Depression, anxiety and stress as negative predictors of life satisfaction in university students

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bukhari, S.R.; Saba, F.

2017-01-01

Objective: To study the role of depression, anxiety and stress in prediction of life satisfaction in male and female university students. Methodology: The study involved 200 students, 100 males and 100 females selected by using purposive sampling technique from different universities of Islamabad. Age range of participants was 19-30 years (mean 21.79+-2.970). Depression anxiety stress scale-21 (DASS-21 and Life Satisfaction scale were administered. Data were analyzed on SPSS version 19. Results: The result of present study indicated that depression anxiety and stress significantly predict life satisfaction among male and female university students. Conclusion: University students who are facing depression, anxiety and stress are more vulnerable to low levels of life satisfaction. (author)

Stress level and academic performance of university students in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study examined the relationship between level of stress and students' academic performance in Universities in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Proportional stratified random sampling was used to select 300 students for the study. A “Students' Stress Level Questionnaire ...

Mindfulness, Stress, and Coping among University Students

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Palmer, Angele; Rodger, Susan

2009-01-01

A sample of 135 first-year university students living in residence completed questionnaires that measured individual differences in mindfulness, coping styles, and perceived stress. Findings revealed significant positive relationships between mindfulness and rational coping, and significant negative relationships with emotional and avoidant coping…

Analysis of the expression of putative heat-stress related genes in relation to thermotolerance of cork oak.

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Correia, Barbara; Rodriguez, José Luis; Valledor, Luis; Almeida, Tânia; Santos, Conceição; Cañal, Maria Jesús; Pinto, Glória

2014-03-15

Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is a research priority in the Mediterranean area and because of cork oaks' distribution these stands are experiencing daily stress. Based on projections of intensifying climate change and considering the key role of exploring the recovery abilities, cork oak seedlings were subjected to a cumulative temperature increase from 25°C to 55°C and subsequent recovery. CO2 assimilation rate, chlorophyll fluorescence, anthocyanins, proline and lipid peroxidation were used to evaluate plant performance, while the relative abundance of seven genes encoding for proteins of cork oak with a putative role in thermal/stress regulation (POX1, POX2, HSP10.4, HSP17a.22, CHS, MTL and RBC) was analyzed by qPCR (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction). A temperature change to 35°C showed abundance alterations in the tested genes; at 45°C, the molecular changes were associated with an antioxidant response, possibly modulated by anthocyanins. At 55°C, HSP17a.22, MTL and proline accumulation were evident. After recovery, physiological balance was restored, whereas POX1, HSP10.4 and MTL abundances were suggested to be involved in increased thermotolerance. The data presented here are expected to pinpoint some pathways changes occurring during such stress and further recovery in this particular Mediterranean species. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Stress-reduction interventions in an Australian university: a case study.

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Pignata, Silvia; Winefield, Anthony H

2015-02-01

We examined the effects of awareness of stress-reduction interventions on employee well-being and work attitudes using a mixed methods design. Cross-sectional data are presented from 247 employees who completed questionnaires in 2004 at one Australian university. Analyses indicated that employees, who reported that interventions had been undertaken, scored higher on job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, perceived procedural justice and trust in senior management than those who were not aware of the measures, although they did not differ in psychological strain. Details of the stress-reduction interventions implemented by the Occupational Health and Safety department at the university are also reported. Thematic analyses of the perceived causes of both decreases and increases in stress for employees showed that staff reported workload and staffing pressures as key sources of increases in stress. On the other hand, new supervisors and/or management were identified as sources of decreased stress. Areas for consideration in future efforts to develop and refine stress interventions are also discussed. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glucocorticoid receptor activation is involved in producing abnormal phenotypes of single-prolonged stress rats: a putative post-traumatic stress disorder model.

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Kohda, K; Harada, K; Kato, K; Hoshino, A; Motohashi, J; Yamaji, T; Morinobu, S; Matsuoka, N; Kato, N

2007-08-10

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a stress-related mental disorder caused by traumatic experience, and presents with characteristic symptoms, such as intrusive memories, a state of hyperarousal, and avoidance, that endure for years. Single-prolonged stress (SPS) is one of the animal models proposed for PTSD. Rats exposed to SPS showed enhanced inhibition of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which has been reliably reproduced in patients with PTSD, and increased expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the hippocampus. In this study, we characterized further neuroendocrinologic, behavioral and electrophysiological alterations in SPS rats. Plasma corticosterone recovered from an initial increase within a week, and gross histological changes and neuronal cell death were not observed in the hippocampus of the SPS rats. Behavioral analyses revealed that the SPS rats presented enhanced acoustic startle and impaired spatial memory that paralleled the deficits in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression. Contextual fear memory was enhanced in the rats 1 week after SPS exposure, whereas LTP in the amygdala was blunted. Interestingly, blockade of GR activation by administering 17-beta-hydroxy-11-beta-/4-/[methyl]-[1-methylethyl]aminophenyl/-17-alpha-[prop-1-ynyl]estra-4-9-diene-3-one (RU40555), a GR antagonist, prior to SPS exposure prevented potentiation of fear conditioning and impairment of LTP in the CA1 region. Altogether, SPS caused a number of behavioral changes similar to those described in PTSD, which marks SPS as a putative PTSD model. The preventive effects of a GR antagonist suggested that GR activation might play a critical role in producing the altered behavior and neuronal function of SPS rats.

Prenatal Maternal Stress Programs Infant Stress Regulation

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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.…

Perception of academic stress among Health Science Preparatory Program students in two Saudi universities

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Alsulami S

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Saleh Alsulami, Zaid Al Omar, Mohammed S Binnwejim, Fahad Alhamdan, Amr Aldrees, Abdulkarim Al-bawardi, Meshary Alsohim, Mohammed Alhabeeb Departments of Family Medicine and Medical Education, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Abstract: The Health Science Preparatory Program (HSPP is a special program that aims to enhance the educational preparedness of students for participation in a health sciences career. Students spend their first university year in a combined extensive teaching program before they can be assigned to a particular health science specialty. It is thought that students enrolled in a highly competitive environment such as HSPP with a long list of potential stressors, including developmental, academic overload, language barriers and competition, are more disposed to stress and stress-related complications. This study aims to measure the level of academic stress and to determine its risk factors in students enrolled in HSPP-adapted local universities in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted at two Saudi universities, King Saud University (KSU and Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSU with competition-based and non-competition-based HSPP learning models, respectively. Both universities adopt the HSPP system. The scale for assessing academic stress (SAAS was used to assess students’ perceived stress. A total of 290 students successfully completed the questionnaire (N=290, with a mean age of 18.66 years. Mean SAAS scores for KSU and IMSU students were 8.37 (SD = 4.641 and 7.97 (SD = 5.104, P=0.480, respectively. Only “satisfaction” and “associated social and health problems” have shown statistically significant correlation with university (P=0.000 and P=0.049, respectively. This study has found mean SAAS score for two local universities with competition-based versus non-competition-based HSPP learning models. Academic stress correlation with age, gender and

The Effect of Gender on Stress Factors: An Exploratory Study among University Students

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Michelle Calvarese

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This study examined the relationship between gender and reactions to stress among university students. University students were surveyed on how they typically responded when under perceived stress. There were significant differences between males and females concerning their reactions to stress. Overall, more females experienced higher levels of depression, frustration, and anxiety than their male counterparts when reacting to stress. Males also tended to have other psychological reactions different from those listed on the survey. In addition, while the stress reaction of anger was barely statistically insignificant, more females expressed anger than males as a reaction to stress.

Work stress among university teachers: gender and position differences.

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Slišković, Ana; Maslić Seršić, Darja

2011-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate exposure to stress at work in university teachers and see if there were differences between men and women as well as between positions. The study was carried out online and included a representative sample of 1,168 teachers employed at universities in Croatia. This included all teaching positions: assistants (50%), assistant professors (18%), associate professors (17%), and full professors (15%). Fifty-seven percent of the sample were women. The participants answered a questionnaire of our own design that measured six groups of stressors: workload, material and technical conditions at work, relationships with colleagues at work, work with students, work organisation, and social recognition and status. Women reported greater stress than men. Assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors reported greater stress related to material and technical conditions of work and work organisation than assistants, who, in turn, found relationships with colleagues a greater stressor. Full professors, reported lower exposure to stress at work than associate professors, assistant professors, and assistants.

A Qualitative Study of HR/OHS Stress Interventions in Australian Universities

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Winefield, Anthony H.; Boyd, Carolyn M.

2018-01-01

To enhance the understanding of psychosocial factors and extend research on work stress interventions, we investigated the key human resource (HR)/occupational health and safety (OHS) stress interventions implemented at five Australian universities over a three-year period. Five senior HR Directors completed an online survey to identify the intervention strategies taken at their university in order to reduce stress and enhance employee well-being and morale. We also explored the types of individual-, organization-, and individual/organization-directed interventions that were implemented, and the strategies that were prioritized at each university. Across universities, the dominant interventions were strategies that aimed to balance the social exchange in the work contract between employee-organization with an emphasis on initiatives to: enhance training, career development and promotional opportunities; improve remuneration and recognition practices; and to enhance the fairness of organizational policies and procedures. Strategies to improve work-life balance were also prominent. The interventions implemented were predominantly proactive (primary) strategies focused at the organizational level and aimed at eliminating or reducing or altering work stressors. The findings contribute to the improved management of people at work by identifying university-specific HR/OHS initiatives, specifically leadership development and management skills programs which were identified as priorities at three universities. PMID:29315278

A Qualitative Study of HR/OHS Stress Interventions in Australian Universities.

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Pignata, Silvia; Winefield, Anthony H; Boyd, Carolyn M; Provis, Chris

2018-01-09

To enhance the understanding of psychosocial factors and extend research on work stress interventions, we investigated the key human resource (HR)/occupational health and safety (OHS) stress interventions implemented at five Australian universities over a three-year period. Five senior HR Directors completed an online survey to identify the intervention strategies taken at their university in order to reduce stress and enhance employee well-being and morale. We also explored the types of individual-, organization-, and individual/organization-directed interventions that were implemented, and the strategies that were prioritized at each university. Across universities, the dominant interventions were strategies that aimed to balance the social exchange in the work contract between employee-organization with an emphasis on initiatives to: enhance training, career development and promotional opportunities; improve remuneration and recognition practices; and to enhance the fairness of organizational policies and procedures. Strategies to improve work-life balance were also prominent. The interventions implemented were predominantly proactive (primary) strategies focused at the organizational level and aimed at eliminating or reducing or altering work stressors. The findings contribute to the improved management of people at work by identifying university-specific HR/OHS initiatives, specifically leadership development and management skills programs which were identified as priorities at three universities.

A Qualitative Study of HR/OHS Stress Interventions in Australian Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Pignata

2018-01-01

Full Text Available To enhance the understanding of psychosocial factors and extend research on work stress interventions, we investigated the key human resource (HR/occupational health and safety (OHS stress interventions implemented at five Australian universities over a three-year period. Five senior HR Directors completed an online survey to identify the intervention strategies taken at their university in order to reduce stress and enhance employee well-being and morale. We also explored the types of individual-, organization-, and individual/organization-directed interventions that were implemented, and the strategies that were prioritized at each university. Across universities, the dominant interventions were strategies that aimed to balance the social exchange in the work contract between employee-organization with an emphasis on initiatives to: enhance training, career development and promotional opportunities; improve remuneration and recognition practices; and to enhance the fairness of organizational policies and procedures. Strategies to improve work-life balance were also prominent. The interventions implemented were predominantly proactive (primary strategies focused at the organizational level and aimed at eliminating or reducing or altering work stressors. The findings contribute to the improved management of people at work by identifying university-specific HR/OHS initiatives, specifically leadership development and management skills programs which were identified as priorities at three universities.

Level of Perceived Stress Among Lectures in Nigerian Universities

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Ofoegbu, Felicia; Nwadiani, Mon

2006-01-01

The purpose of the study was to provide empirical evidence on the level of stress among lecturers in Nigerian universities. On the whole eight universities were used for the study. A sample of 228 (123 male and 105 female) lecturers was selected according to the variables of age, sex, marital status, experience, domicile, areas of specialization,…

Perception of academic stress among Health Science Preparatory Program students in two Saudi universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Alsulami, Saleh; Al Omar, Zaid; Binnwejim, Mohammed S; Alhamdan, Fahad; Aldrees, Amr; Al-Bawardi, Abdulkarim; Alsohim, Meshary; Alhabeeb, Mohammed

2018-01-01

The Health Science Preparatory Program (HSPP) is a special program that aims to enhance the educational preparedness of students for participation in a health sciences career. Students spend their first university year in a combined extensive teaching program before they can be assigned to a particular health science specialty. It is thought that students enrolled in a highly competitive environment such as HSPP with a long list of potential stressors, including developmental, academic overload, language barriers and competition, are more disposed to stress and stress-related complications. This study aims to measure the level of academic stress and to determine its risk factors in students enrolled in HSPP-adapted local universities in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted at two Saudi universities, King Saud University (KSU) and Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSU) with competition-based and non-competition-based HSPP learning models, respectively. Both universities adopt the HSPP system. The scale for assessing academic stress (SAAS) was used to assess students' perceived stress. A total of 290 students successfully completed the questionnaire (N=290), with a mean age of 18.66 years. Mean SAAS scores for KSU and IMSU students were 8.37 (SD = 4.641) and 7.97 (SD = 5.104), P =0.480, respectively. Only "satisfaction" and "associated social and health problems" have shown statistically significant correlation with university ( P =0.000 and P =0.049, respectively). This study has found mean SAAS score for two local universities with competition-based versus non-competition-based HSPP learning models. Academic stress correlation with age, gender and universities was discussed, and valuable future work guidance was recommended.

The Putative Son's Attractiveness Alters the Perceived Attractiveness of the Putative Father.

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Prokop, Pavol

2015-08-01

A body of literature has investigated female mate choice in the pre-mating context (pre-mating sexual selection). Humans, however, are long-living mammals forming pair-bonds which sequentially produce offspring. Post-mating evaluations of a partner's attractiveness may thus significantly influence the reproductive success of men and women. I tested herein the theory that the attractiveness of putative sons provides extra information about the genetic quality of fathers, thereby influencing fathers' attractiveness across three studies. As predicted, facially attractive boys were more frequently attributed to attractive putative fathers and vice versa (Study 1). Furthermore, priming with an attractive putative son increased the attractiveness of the putative father with the reverse being true for unattractive putative sons. When putative fathers were presented as stepfathers, the effect of the boy's attractiveness on the stepfather's attractiveness was lower and less consistent (Study 2). This suggests that the presence of an attractive boy has the strongest effect on the perceived attractiveness of putative fathers rather than on non-fathers. The generalized effect of priming with beautiful non-human objects also exists, but its effect is much weaker compared with the effects of putative biological sons (Study 3). Overall, this study highlighted the importance of post-mating sexual selection in humans and suggests that the heritable attractive traits of men are also evaluated by females after mating and/or may be used by females in mate poaching.

The Relationship between Occupational Stress and Job Satisfaction: The Case of Pakistani Universities

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Chaudhry, Abdul Qayyum

2012-01-01

This paper aims to find out the relationship between occupational stress and job satisfaction based on age, gender, nature of job, cadre, work experience of university teachers, and sector of university. The Pearson correlation indicates: no significant relationship found between job satisfaction and overall occupational stress; inverse…

Correlates of depression, anxiety and stress among Malaysian university students.

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Shamsuddin, Khadijah; Fadzil, Fariza; Ismail, Wan Salwina Wan; Shah, Shamsul Azhar; Omar, Khairani; Muhammad, Noor Azimah; Jaffar, Aida; Ismail, Aniza; Mahadevan, Raynuha

2013-08-01

University students face not only challenges related with independent living, but also academic challenges. This predisposes them to depression, anxiety and stress, which are fairly common. The aim was to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress, and identify their correlates among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 506 students between the ages of 18 and 24 years from four public universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Through an anonymous, self administered questionnaire, they were assessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Data on socio-demographic, family characteristics and living arrangement were also obtained. Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to explore association between these aspects. Analysis showed among all students, 27.5% had moderate, and 9.7% had severe or extremely severe depression; 34% had moderate, and 29% had severe or extremely severe anxiety; and 18.6% had moderate and 5.1% had severe or extremely severe stress scores based on the DASS-21 inventory. Both depression and anxiety scores were significantly higher among older students (20 and above) and those born in rural areas. Whereas, higher stress scores were significantly higher among older students (20 and above), females, Malays and those whose family had either low or high incomes compared to those with middle incomes. The prevalence of anxiety is much higher than either depression or stress, with some differences in their correlates except for age. These differences need to be further explored for development of better intervention programs and appropriate support services targeting this group. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A putative hybrid swarm within Oonopsis foliosa (Asteraceae: Astereae)

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Hughes, J.F.; Brown, G.K.

2004-01-01

Oo??nopsis foliosa var. foliosa and var. monocephala are endemic to short-grass steppe of southeastern Colorado and until recently were considered geographically disjunct. The only known qualitative feature separating these 2 varieties is floral head type; var. foliosa has radiate heads, whereas var. monocephala heads are discoid. Sympatry between these varieties is restricted to a small area in which a range of parental types and intermediate head morphologies is observed. We used distribution mapping, morphometric analyses, chromosome cytology, and pollen stainability to characterize the sympatric zone. Morphometrics confirms that the only discrete difference between var. foliosa and var. monocephala is radiate versus discoid heads, respectively. The outer florets of putative hybrid individuals ranged from conspicuously elongated yet radially symmetric disc-floret corollas, to elongated radially asymmetric bilabiate- or deeply cleft corollas, to stunted ray florets with appendages remnant of corolla lobes. Chromosome cytology of pollen mother cells from both putative parental varieties and a series of intermediate morphological types collected at the sympatric zone reveal evidence of translocation heterozygosity. Pollen stainability shows no significant differences in viability between the parental varieties and putative hybrids. The restricted distribution of putative hybrids to a narrow zone of sympatry between the parental types and the presence of meiotic chromosome-pairing anomalies in these intermediate plants are consistent with a hybrid origin. The high stainability of putative-hybrid pollen adds to a growing body of evidence that hybrids are not universally unfit.

Stress and gender in relation to self-esteem of university business ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Stress and gender in relation to self-esteem of university business students. ... gender completed standardized measures of traditional student stress scale and self esteem. The 2x3 (ANOVA) was ... AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE ...

The Influence of Perceived Stress, Loneliness, and Learning Burnout on University Students' Educational Experience

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Stoliker, Bryce E.; Lafreniere, Kathryn D.

2015-01-01

University is a pivotal period in a young adult's life; however, for some, university may be a recipe for disaster due to the stress and pressures that come along with university education. The purpose of the present study was to examine students' feelings of stress, loneliness, and levels of learning burnout in order to determine if these factors…

Stress and dietary behaviour among first-year university students in Australia: sex differences.

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Papier, Keren; Ahmed, Faruk; Lee, Patricia; Wiseman, Juliet

2015-02-01

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between stress and food selection patterns by sex among first-year undergraduate students studying in an Australian university. Participating in this cross-sectional study were 728 (331 men and 397 female students) first-year students, ages >18 y, attending the Gold Coast Campus of Griffith University. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of three sections: sociodemographic information, stress measures, and a 7-d food frequency questionnaire. More than half (52.9%) of the participants were found to suffer from some level of stress, with relatively more female students (57.4%) suffering than men (47.4%). Men who experienced mild to moderate levels of stress were two to three times more likely to eat cereal foods (P stress level and consumption of cereal food, meat alternatives, vegetables and fruit (negative trend), highly processed food, protein powder, beverages and alcoholic beverages (all P stress were 2.22 times more likely to eat processed food (P stress were less likely to consume meat alternatives (P stress levels and the consumption of meat alternatives, vegetables and fruit (both negative trends), and processed food (all P stressed male and female students, with stress being a more significant predictor of unhealthy food selection among male students. Further research is needed using a qualitative approach to understand how stress and eating behavior are related in university students. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Overexpression of a cytosolic abiotic stress responsive universal stress protein (SbUSP mitigates salt and osmotic stress in transgenic tobacco plants

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Pushpika eUdawat

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The Universal Stress Protein (USP is a ubiquitous protein and plays an indispensable role in plant abiotic stress tolerance. The genome of Salicornia brachiata contains two homologues of intron less SbUSP gene which encodes for salt and osmotic responsive universal stress protein. In vivo localization reveals that SbUSP is a membrane bound cytosolic protein. The role of the gene was functionally validated by developing transgenic tobacco and compared with control (wild type and vector control plants under different abiotic stress condition. Transgenic lines (T1 exhibited higher chlorophyll, relative water, proline, total sugar, reducing sugar, free amino acids, polyphenol contents, osmotic potential, membrane stability and lower electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde content under stress treatments than control (WT and VC plants. Lower accumulation of H2O2 and O2- radicals was also detected in transgenic lines compared to control plants under stress conditions. Present study confers that overexpression of the SbUSP gene enhances plant growth, alleviates ROS buildup, maintains ion homeostasis and improves the physiological status of the plant under salt and osmotic stresses. Principal component analysis (PCA exhibited a statistical distinction of plant response to salinity stress, and a significant response was observed for transgenic lines under stress, which provides stress endurance to the plant. A possible signaling role is proposed that some downstream genes may get activated by abiotic stress responsive cytosolic SbUSP, which leads to the protection of cell from oxidative damages. The study unveils that ectopic expression of the gene mitigates salt or osmotic stress by scavenging ROS and modulating the physiological process of the plant.

Interventions to reduce stress in university students: a review and meta-analysis.

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Regehr, Cheryl; Glancy, Dylan; Pitts, Annabel

2013-05-15

Recent research has revealed concerning rates of anxiety and depression among university students. Nevertheless, only a small percentage of these students receive treatment from university health services. Universities are thus challenged with instituting preventative programs that address student stress and reduce resultant anxiety and depression. A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis was conducted to examine the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing stress in university students. Studies were eligible for inclusion if the assignment of study participants to experimental or control groups was by random allocation or parallel cohort design. Retrieved studies represented a variety of intervention approaches with students in a broad range of programs and disciplines. Twenty-four studies, involving 1431 students were included in the meta-analysis. Cognitive, behavioral and mindfulness interventions were associated with decreased symptoms of anxiety. Secondary outcomes included lower levels of depression and cortisol. Included studies were limited to those published in peer reviewed journals. These studies over-represent interventions with female students in Western countries. Studies on some types of interventions such as psycho-educational and arts based interventions did not have sufficient data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. This review provides evidence that cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness interventions are effective in reducing stress in university students. Universities are encouraged to make such programs widely available to students. In addition however, future work should focus on developing stress reduction programs that attract male students and address their needs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Academic examination stress increases disordered eating symptomatology in female university students.

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Costarelli, V; Patsai, A

2012-09-01

It is well documented that stress and anxiety can affect eating behaviour and food intake in humans. The purpose of the current study was to explore the possible effect of academic examination stress on disordered eating attitudes, emotional eating, restraint eating, body image, anxiety levels and self-esteem in a group of female university students. The interrelationships of the above parameters were also examined. Sixty Greek female university students, 18-25 years old, have been recruited and completed, on two separate occasions: a) during an examination stress period, and b) during a control period, the following questionnaires: the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Rosenberg Self- Esteem Scale, the Body Image Pictorial Instrument Scale (COLLINS) and a specially designed General Background Questionnaire. Subjects reported significantly higher levels of disordered eating attitudes (EAT-26, p=0.01), higher levels of anxiety (p=0.000) and lower levels of self-esteem (p=0.016) during the examination stress period compared to the control period. Disordered eating attitudes (EAT-26) were significantly positively correlated with emotional eating (p=0.04) and restrained eating (p=0.010) and negatively correlated with levels of self-esteem (p=0.05) and perceived desired body image (p=0.008) during the exam stress period. Finally, EAT-26 was significantly positively correlated with levels of anxiety in both study periods. Academic examination stress seems to increase disordered eating symptomatology in female university students and is associated with lower levels of self-esteem, an important finding which warrants further investigation.

Stress and Quality of Life Among University Students: A Systematic Literature Review

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Ícaro J.S. Ribeiro

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Excessive and continuous stress has effects that go beyond mere health commitment, by triggering various diseases, and it is well stablish that this stress-related somatic events can affect the quality of life. Based on the exposed, the following questions were raised: There is association between quality of life and stress level in university students? What are the potential variables that influences this association? Therefore, this research aimed to analyze recent scientific productions about stress and quality of life in university students. Methods: A systematic review was conducted on the recent scientific production (i.e., published papers along the last five (5 years in Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed and Virtual Health Library (BVS. For this it was used the following search terms: ''quality of life'', restricted to the title, ''Stress'' and ''students'' in the title, abstract or keywords, all entered in a single search and connected by the Boolean operator ''AND''. Results: This study identified 142 articles in the scientific literature, but only 13 articles were classified as eligible according to the previously established criteria, highlighting the lack of studies that address the theme under investigation. Among these, quality of life was frequently negatively associated to stress and factors as insomnia and burnout were also associated with its deterioration. Discussion: This systematic review highlights the negative association between stress and QoL in university students, through the deterioration of various aspects related to physical and mental health. Keywords: Quality of life, Psychological stress, Undergraduate

The constant threat of terrorism: stress levels and coping strategies amongst university students of Karachi.

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Ahmed, Ayesha Ejaz; Masood, Komal; Dean, Sohni Vicky; Shakir, Tanzila; Kardar, Ahmed Abdul Hafeez; Barlass, Usman; Imam, Syed Haider; Mohmand, Mohammad Ghawar Khan; Ibrahim, Hussain; Khan, Imad Saeed; Akram, Usman; Hasnain, Farid

2011-04-01

To assess the levels of stress in the face of terrorism and the adopted coping strategies, amongst the student population of universities in Karachi. A descriptive, cross sectional study was conducted on undergraduate students from four universities of Karachi. Self-administered questionnaires were filled out by 291 students. Pearson Chi-Square test was used to assess associations between stress levels and different variables at a level of significance of 0.05%. A total of 65.8% of the students had mild stress levels, 91.5% of university students were exposed to terrorism through television, while only 26.5% students reported personal exposure to terrorism. 67.4% students were forbidden by their parents to go out (p = 0.002). Most of those who had self exposure to an attack were the ones whose parents forbade them from going out (p = 0.00). Most commonly used coping strategy was increased faith in religion. Irritability was the most common stress symptom. A majority of students studying in universities of Karachi had mild stress levels due to the constant threat of terrorism whereas a minority had severe stress levels. Possible reasons for resilience and only mild stress levels could be the history of Karachi's internal conflicts and its prolonged duration of being exposed to terrorism. These students who are positive for stress need to be targeted for counseling either through the media or through their universities. More extensive research is needed in this area.

Effects of Biodanza on Stress, Depression, and Sleep Quality in University Students.

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López-Rodríguez, María Mar; Baldrich-Rodríguez, Ingrid; Ruiz-Muelle, Alicia; Cortés-Rodríguez, Alda Elena; Lopezosa-Estepa, Teresa; Roman, Pablo

2017-07-01

The existing literature shows dance to be an innovative and successful form of stress management. Previous research indicates that Biodanza is able to increase well-being and personal resources and prevent stress. However, Biodanza has not yet been empirically tested as a possible therapy for application outside the clinical context in young adults with perceived stress. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Biodanza in reducing symptoms of perceived stress and depression and in promoting sleep quality in young adults, comparing the changes with those observed in a control group. Randomized controlled trial. This study was carried out at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Almería. One hundred and twenty-one university students with perceived stress were randomly placed into either a Biodanza group or a wait-list control group. Study participants attended Biodanza sessions for 90 min a week, over a period of 4 weeks. Depression, perceived stress, and sleep quality were assessed both before and after intervention. Ninety-five participants completed the program and were included in the statistical analysis. Significant differences in perceived stress [t (93) = 2.136; p = 0.015] and depression [t (93) = 2.738; p = 0.000] were observed after the Biodanza period. Pre/post analysis found that Biodanza also had a significant effect on depression (Cohen d = 1.88; p stress (Cohen d = 0.79; p stress management strategy for students. The results of this study showed Biodanza to have a positive effect on perceived stress and depression in young adults. This demonstrates how artistic, collaborative, and psychophysical interventions are an effective means of preventing and managing these problems in university students.

Perceived stress scores among Saudi students entering universities: a prospective study during the first year of university life.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Daghri, Nasser M; Al-Othman, Abdulaziz; Albanyan, Abdulmajeed; Al-Attas, Omar S; Alokail, Majed S; Sabico, Shaun; Chrousos, George P

2014-04-10

In this prospective study we wanted to determine whether perceived stress over time among students in the Preparatory Year of King Saud University (KSU) predisposes them to cardiometabolic abnormalities. A total of 110 apparently healthy Saudi students (35 men and 75 women enrolled during the 2010-2011 academic year) were included. Perceived stress was determined at baseline and 1 year later. Anthropometrics were obtained and morning fasting serum glucose, lipid profile and cortisol were measured at both times. Perceived stress was noted among 48.2% of subjects at baseline and was not significantly different after follow-up, with 45.4% scoring high. In men, the prevalence of perceived stress was 48.6% at baseline (13 out of 35) and 37.1% at follow-up (13 out of 35), while in women it was 48% at baseline and 49.3% at follow-up. Interestingly, significant improvements in the blood pressure and lipid profiles, with the exception of HDL-cholesterol, were observed in both men and women, while fasting glucose also improved in women. Serum cortisol was inversely associated to fasting glucose, and total- and LDL-cholesterol (p-values 0.007, 0.04 and 0.04, respectively). These data are opposite to findings in students entering Western universities, in whom increasing stress and a deteriorating cardiometabolic profile have been repeatedly noted. Perceived stress and morning cortisol levels among students of the Preparatory Year in KSU remained constant for both genders over time, yet an improved cardiometabolic profile was observed, suggesting good adaptation among our pre-college students in their first year of university life.

Teaching Styles and Occupational Stress among Chinese University Faculty Members

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Li-fang

2007-01-01

The primary aim of this research is to investigate the predictive power of occupational stress for teaching style among university faculty members. A sample of 144 faculty members from a large university in the People's Republic of China rated themselves on three ability scales and responded to the Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory and to four…

WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEIVED STRESS AND COPING MECHANISMS

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Y. van Zyl

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Stress has become an inevitable part of life for students in a universityenvironment due to various factors, such as increased pressure, competition,decreased resources, inadequate family support and the increased use of drugs andalcohol. Moreover, the transition from adolescence to adulthood for universitystudents is a difficult journey, filled with various risks, rapid changes andseemingly endless choices when placed within a university environment. Thisstudy examines perceived stress and coping strategies among university students.A cross-sectional survey involving 334 students at a university in Gauteng, SouthAfrica was undertaken using validated perceived stress and coping scales. Theprevalence of stress among university students seems to be high. Through a factoranalysis procedure, two primary dimensions of stress were identified, namelyperceived helplessness and low self-efficacy and five primary coping strategiesare used by students, namely negativism and denial, emotional support,introspection and veneration, substance abuse, and humour. Female students seemtoexperience higher levels of stress compared to their male counterparts. The results point toward the need to develop a training module to promote proactivecoping strategies and the improvement of the general self-efficacy of universitystudents. Furthermore, these results have implications for designing stressreduction workshops with the assistance of the student support and counsellingdepartment in the university. Limitations and implications for further research arediscussed.

Psychophysiological Manifestations Associated With Stress in Students of a Public University in Mexico.

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Pozos-Radillo, Elizabeth; Preciado-Serrano, Lourdes; Plascencia-Campos, Ana; Valdez-López, Rosa; Morales-Fernández, Armando

2016-05-01

Academic stress is defined as a physiological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral activation reaction to stimuli. This stress can impact students' ability to cope with the school environment. To identify the psychophysiological manifestations associated with high-level academic stress in public university students in Mexico. A representative random sampling of 527 students was evaluated during 2012. The Academic Stress Symptom Inventory and the Rossi classification were used; data were analyzed with a binary logistic regression analysis to estimate association between psychophysiological manifestations and the high level of academic stress in public university students. Results indicated a meaningful association between high levels of academic stress situations and psychophysiological manifestations such as concentration and memory problems, mental blocks and chronic fatigue, drowsiness, and despair. Identifying academic stress situations and students' maladaptive responses may help promote timely attention to psychophysiological manifestations before they exacerbate and become harmful to college students' health. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Workplace Stress: Implications for Organizational Performance in a Nigerian Public University

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Omotayo A. Osibanjo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the implications of workplace stress on organizational performance in a Nigerian Public University. The survey method was deployed in sampling one hundred and seventy (170 staff members of the University. The Structural Equation Modelling was adopted using AMOS to establish fitness. Results of the analyses indicate that role congruence, equity, recognition, and distance, have significant influence on organizational performance. This makes it imperative for organizations to invest necessary resources in developing strategies and interventions to reduce workplace stress. If this is achieved, there will be endless opportunities in terms of increased performance and overall sustainability.

Perceived Stress in University Students Studying in a Further Education College

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Matthew Peter; Peart, Daniel James; Fairhead, Orrin James William

2017-01-01

Previous research investigating perceived stress and mental health in UK university students has used a sample population from higher education institutes (HEIs). To the authors' knowledge, there is no literature specifically examining stress in a student population within a higher education in further education (HE-in-FE) environment. The aim of…

Bio-Energy during Finals: Stress Reduction for a University Community.

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Running, Alice; Hildreth, Laura

2016-01-01

To re-examine the effectiveness of a bio-energy intervention on self-reported stress for a convenience sample of university students during dead week, a quasi-experimental, single-group pretest-posttest design was used. Thirty-three students participated, serving as their own controls. After participants had consented, a 15-min Healing Touch intervention followed enrollment. Self-reported stress was significantly reduced after the bio-energy (Healing Touch) intervention. Bio-energy therapy has shown to be beneficial in reducing stress for students during dead week, the week before final examinations. Further research is needed.

Perceived Stress Scores among Saudi Students Entering Universities: A Prospective Study during the First Year of University Life

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Daghri, Nasser M.; Al-Othman, Abdulaziz; Albanyan, Abdulmajeed; Al-Attas, Omar S.; Alokail, Majed S.; Sabico, Shaun; Chrousos, George P.

2014-01-01

In this prospective study we wanted to determine whether perceived stress over time among students in the Preparatory Year of King Saud University (KSU) predisposes them to cardiometabolic abnormalities. A total of 110 apparently healthy Saudi students (35 men and 75 women enrolled during the 2010−2011 academic year) were included. Perceived stress was determined at baseline and 1 year later. Anthropometrics were obtained and morning fasting serum glucose, lipid profile and cortisol were measured at both times. Perceived stress was noted among 48.2% of subjects at baseline and was not significantly different after follow-up, with 45.4% scoring high. In men, the prevalence of perceived stress was 48.6% at baseline (13 out of 35) and 37.1% at follow-up (13 out of 35), while in women it was 48% at baseline and 49.3% at follow-up. Interestingly, significant improvements in the blood pressure and lipid profiles, with the exception of HDL-cholesterol, were observed in both men and women, while fasting glucose also improved in women. Serum cortisol was inversely associated to fasting glucose, and total- and LDL-cholesterol (p-values 0.007, 0.04 and 0.04, respectively). These data are opposite to findings in students entering Western universities, in whom increasing stress and a deteriorating cardiometabolic profile have been repeatedly noted. Perceived stress and morning cortisol levels among students of the Preparatory Year in KSU remained constant for both genders over time, yet an improved cardiometabolic profile was observed, suggesting good adaptation among our pre-college students in their first year of university life. PMID:24727357

Academic Performance and Perceived Stress among University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Talib, Nadeem; Zia-ur-Rehman, Muhammad

2012-01-01

This study aims to investigate the effect of factor such as perceived stress on the academic performance of the students. A sample of 199 university graduates and undergraduates in Rawalpindi and Islamabad was selected as a statistical frame. Instrumentation used for this study is previously validated construct in order to evaluate the effect of…

Differential expressions of putative genes in various floral organs of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2009-06-03

Jun 3, 2009 ... Full Length Research Paper. Differential expressions of putative genes in various floral organs of the Pigeon orchid (Dendrobium crumenatum) using GeneFishing. Faridah, Q. Z.1, 2, Ng, B. Z.3, Raha, A. R.4, Umi, K. A. B.5 and Khosravi, A. R.2*. 1Department of Biology, Faculty Science, University Putra ...

A discrete stress-strength interference model based on universal generating function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An Zongwen; Huang Hongzhong; Liu Yu

2008-01-01

Continuous stress-strength interference (SSI) model regards stress and strength as continuous random variables with known probability density function. This, to some extent, results in a limitation of its application. In this paper, stress and strength are treated as discrete random variables, and a discrete SSI model is presented by using the universal generating function (UGF) method. Finally, case studies demonstrate the validity of the discrete model in a variety of circumstances, in which stress and strength can be represented by continuous random variables, discrete random variables, or two groups of experimental data

Examination of the requirement for ucp-4, a putative homolog of mammalian uncoupling proteins, for stress tolerance and longevity in C. elegans.

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Iser, Wendy B; Kim, Daemyung; Bachman, Eric; Wolkow, Catherine

2005-10-01

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated by mitochondrial respiration and can react with and damage cellular components. According to the free radical theory of aging, oxidative damage from mitochondrial ROS is a major cause of cellular decline during aging. Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs) uncouple ATP production from electron transport and can be stimulated by free radicals, suggesting UCPs may perform a cytoprotective function. The nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, contains one UCP-like protein, encoded by the ucp-4 gene. We have investigated the genetic requirement for ucp-4 in normal aging and stress resistance. Consistent with the hypothesis that ucp-4 encodes a putative uncoupling protein, animals lacking ucp-4 function contained elevated ATP levels. However, the absence of ucp-4 function did not affect adult lifespan or survival in the presence of thermal or oxidative stress. Together, these results demonstrate that ucp-4 is a negative regulator of ATP production in C. elegans, but is not required for normal lifespan.

Reliability and validity of the student stress inventory-stress manifestations questionnaire and its association with personal and academic factors in university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Simonelli-Muñoz, Agustín J; Balanza, Serafín; Rivera-Caravaca, José Miguel; Vera-Catalán, Tomás; Lorente, Ana María; Gallego-Gómez, Juana I

2018-05-01

Stress affects us in every environment and it is also present in the educational sphere. Previous studies have reported a high prevalence of stress in university students. The Student Stress Inventory-Stress Manifestations (SSI-SM), identify stressors and evaluate stress manifestations in adolescents but its validity in university students remains uncertain. We aimed to determine the internal consistency and validity of an adapted version of the Student Stress Inventory-Stress Manifestations (SSI-SM) for university students and to investigate if high stress levels are associated with personal and academic factors. In this quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study, we included 115 university students of the Nursing Degree during the second semester of the 2014/2015 academic year. Information about personal issues, lifestyle and academic performance was recorded and the stress was evaluated with the SSI-SM questionnaire. The internal consistency and homogeneity of the SSI-SM questionnaire was tested and a factorial analysis was performed. After the homogeneity analysis, the final version of the SSI-SM questionnaire included 19 items, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.924. In the factorial analysis, 4 factors were found ('Self-concept', 'Sociability', 'Uncertainty' and 'Somatization'; all Cronbach's alpha >0.700). Students with higher values on the SSI-SM were, in overall, women (41.0 ± 12.7 vs. 33.2 ± 9.5; p = 0.001) and had significantly more family conflicts (47.6 ± 13.8 vs. 35.2 ± 9.6; p < 0.001), consumed less alcohol (R = -0.184, p = 0.048), slept less hours (R = -0.193, p = 0.038) and had worse academic performance in Clinical Nursing (36.3 ± 10.4 vs. 41.2 ± 13.3, p = 0.039). After exclude three items of the original SSI-SM, higher scores in the SSI-SM are correlated with stress level in a cohort of university students of the Nursing Degree. Family conflicts, female gender, absence of alcohol

Stress, alcohol use and work engagement among university workers ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... workplace alcohol use and work engagement among 228 University of Nigeria, Nsukka, workers. The results of the regression analyses showed that job stress significantly predicted workplace alcohol use (â = .17, p < .01). Workplace alcohol use also significantly predicted employee work engagement (â = -.35, p < .001).

Nutritional Correlates of Perceived Stress among University Students in Egypt

OpenAIRE

Ansari, Walid El; Berg-Beckhoff, Gabriele

2015-01-01

Food intake choice and amount might change with stress. However, this has not been examined among Egyptian students. We examined students' stress levels, its correlation with their consumption of a range of food groups, and adherence to dietary guidelines. A cross sectional survey (N = 2810 undergraduates at 11 faculties at Assiut University, Egypt) assessed two composite food intake pattern scores (one unhealthy: sweets, cakes, snacks; and a healthy one: fruits and vegetables), and two indic...

