Recent developments in sensor technology have made possible the measurement of physiological parameters reflecting HRV non-invasively and outside of the laboratory, opening research avenues for real-time performer feedback to help improve stress management. However, the study of stress using standard algorithms has led to conflicting and inconsistent results. Here, we present an innovative and rigorous approach which combines: (i) a controlled and repeatable experiment in which the physiological response of an expert musician was evaluated in a low-stress performance and a high-stress recital for an audience of 400 people, (ii) a piece of music with varying physical and cognitive demands, and (iii) dynamic stress level assessment with standard and state-of-the-art HRV analysis algorithms such as those within the domain of complexity science which account for higher order stress signatures. We show that this offers new scope for interpreting the autonomic nervous system response to stress in real-world scenarios, with the evolution of stress levels being consistent with the difficulty of the music being played, superimposed on the stress caused by performing in front of an audience. For an emerging class of algorithms that can analyse HRV independent of absolute data scaling, it is shown that complexity science performs a more accurate assessment of average stress levels, thus providing greater insight into the degree of physiological change experienced by musicians when performing in public.

  8. Complexity of physiological responses decreases in high-stress musical performance

    PubMed Central

    Williamon, Aaron; Aufegger, Lisa; Wasley, David; Looney, David; Mandic, Danilo P.

    2013-01-01

    For musicians, performing in front of an audience can cause considerable apprehension; indeed, performance anxiety is felt throughout the profession, with wide ranging symptoms arising irrespective of age, skill level and amount of practice. A key indicator of stress is frequency-specific fluctuations in the dynamics of heart rate known as heart rate variability (HRV). Recent developments in sensor technology have made possible the measurement of physiological parameters reflecting HRV non-invasively and outside of the laboratory, opening research avenues for real-time performer feedback to help improve stress management. However, the study of stress using standard algorithms has led to conflicting and inconsistent results. Here, we present an innovative and rigorous approach which combines: (i) a controlled and repeatable experiment in which the physiological response of an expert musician was evaluated in a low-stress performance and a high-stress recital for an audience of 400 people, (ii) a piece of music with varying physical and cognitive demands, and (iii) dynamic stress level assessment with standard and state-of-the-art HRV analysis algorithms such as those within the domain of complexity science which account for higher order stress signatures. We show that this offers new scope for interpreting the autonomic nervous system response to stress in real-world scenarios, with the evolution of stress levels being consistent with the difficulty of the music being played, superimposed on the stress caused by performing in front of an audience. For an emerging class of algorithms that can analyse HRV independent of absolute data scaling, it is shown that complexity science performs a more accurate assessment of average stress levels, thus providing greater insight into the degree of physiological change experienced by musicians when performing in public. PMID:24068177

  9. Perinatal Sex Differences in Physiological and Behavioral Stress Reactivity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Maryann

    This study examined physiological and behavioral stress reactivity in perinates in order to determine whether sex differences exist before extensive socialization. Fetal plasma cortisol response to the stress of labor and delivery, and neonatal heart rate and salivary cortisol response to a Brazelton Neonatal Assessment (NBAS), were measured. Male…

  10. Physiological Assessment of Water Stress in Potato Using Spectral Information

    PubMed Central

    Romero, Angela P.; Alarcón, Andrés; Valbuena, Raúl I.; Galeano, Carlos H.

    2017-01-01

    Water stress in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) causes considerable losses in yield, and therefore, potato is often considered to be a drought sensitive crop. Identification of water deficit tolerant potato genotypes is an adaptation strategy to mitigate the climatic changes that are occurring in the Cundiboyacense region in Colombia. Previous studies have evaluated potato plants under water stress conditions using physiological analyses. However, these methodologies require considerable amounts of time and plant material to perform these measurements. This study evaluated and compared the physiological and spectral traits between two genotypes, Diacol Capiro and Perla Negra under two drought levels (10 and 15 days without irrigation from flowering). Reflectance information was used to calculate indexes which were associated with the physiological behavior in plants. The results showed that spectral information was correlated (ρ < 0.0001) with physiological variables such as foliar area (FA), total water content (H2Ot), relative growth rate of potato tubers (RGTtub), leaf area ratio (LAR), and foliar area index (AFI). In general, there was a higher concentration of chlorophyll under drought treatments. In addition, Perla Negra under water deficit treatments did not show significant differences in its physiological variables. Therefore, it could be considered a drought tolerant genotype because its physiological performance was not affected under water stress conditions. However, yield was affected in both genotypes after being subject to 15 days of drought. The results suggested that reflectance indexes are a useful and affordable approach for potato phenotyping to select parent and segregant populations in breeding programs. PMID:28979277

  11. Physiological, Biochemical, and Molecular Mechanisms of Heat Stress Tolerance in Plants

    PubMed Central

    Hasanuzzaman, Mirza; Nahar, Kamrun; Alam, Md. Mahabub; Roychowdhury, Rajib; Fujita, Masayuki

    2013-01-01

    High temperature (HT) stress is a major environmental stress that limits plant growth, metabolism, and productivity worldwide. Plant growth and development involve numerous biochemical reactions that are sensitive to temperature. Plant responses to HT vary with the degree and duration of HT and the plant type. HT is now a major concern for crop production and approaches for sustaining high yields of crop plants under HT stress are important agricultural goals. Plants possess a number of adaptive, avoidance, or acclimation mechanisms to cope with HT situations. In addition, major tolerance mechanisms that employ ion transporters, proteins, osmoprotectants, antioxidants, and other factors involved in signaling cascades and transcriptional control are activated to offset stress-induced biochemical and physiological alterations. Plant survival under HT stress depends on the ability to perceive the HT stimulus, generate and transmit the signal, and initiate appropriate physiological and biochemical changes. HT-induced gene expression and metabolite synthesis also substantially improve tolerance. The physiological and biochemical responses to heat stress are active research areas, and the molecular approaches are being adopted for developing HT tolerance in plants. This article reviews the recent findings on responses, adaptation, and tolerance to HT at the cellular, organellar, and whole plant levels and describes various approaches being taken to enhance thermotolerance in plants. PMID:23644891

  12. Physiologic Measures of Animal Stress during Transitional States of Consciousness

    PubMed Central

    Meyer, Robert E.

    2015-01-01

    Simple Summary The humaneness, and therefore suitability, of any particular agent or method used to produce unconsciousness in animals, whether for anesthesia, euthanasia, humane slaughter, or depopulation, depends on the experience of pain or distress prior to loss of consciousness. Commonly reported physiologic measures of animal stress, including physical movement and vocalization, heart rate and ECG, electroencephalographic activity, and plasma and neuronal stress markers are discussed within this context. Abstract Determination of the humaneness of methods used to produce unconsciousness in animals, whether for anesthesia, euthanasia, humane slaughter, or depopulation, relies on our ability to assess stress, pain, and consciousness within the contexts of method and application. Determining the subjective experience of animals during transitional states of consciousness, however, can be quite difficult; further, loss of consciousness with different agents or methods may occur at substantially different rates. Stress and distress may manifest behaviorally (e.g., overt escape behaviors, approach-avoidance preferences [aversion]) or physiologically (e.g., movement, vocalization, changes in electroencephalographic activity, heart rate, sympathetic nervous system [SNS] activity, hypothalamic-pituitary axis [HPA] activity), such that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be easily applied to evaluate methods or determine specific species applications. The purpose of this review is to discuss methods of evaluating stress in animals using physiologic methods, with emphasis on the transition between the conscious and unconscious states. PMID:26479382

  13. Distress tolerance and physiological reactivity to stress predict women's problematic alcohol use.

    PubMed

    Holzhauer, Cathryn Glanton; Wemm, Stephanie; Wulfert, Edelgard

    2017-06-01

    Research has shown that measures of reactivity to distress-including distress tolerance and physiological reactivity to stress-are dysregulated in women who misuse alcohol. These variables may interact and create a risk profile for young adult women, reflecting patterns of stress reactivity that confer a risk for alcohol misuse. The current study tested this hypothesis by examining the independent and interactive associations of subjective distress tolerance, behavioral distress tolerance, and physiological stress reactivity with women's alcohol misuse. The study was conducted with a sample of 91 college women recruited on a large northeastern university campus. Results showed that subjective levels of distress tolerance and physiological reactivity to stress (skin conductance reactivity, SCR), but not behavioral distress tolerance, were independently associated with alcohol misuse. In addition, subjective distress tolerance moderated the relationship between SCR and negative alcohol-related consequences. Specifically, women with low physiological reactivity (SCR) to a stressful task and greater urge to quickly rid themselves of distress (low subjective distress tolerance) endorsed a significantly greater number of adverse consequences from their alcohol use. These results extend prior findings by showing that, even among a nonclinical sample of women, lower stress reactivity in combination with low subjective distress tolerance is associated with increased risk for various drinking-related negative consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Physiological stress in air traffic controllers : a review.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1982-08-01

    Ten years of research on physiological stress in air traffic control specialists (ATCS's) is reviewed. Data were derived from 20 tasks involving the experimental variables of workload, shift-rotation patterns, and automation. : Laboratories at the Ci...

  15. Stress physiology in marine mammals: how well do they fit the terrestrial model?

    PubMed

    Atkinson, Shannon; Crocker, Daniel; Houser, Dorian; Mashburn, Kendall

    2015-07-01

    Stressors are commonly accepted as the causal factors, either internal or external, that evoke physiological responses to mediate the impact of the stressor. The majority of research on the physiological stress response, and costs incurred to an animal, has focused on terrestrial species. This review presents current knowledge on the physiology of the stress response in a lesser studied group of mammals, the marine mammals. Marine mammals are an artificial or pseudo grouping from a taxonomical perspective, as this group represents several distinct and diverse orders of mammals. However, they all are fully or semi-aquatic animals and have experienced selective pressures that have shaped their physiology in a manner that differs from terrestrial relatives. What these differences are and how they relate to the stress response is an efflorescent topic of study. The identification of the many facets of the stress response is critical to marine mammal management and conservation efforts. Anthropogenic stressors in marine ecosystems, including ocean noise, pollution, and fisheries interactions, are increasing and the dramatic responses of some marine mammals to these stressors have elevated concerns over the impact of human-related activities on a diverse group of animals that are difficult to monitor. This review covers the physiology of the stress response in marine mammals and places it in context of what is known from research on terrestrial mammals, particularly with respect to mediator activity that diverges from generalized terrestrial models. Challenges in conducting research on stress physiology in marine mammals are discussed and ways to overcome these challenges in the future are suggested.

  16. Non-invasive reproductive and stress endocrinology in amphibian conservation physiology

    PubMed Central

    Narayan, E. J.

    2013-01-01

    Non-invasive endocrinology utilizes non-invasive biological samples (such as faeces, urine, hair, aquatic media, and saliva) for the quantification of hormones in wildlife. Urinary-based enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and radio-immunoassay have enabled the rapid quantification of reproductive and stress hormones in amphibians (Anura: Amphibia). With minimal disturbance, these methods can be used to assess the ovarian and testicular endocrine functions as well as physiological stress in captive and free-living populations. Non-invasive endocrine monitoring has therefore greatly advanced our knowledge of the functioning of the stress endocrine system (the hypothalamo–pituitary–interrenal axis) and the reproductive endocrine system (the hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis) in the amphibian physiological stress response, reproductive ecology, health and welfare, and survival. Biological (physiological) validation is necessary for obtaining the excretory lag time of hormone metabolites. Urinary-based EIA for the major reproductive hormones, estradiol and progesterone in females and testosterone in males, can be used to track the reproductive hormone profiles in relationship to reproductive behaviour and environmental data in free-living anurans. Urinary-based corticosterone metabolite EIA can be used to assess the sublethal impacts of biological stressors (such as invasive species and pathogenic diseases) as well as anthropogenic induced environmental stressors (e.g. extreme temperatures) on free-living populations. Non-invasive endocrine methods can also assist in the diagnosis of success or failure of captive breeding programmes by measuring the longitudinal patterns of changes in reproductive hormones and corticosterone within captive anurans and comparing the endocrine profiles with health records and reproductive behaviour. This review paper focuses on the reproductive and the stress endocrinology of anurans and demonstrates the uses of non-invasive endocrinology

  17. Sex differences in physiological reactivity to acute psychosocial stress in adolescence.

    PubMed

    Ordaz, Sarah; Luna, Beatriz

    2012-08-01

    Females begin to demonstrate greater negative affective responses to stress than males in adolescence. This may reflect the concurrent emergence of underlying differences in physiological response systems, including corticolimbic circuitries, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA), and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This review examines when sex differences in physiological reactivity to acute psychosocial stress emerge and the directionality of these differences over development. Indeed, the literature indicates that sex differences emerge during adolescence and persist into adulthood for all three physiological response systems. However, the directionality of the differences varies by system. The emerging corticolimbic reactivity literature suggests greater female reactivity, particularly in limbic regions densely innervated by gonadal hormone receptors. In contrast, males generally show higher levels of HPAA and ANS reactivity. We argue that the contrasting directionality of corticolimbic and peripheral physiological responses may reflect specific effects of gonadal hormones on distinct systems and also sex differences in evolved behavioral responses that demand different levels of peripheral physiological activation. Studies that examine both subjective reports of negative affect and physiological responses indicate that beginning in adolescence, females respond to acute stressors with more intense negative affect than males despite their comparatively lower peripheral physiological responses. This dissociation is not clearly explained by sex differences in the strength of the relationship between physiological and subjective responses. We suggest that females' greater subjective responsivity may instead arise from a greater activity in brain regions that translate stress responses to subjective awareness in adolescence. Future research directions include investigations of the role of pubertal hormones in physiological reactivity across all systems

  18. Sex differences in physiological reactivity to acute psychosocial stress in adolescence

    PubMed Central

    Ordaz, Sarah; Luna, Beatriz

    2012-01-01

    Summary Females begin to demonstrate greater negative affective responses to stress than males in adolescence. This may reflect the concurrent emergence of underlying differences in physiological response systems, including corticolimbic circuitries, the hypothalamic—pituitary— adrenal axis (HPAA), and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This review examines when sex differences in physiological reactivity to acute psychosocial stress emerge and the directionality of these differences over development. Indeed, the literature indicates that sex differences emerge during adolescence and persist into adulthood for all three physiological response systems. However, the directionality of the differences varies by system. The emerging corti-colimbic reactivity literature suggests greater female reactivity, particularly in limbic regions densely innervated by gonadal hormone receptors. In contrast, males generally show higher levels of HPAA and ANS reactivity. We argue that the contrasting directionality of corticolimbic and peripheral physiological responses may reflect specific effects of gonadal hormones on distinct systems and also sex differences in evolved behavioral responses that demand different levels of peripheral physiological activation. Studies that examine both subjective reports of negative affect and physiological responses indicate that beginning in adolescence, females respond to acute stressors with more intense negative affect than males despite their comparatively lower peripheral physiological responses. This dissociation is not clearly explained by sex differences in the strength of the relationship between physiological and subjective responses. We suggest that females' greater subjective responsivity may instead arise from a greater activity in brain regions that translate stress responses to subjective awareness in adolescence. Future research directions include investigations of the role of pubertal hormones in physiological reactivity

  19. Investigation of an alternative generic model for predicting pharmacokinetic changes during physiological stress.

    PubMed

    Peng, Henry T; Edginton, Andrea N; Cheung, Bob

    2013-10-01

    Physiologically based pharmacokinetic models were developed using MATLAB Simulink® and PK-Sim®. We compared the capability and usefulness of these two models by simulating pharmacokinetic changes of midazolam under exercise and heat stress to verify the usefulness of MATLAB Simulink® as a generic PBPK modeling software. Although both models show good agreement with experimental data obtained under resting condition, their predictions of pharmacokinetics changes are less accurate in the stressful conditions. However, MATLAB Simulink® may be more flexible to include physiologically based processes such as oral absorption and simulate various stress parameters such as stress intensity, duration and timing of drug administration to improve model performance. Further work will be conducted to modify algorithms in our generic model developed using MATLAB Simulink® and to investigate pharmacokinetics under other physiological stress such as trauma. © The Author(s) 2013.

  20. Does Physiological Stress Slow Down Wound Healing in Patients With Diabetes?

    PubMed

    Razjouyan, Javad; Grewal, Gurtej Singh; Talal, Talal K; Armstrong, David G; Mills, Joseph L; Najafi, Bijan

    2017-07-01

    Poor healing is an important contributing factor to amputation among patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Physiological stress may slow wound healing and increase susceptibility to infection. The objective was to examine the association between heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of physiological stress response and healing speed (Heal Speed ) among outpatients with active DFUs. Ambulatory patients with diabetes with DFUs (n = 25, age: 59.3 ± 8.3 years) were recruited. HRV during pre-wound dressing was measured using a wearable sensor attached to participants' chest. HRVs were quantified in both time and frequency domains to assess physiological stress response and vagal tone (relaxation). Change in wound size between two consecutive visits was used to estimate Heal Speed . Participants were then categorized into slow healing and fast healing groups. Between the two groups, comparisons were performed for demographic, clinical, and HRV derived parameters. Associations between different descriptors of HRV and Heal Speed were also assessed. Heal Speed was significantly correlated with both vagal tone ( r = -.705, P = .001) and stress response ( r = .713, P = .001) extracted from frequency domain. No between-group differences were observed except those from HRV-derived parameters. Models based on HRVs were the highest predictors of slow/fast Heal Speed (AUC > 0.90), while models based on demographic and clinical information had poor classification performance (AUC = 0.44). This study confirms an association between stress/vagal tone and wound healing in patients with DFUs. In particular, it highlights the importance of vagal tone (relaxation) in expediting wound healing. It also demonstrates the feasibility of assessing physiological stress responses using wearable technology in outpatient clinic during routine clinic visits.

  1. Distinguish self- and hetero-perceived stress through behavioral imaging and physiological features.

    PubMed

    Spodenkiewicz, Michel; Aigrain, Jonathan; Bourvis, Nadège; Dubuisson, Séverine; Chetouani, Mohamed; Cohen, David

    2018-03-02

    Stress reactivity is a complex phenomenon associated to multiple and multimodal expressions. Response to stressors has an obvious survival function and may be seen as an internal regulation to adapt to threat or danger. The intensity of this internal response can be assessed as the self-perception of the stress response. In species with social organization, this response also serves a communicative function, so-called hetero-perception. Our study presents multimodal stress detection assessment - a new methodology combining behavioral imaging and physiological monitoring for analyzing stress from these two perspectives. The system is based on automatic extraction of 39 behavioral (2D+3D video recording) and 62 physiological (Nexus-10 recording) features during a socially evaluated mental arithmetic test. The analysis with machine learning techniques for automatic classification using Support Vector Machine (SVM) show that self-perception and hetero-perception of social stress are both close but different phenomena: self-perception was significantly correlated with hetero-perception but significantly differed from it. Also, assessing stress with SVM through multimodality gave excellent classification results (F1 score values: 0.9±0.012 for hetero-perception and 0.87±0.021 for self-perception). In the best selected feature subsets, we found some common behavioral and physiological features that allow classification of both self- and hetero-perceived stress. However, we also found the contributing features for automatic classifications had opposite distributions: self-perception classification was mainly based on physiological features and hetero-perception was mainly based on behavioral features. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Stress Physiology of Lactic Acid Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Papadimitriou, Konstantinos; Alegría, Ángel; Bron, Peter A.; de Angelis, Maria; Gobbetti, Marco; Kleerebezem, Michiel; Lemos, José A.; Linares, Daniel M.; Ross, Paul; Stanton, Catherine; Turroni, Francesca; van Sinderen, Douwe; Varmanen, Pekka; Ventura, Marco; Zúñiga, Manuel; Tsakalidou, Effie

    2016-01-01

    SUMMARY Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are important starter, commensal, or pathogenic microorganisms. The stress physiology of LAB has been studied in depth for over 2 decades, fueled mostly by the technological implications of LAB robustness in the food industry. Survival of probiotic LAB in the host and the potential relatedness of LAB virulence to their stress resilience have intensified interest in the field. Thus, a wealth of information concerning stress responses exists today for strains as diverse as starter (e.g., Lactococcus lactis), probiotic (e.g., several Lactobacillus spp.), and pathogenic (e.g., Enterococcus and Streptococcus spp.) LAB. Here we present the state of the art for LAB stress behavior. We describe the multitude of stresses that LAB are confronted with, and we present the experimental context used to study the stress responses of LAB, focusing on adaptation, habituation, and cross-protection as well as on self-induced multistress resistance in stationary phase, biofilms, and dormancy. We also consider stress responses at the population and single-cell levels. Subsequently, we concentrate on the stress defense mechanisms that have been reported to date, grouping them according to their direct participation in preserving cell energy, defending macromolecules, and protecting the cell envelope. Stress-induced responses of probiotic LAB and commensal/pathogenic LAB are highlighted separately due to the complexity of the peculiar multistress conditions to which these bacteria are subjected in their hosts. Induction of prophages under environmental stresses is then discussed. Finally, we present systems-based strategies to characterize the “stressome” of LAB and to engineer new food-related and probiotic LAB with improved stress tolerance. PMID:27466284

  3. Stress Physiology of Lactic Acid Bacteria.

    PubMed

    Papadimitriou, Konstantinos; Alegría, Ángel; Bron, Peter A; de Angelis, Maria; Gobbetti, Marco; Kleerebezem, Michiel; Lemos, José A; Linares, Daniel M; Ross, Paul; Stanton, Catherine; Turroni, Francesca; van Sinderen, Douwe; Varmanen, Pekka; Ventura, Marco; Zúñiga, Manuel; Tsakalidou, Effie; Kok, Jan

    2016-09-01

    Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are important starter, commensal, or pathogenic microorganisms. The stress physiology of LAB has been studied in depth for over 2 decades, fueled mostly by the technological implications of LAB robustness in the food industry. Survival of probiotic LAB in the host and the potential relatedness of LAB virulence to their stress resilience have intensified interest in the field. Thus, a wealth of information concerning stress responses exists today for strains as diverse as starter (e.g., Lactococcus lactis), probiotic (e.g., several Lactobacillus spp.), and pathogenic (e.g., Enterococcus and Streptococcus spp.) LAB. Here we present the state of the art for LAB stress behavior. We describe the multitude of stresses that LAB are confronted with, and we present the experimental context used to study the stress responses of LAB, focusing on adaptation, habituation, and cross-protection as well as on self-induced multistress resistance in stationary phase, biofilms, and dormancy. We also consider stress responses at the population and single-cell levels. Subsequently, we concentrate on the stress defense mechanisms that have been reported to date, grouping them according to their direct participation in preserving cell energy, defending macromolecules, and protecting the cell envelope. Stress-induced responses of probiotic LAB and commensal/pathogenic LAB are highlighted separately due to the complexity of the peculiar multistress conditions to which these bacteria are subjected in their hosts. Induction of prophages under environmental stresses is then discussed. Finally, we present systems-based strategies to characterize the "stressome" of LAB and to engineer new food-related and probiotic LAB with improved stress tolerance. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  4. Annotation and prediction of stress and workload from physiological and inertial signals.

    PubMed

    Ghosh, Arindam; Danieli, Morena; Riccardi, Giuseppe

    2015-08-01

    Continuous daily stress and high workload can have negative effects on individuals' physical and mental well-being. It has been shown that physiological signals may support the prediction of stress and workload. However, previous research is limited by the low diversity of signals concurring to such predictive tasks and controlled experimental design. In this paper we present 1) a pipeline for continuous and real-life acquisition of physiological and inertial signals 2) a mobile agent application for on-the-go event annotation and 3) an end-to-end signal processing and classification system for stress and workload from diverse signal streams. We study physiological signals such as Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), Skin Temperature (ST), Inter Beat Interval (IBI) and Blood Volume Pulse (BVP) collected using a non-invasive wearable device; and inertial signals collected from accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. We combine them with subjects' inputs (e.g. event tagging) acquired using the agent application, and their emotion regulation scores. In our experiments we explore signal combination and selection techniques for stress and workload prediction from subjects whose signals have been recorded continuously during their daily life. The end-to-end classification system is described for feature extraction, signal artifact removal, and classification. We show that a combination of physiological, inertial and user event signals provides accurate prediction of stress for real-life users and signals.

  5. Repetitive Supra-Physiological Shear Stress Impairs Red Blood Cell Deformability and Induces Hemolysis.

    PubMed

    Horobin, Jarod T; Sabapathy, Surendran; Simmonds, Michael J

    2017-11-01

    The supra-physiological shear stress that blood is exposed to while traversing mechanical circulatory assist devices affects the physical properties of red blood cells (RBCs), impairs RBC deformability, and may induce hemolysis. Previous studies exploring RBC damage following exposure to supra-physiological shear stress have employed durations exceeding clinical instrumentation, thus we explored changes in RBC deformability following exposure to shear stress below the reported "hemolytic threshold" using shear exposure durations per minute (i.e., duty-cycles) reflective of that employed by circulatory assist devices. Blood collected from 20 male donors, aged 18-38 years, was suspended in a viscous medium and exposed to an intermittent shear stress protocol of 1 s at 100 Pa, every 60 s for 60 duty-cycles. During the remaining 59 s/min, the cells were left at stasis until the subsequent duty-cycle commenced. At discrete time points (15/30/45/60 duty-cycles), an ektacytometer measured RBC deformability immediately after shear exposure at 100 Pa. Plasma-free hemoglobin, a measurement of hemolysis, was quantified via spectrophotometry. Supra-physiological shear stress impaired RBC properties, as indicated by: (1) decreased maximal elongation of RBCs at infinite shear stress following 15 duty-cycles (P <0.05); (2) increased real-time RBC deformability during application of the supra-physiological shear stress protocol (100 Pa) following exposure to 1 duty-cycle (F (1.891, 32.15) = 12.21, P = 0.0001); and (3) increased plasma-free hemoglobin following 60 duty-cycles (P < 0.01). The present study indicates that exposure of RBCs to short-term, repeated supra-physiological shear stress, impairs RBC deformability, with the extent of impairment exacerbated with each duty-cycle, and ultimately precipitates hemolysis. © 2017 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Does Physiological Stress Slow Down Wound Healing in Patients With Diabetes?

    PubMed Central

    Razjouyan, Javad; Grewal, Gurtej Singh; Talal, Talal K.; Armstrong, David G.; Mills, Joseph L.; Najafi, Bijan

    2017-01-01

    Background: Poor healing is an important contributing factor to amputation among patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Physiological stress may slow wound healing and increase susceptibility to infection. Objectives: The objective was to examine the association between heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of physiological stress response and healing speed (HealSpeed) among outpatients with active DFUs. Design and Methods: Ambulatory patients with diabetes with DFUs (n = 25, age: 59.3 ± 8.3 years) were recruited. HRV during pre–wound dressing was measured using a wearable sensor attached to participants’ chest. HRVs were quantified in both time and frequency domains to assess physiological stress response and vagal tone (relaxation). Change in wound size between two consecutive visits was used to estimate HealSpeed. Participants were then categorized into slow healing and fast healing groups. Between the two groups, comparisons were performed for demographic, clinical, and HRV derived parameters. Associations between different descriptors of HRV and HealSpeed were also assessed. Results: HealSpeed was significantly correlated with both vagal tone (r = –.705, P = .001) and stress response (r = .713, P = .001) extracted from frequency domain. No between-group differences were observed except those from HRV-derived parameters. Models based on HRVs were the highest predictors of slow/fast HealSpeed (AUC > 0.90), while models based on demographic and clinical information had poor classification performance (AUC = 0.44). Conclusion: This study confirms an association between stress/vagal tone and wound healing in patients with DFUs. In particular, it highlights the importance of vagal tone (relaxation) in expediting wound healing. It also demonstrates the feasibility of assessing physiological stress responses using wearable technology in outpatient clinic during routine clinic visits. PMID:28436270

  7. Does translocation influence physiological stress in the desert tortoise?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Drake, K.K.; Nussear, K.E.; Esque, T.C.; Barber, A.M.; Vittum, K.M.; Medica, P.A.; Tracy, C.R.; Hunter, K.W.

    2012-01-01

    Wildlife translocation is increasingly used to mitigate disturbances to animals or habitat due to human activities, yet little is known about the extent to which translocating animals causes stress. To understand the relationship between physiological stress and translocation, we conducted a multiyear study (2007–2009) using a population of desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) near Fort Irwin, California. Blood samples were collected from adult tortoises in three treatment groups (resident, translocated and control) for 1 year prior to and 2 years after translocation. Samples were analyzed by radioimmunoassay for plasma total corticosterone (CORT), a glucocorticoid hormone commonly associated with stress responses in reptiles. CORT values were analyzed in relation to potential covariates (animal sex, date, behavior, treatment, handling time, air temperature, home-range size, precipitation and annual plant production) among seasons and years. CORT values in males were higher than in females, and values for both varied monthly throughout the activity season and among years. Year and sex were strong predictors of CORT, and translocation explained little in terms of CORT. Based on these results, we conclude that translocation does not elicit a physiological stress response in desert tortoises.

  8. Eating Behavior, Stress, and Adiposity: Discordance Between Perception and Physiology.

    PubMed

    Joseph, Paule V; Davidson, Hannah R; Boulineaux, Christina M; Fourie, Nicolaas H; Franks, Alexis T; Abey, Sarah K; Henderson, Wendy A

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to examine the interrelationships among stress, eating behavior, and adiposity in a cohort of normal- and overweight individuals. Clinical markers of physiological stress (fasting serum cortisol) and adiposity (body mass index [BMI] and percent body fat) were obtained from participants selected for a natural history protocol ( n = 107). Self-reported data on eating behavior (using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire subscales such as Cognitive Restraint, Disinhibition, and Hunger) and psychological stress (via the Perceived Stress Scale) were evaluated. Demographic information was incorporated using principal component analysis, which revealed sex- and weight-based differences in stress, adiposity, and eating behavior measures. Following a cross-sectional and descriptive analysis, significant correlations were found between the Disinhibition and Hunger eating behavior subscales and measures of adiposity including BMI ( r = .30, p = .002 and r = .20, p = .036, respectively) and percent body fat ( r = .43, p = .000 and r = .22, p = .022, respectively). Relationships between stress measures and eating behavior were also evident in the analysis. Disinhibition and Hunger correlated positively with perceived stress ( r = .32, p .001 and r = .26, p = .008, respectively). However, Disinhibition varied inversely with serum cortisol levels ( r = -.25, p = .009). Future studies are warranted to better understand this paradox underlying the effects of perceived and physiological stress on eating behavior.

  9. Measuring Physiological Stress Responses in Children: Lessons from a Novice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quas, Jodi A.

    2011-01-01

    In this article the author describes challenges associated with integrating physiological measures of stress into developmental research, especially in the domains of memory and cognition. An initial critical challenge concerns how to define stress, which can refer to one or a series of events, a response, the consequence of that response, an…

  10. Evaluation of mental stress by physiological indices derived from finger plethysmography.

    PubMed

    Minakuchi, Emiko; Ohnishi, Eriko; Ohnishi, Junji; Sakamoto, Shigeko; Hori, Miyo; Motomura, Miwa; Hoshino, Junichi; Murakami, Kazuo; Kawaguchi, Takayasu

    2013-10-12

    Quantitative evaluation of mental stress is important to prevent stress-related disorders. Finger plethysmography (FPG) is a simple noninvasive method to monitor peripheral circulation, and provides many physiological indices. Our purpose is to investigate how FPG-derived indices reflect on mental stress, and to clarify any association between these physiological indices and subjective indices of mental stress. Thirty-one healthy women (mean age, 22 years ± 2) participated. The participants rested by sitting on a chair for 10 min. They then performed a computerized version of the Stroop color-word conflict test (CWT) for 10 min. Finally, they rested for 10 min. FPG was recorded throughout the experiment. The participants completed a brief form of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire before and after the test. Using the FPG data, we conducted chaos analysis and fast Fourier transform analysis, and calculated chaotic attractors, the largest Lyapunov exponent, a high-frequency (HF) component, a low-to-high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio, finger pulse rate and finger pulse wave amplitude. The HF component decreased and the LF/HF ratio increased significantly during the test (P < 0.01), while the confusion subscale of POMS increased after the test (P < 0.05). During testing, finger pulse rate significantly increased (P < 0.001), and the finger pulse wave amplitude decreased (P < 0.001). The attractor size reduced during testing and returned to a baseline level afterwards. Although the largest Lyapunov exponent showed no significant change during testing, significant negative correlation with the tension-anxiety subscale of POMS was observed at the beginning (P < 0.01). A significant negative correlation between the LF/HF ratio and two subscales was also observed in the beginning and middle of the test (P < 0.05). There were no correlations during the rest periods. The physiological indices derived from FPG were changed by mental stress. Our findings indicate that

  11. Evaluation of mental stress by physiological indices derived from finger plethysmography

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Quantitative evaluation of mental stress is important to prevent stress-related disorders. Finger plethysmography (FPG) is a simple noninvasive method to monitor peripheral circulation, and provides many physiological indices. Our purpose is to investigate how FPG-derived indices reflect on mental stress, and to clarify any association between these physiological indices and subjective indices of mental stress. Methods Thirty-one healthy women (mean age, 22 years ± 2) participated. The participants rested by sitting on a chair for 10 min. They then performed a computerized version of the Stroop color-word conflict test (CWT) for 10 min. Finally, they rested for 10 min. FPG was recorded throughout the experiment. The participants completed a brief form of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire before and after the test. Using the FPG data, we conducted chaos analysis and fast Fourier transform analysis, and calculated chaotic attractors, the largest Lyapunov exponent, a high-frequency (HF) component, a low-to-high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio, finger pulse rate and finger pulse wave amplitude. Results The HF component decreased and the LF/HF ratio increased significantly during the test (P < 0.01), while the confusion subscale of POMS increased after the test (P < 0.05). During testing, finger pulse rate significantly increased (P < 0.001), and the finger pulse wave amplitude decreased (P < 0.001). The attractor size reduced during testing and returned to a baseline level afterwards. Although the largest Lyapunov exponent showed no significant change during testing, significant negative correlation with the tension-anxiety subscale of POMS was observed at the beginning (P < 0.01). A significant negative correlation between the LF/HF ratio and two subscales was also observed in the beginning and middle of the test (P < 0.05). There were no correlations during the rest periods. Conclusions The physiological indices derived from FPG were changed by

  12. Early life socioeconomic status, chronic physiological stress and hippocampal N-acetyl aspartate concentrations.

    PubMed

    McLean, John; Krishnadas, Rajeev; Batty, G David; Burns, Harry; Deans, Kevin A; Ford, Ian; McConnachie, Alex; McGinty, Agnes; McLean, Jennifer S; Millar, Keith; Sattar, Naveed; Shiels, Paul G; Tannahill, Carol; Velupillai, Yoga N; Packard, Chris J; Condon, Barrie R; Hadley, Donald M; Cavanagh, Jonathan

    2012-12-01

    Early life socioeconomic deprivation has been associated with cognitive and behavioural changes that persist through towards adulthood. In this study, we investigated whether early life socioeconomic status is associated with changes in the hippocampus N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), using the non-invasive technique of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). We performed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) of the hippocampus at 3T in 30 adult males, selected from the PSOBID cohort. We conducted multiple regression analysis to examine the relationship between early socioeconomic status (SES) and concentration of N-acetyl-aspartate in the hippocampus. We also examined whether the relationship between these variables was mediated by markers of chronic physiological stress. Greater socioeconomic deprivation was associated with lower hippocampal NAA concentrations bilaterally. The relationship between early life SES and hippocampal NAA concentrations was mediated by allostatic load index - a marker of chronic physiological stress. Greater early life socioeconomic deprivation was associated with lower concentrations of NAA reflecting lesser neuronal integrity. This relationship was mediated by greater physiological stress. Further work, to better understand the biological processes underlying the effects of poverty, physiological stress on hippocampal metabolites is necessary. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Aroma Effects on Physiologic and Cognitive Function Following Acute Stress: A Mechanism Investigation

    PubMed Central

    Oken, Barry S.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Objective: Aromas may improve physiologic and cognitive function after stress, but associated mechanisms remain unknown. This study evaluated the effects of lavender aroma, which is commonly used for stress reduction, on physiologic and cognitive functions. The contribution of pharmacologic, hedonic, and expectancy-related mechanisms of the aromatherapy effects was evaluated. Methods: Ninety-two healthy adults (mean age, 58.0 years; 79.3% women) were randomly assigned to three aroma groups (lavender, perceptible placebo [coconut], and nonperceptible placebo [water] and to two prime subgroups (primed, with a suggestion of inhaling a powerful stress-reducing aroma, or no prime). Participants' performance on a battery of cognitive tests, physiologic responses, and subjective stress were evaluated at baseline and after exposure to a stress battery during which aromatherapy was present. Participants also rated the intensity and pleasantness of their assigned aroma. Results: Pharmacologic effects of lavender but not placebo aromas significantly benefited post-stress performance on the working memory task (F(2, 86) = 5.41; p = 0.006). Increased expectancy due to positive prime, regardless of aroma type, facilitated post-stress performance on the processing speed task (F(1, 87) = 8.31; p = 0.005). Aroma hedonics (pleasantness and intensity) played a role in the beneficial lavender effect on working memory and physiologic function. Conclusions: The observable aroma effects were produced by a combination of mechanisms involving aroma-specific pharmacologic properties, aroma hedonic properties, and participant expectations. In the future, each of these mechanisms could be manipulated to produce optimal functioning. PMID:27355279

  14. Physiological coherence in healthy volunteers during laboratory-induced stress and controlled breathing.

    PubMed

    Mejía-Mejía, Elisa; Torres, Robinson; Restrepo, Diana

    2018-06-01

    Physiological coherence has been related with a general sense of well-being and improvements in health and physical, social, and cognitive performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between acute stress, controlled breathing, and physiological coherence, and the degree of body systems synchronization during a coherence-generation exercise. Thirty-four university employees were evaluated during a 20-min test consisting of four stages of 5-min duration each, during which basal measurements were obtained (Stage 1), acute stress was induced using validated mental stressors (Stroop test and mental arithmetic task, during Stage 2 and 3, respectively), and coherence states were generated using a controlled breathing technique (Stage 4). Physiological coherence and cardiorespiratory synchronization were assessed during each stage from heart rate variability, pulse transit time, and respiration. Coherence measurements derived from the three analyzed variables increased during controlled respiration. Moreover, signals synchronized during the controlled breathing stage, implying a cardiorespiratory synchronization was achieved by most participants. Hence, physiological coherence and cardiopulmonary synchronization, which could lead to improvements in health and better life quality, can be achieved using slow, controlled breathing exercises. Meanwhile, coherence measured during basal state and stressful situations did not show relevant differences using heart rate variability and pulse transit time. More studies are needed to evaluate the ability of coherence ratio to reflect acute stress. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  15. Physiological response to hooking stress in hatchery and wild rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wydoski, R.S.; Wedemeyer, G.A.; Nelson, N. C.

    1976-01-01

    This study evaluated the physiological response of rainbow trout to hooking stress after being played under standardized conditions (0–5 min) and estimated the time needed for recovery (to 72 h). Plasma osmolality and chloride measurements were used to evaluate osmoregulatory disturbances and gill ion-exchange function, and plasma glucose was used as an index of the generalized nonspecific physiological stress response. Hooking stress caused more severe blood chemistry differences in hatchery fish than in wild trout. Also, hooking stress imposed a greater stress on larger than on smaller hatchery rainbow trout. Higher water temperatures aggravated the delayed hyperglycemia and hyperchloremia in both hatchery and wild trout but only about 3 days were needed for recovery at 4, 10, or 20 C.

  16. Physiological changes induced in bacteria following pH stress as a model for space research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baatout, Sarah; Leys, Natalie; Hendrickx, Larissa; Dams, Annik; Mergeay, Max

    2007-02-01

    The physiology of the environmental bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 (previously Ralstonia metallidurans) is being studied in comparison to the clinical model bacterium Escherichia coli in order to understand its behaviour and resistance under extreme conditions (pH, temperature, etc.). This knowledge is of importance in the light of the potential use and interest of this strain for space biology and bioremediation. Flow cytometry provides powerful means to measure a wide range of cell characteristics in microbiological research. In order to estimate physiological changes associated with pH stress, flow cytometry was employed to estimate the extent of damage on cell size, membrane integrity and potential, and production of superoxides in the two bacterial strains. Suspensions of C. metallidurans and E. coli were submitted to a 1-h pH stress (2 to 12). For flow cytometry, fluorochromes, including propidium iodide, 3, 3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide and hydroethidine were chosen as analytical parameters for identifying the physiological state and the overall fitness of individual cells. A physiologic state of the bacterial population was assessed with a Coulter EPICS XL analyser based on the differential uptakes of these fluorescent stains. C. metallidurans cells exhibited a different staining intensity than E. coli cells. For both bacterial strains, the physiological status was only slightly affected between pH 6 and 8 in comparison with pH 7 which represents the reference pH. Moderate physiological damage could be observed at pH 4 and 5 as well as at pH 9 in both strains. At pH 2, 10 and 12, membrane permeability and potential and superoxide anion production were increased to high levels showing dramatic physiological changes. It is apparent that a range of significant physiological alterations occurs after pH stress. Fluorescent staining methods coupled with flow cytometry are useful and complementary for monitoring physiological changes induced not only

  17. Educators' emotion regulation strategies and their physiological indicators of chronic stress over 1 year.

    PubMed

    Katz, Deirdre A; Harris, Alexis; Abenavoli, Rachel; Greenberg, Mark T; Jennings, Patricia A

    2018-04-01

    Studies show teaching is a highly stressful profession and that chronic work stress is associated with adverse health outcomes. This study analysed physiological markers of stress and self-reported emotion regulation strategies in a group of middle school teachers over 1 year. Chronic physiological stress was assessed with diurnal cortisol measures at three time points over 1 year (fall, spring, fall). The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the changes in educators' physiological level of stress. Results indicate that compared to those in the fall, cortisol awakening responses were blunted in the spring. Further, this effect was ameliorated by the summer break. Additionally, self-reported use of the emotion regulation strategy reappraisal buffered the observed blunting that occurred in the spring. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. In Sync: The Effect of Physiology Feedback on the Match between Heart Rate and Self-Reported Stress.

    PubMed

    van Dijk, Elisabeth T; Westerink, Joyce H D M; Beute, Femke; IJsselsteijn, Wijnand A

    2015-01-01

    Over the past years self-tracking of physiological parameters has become increasingly common: more and more people are keeping track of aspects of their physiological state (e.g., heart rate, blood sugar, and blood pressure). To shed light on the possible effects of self-tracking of physiology, a study was conducted to test whether physiology feedback has acute effects on self-reported stress and the extent to which self-reported stress corresponds to physiological stress. In this study, participants executed several short tasks, while they were either shown visual feedback about their heart rate or not. Results show that self-reported stress is more in sync with heart rate for participants who received physiology feedback. Interactions between two personality factors (neuroticism and anxiety sensitivity) and feedback on the level of self-reported stress were found, indicating that while physiology feedback may be beneficial for individuals high in neuroticism, it may be detrimental for those high in anxiety sensitivity. Additional work is needed to establish how the results of this study may extend beyond immediate effects in a controlled lab setting, but our results do provide a first indication of how self-tracking of physiology may lead to better body awareness and how personality characteristics can help us predict which individuals are most likely to benefit from self-tracking of physiology.

  19. In Sync: The Effect of Physiology Feedback on the Match between Heart Rate and Self-Reported Stress

    PubMed Central

    van Dijk, Elisabeth T.; Westerink, Joyce H. D. M.; Beute, Femke; IJsselsteijn, Wijnand A.

    2015-01-01

    Over the past years self-tracking of physiological parameters has become increasingly common: more and more people are keeping track of aspects of their physiological state (e.g., heart rate, blood sugar, and blood pressure). To shed light on the possible effects of self-tracking of physiology, a study was conducted to test whether physiology feedback has acute effects on self-reported stress and the extent to which self-reported stress corresponds to physiological stress. In this study, participants executed several short tasks, while they were either shown visual feedback about their heart rate or not. Results show that self-reported stress is more in sync with heart rate for participants who received physiology feedback. Interactions between two personality factors (neuroticism and anxiety sensitivity) and feedback on the level of self-reported stress were found, indicating that while physiology feedback may be beneficial for individuals high in neuroticism, it may be detrimental for those high in anxiety sensitivity. Additional work is needed to establish how the results of this study may extend beyond immediate effects in a controlled lab setting, but our results do provide a first indication of how self-tracking of physiology may lead to better body awareness and how personality characteristics can help us predict which individuals are most likely to benefit from self-tracking of physiology. PMID:26146611

  20. Resilience Training Program Reduces Physiological and Psychological Stress in Police Officers

    PubMed Central

    Atkinson, Mike

    2012-01-01

    Research suggests that police work is among the most stressful occupations in the world and officers typically suffer a variety of physiological, psychological, and behavioral effects and symptoms. Officers operating under severe or chronic stress are likely to be at greater risk of error, accidents, and overreactions that can compromise their performance, jeopardize public safety, and pose significant liability costs to the organization. Therefore, this study explored the nature and degree of physiological activation typically experienced of officers on the job and the impact of the Coherence Advantage resilience and performance enhancement training on a group of police officers from Santa Clara County, California. Areas assessed included vitality, emotional well-being, stress coping and interpersonal skills, work performance, workplace effectiveness and climate, family relationships, and physiological recalibration following acute stressors. Physiological measurements were obtained to determine the real-time cardiovascular impact of acutely stressful situations encountered in highly realistic simulated police calls used in police training and to identify officers at increased risk of future health challenges. The resilience-building training improved officers' capacity to recognize and self-regulate their responses to stressors in both work and personal contexts. Officers experienced reductions in stress, negative emotions, depression, and increased peacefulness and vitality as compared to a control group. Improvements in family relationships, more effective communication and cooperation within work teams, and enhanced work performance also were noted. Heart rate and blood pressure measurements taken during simulated police call scenarios showed that acutely stressful circumstances typically encountered on the job result in a tremendous degree of physiological activation, from which it takes a considerable amount of time to recover. Autonomic nervous system

  1. The Effects of Stress on Cognitive Aging, Physiology and Emotion (ESCAPE) Project.

    PubMed

    Scott, Stacey B; Graham-Engeland, Jennifer E; Engeland, Christopher G; Smyth, Joshua M; Almeida, David M; Katz, Mindy J; Lipton, Richard B; Mogle, Jacqueline A; Munoz, Elizabeth; Ram, Nilam; Sliwinski, Martin J

    2015-07-03

    Despite evidence that psychological stress is an important risk factor for age-related cognitive loss, little research has directly evaluated psychological and physiological mediators of the relationship between stressful experiences and cognitive function. A key objective of the ESCAPE (Effects of Stress on Cognitive Aging, Physiology, and Emotion) project is to evaluate whether engaging in stress-related unconstructive repetitive thought (URT) is a pathway through which stressful experiences negatively affect cognitive health over the short- and long-term. Over the short-term, we hypothesize that engaging in URT will deplete attentional resources and result in worse cognitive performance in daily life. Over the long-term, we expect that the effects of chronic stress, from repeated exposure to stressors and regular engagement in URT, will be apparent in dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and inflammation. Over time, stress-related physiological dysregulation will result in accelerated cognitive decline. This study utilizes a prospective longitudinal measurement-burst design. A systematic probability sample of participants aged 25 to 65 is recruited from residents of the Bronx, NY. Consenting participants complete a baseline assessment and follow-up waves at 9, 18, and 27 months post-baseline. At each wave, participants complete a 14 day measurement burst of brief surveys and cognitive assessments delivered via study smartphones during daily life. Participants provide saliva samples four times each day for five days during the measurement burst and fasting blood samples at the end of each burst from which cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), circulating inflammatory markers, and stimulated inflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide in whole blood are determined. This study takes a multi-pronged approach to assessing stress (i.e., early adversity, chronic strains, major events, daily hassles), psychological mediators (e

  2. Measuring physiological stress in Australian flying-fox populations.

    PubMed

    McMichael, Lee A; Edson, Daniel; Field, Hume

    2014-09-01

    Flying-foxes (pteropid bats) are the natural host of Hendra virus, a recently emerged zoonotic virus responsible for mortality or morbidity in horses and humans in Australia since 1994. Previous studies have suggested physiological and ecological risk factors for infection in flying-foxes, including physiological stress. However, little work has been done measuring and interpreting stress hormones in flying-foxes. Over a 12-month period, we collected pooled urine samples from underneath roosting flying-foxes, and urine and blood samples from captured individuals. Urine and plasma samples were assayed for cortisol using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay. We demonstrated a typical post-capture stress response in flying-foxes, established urine specific gravity as an attractive alternative to creatinine to correct urine concentration, and established population-level urinary cortisol ranges (and geometric means) for the four Australian species: Pteropus alecto 0.5-305.1 ng/mL (20.1 ng/mL); Pteropus conspicillatus 0.3-370.9 ng/mL (18.9 ng/mL); Pteropus poliocephalus 0.3-311.3 ng/mL (10.1 ng/mL); Pteropus scapulatus 5.2-205.4 ng/mL (40.7 ng/mL). Geometric means differed significantly except for P. alecto and P. conspicillatus. Our approach is methodologically robust, and has application both as a research or clinical tool for flying-foxes, and for other free-living colonial wildlife species.

  3. Child Autism Spectrum Disorder Traits and Parenting Stress: The Utility of Using a Physiological Measure of Parental Stress

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Factor, Reina S.; Swain, Deanna M.; Scarpa, Angela

    2018-01-01

    Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report greater stress due to unique parenting demands (e.g.; Estes et al. in "Brain Dev" 35(2):133-138, 2013). Stress is often studied through self-report and has not been extensively studied using physiological measures. This study compared parenting stress in mothers of…

  4. Effect of aerobic fitness on the physiological stress responses at work.

    PubMed

    Ritvanen, Tiina; Louhevaara, Veikko; Helin, Pertti; Halonen, Toivo; Hänninen, Osmo

    2007-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of aerobic fitness on physiological stress responses experienced by teachers during working hours. Twenty-six healthy female and male teachers aged 33-62 years participated in the study. The ratings of perceived stress visual analogue scale (VAS), and the measurement of physiological responses (norepinephrine, epinephrine, cortisol, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and trapezius muscle activity by electromyography (EMG), were determined. Predicted maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2)max) was measured using the submaximal bicycle ergometer test. The predicted VO(2)max was standardized for age using residuals of linear regression analyses. Static EMG activity, HR and VAS were associated with aerobic fitness in teachers. The results suggest that a higher level of aerobic fitness may reduce muscle tension, HR and perceived work stress in teachers.

  5. Food availability is expressed through physiological stress indicators in nestling white ibis: A food supplementation experiment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Herring, G.; Cook, Mark I.; Gawlik, D.E.; Call, Erynn M.

    2011-01-01

    Physiological responses to environmental stress such as adrenocortical hormones and cellular stress proteins have recently emerged as potentially powerful tools for investigating physiological effects of avian food limitation. However, little is known about the physiological stress responses of free-living nestling birds to environmental variation in food availability. We experimentally tested how hydrologically mediated changes in food availability affect the physiological stress responses of juvenile white ibises Eudocimus albus in a fluctuating wetland. We provided supplementary food to free-living nestlings during 2years with contrasting hydrologic and food availability conditions, and used plasma (PCORT) and faecal (FCORT) corticosterone and heat shock proteins (HSP60 and HSP70) from first-hatched (A-nestlings) and second-hatched (B-nestlings) to detect relatively short- to long-term responses to food limitation. Nestling physiological stress responses were relatively low in all treatments during the year with optimal food availability, but PCORT, FCORT and HSP60 levels increased during the poor food year. FCORT and HSP60 responses were clearly due to nutritional condition as elevated concentrations were evident primarily in control nestlings. Significant year by hatch order interactions for both FCORT and HSP60 revealed that these increases were largely incurred by B-nestlings. FCORT and HSP60 responses were also well developed early in neonatal development and remained elevated for the duration of the experiment suggesting a chronic stress response. PCORT and HSP70 were less informative stress responses. The nutritionally mediated increases in FCORT and HSP60 provide compelling evidence that white ibis nestlings can be physiologically affected by environmental food levels. FCORT and HSP60 are effective indicators of nutritional mediated stress for nestling white ibises and potentially for other species prone to capture or handling stress. ?? 2010 The Authors

  6. Physiological correlates of stress-induced decrements in human perceptual performance.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1993-11-01

    Stress-induced changes in human performance have been thought to result from alterations in the "multidimensional arousal state" of the individual, as indexed by alterations in the physiological and psychological mechanisms controlling performance. I...

  7. The Relationship between Rumination and Affective, Cognitive, and Physiological Responses to Stress in Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Aldao, Amelia; McLaughlin, Katie A; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Sheridan, Margaret A

    Although previous studies have established that rumination influences responses to stressful life events, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain inadequately understood. The current study examines the relationship between trait rumination and affective, cognitive, and physiological responses to a standardized laboratory-based stressor in adolescents. A community-based sample of adolescents (N = 157) aged 13-17 completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Affective, cognitive, and physiological responses were obtained before, during, and after the TSST. Adolescents who engaged in habitual rumination experienced greater negative affect and more negative cognitive appraisals in response to the TSST than adolescents with lower levels of rumination. Rumination was unrelated to heart rate reactivity, but predicted slower heart rate recovery from the TSST, indicating that rumination might be specifically associated with physiological recovery from stress. Rumination is associated with negative affective, cognitive, and physiological responses following stressors, suggesting potential mechanisms through which it might increase risk for psychopathology.

  8. Executive functioning performance predicts subjective and physiological acute stress reactivity: preliminary results.

    PubMed

    Hendrawan, Donny; Yamakawa, Kaori; Kimura, Motohiro; Murakami, Hiroki; Ohira, Hideki

    2012-06-01

    Individual differences in baseline executive functioning (EF) capacities have been shown to predict state anxiety during acute stressor exposure. However, no previous studies have clearly demonstrated the relationship between EF and physiological measures of stress. The present study investigated the efficacy of several well-known EF tests (letter fluency, Stroop test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) in predicting both subjective and physiological stress reactivity during acute psychosocial stress exposure. Our results show that letter fluency served as the best predictor for both types of reactivity. Specifically, the higher the letter fluency score, the lower the acute stress reactivity after controlling for the baseline stress response, as indicated by lower levels of state anxiety, negative mood, salivary cortisol, and skin conductance. Moreover, the predictive power of the letter fluency test remained significant for state anxiety and cortisol indices even after further adjustments for covariates by adding the body mass index (BMI) as a covariate. Thus, good EF performance, as reflected by high letter fluency scores, may dampen acute stress responses, which suggests that EF processes are directly associated with aspects of stress regulation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. An experimental examination of the effort-reward imbalance model of occupational stress: Increased financial reward is related to reduced stress physiology.

    PubMed

    Landolt, Kathleen; O'Donnell, Emma; Hazi, Agnes; Dragano, Nico; Wright, Bradley J

    2017-04-01

    Effort-reward imbalance in the workplace is linked to a variety of negative health and organisational outcomes, but it has rarely been assessed experimentally. We manipulated reward (while keeping effort constant) in a within-subjects design with female participants (N=60) who were randomly assigned to high and standard reward conditions within a simulated office environment. Self-report, behavioural (task performance), and physiological (heart rate variability, salivary alpha amylase) measures assessed the impact of increased financial reward. Participants reported increased perceptions of reward, performed moderately better on the task, and were less physiologically reactive in the high reward versus the standard condition. These findings highlight the importance of assessing both subjective self-reports of stress together with objective physiological measures of stress, and suggest that increasing monetary rewards has the potential to decrease stress physiological reactivity, and in turn, reduce the risk of ill-health in employees, and may also positively influence task efficacy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Physiological Responses to Thermal Stress and Exercise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iyota, Hiroyuki; Ohya, Akira; Yamagata, Junko; Suzuki, Takashi; Miyagawa, Toshiaki; Kawabata, Takashi

    The simple and noninvasive measuring methods of bioinstrumentation in humans is required for optimization of air conditioning and management of thermal environments, taking into consideration the individual specificity of the human body as well as the stress conditions affecting each. Changes in human blood circulation were induced with environmental factors such as heat, cold, exercise, mental stress, and so on. In this study, the physiological responses of human body to heat stress and exercise were investigated in the initial phase of the developmental research. We measured the body core and skin temperatures, skin blood flow, and pulse wave as the indices of the adaptation of the cardiovascular system. A laser Doppler skin blood flowmetry using an optical-sensor with a small portable data logger was employed for the measurement. These results reveal the heat-stress and exercise-induced circulatory responses, which are under the control of the sympathetic nerve system. Furthermore, it was suggested that the activity of the sympathetic nervous system could be evaluated from the signals of the pulse wave included in the signals derived from skin blood flow by means of heart rate variability assessments and detecting peak heights of velocity-plethysmogram.

  11. Nursing stress and patient care: real-time investigation of the effect of nursing tasks and demands on psychological stress, physiological stress, and job performance: study protocol.

    PubMed

    Farquharson, Barbara; Bell, Cheryl; Johnston, Derek; Jones, Martyn; Schofield, Pat; Allan, Julia; Ricketts, Ian; Morrison, Kenny; Johnston, Marie

    2013-10-01

    To examine the effects of nursing tasks (including their physiological and psychological demands, and the moderating effects of reward and control) on distress and job performance in real time. Nurses working in hospital settings report high levels of occupational stress. Stress in nurses has been linked to reduced physical and psychological health, reduced job satisfaction, increased sickness absence, increased staff turnover, and poorer job performance. In this study, we will investigate theoretical models of stress and use multiple methods, including real-time data collection, to assess the relationship between stress and different nursing tasks in general medical and surgical ward nurses. A real-time, repeated measures design. During 2011/2012, 100 nurses from a large general teaching hospital in Scotland will: (a) complete self-reports of mood; (b) have their heart rate and activity monitored over two shifts to obtain physiological indices of stress and energy expenditure; (c) provide perceptions of the determinants of stress in complex ward environments; and (d) describe their main activities. All measures will be taken repeatedly in real time over two working shifts. Data obtained in this study will be analysed to examine the relationships between nursing tasks, self-reported and physiological measures of stress and to assess the effect of occupational stress on multiple work outcomes. The results will inform theoretical understanding of nurse stress and its determinants and suggest possible targets for intervention to reduce stress and associated harmful consequences. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  12. Molecular and physiological responses of trees to waterlogging stress.

    PubMed

    Kreuzwieser, Jürgen; Rennenberg, Heinz

    2014-10-01

    One major effect of global climate change will be altered precipitation patterns in many regions of the world. This will cause a higher probability of long-term waterlogging in winter/spring and flash floods in summer because of extreme rainfall events. Particularly, trees not adapted at their natural site to such waterlogging stress can be impaired. Despite the enormous economic, ecological and social importance of forest ecosystems, the effect of waterlogging on trees is far less understood than the effect on many crops or the model plant Arabidopsis. There is only a handful of studies available investigating the transcriptome and metabolome of waterlogged trees. Main physiological responses of trees to waterlogging include the stimulation of fermentative pathways and an accelerated glycolytic flux. Many energy-consuming, anabolic processes are slowed down to overcome the energy crisis mediated by waterlogging. A crucial feature of waterlogging tolerance is the steady supply of glycolysis with carbohydrates, particularly in the roots; stress-sensitive trees fail to maintain sufficient carbohydrate availability resulting in the dieback of the stressed tissues. The present review summarizes physiological and molecular features of waterlogging tolerance of trees; the focus is on carbon metabolism in both, leaves and roots of trees. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. The Role of Nature in Coping with Psycho-Physiological Stress: A Literature Review on Restorativeness

    PubMed Central

    Berto, Rita

    2014-01-01

    Physical settings can play a role in coping with stress; in particular experimental research has found strong evidence between exposure to natural environments and recovery from physiological stress and mental fatigue, giving support to both Stress Recovery Theory and Attention Restoration Theory. In fact, exposure to natural environments protects people against the impact of environmental stressors and offer physiological, emotional and attention restoration more so than urban environments. Natural places that allow the renewal of personal adaptive resources to meet the demands of everyday life are called restorative environments. Natural environments elicit greater calming responses than urban environments, and in relation to their vision there is a general reduction of physiological symptoms of stress. Exposure to natural scenes mediates the negative effects of stress reducing the negative mood state and above all enhancing positive emotions. Moreover, one can recover the decrease of cognitive performance associated with stress, especially reflected in attention tasks, through the salutary effect of viewing nature. Giving the many benefits of contact with nature, plans for urban environments should attend to restorativeness. PMID:25431444

  14. The effect of working on-call on stress physiology and sleep: A systematic review.

    PubMed

    Hall, Sarah J; Ferguson, Sally A; Turner, Anne I; Robertson, Samuel J; Vincent, Grace E; Aisbett, Brad

    2017-06-01

    On-call work is becoming an increasingly common work pattern, yet the human impacts of this type of work are not well established. Given the likelihood of calls to occur outside regular work hours, it is important to consider the potential impact of working on-call on stress physiology and sleep. The aims of this review were to collate and evaluate evidence on the effects of working on-call from home on stress physiology and sleep. A systematic search of Ebsco Host, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and ScienceDirect was conducted. Search terms included: on-call, on call, standby, sleep, cortisol, heart rate, adrenaline, noradrenaline, nor-adrenaline, epinephrine, norepinephrine, nor-epinephrine, salivary alpha amylase and alpha amylase. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, with only one study investigating the effect of working on-call from home on stress physiology. All eight studies investigated the effect of working on-call from home on sleep. Working on-call from home appears to adversely affect sleep quantity, and in most cases, sleep quality. However, studies did not differentiate between night's on-call from home with and without calls. Data examining the effect of working on-call from home on stress physiology were not sufficient to draw meaningful conclusions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Regulation and physiological role of silicon in alleviating drought stress of mango.

    PubMed

    Helaly, Mohamed Naser; El-Hoseiny, Hanan; El-Sheery, Nabil Ibrahim; Rastogi, Anshu; Kalaji, Hazem M

    2017-09-01

    Improvement of drought stress of mango plants requires intensive research that focuses on physiological processes. In three successive seasons (2014, 2015and 2016) field experiments with four different strains of mango were subjected to two water regimes. The growth and physiological parameters of possible relevance for drought stress tolerances in mango were investigated. Yield and its components were also evaluated. The data showed that all growth and physiological parameters were increased under K 2 SiO 3 (Si) supplement and were followed by the interaction treatment (Si treatment and its combination with drought stress) compared to that of the controlled condition. Drought stress decreased the concentration of auxins (IAA), gibberellins (GA) and cytokinins (CK) in the three mango cultivars leaves, whereas, it increased the concentration of abscisic acid (ABA). On the contrary, IAA, GA, and CK (promoters) endogenous levels were improved by supplementing Si, in contrary ABA was decreased. Drought stress increased the activity of peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the leaves of all mango cultivars grown during three experimental seasons. However, Si supplementation reduced the levels of all these antioxidative enzymes, especially the concentration of SOD when compared to that of control leaves. Fruit quality was improved in three successive seasons when Si was applied. Our results clearly show that the increment in drought tolerance was associated with an increase in antioxidative enzyme activity, allowing mango plants to cope better with drought stress. Si possesses an efficient system for scavenging reactive oxygen species, which protects the plant against destructive oxidative reactions, thereby improving the ability of the mango trees to withstand environmental stress in arid regions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. The relieving effects of shelter modes on physiological stress of traffic police in summer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, G. Z.; Wang, Y. J.; Bu, W. T.; Lu, Y. Z.; Li, Ke; Li, Z. H.

    2018-03-01

    In summer, high temperature and strong sun radiation last for a long time. However, traffic police still stick to their positions to ensure normal traffic order. Therefore, the health and safety of traffic police are challenged by the high temperature weather. To protect the safety of the traffic police in the outdoor high temperature environment, some shelter modes, such as sun hat and sun umbrella are selected for duty traffic police. The relieving effects on the physiological stress of the shelter modes are analyzed by comparison of the physiological parameters in these shelter modes. The results show that sun umbrella has a good effect on relieving physiological stress. And sun hat has no effect on relieving physiological stress, although it avoids the direct sunlight on the face. However, it causes the increase of the thermal sensation. This study can provide important methods for health protecting of traffic police in the outdoor high temperature environment. It also provides a theoretical support for the revision of the outdoor high temperature labour protection standard.

  17. Collegiate Swimmers: Sex Differences in Self-Reports and Indices of Physiological Stress.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gackenbach, Jayne

    1982-01-01

    Psychological and physiological stress indices were taken from collegiate swimmers of both sexes. Later a scale of self-reported masculinity and femininity was administered. Males had higher systolic blood pressure but lower self-reported anxiety and hostility with the stress of competition. Differences in relative masculinity/femininity allow…

  18. High novelty-seeking rats are resilient to negative physiological effects of the early life stress.

    PubMed

    Clinton, Sarah M; Watson, Stanley J; Akil, Huda

    2014-01-01

    Exposure to early life stress dramatically impacts adult behavior, physiology, and neuroendocrine function. Using rats bred for novelty-seeking differences and known to display divergent anxiety, depression, and stress vulnerability, we examined the interaction between early life adversity and genetic predisposition for high- versus low-emotional reactivity. Thus, bred Low Novelty Responder (bLR) rats, which naturally exhibit high anxiety- and depression-like behavior, and bred High Novelty Responder (bHR) rats, which show low anxiety/depression together with elevated aggression, impulsivity, and addictive behavior, were subjected to daily 3 h maternal separation (MS) stress postnatal days 1-14. We hypothesized that MS stress would differentially impact adult bHR/bLR behavior, physiology (stress-induced defecation), and neuroendocrine reactivity. While MS stress did not impact bHR and bLR anxiety-like behavior in the open field test and elevated plus maze, it exacerbated bLRs' already high physiological response to stress - stress-induced defecation. In both tests, MS bLR adult offspring showed exaggerated stress-induced defecation compared to bLR controls while bHR offspring were unaffected. MS also selectively impacted bLRs' (but not bHRs') neuroendocrine stress reactivity, producing an exaggerated corticosterone acute stress response in MS bLR versus control bLR rats. These findings highlight how genetic predisposition shapes individuals' response to early life stress. Future work will explore neural mechanisms underlying the distinct behavioral and neuroendocrine consequences of MS in bHR/bLR animals.

  19. Early life adversity potentiates the effects of later life stress on cumulative physiological dysregulation.

    PubMed

    Dich, Nadya; Hansen, Åse Marie; Avlund, Kirsten; Lund, Rikke; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Bruunsgaard, Helle; Rod, Naja Hulvej

    2015-01-01

    Previous research indicates that early life adversity may heighten stress reactivity and impair mechanisms for adaptive coping, suggesting that experience of stress in early life may also potentiate adults' physiological vulnerability to stress in later life. The study tested this hypothesis by investigating whether the experience of stressful events and circumstances (SEC) in childhood or adolescence amplified the effect of adulthood SEC on physiological dysregulation (allostatic load, AL) in later midlife. Observational data were used in the present study. Physiological functioning was measured in later midlife (participants' age ranged from 49 to 63 years). Both childhood/adolescence and adulthood SEC were reported retrospectively on the same occasion. Participants were 5309 Danish men and women from Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB). SEC included socioeconomic and family factors. The AL index was based on nine cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune biomarkers. Experience of SEC in both early life and adulthood independently predicted higher AL. In men, experience of SEC in early life also potentiated the effect of SEC in adulthood on AL. The results provide further insight into the mechanisms behind the "biological embedding" of childhood stress.

  20. [Relationship between occupational stress, recovery experience, and physiological health of nurses in a municipal grade A tertiary hospital].

    PubMed

    He, L; Zhang, C L; Yang, T; Lan, Y J

    2017-06-20

    Objective: To examine the relationship between recovery experience, occupational stress, and physiological health of nurses in a municipal grade A tertiary hospital. Methods: A total of 296 in-service nurses from 7 municipal grade A tertiary hospitals were selected from October 2015 to February 2016. Individual characteristics of the subjects were collected using a self-made questionnaire. The recovery experience, occupational stress, and physiological health of the subjects were assessed based on the physiological health dimensions in the Chinese version of Recovery Experience Questionnaire (REQ-C) , Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) , and Quality of Work Life (QWL7-32) . Results: The mean recovery experience score of nurses from the municipal grade A tertiary hospital was 45.04±7.72, and 51.35% of the nurses had satisfactory recovery experience. Occupational stress was identified in 81.76% of the nurses. Based on the four categories of occupational stress, 65 nurses were identified with high-strain jobs (21.95%) , 56 with relaxed (low-strain) jobs (18.92%) , 49 with passive jobs (16.55%) , and 126 with active jobs (42.57%) . In addition, the mean physiological health score of the nurses was 21.20±4.24. Physiological health was negatively correlated with occupational stress ( r =-0.173, P <0.05) , but positively correlated with recovery experience ( r =0.198, P <0.01) . Recovery experience was negatively correlated with occupational stress ( r =-0.116, P <0.05) . Job demand was the major contributor to occupational stress, where subjects with high-demand active jobs had the poorest recovery experience ( F =2.610, P <0.05) and physiological health ( F =8.166, P <0.01) . Conclusion: Job demand has a great impact on the occupational stress of nurses, where increased job demand can lead to stronger stress response, reduced recovery experience, and poorer physiological health.

  1. Physiological Stress and Refuge Behavior by African Elephants

    PubMed Central

    Jachowski, David S.; Slotow, Rob; Millspaugh, Joshua J.

    2012-01-01

    Physiological stress responses allow individuals to adapt to changes in their status or surroundings, but chronic exposure to stressors could have detrimental effects. Increased stress hormone secretion leads to short-term escape behavior; however, no studies have assessed the potential of longer-term escape behavior, when individuals are in a chronic physiological state. Such refuge behavior is likely to take two forms, where an individual or population restricts its space use patterns spatially (spatial refuge hypothesis), or alters its use of space temporally (temporal refuge hypothesis). We tested the spatial and temporal refuge hypotheses by comparing space use patterns among three African elephant populations maintaining different fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations. In support of the spatial refuge hypothesis, the elephant population that maintained elevated FGM concentrations (iSimangaliso) used 20% less of its reserve than did an elephant population with lower FGM concentrations (Pilanesberg) in a reserve of similar size, and 43% less than elephants in the smaller Phinda reserve. We found mixed support for the temporal refuge hypothesis; home range sizes in the iSimangaliso population did not differ by day compared to nighttime, but elephants used areas within their home ranges differently between day and night. Elephants in all three reserves generally selected forest and woodland habitats over grasslands, but elephants in iSimangaliso selected exotic forest plantations over native habitat types. Our findings suggest that chronic stress is associated with restricted space use and altered habitat preferences that resemble a facultative refuge behavioral response. Elephants can maintain elevated FGM levels for ≥6 years following translocation, during which they exhibit refuge behavior that is likely a result of human disturbance and habitat conditions. Wildlife managers planning to translocate animals, or to initiate other management

  2. Physiological stress and performance analysis to karate combat.

    PubMed

    Chaabene, Helmi; Hellara, Ilhem; Ghali, Faten B; Franchini, Emerson; Neffati, Fedoua; Tabben, Montassar; Najjar, Mohamed F; Hachana, Younés

    2016-10-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between physiological, and parameters of performance analysis during karate contest. Nine elite-level karate athletes participated in this study. Saliva sample was collected pre- and post-karate combat. Salivary cortisol (sC) post-combat 2 raised significantly compared to that recorded at pre-combat 1 (Δ%=105.3%; P=0.04; dz=0.78). The largest decrease of the salivary T/C ratio (sR) compared to pre-combat 1 was recorded post-combat 2 (Δ%=-43.5%; P=0.03). Moreover, blood lactate concentration post-combat 1 correlated positively to sCpost-combat 1 (r=0.66; P=0.05) and negatively to both salivary testosterone (sT) (r=-0.76; P=0.01) and sRpost-combat 1 (r=-0.76; P=0.01). There was no significant relationship between hormonal measures and parameters of match analysis. Although under simulated condition, karate combat poses large physiological stress to the karateka. Additionally, physiological strain to karate combat led to a catabolic hormonal response.

  3. Diurnal patterns and relationships between physiological and self-reported stress in patients with epilepsy and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

    PubMed

    Novakova, Barbora; Harris, Peter R; Reuber, Markus

    2017-05-01

    Patients with epilepsy and those with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) experience high levels of stress and stress is one of the most frequently self-identified seizure precipitants. Although stress is a multifaceted phenomenon, few studies have systematically examined its different components in patients with seizures. The aim of this study was therefore to describe diurnal patterns of psychological and physiological measures of stress in patients with epilepsy and patients with PNES, and explore their relationships to each other in order to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stress and seizure occurrence in these patients. A range of stress markers including self-reported stress, salivary cortisol, and heart rate variability (HRV) were explored in adult patients with refractory epilepsy (N=22) and those with PNES (N=23) undergoing three- to five-day video-telemetry. A diurnal pattern was observed in the physiological measures, characterized by higher levels of physiological arousal in the mornings and lower levels at night in both patients with epilepsy and PNES. The physiological measures (cortisol and HRV) were associated with each other in patients with epilepsy; no close relationship was found with self-reported stress in either of the two patient groups. The findings contribute to and expand on previous studies of the patterns of stress in patients with seizures. The results also indicate a discrepancy between patients' physiological responses and their subjective stress perceptions, suggesting that simple self-reports cannot be used as a proxy of physiological arousal in patients with seizures and stress. Stress in these patient groups should be studied using a combination of complementary measures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Evaluation of physiological stress in Australian wildlife: Embracing pioneering and current knowledge as a guide to future research directions.

    PubMed

    Narayan, Edward J

    2017-04-01

    Australia has a rich terrestrial and marine biodiversity and high species endemism. However, the oceanic continent is facing the biodiversity extinction crisis. The primary factors are anthropogenic induced environmental changes, including wildlife habitat destruction through urbanisation and predation by feral animals (e.g. red foxes and feral cats), increased severity of diseases (e.g. chytridiomycosis and chlamydia), and increased occurrence of summer heat waves and bush fires. Stress physiology is a dynamic field of science based on the studies of endocrine system functioning in animals. The primary stress regulator is the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (interrenal) axis and glucocorticoids (corticosterone and/or cortisol) provide stress index across vertebrate groups. This review paper focuses on physiological stress assessments in Australian wildlife using examples of amphibians, reptiles, birds and marsupials. I provide a thorough discussion of pioneering studies that have shaped the field of stress physiology in Australian wildlife species. The main findings point towards key aspects of stress endocrinology research, such as quantification of biologically active levels of glucocorticoids, development of species-specific GC assays and applications of stress physiology approaches in field ecology and wildlife conservation programs. Furthermore, I also discuss the importance of chronic stress assessment in wildlife populations. Finally, I provide a conceptual framework presenting key research questions in areas of wildlife stress physiology research. In conclusion, wildlife management programs can immensely benefit from stress physiology assessments to gauge the impact of human interventions on wildlife such as species translocation and feral species eradication. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Physiological Stress in Koala Populations near the Arid Edge of Their Distribution

    PubMed Central

    Davies, Nicole Ashley; Gramotnev, Galina; McAlpine, Clive; Seabrook, Leonie; Baxter, Greg; Lunney, Daniel; Rhodes, Jonathan R.; Bradley, Adrian

    2013-01-01

    Recent research has shown that the ecology of stress has hitherto been neglected, but it is in fact an important influence on the distribution and numbers of wild vertebrates. Environmental changes have the potential to cause physiological stress that can affect population dynamics. Detailed information on the influence of environmental variables on glucocorticoid levels (a measure of stress) at the trailing edge of a species’ distribution can highlight stressors that potentially threaten species and thereby help explain how environmental challenges, such as climate change, will affect the survival of these populations. Rainfall determines leaf moisture and/or nutritional content, which in turn impacts on cortisol concentrations. We show that higher faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) levels in koala populations at the trailing arid edge of their range in southwestern Queensland are associated with lower rainfall levels (especially rainfall from the previous two months), indicating an increase in physiological stress when moisture levels are low. These results show that koalas at the semi-arid, inland edge of their geographic range, will fail to cope with increasing aridity from climate change. The results demonstrate the importance of integrating physiological assessments into ecological studies to identify stressors that have the potential to compromise the long-term survival of threatened species. This finding points to the need for research to link these stressors to demographic decline to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of species’ responses to climate change. PMID:24265749

  6. Shared and unique responses of plants to multiple individual stresses and stress combinations: physiological and molecular mechanisms

    PubMed Central

    Pandey, Prachi; Ramegowda, Venkategowda; Senthil-Kumar, Muthappa

    2015-01-01

    In field conditions, plants are often simultaneously exposed to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses resulting in substantial yield loss. Plants have evolved various physiological and molecular adaptations to protect themselves under stress combinations. Emerging evidences suggest that plant responses to a combination of stresses are unique from individual stress responses. In addition, plants exhibit shared responses which are common to individual stresses and stress combination. In this review, we provide an update on the current understanding of both unique and shared responses. Specific focus of this review is on heat–drought stress as a major abiotic stress combination and, drought–pathogen and heat–pathogen as examples of abiotic–biotic stress combinations. We also comprehend the current understanding of molecular mechanisms of cross talk in relation to shared and unique molecular responses for plant survival under stress combinations. Thus, the knowledge of shared responses of plants from individual stress studies and stress combinations can be utilized to develop varieties with broad spectrum stress tolerance. PMID:26442037

  7. Physiological Tolerance to Uncompensable Heat Stress: Effects of Exercise Intensity, Protective Clothing, and Climate

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-01-01

    Physiological tolerance to uncompensable heat stress: effects of exercise intensity, protective clothing , and climate SCOTT J. MONTAIN, MICHAEL N...effects of exercise 26), there remains little information to predict the inci- intensity, protective clothing , and climate. J. AppL PhysioL dence of...that pre- exercise intensity, protective clothing level, and climate on dict the physiological responses and work capability dur- physiological tolerance

  8. Non-invasive cortisol measurements as indicators of physiological stress responses in guinea pigs

    PubMed Central

    Pschernig, Elisabeth; Wallner, Bernard; Millesi, Eva

    2016-01-01

    Non-invasive measurements of glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations, including cortisol and corticosterone, serve as reliable indicators of adrenocortical activities and physiological stress loads in a variety of species. As an alternative to invasive analyses based on plasma, GC concentrations in saliva still represent single-point-of-time measurements, suitable for studying short-term or acute stress responses, whereas fecal GC metabolites (FGMs) reflect overall stress loads and stress responses after a species-specific time frame in the long-term. In our study species, the domestic guinea pig, GC measurements are commonly used to indicate stress responses to different environmental conditions, but the biological relevance of non-invasive measurements is widely unknown. We therefore established an experimental protocol based on the animals’ natural stress responses to different environmental conditions and compared GC levels in plasma, saliva, and fecal samples during non-stressful social isolations and stressful two-hour social confrontations with unfamiliar individuals. Plasma and saliva cortisol concentrations were significantly increased directly after the social confrontations, and plasma and saliva cortisol levels were strongly correlated. This demonstrates a high biological relevance of GC measurements in saliva. FGM levels measured 20 h afterwards, representing the reported mean gut passage time based on physiological validations, revealed that the overall stress load was not affected by the confrontations, but also no relations to plasma cortisol levels were detected. We therefore measured FGMs in two-hour intervals for 24 h after another social confrontation and detected significantly increased levels after four to twelve hours, reaching peak concentrations already after six hours. Our findings confirm that non-invasive GC measurements in guinea pigs are highly biologically relevant in indicating physiological stress responses compared to circulating

  9. Physiological and biochemical response to high temperature stress in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayamanesh, Shahnoosh; Keitel, Claudia; Ahmad, Nabil; Trethowan, Richard

    2016-04-01

    High temperature has been shown to lower the growth and yield of Okra, an important summer vegetable crop grown in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia. We aimed to characterise the physiological and biochemical response of Okra to heat stress. 150 genotypes from Pakistan and the AVRDC (The World Vegetable Centre) were screened for their physiological response (fluorescence, electrolyte leakage and yield) to heat in a greenhouse. Four genotypes (including heat tolerant and sensitive) were selected and subsequently grown in control and hot greenhouses. Daytime temperatures were on average 10°C warmer in the hot greenhouse, whereas nighttime temperatures were similar between the two temperature treatments. During a 12 week period, the physiological (assimilation rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, fluorescence, electrolyte leakage, water potential) and biochemical (carbohydrates, sugar alcohols, C content) response of the four genotypes to heat stress was assessed. The effect of heat stress on the C allocation patterns and yield in Okra will be discussed.

