Rapid Decrease and Subsequent Increase in the Serum Triglycerides Accompanied by CD36 Transcript Increase in an Acute Stress Mice Model

In this article, we report the changes in serum triglyceride (TG) levels that occurred during repeated tail blood sampling using a mouse restrainer. We used three groups of mice, namely, “PBS-restrained” “PBS-unrestrained” and “mock-restrained”. The mice in the PBS-restrained and PBS-unrestrained groups were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with 100 mL PBS and tail blood sampling was performed at 1, 5, 8, 24, and 48 h after i.p. injection. For the mock-restrained group, no i.p. injection was performed whereas the subsequent tail blood sampling was similarly performed. During the tail blood sampling, the mice of the two “restrained” groups were placed inside the restrainer designed from an open-ended 50 mL conical tube. The blood from the mice in the PBS-unrestrained group mice was sampled from the tail held by the operator’s hands while being allowed to move on a stage. Strikingly, in all of the three groups, the serum TG level initially decreased to remarkably low levels (approximately 30 mg/dL) after several blood samplings were performed over 8 h. This decrease was followed by a 2 - 3-fold increase in the levels relative to that in the control mice in the subsequent 24 - 48 h time period. We concluded that the acute stress associated with blood sampling caused alterations in TG levels. Serum levels of free fatty acid showed only modest changes. Changes in TG levels were not associated with serum corticosterone levels but with a dramatic increase in CD36 transcript levels in the liver. The relevance of this finding to the previously reported release of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) from white fatty tissue into the plasma during acute stress is also discussed.

Effects of Acute Temperature Stress on mRNA Expression of Transferrin in the Yellow Pond Turtle Mauremys mutica

The yellow pond turtle Mauremys mutica is widely cultured using both greenhouse-reared and outdoor pond-reared models.Individuals from the two models often show different tolerances to dramatic temperature changes caused by extreme weather events.However,the mechanism underlying the difference is unclear.In this study,we found that for greenhouse-reared turtles(GRTs),the expression levels of an immune-related gene for transferrin were significantly different(P<0.05)between the control group and the acute cold stress(ACS)group for most time points(3 h,6 h and 48 h),while at two time points(6 h and 12 h)there was a significant difference(P<0.05)between the control group and the acute heat stress(AHS)group.However,for the outdoor pond-reared turtles(OPTs),we found the opposite pattern:the ACS group showed no significant difference(P>0.05)from the control group for all time points(3 h,6 h,12 h,24 h and 48 h),whereas two time points(12 h and 24 h)were significantly different(P<0.05)for the AHS group.Our results indicate that ACS may influence the immunity of GRTs and have no influence on OPTs,whereas AHS may largely affect the immunity of OPTs and have little influence on GRTs.The findings provide insights into the mechanism underlying the different morbidity and mortality rates of turtles from different culture models after extreme weather events.

Fear of COVID-19 and emotional dysfunction problems:Intrusive,avoidance and hyperarousal stress as key mediators

BACKGROUND There is mounting empirical evidence of the detrimental effects of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)outbreak on mental health.Previous research has underscored the effects of similar destabilizing situations such as war,natural disasters or other pandemics on acute stress levels which have been shown to exacerbate current and future psychopathological symptoms.AIM To explore the role of acute stress responses(intrusive,avoidance and hyperarousal)as mediators in the association between fear of COVID-19 and emotional dysfunction-related problems:Depression,agoraphobia,panic,obsessivecompulsive,generalized anxiety,social anxiety and health anxiety symptoms.METHODS A sample of 439 participants from a university community in Spain(age:mean±SD:36.64±13.37;73.1%females)completed several measures assessing their fear of COVID-19,acute stress responses and emotional dysfunction syndromes through an online survey.Data collection was carried out from the start of home confinement in Spain until May 4,2020,coinciding with initial de-escalation measures.Processing of the dataset included descriptive and frequency analyses,Mann-Whitney U Test of intergroup comparisons and path analysis for direct and indirect effects.This is an observational,descriptive-correlational and crosssectional study.RESULTS The prevalence of clinical symptoms in our sample,reported since the beginning of the pandemic,reached 31.44%.The female group presented higher scores although the effect size was small.Overall,the participants who exceeded the clinical cut-off points in emotional problems showed higher levels of fear of COVID-19 and of cognitive,motor and psychophysiological responses of acute stress,unlike the group with normative scores.In addition,the results show significant mediated effects of hyperarousal stress among fear of COVID-19 and emotional dysfunction psychopathology.However,the clinical syndromes most related to the consequences of the pandemic(e.g.,social contact avoidance or frequent hand washing),such as agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive symptoms,were in fact predicted directly by fear of COVID-19 and/or the acute stress response associated with the pandemic and had a greater predictive power.CONCLUSION The present study illustrates a clearer picture of the role of acute stress on several forms of psychopathology during the COVID-19 crisis and home confinement.