Relationships between stress, coping and depressive symptoms among overseas university preparatory Chinese students: a cross-sectional study

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Yeh Gwo-Liang

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mental health problems in young people are an important public health issue. Students leaving their hometown and family at a young age to pursue better educational opportunities overseas are confronted with life adjustment stress, which in turn affects their mental health and academic performance. This study aimed to examine the relationships among stress, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms using the stress coping framework in overseas Chinese university preparatory students in Taiwan. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at an overseas Chinese university preparatory institute in Taiwan. Of enrolled overseas Chinese university preparatory students at 2009, 756 completed a structured questionnaire measuring stress, strategies for coping with it, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results High levels of stress significantly predicted the adoption of active, problem-focused coping strategies (R2 = 0.13, p R2 = 0.24, p z = 8.06, p Conclusion Our study results suggested that stress is associated with coping strategies and depressive symptoms and passive strategies mediate the relation between stress and depressive symptoms in overseas Chinese university preparatory students.

Relationships among Perceived Stress, Coping, and Grade Point Average in University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kewallal, Rajendra David

2013-01-01

This study explored the relationships among perceived stress, coping style, and academic performance in 210 students from a mid-sized public university and a small private college. Study participants were asked to complete the Perceived Stress Scale, the Brief COPE Questionnaire, and a demographic survey asking about their age, gender, grade point…

Association between Occupational Stress and Respiratory Symptoms among Lecturers in Universiti Putra Malaysia

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M. Y., Nur Aqilah; J., Juliana

2012-01-01

There was considerable evidence that a subject’s psychological status may influence respiratory sensations and that some subjects may experience respiratory symptoms regardless of the presence of a respiratory disease. The objective of this study was to determine the association between occupational stress and respiratory symptoms among lecturers. This cross sectional study was conducted in Universiti Putra Malaysia, involved 61 lecturers from various faculties. Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and questionnaires based on American Thoracic Society were used to collect the data on socio-demography, stress level and respiratory symptoms. High level of occupational stress (high strain) was determined among 16 of the respondents (26.2%). Breathlessness was the common symptom experienced by the respondents. Female lecturers were significantly experienced high stress level compared to male (p=0.035). They were also significantly having more breathlessness symptom compared to male lecturer (p=0.011). Study highlighted in study population, gender plays a significant role that influenced level of occupational stress and also gender has role in resulting occupational stress level and respiratory symptoms. There was no significant association between occupational stress and respiratory symptoms. It can be concluded that this group of lecturers of Universiti Putra Malaysia did not experienced high occupational stress level. Occupational stress level was not statistically significantly associated with all respiratory symptoms being studied. PMID:23121752

Nonlinear Heart Rate Variability features for real-life stress detection. Case study: students under stress due to university examination.

Science.gov (United States)

Melillo, Paolo; Bracale, Marcello; Pecchia, Leandro

2011-11-07

This study investigates the variations of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) due to a real-life stressor and proposes a classifier based on nonlinear features of HRV for automatic stress detection. 42 students volunteered to participate to the study about HRV and stress. For each student, two recordings were performed: one during an on-going university examination, assumed as a real-life stressor, and one after holidays. Nonlinear analysis of HRV was performed by using Poincaré Plot, Approximate Entropy, Correlation dimension, Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, Recurrence Plot. For statistical comparison, we adopted the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and for development of a classifier we adopted the Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). Almost all HRV features measuring heart rate complexity were significantly decreased in the stress session. LDA generated a simple classifier based on the two Poincaré Plot parameters and Approximate Entropy, which enables stress detection with a total classification accuracy, a sensitivity and a specificity rate of 90%, 86%, and 95% respectively. The results of the current study suggest that nonlinear HRV analysis using short term ECG recording could be effective in automatically detecting real-life stress condition, such as a university examination.

Workplace Stress: Implications for Organizational Performance in a Nigerian Public University

OpenAIRE

Osibanjo, Omotayo; Salau, Odunayo P.; Falola, Hezekiah; Oyewunmi, Adebukola E.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the implications of workplace stress on organizational performance in a Nigerian Public University. The survey method was deployed in sampling one hundred and seventy (170) staff members of the University. The Structural Equation Modelling was adopted using AMOS to establish fitness. Results of the analyses indicate that role congruence, equity, recognition, and distance, have significant influence on organizational performance. This makes it imperative for organizatio...

Biofilm generation by Piscirickettsia salmonis under growth stress conditions: a putative in vivo survival/persistence strategy in marine environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Sergio H; Gómez, Fernando A; Ramírez, Ramón; Nilo, Luis; Henríquez, Vitalia

2012-01-01

Piscirickettsia salmonis is a bacterial fish pathogen seriously threatening the sustainability of the Chilean salmon industry. The biology and life cycle of this bacterium is not completely understood and there are no reports explaining how it survives or persists in marine environments. This work provides descriptive data of P. salmonis behavior when it is exposed to stress conditions, producing large cell aggregates closely resembling typical biofilm structures. In order to track this putative biofilm, we used indirect fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. Complex masses were observed over time; the bacteria appear to be embedded within a matrix which disappears when it is exposed to cellulase, suggesting a polysaccharide nature typical of biofilm formation. Two lectins (ConA and WGA) were used to characterize the matrix. Both lectins showed a strong reaction with the structure, validating the exopolysaccharide nature of the matrix. Recently, several studies have demonstrated a correlation between toxin/anti-toxin system expression at initial stages of biofilm formation. In this report, QRT-PCR analysis was used with the P. salmonis toxin/anti-toxin mazEF operon, showing induction of these genes at early stages of biofilm formation, suggesting that said formation may be an adaptive strategy for survival and persistence under stress conditions in marine environments. Copyright © 2012 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Acculturative Stress and Coping: Gender Differences among Korean and Korean American University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Diane Sookyoung; Padilla, Amado M.

2014-01-01

In this study we examined acculturative stress and coping among 86 students of Korean heritage at an American university. Participants indicated their stress levels on 3 scales of cultural adaptation: discrimination, language and cultural ties, and social distance. Findings show that self-identified Korean students displayed higher levels of…

Coping Strategies for Stress Adopted by Undergraduate Students of Private Universities in Himachal Pradesh, India

OpenAIRE

Bishwas Acharya; Gokul Pathak; Hoshiar Singh Chauhan

2016-01-01

Background: Stress affects the health and academic career of students. Students adopt different coping methods and strategies to deal with stress. Objective: To assess the coping strategies adopted by the undergraduate students of private universities in Himachal Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among 422 undergraduate students of two selected private universities in Himachal Pradesh in March-April using self administered questionnaire. Brief cope...

Nutritional Correlates of Perceived Stress among University Students in Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walid El Ansari

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Food intake choice and amount might change with stress. However, this has not been examined among Egyptian students. We examined students’ stress levels, its correlation with their consumption of a range of food groups, and adherence to dietary guidelines. A cross sectional survey (N = 2810 undergraduates at 11 faculties at Assiut University, Egypt assessed two composite food intake pattern scores (one unhealthy: sweets, cakes, snacks; and a healthy one: fruits and vegetables, and two indicators of healthy eating (subjective importance of healthy eating; and dietary guideline adherence index. Multiple linear regression tested the associations of stress with two food intake pattern scores and two indicators of healthy eating, controlling for six potential confounders for the sample and separately for males and females. Higher perceived stress score was significantly associated with less frequent food intake of fruit and vegetables in males and females. The association was more pronounced among males than in females. No significant association was observed between the sweets cakes and snacks score and stress. Of the two indicators of healthy eating, the dietary guideline adherence index was not associated with stress, while the subjective judgment of healthy eating was consistently negatively associated with stress. Stress related decreased-eating was present. Recent studies suggest that stress could be associated with either decreased or increased eating depending on the study population, food group, and type of stressor. Further research is necessary to understand stress related over- and undereating.

Nutritional Correlates of Perceived Stress among University Students in Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

El Ansari, Walid; Berg-Beckhoff, Gabriele

2015-11-06

Food intake choice and amount might change with stress. However, this has not been examined among Egyptian students. We examined students' stress levels, its correlation with their consumption of a range of food groups, and adherence to dietary guidelines. A cross sectional survey (N = 2810 undergraduates at 11 faculties at Assiut University, Egypt) assessed two composite food intake pattern scores (one unhealthy: sweets, cakes, snacks; and a healthy one: fruits and vegetables), and two indicators of healthy eating (subjective importance of healthy eating; and dietary guideline adherence index). Multiple linear regression tested the associations of stress with two food intake pattern scores and two indicators of healthy eating, controlling for six potential confounders for the sample and separately for males and females. Higher perceived stress score was significantly associated with less frequent food intake of fruit and vegetables in males and females. The association was more pronounced among males than in females. No significant association was observed between the sweets cakes and snacks score and stress. Of the two indicators of healthy eating, the dietary guideline adherence index was not associated with stress, while the subjective judgment of healthy eating was consistently negatively associated with stress. Stress related decreased-eating was present. Recent studies suggest that stress could be associated with either decreased or increased eating depending on the study population, food group, and type of stressor. Further research is necessary to understand stress related over- and undereating.

The Relationship between Religious-Spiritual Well-Being and Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in University Students

OpenAIRE

Zahra Taheri-Kharameh; Mohammad Abdi; Reza Omidi Koopaei; Mostafa Alizadeh; Vahid Vahidabi; Hesam Mirhoseini

2016-01-01

Background and Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between dimensions of religious and spiritual wellbeing, stress, anxiety, and depression in students of Qom University of Medical Sciences and as well as to access the predictability of stress, anxiety, and depression from the levels of religious-spiritual dimension in students. Methods: In this descriptive and analytical study, 138 students in Qom University of Medical Sciences were selected via ra...

A Study of Learning Stress and Stress Management Strategies of the Students of Postgraduate level: A Case Study of Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Bukhsh, Qadir; Shahzad, Abid; Nisa, Muzammil

2011-01-01

Stress management .........................This study was designed to study Learning Stress and Stress Management Strategies for University Students. The objectives of the study were to find out the common symptoms of stress, causes of stress and to suggest stress management strategies used by students for coping with stress. For collecting data, survey method was adopted. This study was completed by following the procedure of descriptive method of research. 39 questions were used for data co...

Examining perceptions of academic stress and its sources among university students: The Perception of Academic Stress Scale

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Dalia Bedewy

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The development of a scale to measure perceived sources of academic stress among university students. Based on empirical evidence and recent literature review, we developed an 18-item scale to measure perceptions of academic stress and its sources. Experts ( n  = 12 participated in the content validation process of the instrument before it was administered to ( n  = 100 students. The developed instrument has internal consistency reliability of 0.7 (Cronbach’s alpha, there was evidence for content validity, and factor analysis resulted in four correlated and theoretically meaningful factors. We developed and tested a scale to measure academic stress and its sources. This scale takes 5 minutes to complete.

Do Egyptian university students eat more or eat less when perceiving stress?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg-Beckhoff, Gabriele; El Ansari, Walid

2015-01-01

in Egypt. We assessed students’ levels of stress and correlated it with their consumption of a range of food groups. Methods: The cross sectional study was conducted among undergraduates in Egypt (N=3.271: response rate: 90%). The questionnaire contained a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ......) and the four item short form Cohen’s perceived stress scale. We assessed two composite food intake pattern scores (sweets, cakes and snacks score: and fruits and vegetables score) using FFQ. Spearman correlation coefficient examined the correlations between perceived stress on the one hand, and all food groups......Background: Most studies of stress and food choice found that individuals experiencing periods of stress over-ate food items they would customarily avoid, and that they ate these foods to feel better. This study examined perceived stress and food intake behavior of undergraduate university students...

Aspects of acculturation stress among international students attending a university in the USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Chavajay, Pablo; Skowronek, Jeffrey

2008-12-01

Acculturation stress reported by 130 international students attending a university in Utah for about 2 yr. was examined. On the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students, few students reported experiencing acculturation stress, but responses to four open-ended questions indicated many students perceived experience of acculturation stresses related to discrimination, feelings of loneliness, and academic concerns. The contrast of findings for the scale scores and the open-ended questions indicate the complexity of assessing international students' acculturation experiences of living and studying in the USA and suggest the usefulness of complementary methodologies for assessing such experience.

The Impact of Occupational Stress on University Employees' Personality

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Nawaz; Ashraf, Muhammad

2016-01-01

This study is an effort to understand the impact of occupational stress which is classified into four constructs i.e. pressure at work, support at work, job satisfaction, and nature of job, on the personality of employees working in public as well as private sector universities. To conduct the study, a survey questionnaire was floated to six…

Work-related stress and cognitive enhancement among university teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiegel, Constantin; Sattler, Sebastian; Göritz, Anja S; Diewald, Martin

2016-01-01

Working conditions of academic staff have become increasingly complex and occupational exposure has risen. This study investigates whether work-related stress is associated with the use of prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement (CE). The study was designed around three web-based surveys (n1 = 1131; n2 = 936; n3 = 906) to which university teachers at four German universities were asked to respond. It assessed past CE-drug use and the willingness to use CE-drugs as factors influencing future use. Overlap among participants across the surveys allowed for analyses of stability of the results across time. Our study suggests a currently very low prevalence of CE-drug use as well as a low willingness to use such drugs. The results showed a strong association between perceptions of work-related stress and all measures of CE-drug use (when controlling for potential confounding factors). They also showed that past use of CE-drugs increased participants' willingness to use them again in the future, as did lower levels of social support. Two different measures showed that participants' moral qualms against the use of CE-drugs decreased their probability of using them. The results increase our knowledge about the prevalence of CE-drug use and our understanding of what motivates and inhibits the use of CE-drug.

Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale-10: A psychometric study in Chinese university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Wei; Bian, Qian; Wang, Wenzheng; Wu, Xiaoling; Wang, Zhen; Zhao, Min

2017-01-01

Chinese university students often suffer from acute stress, which can affect their mental health. We measured and evaluated perceived stress in this population using the Simplified Chinese version of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (SCPSS-10). The SCPSS-10, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) were conducted in 1096 university students. Two weeks later, 129 participants were re-tested using the SCPSS-10. Exploratory factor analysis yielded two factors with Eigen values of 4.76 and 1.48, accounting for 62.41% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated good fit of this two-factor model. The internal consistency reliability, as measured by Cronbach's α, was 0.85. The test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.7. The SCPSS-10 exhibited high correlation with the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, indicating an acceptable concurrent validity. The SCPSS-10 exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties in Chinese university students.

STRESS AND FUTURE CAREER ASPIRATIONS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Yavuzaslan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available It isevidentthat everyday life stressesmaycause changes in the systematic cycleof human kind. It has been proven that universitystudents have been carrying“future goal concerns” with them sincethe start of their university experience.Studyingin Turkish universitieshas allowed university students to undertake theprocess of finding a job in either the public or private sector with ease at the endof their studies, as demonstrated by the TUIK (Turkey Statistic Intuition.However,in the last fewyears, unemployment rates havebeen increasingrapidly.The increasing number of students enrolled at universitiescould be a contributingfactor to high unemployment rates. According to the statisticsof theTurkishHigher Education,in2000-2001, 1.5 million students wereenrolledto study. In2015-2016, 6.7million students wereenrolled. Therefore, students will be facedwithgreatercompetitionin finding employment. This is of great concern to theuniversity student and his/her future career plans, especially during a time of sloweconomic growth. Students who arejob hunting under these circumstances areunder immense pressure. This paper addresses a number of factors– social andeconomic, academic – which may be stressful to students in Turkey. The role andresponsibility of societyin this regard is also reiterated.The aim of this study is to examine the factors that constitute sources of stressforTurkish university students and to provide suggestions for solution. Therefore the method of this study includes surveys carried out among students of variousuniversity programs in Turkey and is based on statistical data. As a result of thestudy, the effect of stress factors will be evaluated and suggestions for openingrelevant programs and courses at state and private universities will be given aswell as a solution through the support of entrepreneurship will be recommended.

The Moderating Effect of Perceived Social Support on Stress and Depression among University Students

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Prashanth Talwar

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background and objectives: The omnipresence of stress and depression among university students is a cause for concern, as it can have adverse consequences on all aspects of their life. Understanding the role of social support as a protective factor within this context, may well be vital to the enhancement of overall wellbeing among students. The main aim of the present study was to examine the moderating effect of perceived social support on the relationship between stress and depression. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to garner data from 254 university students for hierarchical multiple regression and structural equation modeling analysis. Results: Firstly, the present study replicated the frequently reported positive relationship between stress and depression. Secondly, an inverse association between social support and depression was also depicted. Finally, the results also supported an interaction between perceived social support and stress in predicting depression among students. Conclusion: In sum, the results of the current study may well augment our understanding of the role of perceived social support in combating stress and depression among students, and thereby convey important implications for intervention strategies tailored to this demographic.

Overexpression of a Cytosolic Abiotic Stress Responsive Universal Stress Protein (SbUSP) Mitigates Salt and Osmotic Stress in Transgenic Tobacco Plants

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Udawat, Pushpika; Jha, Rajesh K.; Sinha, Dinkar; Mishra, Avinash; Jha, Bhavanath

2016-01-01

The universal stress protein (USP) is a ubiquitous protein and plays an indispensable role in plant abiotic stress tolerance. The genome of Salicornia brachiata contains two homologs of intron less SbUSP gene which encodes for salt and osmotic responsive USP. In vivo localization reveals that SbUSP is a membrane bound cytosolic protein. The role of the gene was functionally validated by developing transgenic tobacco and compared with control [wild-type (WT) and vector control (VC)] plants under different abiotic stress condition. Transgenic lines (T1) exhibited higher chlorophyll, relative water, proline, total sugar, reducing sugar, free amino acids, polyphenol contents, osmotic potential, membrane stability, and lower electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde content) under stress treatments than control (WT and VC) plants. Lower accumulation of H2O2 and O2− radicals was also detected in transgenic lines compared to control plants under stress conditions. Present study confers that overexpression of the SbUSP gene enhances plant growth, alleviates ROS buildup, maintains ion homeostasis and improves the physiological status of the plant under salt and osmotic stresses. Principal component analysis exhibited a statistical distinction of plant response to salinity stress, and a significant response was observed for transgenic lines under stress, which provides stress endurance to the plant. A possible signaling role is proposed that some downstream genes may get activated by abiotic stress responsive cytosolic SbUSP, which leads to the protection of cell from oxidative damages. The study unveils that ectopic expression of the gene mitigates salt or osmotic stress by scavenging ROS and modulating the physiological process of the plant. PMID:27148338

Analysis of Acculturative Stress and Sociocultural Adaptation among International Students at a Non-Metropolitan University

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Mahmood, Hajara; Burke, Monica Galloway

2018-01-01

This quantitative descriptive study analyzed levels of acculturative stress and sociocultural adaptation among international students at a non-metropolitan university in the United States related to certain demographic characteristics. Surveys were used to measure international students' levels of acculturative stress and sociocultural adaptation,…

Minority stress and college persistence attitudes among African American, Asian American, and Latino students: perception of university environment as a mediator.

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Wei, Meifen; Ku, Tsun-Yao; Liao, Kelly Yu-Hsin

2011-04-01

We examined whether perception of university environment mediated the association between minority status stress and college persistence attitudes after controlling for perceived general stress. Participants were 160 Asian American, African American, and Latino students who attended a predominantly White university. Results of a path model analysis showed that university environment was a significant mediator for the association between minority status stress and college persistence attitudes. Additionally, minority status stress was distinct from perceived general stress. Finally, the results from a multiple-group comparison indicated that the magnitude of the mediation effect was invariant across Asian American, African American, and Latino college students, thus supporting the generalizability of the mediation model.

Evolution of stress-regulated gene expression in duplicate genes of Arabidopsis thaliana.

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Cheng Zou

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Due to the selection pressure imposed by highly variable environmental conditions, stress sensing and regulatory response mechanisms in plants are expected to evolve rapidly. One potential source of innovation in plant stress response mechanisms is gene duplication. In this study, we examined the evolution of stress-regulated gene expression among duplicated genes in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Key to this analysis was reconstructing the putative ancestral stress regulation pattern. By comparing the expression patterns of duplicated genes with the patterns of their ancestors, duplicated genes likely lost and gained stress responses at a rapid rate initially, but the rate is close to zero when the synonymous substitution rate (a proxy for time is > approximately 0.8. When considering duplicated gene pairs, we found that partitioning of putative ancestral stress responses occurred more frequently compared to cases of parallel retention and loss. Furthermore, the pattern of stress response partitioning was extremely asymmetric. An analysis of putative cis-acting DNA regulatory elements in the promoters of the duplicated stress-regulated genes indicated that the asymmetric partitioning of ancestral stress responses are likely due, at least in part, to differential loss of DNA regulatory elements; the duplicated genes losing most of their stress responses were those that had lost more of the putative cis-acting elements. Finally, duplicate genes that lost most or all of the ancestral responses are more likely to have gained responses to other stresses. Therefore, the retention of duplicates that inherit few or no functions seems to be coupled to neofunctionalization. Taken together, our findings provide new insight into the patterns of evolutionary changes in gene stress responses after duplication and lay the foundation for testing the adaptive significance of stress regulatory changes under highly variable biotic and abiotic environments.

[An experimental model for assessing the risk factors for work-related stress in four Italian universities].

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Miscetti, G; Barberini, L; Chiocchini, D; Cirimbilli, A; Pippi, R; Pampanella, L; Caserta, G; Gargarella, L

2011-01-01

This study, a collaborative effort among the Local Health Authority 2 of Perugia, Italy, the National Coordination of Worker's Safety Representatives for University and Research Institutions and the National Coordination for Protection and Prevention Services for Universities and Research Institutions, describes the results of a method used to evaluate work-related stress. Personnel from four Italian universities, which we call University I, II, III and IV geographically distributed in nord (1), center (2) and south (1) of Italy, responded to a questionnaire regarding risk evaluation of work-related stress in response to the Italian Law 81/2008. The methodology includes a preliminary analysis of the physical/technological and organizational/relational aspects of the company in order to determine a risk factor of work-related stress. This is followed by an evaluation by agencies competent in the areas of prevention and protection, (Administrative personnel of the company, Medical support persons, heads of the Prevention and Protection Service, employee representatives, and others) that apply a specific algorithm and by the employees through the completion of a questionnaire. The employees, mostly men, of the various universities, completed 510 questionnaires. Based on the results of the questionnaires and on a comparison between the expectations of the administration and the employees, the preventative measures that need to be adopted were identified. The results of this study show that there is not complete agreement between the administration and the employees regarding the work-related expectations. This difference in viewpoints could be a source of work-related stress. Some aspects of the study were shown to be of common concern in the various universities, while for other aspects, there were significantly different perceptions between male and female employees. An immediate response is needed with respect to some aspects in the work context and to plan further

BcCFEM1, a CFEM Domain-Containing Protein with Putative GPI-Anchored Site, Is Involved in Pathogenicity, Conidial Production, and Stress Tolerance in Botrytis cinerea

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Wenjun Zhu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available We experimentally isolated and characterized a CFEM protein with putative GPI-anchored site BcCFEM1 in Botrytis cinerea. BcCFEM1 contains a CFEM (common in several fungal extracellular membrane proteins domain with the characteristic eight cysteine residues at N terminus, and a predicted GPI modification site at C terminus. BcCFEM1 was significantly up-regulated during early stage of infection on bean leaves and induced chlorosis in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves using Agrobacterium infiltration method. Targeted deletion of BcCFEM1 in B. cinerea affected virulence, conidial production and stress tolerance, but not growth rate, conidial germination, colony morphology, and sclerotial formation. However, over expression of BcCFEM1 did not make any observable phenotype change. Therefore, our data suggested that BcCFEM1 contributes to virulence, conidial production, and stress tolerance. These findings further enhance our understanding on the sophisticated pathogenicity of B. cinerea beyond necrotrophic stage, highlighting the importance of CFEM protein to B. cinerea and other broad-host-range necrotrophic pathogens.

The University of California Institute of Environmental Stress Marathon Field Studies

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Maron, Michael B.

2014-01-01

In 1973, the Institute of Environmental Stress of the University of California-Santa Barbara, under the direction of Steven M. Horvath, began a series of field and laboratory studies of marathon runners during competition. As one of Horvath's graduate students, many of these studies became part of my doctoral dissertation. The rationale for…

Stress and cardiometabolic manifestations among Saudi students entering universities: a cross-sectional observational study.

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Al-Daghri, Nasser M; Al-Othman, Abdulaziz; Al-Attas, Omar S; Alkharfy, Khalid M; Alokail, Majed S; Albanyan, Abdulmajeed; Sabico, Shaun; Chrousos, George P

2014-04-23

In this observational study, we aimed to see whether transition in Saudi students entering university life could be a breeding stage for cardiometabolic risk factor emergence and clustering. A total of 1878 apparently healthy Saudi students of the Preparatory Year, King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA (1112 men and 766 women) spanning 2 academic years were included. They were divided into 2 groups based on the validated perceived stress test (PST). Anthropometrics were obtained and fasting blood samples were collected for measurement of fasting blood glucose and a lipid profile. PST score (>27) considered indicative of stress was noted in 44.4% of students. The prevalence of this score was higher in women than in men (49.7% versus 40.7%). The prevalence of obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia was significantly higher in men than women (p students entering universities. This study sheds light on the social responsibility of universities in promoting a healthy lifestyle, particularly in this age group, when exposure to different kinds of stressors may result in body weight and metabolic changes.

Student-Life Stress Level and its Related Factors among Medical Students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2015

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Roya Nikanjam; Majid Barati; Saeed Bashirian*; Mohammad Babamiri; Ali Fattahi; Alireza Soltanian

2016-01-01

Background and Objectives: Student-life stress can lead to various negative consequences such as physical illness, mental disorders or exhaustion. The present study was conducted to evaluate the level of student life stress and its related factors among medical students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study applied multistage random sampling to select 500university students at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences during 2015. The dat...

Putative neuroprotective agents in neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Dodd, Seetal; Maes, Michael; Anderson, George; Dean, Olivia M; Moylan, Steven; Berk, Michael

2013-04-05

In many individuals with major neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, their disease characteristics are consistent with a neuroprogressive illness. This includes progressive structural brain changes, cognitive and functional decline, poorer treatment response and an increasing vulnerability to relapse with chronicity. The underlying molecular mechanisms of neuroprogression are thought to include neurotrophins and regulation of neurogenesis and apoptosis, neurotransmitters, inflammatory, oxidative and nitrosative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, cortisol and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and epigenetic influences. Knowledge of the involvement of each of these pathways implies that specific agents that act on some or multiple of these pathways may thus block this cascade and have neuroprotective properties. This paper reviews the potential of the most promising of these agents, including lithium and other known psychotropics, aspirin, minocycline, statins, N-acetylcysteine, leptin and melatonin. These agents are putative neuroprotective agents for schizophrenia and mood disorders. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Relationship between Academic Stress and Two Aspects of Father Involvement among University Student Fathers

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Masciadrelli, Brian P.; Milardo, Robert M.

2008-01-01

This study investigated the associations between academic stress experienced by university student fathers and the behavioral and cognitive involvement these fathers had with their children. Fifty-three fathers enrolled in university classes and residing with at least one child less than 12 years of age responded to questionnaire measures of…

Comparison of good and poor sleepers : stress and life satisfaction of university athletes

OpenAIRE

Litwic-Kaminska, Kamila

2017-01-01

The aim of the present study was to compare differences in level of perceived stress, type of stress appraisal and life satisfaction between university athletes who declare problems with sleep (Poor Sleepers, PS, n = 72) and those without problems (Good Sleepers, GS, n = 105). In preliminary analyses the PS and GS were compared for group homogeneity with (a) the Chi-Square test for gender and type of sport, and (b) the Mann-Whitney U test for practice time and weekly frequency of trainings. I...

TOURISM IN HEALTH PROMOTION – A STRATEGY IN STRESS MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT OF UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC STAFF

OpenAIRE

Lawal Yazid Ibrahim

2016-01-01

Despite the growth of leisure travel and stress coping research based analysis of leisure and tourism, stress coping have been performed rarely. The purpose of the present study is to examine how University staffs cope with stress through participation in leisure and tourism activities, and how work related stress affect their organizational commitment using data collected from a focus group interview approach and a self-developed questionnaire consisting of 25 items design to elicit informat...

Food and mental health: relationship between food and perceived stress and depressive symptoms among university students in the United Kingdom.

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El Ansari, Walid; Adetunji, Hamed; Oskrochi, Reza

2014-06-01

The current study assessed, by university and sex, the association between nutritional behaviour (twelve independent variables), and stress and depressive symptoms (dependent variables) in a sample from three UK countries. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken among undergraduates enrolled across seven universities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (N = 3,706). Self-administered questionnaires included a 12-item food frequency questionnaire, Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale and modified Beck Depression Inventory. Sex and university comparisons were undertaken. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were computed for each of the two outcomes--perceived stress and depressive symptoms. The frequencies of consuming of the various food groups differed by university and sex, as did depressive symptoms and perceived stress. Multivariable regression analyses indicated that consuming 'unhealthy' foods (e.g. sweets, cookies, snacks, fast food) was significantly positively associated with perceived stress (females only) and depressive symptoms (both males and females). Conversely, consuming 'healthy' foods (e.g. fresh fruits, salads, cooked vegetables) was significantly negatively associated with perceived stress and depressive symptoms scores for both sexes. There was significant negative association between consuming fish/sea food and depressive symptoms among males only. For males and for females, consuming lemonade/soft drinks, meat/sausage products, dairy/dairy products, and cereal/cereal products were not associated with either perceived stress or depressive symptoms. The associations between consuming 'unhealthy' foods and higher depressive symptoms and perceived stress among male and female students as well as the associations between consuming 'healthy' foods and lower depressive symptoms and perceived stress among male and female students in three UK countries suggest that interventions to reduce depressive symptoms and stress among students could

ACADEMIC STRESS IN STUDENTS FROM HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY OF CARTAGENA-COLOMBIA

OpenAIRE

Montalvo-Prieto Amparo; Blanco-Blanco Katerin; Cantillo-Martínez Neyi; Castro-González Yuldor; Downs-Bryan Agatha; Romero-Villadiego Eliana

2015-01-01

Introduction: stress is a factor that influences in the quality of life and performance of the individual. It appears when a person identifies dangerous situations that exceeds its own resources and endanger its own being-well. Objective: to describe the stress level in university students from health departments in Cartagena-Colombia. Methods: a descriptive study was carried out in 266 female students chosen by random probabilistic sampling from departments of Nursing, Dent...

Psychological wellbeing of Turkish university students with physical impairments: an evaluation within the stress-vulnerability paradigm.

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Koca-Atabey, Mujde; Karanci, A Nuray; Dirik, Gulay; Aydemir, Deniz

2011-04-01

Generally, universities in developing countries offer little in the way of provisions and support (material, emotional, etc.) for disabled students. Therefore, disabled students experience considerable burdens and barriers in their educational life. This study investigated the psychological wellbeing of disabled Turkish university students by examining influences on stress-related growth and psychological distress. Disability is defined within the framework of a social model. According to this view, impairment refers to the functional limitation(s) that affect(s) a person's body, whereas disability refers to the loss or limitation of opportunities owing to social, physical or psychological obstacles. Seventy disabled university students with physical impairments were administered a questionnaire package, including a sociodemographic information sheet, Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Stress-Related Growth Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Social Support, Life Events Inventory, and Brief Symptom Inventory. Snowball sampling was used and voluntary participation was essential. The results showed that disability burden, daily hassles, and helplessness coping were significant predictors of psychological symptoms. For stress-related growth the only variable that appeared significant was problem-solving coping. The results pointed out that there may be different pathways to distress and growth. In order to decrease psychological distress and enhance growth in disabled university students, disability awareness programs, changes in the barriers in the academic and physical environments of the university campuses, and coping skills training to increase problem-focused coping and to combat helplessness may prove to be effective. Reducing daily hassles for the disabled students is likely to contribute to their wellbeing by decreasing their burdens. Also, a more disability-friendly environment is likely to be empowering for disabled university students.

Occupational stress, ill health and organisational commitment of employees at a university of technology

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Joshua P. Viljoen

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between occupational stress, ill health and organisational commitment. A survey design was used. The sample (N=353 consisted of academic (n=132 and support staff (n=221 at a university of technology. The Organizational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The results showed that different organisational stressors contributed significantly to ill health and low organisational commitment. Stress about job security contributed to both physical and psychological ill health, whereas overload and job aspects contributed to psychological ill health. Stress about control and resources contributed to low organisational commitment. Low individual commitment to the organisation was predicted by five stressors, namely work-life balance, overload, control, job aspects and pay.

Student-Life Stress Level and its Related Factors among Medical Students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2015

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Roya Nikanjam

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Student-life stress can lead to various negative consequences such as physical illness, mental disorders or exhaustion. The present study was conducted to evaluate the level of student life stress and its related factors among medical students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study applied multistage random sampling to select 500university students at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences during 2015. The data collection tool used in this study was a self-report questionnaire containing two parts: a section on subjects' demographic details and another section for Student-Life Stress Inventory (SLSI. Data were analyzed in SPSS20-using descriptive and inferential statistics, such as independent t-test, Pearson’s correlation test and one-way ANOVA. Results: This study revealed that %57of the students had moderate levels of stress. The most important stressors included self-impose and pressure, and also the most important reactions to stressors included cognitive appraisal and emotional reactions, respectively. There was a significant association between exam stressors and branch, educational level, and mother's and father's education level (P< 0.05. Conclusions: According to the high level of stress in students and the recognition of demographic factors, effective educational interventions can be conducted to reduce stress.

The Incidence and Types of Occupational Role Stress among University Research Administrators

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Katsapis, Christine C. A.

2012-01-01

This study explored the types of stressors prevalent in the self-reports of university research administrators (URAs) and examined whether or not the degree or type of role stress was influenced by: a) the affiliation of their office unit within their institution, or b) their type. Randomly selected members of NCURA were invited via e-mail to…

The Rise and Fall of Depressive Symptoms and Academic Stress in Two Samples of University Students.

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Barker, Erin T; Howard, Andrea L; Villemaire-Krajden, Rosanne; Galambos, Nancy L

2018-06-01

Self-reported depressive experiences are common among university students. However, most studies assessing depression in university students are cross-sectional, limiting our understanding of when in the academic year risk for depression is greatest and when interventions may be most needed. We examined within-person change in depressive symptoms from September to April. Study 1 (N = 198; 57% female; 72% white; Mage = 18.4): Depressive symptoms rose from September, peaked in December, and fell across the second semester. The rise in depressive symptoms was associated with higher perceived stress in December. Study 2 (N = 267; 78.7% female; 67.87% white; Mage = 21.25): Depressive symptoms peaked in December and covaried within persons with perceived stress and academic demands. The results have implications for understanding when and for whom there is increased risk for depressive experiences among university students.

Evaluation of symptoms of stress in university professors: quality of life in teaching

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Helena de Ornellas Sivieri Pereira

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of stress symptoms in a sample of teachers from a private university in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. 147 teachers of different graduate courses in the areas of Humanities, Health, Education, Technology and Veterinary participated voluntarily of this study. The Stress Symptoms Inventory for Adults Lipp (SSI was applied individually. The results indicated that 55.1% of teachers did not show symptoms of stress. Of the remainder (44.9%, stress is presented in moderate degree, with most in the resistance stage. The psychological symptoms appeared in greater percentage than the physical and in some cases associated with the physical. It is suggested further investigation to identify the stressors in teaching in higher education, with the prospect of developing programs for the alleviation of symptoms and thus promoting a better quality of life.

Job Stress and Burnout among Academic Career Anaesthesiologists at an Egyptian University Hospital

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Shams, Tarek; El-Masry, Ragaa

2013-01-01

Objectives: There is compelling evidence that anaesthesiology is a stressful occupation and, when this stressful occupation is associated with an academic career, the burnout level is high. This study aimed to assess the predictors and prevalence of stress and burnout, associated sociodemographic characteristics, and job-related features. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was carried out at Mansoura University Hospital in Egypt among 98 anaesthesiologists who had academic careers. The English version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) scale and the Workplace Stress Scale of the American Institute of Stress were used to measure job stress and burnout. Data were analysed according to the guidelines for data processing and an analysis of the scales used. Results: The participation rate of this study was 73.1%, where 69.4% were encountering job stress, while 62.2% experienced emotional exhaustion, 56.1% depersonalisation, and 58.2% reduced personal capacity. There was a significant positive correlation between job stress and MBI-HSS subscales. Residents and assistant lecturers were the most affected group. The strongest significant single predictor of all burnout dimensions was a lack of job support. Conclusion: Stress and burnout among academic anaesthesiologists were caused by the lack of job support; this was especially true among residents and assistant lecturers. We can conclude that a well-organised institutional strategy to mitigate the heavy professional demands of academic anaesthesiologists’ will relieve their stress and burnout. PMID:23862036

Job Stress and Burnout among Academic Career Anaesthesiologists at an Egyptian University Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Shams, Tarek; El-Masry, Ragaa

2013-05-01

There is compelling evidence that anaesthesiology is a stressful occupation and, when this stressful occupation is associated with an academic career, the burnout level is high. This study aimed to assess the predictors and prevalence of stress and burnout, associated sociodemographic characteristics, and job-related features. A cross-sectional survey study was carried out at Mansoura University Hospital in Egypt among 98 anaesthesiologists who had academic careers. The English version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) scale and the Workplace Stress Scale of the American Institute of Stress were used to measure job stress and burnout. Data were analysed according to the guidelines for data processing and an analysis of the scales used. The participation rate of this study was 73.1%, where 69.4% were encountering job stress, while 62.2% experienced emotional exhaustion, 56.1% depersonalisation, and 58.2% reduced personal capacity. There was a significant positive correlation between job stress and MBI-HSS subscales. Residents and assistant lecturers were the most affected group. The strongest significant single predictor of all burnout dimensions was a lack of job support. Stress and burnout among academic anaesthesiologists were caused by the lack of job support; this was especially true among residents and assistant lecturers. We can conclude that a well-organised institutional strategy to mitigate the heavy professional demands of academic anaesthesiologists' will relieve their stress and burnout.

Internet-based guided self-help for university students with anxiety, depression and stress: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

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Day, Victor; McGrath, Patrick J; Wojtowicz, Magdalena

2013-07-01

Anxiety, depression and stress, often co-occurring, are the psychological problems for which university students most often seek help. Moreover there are many distressed students who cannot, or choose not to, access professional help. The present study evaluated the efficacy of an internet-based guided self-help program for moderate anxiety, depression and stress. The program was based on standard cognitive behavior therapy principles and included 5 core modules, some of which involved options for focusing on anxiety and/or depression and/or stress. Trained student coaches provided encouragement and advice about using the program via e-mail or brief weekly phone calls. Sixty-six distressed university students were randomly assigned to either Immediate Access or a 6-week Delayed Access condition. Sixty-one percent of Immediate Access participants completed all 5 core modules, and 80% of all participants completed the second assessment. On the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21, Immediate Access participants reported significantly greater reductions in depression (ηp(2)=. 07), anxiety (ηp(2)=. 08) and stress (ηp(2)=. 12) in comparison to participants waiting to do the program, and these improvements were maintained at a six month follow-up. The results suggest that the provision of individually-adaptable, internet-based, self-help programs can reduce psychological distress in university students. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutritional Correlates of Perceived Stress among University Students in Egypt

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

El Ansari, Walid; Berg-Beckhoff, Gabriele

2015-01-01

undergraduates at 11 faculties at Assiut University, Egypt) assessed two composite food intake pattern scores (one unhealthy: sweets, cakes, snacks; and a healthy one: fruits and vegetables), and two indicators of healthy eating (subjective importance of healthy eating; and dietary guideline adherence index...... food intake of fruit and vegetables in males and females. The association was more pronounced among males than in females. No significant association was observed between the sweets cakes and snacks score and stress. Of the two indicators of healthy eating, the dietary guideline adherence index...