  10. Social aggravation: Understanding the complex role of social relationships on stress and health-relevant physiology.

    PubMed

    Birmingham, Wendy C; Holt-Lunstad, Julianne

    2018-04-05

    There is a rich literature on social support and physical health, but research has focused primarily on the protective effects of social relationship. The stress buffering model asserts that relationships may be protective by being a source of support when coping with stress, thereby blunting health relevant physiological responses. Research also indicates relationships can be a source of stress, also influencing health. In other words, the social buffering influence may have a counterpart, a social aggravating influence that has an opposite or opposing effect. Drawing upon existing conceptual models, we expand these to delineate how social relationships may influence stress processes and ultimately health. This review summarizes the existing literature that points to the potential deleterious physiological effects of our relationships when they are sources of stress or exacerbate stress. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Physiological responses of Daphnia pulex to acid stress

    PubMed Central

    Weber, Anna K; Pirow, Ralph

    2009-01-01

    Background Acidity exerts a determining influence on the composition and diversity of freshwater faunas. While the physiological implications of freshwater acidification have been intensively studied in teleost fish and crayfish, much less is known about the acid-stress physiology of ecologically important groups such as cladoceran zooplankton. This study analyzed the extracellular acid-base state and CO2 partial pressure (PCO2), circulation and ventilation, as well as the respiration rate of Daphnia pulex acclimated to acidic (pH 5.5 and 6.0) and circumneutral (pH 7.8) conditions. Results D. pulex had a remarkably high extracellular pH of 8.33 and extracellular PCO2 of 0.56 kPa under normal ambient conditions (pH 7.8 and normocapnia). The hemolymph had a high bicarbonate concentration of 20.9 mM and a total buffer value of 51.5 meq L-1 pH-1. Bicarbonate covered 93% of the total buffer value. Acidic conditions induced a slight acidosis (ΔpH = 0.16–0.23), a 30–65% bicarbonate loss, and elevated systemic activities (tachycardia, hyperventilation, hypermetabolism). pH 6.0 animals partly compensated the bicarbonate loss by increasing the non-bicarbonate buffer value from 2.0 to 5.1 meq L-1 pH-1. The extracellular PCO2 of pH 5.5 animals was significantly reduced to 0.33 kPa, and these animals showed the highest tolerance to a short-term exposure to severe acid stress. Conclusion Chronic exposure to acidic conditions had a pervasive impact on Daphnia's physiology including acid-base balance, extracellular PCO2, circulation and ventilation, and energy metabolism. Compensatory changes in extracellular non-bicarbonate buffering capacity and the improved tolerance to severe acid stress indicated the activation of defense mechanisms which may result from gene-expression mediated adjustments in hemolymph buffer proteins and in epithelial properties. Mechanistic analyses of the interdependence between extracellular acid-base balance and CO2 transport raised the question of

  12. Morpho-Physiological and Proteome Level Responses to Cadmium Stress in Sorghum

    PubMed Central

    Kamal, Abu Hena Mostafa; Kim, Sang-Woo; Oh, Myeong-Won; Lee, Moon-Soon; Chung, Keun-Yook; Xin, Zhanguo; Woo, Sun-Hee

    2016-01-01

    Cadmium (Cd) stress may cause serious morphological and physiological abnormalities in addition to altering the proteome in plants. The present study was performed to explore Cd-induced morpho-physiological alterations and their potential associated mechanisms in Sorghum bicolor leaves at the protein level. Ten-day-old sorghum seedlings were exposed to different concentrations (0, 100, and 150 μM) of CdCl2, and different morpho-physiological responses were recorded. The effects of Cd exposure on protein expression patterns in S. bicolor were investigated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) in samples derived from the leaves of both control and Cd-treated seedlings. The observed morphological changes revealed that the plants treated with Cd displayed dramatically altered shoot lengths, fresh weights and relative water content. In addition, the concentration of Cd was markedly increased by treatment with Cd, and the amount of Cd taken up by the shoots was significantly and directly correlated with the applied concentration of Cd. Using the 2-DE method, a total of 33 differentially expressed protein spots were analyzed using MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. Of these, treatment with Cd resulted in significant increases in 15 proteins and decreases in 18 proteins. Major changes were absorbed in the levels of proteins known to be involved in carbohydrate metabolism, transcriptional regulation, translation and stress responses. Proteomic results revealed that Cd stress had an inhibitory effect on carbon fixation, ATP production and the regulation of protein synthesis. Our study provides insights into the integrated molecular mechanisms involved in responses to Cd and the effects of Cd on the growth and physiological characteristics of sorghum seedlings. We have aimed to provide a reference describing the mechanisms involved in heavy metal damage to plants. PMID:26919231

  13. Substance use modulates stress reactivity: Behavioral and physiological outcomes.

    PubMed

    Fosnocht, Anne Q; Briand, Lisa A

    2016-11-01

    Drug addiction is a major public health concern in the United States costing taxpayers billions in health care costs, lost productivity and law enforcement. However, the availability of effective treatment options remains limited. The development of novel therapeutics will not be possible without a better understanding of the addicted brain. Studies in both clinical and preclinical models indicate that chronic drug use leads to alterations in the body and brain's response to stress. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may shed light on the ability of stress to increase vulnerability to relapse. Further, within both the HPA axis and limbic brain regions, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is critically involved in the brain's response to stress. Alterations in both central and peripheral CRF activity seen following chronic drug use provide a mechanism by which substance use can alter stress reactivity, thus mediating addictive phenotypes. While many reviews have focused on how stress alters drug-mediated changes in physiology and behavior, the goal of this review is to focus on how substance use alters responses to stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Physiological responsiveness of motor vehicle accident survivors with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder.

    PubMed

    Veazey, Connie H; Blanchard, Edward B; Hickling, Edward J; Buckley, Todd C

    2004-03-01

    This study sought to replicate past research that has shown differences in physiological responsiveness among survivors of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and those survivors who do not develop this disorder. Such physiological differences have been found specifically with heart rate (HR) reactivity. This study also attempts to account for differences among those survivors with PTSD who do respond physiologically in laboratory situations and those who do not show a physiological response when presented with audiotaped descriptions of their accidents. Results replicated the significant differences in HR reactivity between diagnostic groups with chronic PTSD versus those with subsyndromal PTSD and non-PTSD. Variables related to the severity of the diagnosis and trauma were found to discriminate between physiological responders and nonresponders with chronic PTSD.

  15. Cumulative Risk and Physiological Stress Responses in African American Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Kliewer, Wendy; Robins, Jo Lynne W

    2017-07-01

    To investigate associations between components of cumulative risk (CR) and physiological stress responses in African American adolescents and evaluate emotion regulation as a mediator and sex as a moderator of these associations. Cortisol and salivary alpha amylase (sAA) were collected in adolescents ( N = 205; 55% female; 12.1 ± 1.6 years at baseline) as part of a longitudinal study of stress and adjustment in families. CR was assessed at baseline and emotion regulation was assessed at baseline and 2 years later at Wave 3 (W3) using caregiver and adolescent reports. Cortisol and sAA responses to the social competence interview were assessed at W3. Repeated-measures analyses of variance predicting cortisol and controlling for time of day, adolescent age, medication usage, and pubertal status revealed significant interactions of time with both psychosocial and sociodemographic risk. In both analyses, youths with higher levels of risk showed a steeper decline in cortisol than youths with lower levels of risk. In parallel analyses predicting sAA, time interacted with psychosocial but not with sociodemographic risk. There were no interactions with sex in any of the analyses. Although CR was associated with changes in emotion regulation, there was no evidence that these changes accounted for the observed CR-stress response associations. These findings illustrate the potential importance of disentangling CR and suggest that additional work is needed to help explicate why and how CR is associated with specific physiological responses to stress.

  16. Effects of Maternally-Transferred Methylmercury on Stress Physiology in Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) Neonates.

    PubMed

    Cusaac, J Patrick W; Kremer, Victoria; Wright, Raymond; Henry, Cassandra; Otter, Ryan R; Bailey, Frank C

    2016-06-01

    Biomagnification of methylmercury in aquatic systems can cause elevated tissue mercury (Hg) and physiological stress in top predators. Mercury is known to affect stress hormone levels in mammals, birds and fish. In this study, the effects of maternally-transferred methylmercury on the stress physiology of Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) neonates were tested. Gravid females were dosed via force-fed capsules during late gestation with 0, 0.01, or 10 µg methylmercury per gram of body mass. Plasma corticosterone levels and leukocyte differentials were analyzed in baseline and confinement-stressed neonates from all dose levels. Neither Hg nor confinement stress had a significant effect on leukocyte differentials nor was Hg related to corticosterone levels. However, stress group neonates showed lower heterophil/lymphocyte ratios and this study was the first to show that neonate N. sipedon can upregulate CORT in response to stress. These results indicate that N. sipedon may be somewhat tolerant to Hg contamination.

  17. Developing Physiologic Stress Profiles for School-Age Children Who Stutter

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ortega, Aishah Y.; Ambrose, Nicoline G.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Physiologic reactivity profiles were generated for 9 school-age children with a history of stuttering. Utilizing salivary sampling, stress biomarkers cortisol and alpha-amylase were measured in response to normal daily stressors. Children with a history of stuttering were characterized as high or low autonomic reactors when compared to…

  18. Physiological and Proteomic Analyses of Saccharum spp. Grown under Salt Stress

    PubMed Central

    Murad, Aline Melro; Molinari, Hugo Bruno Correa; Magalhães, Beatriz Simas; Franco, Augusto Cesar; Takahashi, Frederico Scherr Caldeira; de Oliveira-, Nelson Gomes; Franco, Octávio Luiz; Quirino, Betania Ferraz

    2014-01-01

    Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is the world most productive sugar producing crop, making an understanding of its stress physiology key to increasing both sugar and ethanol production. To understand the behavior and salt tolerance mechanisms of sugarcane, two cultivars commonly used in Brazilian agriculture, RB867515 and RB855536, were submitted to salt stress for 48 days. Physiological parameters including net photosynthesis, water potential, dry root and shoot mass and malondialdehyde (MDA) content of leaves were determined. Control plants of the two cultivars showed similar values for most traits apart from higher root dry mass in RB867515. Both cultivars behaved similarly during salt stress, except for MDA levels for which there was a delay in the response for cultivar RB867515. Analysis of leaf macro- and micronutrients concentrations was performed and the concentration of Mn2+ increased on day 48 for both cultivars. In parallel, to observe the effects of salt stress on protein levels in leaves of the RB867515 cultivar, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by MS analysis was performed. Four proteins were differentially expressed between control and salt-treated plants. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase was down-regulated, a germin-like protein and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase showed increased expression levels under salt stress, and heat-shock protein 70 was expressed only in salt-treated plants. These proteins are involved in energy metabolism and defense-related responses and we suggest that they may be involved in protection mechanisms against salt stress in sugarcane. PMID:24893295

  19. Evaluating physiological responses of plants to salinity stress

    PubMed Central

    Negrão, S.; Schmöckel, S. M.; Tester, M.

    2017-01-01

    Background Because soil salinity is a major abiotic constraint affecting crop yield, much research has been conducted to develop plants with improved salinity tolerance. Salinity stress impacts many aspects of a plant’s physiology, making it difficult to study in toto. Instead, it is more tractable to dissect the plant’s response into traits that are hypothesized to be involved in the overall tolerance of the plant to salinity. Scope and conclusions We discuss how to quantify the impact of salinity on different traits, such as relative growth rate, water relations, transpiration, transpiration use efficiency, ionic relations, photosynthesis, senescence, yield and yield components. We also suggest some guidelines to assist with the selection of appropriate experimental systems, imposition of salinity stress, and obtaining and analysing relevant physiological data using appropriate indices. We illustrate how these indices can be used to identify relationships amongst the proposed traits to identify which traits are the most important contributors to salinity tolerance. Salinity tolerance is complex and involves many genes, but progress has been made in studying the mechanisms underlying a plant’s response to salinity. Nevertheless, several previous studies on salinity tolerance could have benefited from improved experimental design. We hope that this paper will provide pertinent information to researchers on performing proficient assays and interpreting results from salinity tolerance experiments. PMID:27707746

  20. Temperature-induced physiological stress and reproductive characteristics of the migratory seahorse Hippocampus erectus during a thermal stress simulation.

    PubMed

    Qin, Geng; Johnson, Cara; Zhang, Yuan; Zhang, Huixian; Yin, Jianping; Miller, Glen; Turingan, Ralph G; Guisbert, Eric; Lin, Qiang

    2018-05-15

    Inshore-offshore migration occurs frequently in seahorse species either because of prey opportunities or because it is driven by reproduction, and variations in water temperature may dramatically change migratory seahorse behavior and physiology. The present study investigated the behavioral and physiological responses of the lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus under thermal stress and evaluated the potential effects of different temperatures on its reproduction. The results showed that the thermal tolerance of the seahorses was time dependent. Acute thermal stress (30°C, 2-10 hours) increased the basal metabolic rate (breathing rate) and the expression of stress response genes ( Hsp genes) significantly and further stimulated seahorse appetite. Chronic thermal treatment (30°C, 4 weeks) led to a persistently higher basal metabolic rate, higher stress response gene expression, and higher mortality, indicating that the seahorses could not acclimate to chronic thermal stress and might experience massive mortality due to excessive basal metabolic rates and stress damage. Additionally, no significant negative effects on gonad development or reproductive endocrine regulation genes were observed in response to chronic thermal stress, suggesting that seahorse reproductive behavior could adapt to higher-temperature conditions during migration and within seahorse breeding grounds. In conclusion, this simulation experiment indicated that temperature variations during inshore-offshore migration have no effect on reproduction but promote basal metabolic rates and stress responses significantly. Therefore, we suggest that the high observed tolerance of seahorse reproduction was in line with the inshore-offshore reproductive migration pattern of lined seahorse. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  1. Physiological adjustments to stress measures following massage therapy: a review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Moraska, Albert; Pollini, Robin A; Boulanger, Karen; Brooks, Marissa Z; Teitlebaum, Lesley

    2010-12-01

    Use of massage therapy by the general public has increased substantially in recent years. In light of the popularity of massage therapy for stress reduction, a comprehensive review of the peer-reviewed literature is important to summarize the effectiveness of this modality on stress-reactive physiological measures. On-line databases were searched for articles relevant to both massage therapy and stress. Articles were included in this review if (i) the massage therapy account consisted of manipulation of soft tissues and was conducted by a trained therapist, and (ii) a dependent measure to evaluate physiological stress was reported. Hormonal and physical parameters are reviewed. A total of 25 studies met all inclusion criteria. A majority of studies employed a 20-30 min massage administered twice-weekly over 5 weeks with evaluations conducted pre-post an individual session (single treatment) or following a series of sessions (multiple treatments). Single treatment reductions in salivary cortisol and heart rate were consistently noted. A sustained reduction for these measures was not supported in the literature, although the single-treatment effect was repeatable within a study. To date, the research data is insufficient to make definitive statements regarding the multiple treatment effect of massage therapy on urinary cortisol or catecholamines, but some evidence for a positive effect on diastolic blood pressure has been documented. While significant improvement has been demonstrated following massage therapy, the general research body on this topic lacks the necessary scientific rigor to provide a definitive understanding of the effect massage therapy has on many physiological variables associated with stress.

  2. Physiological Adjustments to Stress Measures Following Massage Therapy: A Review of the Literature

    PubMed Central

    Pollini, Robin A.; Boulanger, Karen; Brooks, Marissa Z.; Teitlebaum, Lesley

    2010-01-01

    Use of massage therapy by the general public has increased substantially in recent years. In light of the popularity of massage therapy for stress reduction, a comprehensive review of the peer-reviewed literature is important to summarize the effectiveness of this modality on stress-reactive physiological measures. On-line databases were searched for articles relevant to both massage therapy and stress. Articles were included in this review if (i) the massage therapy account consisted of manipulation of soft tissues and was conducted by a trained therapist, and (ii) a dependent measure to evaluate physiological stress was reported. Hormonal and physical parameters are reviewed. A total of 25 studies met all inclusion criteria. A majority of studies employed a 20–30 min massage administered twice-weekly over 5 weeks with evaluations conducted pre-post an individual session (single treatment) or following a series of sessions (multiple treatments). Single treatment reductions in salivary cortisol and heart rate were consistently noted. A sustained reduction for these measures was not supported in the literature, although the single-treatment effect was repeatable within a study. To date, the research data is insufficient to make definitive statements regarding the multiple treatment effect of massage therapy on urinary cortisol or catecholamines, but some evidence for a positive effect on diastolic blood pressure has been documented. While significant improvement has been demonstrated following massage therapy, the general research body on this topic lacks the necessary scientific rigor to provide a definitive understanding of the effect massage therapy has on many physiological variables associated with stress. PMID:18955340

  3. Relationship between aflatoxin contamination and physiological responses of corn plants under drought and heat stress.

    PubMed

    Kebede, Hirut; Abbas, Hamed K; Fisher, Daniel K; Bellaloui, Nacer

    2012-11-20

    Increased aflatoxin contamination in corn by the fungus Aspergillus flavus is associated with frequent periods of drought and heat stress during the reproductive stages of the plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between aflatoxin contamination and physiological responses of corn plants under drought and heat stress. The study was conducted in Stoneville, MS, USA under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. Five commercial hybrids, P31G70, P33F87, P32B34, P31B13 and DKC63-42 and two inbred germplasm lines, PI 639055 and PI 489361, were evaluated. The plants were inoculated with Aspergillus flavus (K-54) at mid-silk stage, and aflatoxin contamination was determined on the kernels at harvest. Several physiological measurements which are indicators of stress response were determined. The results suggested that PI 639055, PI 489361 and hybrid DKC63-42 were more sensitive to drought and high temperature stress in the non-irrigated plots and P31G70 was the most tolerant among all the genotypes. Aflatoxin contamination was the highest in DKC63-42 and PI 489361 but significantly lower in P31G70. However, PI 639055, which is an aflatoxin resistant germplasm, had the lowest aflatoxin contamination, even though it was one of the most stressed genotypes. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed. These results suggested that the physiological responses were associated with the level of aflatoxin contamination in all the genotypes, except PI 639055. These and other physiological responses related to stress may help examine differences among corn genotypes in aflatoxin contamination.

  4. Measuring short-term and long-term physiological stress effects by cortisol reactivity in saliva and hair.

    PubMed

    van Holland, Berry J; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W; Sluiter, Judith K

    2012-11-01

    The aims of this study were to investigate (1) the concurrent relationship between short-term and long-term stress reactivity measured by cortisol excretion and (2) the relationship of these physiological stress effects with self-reported stress and need for recovery after work (NFR). Participants were production workers in the meat-processing industry. Short-term cortisol excretion was calculated by summing 18 saliva samples, sampled over a 3-day period. Samples were delivered by 37 participants. Twenty-nine of them also supplied one hair sample of at least 3 cm in length for an analysis of long-term (3 months) cortisol excretion. All of them filled in a short questionnaire on self-reported stress and NFR. Self-reported stress was assessed by a three-item stress screener; NFR was assessed by an 11-item scale. Short-term and long-term cortisol excretion are significantly, but moderately, associated (r = 0.41, P = 0.03). Short-term and long-term cortisol excretion correlated weakly to self-reported stress and NFR (correlations varied from -0.04 to 0.21). Short-term and long-term physiological stress excretion levels are moderately associated. Physiological stress effects assessed from saliva and hair cannot be used interchangeably with self-reported stress because they only correlate weakly. To better predict long-term cortisol excretion in workers, the predictive value of short-term cortisol excretion must be evaluated in a prognostic longitudinal study in a working population.

  5. Stunning fish with CO2 or electricity: contradictory results on behavioural and physiological stress responses.

    PubMed

    Gräns, A; Niklasson, L; Sandblom, E; Sundell, K; Algers, B; Berg, C; Lundh, T; Axelsson, M; Sundh, H; Kiessling, A

    2016-02-01

    Studies that address fish welfare before slaughter have concluded that many of the traditional systems used to stun fish including CO2 narcosis are unacceptable as they cause avoidable stress before death. One system recommended as a better alternative is electrical stunning, however, the welfare aspects of this method are not yet fully understood. To assess welfare in aquaculture both behavioural and physiological measurements have been used, but few studies have examined the relationship between these variables. In an on-site study aversive behaviours and several physiological stress indicators, including plasma levels of cortisol and ions as well as blood physiological variables, were compared in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) stunned with CO2 or electricity. Exposure to water saturated with CO2 triggered aversive struggling and escape responses for several minutes before immobilization, whereas in fish exposed to an electric current immobilization was close to instant. On average, it took 5 min for the fish to recover from electrical stunning, whereas fish stunned with CO2 did not recover. Despite this, the electrically stunned fish had more than double the plasma levels of cortisol compared with fish stunned with CO2. This result is surprising considering that the behavioural reactions were much more pronounced following CO2 exposure. These contradictory results are discussed with regard to animal welfare and stress physiological responses. The present results emphasise the importance of using an integrative and interdisciplinary approach and to include both behavioural and physiological stress indicators in order to make accurate welfare assessments of fish in aquaculture.

  6. Morphological and Physiological Alteration of Maize Root Architectures on Drought Stress.

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Drought tolerance is a complex agronomic trait and root characteristics logically play an important role in determining the response of plants to drought stress. Research experiments were conducted to investigate genotypic variations in morphological and physiological responses of roots to drought s...

  7. Sex differences in emotional and physiological responses to the Trier Social Stress Test✰

    PubMed Central

    Kelly, Megan M.; Tyrka, Audrey R.; Anderson, George M.; Price, Lawrence H.; Carpenter, Linda L.

    2015-01-01

    Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety-related disorders, and it has been hypothesized that this difference is related to sex differences in stress reactivity. Women typically report higher levels of negative affect than men in response to psychosocial stressors, but the evidence for sex differences in physiological reactivity to stressful situations is not consistent. The present study sought to expand this work by evaluating sex differences in reactivity to a social stress challenge across neuroendocrine, autonomic and affective response domains. Participants (32 women, 30 men) completed a standardized psychosocial stress challenge (i.e., the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST)), during which several physiological (e.g., cortisol reactivity, heart rate) and psychological (e.g., depression, irritability, anger, fear) measures were assessed. The findings demonstrated that cortisol reactivity and the magnitude of autonomic responding failed to reliably discriminate between women and men. However, women reported more fear, irritability, confusion and less happiness immediately following the TSST compared to men. The broader implications of these results and how they relate to sex differences in the etiology and clinical presentation of anxiety and mood disorders are discussed. PMID:17466262

  8. Understanding behavioral and physiological phenotypes of stress and anxiety in zebrafish.

    PubMed

    Egan, Rupert J; Bergner, Carisa L; Hart, Peter C; Cachat, Jonathan M; Canavello, Peter R; Elegante, Marco F; Elkhayat, Salem I; Bartels, Brett K; Tien, Anna K; Tien, David H; Mohnot, Sopan; Beeson, Esther; Glasgow, Eric; Amri, Hakima; Zukowska, Zofia; Kalueff, Allan V

    2009-12-14

    The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is emerging as a promising model organism for experimental studies of stress and anxiety. Here we further validate zebrafish models of stress by analyzing how environmental and pharmacological manipulations affect their behavioral and physiological phenotypes. Experimental manipulations included exposure to alarm pheromone, chronic exposure to fluoxetine, acute exposure to caffeine, as well as acute and chronic exposure to ethanol. Acute (but not chronic) alarm pheromone and acute caffeine produced robust anxiogenic effects, including reduced exploration, increased erratic movements and freezing behavior in zebrafish tested in the novel tank diving test. In contrast, ethanol and fluoxetine had robust anxiolytic effects, including increased exploration and reduced erratic movements. The behavior of several zebrafish strains was also quantified to ascertain differences in their behavioral profiles, revealing high-anxiety (leopard, albino) and low-anxiety (wild type) strains. We also used LocoScan (CleverSys Inc.) video-tracking tool to quantify anxiety-related behaviors in zebrafish, and dissect anxiety-related phenotypes from locomotor activity. Finally, we developed a simple and effective method of measuring zebrafish physiological stress responses (based on a human salivary cortisol assay), and showed that alterations in whole-body cortisol levels in zebrafish parallel behavioral indices of anxiety. Collectively, our results confirm zebrafish as a valid, reliable, and high-throughput model of stress and affective disorders.

  9. Stress Physiology in Infancy and Early Childhood: Cortisol Flexibility, Attunement and Coordination.

    PubMed

    Atkinson, L; Jamieson, B; Khoury, J; Ludmer, J; Gonzalez, A

    2016-08-01

    Research on stress physiology in infancy has assumed increasing importance due to its lifelong implications. In this review, we focus on measurement of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function, in particular, and on complementary autonomic processes. We suggest that the measure of HPA function has been overly exclusive, focusing on individual reactivity to single, pragmatically selected laboratory challenges. We advocate use of multiple, strategically chosen challenges and within-subject designs. By administering one challenge that typically does not provoke reactivity and another that does, it is possible to represent allostatic load in terms of "flexibility," the capacity to titrate response to challenge. We also recommend assessing infant reactivity in the context of the primary caregiver's physiological function. Infant-mother "attunement" is central to developmental psychology, permeating diverse developmental domains with varied consequences. A review of adrenocortical attunement suggests that attunement is a reliable process, manifest across varied populations. However, attunement appears stronger in the context of more highly stressful circumstances, such that administration of multiple, selected challenges may help evaluate the degree to which individuals titrate attunement to challenge and determine the correlates of this differential attunement. Finally, we advocate studying the "coordination" of HPA function with other aspects of stress physiology and variation in the degree of this coordination. The use of multiple stressors is important here because each stress system is differentially sensitive to different types of challenge. Therefore, use of single stressors in between-subject designs impedes full recognition of the role played by each system. Overall, we recommend measure of flexibility, attunement, and coordination in the context of multiple challenges to capture allostasis in environmental and physiological context. The simultaneous use of

  10. Effects of Cable News Watching on Older Adults' Physiological and Self-Reported Stress and Cognitive Function.

    PubMed

    Deal, Caroline; Bogdan, Ryan; Miller, J Phil; Rodebaugh, Tom; Caburnay, Charlene; Yingling, Mike; Hershey, Tammy; Schweiger, Julia; Lenze, Eric J

    2017-01-01

    Older adults are the largest consumer of cable news, which includes negative and politicized content and may constitute a daily stressor. As older adults are also vulnerable to the negative consequences of stress, we hypothesized that cable news watching could induce a stress reaction and impair cognitive function. We tested exposures to cable news (i.e., Fox News and MSNBC) in a within-subject randomized controlled design in 34 healthy older adults. We also included negative (Public Broadcasting Station) and positive (trier social stress test) controls. Cable news watching had no effect on psychological stress, physiological stress, or cognitive function. This remained true even if the news exposures were discordant with participants' political affiliation. We conclude that brief cable news watching does not induce a physiological or subjective stress response or cognitive impairment among healthy older adults.

  11. Physiologically grounded metrics of model skill: a case study estimating heat stress in intertidal populations

    PubMed Central

    Kish, Nicole E.; Helmuth, Brian; Wethey, David S.

    2016-01-01

    Models of ecological responses to climate change fundamentally assume that predictor variables, which are often measured at large scales, are to some degree diagnostic of the smaller-scale biological processes that ultimately drive patterns of abundance and distribution. Given that organisms respond physiologically to stressors, such as temperature, in highly non-linear ways, small modelling errors in predictor variables can potentially result in failures to predict mortality or severe stress, especially if an organism exists near its physiological limits. As a result, a central challenge facing ecologists, particularly those attempting to forecast future responses to environmental change, is how to develop metrics of forecast model skill (the ability of a model to predict defined events) that are biologically meaningful and reflective of underlying processes. We quantified the skill of four simple models of body temperature (a primary determinant of physiological stress) of an intertidal mussel, Mytilus californianus, using common metrics of model performance, such as root mean square error, as well as forecast verification skill scores developed by the meteorological community. We used a physiologically grounded framework to assess each model's ability to predict optimal, sub-optimal, sub-lethal and lethal physiological responses. Models diverged in their ability to predict different levels of physiological stress when evaluated using skill scores, even though common metrics, such as root mean square error, indicated similar accuracy overall. Results from this study emphasize the importance of grounding assessments of model skill in the context of an organism's physiology and, especially, of considering the implications of false-positive and false-negative errors when forecasting the ecological effects of environmental change. PMID:27729979

  12. Physiological response of Pinus halepensis needles under ozone and water stress conditions.

    PubMed

    Manes, Fausto; Donato, Eugenio; Vitale, Marcello

    2001-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate how physiological processes of potted Pinus halepensis plants, grown under controlled conditions, were affected by ozone (O3) and/or water stress, integrating the gas exchange and biochemical data with fluorescence OJIP polyphasic transient data. Plants submitted to only water stress (T1) and with ozone (T3) showed a strong decrease in stomatal conductance and gas exchange, coinciding with a reduction of maximum yield of photochemistry (varphipo) and very negative values of leaf water potential. Simultaneously, a great increase of both PSII antenna size, indicated by absorption per reaction centre, and electron transport per reaction centre were found. The reduction of photosynthesis in the O3-treated plants (T2) by a slowing down of the Calvin cycle was supported by the increase of related fluorescence parameters such as relative variable fluorescence, heat de-excitation constant, energy de-excitation by spillover, and the decrease of varphipo. We suggest an antagonistic effect between the two stresses to explain the delayed ozone-induced decrease of stomatal conductance values for T3 with respect to T1 plants, by an alteration of the physiological mechanisms of stomatal opening, which involve the increase of intra-cellular free-calcium induced by ABA under co-occurring water shortage. We emphasise the importance of considering the intensity of the individual stress factor in studies concerning the interaction of stresses.

  13. A viewpoint on considering physiological principles to study stress resistance and resilience with aging.

    PubMed

    Miller, Benjamin F; Seals, Douglas R; Hamilton, Karyn L

    2017-09-01

    Adaptation to stress is identified as one of the seven pillars of aging research. Our viewpoint discusses the importance of the distinction between stress resistance and resilience, highlights how integration of physiological principles is critical for further understanding in vivo stress resistance and resilience, and advocates for the use of early warning signs to prevent a tipping point in stress resistance and resilience. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. A closed-loop hybrid physiological model relating to subjects under physical stress.

    PubMed

    El-Samahy, Emad; Mahfouf, Mahdi; Linkens, Derek A

    2006-11-01

    The objective of this research study is to derive a comprehensive physiological model relating to subjects under physical stress conditions. The model should describe the behaviour of the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, thermoregulation and brain activity in response to physical workload. An experimental testing rig was built which consists of recumbent high performance bicycle for inducing the physical load and a data acquisition system comprising monitors and PCs. The signals acquired and used within this study are the blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, body temperature, and EEG signals. The proposed model is based on a grey-box based modelling approach which was used because of the sufficient level of details it provides. Cardiovascular and EEG Data relating to 16 healthy subject volunteers (data from 12 subjects were used for training/validation and the data from 4 subjects were used for model testing) were collected using the Finapres and the ProComp+ monitors. For model validation, residual analysis via the computing of the confidence intervals as well as related histograms was performed. Closed-loop simulations for different subjects showed that the model can provide reliable predictions for heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, and the EEG signals. These findings were also reinforced by the residual analyses data obtained, which suggested that the residuals were within the 90% confidence bands and that the corresponding histograms were of a normal distribution. A higher intelligent level was added to the model, based on neural networks, to extend the capabilities of the model to predict over a wide range of subjects dynamics. The elicited physiological model describing the effect of physiological stress on several physiological variables can be used to predict performance breakdown of operators in critical environments. Such a model architecture lends itself naturally to exploitation via feedback control in a 'reverse

  15. Stress Memory and the Inevitable Effects of Drought: A Physiological Perspective

    PubMed Central

    Fleta-Soriano, Eva; Munné-Bosch, Sergi

    2016-01-01

    Plants grow and develop by adjusting their physiology to changes in their environment. Changes in the abiotic environment occur over years, seasons, and days, but also over minutes and even seconds. In this ever-changing environment, plants may adjust their structure and function rapidly to optimize growth and reproduction. Plant responses to reiterated drought (i.e., repeated cycles of drought) differ from those to single incidences of drought; in fact, in nature, plants are usually exposed to repeated cycles of drought that differ in duration and intensity. Nowadays, there is increased interest in better understanding mechanisms of plant response to reiterated drought due, at least in part, to the discovery of epigenomic changes that trigger drought stress memory in plants. Beyond epigenomic changes, there are, however, other aspects that should be considered in the study of plant responses to reiterated drought: from changes in other “omics” approaches (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics), to changes in plant structure; all of which may help us to better understand plant stress memory and its underlying mechanisms. Here, we present an example in which reiterated drought affects the pigment composition of leaves in the ornamental plant Silene dioica and discuss the importance of structural changes (in this case in the photosynthetic apparatus) for the plant response to reiterated drought; they represent a stress imprint that can affect plant response to subsequent stress episodes. Emphasis is placed on the importance of considering structural changes, in addition to physiological adjustments at the “omics” level, to understand stress memory in plants better. PMID:26913046

  16. Urban plant physiology: adaptation-mitigation strategies under permanent stress.

    PubMed

    Calfapietra, Carlo; Peñuelas, Josep; Niinemets, Ülo

    2015-02-01

    Urban environments that are stressful for plant function and growth will become increasingly widespread in future. In this opinion article, we define the concept of 'urban plant physiology', which focuses on plant responses and long term adaptations to urban conditions and on the capacity of urban vegetation to mitigate environmental hazards in urbanized settings such as air and soil pollution. Use of appropriate control treatments would allow for studies in urban environments to be comparable to expensive manipulative experiments. In this opinion article, we propose to couple two approaches, based either on environmental gradients or manipulated gradients, to develop the concept of urban plant physiology for assessing how single or multiple environmental factors affect the key environmental services provided by urban forests. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Physiological Indicators of Stress and Intellectual Performance among Anxious Older Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly, Kimberly S.; And Others

    1997-01-01

    Older adults (n=27) concerned about declining cognitive functioning performed cognitive tasks, completed questionnaires, and were given measures of anxiety and physiological change. Negative correlations appeared between level of cortisol, a stress-related hormone, and self-efficacy on measures of fluid intelligence. Epstein-Barr virus levels were…

  18. Transcriptomic Changes Drive Physiological Responses to Progressive Drought Stress and Rehydration in Tomato

    PubMed Central

    Iovieno, Paolo; Punzo, Paola; Guida, Gianpiero; Mistretta, Carmela; Van Oosten, Michael J.; Nurcato, Roberta; Bostan, Hamed; Colantuono, Chiara; Costa, Antonello; Bagnaresi, Paolo; Chiusano, Maria L.; Albrizio, Rossella; Giorio, Pasquale; Batelli, Giorgia; Grillo, Stefania

    2016-01-01

    Tomato is a major crop in the Mediterranean basin, where the cultivation in the open field is often vulnerable to drought. In order to adapt and survive to naturally occurring cycles of drought stress and recovery, plants employ a coordinated array of physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses. Transcriptomic studies on tomato responses to drought and subsequent recovery are few in number. As the search for novel traits to improve the genetic tolerance to drought increases, a better understanding of these responses is required. To address this need we designed a study in which we induced two cycles of prolonged drought stress and a single recovery by rewatering in tomato. In order to dissect the complexity of plant responses to drought, we analyzed the physiological responses (stomatal conductance, CO2 assimilation, and chlorophyll fluorescence), abscisic acid (ABA), and proline contents. In addition to the physiological and metabolite assays, we generated transcriptomes for multiple points during the stress and recovery cycles. Cluster analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the conditions has revealed potential novel components in stress response. The observed reduction in leaf gas exchanges and efficiency of the photosystem PSII was concomitant with a general down-regulation of genes belonging to the photosynthesis, light harvesting, and photosystem I and II category induced by drought stress. Gene ontology (GO) categories such as cell proliferation and cell cycle were also significantly enriched in the down-regulated fraction of genes upon drought stress, which may contribute to explain the observed growth reduction. Several histone variants were also repressed during drought stress, indicating that chromatin associated processes are also affected by drought. As expected, ABA accumulated after prolonged water deficit, driving the observed enrichment of stress related GOs in the up-regulated gene fractions, which included transcripts

  19. Physiological and psychological stress limits for astronautics Observations during the Skylab I-III missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burchard, E. C.

    1975-01-01

    The physiological and psychological factors of manned space flight had a particular significance in the Skylab missions during which astronauts were subjected to a life in a space environment for longer periods of time than on previous space missions. The Skylab missions demonstrated again the great adaptability of human physiology to the environment of man. The results of Skylab have indicated also approaches for enhancing the capability of man to tolerate the physiological and psychological stresses of space flight.

  20. The stress response and immune system share, borrow, and reconfigure their physiological network elements: Evidence from the insects.

    PubMed

    Adamo, Shelley A

    2017-02-01

    The classic biomedical view is that stress hormone effects on the immune system are largely pathological, especially if the stress is chronic. However, more recent interpretations have focused on the potential adaptive function of these effects. This paper examines stress response-immune system interactions from a physiological network perspective, using insects because of their simpler physiology. For example, stress hormones can reduce disease resistance, yet activating an immune response results in the release of stress hormones in both vertebrates and invertebrates. From a network perspective, this phenomenon is consistent with the 'sharing' of the energy-releasing ability of stress hormones by both the stress response and the immune system. Stress-induced immunosuppression is consistent with the stress response 'borrowing' molecular components from the immune system to increase the capacity of stress-relevant physiological processes (i.e. a trade off). The insect stress hormones octopamine and adipokinetic hormone can also 'reconfigure' the immune system to help compensate for the loss of some of the immune system's molecular resources (e.g. apolipophorin III). This view helps explain seemingly maladaptive interactions between the stress response and immune system. The adaptiveness of stress hormone effects on individual immune components may be apparent only from the perspective of the whole organism. These broad principles will apply to both vertebrates and invertebrates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. [Psychological and physiological evaluations of music listening for mental stress].

    PubMed

    Hasegawa, Hiroki; Uozumi, Takashi; Ono, Koichi

    2004-05-01

    Music elicits emotional and physiological responses in humans, providing excitement, mood elevation, relaxation, sedation and so on. Previous studies have been conducted on the effects of music, while little is known about the effects for the cognitive information processing. In this study we introduced various types of physiological indices, and explored the effects of music on participants' subjective and physiological responses to stress. First, eight participants (mean age; 25.6) were requested to perform a mental calculation task for 30 minutes. After that, they were exposed to music ("Bolero" by M. Ravel) for 13 minutes, while others were exposed to noise or just stayed in silence as controls. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), salivary Immunoglobulin A (sigA), auditory event-related potentials (ERPs), heart rate (HR) and spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed through the experiment. 1) After the calculation task: P300 amplitude of auditory ERPs significantly diminished (p = 0.027). Saliva secretion rate decreased (p = 0.028) and salivary IgA levels rose (p = 0.017) significantly. LF/HF ratio significantly increased (p = 0.042). 2) After music ("Bolero"): P300 amplitude significantly expanded (p = 0.048). State anxiety levels significantly lowered (p = 0.007). No significant physiological effect was found in those exposed to noise or silence. Our results of salivary IgA and LF/HF ratio suggest that the calculation task activates immune and sympathetic nervous system, while these systems are not affected by music. On the other hand, the result of P300 amplitude suggests that the central nervous system for the cognitive information processing is inactivated by the calculation task, and it can be recovered by music. The results of this study indicated that relaxing music is useful for the stress management, which invite further empirical investigation.

  2. Physiological and psychological responses to expressions of emotion and empathy in post-stress communication.

    PubMed

    Ono, Makiko; Fujita, Mizuho; Yamada, Shigeyuki

    2009-01-01

    The effects of communicating during and after expressing emotions and receiving empathy after exposure to stress were investigated for 18 female students (9 pairs). After mental and physical tasks, a subject spoke to a listener about the stress task. In Experiment 1, responses to speaking about negative emotions aroused by the task (the "with emotion" condition) were compared to speaking about only objective facts about the task (the control). In Experiment 2, responses to empathetic reactions from the listener (the "with empathy" condition) were compared to no reaction (the control). Electroencephalograms were recorded, and heart rate variability (HRV) was calculated from electrocardiogram data. Subjective stress was estimated by a visual analog scale. Experiment 1 demonstrated that expressing emotions activated the left temporal region (T3) in the "with emotion" condition. In Experiment 2, physiological responses depended on cognition of different elements of empathy. During communication, feeling that the listener had the same emotion decreased the subject's T3 activity and sympathetic activity balance indicated by HRV. After communication, feeling that the listener understood her emotions decreased bilateral frontal and temporal activity. On the other hand, subjective stress did not differ between conditions in both experiments. These findings indicate that the comfort of having shared a message reduced physiological activity, especially in the "with empathy" condition. Conversely, even in the "with empathy" condition, not sharing a message can result in more discomfort or stress than the control. Sharing might be associated with cognition of the degree of success of communication, which reflected in the physiological responses. In communication, therefore, expressing emotions and receiving empathy did not in themselves reduce stress, and the level of cognition of having shared a message is a key factor in reducing stress.

  3. The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress.

    PubMed

    Crum, Alia J; Akinola, Modupe; Martin, Ashley; Fath, Sean

    2017-07-01

    Prior research suggests that altering situation-specific evaluations of stress as challenging versus threatening can improve responses to stress. The aim of the current study was to explore whether cognitive, physiological and affective stress responses can be altered independent of situation-specific evaluations by changing individuals' mindsets about the nature of stress in general. Using a 2 × 2 design, we experimentally manipulated stress mindset using multi-media film clips orienting participants (N = 113) to either the enhancing or debilitating nature of stress. We also manipulated challenge and threat evaluations by providing positive or negative feedback to participants during a social stress test. Results revealed that under both threat and challenge stress evaluations, a stress-is-enhancing mindset produced sharper increases in anabolic ("growth") hormones relative to a stress-is-debilitating mindset. Furthermore, when the stress was evaluated as a challenge, a stress-is-enhancing mindset produced sharper increases in positive affect, heightened attentional bias towards positive stimuli, and greater cognitive flexibility, whereas a stress-is-debilitating mindset produced worse cognitive and affective outcomes. These findings advance stress management theory and practice by demonstrating that a short manipulation designed to generate a stress-is-enhancing mindset can improve responses to both challenging and threatening stress.

  4. Physiological performance of the soybean crosses in salinity stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wibowo, F.; Armaniar

    2018-02-01

    Plants grown in saline soils will experience salinity stress. Salinity stresses, one of which causes oxidative stress, that cause an imbalance in the production ROS compounds (Reactive Oxygen Species), antioxidants and chlorophyll. Where the reaction of this compound can affect plant growth and plant production. This study aims to inform performance and action gene to soybean physiological character that potential to tolerant from salinity soil that characterized by the presence of SOD and POD antioxidant compounds and chlorophyll. This research used a destructive analysis from crossbred (AxN) and (GxN). A = Anjasmoro varieties and G = Grobogan varieties as female elders and N = Grobogan varieties as male elders (N1, N2, N3, N4, N5) that have been through the stage of saline soil selection. Research result can be concluded that GxN cross is more potential for Inheritance of the offspring. This can be seen from the observed skewness of character SOD, POD compounds, Chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b.

  5. Visual and psychological stress during computer work in healthy, young females-physiological responses.

    PubMed

    Mork, Randi; Falkenberg, Helle K; Fostervold, Knut Inge; Thorud, Hanne Mari S

    2018-05-30

    Among computer workers, visual complaints, and neck pain are highly prevalent. This study explores how occupational simulated stressors during computer work, like glare and psychosocial stress, affect physiological responses in young females with normal vision. The study was a within-subject laboratory experiment with a counterbalanced, repeated design. Forty-three females performed four 10-min computer-work sessions with different stress exposures: (1) minimal stress; (2) visual stress (direct glare); (3) psychological stress; and (4) combined visual and psychological stress. Muscle activity and muscle blood flow in trapezius, muscle blood flow in orbicularis oculi, heart rate, blood pressure, blink rate and postural angles were continuously recorded. Immediately after each computer-work session, fixation disparity was measured and a questionnaire regarding perceived workstation lighting and stress was completed. Exposure to direct glare resulted in increased trapezius muscle blood flow, increased blink rate, and forward bending of the head. Psychological stress induced a transient increase in trapezius muscle activity and a more forward-bent posture. Bending forward towards the computer screen was correlated with higher productivity (reading speed), indicating a concentration or stress response. Forward bent posture was also associated with changes in fixation disparity. Furthermore, during computer work per se, trapezius muscle activity and blood flow, orbicularis oculi muscle blood flow, and heart rate were increased compared to rest. Exposure to glare and psychological stress during computer work were shown to influence the trapezius muscle, posture, and blink rate in young, healthy females with normal binocular vision, but in different ways. Accordingly, both visual and psychological factors must be taken into account when optimizing computer workstations to reduce physiological responses that may cause excessive eyestrain and musculoskeletal load.

  6. Growth and physiological responses of some Capsicum frutescens varieties to copper stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jadid, Nurul; Maziyah, Rizka; Nurcahyani, Desy Dwi; Mubarokah, Nilna Rizqiyah

    2017-06-01

    Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient participating in various physiological processes. However, excessive uptake of this micronutrient could potentially affect plant growth and development as well as plant productivity. In this present work, growth and physiological responses of some Capsicum frustescens varieties to Cu stress were determined. Three C. frutescens varieties used in this work were var. Bara, CF 291, and Genie. In addition, these varieties were treated with different concentration of Cu (0, 30, 70, and 120 ppm). The growth and physiological responses measured in this work included plant height, root length, malondialdehyde (MDA), and chlorophyll. The result showed that all varieties tested relatively displayed plant growth reduction including plant height and root length. Likewise, an increase of MDA level, a major bioindicator for oxidative damage was also found in all varieties following exposure to elevated Cu concentration. Finally, the chlorophyll content was also affected indicated by a decreased amount of chlorophyll, especially in var. CF291. The overall results demonstrated that elevated Cu concentration might decrease C. frutescens productivity where among the three varieties tested, var CF 291 seemed to be the most sensitive varieties to Cu stress.

  7. Comparative physiological and proteomic responses to drought stress in two poplar species originating from different altitudes.

    PubMed

    Yang, Fan; Wang, Yong; Miao, Ling-Feng

    2010-08-01

    Cuttings of Populus kangdingensis C. Wang et Tung and Populus cathayana Rehder were examined during a single growing season in a greenhouse for comparative analysis of their physiological and proteomic responses to drought stress. The said species originate from high and low altitudes, respectively, of the eastern Himalaya. Results revealed that the adaptive responses to drought stress vary between the two poplar species. As a consequence of drought stress, the stem height increment and leaf number increment are more significantly inhibited in P. cathayana compared with P. kangdingensis. On the other hand, in response to drought stress, more significant cellular damages such as reduction in leaf relative water content and CO(2) assimilation rate, increments in the contents of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide and downregulation or degradation of proteins related to photosynthesis occur in P. cathayana compared with P. kangdingensis. On the other hand, P. kangdingensis can cope better with the negative impact on the entire regulatory network. This includes more efficient increases in content of solute sugar, soluble protein and free proline and activities of antioxidant enzymes, as well as specific expressions of certain proteins related to protein processing, redox homeostasis and sugar metabolism. Morphological consequences as well as physiological and proteomic responses to drought stress between species revealed that P. kangdingensis originating from a high altitude manifest stronger drought adaptation than did P. cathayana originating from a low altitude. Functions of various proteins identified by proteomic experiment are related with physiological phenomena. Physiological and proteomic responses to drought stress in poplar may work cooperatively to establish a new cellular homeostasis, allowing poplar to develop a certain level of drought tolerance.

  8. Different profiles of decision making and physiology under varying levels of stress in trained military personnel.

    PubMed

    Gamble, Katherine R; Vettel, Jean M; Patton, Debra J; Eddy, Marianna D; Caroline Davis, F; Garcia, Javier O; Spangler, Derek P; Thayer, Julian F; Brooks, Justin R

    2018-03-23

    Decision making is one of the most vital processes we use every day, ranging from mundane decisions about what to eat to life-threatening choices such as how to avoid a car collision. Thus, the context in which our decisions are made is critical, and our physiology enables adaptive responses that account for how environmental stress influences our performance. The relationship between stress and decision making can additionally be affected by one's expertise in making decisions in high-threat environments, where experts can develop an adaptive response that mitigates the negative impacts of stress. In the present study, 26 male military personnel made friend/foe discriminations in an environment where we manipulated the level of stress. In the high-stress condition, participants received a shock when they incorrectly shot a friend or missed shooting a foe; in the low-stress condition, participants received a vibration for an incorrect decision. We characterized performance using signal detection theory to investigate whether a participant changed their decision criterion to avoid making an error. Results showed that under high-stress, participants made more false alarms, mistaking friends as foes, and this co-occurred with increased high frequency heart rate variability. Finally, we examined the relationship between decision making and physiology, and found that participants exhibited adaptive behavioral and physiological profiles under different stress levels. We interpret this adaptive profile as a marker of an expert's ingrained training that does not require top down control, suggesting a way that expert training in high-stress environments helps to buffer negative impacts of stress on performance. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Cortisol as a Biomarker of Stress in Term Human Labor: Physiological and Methodological Issues

    PubMed Central

    Newton, Edward R.; Tanner, Charles J.; Heitkemper, Margaret M.

    2013-01-01

    Literature on the use of plasma cortisol to quantify psychophysiological stress in humans is extensive. However, in parturition at term gestation the use of cortisol as a biomarker of stress is particularly complex. Plasma cortisol levels increase as labor progresses. This increase seems to be important for maintenance of maternal/fetal wellbeing and facilitation of normal labor progress. Unique physiological and methodological issues involved in the use of cortisol as a biomarker of stress in labor present challenges for researchers. This review examines these issues, suggests mixed methods and within-subject repeated measures designs, and offers recommendations for assay procedures for parturient sampling. Documentation of clinical interventions and delivery outcomes may elucidate relationships among psychophysiological stressors, cortisol and normal labor progress. With attention to these methodological issues, analysis of plasma cortisol may lead to clinical interventions that support normal labor physiology. PMID:23338011

  10. Physiologic Arousal to Social Stress in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levine, Todd P.; Sheinkopf, Stephen J.; Pescosolido, Matthew; Rodino, Alison; Elia, Gregory; Lester, Barry

    2012-01-01

    Little is known about arousal to socially stressful situations in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. This preliminary study investigates physiologic arousal in children with high functioning autism (HFA, n = 19) compared to a comparison group (n = 11) before, during, and after the Trier Social Stress Test. The HFA group was more likely to…

  11. Environmental and biological context modulates the physiological stress response of bats to human disturbance.

    PubMed

    Phelps, Kendra L; Kingston, Tigga

    2018-06-01

    Environmental and biological context play significant roles in modulating physiological stress responses of individuals in wildlife populations yet are often overlooked when evaluating consequences of human disturbance on individual health and fitness. Furthermore, most studies gauge individual stress responses based on a single physiological biomarker, typically circulating glucocorticoid concentrations, which limits interpretation of the complex, multifaceted responses of individuals to stressors. We selected four physiological biomarkers to capture short-term and prolonged stress responses in a widespread cave-roosting bat, Hipposideros diadema, across multiple gradients of human disturbance in and around caves in the Philippines. We used conditional inference trees and random forest analysis to determine the role of environmental quality (cave complexity, available roosting area), assemblage composition (intra- and interspecific associations and species richness), and intrinsic characteristics of individuals (sex and reproductive status) in modulating responses to disturbance. Direct cave disturbance (hunting pressure and human visitation) was the primary driver of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, with lower ratios associated with increased disturbance, while context-specific factors were more important in explaining total leukocyte count, body condition, and ectoparasite load. Moreover, conditional inference trees revealed complex interactions among human disturbance and modulating factors. Cave complexity often ameliorated individual responses to human disturbance, whereas conspecific abundance often compounded responses. Our study demonstrates the importance of an integrated approach that incorporates environmental and biological context when identifying drivers of physiological responses, and that assesses responses to gradients of direct and indirect disturbance using multiple complementary biomarkers.

  12. Evaluating Stress Physiology and Parasite Infection Parameters in the Translocation of Critically Endangered Woylies (Bettongia penicillata).

    PubMed

    Hing, Stephanie; Northover, Amy S; Narayan, Edward J; Wayne, Adrian F; Jones, Krista L; Keatley, Sarah; Thompson, R C Andrew; Godfrey, Stephanie S

    2017-03-01

    Translocation can be stressful for wildlife. Stress may be important in fauna translocation because it has been suggested that it can exacerbate the impact of infectious disease on translocated wildlife. However, few studies explore this hypothesis by measuring stress physiology and infection indices in parallel during wildlife translocations. We analysed faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) concentration and endoparasite parameters (nematodes, coccidians and haemoparasites) in a critically endangered marsupial, the woylie (Bettongia penicillata), 1-3 months prior to translocation, at translocation, and 6 months later. FCM for both translocated and resident woylies was significantly higher after translocation compared to before or at translocation. In addition, body condition decreased with increasing FCM after translocation. These patterns in host condition and physiology may be indicative of translocation stress or stress associated with factors independent of the translocation. Parasite factors also influenced FCM in translocated woylies. When haemoparasites were detected, there was a significant negative relationship between strongyle egg count and FCM. This may reflect the influence of glucocorticoids on the immune response to micro- and macro-parasites. Our results indicate that host physiology and infection patterns can change significantly during translocation, but further investigation is required to determine how these patterns influence translocation success.

  13. A Randomized Crossover Trial on Acute Stress-Related Physiological Responses to Mountain Hiking

    PubMed Central

    Grafetstätter, Carina; Hartl, Arnulf; Kopp, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Green exercise, defined as physical activity in natural environments, might have positive effects on stress-related physiological measures. Little is known about the acute effects of green exercise bouts lasting longer than 60 min. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the acute effects of a three-hour green exercise intervention (mountain hiking) on stress-related physiological responses. Using a randomized crossover design, 42 healthy participants were exposed to three different conditions in a field-based experiment: outdoor mountain hiking, indoor treadmill walking, and sedentary control condition (three hours each). At baseline and at follow-up (five minutes after the condition), stress-related physiological responses (salivary cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate variability) were measured. Salivary cortisol decreased in all conditions, but showed a larger decrease after both mountain hiking and treadmill walking compared to the sedentary control situation (partial η2 = 0.10). No differences were found between mountain hiking and treadmill walking in salivary cortisol. In heart rate variability and blood pressure, changes from baseline to follow-up did not significantly differ between the three conditions. The results indicate that three hours of hiking indoors or outdoors elicits positive effects on salivary cortisol concentration. Environmental effects seem to play a minor role in salivary cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate variability. PMID:28800067

  14. Ability to Discriminate Between Sustainable and Unsustainable Heat Stress Exposures-Part 2: Physiological Indicators.

    PubMed

    Garzón-Villalba, Ximena P; Wu, Yougui; Ashley, Candi D; Bernard, Thomas E

    2017-07-01

    There are times when it is not practical to assess heat stress using environmental metrics and metabolic rate, and heat strain may provide an alternative approach. Heat strain indicators have been used for decades as tools for monitoring physiological responses to work in hot environments. Common indicators of heat strain are body core temperature (assessed here as rectal temperature Tre), heart rate (HR), and average skin temperature (Tsk). Data collected from progressive heat stress trials were used to (1) demonstrate if physiological heat strain indicators (PHSIs) at the upper limit of Sustainable heat stress were below generally accepted limits; (2) suggest values for PHSIs that demonstrate a Sustainable level of heat stress; (3) suggest alternative PHSIs; and (4) determine if metabolic rate was an effect modifier. Two previous progressive heat stress studies included 176 trials with 352 pairs of Sustainable and Unsustainable exposures over a range of relative humidities and metabolic rates using 29 participants. To assess the discrimination ability of PHSIs, conditional logistic regression and stepwise logistic regression were used to find the best combinations of predictors of Unsustainable exposures. The accuracy of the models was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Current recommendations for physiological heat strain limits were associated with probabilities of Unsustainable greater than 0.5. Screening limits for Sustainable heat stress were Tre of 37.5°C, HR of 105 bpm, and Tsk of 35.8°C. Tsk alone resulted in an area under the curve of 0.85 and the combination of Tsk and HR (area under the curve = 0.88) performed the best. The adjustment for metabolic rate was statistically significant for physiological strain index or ∆Tre-sk as main predictors, but its effect modification was negligible and could be ignored. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve, PHSIs (Tre, HR, and Tsk) can accurately predict Unsustainable heat

  15. On the use of wearable physiological monitors to assess heat strain during occupational heat stress.

    PubMed

    Notley, Sean R; Flouris, Andreas D; Kenny, Glen P

    2018-05-04

    Workers in many industries are required to perform arduous work in high heat stress conditions, which can lead to rapid increases in body temperature that elevate the risk of heat-related illness or even death. Traditionally, effort to mitigate work-related heat injury has been directed to the assessment of environmental heat stress (e.g., wet-bulb globe temperature), rather than the associated physiological strain responses (e.g., heart rate, skin and core temperatures). However, since a workers physiological response to a given heat stress is modified independently by inter-individual factors (e.g., age, sex, chronic disease, others) and intra-individual factors both within (e.g., medication use, fitness, acclimation and hydration state, others) and beyond a workers control (e.g., shift duration, illness, others), it becomes challenging to protect workers on an individual basis from heat-related injury without assessing those physiological responses. Recent advancements in wearable technology have made it possible to monitor one or more physiological indices of heat strain. Nonetheless, information on the utility of the wearable systems available for assessing occupational heat strain is unavailable. This communication is therefore directed at identifying the physiological indices of heat strain that may be quantified in the workplace and evaluating the wearable monitoring systems available for assessing those responses. Finally, emphasis is directed to the barriers associated with implementing these devices to assist in mitigating work-related heat injury. This information is fundamental for protecting worker health and could also be utilized to prevent heat illnesses in vulnerable people during leisure or athletic activities in the heat.

  16. Host stress physiology and Trypanosoma haemoparasite infection influence innate immunity in the woylie (Bettongia penicillata).

    PubMed

    Hing, Stephanie; Currie, Andrew; Broomfield, Steven; Keatley, Sarah; Jones, Krista; Thompson, R C Andrew; Narayan, Edward; Godfrey, Stephanie S

    2016-06-01

    Understanding immune function is critical to conserving wildlife in view of infectious disease threats, particularly in threatened species vulnerable to stress, immunocompromise and infection. However, few studies examine stress, immune function and infection in wildlife. We used a flow cytometry protocol developed for human infants to assess phagocytosis, a key component of innate immunity, in a critically endangered marsupial, the woylie (Bettongia penicillata). The effects of stress physiology and Trypanosoma infection on phagocytosis were investigated. Blood and faecal samples were collected from woylies in a captive facility over three months. Trypanosoma status was determined using PCR. Faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) were quantified by enzyme-immunoassay. Mean phagocytosis measured was >90%. An interaction between sex and FCM influenced the percentage of phagocytosing leukocytes, possibly reflecting the influence of sex hormones and glucocorticoids. An interaction between Trypanosoma status and FCM influenced phagocytosis index, suggesting that stress physiology and infection status influence innate immunity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Early Childcare, Executive Functioning, and the Moderating Role of Early Stress Physiology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berry, Daniel; Willoughby, Michael T.; Blair, Clancy; Ursache, Alexandra; Granger, Douglas A.

    2014-01-01

    Intervention studies indicate that children's childcare experiences can be leveraged to support the development of executive functioning (EF). The role of more normative childcare experiences is less clear. Increasingly, theory and empirical work suggest that individual differences in children's physiological stress systems may be associated with…

  18. The battle within: understanding the physiology of war-zone stress exposure.

    PubMed

    Bruner, Victoria E; Woll, Pamela

    2011-01-01

    Faced with pervasive loss, life threat, and moral conflict in the field of battle, the human body and brain adapt to extraordinary circumstances in extraordinary ways. These adaptations come at a high price, and many men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are paying that price every day. For the clinician who seeks to help, an understanding of the physiology of war-zone stress and resilience is an essential foundation, both for recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions, and for addressing the stigma and shame that keep many service members and veterans from seeking and accepting the help and support they need. This article explores ways in which the body and brain adapt to war-zone stress, resulting challenges, and implications for clinical services and ongoing recovery.

  19. Acute Physiologic Stress and Subsequent Anxiety Among Family Members of ICU Patients.

    PubMed

    Beesley, Sarah J; Hopkins, Ramona O; Holt-Lunstad, Julianne; Wilson, Emily L; Butler, Jorie; Kuttler, Kathryn G; Orme, James; Brown, Samuel M; Hirshberg, Eliotte L

    2018-02-01

    The ICU is a complex and stressful environment and is associated with significant psychologic morbidity for patients and their families. We sought to determine whether salivary cortisol, a physiologic measure of acute stress, was associated with subsequent psychologic distress among family members of ICU patients. This is a prospective, observational study of family members of adult ICU patients. Adult medical and surgical ICU in a tertiary care center. Family members of ICU patients. Participants provided five salivary cortisol samples over 24 hours at the time of the patient ICU admission. The primary measure of cortisol was the area under the curve from ground; the secondary measure was the cortisol awakening response. Outcomes were obtained during a 3-month follow-up telephone call. The primary outcome was anxiety, measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety. Secondary outcomes included depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Among 100 participants, 92 completed follow-up. Twenty-nine participants (32%) reported symptoms of anxiety at 3 months, 15 participants (16%) reported depression symptoms, and 14 participants (15%) reported posttraumatic stress symptoms. In our primary analysis, cortisol level as measured by area under the curve from ground was not significantly associated with anxiety (odds ratio, 0.94; p = 0.70). In our secondary analysis, however, cortisol awakening response was significantly associated with anxiety (odds ratio, 1.08; p = 0.02). Roughly one third of family members experience anxiety after an ICU admission for their loved one, and many family members also experience depression and posttraumatic stress. Cortisol awakening response is associated with anxiety in family members of ICU patients 3 months following the ICU admission. Physiologic measurements of stress among ICU family members may help identify individuals at particular risk of adverse psychologic outcomes.

  20. Soil microbial communities buffer physiological responses to drought stress in three hardwood species.

    PubMed

    Kannenberg, Steven A; Phillips, Richard P

    2017-03-01

    Trees possess myriad adaptations for coping with drought stress, but the extent to which their drought responses are influenced by interactions with soil microbes is poorly understood. To explore the role of microbes in mediating tree responses to drought stress, we exposed saplings of three species (Acer saccharum, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Quercus alba) to a four week experimental drought in mesocosms. Half of the pots were inoculated with a live soil slurry (i.e., a microbial inoculum derived from soils beneath the canopies of mature A. saccharum, L. tulipifera or Q. alba stands), while the other half of the pots received a sterile soil slurry. Soil microbes ameliorated drought stress in L. tulipifera by minimizing reductions in leaf water potential and by reducing photosynthetic declines. In A. saccharum, soil microbes reduced drought stress by lessening declines in leaf water potential, though these changes did not buffer the trees from declining photosynthetic rates. In Q. alba, soil microbes had no effects on leaf physiological parameters during drought stress. In all species, microbes had no significant effects on dynamic C allocation during drought stress, suggesting that microbial effects on plant physiology were unrelated to source-sink dynamics. Collectively, our results suggest that soil microbes have the potential to alter key parameters that are used to diagnose drought sensitivity (i.e., isohydry or anisohydry). To the extent that our results reflect dynamics occurring in forests, a revised perspective on plant hydraulic strategies that considers root-microbe interactions may lead to improved predictions of forest vulnerability to drought.

  1. Surviving in a frozen desert: environmental stress physiology of terrestrial Antarctic arthropods.

    PubMed

    Teets, Nicholas M; Denlinger, David L

    2014-01-01

    Abiotic stress is one of the primary constraints limiting the range and success of arthropods, and nowhere is this more apparent than Antarctica. Antarctic arthropods have evolved a suite of adaptations to cope with extremes in temperature and water availability. Here, we review the current state of knowledge regarding the environmental physiology of terrestrial arthropods in Antarctica. To survive low temperatures, mites and Collembola are freeze-intolerant and rely on deep supercooling, in some cases supercooling below -30°C. Also, some of these microarthropods are capable of cryoprotective dehydration to extend their supercooling capacity and reduce the risk of freezing. In contrast, the two best-studied Antarctic insects, the midges Belgica antarctica and Eretmoptera murphyi, are freeze-tolerant year-round and rely on both seasonal and rapid cold-hardening to cope with decreases in temperature. A common theme among Antarctic arthropods is extreme tolerance of dehydration; some accomplish this by cuticular mechanisms to minimize water loss across their cuticle, while a majority have highly permeable cuticles but tolerate upwards of 50-70% loss of body water. Molecular studies of Antarctic arthropod stress physiology are still in their infancy, but several recent studies are beginning to shed light on the underlying mechanisms that govern extreme stress tolerance. Some common themes that are emerging include the importance of cuticular and cytoskeletal rearrangements, heat shock proteins, metabolic restructuring and cell recycling pathways as key mediators of cold and water stress in the Antarctic.

  2. Food, stress, and reproduction: short-term fasting alters endocrine physiology and reproductive behavior in the zebra finch.

    PubMed

    Lynn, Sharon E; Stamplis, Teresa B; Barrington, William T; Weida, Nicholas; Hudak, Casey A

    2010-07-01

    Stress is thought to be a potent suppressor of reproduction. However, the vast majority of studies focus on the relationship between chronic stress and reproductive suppression, despite the fact that chronic stress is rare in the wild. We investigated the role of fasting in altering acute stress physiology, reproductive physiology, and reproductive behavior of male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) with several goals in mind. First, we wanted to determine if acute fasting could stimulate an increase in plasma corticosterone and a decrease in corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) and testosterone. We then investigated whether fasting could alter expression of undirected song and courtship behavior. After subjecting males to fasting periods ranging from 1 to 10h, we collected plasma to measure corticosterone, CBG, and testosterone. We found that plasma corticosterone was elevated, and testosterone was decreased after 4, 6, and 10h of fasting periods compared with samples collected from the same males during nonfasted (control) periods. CBG was lower than control levels only after 10h of fasting. We also found that, coincident with these endocrine changes, males sang less and courted females less vigorously following short-term fasting relative to control conditions. Our data demonstrate that acute fasting resulted in rapid changes in endocrine physiology consistent with hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activation and hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis deactivation. Fasting also inhibited reproductive behavior. We suggest that zebra finches exhibit physiological and behavioral flexibility that makes them an excellent model system for studying interactions of acute stress and reproduction. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. A comparison of physiological indicators of sublethal cadmium stress in wetland plants

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mendelssohn, I.A.; McKee, K.L.; Kong, T.

    2001-01-01

    Physiological indices, including photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, adenylate energy charge (AEC) ratio, and leaf reflectance, were determined for Typha domingensis and Spartina alterniflora in response to increasing concentrations of Cd and compared with the growth responses of these species. Leaf expansion, the live/total ratio of plant aboveground biomass, and the aboveground regrowth rate after the initial harvests were significantly reduced with increasing Cd concentration in the growth medium. Of the four physiological responses measured, only photosynthesis and AEC responded to the Cd treatment before damage was visually apparent. Also, these indices were significantly correlated with leaf expansion rate and live/total ratio in most instances. Except at the end of the experiment, when the most stressed plants began to die, the Fv/Fm ratio was not significantly affected by the Cd treatment. The leaf spectral reflectance parameters showed no significant change during the entire treatment period. The significant correlation between the stress indicators and plant growth supported the findings that photosynthesis and AEC were the most responsive of the indicators tested, however, further research investigating other chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf reflectance parameters may demonstrate as well the value of these indicators in quantifying sublethal stress. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Can architectural design alter the physiological reaction to psychosocial stress? A virtual TSST experiment.

    PubMed

    Fich, Lars Brorson; Jönsson, Peter; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning; Wallergård, Mattias; Garde, Anne Helene; Hansen, Åse

    2014-08-01

    Is has long been established, that views to natural scenes can a have a dampening effect on physiological stress responses. However, as people in Europe, Canada and North America today spent 50-85% of their time indoors, attention might also be paid to how the artificial man-made indoor environment influences these mechanisms. The question that this study attempts to start addressing is therefore whether certain design, characteristics of indoor spaces can make a difference to the physiological stress response as well. Using a virtual version of the Trier Social Stress Test, in which the space is computer generated and properties of the space therefore can be systematically varied, we measured saliva cortisol and heart rate variability in participants in a closed room versus a room with openings. As shown by a significant linear contrast interaction between groups and TSST conditions, participants in the closed room responded with more pronounced cortisol reactivity to stress induction, and continued to show higher levels throughout recovery, compared to participants in the open room. No differences were found regarding any part of the autonomic nervous system. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Social defeat protocol and relevant biomarkers, implications for stress response physiology, drug abuse, mood disorders and individual stress vulnerability: a systematic review of the last decade.

    PubMed

    Vasconcelos, Mailton; Stein, Dirson João; de Almeida, Rosa Maria M

    2015-01-01

    Social defeat (SD) in rats, which results from male intraspecific confrontations, is ethologically relevant and useful to understand stress effects on physiology and behavior. A systematic review of studies about biomarkers induced by the SD protocol and published from 2002 to 2013 was carried out in the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Knowledge and ScienceDirect. The search terms were: social defeat, rat, neurotrophins, neuroinflammatory markers, and transcriptional factors. Classical and recently discovered biomarkers were found to be relevant in stress-induced states. Findings were summarized in accordance to the length of exposure to stress: single, repeated, intermittent and continuous SD. This review found that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a distinct marker of stress adaptation. Along with glucocorticoids and catecholamines, BDNF seems to be important in understanding stress physiology. The SD model provides a relevant tool to study stress response features, development of addictive behaviors, clinic depression and anxiety, as well as individual differences in vulnerability and resilience to stress.

  6. Effects of experimentally elevated traffic noise on nestling white-crowned sparrow stress physiology, immune function and life history.

    PubMed

    Crino, Ondi L; Johnson, Erin E; Blickley, Jessica L; Patricelli, Gail L; Breuner, Creagh W

    2013-06-01

    Roads have been associated with behavioral and physiological changes in wildlife. In birds, roads decrease reproductive success and biodiversity and increase physiological stress. Although the consequences of roads on individuals and communities have been well described, the mechanisms through which roads affect birds remain largely unexplored. Here, we examine one mechanism through which roads could affect birds: traffic noise. We exposed nestling mountain white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha) to experimentally elevated traffic noise for 5 days during the nestling period. Following exposure to traffic noise we measured nestling stress physiology, immune function, body size, condition and survival. Based on prior studies, we expected the traffic noise treatment to result in elevated stress hormones (glucocorticoids), and declines in immune function, body size, condition and survival. Surprisingly, nestlings exposed to traffic noise had lower glucocorticoid levels and improved condition relative to control nests. These results indicate that traffic noise does affect physiology and development in white-crowned sparrows, but not at all as predicted. Therefore, when evaluating the mechanisms through which roads affect avian populations, other factors (e.g. edge effects, pollution and mechanical vibration) may be more important than traffic noise in explaining elevated nestling stress responses in this species.

  7. Sex-related differences in stress tolerance in dioecious plants: a critical appraisal in a physiological context.

    PubMed

    Juvany, Marta; Munné-Bosch, Sergi

    2015-10-01

    Sex-related differences in reproductive effort can lead to differences in vegetative growth and stress tolerance. However, do all dioecious plants show sex-related differences in stress tolerance? To what extent can the environmental context and modularity mask sex-related differences in stress tolerance? Finally, to what extent can physiological measurements help us understand secondary sexual dimorphism? This opinion paper aims to answer these three basic questions with special emphasis on developments in research in this area over the last decade. Compelling evidence indicates that dimorphic species do not always show differences in stress tolerance between sexes; and when sex-related differences do occur, they seem to be highly species-specific, with greater stress tolerance in females than males in some species, and the opposite in others. The causes of such sex-related species-specific differences are still poorly understood, and more physiological studies and diversity of plant species that allow comparative analyses are needed. Furthermore, studies performed thus far demonstrate that the expression of dioecy can lead to sex-related differences in physiological traits-from leaf gas exchange to gene expression-but the biological significance of modularity and sectoriality governing such differences has been poorly investigated. Future studies that consider the importance of modularity and sectoriality are essential for unravelling the mechanisms underlying stress adaptation in male and female plants growing in their natural habitat. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Playing a rigged game: Inequality's effect on physiological stress responses.

    PubMed

    Shapiro, Martin S; Rylant, Rhanda; de Lima, Amanda; Vidaurri, Andrea; van de Werfhorst, Herman

    2017-10-15

    High income and wealth inequality corresponds with high rates of various health and social problems. One possible factor that could be contributing to this correlation is stress experienced by those being treated unfairly in an unequal society. The present experiment attempted to simulate aspects of income inequality in a lab setting while recording several measures of stress. Participants (n=96) were assigned to one of four groups and played a memory game against a confederate opponent to earn "money" to spend in a lab market. The four groups depended on the difficulty of the problems and the fairness of the game that they and their opponents experienced. Stress attitudes were assessed with the Short Stress State Questionnaire (SSSQ) and four physiological measures: salivary cortisol, medial frontalis and corrugator facial muscle EMG, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and skin conductance levels (SCL). Cortisol levels and HRV scores were the highest in groups that competed in an unfair game regardless of the difficulty of the problem compared to the groups playing a fair game. The group playing an unfair game with hard problems (disadvantaged) also had elevated facial muscle activity indicating negative affect and reported higher distress on the stress questionnaire. The results of this experiment showed that experiencing inequality even for a short time elicited several stress responses even if the participant benefited from the inequality. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  9. Physiological and Biochemical Responses in Two Ornamental Shrubs to Drought Stress.

    PubMed

    Toscano, Stefania; Farieri, Elisa; Ferrante, Antonio; Romano, Daniela

    2016-01-01

    Drought stress is one of the most important abiotic stress limiting the plant survival and growth in the Mediterranean environment. In this work, two species typically grown in Mediterranean areas with different drought responses were used. Two shrubs, with slow (Photinia × fraseri Dress 'Red Robin') or fast (Eugenia uniflora L. 'Etna Fire') adaptation ability to drought, were subjected to three water regimes: well-watered (WW), moderate (MD), and severe (SD) drought stress conditions for 30 days. Net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase) were measured. Results showed that RWC and proline were higher in Eugenia than in Photinia, demonstrating the greater tolerance of the latter to the water stress. The drought stress levels applied did not compromise photosynthetic efficiency through stomatal regulation, while a reduction of Fv/Fm ratio was observed at the end of the experimental period. MDA significantly increased after 30 days in both species. The antioxidant enzyme activities showed different responses to water stress conditions. In both species, the water stress scores showed positive, while proline content showed negative correlations with all physiological parameters.

  10. Physiological and Biochemical Responses in Two Ornamental Shrubs to Drought Stress

    PubMed Central

    Toscano, Stefania; Farieri, Elisa; Ferrante, Antonio; Romano, Daniela

    2016-01-01

    Drought stress is one of the most important abiotic stress limiting the plant survival and growth in the Mediterranean environment. In this work, two species typically grown in Mediterranean areas with different drought responses were used. Two shrubs, with slow (Photinia × fraseri Dress ‘Red Robin’) or fast (Eugenia uniflora L. ‘Etna Fire’) adaptation ability to drought, were subjected to three water regimes: well-watered (WW), moderate (MD), and severe (SD) drought stress conditions for 30 days. Net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase) were measured. Results showed that RWC and proline were higher in Eugenia than in Photinia, demonstrating the greater tolerance of the latter to the water stress. The drought stress levels applied did not compromise photosynthetic efficiency through stomatal regulation, while a reduction of Fv/Fm ratio was observed at the end of the experimental period. MDA significantly increased after 30 days in both species. The antioxidant enzyme activities showed different responses to water stress conditions. In both species, the water stress scores showed positive, while proline content showed negative correlations with all physiological parameters. PMID:27242846

  11. Meta-analysis of digital game and study characteristics eliciting physiological stress responses.

    PubMed

    van der Vijgh, Benny; Beun, Robbert-Jan; Van Rood, Maarten; Werkhoven, Peter

    2015-08-01

    Digital games have been used as stressors in a range of disciplines for decades. Nonetheless, the underlying characteristics of these stressors and the study in which the stressor was applied are generally not recognized for their moderating effect on the measured physiological stress responses. We have therefore conducted a meta-analysis that analyzes the effects of characteristics of digital game stressors and study design on heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, in studies carried out from 1976 to 2012. In order to assess the differing quality between study designs, a new scale is developed and presented, coined reliability of effect size. The results show specific and consistent moderating functions of both game and study characteristics, on average accounting for around 43%, and in certain cases up to 57% of the variance found in physiological stress responses. Possible cognitive and physiological processes underlying these moderating functions are discussed, and a new model integrating these processes with the moderating functions is presented. These findings indicate that a digital game stressor does not act as a stressor by virtue of being a game, but rather derives its stressor function from its characteristics and the methodology in which it is used. This finding, together with the size of the associated moderations, indicates the need for a standardization of digital game stressors. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  12. Rootstock alleviates PEG-induced water stress in grafted pepper seedlings: physiological responses.

    PubMed

    Penella, Consuelo; Nebauer, Sergio G; Bautista, Alberto San; López-Galarza, Salvador; Calatayud, Ángeles

    2014-06-15

    Recent studies have shown that tolerance to abiotic stress, including water stress, is improved by grafting. In a previous work, we took advantage of the natural variability of Capsicum spp. and selected accessions tolerant and sensitive to water stress as rootstocks. The behavior of commercial cultivar 'Verset' seedlings grafted onto the selected rootstocks at two levels of water stress provoked by adding 3.5 and 7% PEG (polyethylene glycol) was examined over 14 days. The objective was to identify the physiological traits responsible for the tolerance provided by the rootstock in order to determine if the tolerance is based on the maintenance of the water relations under water stress or through the activation of protective mechanisms. To achieve this goal, various physiological parameters were measured, including: water relations; proline accumulation; gas exchange; chlorophyll fluorescence; nitrate reductase activity; and antioxidant capacity. Our results indicate that the effect of water stress on the measured parameters depends on the duration and intensity of the stress level, as well as the rootstock used. Under control conditions (0% PEG) all plant combinations showed similar values for all measured parameters. In general terms, PEG provoked a strong decrease in the gas exchange parameters in the cultivar grafted onto the sensitive accessions, as also observed in the ungrafted plants. This effect was related to lower relative water content in the plants, provoked by an inefficient osmotic adjustment that was dependent on reduced proline accumulation. At the end of the experiment, chronic photoinhibition was observed in these plants. However, the plants grafted onto the tolerant rootstocks, despite the reduction in photosynthetic rate, maintained the protective capacity of the photosynthetic machinery mediated by osmotic adjustment (based on higher proline content). In addition, water stress limited uptake and further NO3(-) transfer to the leaves. Increased

  13. Physiological stress reactivity and physical and relational aggression: the moderating roles of victimization, type of stressor, and child gender.

    PubMed

    Murray-Close, Dianna; Crick, Nicki R; Tseng, Wan-Ling; Lafko, Nicole; Burrows, Casey; Pitula, Clio; Ralston, Peter

    2014-08-01

    The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the association between physiological reactivity to peer stressors and physical and relational aggression. Potential moderation by actual experiences of peer maltreatment (i.e., physical and relational victimization) and gender were also explored. One hundred ninety-six children (M = 10.11 years, SD = 0.64) participated in a laboratory stress protocol during which their systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and skin conductance reactivity to recounting a relational stressor (e.g., threats to relationships) and an instrumental stressor (e.g., threats to physical well-being, dominance, or property) were assessed. Teachers provided reports of aggression and victimization. In both boys and girls, physical aggression was associated with blunted physiological reactivity to relational stress and heightened physiological reactivity to instrumental stress, particularly among youth higher in victimization. In girls, relational aggression was most robustly associated with blunted physiological reactivity to relational stressors, particularly among girls exhibiting higher levels of relational victimization. In boys, relational aggression was associated with heightened physiological reactivity to both types of stressors at higher levels of peer victimization and blunted physiological reactivity to both types of stressors at lower levels of victimization. Results underscore the shared and distinct emotional processes underlying physical and relational aggression in boys and girls.

  14. Changes in intestinal microbiota composition and metabolism coincide with increased intestinal permeability in young adults under prolonged physiological stress.