Aortic Stenosis and Stressed Heart Morphology

Myocardial geometric remodeling is a response to increased stress which includes increased afterload situations during clinical conditions. In this review, we have focused on early and late geometric features in aortic stenosis, importance of recognition of these findings and consequences due to progression of valve disease. We have also pointed out the similarities in early focal and global myocardial geometric remodeling in acute and chronic conditions as hypertension and acute stress cardiomypathy which are associated with myocardial functional and geometric response to acute or chronic stress exposure and relevant increased afterload. In aortic stenosis, target organ involvement in disease progression has been evaluated and discussed in the report. In addition to quantitative evaluation of valve disease, importance of myocardial involvement and global assessment of patients with aortic stenosis also have been mentioned in the report. Finally, we have discussed the importance of global myocardial geometric changes and timing for surgery before development of heart failure in this specific group of patients.

Factors influencing intercellular spaces in the rat esophageal epithelium

AIM:To evaluate the effect of acute stress,hydrochloric acid,ethanol,aspirin,and prednisolone on the intercellular spaces of the esophageal epithelium.METHODS:Part -RESULTS:(1) The f ive damaging factors produced no lesions or inflammation in esophageal mucosa of rats under either gross or routine histological inspections.Esophageal epithelial intercellular space diameters in stress and aspirin groups were significantly greater,nearly three or two-fold respectively,than those in their corresponding control groups (stress model:0.38 ± 0.05 μm vs 0.13 ± 0.02 μm,P < 0.01;aspirin model:0.32 ± 0.12 μm vs 0.19 ± 0.05 μm,P < 0.01).Neither intragastric administration of hydrochloric acid or ethanol,nor hypodermic injection of prednisolone produced DIS compared with their corresponding control groups (hydrochloric acid model:0.24 ± 0.03 μm vs 0.19 ± 0.05 μm,P > 0.05;ethanol model:0.25 ± 0.10 μm vs 0.19 ± 0.05 μm,P > 0.05;prednisolone model:0.20 ± 0.03 μm vs 0.14 ± 0.03 μm,P > 0.05);and (2) No significant difference in the intercellular space diameters was observed between the group pretreated with esomeprazole and the control group,in both the stress and aspirin models (stress model:0.35 ± 0.05 μm vs 0.37 ± 0.05 μm,P > 0.05;aspirin model:0.24 ± 0.02 μm vs 0.27 ± 0.03 μm,P > 0.05).CONCLUSION:Acute stress and aspirin can induce DIS of the esophageal epithelium in rats,and it is not correlated with acid reflux.

Commentary:Acute psychological stress redistributed leukocytes via distinct brain circuits

It is commonly known that psychological stress affects immunity through the nervous system,but the specific stress networks between brain and peripheral leukocytes,or their relationship with disease initiation or progression have yet to been delineated.A recent study by Poller and his colleagues1 propose an innovative perspective that distinct brain circuits rapidly manipulate a large-scale whole-body re-distribution of leukocytes(neutrophils,monocytes,lymphocytes)during psychological stress.

Distinct Effects of Social Stress on Working Memory in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Stress might exaggerate the compulsion and impair the working memory of patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder(OCD). This study evaluated the effect of stress on the cognitive neural processing of working memory in OCD and its clinical significance using a ‘‘number calculation working memory'' task. Thirty-eight patients and 55 gender-and education-matched healthy controls were examined. Stress impaired the performance of the manipulation task in patients. Healthy controls showed less engagement of the medial prefrontal cortex and striatum during the task under stress versus less stress,which was absent in the patients with OCD. The diagnosis 9 stress interaction effect was significant in the right fusiform, supplementary motor area, precentral cortex and caudate. The failure of suppression of the medial prefrontal cortex and striatum and stress-related hyperactivation in the right fusiform, supplementary motor area, precentral cortex, and caudate might be an OCD-related psychopathological and neural response to stress.