Phloem proteomics reveals new lipid-binding proteins with a putative role in lipid-mediated signaling

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Allison Marie Barbaglia

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Global climate changes inversely affect our ability to grow the food required for an increasing world population. To combat future crop loss due to abiotic stress, we need to understand the signals responsible for changes in plant development and the resulting adaptations, especially the signaling molecules traveling long-distance through the plant phloem. Using a proteomics approach, we had identified several putative lipid-binding proteins in the phloem exudates. Simultaneously, we identified several complex lipids as well as jasmonates. These findings prompted us to propose that phloem (phospho- lipids could act as long-distance developmental signals in response to abiotic stress, and that they are released, sensed, and moved by phloem lipid-binding proteins (Benning et al., 2012. Indeed, the proteins we identified include lipases that could release a signaling lipid into the phloem, putative receptor components, and proteins that could mediate lipid-movement. To test this possible protein-based lipid-signaling pathway, three of the proteins, which could potentially act in a relay, are characterized here: (I a putative GDSL-motif lipase (II a PIG-P-like protein, with a possible receptor-like function; (III and PLAFP (phloem lipid-associated family protein, a predicted lipid-binding protein of unknown function. Here we show that all three proteins bind lipids, in particular phosphatidic acid (PtdOH, which is known to participate in intracellular stress signaling. Genes encoding these proteins are expressed in the vasculature, a prerequisite for phloem transport. Cellular localization studies show that the proteins are not retained in the endoplasmic reticulum but surround the cell in a spotted pattern that has been previously observed with receptors and plasmodesmatal proteins. Abiotic signals that induce the production of PtdOH also regulate the expression of GDSL-lipase and PLAFP, albeit in opposite patterns. Our findings suggest that while

Perceived stress and coping skills of university student–athletes and the relationship with life satisfaction

OpenAIRE

J. Surujlal; Y. Van Zyl; V.T. Nolan

2013-01-01

Student-athletes are expected to cope with their studies and participation in sport simultaneously as well as to satisfy the expectations of coaches, teammates, friends, and family. Once student-athletes perceive a situation as stressful and struggle to cope with the anticipation thereof, their satisfaction with life will be negatively influenced. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between perceived stress and coping skills with satisfaction with life of university student...

A Study on the Measurement of Job-Related Stress among Women Academics in Research Universities of China

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Zhang, Lili

2010-01-01

This study intends to gain an understanding of the sources of stress among women academics in research universities of China. Studies have shown that, compared with their male counterparts, women report higher level of stress in work/family conflicts, gender barriers and career development. Based on the results of this study, the following…

The relationship between the development of musculoskeletal disorders, body mass index, and academic stress in Bahraini University students.

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Tantawy, Sayed A; Abdul Rahman, Asma; Abdul Ameer, Maryam

2017-04-01

There are many mechanisms in which stress can lead to weight gain thus high a BMI. The endocrine and inflammatory pathway can directly increase abdominal adiposity. Another way in which stress leads to weight gain is through changes in health behaviors. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among healthy students of Ahlia University, and to determine the relationship between the development of MSDs and academic stressors and body mass index. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 94 students aged 18-26 years who were enrolled at various Ahlia University colleges and met other inclusion criteria. The students responded to the standardized Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire and the modified College Student Stress Inventory regarding musculoskeletal symptoms and academic stressors. Height and weight measurements were also obtained to determine body mass index. A total of 77.66% reported MSDs in one or more body part, with the prevalence being higher among women than among men. The 7-day prevalence of MSDs severe enough to interfere with activities of daily living was 60.64%, and 44.68% by female and male students, respectively. There was a significant relationship between academic stress and MSDs in the neck, shoulders, lower back, and hips, while the relationship between MSDs, and body mass index, academic stress, and grade point average was not significant. The prevalence of MSDs among Ahlia University students was found to be high. Apart from the positive correlation between academic stress and MSDs in certain body parts, other correlations were not significant.

Universal stress proteins are important for oxidative and acid stress resistance and growth of Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e in vitro and in vivo.

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Christa Seifart Gomes

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Pathogenic bacteria maintain a multifaceted apparatus to resist damage caused by external stimuli. As part of this, the universal stress protein A (UspA and its homologues, initially discovered in Escherichia coli K-12 were shown to possess an important role in stress resistance and growth in several bacterial species. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a study to assess the role of three homologous proteins containing the UspA domain in the facultative intracellular human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes under different stress conditions. The growth properties of three UspA deletion mutants (Δlmo0515, Δlmo1580 and Δlmo2673 were examined either following challenge with a sublethal concentration of hydrogen peroxide or under acidic conditions. We also examined their ability for intracellular survival within murine macrophages. Virulence and growth of usp mutants were further characterized in invertebrate and vertebrate infection models. Tolerance to acidic stress was clearly reduced in Δlmo1580 and Δlmo0515, while oxidative stress dramatically diminished growth in all mutants. Survival within macrophages was significantly decreased in Δlmo1580 and Δlmo2673 as compared to the wild-type strain. Viability of infected Galleria mellonella larvae was markedly higher when injected with Δlmo1580 or Δlmo2673 as compared to wild-type strain inoculation, indicating impaired virulence of bacteria lacking these usp genes. Finally, we observed severely restricted growth of all chromosomal deletion mutants in mice livers and spleens as compared to the load of wild-type bacteria following infection. CONCLUSION: This work provides distinct evidence that universal stress proteins are strongly involved in listerial stress response and survival under both in vitro and in vivo growth conditions.

A Comparative Analysis of Perceptions of Pharmacy Students’ Stress and Stressors across Two Multicampus Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Gaither, Caroline A.; Crawford, Stephanie Y.; Tieman, Jami

2016-01-01

Objective. To compare perceived levels of stress, stressors, and academic self-efficacy among students at two multicampus colleges of pharmacy. Methods. A survey instrument using previously validated items was developed and administered to first-year, second-year, and third-year pharmacy students at two universities with multiple campuses in spring 2013. Results. Eight hundred twenty students out of 1115 responded (73.5% response rate). Institutional differences were found in perceived student stress levels, self-efficacy, and stress-related causes. An interaction effect was demonstrated between institution and campus type (main or branch) for perceived stress and self-efficacy although campus type alone did not demonstrate a direct effect. Institutional and campus differences existed in awareness of campus counseling services, as did a few differences in coping methods. Conclusion. Stress measures were similar for pharmacy students at main or branch campuses. Institutional differences in student stress might be explained by instructional methods, campus support services, institutional climate, and nonuniversity factors. PMID:27402985

A Comparative Analysis of Perceptions of Pharmacy Students' Stress and Stressors across Two Multicampus Universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Awé, Clara; Gaither, Caroline A; Crawford, Stephanie Y; Tieman, Jami

2016-06-25

Objective. To compare perceived levels of stress, stressors, and academic self-efficacy among students at two multicampus colleges of pharmacy. Methods. A survey instrument using previously validated items was developed and administered to first-year, second-year, and third-year pharmacy students at two universities with multiple campuses in spring 2013. Results. Eight hundred twenty students out of 1115 responded (73.5% response rate). Institutional differences were found in perceived student stress levels, self-efficacy, and stress-related causes. An interaction effect was demonstrated between institution and campus type (main or branch) for perceived stress and self-efficacy although campus type alone did not demonstrate a direct effect. Institutional and campus differences existed in awareness of campus counseling services, as did a few differences in coping methods. Conclusion. Stress measures were similar for pharmacy students at main or branch campuses. Institutional differences in student stress might be explained by instructional methods, campus support services, institutional climate, and nonuniversity factors.

Effect of a mindfulness program on stress, anxiety and depression in university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallego, José; Aguilar-Parra, José M; Cangas, Adolfo J; Langer, Álvaro I; Mañas, Israel

2015-01-13

Two of the problems that currently affect a large proportion of university students are high levels of anxiety and stress experienced in different situations, which are particularly high during the first years of their degree and during exam periods. The present study aims to investigate whether mindfulness training can bring about significant changes in the manifestations of depression, anxiety, and stress of students when compared to another group undergoing a physical activity program and a control group. The sample consisted of 125 students from the Bachelor of Education Program. The measuring instrument used was the Abbreviated Scale of Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21). The results indicate that the effects of reducing the identified variables were higher for the mindfulness group than for the physical education group and for the control group F(2) = 5.91, p = .004, η2 = .106. The total scores for all variables related to the mindfulness group decreased significantly, including an important stress reduction t(29) = 2.95, p = .006, d = .667. Mindfulness exercises and some individual relaxing exercises involving Physical Education could help to reduce manifestations of stress and anxiety caused by exams in students.

Analysis of Hydraulic Flood Control Structure at Putat Boro River

OpenAIRE

Ruzziyatno, Ruhban

2015-01-01

Putat Boro River is one of the main drainage systems of Surakarta city which drains into Bengawan Solo river. The primary problem when flood occur is the higher water level of Bengawan Solo than Boro River and then backwater occur and inundates Putat Boro River. The objective of the study is to obtain operational method of Putat Boro River floodgate to control both inflows and outflows not only during flood but also normal condition. It also aims to know the Putat Boro rivers floodgate op...

Factors Associated with Occupational Stress among University Teachers in Pakistan and Finland

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Naima Akhtar Malik

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The study examines the interplay of psychosocial factors and works conditions on occupational stress among 531 university teachers in Pakistan and Finland with the help of a web-based questionnaire. Results from an MANOVA revealed that good working conditions, social support at work, and promotion and development opportunities were rated as significantly better by the Finnish sample. Workplace bullying occurred considerably less often in Finland than in Pakistan. Male Pakistani teachers reported significantly higher levels of workplace bullying than any other group. Although the working conditions, social support, and promotion and development opportunities were better, and less bullying appeared in Finland than in Pakistan, but the difference in stress symptoms between the two countries was not significant.

Survey of stress, anxiety, depression and self-concept of students of Fasa University of medical sciences, 2010

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Majid Najafi Kalyani

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background & Objectives: Studying periods in university is very important for students. Because of the problems, this period is usually accompanied with mental status changes of students. The aim of this study was the assessment of psychological variables (stress, anxiety and depression and self-concept of students. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all the students studying at Fasa University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 89-88 were selected through census sampling method. The DASS-21 was used to assess stress, anxiety and depression of students and in order to evaluate the status of their self-concept; the Carl Rogers questionnaire was used. Data analysis was performed with SPSS software using descriptive and inferential statistics (t test, ANOVA, Chi square and Pearson correlation. Results: The results of this study showed that 76% of students had stress, 56.4% anxiety and 53.1% depression, and 69/3% had weak or negative self-concepts. There was a statistically significant correlation between high stress, anxiety and depression with negative self-concept (P<0.001.Conclusion: High stress, anxiety and depression and also a significant correlation between increased stress, anxiety and depression with negative and weak self-concept of students were found. It is necessary to devote more careful attention to mental health issues of students and have appropriate interventions.

Twenty putative palmitoyl-acyl transferase genes with distinct ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There are 20 genes containing DHHC domain predicted to encode putative palmitoyltransferase in Arabidopsis thaliana genome. However, little is known about their characteristics such as genetic relationship and expression profile. Here, we present an overview of the putative PAT genes in A. thaliana focusing on their ...

Various cellular stress components change as the rat ages: An insight into the putative overall age-related cellular stress network.

Science.gov (United States)

Cueno, Marni E; Imai, Kenichi

2018-02-01

Cellular stress is mainly comprised of oxidative, nitrosative, and endoplasmic reticulum stresses and has long been correlated to the ageing process. Surprisingly, the age-related difference among the various components in each independent stress pathway and the possible significance of these components in relation to the overall cellular stress network remain to be clearly elucidated. In this study, we obtained blood from ageing rats upon reaching 20-, 40-, and 72-wk.-old. Subsequently, we measured representative cellular stress-linked biomolecules (H 2 O 2 , glutathione reductase, heme, NADPH, NADP, nitric oxide, GADD153) and cell signals [substance P (SP), free fatty acid, calcium, NF-κB] in either or both blood serum and cytosol. Subsequently, network analysis of the overall cellular stress network was performed. Our results show that there are changes affecting stress-linked biomolecules and cell signals as the rat ages. Additionally, based on our network analysis data, we postulate that NADPH, H 2 O 2 , GADD153, and SP are the key components and the interactions between these components are central to the overall age-related cellular stress network in the rat blood. Thus, we propose that the main pathway affecting the overall age-related cellular stress network in the rat blood would entail NADPH-related oxidative stress (involving H 2 O 2 ) triggering GADD153 activation leading to SP induction which in-turn affects other cell signals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety as predictors of suicidal ideation among South African university students.

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Bantjes, Jason R; Kagee, Ashraf; McGowan, Taryn; Steel, Henry

2016-01-01

To investigate the 2-week prevalence of suicidal ideations and their associations to symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety among South African university students. Data were collected from 1,337 students between May and August 2013. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between suicidal ideation and symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. Rates of suicidal ideation are higher among university students in South Africa than among the general population of the country and student populations in other parts of the world. Symptoms of depression and exposure to trauma predict suicidal ideation Conclusions: Findings bring into focus the high rates of suicidal ideation among a sample of university students in South African and the need for more research to investigate the psychosocial correlates of this phenomena within the cultural context of the country, especially given the correlation between suicidal ideation and other poor health outcomes.

Identification and characterization of microRNAs related to salt stress in broccoli, using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yunhong; Tian, Yunming; Luo, Xiaojun; Zhou, Tao; Huang, Zuoping; Liu, Ying; Qiu, Yihan; Hou, Bing; Sun, Dan; Deng, Hongyu; Qian, Shen; Yao, Kaitai

2014-09-03

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of endogenous regulators of a broad range of physiological processes, which act by regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. The brassica vegetable, broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), is very popular with a wide range of consumers, but environmental stresses such as salinity are a problem worldwide in restricting its growth and yield. Little is known about the role of miRNAs in the response of broccoli to salt stress. In this study, broccoli subjected to salt stress and broccoli grown under control conditions were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. Differential miRNA expression was confirmed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The prediction of miRNA targets was undertaken using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Orthology (KO) database and Gene Ontology (GO)-enrichment analyses. Two libraries of small (or short) RNAs (sRNAs) were constructed and sequenced by high-throughput Solexa sequencing. A total of 24,511,963 and 21,034,728 clean reads, representing 9,861,236 (40.23%) and 8,574,665 (40.76%) unique reads, were obtained for control and salt-stressed broccoli, respectively. Furthermore, 42 putative known and 39 putative candidate miRNAs that were differentially expressed between control and salt-stressed broccoli were revealed by their read counts and confirmed by the use of stem-loop real-time RT-PCR. Amongst these, the putative conserved miRNAs, miR393 and miR855, and two putative candidate miRNAs, miR3 and miR34, were the most strongly down-regulated when broccoli was salt-stressed, whereas the putative conserved miRNA, miR396a, and the putative candidate miRNA, miR37, were the most up-regulated. Finally, analysis of the predicted gene targets of miRNAs using the GO and KO databases indicated that a range of metabolic and other cellular functions known to be associated with salt stress were up-regulated in broccoli treated with salt. A comprehensive

Serotonin(4) (5-HT(4)) receptor agonists are putative antidepressants with a rapid onset of action

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lucas, Guillaume; Rymar, Vladimir V; Du, Jenny

2007-01-01

parameters considered to be key markers of antidepressant action, but that are observed only after 2-3 week treatments with classical molecules: desensitization of 5-HT(1A) autoreceptors, increased tonus on hippocampal postsynaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors, and enhanced phosphorylation of the CREB protein...... intake consecutive to a chronic mild stress. These findings point out 5-HT(4) receptor agonists as a putative class of antidepressants with a rapid onset of action. Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Sep-6...

Factors Associated with Occupational Stress among University Teachers in Pakistan and Finland

OpenAIRE

Naima Akhtar Malik; Kaj Björkqvist; Karin Österman (correspondence author)

2017-01-01

The study examines the interplay of psychosocial factors and works conditions on occupational stress among 531 university teachers in Pakistan and Finland with the help of a web-based questionnaire. Results from an MANOVA revealed that good working conditions, social support at work, and promotion and development opportunities were rated as significantly better by the Finnish sample. Workplace bullying occurred considerably less often in Finland than in Pakistan. Male Pakistani teachers repor...

The Effectiveness of Group Training of CBT-Based Stress Management on Anxiety, Psychological Hardiness and General Self-Efficacy Among University Students.

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Molla Jafar, Hamdam; Salabifard, Seddigheh; Mousavi, Seyedeh Maryam; Sobhani, Zahra

2015-09-28

Admission to university is a very sensitive period of life for efficient, active, and young workforces in any country, and it is mostly associated with many changes in social and human relationships. These changes lead to anxiety in students. Moreover, humans need certain functions in order to adaptively deal with different life situations and challenges. By training stress management, these functions can help human acquire the required abilities. The present study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of stress management training in anxiety, psychological hardiness, and general self-efficacy among university students. The study was a quasi-experimental intervention (pretest-posttest-follow-up) including a control group, it was a fundamental applied study. The statistical population consisted of all students of Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran. Convenient sampling was employed to select 30 students who were divided into an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). Before stress management training, both groups filled out Beck Anxiety Inventory, Long and Goulet scale of psychological hardiness, and General Self-efficacy Scale (GSE-10). Afterwards, the experimental group was provided with stress management training. And after the experiment, the abovementioned questionnaires and scales were responded by the two groups. Finally the collected data were analyzed and compared using one-way MANOVA. The results of MANOVA indicated that there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of anxiety, hardiness, and general self-efficacy (pstress management among university students cause anxiety to drop; moreover, it enhances their psychological hardiness and self-efficacy. In regard with the role and importance of stress management, training this skill should be included in educational plans of university.

Cytokine production as a putative biological mechanism underlying stress sensitization in high combat exposed soldiers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smid, Geert E.; van Zuiden, Mirjam; Geuze, Elbert; Kavelaars, Annemieke; Heijnen, Cobi J.; Vermetten, Eric

2015-01-01

Objective: Combat stress exposed soldiers may respond to post-deployment stressful life events (SLE) with increases in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), consistent with a model of stress sensitization. Several lines of research point to sensitization as a model to describe the

Cytokine production as a putative biological mechanism underlying stress sensitization in high combat exposed soldiers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smid, Geert E.; van Zuiden, Mirjam; Geuze, Elbert; Kavelaars, Annemieke; Heijnen, Cobi J.; Vermetten, Eric

2015-01-01

Combat stress exposed soldiers may respond to post-deployment stressful life events (SLE) with increases in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), consistent with a model of stress sensitization. Several lines of research point to sensitization as a model to describe the relations between

The association between stressful life events and depressive symptoms among Cypriot university students: a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sokratous, Sokratis; Merkouris, Anastasios; Middleton, Nicos; Karanikola, Maria

2013-12-05

Previous findings suggest that stressful life events have a causal relationship with depressive symptoms. However, to date little is known concerning the contribution of the number and severity of recent stressful life events on the prevalence of depressive symptoms among university students. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with the number and the severity of self-reported stressful life events among university students in Cyprus. A descriptive correlational design with cross sectional comparison was used. The CES-D scale was applied for the assessment of depressive symptoms and the LESS instrument for stressful life events. Both scales were completed anonymously and voluntarily by 1.500 students (response rate 85%). The prevalence of mild to moderate depressive symptoms [CES-D score between 16 and 21] and of clinically significant depressive symptoms [CES-D score ≥ 22] were 18.8% and 25.3% respectively. There were statistically significant differences in clinically significant depressive symptoms by gender, with higher rates among women (x(2) = 8.53, df = 1, p = 0.003). Higher scores on the LESS scale were associated with more frequent reports of clinical depressive symptoms (x(2) = 70.63, df = 4, p life events and clinical depressive symptoms (x(2) = 40.06, df = 4, p stressful life events during the previous year (OR = 2.64 95% CI: 1.02, 6.83) and a severe degree of stress due to these events (total LESS score > 351, OR = 3.03 95% CI: 1.66, 5.39) were more likely to manifest clinical depressive symptoms. The high frequency of occurrence of depressive symptoms among Cypriot university students, as well as the strong association with stressful life events, highlights the need for psychological empowerment strategies towards students by institutional counseling services.

Stress and Time Management Settings in University of Maroua, Cameroon

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Joseph BESONG BESONG

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to examine stress and time in educational management in Maroua University. These two phenomena are profound in educational issues in Cameroon due to the complex administration or management. Education comprised of diversity of activities ranging from administration, discipline, teaching, evaluation and learning. Each of these activities requires time schedule to avoid stress in the face of pressure. Administration requires planning, organizing, controlling, commanding, coordinating, reporting and budgeting. Each of these managing variables requires time, just as discipline, teaching, evaluation and learning should need. The situation may be affected by higher authority interference and cause a rush thus affecting every schedule in the system on this note, it is necessary that every administrator on management cadre should develop a list of activities such as admissions, examinations, sports, vacations and other ceremonies which requires his attention on daily, weekly, or monthly bases and there after allocate in a tentative fashion the most appropriate times for dealing with such activities. Some profile recommendations are: strict adhering to schedules to avoid overlapping or prolongation to other programs; the schedules should be pasted or placed at a convenient point in the office for reference to avoid forgetfulness: as an administrator, time should be allocated for meeting or consulting with visitors and subordinates; he should delegate functions to his accredited subordinates to crave chance or time for essential duty; he should review the school or organization programs on daily, weekly or monthly bases the degree to which his administration goals have been attained and he (i.e. administrator should crave time for rest i.e. holidays, relaxation and various forms of physical exercises to revitalizes the body for subsequent activities. The paper recommends planning which is vital in management to avoid time waste

Depression, anxiety, stress, and their associated factors among Jimma University staff, Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia, 2016: a cross-sectional study

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Yeshaw Y

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Yigizie Yeshaw,1 Andualem Mossie2 1Department of Medical Physiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia Background: Worldwide, approximately 450 million people suffer from mental disorders. Of these, approximately 150 million are affected with depression. Depression, anxiety, and stress have an impact on productivity, motivation to work, sleep behavior of the individual, and outcome of different chronic diseases. However, till date, there are no studies which evaluated mental health problems among university staff in Ethiopia. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and their associated factors among Jimma University staff. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 354 staff of Jimma University from March 24 to April 24, 2016. Stratified simple random sampling technique was used. Pretested interviewer-administered Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21 questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0 software. Results: The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in this study was found to be approximately 22.9%, 19.2%, and 28.2%, respectively. Being female (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =2.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.22–4.77, no job satisfaction (AOR =10.59, 95% CI =4.88–22.98, presence of conflict with colleagues (AOR =2.33, 95% CI =1.21–4.49, and khat chewing (AOR =4.99, 95% CI =2.57–9.69 were associated with depression. Presence of conflict with colleagues (AOR =2.46, 95% CI =1.25–4.85, no job satisfaction (AOR =7.12, 95% CI =3.29–15.45, and khat chewing (AOR =2.94, 95% CI =1.52–5.66 were associated with anxiety. Being widowed (AOR =7.46, 95% CI =1.11–50.15, female (AOR =2.72, 95% CI =1.40–5.28, no job satisfaction (AOR =6.69, 95% CI =3.46–12.97, khat

Investigating the Relationship between Job Stress and its Coping Strategies with Marital and Job Satisfaction among Female Employees of Islamic Azad University, Kazeroon Branch

OpenAIRE

MOTAHARI, Seyedeh Soraya; AIBAGHI ESFAHANI, Saeed

2015-01-01

Abstract. This study investigated the relationship between job stress and marital satisfaction of women in Islamic Azad University, Kazeroon Brach. Two job stress questionnaires of Philip L. Rice (1992) and marital satisfaction questionnaire of Enrich (1997) were completed and examined by female employees of the Islamic Azad University, Kazeroon Brach, who were selected randomly. The results showed that women have job stress. The results showed that there is a negative correlation coefficient...

Mental Strain and Chronic Stress among University Students with Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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Marco D. Gulewitsch

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To investigate the degree of mental strain and chronic stress in a German community sample of students with IBS-like symptoms. Methods and Materials. Following an internet-based survey about stress, this study recruited 176 German university students (23.45±2.48 years; 48.3% males with IBS-like symptoms according to Rome III and 181 students without IBS (23.55±2.82 years; 50.3% males and compared them regarding current mental strain (SCL-90-R and the extend of chronic stress. Beyond this, IBS subtypes, IBS severity, and health care utilization were assessed. Results. Students fulfilling IBS criteria showed significantly elevated values of mental strain and chronic stress. Nearly 40% of the IBS group (versus 20% of the controls reached a clinically relevant value on the SCL-90-R global severity scale. IBS subtypes did not differ in terms of mental distress or chronic stress. Somatization, anxiety, and the chronic stressors “work overload,” “social tension,” and “dissatisfaction with job” were most closely connected to IBS symptom severity. Regarding health care utilization, our results show that consulting a physician frequently was not associated significantly with elevated mental strain or chronic stress but with IBS symptom severity. Conclusion. Our data contribute additional evidence to the distinct association between psychological stress and IBS in community samples.

Relationship between the Manner of Mobile Phone Use and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Višnjić, Aleksandar; Veličković, Vladica; Sokolović, Dušan; Stanković, Miodrag; Stojanović, Miodrag; Milošević, Zoran; Radulović, Olivera

2018-01-01

Objectives: There is insufficient evidence regarding the potential risk of mobile phone use on mental health. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine the relationship between mobile phone use and mental health by measuring the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among university students in Serbia and Italy. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at two distinguished universities in Serbia and Italy from March to May of the 2015/2016 academic year and included 785 students of both genders. The questionnaire was compiled and developed from different published sources regarding the manner and intensity of mobile phone use, along with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 42) for measuring psychological health. The statistical analysis of the data included the application of binary logistic regression and correlation tests. Results: Statistical analysis indicates that anxiety symptoms are somewhat more present in younger students (odds ratio (OR) = 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76–0.96), in those who send more text messages (SMSs) (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.11–1.31), and in those who browse the internet less frequently (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73–0.95). Stress is more common in students who make fewer calls a day (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64–0.97), as well in those who spend more time talking on the mobile phone per day (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.12–1.56). The strongest predictor of high stress levels was keeping the mobile phone less than 1 m away during sleeping (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12–2.08). Conclusions: The results indicated that the intensity and modality of mobile phone use could be a factor that can influence causal pathways leading to mental health problems in the university student population. PMID:29642471

Relationship between the Manner of Mobile Phone Use and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in University Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Višnjić, Aleksandar; Veličković, Vladica; Sokolović, Dušan; Stanković, Miodrag; Mijatović, Kristijan; Stojanović, Miodrag; Milošević, Zoran; Radulović, Olivera

2018-04-08

Objectives : There is insufficient evidence regarding the potential risk of mobile phone use on mental health. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine the relationship between mobile phone use and mental health by measuring the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among university students in Serbia and Italy. Methods : This cross-sectional study was carried out at two distinguished universities in Serbia and Italy from March to May of the 2015/2016 academic year and included 785 students of both genders. The questionnaire was compiled and developed from different published sources regarding the manner and intensity of mobile phone use, along with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 42) for measuring psychological health. The statistical analysis of the data included the application of binary logistic regression and correlation tests. Results: Statistical analysis indicates that anxiety symptoms are somewhat more present in younger students (odds ratio (OR) = 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76-0.96), in those who send more text messages SMSs (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.11-1.31), and in those who browse the internet less frequently (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73-0.95). Stress is more common in students who make fewer calls a day (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64-0.97), as well in those who spend more time talking on the mobile phone per day (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.12-1.56). The strongest predictor of high stress levels was keeping the mobile phone less than 1 m away during sleeping (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12-2.08). Conclusions: The results indicated that the intensity and modality of mobile phone use could be a factor that can influence causal pathways leading to mental health problems in the university student population.

Universal rescaling of flow curves for yield-stress fluids close to jamming

Science.gov (United States)

Dinkgreve, M.; Paredes, J.; Michels, M. A. J.; Bonn, D.

2015-07-01

The experimental flow curves of four different yield-stress fluids with different interparticle interactions are studied near the jamming concentration. By appropriate scaling with the distance to jamming all rheology data can be collapsed onto master curves below and above jamming that meet in the shear-thinning regime and satisfy the Herschel-Bulkley and Cross equations, respectively. In spite of differing interactions in the different systems, master curves characterized by universal scaling exponents are found for the four systems. A two-state microscopic theory of heterogeneous dynamics is presented to rationalize the observed transition from Herschel-Bulkley to Cross behavior and to connect the rheological exponents to microscopic exponents for the divergence of the length and time scales of the heterogeneous dynamics. The experimental data and the microscopic theory are compared with much of the available literature data for yield-stress systems.

Prevalence and association of perceived stress, substance use and behavioral addictions: a cross-sectional study among university students in France, 2009-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Tavolacci, Marie Pierre; Ladner, Joel; Grigioni, Sebastien; Richard, Laure; Villet, Herve; Dechelotte, Pierre

2013-08-06

University students face multiple stressors such as academic overload, constant pressure to succeed, competition with peers as well as concerns about the future. Stress should not be considered on its own, but should be associated with potential risk behaviors leading to onset of substance use and related problems heightened during the university period. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of main substance use and behavioral addictions among students in higher education in France and to examine the relationship with perceived stress. A self-administered questionnaire was filled out by university student volunteers from Upper Normandy (France) either by anonymous online questionnaire or by paper questionnaire. Data collected included socio-economic characteristics, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis) and hazardous behaviors: alcohol abuse problems, smoking, consumption of cannabis, eating disorders, and cyber addiction. A total of 1876 students were included. Mean PSS score was 15.9 (standard deviation = 7.2). Highly stressed students (4th quartile) were compared with lesser stressed students (1st quartile). A positive relation was observed between female gender, regular smokers, alcohol abuse problems, risk of cyberaddiction and especially eating disorders (AOR = 5.45, 95% CI = 3.42-8.69), and increasing PSS score. PSS score however, was not significantly related to the curriculum, regular alcohol use, drunkenness or binge drinking even after additional controlling for use of other substances. We found a significant negative association between stress and practice of sport: students with the most physical activity were less likely to report perceived stress (4th quartile: AOR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.39-0.80). This cross-sectional study among university students in France revealed that perceived stress was associated not only with known risks such as alcohol misuse, but also with new risks

The association between occupational stress and depressive symptoms and the mediating role of psychological capital among Chinese university teachers: a cross-sectional study.

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Shen, Xue; Yang, Yi-Long; Wang, Yang; Liu, Li; Wang, Shu; Wang, Lie

2014-11-30

Depression is a major public health problem that affects both individuals and society. Previous studies report that university teachers are particularly susceptible to high levels of occupational stress and depressive symptoms. The aims of this study were to explore the association between occupational stress and depressive symptoms in a group of university teachers, and assess the mediating role of psychological capital between these variables. A cross-sectional study was performed between November 2013 and January 2014. Teachers from six universities were randomly sampled in Shenyang. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, effort-reward imbalance scale, and psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ-24), as well as questions about demographic and working factors, were administered in questionnaires distributed to 1,500 university teachers. Completed questionnaires were received from 1,210 participants. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to examine the mediating role of psychological capital. In the present study, 58.9% (95% CI (Confidence Intervals): 56.1% to 61.7%) of university teachers had a CES-D score equal to or above the cut-off of 16. Both effort-reward ratio (ERR) and scores of over-commitment were positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas psychological capital was negatively associated with depressive symptoms among university teachers. Psychological capital partially mediated the relationship between occupational stress and depressive symptoms. Among Chinese university teachers, occupational stress may be a risk factor for depressive symptoms, whereas psychological capital might be protective against depressive symptoms. Our results suggest that college administrators could support the development of psychological capital in their staff to alleviate depressive symptoms.

Putative bronchopulmonary flagellated protozoa in immunosuppressed patients.

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Kilimcioglu, Ali Ahmet; Havlucu, Yavuz; Girginkardesler, Nogay; Celik, Pınar; Yereli, Kor; Özbilgin, Ahmet

2014-01-01

Flagellated protozoa that cause bronchopulmonary symptoms in humans are commonly neglected. These protozoal forms which were presumed to be "flagellated protozoa" have been previously identified in immunosuppressed patients in a number of studies, but have not been certainly classified so far. Since no human cases of bronchopulmonary flagellated protozoa were reported from Turkey, we aimed to investigate these putative protozoa in immunosuppressed patients who are particularly at risk of infectious diseases. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples of 110 immunosuppressed adult patients who were admitted to the Department of Chest Diseases, Hafsa Sultan Hospital of Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey, were examined in terms of parasites by light microscopy. Flagellated protozoal forms were detected in nine (8.2%) of 110 cases. Metronidazole (500 mg b.i.d. for 30 days) was given to all positive cases and a second bronchoscopy was performed at the end of the treatment, which revealed no parasites. In conclusion, immunosuppressed patients with bronchopulmonary symptoms should attentively be examined with regard to flagellated protozoa which can easily be misidentified as epithelial cells.

Putative benefits of microalgal astaxanthin on exercise and human health

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Marcelo P. Barros

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Astaxanthin (ASTA is a pinkish-orange carotenoid produced by microalgae, but also commonly found in shrimp, lobster and salmon, which accumulate ASTA from the aquatic food chain. Numerous studies have addressed the benefits of ASTA for human health, including the inhibition of LDL oxidation, UV-photoprotection and prophylaxis of bacterial stomach ulcers. ASTA is recognized as a powerful scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS, especially those involved in lipid peroxidation. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise are closely related to overproduction of ROS in muscle tissue. Post-exercise inflammatory processes can even exacerbate the oxidative stress imposed by exercise. Thus, ASTA is suggested here as a putative nutritional alternative/coadjutant for antioxidant therapy to afford additional protection to muscle tissues against oxidative damage induced by exercise, as well as for an (overall integrative redox re-balance and general human health.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Release Program for University Employees: A Pilot, Waitlist-Controlled Trial and Implementation Replication.

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Koncz, Rebecca; Wolfenden, Fiona; Hassed, Craig; Chambers, Richard; Cohen, Julia; Glozier, Nicholas

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 6-week mindfulness-based stress release program (SRP) on stress and work engagement in fulltime university employees. Perceived stress, workplace wellbeing, and engagement were measured at baseline and within 1 week of the SRP completion, and contemporaneously 6 weeks apart for a waitlist control group. A second program was implemented to examine reproducibility of results. Fifty participants undertook the SRPs, and 29 participants were waitlisted. A significant improvement in distress, workplace wellbeing, and vigor was observed within the first SRP group, when compared with the control group. The improvement in distress and wellbeing was reproduced in the second SRP group. This study adds to the growing body of research that mindfulness may be an effective method for reducing workplace stress, improving employee wellbeing, and enhancing work engagement.

A cross-sectional investigation of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms and health-behavior participation in Australian university students.

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Lovell, Geoff P; Nash, Kim; Sharman, Rachael; Lane, Ben R

2014-05-06

Transitioning to university involves a major life change that can have implications for physical and mental health. This study had three objectives: first, assess the mental health and health-behavior participation of Australian university students; second, evaluate clustering of health behaviors; and third, examine how mental health relates to health behaviors. University students (n = 751) enrolled at an Australian regional university completed an online survey containing the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales and a health-behavior questionnaire. Over one-third of students reported mild or higher mental illness symptoms and most reported engaging in multiple unhealthy behaviors. Furthermore, mental health was associated with unhealthy behaviors. For males, depressive symptoms were associated with skipping breakfast and poor sleep quality. For females, depressive symptoms were associated with skipping breakfast, inadequate vigorous physical activity, and short or long sleep hours. Stress symptoms in females were associated with healthy sleep hours, but poor sleep quality. Future research may consider whether an intervention targeting one or two key health behaviors has utility in improving participation in other health behaviors and mental health. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Job stress and its related factors in accountant employees of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences

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S. Khoeniha

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Background and aims Job stress is defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when job requirements do not match the capabilities¸ resources ¸and needs. This factor can negatively influence worker’s mental and physical health and also decrease organizations productivity and success. Thus the aim of present study was to investigate the job stress and its related factors in accountant employees of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 1388.   Methods This study was a descriptive (cross-sectional research in which the sampling population included 80 accountant employees that were selected with census. The severity of job stress and its related factors were determined using a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 36 items that validated by content validity. The reliability was also measured by test-retest (d=0/90 methods. Data was analyzed by descriptive analysis.     ResultsThe severity of job stress in most of accountant employees (%46/25 was in high level .There was a Significant relationship between severity of job stress and employees sex ¸ age and work record (p<0.001 . The higher job stress was experienced by women and employees with thelower age work record . Among different occupational stress variables, the most important factor that caused job stress was workload of the role (M=70/22. Conclusion With regard to the severity of job stress in accountant employees, it is necessary for organizational managers and policy makers to implement a protective strategy for prevention or alleviate longitudinal negative consequences of job stress in employees.

Internet Addiction and Relationships with Insomnia, Anxiety, Depression, Stress and Self-Esteem in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Designed Study.

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Younes, Farah; Halawi, Ghinwa; Jabbour, Hicham; El Osta, Nada; Karam, Latife; Hajj, Aline; Rabbaa Khabbaz, Lydia

2016-01-01

Internet addiction (IA) could be a major concern in university medical students aiming to develop into health professionals. The implications of this addiction as well as its association with sleep, mood disorders and self-esteem can hinder their studies, impact their long-term career goals and have wide and detrimental consequences for society as a whole. The objectives of this study were to: 1) Assess potential IA in university medical students, as well as factors associated with it; 2) Assess the relationships between potential IA, insomnia, depression, anxiety, stress and self-esteem. Our study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted among 600 students of three faculties: medicine, dentistry and pharmacy at Saint-Joseph University. Four validated and reliable questionnaires were used: the Young Internet Addiction Test, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS 21), and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES). The average YIAT score was 30 ± 18.474; Potential IA prevalence rate was 16.8% (95% confidence interval: 13.81-19.79%) and it was significantly different between males and females (p-value = 0.003), with a higher prevalence in males (23.6% versus 13.9%). Significant correlations were found between potential IA and insomnia, stress, anxiety, depression and self-esteem (p-value anxiety, depression, stress, and self-esteem.

PREVALENCE AND CORRELATES OF JOB STRESS AMONG JUNIOR DOCTORS IN THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, IBADAN.

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Adeolu, J O; Yussuf, O B; Popoola, O A

2016-12-01

Doctors respond differently to their complex work environment, some find it stimulating while others find it stressful. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of stress among junior doctors in a teaching hospital in Southwest Nigeria. A descriptive cross sectional survey of all junior doctors employed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan was carried out. Information was collected with a structured pretested questionnaire from 253 doctors. Descriptive statistics were generated. T-test, chi square and logistic regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 16. Statistical significance was set at 5%. Mean age of respondents was 29.9 (±4.1) years, 61.3% were males, 59% had spent less than 5 years in medical practice, and 34.8% were married. Majority (79.4%) were resident doctors. Prevalence of stress, job dissatisfaction and poor mental health were 31.6%, 15.4% and 9.9% respectively. Age, gender, years of medical practice, religion, ethnicity and marital status were not significantly associated with job stress (p>0.05). Doctors who were stressed were more likely to be dissatisfied with their jobs (OR=2.33; CI=1.08-4.04) and to have poor mental health (OR=3.82; CI=1.47-9.95) than those who were not stressed. The prevalence of stress in this study is high, and job dissatisfaction and poor mental health have been implicated as determinants of stress. As such, there should be an improvement in doctors' welfare, health care facilities and delivery.

Are perceived stress, depressive symptoms and religiosity associated with alcohol consumption? A survey of freshmen university students across five European countries

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Sebena Rene

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate the association of perceived stress, depressive symptoms and religiosity with frequent alcohol consumption and problem drinking among freshmen university students from five European countries. Methods 2529 university freshmen (mean age 20.37, 64.9% females from Germany (n = 654, Poland (n = 561, Bulgaria (n = 688, the UK (n = 311 and Slovakia (n = 315 completed a questionnaire containing the modified Beck Depression Inventory for measuring depressive symptoms, the Cohen’s perceived stress scale for measuring perceived stress, the CAGE-questionnaire for measuring problem drinking and questions concerning frequency of alcohol use and the personal importance of religious faith. Results Neither perceived stress nor depressive symptoms were associated with a high frequency of drinking (several times per week, but were associated with problem drinking. Religiosity (personal importance of faith was associated with a lower risk for both alcohol-related variables among females. There were also country differences in the relationship between perceived stress and problem drinking. Conclusion The association between perceived stress and depressive symptoms on the one side and problem drinking on the other demonstrates the importance of intervention programs to improve the coping with stress.

Stress and Coping Strategies among Distance Education Students at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

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Kwaah, Christopher Yaw; Essilfie, Gabriel

2017-01-01

This study was designed to identify the causes of stress and coping strategies adopted among distance education students at the College of Distance Education in the University of Cape Coast. A total of 332 diploma and post-diploma final year students in 2014/2015 academic year were selected from two study centers using random sampling procedure to…

Work-related stress and work ability among Croatian university hospital midwives.