    PubMed

    Karl, J Philip; Margolis, Lee M; Madslien, Elisabeth H; Murphy, Nancy E; Castellani, John W; Gundersen, Yngvar; Hoke, Allison V; Levangie, Michael W; Kumar, Raina; Chakraborty, Nabarun; Gautam, Aarti; Hammamieh, Rasha; Martini, Svein; Montain, Scott J; Pasiakos, Stefan M

    2017-06-01

    The magnitude, temporal dynamics, and physiological effects of intestinal microbiome responses to physiological stress are poorly characterized. This study used a systems biology approach and a multiple-stressor military training environment to determine the effects of physiological stress on intestinal microbiota composition and metabolic activity, as well as intestinal permeability (IP). Soldiers ( n = 73) were provided three rations per day with or without protein- or carbohydrate-based supplements during a 4-day cross-country ski-march (STRESS). IP was measured before and during STRESS. Blood and stool samples were collected before and after STRESS to measure inflammation, stool microbiota, and stool and plasma global metabolite profiles. IP increased 62 ± 57% (mean ± SD, P < 0.001) during STRESS independent of diet group and was associated with increased inflammation. Intestinal microbiota responses were characterized by increased α-diversity and changes in the relative abundance of >50% of identified genera, including increased abundance of less dominant taxa at the expense of more dominant taxa such as Bacteroides Changes in intestinal microbiota composition were linked to 23% of metabolites that were significantly altered in stool after STRESS. Together, pre-STRESS Actinobacteria relative abundance and changes in serum IL-6 and stool cysteine concentrations accounted for 84% of the variability in the change in IP. Findings demonstrate that a multiple-stressor military training environment induced increases in IP that were associated with alterations in markers of inflammation and with intestinal microbiota composition and metabolism. Associations between IP, the pre-STRESS microbiota, and microbiota metabolites suggest that targeting the intestinal microbiota could provide novel strategies for preserving IP during physiological stress. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Military training, a unique model for studying temporal dynamics of intestinal barrier and intestinal

  15. Stress among Parents of Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparison Involving Physiological Indicators and Parent Self-Reports.

    PubMed

    Padden, Ciara; James, Jack E

    2017-01-01

    Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been reported as experiencing higher levels of stress and poorer physical health than parents of typically developing children. However, most of the relevant literature has been based on parental self-reports of stress and health. While research on physiological outcomes has grown in recent years, gaps still exist in our understanding of the physiological effects, if any, of stress related to parenting a child with ASD. The present study compared parent-reported stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as selected physiological measures of stress (i.e., cortisol, alpha-amylase, and ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate) between matched groups of parents of children with ( N =  38) and without ( N  = 38) ASD. Participants completed questionnaires, collected saliva samples for the purpose of measuring cortisol and alpha-amylase, and wore an ambulatory blood pressure monitor for 24 h. Parents of children with ASD reported significantly higher levels of parental distress, anxiety, and depression than parents of typically developing children. Parent-reported distress, anxiety, depression, and health were not correlated with physiological measures. With the exception that parents of children with ASD had significantly lower cortisol levels 30 min after waking, no other significant group differences were found for physiological measures. Parents of children with ASD reported significantly higher use of a number of adaptive coping strategies (e.g., emotional support) in comparison to parents of typically developing children. Results are discussed in the context of implications for future research directions, stress research, and practical implications for parental support.

  16. Physiological performance of two contrasting rice varieties under water stress.

    PubMed

    Khan, Furqan; Upreti, Priyanka; Singh, Ruchi; Shukla, Pradeep Kumar; Shirke, Pramod Arvind

    2017-01-01

    Two rice varieties PR-115 and Super-7 were imposed to water stress and different physiological traits were monitored to evaluate the performance of these varieties under drought. Under water stress condition although the relative water content, osmotic potential, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis rate, carbon discrimination and biomass decreased in both the varieties however, the reduction was more pronounced in Super-7 variety. Oryzanol a trans-ester of ferulic acid functions as antioxidant and it increased along with total phenolic and anthocyanin content in both the varieties under drought stress. However, gallic acid, 4 hydroxy benzoic acid, syringic acid and chlorogenic acid showed differential pattern in both of the varieties under water limiting conditions. Under drought, grain yield was penalized by 17 and 54% in PR-115 and Super-7 varieties, respectively in comparison to watered plants. Super-7 variety showed pronounced electrolyte leakage and MDA enhancement under water stress condition. High non photochemical quenching and reduction in Y(NO) and Y(II) indicated balanced energy management in tolerant PR-115 variety. The studies showed that PR-115 is a drought tolerant variety while Super-7 is drought sensitive in nature.

  17. Organismal climatology: analyzing environmental variability at scales relevant to physiological stress.

    PubMed

    Helmuth, Brian; Broitman, Bernardo R; Yamane, Lauren; Gilman, Sarah E; Mach, Katharine; Mislan, K A S; Denny, Mark W

    2010-03-15

    Predicting when, where and with what magnitude climate change is likely to affect the fitness, abundance and distribution of organisms and the functioning of ecosystems has emerged as a high priority for scientists and resource managers. However, even in cases where we have detailed knowledge of current species' range boundaries, we often do not understand what, if any, aspects of weather and climate act to set these limits. This shortcoming significantly curtails our capacity to predict potential future range shifts in response to climate change, especially since the factors that set range boundaries under those novel conditions may be different from those that set limits today. We quantitatively examine a nine-year time series of temperature records relevant to the body temperatures of intertidal mussels as measured using biomimetic sensors. Specifically, we explore how a 'climatology' of body temperatures, as opposed to long-term records of habitat-level parameters such as air and water temperatures, can be used to extrapolate meaningful spatial and temporal patterns of physiological stress. Using different metrics that correspond to various aspects of physiological stress (seasonal means, cumulative temperature and the return time of extremes) we show that these potential environmental stressors do not always occur in synchrony with one another. Our analysis also shows that patterns of animal temperature are not well correlated with simple, commonly used metrics such as air temperature. Detailed physiological studies can provide guidance to predicting the effects of global climate change on natural ecosystems but only if we concomitantly record, archive and model environmental signals at appropriate scales.

  18. A Comparison of Exercise and Meditation in Reducing Physiological Response to Stress.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sime, Wesley E.

    The purpose of this investigation was to compare the effects of brief treadmill exercise and meditation with a placebo-control treatment for reduction in several physiological and psychological measures of stress, anxiety, and tension before and after a written final examination in 48 high-test anxiety subjects. The subjects, 24 men and 24 women,…

  19. Working Memory Impairments in Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: The Roles of Anxiety and Stress Physiology.

    PubMed

    Sanders, Ashley F P; Hobbs, Diana A; Stephenson, David D; Laird, Robert D; Beaton, Elliott A

    2017-04-01

    Stress and anxiety have a negative impact on working memory systems by competing for executive resources and attention. Broad memory deficits, anxiety, and elevated stress have been reported in individuals with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). We investigated anxiety and physiological stress reactivity in relation to visuospatial working memory impairments in 20 children with 22q11.2DS and 32 typically developing (TD) children ages 7 to 16. Children with 22q11.2DS demonstrated poorer working memory, reduced post-stress respiratory sinus arrhythmia recovery, and overall increased levels of cortisol in comparison to TD children. Anxiety, but not physiological stress responsivity, mediated the relationship between 22q11.2DS diagnosis and visuospatial working memory impairment. Findings indicate that anxiety exacerbates impaired working memory in children with 22q11.2DS.

  20. Silicon Mitigates Salinity Stress by Regulating the Physiology, Antioxidant Enzyme Activities, and Protein Expression in Capsicum annuum 'Bugwang'.

    PubMed

    Manivannan, Abinaya; Soundararajan, Prabhakaran; Muneer, Sowbiya; Ko, Chung Ho; Jeong, Byoung Ryong

    2016-01-01

    Silicon- (Si-) induced salinity stress resistance was demonstrated at physiological and proteomic levels in Capsicum annuum for the first time. Seedlings of C. annuum were hydroponically treated with NaCl (50 mM) with or without Si (1.8 mM) for 15 days. The results illustrated that saline conditions significantly reduced plant growth and biomass and photosynthetic parameters and increased the electrolyte leakage potential, lipid peroxidation, and hydrogen peroxide level. However, supplementation of Si allowed the plants to recover from salinity stress by improving their physiology and photosynthesis. During salinity stress, Si prevented oxidative damage by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, Si supplementation recovered the nutrient imbalance that had occurred during salinity stress. Additionally, proteomic analysis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) revealed that Si treatment upregulated the accumulation of proteins involved in several metabolic processes, particularly those associated with nucleotide binding and transferase activity. Moreover, Si modulated the expression of vital proteins involved in ubiquitin-mediated nucleosome pathway and carbohydrate metabolism. Overall, the results illustrate that Si application induced resistance against salinity stress in C. annuum by regulating the physiology, antioxidant metabolism, and protein expression.

  1. Physiological indices of stress in wild and captive garter snakes: correlations, repeatability, and ecological variation.

    PubMed

    Sparkman, Amanda M; Bronikowski, Anne M; Williams, Shelby; Parsai, Shikha; Manhart, Whitney; Palacios, Maria G

    2014-08-01

    Glucocorticoids and leukocyte ratios have become the most widespread variables employed to test hypotheses regarding physiological stress in wild and captive vertebrates. Little is known, however, regarding how these two indices of stress covary in response to stressors, their repeatability within individuals, and differences in response time upon capture. Furthermore, few studies compare stress indices between captive and wild populations, to assess potential alteration of stress physiology in captivity. To address these issues, we examined corticosterone (CORT) and heterophil to lymphocyte (H:L) ratios in two ecotypes of the garter snake Thamnophis elegans. We found that CORT and H:L ratios were not correlated within individuals, and both variables showed little or no repeatability over a period of months. CORT levels, but not H:L ratios, were higher for individuals sampled after 10min from the time of capture. However, both variables showed similar patterns of ecotypic variation, and both increased over time in gravid females maintained in captivity for four months. We suggest that CORT and H:L ratios are both useful, but disparate indices of stress in this species, and may show complex relationships to each other and to ecological and anthropogenic variables. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Foot massage and physiological stress in people with dementia: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Moyle, Wendy; Cooke, Marie Louise; Beattie, Elizabeth; Shum, David H K; O'Dwyer, Siobhan T; Barrett, Sue; Sung, Billy

    2014-04-01

    The anxiety associated with unfamiliar surroundings, the disorientation and mental confusion, and the social isolation that accompanies dementia can often create increased stress for people living in long-term care settings. Such a response is thought to affect the autonomic nervous system and result in emotional and physical symptoms of distress that may be manifested as agitation. There is the potential for such distress to influence the physiological response and in particular Blood Pressure and Heart Rate. A relaxation intervention such as massage may influence the physiological stress response. This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effect of foot massage (FM) versus a control activity (quiet presence, QP) on physiological stress response (i.e., blood pressure [BP] and heart rate [HR]) in people living with moderate-to-severe dementia in long-term-care settings. Fifty-three residents were randomized to intervention (10-minute FM) or control group (QP). While the FM group experienced a greater reduction in HR than the control group, these reductions were not significantly different between groups (p=0.83; see Table 1 ), or across time (p=0.46). Both groups experienced a reduction in systolic BP and diastolic BP, while the mean reduction in systolic BP was greater for those in the FM group. While the findings do not provide strong support for FM, the finding that both conditions allowed the person with dementia to rest in the presence of another human being is of importance in the care of people with dementia. The close presence of another person may in fact promote relaxation and therefore improve BP and HR measures.

  3. Foot Massage and Physiological Stress in People with Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    PubMed Central

    Cooke, Marie Louise; Beattie, Elizabeth; Shum, David H.K.; O'Dwyer, Siobhan T.; Barrett, Sue; Sung, Billy

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Background: The anxiety associated with unfamiliar surroundings, the disorientation and mental confusion, and the social isolation that accompanies dementia can often create increased stress for people living in long-term care settings. Such a response is thought to affect the autonomic nervous system and result in emotional and physical symptoms of distress that may be manifested as agitation. There is the potential for such distress to influence the physiological response and in particular Blood Pressure and Heart Rate. A relaxation intervention such as massage may influence the physiological stress response. Methods: This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effect of foot massage (FM) versus a control activity (quiet presence, QP) on physiological stress response (i.e., blood pressure [BP] and heart rate [HR]) in people living with moderate-to-severe dementia in long-term-care settings. Results: Fifty-three residents were randomized to intervention (10-minute FM) or control group (QP). While the FM group experienced a greater reduction in HR than the control group, these reductions were not significantly different between groups (p=0.83; see Table 1), or across time (p=0.46). Both groups experienced a reduction in systolic BP and diastolic BP, while the mean reduction in systolic BP was greater for those in the FM group. Conclusions: While the findings do not provide strong support for FM, the finding that both conditions allowed the person with dementia to rest in the presence of another human being is of importance in the care of people with dementia. The close presence of another person may in fact promote relaxation and therefore improve BP and HR measures. PMID:24047244

  4. The influence of water temperature and accelerometer-determined fight intensity on physiological stress and reflex impairment of angled largemouth bass

    PubMed Central

    Brownscombe, Jacob W.; Marchand, Kelsey; Tisshaw, Kathryn; Fewster, Victoria; Groff, Olivia; Pichette, Melissa; Seed, Marian; Gutowsky, Lee F. G.; Wilson, Alexander D. M.; Cooke, Steven J.

    2014-01-01

    Release of fish captured by recreational anglers is a common practice due to angler conservation ethics or compliance with fisheries regulations. As such, there is a need to understand the factors that influence mortality and sub-lethal impairments to ensure that catch-and-release angling is a sustainable practice. Longer angling times generally contribute to increased stress and mortality in fish such that reducing these times putatively reduces stress and improves survival. However, the relative importance of fight intensity (rather than simply duration) on fish condition is poorly understood. The objective of this research was to examine the effects of fight intensity on physiological stress and reflex impairment of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The largemouth bass were angled using conventional recreational fishing gear in May (water temperature ∼12°C) and June (∼22°C) of 2014 in Lake Opinicon, Ontario, Canada. Fight intensity was quantified using tri-axial accelerometer loggers mounted on the tips of fishing rods. Upon capture, reflex impairment measures were assessed, and fish were held for 1 h prior to blood sampling for measurement of physiological stress (blood glucose and lactate concentrations and pH). Physiological stress values showed a negative trend with fight duration and total fight intensity, but a positive trend with average fight intensity. Water temperature emerged as the most important predictor of the stress response in largemouth bass, while fight duration and intensity were not strong predictors. Reflex impairment was minimal, but higher reflex impairment scores were associated with elevated blood glucose. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that angling for largemouth bass at colder temperatures (<15°C) causes greater physiological stress than at warmer temperatures (>20°C). Based on our findings, we conclude that fight intensity is likely not to be a major driver of physiological stress in this species using

  5. The influence of water temperature and accelerometer-determined fight intensity on physiological stress and reflex impairment of angled largemouth bass.

    PubMed

    Brownscombe, Jacob W; Marchand, Kelsey; Tisshaw, Kathryn; Fewster, Victoria; Groff, Olivia; Pichette, Melissa; Seed, Marian; Gutowsky, Lee F G; Wilson, Alexander D M; Cooke, Steven J

    2014-01-01

    Release of fish captured by recreational anglers is a common practice due to angler conservation ethics or compliance with fisheries regulations. As such, there is a need to understand the factors that influence mortality and sub-lethal impairments to ensure that catch-and-release angling is a sustainable practice. Longer angling times generally contribute to increased stress and mortality in fish such that reducing these times putatively reduces stress and improves survival. However, the relative importance of fight intensity (rather than simply duration) on fish condition is poorly understood. The objective of this research was to examine the effects of fight intensity on physiological stress and reflex impairment of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The largemouth bass were angled using conventional recreational fishing gear in May (water temperature ∼12°C) and June (∼22°C) of 2014 in Lake Opinicon, Ontario, Canada. Fight intensity was quantified using tri-axial accelerometer loggers mounted on the tips of fishing rods. Upon capture, reflex impairment measures were assessed, and fish were held for 1 h prior to blood sampling for measurement of physiological stress (blood glucose and lactate concentrations and pH). Physiological stress values showed a negative trend with fight duration and total fight intensity, but a positive trend with average fight intensity. Water temperature emerged as the most important predictor of the stress response in largemouth bass, while fight duration and intensity were not strong predictors. Reflex impairment was minimal, but higher reflex impairment scores were associated with elevated blood glucose. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that angling for largemouth bass at colder temperatures (<15°C) causes greater physiological stress than at warmer temperatures (>20°C). Based on our findings, we conclude that fight intensity is likely not to be a major driver of physiological stress in this species using

  6. Listening to music and physiological and psychological functioning: the mediating role of emotion regulation and stress reactivity.

    PubMed

    Thoma, M V; Scholz, U; Ehlert, U; Nater, U M

    2012-01-01

    Music listening has been suggested to have short-term beneficial effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the association and potential mediating mechanisms between various aspects of habitual music-listening behaviour and physiological and psychological functioning. An internet-based survey was conducted in university students, measuring habitual music-listening behaviour, emotion regulation, stress reactivity, as well as physiological and psychological functioning. A total of 1230 individuals (mean = 24.89 ± 5.34 years, 55.3% women) completed the questionnaire. Quantitative aspects of habitual music-listening behaviour, i.e. average duration of music listening and subjective relevance of music, were not associated with physiological and psychological functioning. In contrast, qualitative aspects, i.e. reasons for listening (especially 'reducing loneliness and aggression', and 'arousing or intensifying specific emotions') were significantly related to physiological and psychological functioning (all p = 0.001). These direct effects were mediated by distress-augmenting emotion regulation and individual stress reactivity. The habitual music-listening behaviour appears to be a multifaceted behaviour that is further influenced by dispositions that are usually not related to music listening. Consequently, habitual music-listening behaviour is not obviously linked to physiological and psychological functioning.

  7. Stress tolerance and growth physiology of yeast strains from the Brazilian fuel ethanol industry.

    PubMed

    Della-Bianca, B E; Gombert, A K

    2013-12-01

    Improved biofuels production requires a better understanding of industrial microorganisms. Some wild Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, isolated from the fuel ethanol industry in Brazil, present exceptional fermentation performance, persistence and prevalence in the harsh industrial environment. Nevertheless, their physiology has not yet been systematically investigated. Here we present a first systematic evaluation of the widely used industrial strains PE-2, CAT-1, BG-1 and JP1, in terms of their tolerance towards process-related stressors. We also analyzed their growth physiology under heat stress. These strains were evaluated in parallel to laboratory and baker's strains. Whereas the industrial strains performed in general better than the laboratory strains under ethanol or acetic acid stresses and on industrial media, high sugar stress was tolerated equally by all strains. Heat and low pH stresses clearly distinguished fuel ethanol strains from the others, indicating that these conditions might be the ones that mostly exert selective pressure on cells in the industrial environment. During shake-flask cultivations using a synthetic medium at 37 °C, industrial strains presented higher ethanol yields on glucose than the laboratory strains, indicating that they could have been selected for this trait-a response to energy-demanding fermentation conditions. These results might be useful to guide future improvements of large-scale fuel ethanol production via engineering of stress tolerance traits in other strains, and eventually also for promoting the use of these fuel ethanol strains in different industrial bioprocesses.

  8. Physiological reactivity to psychological stress in human pregnancy: current knowledge and future directions.

    PubMed

    Christian, Lisa M

    2012-11-01

    Cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity to acute stress are important predictors of health outcomes in non-pregnant populations. Greater magnitude and duration of physiological responses have been associated with increased risk of hypertensive disorders and diabetes, greater susceptibility to infectious illnesses, suppression of cell-mediated immunity as well as risk for depression and anxiety disorders. Stress reactivity during pregnancy has unique implications for maternal health, birth outcomes, and fetal development. However, as compared to the larger literature, our understanding of the predictors and consequences of exaggerated stress reactivity in pregnancy is limited. This paper reviews the current state of this literature with an emphasis on gaps in knowledge and future directions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Physiological Reactivity to Psychological Stress in Human Pregnancy: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

    PubMed Central

    Christian, Lisa M.

    2012-01-01

    Cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity to acute stress are important predictors of health outcomes in non-pregnant populations. Greater magnitude and duration of physiological responses have been associated with increased risk of hypertensive disorders and diabetes, greater susceptibility to infectious illnesses, suppression of cell-mediated immunity as well as risk for depression and anxiety disorders. Stress reactivity during pregnancy has unique implications for maternal health, birth outcomes, and fetal development. However, as compared to the larger literature, our understanding of the predictors and consequences of exaggerated stress reactivity in pregnancy is limited. This paper reviews the current state of this literature with an emphasis on gaps in knowledge and future directions. PMID:22800930

  10. Physiological stress response to loss of social influence and threats to masculinity.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Catherine J

    2014-02-01

    Social influence is an important component of contemporary conceptualizations of masculinity in the U.S. Men who fail to achieve masculinity by maintaining social influence in the presence of other men may be at risk of stigmatization. As such, men should be especially likely to exhibit a stress response to loss of social influence in the presence of other men. This study assesses whether men who lose social influence exhibit more of a stress response than men who gain social influence, using data collected in a laboratory setting where participants were randomly assigned into four-person groups of varying sex compositions. The groups were videotaped working on two problem-solving tasks. Independent raters assessed change in social influence using a well-validated measure borrowed from experimental work in the Status Characteristics Theory tradition. Cortisol is used as a measure of stress response because it is known to increase in response to loss of social esteem. Results show that young men who lose social influence while working with other young men exhibit cortisol response. In contrast women do not exhibit cortisol response to loss of social influence, nor do men working with women. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that loss of social influence in men may be associated with a physiological stress response because maintaining social influence is very important to men while in the presence of other men. This physiological response to loss of social influence underscores the importance to men of achieving masculinity through gaining and maintaining social influence, and avoiding the stigma associated with the failure to do so. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Salicylic acid mediated growth, physiological and proteomic responses in two wheat varieties under drought stress.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Marisha; Gupta, Sunil K; Majumder, Baisakhi; Maurya, Vivek K; Deeba, Farah; Alam, Afroz; Pandey, Vivek

    2017-06-23

    Salicylic acid (SA) induced drought tolerance can be a key trait for increasing and stabilizing wheat production. These SA induced traits were studied in two Triticum aestivum L. varieties; drought tolerant, Kundan and drought sensitive, Lok1 under two different water deficit regimes: and rehydration at vegetative and flowering stages. SA alleviated the negative effects of water stress on photosynthesis more in Kundan. SA induced defense responses against drought by increasing antioxidative enzymes and osmolytes (proline and total soluble sugars). Differential proteomics revealed major role of carbon metabolism and signal transduction in enhancing drought tolerance in Kundan which was shifted towards defense, energy production and protection in Lok1. Thioredoxins played important role between SA and redox signaling in activating defense responses. SA showed substantial impact on physiology and carbon assimilation in tolerant variety for better growth under drought. Lok1 exhibited SA induced drought tolerance through enhanced defense system and energy metabolism. Plants after rehydration showed complete recovery of physiological functions under SA treatment. SA mediated constitutive defense against water stress did not compromise yield. These results suggest that exogenously applied SA under drought stress confer growth promoting and stress priming effects on wheat plants thus alleviating yield limitation. Studies have shown morphological, physiological and biochemical aspects associated with the SA mediated drought tolerance in wheat while understanding of molecular mechanism is limited. Herein, proteomics approach has identified significantly changed proteins and their potential relevance to SA mediated drought stress responses in drought tolerant and sensitive wheat varieties. SA regulates wide range of processes such as photosynthesis, carbon assimilation, protein metabolism, amino acid and energy metabolism, redox homeostasis and signal transduction under

  12. Emotion Socialization as a Predictor of Physiological and Psychological Responses to Stress

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Jinhong; Mrug, Sylvie; Knight, David C.

    2017-01-01

    Reactivity patterns to acute stress are important indicators of physical and mental health. However, the relationships between emotion socialization and stress responses are not well understood. This study aimed to examine whether parental responses to negative emotions predicted physiological and psychological responses to acute stress in late adolescence and emerging adulthood, and whether these relationships varied by gender and ethnicity. Participants were 973 individuals (mean age = 19.20 years; 50% male; 63% African American, 34% European American) who reported on parental emotion socialization. Participants completed a standardized social stress test (the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST). Heart rate, blood pressure and salivary samples were assessed from baseline throughout the task and during recovery period. Psychological responses to stress were measured immediately after the TSST. Unsupportive parental responses to children’s negative emotions were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity and greater negative emotions to a psychosocial stress task in females and African American youth, whereas supportive parental responses predicted greater cortisol reactivity and lower negative emotions to stress in European American youth, as well as less negative emotions in males. However, parental responses to negative emotions did not predict heart rate or SBP reactivity to the TSST. Findings suggest that parental emotion socialization may be an important factor influencing HPA axis reactivity and psychological responses to stress, with important differences across gender and ethnic youth subgroups. PMID:28377196

  13. Linking physiological and cellular responses to thermal stress: β-adrenergic blockade reduces the heat shock response in fish.

    PubMed

    Templeman, Nicole M; LeBlanc, Sacha; Perry, Steve F; Currie, Suzanne

    2014-08-01

    When faced with stress, animals use physiological and cellular strategies to preserve homeostasis. We were interested in how these high-level stress responses are integrated at the level of the whole animal. Here, we investigated the capacity of the physiological stress response, and specifically the β-adrenergic response, to affect the induction of the cellular heat shock proteins, HSPs, following a thermal stress in vivo. We predicted that blocking β-adrenergic stimulation during an acute heat stress in the whole animal would result in reduced levels of HSPs in red blood cells (RBCs) of rainbow trout compared to animals where adrenergic signaling remained intact. We first determined that a 1 h heat shock at 25 °C in trout acclimated to 13 °C resulted in RBC adrenergic stimulation as determined by a significant increase in cell swelling, a hallmark of the β-adrenergic response. A whole animal injection with the β2-adrenergic antagonist, ICI-118,551, successfully reduced this heat-induced RBC swelling. The acute heat shock caused a significant induction of HSP70 in RBCs of 13 °C-acclimated trout as well as a significant increase in plasma catecholamines. When heat-shocked fish were treated with ICI-118,551, we observed a significant attenuation of the HSP70 response. We conclude that circulating catecholamines influence the cellular heat shock response in rainbow trout RBCs, demonstrating physiological/hormonal control of the cellular stress response.

  14. Working Memory Impairments in Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: The Roles of Anxiety and Stress Physiology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanders, Ashley F.; Hobbs, Diana A.; Stephenson, David D.; Laird, Robert D.; Beaton, Elliott A.

    2017-01-01

    Stress and anxiety have a negative impact on working memory systems by competing for executive resources and attention. Broad memory deficits, anxiety, and elevated stress have been reported in individuals with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). We investigated anxiety and physiological stress reactivity in relation to visuospatial…

  15. Speaking under pressure: Low linguistic complexity is linked to high physiological and emotional stress reactivity

    PubMed Central

    Saslow, Laura R.; McCoy, Shannon; van der Löwe, Ilmo; Cosley, Brandon; Vartan, Arbi; Oveis, Christopher; Keltner, Dacher; Moskowitz, Judith T.; Epel, Elissa S.

    2014-01-01

    What can a speech reveal about someone's state? We tested the idea that greater stress reactivity would relate to lower linguistic cognitive complexity while speaking. In Study 1, we tested whether heart rate and emotional stress reactivity to a stressful discussion would relate to lower linguistic complexity. In Studies 2 and 3 we tested whether a greater cortisol response to a standardized stressful task including a speech (Trier Social Stress Test) would be linked to speaking with less linguistic complexity during the task. We found evidence that measures of stress responsivity (emotional and physiological) and chronic stress are tied to variability in the cognitive complexity of speech. Taken together, these results provide evidence that our individual experiences of stress or ‘stress signatures’—how our body and mind react to stress both in the moment and over the longer term—are linked to how complexly we speak under stress. PMID:24354732

  16. Speaking under pressure: low linguistic complexity is linked to high physiological and emotional stress reactivity.

    PubMed

    Saslow, Laura R; McCoy, Shannon; van der Löwe, Ilmo; Cosley, Brandon; Vartan, Arbi; Oveis, Christopher; Keltner, Dacher; Moskowitz, Judith T; Epel, Elissa S

    2014-03-01

    What can a speech reveal about someone's state? We tested the idea that greater stress reactivity would relate to lower linguistic cognitive complexity while speaking. In Study 1, we tested whether heart rate and emotional stress reactivity to a stressful discussion would relate to lower linguistic complexity. In Studies 2 and 3, we tested whether a greater cortisol response to a standardized stressful task including a speech (Trier Social Stress Test) would be linked to speaking with less linguistic complexity during the task. We found evidence that measures of stress responsivity (emotional and physiological) and chronic stress are tied to variability in the cognitive complexity of speech. Taken together, these results provide evidence that our individual experiences of stress or "stress signatures"-how our body and mind react to stress both in the moment and over the longer term-are linked to how complex our speech under stress. Copyright © 2013 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  17. Characterization of the physiological stress response in lingcod

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Milston, R.H.; Davis, M.W.; Parker, S.J.; Olla, B.L.; Clements, S.; Schreck, C.B.

    2006-01-01

    The goal of this study was to describe the duration and magnitude of the physiological stress response in lingcod Ophiodon elongatus after exposure to brief handling and sublethal air stressors. The response to these stressors was determined during a 24-h recovery period by measuring concentrations of plasma cortisol, lactate, glucose, sodium, and potassium. Lingcod were subjected to brief handling followed by either a 15-min or a 45-min air stressor in the laboratory. After the 15-min stressor, an increase in cortisol or glucose could not be detected until after 5 min of recovery. Peak concentrations were measured after 30 min for cortisol and after 60 min for glucose and lactate. Glucose and lactate had returned to basal levels after 12 h, whereas cortisol did not return to basal levels until after 24 h of recovery. Immediately following a 45-min air stressor, all measured parameters were significantly elevated over levels in prestressor control fish. Cortisol concentrations tended to increase and reached a measured peak after 8 h of recovery, whereas glucose and lactate reached a measured peak after 1 h of recovery. Cortisol and lactate returned to basal levels within 24 h. Glucose, however, remained elevated even after 24 h of recovery. Plasma ions initially increased during the first hour of recovery, and the concentrations then declined to a level below that measured in control fish for the remainder of the 24-h recovery period. In addition, we evaluated the effect of fish size on the stress response. There was no significant difference between the stress response of smaller (41-49-cm [total length] and larger (50-67-cm) lingcod after 45 min air exposure. In general, both the magnitude and duration of the primary and secondary stress responses in lingcod are comparable to those of salmonids. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2006.

  18. Allocation, morphology, physiology, architecture: the multiple facets of plant above- and below-ground responses to resource stress.

    PubMed

    Freschet, Grégoire T; Violle, Cyrille; Bourget, Malo Y; Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael; Fort, Florian

    2018-06-01

    Plants respond to resource stress by changing multiple aspects of their biomass allocation, morphology, physiology and architecture. To date, we lack an integrated view of the relative importance of these plastic responses in alleviating resource stress and of the consistency/variability of these responses among species. We subjected nine species (legumes, forbs and graminoids) to nitrogen and/or light shortages and measured 11 above-ground and below-ground trait adjustments critical in the alleviation of these stresses (plus several underlying traits). Nine traits out of 11 showed adjustments that improved plants' potential capacity to acquire the limiting resource at a given time. Above ground, aspects of plasticity in allocation, morphology, physiology and architecture all appeared important in improving light capture, whereas below ground, plasticity in allocation and physiology were most critical to improving nitrogen acquisition. Six traits out of 11 showed substantial heterogeneity in species plasticity, with little structuration of these differences within trait covariation syndromes. Such comprehensive assessment of the complex nature of phenotypic responses of plants to multiple stress factors, and the comparison of plant responses across multiple species, makes a clear case for the high (but largely overlooked) diversity of potential plastic responses of plants, and for the need to explore the potential rules structuring them. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

  19. Communalism Predicts Maternal Affect, Stress, and Physiology Better than Ethnicity and SES

    PubMed Central

    Abdou, Cleopatra M.; Schetter, Christine Dunkel; Campos, Belinda; Hilmert, Clayton J.; Dominguez, Tyan Parker; Hobel, Calvin J.; Glynn, Laura M.; Sandman, Curt

    2010-01-01

    The present study examined the relevance of communalism, operationalized as a cultural orientation emphasizing interdependence, to maternal prenatal emotional health and physiology and distinguished its effects from those of ethnicity and childhood and adult SES. African American and European American women (N=297) were recruited early in pregnancy and followed through 32 weeks gestation using interviews and medical chart review. Overall, African American women and women of lower socioeconomic backgrounds had higher levels of negative affect, stress and blood pressure, but these ethnic and socioeconomic disparities were not observed among women higher in communalism. Hierarchical multivariate regression analyses showed that communalism was a more robust predictor of prenatal emotional health than ethnicity, childhood SES, and adult SES. Communalism also interacted with ethnicity and SES, resulting in lower blood pressure during pregnancy for African American women and women who experienced socioeconomic disadvantage over the life course. The effects of communalism on prenatal affect, stress, and physiology were not explained by depressive symptoms at study entry, perceived availability of social support, self-esteem, optimism, mastery, nor pregnancy-specific factors, including whether the pregnancy was planned, desired after conception, or how frequently the woman felt happy to be pregnant. This suggests that a communal cultural orientation benefits maternal prenatal emotional health and physiology over and above its links to better-understood personal and social resources in addition to economic resources. Implications regarding culture as a determinant of maternal prenatal health and well-being and as a potentially important lens for examining ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities in health are discussed. PMID:20658883

  20. Silicon Mitigates Salinity Stress by Regulating the Physiology, Antioxidant Enzyme Activities, and Protein Expression in Capsicum annuum ‘Bugwang'

    PubMed Central

    Manivannan, Abinaya; Soundararajan, Prabhakaran; Muneer, Sowbiya; Ko, Chung Ho

    2016-01-01

    Silicon- (Si-) induced salinity stress resistance was demonstrated at physiological and proteomic levels in Capsicum annuum for the first time. Seedlings of C. annuum were hydroponically treated with NaCl (50 mM) with or without Si (1.8 mM) for 15 days. The results illustrated that saline conditions significantly reduced plant growth and biomass and photosynthetic parameters and increased the electrolyte leakage potential, lipid peroxidation, and hydrogen peroxide level. However, supplementation of Si allowed the plants to recover from salinity stress by improving their physiology and photosynthesis. During salinity stress, Si prevented oxidative damage by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, Si supplementation recovered the nutrient imbalance that had occurred during salinity stress. Additionally, proteomic analysis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) revealed that Si treatment upregulated the accumulation of proteins involved in several metabolic processes, particularly those associated with nucleotide binding and transferase activity. Moreover, Si modulated the expression of vital proteins involved in ubiquitin-mediated nucleosome pathway and carbohydrate metabolism. Overall, the results illustrate that Si application induced resistance against salinity stress in C. annuum by regulating the physiology, antioxidant metabolism, and protein expression. PMID:27088085

  1. Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) response mechanisms in drought stress: Proteomic analysis with physiology.

    PubMed

    Kolenc, Zala; Vodnik, Dominik; Mandelc, Stanislav; Javornik, Branka; Kastelec, Damijana; Čerenak, Andreja

    2016-08-01

    Drought is one of the major environmental devastating stressors that impair the growth and productivity of crop plants. Despite the relevance of drought stress, changes in physiology and resistance mechanisms are not completely understood for certain crops, including hop (Humulus lupulus L.). In this research the drought response of hop was studied using a conventional physiological approach (gas exchange techniques, fluorescence, relative water content measurements) and proteomic analysis (2D-DIGE). Plants of two cultivars (Aurora and Savinjski golding) were exposed to progressive drought in a pot experiment and analysed at different stress stages (mild, moderate and severe). Measurements of relative water content revealed a hydrostable water balance of hop. Photosynthesis was decreased due to stomatal and non-stomatal limitation to the same extent in both cultivars. Of 28 identified differentially abundant proteins, the majority were down regulated and included in photosynthetic (41%) and sugar metabolism (33%). Fifteen % of identified proteins were classified into the nitrogen metabolism, 4% were related to a ROS related pathway and 7% to other functions. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  2. Stress induced by hooking, net towing, elevated sea water temperature and air in sablefish: Lack of concordance between mortality and physiological measures of stress

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Davis, M.W.; Olla, B.L.; Schreck, C.B.

    2001-01-01

    In a series of laboratory studies designed to simulate bycatch processes, sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria were either hooked for up to 24 h or towed in a net for 4 h and then subjected to an abrupt transfer to elevated sea water temperature and air. Mortality did not result from hooking or net towing followed by exposure to air, but increased for both capture methods as fish were exposed to elevated temperatures, reflecting the magnifying effect of elevated temperature on mortality. Hooking and exposure to air resulted in increased plasma cortisol and lactate concentrations, while the combination of hooking and exposure to elevated temperature and air resulted in increased lactate and potassium concentrations. In fish that were towed in a net and exposed to air, cortisol, lactate, potassium and sodium concentrations increased, but when subjected to elevated temperature and air, no further increases occurred above the concentrations induced by net towing and air, suggesting a possible maximum of the physiological stress response. The results suggest that caution should be exercised when using physiological measures to quantify stress induced by capture and exposure to elevated temperature and air, that ultimately result in mortality, since the connections between physiological stress and mortality in bycatch processes remain to be fully understood.

  3. Sexually different morphological, physiological and molecular responses of Fraxinus mandshurica flowers to floral development and chilling stress.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Zhu; Qi, Fenghui; Yan, Chaofu; Zhan, Yaguang

    2016-02-01

    Fraxinus mandshurica is considered a dioecious hardwood, and the temporal separation of the maturation of the male and female flowers is one reason that F. mandshurica has become an endangered species in China. Rainfall and low temperature influence pollen formation and dispersal and the blooming of female flowers. Therefore, low fertilization efficiency strongly influences the population of F. mandshurica. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the sex-specific morphological, physiological and molecular differentiation of F. mandshurica during flowering and its responses to low temperature. In this study, we investigated the sexual differences in the morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters of F. mandshurica during flowering and determined the physiological and biochemical parameters and expression levels of related genes in response to low-temperature stress induced by exposure to 4 °C (chilling stress) during pollen dispersal and fertilization. Our study supports the hypothesis that male flowers suffer more severe injuries while female flowers are more adaptable to environmental stress during flower development in F. mandshurica. The results showed higher physiological and biochemical levels of malondialdehyde, proline, and soluble sugar, as well as the expression of genes involved in calcium signaling, cold shock and DNA methylation in male flowers compared with female flowers, which suggested that male flowers suffer from more serious peroxidation than female flowers. In contrast, higher antioxidant capacity and FmaCAT expression were detected in female flowers, providing preliminary evidence that male flowers rapidly fade after pollination and further demonstrating that female flowers need a much stronger antioxidant enzyme system to maintain embryonic growth. Most peaks related to physiological and molecular responses were observed at 2-4 h and 8-10 h of exposure to chilling stress in the female and male flowers, respectively

  4. Physiological Regulation of Stress in Referred Adolescents: The Role of the Parent-Adolescent Relationship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willemen, Agnes M.; Schuengel, Carlo; Koot, Hans M.

    2009-01-01

    Background: Psychopathology in youth appears to be linked to deficits in regulating affective responses to stressful situations. In children, high-quality parental support facilitates affect regulation. However, in adolescence, the role of parent-child interaction in the regulation of affect is unclear. This study examined physiological reactivity…

  5. Stress physiology of migrant birds during stopover in natural and anthropogenic woodland habitats of the Northern Prairie region.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ming; Swanson, David L

    2014-01-01

    Anthropogenic alterations of woodland habitat may influence stopover biology, which in turn could alter the stress physiology of migratory landbirds. Woodland stopover habitats are scarce in the Northern Prairie region of North America and consist of native riparian corridor woodlands (corridors) and smaller, more isolated woodlots of anthropogenic origin around farmsteads (woodlots). Corridor habitats have been greatly reduced since the time of European settlement, but woodlot habitats have appeared over this same time period. In this study, we compared stopover biology and stress physiology of migratory landbirds using natural and anthropogenic woodland habitats. We first tested for differences between birds in the two habitats for baseline corticosterone (CORTB) and the magnitude of the stress response for individual species, taxonomic families and foraging guilds. Plasma corticosterone increased significantly for all bird groups in both habitats following 30 min of restraint stress (CORT30), and neither CORTB nor the magnitude of the stress response (CORT30 - CORTB) differed significantly between birds in the two habitats. Secondly, because CORTB levels are often elevated and CORT secretion following a stressor is often suppressed for birds in poor body condition, we hypothesized that woodland migrants with higher fattening rates would show reduced CORTB and a robust stress response. We tested this hypothesis by assessing the relationships between plasma corticosterone and plasma metabolites associated with refuelling. We found that CORTB was negatively associated and the magnitude of the stress response positively associated with plasma triglycerides (an indicator of fat deposition), with opposite patterns for corticosterone and plasma β-hydroxybutyrate (an indicator of fat catabolism). These data suggest that both corridor and woodlot habitats serve as effective stopover habitat and that the reduction of corridor habitat and increased reliance on

  6. Occupational differences in job strain and physiological stress: female nurses and school teachers in Hawaii.

    PubMed

    Brown, Daniel E; James, Gary D; Mills, Phoebe S

    2006-01-01

    The two objectives are to test the hypothesis that women in a profession with low decision latitude will have greater catecholamine excretion and higher blood pressure than women in a profession with greater decision latitude, and to assess the influence of ethnicity on the occupational comparison. Premenopausal women who were either full-time teachers in public schools (teachers; N = 92) or nurses or nurse's aides (nurses; N = 55) in East Hawaii who were not currently taking antihypertensive medication had ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and urinary catecholamine excretion measured over an approximate 4-hour period at work and home and over an approximate 8-hour period overnight. The women also filled out the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). The nurses had significantly lower scores on the "decision latitude" subscale of the JCQ. After controlling for the effects of ethnicity, age, body mass index, JCQ subscale scores, smoking habits, and menopausal status in regression analyses, the nurses also had significantly higher mean systolic and diastolic BP both in work and home settings and higher mean rates of both norepinephrine and epinephrine excretion in all daily settings (p < .05). There were no significant ethnic differences in scores on the JCQ subscales, but Asian-Americans had significantly higher systolic BP in all daily settings and higher diastolic BP overnight (p < .05) than Euro-Americans. These results suggest that among professional women, physiological stress responses are significantly greater when occupation-related decision latitude is low (nurses) than when it is high (teachers). The physiological response to stress is carried over into the home and overnight settings when occupation-related decision latitude is low (nurses). Individual scores on the JCQ were not significantly related to physiological measures in this study, however. Inclusion of contrasting occupations may be necessary to properly evaluate the relationships between individually

  7. Physiological and Metabolic Effects of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid for Mitigating Salinity Stress in Creeping Bentgrass

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Zhimin; Chang, Zuoliang; Sun, Lihong; Yu, Jingjin; Huang, Bingru

    2014-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to determine whether foliar application of a chlorophyll precursor, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), could mitigate salinity stress damages in perennial grass species by regulating photosynthetic activities, ion content, antioxidant metabolism, or metabolite accumulation. A salinity-sensitive perennial grass species, creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), was irrigated daily with 200 mM NaCl for 28 d, which were foliar sprayed with water or ALA (0.5 mg L−1) weekly during the experiment in growth chamber. Foliar application of ALA was effective in mitigating physiological damage resulting from salinity stress, as manifested by increased turf quality, shoot growth rate, leaf relative water content, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. Foliar application of ALA also alleviated membrane damages, as shown by lower membrane electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation, which was associated with increases in the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Leaf content of Na+ was reduced and the ratio of K+/Na+ was increased with ALA application under salinity stress. The positive effects of ALA for salinity tolerance were also associated with the accumulation of organic acids (α-ketoglutaric acid, succinic acid, and malic acid), amino acids (alanine, 5-oxoproline, aspartic acid, and γ -aminobutyric acid), and sugars (glucose, fructose, galactose, lyxose, allose, xylose, sucrose, and maltose). ALA-mitigation of physiological damages by salinity could be due to suppression of Na+ accumulation and enhanced physiological and metabolic activities related to photosynthesis, respiration, osmotic regulation, and antioxidant defense. PMID:25551443

  8. Emotion socialization as a predictor of physiological and psychological responses to stress.

    PubMed

    Guo, Jinhong; Mrug, Sylvie; Knight, David C

    2017-06-01

    Reactivity patterns to acute stress are important indicators of physical and mental health. However, the relationships between emotion socialization and stress responses are not well understood. This study aimed to examine whether parental responses to negative emotions predicted physiological and psychological responses to acute stress in late adolescence and emerging adulthood, and whether these relationships varied by gender and ethnicity. Participants were 973 individuals (mean age=19.20years; 50% male; 63% African American, 34% European American) who reported on parental emotion socialization. Participants completed a standardized social stress test (the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST). Heart rate, blood pressure and salivary samples were assessed from baseline throughout the task and during recovery period. Psychological responses to stress were measured immediately after the TSST. Unsupportive parental responses to children's negative emotions were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity and greater negative emotions to a psychosocial stress task in females and African American youth, whereas supportive parental responses predicted greater cortisol reactivity and lower negative emotions to stress in European American youth, as well as less negative emotions in males. However, parental responses to negative emotions did not predict heart rate or SBP reactivity to the TSST. Findings suggest that parental emotion socialization may be an important factor influencing HPA axis reactivity and psychological responses to stress, with important differences across gender and ethnic youth subgroups. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Costs of mate-guarding in wild male long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis): physiological stress and aggression.

    PubMed

    Girard-Buttoz, Cédric; Heistermann, Michael; Rahmi, Erdiansyah; Agil, Muhammad; Fauzan, Panji Ahmad; Engelhardt, Antje

    2014-09-01

    Mate-guarding is an important determinant of male reproductive success in a number of species. However, it is known to potentially incur costs. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of mate-guarding on male physiological stress and aggression in long-tailed macaques, a species in which males mate-guard females to a lesser extent than predicted by the Priority of Access model (PoA). The study was carried out during two mating periods on three groups of wild long-tailed macaques in Indonesia by combining behavioral observations with non-invasive measurements of fecal glucocorticoid (fGC) levels. Mate-guarding was associated with a general rise in male stress hormone levels but, from a certain threshold of mate-guarding onwards, increased vigilance time was associated with a decrease in stress hormone output. Mate-guarding also increased male-male aggression rate and male vigilance time. Overall, alpha males were more physiologically stressed than other males independently of mating competition. Increased glucocorticoid levels during mate-guarding are most likely adaptive since it may help males to mobilize extra-energy required for mate-guarding and ultimately maintain a balanced energetic status. However, repeated exposure to high levels of stress over an extended period is potentially deleterious to the immune system and thus may carry costs. This potential physiological cost together with the cost of increased aggression mate-guarding male face may limit the male's ability to mate-guard females, explaining the deviance from the PoA model observed in long-tailed macaques. Comparing our results to previous findings we discuss how ecological factors, reproductive seasonality and rank achievement may modulate the extent to which costs of mate-guarding limit male monopolization abilities. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  10. Physiological stress reactivity and empathy following social exclusion: a test of the defensive emotional analgesia hypothesis.

    PubMed

    Bass, Ellyn Charlotte; Stednitz, Sarah Josephine; Simonson, Kevin; Shen, Tori; Gahtan, Ethan

    2014-01-01

    Experiences of social exclusion elicit social pain responses. The current study examined the ability of social exclusion to activate physiological stress responses and adaptively modulate affect and empathy consistent with "defensive emotional analgesia." Measures of affect and empathy, and saliva samples for cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA) analysis, were collected before and after subjects participated in a computer game ("Cyberball") designed to manipulate feelings of social exclusion. Contrary to our hypotheses, social exclusion was associated with a reduction in cortisol, and social inclusion with an increase in cortisol. Both Cyberball groups showed increases in sAA and decreases in both positive and negative affect, with the greatest drop in affect occurring after social exclusion. Empathy did not differ between the social exclusion and inclusion groups and was not correlated with cortisol or sAA levels. These results support the presence of a defensive response to social exclusion in which central stress pathways controlling cortisol release are inhibited. Cortisol and sAA were shown to have distinct patterns of responses to psychological stress, with sAA responding more rapidly. Related methodological concerns for the use of these physiological stress markers and of Cyberball in social neuroscience research are discussed.

  11. Behavioral and physiological indicators of stress coping styles in larval zebrafish.

    PubMed

    Tudorache, Christian; ter Braake, Anique; Tromp, Mara; Slabbekoorn, Hans; Schaaf, Marcel J M

    2015-01-01

    Different individuals cope with stressors in different ways. Stress coping styles are defined as a coherent set of individual behavioral and physiological differences in the response to a stressor which remain consistent across time and context. In the present study, we have investigated coping styles in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) at 8 days post-fertilization. Larvae were separated into two groups, according to the emergence sequence from a darkened into a novel well-lit environment, early (EE) and late (LE) emergers. We used brief periods of netting as a stressor. Swimming behavior and kinematics before and after netting stress were analyzed, as were whole-body cortisol levels before and at 10, 30 and 60 min after the stress event. The results show that general swimming activity was different between EE and LE larvae, with lower baseline cumulative distance and more erratic swimming movements in EE than in LE larvae. EE larvae showed a faster recovery to baseline levels after stress than LE larvae. Cortisol baseline levels were not different between EE and LE larvae, but peak levels after stress were higher and the recovery towards basal levels was faster in EE than in LE larvae. This study shows that coping styles are manifest in zebrafish larvae, and that behavior and swimming kinematics are associated with different cortisol responses to stress. A better understanding of the expression of coping styles may be of great value for medical applications, animal welfare issues and conservation.

  12. Physiology and transcriptomics of water-deficit stress responses in wheat cultivars TAM 111 and TAM 112.

    PubMed

    Reddy, Srirama Krishna; Liu, Shuyu; Rudd, Jackie C; Xue, Qingwu; Payton, Paxton; Finlayson, Scott A; Mahan, James; Akhunova, Alina; Holalu, Srinidhi V; Lu, Nanyan

    2014-09-01

    Hard red winter wheat crops on the U.S. Southern Great Plains often experience moderate to severe drought stress, especially during the grain filling stage, resulting in significant yield losses. Cultivars TAM 111 and TAM 112 are widely cultivated in the region, share parentage and showed superior but distinct adaption mechanisms under water-deficit (WD) conditions. Nevertheless, the physiological and molecular basis of their adaptation remains unknown. A greenhouse study was conducted to understand the differences in the physiological and transcriptomic responses of TAM 111 and TAM 112 to WD stress. Whole-plant data indicated that TAM 112 used more water, produced more biomass and grain yield under WD compared to TAM 111. Leaf-level data at the grain filling stage indicated that TAM 112 had elevated abscisic acid (ABA) content and reduced stomatal conductance and photosynthesis as compared to TAM 111. Sustained WD during the grain filling stage also resulted in greater flag leaf transcriptome changes in TAM 112 than TAM 111. Transcripts associated with photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, phytohormone metabolism, and other dehydration responses were uniquely regulated between cultivars. These results suggested a differential role for ABA in regulating physiological and transcriptomic changes associated with WD stress and potential involvement in the superior adaptation and yield of TAM 112. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  13. Physiological stress responses in wild Asian elephants Elephas maximus in a human-dominated landscape in the Western Ghats, southern India.

    PubMed

    Vijayakrishnan, Sreedhar; Kumar, Mavatur Ananda; Umapathy, G; Kumar, Vinod; Sinha, Anindya

    2018-05-17

    Increasing anthropogenic pressures on forests, especially in the tropical regions of the world, have restricted several large mammalian species such as the Asian elephant to fragmented habitats within human-dominated landscapes. In this study, we assessed the effects of an anthropogenic landscape and its associated conflict with humans on the physiological stress responses displayed by Asian elephants in the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats mountains in south India. We have quantified faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations in focal individual elephants within and across herds, inhabiting both anthropogenic and natural habitats, and evaluated their physiological responses to different socio-ecological situations between November 2013 and April 2014. Physiological stress responses varied significantly among the tested elephant age- and sex categories but not across different types of social organisation. Adults generally showed higher FGM concentrations, even in the absence of stressors, than did any other age category. Males also appeared to have higher stress responses than did females. Although there was no significant variation in mean stress levels between elephants on the plateau in the absence of human interactions and those in adjacent, relatively undisturbed forest habitats, FGM concentrations increased significantly for adult and subadult individuals as well as for calves following drives, during which elephants were driven off aggressively by people. Our study emphasises the general importance of understanding individual variation in physiology and behaviour within a population of a seriously threatened mammalian species, the Asian elephant, and specifically highlights the need for long-term monitoring of the stress physiology and behavioural responses of individual elephants across both human-dominated and natural landscapes. Such studies would not only provide comprehensive insights into the adaptive biology of elephants in changing

  14. Age-Related Changes in Physiological Reactivity to a Stress Task: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

    PubMed

    Brugnera, A; Zarbo, C; Adorni, R; Gatti, A; Compare, A; Sakatani, K

    2017-01-01

    Aging is associated with changes in biological functions, such as reduced cardiovascular responses to stressful tasks. However, less is known about the influence of age on the reactivity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to acute stressors. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a computerized-controlled stress task on the PFC and autonomic system activity in a sample of older and younger adults. We recruited a total of 55 healthy, right-handed persons (26 older adults with mean age 69.5, SD 5.8 years; and 29 younger adults with mean age 23.8, SD 3.3 years); groups were balanced for sex. Tasks included a control and an experimental condition: during both tasks individuals had to solve simple mental arithmetic problems. For the experimental condition, all participants were faced with a time limit that induced significant stress. Physiological indexes were collected continuously during the entire procedure using a 2-channel near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and an ECG monitoring system. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to assess changes in hemoglobin concentrations, and changes in both heart rate and performance outcomes. NIRS, ECG and performance data showed a significant interaction between the group and condition. Post-hoc analyses evidenced a significant increase in heart rate and Oxy-Hb concentration in the bilateral PFC between the control and experimental condition only in the younger group. Post-hoc analyses of behavioral data showed lower percentages of correct responses and higher response times in the older group. In summary, these results suggested that cardiovascular and cortical reactivity to stress tasks are a function of age. Older individuals seem to be characterized by blunted physiological reactivity, suggestive of impaired adaptive responses to acute stressors. Therefore, future studies should investigate the underlying physiological mechanisms of prefrontal and cardiovascular changes related to aging.

  15. Physiological response of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) to handling and crowding stress in intensive fish culture

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wedemeyer, Gary A.

    1976-01-01

    Moving 4–5-in. coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) held in soft (20 ppm CaCO3) water from the relatively light loading density of 0.5 lb/ft3 to 1, 2, or 4 lb/ft3 (density index, DI = 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8) caused significant stress as indicated by loss of feeding behavior, but only minimal physiological disturbances, as indicated by lack of hyperglycemia or hypochloremia. However, moving them to 6 or 12 lb/ft3 (DI = 1.2, 2.4) caused significant physiological stress which required at least a week for recovery. Smolting coho salmon were physiologically stressed by population densities of 1 lb/ft3 or more and a subclinical corynebacterial kidney infection was activated. Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) (4–5 in.) were physiologically stressed when moved and held at 1 lb/ft3 or more but retained normal feeding behavior. This indicates that handling and crowding stress will be minimized in softwater areas if densities in fish distribution trucks or in ponds or raceways during disease treatments are held to 0.1–0.5 lb/gal.

  16. Ocean acidification increases the sensitivity of and variability in physiological responses of an intertidal limpet to thermal stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jie; Russell, Bayden D.; Ding, Meng-Wen; Dong, Yun-Wei

    2018-05-01

    Understanding physiological responses of organisms to warming and ocean acidification is the first step towards predicting the potential population- and community-level ecological impacts of these stressors. Increasingly, physiological plasticity is being recognized as important for organisms to adapt to the changing microclimates. Here, we evaluate the importance of physiological plasticity for coping with ocean acidification and elevated temperature, and its variability among individuals, of the intertidal limpet Cellana toreuma from the same population in Xiamen. Limpets were collected from shaded mid-intertidal rock surfaces. They were acclimated under combinations of different pCO2 concentrations (400 and 1000 ppm, corresponding to a pH of 8.1 and 7.8) and temperatures (20 and 24 °C) in a short-term period (7 days), with the control conditions (20 °C and 400 ppm) representing the average annual temperature and present-day pCO2 level at the collection site. Heart rates (as a proxy for metabolic performance) and expression of genes encoding inducible and constitutive heat-shock proteins (hsp70 and hsc70) at different heat-shock temperatures (26, 30, 34, and 38 °C) were measured. Hsp70 and Hsc70 play important roles in protecting cells from heat stresses, but have different expression patterns, with Hsp70 significantly increased in expression during stress and Hsc70 constitutively expressed and only mildly induced during stress. Analysis of heart rate showed significantly higher temperature coefficients (Q10 rates) for limpets at 20 °C than at 24 °C and post-acclimation thermal sensitivity of limpets at 400 ppm was lower than at 1000 ppm. Expression of hsp70 linearly increased with the increasing heat-shock temperatures, with the largest slope occurring in limpets acclimated under a future scenario (24 °C and 1000 ppm pCO2). These results suggested that limpets showed increased sensitivity and stress response under future conditions. Furthermore, the

  17. Preschoolers’ Genetic, Physiological, and Behavioral Sensitivity Factors Moderate Links Between Parenting Stress and Child Internalizing, Externalizing, and Sleep Problems

    PubMed Central

    Davis, Molly; Thomassin, Kristel; Bilms, Joanie; Suveg, Cynthia; Shaffer, Anne; Beach, Steven R. H.

    2017-01-01

    This study examined three potential moderators of the relations between maternal parenting stress and preschoolers’ adjustment problems: a genetic polymorphism - the short allele of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR, ss/sl allele) gene, a physiological indicator - children’s baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and a behavioral indicator - mothers’ reports of children’s negative emotionality. A total of 108 mothers (Mage = 30.68 years, SDage = 6.06) reported on their parenting stress as well as their preschoolers’ (Mage = 3.50 years, SDage = .51, 61% boys) negative emotionality and internalizing, externalizing, and sleep problems. Results indicated that the genetic sensitivity variable functioned according to a differential susceptibility model; however, the results involving physiological and behavioral sensitivity factors were most consistent with a diathesis-stress framework. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts to counter the effects of parenting stress are discussed. PMID:28295263

  18. Resting heart rate, physiological stress and disadvantage in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: analysis from a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Alice; Hughes, Jaquelyne T; Brown, Alex; Lawton, Paul D; Cass, Alan; Hoy, Wendy; O'Dea, Kerin; Maple-Brown, Louise J

    2016-02-11

    Lower socioeconomic status has been linked to long-term stress, which can manifest in individuals as physiological stress. The aim was to explore the relationship between low socioeconomic status and physiological stress in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Using data from the eGFR Study (a cross-sectional study of 634 Indigenous Australians in urban and remote areas of northern and central Australia), we examined associations between resting heart rate and demographic, socioeconomic, and biomedical factors. An elevated resting heart rate has been proposed as a measure of sustained stress activation and was used as a marker of physiological stress. Relationships were assessed between heart rate and the above variables using univariate and multiple regression analyses. We reported a mean resting heart rate of 74 beats/min in the cohort (mean age 45 years). On multiple regression analysis, higher heart rate was found to be independently associated with Aboriginal ethnicity, being a current smoker, having only primary level schooling, higher HbA1c and higher diastolic blood pressure (model R(2) 0.25). Elevated resting heart rate was associated with lower socioeconomic status and poorer health profile in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Higher resting heart rate may be an indicator of stress and disadvantage in this population at high risk of chronic diseases.

  19. Physiological integration modifies δ15N in the clonal plant Fragaria vesca, suggesting preferential transport of nitrogen to water-stressed offspring.

    PubMed

    Roiloa, S R; Antelo, B; Retuerto, R

    2014-08-01

    One of the most striking attributes of clonal plants is their capacity for physiological integration, which enables movement of essential resources between connected ramets. This study investigated the capacity of physiological integration to buffer differences in resource availability experienced by ramets of the clonal wild strawberry plant, Fragaria vesca. Specifically, a study was made of the responses of connected and severed offspring ramets growing in environments with different water availability conditions (well watered or water stressed) and nitrogen forms (nitrate or ammonium). The experimental design consisted of three factors, 'integration' (connected, severed) 'water status' (well watered, water stressed) and 'nitrogen form' (nitrate, ammonium), applied in a pot experiment. The effects of physiological integration were studied by analysing photochemical efficiency, leaf spectral reflectance, photosynthesis and carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination, the last of which has been neglected in previous studies. Physiological integration buffered the stress caused by water deprivation. As a consequence, survival was improved in water-stressed offspring ramets that remained connected to their parent plants. The nitrogen isotope composition (δ(15)N) values in the connected water-stressed ramets were similar to those in ramets in the ammonium treatment; however, δ(15)N values in connected well-watered ramets were similar to those in the nitrate treatment. The results also demonstrated the benefit of integration for offspring ramets in terms of photochemical activity and photosynthesis. This is the first study in which carbon and nitrogen isotopic discrimination has been used to detect physiological integration in clonal plants. The results for nitrogen isotope composition represent the first evidence of preferential transport of a specific form of nitrogen to compensate for stressful conditions experienced by a member clone. Water consumption was lower

  20. Sex differences in physiological and affective responses to stress in remitted depression.

    PubMed

    Bagley, Sara L; Weaver, Terri L; Buchanan, Tony W

    2011-08-03

    Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with alterations in stress physiology. Severe melancholic depression is characterized by hypercortisolism, but community dwelling mildly depressed individuals and those with remitted MDD have shown reduced or normal reactivity to stress. There are also pronounced sex differences both in the incidence of MDD and in stress reactivity. To explore the relationships among depression history, sex differences, and stress, we examined stress reactivity in people with and without a history of MDD. Twenty-two participants with remitted MDD (12 men and 10 women) and 36 never depressed comparison participants (22 men and 14 women) participated in the study. Cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA) were sampled from saliva before, 10 min after, and 30 min after the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Participants filled out the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) before and after they underwent the TSST. Women with remitted MDD showed reduced cortisol response to the TSST compared with the never MDD women, while men with remitted MDD showed comparable cortisol reactivity to the never depressed men. The groups did not differ on sAA reactivity to stress. The remitted MDD group (overall and men and women separately) reported greater negative affect both before and after stress compared to the never depressed group. Women from both groups reported greater post-stress negative affect than men. In contrast, men from both groups reported higher positive affect before and after stress than women. Given that the sex difference findings were not dependent on depression history, self-reported affective differences in response to stress may predate depressive symptoms and contribute to sex differences in depression incidence. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Association between perceived racism and physiological stress indices in Native Hawaiians.

    PubMed

    Kaholokula, Joseph Keawe'aimoku; Grandinetti, Andrew; Keller, Stefan; Nacapoy, Andrea H; Kingi, Te Kani; Mau, Marjorie K

    2012-02-01

    The association between racism and the physical health of native U.S. populations has yet to be examined despite their high risk for stress-related disorders and a history of discrimination toward them. We examined the correlation between perceived racism and the two physiological stress indices of cortisol level and blood pressure in 146 adult Native Hawaiians. Attributed and felt racism were assessed with a 10-item shortened version of the Oppression Questionnaire. Height, weight, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol samples (AM and PM) were collected and analyzed along with information on Hawaiian ancestry, BMI, age, sex, marital status, education level, general psychological stress, and ethnic identity. The results indicated that Native Hawaiians reporting more attributed racism had significantly (P < .05) lower average cortisol levels than those reporting less attributed racism, after adjusting for socio-demographic, biological, and psychosocial confounders. Native Hawaiians reporting more felt racism had a significantly higher systolic blood pressure than those reporting less, but this association was not significant after adjusting for the aforementioned confounders. Racism appears to be a chronic stressor that can "get under the skin" of Native Hawaiians by affecting their physical health and risk for stress-related diseases, possibly, through mechanisms of cortisol dysregulation.

  2. Dysregulated physiological stress systems and accelerated cellular aging.

    PubMed

    Révész, Dóra; Verhoeven, Josine E; Milaneschi, Yuri; de Geus, Eco J C N; Wolkowitz, Owen M; Penninx, Brenda W J H

    2014-06-01

    Exposure to chronic stressors is associated with accelerated biological aging as indicated by reduced leukocyte telomere length (LTL). This impact could be because of chronic overactivation of the body's physiological stress systems. This study examined the associations between LTL and the immune system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and autonomic nervous system. LTL was assessed in 2936 adults from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. Inflammation markers (interleukin-6, c-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis indicators (salivary cortisol awakening curve [area under the curve indicators, with respect to the ground and increase], evening levels, 0.5 mg dexamethasone cortisol suppression ratio), and autonomic nervous system measures (heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, pre-ejection period) were determined. Linear regression analyses were performed and adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle and clinical factors. Shorter LTL was significantly associated with higher c-reactive protein, interleukin-6, area under the curve with respect to increase, and heart rate. A cumulative index score was calculated based on the number of highest tertiles of these 4 stress markers. LTL demonstrated a significant gradient within subjects ranging from having zero (5528 base pairs) to having 4 elevated stress markers (5371 base pairs, p for trend = 0.002), corresponding to a difference of 10 years of accelerated biological aging. Contrary to the expectations, shorter LTL was also associated with longer pre-ejection period, indicating lower sympathetic tone. This large-scale study showed that inflammation, high awakening cortisol response, and increased heart rate are associated with shorter LTL, especially when they are dysregulated cumulatively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Parental Anxiety Prospectively Predicts Fearful Children's Physiological Recovery from Stress.

    PubMed

    Borelli, Jessica L; Smiley, Patricia; Bond, D Kyle; Buttitta, Katherine V; DeMeules, Madeleine; Perrone, Laura; Welindt, Nicole; Rasmussen, Hannah F; West, Jessica L

    2015-10-01

    Parental anxiety confers risk for the development of an anxiety disorder in children, and this risk may be transmitted through children's stress reactivity. Further, some children may be more vulnerable to reactivity in the presence of parent factors such as anxiety. In this study, we examined whether parents' anxiety symptoms prospectively predict school-aged children's physiological reactivity following stress, assessed through their electrodermal activity (galvanic skin response) during recovery from a performance challenge task, and whether this varies as a function of children's temperamental fearfulness. Parents and their children (N = 68) reported on their anxiety symptoms at Time 1 of data collection, and parents characterized the extent to which their children had fearful temperaments. At Time 2 children completed the performance challenge and two recovery tasks. Greater parental anxiety symptom severity at Time 1 predicted children's higher electrodermal response during both recovery tasks following the failure task. Further, these effects are specific to children with medium and high fearful temperament, whereas for children low in fearfulness, the association between parent anxiety and child reactivity is not significant. Findings provide additional evidence for the diathesis-stress hypothesis and are discussed in terms of their contribution to the literature on developmental psychopathology.

  4. Reproductive physiology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gee, G.F.; Russman, S.E.; Ellis, David H.; Gee, George F.; Mirande, Claire M.

    1996-01-01

    Conclusions: Although the general pattern of avian physiology applies to cranes, we have identified many physiological mechanisms (e.g., effects of disturbance) that need further study. Studies with cranes are expensive compared to those done with domestic fowl because of the crane's larger size, low reproductive rate, and delayed sexual maturity. To summarize, the crane reproductive system is composed of physiological and anatomical elements whose function is controlled by an integrated neural-endocrine system. Males generally produce semen at a younger age than when females lay eggs. Eggs are laid in clutches of two (1 to 3), and females will lay additional clutches if the preceding clutches are removed. Both sexes build nests and incubate the eggs. Molt begins during incubation and body molt may be completed annually in breeding pairs. However, remiges are replaced sequentially over 2 to 3 years, or abruptly every 2 to 3 years in other species. Most immature birds replace their juvenal remiges over a 2 to 3 year period. Stress interferes with reproduction in cranes by reducing egg production or terminating the reproductive effort. In other birds, stress elevates corticosterone levels and decreases LHRH release. We know little about the physiological response of cranes to stress.

  5. Exploratory behavior is linked to stress physiology and social network centrality in free-living house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus).

    PubMed

    Moyers, Sahnzi C; Adelman, James S; Farine, Damien R; Moore, Ignacio T; Hawley, Dana M

    2018-06-01

    Animal personality has been linked to individual variation in both stress physiology and social behaviors, but few studies have simultaneously examined covariation between personality traits, stress hormone levels, and behaviors in free-living animals. We investigated relationships between exploratory behavior (one aspect of animal personality), stress physiology, and social and foraging behaviors in wild house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). We conducted novel environment assays after collecting samples of baseline and stress-induced plasma corticosterone concentrations from a subset of house finches. We then fitted individuals with Passive Integrated Transponder tags and monitored feeder use and social interactions at radio-frequency identification equipped bird feeders. First, we found that individuals with higher baseline corticosterone concentrations exhibit more exploratory behaviors in a novel environment. Second, more exploratory individuals interacted with more unique conspecifics in the wild, though this result was stronger for female than for male house finches. Third, individuals that were quick to begin exploring interacted more frequently with conspecifics than slow-exploring individuals. Finally, exploratory behaviors were unrelated to foraging behaviors, including the amount of time spent on bird feeders, a behavior previously shown to be predictive of acquiring a bacterial disease that causes annual epidemics in house finches. Overall, our results indicate that individual differences in exploratory behavior are linked to variation in both stress physiology and social network traits in free-living house finches. Such covariation has important implications for house finch ecology, as both traits can contribute to fitness in the wild. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Oxidative Stress Mediates Physiological Costs of Begging in Magpie (Pica pica) Nestlings

    PubMed Central

    Moreno-Rueda, Gregorio; Redondo, Tomás; Trenzado, Cristina E.; Sanz, Ana; Zúñiga, Jesús M.

    2012-01-01

    Background Theoretical models predict that a cost is necessary to guarantee honesty in begging displays given by offspring to solicit food from their parents. There is evidence for begging costs in the form of a reduced growth rate and immunocompetence. Moreover, begging implies vigorous physical activity and attentiveness, which should increase metabolism and thus the releasing of pro-oxidant substances. Consequently, we predict that soliciting offspring incur a cost in terms of oxidative stress, and growth rate and immune response (processes that generate pro-oxidants substances) are reduced in order to maintain oxidative balance. Methodology/Principal Findings We test whether magpie (Pica pica) nestlings incur a cost in terms of oxidative stress when experimentally forced to beg intensively, and whether oxidative balance is maintained by reducing growth rate and immune response. Our results show that begging provokes oxidative stress, and that nestlings begging for longer bouts reduce growth and immune response, thereby maintaining their oxidative status. Conclusions/Significance These findings help explaining the physiological link between begging and its associated growth and immunocompetence costs, which seems to be mediated by oxidative stress. Our study is a unique example of the complex relationships between the intensity of a communicative display (begging), oxidative stress, and life-history traits directly linked to viability. PMID:22808144

  7. Temperature Insensitivity and Behavioural Reduction of the Physiological Stress Response to Longline Capture by the Gummy Shark, Mustelus antarcticus.

    PubMed

    Guida, Leonardo; Walker, Terence I; Reina, Richard D

    2016-01-01

    Many factors influence the physiological stress response to fisheries capture in elasmobranchs. However, the influence of sea surface temperatures (SST) and behaviour are unknown and crucial considering global fishing pressures. We investigated the effect of SST and behaviour on the physiological stress response to capture of the gummy shark, Mustelus antarcticus, and compared our results to a laboratory study using similar conditions to test whether stress responses of in situ capture are consistent with those from laboratory simulations. Capture time for 23 M. antarcticus ranged 32-241 min as measured by hook timers or time depth recorders (TDR) in SSTs ranging 12-20°C. TDR data from 13 M. antarcticus were analysed to quantify capture behaviour as the percentage of time spent moving during capture. Several physiological variables measured from blood samples obtained immediately upon the animals' landing indicated that although warmer SSTs increased metabolic rate, the stress response to capture was not exacerbated by capture duration. During capture movement occurred for an average of 10% of the time and since M. antarcticus can respire whilst stationary, restricted movement probably mitigated potential influences of increased SSTs and capture duration on the stress response. Previous laboratory findings were also shown to be indicative of in situ conditions and we thus advise that studies control for water temperature given the influence it has on variables (e.g. lactate) used to measure capture stress in elasmobranchs. We highlight the importance of seasonal water temperatures and capture behaviour when assessing the resilience to fisheries capture and the implementation of appropriate fisheries management strategies.

  8. Communalism predicts prenatal affect, stress, and physiology better than ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

    PubMed

    Abdou, Cleopatra M; Dunkel Schetter, Christine; Campos, Belinda; Hilmert, Clayton J; Dominguez, Tyan Parker; Hobel, Calvin J; Glynn, Laura M; Sandman, Curt

    2010-07-01

    The authors examined the relevance of communalism, operationalized as a cultural orientation emphasizing interdependence, to maternal prenatal emotional health and physiology and distinguished its effects from those of ethnicity and childhood and adult socioeconomic status (SES). African American and European American women (N = 297) were recruited early in pregnancy and followed through 32 weeks gestation using interviews and medical chart review. Overall, African American women and women of lower socioeconomic backgrounds had higher levels of negative affect, stress, and blood pressure, but these ethnic and socioeconomic disparities were not observed among women higher in communalism. Hierarchical multivariate regression analyses showed that communalism was a more robust predictor of prenatal emotional health than ethnicity, childhood SES, and adult SES. Communalism also interacted with ethnicity and SES, resulting in lower blood pressure during pregnancy for African American women and women who experienced socioeconomic disadvantage over the life course. The effects of communalism on prenatal affect, stress, and physiology were not explained by depressive symptoms at study entry, perceived availability of social support, self-esteem, optimism, mastery, nor pregnancy-specific factors, including whether the pregnancy was planned, whether the pregnancy was desired after conception, or how frequently the woman felt happy to be pregnant. This suggests that a communal cultural orientation benefits maternal prenatal emotional health and physiology over and above its links to better understood personal and social resources in addition to economic resources. Implications of culture as a determinant of maternal prenatal health and well-being and an important lens for examining ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities in health are discussed.

  9. The effect of extreme spring weather on body condition and stress physiology in Lapland longspurs and white-crowned sparrows breeding in the Arctic.

    PubMed

    Krause, Jesse S; Pérez, Jonathan H; Chmura, Helen E; Sweet, Shannan K; Meddle, Simone L; Hunt, Kathleen E; Gough, Laura; Boelman, Natalie; Wingfield, John C

    2016-10-01

    Climate change is causing rapid shifts in temperature while also increasing the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme weather. In the northern hemisphere, the spring of 2013 was characterized as extreme due to record high snow cover and low temperatures. Studies that describe the effects of extreme weather on phenology across taxa are limited while morphological and physiological responses remain poorly understood. Stress physiology, as measured through baseline and stress-induced concentrations of cortisol or corticosterone, has often been studied to understand how organisms respond to environmental stressors. We compared body condition and stress physiology of two long-distance migrants breeding in low arctic Alaska - the white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) and Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) - in 2013, an extreme weather year, with three more typical years (2011, 2012, and 2014). The extended snow cover in spring 2013 caused measureable changes in phenology, body condition and physiology. Arrival timing for both species was delayed 4-5days compared to the other three years. Lapland longspurs had reduced fat stores, pectoralis muscle profiles, body mass, and hematocrit levels, while stress-induced concentrations of corticosterone were increased. Similarly, white-crowned sparrows had reduced pectoralis muscle profiles and hematocrit levels, but in contrast to Lapland longspurs, had elevated fat stores and no difference in mass or stress physiology relative to other study years. An understanding of physiological mechanisms that regulate coping strategies is of critical importance for predicting how species will respond to the occurrence of extreme events in the future due to global climate change. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Early-developmental stress, repeatability, and canalization in a suite of physiological and behavioral traits in female zebra finches.

    PubMed

    Careau, Vincent; Buttemer, William A; Buchanan, Katherine L

    2014-10-01

    Adaptive developmental plasticity allows individuals experiencing poor environmental conditions in early life to adjust their life-history strategy in order to prioritize short-term fitness benefits and maximize reproductive output in challenging environments. Much research has been conducted to test whether such adoption of a "faster" life-history strategy is accompanied by concordant changes in behavior and physiology, with mixed results. As research in this field has focused on comparison of mean-level responses of treatment groups, few studies include repeated measures of response variables and the effect that developmental stress may have on repeatability per se. We investigated how early-developmental stress affects the mean expression of (and repeatability in) a variety of behavioral and physiological traits in female zebra finches. We predicted that: (1) individuals subjected to nutritional restriction in the nestling phase would have higher feeding and activity rates, with associated increases in hematocrit and basal metabolic rates (BMRs), (2) nutritional restriction in early life would alter adults' stress-induced corticosterone level, and (3) developmental stress would, respectively, influence the amount of among-individual and within-individual variation in behavioral and physiological traits, hence affecting the repeatability of these traits. In comparison to control females, stressed females did not differ in activity rate or stress-induced corticosterone level, but they did have higher levels of feeding, hematocrit, and BMR. Among-individual variance and repeatability were generally higher in stressed females than in controls. Finally, we found that developmental dietary restriction significantly reduced the amount of within-individual variance both in activity rate in the novel environment and in stress-induced corticosterone level. Our results not only confirm previous findings on the effect of early-developmental stress on BMR, but also extend

  11. The effect of water stress on some morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and bud success on apple and quince rootstocks.

    PubMed

    Bolat, Ibrahim; Dikilitas, Murat; Ercisli, Sezai; Ikinci, Ali; Tonkaz, Tahsin

    2014-01-01

    The effects of different water stress (control, medium, and severe) on some morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and bud success of M9 apple and MA quince rootstocks were determined. The results showed that water stress significantly affected most morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics as well as budding success on the both rootstocks. The increasing water stress decreased the relative shoot length, diameter, and plant total fresh and dry weights. Leaf relative water content and chlorophyll index decreased while electrolyte leakage increased with the increase of water stress in both rootstocks. An increase in water stress also resulted in reduction in budding success in Vista Bella/M9 (79.33% and 46.67%) and Santa Maria/MA (70.33% and 15.33%) combinations. However, the water stress in Santa Maria/MA was more prominent. The increase in water stress resulted in higher peroxidase activities as well as phenol contents in both rootstocks. Although catalase activity, anthocyanin, and proline contents increased with the impact of stress, this was not statistically significant. The results suggest that the impact of stress increased with the increase of water stress; therefore, growers should be careful when using M9 and MA rootstocks in both nursery and orchards where water scarcity is present.

  12. Preschoolers' genetic, physiological, and behavioral sensitivity factors moderate links between parenting stress and child internalizing, externalizing, and sleep problems.

    PubMed

    Davis, Molly; Thomassin, Kristel; Bilms, Joanie; Suveg, Cynthia; Shaffer, Anne; Beach, Steven R H

    2017-05-01

    This study examined three potential moderators of the relations between maternal parenting stress and preschoolers' adjustment problems: a genetic polymorphism-the short allele of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR, ss/sl allele) gene, a physiological indicator-children's baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and a behavioral indicator-mothers' reports of children's negative emotionality. A total of 108 mothers (M age  = 30.68 years, SD age  = 6.06) reported on their parenting stress as well as their preschoolers' (M age  = 3.50 years, SD age  = 0.51, 61% boys) negative emotionality and internalizing, externalizing, and sleep problems. Results indicated that the genetic sensitivity variable functioned according to a differential susceptibility model; however, the results involving physiological and behavioral sensitivity factors were most consistent with a diathesis-stress framework. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts to counter the effects of parenting stress are discussed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Physiological tolerance to uncompensated heat stress in soldiers: effects of various types of body cooling systems.

    PubMed

    Jovanović, Dalibor; Karkalić, Radovan; Zeba, Snjezana; Pavlović, Miroslav; Radaković, Sonja S

    2014-03-01

    In military services, emergency situations when soldiers are exposed to a combination of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) contamination combined with heat stress, are frequent and complex. In these specific conditions, usage of personal body cooling systems may be effective in reducing heat stress. The present study was conducted in order to evaluate the efficiency of four various types of contemporary personal body cooling systems based on the "Phase Change Material" (PCM), and its effects on soldiers' subjective comfort and physiological performance during exertional heat stress in hot environments. Ten male soldiers were voluntarily subjected to exertional heat stress tests (EHSTs) consisted of walking on a treadmill (5.5 km/h) in hot conditions (40 degreesC) in climatic chamber, wearing NBC isolating impermeable protective suits. One of the tests was performed without any additional cooling solution (NOCOOL), and four tests were performed while using different types of cooling systems: three in a form of vests and one as underwear. Physiological strain was determined by the mean skin temperature (Tsk), tympanic temperature (Tty), and heart rate values (HR), while sweat rates (SwR) indicated changes in hydration status. In all the cases EHST induced physiological response manifested through increasing Tty, HR and SwR. Compared to NOCOOL tests, when using cooling vests, Tty and Tsk were significantly lower (on 35th min, for 0.44 +/- 0.03 and 0.49 +/- 0.05 degrees C, respectively; p < 0.05), as well as the average SwR (0.17 +/- 0.03 L/m2/h). When using underwear, the values of given parameters were not significantly different compared to NOCOOL tests. Using a body cooling system based on PCM in the form of vest under NBC protective clothes during physical activity in hot conditions, reduces sweating and alleviates heat stress manifested by increased core and skin temperatures and heart rate values. These effects directly improve heat tolerance, hydration

  14. Physiological response of largemouth bass to angling stress

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gustaveson, A. Wayne; Wydoski, Richard S.; Wedemeyer, Gary A.