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Knezevic, Bojana; Milosevic, Milan; Golubic, Rajna; Belosevic, Ljiljana; Russo, Andrea; Mustajbegovic, Jadranka

2011-04-01

to explore the sources and levels of stress at work and work ability among Croatian midwives. midwives are subjected to multiple stressors. Among health-care professionals, psychological distress for a prolonged period of time has negative effects on the worker's health, work ability and quality of patient care. 'Work ability' is a term describing a worker's resources related to physical, mental and social demands at work. As a measure of work ability in midwifery, the Work Ability Index (WAI) is considered to be a very predictive instrument; midwives with a poor WAI score usually leave their current job within five years. university hospitals in Zagreb, Croatia. cross-sectional design survey. 300 health-care workers (105 qualified midwives and 195 paediatric nurses) were invited to complete the questionnaire. The total response rate was 53% (158/300). The sample included 14.7% of all hospital-based midwives in Zagreb hospitals. the Occupational Stress Assessment Questionnaire (OSAQ) for health-care workers and the WAI questionnaire. over three-quarters of the midwives (46/60, 76.7%) believed that their job was stressful, and considered that insufficient work resources caused the most stress. More than half of the midwives associated an insufficient number of coworkers, unexpected situations, inadequate income, night work, incurable patients and poor organisation at work with a high level of stress. The perceived specific stressors differed between midwives and paediatric nurses in the same hospital. Insufficient work resources and poor organisation at work were more common stressors among midwives than paediatric nurses (pworkplace compared with paediatric nurses (pability. After adjusting for age, the difference in WAI score between the groups of workers was not significant. Croatian midwives experienced work-related stress due to: insufficient work resources, insufficient number of coworkers, poor organisation at work, communication with superiors and emotional

The Relationship between Socio-Demographics and Stress Levels, Stressors, and Coping Mechanisms among Undergraduate Students at a University in Barbados

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Persaud, Nadini; Persaud, Indeira

2016-01-01

This study sought to learn about stress experienced by students enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Barbados. This research was primarily undertaken to help UWI administrators/academic staff understand and address student stress. One hundred and six FSS students responded to:- (1) student…

Family-Work Conflict and Type-E Personality as Stress Inducers in Married Female Nigerian University Administrators

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Shobola, A. A.; Nwoha, P. C.

2013-01-01

This piece of article is culled from a larger study. The study investigated the relationship between family-work conflict, Type-E personality and stress in married female Nigerian University Administrators. The study adopted ex-post facto design. The sample consisted of 800 female administrators in the senior cadre of executive/administrative…

The Effect of individual Difference on Perceptions of Job-related Stress among National College and University Librarians in Taiwan

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Su-may Sheih Chen

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Defined as an environmental force in the workplace, either real or imagined, job-related stress interacts with an individual’s perception. Individuals’ perceptions alter with age, gender, work experience, job characteristics, and personality behavior of individuals. In an attempt to gain a comprehensive understanding, this study examines the relationship between individual difference and the perceptions of job-related stress in the library settings of national colleges and universities on Taiwan. The result shows that individual difference is influential for librarians’ perceptions of job-related stress. [Article content in Chinese

A Place from where to Speak: The University and Academic Freedom

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Badley, Graham

2009-01-01

The university is promoted as "a place from where to speak". Academic freedom is examined as a crucial value in an increasingly uncertain age which resonates with Barnett's concern to encourage students to overcome their "fear of freedom". My concern is that the putative university space of freedom and autonomy may well become constricted by those…

Relationship between Eating Disorders, Stress and Depression in Medical Students of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences & Health Services

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Afarin Ahmadian

2016-01-01

Background & Aim: Nowadays eating disorders are considered as one of the main psychological disorders. These types of disorder result in physical and mental health problems and affect the individuals’ quality of life. This study has aimed to survey eating disorders and its relation with depression and stress in medical students of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. Methodology: In a descriptive study, 340 university students were chosen by the use of simple random sampling and als...

Putative periodontopathic bacteria and herpesviruses in pregnant women: a case-control study

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Lu, Haixia; Zhu, Ce; Li, Fei; Xu, Wei; Tao, Danying; Feng, Xiping

2016-01-01

Little is known about herpesvirus and putative periodontopathic bacteria in maternal chronic periodontitis. The present case-control study aimed to explore the potential relationship between putative periodontopathic bacteria and herpesviruses in maternal chronic periodontitis.Saliva samples were collected from 36 pregnant women with chronic periodontitis (cases) and 36 pregnant women with healthy periodontal status (controls). Six putative periodontopathic bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis ...

Biochemical Characterization of Putative Adenylate Dimethylallyltransferase and Cytokinin Dehydrogenase from Nostoc sp. PCC 7120.

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Frébortová, Jitka; Greplová, Marta; Seidl, Michael F; Heyl, Alexander; Frébort, Ivo

2015-01-01

Cytokinins, a class of phytohormones, are adenine derivatives common to many different organisms. In plants, these play a crucial role as regulators of plant development and the reaction to abiotic and biotic stress. Key enzymes in the cytokinin synthesis and degradation in modern land plants are the isopentyl transferases and the cytokinin dehydrogenases, respectively. Their encoding genes have been probably introduced into the plant lineage during the primary endosymbiosis. To shed light on the evolution of these proteins, the genes homologous to plant adenylate isopentenyl transferase and cytokinin dehydrogenase were amplified from the genomic DNA of cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 and expressed in Escherichia coli. The putative isopentenyl transferase was shown to be functional in a biochemical assay. In contrast, no enzymatic activity was detected for the putative cytokinin dehydrogenase, even though the principal domains necessary for its function are present. Several mutant variants, in which conserved amino acids in land plant cytokinin dehydrogenases had been restored, were inactive. A combination of experimental data with phylogenetic analysis indicates that adenylate-type isopentenyl transferases might have evolved several times independently. While the Nostoc genome contains a gene coding for protein with characteristics of cytokinin dehydrogenase, the organism is not able to break down cytokinins in the way shown for land plants.

Teacher Wellness: Too Stressed for Stress Management?

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Kipps-Vaughan, Debi; Ponsart, Tyler; Gilligan, Tammy

2012-01-01

Healthier, happier teachers promote healthier, happier, and more effective learning environments. Yet, many teachers experience considerable stress. Studies have found that between one fifth and one fourth of teachers frequently experience a great deal of stress (Kyriacou, 1998). Stress in teaching appears to be universal across nations and…

Whole-transcriptome survey of the putative ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family genes in the latex-producing laticifers of Hevea brasiliensis.

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Zhiyi, Nie; Guijuan, Kang; Yu, Li; Longjun, Dai; Rizhong, Zeng

2015-01-01

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins or transporters constitute a large protein family in plants and are involved in many different cellular functions and processes, including solute transportation, channel regulation and molecular switches, etc. Through transcriptome sequencing, a transcriptome-wide survey and expression analysis of the ABC protein genes were carried out using the laticiferous latex from Hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree). A total of 46 putative ABC family proteins were identified in the H. brasiliensis latex. These consisted of 12 'full-size', 21 'half-size' and 13 other putative ABC proteins, and all of them showed strong conservation with their Arabidopsis thaliana counterparts. This study indicated that all eight plant ABC protein paralog subfamilies were identified in the H. brasiliensis latex, of which ABCB, ABCG and ABCI were the most abundant. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays demonstrated that gene expression of several latex ABC proteins was regulated by ethylene, jasmonic acid or bark tapping (a wound stress) stimulation, and that HbABCB15, HbABCB19, HbABCD1 and HbABCG21 responded most significantly of all to the abiotic stresses. The identification and expression analysis of the latex ABC family proteins could facilitate further investigation into their physiological involvement in latex metabolism and rubber biosynthesis by H. brasiliensis.

Environmental Factors’ Effect on Stress Reduction of Employees: A Case Study on Farhangian University Staff in Tehran

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Pegah Payedar Ardakani

2017-06-01

Full Text Available One of the most important issues the contemporary societies encounter is the job stress. There are various factors affecting it, but not enough researches have been done on the role that environmental factors play. This paper presents an experimental study with 100 participants on the influence of environmental factors on employees’ stress level. This method uses information derived from field observations and answers to questionnaires distributed to employees and officials who are in the top management of the central organization of Farhangian University, Tehran branch. The results demonstrate that color, window, lighting and brightness, landscape, communications and interactions, flexibility, thermal convenience, noise convenience, cleanness, physical activity, privacy and accessibility play an important role in the stress of employees, suggesting that the architectures and designers should consider the aforementioned factors so they can create dynamic and pleasant office environments devoid of any stress.

Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress, Depression, and Anxiety as Predictors of Suicidal Ideation among South African University Students

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Bantjes, Jason R.; Kagee, Ashraf; McGowan, Taryn; Steel, Henry

2016-01-01

Objective: To investigate the 2-week prevalence of suicidal ideations and their associations to symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety among South African university students. Participants: Data were collected from 1,337 students between May and August 2013. Methods: Hierarchical regression analysis was used to investigate the…

Only-Child Status in Relation to Perceived Stress and Studying-Related Life Satisfaction among University Students in China: A Comparison with International Students.

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Chu, Janet Junqing; Khan, Mobarak Hossain; Jahn, Heiko J; Kraemer, Alexander

2015-01-01

University students in general face multiple challenges, which may affect their levels of perceived stress and life satisfaction. Chinese students currently face specific strains due to the One-Child Policy (OCP). The aim of this study was to assess (1) whether the levels of perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction are associated with only-child (OC) status after controlling for demographic and socio-economic characteristics and (2) whether these associations differ between Chinese and international students. A cross-sectional health survey based on a self-administrated standardised questionnaire was conducted among 1,843 (1,543 Chinese, 300 international) students at two Chinese universities in 2010-2011. Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and Stock and Kraemer's Studying-related Life Satisfaction Scale were used to measure perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of OC status with perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction by sex for Chinese students and international students separately. The Chinese non-only-children (NOCs) were more likely to come from small cities. Multivariable regression models indicate that the Chinese NOCs were more stressed than OCs (OR = 1.39, 1.11-1.74) with a stronger association in men (OR = 1.48, 1.08-2.02) than women (OR = 1.26, 0.89-1.77). NOCs were also more dissatisfied than their OC fellows in the Chinese subsample (OR = 1.37, 1.09-1.73). Among international students, no associations between OC status and perceived stress or studying-related life satisfaction were found. To promote equality between OCs and NOCs at Chinese universities, the causes of more stress and less studying-related life satisfaction among NOCs compared to OCs need further exploration.

Only-Child Status in Relation to Perceived Stress and Studying-Related Life Satisfaction among University Students in China: A Comparison with International Students.

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Janet Junqing Chu

Full Text Available University students in general face multiple challenges, which may affect their levels of perceived stress and life satisfaction. Chinese students currently face specific strains due to the One-Child Policy (OCP. The aim of this study was to assess (1 whether the levels of perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction are associated with only-child (OC status after controlling for demographic and socio-economic characteristics and (2 whether these associations differ between Chinese and international students.A cross-sectional health survey based on a self-administrated standardised questionnaire was conducted among 1,843 (1,543 Chinese, 300 international students at two Chinese universities in 2010-2011. Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14 and Stock and Kraemer's Studying-related Life Satisfaction Scale were used to measure perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of OC status with perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction by sex for Chinese students and international students separately.The Chinese non-only-children (NOCs were more likely to come from small cities. Multivariable regression models indicate that the Chinese NOCs were more stressed than OCs (OR = 1.39, 1.11-1.74 with a stronger association in men (OR = 1.48, 1.08-2.02 than women (OR = 1.26, 0.89-1.77. NOCs were also more dissatisfied than their OC fellows in the Chinese subsample (OR = 1.37, 1.09-1.73. Among international students, no associations between OC status and perceived stress or studying-related life satisfaction were found.To promote equality between OCs and NOCs at Chinese universities, the causes of more stress and less studying-related life satisfaction among NOCs compared to OCs need further exploration.

Only-Child Status in Relation to Perceived Stress and Studying-Related Life Satisfaction among University Students in China: A Comparison with International Students

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Chu, Janet Junqing; Khan, Mobarak Hossain; Jahn, Heiko J.; Kraemer, Alexander

2015-01-01

Objectives University students in general face multiple challenges, which may affect their levels of perceived stress and life satisfaction. Chinese students currently face specific strains due to the One-Child Policy (OCP). The aim of this study was to assess (1) whether the levels of perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction are associated with only-child (OC) status after controlling for demographic and socio-economic characteristics and (2) whether these associations differ between Chinese and international students. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional health survey based on a self-administrated standardised questionnaire was conducted among 1,843 (1,543 Chinese, 300 international) students at two Chinese universities in 2010–2011. Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and Stock and Kraemer’s Studying-related Life Satisfaction Scale were used to measure perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of OC status with perceived stress and studying-related life satisfaction by sex for Chinese students and international students separately. Results The Chinese non-only-children (NOCs) were more likely to come from small cities. Multivariable regression models indicate that the Chinese NOCs were more stressed than OCs (OR = 1.39, 1.11–1.74) with a stronger association in men (OR = 1.48, 1.08–2.02) than women (OR = 1.26, 0.89–1.77). NOCs were also more dissatisfied than their OC fellows in the Chinese subsample (OR = 1.37, 1.09–1.73). Among international students, no associations between OC status and perceived stress or studying-related life satisfaction were found. Conclusions To promote equality between OCs and NOCs at Chinese universities, the causes of more stress and less studying-related life satisfaction among NOCs compared to OCs need further exploration. PMID:26675032

Dynamic regulation of cerebral DNA repair genes by psychological stress

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Forsberg, Kristin; Aalling, Nadia; Wörtwein, Gitta

2015-01-01

Neuronal genotoxic insults from oxidative stress constitute a putative molecular link between stress and depression on the one hand, and cognitive dysfunction and dementia risk on the other. Oxidative modifications to DNA are repaired by specific enzymes; a process that plays a critical role...... restraint stress (6h/day) or daily handling (controls), and sacrificed after 1, 7 or 21 stress sessions. The mRNA expression of seven genes (Ogg1, Ape1, Ung1, Neil1, Xrcc1, Ercc1, Nudt1) involved in the repair of oxidatively damaged DNA was determined by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction...

Sources of Stress among Undergraduate Students in the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria: Implications for Counselling

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Alika, Ijeoma Henrietta

2012-01-01

The study examined the role of inadequate facilities/accommodation, poor health, emotional problems, socio-economic status and poor time management as sources of stress among University of Benin undergraduates. The research instrument used was a questionnaire. The survey method was adopted for the study. Seven hundred and fifty respondents were…

Role Stress, Interrole Conflict, and Job Satisfaction among University Employees: The Creation and Test of a Model

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Love, Keisha M.; Tatman, Anthony W.; Chapman, Benjamin P.

2010-01-01

Many universities have experienced financial hardships during the recent economic downturn. To save money, several have resorted to laying off employees, which has often resulted in increased work and stress for the remaining employees. Such an increase has the potential to adversely affect employees' sense of job satisfaction. This study created…

Listeria monocytogenes response regulators important for stress tolerance and pathogenesis

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Kallipolitis, B H; Ingmer, H

2001-01-01

Environmental sensing by two-component signal transduction systems is likely to play a role for growth and survival of Listeria monocytogenes both during transmission in food products and within a host organism. Two-component systems typically consist of a membrane-associated sensor histidine...... kinase and a gene regulatory protein, the response regulator (RR). We have identified seven putative RR genes in L. monocytogenes LO28 by PCR using degenerate oligonucleotide primers. By insertional inactivation we obtained data suggesting that three of the putative RRs contribute to the pathogenicity...... of L. monocytogenes in mice. Strikingly, the mutants that were attenuated in virulence also had a decreased ability to grow in the presence of various stress conditions potentially encountered in an infection process. Thus, our data point to a connection between the ability of the putative two...

Symptoms and health complaints and their association with perceived stress at university: survey of students at eleven faculties in Egypt.

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El Ansari, Walid; Oskrochi, Reza; Labeeb, Shokria; Stock, Christiane

2014-06-01

This study examined the relationships between perceived stress and a range of self reported symptoms and health complaints in a representative sample of students at one university in Egypt. The data (3,271 students) was collected during the academic year 2009-2010 at eleven faculties at the university of Assiut city, Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire measured health complaints (22 symptoms) and Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale. Socio-demographic and lifestyle data were also collected. Factor analysis generated four groups of health complaints: psychological, circulatory/breathing, gastrointestinal, and pains/aches, and the internal consistency of each group of symptoms was computed using reliability analyses (Cronbach's alpha). Perceived stress was categorized into four levels based on quartiles. Multiple binomial or multinomial logistic regression analyses analysed the relationship between each of the four groups of symptoms and other students' general characteristics adjusted for the effect of all other groups of symptoms. The symptoms most often reported as having occurred sometimes/very often in the last 12 months were fatigue (85.3%), difficulties to concentrate (78.1%), headache (77.9%), and mood swings (74.5%), while nervousness/anxiety (63.2%) and sleep disorder (63.7%) affected many students. Multinominal logistic regression revealed a clear association and a linear trend between increasing level of stress and a higher frequency of psychological symptoms that remained significant after adjustment for other groups of symptoms. There were no associations between perceived stress and circulatory/breathing symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, or for pains/aches. Poor health was consistently associated with higher frequency of symptoms across all symptom groups except for gastrointestinal symptoms. Higher health awareness was associated with lower frequency of psychological and circulatory/breathing symptoms but not for the other two symptom groups. Better

Soil invertebrate communities in stressed European ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Butovsky, R.O. [All-Russian Research Institute for Nature Protection, Sadki-Znamenskoje (Russian Federation)

2003-07-01

Intensive landuse in Europe results in continual physical and chemical changes to land and soil. Soil invertebrates can be used for development of single- and multi-species test-systems for soil quality assessment under anthropogenous stress. The research was performed in 18 terrestrial ecosystems stressed by common anthropogenous impacts: recreation pressure, motorway or industrial pollution in Central Russia, Belgium and the Netherlands in 1983-2001. All three types of human stresses (recreation, motorway and industrial) induced similar changes of macroartropod and microarthropod communities. In stressed macroarthropod communities the decrease of abundance of non-specialized predators, chewing phytophagans, saprophagans and increase of abundance of rhyzophagans, sucking phytophagans and specialized predators was observed. All types of stresses increased or stabilized species diversity in macro- (in carabid beetles communities mainly increase of Harpalus and Amara species number, in weevils - Sitona species number etc.) and microarthropod (e.g. Mesostigmata mites species) communities. In stressed ecosystems sucking phytophagans have selective advantage as compared to chewing phytophagans, endoparasitoids as compared to ectoparasitoids, specialized predators as compared to non-specialized predators etc., meaning that the feeding strategy play an important regulatory role in the community. Saprophagans and phytophagans, consuming chemicals, e.g. heavy metals in large quantities, are in general highly sensitive groups. The most sensitive groups belonged to first and second order consumers. In putative trophic chains in roadside ecosystems, non-specialized zoophagans (predators) contained less copper and zinc, than specialized zoophagans and parasitoids. When compared to the peculiarities of distribution of pesticides (e.g. DDT) and radionuclides (Sr90 and Cs137) it happens that in terrestrial ecosystems heavy metals were primarily accumulated (1) in soil

Awareness of Stress-Reduction Interventions on Work Attitudes: The Impact of Tenure and Staff Group in Australian Universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Pignata, Silvia; Winefield, Anthony H; Provis, Chris; Boyd, Carolyn M

2016-01-01

This study explored the impact of staff group role and length of organizational tenure in the relationship between the awareness of stress interventions (termed intervention awareness: IA) and the work-related attitudinal outcomes of university employees. A two-wave longitudinal study of a sample of 869 employees from 13 universities completed a psychosocial work factors and health questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses examined the contribution of staff role and different lengths of organizational tenure with IA and employees' reports of job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, trust in senior management, and perceived procedural justice. Employees' length of tenure affected the relation between IA and work attitudes, and there were also differences between academic and non-academic staff groups. For non-academic employees, IA predicted job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, trust in senior management, and perceived procedural justice. However, for academics, IA only predicted job satisfaction and trust which identifies a need to increase the visibility of organizational interventions. Across the tenure groups, IA predicted: (1) perceived procedural justice for employees with five or less years of tenure; (2) job satisfaction for employees with 0-19 years of tenure; (3) trust in senior management for employees with 6-19 years of tenure; and (4) affective organizational commitment for employees with a tenure length of 6-10 years. Employees working at the university for an intermediate period had the most positive perceptions of their organization in terms of IA, job satisfaction, trust in senior management, and affective organizational commitment, whereas employees with 20-38 years of tenure had the least positive perceptions. Results suggest that employees in the middle of their careers report the most positive perceptions of their university. The findings highlight the need to attend to contextual issues in organizational

Awareness of stress-reduction interventions on work attitudes: the impact of tenure and staff group in Australian universities

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Silvia Pignata

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This study explored the impact of staff group role and length of organizational tenure in the relationship between the awareness of stress interventions (termed intervention awareness: IA and the work-related attitudinal outcomes of university employees. A two-wave longitudinal study of a sample of 869 employees from 13 universities completed a psychosocial work factors and health questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses examined the contribution of staff role and different lengths of organizational tenure with IA and employees’ reports of job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, trust in senior management, and perceived procedural justice. Employees' length of tenure affected the relation between IA and work attitudes, and there were also differences between academic and non-academic staff groups. For non-academic employees, IA predicted job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, trust in senior management, and perceived procedural justice. However, for academics, IA only predicted job satisfaction and trust which identifies a need to increase the visibility of organizational interventions. Across the tenure groups, IA predicted: (1 perceived procedural justice for employees with five or less years of tenure; (2 job satisfaction for employees with 0–19 years of tenure; (3 trust in senior management for employees with 6–19 years of tenure; and (4 affective organizational commitment for employees with a tenure length of 6–10 years. Employees working at the university for an intermediate period had the most positive perceptions of their organization in terms of IA, job satisfaction, trust in senior management, and affective organizational commitment, whereas employees with 20–38 years of tenure had the least positive perceptions. Results suggest that employees in the middle of their careers report the most positive perceptions of their university. The findings highlight the need to attend to contextual

Internet Addiction and Relationships with Insomnia, Anxiety, Depression, Stress and Self-Esteem in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Designed Study.

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Farah Younes

Full Text Available Internet addiction (IA could be a major concern in university medical students aiming to develop into health professionals. The implications of this addiction as well as its association with sleep, mood disorders and self-esteem can hinder their studies, impact their long-term career goals and have wide and detrimental consequences for society as a whole. The objectives of this study were to: 1 Assess potential IA in university medical students, as well as factors associated with it; 2 Assess the relationships between potential IA, insomnia, depression, anxiety, stress and self-esteem.Our study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted among 600 students of three faculties: medicine, dentistry and pharmacy at Saint-Joseph University. Four validated and reliable questionnaires were used: the Young Internet Addiction Test, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS 21, and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES.The average YIAT score was 30 ± 18.474; Potential IA prevalence rate was 16.8% (95% confidence interval: 13.81-19.79% and it was significantly different between males and females (p-value = 0.003, with a higher prevalence in males (23.6% versus 13.9%. Significant correlations were found between potential IA and insomnia, stress, anxiety, depression and self-esteem (p-value < 0.001; ISI and DASS sub-scores were higher and self-esteem lower in students with potential IA.Identifying students with potential IA is important because this addiction often coexists with other psychological problems. Therefore, interventions should include not only IA management but also associated psychosocial stressors such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, stress, and self-esteem.

Transcriptome of Aphanomyces euteiches: new oomycete putative pathogenicity factors and metabolic pathways.

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Elodie Gaulin

Full Text Available Aphanomyces euteiches is an oomycete pathogen that causes seedling blight and root rot of legumes, such as alfalfa and pea. The genus Aphanomyces is phylogenically distinct from well-studied oomycetes such as Phytophthora sp., and contains species pathogenic on plants and aquatic animals. To provide the first foray into gene diversity of A. euteiches, two cDNA libraries were constructed using mRNA extracted from mycelium grown in an artificial liquid medium or in contact to plant roots. A unigene set of 7,977 sequences was obtained from 18,864 high-quality expressed sequenced tags (ESTs and characterized for potential functions. Comparisons with oomycete proteomes revealed major differences between the gene content of A. euteiches and those of Phytophthora species, leading to the identification of biosynthetic pathways absent in Phytophthora, of new putative pathogenicity genes and of expansion of gene families encoding extracellular proteins, notably different classes of proteases. Among the genes specific of A. euteiches are members of a new family of extracellular proteins putatively involved in adhesion, containing up to four protein domains similar to fungal cellulose binding domains. Comparison of A. euteiches sequences with proteomes of fully sequenced eukaryotic pathogens, including fungi, apicomplexa and trypanosomatids, allowed the identification of A. euteiches genes with close orthologs in these microorganisms but absent in other oomycetes sequenced so far, notably transporters and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases, and suggests the presence of a defense mechanism against oxidative stress which was initially characterized in the pathogenic trypanosomatids.

An Empirical Study on Ways of Coping with Job-related Stress among National College and University Librarian in Taiwan

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Chen Su-may Sheih

2004-03-01

Full Text Available Stress is not a naturedly bad thing - it may be stimulating, motivating and provide excitement to individuals. However, when it exceeds individuals’ ability to cope it becomes harmful both to library and staff. Adequate coping strategies keep the librarians in a state of good health and high job performance. The purpose of this study is trying to explore librarians’ ways of coping with job-related stress in the library settings of national colleges and universities in Taiwan. The study indicates that librarians’ ways of coping are both problem-focused and emotion-focused. And as the stress getting greater, librarians are inclined to cope with emotion-focused ways.[Article content in Chinese

Listeria monocytogenes response regulators important for stress tolerance and pathogenesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kallipolitis, B. H.; Ingmer, H.

2001-01-01

of L. monocytogenes in mice. Strikingly, the mutants that were attenuated in virulence also had a decreased ability to grow in the presence of various stress conditions potentially encountered in an infection process. Thus, our data point to a connection between the ability of the putative two...

Correlation among academic stress, academic burnout, and academic performance in nursing and paramedic students of Qom University of Medical Sciences, Iran

OpenAIRE

hamid Asayesh; Fatemeh Sharififard; Mojtaba Mosavi; Zahra Taheri Kharameh; Zahra Aliakbarzade Arani; Alireza Shouri Bidgoli

2016-01-01

Background and Objectives: Learning is a stressful experience of human life; reduced adaption to stressors causes academic burnout which is a reason for academic failure among students. This study investigated the correlation among academic stress, academic burnout, and academic performance in nursing and paramedic students of Qom University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 264 nursing and paramedic students were randomly selected. Demographic ch...

Long-term neuroendocrine and behavioural effects of a single exposure to stress in adult animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Armario, Antonio; Escorihuela, Rosa M; Nadal, Roser

2008-08-01

There is now considerable evidence for long-lasting sequels of stress. A single exposure to high intensity predominantly emotional stressors such as immobilisation in wooden-boards (IMO) induces long-term (days to weeks) desensitization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response to the same (homotypic) stressor, whereas the response to novel (heterotypic) stressors was enhanced. In addition, long-lasting changes in behaviour have been described after a single exposure to brief or more prolonged sessions of shocks, predator, predator odour, underwater stress or a combination of three stressors on 1 day. The most consistent changes are reduced entries into the open arms of the elevated plus-maze and enhanced acoustic startle response, both reflecting enhanced anxiety. However, it is unclear whether there is any relationship between the intensity of the stressors, as evaluated by the main physiological indexes of stress (e.g. HPA axis), the putative traumatic experience they represent and their long-term behavioural consequences. This is particularly critical when trying to model post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), which demands a great effort to validate such putative models.

Overexpression of CaTLP1, a putative transcription factor in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), promotes stress tolerance.

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Wardhan, Vijay; Jahan, Kishwer; Gupta, Sonika; Chennareddy, Srinivasarao; Datta, Asis; Chakraborty, Subhra; Chakraborty, Niranjan

2012-07-01

Dehydration is the most crucial environmental constraint on plant growth and development, and agricultural productivity. To understand the underlying mechanism of stress tolerance, and to identify proteins for improving such important trait, we screened the dehydration-responsive proteome of chickpea and identified a tubby-like protein, referred to as CaTLP1. The CaTLP1 was found to predominantly bind to double-stranded DNA but incapable of transcriptional activation. We investigated the gene structure and organization and demonstrated, for the first time, that CaTLP1 may be involved in osmotic stress response in plants. The transcripts are strongly expressed in vegetative tissues but weakly in reproductive tissues. CaTLP1 is upregulated by dehydration and high salinity, and by treatment with abscisic acid (ABA), suggesting that its stress-responsive function might be associated with ABA-dependent network. Overexpression of CaTLP1 in transgenic tobacco plants conferred dehydration, salinity and oxidative stress tolerance along with improved shoot and root architecture. Molecular genetic analysis showed differential expression of CaTLP1 under normal and stress condition, and its preferential expression in the nucleus might be associated with enhanced stress tolerance. Our work suggests important roles of CaTLP1 in stress response as well as in the regulation of plant development.

The analysis of the distribution of unitary stresses for the universal plowshare in tiller seeder combos (UPTSC)

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Chiorescu, D.; Chiorescu, E.; Dodun, O.; Crăciun, V.

2016-11-01

The sustainable development of agriculture is an important component of economic and social progress of the mankind aiming especially at promoting environmentally friendly systems and technologies. Thus, the implementation of sustainable agriculture also requires some high performance farming aggregates such as tiller seeder combos. Their most stressed active working part is the plowshare which has an important part in cutting the soil. For this reason, we consider that theoretical and experimental research is needed for the tear to which this working part is subjected to. This paper analyses the behavior of the universal plowshare, component part of UPTSC, using the Finite Element Method (FEM) and the Ansys software program. With the help of FEM, we analyzed the universal plowshare in the material structure during the soil cutting process, highlighting the deformation degree and the stress field in the working part. In the first stage, we identified a representative set of problems concerning the soil cutting process, for which we designed the solutions through numerical simulations. In the processing stage, we designed a 3D model which respects entirely the geometric shape of the active element in Cartesian coordinates. In order to simulate the soil cutting process in accordance with the real conditions, the compilations are done for various refinement degrees of the discretization network in finite elements. In the same stage we introduced the constraints represented by: the fixation of the plowshare support, direction, as well as the action of the cohesion and shear strength. Using the Explicit Dynamics module of the Ansys software, which allows studying the plowshare behavior, we analyzed in real conditions, the normal and the shear stresses as well as the deformation, for various soil types and various soil states. Considering the data on the existent stresses, following the FEM analysis of the working part, we determined the wear and suggested the safety

Adaptive plasticity during stress and depression and the role of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper will review pre-clinical and clinical evidence supporting a role for the glutamatenitric oxide pathway as a putative mediator of the neuropathological changes evident in depression and stress-related disorders, particularly PTSD, and its potential as a novel target for psychotropic activity. South African Psychiatry ...

Ultraviolet radiation induces stress in etiolated Landoltia punctata, as evidenced by the presence of alanine, a universal stress signal: a ¹⁵N NMR study.

Science.gov (United States)

Monselise, E B-I; Levkovitz, A; Kost, D

2015-01-01

Analysis with (15) N NMR revealed that alanine, a universal cellular stress signal, accumulates in etiolated duckweed plants exposed to 15-min pulsed UV light, but not in the absence of UV irradiation. The addition of 10 mm vitamin C, a radical scavenger, reduced alanine levels to zero, indicating the involvement of free radicals. Free D-alanine was detected in (15) N NMR analysis of the chiral amino acid content, using D-tartaric acid as solvent. The accumulation of D-alanine under stress conditions presents a new perspective on the biochemical processes taking place in prokaryote and eukaryote cells. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Expression and subcellular localization of antiporter regulating ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Md. Imtiaz Uddin

2012-02-14

Feb 14, 2012 ... important factors, the limitation of gas diffusion under water and reduced irradiance, which impair photo- synthesis ... functions as cell expansion, universal stress protein, and putative ..... They catalyze the exchange of Na+.

Assessment of Clinical Stressful Factors Among Academic Students of Nursing and Operating Room of Dezful University of Medical Sciences (2015

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Mojtaba Raji

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: Nursing students are exposed to clinical environmental stresses in addition to educational environmental stresses. The aim of this study was to assessment of clinical stressful factors among Academic Students of Nursing and Operating Room of Dezful University of Medical Sciences in 2015.Materials and Methods: This study was a description-analytical study with 234 students of nursing and operation room up to two semesters for enrolled. Data was using a self-made researcher Questionnaire consisted of demographic information and clinical stressful factors. Data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS-PC (v.20.Results: The findings showed that the main stressors in students of nursing and operation room were unpleasant emotions and least stressful areas were interpersonal communication in a clinical environment. The results showed that the average score of the field of education and humiliating experiences using Spearman correlation test (P=0/045 (r=0/16.Conclusion: Study showed, the mean stress is the moderate level. Stressful areas obtained in the four areas of personal communication, clinical practice stressful, unpleasant feelings and humiliating experience that fortunately, in many cases reform and change.

Evaluation of work place stress in health university workers: a study from rural India.

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Mishra, Badrinarayan; Mehta, Sc; Sinha, Nidhi Dinesh; Shukla, Sushil Kumar; Ahmed, Nadeem; Kawatra, Abhishek

2011-01-01

Healthcare providers being over-worked and under staffed are prone to poor mental health. Unhealthy work place compounds it further. This study was aimed at to assess the mental health status of a medical university employee with special reference to work place stressors. A cross-sectional study was designed and carried out at a Rural Health University. Both the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-12 and Holmes-Rahe Scale were used to evaluate 406 participants. Multivariate analysis, correlation, and ANOVA by SPSS 11.0. The minimum age of the participant was 19 years and the maximum 64 years, with an average age at 35.09 years. On the GHQ scale 239(58.9%) recorded psychiatric morbidity out of which 201(49.5%) had moderate and 38(9.3%) severe morbidity. Doctors were the highest stressed group (P ≤ 0.04). Prominent work environmental stressors were poor departmental reorganization, lack of cohesiveness in department, difficult superiors and juniors (P ≤ 0.001, Pearson correlation). Stressors associated with work organization and work nature were: noninvolvement in departmental decision making and lack of proper feedback; along with; work load, lack of clarity in job, and a erratic work schedule (P ≤ 0.001 on Pearson correlation). Harassment, favoritism, discrimination, and lack of self-expression (P ≤ 0.003) were other factors responsible for work dissatisfaction. A high stress level was detected in the study population. The principal stressors were work environment related. Poor work culture was found to lead to job dissatisfaction among majority.

Use of Evidence-Based Practice Resources and Empirically Supported Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among University Counseling Center Psychologists

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Juel, Morgen Joray

2012-01-01

In the present study, an attempt was made to determine the degree to which psychologists at college and university counseling centers (UCCs) utilized empirically supported treatments with their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) clients. In addition, an attempt was made to determine how frequently UCC psychologists utilized a number of…

Mood and food at the University of Turku in Finland: nutritional correlates of perceived stress are most pronounced among overweight students.

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El Ansari, Walid; Suominen, Sakari; Berg-Beckhoff, Gabriele

2015-09-01

We examined perceived stress and food intake at University of Turku, Finland. This study was conducted as an online survey (1189 students). We computed two composite food intake pattern scores (sweets, cakes and snacks; fruits and vegetables), a dietary guideline adherence index, and the subjective importance of healthy eating. We assessed the correlations between perceived stress, and two food intake pattern scores, dietary guideline adherence index and subjective importance of healthy eating. We tested the associations between stress and the same variables, controlling for potential confounders for the whole sample, by gender, and by Body Mass Index (BMI). Fruits and vegetables intake and dietary guideline adherence were both negatively associated with stress. These negative associations were more pronounced in overweight and less pronounced in underweight compared to healthy weight students. Sweets, cookies and snacks consumption were not associated with stress. Stress was associated with lower subjective importance of healthy eating, independent of gender and BMI. Perceived stress might have relationships of different magnitudes in overweight vs. normal BMI or underweight persons. BMI could be an effect modifier of the stress-food habits association.

Aerobic exercise, ball sports, dancing, and weight lifting as moderators of the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms: an exploratory cross-sectional study with swiss university students.

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Gerber, Markus; Brand, Serge; Elliot, Catherine; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Pühse, Uwe

2014-12-01

This exploratory study was designed to compare four types of exercise activities in Swiss university students. A sample of 201 medical students (136 women, 65 men; M age = 23.2 yr., SD = 2.4) and 250 exercise and health sciences students (144 women, 106 men; M age = 22.3 yr., SD = 2.2) participated in the study. They completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Depression Scale, and the Office in Motion Questionnaire. Interaction effects between stress and exercise activities were analysed using hierarchical regression analyses, after controlling for age, sex, and academic discipline. Frequent participation in ball sports and dancing were associated with decreased depressive symptoms among students with elevated perceived stress, whereas no such relationship existed among their peers with lower perceived stress. No stress-moderating effect was found for aerobic exercise. Weight lifting was only associated with lower depressive symptoms among students with low perceived stress. The present findings suggest that, among Swiss university students, certain exercises may have better potential to moderate the relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms than others. Future research could analyze whether personalized exercise programs created to satisfy participants' individual needs are more beneficial for stress management.

Acinetobacter baumannii universal stress protein A plays a pivotal role in stress response and is essential for pneumonia and sepsis pathogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Elhosseiny, Noha M; Amin, Magdy A; Yassin, Aymen S; Attia, Ahmed S

2015-01-01

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most significant threats to global public health. This threat is compounded by the fact that A. baumannii is rapidly becoming resistant to all relevant antimicrobials. Identifying key microbial factors through which A. baumannii resists hostile host environment is paramount to the development of novel antimicrobials targeting infections caused by this emerging pathogen. An attractive target could be a molecule that plays a role in the pathogenesis and stress response of A. baumannii. Accordingly, the universal stress protein A (UspA) was chosen to be fully investigated in this study. A platform of A. baumannii constructs, expressing various levels of the uspA gene ranging from zero to thirteen folds of wild-type level, and a recombinant E. coli strain, were employed to investigate the role of UspA in vitro stress and in vivo pathogenesis. The UspA protein plays a significant role in protecting A. baumannii from H(2)O(2), low pH, and the respiratory toxin 2,4-DNP. A. baumannii UspA protein plays an essential role in two of the deadliest types of infection caused by A. baumannii; pneumonia and sepsis. This distinguishes A. baumannii UspA from its closely related homolog, the Staphylococcus aureus Usp2, as well as from the less similar Burkholderia glumae Usps. Heterologous and overexpression experiments suggest that UspA mediates its role via an indirect mechanism. Our study highlights the role of UspA as an important contributor to the A. baumannii stress and virulence machineries, and polishes it as a plausible target for new therapeutics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Relationship between Religious Orientation (Internal-External) With Methods of Overcoming Stress in Students of Islamic Azad University of Abhar

Science.gov (United States)

Jafari, Alireza

2011-01-01

This study explored the relationship between religious orientation (internal-external) and the ways of coping stress (problem-based and emotion-based) in the students of IAU (Islamic Azad University), Abhar Branch. Religion with internal origin is comprehensive and has well-organized principles. However, religion with external origin is a device…

Multiple abiotic stress tolerance of the transformants yeast cells and the transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing a novel durum wheat catalase.

Science.gov (United States)

Feki, Kaouthar; Kamoun, Yosra; Ben Mahmoud, Rihem; Farhat-Khemakhem, Ameny; Gargouri, Ali; Brini, Faiçal

2015-12-01

Catalases are reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes involved in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. In this study, we described the isolation and functional characterization of a novel catalase from durum wheat, designed TdCAT1. Molecular Phylogeny analyses showed that wheat TdCAT1 exhibited high amino acids sequence identity to other plant catalases. Sequence homology analysis showed that TdCAT1 protein contained the putative calmodulin binding domain and a putative conserved internal peroxisomal targeting signal PTS1 motif around its C-terminus. Predicted three-dimensional structural model revealed the presence of four putative distinct structural regions which are the N-terminal arm, the β-barrel, the wrapping and the α-helical domains. TdCAT1 protein had the heme pocket that was composed by five essential residues. TdCAT1 gene expression analysis showed that this gene was induced by various abiotic stresses in durum wheat. The expression of TdCAT1 in yeast cells and Arabidopsis plants conferred tolerance to several abiotic stresses. Compared with the non-transformed plants, the transgenic lines maintained their growth and accumulated more proline under stress treatments. Furthermore, the amount of H2O2 was lower in transgenic lines, which was due to the high CAT and POD activities. Taken together, these data provide the evidence for the involvement of durum wheat catalase TdCAT1 in tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses in crop plants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

CLONING, SEQUENCE ANALYSIS, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PUTATIVE BETA-LACTAMASE OF STENOTROPHOMONAS MALTOPHILIA

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Chong Seng Shueh

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The main objective of current study was to explore the function of chromosomal putative beta-lactamase gene (smlt 0115 in clinical Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Antibiotic susceptibility test (AST screening for current antimicrobial drugs was done and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC level towards beta-lactams was determined by E-test. Putative beta-lactamase gene of S. maltophilia was amplified via PCR, with specific primers, then cloned into pET-15 expression plasmid and transformed into Escherichia coli BL21. The gene was sequenced and analyzed. The expressed protein was purified by affinity chromatography and the kinetic assay was performed. S. maltophilia ATCC 13637 was included in this experiment. Besides, a hospital strain which exhibited resistant to a series of beta-lactams including cefepime was identified via AST and MIC, hence it was named as S2 strain and was considered in this study. Sequencing result showed that putative beta-lactamase gene obtained from ATCC 13637 and S2 strains were predicted to have cephalosporinase activity by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI blast program. Differences in the sequences of both ATCC 13637 and S2 strains were found via ClustalW alignment software. Kinetic assay proved a cephalosporinase characteristic produced by E. coli BL21 clone that overexpressed the putative beta-lactamase gene cloned under the control of an external promoter. Yet, expressed protein purified from S2 strain had high catalytic activity against beta-lactam antibiotics which was 14-fold higher than expressed protein purified from ATCC 13637 strain. This study represents the characterization analysis of putative beta-lactamase gene (smlt 0115 of S. maltophilia. The presence of the respective gene in the chromosome of S. maltophilia suggested that putative beta-lactamase gene (smlt 0115 of S. maltophilia plays a role in beta-lactamase resistance.

Neuroprotection via Reduction in Stress: Altered Menstrual Patterns as a Marker for Stress and Implications for Long-Term Neurologic Health in Women

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David Prokai

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Individuals under chronic psychological stress can be difficult to identify clinically. There is often no outwardly visible phenotype. Chronic stress of sufficient magnitude not only impacts reproductive function, but also concomitantly elicits a constellation of neuroendocrine changes that may accelerate aging in general and brain aging in particular. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, a phenotypically recognizable form of stress, is due to stress-induced suppression of endogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion. Reversal of functional hypothalamic amenorrhea includes restoration of ovulatory ovarian function and fertility and amelioration of hypercortisolism and hypothyroidism. Taken together, recovery from functional hypothalamic amenorrhea putatively offers neuroprotection and ameliorates stress-induced premature brain aging and possibly syndromic Alzheimer’s disease. Amenorrhea may be viewed as a sentinel indicator of stress. Hypothalamic hypogonadism is less clinically evident in men and the diagnosis is difficult to establish. Whether there are other sex differences in the impact of stress on brain aging remains to be better investigated, but it is likely that both low estradiol from stress-induced anovulation and low testosterone from stress-induced hypogonadism compromise brain health.

The effect of academic stress and attachment stress on stress-eaters and stress-undereaters.

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Emond, Michael; Ten Eycke, Kayla; Kosmerly, Stacey; Robinson, Adele Lafrance; Stillar, Amanda; Van Blyderveen, Sherry

2016-05-01

It is well established that stress is related to changes in eating patterns. Some individuals are more likely to increase their overall food intake under conditions of stress, whereas others are more likely to consume less food when stressed. Attachment style has been linked to disordered eating and eating disorders; however, comparisons of eating behaviors under attachment versus other types of stress have yet to be explored. The present laboratory study examined the eating patterns in self-identified stress-undereaters and stress-eaters under various types of stress. More specifically, the study examined the effects of academic and attachment stress on calorie, carbohydrate and sugar consumption within these two groups. Under the guise of critiquing student films, university students viewed either one of two stress-inducing videos (academic stress or attachment stress, both designed to be emotionally arousing) or a control video (designed to be emotionally neutral), and their food intake was recorded. Results demonstrated that the video manipulations were effective in inducing stress. Differential patterns of eating were noted based on group and stress condition. Specifically, stress-undereaters ate fewer calories, carbohydrates and sugars than stress-eaters in the academic stress condition, but not in the attachment stress or control condition. Findings suggest that specific types of stressors may influence eating behaviors differently. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association of Awake Bruxism with Khat, Coffee, Tobacco, and Stress among Jazan University Students

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Mir Faeq Ali Quadri

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. The objective is to assess the prevalence of bruxism among the university students and to check its association with their khat chewing habit. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional descriptive study is designed using cluster random sampling. Pretested questionnaire was administered by a trained interviewer to assess awake bruxism and the use of variables like khat, coffee, tobacco, and stress. Chi-square test at 5% significance was used for assessing the association. Logistic regression was also performed after adjusting for covariates. Results. A high response rate (95% was obtained as the distribution and collection of questionnaire was within an hour interval. 85% (63%, males; 22%, females experienced an episode of bruxism at least one time in the past six months. Regression analysis revealed an association of stress (P=0.00; OR = 5.902, 95% CI 2.614–13.325 and khat use (P=0.05; OR = 1.629, 95% CI 0.360–7.368 with bruxism. Interestingly, it is observed that the one who chew khat experienced 3.56 times (95% CI; 2.62–11.22 less pain when compared to the nonusers. Conclusion. This study is the first of its kind to assess the association of bruxism with khat chewing. High amount of stress and khat use can be considered as important risk indicators for awake bruxism.

Self-Efficacy, Stress, and Acculturation as Predictors of First Year Science Success among Latinos at a South Texas University

Science.gov (United States)

McNamara, Mark W.

2012-01-01

The study tested the hypothesis that self-efficacy, stress, and acculturation are useful predictors of academic achievement in first year university science, independent of high school GPA and SAT scores, in a sample of Latino students at a South Texas Hispanic serving institution of higher education. The correlational study employed a mixed…

Gut Microbiome and Putative Resistome of Inca and Italian Nobility Mummies.

Science.gov (United States)

Santiago-Rodriguez, Tasha M; Fornaciari, Gino; Luciani, Stefania; Toranzos, Gary A; Marota, Isolina; Giuffra, Valentina; Cano, Raul J

2017-11-07

Little is still known about the microbiome resulting from the process of mummification of the human gut. In the present study, the gut microbiota, genes associated with metabolism, and putative resistome of Inca and Italian nobility mummies were characterized by using high-throughput sequencing. The Italian nobility mummies exhibited a higher bacterial diversity as compared to the Inca mummies when using 16S ribosomal (rRNA) gene amplicon sequencing, but both groups showed bacterial and fungal taxa when using shotgun metagenomic sequencing that may resemble both the thanatomicrobiome and extant human gut microbiomes. Identification of sequences associated with plants, animals, and carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) may provide further insights into the dietary habits of Inca and Italian nobility mummies. Putative antibiotic-resistance genes in the Inca and Italian nobility mummies support a human gut resistome prior to the antibiotic therapy era. The higher proportion of putative antibiotic-resistance genes in the Inca compared to Italian nobility mummies may support the hypotheses that a greater exposure to the environment may result in a greater acquisition of antibiotic-resistance genes. The present study adds knowledge of the microbiome resulting from the process of mummification of the human gut, insights of ancient dietary habits, and the preserved putative human gut resistome prior the antibiotic therapy era.

A Functional Assay for Putative Mouse and Human Definitive Endoderm using Chick Whole-Embryo Cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johannesson, Martina; Semb, Tor Henrik; Serup, Palle

2012-01-01

. Thus, the purpose of this study is to describe a method whereby the in vivo functionality of DE derived from ESCs can be assessed. Methods: By directed differentiation, putative DE was derived from human and mouse ESCs. This putative DE was subsequently transplanted into the endoderm of chick embryos...... to determine any occurrence of integration. Putative DE was analyzed by gene and protein expression prior to transplantation and 48 h post transplantation. Results: Putative DE, derived from mouse and human ESCs, was successfully integrated within the chick endoderm. Endoderm-specific genes were expressed...... result show that putative DE integrates with the chick endoderm and participate in the development of the chicken gut, indicating the generation of functional DE from ESCs. This functional assay can be used to assess the generation of functional DE derived from both human and mouse ESCs and provides...

Stress management and mind-body medicine: a randomized controlled longitudinal evaluation of students' health and effects of a behavioral group intervention at a middle-size German university (SM-MESH).

Science.gov (United States)

Esch, Tobias; Sonntag, Ulrike; Esch, Sonja Maren; Thees, Stefanie

2013-01-01

Student life can be stressful. Hence, we started a regular mind-body medical stress management program in 2006. By today, more than 500 students took part and evaluations showed significant results, especially with regard to a reduction of stress warning signals. For further analysis, we now decided to run a randomized controlled longitudinal trial. Participating students at Coburg University were randomized into an intervention (n = 24) or a waitlist control group (n = 19). The intervention group completed 3 sets (pre/post/follow-up) and the control group 2 sets (pre/post) of self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaires included: SF-12 Health Survey, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Sense of Coherence (SOC-L9), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) concerning stress, and the Stress Warning Signs (SWS) scale. Randomly selected participants of the intervention group were also queried in qualitative interviews. The intervention consisted of an 8 week stress management group program (mind-body medical stress reduction - MBMSR). Follow-up measures were taken after 6 months. Virtually, no drop-out occurred. Our study showed significant effects in the intervention group concerning SF-12 Mental Component Scale (p = 0.05), SF-12 Physical Component Scale (p = 0.001), VAS (in general, p = 0.001) and SWS (emotional reactions, p healthy students could be demonstrated. Findings suggest that stress management might be given importance at universities that care for the performance, the quality of life, and stress-health status of their students, acknowledging and accounting for the challenging circumstances of university life, as well as the specific needs of the modern student population. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Toddlers' Duration of Attention toward Putative Threat

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Kiel, Elizabeth J.; Buss, Kristin A.

2011-01-01

Although individual differences in reactions to novelty in the toddler years have been consistently linked to risk of developing anxious behavior, toddlers' attention toward a novel, putatively threatening stimulus while in the presence of other enjoyable activities has rarely been examined as a precursor to such risk. The current study examined…

Evaluation of Work Place Stress in Health University Workers: A Study from Rural India

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Mishra, Badrinarayan; Mehta, SC; Sinha, Nidhi Dinesh; Shukla, Sushil Kumar; Ahmed, Nadeem; Kawatra, Abhishek

2011-01-01

Background: Healthcare providers being over-worked and under staffed are prone to poor mental health. Unhealthy work place compounds it further. Aims: This study was aimed at to assess the mental health status of a medical university employee with special reference to work place stressors. Settings and design: A cross-sectional study was designed and carried out at a Rural Health University. Materials and Methods: Both the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-12 and Holmes–Rahe Scale were used to evaluate 406 participants. Statistical analysis: Multivariate analysis, correlation, and ANOVA by SPSS 11.0. Results: The minimum age of the participant was 19 years and the maximum 64 years, with an average age at 35.09 years. On the GHQ scale 239(58.9%) recorded psychiatric morbidity out of which 201(49.5%) had moderate and 38(9.3%) severe morbidity. Doctors were the highest stressed group (P ≤ 0.04). Prominent work environmental stressors were poor departmental reorganization, lack of cohesiveness in department, difficult superiors and juniors (P ≤ 0.001, Pearson correlation). Stressors associated with work organization and work nature were: noninvolvement in departmental decision making and lack of proper feedback; along with; work load, lack of clarity in job, and a erratic work schedule (P ≤ 0.001 on Pearson correlation). Harassment, favoritism, discrimination, and lack of self-expression (P ≤ 0.003) were other factors responsible for work dissatisfaction. Conclusions: A high stress level was detected in the study population. The principal stressors were work environment related. Poor work culture was found to lead to job dissatisfaction among majority. PMID:21687380

Evaluation of work place stress in health university workers: A study from rural India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Badrinarayan Mishra

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Healthcare providers being over-worked and under staffed are prone to poor mental health. Unhealthy work place compounds it further. Aims: This study was aimed at to assess the mental health status of a medical university employee with special reference to work place stressors. Settings and design: A cross-sectional study was designed and carried out at a Rural Health University. Materials and Methods: Both the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12 and Holmes-Rahe Scale were used to evaluate 406 participants. Statistical analysis: Multivariate analysis, correlation, and ANOVA by SPSS 11.0. Results: The minimum age of the participant was 19 years and the maximum 64 years, with an average age at 35.09 years. On the GHQ scale 239(58.9% recorded psychiatric morbidity out of which 201(49.5% had moderate and 38(9.3% severe morbidity. Doctors were the highest stressed group (P ≤ 0.04. Prominent work environmental stressors were poor departmental reorganization, lack of cohesiveness in department, difficult superiors and juniors (P ≤ 0.001, Pearson correlation. Stressors associated with work organization and work nature were: noninvolvement in departmental decision making and lack of proper feedback; along with; work load, lack of clarity in job, and a erratic work schedule (P ≤ 0.001 on Pearson correlation. Harassment, favoritism, discrimination, and lack of self-expression (P ≤ 0.003 were other factors responsible for work dissatisfaction. Conclusions: A high stress level was detected in the study population. The principal stressors were work environment related. Poor work culture was found to lead to job dissatisfaction among majority.

Micromechanical Model for Deformation in Solids with Universal Predictions for Stress-Strain Curves and Slip Avalanches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahmen, Karin A.; Ben-Zion, Yehuda; Uhl, Jonathan T.

2009-01-01

A basic micromechanical model for deformation of solids with only one tuning parameter (weakening ε) is introduced. The model can reproduce observed stress-strain curves, acoustic emissions and related power spectra, event statistics, and geometrical properties of slip, with a continuous phase transition from brittle to ductile behavior. Exact universal predictions are extracted using mean field theory and renormalization group tools. The results agree with recent experimental observations and simulations of related models for dislocation dynamics, material damage, and earthquake statistics.

[Relationship between personality organization and the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress among university students in health careers in the Region of Coquimbo, Chile].

Science.gov (United States)

López, René Barraza; Navarro, Nadia Muñoz; Astorga, Ana Contreras

The literature reports a set of variables associated with depression, anxiety and stress in health career students. The only one of these that could have a constant input is the structure of personality organisation. The present study aims to determine the relationship between the dimensions of personality organization and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms reported by first-year university health career students. Under a non-experimental ex-post-facto design, the personality organisation was evaluated in 235 1st year university, medical, nursing, and kinesiology from three universities of La Serena and Coquimbo (Chile). Inventory of personality organization and scale of depression, anxiety and stress to sift participants was used. The relationship of personality with depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms was determined by multiple regression analysis. It was found that the primary and overall personality dimensions explained 28% of the variance of depression (Pstress 22%, with the use of primitive defenses and identity diffusion dimensions that largely contribute to the explanatory model. The dimensions of personality organization could have a significant relationship with the emergence of depression, anxiety and stress, as the explanatory burden dimension provides the primitive defenses and identity diffusion. These results may be useful for early recognition of aspects of personality of applicants, and to perform actions that strengthen them in order to improve efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Identification and characterization of putative conserved IAM ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Available putative AMI sequences from a wide array of monocot and dicot plants were identified and the phylogenetic tree was constructed and analyzed. We identified in this tree, a clade that contained sequences from species across the plant kingdom suggesting that AMI is conserved and may have a primary role in plant ...

Chronic mitochondrial uncoupling treatment prevents acute cold-induced oxidative stress in birds.

Science.gov (United States)

Stier, Antoine; Massemin, Sylvie; Criscuolo, François

2014-12-01

Endotherms have evolved two major types of thermogenesis that allow them to actively produce heat in response to cold exposure, either through muscular activity (i.e. shivering thermogenesis) or through futile electro-chemical cycles (i.e. non-shivering thermogenesis). Amongst the latter, mitochondrial uncoupling is of key importance because it is suggested to drive heat production at a low cost in terms of oxidative stress. While this has been experimentally shown in mammals, the oxidative stress consequences of cold exposure and mitochondrial uncoupling are clearly less understood in the other class of endotherms, the birds. We compared metabolic and oxidative stress responses of zebra finches chronically treated with or without a chemical mitochondrial uncoupler (2,4-dinitrophenol: DNP), undergoing an acute (24 h) and a chronic (4 weeks) cold exposure (12 °C). We predicted that control birds should present at least a transient elevation of oxidative stress levels in response to cold exposure. This oxidative stress cost should be more pronounced in control birds than in DNP-treated birds, due to their lower basal uncoupling state. Despite similar increase in metabolism, control birds presented elevated levels of DNA oxidative damage in response to acute (but not chronic) cold exposure, while DNP-treated birds did not. Plasma antioxidant capacity decreased overall in response to chronic cold exposure. These results show that acute cold exposure increases oxidative stress in birds. However, uncoupling mitochondrial functioning appears as a putative compensatory mechanism preventing cold-induced oxidative stress. This result confirms previous observations in mice and underlines non-shivering thermogenesis as a putative key mechanism for endotherms in mounting a response to cold at a low oxidative cost.

Factors Associated with Student Stress in the U.S. Army - Baylor University Graduate Program in Health Care Administration

Science.gov (United States)

1986-07-01

highly-competitive military system. Academic probation is imposed on any now student who did not have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of...DF), and depersonalization intensity (DI). This suggests that students with higher GRE scores exhibited a lower degree of feelings related to these...characteristics, and the levels of stress during the US Army - Baylor University Graduate Program in Health Care Administration. The students were administered

Coping as a mediator of the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress response: a pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horiuchi S

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Satoshi Horiuchi,1 Akira Tsuda,2 Shuntaro Aoki,3,4 Kenichiro Yoneda,5 Yusuke Sawaguchi6 1Faculty of Social Welfare, Iwate Prefectural University, Iwate, 2Department of Psychology, Kurume University, Fukuoka, 3Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, 4Graduate School of Psychological Science, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Hokkaido, 5Graduate School of Psychology, Kurume University, Fukuoka, 6Graduate School of Social Welfare, Iwate Prefectural University, Iwate, Japan Background: Coping, the cognitive and behavioral effort required to manage the effects of stressors, is important in determining psychological stress responses (ie, the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses to stressors. Coping was classified into categories of emotional expression (eg, negative feelings and thoughts, emotional support seeking (eg, approaching loved ones to request encouragement, cognitive reinterpretation (eg, reframing a problem positively, and problem solving (eg, working to solve the problem. Stress mindset refers to the belief that stress has enhancing (stress-is-enhancing mindset or debilitating consequences (stress-is-debilitating mindset. This study examined whether coping mediated the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress responses. Psychological stress responses were conceptualized as depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness. The following two hypotheses were tested: 1 a stronger stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with less frequent use of emotional expression, emotional support seeking, and problem solving, which in turn is associated with lower levels of depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness; 2 a stronger stress-is-debilitating mindset is associated with more frequent use of these coping strategies, which in turn is associated with higher levels of these psychological stress responses. Materials and methods: The participants were 30 male and

Working conditions, burnout and stress symptoms in university professors: validating a structural model of the mediating effect of perceived personal competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Avargues Navarro, María Luisa; Borda Mas, Mercedes; López Jiménez, Ana María

2010-05-01

The purpose of this study has been to test, with a sample of 193 Professors of the University of Seville, a structural model on the mediating role of personal perceived competence in the appearance of burnout syndrome and stress symptoms under potentially stressful work conditions. The instruments used to evaluate were a socio-demographic and work-related data questionnaire, The Maslach Burnout Inventory (M.B.I.), The Labour Scale of Stress and the Magallanes Stress Scale. The model of strategy implementation and LISREL 8.71 were used. The estimated model was adjusted satisfactorily, ascertaining the mediating effect of perceived competence in the effect exerted by the work conditions studied on the depersonalization and personal fulfillment, as well as in the appearance of stress symptoms. The effect on the emotional exhaustion dimension was not confirmed. The latter also acted on the estimated model as a mediating variable, facilitating the negative impact of stressors on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment.

Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of universal stress protein F (YnaF) from Salmonella typhimurium

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Sagurthi, Someswar Rao; Panigrahi, Rashmi Rekha; Gowda, Giri [Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Savithri, H. S. [Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Murthy, M. R. N., E-mail: mrn@mbu.iisc.ernet.in [Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India)

2007-11-01

The cloning, purification and crystallization of YnaF from S. typhimurium are reported along with preliminary X-ray crystallographic studies. The universal stress protein UspF (YnaF) is a small cytoplasmic bacterial protein. The expression of stress proteins is enhanced when cells are exposed to heat shock, nutrition starvation and certain other stress-inducing agents. YnaF promotes cell survival during prolonged exposure to stress and may activate a general mechanism for stress endurance. This manuscript reports preliminary crystallographic studies on YnaF from Salmonella typhimurium. The gene coding for YnaF was cloned and overexpressed and the protein was purified by Ni–NTA affinity chromatography. Purified YnaF was crystallized using vapour-diffusion and microbatch methods. The crystals belong to space group P2{sub 1}, with unit-cell parameters a = 37.51, b = 77.18, c = 56.34 Å, β = 101.8°. A data set was collected to 2.5 Å resolution with 94.6% completeness using an image-plate detector system mounted on a rotating-anode X-ray generator. Attempts to determine the structure are in progress.

Gut Microbiome and Putative Resistome of Inca and Italian Nobility Mummies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tasha M. Santiago-Rodriguez

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Little is still known about the microbiome resulting from the process of mummification of the human gut. In the present study, the gut microbiota, genes associated with metabolism, and putative resistome of Inca and Italian nobility mummies were characterized by using high-throughput sequencing. The Italian nobility mummies exhibited a higher bacterial diversity as compared to the Inca mummies when using 16S ribosomal (rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, but both groups showed bacterial and fungal taxa when using shotgun metagenomic sequencing that may resemble both the thanatomicrobiome and extant human gut microbiomes. Identification of sequences associated with plants, animals, and carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes may provide further insights into the dietary habits of Inca and Italian nobility mummies. Putative antibiotic-resistance genes in the Inca and Italian nobility mummies support a human gut resistome prior to the antibiotic therapy era. The higher proportion of putative antibiotic-resistance genes in the Inca compared to Italian nobility mummies may support the hypotheses that a greater exposure to the environment may result in a greater acquisition of antibiotic-resistance genes. The present study adds knowledge of the microbiome resulting from the process of mummification of the human gut, insights of ancient dietary habits, and the preserved putative human gut resistome prior the antibiotic therapy era.

Stress Survival Islet 2, Predominantly Present in Listeria monocytogenes Strains of Sequence Type 121, Is Involved in the Alkaline and Oxidative Stress Responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Harter, Eva; Wagner, Eva Maria; Zaiser, Andreas; Halecker, Sabrina; Wagner, Martin; Rychli, Kathrin

2017-08-15

The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is able to survive a variety of stress conditions leading to the colonization of different niches like the food processing environment. This study focuses on the hypervariable genetic hot spot lmo0443 to lmo0449 haboring three inserts: the stress survival islet 1 (SSI-1), the single-gene insert LMOf2365_0481 , and two homologous genes of the nonpathogenic species Listeria innocua : lin0464 , coding for a putative transcriptional regulator, and lin0465 , encoding an intracellular PfpI protease. Our prevalence study revealed a different distribution of the inserts between human and food-associated isolates. The lin0464-lin0465 insert was predominantly found in food-associated strains of sequence type 121 (ST121). Functional characterization of this insert showed that the putative PfpI protease Lin0465 is involved in alkaline and oxidative stress responses but not in acidic, gastric, heat, cold, osmotic, and antibiotic stresses. In parallel, deletion of lin0464 decreased survival under alkaline and oxidative stresses. The expression of both genes increased significantly under oxidative stress conditions independently of the alternative sigma factor σ B Furthermore, we showed that the expression of the protease gene lin0465 is regulated by the transcription factor lin0464 under stress conditions, suggesting that lin0464 and lin0465 form a functional unit. In conclusion, we identified a novel stress survival islet 2 (SSI-2), predominantly present in L. monocytogenes ST121 strains, beneficial for survival under alkaline and oxidative stresses, potentially supporting adaptation and persistence of L. monocytogenes in food processing environments. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes strains of ST121 are known to persist for months and even years in food processing environments, thereby increasing the risk of food contamination and listeriosis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this remarkable niche-specific adaptation

Ten Putative Contributors to the Obesity Epidemic

Science.gov (United States)

McAllister, Emily J.; Dhurandhar, Nikhil V.; Keith, Scott W.; Aronne, Louis J.; Barger, Jamie; Baskin, Monica; Benca, Ruth M.; Biggio, Joseph; Boggiano, Mary M.; Eisenmann, Joe C.; Elobeid, Mai; Fontaine, Kevin R.; Gluckman, Peter; Hanlon, Erin C.; Katzmarzyk, Peter; Pietrobelli, Angelo; Redden, David T.; Ruden, Douglas M.; Wang, Chenxi; Waterland, Robert A.; Wright, Suzanne M.; Allison, David B.

2010-01-01

The obesity epidemic is a global issue and shows no signs of abating, while the cause of this epidemic remains unclear. Marketing practices of energy-dense foods and institutionally-driven declines in physical activity are the alleged perpetrators for the epidemic, despite a lack of solid evidence to demonstrate their causal role. While both may contribute to obesity, we call attention to their unquestioned dominance in program funding and public efforts to reduce obesity, and propose several alternative putative contributors that would benefit from equal consideration and attention. Evidence for microorganisms, epigenetics, increasing maternal age, greater fecundity among people with higher adiposity, assortative mating, sleep debt, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceutical iatrogenesis, reduction in variability of ambient temperatures, and intrauterine and intergenerational effects, as contributing factors to the obesity epidemic are reviewed herein. While the evidence is strong for some contributors such as pharmaceutical-induced weight gain, it is still emerging for other reviewed factors. Considering the role of such putative etiological factors of obesity may lead to comprehensive, cause specific, and effective strategies for prevention and treatment of this global epidemic. PMID:19960394

Putative Risk Factors in Developmental Dyslexia: A Case-Control Study of Italian Children

Science.gov (United States)

Mascheretti, Sara; Marino, Cecilia; Simone, Daniela; Quadrelli, Ermanno; Riva, Valentina; Cellino, Maria Rosaria; Maziade, Michel; Brombin, Chiara; Battaglia, Marco

2015-01-01

Although dyslexia runs in families, several putative risk factors that cannot be immediately identified as genetic predict reading disability. Published studies analyzed one or a few risk factors at a time, with relatively inconsistent results. To assess the contribution of several putative risk factors to the development of dyslexia, we conducted…

Perceived sources of stress among Malaysian dental students.

Science.gov (United States)

Babar, Muneer G; Hasan, Syed S; Ooi, Yong J; Ahmed, Syed I; Wong, Pei S; Ahmad, Siti F; Mnm-Rosdy, Nik M; Malik, Normaliza A

2015-05-02

The study objectives were to identify the stress levels and to explore the impact of students' year of study and gender on the perceived sources of stress among Malaysian dental students. This was a cross-sectional study involving dental students from year one to year five from private and public universities in Malaysia. The study was formally approved by the Research and Ethics Committee, International Medical University Malaysia. Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionnaire was used for data collection and the gathered data were analyzed using SPSS® version 18. The Kruskal-Wallis and the Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare stress items across various academic years and universities. A total of five hundred and twenty nine (529) students participated in this study. Fear of failing the course at the end of year exams (mean stress level=5.57); concerns regarding completion of clinical work (mean=5.30); and examination results and grades (mean=5.27) were found as top stressors among dental students. Female students had higher stress scores than males with respect to personal issues, academic performance, educational environment and learning of clinical skills. Students from public universities had higher stress scores than their counterparts from private universities. The Malaysian dental students reported higher levels of stress. Present study identified stressors affecting dental students' academic life, and highlights the importance of stress management programs and other measures to minimize the impact of stress on both academic and personal lives of the students.

gender and school types as factors responsible for job stress

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Emeka Egbochuku

public Universities should be looked into so that all factors responsible for stress might be .... universities in Malaysia, university academic staffs faced more problems .... adjustment with different coping styles. .... in college students: The role of rumination and stress. ... International Journal of Stress Management, 8, 285–29.

Job-Seeking Stress, Mental Health Problems, and the Role of Perceived Social Support in University Graduates in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Ah Young; Lee, Seung-Hee; Jeon, Yeongju; Yoo, Rankyung; Jung, Hee-Yeon

2018-05-07

Increases in unemployment and suicide in the young Korean population have recently become major social concerns in the country. The purpose of this study was to examine mental health status in young job seekers and identify sociodemographic factors related to job-seeking stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. We also explored the mediating effect of depression on the relationship between job-seeking stress and suicidal ideation and examined whether social support moderated this effect. In total, 124 university graduates completed the Job-Seeking Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Descriptive statistics were calculated for participants' general characteristics, and t-tests or analyses of variance, correlation analysis, simple mediation analysis, and mediated moderation analysis were performed. Of the 124 participants, 39.5% and 15.3% exhibited clinical levels of depression and suicidal ideation, respectively. Sociodemographic factors (i.e., sex, academic major, educational expenses loan, and willingness to accept irregular employment) were associated with job-seeking stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. Women and graduates who were willing to accept irregular employment exhibited high levels of job-seeking stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. Job-seeking stress affected suicidal ideation via depression, and perceived social support moderated the effect of job-seeking stress on depression and the effect of depression on suicidal ideation. The results suggest that depression management and interventions are urgently required for young job seekers, and social support should be provided to assist them both emotionally and economically.

VISLISI trial, a prospective clinical study allowing identification of a new metalloprotease and putative virulence factor from Staphylococcus lugdunensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Argemi, X; Prévost, G; Riegel, P; Keller, D; Meyer, N; Baldeyrou, M; Douiri, N; Lefebvre, N; Meghit, K; Ronde Oustau, C; Christmann, D; Cianférani, S; Strub, J M; Hansmann, Y

2017-05-01

Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a coagulase-negative staphylococcus that displays an unusually high virulence rate close to that of Staphylococcus aureus. It also shares phenotypic properties with S. aureus and several studies found putative virulence factors. The objective of the study was to describe the clinical manifestations of S. lugdunensis infections and investigate putative virulence factors. We conducted a prospective study from November 2013 to March 2016 at the University Hospital of Strasbourg. Putative virulence factors were investigated by clumping factor detection, screening for proteolytic activity, and sequence analysis using tandem nano-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In total, 347 positive samples for S. lugdunensis were collected, of which 129 (37.2%) were from confirmed cases of S. lugdunensis infection. Eighty-one of these 129 patients were included in the study. Bone and prosthetic joints (PJI) were the most frequent sites of infection (n=28; 34.6%) followed by skin and soft tissues (n=23; 28.4%). We identified and purified a novel protease secreted by 50 samples (61.7%), most frequently associated with samples from deep infections and PJI (pr 0.97 and pr 0.91, respectively). Protease peptide sequencing by nano-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed a novel protease bearing 62.42% identity with ShpI, a metalloprotease secreted by Staphylococcus hyicus. This study confirms the pathogenicity of S. lugdunensis, particularly in bone and PJI. We also identified a novel metalloprotease called lugdulysin that may contribute to virulence. Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychometric characteristics of the Eating and Appraisal Due to Emotions and Stress Questionnaire and obesity in Mexican university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarevich, Irina; Irigoyen-Camacho, María Esther; Velazquez-Alva, María del Consuelo; Salinas-Ávila, Jaqueline

2015-06-01

Emotional eating has been defined as eating in a response to negative emotions and it is associated with weight gain. The English version of Eating Appraisal Due to Emotions and Stress Questionnaire (EADES) was developed to assess how individuals use food in order to cope with stress and emotions. To analyze psychometric characteristics of Spanish version of EADES and to identify whether the constructs of EADES were associated with obesity in university students. The EADES (Spanish version) was administered to 232 Mexican university students from 18 to 29 years old. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. A test-retest evaluation was conducted with 75 participants. Cronbach's alpha of EADES was 0.92; the interclass correlation coefficient was 0.88. Regarding BMI and EADES results, the subscale Emotion and Stress Related Eating was significantly associated with obesity (p = 0.026). Through factor analysis of the instrument, three factors were extracted and items that showed factor loading obesity and the 40-items version of the instrument, a statistically significance association was found for the total score (OR = 0.973, p = 0.020) and for the factor Self-confidence related to Emotional Eating component (OR = 0.940, p = 0.026). A good internal consistency and temporal stability of the Spanish version of the instrument were found; the 40-item EADES version was positively associated with obesity. This instrument could be useful in assessing emotional eating. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Perception of stress among aviation flight students

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Amrita

There have been many studies related to stress among college students and the purpose of this research was to determine what causes stress among the student pilots enrolled in the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) flight program, also to find out what students think could be some possible ways to reduce their stress, and to compare the results with a previous study conducted by South Illinois University. The survey designed by Robertson and Ruiz (2010) was administered to MTSU students so that a comparison could be done between MTSU and SIU, as SIU used the same survey form. Results of the study showed that flight students are exposed to similar stress at both universities, but some of the factors that cause stress are different between MTSU and SIU students.

Consumption of nutrients with antioxidant action and its relationship with lipid profile and oxidative stress in student users of a university restaurant.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, Sueli Maria Teixeira; Almondes, Kaluce Gonçalves De Sousa; Cruz, Kyria Jayanne Clímaco; Aguiar, Heila Dias de Sousa Pinho; Revoredo, Camila Maria Simplício; Slater, Betzabeth; Morais, Jennifer Beatriz Silva; Marreiro, Dilina Do Nascimento; Nogueira, Nadir Do Nascimento

2017-07-28

The relationship between diet and health has aroused scientific interest, especially the consumption of antioxidant nutrients naturally present in foods, because of its action against the deleterious effects of free radicals in the body. This study aimed to estimate the intake of antioxidant nutrients and its relationship with lipid profile and oxidative stress in student users of a university restaurant in comparison with non-users. This cross-sectional study involved 145 university students divided into two groups: users of the university restaurant (group 1, n = 73) and non-users (group 2, n = 72). We measured body mass index and waist circumference, and estimated the intake of antioxidant micronutrients. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, and plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde were determined. Intake of copper, zinc, selenium, and vitamin C were within the recommendations in both groups, and vitamins A and E were below the reference values. There was a correlation between the intake of vitamin C and triglycerides. Group 1 members had better dietary patterns in relation to antioxidant micronutrients, reflecting less atherogenic lipid profile and lower exposure to oxidative stress compared to group 2.

Mediating Effects of Coping, Personal Belief, and Social Support on the Relationship among Stress, Depression, and Smoking Behaviour in University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jing; Buys, Nicholas; Stewart, Donald; Shum, David

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether university students' smoking behaviour is associated with higher levels of stress and depression directly, or indirectly, via the mediation of coping, personal beliefs and social support. Design/methodology/approach: The study design involves a cross-sectional survey. Structural equation…

Identification of an Arabidopsis transmembrane bZIP transcription factor involved in the endoplasmic reticulum stress response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tajima, Hiromi; Iwata, Yuji; Iwano, Megumi; Takayama, Seiji; Koizumi, Nozomu

2008-01-01

Among 75 bZIP transcription factors identified in Arabidopsis, 3 (AtbZIP17, AtbZIP28, and AtbZIP49) possess a putative transmembrane domain (TMD) in addition to AtbZIP60, which was characterized previously. In the present study, cDNAs of AtbZIP17 and AtbZIP28 were isolated. Truncated forms of AtbZIP17 and AtbZIP28 lacking the C-terminal domain including TMD were examined as putative active forms. One of them, AtbZIP28ΔC, activated BiP1 and BiP3 promoters through the cis-elements P-UPRE and ERSE responsible for the ER stress response. Subsequently, a fusion protein of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and AtbZIP28 was expressed in Arabidopsis cultured cells. Under non-stress conditions, GFP fluorescence localization almost overlapped with an ER marker; however, tunicamycin and dithiothreitol treatment clearly increased GFP fluorescence in the nucleus suggesting that the N-terminal fragment of AtbZIP28 translocates to the nucleus in response to ER stress

Fetal Programming of Body Composition, Obesity, and Metabolic Function: The Role of Intrauterine Stress and Stress Biology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonja Entringer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Epidemiological, clinical, physiological, cellular, and molecular evidence suggests that the origins of obesity and metabolic dysfunction can be traced back to intrauterine life and supports an important role for maternal nutrition prior to and during gestation in fetal programming. The elucidation of underlying mechanisms is an area of interest and intense investigation. In this perspectives paper we propose that in addition to maternal nutrition-related processes it may be important to concurrently consider the potential role of intrauterine stress and stress biology. We frame our arguments in the larger context of an evolutionary-developmental perspective that supports roles for both nutrition and stress as key environmental conditions driving natural selection and developmental plasticity. We suggest that intrauterine stress exposure may interact with the nutritional milieu, and that stress biology may represent an underlying mechanism mediating the effects of diverse intrauterine perturbations, including but not limited to maternal nutritional insults (undernutrition and overnutrition, on brain and peripheral targets of programming of body composition, energy balance homeostasis, and metabolic function. We discuss putative maternal-placental-fetal endocrine and immune/inflammatory candidate mechanisms that may underlie the long-term effects of intrauterine stress. We conclude with a commentary of the implications for future research and clinical practice.

Daytime soybean transcriptome fluctuations during water deficit stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Fabiana Aparecida; Fuganti-Pagliarini, Renata; Marcolino-Gomes, Juliana; Nakayama, Thiago Jonas; Molinari, Hugo Bruno Correa; Lobo, Francisco Pereira; Harmon, Frank G; Nepomuceno, Alexandre Lima

2015-07-07

Since drought can seriously affect plant growth and development and little is known about how the oscillations of gene expression during the drought stress-acclimation response in soybean is affected, we applied Illumina technology to sequence 36 cDNA libraries synthesized from control and drought-stressed soybean plants to verify the dynamic changes in gene expression during a 24-h time course. Cycling variables were measured from the expression data to determine the putative circadian rhythm regulation of gene expression. We identified 4866 genes differentially expressed in soybean plants in response to water deficit. Of these genes, 3715 were differentially expressed during the light period, from which approximately 9.55% were observed in both light and darkness. We found 887 genes that were either up- or down-regulated in different periods of the day. Of 54,175 predicted soybean genes, 35.52% exhibited expression oscillations in a 24 h period. This number increased to 39.23% when plants were submitted to water deficit. Major differences in gene expression were observed in the control plants from late day (ZT16) until predawn (ZT20) periods, indicating that gene expression oscillates during the course of 24 h in normal development. Under water deficit, dissimilarity increased in all time-periods, indicating that the applied stress influenced gene expression. Such differences in plants under stress were primarily observed in ZT0 (early morning) to ZT8 (late day) and also from ZT4 to ZT12. Stress-related pathways were triggered in response to water deficit primarily during midday, when more genes were up-regulated compared to early morning. Additionally, genes known to be involved in secondary metabolism and hormone signaling were also expressed in the dark period. Gene expression networks can be dynamically shaped to acclimate plant metabolism under environmental stressful conditions. We have identified putative cycling genes that are expressed in soybean leaves

A friend in need : Time-dependent effects of stress on social discounting in men

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Margittai, Z.; Strombach, T.; van Wingerden, M.; Joëls, M.; Schwabe, L.; Kalenscher, T.

2015-01-01

Stress is often associated with a tend-and-befriend response, a putative coping mechanism where people behave generously towards others in order to invest in social relationships to seek comfort and mutual protection. However, this increase in generosity is expected to be directed only towards a

The Prevalence of Job Stress and its Relationship with Burnout Syndrome among the Academic Members of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences.

Science.gov (United States)

Nazari, Hedayat; Jariani, Mojgan; Beiranvand, Shorangiz; Saki, Mandana; Aghajeri, Nasrin; Ebrahimzadeh, Farzad

2016-03-01

Burnout syndrome is one of the consequences and the results of occupational or job stress emerged in the form of emotional exhaustion feeling, depersonalization and decrement personal accomplishment. The aim of this study was to determine the occupational stress and its relationship with burnout syndrome in the academic members of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. This descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted on 111 of the faculty members via multistage sampling. Data were collected by the questionnaire of Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Osipow Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI- R). Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics as well as analytical statistics such as chi square, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann Whitney tests and Pearson correlation coefficient. The results showed that the most of the participants had a low level of burnout three dimensions including emotional burnout (72.1%), depersonalization (81.1%), and the decrement of personal accomplishment (56.8%). Moreover 79.3% of samples had a low occupational stress, but there was a meaningful relationship between occupational stress and dimensions of burnout syndrome with an exception for the intensity of decrement of personal accomplishment. Academic members were in an appropriate condition concerning burnout syndrome and occupational stress. However by applying some strategies to decrease stress and determining stress resources, we can improve their psychological health of academic members.