    1991-01-01

    The physiological effects of catch-and-release fishing on largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides from Lake Powell and Mantua Reservoir, Utah, were evaluated, and an estimate of the time needed for recovery from hooking stress was obtained. Fatigue in Lake Powell fish, as indicated by elevated blood lactate, was directly proportional to hooking time (1–5 min) and water temperature, but recovery from the hyperlacticemia was relatively rapid (about 24 h). Hyperglycemia, an indicator of stress hormone production, did not occur in largemouth bass hooked and played for 1–5 min in the coldest water (11–13°C), was moderate in fish hooked and played at l6–20°C, and was severe in fish played for 5 min at 28–30°C. Fish held for recovery in live cages suffered further hyperglycemia, presumably because of the stress of confinement. Ionoregulation, as indicated by relatively stable plasma chloride values, was not immediately affected in largemouth bass caught at water temperatures of 11–13°C or 28–30°C, but an unusual hyperchloremia developed in fish hooked and played at 16–20°C. During recovery, the expected progressive hypochloremia developed. Plasma osmolality was somewhat affected by hooking at all water temperatures tested, but recovery was almost complete within about 8 h. Mantua Reservoir fish were hooked and played only at water temperatures of 23–26°C. The hyperlacticemia and hyperglycemia that occurred were generally more severe than in the Lake Powell fish hooked and played at either 16–20°C or 28–30°C. However, effects on plasma chloride and osmolality were similar to those occurring in Lake Powell fish.

  15. Experience Modulates the Reproductive Response to Heat Stress in C. elegans via Multiple Physiological Processes

    PubMed Central

    Gouvêa, Devin Y.; Aprison, Erin Z.; Ruvinsky, Ilya

    2015-01-01

    Natural environments are considerably more variable than laboratory settings and often involve transient exposure to stressful conditions. To fully understand how organisms have evolved to respond to any given stress, prior experience must therefore be considered. We investigated the effects of individual and ancestral experience on C. elegans reproduction. We documented ways in which cultivation at 15°C or 25°C affects developmental time, lifetime fecundity, and reproductive performance after severe heat stress that exceeds the fertile range of the organism but is compatible with survival and future fecundity. We found that experience modulates multiple aspects of reproductive physiology, including the male and female germ lines and the interaction between them. These responses vary in their environmental sensitivity, suggesting the existence of complex mechanisms for coping with unpredictable and stressful environments. PMID:26713620

  16. Proteomic and physiological analyses reveal the role of exogenous spermidine on cucumber roots in response to Ca(NO3)2 stress.

    PubMed

    Du, Jing; Guo, Shirong; Sun, Jin; Shu, Sheng

    2018-05-01

    The mechanism of exogenous Spd-induced Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress tolerance in cucumber was studied by proteomics and physiological analyses. Protein-protein interaction network revealed 13 key proteins involved in Spd-induced Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress resistance. Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress is one of the major reasons for secondary salinization that limits cucumber plant development in greenhouse. The conferred protective role of exogenous Spd on cucumber in response to Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress cues involves changes at the cellular and physiological levels. To investigate the molecular foundation of exogenous Spd in Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress tolerance, a proteomic approach was performed in our work. After a 9 days period of Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress and/or exogenous Spd, 71 differential protein spots were confidently identified. The resulting proteins were enriched in seven different categories of biological processes, including protein metabolism, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, ROS homeostasis and stress defense, cell wall related, transcription, others and unknown. Protein metabolism (31.2%), carbohydrate and energy metabolism (15.6%), ROS homeostasis and stress defense (32.5%) were the three largest functional categories in cucumber root and most of them were significantly increased by exogenous Spd. The Spd-responsive protein interaction network revealed 13 key proteins, whose accumulation changes could be critical for Spd-induced resistance; all 13 proteins were upregulated by Spd at transcriptional and protein levels in response to Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress. Furthermore, accumulation of antioxidant enzymes, non-enzymatic antioxidant and polyamines, along with reduction of H 2 O 2 and MDA, were detected after exogenous Spd application during Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress. The results of these proteomic and physiological analyses in cucumber root may facilitate a better understanding of the underlying mechanism of Ca(NO 3 ) 2 stress tolerance mediated by exogenous Spd.

  17. Involvement of the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) in the physiological compensation of the freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus to low temperature and high salinity stress.

    PubMed

    Prymaczok, Natalia C; Pasqualino, Valeria M; Viau, Verónica E; Rodríguez, Enrique M; Medesani, Daniel A

    2016-02-01

    This study was aimed at determining the role of the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) in the physiological compensation to both saline and thermal stress, in the freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. By determining the expression of the CHH gene in the eyestalk of juvenile crayfish, we found that maximal induction of CHH was induced at high salinity (10 g/L) and low temperature (20 °C). In order to investigate the role of CHH in the physiological compensation to such stressful conditions, recombinant CHH was supplied to stressed animals. CHH-injected crayfish showed increased hemolymphatic levels of glucose, in accordance with a significant utilization of glycogen reserves from the hepatopancreas. Furthermore, CHH administration allowed stressed animals to regulate hemolymphatic sodium and potassium at more constant levels than controls. Taken together, these results suggest a relevant role of CHH in increasing the energy available intended for processes involved in the physiological compensation of C. quadricarinatus to both saline and thermal stress.

  18. Development and application of an antibody-based protein microarray to assess physiological stress in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos).

    PubMed

    Carlson, Ruth I; Cattet, Marc R L; Sarauer, Bryan L; Nielsen, Scott E; Boulanger, John; Stenhouse, Gordon B; Janz, David M

    2016-01-01

    A novel antibody-based protein microarray was developed that simultaneously determines expression of 31 stress-associated proteins in skin samples collected from free-ranging grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in Alberta, Canada. The microarray determines proteins belonging to four broad functional categories associated with stress physiology: hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis proteins, apoptosis/cell cycle proteins, cellular stress/proteotoxicity proteins and oxidative stress/inflammation proteins. Small skin samples (50-100 mg) were collected from captured bears using biopsy punches. Proteins were isolated and labelled with fluorescent dyes, with labelled protein homogenates loaded onto microarrays to hybridize with antibodies. Relative protein expression was determined by comparison with a pooled standard skin sample. The assay was sensitive, requiring 80 µg of protein per sample to be run in triplicate on the microarray. Intra-array and inter-array coefficients of variation for individual proteins were generally <10 and <15%, respectively. With one exception, there were no significant differences in protein expression among skin samples collected from the neck, forelimb, hindlimb and ear in a subsample of n = 4 bears. This suggests that remotely delivered biopsy darts could be used in future sampling. Using generalized linear mixed models, certain proteins within each functional category demonstrated altered expression with respect to differences in year, season, geographical sampling location within Alberta and bear biological parameters, suggesting that these general variables may influence expression of specific proteins in the microarray. Our goal is to apply the protein microarray as a conservation physiology tool that can detect, evaluate and monitor physiological stress in grizzly bears and other species at risk over time in response to environmental change.

  19. Temperature Insensitivity and Behavioural Reduction of the Physiological Stress Response to Longline Capture by the Gummy Shark, Mustelus antarcticus

    PubMed Central

    Guida, Leonardo; Walker, Terence I.; Reina, Richard D.

    2016-01-01

    Many factors influence the physiological stress response to fisheries capture in elasmobranchs. However, the influence of sea surface temperatures (SST) and behaviour are unknown and crucial considering global fishing pressures. We investigated the effect of SST and behaviour on the physiological stress response to capture of the gummy shark, Mustelus antarcticus, and compared our results to a laboratory study using similar conditions to test whether stress responses of in situ capture are consistent with those from laboratory simulations. Capture time for 23 M. antarcticus ranged 32–241 min as measured by hook timers or time depth recorders (TDR) in SSTs ranging 12–20°C. TDR data from 13 M. antarcticus were analysed to quantify capture behaviour as the percentage of time spent moving during capture. Several physiological variables measured from blood samples obtained immediately upon the animals’ landing indicated that although warmer SSTs increased metabolic rate, the stress response to capture was not exacerbated by capture duration. During capture movement occurred for an average of 10% of the time and since M. antarcticus can respire whilst stationary, restricted movement probably mitigated potential influences of increased SSTs and capture duration on the stress response. Previous laboratory findings were also shown to be indicative of in situ conditions and we thus advise that studies control for water temperature given the influence it has on variables (e.g. lactate) used to measure capture stress in elasmobranchs. We highlight the importance of seasonal water temperatures and capture behaviour when assessing the resilience to fisheries capture and the implementation of appropriate fisheries management strategies. PMID:26886126

  20. Comparative physiological reactivity during script-driven recall in depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.

    PubMed

    O'Kearney, Richard; Parry, Lian

    2014-08-01

    Increased physiological responsiveness to trauma memories is common in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is related to higher felt memory intrusiveness. Physiological reactivity to remembering of distressing personal events in depression and its association with memory quality have not been examined. Heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) reactivity during script-driven recall were assessed in participants with a depressive episode without PTSD (n = 24), participants with PTSD (n = 24), and nondisordered controls (n = 24). Participants reported on event impact and memory quality. PTSD participants showed higher HR and SC reactivity during trauma recall compared with recall of other events and compared with depressed participants for HR and SC reactivity and compared with nondisordered participants for HR reactivity. Although reactivity between depressed and nondisordered participants was not significantly different, the findings indicated a consistent trend toward an attenuation of reactivity to memories of events subjectively associated with symptom onset for those with depression. There was no evidence that the presence of depression impacted the increased physiological responsiveness observed in PTSD. Higher avoidance was associated with lower HR reactivity to the event memory for depressed participants, whereas higher avoidance was associated with higher HR reactivity to the trauma memory for PTSD participants. Trauma remembering in PTSD is distinctive from comparable remembering in depression in triggering high physiological reactivity. Avoidance of remembering the event predicts attenuated physiological reactivity to critical event recall in depression. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

  1. Chronic variable stress and intravenous methamphetamine self-administration - Role of individual differences in behavioral and physiological reactivity to novelty.

    PubMed

    Taylor, S B; Watterson, L R; Kufahl, P R; Nemirovsky, N E; Tomek, S E; Conrad, C D; Olive, M F

    2016-09-01

    Stress is a contributing factor to the development and maintenance of addiction in humans. However, few studies have shown that stress potentiates the rewarding and/or reinforcing effects of methamphetamine in rodent models of addiction. The present study assessed the effects of exposure to 14 days of chronic variable stress (CVS), or no stress as a control (CON), on the rewarding and reinforcing effects of methamphetamine in adult rats using the conditioned place preference (Experiment 1) and intravenous self-administration (Experiment 2) paradigms. In Experiment 2, we also assessed individual differences in open field locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM), and physiological responses to a novel environment as possible predictors of methamphetamine intake patterns. Exposure to CVS for 14 days did not affect overall measures of methamphetamine conditioned reward or reinforcement. However, analyses of individual differences and direct vs. indirect effects revealed that rats exhibiting high physiological reactivity and locomotor activity in the EPM and open field tests self-administered more methamphetamine and reached higher breakpoints for drug reinforcement than rats exhibiting low reactivity. In addition, CVS exposure significantly increased the proportion of rats that exhibited high reactivity, and high reactivity was significantly correlated with increased levels of methamphetamine intake. These findings suggest that individual differences in physiological and locomotor reactivity to novel environments, as well as their interactions with stress history, predict patterns of drug intake in rodent models of methamphetamine addiction. Such predictors may eventually inform future strategies for implementing individualized treatment strategies for amphetamine use disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Vulnerability to predation and physiological stress responses of experimentally descaled juvenile Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gadomski, Dena M.; Mesa, Matthew G.; Olson, Todd M.

    1994-01-01

    Juvenile salmonids,Oncorhynchus spp., commonly encounter conditions (e.g., during hatchery release and dam passage) that result in damage to the skin, scale, and slime complex. We conducted laboratory experiments to determine if descaling of juvenile chinook salmon,O. tshawytscha, increased their vulnerability to predation, and to assess the physiological stress responses elicited by descaling. Salmon were experimentally descaled on either 10% or 20% of their total body area. When offered equal numbers of control and descaled juvenile chinook salmon, northern squawfish,Ptychocheilus oregonensis, did not consume significantly more of either prey type (48–60% of consumed prey were descaled). Juvenile chinook salmon descaled on 10% of their body area did show significant physiological stress responses, however. Mean concentrations of plasma cortisol peaked 1 h after descaling, and returned to control levels by 12 h. Plasma glucose peaked 3 h post-treatment and remained elevated for 24 h. Plasma lactate increased immediately following treatment and returned to undisturbed control levels by 3 h. The osmoregulatory response of plasma potassium was highly variable, but plasma sodium decreased immediately and remained low for 24 h. The observed physiological responses suggest that descaling of juvenile chinook salmon could result in decreased resistance to disease and other stressors encountered in the field, possibly leading to reduced performance capacity and lowered survival.

  3. Associations of Marital Conflict with Emotional and Physiological Stress: Evidence for Different Patterns of Dysregulation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G.

    2012-01-01

    The goal of this study was to explore theoretically suggested but untested links between interparental conflict and stress physiology in late adolescence. A multi-method study was conducted involving families (n = 42) who previously participated in the University California, Irvine site of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development;…

  4. Stress, workload and physiology demand during extravehicular activity: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Rai, Balwant; Kaur, Jasdeep; Foing, Bernard H

    2012-06-01

    Extravehicular activity (EVA), such as exercise performed under unique environmental conditions, is essential for supporting daily living in weightlessness and for further space exploration like long Mars mission. The study was planned stress, workload, and physiological demands of simulated Mars exploration. In this study, the six-person crew lived (24 hours) for 14 days during a short-term stay at the Mars Desert Research Station. The heart rates, salivary cortisol, workload, peak oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity of the crew are measured before, during and after an EVA. Data for heart rate showed the same trend as peak oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity, with a maximal increase to 85% of peak. The rating of subscale showed a significant increase in EVA as compared to run. Salivary cortisol levels and heart rates were increased in both groups, although significant increased of cortisol levels and heart rates more in EVA as compared to hill running crew members. Further study is required on large scale taken into account of limitations of this study and including other physiological and psychological parameters in Mars analog environment.

  5. Molecular and Epigenetic Mechanisms for the Complex Effects of Stress on Synaptic Physiology and Cognitive Functions

    PubMed Central

    Yuen, Eunice Y.; Wei, Jing

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Evidence over the past decades has found that stress, particularly through the corticosterone stress hormones, produces complex changes in glutamatergic signaling in prefrontal cortex, which leads to the alteration of cognitive processes medicated by this brain region. Interestingly, the effects of stress on glutamatergic transmission appear to be “U-shaped,” depending upon the duration and severity of the stressor. These biphasic effects of acute vs chronic stress represent the adaptive vs maladaptive responses to stressful stimuli. Animal studies suggest that the stress-induced modulation of excitatory synaptic transmission involves changes in presynaptic glutamate release, postsynaptic glutamate receptor membrane trafficking and degradation, spine structure and cytoskeleton network, and epigenetic control of gene expression. This review will discuss current findings on the key molecules involved in the stress-induced regulation of prefrontal cortex synaptic physiology and prefrontal cortex-mediated functions. Understanding the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms that underlie the complex effects of stress will help to develop novel strategies to cope with stress-related mental disorders. PMID:29016816

  6. Molecular and Epigenetic Mechanisms for the Complex Effects of Stress on Synaptic Physiology and Cognitive Functions.

    PubMed

    Yuen, Eunice Y; Wei, Jing; Yan, Zhen

    2017-11-01

    Evidence over the past decades has found that stress, particularly through the corticosterone stress hormones, produces complex changes in glutamatergic signaling in prefrontal cortex, which leads to the alteration of cognitive processes medicated by this brain region. Interestingly, the effects of stress on glutamatergic transmission appear to be "U-shaped," depending upon the duration and severity of the stressor. These biphasic effects of acute vs chronic stress represent the adaptive vs maladaptive responses to stressful stimuli. Animal studies suggest that the stress-induced modulation of excitatory synaptic transmission involves changes in presynaptic glutamate release, postsynaptic glutamate receptor membrane trafficking and degradation, spine structure and cytoskeleton network, and epigenetic control of gene expression. This review will discuss current findings on the key molecules involved in the stress-induced regulation of prefrontal cortex synaptic physiology and prefrontal cortex-mediated functions. Understanding the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms that underlie the complex effects of stress will help to develop novel strategies to cope with stress-related mental disorders. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

  7. Adaptive Calibration of Children's Physiological Responses to Family Stress: The Utility of Evolutionary Developmental Theory--Comment on Del Giudice et al. (2012) and Sturge-Apple et al. (2012)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bugental, Daphne Blunt

    2012-01-01

    Children's physiological reactions to stress are presented from the broader theoretical perspective of adaptive calibration to the environment, as rooted in life history theory. Del Giudice, Hinnant, Ellis, and El-Sheikh (2012) focus on children's physiological responses to a stressful task as a consequence of their history of family stress.…

  8. Visible implant elastomer (VIE) tagging and simulated predation risk elicit similar physiological stress responses in three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus.

    PubMed

    Fürtbauer, I; King, A J; Heistermann, M

    2015-05-01

    The effect of visible implant elastomer (VIE) tagging on the immediate physiological stress response was tested in female three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, using non-invasive waterborne cortisol analysis. Post-tagging cortisol levels were significantly higher compared with pretreatment baseline concentrations; however, when comparing post-tagging cortisol levels with cortisol levels after exposure to a simulated aerial predator, no significant differences were found. This study indicates that VIE tagging elicits a physiological stress response similar to those occurring in the everyday lives of this important biological model organism. © 2015 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  9. Impact of Sensory Sensitivity on Physiological Stress Response and Novel Peer Interaction in Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    PubMed

    Corbett, Blythe A; Muscatello, Rachael A; Blain, Scott D

    2016-01-01

    For many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), social interactions can be stressful. Previous research shows that youth with ASD exhibit greater physiological stress response during peer interaction, compared to typically developing (TD) peers. Heightened sensory sensitivity may contribute to maladaptive patterns of stress and anxiety. The current study investigated between-group differences in stress response to peer interaction, as well as the role of sensory sensitivity. Participants included 80 children (40 ASD) between 8 and 12 years. Children participated in the peer interaction paradigm (PIP), an ecologically valid protocol that simulates real-world social interaction. Salivary cortisol was collected before and after the 20 min PIP. Parents completed questionnaires pertaining to child stress (Stress Survey Schedule) and sensory sensitivity (Short Sensory Profile). Statistical analyses included t-tests and ANCOVA models to examine between-group differences in cortisol and play; Pearson correlations to determine relations between cortisol, play, and questionnaire scores; and moderation analyses to investigate interactions among variables. Controlling for baseline cortisol values, children with ASD showed significantly higher cortisol levels than TD peers, in response to the PIP [F (1, 77) = 5.77, p = 0.02]. Cortisol during play was negatively correlated with scores on the SSP (r = -0.242, p = 0.03), and positively correlated with SSS (r = 0.273, p = 0.02) indicating that higher cortisol was associated with greater sensory sensitivity (lower SSP reflects more impairment) and enhanced stress in various contexts (higher SSS reflects more stress). Furthermore, diagnosis was a significant moderator of the relation between cortisol and SSP, at multiple time points during the PIP (p < 0.05). The current study extends previous findings by showing that higher physiological arousal during play is associated with heightened sensory sensitivity and a pattern of

  10. Effect of salt stress on growth and physiology in amaranth and lettuce: Implications for bioregenerative life support system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Lifeng; Guo, Shuangsheng; Ai, Weidang; Tang, Yongkang; Cheng, Quanyong; Chen, Guang

    2013-02-01

    Growing plants can be used to clean waste water in bioregenerative life support system (BLSS). However, NaCl contained in the human urine always restricts plant growth and further reduces the degree of mass cycle closure of the system (i.e. salt stress). This work determined the effect of NaCl stress on physiological characteristics of plants for the life support system. Amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L. var. Huahong) and leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. Luoma) were cultivated at nutrient solutions with different NaCl contents (0, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 ppm, respectively) for 10 to 18 days after planted in the Controlled Ecological Life Support System Experimental Facility in China. Results showed that the two plants have different responses to the salt stress. The amaranth showed higher salt-tolerance with NaCl stress. If NaCl content in the solution is below 5000 ppm, the salt stress effect is insignificant on above-ground biomass output, leaf photosynthesis rate, Fv/Fm, photosynthesis pigment contents, activities of antioxidant enzymes, and inducing lipid peroxidation. On the other hand, the lettuce is sensitive to NaCl which significantly decreases those indices of growth and physiology. Notably, the lettuce remains high productivity of edible biomass in low NaCl stress, although its salt-tolerant limitation is lower than amaranth. Therefore, we recommended that amaranth could be cultivated under a higher NaCl stress condition (<5000 ppm) for NaCl recycle while lettuce should be under a lower NaCl stress (<1000 ppm) for water cleaning in future BLSS.

  11. Physiological response of Arundo donax to cadmium stress by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Shunhui; Sheng, Li; Zhang, Chunyan; Deng, Hongping

    2018-06-01

    The present paper deals with the physiological response of the changes in chemical contents of the root, stem and leaf of Arundo donax seedlings stressed by excess cadmium using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique, cadmium accumulation in plant by atomic absorption spectroscopy were tested after different concentrations cadmium stress. The results showed that low cadmium concentrations (<1.0 mg/L) the root tissue of Arundo donax uses osmosis of organic substances (e.g. carbohydrates and amino acids) to improve cadmium tolerance. Organic substances (e.g. carbohydrates) that contain a lot of Osbnd H in leaf were transported to the root firstly and then could chelate cadmium, but no obvious changes in stems were noted. The cadmium in the shoots (stem and leaf) usually increased with increasing cadmium concentration. These studies demonstrate the potential of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique for the non-invasive and rapid monitoring of the plants stressed with heavy metals, Arundo donax is suitable for phytoremediation of cadmium -contaminated wetland.

  12. Relating sub-surface ice features to physiological stress in a climate sensitive mammal, the American pika (Ochotona princeps).

    PubMed

    Wilkening, Jennifer L; Ray, Chris; Varner, Johanna

    2015-01-01

    The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is considered a sentinel species for detecting ecological effects of climate change. Pikas are declining within a large portion of their range, and ongoing research suggests loss of sub-surface ice as a mechanism. However, no studies have demonstrated physiological responses of pikas to sub-surface ice features. Here we present the first analysis of physiological stress in pikas living in and adjacent to habitats underlain by ice. Fresh fecal samples were collected non-invasively from two adjacent sites in the Rocky Mountains (one with sub-surface ice and one without) and analyzed for glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM). We also measured sub-surface microclimates in each habitat. Results indicate lower GCM concentration in sites with sub-surface ice, suggesting that pikas are less stressed in favorable microclimates resulting from sub-surface ice features. GCM response was well predicted by habitat characteristics associated with sub-surface ice features, such as lower mean summer temperatures. These results suggest that pikas inhabiting areas without sub-surface ice features are experiencing higher levels of physiological stress and may be more susceptible to changing climates. Although post-deposition environmental effects can confound analyses based on fecal GCM, we found no evidence for such effects in this study. Sub-surface ice features are key to water cycling and storage and will likely represent an increasingly important component of water resources in a warming climate. Fecal samples collected from additional watersheds as part of current pika monitoring programs could be used to further characterize relationships between pika stress and sub-surface ice features.

  13. Relating Sub-Surface Ice Features to Physiological Stress in a Climate Sensitive Mammal, the American Pika (Ochotona princeps)

    PubMed Central

    Wilkening, Jennifer L.; Ray, Chris; Varner, Johanna

    2015-01-01

    The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is considered a sentinel species for detecting ecological effects of climate change. Pikas are declining within a large portion of their range, and ongoing research suggests loss of sub-surface ice as a mechanism. However, no studies have demonstrated physiological responses of pikas to sub-surface ice features. Here we present the first analysis of physiological stress in pikas living in and adjacent to habitats underlain by ice. Fresh fecal samples were collected non-invasively from two adjacent sites in the Rocky Mountains (one with sub-surface ice and one without) and analyzed for glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM). We also measured sub-surface microclimates in each habitat. Results indicate lower GCM concentration in sites with sub-surface ice, suggesting that pikas are less stressed in favorable microclimates resulting from sub-surface ice features. GCM response was well predicted by habitat characteristics associated with sub-surface ice features, such as lower mean summer temperatures. These results suggest that pikas inhabiting areas without sub-surface ice features are experiencing higher levels of physiological stress and may be more susceptible to changing climates. Although post-deposition environmental effects can confound analyses based on fecal GCM, we found no evidence for such effects in this study. Sub-surface ice features are key to water cycling and storage and will likely represent an increasingly important component of water resources in a warming climate. Fecal samples collected from additional watersheds as part of current pika monitoring programs could be used to further characterize relationships between pika stress and sub-surface ice features. PMID:25803587

  14. The effect of consignment to broodmare sales on physiological stress measured by faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in pregnant Thoroughbred mares.

    PubMed

    Schulman, Martin; Becker, Annet; Ganswindt, Stefanie; Guthrie, Alan; Stout, Tom; Ganswindt, Andre

    2014-01-17

    Validation of a method for the minimally-invasive measurement of physiological stress will help understanding of risk factors that may contribute to stress-associated events including recrudescence of Equid herpesvirus (EHV), which is anecdotally associated with sales consignment of pregnant Thoroughbred mares. In this study we compared two similar groups of late-gestation Thoroughbred broodmares on the same farm: a consigned Sales group (N = 8) and a non-consigned Control group (N = 6). The Sales mares were separated from their paddock companions and grouped prior to their preparation for, transport to, and return from the sales venue. Both groups were monitored by sampling at regular intervals from 5 days prior to until 14 days after the sales date (D0) to measure physiological stress in terms of changes in faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations, and for event-related viral recrudescence via daily body temperature measurements and periodic nasal swabs for PCR analysis for EHV-1 and -4 DNA. In both groups, FGM levels increased post-sales before returning to pre-sales levels. Specifically, FGM concentrations in the Sales mares were significantly higher on D + 3 and D + 10 than on D-4 and D-3 (F = 12.03, P < 0.0001, Post hoc: P = 0.0003-0.0008) and in the Control group FGM concentrations were higher on D + 10 than D-4 (F = 5.52, P = 0.004, Post hoc: P = 0.005). Interestingly, mean FGM levels in Control mares were significantly higher at 4 of the 5 sampling points (t = 5.64-2.25, p = 0.0001-0.044). Only one (Sales) mare showed PCR evidence of EHV-1 shedding. Using FGM to measure physiological stress was supported by the increases observed in all mares after Sales consignment, including those not consigned to the sale. Monitoring FGM levels therefore represents an appropriate, minimally-invasive method for future studies to assess the contribution of physiological stress to EHV recrudescence in horses

  15. Convergence of goals: phylogenetical, morphological, and physiological characterization of tolerance to drought stress in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.).

    PubMed

    Salehi, Mohammadreza; Salehi, Hassan; xNiazi, Hassan; Ghobadi, Cyrus

    2014-03-01

    The aim of this study is to find Iranian tall fescue accessions that tolerate drought stress and investigation on phylogenetical, morphological, and physiological characterization of them. For this propose, inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers were used to examine the genetic variability of accessions from different provinces of Iran. Of 21 primers, 20 primers generated highly reproducible fragments. Using these primers, 390 discernible DNA fragments were produced with 367 (93.95 %) being polymorphic. The polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.948 to 0.976, with a mean PIC value of 0.969. Probability identity (PI) and discriminating power (D = 1-PI) among the primers ranged from 0.001 to 0.004 and 0.998 to 0.995, respectively. A binary qualitative data matrix was constructed. Data analyses were performed using the NTSYS software and the similarity values were used to generate a dendrogram via UPGMA. To study the drought stress, plants were irrigated at 25 % FC condition for three times. Fresh leaves were collected to measure physiological characters including: superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities and proline and total chlorophyll content at two times, before and after stress application. Relative water content, fresh and dry weight ratio, survival percentage, and visual quality were evaluated after stress. Morphological and physiological characters were assessed in order to classify accessions as either tolerant or sensitive using Ward's method of Hierarchical cluster analysis in SPSS software. The results of present study demonstrated that the ISSR markers are useful for studying tall fescue genetic diversity. Convergence of morphological and physiological characterizations during drought stress and phylogenetic relationship results showed that accessions can be grouped into four clusters; drought-tolerant accessions that collected from west of Iran, drought-tolerant accessions collected from northwest of Iran

  16. Hand immersion in cold water alleviating physiological strain and increasing tolerance to uncompensable heat stress.

    PubMed

    Khomenok, Gennadi A; Hadid, Amir; Preiss-Bloom, Orahn; Yanovich, Ran; Erlich, Tomer; Ron-Tal, Osnat; Peled, Amir; Epstein, Yoram; Moran, Daniel S

    2008-09-01

    The current study examines the use of hand immersion in cold water to alleviate physiological strain caused by exercising in a hot climate while wearing NBC protective garments. Seventeen heat acclimated subjects wearing a semi-permeable NBC protective garment and a light bulletproof vest were exposed to a 125 min exercise-heat stress (35 degrees C, 50% RH; 5 km/h, 5% incline). The heat stress exposure routine included 5 min rest in the chamber followed by two 50:10 min work-rest cycles. During the control trial (CO), there was no intervention, whilst in the intervention condition the subjects immersed their hands and forearms in a 10 degrees C water bath (HI). The results demonstrated that hand immersion in cold water significantly reduced physiological strain. In the CO exposure during the first and second resting periods, the average rectal temperature (T (re)) practically did not decrease. With hand immersion, the mean (SD) T (re) decreased by 0.45 (0.05 degrees C) and 0.48 degrees C (0.06 degrees C) during the first and second rest periods respectively (P < 0.005). Significant decreases in skin temperature, sweat rate, heart rate, and heat storage was also noted in the HI vs. the CO trials. Tolerance time in the HI exposure were longer than in the CO exposure (only 12 subjects in the CO trial endured the entire heat exposure session, as opposed to all 17 subjects in the HI group). It is concluded that hand immersion in cold water for 10 min is an effective method for decreasing the physiological strain caused by exercising under heat stress while wearing NBC protective garments. The method is convenient, simple, and allows longer working periods in hot or contaminated areas with shorter resting periods.

  17. Dynamics of food availability, body condition and physiological stress response in breeding Black-legged Kittiwakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kitaysky, A.S.; Wingfield, J.C.; Piatt, John F.

    1999-01-01

    1. The seasonal dynamics of body condition (BC), circulating corticosterone levels (baseline, BL) and the adrenocortical response to acute stress (SR) were examined in long-lived Black-legged Kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla, breeding at Duck (food-poor colony) and Gull (food-rich colony) Islands in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska. It was tested whether the dynamics of corticosterone levels reflect a seasonal change in bird physiological condition due to reproduction and/or variation in foraging conditions. 2. BC declined seasonally, and the decline was more pronounced in birds at the food-poor colony. BL and SR levels of corticosterone rose steadily through the reproductive season, and BL levels were significantly higher in birds on Duck island compared with those on Gull Island. During the egg-laying and chick-rearing stages, birds had lower SR on Duck Island than on Gull Island. 3. The results suggest that, in addition to a seasonal change in bird physiology during reproduction, local ecological factors such as food availability affect circulating levels of corticosterone and adrenal response to acute stress.

  18. Measures of physiological stress: a transparent or opaque window into the status, management and conservation of species?

    PubMed Central

    Dantzer, Ben; Fletcher, Quinn E.; Boonstra, Rudy; Sheriff, Michael J.

    2014-01-01

    Conservation physiology proposes that measures of physiological stress (glucocorticoid levels) can be used to assess the status and future fate of natural populations. Increases in glucocorticoids may reflect a more challenging environment, suggesting that the influence of human activities on free-living animals could be quantified by measuring glucocorticoids. Biomedical studies suggest that chronic increases in glucocorticoids can have detrimental effects on survival and reproduction, which could influence the viability of populations. Here, we discuss the use of measurements of glucocorticoids in conservation physiology. We first provide an overview of the different methods to quantify glucocorticoids and their utility in conservation physiology. We then discuss five questions we think are essential for conservation physiologists to address. We highlight how intrinsic (e.g. sex, reproductive status, age, recent experiences) and ecological factors (e.g. predation, food availability, snowfall) can, by themselves or through their interactions with anthropogenic disturbances, affect the physiological stress response and mask any general patterns about the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on glucocorticoids. Using a meta-analysis, we show that anthropogenic disturbances are consistently associated with increased glucocorticoids regardless of the type of human disturbance. We also show that males may be more sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances than females and that faecal glucocorticoids, but not baseline plasma glucocorticoids, consistently increase in response to anthropogenic disturbances. Finally, we discuss how increases in glucocorticoids in free-living animals can sometimes enhance survival and reproduction. Unfortunately, our literature analysis indicates that this observation has not yet gained traction, and very few studies have shown that increases in glucocorticoid levels resulting from anthropogenic disturbances decrease survival or reproduction

  19. Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects of Thermal Shock, Air Exposure, and Fishing Capture on the Physiological Stress of Squilla mantis (Stomatopoda)

    PubMed Central

    Raicevich, Saša; Minute, Fabrizio; Finoia, Maria Grazia; Caranfa, Francesca; Di Muro, Paolo; Scapolan, Lucia; Beltramini, Mariano

    2014-01-01

    This study is aimed at assessing the effects of multiple stressors (thermal shock, fishing capture, and exposure to air) on the benthic stomatopod Squilla mantis, a burrowing crustacean quite widespread in the Mediterranean Sea. Laboratory analyses were carried out to explore the physiological impairment onset over time, based on emersion and thermal shocks, on farmed individuals. Parallel field-based studies were carried out to also investigate the role of fishing (i.e., otter trawling) in inducing physiological imbalance in different seasonal conditions. The dynamics of physiological recovery from physiological disruption were also studied. Physiological stress was assessed by analysing hemolymph metabolites (L-Lactate, D-glucose, ammonia, and H+), as well as glycogen concentration in muscle tissues. The experiments were carried out according to a factorial scheme considering the three factors (thermal shock, fishing capture, and exposure to air) at two fixed levels in order to explore possible synergistic, additive, or antagonistic effects among factors. Additive effects on physiological parameters were mainly detected when the three factors interacted together while synergistic effects were found as effect of the combination of two factors. This finding highlights that the physiological adaptive and maladaptive processes induced by the stressors result in a dynamic response that may encounter physiological limits when high stress levels are sustained. Thus, a further increase in the physiological parameters due to synergies cannot be reached. Moreover, when critical limits are encountered, mortality occurs and physiological parameters reflect the response of the last survivors. In the light of our mortality studies, thermal shock and exposure to air have the main effect on the survival of S. mantis only on trawled individuals, while lab-farmed individuals did not show any mortality during exposure to air until after 2 hours. PMID:25133593

  20. Water stress and recovery in the performance of two Eucalyptus globulus clones: physiological and biochemical profiles.

    PubMed

    Correia, Barbara; Pintó-Marijuan, Marta; Neves, Lucinda; Brossa, Ricard; Dias, Maria Celeste; Costa, Armando; Castro, Bruno B; Araújo, Clara; Santos, Conceição; Chaves, Maria Manuela; Pinto, Glória

    2014-04-01

    Eucalyptus plantations are among the most productive forest stands in Portugal and Spain, being mostly used for pulp production and, more recently, as an energy crop. However, the region's Mediterranean climate, with characteristic severe summer drought, negatively affects eucalypt growth and increases mortality. Although the physiological response to water shortage is well characterized for this species, evidence about the plants' recovery ability remains scarce. In order to assess the physiological and biochemical response of Eucalyptus globulus during the recovery phase, two genotypes (AL-18 and AL-10) were submitted to a 3-week water stress period at two different intensities (18 and 25% of field capacity), followed by 1 week of rewatering. Recovery was assessed 1 day and 1 week after rehydration. Drought reduced height, biomass, water potential, NPQ and gas exchange in both genotypes. Contrarily, the levels of pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (F(v) /F(m) and (φPSII)), MDA and ABA increased. During recovery, the physiological and biochemical profile of stressed plants showed a similar trend: they experienced reversion of altered traits (MDA, ABA, E, g(s), pigments), while other parameters did not recover ((φPSII), NPQ). Furthermore, an overcompensation of CO(2) assimilation was achieved 1 week after rehydration, which was accompanied by greater growth and re-establishment of oxidative balance. Both genotypes were tolerant to the tested conditions, although clonal differences were found. AL-10 was more productive and showed a more rapid and dynamic response to rehydration (namely in carotenoid content, (φPSII) and NPQ) compared to clone AL-18. © 2013 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

  1. Stress Counter-Response Training Via Physiological Self-Regulation During Flight Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palsson, Olafur S.

    2000-01-01

    This study provided the first evaluation of a new training concept and technology aimed at training pilots to maintain physiological equilibrium during circumstances in an airplane cockpit. Thirty healthy subjects (16 males and 14 females) between the ages of 18 and 35 were randomized into two study groups, A and B. Subjects participated individually in a sequence of four study sessions. In the first visit, subjects were taught to operate a desktop fighter jet flight simulation program. In the three sessions that followed, subjects in group A were trained to minimize their autonomic deviation from baseline values while operating the desktop flight simulation. This was done by making their skin conductance and hand temperature deviations from baseline impair the functionality of the aircraft controls. Subjects also received auditory and visual cues about their autonomic deviation, and were instructed to keep these within pre-set limits to retain full control of the aircraft. Subjects in group B were subjected to periods of impaired aircraft functionality independent of their physiologic activity, and thus served as a control group. No statistically significant group differences were found in the flight performance scores from the three training sessions, and post-training flight performance scores of the two groups were not different. We conclude that this study did not provide clear support for this training methodology in optimizing pilot performance. However, a number of shortcomings in the current status of this training methodology may account for the lack of demonstrable training benefit to the experimental group. Suggested future modifications for research on this training methodology include: Limiting the amount of instrument impairment resulting from physiological deviations; conducting a greater number of physiological training sessions per subject; using pre-post training performance tests which invoke a greater amount of stress in subjects; and

  2. Physiological effects of stress related to helicopter travel in Federal Emergency Management Agency search-and-rescue canines.

    PubMed

    Perry, E; Gulson, N; Liu Cross, T-W; Swanson, K S

    2017-01-01

    Working canines are deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of a National Disaster Response Plan. Stress associated with helicopter flight and the resulting physical effects on the dog are unknown. Our objective was to test the hypotheses that (1) helicopter travel affects the physiology and faecal microbiota of working canines, but that (2) physiological consequences of helicopter travel will not negatively affect their work performance. A total of nine FEMA canines were loaded onto helicopters and flown for 30 min in July 2015. Rectal temperature, behavioural stress indicators and saliva swabs (for cortisol) were collected at baseline, loading, mid-flight and post-flight. After flight, canines completed a standardised search exercise to monitor work performance. Faecal samples were collected for microbial DNA extraction and Illumina sequencing. All canines were on a standardised diet (CANIDAE ® Grain Free PURE Land ® ) for 3 weeks prior to the study. Visible indicators of stress were observed at loading and at mid-flight and corresponded with an increase ( P  < 0·05) in salivary cortisol from 5·4 µg/l (baseline) to 6·4 µg/l (loading). Additionally, rectal temperature increased ( P < 0·05) from 38·61°C (baseline) to 39·33°C (mid-flight) and 39·72°C (post-flight). Helicopter travel did not affect search performance ( P  > 0·05). We found that α- and β-diversity measures of faecal microbiota were not affected ( P  > 0·05). Our data suggest that although helicopter travel may cause physiological changes that have been associated with stress in working dogs, it does not make an impact on their search performance or the stability of faecal microbiota.

  3. Physiological stress response, reflex impairment and delayed mortality of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus exposed to simulated fisheries stressors

    PubMed Central

    McLean, Montana F.; Hanson, Kyle C.; Cooke, Steven J.; Hinch, Scott G.; Patterson, David A.; Nettles, Taylor L.; Litvak, Matt K.; Crossin, Glenn T.

    2016-01-01

    White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) are the largest freshwater fish in North America and a species exposed to widespread fishing pressure. Despite the growing interest in recreational fishing for white sturgeon, little is known about the sublethal and lethal impacts of angling on released sturgeon. In summer (July 2014, mean water temperature 15.3°C) and winter (February 2015, mean water temperature 6.6°C), captive white sturgeon (n = 48) were exposed to a combination of exercise and air exposure as a method of simulating an angling event. After the stressor, sturgeon were assessed for a physiological stress response, and reflex impairments were quantified to determine overall fish vitality (i.e. capacity for survival). A physiological stress response occurred in all sturgeon exposed to a fishing-related stressor, with the magnitude of the response correlated with the duration of the stressor. Moreover, the stress from exercise was more pronounced in summer, leading to higher reflex impairment scores (mean ± SEM, 0.44 ± 0.07 and 0.25 ± 0.05 in summer and winter, respectively). Reflex impairment was also correlated with lactate concentrations (e.g. physiological stress measures related to exhaustive exercise; r = 0.53) and recovery time (r = 0.76). Two mortalities occurred >24 h after the cessation of treatment in the summer. Given that natural habitats for white sturgeon can reach much higher temperatures than those presented in our study, we caution the use of this mortality estimate for a summer season, because latent mortality could be much higher when temperatures exceed 16°C. This is the first experiment investigating the physiological disturbance and reflex impairment of capture and release at two temperatures on subadult/adult white sturgeon, and the results suggest that future research needs to examine the longer term and fitness consequences of extended play and air exposure times, because these are largely unknown for wild populations

  4. Stress and physiological, behavioral and performance patterns of children under varied air ion levels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fornof, K. T.; Gilbert, G. O.

    1988-12-01

    The possibility that individual differences in reactivity to stressors are a major factor underlying discordant results reported for air ion studies prompted an investigation of response patterns in school children under both normal indoor air ion levels and moderately increased negative air ion levels (4000±500/cm3). It was hypothesized that the impact of stressors is reduced with high negative air ionization, and that resultant changes in stress effects would be differentially exhibited according to the children's normal degree of stimulus reactivity. A counter-balanced, replicative, withinssubject design was selected, and the subjects were 12 environmentally sensitive, 1st 4th grade school children. In addition to monitoring stress effects on activity level, attention span, concentration to task and conceptual performance, measures were also made of urinary 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid levels and skin resistance response (SRR) to determine if changes extended to the physiological state. The cold water test was used to add physical stress and enable calculations of Lacey's autonomic lability scores (ALS) as indicators of individual reactivity. The results show main effects for air ions on both physiological parameters, with 48% less change in %SRR ( P<0.01) and 46% less change in urinary 5-HIAA levels ( P<0.055) during negative air ions, indicating increased stress tolerance. Strong interactive effects for ALS x air ion condition appeared, with high and low ALS children reacting oppositely to negative air ions in measures of skin resistance level ( P<0.01), wrist activity ( P<0.01) and digit span backwards ( P<0.004). Thus individual differences in autonomic reactivity and the presence or absence of stressors appear as critical elements for internal validity, and in preventing consequent skewed results from obscuring progress in air ion research.

  5. Drought stress limits the geographic ranges of two tree species via different physiological mechanisms.

    PubMed

    Anderegg, Leander D L; HilleRisLambers, Janneke

    2016-03-01

    Range shifts are among the most ubiquitous ecological responses to anthropogenic climate change and have large consequences for ecosystems. Unfortunately, the ecophysiological forces that constrain range boundaries are poorly understood, making it difficult to mechanistically project range shifts. To explore the physiological mechanisms by which drought stress controls dry range boundaries in trees, we quantified elevational variation in drought tolerance and in drought avoidance-related functional traits of a widespread gymnosperm (ponderosa pine - Pinus ponderosa) and angiosperm (trembling aspen - Populus tremuloides) tree species in the southwestern USA. Specifically, we quantified tree-to-tree variation in growth, water stress (predawn and midday xylem tension), drought avoidance traits (branch conductivity, leaf/needle size, tree height, leaf area-to-sapwood area ratio), and drought tolerance traits (xylem resistance to embolism, hydraulic safety margin, wood density) at the range margins and range center of each species. Although water stress increased and growth declined strongly at lower range margins of both species, ponderosa pine and aspen showed contrasting patterns of clinal trait variation. Trembling aspen increased its drought tolerance at its dry range edge by growing stronger but more carbon dense branch and leaf tissues, implying an increased cost of growth at its range boundary. By contrast, ponderosa pine showed little elevational variation in drought-related traits but avoided drought stress at low elevations by limiting transpiration through stomatal closure, such that its dry range boundary is associated with limited carbon assimilation even in average climatic conditions. Thus, the same climatic factor (drought) may drive range boundaries through different physiological mechanisms - a result that has important implications for process-based modeling approaches to tree biogeography. Further, we show that comparing intraspecific patterns of

  6. Mechanisms of change: Testing how preventative interventions impact psychological and physiological stress functioning in mothers in neglectful families.

    PubMed

    Toth, Sheree L; Sturge-Apple, Melissa L; Rogosch, Fred A; Cicchetti, Dante

    2015-11-01

    The present study applies a multilevel approach to an examination of the effect of two randomized preventive interventions with mothers in neglectful families who are also contending with elevated levels of impoverishment and ecological risk. Specifically, we examined how participation in either child-parent psychotherapy (CPP) or psychoeducational parenting intervention (PPI) was associated with reductions in maternal psychological parenting stress and in turn physiological stress system functioning when compared to mothers involved in standard community services as well as a demographic comparison group of nonmaltreating mothers. The resulting group sizes in the current investigation were 44 for CPP, 34 for PPI, 27 for community services, and 52 for nonmaltreating mothers. Mothers and their 13-month-old infants were randomly assigned to intervention group at baseline. Mothers completed assessments on stress within the parenting role at baseline and postintervention. Basal cortisol was sampled at postintervention and 1-year follow-up. Latent difference score analyses examined change in these constructs over time. Results suggested that mothers within the CPP intervention experienced significant declines in child-related parenting stress, while mothers in the PPI intervention reported declines in parent-related parenting stress. In turn, significant decreases in stress within the CPP mothers were further associated with adaptive basal cortisol functioning at 1-year postintervention. The results highlight the value of delineating how participation in preventive interventions aimed at ameliorating child maltreatment in neglectful families within the context of poverty may operate through improvements in psychological and physiological stress functioning. Findings are discussed with respect to the importance of multilevel assessments of intervention process and outcome.

  7. Traffic noise causes physiological stress and impairs breeding migration behaviour in frogs.

    PubMed

    Tennessen, Jennifer B; Parks, Susan E; Langkilde, Tracy

    2014-01-01

    Human-generated noise has profoundly changed natural soundscapes in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, imposing novel pressures on ecological processes. Despite interest in identifying the ecological consequences of these altered soundscapes, little is known about the sublethal impacts on wildlife population health and individual fitness. We present evidence that noise induces a physiological stress response in an amphibian and impairs mate attraction in the natural environment. Traffic noise increased levels of a stress-relevant glucocorticoid hormone (corticosterone) in female wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) and impaired female travel towards a male breeding chorus in the field, providing insight into the sublethal consequences of acoustic habitat loss. Given that prolonged elevated levels of corticosterone can have deleterious consequences on survival and reproduction and that impaired mate attraction can impact population persistence, our results suggest a novel pathway by which human activities may be imposing population-level impacts on globally declining amphibians.

  8. Traffic noise causes physiological stress and impairs breeding migration behaviour in frogs

    PubMed Central

    Tennessen, Jennifer B.; Parks, Susan E.; Langkilde, Tracy

    2014-01-01

    Human-generated noise has profoundly changed natural soundscapes in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, imposing novel pressures on ecological processes. Despite interest in identifying the ecological consequences of these altered soundscapes, little is known about the sublethal impacts on wildlife population health and individual fitness. We present evidence that noise induces a physiological stress response in an amphibian and impairs mate attraction in the natural environment. Traffic noise increased levels of a stress-relevant glucocorticoid hormone (corticosterone) in female wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) and impaired female travel towards a male breeding chorus in the field, providing insight into the sublethal consequences of acoustic habitat loss. Given that prolonged elevated levels of corticosterone can have deleterious consequences on survival and reproduction and that impaired mate attraction can impact population persistence, our results suggest a novel pathway by which human activities may be imposing population-level impacts on globally declining amphibians. PMID:27293653

  9. Effects of work-related sleep restriction on acute physiological and psychological stress responses and their interactions: A review among emergency service personnel.

    PubMed

    Wolkow, Alexander; Ferguson, Sally; Aisbett, Brad; Main, Luana

    2015-01-01

    Emergency work can expose personnel to sleep restriction. Inadequate amounts of sleep can negatively affect physiological and psychological stress responses. This review critiqued the emergency service literature (e.g., firefighting, police/law enforcement, defense forces, ambulance/paramedic personnel) that has investigated the effect of sleep restriction on hormonal, inflammatory and psychological responses. Furthermore, it investigated if a psycho-physiological approach can help contextualize the significance of such responses to assist emergency service agencies monitor the health of their personnel. The available literature suggests that sleep restriction across multiple work days can disrupt cytokine and cortisol levels, deteriorate mood and elicit simultaneous physiological and psychological responses. However, research concerning the interaction between such responses is limited and inconclusive. Therefore, it is unknown if a psycho-physiological relationship exists and as a result, it is currently not feasible for agencies to monitor sleep restriction related stress based on psycho- physiological interactions. Sleep restriction does however, appear to be a major stressor contributing to physiological and psychological responses and thus, warrants further investigation. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

  10. Escherichia coli under Ionic Silver Stress: An Integrative Approach to Explore Transcriptional, Physiological and Biochemical Responses

    PubMed Central

    Saulou-Bérion, Claire; Gonzalez, Ignacio; Enjalbert, Brice; Audinot, Jean-Nicolas; Fourquaux, Isabelle; Jamme, Frédéric; Cocaign-Bousquet, Muriel; Mercier-Bonin, Muriel; Girbal, Laurence

    2015-01-01

    For a better understanding of the systemic effect of sub-lethal micromolar concentrations of ionic silver on Escherichia coli, we performed a multi-level characterization of cells under Ag+-mediated stress using an integrative biology approach combining physiological, biochemical and transcriptomic data. Physiological parameters, namely bacterial growth and survival after Ag+ exposure, were first quantified and related to the accumulation of intracellular silver, probed for the first time by nano secondary ion mass spectroscopy at sub-micrometer lateral resolution. Modifications in E. coli biochemical composition were evaluated under Ag+-mediated stress by in situ synchrotron Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy and a comprehensive transcriptome response was also determined. Using multivariate statistics, correlations between the physiological parameters, the extracellular concentration of AgNO3 and the intracellular silver content, gene expression profiles and micro-spectroscopic data were investigated. We identified Ag+-dependent regulation of gene expression required for growth (e.g. transporter genes, transcriptional regulators, ribosomal proteins), for ionic silver transport and detoxification (e.g. copA, cueO, mgtA, nhaR) and for coping with various types of stress (dnaK, pspA, metA,R, oxidoreductase genes). The silver-induced shortening of the acyl chain of fatty acids, mostly encountered in cell membrane, was highlighted by microspectroscopy and correlated with the down-regulated expression of genes involved in fatty acid transport (fadL) and synthesis/modification of lipid A (lpxA and arnA). The increase in the disordered secondary structure of proteins in the presence of Ag+ was assessed through the conformational shift shown for amides I and II, and further correlated with the up-regulated expression of peptidase (hfq) and chaperone (dnaJ), and regulation of transpeptidase expression (ycfS and ycbB). Interestingly, as these transpeptidases act on

  11. Physiological and Proteomics Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Eichhornia crassipes Tolerance to High-Concentration Cadmium Stress Compared with Pistia stratiotes

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Yunqiang; Yang, Shihai; Sun, Xudong; Yang, Yongping

    2015-01-01

    Cadmium (Cd) pollution is an environmental problem worldwide. Phytoremediation is a convenient method of removing Cd from both soil and water, but its efficiency is still low, especially in aquatic environments. Scientists have been trying to improve the ability of plants to absorb and accumulate Cd based on interactions between plants and Cd, especially the mechanism by which plants resist Cd. Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes are aquatic plants commonly used in the phytoremediation of heavy metals. In the present study, we conducted physiological and biochemical analyses to compare the resistance of these two species to Cd stress at 100 mg/L. E. crassipes showed stronger resistance and was therefore used for subsequent comparative proteomics to explore the potential mechanism of E. crassipes tolerance to Cd stress at the protein level. The expression patterns of proteins in different functional categories revealed that the physiological activities and metabolic processes of E. crassipes were affected by exposure to Cd stress. However, when some proteins related to these processes were negatively inhibited, some analogous proteins were induced to compensate for the corresponding functions. As a result, E. crassipes could maintain more stable physiological parameters than P. stratiotes. Many stress-resistance substances and proteins, such as proline and heat shock proteins (HSPs) and post translational modifications, were found to be involved in the protection and repair of functional proteins. In addition, antioxidant enzymes played important roles in ROS detoxification. These findings will facilitate further understanding of the potential mechanism of plant response to Cd stress at the protein level. PMID:25886466

  12. Chronic variable stress and intravenous methamphetamine self-administration – role of individual differences in behavioral and physiological reactivity to novelty

    PubMed Central

    Taylor, S.B.; Watterson, L.R.; Kufahl, P.R.; Nemirovsky, N.E.; Tomek, S.E.; Conrad, C.D.; Olive, M.F.

    2016-01-01

    Stress is a contributing factor to the development and maintenance of addiction in humans. However, few studies have shown that stress potentiates the rewarding and/or reinforcing effects of methamphetamine in rodent models of addiction. The present study assessed the effects of exposure to 14 days of chronic variable stress (CVS), or no stress as a control (CON), on the rewarding and reinforcing effects of methamphetamine in adult rats using the conditioned place preference (Experiment 1) and intravenous self-administration (Experiment 2) paradigms. In Experiment 2, we also assessed individual differences in open field locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM), and physiological responses to a novel environment as possible predictors of methamphetamine intake patterns. Exposure to CVS for 14 days did not affect overall measures of methamphetamine conditioned reward or reinforcement. However, analyses of individual differences and direct vs. indirect effects revealed that rats exhibiting high physiological reactivity and locomotor activity in the EPM and open field tests self-administered more methamphetamine and reached higher breakpoints for drug reinforcement than rats exhibiting low reactivity. In addition, CVS exposure significantly increased the proportion of rats that exhibited high reactivity, and high reactivity was significantly correlated with increased levels of methamphetamine intake. These findings suggest that individual differences in physiological and locomotor reactivity to novel environments, as well as their interactions with stress history, predict patterns of drug intake in rodent models of methamphetamine addiction. Such predictors may eventually inform future strategies for implementing individualized treatment strategies for amphetamine use disorders. PMID:27163191

  13. The biopsychosocial model of stress in adolescence: self-awareness of performance versus stress reactivity

    PubMed Central

    Rith-Najarian, Leslie R.; McLaughlin, Katie A.; Sheridan, Margaret A.; Nock, Matthew K.

    2014-01-01

    Extensive research among adults supports the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of challenge and threat, which describes relationships among stress appraisals, physiological stress reactivity, and performance; however, no previous studies have examined these relationships in adolescents. Perceptions of stressors as well as physiological reactivity to stress increase during adolescence, highlighting the importance of understanding the relationships among stress appraisals, physiological reactivity, and performance during this developmental period. In this study, 79 adolescent participants reported on stress appraisals before and after a Trier Social Stress Test in which they performed a speech task. Physiological stress reactivity was defined by changes in cardiac output and total peripheral resistance from a baseline rest period to the speech task, and performance on the speech was coded using an objective rating system. We observed in adolescents only two relationships found in past adult research on the BPS model variables: (1) pre-task stress appraisal predicted post-task stress appraisal and (2) performance predicted post-task stress appraisal. Physiological reactivity during the speech was unrelated to pre- and post-task stress appraisals and to performance. We conclude that the lack of association between post-task stress appraisal and physiological stress reactivity suggests that adolescents might have low self-awareness of physiological emotional arousal. Our findings further suggest that adolescent stress appraisals are based largely on their performance during stressful situations. Developmental implications of this potential lack of awareness of one’s physiological and emotional state during adolescence are discussed. PMID:24491123

  14. The biopsychosocial model of stress in adolescence: self-awareness of performance versus stress reactivity.

    PubMed

    Rith-Najarian, Leslie R; McLaughlin, Katie A; Sheridan, Margaret A; Nock, Matthew K

    2014-03-01

    Extensive research among adults supports the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of challenge and threat, which describes relationships among stress appraisals, physiological stress reactivity, and performance; however, no previous studies have examined these relationships in adolescents. Perceptions of stressors as well as physiological reactivity to stress increase during adolescence, highlighting the importance of understanding the relationships among stress appraisals, physiological reactivity, and performance during this developmental period. In this study, 79 adolescent participants reported on stress appraisals before and after a Trier Social Stress Test in which they performed a speech task. Physiological stress reactivity was defined by changes in cardiac output and total peripheral resistance from a baseline rest period to the speech task, and performance on the speech was coded using an objective rating system. We observed in adolescents only two relationships found in past adult research on the BPS model variables: (1) pre-task stress appraisal predicted post-task stress appraisal and (2) performance predicted post-task stress appraisal. Physiological reactivity during the speech was unrelated to pre- and post-task stress appraisals and to performance. We conclude that the lack of association between post-task stress appraisal and physiological stress reactivity suggests that adolescents might have low self-awareness of physiological emotional arousal. Our findings further suggest that adolescent stress appraisals are based largely on their performance during stressful situations. Developmental implications of this potential lack of awareness of one's physiological and emotional state during adolescence are discussed.

  15. Effects of acute thermal stress on the survival, predator avoidance, and physiology of juvenile fall Chinook salmon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mesa, M.G.; Weiland, L.K.; Wagner, P.

    2002-01-01

    We subjected juvenile fall chinook salmon from the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River to acute thermal stressors in the laboratory that were derived from field data. We assessed the effects of thermal stress on: (1) the extent of direct mortality; (2) the vulnerability of fish to predation by smallmouth bass; and (3) some general physiological stress responses and synthesis of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70). Thermally-stressed fish showed little direct mortality and no increases in vulnerability to predation. However, these fish showed transient increases in plasma concentrations of cortisol, glucose, and lactate, and a dramatic (25-fold higher than controls) and persistent (lasting 2 wk) increase in levels of liver hsp70. Our results indicate that exposure of Hanford Reach juvenile fall chinook salmon to such stressors did not lead to significant increases in direct mortality or vulnerability to predation, but did alter physiological homeostasis, which should be of concern to those managing this resource. Because our fish received only a single exposure to one of the stressors we examined, we are also concerned about the consequences of exposing fish to multiple, cumulative stressors - a likely scenario for fish in the wild.

  16. A 100-Year Review: Stress physiology including heat stress.

    PubMed

    Collier, R J; Renquist, B J; Xiao, Y

    2017-12-01

    Stress is an external event or condition that places a strain on a biological system. The animal response to a stress involves the expenditure of energy to remove or reduce the impact of the stress. This increases maintenance requirements of the animal and results in loss of production. The biological response to stress is divided into acute and chronic phases, with the acute phase lasting hours to a few days and the chronic phase lasting several days to weeks. The acute response is driven by homeostatic regulators of the nervous and endocrine systems and the chronic phase by homeorhetic regulators of the endocrine system. Both responses involve alterations in energy balance and metabolism. Thermal environment affects all animals and therefore represents the largest single stressor in animal production. Other types of stressors include housing conditions, overcrowding, social rank, disease, and toxic compounds. "Acclimation" to a stress is a phenotypic response developed by the animal to an individual stressor within the environment. However, under natural conditions, it is rare for only one environmental variable to change over time. "Acclimatization" is the process by which an animal adapts to several stressors within its natural environment. Acclimation is a homeorhetic process that takes several weeks to occur and occurs via homeorhetic, not homeostatic, mechanisms. It is a phenotypic change that disappears when the stress is removed. When the stress is severe and not relieved by acclimatization or management changes, the animal is considered chronically stressed and is susceptible to increased incidence of disease and poor health. Milk yield and reproduction are extremely sensitive to stress because of the high energy and protein demands of lactation and the complexity of the reproductive process and multiple organs that are involved. Improvements in protection of animals against stress require improved education of producers to recognize stress and methods

  17. Association between human and animal thermal comfort indices and physiological heat stress indicators in dairy calves.

    PubMed

    Kovács, L; Kézér, F L; Ruff, F; Szenci, O; Jurkovich, V

    2018-06-06

    Warm summer episodes have a significant effect on the overall health and well-being of young cattle; however, it is not known which temperature measure should be used for estimating heat stress in dairy calves. In this study, generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the relationships between thermal comfort indices and animal-based heat stress indicators in sixteen Holstein bull calves that were housed in individual calf hutches. Data were collected under continental weather characteristics over a 5-day period: day 1 (lower-temperature day), days 2 and 3 (heat stress days), and a 2-day post-stress period. Relative humidity, ambient temperature, the heat index, the humidex and five different temperature-humidity indices (THI) were used as thermal indices. Physiological variables monitored included respiratory rate, rectal temperature, ear skin temperature and heart rate. The heat index and the humidex measuring human thermal comfort were more closely associated with physiological measures than were the ambient temperature or the THIs (in case of heat index: R 2 = 0.87 for respiratory rate, R 2 = 0.63 for rectal temperature, R 2 = 0.70 for ear skin temperature, and R 2 = 0.78 for heart rate, respectively; in case of humidex: R 2 = 0.85 for respiratory rate, R 2 = 0.60 for rectal temperature, R 2 = 0.68 for ear skin temperature, and R 2 = 0.75 for heart rate, respectively). Based on our results, parameters of human outdoor comfort seem better to estimate heat stress in dairy calves in a continental region than those of THIs or ambient temperature. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  18. Investigating psychological and physiological responses to the Trier Social Stress Test in young adults with insomnia.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ivy Y; Jarrin, Denise C; Ivers, Hans; Morin, Charles M

    2017-12-01

    Stress and hyperarousal both contribute to insomnia. Elevated stress-related sleep reactivity is associated with hyperarousal, and might constitute a vulnerability to future insomnia. The present study examined acute stress-induced arousal and its association with nocturnal sleep. Participants were 30 healthy adults (66.7% female, M age  = 26.7 years): 10 with insomnia (INS) and 20 good sleepers with high vulnerability (HV) or low vulnerability (LV) to insomnia. They underwent two consecutive nights of polysomnography. During the evening preceding the second night, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was administered, and psychological and physiological arousal indices were assessed. The TSST elicited an increase in psychological and physiological arousal in all three groups. The INS group showed greater acute cortisol response (p < 0.05) and secretion at bedtime (p < 0.05), and higher pre-sleep cognitive arousal (p < 0.01) than the LV group; HV participants did not significantly differ from those in the INS or the LV group. Increased cortisol response and elevated sympathovagal imbalance (ie, low frequency/high frequency ratio) were each significantly associated with longer nocturnal awakenings (p = 0.048, p = 0.037, respectively). Heightened blood pressure was significantly associated with prolonged sleep onset latency, and reduced total sleep time and sleep efficiency (all ps < 0.05). These findings support the hyperarousal conceptualization of insomnia and indirectly suggest that increased stress reactivity and bedtime hyperarousal might represent a trait-like vulnerability in certain good sleepers. More research is warranted to validate and expand these preliminary findings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Physiological Mechanism of Enhancing Salt Stress Tolerance of Perennial Ryegrass by 24-Epibrassinolide

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Wenli; Zhang, Qiang; Ervin, Erik. H.; Yang, Zhiping; Zhang, Xunzhong

    2017-01-01

    Brassinosteroids (BR) regulate plant tolerance to salt stress but the mechanisms underlying are not fully understood. This study was to investigate physiological mechanisms of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR)'s impact on salt stress tolerance in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) The grass seedlings were treated with EBR at 0, 10, and 100 nM, and subjected to salt stress (250 mM NaCl). The grass irrigated with regular water without EBR served as the control. Salt stress increased leaf electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), and reduced photosynthetic rate (Pn). Exogenous EBR reduced EL and MDA, increased Pn, chlorophyll content, and stomatal conductance (gs). The EBR applications also alleviated decline of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity when compared to salt treatment alone. Salt stress increased leaf abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin A4 (GA4) content but reduced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), zeatin riboside (ZR), isopentenyl adenosine (iPA), and salicylic acid (SA). Exogenous EBR at 10 nm and 100 nM increased ABA, and iPA content under salt stress. The EBR treatment at 100 nM also increased leaf IAA, ZR, JA, and SA. In addition, EBR treatments increased leaf proline and ions (K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+) content, and reduced Na+/K+ in leaf tissues. The results of this study suggest that EBR treatment may improve salt stress tolerance by increasing the level of selected hormones and antioxidant enzyme (SOD and CAT) activity, promoting accumulation of proline and ions (K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) in perennial ryegrass. PMID:28674542

  20. Stress, Workload and Physiology Demand During Extravehicular Activity: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Rai, Balwant; Kaur, Jasdeep; Foing, Bernard H

    2012-01-01

    Background: Extravehicular activity (EVA), such as exercise performed under unique environmental conditions, is essential for supporting daily living in weightlessness and for further space exploration like long Mars mission. Aim: The study was planned stress, workload, and physiological demands of simulated Mars exploration. Materials and Methods: In this study, the six-person crew lived (24 hours) for 14 days during a short-term stay at the Mars Desert Research Station. The heart rates, salivary cortisol, workload, peak oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity of the crew are measured before, during and after an EVA. Results: Data for heart rate showed the same trend as peak oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity, with a maximal increase to 85% of peak. The rating of subscale showed a significant increase in EVA as compared to run. Salivary cortisol levels and heart rates were increased in both groups, although significant increased of cortisol levels and heart rates more in EVA as compared to hill running crew members. Conclusion: Further study is required on large scale taken into account of limitations of this study and including other physiological and psychological parameters in Mars analog environment. PMID:22754877

  1. Timing matters: the interval between acute stressors within chronic mild stress modifies behavioral and physiologic stress responses in male rats.

    PubMed

    Cavigelli, Sonia A; Bao, Alexander D; Bourne, Rebecca A; Caruso, Michael J; Caulfield, Jasmine I; Chen, Mary; Smyth, Joshua M

    2018-04-12

    Chronic mild stress can lead to negative health outcomes. Frequency, duration, and intensity of acute stressors can affect health-related processes. We tested whether the temporal pattern of daily acute stressors (clustered or dispersed across the day) affects depression-related physiology. We used a rodent model to keep stressor frequency, duration, and intensity constant, and experimentally manipulated the temporal pattern of acute stressors delivered during the active phase of the day. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to one of three chronic mild stress groups: Clustered: stressors that occurred within 1 hour of each other (n = 21), Dispersed: stressors that were spread out across the active phase (n = 21), and Control: no stressors presented (n = 21). Acute mild stressors included noise, strobe lights, novel cage, cage tilt, wet bedding, and water immersion. Depression-related outcomes included: sucrose preference, body weight, circulating glucocorticoid (corticosterone) concentration after a novel acute stressor and during basal morning and evening times, and endotoxin-induced circulating interleukin-6 concentrations. Compared to control rats, those in the Clustered group gained less weight, consumed less sucrose, had a blunted acute corticosterone response, and an accentuated acute interleukin-6 response. Rats in the Dispersed group had an attenuated corticosterone decline during the active period and after an acute stressor compared to the Control group. During a chronic mild stress experience, the temporal distribution of daily acute stressors affected health-related physiologic processes. Regular exposure to daily stressors in rapid succession may predict more depression-related symptoms, whereas exposure to stressors dispersed throughout the day may predict diminished glucocorticoid negative feedback.

  2. Physiological stress and ethanol accumulation in tree stems and woody tissues at sublethal temperatures from fire

    Treesearch

    Rick G. Kelsey; Douglas J. Westlind

    2017-01-01

    The lethal temperature limit is 60 degrees Celsius (°C) for plant tissues, including trees, with lower temperatures causing heat stress. As fire injury increases on tree stems, there is an accompanying rise in tissue ethanol concentrations, physiologically linked to impaired mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation energy production. We theorize that sublethal tissue...

  3. Habitual reappraisal in context: peer victimisation moderates its association with physiological reactivity to social stress.

    PubMed

    Christensen, Kara A; Aldao, Amelia; Sheridan, Margaret A; McLaughlin, Katie A

    2017-02-01

    Although the emotion regulation strategy of reappraisal has been associated with adaptive outcomes, there is a growing evidence that it may not be adaptive in all contexts. In the present study, adolescents reported their use of habitual reappraisal and their experiences with peer victimisation, a chronic stressor that is associated with reduced well-being in this population. We examined how these variables predicted physiological reactivity (vagal withdrawal and changes in pre-ejection period) during a social stressor (i.e., Trier Social Stress Task). In line with previous research, at high levels of victimisation, habitual reappraisal predicted adaptive physiological reactivity (i.e., greater vagal withdrawal). Conversely, at low levels of victimisation, habitual reappraisal predicted maladaptive physiological reactivity (i.e., blunted vagal withdrawal). These findings were specific to parasympathetic reactivity. They suggest that habitual reappraisal may exert different effects on parasympathetic reactivity depending on the presence of stressors, and highlight the importance of examining the role of contextual factors in determining the adaptiveness of emotion regulation strategies.

  4. Habitual reappraisal in context: peer victimisation moderates its association with physiological reactivity to social stress

    PubMed Central

    Christensen, Kara A.; Aldao, Amelia; Sheridan, Margaret A.; McLaughlin, Katie A.

    2016-01-01

    Although the emotion regulation strategy of reappraisal has been associated with adaptive outcomes, there is a growing evidence that it may not be adaptive in all contexts. In the present study, adolescents reported their use of habitual reappraisal and their experiences with peer victimisation, a chronic stressor that is associated with reduced well-being in this population. We examined how these variables predicted physiological reactivity (vagal withdrawal and changes in pre-ejection period) during a social stressor (i.e., Trier Social Stress Task). In line with previous research, at high levels of victimisation, habitual reappraisal predicted adaptive physiological reactivity (i.e., greater vagal withdrawal). Conversely, at low levels of victimisation, habitual reappraisal predicted maladaptive physiological reactivity (i.e., blunted vagal withdrawal). These findings were specific to parasympathetic reactivity. They suggest that habitual reappraisal may exert different effects on parasympathetic reactivity depending on the presence of stressors, and highlight the importance of examining the role of contextual factors in determining the adaptiveness of emotion regulation strategies. PMID:26654477

  5. The effect of air permeability characteristics of protective garments on the induced physiological strain under exercise-heat stress.

    PubMed

    Epstein, Yoram; Heled, Yuval; Ketko, Itay; Muginshtein, Jeni; Yanovich, Ran; Druyan, Amit; Moran, Daniel S

    2013-08-01

    The high values of thermal resistance (Rct) and/or vapor resistance (Ret) of chemical protective clothing (CPC) induce a considerable thermal stress. The present study compared the physiological strain induced by CPCs and evaluates the relative importance of the fabrics' Rct, Ret, and air permeability in determining heat strain. Twelve young (20-30 years) healthy, heat-acclimated male subjects were exposed fully encapsulated for 3h daily to an exercise-heat stress (35°C and 30% relative humidity, walking on a motor-driven treadmill at a pace of 5 km h(1) and a 4% inclination, in a work-rest cycle of 45 min work and 15 min rest). Two bipack CPCs (PC1 and PC2) were tested and the results were compared with those attained by two control suits-a standard cotton military BDU (CO1) and an impermeable material suit (CO2). The physiological burden imposed by the two bilayer garments was within the boundaries set by the control conditions. Overall, PC2 induced a lower strain, which was closer to CO1, whereas PC1 was closer to CO2. Air permeability of the PC2 cloth was almost three times higher than that of PC1, enabling a better heat dissipation and consequently a lower physiological strain. Furthermore, air permeability characteristic of the fabrics, which is associated with its construction and weave, significantly correlated with the physiological strain, whereas the correlation with Rct, Ret, and weight was poor. The results emphasize the importance of air permeability in reducing the physiological strain induced by CPCs.

  6. Maize water status and physiological traits as affected by root endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica under combined drought and mechanical stresses.

    PubMed

    Hosseini, Fatemeh; Mosaddeghi, Mohammad Reza; Dexter, Anthony Roger; Sepehri, Mozhgan

    2018-05-01

    Under combined drought and mechanical stresses, mechanical stress primarily controlled physiological responses of maize. Piriformospora indica mitigated the adverse effects of stresses, and inoculated maize experienced less oxidative damage and had better adaptation to stressful conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of maize root colonization by an endophytic fungus P. indica on plant water status, physiological traits and root morphology under combined drought and mechanical stresses. Seedlings of inoculated and non-inoculated maize (Zea mays L., cv. single cross 704) were cultivated in growth chambers filled with moistened siliceous sand at a matric suction of 20 hPa. Drought stress was induced using PEG 6000 solution with osmotic potentials of 0, - 0.3 and - 0.5 MPa. Mechanical stress (i.e., penetration resistances of 1.05, 4.23 and 6.34 MPa) was exerted by placing weights on the surface of the sand medium. After 30 days, leaf water potential (LWP) and relative water content (RWC), root and shoot fresh weights, root volume (RV) and diameter (RD), leaf proline content, leaf area (LA) and catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities were measured. The results show that exposure to individual drought and mechanical stresses led to higher RD and proline content and lower plant biomass, RV and LA. Moreover, increasing drought and mechanical stress severity increased APX activity by about 1.9- and 3.1-fold compared with the control. When plants were exposed to combined stresses, mechanical stress played the dominant role in controlling plant responses. P. indica-inoculated plants are better adapted to individual and combined stresses. The inoculated plants had greater RV, LA, RWC, LWP and proline content under stressful conditions. In comparison with non-inoculated plants, inoculated plants showed lower CAT and APX activities which means that they experienced less oxidative stress induced by stressful conditions.

  7. Physiological Indices of Stress Prior to and Following Total Knee Arthroplasty Predict the Occurrence of Severe Post-Operative Pain.

    PubMed

    Cremeans-Smith, Julie K; Greene, Kenneth; Delahanty, Douglas L

    2016-05-01

    The severe pain and disability associated with osteoarthritis often motivate individuals to undergo arthroplastic surgery. However, a significant number of surgical patients continue to experience pain following surgery. Prior research has implicated both the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in the sensitization of pain receptors and chronic pain conditions. This study uses a prospective, observational, cohort design to examine whether physiological stress responses before and after surgery could predict post-operative pain severity. Participants included 110 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Physiological indices of stress included the measurement of catecholamine and cortisol levels in 15-hour urine samples collected prior to and 1 month following surgery, as well as in-hospital heart rate and blood pressure (before and after surgery), which were abstracted from medical records. Patients completed the pain subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) [Bellamy et al., J Orthop Rheumatol 1: , 95 (1988)] 2.5 weeks prior to surgery and at a 3-month follow-up. Contrary to expectations, lower stress hormone levels at baseline were related to more severe post-operative pain. Data at later time points, however, supported our hypothesis: cardiovascular tone shortly before surgery and urinary levels of epinephrine 1 month following surgery were positively related to pain severity 3 months later. Results suggest that the occurrence of post-operative pain can be predicted on the basis of stress physiology prior to and following arthroplastic surgery. © 2015 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Fluctuations in daily energy intake do not cause physiological stress in a Neotropical primate living in a seasonal forest.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Mota, Rodolfo; Righini, Nicoletta; Palme, Rupert

    2016-12-01

    Animals may face periods of nutritional stress due to short-term food shortage and/or low energy consumption associated with seasonal fluctuations in resource availability. We tested the hypothesis that periods of restricted macronutrient and energy intake result in energy deficits and physiological stress in wild black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) inhabiting seasonal tropical semi-deciduous forests. We conducted full-day follows of focal animals recording feeding rates, time spent feeding, and total amount of food ingested. We carried out nutritional analysis of foods collected from feeding trees and calculated the daily nutrient and energy intake of each focal individual. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM) of focal animals were used as an indicator of physiological stress. We found that fluctuations in daily energy intake across seasons did not have significant effects on fGCM of individuals. However, protein intake was negatively associated with fGCM, highlighting the interplay among macronutrients, metabolism, and the endocrine system. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites were also positively related to fruit availability, but this relationship was most likely due to social stress associated with intergroup encounters and resource defense that occurred when preferred trees were fruiting. Behavioral strategies such as dietary shifts and nutrient mixing, and metabolic adaptations such as low energy expenditure allowed individuals to fulfill their minimum energy requirements even during periods of decreased resource availability and intake. The present study suggests that seasonal variations in food, macronutrient, and energy acquisition may have limited physiological costs for animals that exploit different types of plant resources such as howler monkeys.

  9. Overexpression of Tobacco GCN2 Stimulates Multiple Physiological Changes Associated With Stress Tolerance

    PubMed Central

    Li, Ning; Zhang, Song-jie; Zhao, Qi; Long, Yue; Guo, Hao; Jia, Hong-fang; Yang, Yong-xia; Zhang, Hong-ying; Ye, Xie-feng; Zhang, Song-tao

    2018-01-01

    General control non-derepressible-2 (GCN2) is a ubiquitous protein kinase that phosphorylates the α subunit of the eukaryotic initiation factor, eIF2, preventing the initiation of a new cycle of protein synthesis, subsequently reducing the global protein biosynthesis. GCN2 can also regulate the response of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, two GCN2 homologs, NtGCN2-1 and NtGCN2-2, were cloned from Nicotiana tabacum, and were predicted to have been derived from their progenitors in N. tomentosiformis and N. sylvestris, respectively. The phosphorylation of NteIF2α could be activated by promoting the expression of NtGCN2 with plant hormones, including salicylic acid (SA), azelaic acid (AZA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and by imposition of different stresses (Bemisia tabaci infection, drought, and cold), indicating that NtGCN2 is involved in the response of plants to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. We also observed that the overexpression of NtGCN2-1 significantly influenced different physiological processes. It promoted seed germination and root elongation. The content of total soluble sugars and reducing sugars were decreased, whereas those of chlorophyll a and b were increased in the GCN2 overexpressing plants. In addition, the overexpressing plants had lower content of reactive oxygen species and exhibited higher antioxidant activities. These physiological alterations could be attributed to the changes in the endogenous phytohormones, decrease in the SA and abscisic acid content, and accumulation of MeJA and AZA. It indicated that the overexpression of NtGCN2 in tobacco, stimulated the plant defense responses via phosphorylation of NteIF2α and regulation of plant hormones, and changes in the antioxidant ability and plant nutrient status. PMID:29910821

  10. Physiological response of Arundo donax to cadmium stress by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Yu, Shunhui; Sheng, Li; Zhang, Chunyan; Deng, Hongping

    2018-06-05

    The present paper deals with the physiological response of the changes in chemical contents of the root, stem and leaf of Arundo donax seedlings stressed by excess cadmium using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique, cadmium accumulation in plant by atomic absorption spectroscopy were tested after different concentrations cadmium stress. The results showed that low cadmium concentrations (<1.0mg/L) the root tissue of Arundo donax uses osmosis of organic substances (e.g. carbohydrates and amino acids) to improve cadmium tolerance. Organic substances (e.g. carbohydrates) that contain a lot of OH in leaf were transported to the root firstly and then could chelate cadmium, but no obvious changes in stems were noted. The cadmium in the shoots (stem and leaf) usually increased with increasing cadmium concentration. These studies demonstrate the potential of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique for the non-invasive and rapid monitoring of the plants stressed with heavy metals, Arundo donax is suitable for phytoremediation of cadmium -contaminated wetland. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. TDP-43 is directed to stress granules by sorbitol, a novel physiological osmotic and oxidative stressor.

    PubMed

    Dewey, Colleen M; Cenik, Basar; Sephton, Chantelle F; Dries, Daniel R; Mayer, Paul; Good, Shannon K; Johnson, Brett A; Herz, Joachim; Yu, Gang

    2011-03-01

    TDP-43, or TAR DNA-binding protein 43, is a pathological marker of a spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions. TDP-43 is an RNA/DNA-binding protein implicated in transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation. Recent work also suggests that TDP-43 associates with cytoplasmic stress granules, which are transient structures that form in response to stress. In this study, we establish sorbitol as a novel physiological stressor that directs TDP-43 to stress granules in Hek293T cells and primary cultured glia. We quantify the association of TDP-43 with stress granules over time and show that stress granule association and size are dependent on the glycine-rich region of TDP-43, which harbors the majority of pathogenic mutations. Moreover, we establish that cells harboring wild-type and mutant TDP-43 have distinct stress responses: mutant TDP-43 forms significantly larger stress granules, and is incorporated into stress granules earlier, than wild-type TDP-43; in striking contrast, wild-type TDP-43 forms more stress granules over time, but the granule size remains relatively unchanged. We propose that mutant TDP-43 alters stress granule dynamics, which may contribute to the progression of TDP-43 proteinopathies.

  12. Physiological stress and Hendra virus in flying-foxes (Pteropus spp.), Australia.

    PubMed

    McMichael, Lee; Edson, Daniel; Smith, Craig; Mayer, David; Smith, Ina; Kopp, Steven; Meers, Joanne; Field, Hume

    2017-01-01

    Pteropid bats (flying-foxes) are the natural reservoir of Hendra virus, an emergent paramyxovirus responsible for fatal infection in horses and humans in Australia. Pteropus alecto (the Black flying-fox) and the paraphyletic P. conspicillatus (the Spectacled flying-fox) appear to be the primary reservoir hosts. Previous studies have suggested that physiological and ecological factors may underpin infection dynamics in flying-foxes, and subsequent spillover to horses and in turn humans. We sought to examine temporal trends in urinary cortisol concentration in wild Australian flying-fox populations, to elucidate the putative relationship between Hendra virus infection and physiological stress. Pooled and individual urine samples were non-invasively collected from under roosting flying-foxes at two latitudinally disparate regions in the eastern Australian state of Queensland. Hendra virus detection, and (in individual urine samples) sex and species determination were PCR-based. Urinary cortisol measurement used a validated enzyme immunoassay. We found no direct correlation between increased urinary cortisol and Hendra virus excretion, but our findings do suggest a biologically plausible association between low winter temperatures and elevated cortisol levels in P. alecto in the lower latitude Southeast Queensland roosts. We hypothesize an indirect association between low winter temperatures and increased Hendra virus infection and excretion, mediated by the physiological cost of thermoregulation. Our findings and our approach are directly relevant to elaboration of the disease ecology of Nipah virus and other emerging henipaviruses in bats. More broadly, they inform investigation of emerging disease infection dynamics across the wildlife/livestock/human interface.

  13. The effect of consignment to broodmare Sales on physiological stress measured by faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in pregnant Thoroughbred mares

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Validation of a method for the minimally-invasive measurement of physiological stress will help understanding of risk factors that may contribute to stress-associated events including recrudescence of Equid herpesvirus (EHV), which is anecdotally associated with sales consignment of pregnant Thoroughbred mares. In this study we compared two similar groups of late-gestation Thoroughbred broodmares on the same farm: a consigned Sales group (N = 8) and a non-consigned Control group (N = 6). The Sales mares were separated from their paddock companions and grouped prior to their preparation for, transport to, and return from the sales venue. Both groups were monitored by sampling at regular intervals from 5 days prior to until 14 days after the sales date (D0) to measure physiological stress in terms of changes in faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations, and for event-related viral recrudescence via daily body temperature measurements and periodic nasal swabs for PCR analysis for EHV-1 and -4 DNA. Results In both groups, FGM levels increased post-sales before returning to pre-sales levels. Specifically, FGM concentrations in the Sales mares were significantly higher on D + 3 and D + 10 than on D-4 and D-3 (F = 12.03, P < 0.0001, Post hoc: P = 0.0003 – 0.0008) and in the Control group FGM concentrations were higher on D + 10 than D-4 (F = 5.52, P = 0.004, Post hoc: P = 0.005). Interestingly, mean FGM levels in Control mares were significantly higher at 4 of the 5 sampling points (t = 5.64 – 2.25, p = 0.0001 – 0.044). Only one (Sales) mare showed PCR evidence of EHV-1 shedding. Conclusions Using FGM to measure physiological stress was supported by the increases observed in all mares after Sales consignment, including those not consigned to the sale. Monitoring FGM levels therefore represents an appropriate, minimally-invasive method for future studies to assess the contribution of

  14. Comparative physiological and metabolomics analysis of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) following post-anthesis heat stress

    PubMed Central

    Beecher, Chris; MacDonald, Greg

    2018-01-01

    Genetic improvement for stress tolerance requires a solid understanding of biochemical processes involved with different physiological mechanisms and their relationships with different traits. The objective of this study was to demonstrate genetic variability in altered metabolic levels in a panel of six wheat genotypes in contrasting temperature regimes, and to quantify the correlation between those metabolites with different traits. In a controlled environment experiment, heat stress (35:28 ± 0.08°C) was initiated 10 days after anthesis. Flag leaves were collected 10 days after heat treatment to employ an untargeted metabolomics profiling using LC-HRMS based technique called IROA. High temperature stress produced significant genetic variations for cell and thylakoid membrane damage, and yield related traits. 64 known metabolites accumulated 1.5 fold of higher or lower due to high temperature stress. In general, metabolites that increased the most under heat stress (L-tryptophan, pipecolate) showed negative correlation with different traits. Contrary, the metabolites that decreased the most under heat stress (drummondol, anthranilate) showed positive correlation with the traits. Aminoacyl-tRNA biosysnthesis and plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathways were most impacted by high temperature stress. The robustness of metabolic change and their relationship with phenotypes renders those metabolites as potential bio-markers for genetic improvement. PMID:29897945

  15. Mechanisms of Change: Testing how Preventative Interventions Impact Psychological and Physiological Stress Functioning in Mothers in Neglectful Families

    PubMed Central

    Toth, Sheree L.; Sturge-Apple, Melissa L.; Rogosch, Fred A.; Cicchetti, Dante

    2015-01-01

    The present study applies a multilevel approach to an examination of the effect of two randomized preventative interventions with mothers in neglectful families who are also contending with elevated levels of impoverishment and ecological risk. Specifically, we examined how participation in either Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) or Psychoeducational Parenting (PPI) interventions was associated with reductions in maternal psychological parenting stress and in turn physiological stress system functioning when compared to mothers involved in standard community services (CS) as well as a demographic comparison group of nonmaltreating mothers (NC). The resulting group sizes in the current investigation were: CPP (n = 44), PPI (n = 34), CS (n = 27), and NC (n = 52). Mothers and infants who were 13-months of age were randomly assigned to intervention group at baseline. Mothers completed assessments on stress within the parenting role at baseline and post-intervention. Basal cortisol was sampled at post-intervention and 1-year follow-up. Latent difference score analyses examined change in these constructs over time. Results suggested that mothers within the CPP intervention experienced significant declines in child-related parenting stress while mothers in the PPI intervention reported declines in parent-related parenting stress. In turn, significant decreases in stress within the CPP mothers were further associated with adaptive basal cortisol functioning at 1-year post-intervention. Results highlight the value of delineating how participation in preventtive interventions aimed at ameliorating child maltreatment in neglectful families within the context of poverty may operate through improvements in psychological and physiological stress functioning. Findings are discussed with respect to the importance of multi-level assessments of intervention process and outcome. PMID:26535951

  16. Ice Slurry Ingestion and Physiological Strain During Exercise in Non-Compensable Heat Stress.

    PubMed

    Ng, Jason; Wingo, Jonathan E; Bishop, Phillip A; Casey, Jason C; Aldrich, Elizabeth K

    2018-05-01

    Precooling with ice slurry ingestion attenuates the increase in rectal temperature (Tre) during subsequent running and cycling. It remains unclear how this cooling method affects physiological strain during work while wearing protective garments. This study investigated the effect of ice slurry ingestion on physiological strain during work in hot conditions while wearing firefighter protective clothing. In three counterbalanced trials, eight men (mean ± SD; age = 21 ± 2 yr, height = 179.5 ± 3.5 cm, mass = 79.1 ± 4.1 kg, body fat = 11.4 ± 3.7%) wore firefighter protective clothing and walked (4 km · h-1, 12% incline, ∼7 METs) for 30 min in hot conditions (35°C, 40% RH). Every 2.5 min, subjects ingested 1.25 g · kg-1 (relative total: 15 g · kg-1, absolute total: 1186.7 ± 61.3 g) of a tepid (22.4 ± 1.7°C), cold (7.1 ± 1.5°C), or ice slurry (-1.3 ± 0.2°C) beverage. Heart rates (HR) were lower with ice slurry ingestion compared to both fluid trials starting 5 min into exercise (tepid = 158 ± 14, cold = 157 ± 11, ice slurry = 146 ± 13 bpm) and persisting for the remainder of the bout (min 30: tepid = 196 ± 10, cold = 192 ± 10, ice slurry = 181 ± 13 bpm). Tre was lower with ice slurry ingestion compared to cold and tepid trials (min 5: tepid = 37.17 ± 0.38, cold = 37.17 ± 0.39, ice slurry = 37.05 ± 0.43°C; min 30: tepid = 38.15 ± 0.29, cold = 38.31 ± 0.36, ice slurry = 37.95 ± 0.32°C). The physiological strain index (PSI) was lower with ice slurry ingestion compared to fluid trials starting at min 5 (tepid = 3.8 ± 0.7, cold = 3.8 ± 0.6, ice slurry = 3.0 ± 0.5) and remained lower throughout exercise (min 30: tepid = 8.2 ± 0.6, cold = 8.3 ± 0.9, ice slurry = 6.9 ± 1.2). A large quantity of ice slurry ingested under non-compensable heat stress conditions mitigated physiological strain during exercise by blunting the rise in heart rate and rectal temperature.Ng J, Wingo JE, Bishop PA, Casey JC, Aldrich EK. Ice slurry ingestion and

  17. Relationship between sociability toward humans and physiological stress in dogs.

    PubMed

    Shin, Yoon-Joo; Shin, Nam-Shik

    2017-07-28

    Sociability is an essential trait for dogs to successfully interact with humans. In this study, the relationship between sociability and physiological stress was examined. Additionally, whether differences exist between companion dogs (C group) and shelter dogs (S group) was examined. Overall, healthy 37 dogs (C group=21 and S group=16) were examined. After 5 min of walking, the dog and the owner (or the chief manager) rested freely in the experimental location for 5 min. The behavioral test with 6 categories was conducted to evaluate sociability over 4 min. The establishment of two groups (H group=dogs with high sociability; L group=dogs with low sociability) was supported by the statistical results of the behavioral tests. Saliva was collected before (P1) and after the test period (P2), and salivary cortisol levels were determined and statistically analyzed. The cortisol concentrations at P2 and the differences in concentrations between P1 and P2 (P2-P1) in the groups with high sociability were significantly lower than those in the groups with low sociability. These results may demonstrate that sociable dogs adapt more comfortably to strangers and unfamiliar situations. Meanwhile, there were significant differences in hormonal results between the C and S groups. For this reason, their sociability should be evaluated using behavioral and physiological assessments before re-adoption to ensure their successful adaptation.

  18. Adaptive style and physiological reactivity during a laboratory stress paradigm in children with cancer and healthy controls.

    PubMed

    Williams, Natalie A; Allen, Michael T; Phipps, Sean

    2011-10-01

    Repressive adaptation has been conceptualized as one pathway to psychological resilience in children with cancer, but the physiological costs of maintaining a repressive adaptive style are currently unknown. The goal of this study was to examine physiological functioning as a function of adaptive style in children with cancer (N = 120) and healthy controls (N = 120). Children completed self-report measures of state anxiety and defensiveness prior to participating in three verbal stress tasks while monitoring blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and electrodermal response, and rated their anxiety following each task. Findings indicated no consistent differences in baseline indices and physiological reactivity as a function of adaptive style or health status (cancer vs. control). In addition, children identified as having a repressive adaptive style did not exhibit greater verbal-autonomic discrepancy than low-anxious children. In contrast to findings with adults, children with a repressive adaptive style do not appear to experience adverse effects of this coping style in terms of physiological reactivity.

  19. Intergenerational Transmission of Aggression: Physiological Regulatory Processes

    PubMed Central

    Margolin, Gayla; Ramos, Michelle C.; Timmons, Adela C.; Miller, Kelly F.; Han, Sohyun C.

    2015-01-01

    Children who grow up in aggressive households are at risk of having problems with physiological regulation, but researchers have not investigated physiology as a mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of aggression. In this article, we posit that physiological regulation, particularly during stressful interpersonal interactions, may shed light on sensitivity to conflict, It can also inform our understanding of associations between childhood exposure to aggression in families of origin and aggression against partners in adolescence or adulthood. In support of this model, we highlight findings showing that childhood exposure to family aggression relates to physiological regulation across the life span, and that reactions to physiological stress concurrently relate to aggression against intimate partners. Emerging evidence from research on biological processes during stressful interpersonal interactions raises questions about what is adaptive for individuals from aggressive families, particularly as past family experiences intersect with the challenges of new relationships. PMID:26929773

  20. Psychophysiological relationships between a multi-component self-report measure of mood, stress and behavioural signs and symptoms, and physiological stress responses during a simulated firefighting deployment.

    PubMed

    Wolkow, Alexander; Aisbett, Brad; Ferguson, Sally A; Reynolds, John; Main, Luana C

    2016-12-01

    Physical work and sleep loss are wildland firefighting demands that elicit psychological and physiological stress responses. Research shows that these responses are statistically related which presents an opportunity to use subjective psychological questionnaires to monitor physiological changes among firefighters; an approach used extensively in sport settings. The aim of the present study was to investigate if changes in self-reported psychological factors on the multi-component training distress scale (MTDS), relate to cytokines and cortisol levels among firefighters completing three days of simulated physical firefighting work separated by an 8-h or restricted 4-h sleep each night. Each day firefighters completed the MTDS in the morning and salivary cortisol and inflammatory cytokines were measured throughout the day. When sleep restricted, firefighters demonstrated increases in MTDS factors of general fatigue, perceived stress and depressed mood that were related to elevated cytokines (TNF-α, IL-8, IL-10). Conversely, firefighters who had an 8-h sleep demonstrated a positive relationship between physical signs and symptoms and elevated IL-6, while depressed mood was inversely related to decreasing cortisol and cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10). Findings highlight the utility of the MTDS to detect psychological changes that reflect physiological responses among firefighters. Future research that establishes thresholds for specific factors which predict health-related physiological changes, will allow fire agencies implement multi-component measures to monitor and manage the health of personnel on the fire-ground. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Rapid changes in cell physiology as a result of acute thermal stress house sparrows, Passer domesticus.

    PubMed

    Jimenez, Ana G; Williams, Joseph B

    2014-12-01

    Given that our climate is rapidly changing, Physiological Ecologists have the critical task of identifying characteristics of species that make them either resilient or susceptible to changes in their natural air temperature regime. Because climate change models suggest that heat events will become more common, and in some places more extreme, it is important to consider how extreme heat events might affect the physiology of a species. The implications of more frequent heat wave events for birds have only recently begun to be addressed, however, the impact of these events on the cellular physiology of a species is difficult to assess. We have developed a novel approach using dermal fibroblasts to explore how short-term thermal stress at the whole animal level might affect cellular rates of metabolism. House sparrows, Passer domesticus were separated into a "control group" and a "heat shocked" group, the latter acclimated to 43°C for 24h. We determined the plasticity of cellular thermal responses by assigning a "recovery group" that was heat shocked as above, but then returned to room temperature for 24h. Primary dermal fibroblasts were grown from skin of all treatment groups and the pectoralis muscle was collected. We found that glycolysis (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rates (OCR), measured using a Seahorse XF 96 analyzer, were significantly higher in the fibroblasts from the heat shocked group of House sparrows compared with their control counterparts. Additionally, muscle fiber diameters decreased and, in turn, Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase maximal activity in the muscle significantly increased in heat shocked sparrows compared with birds in the control group. All of these physiological alterations due to short-term heat exposure were reversible within 24h of recovery at room temperature. These results show that acute exposure to heat stress significantly alters the cellular physiology of sparrows, but that this species is plastic enough to recover from such a thermal

  2. Behavioral and physiological changes during heat stress in Corriedale ewes exposed to water deprivation.

    PubMed

    Ghassemi Nejad, Jalil; Sung, Kyung-Il

    2017-01-01

    This study was conducted to investigate the behavioral and physiological changes of heat stressed Corriedale ewes exposed to water deprivation. Nine Corriedale ewes (average BW = 45 ± 3.7 kg) were individually fed diets based on maintenance requirements in metabolic crates. Ewes were assigned into three groups (9 sheep per treatment) according to a 3 × 3 Latin square design for 3 periods with 21-d duration for each period. The control (CON) group was given free access to water, 2 h water deprivation (2hWD), and 3 h water deprivation (3hWD) following feeding. No differences were found in fecal excretion frequency, standing frequency (number/d), and sitting frequency among the groups ( p  > 0.05). Measurements of standing duration (min/d) and urine excretion frequency (number/d) showed a significant decrease whereas sitting duration (min/d) showed a significant increase in the 2hWD and 3hWD groups when compared with the CON group ( p  < 0.05). Fecal score and heart rate (number/min) were not different among the groups ( p  > 0.05). However, respiratory rate (number/min) and panting score were found to be significantly higher in the 2hWD and 3hWD groups than in the CON group ( p  < 0.05). It is concluded that water deprivation following feeding intensifies physiological heat stress related indicators such as respiratory rate and panting score and changes behavioral parameters such as water intake and urine excretion frequency in heat stressed ewes. Daily adaptation to the extreme environmental conditions may occur actively in ewes.

  3. Silicon Regulates Potential Genes Involved in Major Physiological Processes in Plants to Combat Stress

    PubMed Central

    Manivannan, Abinaya; Ahn, Yul-Kuyn

    2017-01-01

    Silicon (Si), the quasi-essential element occurs as the second most abundant element in the earth's crust. Biological importance of Si in plant kingdom has become inevitable particularly under stressed environment. In general, plants are classified as high, medium, and low silicon accumulators based on the ability of roots to absorb Si. The uptake of Si directly influence the positive effects attributed to the plant but Si supplementation proves to mitigate stress and recover plant growth even in low accumulating plants like tomato. The application of Si in soil as well as soil-less cultivation systems have resulted in the enhancement of quantitative and qualitative traits of plants even under stressed environment. Silicon possesses several mechanisms to regulate the physiological, biochemical, and antioxidant metabolism in plants to combat abiotic and biotic stresses. Nevertheless, very few reports are available on the aspect of Si-mediated molecular regulation of genes with potential role in stress tolerance. The recent advancements in the era of genomics and transcriptomics have opened an avenue for the determination of molecular rationale associated with the Si amendment to the stress alleviation in plants. Therefore, the present endeavor has attempted to describe the recent discoveries related to the regulation of vital genes involved in photosynthesis, transcription regulation, defense, water transport, polyamine synthesis, and housekeeping genes during abiotic and biotic stress alleviation by Si. Furthermore, an overview of Si-mediated modulation of multiple genes involved in stress response pathways such as phenylpropanoid pathway, jasmonic acid pathway, ABA-dependent or independent regulatory pathway have been discussed in this review. PMID:28824681

  4. Integrated physiological mechanisms of exercise performance, adaptation, and maladaptation to heat stress.

    PubMed

    Sawka, Michael N; Leon, Lisa R; Montain, Scott J; Sonna, Larry A

    2011-10-01

    This article emphasizes significant recent advances regarding heat stress and its impact on exercise performance, adaptations, fluid electrolyte imbalances, and pathophysiology. During exercise-heat stress, the physiological burden of supporting high skin blood flow and high sweating rates can impose considerable cardiovascular strain and initiate a cascade of pathophysiological events leading to heat stroke. We examine the association between heat stress, particularly high skin temperature, on diminishing cardiovascular/aerobic reserves as well as increasing relative intensity and perceptual cues that degrade aerobic exercise performance. We discuss novel systemic (heat acclimation) and cellular (acquired thermal tolerance) adaptations that improve performance in hot and temperate environments and protect organs from heat stroke as well as other dissimilar stresses. We delineate how heat stroke evolves from gut underperfusion/ischemia causing endotoxin release or the release of mitochondrial DNA fragments in response to cell necrosis, to mediate a systemic inflammatory syndrome inducing coagulopathies, immune dysfunction, cytokine modulation, and multiorgan damage and failure. We discuss how an inflammatory response that induces simultaneous fever and/or prior exposure to a pathogen (e.g., viral infection) that deactivates molecular protective mechanisms interacts synergistically with the hyperthermia of exercise to perhaps explain heat stroke cases reported in low-risk populations performing routine activities. Importantly, we question the "traditional" notion that high core temperature is the critical mediator of exercise performance degradation and heat stroke. Published 2011. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  5. Effects of routine handling and tagging procedures on physiological stress responses in juvenile chinook salmon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sharpe, C.S.; Thompson, D.A.; Blankenship, H.L.; Schreck, C.B.

    1998-01-01

    Juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were subjected to handling and tagging protocols typical of normal hatchery operations and monitored for their physiological response to stress. Treatments included coded-wire-tagging, counting, ventral fin clipping, adipose fin clipping, and a procedure simulating a pond split. Treatment fish were also subjected to a standardized stress challenge (1 h confinement) to evaluate their ability to deal with disturbances subsequent to a handling or tagging procedure. Circulating levels of cortisol and glucose were used as indicators of stress. Each of the treatments elicited very similar responses among treatment groups. Cortisol increased from resting levels of about 20 ng/mL to about 90 ng/mL by 1 h poststress and returned to near resting levels by 8 h poststress. Glucose levels increased from 50 mg/dL to about 80 mg/dL by 1 h poststress and remained elevated for much of the experiment. The cortisol and glucose responses to the confinement stress did not differ over time or among treatments. However, the confinement stress results do suggest a small but significant cumulative response, indicating small residual effects of the original handling protocols. No deaths were noted among treatment groups.

  6. The concentration of fear: mice's behavioural and physiological stress responses to different degrees of predation risk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sánchez-González, Beatriz; Planillo, Aimara; Navarro-Castilla, Álvaro; Barja, Isabel

    2018-02-01

    Predation is an unavoidable and dangerous fact in the lifetime of prey animals and some sign of the proximity of a predator may be enough to trigger a response in the prey. We investigated whether different degrees of predation risk by red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes) evoke behavioural and physiological stress responses in wood mice ( Apodemus sylvaticus) . We examined the variation in mice responses due to individual factors (sex and reproductive status) and related them to the concentration of the volatile compounds from fox faeces over time. In our experiment, we introduced predation cues into four plots, each subjected to a different concentration treatment (0, 10, 50 and 100% concentration of fresh faeces of red fox), based on the following outline: initial odourless phase 0, phase1 in which predation treatment was renewed daily, and phase 2 in which we renewed the treatment only on the first day. Wood mice were live trapped during all three phases and the physiological response was measured non-invasively by analysing faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) in freshly collected faeces. Data were analysed by Generalized Linear Mixed Models. Overall, males were trapped less often than females, and reproductively active individuals from both sexes avoided traps more than non-reproductively active individuals, especially in medium- and high- concentration plots. Variations in FCM concentrations were explained by plot, the interaction between plot and treatment phase, and the interaction between the treatment phase and the reproductive status. During phase 1, we detected a significant rise in FCM levels that increased with predator faecal odour concentration. Additionally, reproductively active individuals showed a strong physiological response during both phases 1 and 2 in all plots, except the control plot. Our results indicated that wood mice are able to discriminate different degrees of predation risk, which allows them to trigger gradual changes in their

  7. The concentration of fear: mice's behavioural and physiological stress responses to different degrees of predation risk.

    PubMed

    Sánchez-González, Beatriz; Planillo, Aimara; Navarro-Castilla, Álvaro; Barja, Isabel

    2018-01-31

    Predation is an unavoidable and dangerous fact in the lifetime of prey animals and some sign of the proximity of a predator may be enough to trigger a response in the prey. We investigated whether different degrees of predation risk by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) evoke behavioural and physiological stress responses in wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). We examined the variation in mice responses due to individual factors (sex and reproductive status) and related them to the concentration of the volatile compounds from fox faeces over time. In our experiment, we introduced predation cues into four plots, each subjected to a different concentration treatment (0, 10, 50 and 100% concentration of fresh faeces of red fox), based on the following outline: initial odourless phase 0, phase1 in which predation treatment was renewed daily, and phase 2 in which we renewed the treatment only on the first day. Wood mice were live trapped during all three phases and the physiological response was measured non-invasively by analysing faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) in freshly collected faeces. Data were analysed by Generalized Linear Mixed Models. Overall, males were trapped less often than females, and reproductively active individuals from both sexes avoided traps more than non-reproductively active individuals, especially in medium- and high- concentration plots. Variations in FCM concentrations were explained by plot, the interaction between plot and treatment phase, and the interaction between the treatment phase and the reproductive status. During phase 1, we detected a significant rise in FCM levels that increased with predator faecal odour concentration. Additionally, reproductively active individuals showed a strong physiological response during both phases 1 and 2 in all plots, except the control plot. Our results indicated that wood mice are able to discriminate different degrees of predation risk, which allows them to trigger gradual changes in their behavioural

  8. Markers of physiological stress in juvenile bonobos (Pan paniscus): are enamel hypoplasia, skeletal development and tooth size interrelated?

    PubMed

    Lukacs, John R

    2009-07-01

    A reduction in enamel thickness due to disrupted amelogenesis is referred to as enamel hypoplasia (EH). Linear EH in permanent teeth is a widely accepted marker of systemic physiological stress. An enigmatic, nonlinear form of EH commonly manifest in great ape and human deciduous canines (dc) is known as localized hypoplasia of primary canines (LHPC). The etiology of LHPC and what it signifies-localized traumatic or systemic physiological stress-remains unclear. This report presents frequency data on LHPC, hypostotic cranial traits, and tooth size in a sample of juvenile bonobos, then tests hypotheses of intertrait association that improve knowledge of the etiology and meaning of LHPC. The fenestration hypothesis is tested using hypostotic cranial traits as a proxy for membrane bone ossification, and the relationship between tooth size, LHPC, and hypostosis is investigated. Macroscopic observations of EH, hypostotic traits, and measurements of buccolingual tooth size were conducted according to established standards. LHPC was found in 51.2% of bonobos (n = 86) and in 26% of dc teeth (n = 269). Hypostotic traits were observed in 55.2% of bonobos (n = 96). A test of the association between LHPC and hypostosis yielded nonsignificant results (chi(2) = 2.935; P = 0.0867). Primary canines were larger in specimens with LHPC than in unaffected specimens (paired samples t test; udc, P = 0.011; ldc, P = 0.018), a result consistent with the fenestration hypothesis of LHPC pathogenesis. Hypostosis was not associated with differences in tooth size (P > 0.05). LHPC may be an indirect indicator of physiological stress, resulting from large, buccally displaced primary canines.

  9. Integrated Physiological, Proteomic, and Metabolomic Analysis of Ultra Violet (UV) Stress Responses and Adaptation Mechanisms in Pinus radiata*

    PubMed Central

    Pascual, Jesús; Cañal, María Jesús; Escandón, Mónica; Meijón, Mónica; Weckwerth, Wolfram

    2017-01-01

    Globally expected changes in environmental conditions, especially the increase of UV irradiation, necessitate extending our knowledge of the mechanisms mediating tree species adaptation to this stress. This is crucial for designing new strategies to maintain future forest productivity. Studies focused on environmentally realistic dosages of UV irradiation in forest species are scarce. Pinus spp. are commercially relevant trees and not much is known about their adaptation to UV. In this work, UV treatment and recovery of Pinus radiata plants with dosages mimicking future scenarios, based on current models of UV radiation, were performed in a time-dependent manner. The combined metabolome and proteome analysis were complemented with measurements of + physiological parameters and gene expression. Sparse PLS analysis revealed complex molecular interaction networks of molecular and physiological data. Early responses prevented phototoxicity by reducing photosystem activity and the electron transfer chain together with the accumulation of photoprotectors and photorespiration. Apart from the reduction in photosynthesis as consequence of the direct UV damage on the photosystems, the primary metabolism was rearranged to deal with the oxidative stress while minimizing ROS production. New protein kinases and proteases related to signaling, coordination, and regulation of UV stress responses were revealed. All these processes demonstrate a complex molecular interaction network extending the current knowledge on UV-stress adaptation in pine. PMID:28096192

  10. Survival, physical and physiological changes of Taenia hydatigena eggs under different conditions of water stress.

    PubMed

    Sánchez Thevenet, Paula; Alvarez, Hector Manuel; Basualdo, Juan Angel

    2017-06-01

    Taenia hydatigena eggs were investigated for morphological and physiological changes under water stress conditions. Fresh eggs were exposed at 31%, 47% and 89% of relative humidity (RH), and survival, size and ultrastructural changes were accounted up to 365 days of exposition. The article shows how each RH environment affects the vitality of the eggs. Results of this study suggest that T. hydatigena eggs have mechanisms to withstand water stress, indicating that the eggs clustering improves protection against desiccation, and that endogenous metabolism using triacylglycerols play an important role in the maintenance of embryo vitality under low, medium and high relative humidity conditions. This contributes to understanding the water stress resistance mechanism in eggs belonging to Taeniidae family. The findings shown herein have provided a basis to better comprehend basic biology and epidemiology of the cysticercosis caused by T. hydatigena. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The compensation effects of physiology and yield in cotton after drought stress.

    PubMed

    Niu, Jing; Zhang, Siping; Liu, Shaodong; Ma, Huijuan; Chen, Jing; Shen, Qian; Ge, Changwei; Zhang, Xiaomeng; Pang, Chaoyou; Zhao, Xinhua

    The objective of this study was to investigate the root growth compensatory effects and cotton yield under drought stress. The results indicate that the root dry weight, boll weight, and cotton yield increased in both the drought-resistant cultivar (CCRI-45) and the drought-sensitive cultivar (CCRI-60). Compensation effects were exhibited under the three-day drought stress treatment at a soil relative water content (SRWC) of 60% and 45% during the seedling stage, and flowering and boll-forming stage over two years. The yield of the drought-resistant cultivar (CCRI-45) was higher than the control, however, following the six-day 45% SRWC drought treatments, the yield of the drought-sensitive cultivar (CCRI-60) was lower than the control. The soluble sugar content, proline content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and peroxidase (POD) activity of the roots increased under drought stress and then decreased after re-watering, although the values remained higher than those of the controls for a short period. These physiological measures may represent stress reactions and thus may not indicate factors that result in compensation effects. However, catalase (CAT) activity and gibberellic acid (GA) content of the roots decreased under drought stress. After re-watering, the CAT activity and the GA content increased and were significantly higher than those of the controls under the six-day 60% SRWC and 45% SRWC drought treatments. The abscisic acid (ABA) content of the roots increased under drought stress. After re-watering, the ABA content decreased to a lower level under the three and six-day 60% SRWC and 45% SRWC drought treatments than in the controls. According to an analysis of various indicators, the interaction between ABA and GA signals may play an important role in root growth compensatory effects. In summary, the results demonstrate that moderate drought stress is beneficial to root growth and yield. This conclusion is of great significance to improving our

  12. Silicon and water-deficit stress differentially modulate physiology and ultrastructure in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

    PubMed

    Xu, Ling; Islam, Faisal; Ali, Basharat; Pei, Zengfei; Li, Juanjuan; Ghani, Muhammad Awais; Zhou, Weijun

    2017-08-01

    Plants combat drought stress by coordinating various metabolic enzymes, and endogenous phytohormones, such as indole acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA). In the present study, 37-day-old wheat seedlings were subjected to the Hoagland solution with 20% PEG for 7 days (to create the artificial osmotic stress environment) in the greenhouse, and were supplemented with an optimized concentration (1.0 mM) of silicon (Si) to alleviate the negative effects of former stress on physiological, biochemical and phytohormones contents. Exogenous Si significantly improved plant growth parameters under osmotic stress compared to PEG treatment alone (the increase was up to 6 and 9% for shoot and root fresh weight, 4 and 12% for shoot and root dry weight, respectively). Moreover, Si significantly decreased the H 2 O 2 , MDA contents, electrolyte leakage, antioxidant enzyme activity (POD), and mineral contents (K and Ca) under osmotic stress but markedly increased the ascorbic acid(AsA), soluble sugar and mineral (Mg and Si) contents. Interestingly, Si application under water-deficit stress differently modulated the endogenous levels of ABA, IAA and JA in wheat plants compared to PEG treatment alone. This study suggests that exogenous Si improves the plant growth by modulating the nutrient (Na, Mg and Si) uptake and phytohormone levels in wheat under water-deficit stress.

  13. FPGA-based smart sensor for drought stress detection in tomato plants using novel physiological variables and discrete wavelet transform.

    PubMed

    Duarte-Galvan, Carlos; Romero-Troncoso, Rene de J; Torres-Pacheco, Irineo; Guevara-Gonzalez, Ramon G; Fernandez-Jaramillo, Arturo A; Contreras-Medina, Luis M; Carrillo-Serrano, Roberto V; Millan-Almaraz, Jesus R

    2014-10-09

    Soil drought represents one of the most dangerous stresses for plants. It impacts the yield and quality of crops, and if it remains undetected for a long time, the entire crop could be lost. However, for some plants a certain amount of drought stress improves specific characteristics. In such cases, a device capable of detecting and quantifying the impact of drought stress in plants is desirable. This article focuses on testing if the monitoring of physiological process through a gas exchange methodology provides enough information to detect drought stress conditions in plants. The experiment consists of using a set of smart sensors based on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to monitor a group of plants under controlled drought conditions. The main objective was to use different digital signal processing techniques such as the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) to explore the response of plant physiological processes to drought. Also, an index-based methodology was utilized to compensate the spatial variation inside the greenhouse. As a result, differences between treatments were determined to be independent of climate variations inside the greenhouse. Finally, after using the DWT as digital filter, results demonstrated that the proposed system is capable to reject high frequency noise and to detect drought conditions.

  14. The visual stress model—A psycho-physiological method for the evaluation of operational reliability of pilots and cosmonauts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kammel, H.; Haase, H.

    An experimental psycho-physiological method is presented for the evaluation of visual-cognitive performance preconditions and operational reliability of pilots and cosmonauts. As visual-cognitive stress are used tachistoscopically presented instrument symbols under conditions of individual speed of work and time pressure. The results of the compared extreme groups consisting of pilots with good and insufficient flight performance showed that the pilots with impairments to the quality of flight activity differ already before the test in their individual habitual characteristics and actual motivation, during the stress in their operational parameters, in the dimensions of their cardiorespiratory activation as well as in their efficiency and after the stress in their subjective experience of the stress. Conclusions are drawn for the evaluation of the aptitude of pilots and cosmonauts.

  15. Examining the Relationship between Physiological Measurements and Self-Reports of Stress and Well-Being in Middle School Teachers over One School Year

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Katz, Deirdre A.; Harris, Alexis R.; Abenavoli, Rachel M.; Greenberg, Mark T.

    2013-01-01

    Educators are exposed to a variety of stressors, which can lead to poorer teaching performance, burnout, and increased student misbehavior (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Although self-report measures of stress are most commonly used in education research, physiological measures of stress may also contribute to the understanding of educators'…

  16. Adrenal, metabolic and cardio-renal dysfunction develops after pregnancy in rats born small or stressed by physiological measurements during pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Cheong, Jean N; Cuffe, James S M; Jefferies, Andrew J; Moritz, Karen M; Wlodek, Mary E

    2016-10-15

    Women born small are at an increased risk of developing pregnancy complications. Stress may further increase a woman's likelihood for an adverse pregnancy. Adverse pregnancy adaptations can lead to long-term diseases even after her pregnancy. The current study investigated the effects of stress during pregnancy on the long-term adrenal, metabolic and cardio-renal health of female rats that were born small. Stress programmed increased adrenal Mc2r gene expression, a higher insulin secretory response to glucose during intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (+36%) and elevated renal creatinine clearance after pregnancy. Females that were born small had increased homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance and elevated systolic blood pressure after pregnancy, regardless of stress exposure. These findings suggest that being born small or being stressed during pregnancy programs long-term adverse health outcomes after pregnancy. However, stress in pregnancy does not exacerbate the long-term adverse health outcomes for females that were born small. Females born small are more likely to experience complications during their pregnancy, including pregnancy-induced hypertension, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. The risk of developing complications is increased by stress exposure during pregnancy. In addition, pregnancy complications may predispose the mother to diseases after pregnancy. We determined whether stress during pregnancy would exacerbate the adrenal, metabolic and cardio-renal dysfunction of growth-restricted females in later life. Late gestation bilateral uterine vessel ligation was performed in Wistar Kyoto rats to induce growth restriction. At 4 months, growth-restricted and control female offspring were mated with normal males. Those allocated to the stressed group had physiological measurements [metabolic cage, tail cuff blood pressure, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT)] conducted during pregnancy whilst the unstressed groups were

  17. Stress in biological invasions: Introduced invasive grey squirrels increase physiological stress in native Eurasian red squirrels.

    PubMed

    Santicchia, Francesca; Dantzer, Ben; van Kesteren, Freya; Palme, Rupert; Martinoli, Adriano; Ferrari, Nicola; Wauters, Lucas Armand

    2018-05-23

    Invasive alien species can cause extinction of native species through processes including predation, interspecific competition for resources or disease-mediated competition. Increases in stress hormones in vertebrates may be associated with these processes and contribute to the decline in survival or reproduction of the native species. Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) have gone extinct across much of the British Isles and parts of Northern Italy following the introduction of North American invasive grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). We extracted glucocorticoid metabolites from faecal samples to measure whether the presence of the invasive species causes an increase in physiological stress in individuals of the native species. We show that native red squirrels in seven sites where they co-occurred with invasive grey squirrels had glucocorticoid concentrations that were three times higher than those in five sites without the invasive species. Moreover, in a longitudinal study, stress hormones in native red squirrels increased after colonisation by grey squirrels. When we experimentally reduced the abundance of the invasive grey squirrels, the concentration of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in co-occurring red squirrels decreased significantly between pre- and postremoval periods. Hence, we found that the invasive species acts as a stressor which significantly increases the concentrations of glucocorticoids in the native species. Given that sustained elevations in glucocorticoids could reduce body growth and reproductive rate, our results are consistent with previous studies where the co-occurrence of the invasive grey squirrel was associated with smaller size and lower reproductive output in red squirrels. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2018 British Ecological Society.

  18. Correlating yeast cell stress physiology to changes in the cell surface morphology: atomic force microscopic studies.

    PubMed

    Canetta, Elisabetta; Walker, Graeme M; Adya, Ashok K

    2006-07-06

    Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has emerged as a powerful biophysical tool in biotechnology and medicine to investigate the morphological, physical, and mechanical properties of yeasts and other biological systems. However, properties such as, yeasts' response to environmental stresses, metabolic activities of pathogenic yeasts, cell-cell/cell-substrate adhesion, and cell-flocculation have rarely been investigated so far by using biophysical tools. Our recent results obtained by AFM on one strain each of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe show a clear correlation between the physiology of environmentally stressed yeasts and the changes in their surface morphology. The future directions of the AFM related techniques in relation to yeasts are also discussed.

  19. [Physiological responses of mycorrhizal Pinus massoniana seedlings to drought stress and drought resistance evaluation].

    PubMed

    Wang, Yi; Ding, Gui-jie

    2013-03-01

    A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of inoculating Pisolithus tinctorius, Cenococcum geophilum, Cantharellus cibarius, and Suillus luteus on the physiological characteristics of Pinus massoniana seedlings under the conditions of drought stress and re-watering, with the drought resistance of the mycorrhizal seedlings evaluated. Under drought stress, the MDA content and membrane' s relative permeability of P. massoniana seedlings increased, but these two indices in the inoculated (mycorrhizal) seedlings were significantly lower than these in the un-inoculated (control) seedlings. After re-watering, the MDA content and membrane's relative permeability of mycorrhizal seedlings had a rapid decrease, as compared with the control. In the first 21 days of drought stress, the production rate of superoxide radical of the seedlings increased, and the SOD, POD and NR activities of mycorrhizal seedlings increased significantly. With the extending of drought stress, the seedlings after re-watering had different recovery ability. Under the re-watering after 14 days drought stress, the SOD, POD and NR activities recovered. The drought resistance of the mycorrhizal seedlings was in the order of Suillus luteus 1 > Suillus luteus 7 > Cantharellus cibarius > Cenococcum geophilum > Pisolithus tinctorius. The SOD and MDA activities had a greater correlation with the mycorrhizal seedlings drought resistance, being able to be used as the indicators to evaluate the drought resistance of mycorrhizal seedlings.

  20. [Study on physiological characteristics and effects of salt stress in Andrographis paniculata].

    PubMed

    Chen, Juan; Gu, Wei; Duan, Jin-Ao; Su, Shu-Lan; Shao, Jing; Geng, Chao

    2014-08-01

    To study the physiological characteristics and effects of salt stress in Andrographis paniculata. Andrographis paniculata was treated with NaCl of different concentration. The photosynthetic characteristics and transpiration rate were an- alyzed by LI-6400 Portable Photosynthesis System. The activities of enzymes were studied with kits. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and stomatal conductance (Gs) showed a diurnal variation of bimodal curve, the transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal limitation (Ls) both had a single peak diurnal variation, while the intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and the water use efficiency (WUE) presented a single valley type of diurnal variation. With salt concentration rising, Pn, Tr, Ci, Ca and WUE decreased but L, increased, the activities of SOD, CAT and POD increased firstly and then decreased, while the MDA and proline content showed a rising trend. Andrographis paniculata is a type of sun plant. The net photosynthetic rate of Andrographis paniculata leaves has an obvious "midday depression" phenomenon. The results also indicate that Andrographis paniculata has a resistance to salt stress and appropriate shade is good for the quality improvement.

  1. Physiological and transcriptomic responses in the seed coat of field-grown soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) to abiotic stress

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Understanding how intensification of abiotic stress due to global climate change affects crop yields is important for continued agricultural productivity. Coupling genomic technologies with physiological crop responses in a dynamic field environment is an effective approach to dissect the mechanisms...

  2. Psychological and physiological stress negatively impacts early engagement and retention of opioid-dependent individuals on methadone maintenance

    PubMed Central

    Jaremko, Kellie M.; Sterling, Robert C.; Van Bockstaele, Elisabeth J.

    2014-01-01

    The present study investigated whether psychological and/or physiological measures of stress would impede induction onto methadone maintenance and predict early (<6 months) discontinuation. Compared with controls, opioid-dependent subjects displayed increased distress on the perceived stress scale (PSS) and post-traumatic stress disorder checklist (PCLC); 60% exhibited abnormal cortisol. Addiction severity index (ASI), drug-use, and stress indices explained between 17–37% of the variance in engagement including attendance, opioid abstinence, and methadone stabilization. Participants who discontinued treatment displayed poor engagement, abnormal cortisol, elevated withdrawal symptoms, higher distress, and increased ongoing opioid use versus compliant individuals. Discontinuation was initially related to drug-use severity; however, by 6 months, retention depended primarily upon cortisol abnormalities, which increased an individual’s discontinuation risk by 7.7-fold. These findings support admission screening with the ASI/cortisol for drop out, and stress/drug-use indices for engagement that together may enable clinically-relevant early recognition and interventions for prevention of stress-induced relapse in opioid-dependent populations. PMID:25239858

  3. Psychological and physiological stress negatively impacts early engagement and retention of opioid-dependent individuals on methadone maintenance.

    PubMed

    Jaremko, Kellie M; Sterling, Robert C; Van Bockstaele, Elisabeth J

    2015-01-01

    The present study investigated whether psychological and/or physiological measures of stress would impede induction onto methadone maintenance and predict early (<6 months) discontinuation. Compared with controls, opioid-dependent subjects displayed increased distress on the perceived stress scale (PSS) and post-traumatic stress disorder checklist (PCLC); 60% exhibited abnormal cortisol. Addiction severity index (ASI), drug-use, and stress indices explained between 17 and 37% of the variance in engagement including attendance, opioid abstinence, and methadone stabilization. Participants who discontinued treatment displayed poor engagement, abnormal cortisol, elevated withdrawal symptoms, higher distress, and increased ongoing opioid use versus compliant individuals. Discontinuation was initially related to drug-use severity; however, by 6 months, retention depended primarily upon cortisol abnormalities, which increased an individual's discontinuation risk by 7.7-fold. These findings support admission screening with the ASI/cortisol for drop out, and stress/drug-use indices for engagement that together may enable clinically-relevant early recognition and interventions for prevention of stress-induced relapse in opioid-dependent populations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Self-distancing from trauma memories reduces physiological but not subjective emotional reactivity among Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

    PubMed

    Wisco, Blair E; Marx, Brian P; Sloan, Denise M; Gorman, Kaitlyn R; Kulish, Andrea L; Pineles, Suzanne L

    2015-11-01

    Self-distancing, or viewing oneself from a third-person perspective, reduces reactivity when analyzing one's feelings. Self-distancing may have important effects among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), who have heightened emotional and physiological reactivity to trauma memories, but the effects of self-distancing in this group are unclear. We randomly assigned 48 Veterans diagnosed with PTSD to analyze their trauma-related feelings from an immersed (first-person) or distanced (third-person) perspective, and measured physiological and subjective emotional reactivity. Self-distancing during trauma analysis protected against increases in physiological reactivity, such that participants in the immersed condition showed a significant increase in heart rate and skin conductance responses not seen in the distanced condition. However, self-distancing had no effect on self-reported emotional reactivity. Our findings suggest that the effects of self-distancing on subjective emotions may not extend to trauma memories. However, self-distancing during trauma analysis did change physiological reactivity, suggesting at least a short-term benefit for individuals with PTSD.

  5. Inducing physiological stress recovery with sounds of nature in a virtual reality forest--results from a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Annerstedt, Matilda; Jönsson, Peter; Wallergård, Mattias; Johansson, Gerd; Karlson, Björn; Grahn, Patrik; Hansen, Ase Marie; Währborg, Peter

    2013-06-13

    Experimental research on stress recovery in natural environments is limited, as is study of the effect of sounds of nature. After inducing stress by means of a virtual stress test, we explored physiological recovery in two different virtual natural environments (with and without exposure to sounds of nature) and in one control condition. Cardiovascular data and saliva cortisol were collected. Repeated ANOVA measurements indicated parasympathetic activation in the group subjected to sounds of nature in a virtual natural environment, suggesting enhanced stress recovery may occur in such surroundings. The group that recovered in virtual nature without sound and the control group displayed no particular autonomic activation or deactivation. The results demonstrate a potential mechanistic link between nature, the sounds of nature, and stress recovery, and suggest the potential importance of virtual reality as a tool in this research field. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. The influence of temperature stress on the physiology of the Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima.

    PubMed

    Hornstein, Jesse; Pales Espinosa, Emmanuelle; Cerrato, Robert M; Lwiza, Kamazima M M; Allam, Bassem

    2018-04-22

    Atlantic surfclam populations have significantly declined in state and federal waters from the south shore of Long Island, New York to the Delmarva Peninsula since the early 2000s. Previous studies have demonstrated that surfclams in this geographic range show signs of physiological stress, suggested to be a result of increasing ocean temperatures. In this study, we examined the effect of 2 temperature regimes (19 °C and 23 °C) on surfclam physiology. These temperatures were chosen because they represent maximal (23 °C) and minimal (19 °C) temperatures prevailing in New York clamming areas during summer. Results demonstrated enhanced energy metabolism and significant reductions in filtration rate, scope for growth, and immune functions in clams exposed to the warmer temperature treatment. Although net energy gains remained positive in both treatments under our experimental conditions, the findings suggest that temperature stress is involved in the recent observations of surfclams in poor condition. The impact of elevated temperatures on phytoplankton quantity/quality and other environmental variables in combination with the direct impact on surfclam filtration and metabolic rates could lead to a negative energy balance. While some uncertainties remain about population-scale impacts of overall warming trends, we fear that future increases in temperature may lead to the collapse of the Atlantic surfclam between New York and Virginia, especially within inshore regions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Stress physiology as a predictor of survival in Galapagos marine iguanas

    PubMed Central

    Romero, L. Michael; Wikelski, Martin

    2010-01-01

    Although glucocorticoid hormones are considered important physiological regulators for surviving adverse environmental stimuli (stressors), evidence for such a role is sparse and usually extrapolated from glucocorticoid effects under laboratory, short-term and/or non-emergency conditions. Galápagos marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) provide an excellent model for determining the ultimate function of a glucocorticoid response because susceptibility to starvation induced by El Niño conditions is essentially their only major natural stressor. In a prospective study, we captured 98 adult male marine iguanas and assessed four major components of their glucocorticoid response: baseline corticosterone titres; corticosterone responses to acute stressors (capture and handling); the maximal capacity to secrete corticosterone (via adrenocorticotropin injection); and the ability to terminate corticosterone responses (negative feedback). Several months after collecting initial measurements, weak El Niño conditions affected the Galápagos and 23 iguanas died. The dead iguanas were typified by a reduced efficacy of negative feedback (i.e. poorer post-stress suppression of corticosterone release) compared with surviving iguanas. We found no prior differences between dead and alive iguanas in baseline corticosterone concentrations, responses to acute stressors, nor in capacity to respond. These data suggest that a greater ability to terminate a stress response conferred a survival advantage during starvation. PMID:20504812

  8. Human cold stress of strong local-wind "Hijikawa-arashi" in Japan, based on the UTCI index and thermo-physiological responses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ohashi, Yukitaka; Katsuta, Takumi; Tani, Haruka; Okabayashi, Taiki; Miyahara, Satoshi; Miyashita, Ryoji

    2018-03-01

    We investigated the cold stress caused by a strong local wind called "Hijikawa-arashi," through in situ vital measurements and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). This wind is a very interesting winter phenomenon, localized in an area within 1 km of the seashore in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture in Japan. When a strong Hijikawa-arashi (HA) occurred at 14-15 m s-1, the UTCI decreased to - 30 °C along the bridge where commuting residents are the most exposed to strong and cold winds. On the bridge, most participants in our experiment felt "very cold" or "extremely cold." The UTCI of HA can be predicted from a multiple regression equation using wind speed and air temperature. The cold HA wind is also harmful to human thermo-physiological responses. It leads to higher blood pressure and increased heart rate, both of which act as cardiovascular stress triggers. Increases of 6-10 mmHg and 3-6 bpm for every 10 °C reduction in UTCI were seen on all observational days, including HA and non-HA days. In fact, the participants' body skin temperatures decreased by approximately 1.2 to 1.7 °C for every 10 °C reduction in UTCI. Thus, the UTCI variation due to the HA outbreak corresponded well with the cold sensation and thermo-physiological responses in humans. This result suggests that daily UTCI monitoring enables the prediction of thermo-physiological responses to the HA cold stress.

  9. Physiological and proteomic analyses of salt stress response in the halophyte Halogeton glomeratus

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Juncheng; Meng, Yaxiong; Li, Baochun; Ma, Xiaole; Lai, Yong; Si, Erjing; Yang, Ke; Xu, Xianliang; Shang, Xunwu; Wang, Huajun; Wang, Di

    2015-01-01

    Very little is known about the adaptation mechanism of Chenopodiaceae Halogeton glomeratus, a succulent annual halophyte, under saline conditions. In this study, we investigated the morphological and physiological adaptation mechanisms of seedlings exposed to different concentrations of NaCl treatment for 21 d. Our results revealed that H. glomeratus has a robust ability to tolerate salt; its optimal growth occurs under approximately 100 mm NaCl conditions. Salt crystals were deposited in water-storage tissue under saline conditions. We speculate that osmotic adjustment may be the primary mechanism of salt tolerance in H. glomeratus, which transports toxic ions such as sodium into specific salt-storage cells and compartmentalizes them in large vacuoles to maintain the water content of tissues and the succulence of the leaves. To investigate the molecular response mechanisms to salt stress in H. glomeratus, we conducted a comparative proteomic analysis of seedling leaves that had been exposed to 200 mm NaCl for 24 h, 72 h and 7 d. Forty-nine protein spots, exhibiting significant changes in abundance after stress, were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS) and similarity searches across EST database of H. glomeratus. These stress-responsive proteins were categorized into nine functional groups, such as photosynthesis, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, and stress and defence response. PMID:25124288

  10. Physiological and proteomic analyses of salt stress response in the halophyte Halogeton glomeratus.

    PubMed

    Wang, Juncheng; Meng, Yaxiong; Li, Baochun; Ma, Xiaole; Lai, Yong; Si, Erjing; Yang, Ke; Xu, Xianliang; Shang, Xunwu; Wang, Huajun; Wang, Di

    2015-04-01

    Very little is known about the adaptation mechanism of Chenopodiaceae Halogeton glomeratus, a succulent annual halophyte, under saline conditions. In this study, we investigated the morphological and physiological adaptation mechanisms of seedlings exposed to different concentrations of NaCl treatment for 21 d. Our results revealed that H. glomeratus has a robust ability to tolerate salt; its optimal growth occurs under approximately 100 mm NaCl conditions. Salt crystals were deposited in water-storage tissue under saline conditions. We speculate that osmotic adjustment may be the primary mechanism of salt tolerance in H. glomeratus, which transports toxic ions such as sodium into specific salt-storage cells and compartmentalizes them in large vacuoles to maintain the water content of tissues and the succulence of the leaves. To investigate the molecular response mechanisms to salt stress in H. glomeratus, we conducted a comparative proteomic analysis of seedling leaves that had been exposed to 200 mm NaCl for 24 h, 72 h and 7 d. Forty-nine protein spots, exhibiting significant changes in abundance after stress, were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS) and similarity searches across EST database of H. glomeratus. These stress-responsive proteins were categorized into nine functional groups, such as photosynthesis, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, and stress and defence response. © 2014 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Enhancing crop resilience to combined abiotic and biotic stress through the dissection of physiological and molecular crosstalk

    PubMed Central

    Kissoudis, Christos; van de Wiel, Clemens; Visser, Richard G. F.; van der Linden, Gerard

    2014-01-01

    Plants growing in their natural habitats are often challenged simultaneously by multiple stress factors, both abiotic and biotic. Research has so far been limited to responses to individual stresses, and understanding of adaptation to combinatorial stress is limited, but indicative of non-additive interactions. Omics data analysis and functional characterization of individual genes has revealed a convergence of signaling pathways for abiotic and biotic stress adaptation. Taking into account that most data originate from imposition of individual stress factors, this review summarizes these findings in a physiological context, following the pathogenesis timeline and highlighting potential differential interactions occurring between abiotic and biotic stress signaling across the different cellular compartments and at the whole plant level. Potential effects of abiotic stress on resistance components such as extracellular receptor proteins, R-genes and systemic acquired resistance will be elaborated, as well as crosstalk at the levels of hormone, reactive oxygen species, and redox signaling. Breeding targets and strategies are proposed focusing on either manipulation and deployment of individual common regulators such as transcription factors or pyramiding of non- (negatively) interacting components such as R-genes with abiotic stress resistance genes. We propose that dissection of broad spectrum stress tolerance conferred by priming chemicals may provide an insight on stress cross regulation and additional candidate genes for improving crop performance under combined stress. Validation of the proposed strategies in lab and field experiments is a first step toward the goal of achieving tolerance to combinatorial stress in crops. PMID:24904607

  12. [Autonomic regulation at emotional stress under hypoxic conditions in the elderly with physiological and accelerated aging: effect of hypoxic training].

    PubMed

    Os'mak, E D; Asanov, É O

    2014-01-01

    The effect of hypoxic training on autonomic regulation in psycho-emotional stress conditions in hypoxic conditions in older people with physiological (25 people) and accelerated (28 people) aging respiratory system. It is shown that hypoxic training leads to an increase in vagal activity indicators (HF) and reduced simpatovagal index (LF/HF), have a normalizing effect on the autonomic balance during stress loads in older people with different types of aging respiratory system.

  13. Sex differences in physiological response to the combination of stress and smoking.

    PubMed

    Kotlyar, Michael; Thuras, Paul; Hatsukami, Dorothy K; al'Absi, Mustafa

    2017-08-01

    Stressful situations are among the most commonly cited smoking triggers. Smoking and stress exposure each individually increase cardiovascular and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal measures with larger increases occurring when stress and smoking are combined. In this analysis, sex differences in the physiological response to the combination of stress and smoking are examined. Smokers (36 males; 34 females) completed a laboratory session in which systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), plasma epinephrine (Epi), norepinephrine and cortisol concentrations were measured at rest, while smoking a cigarette, during a speech task occurring immediately after smoking and at several time-points following the stressor. Significant period by sex effects were observed for HR, SBP, DBP and Epi but not for cortisol or norepinephrine concentrations. For SBP (p=0.002), the increase between resting and speech were larger in men than in women, primarily due to a larger increase between smoking and speech occurring in men. A similar pattern was observed for DBP and Epi with a significantly larger Epi increase from smoking to speech observed in men than in women (p=0.016). A different pattern emerged for HR - the total increase was larger in women (p<0.001), due to a larger rest to smoking increase (p<0.001). In most measures therefore, overall increases were greater in men than women, primarily due to larger smoking to speech increases. Additional research is needed to determine the clinical implications of these results as they apply to sex difference in smoking cessation success rates and in the cardiovascular risks of smoking. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Quantification of the Effects of Salt Stress and Physiological State on Thermotolerance of Bacillus cereus ATCC 10987 and ATCC 14579

    PubMed Central

    den Besten, Heidy M. W.; Mataragas, Marios; Moezelaar, Roy; Abee, Tjakko; Zwietering, Marcel H.

    2006-01-01

    The food-borne pathogen Bacillus cereus can acquire enhanced thermal resistance through multiple mechanisms. Two Bacillus cereus strains, ATCC 10987 and ATCC 14579, were used to quantify the effects of salt stress and physiological state on thermotolerance. Cultures were exposed to increasing concentrations of sodium chloride for 30 min, after which their thermotolerance was assessed at 50°C. Linear and nonlinear microbial survival models, which cover a wide range of known inactivation curvatures for vegetative cells, were fitted to the inactivation data and evaluated. Based on statistical indices and model characteristics, biphasic models with a shoulder were selected and used for quantification. Each model parameter reflected a survival characteristic, and both models were flexible, allowing a reduction of parameters when certain phenomena were not present. Both strains showed enhanced thermotolerance after preexposure to (non)lethal salt stress conditions in the exponential phase. The maximum adaptive stress response due to salt preexposure demonstrated for exponential-phase cells was comparable to the effect of physiological state on thermotolerance in both strains. However, the adaptive salt stress response was less pronounced for transition- and stationary-phase cells. The distinct tailing of strain ATCC 10987 was attributed to the presence of a subpopulation of spores. The existence of a stable heat-resistant subpopulation of vegetative cells could not be demonstrated for either of the strains. Quantification of the adaptive stress response might be instrumental in understanding adaptation mechanisms and will allow the food industry to develop more accurate and reliable stress-integrated predictive modeling to optimize minimal processing conditions. PMID:16957208

  15. Nest ectoparasites increase physiological stress in breeding birds: an experiment.

    PubMed

    Martínez-de la Puente, Josué; Merino, Santiago; Tomás, Gustavo; Moreno, Juan; Morales, Judith; Lobato, Elisa; Martínez, Javier

    2011-02-01

    Parasites are undoubtedly a biotic factor that produces stress. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are important molecules buffering cellular damage under adverse conditions. During the breeding season, blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus (L.) adults are affected by blood parasites, nest-dwelling parasites and biting flies, potentially affecting their HSP-mediated responses. Here, we treated females with primaquine to reduce blood parasites and fumigated nests with permethrin to reduce nest-dwelling parasites to test whether these treatments affect HSP60 level during the breeding season. Medicated females, but not controls, had a significant reduction of the intensity of infection by Haemoproteus spp. blood parasites. However, final intensity of infection did not differ significantly between groups, and we did not find an effect of medication on change in HSP60 level. Fumigation reduced the abundance of nest-dwelling parasites (mites, fleas and blowfly larvae) and engorged biting midges in nests. Females breeding in non-fumigated nests increased HSP60 levels during the season more than those breeding in fumigated nests. Furthermore, the change in HSP60 level was positively correlated with the abundance of biting midges. These results show how infections by nest ectoparasites during the breeding period can increase the level of HSPs and suggest that biting midges impose physiological costs on breeding female blue tits. Although plausible, the alternative that biting midges prefer to feed on more stressed birds is poorly supported by previous studies.

  16. Effects of music intervention on physiological stress response and anxiety level of mechanically ventilated patients in China: a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Han, Lin; Li, Ji P; Sit, Janet W H; Chung, Loretta; Jiao, Zuo Y; Ma, Wei G

    2010-04-01

    To examine the effects of music intervention on the physiological stress response and the anxiety level among mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care unit. Despite the fact that previous studies have found music interventions to be effective in stress and anxiety reduction, effects of music on the Chinese population are inconclusive and warranted systematic study to evaluate its effect fully for a different Asian culture. A randomised placebo-controlled trial. A total of 137 patients receiving mechanical ventilation were randomly assigned to either music listening group, headphone group or control group. Outcome measures included the Chinese version of Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale and physiological parameters (heart rate, respiratory rate, saturation of oxygen and blood pressure). Comparison of mean differences (pretest score-posttest score) showed significant differences in heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure as well as the Chinese version of Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale, but not in SaO(2) among the three groups (ranging from p < 0.001 to p = 0.007), of which greater mean differences were found in music listening group. A significant reduction in physiological stress response (heart rate and respiratory rate) over time was found in music listening group (p < 0.001 for both variables) and a significant increase in heart rate and respiratory rate over time in control group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.032), with no significant change over time in headphone group. Within group pretest-posttest comparison of the Chinese version of Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale demonstrated a significant reduction in anxiety for the music listening group (p < 0.001) and headphone group (p < 0.001) but not the control group. Our findings confirm that short-term therapeutic effects of music listening results in substantial reduction in physiological stress responses arising from anxiety in mechanically ventilated

  17. Physiological and biochemical stress responses in grassland species are influenced by both early-season ozone exposure and interspecific competition.

    PubMed

    Scebba, Francesca; Canaccini, Francesca; Castagna, Antonella; Bender, Jürgen; Weigel, Hans-Joachim; Ranieri, Annamaria

    2006-08-01

    The effects of two-year early season ozone exposure on physiological and biochemical stress response were investigated in model plant communities. Achillea millefolium and Veronica chamaedrys target plants were grown in monocultures and in mixed cultures with Poa pratensis (phytometer) and exposed in open-top chambers over two years for five weeks to charcoal-filtered (CF) air plus 25 nl l(-1) O3 (control) and non-filtered (NF) air plus 50 nl l(-1) O3. Significant O3 effects were detected in different physiological and biochemical parameters, evidencing interspecific differences in metabolic stress responses and a strong influence of the competition factor. O3 induced strong oxidative effects in Achillea irrespective to the different growth modality. Veronica showed less O3-induced effects in monoculture than when grown in competition with the phytometer. Poa exhibited a different behaviour against O3 depending on the species in competition, showing an overall higher sensitivity to O3 when in mixture with Achillea.

  18. Effect of the fungus Piriformospora indica on physiological characteristics and root morphology of wheat under combined drought and mechanical stresses.

    PubMed

    Hosseini, Fatemeh; Mosaddeghi, Mohammad Reza; Dexter, Anthony Roger

    2017-09-01

    This study was done to evaluate the effects of the root-colonizing endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica on wheat growth under combined drought and mechanical stresses. Inoculated (colonized) and non-inoculated (uncolonized) wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Chamran) seedlings were planted in growth chambers filled with moist sand (at a matric suction of 20 hPa). Slight, moderate and severe mechanical stresses (i.e., penetration resistance, Q p , of 1.17, 4.17 and 5.96 MPa, respectively) were produced by a dead-load technique (i.e., placing a weight on the sand surface) in the root medium. Slight, moderate and severe drought stresses were induced using PEG 6000 solutions with osmotic potentials of 0, -0.3 and -0.5 MPa, respectively. After 30 days, plant physiological characteristics and root morphology were measured. An increase in Q p from 1.17 to 5.96 MPa led to greater leaf proline concentration and root diameter, and lower relative water content (RWC), leaf water potential (LWP), chlorophyll contents and root volume. Moreover, severe drought stress decreased root and shoot fresh weights, root volume, leaf area, RWC, LWP and chlorophyll content compared to control. Catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities under severe drought stress were about 1.5 and 2.9 times greater than control. Interaction of the stresses showed that mechanical stress primarily controls plant water status and physiological responses. However, endophyte presence mitigated the adverse effects of individual and combined stresses on plant growth. Colonized plants were better adapted and had greater root length and volume, RWC, LWP and chlorophyll contents under stressful conditions due to higher absorption sites for water and nutrients. Compared with uncolonized plants, colonized plants showed lower CAT activity implying that wheat inoculated with P. indica was more tolerant and experienced less oxidative damage induced by drought and/or mechanical stress. Copyright

  19. Modulations in primary and secondary metabolic pathways and adjustment in physiological behaviour of Withania somnifera under drought stress.

    PubMed

    Singh, Ruchi; Gupta, Pankhuri; Khan, Furqan; Singh, Susheel Kumar; Sanchita; Mishra, Tripti; Kumar, Anil; Dhawan, Sunita Singh; Shirke, Pramod Arvind

    2018-07-01

    In general medicinal plants grown under water limiting conditions show much higher concentrations of secondary metabolites in comparison to control plants. In the present study, Withania somnifera plants were subjected to water stress and data related to drought tolerance phenomenon was collected and a putative mechanistic concept considering growth responses, physiological behaviour, and metabolite content and gene expression aspects is presented. Drought induced metabolic and physiological responses as well as drastic decrease in CO 2 uptake due to stomatal limitations. As a result, the consumption of reduction equivalents (NADPH 2+ ) for CO 2 assimilation via the calvin cycle declines significantly resulting in the generation of a large oxidative stress and an oversupply of antioxidant enzymes. Drought also results in the shifting of metabolic processes towards biosynthetic activities that consume reduction equivalents. Thus, biosynthesis of reduced compounds (isoprenoids, phenols and alkaloids) is enhanced. The dynamics of various metabolites have been discussed in the light of gene expression analysis of control and drought treated leaves. Gene encoding enzymes of pathways leading to glucose, fructose and fructan production, conversion of triose phosphates to hexoses and hexose phosphorylation were up-regulated in the drought stressed leaves. The down-regulated Calvin cycle genes were co-ordinately regulated with the down-regulation of chloroplast triosephosphate/phosphate translocator, cytoplasmic fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase and fructose bisphosphatase. Expression of gene encoding Squalene Synthase (SQS) was highly upregulated under drought stress which is responsible for the diversion of carbon flux towards withanolides biosynthesis from isoprenoid pathway. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Exploring the Limits of Cell Adhesion under Shear Stress within Physiological Conditions and beyond on a Chip.

    PubMed

    Stamp, Melanie E M; Jötten, Anna M; Kudella, Patrick W; Breyer, Dominik; Strobl, Florian G; Geislinger, Thomas M; Wixforth, Achim; Westerhausen, Christoph

    2016-10-21

    Cell adhesion processes are of ubiquitous importance for biomedical applications such as optimization of implant materials. Here, not only physiological conditions such as temperature or pH, but also topographical structures play crucial roles, as inflammatory reactions after surgery can diminish osseointegration. In this study, we systematically investigate cell adhesion under static, dynamic and physiologically relevant conditions employing a lab-on-a-chip system. We screen adhesion of the bone osteosarcoma cell line SaOs-2 on a titanium implant material for pH and temperature values in the physiological range and beyond, to explore the limits of cell adhesion, e.g., for feverish and acidic conditions. A detailed study of different surface roughness R q gives insight into the correlation between the cells' abilities to adhere and withstand shear flow and the topography of the substrates, finding a local optimum at R q = 22 nm. We use shear stress induced by acoustic streaming to determine a measure for the ability of cell adhesion under an external force for various conditions. We find an optimum of cell adhesion for T = 37 °C and pH = 7.4 with decreasing cell adhesion outside the physiological range, especially for high T and low pH. We find constant detachment rates in the physiological regime, but this behavior tends to collapse at the limits of 41 °C and pH 4.

  1. Psychosocial predator-based animal model of PTSD produces physiological and behavioral sequelae and a traumatic memory four months following stress onset.

    PubMed

    Zoladz, Phillip R; Park, Collin R; Fleshner, Monika; Diamond, David M

    2015-08-01

    We have a well-established animal model of PTSD composed of predator exposure administered in conjunction with social instability that produces PTSD-like behavioral and physiological abnormalities one month after stress initiation. Here, we assessed whether the PTSD-like effects would persist for at least 4months after the initiation of the psychosocial stress regimen. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to either 2 or 3 predator-based fear conditioning sessions. During each session, rats were placed in a chamber for a 3-min period that terminated with a 30-s tone, followed by 1h of immobilization of the rats during cat exposure (Day 1). All rats in the stress groups received a second fear conditioning session 10days later (Day 11). Half of the stress rats received a third fear conditioning session 3weeks later (Day 32). The two cat-exposed groups were also exposed to daily unstable housing conditions for the entire duration of the psychosocial stress regimen. The control group received stable (conventional) housing conditions and an equivalent amount of chamber exposure on Days 1, 11 and 32, without cat exposure. Behavioral testing commenced for all groups on Day 116. The stress groups demonstrated increased anxiety on the elevated plus maze, impaired object recognition memory and robust contextual and cued fear conditioned memory 3months after the last conditioning session. Combined data from the two stress groups revealed lower post-stress corticosterone levels and greater diastolic blood pressure relative to the control group. These findings indicate that predator-based psychosocial stress produces persistent PTSD-like physiological and behavioral abnormalities that may provide insight into the neurobiological and endocrine sequelae in traumatized people with PTSD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Peritraumatic dissociation and physiological response to trauma-relevant stimuli in Vietnam combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

    PubMed

    Kaufman, Milissa L; Kimble, Matthew O; Kaloupek, Danny G; McTeague, Lisa M; Bachrach, Peter; Forti, Allison M; Keane, Terence M

    2002-03-01

    A recent study found that female rape victims with acute posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who received a high score on the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire exhibited suppression of physiological responses during exposure to trauma-related stimuli. The goal of our present study was to test whether the same relationship holds true for male Vietnam combat veterans with chronic PTSD, using secondary analyses applied to data derived from a Veteran's Affairs Cooperative Study. Vietnam combat veterans (N = 1238) completed measures to establish combat-related PTSD diagnostic status, extent of PTSD-related symptomatic distress, and presence of dissociative symptoms during their most stressful combat-related experiences. Extreme subgroups of veterans with current PTSD were classified as either low dissociators (N = 118) or high dissociators (N = 256) based on an abbreviated version of the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire. Dependent variables reflected subjective distress along with heart rate, skin conductance, electromyographic, and blood pressure data when responding to neutral and trauma-related audiovisual and imagery presentations. Veterans in the current PTSD group had significantly higher dissociation scores than did veterans in the lifetime and never PTSD groups. Among veterans with current PTSD, high dissociators reported greater PTSD-related symptomatic distress than did low dissociators, but the groups did not differ with respect to physiological reactivity to the trauma-related laboratory presentations. Our results replicate the previously reported relationship between peritraumatic dissociation and PTSD status in Vietnam combat veterans. However, we found no association between peritraumatic dissociation and the extent of physiological responding to trauma-relevant cues in male veterans with chronic combat-related PTSD.

  3. Ocean acidification dampens physiological stress response to warming and contamination in a commercially-important fish (Argyrosomus regius).

    PubMed

    Sampaio, Eduardo; Lopes, Ana R; Francisco, Sofia; Paula, Jose R; Pimentel, Marta; Maulvault, Ana L; Repolho, Tiago; Grilo, Tiago F; Pousão-Ferreira, Pedro; Marques, António; Rosa, Rui

    2018-03-15

    Increases in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and other greenhouse gases emissions are changing ocean temperature and carbonate chemistry (warming and acidification, respectively). Moreover, the simultaneous occurrence of highly toxic and persistent contaminants, such as methylmercury, will play a key role in further shaping the ecophysiology of marine organisms. Despite recent studies reporting mostly additive interactions between contaminant and climate change effects, the consequences of multi-stressor exposure are still largely unknown. Here we disentangled how Argyrosomus regius physiology will be affected by future stressors, by analysing organ-dependent mercury (Hg) accumulation (gills, liver and muscle) within isolated/combined warming (ΔT=4°C) and acidification (ΔpCO 2 =1100μatm) scenarios, as well as direct deleterious effects and phenotypic stress response over multi-stressor contexts. After 30days of exposure, although no mortalities were observed in any treatments, Hg concentration was enhanced under warming conditions, especially in the liver. On the other hand, elevated CO 2 decreased Hg accumulation and consistently elicited a dampening effect on warming and contamination-elicited oxidative stress (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione-S-transferase activities) and heat shock responses. Thus, potentially unpinned on CO 2 -promoted protein removal and ionic equilibrium between hydrogen and reactive oxygen species, we found that co-occurring acidification decreased heavy metal accumulation and contributed to physiological homeostasis. Although this indicates that fish can be physiologically capable of withstanding future ocean conditions, additional experiments are needed to fully understand the biochemical repercussions of interactive stressors (additive, synergistic or antagonistic). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. The psychological and physiological effects of acute occupational stress in new anesthesiology residents: a pilot trial.

    PubMed

    Eisenach, John H; Sprung, Juraj; Clark, Matthew M; Shanafelt, Tait D; Johnson, Bruce D; Kruse, Timothy N; Chantigian, Daniel P; Carter, Jason R; Long, Timothy R

    2014-10-01

    Occupational stress in resident physicians has profound implications for wellness, professionalism, and patient care. This observational pilot trial measured psychological and physiological stress biomarkers before, during, and after the start of anesthesia residency. Eighteen physician interns scheduled to begin anesthesia residency were recruited for evaluation at three time points: baseline (collected remotely before residency in June 2013); first-month visit 1 (July); and follow-up visit 2 (residency months 3 to 5, September-November). Validated scales were used to measure stress, anxiety, resilience, and wellness at all three time points. During visits 1 and 2, the authors measured resting heart-rate variability, responses to laboratory mental stress (hemodynamic, catecholamine, cortisol, and interleukin-6), and chronic stress indices (C-reactive protein, 24-h ambulatory heart rate and blood pressure, 24-h urinary cortisol and catecholamines, overnight heart-rate variability). Thirteen interns agreed to participate (72% enrollment). There were seven men and six women, aged 27 to 33 yr. The mean ± SD of all study variables are reported. The novelty of this report is the prospective design in a defined cohort of residents newly exposed to the similar occupational stress of the operating environment. Because of the paucity of literature specific to the measures and stress conditions in this investigation, no data were available to generate a priori definition of primary outcomes and a data analytic plan. These findings will allow power analysis for future design of trials examining occupational stress and stress-reducing interventions. Given the importance of physician burnout in our country, the impact of chronic stress on resident wellness requires further study.

  5. Human cold stress of strong local-wind "Hijikawa-arashi" in Japan, based on the UTCI index and thermo-physiological responses.

    PubMed

    Ohashi, Yukitaka; Katsuta, Takumi; Tani, Haruka; Okabayashi, Taiki; Miyahara, Satoshi; Miyashita, Ryoji

    2018-03-30

    We investigated the cold stress caused by a strong local wind called "Hijikawa-arashi," through in situ vital measurements and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). This wind is a very interesting winter phenomenon, localized in an area within 1 km of the seashore in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture in Japan. When a strong Hijikawa-arashi (HA) occurred at 14-15 m s -1 , the UTCI decreased to - 30 °C along the bridge where commuting residents are the most exposed to strong and cold winds. On the bridge, most participants in our experiment felt "very cold" or "extremely cold." The UTCI of HA can be predicted from a multiple regression equation using wind speed and air temperature. The cold HA wind is also harmful to human thermo-physiological responses. It leads to higher blood pressure and increased heart rate, both of which act as cardiovascular stress triggers. Increases of 6-10 mmHg and 3-6 bpm for every 10 °C reduction in UTCI were seen on all observational days, including HA and non-HA days. In fact, the participants' body skin temperatures decreased by approximately 1.2 to 1.7 °C for every 10 °C reduction in UTCI. Thus, the UTCI variation due to the HA outbreak corresponded well with the cold sensation and thermo-physiological responses in humans. This result suggests that daily UTCI monitoring enables the prediction of thermo-physiological responses to the HA cold stress.

  6. Physiological and molecular responses to drought in Petunia: the importance of stress severity

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Jongyun

    2012-01-01

    Plant responses to drought stress vary depending on the severity of stress and the stage of drought progression. To improve the understanding of such responses, the leaf physiology, abscisic acid (ABA) concentration, and expression of genes associated with ABA metabolism and signalling were investigated in Petunia × hybrida. Plants were exposed to different specific substrate water contents (θ = 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, or 0.40 m3·m–3) to induce varying levels of drought stress. Plant responses were investigated both during the drying period (θ decreased to the θ thresholds) and while those threshold θ were maintained. Stomatal conductance (gs) and net photosynthesis (A) decreased with decreasing midday leaf water potential (Ψleaf). Leaf ABA concentration increased with decreasing midday Ψleaf and was negatively correlated with gs (r = –0.92). Despite the increase in leaf ABA concentration under drought, no significant effects on the expression of ABA biosynthesis genes were observed. However, the ABA catabolism-related gene CYP707A2 was downregulated, primarily in plants under severe drought (θ = 0.10 m3∙m–3), suggesting a decrease in ABA catabolism under severe drought. Expression of phospholipase Dα (PLDα), involved in regulating stomatal responses to ABA, was enhanced under drought during the drying phase, but there was no relationship between PLDα expression and midday Ψleaf after the θ thresholds had been reached. The results show that drought response of plants depends on the severity of drought stress and the phase of drought progression. PMID:23077204

  7. Does unconscious stress play a role in prolonged cardiovascular stress recovery?

    PubMed

    Brosschot, J F; Geurts, S A E; Kruizinga, I; Radstaak, M; Verkuil, B; Quirin, M; Kompier, M A J

    2014-08-01

    According to recent insights, humans might not be aware of a substantial part of their cognitive stress representations while these still have prolonged physiological effects. 'Unconscious stress' can be measured by implicit affect (IA) tests. It was shown that IA predicts physiological stress responses, in fact better than explicit ('conscious') affect. It is not known yet whether IA is associated with concurrent prolonged stress responses. In two studies (n = 62 and 123), anger harassment was used to induce stress. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured continuously. During BP and HR recovery, IA was measured by an 'anger' version of the implicit association test (IAT) or the implicit positive and negative affect test (IPANAT). Blood pressure and HR increased during anger harassment and recovery afterwards. When using the IPANAT BP recovery levels were lower when positive IA was high and higher when negative IA was high, independent of explicit affect and rumination. These results were not found using the IAT. These results provide preliminary evidence that physiological stress recovery is associated with IA. This is in line with the theory that unconscious stress is responsible for a-possibly considerable-part of unhealthy prolonged stress-related physiological activity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. The role of silicon in physiology of the medicinal plant (Lonicera japonica L.) under salt stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gengmao, Zhao; Shihui, Li; Xing, Sun; Yizhou, Wang; Zipan, Chang

    2015-08-01

    Silicon(Si) is the only element which can enhance the resistance to multiple stresses. However, the role of silicon in medicinal plants under salt stress is not yet understood. This experiment was conducted to study the effects of silicon addition on the growth, osmotic adjustments, photosynthetic characteristics, chloroplast ultrastructure and Chlorogenic acid (CGA) production of Honeysuckle plant (Lonicera japonica L.) under salt-stressed conditions. Salinity exerted an adverse effect on the plant fresh weight and dry weight, whilst 0.5 g L-1 K2SiO3·nH2O addition obviously improved the plant growth. Although Na+ concentration in plant organs was drastically increased with increasing salinity, higher levels of K+/Na+ ratio was obtained after K2SiO3·nH2O addition. Salinity stress induced the destruction of the chloroplast envelope; however, K2SiO3·nH2O addition counteracted the adverse effect by salinity on the structure of the photosynthetic apparatus. K2SiO3·nH2O addition also enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase. To sum up, exogenous Si plays a key role in enhancing its resistance to salt stresses in physiological base, thereby improving the growth and CGA production of Honeysuckle plant.