The Prevalence of Job Stress and its Relationship with Burnout Syndrome among the Academic Members of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Nazari, Hedayat; Jariani, Mojgan; Beiranvand, Shorangiz; Saki, Mandana; Aghajeri, Nasrin; Ebrahimzadeh, Farzad

2016-01-01

Introduction: Burnout syndrome is one of the consequences and the results of occupational or job stress emerged in the form of emotional exhaustion feeling, depersonalization and decrement personal accomplishment. The aim of this study was to determine the occupational stress and its relationship with burnout syndrome in the academic members of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted on 111 of the faculty members via multistage sampling. Data were collected by the questionnaire of Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Osipow Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI- R). Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics as well as analytical statistics such as chi square, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann Whitney tests and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The results showed that the most of the participants had a low level of burnout three dimensions including emotional burnout (72.1%), depersonalization (81.1%), and the decrement of personal accomplishment (56.8%). Moreover 79.3% of samples had a low occupational stress, but there was a meaningful relationship between occupational stress and dimensions of burnout syndrome with an exception for the intensity of decrement of personal accomplishment. Conclusion: Academic members were in an appropriate condition concerning burnout syndrome and occupational stress. However by applying some strategies to decrease stress and determining stress resources, we can improve their psychological health of academic members. PMID:26989668

The Prevalence of Job Stress and its Relationship with Burnout Syndrome among the Academic Members of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hedayat Nazari

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Burnout syndrome is one of the consequences and the results of occupational or job stress emerged in the form of emotional exhaustion feeling, depersonalization and decrement personal accomplishment. The aim of this study was to determine the occupational stress and its relationship with burnout syndrome in the academic members of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted on 111 of the faculty members via multistage sampling. Data were collected by the questionnaire of Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI, and Osipow Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI- R. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics as well as analytical statistics such as chi square, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann Whitney tests and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The results showed that the most of the participants had a low level of burnout three dimensions including emotional burnout (72.1%, depersonalization (81.1%, and the decrement of personal accomplishment (56.8%. Moreover 79.3% of samples had a low occupational stress, but there was a meaningful relationship between occupational stress and dimensions of burnout syndrome with an exception for the intensity of decrement of personal accomplishment. Conclusion: Academic members were in an appropriate condition concerning burnout syndrome and occupational stress. However by applying some strategies to decrease stress and determining stress resources, we can improve their psychological health of academic members.

Self-efficacy, stress, and acculturation as predictors of first year science success among Latinos at a South Texas university

Science.gov (United States)

McNamara, Mark W.

The study tested the hypothesis that self-efficacy, stress, and acculturation are useful predictors of academic achievement in first year university science, independent of high school GPA and SAT scores, in a sample of Latino students at a South Texas Hispanic serving institution of higher education. The correlational study employed a mixed methods explanatory sequential model. The non-probability sample consisted of 98 university science and engineering students. The study participants had high science self-efficacy, low number of stressors, and were slightly Anglo-oriented bicultural to strongly Anglo-oriented. As expected, the control variables of SAT score and high school GPA were statistically significant predictors of the outcome measures. Together, they accounted for 19.80% of the variation in first year GPA, 13.80% of the variation in earned credit hours, and 11.30% of the variation in intent to remain in the science major. After controlling for SAT scores and high school GPAs, self-efficacy was a statistically significant predictor of credit hours earned and accounted for 5.60% of the variation; its unique contribution in explaining the variation in first year GPA and intent to remain in the science major was not statistically significant. Stress and acculturation were not statistically significant predictors of any of the outcome measures. Analysis of the qualitative data resulted in six themes (a) high science self-efficacy, (b) stressors, (c) positive role of stress, (d) Anglo-oriented, (e) bicultural, and (f) family. The quantitative and qualitative results were synthesized and practical implications were discussed.

The plant cuticle is required for osmotic stress regulation of abscisic acid biosynthesis and osmotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhenyu

2011-05-01

Osmotic stress activates the biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA). One major step in ABA biosynthesis is the carotenoid cleavage catalyzed by a 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED). To understand the mechanism for osmotic stress activation of ABA biosynthesis, we screened for Arabidopsis thaliana mutants that failed to induce the NCED3 genee xpression in response to osmotic stress treatments. The ced1 (for 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxy genase defective 1) mutant isolated in this study showed markedly reduced expression of NCED3 in response to osmotic stress (polyethylene glycol)treatments compared with the wild type. Other ABA biosynthesis genes are also greatly reduced in ced1 under osmotic stress. ced1 mutant plants are very sensitive to even mild osmotic stress. Map-based cloning revealed unexpectedly thatCED1 encodes a putative a/b hydrolase domain-containing protein and is allelic to the BODYGUARD gene that was recently shown to be essential for cuticle biogenesis. Further studies discovered that other cut in biosynthesis mutants are also impaired in osmotic stress induction of ABA biosynthesis genes and are sensitive to osmotic stress. Our work demonstrates that the cuticle functions not merely as a physical barrier to minimize water loss but also mediates osmotic stress signaling and tolerance by regulating ABA biosynthesis and signaling. © 2011 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

CANDIDATE GENE ANALYSIS IN ISRAELI SOLDIERS WITH STRESS FRACTURES

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Ran Yanovich

2012-03-01

Full Text Available To investigate the association of polymorphisms within candidate genes which we hypothesized may contribute to stress fracture predisposition, a case-control, cross- sectional study design was employed. Genotyping 268 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms- SNPs within 17 genes in 385 Israeli young male and female recruits (182 with and 203 without stress fractures. Twenty-five polymorphisms within 9 genes (NR3C1, ANKH, VDR, ROR2, CALCR, IL6, COL1A2, CBG, and LRP4 showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05 in the distribution between stress fracture cases and non stress fracture controls. Seventeen genetic variants were associated with an increased stress fracture risk, and eight variants with a decreased stress fracture risk. None of the SNP associations remained significant after correcting for multiple comparisons (false discovery rate- FDR. Our findings suggest that genes may be involved in stress fracture pathogenesis. Specifically, the CALCR and the VDR genes are intriguing candidates. The putative involvement of these genes in stress fracture predisposition requires analysis of more cases and controls and sequencing the relevant genomic regions, in order to define the specific gene mutations

Biochar Ameliorate Drought and Salt Stress in Plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saleem Akhtar, Saqib

Biochar is a charcoal-like material obtained by heating any organic waste (crop residue, vegetable/ animal waste etc.) at high temperature through process of pyrolysis. It is produced with an intention to improve soil fertility, enhance crop productivity and mitigate greenhouse gas emission....... Drought and salinity are the two most crucial abiotic stresses that limit crops production worldwide. In this PhD project, it was hypothesized that biochar could be used to effectively mitigate drought and salinity stresses in crop plants due to its putative physiochemical properties. The overall...... objectives of the present PhD project were to reveal the mechanisms by which biochar addition mitigates negative effect of drought and salinity stress on plants and to test the efficacy of biochar when applied in combination with already existing drought (like DI and PRD) and salt management (inoculation...

Putative Lineage of Novel African Usutu Virus, Central Europe

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2015-10-15

Sarah Gregory reads an abridged version of "Putative Lineage of Novel African Usutu Virus, Central Europe.".  Created: 10/15/2015 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 10/15/2015.

Prevalence and Sources of Stress among Universiti Sains Malaysia Medical Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Yusoff, Muhamad Saiful Bahri; Abdul Rahim, Ahmad Fuad; Yaacob, Mohd Jamil

2010-01-01

Being in medical school has always been regarded as highly stressful. Excessive stress causes physical and mental health problems. Persistent stress can impair students' academic achievement and personal or professional development. The aim of this study is to explore the nature of stress among medical students by determining the prevalence, sources and pattern of stress and the factors affecting it. We chose a cross-sectional study design utilizing validated questionnaires, the 12 items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ), to evaluate stress levels and stressors. School and ethical committee clearance were obtained prior to the study. Data were analysed using SPSS version 12. Of the medical students who were administered the questionnaire, 761 (72%) respondents participated in this study. The prevalence of stress among the medical students was 29.6%. The top 10 stressors were academic-related. Prevalence of stress for the first, second, third, fourth and fifth year students was 26.3%, 36.5 %, 31.4%, 35.3% and 21.9%, respectively. Year of study was the only significant factor affecting stress among medical students (P-value students in USM is high. Academic-related problems were the major stressor among medical students. Year of study was the factor most significantly associated with medical students' stress. There was a bimodal pattern of the stress level throughout the year of study.

Institutional Preventive Stress Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Quick, James C.

1987-01-01

Stress is an inevitable characteristic of academic life, but colleges and universities can introduce stress management activities at the organizational level to avert excessive tension. Preventive actions are described, including flexible work schedules and social supports. (Author/MSE)

Molecular cloning and characterization of a putative OGG_N domain ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Molecular cloning and characterization of a putative OGG_N domain from the camel, Camelus dromedarius. Farid Shokry Ataya, Mohammad Saud Alanazi, Dalia Fouad, Hehsam Mahmoud Saeed, Mohammad Bazzi ...

Stressors and reactions to stressors among university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamaideh, Shaher H

2011-01-01

University students are prone to stressors due to the transitional nature of university life. High levels of stress are believed to affect students' health as well as their academic performance. The aims of this study were to identify stressors and reactions to stressors among university students, and to examine the correlations between student stressors and study variables. A correlational descriptive design was used. Student-life Stress Inventory (SSI) was used to measure the stressors and reactions to stressors. Stratified random sampling was employed to recruit participants. The final sample consisted of 877 participants (students). s indicated that the highest group of stressors experienced by students were 'self-imposed' stressors followed by 'pressures'. Cognitive responses were found to be the highest responses to stressors experienced by students. Negative correlations were found with student's perception of health, and father's and mother's level of education. This study revealed that stressors among university students come from 'self-imposed' stressors and 'pressures'. Stress management, assertiveness skills, time management and counselling sessions will be effective in reducing stress experienced by students.

Effects of Music Therapy on the Cardiovascular and Autonomic Nervous System in Stress-Induced University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyoung Soon; Jeong, Hyeon Cheol; Yim, Jong Eun; Jeon, Mi Yang

2016-01-01

Stress is caused when a particular relationship between the individual and the environment emerges. Specifically, stress occurs when an individual's abilities are challenged or when one's well-being is threatened by excessive environmental demands. The aim of this study was to measure the effects of music therapy on stress in university students. Randomized controlled trial. Sixty-four students were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 33) or the control group (n = 31). Music therapy. Initial measurement included cardiovascular indicators (blood pressure and pulse), autonomic nervous activity (standard deviation of the normal-to-normal intervals [SDNN], normalized low frequency, normalized high frequency, low/high frequency), and subjective stress. After the first measurement, participants in both groups were exposed to a series of stressful tasks, and then a second measurement was conducted. The experimental group then listened to music for 20 minutes and the control group rested for 20 minutes. A third and final measurement was then taken. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the first or second measurement. However, after music therapy, the experimental group and the control group showed significant differences in all variables, including systolic blood pressure (p = .026), diastolic blood pressure (p = .037), pulse (p music tends to relax the body and may stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. These results suggest music therapy as an intervention for stress reduction.

Differential expression of immune and stress genes in the skin of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Caipang, C.M.A.; Lazado, C.C.; Brinchmann, M.; Rombout, J.H.W.M.; Kiron, V.

2011-01-01

The present study describes the transcriptional profiles of selected immune and stress genes with putative important roles in the cutaneous immune defense of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). In addition it shows differential expression of many genes at the dorsal and ventral sides of fish, in general

A database of annotated tentative orthologs from crop abiotic stress transcripts.

Science.gov (United States)

Balaji, Jayashree; Crouch, Jonathan H; Petite, Prasad V N S; Hoisington, David A

2006-10-07

A minimal requirement to initiate a comparative genomics study on plant responses to abiotic stresses is a dataset of orthologous sequences. The availability of a large amount of sequence information, including those derived from stress cDNA libraries allow for the identification of stress related genes and orthologs associated with the stress response. Orthologous sequences serve as tools to explore genes and their relationships across species. For this purpose, ESTs from stress cDNA libraries across 16 crop species including 6 important cereal crops and 10 dicots were systematically collated and subjected to bioinformatics analysis such as clustering, grouping of tentative orthologous sets, identification of protein motifs/patterns in the predicted protein sequence, and annotation with stress conditions, tissue/library source and putative function. All data are available to the scientific community at http://intranet.icrisat.org/gt1/tog/homepage.htm. We believe that the availability of annotated plant abiotic stress ortholog sets will be a valuable resource for researchers studying the biology of environmental stresses in plant systems, molecular evolution and genomics.

The Putative Chemosignal Androstadienone Makes Women More Generous.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrotta, Valentina; Graffeo, Michele; Bonini, Nicolao; Gottfried, Jay A

2016-06-01

Putative human chemosignals have been shown to influence mood states and emotional processing, but the connection between these effects and higher-order cognitive processing is not well established. This study utilized an economic game (Dictator Game) to test whether androstadienone (AND), an odorous compound derived from testosterone, impacts on altruistic behavior. We predicted that the female participants would act more generously in the AND condition, exhibiting a significant interaction effect between gender and AND on Dictator Game contributions. We also expected that the presence of AND should increase the positive mood of the female participants, compared to a control odor condition and also compared to the mood of the male participants. The results confirm our hypotheses: for women the subliminal perception of AND led to larger monetary donations, compared to a control odor, and also increased positive mood. These effects were absent or significantly weaker in men. Our findings highlight the capacity of human putative chemosignals to influence emotions and higher cognitive processes - in particular the processes used in the context of economic decisions - in a gender-specific way.

Correlation among academic stress, academic burnout, and academic performance in nursing and paramedic students of Qom University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

hamid Asayesh

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Learning is a stressful experience of human life; reduced adaption to stressors causes academic burnout which is a reason for academic failure among students. This study investigated the correlation among academic stress, academic burnout, and academic performance in nursing and paramedic students of Qom University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 264 nursing and paramedic students were randomly selected. Demographic characteristics checklist, academic burnout questionnaire, and academic stress scale were used to gather data, and grade point average was considered to be the indicator of academic performance. Linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The level of significance was considered to be p<0.05. Results: The mean score for students' academic burnout was 28.52±15.84. Univariate regression analysis showed that the students' employment, years of education, academic performance, and all academic stress subscales had a significant correlation with academic burnout. According to multivariate regression analysis, having a field of study-related occupation was a protective factor and academic stress a risk factor for academic burnout. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that a large proportion of students experienced academic burnout, and students with higher levels of stress experienced more severe academic burnout and had poorer performance. Therefore, training ways to cope with stress can cause reduction in academic burnout and improvement of performance.

[Relationship between job stress contents, psychosocial factors and mental health status among university hospital nurses in Korea].

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Hyun-Suk; Cho, Young-Chae

2007-09-01

The present study was intended to assess the mental health of nurses working for university hospitals and to establish which factors determine their mental health. Self-administered questionnaires were given to 1,486 nurses employed in six participating hospitals located in Daejeon City and Chungnam Province between July 1st and August 31st, 2006. The questionnaire items included sociodemographic, job-related, and psychosocial factors, with job stress factors (JCQ) as independent variables and indices of mental health status (PWI, SDS and MFS) as dependent variables. For statistical analysis, the Chi-square test was used for categorical variables, with hierarchical multiple regression used for determining the factors effecting mental health. The influence of psychosocial and job-related factors on mental health status was assessed by covariance structure analysis. The statistical significance was set at pnurses included sociodemographic characteristics such as age, number of hours of sleep, number of hours of leisure, and subjective health status; job-related characteristics such as status, job satisfaction, job suitability, stresses such as demands of the job, autonomy, and coworker support; and psychosocial factors such as self-esteem, locus of control and type A behavior patterns. Psychosocial factors had the greatest impact on mental health. Covariance structure analysis determined that psychosocial factors affected job stress levels and mental health status, and that the lower job stress levels were associated with better mental health. Based on the study results, improvement of mental health status among nurses requires the development and application of programs to manage job stress factors and/or psychosocial factors as well as sociodemographic and job-related characteristics.

Characteristics of functional enrichment and gene expression level of human putative transcriptional target genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Osato, Naoki

2018-01-19

Transcriptional target genes show functional enrichment of genes. However, how many and how significantly transcriptional target genes include functional enrichments are still unclear. To address these issues, I predicted human transcriptional target genes using open chromatin regions, ChIP-seq data and DNA binding sequences of transcription factors in databases, and examined functional enrichment and gene expression level of putative transcriptional target genes. Gene Ontology annotations showed four times larger numbers of functional enrichments in putative transcriptional target genes than gene expression information alone, independent of transcriptional target genes. To compare the number of functional enrichments of putative transcriptional target genes between cells or search conditions, I normalized the number of functional enrichment by calculating its ratios in the total number of transcriptional target genes. With this analysis, native putative transcriptional target genes showed the largest normalized number of functional enrichments, compared with target genes including 5-60% of randomly selected genes. The normalized number of functional enrichments was changed according to the criteria of enhancer-promoter interactions such as distance from transcriptional start sites and orientation of CTCF-binding sites. Forward-reverse orientation of CTCF-binding sites showed significantly higher normalized number of functional enrichments than the other orientations. Journal papers showed that the top five frequent functional enrichments were related to the cellular functions in the three cell types. The median expression level of transcriptional target genes changed according to the criteria of enhancer-promoter assignments (i.e. interactions) and was correlated with the changes of the normalized number of functional enrichments of transcriptional target genes. Human putative transcriptional target genes showed significant functional enrichments. Functional

Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization, and Expression Profiling of Glutathione S-Transferase (GST) Family in Pumpkin Reveals Likely Role in Cold-Stress Tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

Abdul Kayum, Md.; Nath, Ujjal Kumar; Park, Jong-In; Choi, Eung Kyoo; Song, Jae-Young; Kim, Hoy-Taek; Nou, Ill-Sup

2018-01-01

Plant growth and development can be adversely affected by cold stress, limiting productivity. The glutathione S-transferase (GST) family comprises important detoxifying enzymes, which play major roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses by reducing the oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species. Pumpkins (Cucurbita maxima) are widely grown, economically important, and nutritious; however, their yield can be severely affected by cold stress. The identification of putative candidate genes responsible for cold-stress tolerance, including the GST family genes, is therefore vital. For the first time, we identified 32 C. maxima GST (CmaGST) genes using a combination of bioinformatics approaches and characterized them by expression profiling. These CmaGST genes represent seven of the 14 known classes of plant GSTs, with 18 CmaGSTs categorized into the tau class. The CmaGSTs were distributed across 13 of pumpkin’s 20 chromosomes, with the highest numbers found on chromosomes 4 and 6. The large number of CmaGST genes resulted from gene duplication; 11 and 5 pairs of CmaGST genes were segmental- and tandem-duplicated, respectively. In addition, all CmaGST genes showed organ-specific expression. The expression of the putative GST genes in pumpkin was examined under cold stress in two lines with contrasting cold tolerance: cold-tolerant CP-1 (C. maxima) and cold-susceptible EP-1 (Cucurbita moschata). Seven genes (CmaGSTU3, CmaGSTU7, CmaGSTU8, CmaGSTU9, CmaGSTU11, CmaGSTU12, and CmaGSTU14) were highly expressed in the cold-tolerant line and are putative candidates for use in breeding cold-tolerant crop varieties. These results increase our understanding of the cold-stress-related functions of the GST family, as well as potentially enhancing pumpkin breeding programs. PMID:29439434

Stress Sensitivity, Aberrant Salience, and Threat Anticipation in Early Psychosis: An Experience Sampling Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Reininghaus, Ulrich; Kempton, Matthew J; Valmaggia, Lucia; Craig, Tom K J; Garety, Philippa; Onyejiaka, Adanna; Gayer-Anderson, Charlotte; So, Suzanne H; Hubbard, Kathryn; Beards, Stephanie; Dazzan, Paola; Pariante, Carmine; Mondelli, Valeria; Fisher, Helen L; Mills, John G; Viechtbauer, Wolfgang; McGuire, Philip; van Os, Jim; Murray, Robin M; Wykes, Til; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Morgan, Craig

2016-05-01

While contemporary models of psychosis have proposed a number of putative psychological mechanisms, how these impact on individuals to increase intensity of psychotic experiences in real life, outside the research laboratory, remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether elevated stress sensitivity, experiences of aberrant novelty and salience, and enhanced anticipation of threat contribute to the development of psychotic experiences in daily life. We used the experience sampling method (ESM) to assess stress, negative affect, aberrant salience, threat anticipation, and psychotic experiences in 51 individuals with first-episode psychosis (FEP), 46 individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis, and 53 controls with no personal or family history of psychosis. Linear mixed models were used to account for the multilevel structure of ESM data. In all 3 groups, elevated stress sensitivity, aberrant salience, and enhanced threat anticipation were associated with an increased intensity of psychotic experiences. However, elevated sensitivity to minor stressful events (χ(2)= 6.3,P= 0.044), activities (χ(2)= 6.7,P= 0.036), and areas (χ(2)= 9.4,P= 0.009) and enhanced threat anticipation (χ(2)= 9.3,P= 0.009) were associated with more intense psychotic experiences in FEP individuals than controls. Sensitivity to outsider status (χ(2)= 5.7,P= 0.058) and aberrantly salient experiences (χ(2)= 12.3,P= 0.002) were more strongly associated with psychotic experiences in ARMS individuals than controls. Our findings suggest that stress sensitivity, aberrant salience, and threat anticipation are important psychological processes in the development of psychotic experiences in daily life in the early stages of the disorder. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.

Influence of putative exopolysaccharide genes on Pseudomonas putida KT2440 biofilm stability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nilsson, Martin; Chiang, Wen-Chi; Fazli, Mustafa

2011-01-01

We report a study of the role of putative exopolysaccharide gene clusters in the formation and stability of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 biofilm. Two novel putative exopolysaccharide gene clusters, pea and peb, were identified, and evidence is provided that they encode products that stabilize P....... putida KT2440 biofilm. The gene clusters alg and bcs, which code for proteins mediating alginate and cellulose biosynthesis, were found to play minor roles in P. putida KT2440 biofilm formation and stability under the conditions tested. A P. putida KT2440 derivative devoid of any identifiable...

Application of Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) for assessment of occupational heat stress in open-pit mines.

Science.gov (United States)

Nassiri, Parvin; Monazzam, Mohammad Reza; Golbabaei, Farideh; Dehghan, Somayeh Farhang; Rafieepour, Athena; Mortezapour, Ali Reza; Asghari, Mehdi

2017-10-07

The purpose of this article is to examine the applicability of Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) index as an innovative index for evaluating of occupational heat stress in outdoor environments. 175 workers of 12 open-pit mines in Tehran, Iran were selected for this research study. First, the environmental variables such as air temperature, wet-bulb temperature, globe temperature, relative humidity and air flow rate were measured; then UTCI, wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and heat stress index (HSI) indices were calculated. Simultaneously, physiological parameters including heart rate, oral temperature, tympanic temperature and skin temperature of workers were measured. UTCI and WBGT are positively significantly correlated with all environmental parameters (p0.05). Moreover, a strong significant relationship was found between UTCI and WBGT (r=0.95; p<0.001). The significant positive correlations exist between physiological parameters including oral temperature, tympanic and skin temperatures and heart rate and both the UTCI and WBGT indices (p<0.029). The highest correlation coefficient has been found between the UTCI and physiological parameters. Due to the low humidity and air velocity (~<1 m/s) in understudied mines, UTCI index appears to be appropriate to assess the occupational heat stress in these outdoor workplaces.

Prenatal stress, prematurity and asthma

Science.gov (United States)

Medsker, Brock; Forno, Erick; Simhan, Hyagriv; Celedón, Juan C.

2016-01-01

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting millions of children in the U.S. and worldwide. Prematurity is a risk factor for asthma, and certain ethnic or racial minorities such as Puerto Ricans and non-Hispanic Blacks are disproportionately affected by both prematurity and asthma. In this review, we examine current evidence to support maternal psychosocial stress as a putative link between prematurity and asthma, while also focusing on disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and immune responses as potential underlying mechanisms for stress-induced “premature asthma”. Prenatal stress may not only cause abnormalities in the HPA axis but also epigenetic changes in the fetal glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1), leading to impaired glucocorticoid metabolism. Moreover, maternal stress can alter fetal cytokine balance, favoring Th2 (allergic) immune responses characteristic of atopic asthma: IL-6, which has been associated with premature labor, can promote Th2 responses by stimulating production of IL-4 and IL-13. Given a link among stress, prematurity, and asthma, future research should include birth cohorts aimed at confirming and better characterizing “premature asthma”. If confirmed, clinical trials of prenatal maternal stress reduction would be warranted to reduce the burden of these common co-morbidities. While awaiting the results of such studies, sound policies to prevent domestic and community violence (e.g. from firearms) are justified, not only by public safety but also by growing evidence of detrimental effects of violence-induced stress on psychiatric and somatic health. PMID:26676148

The inducible CAM plants in putative lunar lander experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Burlak, Olexii; Zaetz, Iryna; Soldatkin, Olexii; Rogutskyy, Ivan; Danilchenko, Boris; Mikheev, Olexander; de Vera, Jean-Pierre; Vidmachenko, Anatolii; Foing, Bernard H.; Kozyrovska, Natalia

Precursory lunar lander experiments on growing plants in locker-based chambers will increase our understanding of effect of lunar conditions on plant physiology. The inducible CAM (Cras-sulacean Acid Metabolism)-plants are reasonable model for a study of relationships between environmental challenges and changes in plant/bacteria gene expression. In inducible CAM-plants the enzymatic machinery for the environmentally activated CAM switches on from a C3-to a full-CAM mode of photosynthesis in response to any stresses (Winter et al., 2008). In our study, Kalanchoe spp. are shown to be promising candidates for putative lunar experiments as resistant to irradiation and desiccation, especially after inoculation with a bacterial consortium (Boorlak et al., 2010). Within frames of the experiment we expect to get information about the functional activity of CAM-plants, in particular, its organogenesis, photosystem, the circadian regulation of plant metabolism on the base of data gaining with instrumental indications from expression of the reporter genes fused to any genes involved in vital functions of the plant (Kozyrovska et al., 2009). References 1. Winter K., Garcia M., Holtum J. (2008) J. Exp. Bot. 59(7):1829-1840 2. Bourlak O., Lar O., Rogutskyy I., Mikheev A., Zaets I., Chervatyuk N., de Vera J.-P., Danilchenko A.B. Foing B.H., zyrovska N. (2010) Space Sci. Technol. 3. Kozyrovska N.O., Vidmachenko A.P., Foing B.H. et al. Exploration/call/estec/ESA. 2009.

Molecular hydrogen is involved in phytohormone signaling and stress responses in plants.

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Jiqing Zeng

Full Text Available Molecular hydrogen (H2 metabolism in bacteria and algae has been well studied from an industrial perspective because H2 is viewed as a potential future energy source. A number of clinical trials have recently reported that H2 is a therapeutic antioxidant and signaling molecule. Although H2 metabolism in higher plants was reported in some early studies, its biological effects remain unclear. In this report, the biological effects of H2 and its involvement in plant hormone signaling pathways and stress responses were determined. Antioxidant enzyme activity was found to be increased and the transcription of corresponding genes altered when the effects of H2 on the germination of mung bean seeds treated with phytohormones was investigated. In addition, upregulation of several phytohormone receptor genes and genes that encode a few key factors involved in plant signaling pathways was detected in rice seedlings treated with HW. The transcription of putative rice hydrogenase genes, hydrogenase activity, and endogenous H2 production were also determined. H2 production was found to be induced by abscisic acid, ethylene, and jasmonate acid, salt, and drought stress and was consistent with hydrogenase activity and the expression of putative hydrogenase genes in rice seedlings. Together, these results suggest that H2 may have an effect on rice stress tolerance by modulating the output of hormone signaling pathways.

Lifetime Traumatic Experiences and Disordered Eating among University Students: The Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

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Vilija Malinauskiene

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The associations between lifetime traumatic events (TEs, posttraumatic stress (PTS symptoms, and disordered eating (DE were studied in a sample of 614 university students (mean age 20 years. An anonymous questionnaire included 32 lifetime TEs, IES-revised measured PTS symptoms, and EAT-26 evaluated DE symptoms. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations and structural equation models (SEM with bootstrapping method. Findings reveal the prevalence of DE in 8.1% of participants, while 73.9% of students experienced at least one lifetime TE. 52.0% of students with DE had PTS symptoms (p<0.0001 and 30.8% of students with lifetime TEs had PTS symptoms (p<0.001. In SEM, direct paths from lifetime TEs to PTS symptoms (0.38, p<0.0001 and from PTS symptoms to DE (0.40, p<0.0001 were observed. The final SEM confirmed the mediating role of PTS symptoms in the path between some TEs (traffic accident and seriously injured and DE among the university students. If PTS symptoms are associated with DE, then addressing PTS symptoms in the context of DE treatment may improve treatment efficacy.

A new putative deltapartitivirus recovered from Dianthus amurensis.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Hongliu; Tan, Guanlin; Xiong, Guihong; Li, Meirong; Fang, Shouguo; Islam, Saif Ul; Zhang, Songbai; Li, Fan

2017-09-01

Two double stranded RNAs (dsRNA), likely representing the genome of a novel deltapartitivirus, provisionally named carnation cryptic virus 3 (CCV3), were recovered from Dianthus amurensis. The two dsRNAs were 1,573 (dsRNA1) and 1,561 (dsRNA2) bp in size, each containing a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 475- and 411-aa protein, respectively. The 475-aa protein contains a conserved RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain which shows significant homology to RdRps of established or putative partitiviruses, particularly those belonging to the genus Deltapartitivirus. However, it shares an amino acid identity of 75% with its closest relative, the RdRp of the deltapartitivirus beet cryptic virus 2 (BCV2), and is <62% identical to the RdRps of other partitiviruses. In a phylogenetic tree constructed with RdRps of selected partitiviruses, CCV3 clustered with BCV2 and formed a well-supported monophyletic clade with known or putative deltapartitiviruses.

Zinc and glutamate dehydrogenase in putative glutamatergic brain structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, G; Schmidt, W

1983-01-01

A certain topographic parallelism between the distribution of histochemically (TIMM staining) identified zinc and putative glutamatergic structures in the rat brain was demonstrated. Glutamate dehydrogenase as a zinc containing protein is in consideration to be an enzyme synthesizing transmitter glutamate. In a low concentration range externally added zinc ions (10(-9) to 10(-7) M) induced an increase in the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) originating from rat hippocampal formation, neocortex, and cerebellum up to 142.4%. With rising molarity of Zn(II) in the incubation medium, the enzyme of hippocampal formation and cerebellum showed a biphasic course of activation. Zinc ions of a concentration higher than 10(-6) M caused a strong inhibition of GDH. The effect of Zn(II) on GDH originating from spinal ganglia and liver led only to a decrease of enzyme activity. These results are discussed in connection with a functional correlation between zinc and putatively glutamatergic system.

Effectiveness of stress management training on stress reduction in pregnant women

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Mahboobeh Shirazi

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background: There are evidences that suggest the impact of stress on pregnancy outcome. Prolong antenatal depression and anxiety may cause lots of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as abortion, still birth, low birth weight and preterm labor. The aim of this pre-posttest randomized control trial study was to determine the role of stress management training in the first trimester on stress reduction in pregnant women referring to General Yas Women Hospital related to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, from May 2014 to January 2016. Methods: Anxiety status of 75 pregnant women in the first trimester was assessed by standard anxiety questioner using Hamilton anxiety rating score. Scores 18-25, 25-35 and >35 were considered for mild, moderate and severe anxiety, respectively. According to the level of anxiety, women with moderate and severe anxiety as the interventional group were arranged for participation in stress management workshops, applying mindfulness technique including: body scan, setting meditation and passing thought technique in 5 an hour sessions. For this experimental group were made available CD training for practicing lessons during the week. All groups didn’t need to medical treatment according to the psychiatrist interview. In the ending of therapy, clinical groups were assessed by anxiety scale again. Women with mild anxiety as the control group received only regular prenatal care without any psychological interventions. The validity and reliability of questioner were approved by experts in this field. This research was supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services grant and also the study approved by ethics committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS version 18, and Student’s t-test analyses were performed. Results: The level of anxiety and stress was decreased significantly between women in clinical groups, 27.5 to 14

Genome-Wide Analysis of Corynespora cassiicola Leaf Fall Disease Putative Effectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, David; Ribeiro, Sébastien; Label, Philippe; Fumanal, Boris; Venisse, Jean-Stéphane; Kohler, Annegret; de Oliveira, Ricardo R; Labutti, Kurt; Lipzen, Anna; Lail, Kathleen; Bauer, Diane; Ohm, Robin A; Barry, Kerrie W; Spatafora, Joseph; Grigoriev, Igor V; Martin, Francis M; Pujade-Renaud, Valérie

2018-01-01

Corynespora cassiicola is an Ascomycetes fungus with a broad host range and diverse life styles. Mostly known as a necrotrophic plant pathogen, it has also been associated with rare cases of human infection. In the rubber tree, this fungus causes the Corynespora leaf fall (CLF) disease, which increasingly affects natural rubber production in Asia and Africa. It has also been found as an endophyte in South American rubber plantations where no CLF outbreak has yet occurred. The C. cassiicola species is genetically highly diverse, but no clear relationship has been evidenced between phylogenetic lineage and pathogenicity. Cassiicolin, a small glycosylated secreted protein effector, is thought to be involved in the necrotrophic interaction with the rubber tree but some virulent C. cassiicola isolates do not have a cassiicolin gene. This study set out to identify other putative effectors involved in CLF. The genome of a highly virulent C. cassiicola isolate from the rubber tree (CCP) was sequenced and assembled. In silico prediction revealed 2870 putative effectors, comprising CAZymes, lipases, peptidases, secreted proteins and enzymes associated with secondary metabolism. Comparison with the genomes of 44 other fungal species, focusing on effector content, revealed a striking proximity with phylogenetically unrelated species ( Colletotrichum acutatum, Colletotrichum gloesporioides, Fusarium oxysporum, nectria hematococca , and Botrosphaeria dothidea ) sharing life style plasticity and broad host range. Candidate effectors involved in the compatible interaction with the rubber tree were identified by transcriptomic analysis. Differentially expressed genes included 92 putative effectors, among which cassiicolin and two other secreted singleton proteins. Finally, the genomes of 35 C. cassiicola isolates representing the genetic diversity of the species were sequenced and assembled, and putative effectors identified. At the intraspecific level, effector

Genome-Wide Analysis of Corynespora cassiicola Leaf Fall Disease Putative Effectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Lopez

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Corynespora cassiicola is an Ascomycetes fungus with a broad host range and diverse life styles. Mostly known as a necrotrophic plant pathogen, it has also been associated with rare cases of human infection. In the rubber tree, this fungus causes the Corynespora leaf fall (CLF disease, which increasingly affects natural rubber production in Asia and Africa. It has also been found as an endophyte in South American rubber plantations where no CLF outbreak has yet occurred. The C. cassiicola species is genetically highly diverse, but no clear relationship has been evidenced between phylogenetic lineage and pathogenicity. Cassiicolin, a small glycosylated secreted protein effector, is thought to be involved in the necrotrophic interaction with the rubber tree but some virulent C. cassiicola isolates do not have a cassiicolin gene. This study set out to identify other putative effectors involved in CLF. The genome of a highly virulent C. cassiicola isolate from the rubber tree (CCP was sequenced and assembled. In silico prediction revealed 2870 putative effectors, comprising CAZymes, lipases, peptidases, secreted proteins and enzymes associated with secondary metabolism. Comparison with the genomes of 44 other fungal species, focusing on effector content, revealed a striking proximity with phylogenetically unrelated species (Colletotrichum acutatum, Colletotrichum gloesporioides, Fusarium oxysporum, nectria hematococca, and Botrosphaeria dothidea sharing life style plasticity and broad host range. Candidate effectors involved in the compatible interaction with the rubber tree were identified by transcriptomic analysis. Differentially expressed genes included 92 putative effectors, among which cassiicolin and two other secreted singleton proteins. Finally, the genomes of 35 C. cassiicola isolates representing the genetic diversity of the species were sequenced and assembled, and putative effectors identified. At the intraspecific level, effector

Effect of cell wall integrity stress and RlmA transcription factor on asexual development and autolysis in Aspergillus nidulans.

Science.gov (United States)

Kovács, Zsuzsanna; Szarka, Máté; Kovács, Szilvia; Boczonádi, Imre; Emri, Tamás; Abe, Keietsu; Pócsi, István; Pusztahelyi, Tünde

2013-05-01

The cell wall integrity (CWI) signaling pathway is responsible for cell wall remodeling and reinforcement upon cell wall stress, which is proposed to be universal in fungal cultures. In Aspergillus nidulans, both the deletion of rlmA encoding the RlmA transcription factor in CWI signaling and low concentrations of the cell wall polymer intercalating agent Congo Red caused significant physiological changes. The gene deletion mutant ΔrlmA strain showed decreased CWI and oxidative stress resistances, which indicated the connection between the CWI pathway and the oxidative stress response system. The Congo Red stress resulted in alterations in the cell wall polymer composition in submerged cultures due to the induction of the biosynthesis of the alkali soluble fraction as well as the hydrolysis of cell wall biopolymers. Both RlmA and RlmA-independent factors induced by Congo Red stress regulated the expression of glucanase (ANID_00245, engA) and chitinase (chiB, chiA) genes, which promoted the autolysis of the cultures and also modulated the pellet sizes. CWI stress and rlmA deletion affected the expression of brlA encoding the early conidiophore development regulator transcription factor BrlA and, as a consequence, the formation of conidiophores was significantly changed in submerged cultures. Interestingly, the number of conidiospores increased in surface cultures of the ΔrlmA strain. The in silico analysis of genes putatively regulated by RlmA and the CWI transcription factors AnSwi4/AnSwi6 in the SBF complex revealed only a few jointly regulated genes, including ugmA and srrA coding for UgmA UDP-galactopyranose mutase and SrrA stress response regulator, respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Roles of University Support for International Students in the United States: Analysis of a Systematic Model of University Identification, University Support, and Psychological Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Jaehee; Yu, Hongsik

2015-01-01

Unlike previous research on international students' social support, this current study applied the concept of organizational support to university contexts, examining the effects of university support. Mainly based on the social identity/self-categorization stress model, this study developed and tested a path model composed of four key…

Crystal structure and putative substrate identification for the Entamoeba histolytica low molecular weight tyrosine phosphatase.

Science.gov (United States)

Linford, Alicia S; Jiang, Nona M; Edwards, Thomas E; Sherman, Nicholas E; Van Voorhis, Wesley C; Stewart, Lance J; Myler, Peter J; Staker, Bart L; Petri, William A

2014-01-01

Entamoeba histolytica is a eukaryotic intestinal parasite of humans, and is endemic in developing countries. We have characterized the E. histolytica putative low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMW-PTP). The structure for this amebic tyrosine phosphatase was solved, showing the ligand-induced conformational changes necessary for binding of substrate. In amebae, it was expressed at low but detectable levels as detected by immunoprecipitation followed by immunoblotting. A mutant LMW-PTP protein in which the catalytic cysteine in the active site was replaced with a serine lacked phosphatase activity, and was used to identify a number of trapped putative substrate proteins via mass spectrometry analysis. Seven of these putative substrate protein genes were cloned with an epitope tag and overexpressed in amebae. Five of these seven putative substrate proteins were demonstrated to interact specifically with the mutant LMW-PTP. This is the first biochemical study of a small tyrosine phosphatase in Entamoeba, and sets the stage for understanding its role in amebic biology and pathogenesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Perceived sources of stress among Malaysian dental students

OpenAIRE

Babar, Muneer G.; Hasan, Syed S.; Ooi, Yong J.; Ahmed, Syed I.; Wong, Pei S.; Ahmad, Siti F.; MNM-Rosdy, Nik M.; Malik, Normaliza A.

2015-01-01

Objectives The study objectives were to identify the stress levels and to explore the impact of students' year of study and gender on the perceived sources of stress among Malaysian dental students. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving dental students from year one to year five from private and public universities in Malaysia. The study was formally approved by the Research and Ethics Committee, International Medical University Malaysia. Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionn...

Are students' symptoms and health complaints associated with perceived stress at university? Perspectives from the United Kingdom and Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

El Ansari, Walid; Oskrochi, Reza; Haghgoo, Ghollamreza

2014-09-26

This cross-sectional survey assessed and compared by country, the levels and correlates of 21 self-reported symptoms/health complaints. We examined the associations between self-reported symptoms and perceived stress. Data was collected from universities in the United Kingdom and Egypt (N = 3706 and 3271 undergraduates, respectively). A self-administered questionnaire assessed a range of self-reported symptoms, perceived stress, sociodemographic (gender, age, marital status, year of study, living arrangements during semester, income sufficiency), lifestyle (tobacco smoking, illicit drug/s use, alcohol consumption frequency), and health variables (subjective health status, health awareness, BMI), along with religiosity, and quality of life. Factor analysis categorized the 21 self-reported symptoms into four components. Correlation analysis and linear regression tested the associations between the self-reported symptoms and stress. Factor analysis of the health symptoms generated four symptom groups for each of the UK and Egypt (psychological; circulatory/breathing; gastrointestinal; and, pains/aches), and factor loadings were quite similar for both countries. Whilst the two samples showed similarities as to the kind of symptoms most frequently reported by students, the Egyptian sample had significantly higher frequency than the UK for every symptom. Frequent complaints (both countries) included difficulties to concentrate, fatigue, headaches, nervousness/anxiety, and back pain (UK) and mood swings (Egypt). Significantly more Egyptian students reported ≥ 4 symptoms over the past year than the UK. For each of the UK and Egypt, across each of the four symptom groups, there was a stepladder appearance whereby the frequency of symptoms increased with increasing quartiles of perceived stress. Not controlling for other variables, for both countries, there were significant positive correlations between each of the four symptom groups and stress; the highest correlation

Are Students’ Symptoms and Health Complaints Associated with Perceived Stress at University? Perspectives from the United Kingdom and Egypt

Science.gov (United States)

El Ansari, Walid; Oskrochi, Reza; Haghgoo, Ghollamreza

2014-01-01

This cross-sectional survey assessed and compared by country, the levels and correlates of 21 self-reported symptoms/health complaints. We examined the associations between self-reported symptoms and perceived stress. Data was collected from universities in the United Kingdom and Egypt (N = 3706 and 3271 undergraduates, respectively). A self-administered questionnaire assessed a range of self-reported symptoms, perceived stress, sociodemographic (gender, age, marital status, year of study, living arrangements during semester, income sufficiency), lifestyle (tobacco smoking, illicit drug/s use, alcohol consumption frequency), and health variables (subjective health status, health awareness, BMI), along with religiosity, and quality of life. Factor analysis categorized the 21 self-reported symptoms into four components. Correlation analysis and linear regression tested the associations between the self-reported symptoms and stress. Factor analysis of the health symptoms generated four symptom groups for each of the UK and Egypt (psychological; circulatory/breathing; gastrointestinal; and, pains/aches), and factor loadings were quite similar for both countries. Whilst the two samples showed similarities as to the kind of symptoms most frequently reported by students, the Egyptian sample had significantly higher frequency than the UK for every symptom. Frequent complaints (both countries) included difficulties to concentrate, fatigue, headaches, nervousness/anxiety, and back pain (UK) and mood swings (Egypt). Significantly more Egyptian students reported ≥4 symptoms over the past year than the UK. For each of the UK and Egypt, across each of the four symptom groups, there was a stepladder appearance whereby the frequency of symptoms increased with increasing quartiles of perceived stress. Not controlling for other variables, for both countries, there were significant positive correlations between each of the four symptom groups and stress; the highest correlation was

Cloning and Expression Analysis of an AP2/ERF Gene and Its Responses to Phytohormones and Abiotic Stresses in Rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao-li MA

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Ethylene response factors (ERFs play important roles in response to plant biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, a gene encoding a putative AP2/ERF domain-containing protein was isolated by screening a SSH cDNA library from rice and designated as Oryza sativa AP2/ERF-like protein (OsAP2LP gene. OsAP2LP is 1491 bp in length, interrupted by seven introns, and encodes a putative protein of 348 amino acids. Temporal and spatial expression analysis showed that the OsAP2LP gene was preferentially expressed in roots, panicles, mature embryos and seeds in rice. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that the expression levels of the OsAP2LP gene were increased under the treatments of drought and gibberellin but decreased under the treatments of low temperature, salt, abscisic acid (ABA and zeatin. Taken together, these results suggest that OsAP2LP might be involved in stress responses, and probably plays roles as a transcription regulator when plants response to cold, salt and drought stresses through ABA and gibberellin pathways.

Response of Desulfovibrio vulgaris to Alkaline Stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stolyar, S.; He, Q.; He, Z.; Yang, Z.; Borglin, S.E.; Joyner, D.; Huang, K.; Alm, E.; Hazen, T.C.; Zhou, J.; Wall, J.D.; Arkin, A.P.; Stahl, D.A.

2007-11-30

The response of exponentially growing Desulfovibrio vulgarisHildenborough to pH 10 stress was studied using oligonucleotidemicroarrays and a study set of mutants with genes suggested by microarraydata to be involved in the alkaline stress response deleted. The datashowed that the response of D. vulgaris to increased pH is generallysimilar to that of Escherichia coli but is apparently controlled byunique regulatory circuits since the alternative sigma factors (sigma Sand sigma E) contributing to this stress response in E. coli appear to beabsent in D. vulgaris. Genes previously reported to be up-regulated in E.coli were up-regulated in D. vulgaris; these genes included three ATPasegenes and a tryptophan synthase gene. Transcription of chaperone andprotease genes (encoding ATP-dependent Clp and La proteases and DnaK) wasalso elevated in D. vulgaris. As in E. coli, genes involved in flagellumsynthesis were down-regulated. The transcriptional data also identifiedregulators, distinct from sigma S and sigma E, that are likely part of aD. vulgaris Hildenborough-specific stress response system.Characterization of a study set of mutants with genes implicated inalkaline stress response deleted confirmed that there was protectiveinvolvement of the sodium/proton antiporter NhaC-2, tryptophanase A, andtwo putative regulators/histidine kinases (DVU0331 andDVU2580).

Everyday stress response targets in the science of behavior change.

Science.gov (United States)

Smyth, Joshua M; Sliwinski, Martin J; Zawadzki, Matthew J; Scott, Stacey B; Conroy, David E; Lanza, Stephanie T; Marcusson-Clavertz, David; Kim, Jinhyuk; Stawski, Robert S; Stoney, Catherine M; Buxton, Orfeu M; Sciamanna, Christopher N; Green, Paige M; Almeida, David M

2018-02-01

Stress is an established risk factor for negative health outcomes, and responses to everyday stress can interfere with health behaviors such as exercise and sleep. In accordance with the Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) program, we apply an experimental medicine approach to identifying stress response targets, developing stress response assays, intervening upon these targets, and testing intervention effectiveness. We evaluate an ecologically valid, within-person approach to measuring the deleterious effects of everyday stress on physical activity and sleep patterns, examining multiple stress response components (i.e., stress reactivity, stress recovery, and stress pile-up) as indexed by two key response indicators (negative affect and perseverative cognition). Our everyday stress response assay thus measures multiple malleable stress response targets that putatively shape daily health behaviors (physical activity and sleep). We hypothesize that larger reactivity, incomplete recovery, and more frequent stress responses (pile-up) will negatively impact health behavior enactment in daily life. We will identify stress-related reactivity, recovery, and response in the indicators using coordinated analyses across multiple naturalistic studies. These results are the basis for developing a new stress assay and replicating the initial findings in a new sample. This approach will advance our understanding of how specific aspects of everyday stress responses influence health behaviors, and can be used to develop and test an innovative ambulatory intervention for stress reduction in daily life to enhance health behaviors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sex role identity, academic stress and wellbeing of first-year ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sex role identity, academic stress and wellbeing of first-year university students. ... and perceived academic stress, psychological wellbeing and self-esteem. ... personal attributes and how these can aid or hinder adjustment to university life.

An Exploratory Study of Students' Weekly Stress Levels and Sources of Stress during the Semester

Science.gov (United States)

Pitt, Adele; Oprescu, Florin; Tapia, Geraldine; Gray, Marion

2018-01-01

Studying at university can be a very stressful experience. Although the literature provides some information regarding different sources of stress among students, studies have not addressed the issue of changes over the course progression. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the sources of stress for first-year students and…

Putative periodontopathic bacteria and herpesviruses in pregnant women: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Haixia; Zhu, Ce; Li, Fei; Xu, Wei; Tao, Danying; Feng, Xiping

2016-06-15

Little is known about herpesvirus and putative periodontopathic bacteria in maternal chronic periodontitis. The present case-control study aimed to explore the potential relationship between putative periodontopathic bacteria and herpesviruses in maternal chronic periodontitis.Saliva samples were collected from 36 pregnant women with chronic periodontitis (cases) and 36 pregnant women with healthy periodontal status (controls). Six putative periodontopathic bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis [Pg], Aggregatibacer actinomycetemcomitans [Aa], Fusobacterium nucleatum [Fn], Prevotella intermedia [Pi], Tannerella forsythia [Tf], and Treponema denticola [Td]) and three herpesviruses (Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], human cytomegalovirus [HCMV], and herpes simplex virus [HSV]) were detected. Socio-demographic data and oral health related behaviors, and salivary estradiol and progesterone levels were also collected. The results showed no significant differences in socio-demographic background, oral health related behaviors, and salivary estradiol and progesterone levels between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The detection rates of included periodontopathic microorganisms were not significantly different between the two groups (all P > 0.05), but the coinfection rate of EBV and Pg was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (P = 0.028). EBV and Pg coinfection may promote the development of chronic periodontitis among pregnant women.

Statistical universals reveal the structures and functions of human music.

Science.gov (United States)

Savage, Patrick E; Brown, Steven; Sakai, Emi; Currie, Thomas E

2015-07-21

Music has been called "the universal language of mankind." Although contemporary theories of music evolution often invoke various musical universals, the existence of such universals has been disputed for decades and has never been empirically demonstrated. Here we combine a music-classification scheme with statistical analyses, including phylogenetic comparative methods, to examine a well-sampled global set of 304 music recordings. Our analyses reveal no absolute universals but strong support for many statistical universals that are consistent across all nine geographic regions sampled. These universals include 18 musical features that are common individually as well as a network of 10 features that are commonly associated with one another. They span not only features related to pitch and rhythm that are often cited as putative universals but also rarely cited domains including performance style and social context. These cross-cultural structural regularities of human music may relate to roles in facilitating group coordination and cohesion, as exemplified by the universal tendency to sing, play percussion instruments, and dance to simple, repetitive music in groups. Our findings highlight the need for scientists studying music evolution to expand the range of musical cultures and musical features under consideration. The statistical universals we identified represent important candidates for future investigation.

Cadmium induces the expression of specific stress proteins in sea urchin embryos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roccheri, Maria Carmela; Agnello, Maria; Bonaventura, Rosa; Matranga, Valeria

2004-01-01

Marine organisms are highly sensitive to many environmental stresses, and consequently, the analysis of their bio-molecular responses to different stress agents is very important for the understanding of putative repair mechanisms. Sea urchin embryos represent a simple though significant model system to test how specific stress can simultaneously affect development and protein expression. Here, we used Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos to study the effects of time-dependent continuous exposure to subacute/sublethal cadmium concentrations. We found that, between 15 and 24 h of exposure, the synthesis of a specific set of stress proteins (90, 72-70, 56, 28, and 25 kDa) was induced, with an increase in the rate of synthesis of 72-70 kDa (hsps), 56 kDa (hsp), and 25 kDa, which was dependent on the lengths of treatment. Recovery experiments in which cadmium was removed showed that while stress proteins continued to be synthesized, embryo development was resumed only after short lengths of exposure

Computational identification of putative cytochrome P450 genes in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this work, a computational study of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of soybean was performed by data mining methods and bio-informatics tools and as a result 78 putative P450 genes were identified, including 57 new ones. These genes were classified into five clans and 20 families by sequence similarities and among ...

The Buffer Effect of Therapy Dog Exposure on Stress Reactivity in Undergraduate Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiocco, Alexandra J; Hunse, Anastasia M

2017-06-30

Stress is an insidious health risk that is commonly reported among university students. While research suggests that dog exposure may facilitate recovery from a stress response, little is known about the buffer effect of dog exposure on the stress response to a future stressor. This study examined whether interaction with a therapy dog could reduce the strength of the physiological stress response when exposed to a subsequent stressor. Sixty-one university students were randomly assigned to either a therapy dog (TD, n = 31) or a no-dog control (C, n = 30) group. The stress response was measured by electrodermal activity (EDA) in response to the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Participants also completed questionnaires that assessed pet attitude, general stress levels, and affect. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) showed that increase in EDA was significantly more pronounced in the C group than in the TD group ( p stress response in university students, which has implications for the promotion of a viable stress management program on university campuses.

Mindfulness Correlates with Stress and Coping in University Students

Science.gov (United States)

di Pierdomenico, Emily-Ann; Kadziolka, Marta; Miller, Carlin J.

2017-01-01

Mindfulness has received significant attention in the empirical literature during the past decade, but few studies have focused on mindfulness in university students and how it may influence problematic behaviours. This study examined the relationships among mindfulness, coping, and physiological reactivity in a sample of university students.…

Psychological stress and testicular function

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordkap, Loa; Jensen, Tina Kold; Hansen, Åse Marie

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To study the associations between self-reported psychological stress, semen quality, and serum reproductive hormones among young Danish men. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University hospital-based research center. PARTICIPANT(S): Danish men (median age 19 years) from the gene......OBJECTIVE: To study the associations between self-reported psychological stress, semen quality, and serum reproductive hormones among young Danish men. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University hospital-based research center. PARTICIPANT(S): Danish men (median age 19 years) from...... the general population were investigated from 2008 to 2012. INTERVENTION(S): Participants completed a questionnaire on health and lifestyle, including a four-item questionnaire about self-rated stress, had a physical examination performed, delivered a semen sample, and had a blood sample drawn. MAIN OUTCOME...

Are Students’ Symptoms and Health Complaints Associated with Perceived Stress at University? Perspectives from the United Kingdom and Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walid El Ansari

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This cross-sectional survey assessed and compared by country, the levels and correlates of 21 self-reported symptoms/health complaints. We examined the associations between self-reported symptoms and perceived stress. Data was collected from universities in the United Kingdom and Egypt (N = 3706 and 3271 undergraduates, respectively. A self-administered questionnaire assessed a range of self-reported symptoms, perceived stress, sociodemographic (gender, age, marital status, year of study, living arrangements during semester, income sufficiency, lifestyle (tobacco smoking, illicit drug/s use, alcohol consumption frequency, and health variables (subjective health status, health awareness, BMI, along with religiosity, and quality of life. Factor analysis categorized the 21 self-reported symptoms into four components. Correlation analysis and linear regression tested the associations between the self-reported symptoms and stress. Factor analysis of the health symptoms generated four symptom groups for each of the UK and Egypt (psychological; circulatory/breathing; gastrointestinal; and, pains/aches, and factor loadings were quite similar for both countries. Whilst the two samples showed similarities as to the kind of symptoms most frequently reported by students, the Egyptian sample had significantly higher frequency than the UK for every symptom. Frequent complaints (both countries included difficulties to concentrate, fatigue, headaches, nervousness/anxiety, and back pain (UK and mood swings (Egypt. Significantly more Egyptian students reported ≥4 symptoms over the past year than the UK. For each of the UK and Egypt, across each of the four symptom groups, there was a stepladder appearance whereby the frequency of symptoms increased with increasing quartiles of perceived stress. Not controlling for other variables, for both countries, there were significant positive correlations between each of the four symptom groups and stress; the highest

Putative golden proportions as predictors of facial esthetics in adolescents.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiekens, R.M.A.; Kuijpers-Jagtman, A.M.; Hof, M.A. van 't; Hof, B.E. van 't; Maltha, J.C.

2008-01-01

INTRODUCTION: In orthodontics, facial esthetics is assumed to be related to golden proportions apparent in the ideal human face. The aim of the study was to analyze the putative relationship between facial esthetics and golden proportions in white adolescents. METHODS: Seventy-six adult laypeople

Putative Dementia Cases Fluctuate as a Function of Mini-Mental State Examination Cut-Off Points.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Ilka M; Henriques, Ana G; Wiltfang, Jens; da Cruz E Silva, Odete A B

2018-01-01

As the population ages, there is a growing need to quickly and accurately identify putative dementia cases. Many cognitive tests are available; among those commonly used are the Cognitive Dementia Rating (CDR) and the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE). The aim of this work was to compare the validity and reliability of these cognitive tests in a primary care based cohort (pcb-Cohort). The MMSE and the CDR were applied to 568 volunteers in the pcb-Cohort. Distinct cut-off points for the MMSE were considered, namely MMSE 27, MMSE 24, and MMSE PT (adapted for the Portuguese population). The MMSE 27 identified the greatest number of putative dementia cases, and, as determined by the ROC curve, it was the most sensitive and specific of the MMSE cut-offs considered. Putative predictive or risk factors identified included age, literacy, depression, and diabetes mellitus (DM). DM has previously been indicated as a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Comparatively, the MMSE 27 cut-off has the greatest sensibility (94.9%) and specificity (66.3%) when compared to MMSE PT and MMSE 24. Upon comparing MMSE and CDR scores, the latter identified a further 146 putative dementia cases, thus permitting one to propose that in an ideal situation, both tests should be employed. This increases the likelihood of identifying putative dementia cases for subsequent follow up work, thus these cognitive tests represent important tools in patient care. Further, this is a significant study for Portuguese populations, where few of these studies have been carried out.

Man enough? Masculine discrepancy stress and intimate partner violence.

Science.gov (United States)

Reidy, Dennis E; Berke, Danielle S; Gentile, Brittany; Zeichner, Amos

2014-10-01

Research on gender roles suggests that men who strongly adhere to traditional masculine gender norms are at increased risk for the perpetration of violent and abusive acts toward their female intimate partners. Yet, gender norms alone fail to provide a comprehensive explanation of the multifaceted construct of intimate partner violence (IPV) and there is theoretical reason to suspect that men who fail to conform to masculine roles may equally be at risk for IPV. In the present study, we assessed effect of masculine discrepancy stress , a form of distress arising from perceived failure to conform to socially-prescribed masculine gender role norms, on IPV. Six-hundred men completed online surveys assessing their experience of discrepancy stress, masculine gender role norms, and history of IPV. Results indicated that masculine discrepancy stress significantly predicted men's historical perpetration of IPV independent of other masculinity related variables. Findings are discussed in terms of potential distress engendered by masculine socialization as well as putative implications of gender role discrepancy stress for understanding and intervening in partner violence perpetrated by men.

Man enough? Masculine discrepancy stress and intimate partner violence☆

Science.gov (United States)

Reidy, Dennis E.; Berke, Danielle S.; Gentile, Brittany; Zeichner, Amos

2018-01-01

Research on gender roles suggests that men who strongly adhere to traditional masculine gender norms are at increased risk for the perpetration of violent and abusive acts toward their female intimate partners. Yet, gender norms alone fail to provide a comprehensive explanation of the multifaceted construct of intimate partner violence (IPV) and there is theoretical reason to suspect that men who fail to conform to masculine roles may equally be at risk for IPV. In the present study, we assessed effect of masculine discrepancy stress, a form of distress arising from perceived failure to conform to socially-prescribed masculine gender role norms, on IPV. Six-hundred men completed online surveys assessing their experience of discrepancy stress, masculine gender role norms, and history of IPV. Results indicated that masculine discrepancy stress significantly predicted men’s historical perpetration of IPV independent of other masculinity related variables. Findings are discussed in terms of potential distress engendered by masculine socialization as well as putative implications of gender role discrepancy stress for understanding and intervening in partner violence perpetrated by men. PMID:29593368

Unraveling the role of fungal symbionts in plant abiotic stress tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Lamabam Peter

2011-01-01

Fungal symbionts have been found to be associated with every plant studied in the natural ecosystem, where they colonize and reside entirely or partially in the internal tissues of their host plant. Fungal endophytes can express/form a range of different lifestyle/relationships with different host including symbiotic, mutualistic, commensalistic and parasitic in response to host genotype and environmental factors. In mutualistic association fungal endophyte can enhance growth, increase reproductive success and confer biotic and abiotic stress tolerance to its host plant. Since abiotic stress such as, drought, high soil salinity, heat, cold, oxidative stress and heavy metal toxicity is the common adverse environmental conditions that affect and limit crop productivity worldwide. It may be a promising alternative strategy to exploit fungal endophytes to overcome the limitations to crop production brought by abiotic stress. There is an increasing interest in developing the potential biotechnological applications of fungal endophytes for improving plant stress tolerance and sustainable production of food crops. Here we have described the fungal symbioses, fungal symbionts and their role in abiotic stress tolerance. A putative mechanism of stress tolerance by symbionts has also been covered. PMID:21512319

Heterologous expression and characterization of a putative glycoside hydrolase family 43 arabinofuranosidase from Clostridium thermocellum B8

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Camargo, de Brenda R.; Claassens, Nico J.; Quirino, Betania Ferraz; Noronha, Eliane F.; Kengen, Servé W.M.

2018-01-01

An extensive list of putative cellulosomal enzymes from C. thermocellum is now available in the public databanks, however, most of these remain unvalidated with regard to their activity and expression control mechanisms. This is particularly true of those enzymes putatively involved in hemicellulose

Involvement of polyphosphate kinase in virulence and stress tolerance of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Liang; Jiang, Qiao; Pan, Jia-Yun; Deng, Cong; Yu, Jing-Yi; Wu, Xiao-Man; Huang, Sheng-He; Deng, Xiao-Yan

2016-04-01

Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis), a gram-negative enteric bacterium, frequently causes urinary tract infections. Many virulence factors of uropathogenic P. mirabilis have been identified, including urease, flagella, hemolysin and fimbriae. However, the functions of polyphosphate kinase (PPK), which are related to the pathogenicity of many bacteria, remain entirely unknown in P. mirabilis. In this study, a ppk gene encoding the PPK insertional mutant in P. mirabilis strain HI4320 was constructed, and its biological functions were examined. The results of survival studies demonstrated that the ppk mutant was deficient in resistance to oxidative, hyperosmotic and heat stress. The swarming and biofilm formation abilities of P. mirabilis were also attenuated after the ppk interruption. In vitro and in vivo experiments suggested that ppk was required for P. mirabilis to invade the bladder. The negative phenotypes of the ppk mutant could be restored by ppk gene complementation. Furthermore, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to analyze the proteomes of the wild-type strain and the ppk mutant. Compared with the wild-type strain, seven proteins including TonB-dependent receptor, universal stress protein G, major mannose-resistant/Proteus-like fimbrial protein (MR/P fimbriae), heat shock protein, flagellar capping protein, putative membrane protein and multidrug efflux protein were down-regulated, and four proteins including exported peptidase, repressor protein for FtsI, FKBP-type peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase and phosphotransferase were up-regulated in the ppk mutant. As a whole, these results indicate that PPK is an important regulator and plays a crucial role in stress tolerance and virulence in uropathogenic P. mirabilis.

Sex-Specific Effects of Combined Exposure to Chemical and Non-chemical Stressors on Neuroendocrine Development: a Review of Recent Findings and Putative Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Cowell, Whitney J; Wright, Rosalind J

2017-12-01

Environmental toxicants and psychosocial stressors share many biological substrates and influence overlapping physiological pathways. Increasing evidence indicates stress-induced changes to the maternal milieu may prime rapidly developing physiological systems for disruption by concurrent or subsequent exposure to environmental chemicals. In this review, we highlight putative mechanisms underlying sex-specific susceptibility of the developing neuroendocrine system to the joint effects of stress or stress correlates and environmental toxicants (bisphenol A, alcohol, phthalates, lead, chlorpyrifos, and traffic-related air pollution). We provide evidence indicating that concurrent or tandem exposure to chemical and non-chemical stressors during windows of rapid development is associated with sex-specific synergistic, potentiated and reversed effects on several neuroendocrine endpoints related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, sex steroid levels, neurotransmitter circuits, and innate immune function. We additionally identify gaps, such as the role that the endocrine-active placenta plays, in our understanding of these complex interactions. Finally, we discuss future research needs, including the investigation of non-hormonal biomarkers of stress. We demonstrate multiple physiologic systems are impacted by joint exposure to chemical and non-chemical stressors differentially among males and females. Collectively, the results highlight the importance of evaluating sex-specific endpoints when investigating the neuroendocrine system and underscore the need to examine exposure to chemical toxicants within the context of the social environment.

Stress analytics in education (Poster)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kocielnik, R.D.; Pechenizkiy, M.; Sidorova, N.

2012-01-01

During the years of college and university education students are exposed to different kinds of stress, especially during the difficult studying periods like final exams weeks or project deadlines. Stress on a long run is dangerous and can contribute to illness through its physiological effects or

Magnitude of stress and academic achievement of female students ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Stress is a universal phenomenon which no human being is free from. This paper examined the magnitude of stress and academic achievement of female students of the University of Ilorin. It was a description survey type. The target population comprised the 400 level female students from the four randomly selected ...

Elevatated CO2 alleviates heat stress tolerance in wheat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjær, Katrine Heinsvig; Rosenqvist, Eva S. K.; Ottosen, Carl-Otto

2014-01-01

Title: The alleviating effect of elevated CO2 on heat stress susceptibility of two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars Session: Plant response and adaptation to abiotic stress Sindhuja Shanmugam1, Katrine Heinsvig Kjaer2*, Carl-Otto Ottosen2, Eva Rosenqvist3, Dew Kumari Sharma3 and Bernd...... Wollenweber4 1Department of Bioenergy, Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India. 2Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Kirstinebjergvej 10, 5792 Årslev, Denmark 3Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Ecology, University of Copenhagen, Hojbakkegaard Allé 9, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark 4......Institute for Agroecology, Aarhus University, Forsøgsvej 1, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark *Presenting author This study analysed the alleviating effect of elevated CO2 on stress-induced decreases in photosynthesis and changes in carbohydrate metabolism in two wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.) of different...

Phylogenetic diversity of stress signalling pathways in fungi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stansfield Ian

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Microbes must sense environmental stresses, transduce these signals and mount protective responses to survive in hostile environments. In this study we have tested the hypothesis that fungal stress signalling pathways have evolved rapidly in a niche-specific fashion that is independent of phylogeny. To test this hypothesis we have compared the conservation of stress signalling molecules in diverse fungal species with their stress resistance. These fungi, which include ascomycetes, basidiomycetes and microsporidia, occupy highly divergent niches from saline environments to plant or mammalian hosts. Results The fungi displayed significant variation in their resistance to osmotic (NaCl and sorbitol, oxidative (H2O2 and menadione and cell wall stresses (Calcofluor White and Congo Red. There was no strict correlation between fungal phylogeny and stress resistance. Rather, the human pathogens tended to be more resistant to all three types of stress, an exception being the sensitivity of Candida albicans to the cell wall stress, Calcofluor White. In contrast, the plant pathogens were relatively sensitive to oxidative stress. The degree of conservation of osmotic, oxidative and cell wall stress signalling pathways amongst the eighteen fungal species was examined. Putative orthologues of functionally defined signalling components in Saccharomyces cerevisiae were identified by performing reciprocal BLASTP searches, and the percent amino acid identities of these orthologues recorded. This revealed that in general, central components of the osmotic, oxidative and cell wall stress signalling pathways are relatively well conserved, whereas the sensors lying upstream and transcriptional regulators lying downstream of these modules have diverged significantly. There was no obvious correlation between the degree of conservation of stress signalling pathways and the resistance of a particular fungus to the corresponding stress. Conclusion Our

Plant transcriptomics and responses to environmental stress

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Atta-ur-Rehman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, H-12 Campus, Islamabad 25000, Pakistan; Stress Physiology Lab Department of Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474 011, India; Centre for Environmental Research, Near East University, 33010, Lefkosha, Turkish Republic ...

Stress reactivity and emotion in premenstrual syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Q

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Qing Liu,1 Yongshun Wang,2 Cornelis Hermanus van Heck,3 Wei Qiao4 1Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 2School of Physical Education and Sport, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, People’s Republic of China; 3DCC, Donders Institute for Neuroscience and Neurocognition, Arnhem, the Netherlands; 4Department of Physical Education, Xiamen Institute of Technology, Xiamen, People’s Republic of China Background: Hormone level fluctuation across the menstrual cycle causes women to experience negative emotions and also affects their mood regulation and stress sensitivity. However, the stress reactivity and emotional variations in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS, who are especially sensitive to the variations in hormone cycles, have not been explained. Methods: The present study used an electroencephalogram (EEG stress evaluation test, a physiology stress evaluation test, and the positive affect and negative affect scale (PANAS to evaluate the stress reactivity pattern and emotional state of women with PMS. Results: The results showed that women with PMS had higher negative affect and lower positive affect compared with controls. Moreover, under stressful conditions, the women with PMS had a higher alpha activity and a lower respiration rate than the controls. The differences in stress reactivity and emotional states between women with PMS and controls were based on a covariant analysis with menstrual cycle (luteal and follicular phases as the covariate. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that, compared with controls, women suffering from PMS have a continuous abnormality in emotional state and stress reactivity, which was independent of the menstrual cycle. Keywords: premenstrual syndrome, stress reactivity, emotion, EEG stress evaluation test, physiology stress evaluation test

Supplementary data: Variation in the PTEN-induced putative kinase ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Variation in the PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 gene associated with the increase risk of type 2 diabetes in northern Chinese. Yanchun Qu, Liang Sun, Ze Yang and Ruifa Han. J. Genet. 90, 125–128. Table 1. Clinical characteristics of cases and controls. Phenotype. T2DM. Controls. P value. Age (years). 49.5 ± 11.1. 50.4 ± ...

ER stress-induced protein, VIGG, disturbs plant cation homeostasis, which is correlated with growth retardation and robustness to ER stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katoh, Hironori; Fujita, Keiko; Takuhara, Yuki; Ogawa, Atsushi; Suzuki, Shunji

2011-01-01

Highlights: → VIGG is an ER stress-induced protein in plant. → We examine the characteristics of VIGG-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. → VIGG-overexpressing plants reveal growth retardation and robustness to ER stress. → VIGG disturbs cation homeostasis in plant. -- Abstract: VIGG is a putative endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein induced by virus infection and ER stress, and is correlated with fruit quality in grapevine. The present study was undertaken to determine the biological function of VIGG in grapevine. Experiments using fluorescent protein-VIGG fusion protein demonstrated that VIGG is localized in ER and the ER targeting sequence is in the N-terminus. The overexpression of VIGG in Arabidopsis plant led to growth retardation. The rosette leaves of VIGG-overexpressing plants were smaller than those of the control plants and rolled at 42 days after seeding. VIGG-overexpressing plants revealed robustness to ER stress as well as the low expression of ER stress marker proteins, such as the luminal binding proteins. These characteristics of VIGG-overexpressing plants were supported by a microarray experiment that demonstrated the disruption of genes related to ER stress response and flowering, as well as cation mobility, in the plants. Finally, cation homeostasis in the plants was disturbed by the overexpression of VIGG. Taken together, these results suggest that VIGG may disturb cation homeostasis in plant, which is correlated with the robustness to ER stress and growth retardation.

ER stress-induced protein, VIGG, disturbs plant cation homeostasis, which is correlated with growth retardation and robustness to ER stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katoh, Hironori; Fujita, Keiko; Takuhara, Yuki [Laboratory of Fruit Genetic Engineering, The Institute of Enology and Viticulture, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-0005 (Japan); Ogawa, Atsushi [Department of Biological Production, Akita Prefectural University, Shimosinjyou-nakano 241-438, Akita 010-0195 (Japan); Suzuki, Shunji, E-mail: suzukis@yamanashi.ac.jp [Laboratory of Fruit Genetic Engineering, The Institute of Enology and Viticulture, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-0005 (Japan)

2011-02-18

Highlights: {yields} VIGG is an ER stress-induced protein in plant. {yields} We examine the characteristics of VIGG-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. {yields} VIGG-overexpressing plants reveal growth retardation and robustness to ER stress. {yields} VIGG disturbs cation homeostasis in plant. -- Abstract: VIGG is a putative endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein induced by virus infection and ER stress, and is correlated with fruit quality in grapevine. The present study was undertaken to determine the biological function of VIGG in grapevine. Experiments using fluorescent protein-VIGG fusion protein demonstrated that VIGG is localized in ER and the ER targeting sequence is in the N-terminus. The overexpression of VIGG in Arabidopsis plant led to growth retardation. The rosette leaves of VIGG-overexpressing plants were smaller than those of the control plants and rolled at 42 days after seeding. VIGG-overexpressing plants revealed robustness to ER stress as well as the low expression of ER stress marker proteins, such as the luminal binding proteins. These characteristics of VIGG-overexpressing plants were supported by a microarray experiment that demonstrated the disruption of genes related to ER stress response and flowering, as well as cation mobility, in the plants. Finally, cation homeostasis in the plants was disturbed by the overexpression of VIGG. Taken together, these results suggest that VIGG may disturb cation homeostasis in plant, which is correlated with the robustness to ER stress and growth retardation.

Crack initiation criteria for singular stress concentrations Part I: A universal assessment of singular stress concentrations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Knésl, Zdeněk; Klusák, Jan; Náhlík, Luboš

2007-01-01

Roč. 14, č. 6 (2007), s. 399-408 ISSN 1802-1484 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA101/05/0320; GA ČR GA101/05/0227 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20410507 Keywords : fracture mechanics * stability criteria * singular stress concentrations * crack initiation * critical stress Subject RIV: JL - Materials Fatigue, Friction Mechanics

Amplification of tumor inducing putative cancer stem cells (CSCs) by vitamin A/retinol from mammary tumors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Rohit B. [Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261 (United States); Wang, Qingde [Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261 (United States); Khillan, Jaspal S., E-mail: khillan@pitt.edu [Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261 (United States)

2013-07-12

Highlights: •Vitamin A supports self renewal of putative CSCs from mammary tumors. •These cells exhibit impaired retinol metabolism into retinoic acid. •CSCs from mammary tumors differentiate into mammary specific cell lineages. •The cells express mammary stem cell specific CD29 and CD49f markers. •Putative CSCs form highly metastatic tumors in NOD SCID mouse. -- Abstract: Solid tumors contain a rare population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that are responsible for relapse and metastasis. The existence of CSC however, remains highly controversial issue. Here we present the evidence for putative CSCs from mammary tumors amplified by vitamin A/retinol signaling. The cells exhibit mammary stem cell specific CD29{sup hi}/CD49f{sup hi}/CD24{sup hi} markers, resistance to radiation and chemo therapeutic agents and form highly metastatic tumors in NOD/SCID mice. The cells exhibit indefinite self renewal as cell lines. Furthermore, the cells exhibit impaired retinol metabolism and do not express enzymes that metabolize retinol into retinoic acid. Vitamin A/retinol also amplified putative CSCs from breast cancer cell lines that form highly aggressive tumors in NOD SCID mice. The studies suggest that high purity putative CSCs can be isolated from solid tumors to establish patient specific cell lines for personalized therapeutics for pre-clinical translational applications. Characterization of CSCs will allow understanding of basic cellular and molecular pathways that are deregulated, mechanisms of tumor metastasis and evasion of therapies that has direct clinical relevance.

Alkenenitrile Transmissive Olefination: Synthesis of the Putative Lignan "Morinol I"

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Fraser F.; Liu, Wang; Yao, Lihua; Pitta, Bhaskar; Purzycki, Matthew; Ravikumar, P. C.

2012-01-01

Grignard reagents trigger an addition-elimination with α'-hydroxy acrylonitriles to selectively generate Z-alkenenitriles. The modular assembly of Z-alkenenitriles from a Grignard reagent, acrylonitrile, and an aldehyde is ideal for stereoselectively synthesizing alkenes as illustrated in the synthesis of the putative lignan "morinol I." PMID:22545004

Natural polyphenols down-regulate universal stress protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: An in-silico approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Vijey Aanandhi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Universal stress protein (USP is a novel target to overcome the tuberculosis resistance. Our present study enlightens the possibilities of some natural polyphenols as an antioxidant for USP. The study has shown some molecular simulations of some selected natural antioxidants with USP. We have considered USP (Rv1636 strain for homology modeling and the selected template was taken for the docking study. Curcumin, catechin, reservetrol has shown ARG 136 (1.8Ε hydrogen bonding and two ionic bonding with carboxyl group of curcumin with LEU 130 (3.3Ε and ASN 144 (3.4Ε respectively. INH was taken for the standard molecule to perform molecular simulation. It showed poor binding interaction with the target, that is, −5.18 kcal, and two hydrogen bonding with SER 140 (1.887Ε, ARG 147 (2.064Ε respectively. The study indicates possible new generation curcumin analogue for future therapy to down-regulate USP.

Protocol for the Mindful Student Study: a randomised controlled trial of the provision of a mindfulness intervention to support university students' well-being and resilience to stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Galante, Julieta; Dufour, Geraldine; Benton, Alice; Howarth, Emma; Vainre, Maris; Croudace, Timothy J; Wagner, Adam P; Stochl, Jan; Jones, Peter B

2016-11-09

Levels of stress in UK university students are high, with an increase in the proportion of students seeking help in recent years. Academic pressure is reported as a major trigger. Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce stress and is popular among students, but its effectiveness in this context needs to be ascertained. In this pragmatic randomised controlled trial, we hypothesise that the provision of a preventative mindfulness intervention in universities could reduce students' psychological distress during the examination period (primary outcome), improve their resilience to stress up to at least 1 year later, reduce their use of mental health support services and improve academic performance. At least 550 University of Cambridge students free from active crises or severe mental illness will be randomised to joining an 8-week mindfulness course or to mental health provision as usual (one-to-one allocation rate). Psychological distress will be measured using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure at baseline, postintervention, examination term and 1-year follow-up. Other outcomes are use of mental health services, inability to sit examinations or special circumstance requests, examination grades, well-being, altruism and coping measured with ecological momentary assessment. Outcome assessment and intention-to-treat primary analysis using linear mixed models adjusted for baseline scores will be blind to intervention allocation. We will also conduct per-protocol, subgroup and secondary outcome analyses. An Independent Data Monitoring and Ethics Committee will be set up. We will systematically monitor for, and react to, possible adverse events. An advisory reference group will comprise student representatives, members of the University Counselling Service and other student welfare staff. Approval has been obtained from Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee (PRE.2015.060). Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals. A lay

Protocol for the Mindful Student Study: a randomised controlled trial of the provision of a mindfulness intervention to support university students' well-being and resilience to stress

Science.gov (United States)

Dufour, Geraldine; Benton, Alice; Howarth, Emma; Vainre, Maris; Croudace, Timothy J; Stochl, Jan; Jones, Peter B

2016-01-01

Introduction Levels of stress in UK university students are high, with an increase in the proportion of students seeking help in recent years. Academic pressure is reported as a major trigger. Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce stress and is popular among students, but its effectiveness in this context needs to be ascertained. In this pragmatic randomised controlled trial, we hypothesise that the provision of a preventative mindfulness intervention in universities could reduce students' psychological distress during the examination period (primary outcome), improve their resilience to stress up to at least 1 year later, reduce their use of mental health support services and improve academic performance. Methods and analysis At least 550 University of Cambridge students free from active crises or severe mental illness will be randomised to joining an 8-week mindfulness course or to mental health provision as usual (one-to-one allocation rate). Psychological distress will be measured using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure at baseline, postintervention, examination term and 1-year follow-up. Other outcomes are use of mental health services, inability to sit examinations or special circumstance requests, examination grades, well-being, altruism and coping measured with ecological momentary assessment. Outcome assessment and intention-to-treat primary analysis using linear mixed models adjusted for baseline scores will be blind to intervention allocation. We will also conduct per-protocol, subgroup and secondary outcome analyses. An Independent Data Monitoring and Ethics Committee will be set up. We will systematically monitor for, and react to, possible adverse events. An advisory reference group will comprise student representatives, members of the University Counselling Service and other student welfare staff. Ethics and dissemination Approval has been obtained from Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee (PRE.2015

[Cross-sectional study of the variability of work-related stress among post-graduate medical residents at the main University Polyclinic of Sicily].

Science.gov (United States)

Costantino, Claudio; Albeggiani, Valentina; Bonfante, Maria Stefania; Monte, Caterina; Lo Cascio, Nunzio; Mazzucco, Walter

2015-02-10

Among health care workers (HCWs), work-related stress is one of the main topics in risk assessment and prevention at the workplace. Post-graduate medical residents (MRs) are a group of HCWs comparable to medical doctors in terms of occupational exposure and occurrence of work-related stress syndromes. Risk assessment of work-related stress among MRs attending the major University Hospital of Sicily. A cross-sectional survey via an anonymous and self-administered questionnaire. 45% of clinical MRs and 37% of surgical MRs had access to compensatory rest days against 92% of MRs of the services area (p<0.001). A work attendance recording system for MRs was available in 80% of the postgraduate medical schools of the services area, in 60% of the clinical postgraduate schools and in 50% of the surgical postgraduate schools (p<0.001). MRs of the postgraduate surgical schools reported having access to work breaks (41%) with less frequency compared to clinical (60%) and services MRs (74%) (p<0.001). Both clinical (47%) and surgical MRs (47%) were more exposed to work-related stress than MRs of the services area (27%) (p<0.001). The survey demonstrated excess exposure to work-related stress for all the considered variables in MRs of the surgical area, compared with MRs of clinical and services areas. It is strongly recommended to provide specific training programmes aimed at managing the MRs' risk of exposure to work-related stress, focusing both on the workers and the work environment.