  9. Physiological, biochemical and molecular responses in four Prunus rootstocks submitted to drought stress.

    PubMed

    Jiménez, Sergio; Dridi, Jihène; Gutiérrez, Diego; Moret, David; Irigoyen, Juan J; Moreno, María A; Gogorcena, Yolanda

    2013-10-01

    An understanding of the mechanisms that determine plant response to reduced water availability is essential to improve water-use efficiency (WUE) of stone fruit crops. The physiological, biochemical and molecular drought responses of four Prunus rootstocks (GF 677, Cadaman, ROOTPAC 20 and ROOTPAC(®) R) budded with 'Catherina' peach cultivar were studied. Trees were grown in 15-l containers and subjected to a progressive water stress for 26 days, monitoring soil moisture content by time domain reflectometry. Photosynthetic and gas exchange parameters were determined. Root and leaf soluble sugars and proline content were also measured. At the end of the experiment, stressed plants showed lower net photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, and higher intrinsic leaf WUE (AN/gs). Soluble sugars and proline concentration changes were observed, in both root and leaf tissues, especially in an advanced state of stress. The accumulation of proline in roots and leaves with drought stress was related to the decrease in osmotic potential and increase in WUE, whereas the accumulation of sorbitol in leaves, raffinose in roots and proline in both tissues was related only to the increase in the WUE. Owing to the putative role of raffinose and proline as antioxidants and their low concentration, they could be ameliorating deleterious effects of drought-induced oxidative stress by protecting membranes and enzymes rather than acting as active osmolytes. Higher expression of P5SC gene in roots was also consistent with proline accumulation in the tolerant genotype GF 677. These results indicate that accumulation of sorbitol, raffinose and proline in different tissues and/or the increase in P5SC expression could be used as markers of drought tolerance in peach cultivars grafted on Prunus rootstocks.

  10. Non-invasive evaluation of physiological stress in an iconic Australian marsupial: the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).

    PubMed

    Narayan, Edward J; Webster, Koa; Nicolson, Vere; Mucci, Al; Hero, Jean-Marc

    2013-06-15

    Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are the only extant representatives of Australia's unique marsupial family Phascolarctidae and were listed as nationally Vulnerable in 2012. Causes of mortality are diverse, although the disease chlamydiosis, dog attacks, collisions with cars, and loss of habitat represent the principal reasons for the continued species decline. Koala breeding facilities in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia have been established for conservation and tourism. Non-invasive monitoring of physiological stress is important for determining the sub-lethal effects of environmental stressors on the well-being, reproduction and survival of Koalas in Zoos and also in the wild. In this study, we developed a faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) for monitoring physiological stress in Koalas from two established Zoos in Australia and also within a free-living sub-population from Queensland. Biological validation of the FCM EIA was done using an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenge. We discovered excretory lag-times of FCM of 24 h in females (n=2) and 48 h in male (n=2) Koalas in response to the ACTH challenge. FCM levels showed an episodic and delayed peak response lasting up to 9 days post ACTH challenge. This finding should be taken into consideration when designing future experiments to study the impacts of short-term (acute) and chronic stressors on the Koalas. Laboratory validations were done using parallelism and recovery checks (extraction efficiency) of the cortisol standard against pooled Koala faecal extracts. Greater than 99% recovery of the cortisol standard was obtained as well as a parallel displacement curve against Koala faecal extracts. FCM levels of the captive Koalas (n=10 males and 13 females) significantly differed by sex, reproductive condition (lactating versus non-lactating Koalas) and the handling groups. Handled male Koalas had 200% higher FCM levels than their non-handled counterparts, while females

  11. Physiological and transcriptional responses and cross protection of Lactobacillus plantarum ZDY2013 under acid stress.

    PubMed

    Huang, Renhui; Pan, Mingfang; Wan, Cuixiang; Shah, Nagendra P; Tao, Xueying; Wei, Hua

    2016-02-01

    Acid tolerance responses (ATR) in Lactobacillus plantarum ZDY2013 were investigated at physiological and molecular levels. A comparison of composition of cell membrane fatty acids (CMFA) between acid-challenged and unchallenged cells showed that acid adaptation evoked a significantly higher percentage of saturated fatty acids and cyclopropane fatty acids in acid-challenged than in unchallenged cells. In addition, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis in acid-adapted cells at different pH values (ranging from 3.0 to 4.0) indicated that several genes were differently regulated, including those related to proton pumps, amino acid metabolism, sugar metabolism, and class I and class III stress response pathways. Expression of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis and production of alkali was significantly upregulated. Upon exposure to pH 4.5 for 2 h, a higher survival rate (higher viable cell count) of Lactobacillus plantarum ZDY2013 was achieved following an additional challenge to 40 mM hydrogen peroxide for 60 min, but no difference in survival rate of cells was found with further challenge to heat, ethanol, or salt. Therefore, we concluded that the physiological and metabolic changes of acid-treated cells of Lactobacillus plantarum ZDY2013 help the cells resist damage caused by acid, and further initiated global response signals to bring the whole cell into a state of defense to other stress factors, especially hydrogen peroxide. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Seasonal variations in the physiological stress response to discrete bouts of aerial exposure in the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea.

    PubMed

    Cicia, Angela M; Schlenker, Lela S; Sulikowski, James A; Mandelman, John W

    2012-06-01

    Aerial exposure and acute thermal stress have been shown to elicit profound physiological disruptions in obligate water-breathing teleosts. However, no study has investigated these responses in an elasmobranch. To address this, venous blood samples were collected and evaluated from little skates (Leucoraja erinacea) subjected to discrete aerial exposure durations (0, 15, and 50 min) coupled with differing abrupt thermal changes (gradient between seawater and air; winter: ΔT=-3 °C; summer: ΔT=+9 °C) in two distinct laboratory studies. In general, blood acid-base properties (e.g. decline in pH; elevation in PCO(2)) and select metabolites (elevated whole-blood lactate) and electrolytes (elevated plasma K(+)) were significantly disrupted by aerial exposure, and were most disturbed after skates were exposed to air for 50 min. However, the magnitude of the blood acid-base perturbations, metabolic contribution to the resulting blood acidosis, elevations to ionic and metabolic parameters, and delayed mortality were more extreme during the summer study, suggesting that acute thermal stress exacerbates the physiological impairments associated with aerial exposure in little skates. Conversely, a reduced thermal gradient (from seawater to air) may attenuate the magnitude of metabolic and ionic perturbations, resulting in a high physiological threshold for coping with extended aerial exposure. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Physiological Reactivity and Recent Life-Stress Experience.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pardine, Peter; Napoli, Anthony

    1983-01-01

    Assessed differences in cardiovascular reactivity between high and low life-stress students (N=26). Results indicated high life-stress individuals maintained their elevated stressor levels throughout recovery from a laboratory stressor, and showed significantly higher systolic recovery levels compared to the low stress group. (JAC)

  14. Plant physiological models of heat, water and photoinhibition stress for climate change modelling and agricultural prediction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nicolas, B.; Gilbert, M. E.; Paw U, K. T.

    2015-12-01

    Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) models are based upon well understood steady state photosynthetic physiology - the Farquhar-von Caemmerer-Berry model (FvCB). However, representations of physiological stress and damage have not been successfully integrated into SVAT models. Generally, it has been assumed that plants will strive to conserve water at higher temperatures by reducing stomatal conductance or adjusting osmotic balance, until potentially damaging temperatures and the need for evaporative cooling become more important than water conservation. A key point is that damage is the result of combined stresses: drought leads to stomatal closure, less evaporative cooling, high leaf temperature, less photosynthetic dissipation of absorbed energy, all coupled with high light (photosynthetic photon flux density; PPFD). This leads to excess absorbed energy by Photosystem II (PSII) and results in photoinhibition and damage, neither are included in SVAT models. Current representations of photoinhibition are treated as a function of PPFD, not as a function of constrained photosynthesis under heat or water. Thus, it seems unlikely that current models can predict responses of vegetation to climate variability and change. We propose a dynamic model of damage to Rubisco and RuBP-regeneration that accounts, mechanistically, for the interactions between high temperature, light, and constrained photosynthesis under drought. Further, these predictions are illustrated by key experiments allowing model validation. We also integrated this new framework within the Advanced Canopy-Atmosphere-Soil Algorithm (ACASA). Preliminary results show that our approach can be used to predict reasonable photosynthetic dynamics. For instances, a leaf undergoing one day of drought stress will quickly decrease its maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), but it won't recover to unstressed levels for several days. Consequently, cumulative effect of photoinhibition on photosynthesis can cause

  15. Physiological and biochemical responses to severe drought stress of nine Eucalyptus globulus clones: a multivariate approach.

    PubMed

    Granda, Víctor; Delatorre, Carolina; Cuesta, Candela; Centeno, María L; Fernández, Belén; Rodríguez, Ana; Feito, Isabel

    2014-07-01

    Seasonal drought, typical of temperate and Mediterranean environments, creates problems in establishing plantations and affects development and yield, and it has been widely studied in numerous species. Forestry fast-growing species such as Eucalyptus spp. are an important resource in such environments, selected clones being generally used for production purposes in plantations in these areas. However, use of mono-specific plantations increases risk of plant loss due to abiotic stresses, making it essential to understand differences in an individual clone's physiological responses to drought stress. In order to study clonal differences in drought responses, nine Eucalyptus globulus (Labill.) clones (C14, C46, C97, C120, C222, C371, C405, C491 and C601) were gradually subjected to severe drought stress (<14% of field capacity). A total of 31 parameters, physiological (e.g., photosynthesis, gas exchange), biochemical (e.g., chlorophyll content) and hormonal (abscisic acid [ABA] content), were analysed by classic and multivariate techniques. Relationships between parameters were established, allowing related measurements to be grouped into functional units (pigment, growth, water and ABA). Differences in these units showed that there were two distinct groups of E. globulus clones on the basis of their different strategies when faced with drought stress. The C14 group (C14, C120, C405, C491 and C601) clones behave as water savers, maintaining high water content and showing high stomatal adjustment, and reducing their aerial growth to a great extent. The C46 group (C46, C97, C222 and C371) clones behave as water spenders, reducing their water content drastically and presenting osmotic adjustment. The latter maintains the highest growth rate under the conditions tested. The method presented here can be used to identify appropriate E. globulus clones for drought environments, facilitating the selection of material for production and repopulation environments. © The

  16. Mongolian Almond (Prunus mongolica Maxim): The Morpho-Physiological, Biochemical and Transcriptomic Response to Drought Stress

    PubMed Central

    Bai, Shulan; Gao, Xiaomin; Liu, Min; Yan, Wei

    2015-01-01

    Prunus mongolica Maxim, which is widely established in the Gobi Desert, shows extreme tolerance to drought. However, there is a lack of available transcriptomic resources for this species related to its response to water deficiency. To investigate the mechanisms that allow P. mongolica to maintain growth in extremely arid environments, the response of P. mongolica seedlings to drought stress was analyzed using morphological, physiological, biochemical and high-throughput sequencing approaches. We generated 28,713,735 and 26,650,133 raw reads from no-stress control and drought-stressed P. mongolica seedlings, respectively. In total, we obtained 67,352 transcripts with an average length of 874.44 bp. Compared with the no-stress control, 3,365 transcripts were differentially expressed in the drought-stressed seedlings, including 55.75% (1,876 transcripts) up-regulated and 44.25% (1,489 transcripts) down-regulated transcripts. The photosynthesis response showed a decreasing tendency under drought stress, but the changes in the levels of hormones (auxins, cytokinins and abscisic acid) resulted in the closing of stomata and decreased cell enlargement and division; these changes were effective for promoting P. mongolica survival in Gobi Desert. Next, we analyzed the aquaporin and superoxide dismutase gene families due to their importance in plant resistance to drought stress. We found that all of the plasma membrane intrinsic protein transcripts were down-regulated in the drought-stressed treatment, whereas drought did not affect the expression of nodulin intrinsic protein or small basic intrinsic protein transcripts in P. mongolica seedlings. In addition, activation of iron superoxide dismutase transcription and enhanced transcription of manganese superoxide dismutase were observed in P. mongolica to promote tolerance of drought stress. This study identified drought response genes in P. mongolica seedlings. Our results provide a significant contribution to the

  17. Bifidobacteria exert strain-specific effects on stress-related behavior and physiology in BALB/c mice.

    PubMed

    Savignac, H M; Kiely, B; Dinan, T G; Cryan, J F

    2014-11-01

    Accumulating evidence suggests that commensal bacteria consumption has the potential to have a positive impact on stress-related psychiatric disorders. However, the specific bacteria influencing behaviors related to anxiety and depression remain unclear. To this end, we compared the effects of two different Bifidobacteria on anxiety and depression-like behavior; an antidepressant was also used as a comparator. Innately anxious BALB/c mice received daily Bifidobacterium longum (B.) 1714, B. breve 1205, the antidepressant escitalopram or vehicle treatment for 6 weeks. Behavior was assessed in stress-induced hyperthermia test, marble burying, elevated plus maze, open field, tail suspension test, and forced swim test. Physiological responses to acute stress were also assessed. Both Bifidobacteria and escitalopram reduced anxiety in the marble burying test; however, only B. longum 1714 decreased stress-induced hyperthermia. B. breve 1205 induced lower anxiety in the elevated plus maze whereas B. longum 1714 induced antidepressant-like behavior in the tail suspension test. However, there was no difference in corticosterone levels between groups. These data show that these two Bifidobacteria strains reduced anxiety in an anxious mouse strain. These results also suggest that each bacterial strain has intrinsic effects and may be beneficially specific for a given disorder. These findings strengthen the role of gut microbiota supplementation as psychobiotic-based strategies for stress-related brain-gut axis disorders, opening new avenues in the field of neurogastroenterology. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Effects of seasonal ambient heat stress (spring vs. summer) on physiological and metabolic variables in hair sheep located in an arid region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macías-Cruz, U.; López-Baca, M. A.; Vicente, R.; Mejía, A.; Álvarez, F. D.; Correa-Calderón, A.; Meza-Herrera, C. A.; Mellado, M.; Guerra-Liera, J. E.; Avendaño-Reyes, L.

    2016-08-01

    Twenty Dorper × Pelibuey primiparous ewes were used to evaluate effects of seasonal ambient heat stress (i.e., spring vs. summer) on physiological and metabolic responses under production conditions in an arid region. Ten ewes experiencing summer heat stress (i.e., temperature = 34.8 ± 4.6 °C; THI = 81.6 ± 3.2 units) and 10 under spring thermoneutral conditions (temperature = 24.2 ± 5.4 °C; THI = 68.0 ± 4.8 units) were corralled together to measure rectal temperature, respiratory frequency, and skin temperatures at 0600, 1200, 1800, and 2400 h on four occasions over 40 days. Blood metabolite and electrolyte concentrations were also measured at 0600 and 1800 hours. Data were analyzed with a completely randomized design using repeated measurements in time. Rectal and skin temperatures, as well as respiratory frequency, were higher ( P < 0.01) in summer than spring at all measured days. Blood serum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and chlorine concentrations were lower ( P < 0.01) in summer than spring at 0800 and 1800 hours. In contrast, summer heat stress increased ( P < 0.01) blood urea and potassium concentrations at 0800 and 1800 hours. Compared with spring thermoneutral conditions, summer heat stress affected the physiological and metabolic status of hair breed ewes in an arid region, which included blood metabolite and electrolyte adjustments to efficiently cope with summer heat stress.

  19. Touch Attenuates Infants' Physiological Reactivity to Stress

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feldman, Ruth; Singer, Magi; Zagoory, Orna

    2010-01-01

    Animal studies demonstrate that maternal touch and contact regulate infant stress, and handling during periods of maternal deprivation attenuates the stress response. To measure the effects of touch on infant stress reactivity during simulated maternal deprivation, 53 dyads were tested in two paradigms: still-face (SF) and still-face with maternal…

  20. Influence of Bacillus spp. strains on seedling growth and physiological parameters of sorghum under moisture stress conditions.

    PubMed

    Grover, Minakshi; Madhubala, R; Ali, Sk Z; Yadav, S K; Venkateswarlu, B

    2014-09-01

    Microorganisms isolated from stressed ecosystem may prove as ideal candidates for development of bio-inoculants for stressed agricultural production systems. In the present study, moisture stress tolerant rhizobacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of sorghum, pigeonpea, and cowpea grown under semiarid conditions in India. Four isolates KB122, KB129, KB133, and KB142 from sorghum rhizosphere exhibited plant growth promoting traits and tolerance to salinity, high temperature, and moisture stress. These isolates were identified as Bacillus spp. by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The strains were evaluated for growth promotion of sorghum seedlings under two different moisture stress conditions (set-I, continuous 50% soil water holding capacity (WHC) throughout the experiment and set-II, 75% soil WHC for 27 days followed by no irrigation for 5 days) under greenhouse conditions. Plate count and scanning electron microscope studies indicated successful root surface colonization by inoculated bacteria. Plants inoculated with Bacillus spp. strains showed better growth in terms of shoot length and root biomass with dark greenish leaves due to high chlorophyll content while un-inoculated plants showed rolling of the leaves, stunted appearance, and wilting under both stress conditions. Inoculation also improved leaf relative water content and soil moisture content. However, variation in proline and sugar content in the different treatments under two stress conditions indicated differential effect of microbial treatments on plant physiological parameters under stress conditions. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Physiological responses of somaclonal variants of triploid bermudagrass (Cynodon transvaalensis x Cynodon dactylon) to drought stress.

    PubMed

    Lu, Shaoyun; Chen, Chuanhao; Wang, Zhongcheng; Guo, Zhenfei; Li, Haihang

    2009-03-01

    Eight somaclonal variants with enhanced drought tolerance were isolated from regenerated plants of triploid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x Cynodon transvaalensis cv., TifEagle). Three of them (10-17, 89-02, 117-08) with strong drought tolerance were selected for investigations of physiological responses to drought stress. Compared to the parent control, TifEagle, the somaclonal variants had higher relative water contents and relative growth, and lower ion leakages in the greenhouse tests, while no difference in evapotranspirational water losses and soil water contents was observed between the variants and TifEagle. The variants also had less leaf firing in the field tests under drought stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities decreased gradually in responses to drought stress in all plants and exhibited negative correlations with ion leakage, indicating that the declined activities of these antioxidant enzymes were associated with drought injury in the triploid bermudagrass. However, CAT activities were significantly higher in all three variants than in TifEagle during drought stress. Two variants, 10-17 and 89-02, also had significantly higher APX activities than TifEagle before and during the first 4 days of drought treatments. These two lines also showed higher SOD activities after prolonged drought stress. Proline, total soluble sugars and sucrose were accumulated under drought stress in all plants and exhibited positive correlations with ion leakage. More proline and sugars were accumulated in TifEagle than in the variants. The results indicated that higher activities of the antioxidant enzymes in the variants during drought stress are associated with their increased drought tolerance.

  2. Complex Physiology and Compound Stress Responses during Fermentation of Alkali-Pretreated Corn Stover Hydrolysate by an Escherichia coli Ethanologen

    PubMed Central

    Schwalbach, Michael S.; Tremaine, Mary; Marner, Wesley D.; Zhang, Yaoping; Bothfeld, William; Higbee, Alan; Grass, Jeffrey A.; Cotten, Cameron; Reed, Jennifer L.; da Costa Sousa, Leonardo; Jin, Mingjie; Balan, Venkatesh; Ellinger, James; Dale, Bruce; Kiley, Patricia J.

    2012-01-01

    The physiology of ethanologenic Escherichia coli grown anaerobically in alkali-pretreated plant hydrolysates is complex and not well studied. To gain insight into how E. coli responds to such hydrolysates, we studied an E. coli K-12 ethanologen fermenting a hydrolysate prepared from corn stover pretreated by ammonia fiber expansion. Despite the high sugar content (∼6% glucose, 3% xylose) and relatively low toxicity of this hydrolysate, E. coli ceased growth long before glucose was depleted. Nevertheless, the cells remained metabolically active and continued conversion of glucose to ethanol until all glucose was consumed. Gene expression profiling revealed complex and changing patterns of metabolic physiology and cellular stress responses during an exponential growth phase, a transition phase, and the glycolytically active stationary phase. During the exponential and transition phases, high cell maintenance and stress response costs were mitigated, in part, by free amino acids available in the hydrolysate. However, after the majority of amino acids were depleted, the cells entered stationary phase, and ATP derived from glucose fermentation was consumed entirely by the demands of cell maintenance in the hydrolysate. Comparative gene expression profiling and metabolic modeling of the ethanologen suggested that the high energetic cost of mitigating osmotic, lignotoxin, and ethanol stress collectively limits growth, sugar utilization rates, and ethanol yields in alkali-pretreated lignocellulosic hydrolysates. PMID:22389370

  3. Physiological effects of potassium chloride, formalin and handling stress on bonytail

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sykes, Catherine L.; Caldwell, Colleen A.; Gould, William R.

    2011-01-01

    We characterized the sublethal physiological changes in bonytail Gila elegans subjected to consecutive 750-mg/L potassium chloride (KCl) and 25-mg/L formalin treatments for the removal of zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussel D. bugensis veligers. Plasma cortisol, glucose, and osmolality were measured over 24 h and at 14 d posthandling after exposing bonytail to KCl and one net stressor (capture with a net), KCl plus formalin and two net stressors, and one or two net stressors without chemicals. Elevated plasma cortisol (322–440 ng/mL) and glucose (254–399 mg/dL) concentrations were observed in all treatments compared with the concentrations in control fish (plasma cortisol, 56 ng/mL; glucose, 43 mg/dL). While there were no detectable differences in plasma osmolality among the treatment and control fish, a difference was observed between fish that were handled once versus twice. Chemical effects of stress were not observed in any of the physiological responses when the KCl treatment was compared with the one-net stressor treatment or when the KCl plus formalin treatment was compared with the two-net stressor treatment. Cumulative responses, however, were observed between one net stressor and two net stressors for plasma glucose and osmolality but not for plasma cortisol. Plasma cortisol and glucose levels remained elevated at 24 h posthandling, indicating that bonytail had not completely recovered from the handling stressors and would benefit from a recovery period in protected refugia before being released.

  4. Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. Pekinensis) to Salt Stress

    PubMed Central

    Gao, Jianwei

    2017-01-01

    Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that severely impact plant growth and development. In this study, we investigated the physiological and transcriptomic responses of Chinese cabbage “Qingmaye” to salt stress, a main variety in North China. Our results showed that the growth and photosynthesis of Chinese cabbage were significantly inhibited by salt treatment. However, as a glycophyte, Chinese cabbage could cope with high salinity; it could complete an entire life cycle at 100 mM NaCl. The high salt tolerance of Chinese cabbage was achieved by accumulating osmoprotectants and by maintaining higher activity of antioxidant enzymes. Transcriptomic responses were analyzed using the digital gene expression profiling (DGE) technique after 12 h of treatment by 200 mM NaCl. A total of 1235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) including 740 up- and 495 down-regulated genes were identified. Functional annotation analyses showed that the DEGs were related to signal transduction, osmolyte synthesis, transcription factors, and antioxidant proteins. Taken together, this study contributes to our understanding of the mechanism of salt tolerance in Chinese cabbage and provides valuable information for further improvement of salt tolerance in Chinese cabbage breeding programs. PMID:28895882

  5. Unraveling the role of dark septate endophyte (DSE) colonizing maize (Zea mays) under cadmium stress: physiological, cytological and genic aspects.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jun-ling; Li, Tao; Liu, Gao-yuan; Smith, Joshua M; Zhao, Zhi-wei

    2016-02-25

    A growing body of evidence suggests that plant root-associated fungi such as dark septate endophytes (DSE) can help plants overcome many biotic and abiotic stresses, of great interest is DSE-plant metal tolerance and alleviation capabilities on contaminated soils. However, the tolerance and alleviation mechanisms involved have not yet been elucidated. In the current study, the regulation and physiological response of Zea mays to its root-associated DSE, Exophiala pisciphila was analyzed under increased soil Cd stress (0, 10, 50, 100 mg kg(-1)). Under Cd stress, DSE inoculation significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes and low-molecular weight antioxidants, while also inducing increased Cd accumulation in the cell wall and conversion of Cd into inactive forms by shoot and root specific regulation of genes related to metal uptake, translocation and chelation. Our results showed that DSE colonization resulted in a marked tolerance to Cd, with a significant decrease in cadmium phytotoxicity and a significant increase in maize growth by triggering antioxidant systems, altering metal chemical forms into inactive Cd, and repartitioning subcellular Cd into the cell wall. These results provide comprehensive evidence for the mechanisms by which DSE colonization bioaugments Cd tolerance in maize at physiological, cytological and molecular levels.

  6. Unraveling the role of dark septate endophyte (DSE) colonizing maize (Zea mays) under cadmium stress: physiological, cytological and genic aspects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jun-Ling; Li, Tao; Liu, Gao-Yuan; Smith, Joshua M.; Zhao, Zhi-Wei

    2016-02-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests that plant root-associated fungi such as dark septate endophytes (DSE) can help plants overcome many biotic and abiotic stresses, of great interest is DSE-plant metal tolerance and alleviation capabilities on contaminated soils. However, the tolerance and alleviation mechanisms involved have not yet been elucidated. In the current study, the regulation and physiological response of Zea mays to its root-associated DSE, Exophiala pisciphila was analyzed under increased soil Cd stress (0, 10, 50, 100 mg kg-1). Under Cd stress, DSE inoculation significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes and low-molecular weight antioxidants, while also inducing increased Cd accumulation in the cell wall and conversion of Cd into inactive forms by shoot and root specific regulation of genes related to metal uptake, translocation and chelation. Our results showed that DSE colonization resulted in a marked tolerance to Cd, with a significant decrease in cadmium phytotoxicity and a significant increase in maize growth by triggering antioxidant systems, altering metal chemical forms into inactive Cd, and repartitioning subcellular Cd into the cell wall. These results provide comprehensive evidence for the mechanisms by which DSE colonization bioaugments Cd tolerance in maize at physiological, cytological and molecular levels.

  7. Induction of Osmoadaptive Mechanisms and Modulation of Cellular Physiology Help Bacillus licheniformis Strain SSA 61 Adapt to Salt Stress

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Paul, Sangeeta; Aggarwal, Chetana; Thakur, Jyoti Kumar

    Bacillus licheniformis strain SSA 61, originally isolated from Sambhar salt lake, was observed to grow even in the presence of 25 % salt stress. Osmoadaptive mechanisms of this halotolerant B. licheniformis strain SSA 61, for long-term survival and growth under salt stress, were determined. Proline was the preferentially accumulated compatible osmolyte. There was also increased accumulation of antioxidants ascorbic acid and glutathione. Among the different antioxidative enzymes assayed, superoxide dismutase played the most crucial role in defense against salt-induced stress in the organism. Adaptation to stress by the organism involved modulation of cellular physiology at various levels. There was enhancedmore » expression of known proteins playing essential roles in stress adaptation, such as chaperones DnaK and GroEL, and general stress protein YfkM and polynucleotide phosphorylase/polyadenylase. Proteins involved in amino acid biosynthetic pathway, ribosome structure, and peptide elongation were also overexpressed. Salt stress-induced modulation of expression of enzymes involved in carbon metabolism was observed. There was up-regulation of a number of enzymes involved in generation of NADH and NADPH, indicating increased cellular demand for both energy and reducing power.« less

  8. Physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal a response mechanism to cold stress in Santalum album L. leaves

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Xinhua; Teixeira da Silva, Jaime A.; Niu, Meiyun; Li, Mingzhi; He, Chunmei; Zhao, Jinhui; Zeng, Songjun; Duan, Jun; Ma, Guohua

    2017-01-01

    Santalum album L. (Indian sandalwood) is an economically important plant species because of its ability to produce highly valued perfume oils. Little is known about the mechanisms by which S. album adapts to low temperatures. In this study, we obtained 100,445,724 raw reads by paired-end sequencing from S. album leaves. Physiological and transcriptomic changes in sandalwood seedlings exposed to 4 °C for 0–48 h were characterized. Cold stress induced the accumulation of malondialdehyde, proline and soluble carbohydrates, and increased the levels of antioxidants. A total of 4,424 differentially expressed genes were responsive to cold, including 3,075 cold-induced and 1,349 cold-repressed genes. When cold stress was prolonged, there was an increase in the expression of cold-responsive genes coding for transporters, responses to stimuli and stress, regulation of defense response, as well as genes related to signal transduction of all phytohormones. Candidate genes in the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway were identified, eight of which were significantly involved in the cold stress response. Gene expression analyses using qRT-PCR showed a peak in the accumulation of SaCBF2 to 4, 50-fold more than control leaves and roots following 12 h and 24 h of cold stress, respectively. The CBF-dependent pathway may play a crucial role in increasing cold tolerance. PMID:28169358

  9. Are optical indices good proxies of seasonal changes in carbon fluxes and stress-related physiological status in a beech forest?

    PubMed

    Nestola, E; Scartazza, A; Di Baccio, D; Castagna, A; Ranieri, A; Cammarano, M; Mazzenga, F; Matteucci, G; Calfapietra, C

    2018-01-15

    This study investigates the functionality of a Mediterranean-mountain beech forest in Central Italy using simultaneous determinations of optical measurements, carbon (C) fluxes, leaf eco-physiological and biochemical traits during two growing seasons (2014-2015). Meteorological variables showed significant differences between the two growing seasons, highlighting a heat stress coupled with a reduced water availability in mid-summer 2015. As a result, a different C sink capacity of the forest was observed between the two years of study, due to the differences in stressful conditions and the related plant physiological status. Spectral indices related to vegetation (VIs, classified in structural, chlorophyll and carotenoid indices) were computed at top canopy level and used to track CO 2 fluxes and physiological changes. Optical indices related to structure (EVI 2, RDVI, DVI and MCARI 1) were found to better track Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) variations for 2014, while indices related to chlorophylls (SR red edge, CL red edge, MTCI and DR) provided better results for 2015. This suggests that when environmental conditions are not limiting for forest sink capacity, structural parameters are more strictly connected to C uptake, while under stress conditions indices related to functional features (e.g., chlorophyll content) become more relevant. Chlorophyll indices calculated with red edge bands (SR red edge, NDVI red edge, DR, CL red edge) resulted to be highly correlated with leaf nitrogen content (R 2 >0.70), while weaker, although significant, correlations were found with chlorophyll content. Carotenoid indices (PRI and PSRI) were strongly correlated with both chlorophylls and carotenoids content, suggesting that these indices are good proxies of the shifting pigment composition related to changes in soil moisture, heat stress and senescence. Our work suggests the importance of integrating different methods as a successful approach to understand how changing climatic

  10. Plasma, salivary and urinary cortisol levels following physiological and stress doses of hydrocortisone in normal volunteers.

    PubMed

    Jung, Caroline; Greco, Santo; Nguyen, Hanh H T; Ho, Jui T; Lewis, John G; Torpy, David J; Inder, Warrick J

    2014-11-26

    Glucocorticoid replacement is essential in patients with primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency, but many patients remain on higher than recommended dose regimens. There is no uniformly accepted method to monitor the dose in individual patients. We have compared cortisol concentrations in plasma, saliva and urine achieved following "physiological" and "stress" doses of hydrocortisone as potential methods for monitoring glucocorticoid replacement. Cortisol profiles were measured in plasma, saliva and urine following "physiological" (20 mg oral) or "stress" (50 mg intravenous) doses of hydrocortisone in dexamethasone-suppressed healthy subjects (8 in each group), compared to endogenous cortisol levels (12 subjects). Total plasma cortisol was measured half-hourly, and salivary cortisol and urinary cortisol:creatinine ratio were measured hourly from time 0 (between 0830 and 0900) to 5 h. Endogenous plasma corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) levels were measured at time 0 and 5 h, and hourly from time 0 to 5 h following administration of oral or intravenous hydrocortisone. Plasma free cortisol was calculated using Coolens' equation. Plasma, salivary and urine cortisol at 2 h after oral hydrocortisone gave a good indication of peak cortisol concentrations, which were uniformly supraphysiological. Intravenous hydrocortisone administration achieved very high 30 minute cortisol concentrations. Total plasma cortisol correlated significantly with both saliva and urine cortisol after oral and intravenous hydrocortisone (P <0.0001, correlation coefficient between 0.61 and 0.94). There was no difference in CBG levels across the sampling period. An oral dose of hydrocortisone 20 mg is supraphysiological for routine maintenance, while stress doses above 50 mg 6-hourly would rarely be necessary in managing acute illness. Salivary cortisol and urinary cortisol:creatinine ratio may provide useful alternatives to plasma cortisol measurements to monitor replacement doses in

  11. Evidence for sex differences in fetal programming of physiological stress reactivity in infancy.

    PubMed

    Tibu, Florin; Hill, Jonathan; Sharp, Helen; Marshall, Kate; Glover, Vivette; Pickles, Andrew

    2014-11-01

    Associations between low birth weight and prenatal anxiety and later psychopathology may arise from programming effects likely to be adaptive under some, but not other, environmental exposures and modified by sex differences. If physiological reactivity, which also confers vulnerability or resilience in an environment-dependent manner, is associated with birth weight and prenatal anxiety, it will be a candidate to mediate the links with psychopathology. From a general population sample of 1,233 first-time mothers recruited at 20 weeks gestation, a sample of 316 stratified by adversity was assessed at 32 weeks and when their infants were aged 29 weeks (N = 271). Prenatal anxiety was assessed by self-report, birth weight from medical records, and vagal reactivity from respiratory sinus arrhythmia during four nonstressful and one stressful (still-face) procedure. Lower birth weight for gestational age predicted higher vagal reactivity only in girls (interaction term, p = .016), and prenatal maternal anxiety predicted lower vagal reactivity only in boys (interaction term, p = .014). These findings are consistent with sex differences in fetal programming, whereby prenatal risks are associated with increased stress reactivity in females but decreased reactivity in males, with distinctive advantages and penalties for each sex.

  12. Stress response in honeybees is associated with changes in task-related physiology and energetic metabolism.

    PubMed

    Bordier, Célia; Suchail, Séverine; Pioz, Maryline; Devaud, Jean Marc; Collet, Claude; Charreton, Mercedes; Le Conte, Yves; Alaux, Cédric

    2017-04-01

    In a rapidly changing environment, honeybee colonies are increasingly exposed to diverse sources of stress (e.g., new parasites, pesticides, climate warming), which represent a challenge to individual and social homeostasis. However, bee physiological responses to stress remain poorly understood. We therefore exposed bees specialised in different tasks (nurses, guards and foragers) to ancient (immune and heat stress) or historically more recent sources of stress (pesticides), and we determined changes in the expression of genes linked to behavioural maturation (vitellogenin - vg and juvenile hormone esterase - jhe) as well as in energetic metabolism (glycogen level, expression level of the receptor to the adipokinetic hormone - akhr, and endothermic performance). While acute exposure to sublethal doses of two pesticides did not affect vg and jhe expression, immune and heat challenges caused a decrease and increase in both genes, respectively, suggesting that bees had responded to ecologically relevant stressors. Since vg and jhe are expressed to a higher level in nurses than in foragers, it is reasonable to assume that an immune challenge stimulated behavioural maturation to decrease potential contamination risk and that a heat challenge promoted a nurse profile for brood thermoregulation. All behavioural castes responded in the same way. Though endothermic performances did not change upon stress exposure, the akhr level dropped in immune and heat-challenged individuals. Similarly, the abdomen glycogen level tended to decline in immune-challenged bees. Altogether, these results suggest that bee responses are stress specific and adaptive but that they tend to entail a reduction of energetic metabolism that needs to be studied on a longer timescale. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Physiological response of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus to thermal stress and ocean acidification.

    PubMed

    Gori, Andrea; Ferrier-Pagès, Christine; Hennige, Sebastian J; Murray, Fiona; Rottier, Cécile; Wicks, Laura C; Roberts, J Murray

    2016-01-01

    Rising temperatures and ocean acidification driven by anthropogenic carbon emissions threaten both tropical and temperate corals. However, the synergistic effect of these stressors on coral physiology is still poorly understood, in particular for cold-water corals. This study assessed changes in key physiological parameters (calcification, respiration and ammonium excretion) of the widespread cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus maintained for ∼8 months at two temperatures (ambient 12 °C and elevated 15 °C) and two pCO2 conditions (ambient 390 ppm and elevated 750 ppm). At ambient temperatures no change in instantaneous calcification, respiration or ammonium excretion rates was observed at either pCO2 levels. Conversely, elevated temperature (15 °C) significantly reduced calcification rates, and combined elevated temperature and pCO2 significantly reduced respiration rates. Changes in the ratio of respired oxygen to excreted nitrogen (O:N), which provides information on the main sources of energy being metabolized, indicated a shift from mixed use of protein and carbohydrate/lipid as metabolic substrates under control conditions, to less efficient protein-dominated catabolism under both stressors. Overall, this study shows that the physiology of D. dianthus is more sensitive to thermal than pCO2 stress, and that the predicted combination of rising temperatures and ocean acidification in the coming decades may severely impact this cold-water coral species.

  14. Different neural circuitry is involved in physiological and psychological stress-induced PTSD-like “nightmares” in rats

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Bin; Cui, Su-Ying; Zhang, Xue-Qiong; Cui, Xiang-Yu; Li, Sheng-Jie; Sheng, Zhao-Fu; Cao, Qing; Huang, Yuan-Li; Xu, Ya-Ping; Lin, Zhi-Ge; Yang, Guang; Song, Jin-Zhi; Ding, Hui; Zhang, Yong-He

    2015-01-01

    Posttraumatic nightmares are a core component of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mechanistically linked to the development and maintenance of this disorder, but little is known about their mechanism. We utilized a communication box to establish an animal model of physiological stress (foot-shock [FS]) and psychological stress (PS) to mimic the direct suffering and witnessing of traumatic events. Twenty-one days after traumatic stress, some of the experimental animals presented startled awakening (i.e., were startled awake by a supposed “nightmare”) with different electroencephalographic spectra features. Our neuroanatomical results showed that the secondary somatosensory cortex and primary auditory cortex may play an important role in remote traumatic memory retrieval in FS “nightmare” (FSN) rats, whereas the temporal association cortex may play an important role in PS “nightmare” (PSN) rats. The FSN and PSN groups possessed common emotion evocation circuits, including activation of the amygdala and inactivation of the infralimbic prefrontal cortex and ventral anterior cingulate cortex. The decreased activity of the granular and dysgranular insular cortex was only observed in PSN rats. The present results imply that different types of stress may cause PTSD-like “nightmares” in rodents and identified the possible neurocircuitry of memory retrieval and emotion evocation. PMID:26530305

  15. Simultaneous Changes in Sleep, qEEG, Physiology, Behaviour and Neurochemistry in Rats Exposed to Repeated Social Defeat Stress.

    PubMed

    Ahnaou, A; Drinkenburg, W H I M

    2016-01-01

    Depression is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by alterations at psychological, behavioural, physiological, neurophysiological, and neurochemical levels. Social stress is a prevalent stress in man, and the repeated social defeat stress model in rats has been proposed as being the rodent equivalent to loss of control, which in subordinate animals produces alterations that resemble several of the cardinal symptoms found in depressed patients. Here, rats followed a resident-intruder protocol for 4 consecutive days during which behavioural, physiological, and electroencephalographic (EEG) parameters were simultaneously monitored in subordinate rats. On day 5, prefrontal dopamine (DA) and hippocampal serotonin (5-HT) as well as corticosterone were measured in submissive rats that had visual, acoustic, and olfactory (but no physical) contact with a dominant, resident conspecific rat. Socially defeated rats demonstrated increases in ultrasonic vocalizations (20-25 KHz), freezing, submissive defensive behaviour, inactivity, and haemodynamic response, while decreases were found in repetitive grooming behaviour and body weight. Additionally, alterations in the sleep-wake architecture were associated with reduced active waking, enhanced light sleep, and increased frequency of transitions from light sleep to quiet wakefulness, indicating sleep instability. Moreover, the attenuation of EEG power over the frequency range of 4.2-30 Hz, associated with a sharp transient increase in delta oscillations, appeared to reflect increased brain activity and metabolism in subordinate animals. These EEG changes were synchronous with a marked increase in body temperature and a decrease in locomotor activity. Furthermore, psychosocial stress consistently increased 5-HT, DA, and corticosterone levels. The increased levels of cortical DA and hippocampal 5-HT during social threat may reflect a coping mechanism to promote alertness and psychological adaptation to provocative and threatening

  16. Infant negative reactivity defines the effects of parent-child synchrony on physiological and behavioral regulation of social stress.

    PubMed

    Pratt, Maayan; Singer, Magi; Kanat-Maymon, Yaniv; Feldman, Ruth

    2015-11-01

    How infants shape their own development has puzzled developmentalists for decades. Recent models suggest that infant dispositions, particularly negative reactivity and regulation, affect outcome by determining the extent of parental effects. Here, we used a microanalytic experimental approach and proposed that infants with varying levels of negative reactivity will be differentially impacted by parent-infant synchrony in predicting physiological and behavioral regulation of increasing social stress during an experimental paradigm. One hundred and twenty-two mother-infant dyads (4-6 months) were observed in the face-to-face still face (SF) paradigm and randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: SF with touch, standard SF, and SF with arms' restraint. Mother-infant synchrony and infant negative reactivity were observed at baseline, and three mechanisms of behavior regulation were microcoded; distress, disengagement, and social regulation. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia baseline, reactivity, and recovery were quantified. Structural equation modeling provided support for our hypothesis. For physiological regulation, infants high in negative reactivity receiving high mother-infant synchrony showed greater vagal withdrawal, which in turn predicted comparable levels of vagal recovery to that of nonreactive infants. In behavioral regulation, only infants low in negative reactivity who received high synchrony were able to regulate stress by employing social engagement cues during the SF phase. Distress was reduced only among calm infants to highly synchronous mothers, and disengagement was lowest among highly reactive infants experiencing high mother-infant synchrony. Findings chart two pathways by which synchrony may bolster regulation in infants of high and low reactivity. Among low reactive infants, synchrony builds a social repertoire for handling interpersonal stress, whereas in highly reactive infants, it constructs a platform for repeated reparation of

  17. [Effects of exogenous salicylic acid on seed germination and physiological characteristics of Coronilla varia under drought stress.

    PubMed

    Ma, Le Yuan; Chen, Nian Lai; Han, Guo Jun; Li, Liang

    2017-10-01

    This research investigated the effects of different concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mmol·L -1 ) of salicylic acid on the seed germination and physiological characteristics of legume forage Coronilla varia (cultivar 'Lvbaoshi') under PEG-6000 (concentration 8% and 12%) simulated drought stress. The results showed that under drought stress, 0.5-1.0 mmol·L -1 salicylic acid significantly increased germination percentage, germination vigour, germination index, vitality index and bud length of C. varia. Under the stress of 12% PEG, the dry mass of C. varia seedlings processed by 1.0 mmol·L -1 salicylic acid was significantly higher than that under drought stress. 0.5-1.0 mmol·L -1 salicylic acid processing significantly increased proline, soluble protein content, the activities of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase of C. varia seedlings under drought stress, but cell electrolyte permeability, H2O2 content and O2 - · production rate of seedlings were significantly decreased. 1.0 mmol·L -1 salicylic acid produced the best results. When the concentration of salicylic acid was beyond 2.0 mmol·L -1 , no mitigation effect was observed on the seed germination and growth of seedlings under drought stress. It was concluded that salicylic acid at appropriate concentrations could effectively improve osmotic regulation, antioxidation and mitigate the damage of drought stress so as to promote the growth of C. varia seedlings.

  18. Hydrogen peroxide as a central redox signaling molecule in physiological oxidative stress: Oxidative eustress.

    PubMed

    Sies, Helmut

    2017-04-01

    Hydrogen peroxide emerged as major redox metabolite operative in redox sensing, signaling and redox regulation. Generation, transport and capture of H 2 O 2 in biological settings as well as their biological consequences can now be addressed. The present overview focuses on recent progress on metabolic sources and sinks of H 2 O 2 and on the role of H 2 O 2 in redox signaling under physiological conditions (1-10nM), denoted as oxidative eustress. Higher concentrations lead to adaptive stress responses via master switches such as Nrf2/Keap1 or NF-κB. Supraphysiological concentrations of H 2 O 2 (>100nM) lead to damage of biomolecules, denoted as oxidative distress. Three questions are addressed: How can H 2 O 2 be assayed in the biological setting? What are the metabolic sources and sinks of H 2 O 2 ? What is the role of H 2 O 2 in redox signaling and oxidative stress? Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Effect of walking stress on growth, physiological adaptability and endocrine responses in Malpura ewes in a semi-arid tropical environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sejian, Veerasamy; Maurya, Vijai P.; Naqvi, Syed M. K.

    2012-03-01

    Sheep in hot semi-arid environments are mostly reared using extensive systems. In addition to thermal stress and feed scarcity, the animals need to walk long distances for grazing in this ecological zone. A study was conducted to assess the effect of long-distance walking on adaptive capability in terms of physiological, biochemical and endocrine responses in Malpura ewes. Fourteen adult Malpura non-pregnant ewes weighing between 33 and 35 kg were used in the study. The ewes were randomly allocated into two groups of seven animals each: GI ( n = 7; Control), and GII ( n = 7; walking stress). The animals were stall-fed with a diet consisting of 70% roughage and 30% concentrate. Both GI and GII ewes had uniform access to feed and water. The walking stress group (GII) ewes were made to walk 14 km in two spans between 0900 and 1500 hours with 1 h 30 min for each span (7 km) of walking. The ewes subjected to walking stress (GII) were prevented from grazing by applying a face mask made of cotton thread. The study was conducted for a period of two estrous cycles (35 days) during the autumn season (October-November). Physiological responses were recorded twice daily at 0800 and 1400 hours at weekly intervals. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at weekly intervals to study the effects of walking stress on blood biochemical and endocrine parameters. The results indicate that walking stress had significant ( P < 0.05) influence on body weight, average daily gain, respiration rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), plasma glucose, calcium, phosphorus, aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), tri-iodo-thyronine (T3), thyroxin (T4), and cortisol. However, walking stress did not influence the reproductive hormone levels. The significant changes in RR, RT, plasma cortisol, T3 and T4 show that Malpura ewes have the capability to adapt to long-distance walking, and that adrenal and thyroid gland

  20. Estimation of physiologic ability and surgical stress (E-PASS) scoring system could provide preoperative advice on whether to undergo laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer patients with a high physiological risk

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Ao; Liu, Tingting; Zheng, Kaiyuan; Liu, Ningbo; Huang, Fei; Li, Weidong; Liu, Tong; Fu, Weihua

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Laparoscopic colorectal surgery had been widely used for colorectal cancer patient and showed a favorable outcome on the postoperative morbidity rate. We attempted to evaluate physiological status of patients by mean of Estimation of physiologic ability and surgical stress (E-PASS) system and to analyze the difference variation of postoperative morbidity rate of open and laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery in patients with different physiological status. In total 550 colorectal cancer patients who underwent surgery treatment were included. E-PASS and some conventional scoring systems were reviewed to examine their mortality prediction ability. The preoperative risk score (PRS) in the E-PASS system was used to evaluate the physiological status of patients. The difference of postoperative morbidity rate between open and laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgeries was analyzed respectively in patients with different physiological status. E-PASS had better prediction ability than other conventional scoring systems in colorectal cancer surgeries. Postoperative morbidities were developed in 143 patients. The parameters in the E-PASS system had positive correlations with postoperative morbidity. The overall postoperative morbidity rate of laparoscopic surgeries was lower than open surgeries (19.61% and 28.46%), but the postoperative morbidity rate of laparoscopic surgeries increased more significantly than in open surgery as PRS increased. When PRS was more than 0.7, the postoperative morbidity rate of laparoscopic surgeries would exceed the postoperative morbidity rate of open surgeries. The E-PASS system was capable to evaluate the physiological and surgical risk of colorectal cancer surgery. PRS could assist preoperative decision-making on the surgical method. Colorectal cancer patients who were assessed with a low physiological risk by PRS would be safe to undergo laparoscopic surgery. On the contrary, surgeons should make decisions prudently on the operation

  1. Physiological Investigation and Transcriptome Analysis of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-Induced Dehydration Stress in Cassava.

    PubMed

    Fu, Lili; Ding, Zehong; Han, Bingying; Hu, Wei; Li, Yajun; Zhang, Jiaming

    2016-02-25

    Cassava is an important tropical and sub-tropical root crop that is adapted to drought environment. However, severe drought stress significantly influences biomass accumulation and starchy root production. The mechanism underlying drought-tolerance remains obscure in cassava. In this study, changes of physiological characters and gene transcriptome profiles were investigated under dehydration stress simulated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatments. Five traits, including peroxidase (POD) activity, proline content, malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble sugar and soluble protein, were all dramatically induced in response to PEG treatment. RNA-seq analysis revealed a gradient decrease of differentially expressed (DE) gene number in tissues from bottom to top of a plant, suggesting that cassava root has a quicker response and more induced/depressed DE genes than leaves in response to drought. Overall, dynamic changes of gene expression profiles in cassava root and leaves were uncovered: genes related to glycolysis, abscisic acid and ethylene biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, protein degradation, and second metabolism of flavonoids were significantly induced, while genes associated with cell cycle/organization, cell wall synthesis and degradation, DNA synthesis and chromatin structure, protein synthesis, light reaction of photosynthesis, gibberelin pathways and abiotic stress were greatly depressed. Finally, novel pathways in ABA-dependent and ABA-independent regulatory networks underlying PEG-induced dehydration response in cassava were detected, and the RNA-Seq results of a subset of fifteen genes were confirmed by real-time PCR. The findings will improve our understanding of the mechanism related to dehydration stress-tolerance in cassava and will provide useful candidate genes for breeding of cassava varieties better adapted to drought environment.

  2. Physiological Investigation and Transcriptome Analysis of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-Induced Dehydration Stress in Cassava

    PubMed Central

    Fu, Lili; Ding, Zehong; Han, Bingying; Hu, Wei; Li, Yajun; Zhang, Jiaming

    2016-01-01

    Cassava is an important tropical and sub-tropical root crop that is adapted to drought environment. However, severe drought stress significantly influences biomass accumulation and starchy root production. The mechanism underlying drought-tolerance remains obscure in cassava. In this study, changes of physiological characters and gene transcriptome profiles were investigated under dehydration stress simulated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatments. Five traits, including peroxidase (POD) activity, proline content, malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble sugar and soluble protein, were all dramatically induced in response to PEG treatment. RNA-seq analysis revealed a gradient decrease of differentially expressed (DE) gene number in tissues from bottom to top of a plant, suggesting that cassava root has a quicker response and more induced/depressed DE genes than leaves in response to drought. Overall, dynamic changes of gene expression profiles in cassava root and leaves were uncovered: genes related to glycolysis, abscisic acid and ethylene biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, protein degradation, and second metabolism of flavonoids were significantly induced, while genes associated with cell cycle/organization, cell wall synthesis and degradation, DNA synthesis and chromatin structure, protein synthesis, light reaction of photosynthesis, gibberelin pathways and abiotic stress were greatly depressed. Finally, novel pathways in ABA-dependent and ABA-independent regulatory networks underlying PEG-induced dehydration response in cassava were detected, and the RNA-Seq results of a subset of fifteen genes were confirmed by real-time PCR. The findings will improve our understanding of the mechanism related to dehydration stress-tolerance in cassava and will provide useful candidate genes for breeding of cassava varieties better adapted to drought environment. PMID:26927071

  3. The emergence of Applied Physiology within the discipline of Physiology.

    PubMed

    Tipton, Charles M

    2016-08-01

    Despite the availability and utilization of the physiology textbooks authored by Albrecht von Haller during the 18th century that heralded the modern age of physiology, not all physicians or physiologists were satisfied with its presentation, contents, or application to medicine. Initial reasons were fundamental disagreements between the "mechanists," represented by Boerhaave, Robinson, and von Haller, and the "vitalists," represented by the faculty and graduates of the Montpellier School of Medicine in France, notably, Bordeu and Barthez. Subsequently, objections originated from Europe, United Kingdom, and the United States in publications that focused not only on the teaching of physiology to medical and secondary students, but on the specific applications of the content of physiology to medicine, health, hygiene, pathology, and chronic diseases. At the turn of the 20th century, texts began to appear with applied physiology in their titles and in 1926, physician Samson Wright published a textbook entitled Applied Physiology that was intended for both medical students and the medical profession. Eleven years later, physicians Best and Taylor published The Physiological Basis of Medical Practice: A University of Toronto Texbook in Applied Physiology Although both sets of authors defined the connection between applied physiology and physiology, they failed to define the areas of physiology that were included within applied physiology. This was accomplished by the American Physiological Society (APS) Publications Committee in 1948 with the publication of the Journal of Appplied Physiology, that stated the word "applied" would broadly denote human physiology whereas the terms stress and environment would broadly include work, exercise, plus industrial, climatic and social factors. NIH established a study section (SS) devoted to applied physiology in 1964 which remained active until 2001 when it became amalgamated into other SSs. Before the end of the 20th century when

  4. An integrated analysis of social stress in laying hens: The interaction between physiology, behaviour, and hierarchy.

    PubMed

    Carvalho, Renata Rezende; Palme, Rupert; da Silva Vasconcellos, Angélica

    2018-04-01

    Livestock is the category of animals that suffers the most severe welfare problems. Among these, physical, physiological, and behavioural distress caused by artificial grouping are some of the challenges faced by these animals. Groups whose members are frequently changed have been reported as socially unstable, which could jeopardise the welfare of animals. Here, we assessed the effect of social instability on aggression, stress, and productivity in groups of laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus). We studied 36 females, distributed into three stable groups (without group membership change) and three unstable groups (where the dominant member was rotated every week) over the course of 10 weeks. We evaluated the frequency of agonistic interactions, glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) concentrations, and egg production. In both treatments, dominant hens produced more eggs compared to intermediate and subordinates, and intermediate hens had the highest GCM concentrations. Socially unstable groups had lower productivity and higher frequencies of agonistic interactions than stable groups. Social instability also affected GCM of the animals: in stable groups, subordinate hens had higher concentrations than dominants; in unstable groups, this pattern was reversed. Our results point to a social destabilisation in groups whose members were alternated, and suggest the welfare of individuals in unstable groups was compromised. Our results pointed to a complex relationship between hierarchy, productivity, physiological stress and aggression in laying hens, and have implications for their husbandry and management and, consequently, for their welfare levels. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Prenatal Maternal Stress Programs Infant Stress Regulation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Elysia Poggi; Glynn, Laura M.; Waffarn, Feizal; Sandman, Curt A.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: Prenatal exposure to inappropriate levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) and maternal stress are putative mechanisms for the fetal programming of later health outcomes. The current investigation examined the influence of prenatal maternal cortisol and maternal psychosocial stress on infant physiological and behavioral responses to stress.…

  6. Physiological and fitness differences between cytotypes vary with stress in a grassland perennial herb

    PubMed Central

    Pavlíková, Zuzana; Holá, Dana; Vlasáková, Blanka; Procházka, Tomáš

    2017-01-01

    Background and aims Understanding the consequences of polyploidization is a major step towards assessing the importance of this mode of speciation. Most previous studies comparing different cytotypes, however, did so only within a single environment and considered only one group of traits. To take a step further, we need to explore multiple environments and a wide range of traits. The aim of this study was to assess response of diploid and autotetraploid individuals of Knautia arvensis (Dipsacaceae) to two stress conditions, shade or drought. Methods We studied eleven photosynthetic, morphological and fitness parameters of the plants over three years in a common garden under ambient conditions and two types of stress. Key results The results indicate strong differences in performance and physiology between cytotypes in ambient conditions. Interestingly, higher fitness in diploids contrasted with more efficient photosynthesis in tetraploids in ambient conditions. However, stress, especially drought, strongly reduced fitness and disrupted function of the photosystems in both cytotypes reducing the between cytotype differences. The results indicate that drought stress reduced function of the photosynthetic processes in both cytotypes but particularly in tetraploids, while fitness reduction was stronger in diploids. Conclusions The photosynthesis related traits show higher plasticity in polyploids as theoretically expected, while the fitness related traits show higher plasticity in diploids especially in response to drought. This suggests that between cytotype comparisons need to consider multiple traits and multiple environments to understand the breath of possible responses of different cytotypes to stress. They also show that integrating results based on different traits is not straightforward and call for better mechanistic understanding of the relationships between species photosynthetic activity and fitness. Still, considering multiple environments and multiple

  7. Physiological and fitness differences between cytotypes vary with stress in a grassland perennial herb.

    PubMed

    Pavlíková, Zuzana; Holá, Dana; Vlasáková, Blanka; Procházka, Tomáš; Münzbergová, Zuzana

    2017-01-01

    Understanding the consequences of polyploidization is a major step towards assessing the importance of this mode of speciation. Most previous studies comparing different cytotypes, however, did so only within a single environment and considered only one group of traits. To take a step further, we need to explore multiple environments and a wide range of traits. The aim of this study was to assess response of diploid and autotetraploid individuals of Knautia arvensis (Dipsacaceae) to two stress conditions, shade or drought. We studied eleven photosynthetic, morphological and fitness parameters of the plants over three years in a common garden under ambient conditions and two types of stress. The results indicate strong differences in performance and physiology between cytotypes in ambient conditions. Interestingly, higher fitness in diploids contrasted with more efficient photosynthesis in tetraploids in ambient conditions. However, stress, especially drought, strongly reduced fitness and disrupted function of the photosystems in both cytotypes reducing the between cytotype differences. The results indicate that drought stress reduced function of the photosynthetic processes in both cytotypes but particularly in tetraploids, while fitness reduction was stronger in diploids. The photosynthesis related traits show higher plasticity in polyploids as theoretically expected, while the fitness related traits show higher plasticity in diploids especially in response to drought. This suggests that between cytotype comparisons need to consider multiple traits and multiple environments to understand the breath of possible responses of different cytotypes to stress. They also show that integrating results based on different traits is not straightforward and call for better mechanistic understanding of the relationships between species photosynthetic activity and fitness. Still, considering multiple environments and multiple species traits is crucial for understanding the

  8. The importance of propolis in alleviating the negative physiological effects of heat stress in quail chicks

    PubMed Central

    Ibrahim, Rania M.; Desoky, Adel A.; Safaa, Hosam M.; El-Sayed, Osama A.; Abass, Ahmed O.

    2017-01-01

    Heat stress is one of the most detrimental confrontations in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, causing considerable economic losses in poultry production. Propolis, a resinous product of worker honeybees, possesses several biological activities that could be used to alleviate the deleterious effects of high environmental temperature on poultry production. The current study was aimed at evaluating the effects of propolis supplementation to Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) diets on the production performance, intestinal histomorphology, relative physiological and immunological parameters, and selected gene expression under heat stress conditions. Three hundred one-day-old Japanese quail chicks were randomly distributed into 20 wired-cages. At 28 d of age, the birds were divided into 2 temperature treatment groups; a normal at 24°C (C group) and a heat stress at 35°C (HS group). The birds in each group were further assigned to 2 subgroups; one of them was fed on a basal diet without propolis supplementation (-Pr subgroup) while the other was supplemented with propolis (+Pr subgroup). Production performance including body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were measured. The intestinal histomorphological measurements were also performed for all treatment groups. Relative physiological parameters including body temperature, corticosterone hormone level, malondialdehyde (MDA) and free triiodothyronine hormone (fT3), as well as the relative immunological parameters including the total white blood cells count (TWBC’s), heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and lymphocyte proliferation index, were also measured. Furthermore, the mRNA expression for toll like receptor 5 (TLR5), cysteine-aspartic protease-6 (CASP6) and heat shock proteins 70 and 90 (Hsp70 and Hsp90) genes was quantified in this study. The quail production performance was significantly (P<0.05) impaired by HS treatment, while Pr treatment significantly improved the quail

  9. The importance of propolis in alleviating the negative physiological effects of heat stress in quail chicks.

    PubMed

    Mehaisen, Gamal M K; Ibrahim, Rania M; Desoky, Adel A; Safaa, Hosam M; El-Sayed, Osama A; Abass, Ahmed O

    2017-01-01

    Heat stress is one of the most detrimental confrontations in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, causing considerable economic losses in poultry production. Propolis, a resinous product of worker honeybees, possesses several biological activities that could be used to alleviate the deleterious effects of high environmental temperature on poultry production. The current study was aimed at evaluating the effects of propolis supplementation to Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) diets on the production performance, intestinal histomorphology, relative physiological and immunological parameters, and selected gene expression under heat stress conditions. Three hundred one-day-old Japanese quail chicks were randomly distributed into 20 wired-cages. At 28 d of age, the birds were divided into 2 temperature treatment groups; a normal at 24°C (C group) and a heat stress at 35°C (HS group). The birds in each group were further assigned to 2 subgroups; one of them was fed on a basal diet without propolis supplementation (-Pr subgroup) while the other was supplemented with propolis (+Pr subgroup). Production performance including body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were measured. The intestinal histomorphological measurements were also performed for all treatment groups. Relative physiological parameters including body temperature, corticosterone hormone level, malondialdehyde (MDA) and free triiodothyronine hormone (fT3), as well as the relative immunological parameters including the total white blood cells count (TWBC's), heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and lymphocyte proliferation index, were also measured. Furthermore, the mRNA expression for toll like receptor 5 (TLR5), cysteine-aspartic protease-6 (CASP6) and heat shock proteins 70 and 90 (Hsp70 and Hsp90) genes was quantified in this study. The quail production performance was significantly (P<0.05) impaired by HS treatment, while Pr treatment significantly improved the quail

  10. Short- and long-term behavioural, physiological and stoichiometric responses to predation risk indicate chronic stress and compensatory mechanisms.

    PubMed

    Van Dievel, Marie; Janssens, Lizanne; Stoks, Robby

    2016-06-01

    Prey organisms are expected to use different short- and long-term responses to predation risk to avoid excessive costs. Contrasting both types of responses is important to identify chronic stress responses and possible compensatory mechanisms in order to better understand the full impact of predators on prey life history and population dynamics. Using larvae of the damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum, we contrasted the effects of short- and long-term predation risk, with special focus on consequences for body stoichiometry. Under short-term predation risk, larvae reduced growth rate, which was associated with a reduced food intake, increased metabolic rate and reduced glucose content. Under long-term predation risk, larvae showed chronic predator stress as indicated by persistent increases in metabolic rate and reduced food intake. Despite this, larvae were able to compensate for the short-term growth reduction under long-term predation risk by relying on physiological compensatory mechanisms, including reduced energy storage. Only under long-term predation risk did we observe an increase in body C:N ratio, as predicted under the general stress paradigm (GSP). Although this was caused by a predator-induced decrease in N content, there was no associated increase in C content. These stoichiometric changes could not be explained by GSP responses because, under chronic predation risk, there was no decrease in N-rich proteins or increase in C-rich fat and sugars; instead glycogen decreased. Our results highlight the importance of compensatory mechanisms and the value of explicitly integrating physiological mechanisms to obtain insights into the temporal dynamics of non-consumptive effects, including effects on body stoichiometry.

  11. Vulnerability to predation and physiological stress responses in juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) experimentally infected with Renibacterium salmoninarum

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mesa, M.G.; Poe, T.P.; Maule, A.G.; Schreck, C.B.

    1998-01-01

    We experimentally infected juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) with Renibacterium salmoninarum (Rs), the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease (BKD), to examine the vulnerability to predation of fish with differing levels of Rs infection and assess physiological change during progression of the disease. Immersion challenges conducted during 1992 and 1994 produced fish with either a low to moderate (1992) or high (1994) infection level of Rs during the 14-week postchallenge rearing period. When equal numbers of treatment and unchallenged control fish were subjected to predation by either northern squaw fish (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) or smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui), Rs-challenged fish were eaten in significantly greater numbers than controls by nearly two to one. In 1994, we also sampled fish every 2 weeks after the challenge to determine some stressful effects of Rs infection. During disease progression in fish, plasma cortisol and lactate increased significantly whereas glucose decreased significantly. Our results indicate the role that BKD may play in predator-prey interactions, thus ascribing some ecological significance to this disease beyond that of direct pathogen-related mortality. In addition, the physiological changes observed in our fish during the chronic progression of BKD indicate that this disease is stressful, particularly during the later stages.

  12. [Immune dysfunction and cognitive deficit in stress and physiological aging (Part I): Pathogenesis and risk factors].

    PubMed

    Pukhal'skiĭ, A L; Shmarina, G V; Aleshkin, V A

    2014-01-01

    The concept of stressful cognitive dysfunction, which is under consideration in this review, allows picking out several therapeutic targets. The brain, immune and endocrine systems being the principal adaptive systems in the body permanently share information both in the form of neural impulses and soluble mediators. The CNS differs from other organs due to several peculiarities that affect local immune surveillance. The brain cells secluded from the blood flow by a specialized blood-brain-barrier (BBB) can endogenously express pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines without the intervention of the immune system. In normal brain the cytokine signaling rather contributes to exclusive brain function (e.g. long-term potentiation, synaptic plasticity, adult neurogenesis) than serves as immune communicator. The stress of different origin increases the serum cytokine levels and disrupts BBB. As a result peripheral cytokines penetrate into the brain where they begin to perform new functions. Mass intrusion of biologically active peptides having a lot of specific targets alters the brain work that we can observe both in humans and in animal experiments. In addition owing to BBB disruption dendritic cells and T cells also penetrate into the brain where they take up a perivascular position. The changes observed in stressed subject may accumulate during repeated episodes of stress forming a picture typical of the aging brain. Moreover long-term stress as well as physiological aging result in hormonal and immunological disturbances including hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis depletion, regulatory T-cell accumulation and dehydroepiandrosterone decrease.

  13. Physiological response and microRNA expression profiles in head kidney of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to acute cold stress.

    PubMed

    Qiang, Jun; Cui, Yan T; Tao, Fan Y; Bao, Wen J; He, Jie; Li, Xia H; Xu, Pao; Sun, Lan Y

    2018-01-09

    Cold stress has a serious impact on the overwintering survival and yield of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus). Understanding the physiological and molecular regulation mechanisms of low-temperature adaptation is necessary to help breed new tolerant strains. The semi-lethal low temperature of juvenile GIFT at 96 h was determined as 9.4 °C. We constructed and sequenced two small RNA libraries from head kidney tissues, one for the control (CO) group and one for the 9.4 °C-stressed (LTS) group, and identified 1736 and 1481 known microRNAs (miRNAs), and 164 and 152 novel miRNAs in the CO and LTS libraries, respectively. We verify the expression of nine up-regulated miRNAs and eight down-regulation miRNAs by qRT-PCR, and found their expression patterns were consistent with the sequencing results. We found that cold stress may have produced dysregulation of free radical and lipid metabolism, decreased superoxide dismutase activity, reduced respiratory burst and phagocytic activity of macrophages, increased malondialdehyde content, and adversely affected the physiological adaptation of GIFT, eventually leading to death. This study revealed interactions among miRNAs and signal regulated pathways in GIFT under cold stress that may help to understand the pathways involved in cold resistance.

  14. Employee subjective well-being and physiological functioning: An integrative model.

    PubMed

    Kuykendall, Lauren; Tay, Louis

    2015-01-01

    Research shows that worker subjective well-being influences physiological functioning-an early signal of poor health outcomes. While several theoretical perspectives provide insights on this relationship, the literature lacks an integrative framework explaining the relationship. We develop a conceptual model explaining the link between subjective well-being and physiological functioning in the context of work. Integrating positive psychology and occupational stress perspectives, our model explains the relationship between subjective well-being and physiological functioning as a result of the direct influence of subjective well-being on physiological functioning and of their common relationships with work stress and personal resources, both of which are influenced by job conditions.

  15. Employee subjective well-being and physiological functioning: An integrative model

    PubMed Central

    Tay, Louis

    2015-01-01

    Research shows that worker subjective well-being influences physiological functioning—an early signal of poor health outcomes. While several theoretical perspectives provide insights on this relationship, the literature lacks an integrative framework explaining the relationship. We develop a conceptual model explaining the link between subjective well-being and physiological functioning in the context of work. Integrating positive psychology and occupational stress perspectives, our model explains the relationship between subjective well-being and physiological functioning as a result of the direct influence of subjective well-being on physiological functioning and of their common relationships with work stress and personal resources, both of which are influenced by job conditions. PMID:28070359

  16. Physiological stress and post-release mortality of white marlin (Kajikia albida) caught in the United States recreational fishery.

    PubMed

    Schlenker, Lela S; Latour, Robert J; Brill, Richard W; Graves, John E

    2016-01-01

    White marlin, a highly migratory pelagic marine fish, support important commercial and recreational fisheries throughout their range in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean. More than 10 000 individuals can be caught annually in the United States recreational fishery, of which the vast majority are captured on circle hooks and released alive. The probability of post-release mortality of white marlin released from circle hooks has been documented to be <0.02, but the associated physiological stress resulting from capture and handling techniques has not been characterized despite its importance for understanding the health of released fish. We examined the physiological response of 68 white marlin caught on circle hooks in the recreational fishery and followed the fate of 22 of these fish with pop-up satellite archival tags programmed to release after 30 days. Measures of plasma sodium, chloride, glucose and lactate concentrations taken from fish that were briefly and consistently (mean = 120 s, standard deviation = 40 s) removed from the water increased with angling time, but post-release mortality was inversely related to angling time. The probability of post-release mortality was predicted by elevated plasma potassium concentrations and was more than 10 times greater than has been previously reported for white marlin caught on circle hooks that were not removed from the water. This disparity in estimates of post-release mortality suggests that removal of fish from the water for physiological sampling greatly heightens stress, disrupts homeostasis and thus increases the probability of post-release mortality. Our results demonstrate that elevated concentrations of plasma potassium predict mortality in white marlin and that the probability of post-release mortality is highly dependent on post-capture handling procedures.

  17. Extraversion and cardiovascular responses to recurrent social stress: Effect of stress intensity.

    PubMed

    Lü, Wei; Xing, Wanying; Hughes, Brian M; Wang, Zhenhong

    2017-10-28

    The present study sought to establish whether the effects of extraversion on cardiovascular responses to recurrent social stress are contingent on stress intensity. A 2×5×1 mixed-factorial experiment was conducted, with social stress intensity as a between-subject variable, study phase as a within-subject variable, extraversion as a continuous independent variable, and cardiovascular parameter (HR, SBP, DBP, or RSA) as a dependent variable. Extraversion (NEO-FFI), subjective stress, and physiological stress were measured in 166 undergraduate students randomly assigned to undergo moderate (n=82) or high-intensity (n=84) social stress (a public speaking task with different levels of social evaluation). All participants underwent continuous physiological monitoring while facing two consecutive stress exposures distributed across five laboratory phases: baseline, stress exposure 1, post-stress 1, stress exposure 2, post-stress 2. Results indicated that under moderate-intensity social stress, participants higher on extraversion exhibited lesser HR reactivity to stress than participants lower on extraversion, while under high-intensity social stress, they exhibited greater HR, SBP, DBP and RSA reactivity. Under both moderate- and high-intensity social stress, participants higher on extraversion exhibited pronounced SBP and DBP response adaptation to repeated stress, and showed either better degree of HR recovery or greater amount of SBP and DBP recovery after stress. These findings suggest that individuals higher on extraversion exhibit physiological flexibility to cope with social challenges and benefit from adaptive cardiovascular responses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Monitoring water stress and fruit quality in an orange orchard under regulated deficit irrigation using narrow-band structural and physiological remote sensing indices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stagakis, S.; González-Dugo, V.; Cid, P.; Guillén-Climent, M. L.; Zarco-Tejada, P. J.

    2012-07-01

    This paper deals with the monitoring of water status and the assessment of the effect of stress on citrus fruit quality using structural and physiological remote sensing indices. Four flights were conducted over a citrus orchard in 2009 using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrying a multispectral camera with six narrow spectral bands in the visible and near infrared. Physiological indices such as the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI570), a new structurally robust PRI formulation that uses the 515 nm as the reference band (PRI515), and a chlorophyll ratio (R700/R670) were compared against the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Renormalized Difference Vegetation Index (RDVI) and Modified Triangular Vegetation Index (MTVI) canopy structural indices for their performance in tracking water status and the effects of sustained water stress on fruit quality at harvest. The irrigation setup in the commercial orchard was compared against a treatment scheduled to satisfy full requirements (based on estimated crop evapotranspiration) using two regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies. The water status of the trees throughout the experiment was monitored with frequent field measurements of stem water potential (Ψx), while titratable acidity (TA) and total soluble solids (TSS) were measured at harvest on selected trees from each irrigation treatment. The high spatial resolution of the multispectral imagery (30 cm pixel size) enabled identification of pure tree crown components, extracting the tree reflectance from shaded, sunlit and aggregated pixels. The physiological and structural indices were then calculated from each tree at the following levels: (i) pure sunlit tree crown, (ii) entire crown, aggregating the within-crown shadows, and (iii) simulating a lower resolution pixel, including tree crown, sunlit and shaded soil pixels. The resulting analysis demonstrated that both PRI formulations were able to track water status, except when water stress

  19. Relationship of psychological and physiological parameters during an arctic ski expedition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bishop, Sheryl L.; Grobler, Lukas C.; SchjØll, Olaf

    2001-08-01

    Considerable data (primarily physiological) have been collected during expeditions in extreme environments over the last century. Physiological measurements have only recently been examined in association with the emotional or behavioral state of the subject. Establishing this psychophysiological relationship is essential to understanding fully the adaptation of humans to the stresses of extreme environments. This pilot study investigated the simultaneous collection of physiological, psychological and behavioral data from a two-man Greenland expedition in order to model how specific relationships between physiological and psychological adaptation to a polar environment may be identified. The data collected describes changes in adrenal and other hormonal activity and psychological functioning. Levels of cortisol and testosterone were calculated. Factors influencing the plasma profiles of the aforementioned included 24-hour sunlight, high calorific intake of more than 28 000 kJ/day and extreme physical exercise. There was a difference between individual psychological profiles as well as self-report stress and physiological stress.

  20. Detection of equine herpesvirus-4 and physiological stress patterns in young Thoroughbreds consigned to a South African auction sale.

    PubMed

    Badenhorst, Marcha; Page, Patrick; Ganswindt, Andre; Laver, Peter; Guthrie, Alan; Schulman, Martin

    2015-06-02

    The prevalence of equine herpesvirus types-1 and -4 (EHV-1 and -4) in South African Thoroughbreds at auction sales is currently undefined. Commingling of young Thoroughbreds from various populations together with physiological stress related to their transport and confinement at a sales complex, may be associated with shedding and transmission of EHV-1 and -4. This prospective cohort study sampled 90 young Thoroughbreds consigned from eight farms, originating from three provinces representative of the South African Thoroughbred breeding demographic to a sales complex. Nasal swabs for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay to detect EHV-1 and -4 nucleic acid and blood samples for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for EHV-1 and -4 antibodies were collected from all horses on arrival and departure. Additional nasal swabs for qPCR were obtained serially from those displaying pyrexia and, or nasal discharge. Daily faecal samples were used for determination of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations as a measurement of physiological stress and these values were modelled to determine the factors best explaining FGM variability. EHV-4 nucleic acid was detected in 14.4 % and EHV-1 from none of the animals in the study population. Most (93.3 %) and very few (1.1 %) of this population showed antibodies indicating prior exposure to EHV-4 and EHV-1 respectively. Pyrexia and nasal discharge were poor predictors for detecting EHV-4 nucleic acid. The horses' FGM concentrations increased following arrival before decreasing for most of the remaining study period including the auction process. Model averaging showed that variation in FGM concentrations was best explained by days post-arrival and transport duration. In this study population, sales consignment was associated with limited detection of EHV-4 nucleic acid in nasal secretions, with most showing prior exposure to EHV-4 and very few to EHV-1. The physiological stress response shown by

  1. Drought stress had a predominant effect over heat stress on three tomato cultivars subjected to combined stress.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Rong; Yu, Xiaqing; Ottosen, Carl-Otto; Rosenqvist, Eva; Zhao, Liping; Wang, Yinlei; Yu, Wengui; Zhao, Tongmin; Wu, Zhen

    2017-01-25

    Abiotic stresses due to environmental factors could adversely affect the growth and development of crops. Among the abiotic stresses, drought and heat stress are two critical threats to crop growth and sustainable agriculture worldwide. Considering global climate change, incidence of combined drought and heat stress is likely to increase. The aim of this study was to shed light on plant growth performance and leaf physiology of three tomatoes cultivars ('Arvento', 'LA1994' and 'LA2093') under control, drought, heat and combined stress. Shoot fresh and dry weight, leaf area and relative water content of all cultivars significantly decreased under drought and combined stress as compared to control. The net photosynthesis and starch content were significantly lower under drought and combined stress than control in the three cultivars. Stomata and pore length of the three cultivars significantly decreased under drought and combined stress as compared to control. The tomato 'Arvento' was more affected by heat stress than 'LA1994' and 'LA2093' due to significant decreases in shoot dry weight, chlorophyll a and carotenoid content, starch content and NPQ (non-photochemical quenching) only in 'Arvento' under heat treatment. By comparison, the two heat-tolerant tomatoes were more affected by drought stress compared to 'Arvento' as shown by small stomatal and pore area, decreased sucrose content, Φ PSII (quantum yield of photosystem II), ETR (electron transport rate) and q L (fraction of open PSII centers) in 'LA1994' and 'LA2093'. The three cultivars showed similar response when subjected to the combination of drought and heat stress as shown by most physiological parameters, even though only 'LA1994' and 'LA2093' showed decreased F v /F m (maximum potential quantum efficiency of photosystem II), Φ PSII , ETR and q L under combined stress. The cultivars differing in heat sensitivity did not show difference in the combined stress sensitivity, indicating that selection for

  2. Effects of pretransport handling stress on physiological and behavioral response of ostriches.

    PubMed

    Bejaei, M; Cheng, K M

    2014-05-01

    Ostrich (Struthio camelus) production is a relatively young industry and there has been little research on ostrich welfare during pretransport handling and the transportation process. A heavy body with a high center of gravity makes ostriches' handling and transportation problems different from other livestock. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the pretransport holding time duration on ostrich behavior and physiological responses. A second objective was to identify and validate behavioral indicator(s) that could be used to identify stressed birds during pretransport handling. Prior to shipping, twenty-four 2.5-yr-old ostriches were moved into a holding pen. Birds were then individually restrained, hooded, and walked from the holding pen (approximately 12 min/bird) to a sampling pen (visually isolated from the holding pen) where they were weighed and a 10-mL blood sample obtained. A second blood sample was taken from each bird after a 1,100-km transportation. Blood samples were analyzed for concentrations of blood metabolites, enzymes, corticosterone, and white blood cell and differential counts. Behavioral responses and physical damages of ostriches were also recorded before and after transport. Results indicated that birds that spent longer time in the pretransport holding pen had higher pretransport plasma concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, sodium, and packed cell volume. Immobile sitting behavior, observed in 5 out of the last 11 birds handled, was positively correlated with higher pretransport handling stress, higher posttransport aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase, and glucose concentrations, and transport losses. Knowledge of pretransport handling impacts on ostrich stress and availability of behavioral indicators (e.g., immobile sitting response) could be used to improve handing processes, thereby decreasing potential weight loss, injury, and

  3. Transcriptomic and Physiological Evidence for the Relationship between Unsaturated Fatty Acid and Salt Stress in Peanut.

    PubMed

    Sui, Na; Wang, Yu; Liu, Shanshan; Yang, Zhen; Wang, Fang; Wan, Shubo

    2018-01-01

    Peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the five major oilseed crops cultivated worldwide. Salt stress is a common adverse condition for the growth of this crop in many countries and regions. In this study, physiological parameters and transcriptome profiles of peanut seedlings exposed to salt stress (250 mM NaCl for 4 days, S4) and recovery for 3 days (when transferred to standard conditions for 3 days, R3) were analyzed to detect genes associated with salt stress and recovery in peanut. We observed that the quantum yield of PSII electron transport (ΦPSII) and the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII ( F v / F m ) decreased in S4 compared with the control, and increased in R3 compared with those in S4. Seedling fresh weight, dry weight and PSI oxidoreductive activity (Δ I / I o ) were inhibited in S4 and did not recover in R3. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities decreased in S4 and increased in R3, whereas superoxide anion ([Formula: see text]) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) contents increased in S4 and decreased in R3. Transcriptome analysis revealed 1,742 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under salt stress and 390 DEGs under recovery. Among these DEGs, two DEGs encoding ω-3 fatty acid desaturase that synthesized linolenic acid (18:3) from linoleic acid (18:2) were down-regulated in S4 and up-regulated in R3. Furthermore, ω-3 fatty acid desaturase activity decreased under salt stress and increased under recovery. Consistent with this result, 18:3 content decreased under salt stress and increased under recovery compared with that under salt treatment. In conclusion, salt stress markedly changed the activity of ω-3 fatty acid desaturase and fatty acid composition. The findings provide novel insights for the improvement of salt tolerance in peanut.

  4. Personality and physiological reactions to acute psychological stress.

    PubMed

    Bibbey, Adam; Carroll, Douglas; Roseboom, Tessa J; Phillips, Anna C; de Rooij, Susanne R

    2013-10-01

    Stable personality traits have long been presumed to have biological substrates, although the evidence relating personality to biological stress reactivity is inconclusive. The present study examined, in a large middle aged cohort (N=352), the relationship between key personality traits and both cortisol and cardiovascular reactions to acute psychological stress. Salivary cortisol and cardiovascular activity were measured at rest and in response to a psychological stress protocol comprising 5min each of a Stroop task, mirror tracing, and a speech task. Participants subsequently completed the Big Five Inventory to assess neuroticism, agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion, and conscientiousness. Those with higher neuroticism scores exhibited smaller cortisol and cardiovascular stress reactions, whereas participants who were less agreeable and less open had smaller cortisol and cardiac reactions to stress. These associations remained statistically significant following adjustment for a range of potential confounding variables. Thus, a negative personality disposition would appear to be linked to diminished stress reactivity. These findings further support a growing body of evidence which suggests that blunted stress reactivity may be maladaptive. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Effects of seasonal ambient heat stress (spring vs. summer) on physiological and metabolic variables in hair sheep located in an arid region.

    PubMed

    Macías-Cruz, U; López-Baca, M A; Vicente, R; Mejía, A; Álvarez, F D; Correa-Calderón, A; Meza-Herrera, C A; Mellado, M; Guerra-Liera, J E; Avendaño-Reyes, L

    2016-08-01

    Twenty Dorper × Pelibuey primiparous ewes were used to evaluate effects of seasonal ambient heat stress (i.e., spring vs. summer) on physiological and metabolic responses under production conditions in an arid region. Ten ewes experiencing summer heat stress (i.e., temperature = 34.8 ± 4.6 °C; THI = 81.6 ± 3.2 units) and 10 under spring thermoneutral conditions (temperature = 24.2 ± 5.4 °C; THI = 68.0 ± 4.8 units) were corralled together to measure rectal temperature, respiratory frequency, and skin temperatures at 0600, 1200, 1800, and 2400 h on four occasions over 40 days. Blood metabolite and electrolyte concentrations were also measured at 0600 and 1800 hours. Data were analyzed with a completely randomized design using repeated measurements in time. Rectal and skin temperatures, as well as respiratory frequency, were higher (P < 0.01) in summer than spring at all measured days. Blood serum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and chlorine concentrations were lower (P < 0.01) in summer than spring at 0800 and 1800 hours. In contrast, summer heat stress increased (P < 0.01) blood urea and potassium concentrations at 0800 and 1800 hours. Compared with spring thermoneutral conditions, summer heat stress affected the physiological and metabolic status of hair breed ewes in an arid region, which included blood metabolite and electrolyte adjustments to efficiently cope with summer heat stress.

  6. A Method of High Throughput Monitoring Crop Physiology Using Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Multispectral Imaging.

    PubMed

    Wang, Heng; Qian, Xiangjie; Zhang, Lan; Xu, Sailong; Li, Haifeng; Xia, Xiaojian; Dai, Liankui; Xu, Liang; Yu, Jingquan; Liu, Xu

    2018-01-01

    We present a high throughput crop physiology condition monitoring system and corresponding monitoring method. The monitoring system can perform large-area chlorophyll fluorescence imaging and multispectral imaging. The monitoring method can determine the crop current condition continuously and non-destructively. We choose chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and relative reflectance of multispectral as the indicators of crop physiological status. Using tomato as experiment subject, the typical crop physiological stress, such as drought, nutrition deficiency and plant disease can be distinguished by the monitoring method. Furthermore, we have studied the correlation between the physiological indicators and the degree of stress. Besides realizing the continuous monitoring of crop physiology, the monitoring system and method provide the possibility of machine automatic diagnosis of the plant physiology. Highlights: A newly designed high throughput crop physiology monitoring system and the corresponding monitoring method are described in this study. Different types of stress can induce distinct fluorescence and spectral characteristics, which can be used to evaluate the physiological status of plants.

  7. Physiological and psychosocial factors that predict HIV-related fatigue.

    PubMed

    Barroso, Julie; Hammill, Bradley G; Leserman, Jane; Salahuddin, Naima; Harmon, James L; Pence, Brian Wells

    2010-12-01

    Fatigue is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms experienced by HIV-infected people. We report the results of our longitudinal analysis of physiological and psychosocial factors that were thought to predict changes in HIV-related fatigue in 128 participants over a 1-year period, in an effort to sort out the complex interplay among a comprehensive set of physiological and psychosocial variables. Physiological measures included hepatic function (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, hepatitis C status), thyroid function (thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroxine), HIV viral load, immunologic function (CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 ratio, CD16, CD8CD38), gonadal function (testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone), hematologic function (hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum erythropoietin), and cellular injury (lactic acid). Psychosocial measures included childhood and adult trauma, anxiety, depression, social support, stressful life events, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Unemployment, not being on antiretroviral therapy, having fewer years since HIV diagnosis, more childhood trauma, more stressful life events, less social support, and more psychological distress (e.g., PTSD, anxiety and depression) put HIV-infected persons at risk for greater fatigue intensity and fatigue-related impairment in functioning during 1-year follow-up. Physiological variables did not predict greater fatigue. Stressful life events had both direct and indirect effects on fatigue.

  8. Effects of short-term fasting on stress physiology, body condition, and locomotor activity in wintering male white-crowned sparrows.

    PubMed

    Krause, Jesse S; Pérez, Jonathan H; Meddle, Simone L; Wingfield, John C

    2017-08-01

    For wild free-living animals the availability of food resources can be greatly affected by environmental perturbations such as weather events. In response to environmental perturbations, animals activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to adjust physiology and behavior. The literature asserts that during weather events food intake declines leading to changes in HPA axis activity, as measured by both baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid concentrations. Here we investigated how body condition, locomotor activity, and stress physiology were affected by varying lengths of a fast (1, 2, 6, and 24h; similar to that experienced by free-living birds) compared to when food was provided ad libitum in captive wintering male white-crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii, exposed to a short day photoperiod. Baseline corticosterone concentrations were increased for all fasting durations but were highest in 6 and 24h fasted birds. Stress-induced corticosterone was elevated in 1h fasted birds with a trend for the 2h of fast; no other differences were found. Baseline corticosterone concentrations were negatively related to both total fat scores and body mass. All birds lost body mass regardless of fast length but birds fasted for 24h lost the most. Fat scores declined in the 6 and 24h groups, and no measureable changes were detected in pectoralis muscle profile. Locomotor activity was increased over the entire period in which food was removed regardless of fasting duration. Together this suggests that reduced food availability is responsible, at least in part, for the rapid elevation both baseline corticosterone under any duration of fast and stress-induced concentrations during short-term fasts. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Analysis of Gene Expression and Physiological Responses in Three Mexican Maize Landraces under Drought Stress and Recovery Irrigation

    PubMed Central

    Hayano-Kanashiro, Corina; Calderón-Vázquez, Carlos; Ibarra-Laclette, Enrique; Herrera-Estrella, Luis; Simpson, June

    2009-01-01

    Background Drought is one of the major constraints for plant productivity worldwide. Different mechanisms of drought-tolerance have been reported for several plant species including maize. However, the differences in global gene expression between drought-tolerant and susceptible genotypes and their relationship to physiological adaptations to drought are largely unknown. The study of the differences in global gene expression between tolerant and susceptible genotypes could provide important information to design more efficient breeding programs to produce maize varieties better adapted to water limiting conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings Changes in physiological responses and gene expression patterns were studied under drought stress and recovery in three Mexican maize landraces which included two drought tolerant (Cajete criollo and Michoacán 21) and one susceptible (85-2) genotypes. Photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, soil and leaf water potentials were monitored throughout the experiment and microarray analysis was carried out on transcripts obtained at 10 and 17 days following application of stress and after recovery irrigation. The two tolerant genotypes show more drastic changes in global gene expression which correlate with different physiological mechanisms of adaptation to drought. Differences in the kinetics and number of up- and down-regulated genes were observed between the tolerant and susceptible maize genotypes, as well as differences between the two tolerant genotypes. Interestingly, the most dramatic differences between the tolerant and susceptible genotypes were observed during recovery irrigation, suggesting that the tolerant genotypes activate mechanisms that allow more efficient recovery after a severe drought. Conclusions/Significance A correlation between levels of photosynthesis and transcription under stress was observed and differences in the number, type and expression levels of transcription factor families were also

  10. Prediction of rectal temperature using non-invasive physiologic variable measurements in hair pregnant ewes subjected to natural conditions of heat stress.

    PubMed

    Vicente-Pérez, Ricardo; Avendaño-Reyes, Leonel; Mejía-Vázquez, Ángel; Álvarez-Valenzuela, F Daniel; Correa-Calderón, Abelardo; Mellado, Miguel; Meza-Herrera, Cesar A; Guerra-Liera, Juan E; Robinson, P H; Macías-Cruz, Ulises

    2016-01-01

    Rectal temperature (RT) is the foremost physiological variable indicating if an animal is suffering hyperthermia. However, this variable is traditionally measured by invasive methods, which may compromise animal welfare. Models to predict RT have been developed for growing pigs and lactating dairy cows, but not for pregnant heat-stressed ewes. Our aim was to develop a prediction equation for RT using non-invasive physiological variables in pregnant ewes under heat stress. A total of 192 records of respiratory frequency (RF) and hair coat temperature in various body regions (i.e., head, rump, flank, shoulder, and belly) obtained from 24 Katahdin × Pelibuey pregnant multiparous ewes were collected during the last third of gestation (i.e., d 100 to lambing) with a 15 d sampling interval. Hair coat temperatures were taken using infrared thermal imaging technology. Initially, a Pearson correlation analysis examined the relationship among variables, and then multiple linear regression analysis was used to develop the prediction equations. All predictor variables were positively correlated (P<0.01; r=0.59-0.67) with RT. The adjusted equation which best predicted RT (P<0.01; Radj(2)=56.15%; CV=0.65%) included as predictors RF and head and belly temperatures. Comparison of predicted and observed values for RT indicates a suitable agreement (P<0.01) between them with moderate accuracy (Radj(2)=56.15%) when RT was calculated with the adjusted equation. In general, the final equation does not violate any assumption of multiple regression analysis. The RT in heat-stressed pregnant ewes can be predicted with an adequate accuracy using non-invasive physiologic variables, and the final equation was: RT=35.57+0.004 (RF)+0.067 (heat temperature)+0.028 (belly temperature). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Genetic Code Expansion: A Powerful Tool for Understanding the Physiological Consequences of Oxidative Stress Protein Modifications.

    PubMed

    Porter, Joseph J; Mehl, Ryan A

    2018-01-01

    Posttranslational modifications resulting from oxidation of proteins (Ox-PTMs) are present intracellularly under conditions of oxidative stress as well as basal conditions. In the past, these modifications were thought to be generic protein damage, but it has become increasingly clear that Ox-PTMs can have specific physiological effects. It is an arduous task to distinguish between the two cases, as multiple Ox-PTMs occur simultaneously on the same protein, convoluting analysis. Genetic code expansion (GCE) has emerged as a powerful tool to overcome this challenge as it allows for the site-specific incorporation of an Ox-PTM into translated protein. The resulting homogeneously modified protein products can then be rigorously characterized for the effects of individual Ox-PTMs. We outline the strengths and weaknesses of GCE as they relate to the field of oxidative stress and Ox-PTMs. An overview of the Ox-PTMs that have been genetically encoded and applications of GCE to the study of Ox-PTMs, including antibody validation and therapeutic development, is described.

  12. Physiological stress and post-release mortality of white marlin (Kajikia albida) caught in the United States recreational fishery

    PubMed Central

    Schlenker, Lela S.; Latour, Robert J.; Brill, Richard W.; Graves, John E.

    2016-01-01

    White marlin, a highly migratory pelagic marine fish, support important commercial and recreational fisheries throughout their range in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean. More than 10 000 individuals can be caught annually in the United States recreational fishery, of which the vast majority are captured on circle hooks and released alive. The probability of post-release mortality of white marlin released from circle hooks has been documented to be <0.02, but the associated physiological stress resulting from capture and handling techniques has not been characterized despite its importance for understanding the health of released fish. We examined the physiological response of 68 white marlin caught on circle hooks in the recreational fishery and followed the fate of 22 of these fish with pop-up satellite archival tags programmed to release after 30 days. Measures of plasma sodium, chloride, glucose and lactate concentrations taken from fish that were briefly and consistently (mean = 120 s, standard deviation = 40 s) removed from the water increased with angling time, but post-release mortality was inversely related to angling time. The probability of post-release mortality was predicted by elevated plasma potassium concentrations and was more than 10 times greater than has been previously reported for white marlin caught on circle hooks that were not removed from the water. This disparity in estimates of post-release mortality suggests that removal of fish from the water for physiological sampling greatly heightens stress, disrupts homeostasis and thus increases the probability of post-release mortality. Our results demonstrate that elevated concentrations of plasma potassium predict mortality in white marlin and that the probability of post-release mortality is highly dependent on post-capture handling procedures. PMID:27293745

  13. CO2 enrichment affects eco-physiological growth of maize and alfalfa under different water stress regimes in the UAE.

    PubMed

    Ksiksi, Taoufik Saleh; Ppoyil, Shaijal Babu Thru; Palakkott, Abdul Rasheed

    2018-03-01

    Water stress has been reported to alter morphology and physiology of plants affecting chlorophyll content, stomatal size and density. In this study, drought stress mitigating effects of CO 2 enrichment was assessed in greenhouse conditions in the hot climate of UAE. Commercially purchased maize ( Zea mays L.) and alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) were seeded in three different custom-built cage structures, inside a greenhouse. One cage was kept at 1000 ppm CO 2 , the second at 700 ppm CO 2 , and the third at ambient greenhouse CO 2 environment (i.e. 435 ppm). Three water stress treatments HWS (200 ml per week), MWS (400 ml per week), and CWS (600 ml per week) were given to each cage so that five maize pots and five alfalfa pots in each cage received same water stress treatments. In maize, total chlorophyll content was similar or higher in water stress treatments compared to control for all CO 2 concentrations. Stomatal lengths were higher in enriched CO 2 environments under water stress. At 700 ppm CO 2 , stomatal widths decreased as water stress increased from MWS to HWS. At both enriched CO 2 environments, stomatal densities decreased compared to ambient CO 2 environment. In alfalfa, there was no significant increase in total chlorophyll content under enriched CO 2 environments, even though a slight increase was noticed.

  14. Adolescent Conflict Appraisals Moderate the Link Between Marital Conflict and Physiological Stress Reactivity.

    PubMed

    Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G; Lunkenheimer, Erika S; Granger, Douglas A

    2017-03-01

    The goal of this study was to advance understanding of how adolescent conflict appraisals contribute uniquely, and in combination with interparental conflict behavior, to individual differences in adolescent physiological reactivity. Saliva samples were collected from 153 adolescents (52% female; ages 10-17 years) before and after the Trier Social Stress Test. Saliva was assayed for cortisol and alpha-amylase. Results revealed interactive effects between marital conflict and conflict appraisals. For youth who appraised parental conflict negatively (particularly as threatening), negative marital conflict predicted dampened reactivity; for youth who appraised parental conflict less negatively, negative marital conflict predicted heightened reactivity. These findings support the notion that the family context and youth appraisals of family relationships are linked with individual differences in biological sensitivity to context. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2016 Society for Research on Adolescence.

  15. Enhanced negative emotion and alcohol craving, and altered physiological responses following stress and cue exposure in alcohol dependent individuals.

    PubMed

    Sinha, Rajita; Fox, Helen C; Hong, Kwangik A; Bergquist, Keri; Bhagwagar, Zubin; Siedlarz, Kristen M

    2009-04-01

    Chronic alcohol abuse is associated with changes in stress and reward pathways that could alter vulnerability to emotional stress and alcohol craving. This study examines whether chronic alcohol abuse is associated with altered stress and alcohol craving responses. Treatment-engaged, 28-day abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals (ADs; 6F/22M), and social drinkers (SDs; 10F/18M) were exposed to a brief guided imagery of a personalized stressful, alcohol-related and neutral-relaxing situation, one imagery condition per session, presented in random order across 3 days. Alcohol craving, anxiety and emotion ratings, behavioral distress responses, heart rate, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol measures were assessed. Alcohol patients showed significantly elevated basal heart rate and salivary cortisol levels. Stress and alcohol cue exposure each produced a significantly enhanced and persistent craving state in alcohol patients that was marked by increased anxiety, negative emotion, systolic blood pressure responses, and, in the case of alcohol cue, behavioral distress responses, as compared to SDs. Blunted stress-induced cortisol responses were observed in the AD compared to the SD group. These data are the first to document that stress and cue exposure induce a persistent negative emotion-related alcohol craving state in abstinent alcoholics accompanied by dysregulated HPA and physiological arousal responses. As laboratory models of stress and negative mood-induced alcohol craving are predictive of relapse outcomes, one implication of the current data is that treatments targeting decreases in stress and alcohol cue-induced craving and regulation of stress responses could be of benefit in improving alcohol relapse outcomes.

  16. [Physiological responses of five plants in northwest China arid area under drought stress].

    PubMed

    Ding, Long; Zhao, Hui Min; Zeng, Wen Jing; Li, Qing; Wang, Yang; Wang, Si Qing

    2017-05-18

    Effects of drought stress on photosynthetic characteristics, water status, physiological and biochemical indexes were studied in five arid area plants in northwest China, including Potentilla fruticosa, Lycium ruthenicum, Caryopteris mongholica, Caragana korshinskii and Hedysarum scoparium, using pot experiments. The results showed that with the prolongation of drought stress, the water conservation capacity of leaves totally increased in above five plants, the leaf relative water content rose first and then fell, and the relative chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters decreased to some extent. Overall, the photosynthetic system of H. scoparium and L. ruthenicum least affected by the stress, and P. fruticosa suffered with the most serious damage. The electric conductivity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content of P. fruticosa firstly decreased and then sharply increased, while superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities firstly increased and then dramatically decreased. With the decrease of soil water content, the electric conductivity rose firstly and then fell in the other four plants,the change of MDA content rose first and then fell, or fell first and then rose, and the activities of SOD and POD almost displayed upward trend. Especially, SOD activity of C. mongholica and POD activity of H. scoparium had the biggest increment among the five plants after 28 days of drought stress, increasing by 1.1 and 13.1 times respectively, compared with before processing. Additionally, there was significant variance in the accumulation of organic solutes among the five plants during the drought stress treatment. The accumulation of soluble sugar and free proline was the most in P. fruticosa, increasing by 1.1 and 22.4 times respectively, after 28 days of drought treatment. H. sco-parium accumulated the most soluble protein, increasing by 1.0 times after 28 days of drought treatment. The result of membership function method showed that the

  17. Deciphering the protective role of spermidine against saline-alkaline stress at physiological and proteomic levels in tomato.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Hao; Zou, Zhi-Rong; Liu, Yi; Hu, Xiao-Hui

    2015-02-01

    In this research, the protective effect of spermidine (Spd) in mitigating saline-alkaline stress in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) at physiological and proteomic levels were examined. The results showed that saline-alkaline stress induced accumulation of H2O2 and O2(-*), and increased the activities of antioxidase (SOD, CAT, and POD). Spermidine efficiently alleviated the inhibitory role of saline-alkaline on plant growth and inhibited saline-alkaline stress-induced H2O2 and O2(-*) accumulation. Proteomics investigations of the leaves of tomato seedlings, responding to a 75 mM saline-alkaline solution and 0.25 mM Spd, were performed. Maps of the proteome of leaf extracts were obtained by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. An average of 49, 47 and 34 spots, which appeared repeatedly and that significantly altered the relative amounts of polypeptides by more than twofold, were detected for seedlings treated with saline-alkaline solution (S) compared to normal solution (CK), saline-alkaline plus spermidine (MS) compared to CK, or S versus MS, respectively. Thirty-nine of these proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and were classified into five functional categories, including energy and metabolism, signal transduction, amino acid metabolism, protein metabolism, and stress-defense response. Proteomics analysis coupled with bioinformatics indicated that Spd treatment helps tomato seedlings combat saline-alkaline stress by modulating the defense mechanism of plants and activating cellular detoxification, which protect plants from oxidative damage induced by saline-alkaline stress. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Medical legacy of Apollo. [physiological effects of stresses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berry, C. A.

    1974-01-01

    Since Apollo crews enjoyed freedom of movement and experienced many of the same problems as earlier crews, confinement had to be ruled out in the etiology of space flight-related changes. Apollo was a mission of physiological firsts: the first inflight illnesses were reported, and a series of cardiac arrhythmias occurred. The most important physiological changes were decreased cardiovascular responsiveness, reduced red blood cell mass, and musculoskeletal deterioration. Vestibular-related problems were also noted for the first time. Crewmen lost weight as a result of a hypocaloric regimen inflight and a tendency to lose body tissue under hypogravic conditions. Aldosterone production increased causing some intracellular fluid loss. Very few of the crewmen experienced any psychological problems after Apollo.

  19. Physiological integration enhanced the tolerance of Cynodon dactylon to flooding.

    PubMed

    Li, Z J; Fan, D Y; Chen, F Q; Yuan, Q Y; Chow, W S; Xie, Z Q

    2015-03-01

    Many flooding-tolerant species are clonal plants; however, the effects of physiological integration on plant responses to flooding have received limited attention. We hypothesise that flooding can trigger changes in metabolism of carbohydrates and ROS (reactive oxygen species) in clonal plants, and that physiological integration can ameliorate the adverse effects of stress, subsequently restoring the growth of flooded ramets. In the present study, we conducted a factorial experiment combining flooding to apical ramets and stolon severing (preventing physiological integration) between apical and basal ramets of Cynodon dactylon, which is a stoloniferous perennial grass with considerable flooding tolerance. Flooding-induced responses including decreased root biomass, accumulation of soluble sugar and starch, as well as increased activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in apical ramets. Physiological integration relieved growth inhibition, carbohydrate accumulation and induction of antioxidant enzyme activity in stressed ramets, as expected, without any observable cost in unstressed ramets. We speculate that relief of flooding stress in clonal plants may rely on oxidising power and electron acceptors transferred between ramets through physiological integration. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  20. Comparative efficacy of dexamethasone or corticotropin releasing hormone and vasopressin administration as a model to induce chronic physiological stress in beef cattle

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The objective of this study was to delineate a model for chronic stress by evaluating physiological and hematological alterations in cattle administered: 1) 0.5 mg/kg body weight dexamethasone (DEX) once daily at 10am for 3 days consecutively, or 2) 0.3 micrograms/kg body weight corticotropin releas...

  1. Personalized physiological medicine.

    PubMed

    Ince, Can

    2017-12-28

    This paper introduces the concept of personalized physiological medicine that is specifically directed at the needs of the critically ill patient. This differs from the conventional view of personalized medicine, characterized by biomarkers and gene profiling, instead focusing on time-variant changes in the pathophysiology and regulation of various organ systems and their cellular and subcellular constituents. I propose that personalized physiological medicine is composed of four pillars relevant to the critically ill patient. Pillar 1 is defined by the frailty and fitness of the patient and their physiological reserve to cope with the stress of critical illness and therapy. Pillar 2 involves monitoring of the key physiological variables of the different organ systems and their response to disease and therapy. Pillar 3 concerns the evaluation of the success of resuscitation by assessment of the hemodynamic coherence between the systemic and microcirculation and parenchyma of the organ systems. Finally, pillar 4 is defined by the integration of the physiological and clinical data into a time-learning adaptive model of the patient to provide feedback about the function of organ systems and to guide and assess the response to disease and therapy. I discuss each pillar and describe the challenges to research and development that will allow the realization of personalized physiological medicine to be practiced at the bedside for critically ill patients.

  2. Impact of human emotions on physiological characteristics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Partila, P.; Voznak, M.; Peterek, T.; Penhaker, M.; Novak, V.; Tovarek, J.; Mehic, Miralem; Vojtech, L.

    2014-05-01

    Emotional states of humans and their impact on physiological and neurological characteristics are discussed in this paper. This problem is the goal of many teams who have dealt with this topic. Nowadays, it is necessary to increase the accuracy of methods for obtaining information about correlations between emotional state and physiological changes. To be able to record these changes, we focused on two majority emotional states. Studied subjects were psychologically stimulated to neutral - calm and then to the stress state. Electrocardiography, Electroencephalography and blood pressure represented neurological and physiological samples that were collected during patient's stimulated conditions. Speech activity was recording during the patient was reading selected text. Feature extraction was calculated by speech processing operations. Classifier based on Gaussian Mixture Model was trained and tested using Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients extracted from the patient's speech. All measurements were performed in a chamber with electromagnetic compatibility. The article discusses a method for determining the influence of stress emotional state on the human and his physiological and neurological changes.

  3. Kangaroo care by fathers and mothers: comparison of physiological and stress responses in preterm infants.

    PubMed

    Srinath, B K; Shah, J; Kumar, P; Shah, P S

    2016-05-01

    To compare physiological and biochemical responses in stable preterm neonates and their parents following kangaroo mother care (KMC) and kangaroo father care (KFC). We conducted a prospective cross-over design study of stable preterm neonates of <35 weeks gestation in a tertiary Neonatal Unit in Toronto. All neonates received KMC and KFC for 1 h on consecutive days in a random order. Heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and salivary cortisol in infants before and after kangaroo care and heart rate, temperature and salivary cortisol in parents before and after kangaroo care were measured. Pairwise comparisons of changes in these measures were analyzed. Twenty-six sets of neonates and their parents were studied for physiological parameters, of which 19 had adequate samples for salivary cortisol assessment. The infants had a mean birth weight of 1096 g (s.d.=217) and a mean postmenstrual age at study of 32 weeks (s.d.=2). There were no significant differences in the changes in mean heart rate (P=0.51), temperature (P=0.37), oxygen saturation (P=0.50), systolic blood pressure (P=0.32), mean blood pressure (0.10) and salivary cortisol (P=0.50) before and after KMC or KFC in the neonates. The changes in mean heart rate (P=0.62), temperature (P=0.28) and salivary cortisol (P=0.59) before and after kangaroo care were similar between mothers and fathers. No significant differences in physiological and stress responses were identified following KMC or KFC in preterm neonates. KFC may be as safe and as effective as KMC.

  4. STRESS ETHYLENE PRODUCTION - A MEASURE OF PLANT RESPONSE TO STRESS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Contents: Introduction to the symposium; Environmental data acquisition; Plant organ chambers in plant physiology field research; Interpreting the metabolic responses of plants to water stress; Stress ethylene production.

  5. Identification of resilient individuals and those at risk for performance deficits under stress.

    PubMed

    Winslow, Brent D; Carroll, Meredith B; Martin, Jonathan W; Surpris, Glenn; Chadderdon, George L

    2015-01-01

    Human task performance is affected by exposure to physiological and psychological stress. The ability to measure the physiological response to stressors and correlate that to task performance could be used to identify resilient individuals or those at risk for stress-related performance decrements. Accomplishing this prior to performance under severe stress or the development of clinical stress disorders could facilitate focused preparation such as tailoring training to individual needs. Here we measure the effects of stress on physiological response and performance through behavior, physiological sensors, and subjective ratings, and identify which individuals are at risk for stress-related performance decrements. Participants performed military-relevant training tasks under stress in a virtual environment, with autonomic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) reactivity analyzed. Self-reported stress, as well as physiological indices of stress, increased in the group pre-exposed to socioevaluative stress. Stress response was effectively captured via electrodermal and cardiovascular measures of heart rate and skin conductance level. A resilience classification algorithm was developed based upon physiological reactivity, which correlated with baseline unstressed physiological and self-reported stress values. Outliers were identified in the experimental group that had a significant mismatch between self-reported stress and salivary cortisol. Baseline stress measurements were predictive of individual resilience to stress, including the impact stress had on physiological reactivity and performance. Such an approach may have utility in identifying individuals at risk for problems performing under severe stress. Continuing work has focused on adapting this method for military personnel, and assessing the utility of various coping and decision-making strategies on performance and physiological stress.

  6. The social transmission of risk: Maternal stress physiology, synchronous parenting, and well-being mediate the effects of war exposure on child psychopathology.

    PubMed

    Halevi, Galit; Djalovski, Amir; Kanat-Maymon, Yaniv; Yirmiya, Karen; Zagoory-Sharon, Orna; Koren, Lee; Feldman, Ruth

    2017-11-01

    While chronic early stress increases child susceptibility to psychopathology, risk and resilience trajectories are shaped by maternal social influences whose role requires much further research in longitudinal studies. We examined the social transmission of risk by assessing paths leading from war-exposure to child symptoms as mediated by 3 sources of maternal social influence; stress physiology, synchronous parenting, and psychiatric disorder. Mothers and children living in a zone of continuous war were assessed in early childhood (1.5-5 years) and the current study revisited families in late (9-11years) childhood (N = 177; N = 101 war-exposed; N = 76 controls). At both time-points, maternal and child's salivary cortisol (SC), social behavior, and externalizing and internalizing symptoms were assessed. In late childhood, hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) were also measured and mother and child underwent psychiatric diagnosis. The social transmission model was tested against 2 alternative models; 1 proposing direct impact of war on children without maternal mediation, the other predicting late-childhood symptoms from early childhood variables, not change trajectories. Path analysis controlling for early childhood variables supported our conceptual model. Whereas maternal psychopathology was directly linked with child symptoms, defining direct mediation, the impact of maternal stress hormones was indirect and passed through stress contagion mechanisms involving coupling between maternal and child's HCC and SC. Similarly, maternal synchrony linked with child social engagement as the pathway to reduced symptomatology. Findings underscore the critical role of maternal stress physiology, attuned behavior, and well-being in shaping child psychopathology amid adversity and specify direct and indirect paths by which mothers stand between war and the child. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Thermal Stress

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-01

    can have a significant impact on normal physiological functioning if precipitous increases in core temperature are not adequately controlled with...anterior hypothalamusIntroduction Thermal stress can have a significant impact on normal physiological functioning if precipitous increases in core...fat and skin). The regulation of a relatively constant internal temperature is critical for normal physiological functioning of tissues and cells, as

  8. Physiological Effects of Kaolin Applications in Well-irrigated and Water-stressed Walnut and Almond Trees

    PubMed Central

    ROSATI, A.; METCALF, S. G.; BUCHNER, R. P.; FULTON, A. E.; LAMPINEN, B. D.

    2006-01-01

    • Background and Aims Kaolin applications have been used to mitigate the negative effects of water and heat stress on plant physiology and productivity with variable results, ranging from increased to decreased yields and photosynthetic rates. The mechanisms of action of kaolin applications are not clear: although the increased albedo reduces leaf temperature and the consequent heat stress, it also reduces the light available for photosynthesis, possibly offsetting benefits of lower temperature. The objective of this study was to investigate which of these effects are prevalent and under which conditions. • Methods A 6 % kaolin suspension was applied on well-irrigated and water-stressed walnut (Juglans regia) and almond (Prunus dulcis) trees. Water status (i.e. stem water potential, Ψs), gas exchange (i.e. light-saturated CO2 assimilation rate, Amax; stomatal conductance, gs), leaf temperature (Tl) and physiological relationships in treated and control trees were then measured and compared. • Key Results In both species, kaolin did not affect the daily course of Ψs whereas it reduced Amax by 1–4 μmol CO2 m–2 s–1 throughout the day in all combinations of species and irrigation treatments. Kaolin did not reduce gs in any situation. Consequently, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) was always greater in treated trees than in controls, suggesting that the reduction of Amax with kaolin was not due to stomatal limitations. Kaolin reduced leaf temperature (Tl) by about 1–3 °C and leaf-to-air vapour pressure difference (VPDl) by about 0·1–0·7 kPa. Amax was lower at all values of gs, Tl and VPDl in kaolin-treated trees. Kaolin affected the photosynthetic response to the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in almond leaves: kaolin-coated leaves had similar dark respiration rates and light-saturated photosynthesis, but a higher light compensation point and lower apparent quantum yield, while the photosynthetic light-response curve saturated at

  9. [Characteristics of the sympathoadrenal system response to psychoemotional stress under hypoxic conditions in aged people with physiological and accelerated aging of the respiratory system].

    PubMed

    Asanov, E O; Os'mak, Ie D; Kuz'mins'ka, L A

    2013-01-01

    The peculiarities of the response of the sympathoadrenal system to psychoemotional and hypoxic stress in healthy young people and in aged people with physiological and accelerated aging of respiratory system were studied. It was shown that in aging a more pronounced response of the sympathoadrenal system to psychoemotional stress. At the same time, elderly people with different types of aging of the respiratory system did not demonstrate a difference in the response of the sympathoadrenal system to psychoemotional stress. Unlike in young people, in aged people, combination of psychoemotional and hypoxic stresses resulted in further activation of the sympathoadrenal system. The reaction of the sympathoadrenal system was more expressed in elderly people with accelerated ageing of the respiratory system.

  10. Physiological and Psychosocial Factors that Predict HIV-Related Fatigue

    PubMed Central

    Hammill, Bradley G.; Leserman, Jane; Salahuddin, Naima; Harmon, James L.; Pence, Brian Wells

    2010-01-01

    Fatigue is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms experienced by HIV-infected people. We report the results of our longitudinal analysis of physiological and psychosocial factors that were thought to predict changes in HIV-related fatigue in 128 participants over a 1-year period, in an effort to sort out the complex interplay among a comprehensive set of physiological and psychosocial variables. Physiological measures included hepatic function (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, hepatitis C status), thyroid function (thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroxine), HIV viral load, immunologic function (CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 ratio, CD16, CD8CD38), gonadal function (testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone), hematologic function (hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum erythropoietin), and cellular injury (lactic acid). Psychosocial measures included childhood and adult trauma, anxiety, depression, social support, stressful life events, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Unemployment, not being on antiretroviral therapy, having fewer years since HIV diagnosis, more childhood trauma, more stressful life events, less social support, and more psychological distress (e.g., PTSD, anxiety and depression) put HIV-infected persons at risk for greater fatigue intensity and fatigue-related impairment in functioning during 1-year follow-up. Physiological variables did not predict greater fatigue. Stressful life events had both direct and indirect effects on fatigue. PMID:20352317

  11. Physiological responses in air traffic control personnel : Houston Intercontinental Tower.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1973-12-01

    Biochemical and physiological indices of stress showed that the level of stress of 16 air traffic controllers at the Houston Intercontinental Airport Tower was indistinguishable from that of control populations. While the level of stress was lower th...

  12. Non-Invasive Assessment of the Interrelationships of Diet, Pregnancy Rate, Group Composition, and Physiological and Nutritional Stress of Barren-Ground Caribou in Late Winter

    PubMed Central

    Joly, Kyle; Wasser, Samuel K.; Booth, Rebecca

    2015-01-01

    The winter diet of barren-ground caribou may affect adult survival, timing of parturition, neonatal survival, and postpartum mass. We used microhistological analyses and hormone levels in feces to determine sex-specific late-winter diets, pregnancy rates, group composition, and endocrine-based measures of physiological and nutritional stress. Lichens, which are highly digestible but contain little protein, dominated the diet (> 68%) but were less prevalent in the diets of pregnant females as compared to non-pregnant females and males. The amount of lichens in the diets of pregnant females decreased at higher latitudes and as winter progressed. Pregnancy rates (82.1%, 95% CI = 76.0 – 88.1%) of adult cows were within the expected range for a declining herd, while pregnancy status was not associated with lichen abundance in the diet. Most groups (80%) were of mixed sex. Male: female ratios (62:100) were not skewed enough to affect the decline. Levels of hormones indicating nutritional stress were detected in areas of low habitat quality and at higher latitudes. Levels of hormones indicated that physiological stress was greatest for pregnant cows, which faced the increasing demands of gestation in late winter. These fecal-based measures of diet and stress provided contextual information for the potential mechanisms of the ongoing decline. Non-invasive techniques, such as monitoring diets, pregnancy rates, sex ratios and stress levels from fecal samples, will become increasingly important as monitoring tools as the industrial footprint continues to expand in the Arctic. PMID:26061003

  13. Oxidative stress adaptation with acute, chronic, and repeated stress.

    PubMed

    Pickering, Andrew M; Vojtovich, Lesya; Tower, John; A Davies, Kelvin J

    2013-02-01

    Oxidative stress adaptation, or hormesis, is an important mechanism by which cells and organisms respond to, and cope with, environmental and physiological shifts in the level of oxidative stress. Most studies of oxidative stress adaption have been limited to adaptation induced by acute stress. In contrast, many if not most environmental and physiological stresses are either repeated or chronic. In this study we find that both cultured mammalian cells and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster are capable of adapting to chronic or repeated stress by upregulating protective systems, such as their proteasomal proteolytic capacity to remove oxidized proteins. Repeated stress adaptation resulted in significant extension of adaptive responses. Repeated stresses must occur at sufficiently long intervals, however (12-h or more for MEF cells and 7 days or more for flies), for adaptation to be successful, and the levels of both repeated and chronic stress must be lower than is optimal for adaptation to acute stress. Regrettably, regimens of adaptation to both repeated and chronic stress that were successful for short-term survival in Drosophila nevertheless also caused significant reductions in life span for the flies. Thus, although both repeated and chronic stress can be tolerated, they may result in a shorter life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Assessment of physiological parameters in response to an endotoxin challenge in crossbred steer progeny sired by Brahman bulls that experienced prenatal transportation stress

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The objective of this experiment was to assess physiological responses to an endotoxin challenge in crossbred male progeny whose Brahman sires experienced prenatal transportation stress (PS) in utero. Sixteen steers (PNS group) sired by 3 PS bulls (gestating dams were transported for 2 h at 60, 80, ...

  15. Physiological Employment Standards III: physiological challenges and consequences encountered during international military deployments.

    PubMed

    Nindl, Bradley C; Castellani, John W; Warr, Bradley J; Sharp, Marilyn A; Henning, Paul C; Spiering, Barry A; Scofield, Dennis E

    2013-11-01

    Modern international military deployments in austere environments (i.e., Iraq and Afghanistan) place considerable physiological demands on soldiers. Significant physiological challenges exist: maintenance of physical fitness and body composition, rigors of external load carriage, environmental extremes (heat, cold, and altitude), medical illnesses, musculoskeletal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and environmental exposure hazards (i.e., burn pits, vehicle exhaust, etc.). To date there is very little published research and no comprehensive reviews on the physiological effects of deployments. The purpose of this paper is to overview what is currently known from the literature related mainly to current military conflicts with regard to the challenges and consequences from deployments. Summary findings include: (1) aerobic capacity declines while muscle strength, power and muscular endurance appear to be maintained, (2) load carriage continues to tax the physical capacities of the Soldier, (3) musculoskeletal injuries comprise the highest proportion of all injury categories, (4) environmental insults occur from both terrestrial extremes and pollutant exposure, and (5) post-deployment concerns linger for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. A full understanding of these responses will assist in identifying the most effective risk mitigation strategies to ensure deployment readiness and to assist in establishment of military employment standards.

  16. The Physiology of Adventitious Roots1

    PubMed Central

    Steffens, Bianka; Rasmussen, Amanda

    2016-01-01

    Adventitious roots are plant roots that form from any nonroot tissue and are produced both during normal development (crown roots on cereals and nodal roots on strawberry [Fragaria spp.]) and in response to stress conditions, such as flooding, nutrient deprivation, and wounding. They are important economically (for cuttings and food production), ecologically (environmental stress response), and for human existence (food production). To improve sustainable food production under environmentally extreme conditions, it is important to understand the adventitious root development of crops both in normal and stressed conditions. Therefore, understanding the regulation and physiology of adventitious root formation is critical for breeding programs. Recent work shows that different adventitious root types are regulated differently, and here, we propose clear definitions of these classes. We use three case studies to summarize the physiology of adventitious root development in response to flooding (case study 1), nutrient deficiency (case study 2), and wounding (case study 3). PMID:26697895

  17. Desiccation stress and tolerance in green algae: consequences for ultrastructure, physiological and molecular mechanisms

    PubMed Central

    Holzinger, Andreas; Karsten, Ulf

    2013-01-01

    mechanisms involved in desiccation-stress physiology of these organisms. The very limited existing information is described in the present review. PMID:23986769

  18. Neuromuscular Stress.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Timothy P.; Kern, Marialice

    1994-01-01

    Discusses exercise-induced stress that results from motor unit recruitment, the impact of recruitment on selected systemic support systems, and some of the environmental overlays that affect the degree of physiological stress. Adaptations to sustained changes in physical activity and muscle and myotendinous injury induced by stress are examined.…

  19. Physiological Responses to Salinity Vary with Proximity to the Ocean in a Coastal Amphibian.

    PubMed

    Hopkins, Gareth R; Brodie, Edmund D; Neuman-Lee, Lorin A; Mohammadi, Shabnam; Brusch, George A; Hopkins, Zoë M; French, Susannah S

    2016-01-01

    Freshwater organisms are increasingly exposed to elevated salinity in their habitats, presenting physiological challenges to homeostasis. Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to osmotic stress and yet are often subject to high salinity in a variety of inland and coastal environments around the world. Here, we examine the physiological responses to elevated salinity of rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) inhabiting a coastal stream on the Pacific coast of North America and compare the physiological responses to salinity stress of newts living in close proximity to the ocean with those of newts living farther upstream. Although elevated salinity significantly affected the osmotic (body weight, plasma osmolality), stress (corticosterone), and immune (bactericidal ability) responses of newts, animals found closer to the ocean were generally less reactive to salt stress than those found farther upstream. Our results provide possible evidence for some physiological tolerance in this species to elevated salinity in coastal environments. As freshwater environments become increasingly saline and more stressful, understanding the physiological tolerances of vulnerable groups such as amphibians will become increasingly important to our understanding of their abilities to respond, to adapt, and, ultimately, to survive.

  20. Growth and physiological responses of two phenotypically distinct accessions of centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.) to salt stress.

    PubMed

    Li, JianJian; Ma, Jingjing; Guo, Hailin; Zong, Junqin; Chen, Jingbo; Wang, Yi; Li, Dandan; Li, Ling; Wang, Jingjing; Liu, Jianxiu

    2018-05-01

    Salinity is one of the major abiotic environmental stress factors affecting plant growth and development. Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides [Munro)] Hack.) is an important warm-season turfgrass species with low turf maintenance requirements, but is sensitive to salinity stress. To explore salt tolerant germplasms in centipedegrass and better understand the growth and physiological responses of centipedegrass to salinity, we conducted anatomic observation and phytochemical quantification, examined growth parameters, and investigated photosynthetic machinery and antioxidant system in two phenotypically distinct centipedegrass accessions under NaCl salt stress. The morphophenotypical difference of the stems in the two accessions mainly depends on whether or not a thickened epidermal horny layer with purple colour was formed, which was caused by anthocyanin accumulation in the tissue. Successive salinity treatment was found to result in an inhibition of leaf growth, a marked decrease in photosynthesis, chlorophyll contents, and the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm). Under the same treatment, purple-stem accession (E092) showed a lower degree of inhibition or decrease than green-stem one (E092-1). With the exception of malondialdehyde level, both proline content and antioxidant enzymes were upregulated to a greater extent in E092 following exposure to salinity condition. Meanwhile, significant enhancements of anthocyanin accumulation and total protein synthesis were detected in E092 after salt treatment, but not in E092-1. These results demonstrated that E092 favor better accumulation of anthocyanins under salinity condition, which contribute to salt tolerance by adjusting physiological functions and osmotic balance, and better maintenance of high turf quality. Hence, genetic phenotype can be utilized as a key indicator in E. ophiuroides breeding for salt-tolerance. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  1. Species and population variation to salinity stress in Panicum hemitomon, Spartina patens, and Spartina alterniflora: Morphological and physiological constraints

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hester, M.W.; Mendelssohn, I.A.; McKee, K.L.

    2001-01-01

    Panicum hemitomon, Spartina patens, and Spartina alterniflora are wide-spread dominant grasses of fresh, brackish, and salt marsh plant communities, respectively. Our previous research identified significant intraspecific variation in salt tolerance and morphology among populations within each species. In this study our objectives were to determine shorter-term physiological/biochemical responses to salinity stress and identify potential indicators of salt tolerance, with the ultimate goal of discerning similarities and differences in the mechanisms of salinity stress resistance. We subjected a subset of six populations within each species, ranging from high to low salt tolerance, to sublethal salinity levels (4, 20, and 30 ppt, respectively, for species) and monitored physiological and growth responses after 1 week (early harvest) and 5 weeks (late harvest). In all three species sublethal salinity levels generally resulted in significantly reduced net CO2 assimilation, leaf expansion, midday leaf xylem pressure, water use efficiency, and live and total biomass; and significantly increased leaf Na+/K+ ratio, leaf proline, leaf glycine betaine, leaf sucrose, root-to-shoot ratio, and dead:total aboveground biomass ratio. All three species displayed significant population (intraspecific) variation in net CO2 assimilation, leaf expansion, water use efficiency, midday leaf xylem pressure, leaf proline, leaf glycine betaine (except Panicum, where it could not be accurately determined), leaf Na+/K+ ratio, leaf sucrose, total plant biomass, dead:total aboveground biomass ratio, and root-to-shoot ratio. General indicators of salt tolerance (regardless of species) included high net CO2 assimilation rates and water use efficiencies, and low ratios of root-to-shoot and dead:total aboveground biomass. Factor analysis and a-priori linear contrasts revealed some unique differences between species in terms of the relative importance of morphology and physiology in explaining

  2. Silicon alleviates simulated acid rain stress of Oryza sativa L. seedlings by adjusting physiology activity and mineral nutrients.

    PubMed

    Ju, Shuming; Wang, Liping; Yin, Ningning; Li, Dan; Wang, Yukun; Zhang, Cuiying

    2017-11-01

    Silicon (Si) has been a modulator in plants under abiotic stresses, such as acid rain. To understand how silicon made an effect on rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to simulated acid rain (SAR) stress, the growth, physiologic activity, and mineral nutrient content in leaves of rice were investigated. The results showed that combined treatments with Si (1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 mM) and SAR (pH 4.0, 3.0, or 2.0) obviously improved the rice growth compared with the single treatment with SAR. Incorporation of Si into SAR treatment decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content; increased soluble protein and proline contents; promoted CAT, POD, SOD, and APX activity; and maintained the K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu content balance in leaves of rice seedlings under SAR stress. The moderate concentration of Si (2.0 mM) was better than the low and high concentration of Si (1.0 and 4.0 mM). Therefore, application of Si could be a better strategy for maintaining the crop productivity in acid rain regions.

  3. Sympathoadrenal balance and physiological stress response in cattle at spontaneous and PGF2α-induced calving.

    PubMed

    Nagel, Christina; Trenk, Lisa; Aurich, Christine; Ille, Natascha; Pichler, Martina; Drillich, Marc; Pohl, Werner; Aurich, Jörg

    2016-03-15

    Increased cortisol release in parturient cows may either represent a stress response or is part of the endocrine changes that initiate calving. Acute stress elicits an increase in heart rate and decrease in heart rate variability (HRV). Therefore, we analyzed cortisol concentration, heart rate and HRV variables standard deviation of beat-to-beat interval (SDRR) and root mean square of successive beat-to-beat intervals (RMSSD) in dairy cows allowed to calve spontaneously (SPON, n = 6) or with PGF2α-induced preterm parturition (PG, n = 6). We hypothesized that calving is a stressor, but induced parturition is less stressful than term calving. Saliva collection for cortisol analysis and electrocardiogram recordings for heart rate and HRV analysis were performed from 32 hours before to 18.3 ± 0.7 hours after delivery. Cortisol concentration increased in SPON and PG cows, peaked 15 minutes after delivery (P < 0.001) but was higher in SPON versus PG cows (P < 0.001) during and within 2 hours after calving. Heart rate peaked during the expulsive phase of labor and was higher in SPON than in PG cows (time × group P < 0.01). The standard deviation of beat-to-beat interval and RMSSD peaked at the end of the expulsive phase of labor (P < 0.001), indicating high vagal activity. Standard deviation of beat-to-beat interval (P < 0.01) and RMSSD (P < 0.05) were higher in SPON versus PG cows. Based on physiological stress parameters, calving is perceived as stressful but expulsion of the calf is associated with a transiently increased vagal tone which may enhance uterine contractility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Identification of resilient individuals and those at risk for performance deficits under stress

    PubMed Central

    Winslow, Brent D.; Carroll, Meredith B.; Martin, Jonathan W.; Surpris, Glenn; Chadderdon, George L.

    2015-01-01

    Human task performance is affected by exposure to physiological and psychological stress. The ability to measure the physiological response to stressors and correlate that to task performance could be used to identify resilient individuals or those at risk for stress-related performance decrements. Accomplishing this prior to performance under severe stress or the development of clinical stress disorders could facilitate focused preparation such as tailoring training to individual needs. Here we measure the effects of stress on physiological response and performance through behavior, physiological sensors, and subjective ratings, and identify which individuals are at risk for stress-related performance decrements. Participants performed military-relevant training tasks under stress in a virtual environment, with autonomic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) reactivity analyzed. Self-reported stress, as well as physiological indices of stress, increased in the group pre-exposed to socioevaluative stress. Stress response was effectively captured via electrodermal and cardiovascular measures of heart rate and skin conductance level. A resilience classification algorithm was developed based upon physiological reactivity, which correlated with baseline unstressed physiological and self-reported stress values. Outliers were identified in the experimental group that had a significant mismatch between self-reported stress and salivary cortisol. Baseline stress measurements were predictive of individual resilience to stress, including the impact stress had on physiological reactivity and performance. Such an approach may have utility in identifying individuals at risk for problems performing under severe stress. Continuing work has focused on adapting this method for military personnel, and assessing the utility of various coping and decision-making strategies on performance and physiological stress. PMID:26441503

  5. A pilot study: the effect of healing touch on anxiety, stress, pain, pain medication usage, and physiological measures in hospitalized sickle cell disease adults experiencing a vaso-occlusive pain episode.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Linda S; Stephenson, Nancy; Swanson, Mel; Jesse, D Elizabeth; Brown, Sylvia

    2013-12-01

    This pilot study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of Healing Touch on anxiety, stress, pain, pain medication usage, and selected physiological measures of hospitalized adults with sickle cell disease experiencing a vaso-occlusive pain episode. Healing Touch sessions were administered for 30 minutes on four consecutive days, and the self-reported data on anxiety, stress, pain, and the selected physiological data were collected while controlling for music and presence. A parallel-group randomized control trial comparing the effects of Healing Touch with Music (HTM) to Attention Control with Music (ACM). Due to the small sample size, there were no statistically significant changes in any between-group comparisons, except for present pain on Day 4 for the ACM group. For both groups, the within-group comparison showed a nonsignificant reduction in physiological parameters, a statistically significant reduction in anxiety and stress for the ACM group after Day 4, and a statistically significant reduction in stress in the HTM group after Days 2 and 4. The pre- to postintervention reductions in present pain were greater in the HTM group across all 4 days, but the only statistically significant within groups findings were in the HTM group (p < .01) on Day 1. Further research is needed.

  6. Pineal-adrenal-immune system relationship under thermal stress: effect on physiological, endocrine, and non-specific immune response in goats.

    PubMed

    Sejian, Veerasamy; Srivastava, Rajendra Swaroop

    2010-12-01

    The purpose of the investigation was to observe the pineal-adrenal-immune system relationships and their influence on non-specific immune response in female goats under short-term thermal stress. Six female goats had been exposed to 40°C and 60% relative humidity in the psychrometric chamber for 17 days. Blood samples were obtained on days 0 and 10 to establish control and thermal stress effects, respectively. Chemical adrenalectomy was achieved by injecting metyrapone (100 mg/kg body weight) followed by exogenous melatonin treatment (0.1 mg/kg body weight) from 11th to 17th day of experiment. Thermal stress significantly (P≤0.05) altered the physiological responses. Metyrapone and melatonin treatment significantly (P≤0.05) reduced the thermal-stress-induced increase in plasma concentrations of cortisol and corticosterone while significantly (P≤0.05) increased the plasma melatonin on days 11 and 17. Furthermore, these treatments significantly (P<0.05) increased the phagocytic activity of neutrophils as compared to both control and thermal exposure values from 11-17 days of experiment. The data generated from this study help us to understand the functional relationship between pineal, adrenal, and immune system, and how this relationship modifies the non-specific immune response for the well being of goats during thermal stress.

  7. The Interaction of Motor Performance and Psycho-Physiological Effects During Acceleration to Hypergravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guardiera, Simon; Schneider, Stefan

    2008-06-01

    Several studies reported that human motor performance is impaired during acceleration to hypergravity. While physiological explanations (e.g. vestibular activity) are widely discussed, psycho-physiological reasons (e.g. stress) are less considered. The present study therefore evaluates the interaction between psycho-physiological effects and motor performance in hypergravity. Eleven subjects performed a manual tracking task. Additionally, stress hormone concentration, EEG and subjective mood were evaluated. All measurements were performed in normal (+1Gz), and in (or directly after) three times gravitational acceleration (+3Gz). Motor performance decreased, while all determined stress hormone concentrations increased in +3Gz. EEG analysis revealed an increase of brain cortical activity in right frontal lobe in +3Gz. Subjective mood decreased due to +3Gz. Our data confirm, that motor performance is decreased in hypergravity, whereas an increase in psychophysiological stress markers could be obtained. We conclude that psycho-physiological changes have to be regarded as a possible explanation for deficits in motor performance in hypergravity.

  8. [Effects of exogenous nitric oxide on physiological characteristics of longan (Dimocarpus longana) seedlings under acid rain stress].

    PubMed

    Liu, Jian-fu; Wang, Ming-yuan; Yang, Chen; Zhu, Ai-jun

    2013-08-01

    This paper studied the effects of exogenous nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on the chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activities, and osmotic regulation substances of longan (Dimocarpus longana 'Fuyan') seedlings under acid rain (pH 3.0) stress. Under the acid rain stress, the seedling leaf superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities and chlorophyll, soluble protein and soluble sugar contents decreased obviously, while the leaf malondialdedyde content had a remarkable increase, suggesting the toxic effect of the acid rain on the seedlings. Exogenous nitric oxide had dual nature on the physiological characteristics of longan seedlings under acid rain stress. Applying 0.1-0.5 mmol x L(-1) of SNP improved the SOD, POD and CAT activities and the chlorophyll, soluble protein and soluble sugar contents significantly, and decreased the malondialdedyde content. Low concentrations SNP reduced the oxidative damage caused by the acid rain stress, and 0.5 mmol x L(-1) of SNP had the best effect. Under the application of 0.5 mmol x L(-1) of SNP, the total chlorophyll, soluble protein, and soluble sugar contents and the SOD, POD and CAT activities increased by 76.0%, 107.0%, 216.1%, 150. 0%, 350.9% and 97.1%, respectively, and the malondialdedyde content decreased by 46.4%. It was suggested that low concentration (0.1-0.5 mmol x L(-1)) SNP could alleviate the toxic effect of acid rain stress on longan seedlings via activating the leaf antioxidant enzyme activities and reducing oxidative stress, while high concentration SNP (1.0 mmol x L(-1)) lowered the mitigation effect.

  9. Effects of logging, hunting, and forest fragment size on physiological stress levels of two sympatric ateline primates in Colombia

    PubMed Central

    Rimbach, Rebecca; Link, Andrés; Heistermann, Michael; Gómez-Posada, Carolina; Galvis, Nelson; Heymann, Eckhard W.

    2013-01-01

    Habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic disturbances are of major concern to the conservation of endangered species because of their potentially negative impact on animal populations. Both processes can impose physiological stress (i.e. increased glucocorticoid output) on animals, and chronically elevated stress levels can have detrimental effects on the long-term viability of animal populations. Here, we investigated the effect of fragment size and human impact (logging and hunting pressure) on glucocorticoid levels of two sympatric Neotropical primates, the red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) and the critically endangered brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus). These two species have been reported to contrast strongly in their ability to cope with anthropogenic disturbances. We collected faecal samples from eight spider monkey groups and 31 howler monkey groups, living in seven and 10 different forest fragments in Colombia, respectively. We measured faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGCM) levels in both species using previously validated methods. Surprisingly, fragment size did not influence FGCM levels in either species. Spider monkeys showed elevated FGCMs in fragments with the highest level of human impact, whereas we did not find this effect in howler monkeys. This suggests that the two species differ in their physiological responsiveness to anthropogenic changes, further emphasizing why brown spider monkeys are at higher extinction risk than red howler monkeys. If these anthropogenic disturbances persist in the long term, elevated FGCM levels can potentially lead to a state of chronic stress, which might limit the future viability of populations. We propose that FGCM measurements should be used as a tool to monitor populations living in disturbed areas and to assess the success of conservation strategies, such as corridors connecting forest fragments. PMID:27293615

  10. Relationships among stressful life events and physiological markers, treatment adherence, and psychosocial functioning among youth with type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Walders-Abramson, Natalie; Venditti, Elizabeth M; Ievers-Landis, Carolyn E; Anderson, Barbara; El Ghormli, Laure; Geffner, Mitchell; Kaplan, Joan; Koontz, Michaela B; Saletsky, Ron; Payan, Marisa; Yasuda, Patrice

    2014-09-01

    To examine the relationships between stressful life events and physiological measures, adherence to prescribed oral medication regimens, depressive symptoms, and impaired quality of life (QoL) in adolescents with recent-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D). Data were collected from 497 ethnically diverse participants (66% female) in the final year of the Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth multicenter clinical trial. Exposure to 32 possible events over the previous year and rating of subsequent distress were collected by self-report and summarized as a major stressors score. This score was analyzed for relationship to glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c and treatment failure), body mass index, diagnosis of hypertension or triglyceride dyslipidemia, adherence to a prescribed oral medication regimen, presence of depressive symptoms, and impaired QoL. The total number of major stressful life events in the adolescents with T2D was calculated, with 33% reporting none, 67% reporting ≥ 1, 47% reporting ≥ 2, 33% reporting ≥ 3, and 20% reporting ≥ 4. There were no associations between the major stressors score and physiological measures or diagnosis of comorbidities. The odds of medication nonadherence increased significantly from those reporting ≥ 1 major stressor (OR, 1.58; P = .0265) to those reporting ≥ 4 major stressors (OR, 2.70; P = .0009). Significant odds of elevated depressive symptoms and impaired QoL were also found with increased reporting of major stressors. Exposure to major stressful life events is associated with lower adherence to prescribed oral medication regimens and impaired psychosocial functioning in adolescents with T2D. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Physiological responses to acid stress by Saccharomyces cerevisiae when applying high initial cell density

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    High initial cell density is used to increase volumetric productivity and shorten production time in lignocellulosic hydrolysate fermentation. Comparison of physiological parameters in high initial cell density cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of acetic, formic, levulinic and cinnamic acids demonstrated general and acid-specific responses of cells. All the acids studied impaired growth and inhibited glycolytic flux, and caused oxidative stress and accumulation of trehalose. However, trehalose may play a role other than protecting yeast cells from acid-induced oxidative stress. Unlike the other acids, cinnamic acid did not cause depletion of cellular ATP, but abolished the growth of yeast on ethanol. Compared with low initial cell density, increasing initial cell density reduced the lag phase and improved the bioconversion yield of cinnamic acid during acid adaptation. In addition, yeast cells were able to grow at elevated concentrations of acid, probable due to the increase in phenotypic cell-to-cell heterogeneity in large inoculum size. Furthermore, the specific growth rate and the specific rates of glucose consumption and metabolite production were significantly lower than at low initial cell density, which was a result of the accumulation of a large fraction of cells that persisted in a viable but non-proliferating state. PMID:27620460

  12. The role of oxidative, inflammatory and neuroendocrinological systems during exercise stress in athletes: implications of antioxidant supplementation on physiological adaptation during intensified physical training.

    PubMed

    Slattery, Katie; Bentley, David; Coutts, Aaron J

    2015-04-01

    During periods of intensified physical training, reactive oxygen species (ROS) release may exceed the protective capacity of the antioxidant system and lead to dysregulation within the inflammatory and neuroendocrinological systems. Consequently, the efficacy of exogenous antioxidant supplementation to maintain the oxidative balance in states of exercise stress has been widely investigated. The aim of this review was to (1) collate the findings of prior research on the effect of intensive physical training on oxidant-antioxidant balance; (2) summarise the influence of antioxidant supplementation on the reduction-oxidation signalling pathways involved in physiological adaptation; and (3) provide a synopsis on the interactions between the oxidative, inflammatory and neuroendocrinological response to exercise stimuli. Based on prior research, it is evident that ROS are an underlying aetiology in the adaptive process; however, the impact of antioxidant supplementation on physiological adaptation remains unclear. Equivocal results have been reported on the impact of antioxidant supplementation on exercise-induced gene expression. Further research is required to establish whether the interference of antioxidant supplementation consistently observed in animal-based and in vivo research extends to a practical sports setting. Moreover, the varied results reported within the literature may be due to the hormetic response of oxidative, inflammatory and neuroendocrinological systems to an exercise stimulus. The collective findings suggest that intensified physical training places substantial stress on the body, which can manifest as an adaptive or maladaptive physiological response. Additional research is required to determine the efficacy of antioxidant supplementation to minimise exercise-stress during intensive training and promote an adaptive state.

  13. The Effects of Kangaroo Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on the Physiological Functions of Preterm Infants, Maternal-Infant Attachment, and Maternal Stress.

    PubMed

    Cho, Eun-Sook; Kim, Shin-Jeong; Kwon, Myung Soon; Cho, Haeryun; Kim, Eun Hye; Jun, Eun Mi; Lee, Sunhee

    2016-01-01

    This study was conducted to identify the effects of kangaroo care on the physiological functions of preterm infants, maternal-infant attachment, and maternal stress. For this study, a quasi-experiment design was used with a nonequivalent control group, and a pre- and post-test. Data were collected from preterm infants with corrected gestational ages of ≥33weeks who were hospitalized between May and October 2011. Twenty infants were assigned to the experimental group and 20 to the control group. As an intervention, kangaroo care was provided in 30-min sessions conducted thrice a week for a total of 10 times. The collected data were analyzed by using the t test, repeated-measures ANOVA, and the ANCOVA test. After kangaroo care, the respiration rate significantly differed between the two groups (F=5.701, p=.020). The experimental group had higher maternal-infant attachment scores (F=25.881, p<.001) and lower maternal stress scores (F=47.320, p<.001) than the control group after the test. In other words, kangaroo care showed significantly positive effects on stabilizing infant physiological functions such as respiration rate, increasing maternal-infant attachment, and reducing maternal stress. This study suggests that kangaroo care can be used to promote emotional bonding and support between mothers and their babies, and to stabilize the physiological functions of premature babies. Kangaroo care may be one of the most effective nursing interventions in the neonatal intensive care unit for the care of preterm infants and their mothers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Comparative physiological and proteomic analyses reveal the actions of melatonin in the reduction of oxidative stress in Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (L). Pers.).

    PubMed

    Shi, Haitao; Wang, Xin; Tan, Dun-Xian; Reiter, Russel J; Chan, Zhulong

    2015-08-01

    The fact of melatonin as an important antioxidant in animals led plant researchers to speculate that melatonin also acts in the similar manner in plants. Although melatonin has significant effects on alleviating stress-triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS), the involvement of melatonin in direct oxidative stress and the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms remain unclear in plants. In this study, we found that exogenous melatonin significantly alleviated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-modulated plant growth, cell damage, and ROS accumulation in Bermuda grass. Additionally, 76 proteins significantly influenced by melatonin during mock or H2O2 treatment were identified by gel-free proteomics using iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation). Metabolic pathway analysis showed that several pathways were markedly enhanced by melatonin and H2O2 treatments, including polyamine metabolism, ribosome pathway, major carbohydrate metabolism, photosynthesis, redox, and amino acid metabolism. Taken together, this study provides more comprehensive insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms of melatonin in Bermuda grass responses to direct oxidative stress. This may relate to the activation of antioxidants, modulation of metabolic pathways, and extensive proteome reprograming. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Combined environmental stress and physiological strain indices for physical training guidelines.

    PubMed

    Moran, Daniel S; Pandolf, Kent B; Heled, Yuval; Gonzalez, Richard R

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines based on the previously described environmental stress index (ESI) and physiological strain index (PSI) for work-rest cycles (WRC) during training, especially in the military. The ESI was introduced as a potential substitute for the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Index because of the very high correlation coefficients between them. The ESI is constructed from the fast-reading meteorological response sensors ambient temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), and global radiation (GR), which require only a few seconds to reach equilibrium. The ESI, the first stress index using direct measurements of solar radiation (SR), is calculated as follows: ESI = 0.63Ta - 0.03RH + 0.002SR + 0.0054 (Ta x RH) - 0.073(0.1 + SR)(-1). The PSI is based on heart rate (HR) and rectal temperature (Tre) and can indicate heat strain online and analyze databases. The PSI is constructed as follows: PSI = 5(Tret - Tre0) x (39.5 - Tre0)(-1) + 5(HRt - HR0) x (180 - HR0)(-1), where Tre0 and HR0 are the initial Tre and HR, and Tret and HRt are simultaneous measurements taken at any time. The PSI is scaled from 0 to 10, whereby the respective variables, PSIHR and PSITre, representing the cardiovascular and thermoregulation systems, can contribute up to five units to the overall strain assessment. To integrate the PSI and ESI, we decided to use only the PSIHR component, which represents the metabolic rate and the strain reflected by the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, PSIHR is easier to measure, is easier to implement, and simplifies the integration with ESI. Concomitantly, PSIHR categorizes the strain between 0 and 5, the higher the value, the higher the strain. We believe that the use of the PSI WRC values will help in decreasing the risk of future heat injuries.

  16. A review of research trends in physiological abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders: immune dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and environmental toxicant exposures

    PubMed Central

    Rossignol, D A; Frye, R E

    2012-01-01

    Recent studies have implicated physiological and metabolic abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other psychiatric disorders, particularly immune dysregulation or inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and environmental toxicant exposures (‘four major areas'). The aim of this study was to determine trends in the literature on these topics with respect to ASD. A comprehensive literature search from 1971 to 2010 was performed in these four major areas in ASD with three objectives. First, publications were divided by several criteria, including whether or not they implicated an association between the physiological abnormality and ASD. A large percentage of publications implicated an association between ASD and immune dysregulation/inflammation (416 out of 437 publications, 95%), oxidative stress (all 115), mitochondrial dysfunction (145 of 153, 95%) and toxicant exposures (170 of 190, 89%). Second, the strength of evidence for publications in each area was computed using a validated scale. The strongest evidence was for immune dysregulation/inflammation and oxidative stress, followed by toxicant exposures and mitochondrial dysfunction. In all areas, at least 45% of the publications were rated as providing strong evidence for an association between the physiological abnormalities and ASD. Third, the time trends in the four major areas were compared with trends in neuroimaging, neuropathology, theory of mind and genetics (‘four comparison areas'). The number of publications per 5-year block in all eight areas was calculated in order to identify significant changes in trends. Prior to 1986, only 12 publications were identified in the four major areas and 51 in the four comparison areas (42 for genetics). For each 5-year period, the total number of publications in the eight combined areas increased progressively. Most publications (552 of 895, 62%) in the four major areas were published in the last 5 years (2006–2010). Evaluation

  17. Effects of body temperature on post-anoxic oxidative stress from the perspective of postnatal physiological adaptive processes in rats.

    PubMed

    Kletkiewicz, H; Rogalska, J; Nowakowska, A; Wozniak, A; Mila-Kierzenkowska, C; Caputa, M

    2016-04-01

    It is well known that decrease in body temperature provides protection to newborns subjected to anoxia/ischemia. We hypothesized that the normal body temperature of 33°C in neonatal rats (4°C below normal body temperature in adults) is in fact a preadaptation to protect CNS from anoxia and further reductions as well as elevations in temperature may be counterproductive. Our experiments aimed to examine the effect of changes in body temperature on oxidative stress development in newborn rats exposed to anoxia. Two-day-old Wistar rats were divided into 4 temperature groups: i. hypothermic at body temperature of 31°C, ii. maintaining physiological neonatal body temperature of 33°C, iii. forced to maintain hyperthermic temperature of 37°C, and i.v. forced to maintain hyperthermic temperature of 39°C. The temperature was controlled starting 15 minutes before and afterword during 10 minutes of anoxia as well as for 2 hours post-anoxia. Cerebral concentrations of lipid peroxidation products malondialdehyde (MDA) and conjugated dienes (CD) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes had been determined post mortem: immediately after anoxia was finished and 3, 7, and 14 days later. There were no post-anoxic changes in the concentration of MDA, CD and in antioxidant enzymes activity in newborn rats kept at their physiological body temperature of 33°C. In contrast, perinatal anoxia at body temperature elevated to 37°C or 39°C as well as under hypothermic conditions (31°C) intensified post-anoxic oxidative stress and depleted the antioxidant pool. Overall, these findings suggest that elevated body temperature (hyperthermia or fever), as well as exceeding cooling beyond the physiological level of body temperature of newborn rats, may extend perinatal anoxia-induced brain lesions. Our findings provide new insights into the role of body temperature in anoxic insult in vivo.

  18. Untangling the roles of microclimate, behaviour and physiological polymorphism in governing vulnerability of intertidal snails to heat stress.

    PubMed

    Dong, Yun-Wei; Li, Xiao-Xu; Choi, Francis M P; Williams, Gray A; Somero, George N; Helmuth, Brian

    2017-05-17

    Biogeographic distributions are driven by cumulative effects of smaller scale processes. Thus, vulnerability of animals to thermal stress is the result of physiological sensitivities to body temperature ( T b ), microclimatic conditions, and behavioural thermoregulation. To understand interactions among these variables, we analysed the thermal tolerances of three species of intertidal snails from different latitudes along the Chinese coast, and estimated potential T b in different microhabitats at each site. We then empirically determined the temperatures at which heart rate decreased sharply with rising temperature (Arrhenius breakpoint temperature, ABT) and at which it fell to zero (flat line temperature, FLT) to calculate thermal safety margins (TSM). Regular exceedance of FLT in sun-exposed microhabitats, a lethal effect, was predicted for only one mid-latitude site. However, ABTs of some individuals were exceeded at sun-exposed microhabitats in most sites, suggesting physiological impairment for snails with poor behavioural thermoregulation and revealing inter-individual variations (physiological polymorphism) of thermal limits. An autocorrelation analysis of T b showed that predictability of extreme temperatures was lowest at the hottest sites, indicating that the effectiveness of behavioural thermoregulation is potentially lowest at these sites. These results illustrate the critical roles of mechanistic studies at small spatial scales when predicting effects of climate change. © 2017 The Author(s).

  19. Untangling the roles of microclimate, behaviour and physiological polymorphism in governing vulnerability of intertidal snails to heat stress

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xiao-xu; Choi, Francis M. P.; Williams, Gray A.; Somero, George N.; Helmuth, Brian

    2017-01-01

    Biogeographic distributions are driven by cumulative effects of smaller scale processes. Thus, vulnerability of animals to thermal stress is the result of physiological sensitivities to body temperature (Tb), microclimatic conditions, and behavioural thermoregulation. To understand interactions among these variables, we analysed the thermal tolerances of three species of intertidal snails from different latitudes along the Chinese coast, and estimated potential Tb in different microhabitats at each site. We then empirically determined the temperatures at which heart rate decreased sharply with rising temperature (Arrhenius breakpoint temperature, ABT) and at which it fell to zero (flat line temperature, FLT) to calculate thermal safety margins (TSM). Regular exceedance of FLT in sun-exposed microhabitats, a lethal effect, was predicted for only one mid-latitude site. However, ABTs of some individuals were exceeded at sun-exposed microhabitats in most sites, suggesting physiological impairment for snails with poor behavioural thermoregulation and revealing inter-individual variations (physiological polymorphism) of thermal limits. An autocorrelation analysis of Tb showed that predictability of extreme temperatures was lowest at the hottest sites, indicating that the effectiveness of behavioural thermoregulation is potentially lowest at these sites. These results illustrate the critical roles of mechanistic studies at small spatial scales when predicting effects of climate change. PMID:28469014

  20. Boldness behavior and stress physiology in a novel urban environment suggest rapid correlated evolutionary adaptation.

    PubMed

    Atwell, Jonathan W; Cardoso, Gonçalo C; Whittaker, Danielle J; Campbell-Nelson, Samuel; Robertson, Kyle W; Ketterson, Ellen D

    2012-09-01

    Novel or changing environments expose animals to diverse stressors that likely require coordinated hormonal and behavioral adaptations. Predicted adaptations to urban environments include attenuated physiological responses to stressors and bolder exploratory behaviors, but few studies to date have evaluated the impact of urban life on codivergence of these hormonal and behavioral traits in natural systems. Here, we demonstrate rapid adaptive shifts in both stress physiology and correlated boldness behaviors in a songbird, the dark-eyed junco, following its colonization of a novel urban environment. We compared elevation in corticosterone (CORT) in response to handling and flight initiation distances in birds from a recently established urban population in San Diego, California to birds from a nearby wildland population in the species' ancestral montane breeding range. We also measured CORT and exploratory behavior in birds raised from early life in a captive common garden study. We found persistent population differences for both reduced CORT responses and bolder exploratory behavior in birds from the colonist population, as well as significant negative covariation between maximum CORT and exploratory behavior. Although early developmental effects cannot be ruled out, these results suggest contemporary adaptive evolution of correlated hormonal and behavioral traits associated with colonization of an urban habitat.

  1. Boldness behavior and stress physiology in a novel urban environment suggest rapid correlated evolutionary adaptation

    PubMed Central

    Cardoso, Gonçalo C.; Whittaker, Danielle J.; Campbell-Nelson, Samuel; Robertson, Kyle W.; Ketterson, Ellen D.

    2012-01-01

    Novel or changing environments expose animals to diverse stressors that likely require coordinated hormonal and behavioral adaptations. Predicted adaptations to urban environments include attenuated physiological responses to stressors and bolder exploratory behaviors, but few studies to date have evaluated the impact of urban life on codivergence of these hormonal and behavioral traits in natural systems. Here, we demonstrate rapid adaptive shifts in both stress physiology and correlated boldness behaviors in a songbird, the dark-eyed junco, following its colonization of a novel urban environment. We compared elevation in corticosterone (CORT) in response to handling and flight initiation distances in birds from a recently established urban population in San Diego, California to birds from a nearby wildland population in the species' ancestral montane breeding range. We also measured CORT and exploratory behavior in birds raised from early life in a captive common garden study. We found persistent population differences for both reduced CORT responses and bolder exploratory behavior in birds from the colonist population, as well as significant negative covariation between maximum CORT and exploratory behavior. Although early developmental effects cannot be ruled out, these results suggest contemporary adaptive evolution of correlated hormonal and behavioral traits associated with colonization of an urban habitat. PMID:22936840

  2. Recapitulating physiological and pathological shear stress and oxygen to model vasculature in health and disease

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abaci, Hasan Erbil; Shen, Yu-I.; Tan, Scott; Gerecht, Sharon

    2014-05-01

    Studying human vascular disease in conventional cell cultures and in animal models does not effectively mimic the complex vascular microenvironment and may not accurately predict vascular responses in humans. We utilized a microfluidic device to recapitulate both shear stress and O2 levels in health and disease, establishing a microfluidic vascular model (μVM). Maintaining human endothelial cells (ECs) in healthy-mimicking conditions resulted in conversion to a physiological phenotype namely cell elongation, reduced proliferation, lowered angiogenic gene expression and formation of actin cortical rim and continuous barrier. We next examined the responses of the healthy μVM to a vasotoxic cancer drug, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), in comparison with an in vivo mouse model. We found that 5-FU does not induce apoptosis rather vascular hyperpermeability, which can be alleviated by Resveratrol treatment. This effect was confirmed by in vivo findings identifying a vasoprotecting strategy by the adjunct therapy of 5-FU with Resveratrol. The μVM of ischemic disease demonstrated the transition of ECs from a quiescent to an activated state, with higher proliferation rate, upregulation of angiogenic genes, and impaired barrier integrity. The μVM offers opportunities to study and predict human ECs with physiologically relevant phenotypes in healthy, pathological and drug-treated environments.

  3. Physiological stress responses predict sexual functioning and satisfaction differently in women who have and have not been sexually abused in childhood

    PubMed Central

    Meston, Cindy M.; Lorenz, Tierney A.

    2012-01-01

    Physiological responses to sexual stimuli may contribute to the increased rate of sexual problems seen in women with childhood sexual abuse (CSA) histories. We compared two physiological stress responses as predictors of sexual function and satisfaction, sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation and cortisol in women with (CSA, N = 136) and without CSA histories (NSA, N = 102). In CSA survivors, cortisol response to sexual stimuli did not significantly predict sexual functioning; however, in NSA women, cortisol increases were associated with poorer sexual functioning, and decreases with higher functioning. For women with CSA histories, lower SNS activity was associated with poorer sexual functioning. For CSA survivors with low lifetime trauma, lower SNS activity was associated with higher sexual satisfaction; for women with high lifetime trauma, the reverse was true. Decreased SNS activity during sexual stimuli predicted higher sexual functioning in NSA women with low lifetime exposure to traumatic events, but lower sexual functioning in those with high exposure. Differences between women with and without CSA histories in the association between cortisol and SNS response and sexual functioning and satisfaction suggests that CSA causes disruptions in both short and long-term stress responses to sexual stimuli that perpetuate into adulthood. PMID:24748915

  4. Supervised machine learning algorithms to diagnose stress for vehicle drivers based on physiological sensor signals.

    PubMed

    Barua, Shaibal; Begum, Shahina; Ahmed, Mobyen Uddin

    2015-01-01

    Machine learning algorithms play an important role in computer science research. Recent advancement in sensor data collection in clinical sciences lead to a complex, heterogeneous data processing, and analysis for patient diagnosis and prognosis. Diagnosis and treatment of patients based on manual analysis of these sensor data are difficult and time consuming. Therefore, development of Knowledge-based systems to support clinicians in decision-making is important. However, it is necessary to perform experimental work to compare performances of different machine learning methods to help to select appropriate method for a specific characteristic of data sets. This paper compares classification performance of three popular machine learning methods i.e., case-based reasoning, neutral networks and support vector machine to diagnose stress of vehicle drivers using finger temperature and heart rate variability. The experimental results show that case-based reasoning outperforms other two methods in terms of classification accuracy. Case-based reasoning has achieved 80% and 86% accuracy to classify stress using finger temperature and heart rate variability. On contrary, both neural network and support vector machine have achieved less than 80% accuracy by using both physiological signals.

  5. The Ecology of Stress: linking life-history traits with physiological control mechanisms in free-living guanacos

    PubMed Central

    Jahn, Graciela A.; Soto-Gamboa, Mauricio; Novaro, Andrés J.; Carmanchahi, Pablo

    2016-01-01

    Background Providing the context for the evolution of life-history traits, habitat features constrain successful ecological and physiological strategies. In vertebrates, a key response to life’s challenges is the activation of the Stress (HPA) and Gonadal (HPG) axes. Much of the interest in stress ecology is motivated by the desire to understand the physiological mechanisms in which the environment affects fitness. As reported in the literature, several intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect variability in hormone levels. In both social and non-social animals, the frequency and type of interaction with conspecifics, as well as the status in social species, can affect HPA axis activity, resulting in changes in the reproductive success of animals. We predicted that a social environment can affect both guanaco axes by increasing the secretion of testosterone (T) and Glucocorticoid (GCs) in response to individual social interactions and the energetic demands of breeding. Assuming that prolonged elevated levels of GCs over time can be harmful to individuals, it is predicted that the HPA axis suppresses the HPG axis and causes T levels to decrease, as GCs increase. Methods All of the data for individuals were collected by non-invasive methods (fecal samples) to address hormonal activities. This is a novel approach in physiological ecology because feces are easily obtained through non-invasive sampling in animal populations. Results As expected, there was a marked adrenal (p-value = .3.4e−12) and gonadal (p-value = 0.002656) response due to seasonal variation in Lama guanicoe. No significant differences were found in fecal GCs metabolites between males/females*season for the entire study period (p-value = 0.2839). Despite the seasonal activity variation in the hormonal profiles, our results show a positive correlation (p-value = 1.952e−11, COR = 0.50) between the adrenal and gonadal system. The marked endocrine (r2 = 0.806) and gonad (r2 = 0.7231) response due

  6. Differential physiological response of the grapevine varieties Touriga Nacional and Trincadeira to combined heat, drought and light stresses.

    PubMed

    Carvalho, L C; Coito, J L; Gonçalves, E F; Chaves, M M; Amâncio, S

    2016-01-01

    Worldwide, extensive agricultural losses are attributed to drought, often in combination with heat in Mediterranean climate regions, where grapevine traditionally grows. The available scenarios for climate change suggest increases in aridity in these regions. Under natural conditions plants are affected by a combination of stresses, triggering synergistic or antagonistic physiological, metabolic or transcriptomic responses unique to the combination. However the study of such stresses in a controlled environment can elucidate important mechanisms by allowing the separation of the effects of individual stresses. To gather those effects, cuttings of two grapevine varieties, Touriga Nacional (TN) and Trincadeira (TR), were grown under controlled conditions and subjected to three abiotic stresses (drought - WS, heat - HS and high light - LS) individually and in combination two-by-two (WSHS, WSLS, HSLS) or all three (WSHSLS). Photosynthesis, water status, contents of H2 O2 , abscisic acid and metabolites of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle were measured in the leaves. Common and distinct response features were identified in the different stress combinations. Photosynthesis was not hindered in TN by LS, while even individual stresses severely affect photosynthesis in TR. Abscisic acid may be implicated in grapevine osmotic responses since it is correlated with tolerance parameters, especially in combined stresses involving drought. Overall, the responses to drought-including treatments were clearly distinct to those without drought. From the specific behaviours of the varieties, it can be concluded that TN shows a higher capacity for heat dissipation and for withstanding high light intensities, indicating better adjustment to warm conditions, provided that water supply is plentiful. © 2015 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  7. Genetic Code Expansion: A Powerful Tool for Understanding the Physiological Consequences of Oxidative Stress Protein Modifications

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Posttranslational modifications resulting from oxidation of proteins (Ox-PTMs) are present intracellularly under conditions of oxidative stress as well as basal conditions. In the past, these modifications were thought to be generic protein damage, but it has become increasingly clear that Ox-PTMs can have specific physiological effects. It is an arduous task to distinguish between the two cases, as multiple Ox-PTMs occur simultaneously on the same protein, convoluting analysis. Genetic code expansion (GCE) has emerged as a powerful tool to overcome this challenge as it allows for the site-specific incorporation of an Ox-PTM into translated protein. The resulting homogeneously modified protein products can then be rigorously characterized for the effects of individual Ox-PTMs. We outline the strengths and weaknesses of GCE as they relate to the field of oxidative stress and Ox-PTMs. An overview of the Ox-PTMs that have been genetically encoded and applications of GCE to the study of Ox-PTMs, including antibody validation and therapeutic development, is described. PMID:29849913

  8. Ultrasonically-Induced Cavitation In Vivo Depends on the Physiological State

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vykhodtseva, Natalia I.; Kondrashova, Maria N.

    2006-05-01

    Purpose: To test the hypothesis that the ultrasound-induced cavitation can be facilitated by excitation and stress. Methods: Acoustic emission was monitored from the region of the femoral artery of non-anesthetized rats using a resonant focusing detector (RFD). The RFD consists of two transducers: an inner transmitting transducer (0.87 MHz, R/D=70/28mm), an annular receiving transducer (0.43 MHz, R=70 mm, Dint/Dext=37 /58 mm). Acoustical emission was monitored: (1) during mild immobilization stress (MIS); (2) after strong immobilization stress (SIS); (3) after succinic acid administration (SUC); (4) during negative air-ion inhalation (NAI). Results: The subharmonic emission varied as a function of the physiological states. Both strong immobilization stress and SUC, which increases adrenaline release and stimulates physiological activity of cells, increased cavitation activity. Inhalation of NAI abolished stress-induced cavitation providing a sedative effect.

  9. Coral physiology and microbiome dynamics under combined warming and ocean acidification

    PubMed Central

    Dalcin Martins, Paula; Wilkins, Michael J.; Johnston, Michael D.; Warner, Mark E.; Cai, Wei-Jun; Melman, Todd F.; Hoadley, Kenneth D.; Pettay, D. Tye; Levas, Stephen; Schoepf, Verena

    2018-01-01

    Rising seawater temperature and ocean acidification threaten the survival of coral reefs. The relationship between coral physiology and its microbiome may reveal why some corals are more resilient to these global change conditions. Here, we conducted the first experiment to simultaneously investigate changes in the coral microbiome and coral physiology in response to the dual stress of elevated seawater temperature and ocean acidification expected by the end of this century. Two species of corals, Acropora millepora containing the thermally sensitive endosymbiont C21a and Turbinaria reniformis containing the thermally tolerant endosymbiont Symbiodinium trenchi, were exposed to control (26.5°C and pCO2 of 364 μatm) and treatment (29.0°C and pCO2 of 750 μatm) conditions for 24 days, after which we measured the microbial community composition. These microbial findings were interpreted within the context of previously published physiological measurements from the exact same corals in this study (calcification, organic carbon flux, ratio of photosynthesis to respiration, photosystem II maximal efficiency, total lipids, soluble animal protein, soluble animal carbohydrates, soluble algal protein, soluble algal carbohydrate, biomass, endosymbiotic algal density, and chlorophyll a). Overall, dually stressed A. millepora had reduced microbial diversity, experienced large changes in microbial community composition, and experienced dramatic physiological declines in calcification, photosystem II maximal efficiency, and algal carbohydrates. In contrast, the dually stressed coral T. reniformis experienced a stable and more diverse microbiome community with minimal physiological decline, coupled with very high total energy reserves and particulate organic carbon release rates. Thus, the microbiome changed and microbial diversity decreased in the physiologically sensitive coral with the thermally sensitive endosymbiotic algae but not in the physiologically tolerant coral with

  10. Coral physiology and microbiome dynamics under combined warming and ocean acidification.

    PubMed

    Grottoli, Andréa G; Dalcin Martins, Paula; Wilkins, Michael J; Johnston, Michael D; Warner, Mark E; Cai, Wei-Jun; Melman, Todd F; Hoadley, Kenneth D; Pettay, D Tye; Levas, Stephen; Schoepf, Verena

    2018-01-01

    Rising seawater temperature and ocean acidification threaten the survival of coral reefs. The relationship between coral physiology and its microbiome may reveal why some corals are more resilient to these global change conditions. Here, we conducted the first experiment to simultaneously investigate changes in the coral microbiome and coral physiology in response to the dual stress of elevated seawater temperature and ocean acidification expected by the end of this century. Two species of corals, Acropora millepora containing the thermally sensitive endosymbiont C21a and Turbinaria reniformis containing the thermally tolerant endosymbiont Symbiodinium trenchi, were exposed to control (26.5°C and pCO2 of 364 μatm) and treatment (29.0°C and pCO2 of 750 μatm) conditions for 24 days, after which we measured the microbial community composition. These microbial findings were interpreted within the context of previously published physiological measurements from the exact same corals in this study (calcification, organic carbon flux, ratio of photosynthesis to respiration, photosystem II maximal efficiency, total lipids, soluble animal protein, soluble animal carbohydrates, soluble algal protein, soluble algal carbohydrate, biomass, endosymbiotic algal density, and chlorophyll a). Overall, dually stressed A. millepora had reduced microbial diversity, experienced large changes in microbial community composition, and experienced dramatic physiological declines in calcification, photosystem II maximal efficiency, and algal carbohydrates. In contrast, the dually stressed coral T. reniformis experienced a stable and more diverse microbiome community with minimal physiological decline, coupled with very high total energy reserves and particulate organic carbon release rates. Thus, the microbiome changed and microbial diversity decreased in the physiologically sensitive coral with the thermally sensitive endosymbiotic algae but not in the physiologically tolerant coral with

  11. Clinical experimental stress studies: methods and assessment.

    PubMed

    Bali, Anjana; Jaggi, Amteshwar Singh

    2015-01-01

    Stress is a state of threatened homeostasis during which a variety of adaptive processes are activated to produce physiological and behavioral changes. Stress induction methods are pivotal for understanding these physiological or pathophysiological changes in the body in response to stress. Furthermore, these methods are also important for the development of novel pharmacological agents for stress management. The well-described methods to induce stress in humans include the cold pressor test, Trier Social Stress Test, Montreal Imaging Stress Task, Maastricht Acute Stress Test, CO2 challenge test, Stroop test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task, noise stress, and Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test. Stress assessment in humans is done by measuring biochemical markers such as cortisol, cortisol awakening response, dexamethasone suppression test, salivary α-amylase, plasma/urinary norepinephrine, norepinephrine spillover rate, and interleukins. Physiological and behavioral changes such as galvanic skin response, heart rate variability, pupil size, and muscle and/or skin sympathetic nerve activity (microneurography) and cardiovascular parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, and self-reported anxiety are also monitored to assess stress response. This present review describes these commonly employed methods to induce stress in humans along with stress assessment methods.

  12. Unique Physiological and Transcriptional Shifts under Combinations of Salinity, Drought, and Heat.

    PubMed

    Shaar-Moshe, Lidor; Blumwald, Eduardo; Peleg, Zvi

    2017-05-01

    Climate-change-driven stresses such as extreme temperatures, water deficit, and ion imbalance are projected to exacerbate and jeopardize global food security. Under field conditions, these stresses usually occur simultaneously and cause damages that exceed single stresses. Here, we investigated the transcriptional patterns and morpho-physiological acclimations of Brachypodium dystachion to single salinity, drought, and heat stresses, as well as their double and triple stress combinations. Hierarchical clustering analysis of morpho-physiological acclimations showed that several traits exhibited a gradually aggravating effect as plants were exposed to combined stresses. On the other hand, other morphological traits were dominated by salinity, while some physiological traits were shaped by heat stress. Response patterns of differentially expressed genes, under single and combined stresses (i.e. common stress genes), were maintained only among 37% of the genes, indicating a limited expression consistency among partially overlapping stresses. A comparison between common stress genes and genes that were uniquely expressed only under combined stresses (i.e. combination unique genes) revealed a significant shift from increased intensity to antagonistic responses, respectively. The different transcriptional signatures imply an alteration in the mode of action under combined stresses and limited ability to predict plant responses as different stresses are combined. Coexpression analysis coupled with enrichment analysis revealed that each gene subset was enriched with different biological processes. Common stress genes were enriched with known stress response pathways, while combination unique-genes were enriched with unique processes and genes with unknown functions that hold the potential to improve stress tolerance and enhance cereal productivity under suboptimal field conditions. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  13. Acute psychosocial stress and children's memory.

    PubMed

    de Veld, Danielle M J; Riksen-Walraven, J Marianne; de Weerth, Carolina

    2014-07-01

    We investigated whether children's performance on working memory (WM) and delayed retrieval (DR) tasks decreased after stress exposure, and how physiological stress responses related to performance under stress. About 158 children (83 girls; Mage = 10.61 years, SD = 0.52) performed two WM tasks (WM forward and WM backward) and a DR memory task first during a control condition, and 1 week later during a stress challenge. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and cortisol were assessed during the challenge. Only WM backward performance declined over conditions. Correlations between physiological stress responses and performance within the stress challenge were present only for WM forward and DR. For WM forward, higher cortisol responses were related to better performance. For DR, there was an inverted U-shape relation between cortisol responses and performance, as well as a cortisol × sAA interaction, with concurrent high or low responses related to optimal performance. This emphasizes the importance of including curvilinear and interaction effects when relating physiology to memory.

  14. Comparative Physiological and Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Leaf Response to Cadmium-Induced Stress in Poplar (Populus yunnanensis)

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Shihai; Zhou, Yanli; Dong, Chao; Ren, Jian; Sun, Xudong; Yang, Yongping

    2015-01-01

    Excess amounts of heavy metals are important environmental pollutants with significant ecological and nutritional effects. Cdmium (Cd) is of particular concern because of its widespread occurrence and high toxicity. We conducted physiological and proteomic analyses to improve our understanding of the responses of Populus yunnanensis to Cd stress. The plantlets experienced two apparent stages in their response to Cd stress. During the first stage, transiently induced defense-response molecules, photosynthesis- and energy-associated proteins, antioxidant enzymes and heat shock proteins (HSPs) accumulated to enhance protein stability and establish a new cellular homeostasis. This activity explains why plant photosynthetic capability during this period barely changed. During the second stage, a decline of ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBisCO) and HSP levels led to imbalance of the plant photosynthetic system. Additionally, the expression of Mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MPK3), Mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 (MPK6) and a homeobox-leucine zipper protein was higher in the second stage. Higher expression of caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) may regulate plant cell wall synthesis for greater Cd storage. These genes may be candidates for further research and use in genetic manipulation of poplar tolerance to Cd stress. PMID:26349064

  15. Prevalence and determinants of stereotypic behaviours and physiological stress among tigers and leopards in Indian zoos

    PubMed Central

    Vaz, Janice; Narayan, Edward J.; Dileep Kumar, R.; Thenmozhi, K.; Thiyagesan, Krishnamoorthy

    2017-01-01

    India’s charismatic wildlife species are facing immense pressure from anthropogenic-induced environmental perturbations. Zoos play a major role in the conservation of threatened species, but their adaptation in captivity is posing a major challenge globally. Stress from inadequate adaptation could lead to suppression of cognitive functioning and increased display of stereotypic behaviour. It is thus necessary to measure biological traits like behaviour, stress physiology, and contextual factors driving the animals maintained at zoos. In this study, we assessed stereotypic behaviour and stress physiology employing standard behaviour scoring, non-invasive stress monitoring, and their contextual drivers in a sub-population of two large felid species managed in six Indian zoos. The prevalence and intensity of stereotypic behaviours and levels of faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) were ascertained among 41 Royal Bengal tigers Panthera tigris tigris and 21 Indian leopards Panthera pardus fusca between April 2014 and March 2015. Behavioural observations showed that tigers spent more time stereotyping (12%) than leopards (7%) during daylight hours. Stress levels assessed using FCM revealed that tigers (23.6 ± 1.62 ng/g) had marginally lower level of corticosterone metabolites than leopards (27.2 ±1.36 ng/g). Stereotypic behaviour increased significantly with FCM level when the effect of heath status was controlled in tigers, and the effects tree cover, stone, den and keeper attitude controlled in leopards. Comparison of stereotypes of tigers with various biological and environmental factors using binary logistic regression revealed that stereotypic prevalence decreased with increased enclosure size, and enclosure enrichments like presence of pools and stones, when managed socially with conspecifics, and with positive keeper attitude, these factors accounting for 43% of variations in stereotypic prevalence among tigers. Stereotype among leopards was significantly

  16. Prevalence and determinants of stereotypic behaviours and physiological stress among tigers and leopards in Indian zoos.

    PubMed

    Vaz, Janice; Narayan, Edward J; Dileep Kumar, R; Thenmozhi, K; Thiyagesan, Krishnamoorthy; Baskaran, Nagarajan

    2017-01-01

    India's charismatic wildlife species are facing immense pressure from anthropogenic-induced environmental perturbations. Zoos play a major role in the conservation of threatened species, but their adaptation in captivity is posing a major challenge globally. Stress from inadequate adaptation could lead to suppression of cognitive functioning and increased display of stereotypic behaviour. It is thus necessary to measure biological traits like behaviour, stress physiology, and contextual factors driving the animals maintained at zoos. In this study, we assessed stereotypic behaviour and stress physiology employing standard behaviour scoring, non-invasive stress monitoring, and their contextual drivers in a sub-population of two large felid species managed in six Indian zoos. The prevalence and intensity of stereotypic behaviours and levels of faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) were ascertained among 41 Royal Bengal tigers Panthera tigris tigris and 21 Indian leopards Panthera pardus fusca between April 2014 and March 2015. Behavioural observations showed that tigers spent more time stereotyping (12%) than leopards (7%) during daylight hours. Stress levels assessed using FCM revealed that tigers (23.6 ± 1.62 ng/g) had marginally lower level of corticosterone metabolites than leopards (27.2 ±1.36 ng/g). Stereotypic behaviour increased significantly with FCM level when the effect of heath status was controlled in tigers, and the effects tree cover, stone, den and keeper attitude controlled in leopards. Comparison of stereotypes of tigers with various biological and environmental factors using binary logistic regression revealed that stereotypic prevalence decreased with increased enclosure size, and enclosure enrichments like presence of pools and stones, when managed socially with conspecifics, and with positive keeper attitude, these factors accounting for 43% of variations in stereotypic prevalence among tigers. Stereotype among leopards was significantly

  17. Physiological stress and pathology in European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) induced by subchronic exposure to environmentally relevant densities of Planktothrix rubescens.

    PubMed

    Ernst, Bernhard; Hoeger, Stefan J; O'brien, Evelyn; Dietrich, Daniel R

    2007-04-20

    Planktothrix rubescens belongs to the most ubiquitous cyanobacterial species in mesotrophic and oligotrophic lakes in the pre-alpine regions. In most of these lakes, coregonids are among the dominant species of the ichthyofauna with great importance for the professional fishery. A possible link between the occurrence of toxic Planktothrix blooms and the recurrent slumps in coregonid yields has been suggested. Indeed, acute toxic effects of microcystins and other cyanobacterial toxins have been shown for various fish species. However, chronic exposure scenarios appear to be more common and thus more environmentally realistic than acute intoxications. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the physiological stress response and organ pathology in coregonids sub-chronically exposed to ambient water containing low, medium and high P. rubescens densities, known to be typical of pre-alpine lakes. Coregonid hatchlings were exposed in four tanks containing 0 (sham-control) and approximately 1500 (low), 15,000 (medium) and 55,000 (high) P. rubescens cells/ml for up to 28 days. Temperature, oxygen concentration, pH-value, P. rubescens cell density and microcystin concentration were recorded and the fish were observed for behavioural changes and examined for parasite infestations. Gill ventilation rates, general condition factors and mortalities were determined and liver, kidney, gut and gill were assessed histopathologically and immunhistologically. Depending on the cell density, exposed fish showed behavioural changes, including increased ventilation rates possibly representing a physiological stress response. Susceptibility to ectoparasitic infestation and increased mortality in exposed fish suggested P. rubescens associated effects on fish fitness. Histopathological alterations in liver, gastrointestinal tract and kidney, which were also immunopositive for microcystin suggested causality of tissue damage and the presence of microcystins. In contrast, observed

  18. Consistent boldness behaviour in early emerging fry of domesticated Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Decoupling of behavioural and physiological traits of the proactive stress coping style.

    PubMed

    Vaz-Serrano, J; Ruiz-Gomez, M L; Gjøen, H M; Skov, P V; Huntingford, F A; Overli, O; Höglund, E

    2011-06-01

    Individual variation in the way animals cope with stressors has been documented in a number of animal groups. In general, two distinct sets of behavioural and physiological responses to stress have been described: the proactive and the reactive coping styles. Some characteristics of stress coping style seem to be coupled to the time to emerge of fry from spawning redds in natural populations of salmonid fishes. In the present study, behavioural and physiological traits of stress coping styles were compared two and five months after emergence in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), using individuals with an early or late time to emerge. Initially, compared to late emerging individuals, early emerging individuals showed a shorter time to resume feeding after transfer to rearing in isolation. Resumption of feeding after isolation was suggested to be related to boldness behaviour, rather than hunger, in the present study. This observation was repeated five months after emergence, demonstrating behavioural consistency over time in this trait. However, in other traits of proactive and reactive stress coping styles, such as social status, resting metabolism or post stress cortisol concentrations, early and late emerging individuals did not differ. Therefore, this study demonstrates that boldness in a novel environment is uncoupled from other traits of the proactive and reactive stress coping styles in farmed salmonids. It is possible that this decoupling is caused by the low competitive environment in which fish were reared. In natural populations of salmonids, however, the higher selection pressure at emergence could select for early emerging individuals with a proactive coping style. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. Physiological reactivity in children of Oklahoma City bombing survivors 7 years postdisaster: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Pfefferbaum, Betty; Tucker, Phebe; North, Carol S; Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung

    2011-08-01

    Relatively few studies of children exposed to trauma have used objective indicators such as heart rate and blood pressure measurements to assess physiological reactivity. This pilot study examined physiological reactivity (heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure) and emotional indicators (posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms) in 17 children of directly exposed Oklahoma City bombing survivors and in 17 demographically matched community comparison children, 7 years after the incident. Despite generally low levels of subjectively reported posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms 7 years after the disaster, the children of survivors showed heightened objectively measured physiological reactivity relative to the comparison group. The extent to which this heightened physiological reactivity in the children of survivors was pathologic is unclear. Only 1 participant reported high levels of posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms; this individual also demonstrated physiological reactivity. Results suggest children of disaster survivors may experience physiological reactivity despite absence of direct exposure to the trauma or acknowledgement of symptoms. These findings indicate the physiological effects of trauma may endure separate from subjective affect in the offspring of highly exposed disaster survivors. More research is needed to determine the potential consequences of persistent physiological reactivity.

  20. Environment, behavior and physiology: do birds use barometric pressure to predict storms?

    PubMed

    Breuner, Creagh W; Sprague, Rachel S; Patterson, Stephen H; Woods, H Arthur

    2013-06-01

    Severe storms can pose a grave challenge to the temperature and energy homeostasis of small endothermic vertebrates. Storms are accompanied by lower temperatures and wind, increasing metabolic expenditure, and can inhibit foraging, thereby limiting energy intake. To avoid these potential problems, most endotherms have mechanisms for offsetting the energetic risks posed by storms. One possibility is to use cues to predict oncoming storms and to alter physiology and behavior in ways that make survival more likely. Barometric pressure declines predictably before inclement weather, and several lines of evidence indicate that animals alter behavior based on changes in ambient pressure. Here we examined the effects of declining barometric pressure on physiology and behavior in the white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys. Using field data from a long-term study, we first evaluated the relationship between barometric pressure, storms and stress physiology in free-living white-crowned sparrows. We then manipulated barometric pressure experimentally in the laboratory and determined how it affects activity, food intake, metabolic rates and stress physiology. The field data showed declining barometric pressure in the 12-24 h preceding snowstorms, but we found no relationship between barometric pressure and stress physiology. The laboratory study showed that declining barometric pressure stimulated food intake, but had no effect on metabolic rate or stress physiology. These data suggest that white-crowned sparrows can sense and respond to declining barometric pressure, and we propose that such an ability may be common in wild vertebrates, especially small ones for whom individual storms can be life-threatening events.

  1. The Effects of Physiological Biomechanical Loading on Intradiscal Pressure and Annulus Stress in Lumbar Spine: A Finite Element Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Zahari, Siti Nurfaezah; Rahim, Nor Raihanah Abdull; Kamarul, Tunku

    2017-01-01

    The present study was conducted to examine the effects of body weight on intradiscal pressure (IDP) and annulus stress of intervertebral discs at lumbar spine. Three-dimensional finite element model of osseoligamentous lumbar spine was developed subjected to follower load of 500 N, 800 N, and 1200 N which represent the loads for individuals who are normal and overweight with the pure moments at 7.5 Nm in flexion and extension motions. It was observed that the maximum IDP was 1.26 MPa at L1-L2 vertebral segment. However, the highest increment of IDP was found at L4-L5 segment where the IDP was increased to 30% in flexion and it was more severe at extension motion reaching to 80%. Furthermore, the maximum annulus stress also occurred at the L1-L2 segment with 3.9 MPa in extension motion. However, the highest increment was also found at L4-L5 where the annulus stress increased to 17% in extension motion. Based on these results, the increase of physiological loading could be an important factor to the increment of intradiscal pressure and annulus fibrosis stress at all intervertebral discs at the lumbar spine which may lead to early intervertebral disc damage. PMID:29065672

  2. The Effects of Physiological Biomechanical Loading on Intradiscal Pressure and Annulus Stress in Lumbar Spine: A Finite Element Analysis.

    PubMed

    Zahari, Siti Nurfaezah; Latif, Mohd Juzaila Abd; Rahim, Nor Raihanah Abdull; Kadir, Mohammed Rafiq Abdul; Kamarul, Tunku

    2017-01-01

    The present study was conducted to examine the effects of body weight on intradiscal pressure (IDP) and annulus stress of intervertebral discs at lumbar spine. Three-dimensional finite element model of osseoligamentous lumbar spine was developed subjected to follower load of 500 N, 800 N, and 1200 N which represent the loads for individuals who are normal and overweight with the pure moments at 7.5 Nm in flexion and extension motions. It was observed that the maximum IDP was 1.26 MPa at L1-L2 vertebral segment. However, the highest increment of IDP was found at L4-L5 segment where the IDP was increased to 30% in flexion and it was more severe at extension motion reaching to 80%. Furthermore, the maximum annulus stress also occurred at the L1-L2 segment with 3.9 MPa in extension motion. However, the highest increment was also found at L4-L5 where the annulus stress increased to 17% in extension motion. Based on these results, the increase of physiological loading could be an important factor to the increment of intradiscal pressure and annulus fibrosis stress at all intervertebral discs at the lumbar spine which may lead to early intervertebral disc damage.

  3. [Immune dysfunction and cognitive deficit in stress and physiological aging. Part II: New approaches to cognitive disorder prevention and treatment ].

    PubMed

    Pukhal'skiĭ, A L; Shmarina, G V; Aleshkin, V A

    2014-01-01

    Long-term stress as well as physiological aging result in similar immunological and hormonal disturbances including hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis depletion, aberrant immune response (regulatory T-cells, Tregs, and T(h17)-lymphocyte accumulation) and decreased dehydroepian-drosterone synthesis both in the brain and in the adrenal glands. Since the main mechanisms of inflammation control, "prompt" (stress hormones) and "delayed" (Tregs), are broken, serum cytokine levels increase and become sufficient for blood-brain-barrier disruption. As a result peripheral cytokines penetrate into the brain where they begin to perform new functions. Structural and functional alterations of blood-brain-barrier as well as stress- (or age-) induced neuroinflammation promote influx of bone marrow derived dendritic cells and lymphocyte effectors into the brain parenchyma. Thereafter, mass intrusion ofpro-inflammatory mediators and immune cells having a lot of specific targets alters the brain work that we can observe both in humans and in animal experiments. The concept of stressful cognitive dysfunction, which is under consideration in this review, allows picking out several therapeutic targets: 1) reduction of excessive Treg accumulation; 2) supporting hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and inflammatory reaction attenuation; 3) recovery of dehydroepiandrosterone level; 4) improvement of blood-brain-barrier function.

  4. Physiological effects of environmentally relevant, multi-day thermal stress on wild juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

    PubMed

    Corey, Emily; Linnansaari, Tommi; Cunjak, Richard A; Currie, Suzanne

    2017-01-01

    suggest that relatively cooler night temperatures in the summer months may play a limited role in mitigating physiological stress throughout warm diel cycle events.

  5. Greater Physiological and Behavioral Effects of Interrupted Stress Pattern Compared to Daily Restraint Stress in Rats

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Wei; Hetzel, Andrea; Shah, Bijal; Atchley, Derek; Blume, Shannon R.; Padival, Mallika A.; Rosenkranz, J. Amiel

    2014-01-01

    Repeated stress can trigger a range of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety. The propensity to develop abnormal behaviors after repeated stress is related to the severity, frequency and number of stressors. However, the pattern of stress exposure may contribute to the impact of stress. In addition, the anxiogenic nature of repeated stress exposure can be moderated by the degree of coping that occurs, and can be reflected in homotypic habituation to the repeated stress. However, expectations are not clear when a pattern of stress presentation is utilized that diminishes habituation. The purpose of these experiments is to test whether interrupted stress exposure decreases homotypic habituation and leads to greater effects on anxiety-like behavior in adult male rats. We found that repeated interrupted restraint stress resulted in less overall homotypic habituation compared to repeated daily restraint stress. This was demonstrated by greater production of fecal boli and greater corticosterone response to restraint. Furthermore, interrupted restraint stress resulted in a lower body weight and greater adrenal gland weight than daily restraint stress, and greater anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze. Control experiments demonstrated that these effects of the interrupted pattern could not be explained by differences in the total number of stress exposures, differences in the total number of days that the stress periods encompased, nor could it be explained as a result of only the stress exposures after an interruption from stress. These experiments demonstrate that the pattern of stress exposure is a significant determinant of the effects of repeated stress, and that interrupted stress exposure that decreases habituation can have larger effects than a greater number of daily stress exposures. Differences in the pattern of stress exposure are therefore an important factor to consider when predicting the severity of the effects of repeated stress on

  6. Suppressing the endocrine and autonomic stress systems does not impact the emotional stress experience after psychosocial stress.

    PubMed

    Ali, Nida; Nitschke, Jonas P; Cooperman, Cory; Pruessner, Jens C

    2017-04-01

    Acute psychosocial stress activates the physiological and endocrine stress systems and increases the subjective emotional experience of stress. While considerable efforts have been made to link changes in the activity of the biological stress systems with changes in the subjective emotional experience of stress, results so far have been mixed, at best. To investigate this association in a study employing experimental manipulation, we pharmacologically suppressed both the autonomic and the endocrine stress responses, and investigated the effects of acute psychosocial stress on the emotional stress experience. 22 healthy men and women received dexamethasone (2mg) the day before, and propranolol (80mg) one hour before psychosocial stress induction. A control group (n=24) received placebo pills on each occasion. Salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase and heart-rate responses to stress were assessed before, during and after stress induction. Subjective stress, mood, and state self-esteem assessments were made before and after stress. In the pharmacological manipulation group, subjects demonstrated no increase in autonomic or endocrine stress response, after exposure to psychosocial stress. Despite these effects, the emotional stress experience was intact in this group and identical to the control group. Participants in the experimental group showed an increase in subjective stress, greater mood dysregulation, and lower state self-esteem following stress exposure, with the response magnitude comparable to the control group. Our findings suggest that at least acutely, the physiological stress arousal systems and the emotional experience of stress are dissociated. This raises important questions about the efficacy of our measurement of subjective stress, and the unique contributions of the autonomic and endocrine responses in the subjective stress experience. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Endocannabinoids and stress.

    PubMed

    Riebe, Caitlin J; Wotjak, Carsten T

    2011-07-01

    Endogenous cannabinoids play an important role in the physiology and behavioral expression of stress responses. Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including the release of glucocorticoids, is the fundamental hormonal response to stress. Endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling serves to maintain HPA-axis homeostasis, by buffering basal activity as well as by mediating glucocorticoid fast feedback mechanisms. Following chronic stressor exposure, eCBs are also involved in physiological and behavioral habituation processes. Behavioral consequences of stress include fear and stress-induced anxiety as well as memory formation in the context of stress, involving contextual fear conditioning and inhibitory avoidance learning. Chronic stress can also lead to depression-like symptoms. Prominent in these behavioral stress responses is the interaction between eCBs and the HPA-axis. Future directions may differentiate among eCB signaling within various brain structures/neuronal subpopulations as well as between the distinct roles of the endogenous cannabinoid ligands. Investigation into the role of the eCB system in allostatic states and recovery processes may give insight into possible therapeutic manipulations of the system in treating chronic stress-related conditions in humans.

  8. Influence of fly ash aided phytostabilisation of Pb, Cd and Zn highly contaminated soils on Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens metal transfer and physiological stress.

    PubMed

    Lopareva-Pohu, Alena; Verdin, Anthony; Garçon, Guillaume; Lounès-Hadj Sahraoui, Anissa; Pourrut, Bertrand; Debiane, Djouher; Waterlot, Christophe; Laruelle, Frédéric; Bidar, Géraldine; Douay, Francis; Shirali, Pirouz

    2011-06-01

    Due to anthropogenic activities, large extends of soils are highly contaminated by Metal Trace Element (MTE). Aided phytostabilisation aims to establish a vegetation cover in order to promote in situ immobilisation of trace elements by combining the use of metal-tolerant plants and inexpensive mineral or organic soil amendments. Eight years after Coal Fly Ash (CFA) soil amendment, MTE bioavailability and uptake by two plants, Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens, were evaluated, as some biological markers reflecting physiological stress. Results showed that the two plant species under study were suitable to reduce the mobility and the availability of these elements. Moreover, the plant growth was better on CFA amended MTE-contaminated soils, and the plant sensitivity to MTE-induced physiological stress, as studied through photosynthetic pigment contents and oxidative damage was lower or similar. In conclusion, these results supported the usefulness of aided phytostabilisation of MTE-highly contaminated soils. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Physiological and Proteomics Analyses Reveal Low-Phosphorus Stress Affected the Regulation of Photosynthesis in Soybean.

    PubMed

    Chu, Shanshan; Li, Hongyan; Zhang, Xiangqian; Yu, Kaiye; Chao, Maoni; Han, Suoyi; Zhang, Dan

    2018-06-06

    Previous studies have revealed a significant genetic relationship between phosphorus (P)-efficiency and photosynthesis-related traits in soybean. In this study, we used proteome profiling in combination with expression analysis, biochemical investigations, and leaf ultrastructural analysis to identify the underlying physiological and molecular responses. The expression analysis and ultrastructural analysis showed that the photosynthesis key genes were decreased at transcript levels and the leaf mesophyll and chloroplast were severely damaged after low-P stress. Approximately 55 protein spots showed changes under low-P condition by mass spectrometry, of which 17 were involved in various photosynthetic processes. Further analysis revealed the depression of photosynthesis caused by low-P stress mainly involves the regulation of leaf structure, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, absorption and transportation of CO₂, photosynthetic electron transport, production of assimilatory power, and levels of enzymes related to the Calvin cycle. In summary, our findings indicated that the existence of a stringent relationship between P supply and the genomic control of photosynthesis in soybean. As an important strategy to protect soybean photosynthesis, P could maintain the stability of cell structure, up-regulate the enzymes’ activities, recover the process of photosystem II (PSII), and induce the expression of low-P responsive genes and proteins.

  10. Physiological response, blood chemistry profile and mucus secretion of red sea bream (Pagrus major) fed diets supplemented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus under low salinity stress.

    PubMed

    Dawood, Mahmoud A O; Koshio, Shunsuke; Ishikawa, Manabu; El-Sabagh, Mabrouk; Yokoyama, Saichiro; Wang, Wei-Long; Yukun, Zhang; Olivier, Adissin

    2017-02-01

    Environmental stressors caused by inadequate aquaculture management strategies suppress the immune response of fish and make them more susceptible to diseases. Therefore, efforts have been made to relieve stress in fish by using various functional feed additives in the diet, including probiotics. The present work evaluates the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR) on physiological stress response, blood chemistry and mucus secretion of red sea bream (Pagrus major) under low salinity stress. Fish were fed four diets supplemented with LR at [0 (LR0), 1 × 10 2 (LR1), 1 × 10 4 (LR2) and 1 × 10 6 (LR3) cells g -1 ] for 56 days. Before stress, blood cortisol, urea nitrogen (BUN) and total bilirubin (T-BIL) showed no significant difference (P > 0.05), whereas plasma glucose and triglyceride (TG) of fish-fed LR2 and LR3 diets were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of the other groups. Plasma total cholesterol (T-CHO) of fish-fed LR3 diet was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that of the other groups. Furthermore, total plasma protein, mucus myeloperoxidase activity and the amount of mucus secretion were significantly enhanced in LR-supplemented groups when compared with the control group (P < 0.05). After the application of the low salinity stress test, plasma cortisol, glucose, T-CHO and TG contents in all groups showed an increased trend significantly (P < 0.01) compared to the fish before the stress challenge. However, plasma total protein and the amount of secreted mucus showed a decreased trend in all groups. On the other hand, BUN, T-BIL and mucus myeloperoxidase activity showed no significant difference after exposure to the low salinity stress (P > 0.05). In addition, the fish that received LR-supplemented diets showed significantly higher tolerance against low salinity stress than the fish-fed LR-free diet (P < 0.05). The physiological status and the detected immune responses, including total plasma protein and mucus

  11. Re-conceptualizing stress: Shifting views on the consequences of stress and its effects on stress reactivity.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jenny J W; Vickers, Kristin; Reed, Maureen; Hadad, Marilyn

    2017-01-01

    The consequences of stress are typically regarded from a deficit-oriented approach, conceptualizing stress to be entirely negative in its outcomes. This approach is unbalanced, and may further hinder individuals from engaging in adaptive coping. In the current study, we explored whether negative views and beliefs regarding stress interacted with a stress framing manipulation (positive, neutral and negative) on measures of stress reactivity for both psychosocial and physiological stressors. Ninety participants were randomized into one of three framing conditions that conceptualized the experience of stress in balanced, unbalanced-negative or unbalanced-positive ways. After watching a video on stress, participants underwent a psychosocial (Trier Social Stress Test), or a physiological (CO2 challenge) method of stress-induction. Subjective and objective markers of stress were assessed. Most of the sampled population regarded stress as negative prior to framing. Further, subjective and objective reactivity were greater to the TSST compared to the CO2 challenge. Additionally, significant cubic trends were observed in the interactions of stress framing and stress-induction methodologies on heart rate and blood pressure. Balanced framing conditions in the TSST group had a significantly larger decrease in heart rate and diastolic blood pressure following stress compared to the positive and negative framing conditions. Findings confirmed a deficit-orientation of stress within the sampled population. In addition, results highlighted the relative efficacy of the TSST compared to CO2 as a method of stress provocation. Finally, individuals in framing conditions that posited stress outcomes in unbalanced manners responded to stressors less efficiently. This suggests that unbalanced framing of stress may have set forth unrealistic expectations regarding stress that later hindered individuals from adaptive responses to stress. Potential benefits of alternative conceptualizations

  12. Re-conceptualizing stress: Shifting views on the consequences of stress and its effects on stress reactivity

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Jenny J. W.

    2017-01-01

    Background The consequences of stress are typically regarded from a deficit-oriented approach, conceptualizing stress to be entirely negative in its outcomes. This approach is unbalanced, and may further hinder individuals from engaging in adaptive coping. In the current study, we explored whether negative views and beliefs regarding stress interacted with a stress framing manipulation (positive, neutral and negative) on measures of stress reactivity for both psychosocial and physiological stressors. Method Ninety participants were randomized into one of three framing conditions that conceptualized the experience of stress in balanced, unbalanced-negative or unbalanced-positive ways. After watching a video on stress, participants underwent a psychosocial (Trier Social Stress Test), or a physiological (CO2 challenge) method of stress-induction. Subjective and objective markers of stress were assessed. Results Most of the sampled population regarded stress as negative prior to framing. Further, subjective and objective reactivity were greater to the TSST compared to the CO2 challenge. Additionally, significant cubic trends were observed in the interactions of stress framing and stress-induction methodologies on heart rate and blood pressure. Balanced framing conditions in the TSST group had a significantly larger decrease in heart rate and diastolic blood pressure following stress compared to the positive and negative framing conditions. Conclusion Findings confirmed a deficit-orientation of stress within the sampled population. In addition, results highlighted the relative efficacy of the TSST compared to CO2 as a method of stress provocation. Finally, individuals in framing conditions that posited stress outcomes in unbalanced manners responded to stressors less efficiently. This suggests that unbalanced framing of stress may have set forth unrealistic expectations regarding stress that later hindered individuals from adaptive responses to stress. Potential

  13. Physiological and transcriptomic responses in the seed coat of field-grown soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) to abiotic stress.

    PubMed

    Leisner, Courtney P; Yendrek, Craig R; Ainsworth, Elizabeth A

    2017-12-12

    Understanding how intensification of abiotic stress due to global climate change affects crop yields is important for continued agricultural productivity. Coupling genomic technologies with physiological crop responses in a dynamic field environment is an effective approach to dissect the mechanisms underpinning crop responses to abiotic stress. Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr. cv. Pioneer 93B15) was grown in natural production environments with projected changes to environmental conditions predicted for the end of the century, including decreased precipitation, increased tropospheric ozone concentrations ([O 3 ]), or increased temperature. All three environmental stresses significantly decreased leaf-level photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, leading to significant losses in seed yield. This was driven by a significant decrease in the number of pods per node for all abiotic stress treatments. To understand the underlying transcriptomic response involved in the yield response to environmental stress, RNA-Sequencing analysis was performed on the soybean seed coat, a tissue that plays an essential role in regulating carbon and nitrogen transport to developing seeds. Gene expression analysis revealed 49, 148 and 1,576 differentially expressed genes in the soybean seed coat in response to drought, elevated [O 3 ] and elevated temperature, respectively. Elevated [O 3 ] and drought did not elicit substantive transcriptional changes in the soybean seed coat. However, this may be due to the timing of sampling and does not preclude impacts of those stresses on different tissues or different stages in seed coat development. Expression of genes involved in DNA replication and metabolic processes were enriched in the seed coat under high temperate stress, suggesting that the timing of events that are important for cell division and proper seed development were altered in a stressful growth environment.

  14. Responses to salinity stress in bivalves: Evidence of ontogenetic changes in energetic physiology on Cerastoderma edule.

    PubMed

    Peteiro, Laura G; Woodin, Sarah A; Wethey, David S; Costas-Costas, Damian; Martínez-Casal, Arantxa; Olabarria, Celia; Vázquez, Elsa

    2018-05-29

    Estuarine bivalves are especially susceptible to salinity fluctuations. Stage-specific sensibilities may influence the structure and spatial distribution of the populations. Here we investigate differences on the energetic strategy of thread drifters (3-4 mm) and sedentary settlers (9-10 mm) of Cerastoderma edule over a wide range of salinities. Several physiological indicators (clearance, respiration and excretion rates, O:N) were measured during acute (2 days) and acclimated responses (7 days of exposure) for both size classes. Our results revealed a common lethal limit for both developmental stages (Salinity 15) but a larger physiological plasticity of thread drifters than sedentary settlers. Acclimation processes in drifters were initiated after 2 days of exposure and they achieved complete acclimation by day 7. Sedentary settlers delay acclimation and at day 7 feeding activity had not resumed and energetic losses through respiration and excretion were higher at the lowest salinity treatment. Different responses facing salinity stress might be related to differences in habitat of each stage. For sedentary settlers which occupy relatively stable niches, energy optimisation include delaying the initiation of the energetically expensive acclimation processes while drifters which occupy less stable environments require a more flexible process which allow them to optimize energy acquisition as fast as possible.

  15. Impacts of crowding, trawl duration and air exposure on the physiology of stingarees (family: Urolophidae)

    PubMed Central

    Heard, Matthew; Van Rijn, Jason A.; Reina, Richard D.; Huveneers, Charlie

    2014-01-01

    Research on physiological stress and post-capture mortality of threatened species caught as bycatch is critical for the management of fisheries. The present study used laboratory simulations to examine the physiological stress response of sparsely spotted stingarees (Urolophus paucimaculatus) subjected to one of four different trawl treatments, including two different trawl durations as well as ancillary stressors of either air exposure or crowding. Physiological indicators (plasma lactate, urea, potassium and glucose) and changes in white blood cell counts were measured from blood samples taken throughout a 48 h recovery period. Mortality was low throughout this study (15% overall) and occurred only after >48 h following air exposure, crowding and 3 h trawl simulations. Plasma lactate, glucose and urea concentrations were identified as potential indicators of physiological stress, while plasma potassium and white blood cell counts were too variable to identify changes that would be expected to have biological consequences for stingarees. The characterization of the temporal profiles of physiological indicators facilitates a more accurate assessment of secondary stressors by identifying the best timing to sample stingaree blood when investigating post-capture stress physiology. High levels of lactate, increasing glucose and depressed urea were all recorded in response to air exposure following trawling, indicating that this is the primary source of stress in stingarees caught in trawling operations. These findings highlight the importance of improving bycatch sorting procedures to reduce the time out of the water for trawl-caught stingarees. PMID:27293661

  16. [Effects of salt stress on physiological characters and salt-tolerance of Ulmus pumila in different habitats].

    PubMed

    Liu, Bing-Xiang; Wang, Zhi-Gang; Liang, Hai-Yong; Yang, Min-Sheng

    2012-06-01

    Taking the Ulmus pumila seedlings from three different habitats (medium-, mild-, and non-saline soils) as test materials, an experiment was conducted to study their salt-tolerance thresholds and physiological characteristic under different levels (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 g X kg(-1)) of salt stress. With increasing level of the salt stress, the seedlings taken from medium- and mild- saline habitats had a lower increment of leaf membrane permeability, Na+ content, and Na+/K+ but a higher increment of leaf proline, soluble sugar, and K+ contents, and a lower decrement of leaf starch content, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, and stomatic conductance, as compared with the seedlings taken from non-saline habitat. The salt-tolerance thresholds of the seedlings taken from different habitats were in the order of medium- saline habitat (7.76 g X kg(-1)) > mild- saline habitat (7.37 g X kg(-1)) > non-saline habitat (6.95 g X kg(-1)). It was suggested that the U. pumila seedlings in medium- and mild-saline habitats had a stronger adaptability to saline soil environment than the U. pumila seedlings in non-saline soil environment.

  17. Maternal Behavior and Physiological Stress Levels in Wild Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii).

    PubMed

    Stanton, Margaret A; Heintz, Matthew R; Lonsdorf, Elizabeth V; Santymire, Rachel M; Lipende, Iddi; Murray, Carson M

    2015-06-01

    Individual differences in maternal behavior toward, and investment in, offspring can have lasting consequences, particularly among primate taxa characterized by prolonged periods of development over which mothers can exert substantial influence. Given the role of the neuroendocrine system in the expression of behavior, researchers are increasingly interested in understanding the hormonal correlates of maternal behavior. Here, we examined the relationship between maternal behavior and physiological stress levels, as quantified by fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations, in lactating chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii , at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. After accounting for temporal variation in FGM concentrations, we found that mothers interacted socially (groomed and played) with and nursed their infants more on days when FGM concentrations were elevated compared to days when FGM concentrations were within the range expected given the time of year. However, the proportion of time mothers and infants spent in contact did not differ based on FGM concentrations. These results generally agree with the suggestion that elevated GC concentrations are related to maternal motivation and responsivity to infant cues and are the first evidence of a hormonal correlate of maternal behavior in a wild great ape.

  18. Physiological Traits Associated with Wheat Yield Potential and Performance under Water-Stress in a Mediterranean Environment

    PubMed Central

    del Pozo, Alejandro; Yáñez, Alejandra; Matus, Iván A.; Tapia, Gerardo; Castillo, Dalma; Sanchez-Jardón, Laura; Araus, José L.

    2016-01-01

    Different physiological traits have been proposed as key traits associated with yield potential as well as performance under water stress. The aim of this paper is to examine the genotypic variability of leaf chlorophyll, stem water-soluble carbohydrate content and carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C), and their relationship with grain yield (GY) and other agronomical traits, under contrasting water conditions in a Mediterranean environment. The study was performed on a large collection of 384 wheat genotypes grown under water stress (WS, rainfed), mild water stress (MWS, deficit irrigation), and full irrigation (FI). The average GY of two growing seasons was 2.4, 4.8, and 8.9 Mg ha−1 under WS, MWS, and FI, respectively. Chlorophyll content at anthesis was positively correlated with GY (except under FI in 2011) and the agronomical components kernels per spike (KS) and thousand kernel weight (TKW). The WSC content at anthesis (WSCCa) was negatively correlated with spikes per square meter (SM2), but positively correlated with KS and TKW under WS and FI conditions. As a consequence, the relationships between WSCCa with GY were low or not significant. Therefore, selecting for high stem WSC would not necessary lead to genotypes of GY potential. The relationship between Δ13C and GY was positive under FI and MWS but negative under severe WS (in 2011), indicating higher water use under yield potential and MWS conditions. PMID:27458470

  19. Physiological Traits Associated with Wheat Yield Potential and Performance under Water-Stress in a Mediterranean Environment.

    PubMed

    Del Pozo, Alejandro; Yáñez, Alejandra; Matus, Iván A; Tapia, Gerardo; Castillo, Dalma; Sanchez-Jardón, Laura; Araus, José L

    2016-01-01

    Different physiological traits have been proposed as key traits associated with yield potential as well as performance under water stress. The aim of this paper is to examine the genotypic variability of leaf chlorophyll, stem water-soluble carbohydrate content and carbon isotope discrimination (Δ(13)C), and their relationship with grain yield (GY) and other agronomical traits, under contrasting water conditions in a Mediterranean environment. The study was performed on a large collection of 384 wheat genotypes grown under water stress (WS, rainfed), mild water stress (MWS, deficit irrigation), and full irrigation (FI). The average GY of two growing seasons was 2.4, 4.8, and 8.9 Mg ha(-1) under WS, MWS, and FI, respectively. Chlorophyll content at anthesis was positively correlated with GY (except under FI in 2011) and the agronomical components kernels per spike (KS) and thousand kernel weight (TKW). The WSC content at anthesis (WSCCa) was negatively correlated with spikes per square meter (SM2), but positively correlated with KS and TKW under WS and FI conditions. As a consequence, the relationships between WSCCa with GY were low or not significant. Therefore, selecting for high stem WSC would not necessary lead to genotypes of GY potential. The relationship between Δ(13)C and GY was positive under FI and MWS but negative under severe WS (in 2011), indicating higher water use under yield potential and MWS conditions.

  20. A Matter of Life or Death: Untangling the Coupled Roles of Behavior, Microclimate and Physiological Polymorphism in Governing Vulnerability of Intertidal Snails to Heat Stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Y.; Li, X.; Choi, F.; Willams, G.; Somero, G. N.; Helmuth, B.

    2016-12-01

    Changing patterns of species' biogeographic distributions are driven by cumulative effects of much smaller scale processes. Specifically, vulnerability of animals to thermal stress is the result of physiological sensitivities to body temperature (Tb), local microclimatic conditions, and abilities to anticipate extreme conditions and move to cooler refugia. These variables have rarely been quantified simultaneously over large geographic scales. We analyzed the thermal tolerances of three species of rocky intertidal snails from eight sites spanning 11.5 degrees of latitude along the Chinese coast. Using a biophysical model, we estimated potential Tb in sun-exposed and shaded microhabitats for all species at these sites for 30 years. We then compared maximum predicted Tb against the temperatures at which cardiac function was impaired (Arrhenius Break Temperatures, ABT) and lethal limits were reached (cardiac Flat Line Temperatures, FLT) to calculate thermal Safety Margins (TSM) for normal physiological function (TSMABT) and heat death (TSMFLT). Regular exceedance of FLT in sun-exposed microhabitats was predicted for only one site in the middle of the geographic gradient. However, ABT was exceeded at sun-exposed microhabitats in most sites, suggesting significant physiological impairment for snails that fail to move into the shade. An autocorrelation analysis of snail Tb showed that predictability of extreme temperatures was lowest at the hottest sites, an indication that reliance on behavioral thermoregulation may be a risky strategy. Observed large differences in ABT and FLT among conspecifics emphasize the critical role of physiological polymorphisms in governing the vulnerability of populations to heat stress.

  1. Identifying Objective Physiological Markers and Modifiable Behaviors for Self-Reported Stress and Mental Health Status Using Wearable Sensors and Mobile Phones: Observational Study.

    PubMed

    Sano, Akane; Taylor, Sara; McHill, Andrew W; Phillips, Andrew Jk; Barger, Laura K; Klerman, Elizabeth; Picard, Rosalind

    2018-06-08

    Wearable and mobile devices that capture multimodal data have the potential to identify risk factors for high stress and poor mental health and to provide information to improve health and well-being. We developed new tools that provide objective physiological and behavioral measures using wearable sensors and mobile phones, together with methods that improve their data integrity. The aim of this study was to examine, using machine learning, how accurately these measures could identify conditions of self-reported high stress and poor mental health and which of the underlying modalities and measures were most accurate in identifying those conditions. We designed and conducted the 1-month SNAPSHOT study that investigated how daily behaviors and social networks influence self-reported stress, mood, and other health or well-being-related factors. We collected over 145,000 hours of data from 201 college students (age: 18-25 years, male:female=1.8:1) at one university, all recruited within self-identified social groups. Each student filled out standardized pre- and postquestionnaires on stress and mental health; during the month, each student completed twice-daily electronic diaries (e-diaries), wore two wrist-based sensors that recorded continuous physical activity and autonomic physiology, and installed an app on their mobile phone that recorded phone usage and geolocation patterns. We developed tools to make data collection more efficient, including data-check systems for sensor and mobile phone data and an e-diary administrative module for study investigators to locate possible errors in the e-diaries and communicate with participants to correct their entries promptly, which reduced the time taken to clean e-diary data by 69%. We constructed features and applied machine learning to the multimodal data to identify factors associated with self-reported poststudy stress and mental health, including behaviors that can be possibly modified by the individual to improve

  2. Does the arrival index predict physiological stress reactivity in children.

    PubMed

    de Veld, Danielle M J; Riksen-Walraven, J Marianne; de Weerth, Carolina

    2014-09-01

    Knowledge about children's stress reactivity and its correlates is mostly based on one stress task, making it hard to assess the generalizability of the results. The development of an additional stress paradigm for children, that also limits stress exposure and test time, could greatly advance this field of research. Research in adults may provide a starting point for the development of such an additional stress paradigm, as changes in salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA) over a 1-h pre-stress period in the laboratory correlated strongly with subsequent reactivity to stress task (Balodis et al., 2010, Psychoneuroendocrinology 35:1363-73). The present study examined whether such strong correlations could be replicated in 9- to 11-year-old children. Cortisol and sAA samples were collected from 158 children (83 girls) during a 2.5-h visit to the laboratory. This visit included a 1-h pre-stress period in which children performed some non-stressful tasks and relaxed before taking part in a psychosocial stress task (TSST-C). A higher cortisol arrival index was significantly and weakly correlated with a higher AUCg but unrelated to cortisol reactivity to the stressor. A higher sAA arrival index was significantly and moderately related to lower stress reactivity and to a lower AUCi. Children's personality and emotion regulation variables were unrelated to the cortisol and sAA arrival indices. The results of this study do not provide a basis for the development of an additional stress paradigm for children. Further replications in children and adults are needed to clarify the potential meaning of an arrival index.

  3. Competitive ability, stress tolerance and plant interactions along stress gradients.

    PubMed

    Qi, Man; Sun, Tao; Xue, SuFeng; Yang, Wei; Shao, DongDong; Martínez-López, Javier

    2018-04-01

    Exceptions to the generality of the stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH) may be reconciled by considering species-specific traits and stress tolerance strategies. Studies have tested stress tolerance and competitive ability in mediating interaction outcomes, but few have incorporated this to predict how species interactions shift between competition and facilitation along stress gradients. We used field surveys, salt tolerance and competition experiments to develop a predictive model interspecific interaction shifts across salinity stress gradients. Field survey and greenhouse tolerance tests revealed tradeoffs between stress tolerance and competitive ability. Modeling showed that along salinity gradients, (1) plant interactions shifted from competition to facilitation at high salinities within the physiological limits of salt-intolerant plants, (2) facilitation collapsed when salinity stress exceeded the physiological tolerance of salt-intolerant plants, and (3) neighbor removal experiments overestimate interspecific facilitation by including intraspecific effects. A community-level field experiment, suggested that (1) species interactions are competitive in benign and, facilitative in harsh condition, but fuzzy under medium environmental stress due to niche differences of species and weak stress amelioration, and (2) the SGH works on strong but not weak stress gradients, so SGH confusion arises when it is applied across questionable stress gradients. Our study clarifies how species interactions vary along stress gradients. Moving forward, focusing on SGH applications rather than exceptions on weak or nonexistent gradients would be most productive. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

  4. Toward Developing Laboratory-Based Parent-Adolescent Conflict Discussion Tasks that Consistently Elicit Adolescent Conflict-Related Stress Responses: Support from Physiology and Observed Behavior.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Sarah A; Wilson, Tristan; Jain, Anjali; Deros, Danielle E; Um, Miji; Hurwitz, Joanna; Jacobs, Irene; Myerberg, Lindsay; Ehrlich, Katherine B; Dunn, Emily J; Aldao, Amelia; Stadnik, Ryan; De Los Reyes, Andres

    2017-12-01

    Parent-adolescent conflict poses risk for youth maladjustment. One potential mechanism of this risk is that stress in the form of increased arousal during conflict interactions results in adolescents' impaired decision-making. However, eliciting consistent adolescent stress responses within laboratory-based tasks of parent-adolescent conflict (i.e., conflict discussion tasks) is hindered by task design. This limitation may stem from how conflict topics are assessed and selected for discussion. Within a sample of 47 adolescents (ages 14-17) and parents, we investigated whether a modified version of a conflict discussion task could elicit physiological (i.e., arousal) and behavioral (i.e., hostility) displays of adolescents' conflict-related stress responses. We assessed parent-adolescent conflict via structured interview to identify topics for dyads to discuss during the task. We randomly assigned dyads to complete a 5-minute task to discuss either a putatively benign topic (i.e., control condition) or a conflict topic while undergoing direct assessments of continuous arousal. Trained raters coded dyad members' hostile behavior during the task. Adolescents in the conflict condition exhibited significantly greater levels of arousal than adolescents in the control condition. We observed an interaction between discussion condition and baseline conflict. Specifically, higher baseline conflict predicted greater hostile behavior for adolescents in the conflict condition, yet we observed the inverse relation for adolescents in the control condition. Our modified laboratory discussion task successfully elicited both physiological and behavioral displays of adolescent conflict-related stress. These findings have important implications for leveraging experimental paradigms to understand causal links between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychopathology, and their underlying mechanisms.

  5. Physiological and Proteomic Responses of Contrasting Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Varieties to PEG-Induced Osmotic Stress.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Cuimei; Shi, Shangli

    2018-01-01

    Drought severely limits global plant distribution and agricultural production. Elucidating the physiological and molecular mechanisms governing alfalfa stress responses will contribute to the improvement of drought tolerance in leguminous crops. In this study, the physiological and proteomic responses of two alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) varieties contrasting in drought tolerance, Longzhong (drought-tolerant) and Gannong No. 3 (drought-sensitive), were comparatively assayed when seedlings were exposed to -1.2 MPa polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) treatments for 15 days. The results showed that the levels of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), hydroxyl free radical (OH • ) and superoxide anion free radical (O 2 •- ) in both varieties were significantly increased, while the root activity, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities, and the ratios of reduced/oxidized ascorbate (AsA/DHA) and reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) were significantly decreased. The soluble protein and soluble sugar contents, the total antioxidant capability (T-AOC) and the activities of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) first increased and then decreased with the increase in treatment days. Under osmotic stress, Longzhong exhibited lower levels of MDA, H 2 O 2 , OH • and O 2 •- but higher levels of SOD, CAT, APX, T-AOC and ratios of AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG compared with Gannong No.3. Using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ), 142 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) were identified from two alfalfa varieties, including 52 proteins (34 up-regulated and 18 down-regulated) in Longzhong, 71 proteins (28 up-regulated and 43 down-regulated) in Gannong No. 3, and 19 proteins (13 up-regulated and 6 down-regulated) shared by both varieties. Most of these DAPs were involved in stress and defense, protein metabolism, transmembrane transport, signal transduction, as well as cell

  6. Physiological and Proteomic Responses of Contrasting Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Varieties to PEG-Induced Osmotic Stress

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Cuimei; Shi, Shangli

    2018-01-01

    Drought severely limits global plant distribution and agricultural production. Elucidating the physiological and molecular mechanisms governing alfalfa stress responses will contribute to the improvement of drought tolerance in leguminous crops. In this study, the physiological and proteomic responses of two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) varieties contrasting in drought tolerance, Longzhong (drought-tolerant) and Gannong No. 3 (drought-sensitive), were comparatively assayed when seedlings were exposed to -1.2 MPa polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) treatments for 15 days. The results showed that the levels of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl free radical (OH•) and superoxide anion free radical (O2•-) in both varieties were significantly increased, while the root activity, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities, and the ratios of reduced/oxidized ascorbate (AsA/DHA) and reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) were significantly decreased. The soluble protein and soluble sugar contents, the total antioxidant capability (T-AOC) and the activities of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) first increased and then decreased with the increase in treatment days. Under osmotic stress, Longzhong exhibited lower levels of MDA, H2O2, OH• and O2•- but higher levels of SOD, CAT, APX, T-AOC and ratios of AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG compared with Gannong No.3. Using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ), 142 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) were identified from two alfalfa varieties, including 52 proteins (34 up-regulated and 18 down-regulated) in Longzhong, 71 proteins (28 up-regulated and 43 down-regulated) in Gannong No. 3, and 19 proteins (13 up-regulated and 6 down-regulated) shared by both varieties. Most of these DAPs were involved in stress and defense, protein metabolism, transmembrane transport, signal transduction, as well as cell wall and

  7. Physiological, physical and behavioural changes in dogs (Canis familiaris) when kennelled: testing the validity of stress parameters.

    PubMed

    Part, C E; Kiddie, J L; Hayes, W A; Mills, D S; Neville, R F; Morton, D B; Collins, L M

    2014-06-22

    Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) housed in kennelling establishments are considered at risk of suffering poor welfare. Previous research supporting this hypothesis has typically used cortisol:creatinine ratios (C/Cr) to measure acute and chronic stress in kennelled dogs. However, the value of C/Cr as a welfare indicator has been questioned. This study aimed to test the validity of a range of physiological, physical and behavioural welfare indicators and to establish baseline values reflecting good dog welfare. Measurements were taken from 29 privately-owned dogs (14 males, 15 females), ranging in age and breed, in their own home and in a boarding kennel environment, following a within-subjects, counterbalanced design. Pairwise comparisons revealed that C/Cr and vanillylmandelic acid:creatinine ratios (VMA/Cr) were higher in the kennel than home environment (P=0.003; P=0.01, respectively) and were not associated with differences in movement/exercise between environments. Dogs' surface temperature was lower in kennels (P=0.001) and was not associated with ambient temperature. No association with age, or effects of kennel establishment, kennelling experience, sex or source were found. Dogs were generally more active in kennels, but showed considerable individual variability. C/Cr and 5-HIAA:creatinine ratios (5-HIAA/Cr) were negatively correlated with lip licking in kennels. Baseline values for each parameter are presented. The emotional valence of responses was ambiguous and no definitive evidence was found to suggest that dogs were negatively stressed by kennelling. It was concluded that C/Cr and, particularly, VMA/Cr and surface temperature provide robust indicators of psychological arousal in dogs, while spontaneous behaviour might be better used to facilitate interpretation of physiological and physical data on an individual level. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Assessment of occupational health problems and physiological stress among the brick field workers of West Bengal, India.

    PubMed

    Das, Banibrata

    2014-06-01

    The brick field industry is one of the oldest industries in India, which employs a large number of workers of poor socioeconomic status. The main aim of the present investigation is i) to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among brick field workers, ii) to determine the prevalence of respiratory disorders and physiological stress among brick field workers compared to control workers. For this study, a total of 220 brick field workers and 130 control subjects were selected randomly. The control subjects were mainly involved in hand-intensive jobs. The Modified Nordic Questionnaire was applied to assess the discomfort felt among both groups of workers. Thermal stress was also assessed by measuring the WBGT index. The pulmonary functions were checked using the spirometry. Physiological assessment of the workload was carried out by recording the heart rate and blood pressure of the workers prior to work and just after work in the field. Brick field workers suffered from pain especially in the lower back (98%), hands (93%), knees (86%), wrists (85%), shoulders (76%) and neck (65%). Among the brick-making activities, brick field workers felt discomfort during spading for mud collection (98%), carrying bricks (95%) and molding (87%). The results showed a significantly lower p value < 0.001 in FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio and PEFR in brick field workers compared to the control group. The post-activity heart rate of the brick field workers was 148.6 beats/min, whereas the systolic and diastolic blood pressure results were 152.8 and 78.5 mm/Hg, respectively. This study concludes that health of the brick field workers was highly affected due to working in unhealthy working conditions for a long period of time.

  9. COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL STRESS MANAGEMENT EFFECTS ON PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION IN WOMEN UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER

    PubMed Central

    Antoni, Michael H.; Lechner, Suzanne; Diaz, Alain; Vargas, Sara; Holley, Heather; Phillips, Kristin; McGregor, Bonnie; Carver, Charles S.; Blomberg, Bonnie

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND A diagnosis of breast cancer and treatment are psychologically stressful events, particularly over the first year after diagnosis. Women undergo many demanding and anxiety-arousing treatments such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Psychosocial interventions that promote psychosocial adaptation to these challenges may modulate physiological processes (neuroendocrine and immune) that are relevant for health outcomes in breast cancer patients. METHODS Women with Stage 1 – 3 breast cancer recruited 4 – 8 weeks after surgery were randomized to either a 10-week group-based cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention or a 1-day psychoeducational control group and completed questionnaires and late afternoon blood samples at study entry and 6 and 12 months after assignment to experimental condition. RESULTS Of 128 women initially providing psychosocial questionnaire and blood samples at study entry, 97 provided complete data for anxiety measures and cortisol analysis at all time points, and immune assays were run on a subset of 85 of these women. Those assigned to a 10-week group-based CBSM intervention evidenced better psychosocial adaptation (lower reported cancer-specific anxiety and interviewer-rated general anxiety symptoms) and physiological adaptation (lower cortisol, greater Th1 cytokine [interleukin-2 and interferon-γ production and IL-2:IL-4 ratio) after their adjuvant treatment compared to those in the control group. Effects on psychosocial adaptation indicators and cortisol appeared to hold across the entire 12-month observation period. Th1 cytokine regulation changes held only over the initial 6-month period. CONCLUSIONS This intervention may have facilitated a “recovery or maintenance” of Th1 cytokine regulation during or after the adjuvant therapy period. Behavioral interventions that address dysregulated neuroendocrine function could play a clinically significant role in optimizing host immunologic resistance during a

  10. Chronic Smoking, Trait Anxiety, and the Physiological Response to Stress.

    PubMed

    Wiggert, Nicole; Wilhelm, Frank H; Nakajima, Motohiro; al'Absi, Mustafa

    2016-10-14

    Both chronic smoking and trait anxiety have been associated with dysregulations in psychobiological stress response systems. However, these factors have not been studied in conjunction. We expected trait anxiety and smoking status to attenuate stress reactivity. Furthermore, we expected an allostatic load effect resulting in particularly attenuated stress reactivity in high-anxious smokers. In addition, high-anxious smokers were expected to exhibit increased urges to smoke in response to stress. 115 smokers and 37 nonsmokers, aged 18-64 years, completed a laboratory session including mental stressors such as evaluated public speaking and mental arithmetic. Trait anxiety was assessed using Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Cardiovascular autonomic indices, salivary cortisol, and the desire to smoke were measured at baseline, during stressors, and at recovery. Regression analyses showed that smokers exhibited attenuated cardiovascular stress responses in comparison to nonsmokers. Higher trait anxiety predicted attenuated systolic blood pressure responses to stress. No interaction effect of smoking status and trait anxiety was found in stress response measures. Higher trait anxiety predicted an increased desire to smoke in response to stress among smokers. Results indicate that both smoking status and trait anxiety are associated with blunted sympatho-adrenal cardiovascular stress reactivity. Elevated urges to smoke in response to stress found among smokers with high trait anxiety suggest an important role of anxiety in smoking propensity and relapse.

  11. Effect of salt stress on morpho-physiology, vegetative growth and yield of rice.

    PubMed

    Hakim, M A; Juraimi, Abdul Shukor; Hanafi, M M; Ali, E; Ismail, Mohd Razi; Selamat, Ahmed; Karim, S M Rezaul

    2014-03-01

    Selection of salt tolerant rice varieties has a huge impact on global food supply chain. Five Malaysian rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties, MR33, MR52, MR211, MR219 and MR232 were tested in pot experiment under different salinity levels for their response in term of vegetative growth, physiological activities, development of yield components and grain yield. Rice varieties, BRRI dhan29 and IR20 were used as a salt-sensitive control and Pokkali was used as a salt-tolerant control. Three different salinity levels viz. 4, 8, and 12 dS m(-1) were used in a randomized complete block design with four replications under glass house conditions. Two Malaysia varieties, MR211 and MR232 performed better in terms of vegetative growth (plant height, leaf area plant(-1), number of tillers plant(-1), dry matter accumulation plant(-1)), photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, yield components, grain yield and injury symptoms. While, MR33, MR52 and MR219 verities were able to withstand salinity stress over salt-sensitive control, BRRI dhan29 and IR20.

  12. Dietary supplementation of biofloc influences growth performance, physiological stress, antioxidant status and immune response of juvenile sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka).

    PubMed

    Chen, Jinghua; Ren, Yichao; Wang, Guodong; Xia, Bin; Li, Yuquan

    2018-01-01

    Bioflocs are rich in various probiotics and bioactive compounds, which play an important role in improving growth and health status of aquatic organisms. A 60-day experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of biofloc on growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, physiological stress, antioxidant status, expression of immune-related genes and disease resistance of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. Juvenile sea cucumbers were fed five experimental diets containing graded levels of biofloc from 0% to 20% (referred as B0, B5, B10, B15 and B20, respectively). The results showed that the sea cucumbers at dietary supplementation levels of 10%-15% biofloc had significantly higher specific growth rate (SGR) compared to control group (diet B0). Digestive enzyme activity increased with the increasing of dietary biofloc level, while no significant difference was found between diets B15 and B20. Dietary supplementation of biofloc also had significant influences on physiological stress parameters except for lactate. There was no significant discrepancy in total coelomocytes counts (TCC) in coelomic fluid of sea cucumber between the treatments. Phagocytosis and respiratory burst of cellular immune at 15% and 20% biofloc levels were significantly higher than those of control group. Significant increases in superoxide dismutase (SOD), total nitric oxide synthase (T-NOS), lysozyme (LSZ), acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activities of sea cucumber were found at highest dietary supplementation level of 20% biofloc. The expression patterns of immune-related genes (i.e., Hsp90, Hsp70, p105, Rel, NOS and LSZ) in tissues of sea cucumber were analyzed between the experimental diets, and a general trend of up-regulation was observed at higher biofloc levels. Furthermore, dietary 10%-20% biofloc significantly reduced cumulative mortality of sea cucumber after being challenged with Vibrio splendidus. In conclusion, dietary

  13. Response of Methylocystis sp. Strain SC2 to Salt Stress: Physiology, Global Transcriptome, and Amino Acid Profiles.

    PubMed

    Han, Dongfei; Link, Hannes; Liesack, Werner

    2017-08-11

    Soil microorganisms have to rapidly respond to salt-induced osmotic stress. Type II methanotrophs of the genus Methylocystis are widely distributed in upland soils, but are known to have a low salt tolerance. Here, we tested the ability of Methylocystis sp. strain SC2 to adapt to increased salinity. When exposed to 0.75% NaCl, methane oxidation was completely inhibited for 2.25 h and fully recovered within 6 h. Growth was inhibited for 23.5 h and then fully recovered. Its transcriptome was profiled after 0 min (control), 45 min (early response) and 14 h (late response) of stress exposure. Physiological and transcriptomic stress response corresponded well. Salt stress induced differential expression of 301 genes, with sigma factor σ 32 being a major controller of the transcriptional stress response. The transcript levels of nearly all the genes involved in oxidizing CH 4 to CO 2 remained unaffected, while gene expression involved in energy-yielding reactions ( nuoEFGHI ) recovered concomitantly with methane oxidation from salt stress shock. Glutamate acted as an osmoprotectant. Its accumulation in late response corresponded to increased production of glutamate dehydrogenase 1. Chromosomal genes whose products (stress-induced protein, DNA-binding protein from starved cells, and CsbD family protein) are known to confer stress tolerance showed increased expression. On plasmid pBSC2-1, genes encoding type IV secretion system and single-strand DNA-binding protein were upregulated in late response, suggesting stress-induced activation of the plasmid-borne conjugation machinery. Collectively, our results show that Methylocystis sp. strain SC2 is able to adapt to salt stress, but only within a narrow range of salinities. Importance Besides the oxic interface of methanogenic environments, Methylocystis spp. are widely distributed in upland soils where they may contribute to the oxidation of atmospheric methane. However, little is known about their ability to cope with

  14. Chronic Smoking, Trait Anxiety, and the Physiological Response to Stress

    PubMed Central

    Wiggert, Nicole; Wilhelm, Frank H.; Nakajima, Motohiro; al’Absi, Mustafa

    2016-01-01

    Background and Objectives Both chronic smoking and trait anxiety have been associated with dysregulations in psychobiological stress response systems. However, these factors have not been studied in conjunction. We expected trait anxiety and smoking status to attenuate stress reactivity. Furthermore, we expected an allostatic load effect resulting in particularly attenuated stress reactivity in high-anxious smokers. In addition, high-anxious smokers were expected to exhibit increased urges to smoke in response to stress. Methods 115 smokers and 37 nonsmokers, aged 18 – 64 years, completed a laboratory session including mental stressors such as evaluated public speaking and mental arithmetic. Trait anxiety was assessed using Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Cardiovascular autonomic indices, salivary cortisol, and the desire to smoke were measured at baseline, during stressors, and at recovery. Results Regression analyses showed that smokers exhibited attenuated cardiovascular stress responses in comparison to nonsmokers. Higher trait anxiety predicted attenuated systolic blood pressure responses to stress. No interaction effect of smoking status and trait anxiety was found in stress response measures. Higher trait anxiety predicted an increased desire to smoke in response to stress among smokers. Conclusion Results indicate that both smoking status and trait anxiety are associated with blunted sympatho-adrenal cardiovascular stress reactivity. Elevated urges to smoke in response to stress found among smokers with high trait anxiety suggest an important role of anxiety in smoking propensity and relapse. PMID:27484702

  15. Stress and the Organization.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Richard H., Ed.

    The proceedings of a conference on stress and the organization, sponsored by the Business Institute in Gerontology, are presented. The materials address the following areas of concern related to the problem of stress, including: (1) physiology and psychological effects; (2) organization-induced stress and its manifestations; (3) mid-life…

  16. Intense piano training on self-efficacy and physiological stress in aging.

    PubMed

    Bugos, Jennifer A; Kochar, Simran; Maxfield, Nathan

    2016-07-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an intense piano training program on general self-efficacy, musical self-efficacy, and physiological stress in older adults. Self-efficacy refers to perceived beliefs regarding the performance of domain-specific tasks or activities, which contribute to psychological and physical health. A key challenge is to identify activities that promote self-efficacy in the aging population. Seventeen healthy community-dwelling older adults (60-85 years) with little to no previous musical training participated in a within subjects experimental design. Measures of self-efficacy and cortisol levels were administered over three time points: an initial pre-testing session, a second pre-testing following a two-week no treatment control period, and a post-testing session upon the completion of piano training. Intense piano training consisted of 30 hours of training (3 hours per day) in which high levels of achievement were required. Results of a three-way Repeated Measures ANOVA over all time points with pairwise comparisons revealed significantly ( p < .05) enhanced musical self-efficacy post-training, F (2, 32) = 11.5, p < .001, d = .79. No significant changes in general self-efficacy or cortisol levels were found. These results suggest that domain-specific self-efficacy may increase as a result of short-term intense music training; however, short-term music training may not be sufficient to transfer to general self-efficacy.

  17. The involvement of the hypothalamopituitary-adrenocortical axis in stress physiology and its significance in the assessment of animal welfare in cattle.

    PubMed

    Brown, Emma J; Vosloo, Andre

    2017-04-28

    The intensification of cattle production has raised concern for animal welfare due to the stress that is associated with farming practices. The welfare of an animal is determined by the animal's ability to cope with or adapt to its continuously changing environment and the biological cost that is associated with this adaptation and maintenance. Stressors arise from various psychological, physiological and physical aspects of farming practices due to management and human-cattle interactions. Measuring the activity of the hypothalamopituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis with plasma cortisol levels is a useful method for determining the effects of stress on animals as it is stimulated at the onset of a perceived stress. The activation of the HPA axis affects various target tissues or systems and can result in suppression of the immune system, increased susceptibility to disease and adverse effects on reproductive success in prenatal and neonatal calves. Although some levels of stress associated with farming practices are unavoidable, improvements in farming methods need to be implemented in order to maintain or increase the efficiency of cattle production in a way that does not compromise the welfare of the animal.

  18. Preclinical experimental stress studies: protocols, assessment and comparison.

    PubMed

    Bali, Anjana; Jaggi, Amteshwar Singh

    2015-01-05

    Stress is a state of threatened homeostasis during which a variety of adaptive processes are activated to produce physiological and behavioral changes. Preclinical models are pivotal for understanding these physiological or pathophysiological changes in the body in response to stress. Furthermore, these models are also important for the development of novel pharmacological agents for stress management. The well described preclinical stress models include immobilization, restraint, electric foot shock and social isolation stress. Stress assessment in animals is done at the behavioral level using open field, social interaction, hole board test; at the biochemical level by measuring plasma corticosterone and ACTH; at the physiological level by measuring food intake, body weight, adrenal gland weight and gastric ulceration. Furthermore the comparison between different stressors including electric foot shock, immobilization and cold stressor is described in terms of intensity, hormonal release, protein changes in brain, adaptation and sleep pattern. This present review describes these preclinical stress protocols, and stress assessment at different levels. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Interaction of infection with Renibacterium salmoninarum and physical stress in juvenile chinook salmon: Physiological responses, disease progression, and mortality

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mesa, M.G.; Maule, A.G.; Schreck, C.B.

    2000-01-01

    We experimentally infected juvenile spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha with Renibacterium salmoninarum (Rs), the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease (BKD), in order to compare the physiological responses of Rs-infected and Rs-noninfected fish to a series of multiple, acute stressors and to determine whether exposure to these stressors worsens the infection and leads to increased mortality. After subjecting groups of fish to a waterborne challenge of Rs, we sampled them biweekly to monitor infection levels, mortality, and some stress-related physiological changes. As infections worsened, fish developed decreased hematocrits and blood glucose levels and increased levels of cortisol and lactate, indicating that BKD is stressful, particularly during the later stages. Eight weeks after the challenge, when fish had moderate to high infection levels, we subjected them, along with unchallenged control fish, to three 60-s bouts of hypoxia, struggling, and mild agitation that were separated by 48-72 h. Our results indicate that the imposition of these stressors on Rs-infected fish did not lead to higher infection levels or increased mortality when compared with diseased fish that did not receive the stressors. Furthermore, the kinetics of plasma cortisol, glucose, and lactate over a 24-h period following each application of the stressor were similar between fish with moderate to high Rs infections and those that had low or no detectable infection. Some differences in the stress responses of these two groups did exist, however. Most notably, fish with moderate to high Rs infections had higher titers of cortisol and lactate prior to each application of the stressor and also were unable to consistently elicit a significant hyperglycemia in response to the stressors. Collectively, our results should be important in understanding the impact that BKD has on the survival of juvenile salmonids, but we caution that our results represent the combined effects of one

  20. Impact of short-term heat stress on physiological responses and expression profile of HSPs in Barbari goats

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dangi, Satyaveer Singh; Gupta, Mahesh; Nagar, Vimla; Yadav, Vijay Pratap; Dangi, Saroj K.; Shankar, Om; Chouhan, Vikrant Singh; Kumar, Puneet; Singh, Gyanendra; Sarkar, Mihir

    2014-12-01

    Six, nonpregnant, Barbari goats aged 4-5 years were selected for the study. For the first 6 days, the animals were kept in psychrometric chamber at thermoneutral temperature for 6 h each day to make them acclimated to climatic chamber. On the 7th day, the animals were exposed to 41 °C temperature for 3 h and then to 45 °C for the next 3 h. Cardinal physiological responses were measured, and blood samples (3 ml) were collected at 1-h interval during the heat exposure period and then once after 6 h of the heat exposure. The rectal temperature (RT) and respiratory rate (RR) increased significantly ( P < 0.05) during the heat exposure compared to pre- and postexposure. The relative messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of heat shock protein (HSP)60, HSP70, and HSP90 increased significantly ( P < 0.05) within 1 h after exposure to heat stress at 41 and 45 °C and decreased significantly ( P < 0.05) in next 2 h but remain significantly ( P < 0.05) elevated from preexposure. HSP105/110 relative mRNA expression level remained unchanged during the first 4 h, and thereafter, it increased significantly ( P < 0.05) and reached the peak at 6 h. Relative protein expression pattern of HSPs during exposure to heat stress showed similar trend as observed for the relative mRNA expression. Given the response sensitivity and intensity of HSP genes to environmental stresses, HSP70 was found to be the most sensitive to temperature fluctuation, and it could be used as an important molecular biomarker to heat stress in animals.