Exposures to war-related traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among displaced Darfuri female university students: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Badri, Alia; Crutzen, Rik; Van den Borne, H W

2012-08-03

With the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of up to three million Darfuris, the increasingly complex and on-going war in Darfur has warranted the need to investigate war-related severity and current mental health levels amongst its civilian population. The purpose of this study is to explore the association between war-related exposures and assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms amongst a sample of Darfuri female university students at Ahfad University for Women (AUW) in Omdurman city. An exploratory cross-sectional study among a representative sample of Darfuri female university students at AUW (N = 123) was conducted in February 2010. Using an adapted version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), war-related exposures and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were assessed. Means and standard deviations illustrated the experiential severity of war exposure dimensions and PTSD symptom sub-scales, while Pearson correlations tested for the strength of association between dimensions of war exposures and PTSD symptom sub-scales. Approximately 42 % of the Darfuri participants reported being displaced and 54 % have experienced war-related traumatic exposures either as victims or as witnesses (M = 28, SD = 14.24, range 0 - 40 events). Also, there was a strong association between the experiential dimension of war-related trauma exposures and the full symptom of PTSD. Moreover, the refugee-specific self-perception of functioning sub-scale within the PTSD measurement scored a mean of 3.2 (SD = .56), well above the 2.0 cut-off. This study provides evidence for a relationship between traumatic war-related exposures and symptom rates of PTSD among AUW Darfuri female students. Findings are discussed in terms of AUW counseling service improvement.

Identification of a putative nuclear export signal motif in human NANOG homeobox domain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Sung-Won; Do, Hyun-Jin; Huh, Sun-Hyung; Sung, Boreum; Uhm, Sang-Jun; Song, Hyuk; Kim, Nam-Hyung; Kim, Jae-Hwan

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We found the putative nuclear export signal motif within human NANOG homeodomain. ► Leucine-rich residues are important for human NANOG homeodomain nuclear export. ► CRM1-specific inhibitor LMB blocked the potent human NANOG NES-mediated nuclear export. -- Abstract: NANOG is a homeobox-containing transcription factor that plays an important role in pluripotent stem cells and tumorigenic cells. To understand how nuclear localization of human NANOG is regulated, the NANOG sequence was examined and a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) motif ( 125 MQELSNILNL 134 ) was found in the homeodomain (HD). To functionally validate the putative NES motif, deletion and site-directed mutants were fused to an EGFP expression vector and transfected into COS-7 cells, and the localization of the proteins was examined. While hNANOG HD exclusively localized to the nucleus, a mutant with both NLSs deleted and only the putative NES motif contained (hNANOG HD-ΔNLSs) was predominantly cytoplasmic, as observed by nucleo/cytoplasmic fractionation and Western blot analysis as well as confocal microscopy. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis of the putative NES motif in a partial hNANOG HD only containing either one of the two NLS motifs led to localization in the nucleus, suggesting that the NES motif may play a functional role in nuclear export. Furthermore, CRM1-specific nuclear export inhibitor LMB blocked the hNANOG potent NES-mediated export, suggesting that the leucine-rich motif may function in CRM1-mediated nuclear export of hNANOG. Collectively, a NES motif is present in the hNANOG HD and may be functionally involved in CRM1-mediated nuclear export pathway.

HaploReg v4: systematic mining of putative causal variants, cell types, regulators and target genes for human complex traits and disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Lucas D; Kellis, Manolis

2016-01-04

More than 90% of common variants associated with complex traits do not affect proteins directly, but instead the circuits that control gene expression. This has increased the urgency of understanding the regulatory genome as a key component for translating genetic results into mechanistic insights and ultimately therapeutics. To address this challenge, we developed HaploReg (http://compbio.mit.edu/HaploReg) to aid the functional dissection of genome-wide association study (GWAS) results, the prediction of putative causal variants in haplotype blocks, the prediction of likely cell types of action, and the prediction of candidate target genes by systematic mining of comparative, epigenomic and regulatory annotations. Since first launching the website in 2011, we have greatly expanded HaploReg, increasing the number of chromatin state maps to 127 reference epigenomes from ENCODE 2012 and Roadmap Epigenomics, incorporating regulator binding data, expanding regulatory motif disruption annotations, and integrating expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) variants and their tissue-specific target genes from GTEx, Geuvadis, and other recent studies. We present these updates as HaploReg v4, and illustrate a use case of HaploReg for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-associated SNPs with putative brain regulatory mechanisms. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

The Role of Social Support in Mediating Stress and Depression

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Prashanth Talwar

2017-05-01

Full Text Available As important as it is to fully comprehend the relationship between stress and depression among university students, it is also vital to ascertain the role of perceived social support as an essential psychosocial factor for effectively delimiting the deleterious impact of stress exposure. As such, the current study aimed to examine whether perceived social support functioned as a mediating factor in the relationship between stress and depression among university students. Data was collected from undergraduate students of a public university in Sarawak, Malaysia. Information on demographics, depression, stress and perceived social support were collated through self-report questionnaires. Results revealed significant gender differences for perceived social support, wherein female students reported lower levels of social support compared to their counterparts. Mediation analysis portrayed that the association between stress and depression was partially accounted for, by the mediating role of perceived social support.

[Stress level assessment of the nursing staff in the Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital].

Science.gov (United States)

Carrillo-García, C; Ríos-Rísquez, M I; Martínez-Hurtado, R; Noguera-Villaescusa, P

2016-01-01

The objective was to determine the work stress level among nursing staff in the Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital and to analyse its relationship with the various sociodemographic and working variables of the studied sample. A study was designed using a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional approach. The target population of the study was the nursing staff selected by non-random sampling. The instrument used was the Job Content Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 20. The mean, ranges and standard deviation for each of the variables were calculated. A bivariate analysis was also performed on the social and occupational variables of the sample. The participation rate was 80.90% (N=89). The mean of the Social support dimension was 3.13±0.397, for the Psychological demands at work dimension it was 3.10±0.384, with a mean of 2.96±0.436 being obtained for the Control over the work dimension. In the analysis of sociodemographic and work variables of the sample, only the professional category was significant, with nurses recording higher values in perception of job demands and control over their work compared to nursing assistants. In conclusion, there is a moderate perception of work stress in the analysed group of professionals. Among the sources of stress in the workplace was the low control in decision-making by practitioners, as well as the need to continually learn new things. On the other hand, the support received from colleagues is valued positively by the sample. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

Calligraphy and meditation for stress reduction: an experimental comparison

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Kao H SR

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Henry SR Kao,1 Lin Zhu,2 An An Chao,3 Hao Yi Chen,4 Ivy CY Liu,5 Manlin Zhang6 1Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 2Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 3International Society of Calligraphy Therapy, Hong Kong; 4Department of Business Administration, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan, 5Department of Psychology, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan; 6Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China Background: Chinese calligraphic handwriting (CCH has demonstrated a new role in health and therapy. Meanwhile, meditation is an traditional and effective method for coping with stress and staying healthy. This study compared the effectiveness of CCH and meditation as distinctive and parallel stress reduction interventions. Methods: Thirty graduate students and academic staff members in Taiwan who suffered from stress were selected by the General Health Questionnaire and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, ie, a CCH group, a meditation group, or a control group, for 8 consecutive weeks. Changes in physiological parameters were measured before, during, and after treatment. Results: CCH and meditation showed their strength in the respective indices of stress. There was a significant difference in respiratory rate, heart rate, and electromyographic scores between the groups. Comparing pre- and post-effects, a decrease in heart rate and an increase in skin temperature was seen in subjects who practiced CCH. Increased skin temperature and decreased respiratory rate were also seen in subjects who practiced meditation, along with reduced muscle tension and heart rate. Conclusion: CCH and meditation have good effects in stress reduction. CCH is a particularly promising new approach to reducing stress.Keywords: calligraphic handwriting, meditation, stress reduction, intervention

The Measurement of Stressful Events in Chinese College Students

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Li, Hong; Lin, Chong-De; Bray, Melissa A.; Kehle, Thomas J.

2005-01-01

The "Chinese College Stress Scale" was developed to ascertain stress in university students. Results suggested that the psychometric properties of the "Chinese College Stress Scale" were satisfactory. Overall, student stress was primarily related to academic, personal, and negative life events. Approximately 8% of Chinese…

A putatively functional polymorphism in the HTR2C gene is associated with depressive symptoms in white females reporting significant life stress.

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Beverly H Brummett

Full Text Available Psychosocial stress is well known to be positively associated with subsequent depressive symptoms. Cortisol response to stress may be one of a number of biological mechanisms that links psychological stress to depressive symptoms, although the precise causal pathway remains unclear. Activity of the x-linked serotonin 5-HTR2C receptor has also been shown to be associated with depression and with clinical response to antidepressant medications. We recently demonstrated that variation in a single nucleotide polymorphism on the HTR2C gene, rs6318 (Ser23Cys, is associated with different cortisol release and short-term changes in affect in response to a series of stress tasks in the laboratory. Based on this observation, we decided to examine whether rs6318 might moderate the association between psychosocial stress and subsequent depressive symptoms. In the present study we use cross-sectional data from a large population-based sample of young adult White men (N = 2,366 and White women (N = 2,712 in the United States to test this moderation hypothesis. Specifically, we hypothesized that the association between self-reported stressful life events and depressive symptoms would be stronger among homozygous Ser23 C females and hemizygous Ser23 C males than among Cys23 G carriers. In separate within-sex analyses a genotype-by-life stress interaction was observed for women (p = .022 but not for men (p = .471. Homozygous Ser23 C women who reported high levels of life stress had depressive symptom scores that were about 0.3 standard deviations higher than female Cys23 G carriers with similarly high stress levels. In contrast, no appreciable difference in depressive symptoms was observed between genotypes at lower levels of stress. Our findings support prior work that suggests a functional SNP on the HTR2C gene may confer an increased risk for depressive symptoms in White women with a history of significant life stress.

Stress management in dental students: a systematic review

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Alzahem AM

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Abdullah M Alzahem,1 Henk T Van der Molen,2 Arwa H Alaujan,3 Benjamin J De Boer4 1King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 3Dental Services, Central Region, King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Clinical Psychology, Princess Nora University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Abstract: This study compared the effectiveness of stress management programs in dental education by systematic review of the literature. The number of studies concerning stress management programs for dental students is limited compared with studies discussing sources of stress. Several types of programs for stress management have been reported, and differ in their duration, content, and outcomes. Two main strategies have been used to help stressed students, ie, decreasing the number of stressors and increasing the ability to cope with stress. The first strategy includes several components, such as reducing fear of failure and workload pressure due to examinations and requirements. The second strategy includes coping techniques, such as deep breathing exercises. Although positive effects have been reported for most of the programs, these have mainly been evaluated using subjective self-report measures. There is a need for more research to identify the most effective stress management program. Keywords: students, dentistry, education, management, stress

Interindividual differences in stress sensitivity: basal and stress-induced cortisol levels differentially predict neural vigilance processing under stress.

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Henckens, Marloes J A G; Klumpers, Floris; Everaerd, Daphne; Kooijman, Sabine C; van Wingen, Guido A; Fernández, Guillén

2016-04-01

Stress exposure is known to precipitate psychological disorders. However, large differences exist in how individuals respond to stressful situations. A major marker for stress sensitivity is hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis function. Here, we studied how interindividual variance in both basal cortisol levels and stress-induced cortisol responses predicts differences in neural vigilance processing during stress exposure. Implementing a randomized, counterbalanced, crossover design, 120 healthy male participants were exposed to a stress-induction and control procedure, followed by an emotional perception task (viewing fearful and happy faces) during fMRI scanning. Stress sensitivity was assessed using physiological (salivary cortisol levels) and psychological measures (trait questionnaires). High stress-induced cortisol responses were associated with increased stress sensitivity as assessed by psychological questionnaires, a stronger stress-induced increase in medial temporal activity and greater differential amygdala responses to fearful as opposed to happy faces under control conditions. In contrast, high basal cortisol levels were related to relative stress resilience as reflected by higher extraversion scores, a lower stress-induced increase in amygdala activity and enhanced differential processing of fearful compared with happy faces under stress. These findings seem to reflect a critical role for HPA-axis signaling in stress coping; higher basal levels indicate stress resilience, whereas higher cortisol responsivity to stress might facilitate recovery in those individuals prone to react sensitively to stress. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Big Five Personality Traits and the General Factor of Personality as Moderators of Stress and Coping Reactions Following an Emergency Alarm on a Swiss University Campus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.P. Hengartner (Michael P.); D. van der Linden (Dimitri); L. Bohleber (Laura); A. von Wyl (Agnes)

2017-01-01

textabstractWe conducted an online survey including 306 participants aged 18-64years to assess the general factor of personality (GFP) and Big Five personality traits in relation to individual stress and coping reactions following a shooting emergency alarm at a Swiss university campus. Although the

Search strings for the study of putative occupational determinants of disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mattioli, Stefano; Zanardi, Francesca; Baldasseroni, Alberto; Schaafsma, Frederieke; Cooke, Robin M. T.; Mancini, Gianpiero; Fierro, Mauro; Santangelo, Chiara; Farioli, Andrea; Fucksia, Serenella; Curti, Stefania; Violante, Francesco S.; Verbeek, Jos

2010-01-01

To identify efficient PubMed search strategies to retrieve articles regarding putative occupational determinants of conditions not generally considered to be work related. Based on MeSH definitions and expert knowledge, we selected as candidate search terms the four MeSH terms describing

Transcriptional response of stress genes to metal exposure in zebra mussel larvae and adults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navarro, Anna; Faria, Melissa; Barata, Carlos; Pina, Benjamin

2011-01-01

Development of stress markers for the invader freshwater zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is of great interest for both conservation and biomonitoring purposes. Gene expression profiles of several putative or already established gene expression stress markers (Metallothionein, Superoxide dismutase, Catalase, Glutathione S transferase, Glutathione peroxidase, Cytochrome c oxidase, the multixenobiotic resistance P-gp1, and heat shock proteins HSP70 and HSP90) were analyzed by quantitative Real-Time PCR in adults and pediveliger larvae after exposure to metals (Hg, Cu, Cd). A defined pattern of coordinated responses to metal exposure and, presumably, to oxidative stress was observed in gills and digestive gland from adults. A similar, albeit partial response was observed in larvae, indicating an early development of stress-related gene responses in zebra mussel. The tools developed in this study may be useful both for future control strategies and for the use of zebra mussel as sentinel species in water courses with stable populations. - Coordinated expression of stress genes in zebra mussel.

Transcriptional response of stress genes to metal exposure in zebra mussel larvae and adults

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Navarro, Anna; Faria, Melissa; Barata, Carlos [Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona (Spain); Pina, Benjamin, E-mail: bpcbmc@cid.csic.e [Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona (Spain)

2011-01-15

Development of stress markers for the invader freshwater zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is of great interest for both conservation and biomonitoring purposes. Gene expression profiles of several putative or already established gene expression stress markers (Metallothionein, Superoxide dismutase, Catalase, Glutathione S transferase, Glutathione peroxidase, Cytochrome c oxidase, the multixenobiotic resistance P-gp1, and heat shock proteins HSP70 and HSP90) were analyzed by quantitative Real-Time PCR in adults and pediveliger larvae after exposure to metals (Hg, Cu, Cd). A defined pattern of coordinated responses to metal exposure and, presumably, to oxidative stress was observed in gills and digestive gland from adults. A similar, albeit partial response was observed in larvae, indicating an early development of stress-related gene responses in zebra mussel. The tools developed in this study may be useful both for future control strategies and for the use of zebra mussel as sentinel species in water courses with stable populations. - Coordinated expression of stress genes in zebra mussel.

The Buffer Effect of Therapy Dog Exposure on Stress Reactivity in Undergraduate Students

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Alexandra J. Fiocco

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Stress is an insidious health risk that is commonly reported among university students. While research suggests that dog exposure may facilitate recovery from a stress response, little is known about the buffer effect of dog exposure on the stress response to a future stressor. This study examined whether interaction with a therapy dog could reduce the strength of the physiological stress response when exposed to a subsequent stressor. Sixty-one university students were randomly assigned to either a therapy dog (TD, n = 31 or a no-dog control (C, n = 30 group. The stress response was measured by electrodermal activity (EDA in response to the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT. Participants also completed questionnaires that assessed pet attitude, general stress levels, and affect. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs showed that increase in EDA was significantly more pronounced in the C group than in the TD group (p < 0.01. Pet attitudes did not modulate the buffer effect of therapy dog exposure. Results suggest that therapy dog exposure may buffer the stress response in university students, which has implications for the promotion of a viable stress management program on university campuses.

Putative Biomarkers and Targets of Estrogen Receptor Negative Human Breast Cancer

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Stephen W. Byers

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Breast cancer is a progressive and potentially fatal disease that affects women of all ages. Like all progressive diseases, early and reliable diagnosis is the key for successful treatment and annihilation. Biomarkers serve as indicators of pathological, physiological, or pharmacological processes. Her2/neu, CA15.3, estrogen receptor (ER, progesterone receptor (PR, and cytokeratins are biomarkers that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy selection. The structural and functional complexity of protein biomarkers and the heterogeneity of the breast cancer pathology present challenges to the scientific community. Here we review estrogen receptor-related putative breast cancer biomarkers, including those of putative breast cancer stem cells, a minor population of estrogen receptor negative tumor cells that retain the stem cell property of self renewal. We also review a few promising cytoskeleton targets for ER alpha negative breast cancer.

Sequence analysis of putative swrW gene required for surfactant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

owner

2012-07-17

Jul 17, 2012 ... These nucleotide and protein sequence analysis of the putative swrW gene provides vital information on the versatility .... chain reaction (PCR) products were stored at 4°C. Presence of ... identical to the same gene with an E-value of 0.0. .... The Prokaryotes-A Handbook on the Biol. of Bacteria:Ecophysiol.

Predictors of Stress in College Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleh, Dalia; Camart, Nathalie; Romo, Lucia

2017-01-01

University students often face different stressful situations and preoccupations: the first contact with the university, the freedom of schedule organization, the selection of their master's degree, very selective fields, etc. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a model of vulnerability to stress in French college students. Stress factors were evaluated by a battery of six scales that was accessible online during 3 months. A total of 483 students, aged between 18 and 24 years (Mean = 20.23, standard deviation = 1.99), was included in the study. The results showed that 72.9, 86.3, and 79.3% of them were suffering from psychological distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. More than half the sample was also suffering from low self-esteem (57.6%), little optimism (56.7%), and a low sense of self-efficacy (62.7%). Regression analyses revealed that life satisfaction, self-esteem, optimism, self-efficacy and psychological distress were the most important predictors of stress. These findings allow us to better understand stress-vulnerability factors in students and drive us to substantially consider them in prevention programs.

Stress and symptoms of depression among medical students at the University of Copenhagen.

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Haldorsen, Hilde; Bak, Nanna Hasle; Dissing, Agnete; Petersson, Birgit

2014-02-01

This article aims to assess the levels of stress and symptoms of depression among Danish medical students, as well as explore the effect of social support on psychological distress. The results are based on numbers from the follow-up study 'From Student to Graduate' (j.nr 2006-41-6876). Two dimensions of stress, frequency and perception, were measured on a scale from 0-6. Odds ratios and significance of associations between the various exposure variables and the outcome measure, symptoms of depression, were calculated using multiple logistic regression and Wald tests. 30.5% of the students reported depressive symptoms. Stress frequency measured a mean of 2.26 (SD = 1.35). The mean for stress perception was 2.85 (SD = 1.30). Women reported higher levels of stress and depression compared to male medical students, but the differences were not significant (p > 0.05). Only the dimensions of stress and coping alone were significantly associated with reporting symptoms of depression (p Stress levels were moderate, but significantly associated with symptoms of depression. The interaction between the stress dimensions and the outcome measure illustrates the importance of stress appraisal. Coping alone with psychological problems was significantly associated with symptoms of depression.

A Proteomics Approach to Identify New Putative Cardiac Intercalated Disk Proteins.

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Siddarth Soni

Full Text Available Synchronous beating of the heart is dependent on the efficient functioning of the cardiac intercalated disk (ID. The ID is composed of a complex protein network enabling electrical continuity and chemical communication between individual cardiomyocytes. Recently, several different studies have shed light on increasingly prevalent cardiac diseases involving the ID. Insufficient knowledge of its composition makes it difficult to study these disease mechanisms in more detail and therefore here we aim expand the ID proteome. Here, using a combination of general membrane enrichment, in-depth quantitative proteomics and an intracellular location driven bioinformatics approach, we aim to discover new putative ID proteins in rat ventricular tissue.General membrane isolation, enriched amongst others also with ID proteins as based on presence of the established markers connexin-43 and n-cadherin, was performed using centrifugation. By mass spectrometry, we quantitatively evaluated the level of 3455 proteins in the enriched membrane fraction (EMF and its counterpart, the soluble cytoplasmic fraction. These data were stringently filtered to generate a final set of 97 enriched, putative ID proteins. These included Cx43 and n-cadherin, but also many interesting novel candidates. We selected 4 candidates (Flotillin-2 (FLOT2, Nexilin (NEXN, Popeye-domain-containg-protein 2 (POPDC2 and thioredoxin-related-transmembrane-protein 2 (TMX2 and confirmed their co-localization with n-cadherin in the ID of human and rat heart cryo-sections, and isolated dog cardiomyocytes.The presented proteomics dataset of putative new ID proteins is a valuable resource for future research into this important molecular intersection of the heart.

ARA-PEPs: a repository of putative sORF-encoded peptides in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazarika, Rashmi R; De Coninck, Barbara; Yamamoto, Lidia R; Martin, Laura R; Cammue, Bruno P A; van Noort, Vera

2017-01-17

Many eukaryotic RNAs have been considered non-coding as they only contain short open reading frames (sORFs). However, there is increasing evidence for the translation of these sORFs into bioactive peptides with potent signaling, antimicrobial, developmental, antioxidant roles etc. Yet only a few peptides encoded by sORFs are annotated in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. To aid the functional annotation of these peptides, we have developed ARA-PEPs (available at http://www.biw.kuleuven.be/CSB/ARA-PEPs ), a repository of putative peptides encoded by sORFs in the A. thaliana genome starting from in-house Tiling arrays, RNA-seq data and other publicly available datasets. ARA-PEPs currently lists 13,748 sORF-encoded peptides with transcriptional evidence. In addition to existing data, we have identified 100 novel transcriptionally active regions (TARs) that might encode 341 novel stress-induced peptides (SIPs). To aid in identification of bioactivity, we add functional annotation and sequence conservation to predicted peptides. To our knowledge, this is the largest repository of plant peptides encoded by sORFs with transcript evidence, publicly available and this resource will help scientists to effortlessly navigate the list of experimentally studied peptides, the experimental and computational evidence supporting the activity of these peptides and gain new perspectives for peptide discovery.

Putative and unique gene sequence utilization for the design of species specific probes as modeled by Lactobacillus plantarum

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The concept of utilizing putative and unique gene sequences for the design of species specific probes was tested. The abundance profile of assigned functions within the Lactobacillus plantarum genome was used for the identification of the putative and unique gene sequence, csh. The targeted gene (cs...

Search strings for the study of putative occupational determinants of disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mattioli, S.; Zanardi, F.; Baldasseroni, A.; Schaafsma, F.; Cooke, R.M.T.; Mancini, G.; Fierro, M.; Santangelo, C.; Farioli, A.; Fucksia, S.; Curti, S.; Violante, F.S.; Verbeek, J.

2010-01-01

Objective To identify efficient PubMed search strategies to retrieve articles regarding putative occupational determinants of conditions not generally considered to be work related. Methods Based on MeSH definitions and expert knowledge, we selected as candidate search terms the four MeSH terms

Effects of a chronic stress treatment on vaccinal response in lambs.

Science.gov (United States)

Destrez, A; Boissy, A; Guilloteau, L; Andanson, S; Souriau, A; Laroucau, K; Chaillou, E; Deiss, V

2017-05-01

Farming systems can expose animals to chronic mild stress which is known to induce negative affective state. Affective state in animals, as in humans, can be assessed through behavioral cues. This study aimed to describe the effect of a chronic mild stress, known to induce a negative affective state, on sheep health through their response to vaccination. The study used 15 lambs subjected to a model of chronic mild stress for 15 weeks and 15 lambs reared under conventional farming as a control group. After 7 weeks of stressful treatment, the lambs were individually exposed to a judgment bias test to assess a putative stress-induced 'pessimism.' After 15 weeks of stressful treatment, antibody immune response was measured after an injection of a live vaccine challenge (Chlamydia abortus attenuated vaccine strain 1B). Stressed lambs displayed a pessimistic-like perception in the judgment bias test, revealing a negative affective state. Stressed and control animals showed different immunological reactions to vaccine challenge: stressed sheep had lower hemoglobin concentrations and higher platelet, granulocyte and acute-phase protein concentrations. Antibody response induced by the vaccine strain was not different between stressed and control sheep. Our results suggest that negative affective state induced by chronic stress treatment may induce a stronger inflammatory response to vaccine challenge in sheep. Improvement of animal health may be achieved through consideration of stressors that may affect the emotional and immunological state of sheep.

Putative contact ketoconazole shampoo-triggered pemphigus foliaceus in a dog.

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Hyun-Jeong; Yoon, In-Hwa; Kim, Jung-Hyun

2017-09-01

A 10-year-old spayed female cocker spaniel dog was referred for an evaluation of acute-onset generalized pustular cutaneous lesions following application of ketoconazole shampoo. Cytologic and histopathologic examinations of the lesions revealed intra-epidermal pustules with predominantly neutrophils and acantholytic cells. This is the first description of putative contact ketoconazole shampoo-triggered pemphigus foliaceus in a dog.

Exposures to war-related traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among displaced Darfuri female university students: an exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Badri Alia

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background With the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of up to three million Darfuris, the increasingly complex and on-going war in Darfur has warranted the need to investigate war-related severity and current mental health levels amongst its civilian population. The purpose of this study is to explore the association between war-related exposures and assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD symptoms amongst a sample of Darfuri female university students at Ahfad University for Women (AUW in Omdurman city. Methods An exploratory cross-sectional study among a representative sample of Darfuri female university students at AUW (N = 123 was conducted in February 2010. Using an adapted version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ, war-related exposures and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD symptoms were assessed. Means and standard deviations illustrated the experiential severity of war exposure dimensions and PTSD symptom sub-scales, while Pearson correlations tested for the strength of association between dimensions of war exposures and PTSD symptom sub-scales. Results Approximately 42 % of the Darfuri participants reported being displaced and 54 % have experienced war-related traumatic exposures either as victims or as witnesses (M = 28, SD = 14.24, range 0 – 40 events. Also, there was a strong association between the experiential dimension of war-related trauma exposures and the full symptom of PTSD. Moreover, the refugee-specific self-perception of functioning sub-scale within the PTSD measurement scored a mean of 3.2 (SD = .56, well above the 2.0 cut-off. Conclusions This study provides evidence for a relationship between traumatic war-related exposures and symptom rates of PTSD among AUW Darfuri female students. Findings are discussed in terms of AUW counseling service improvement.

A transcriptome resource for Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) exposed to short-term stress

KAUST Repository

Martins, Maria Joã o F; Lago-Leston, Asuncion; Anjos, Antonio; Duarte, Carlos M.; Agusti, Susana; Serrã o, Ester A.; Pearson, Gareth A.

2015-01-01

Euphausia superba is a keystone species in Antarctic food webs. However, the continued decrease in stock density raises concerns over the resilience and adaptive potential of krill to withstand the current rate of environmental change. We undertook a transcriptome-scale approach (454 pyrosequencing) as a baseline for future studies addressing the physiological response of krill to short-term food shortage and natural UV-B stress. The final assembly resulted in a total of 26,415 contigs, 39.8% of which were putatively annotated. Exploratory analyses indicate an overall reduction in protein synthesis under food shortage while UV stress resulted in the activation of photo-protective mechanisms. © 2015.

A transcriptome resource for Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) exposed to short-term stress

KAUST Repository

Martins, Maria João F

2015-10-01

Euphausia superba is a keystone species in Antarctic food webs. However, the continued decrease in stock density raises concerns over the resilience and adaptive potential of krill to withstand the current rate of environmental change. We undertook a transcriptome-scale approach (454 pyrosequencing) as a baseline for future studies addressing the physiological response of krill to short-term food shortage and natural UV-B stress. The final assembly resulted in a total of 26,415 contigs, 39.8% of which were putatively annotated. Exploratory analyses indicate an overall reduction in protein synthesis under food shortage while UV stress resulted in the activation of photo-protective mechanisms. © 2015.

A seed preferential heat shock transcription factor from wheat provides abiotic stress tolerance and yield enhancement in transgenic Arabidopsis under heat stress environment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harsh Chauhan

Full Text Available Reduction in crop yield and quality due to various abiotic stresses is a worldwide phenomenon. In the present investigation, a heat shock factor (HSF gene expressing preferentially in developing seed tissues of wheat grown under high temperatures was cloned. This newly identified heat shock factor possesses the characteristic domains of class A type plant HSFs and shows high similarity to rice OsHsfA2d, hence named as TaHsfA2d. The transcription factor activity of TaHsfA2d was confirmed through transactivation assay in yeast. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing TaHsfA2d not only possess higher tolerance towards high temperature but also showed considerable tolerance to salinity and drought stresses, they also showed higher yield and biomass accumulation under constant heat stress conditions. Analysis of putative target genes of AtHSFA2 through quantitative RT-PCR showed higher and constitutive expression of several abiotic stress responsive genes in transgenic Arabidopsis plants over-expressing TaHsfA2d. Under stress conditions, TaHsfA2d can also functionally complement the T-DNA insertion mutants of AtHsfA2, although partially. These observations suggest that TaHsfA2d may be useful in molecular breeding of crop plants, especially wheat, to improve yield under abiotic stress conditions.

Systematic Review of Uit Parameters on Residual Stresses of Sensitized AA5456 and Field Based Residual Stress Measurements for Predicting and Mitigating Stress Corrosion Cracking

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-01

University Press, 2009, pp. 820–824. [30] S. Kou, Welding Metallurgy , 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2003. [31] M. N.James et al...around welds in aluminum ship structures both in the laboratory and in the field. Tensile residual stresses are often generated during welding and, in...mitigate and even reverse these tensile residual stresses. This research uses x-ray diffraction to measure residual stresses around welds in AA5456 before

Oxidative stress, aging, and diseases

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Liguori I

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Ilaria Liguori,1 Gennaro Russo,1 Francesco Curcio,1 Giulia Bulli,1 Luisa Aran,1 David Della-Morte,2,3 Gaetano Gargiulo,4 Gianluca Testa,1,5 Francesco Cacciatore,1,6 Domenico Bonaduce,1 Pasquale Abete1 1Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy; 2Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; 3San Raffaele Roma Open University, Rome, Italy; 4Division of Internal Medicine, AOU San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi di Aragona, Salerno, Italy; 5Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy; 6Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli, Monaldi Hospital, Heart Transplantation Unit, Naples, Italy Abstract: Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS are produced by several endogenous and exogenous processes, and their negative effects are neutralized by antioxidant defenses. Oxidative stress occurs from the imbalance between RONS production and these antioxidant defenses. Aging is a process characterized by the progressive loss of tissue and organ function. The oxidative stress theory of aging is based on the hypothesis that age-associated functional losses are due to the accumulation of RONS-induced damages. At the same time, oxidative stress is involved in several age-related conditions (ie, cardiovascular diseases [CVDs], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer, including sarcopenia and frailty. Different types of oxidative stress biomarkers have been identified and may provide important information about the efficacy of the treatment, guiding the selection of the most effective drugs/dose regimens for patients and, if particularly relevant from a pathophysiological point of view, acting on a specific therapeutic target. Given the important role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of many clinical conditions and aging, antioxidant therapy could positively affect the natural history of

Time Management and Its Relation To Students’ Stress, Gender and Academic Achievement Among Sample of Students at Al Ain University of Science and Technology, UAE

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Ahmad Saleh Al Khatib

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between time management, perceived stress, gender and academic achievement among United Arab Emirates college students. The respondents were 352 college students from Al Ain University of Science and Technology. The sample was stratified by sex. Among the respondents, 52.5% were female students and 47.5% were male students. The mean age of the sample was 23.4 years ranging from 18 to 39. Time management was measured by Time Management Questionnaire” developed by Britton and Tesser (1991, while perceived stress was measured by The Perceived Stress Scale developed by Cohen (1985. The findings of the study showed that there was statistically significant negative relationship between time management and perceived stress. Females reported higher time management compared to their males counter mates. Higher time management and lower perceived stress were associated with high levels of academic achievement. However, time management was the most significant predictor of academic achievement accounting for 26 % of the variance while perceived stress accounted for an additional 11.2% of the variance in academic achievement. All three predictors explained 29.4% (R = .543 of total variance. The implications and limitations are reviewed as are the suggestions for future research.   Keywords: Time management, perceived stress, academic achievement, college students.

A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Galante, Julieta; Dufour, Géraldine; Vainre, Maris; Wagner, Adam P; Stochl, Jan; Benton, Alice; Lathia, Neal; Howarth, Emma; Jones, Peter B

2018-02-01

The rising number of young people going to university has led to concerns about an increasing demand for student mental health services. We aimed to assess whether provision of mindfulness courses to university students would improve their resilience to stress. We did this pragmatic randomised controlled trial at the University of Cambridge, UK. Students aged 18 years or older with no severe mental illness or crisis (self-assessed) were randomly assigned (1:1), via remote survey software using computer-generated random numbers, to receive either an 8 week mindfulness course adapted for university students (Mindfulness Skills for Students [MSS]) plus mental health support as usual, or mental health support as usual alone. Participants and the study management team were aware of group allocation, but allocation was concealed from the researchers, outcome assessors, and study statistician. The primary outcome was self-reported psychological distress during the examination period, as measured with the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), with higher scores indicating more distress. The primary analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, number ACTRN12615001160527. Between Sept 28, 2015, and Jan 15, 2016, we randomly assigned 616 students to the MSS group (n=309) or the support as usual group (n=307). 453 (74%) participants completed the CORE-OM during the examination period and 182 (59%) MSS participants completed at least half of the course. MSS reduced distress scores during the examination period compared with support as usual, with mean CORE-OM scores of 0·87 (SD 0·50) in 237 MSS participants versus 1·11 (0·57) in 216 support as usual participants (adjusted mean difference -0·14, 95% CI -0·22 to -0·06; p=0·001), showing a moderate effect size (β -0·44, 95% CI -0·60 to -0·29; pmindfulness training could be an effective component of a wider student

Teacher Stress Inventory: validation of the Greek version and perceived stress levels among 3,447 educators

OpenAIRE

Kourmousi N; Darviri C; Varvogli L; Alexopoulos EC

2015-01-01

Ntina Kourmousi, Christina Darviri, Liza Varvogli, Evangelos C Alexopoulos School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece Background: The Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) is an instrument for measuring occupational stress in teachers. This study aimed to translate and adapt it for use in Greece, and then assess its reliability and validity. Methods: The Greek versions of the TSI and the 14-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) were posted on all Greek educators' official sites...

Student-Life Stress in Education and Health Service Majors

Science.gov (United States)

Zascavage, Victoria; Winterman, Kathleen G.; Buot, Max; Wies, Jennifer R.; Lyzinski, Natalie

2012-01-01

In order to better understand the effects of student-life stress on Education and Health Service majors (n = 195) at a private, religious, Midwestern university in the USA, we assessed student perception of overall stress level and physical stress level using the Student-life Stress Inventory. The targeted sample consisted of students with…

Academic Stress and Coping Strategies among Students with ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study examined the level of academic stress among university students with disabilities and the nature of coping strategies they used to deal with stress. It also examined if there existed significant differences in stress and coping strategies among students with different disabilities and between students with and without ...

Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity - Spike timing dependence and putative network function.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim P Vogels

2013-07-01

Full Text Available While the plasticity of excitatory synaptic connections in the brain has been widely studied, the plasticity of inhibitory connections is much less understood. Here, we present recent experimental and theoretical □ndings concerning the rules of spike timing-dependent inhibitory plasticity and their putative network function. This is a summary of a workshop at the COSYNE conference 2012.

to salt stress

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tony

2012-02-14

Feb 14, 2012 ... 3Inner Mongolia Industrial Engineering Research, Center of University for Castor, Tongliao 028042, ... strengthen and improve salt stress tolerance in plants. .... 2 µl cDNA, 1 µl each of 4 µM forward and reverse primer, 0.2 µl.

A putative causal relationship between genetically determined female body shape and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Polimanti, Renato; Amstadter, Ananda B; Stein, Murray B; Almli, Lynn M; Baker, Dewleen G; Bierut, Laura J; Bradley, Bekh; Farrer, Lindsay A; Johnson, Eric O; King, Anthony; Kranzler, Henry R; Maihofer, Adam X; Rice, John P; Roberts, Andrea L; Saccone, Nancy L; Zhao, Hongyu; Liberzon, Israel; Ressler, Kerry J; Nievergelt, Caroline M; Koenen, Karestan C; Gelernter, Joel

2017-11-27

The nature and underlying mechanisms of the observed increased vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women are unclear. We investigated the genetic overlap of PTSD with anthropometric traits and reproductive behaviors and functions in women. The analysis was conducted using female-specific summary statistics from large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and a cohort of 3577 European American women (966 PTSD cases and 2611 trauma-exposed controls). We applied a high-resolution polygenic score approach and Mendelian randomization analysis to investigate genetic correlations and causal relationships. We observed an inverse association of PTSD with genetically determined anthropometric traits related to body shape, independent of body mass index (BMI). The top association was related to BMI-adjusted waist circumference (WC adj ; R = -0.079, P body shape and PTSD, which could be mediated by evolutionary mechanisms involved in human sexual behaviors.

Proteomic analysis in the lichen Physcia adscendens exposed to cadmium stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rustichelli, C.; Visioli, G.; Kostecka, D.; Vurro, E.; Sanita di Toppi, L.; Marmiroli, N.

2008-01-01

This work was undertaken to explore the potential of proteomics to dissect parallel and consecutive events of cadmium stress response in the lichen Physcia adscendens (Fr.) H. Olivier. Thalli were exposed to 0 (control) and 36 μM Cd for 6, 18, 24 and 48 h. Two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry analyses showed an 80-85% spot identity between 6 and 18 h vs. 24 and 48 h of Cd exposure. Putative heat-shock proteins and glutathione S-transferase generally increased their expression all over the Cd treatments. By contrast, ABC transporters were underexpressed after 6-18 h, but in some cases induced after 24-48 h of Cd exposure. The cytochrome P450 appeared to have a variable expression pattern over time. Overall these data suggest that a considerable importance in the response of P. adscendens thalli to Cd stress can be assumed by differential expression of various protein families. - Physcia adscendens proteomic analysis under cadmium stress reveals differential expression of several protein families

Cognitive processing in putative functional gastrointestinal disorder: rumination yields orientation to social threat not pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Maryanne; Chapman, Sarah C E

2010-02-01

Two possible roles of selective attention in the development and maintenance of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were examined. First, hypervigilance to pain within FGID may exacerbate pain perception and pain-related distress. Second, hypervigilance to socially threatening stimuli could account for the disrupted social functioning reported by patients. Furthermore, stress-related variations in reported symptom severity and functioning impairments may reflect changes in cognitive bias with psychological state. Patterns of selective attention were probed within a sample of putative FGID participants (pFGID). The effect of rumination induction on performance on a modified exogenous cueing task was examined. Thirty-three women with pFGID and 27 matched controls responded to dot probes following pain, social threat and neutral word cues, both before and after rumination (passive self-focused thought), or distraction induction. Reaction times revealed that after rumination but not neutral distraction, pFGID participants showed enhanced attention to social threat words, but not to pain or neutral words. Between-group differences in mood, anxiety or depression could not account for these effects. These results implicate selective attention in social but not pain-related idiosyncrasies in FGID including IBS.

Cloning and sequence analysis of putative type II fatty acid synthase ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Prakash

Cloning and sequence analysis of putative type II fatty acid synthase genes from Arachis hypogaea L. ... acyl carrier protein (ACP), malonyl-CoA:ACP transacylase, β-ketoacyl-ACP .... Helix II plays a dominant role in the interaction ... main distinguishing features of plant ACPs in plastids and ..... synthase component; J. Biol.

The Aspergillus niger MADS-box transcription factor RlmA is required for cell wall reinforcement in response to cell wall stress.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Damveld, R.A.; Arentshorst, M.; Franken, A.; Vankuyk, P.A.; Klis, F.M.; van den Hondel, C.A.; Ram, A.F.

2005-01-01

In Aspergillus niger, the genes coding for glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (gfaA) and ¿-1,3-glucan synthase (agsA) are induced in response to cell wall stress. In silico analysis of the promoter region of the two genes revealed the presence of putative DNA binding sites for

Putative golden proportions as predictors of facial esthetics in adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiekens, Rosemie M A; Kuijpers-Jagtman, Anne Marie; van 't Hof, Martin A; van 't Hof, Bep E; Maltha, Jaap C

2008-10-01

In orthodontics, facial esthetics is assumed to be related to golden proportions apparent in the ideal human face. The aim of the study was to analyze the putative relationship between facial esthetics and golden proportions in white adolescents. Seventy-six adult laypeople evaluated sets of photographs of 64 adolescents on a visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 to 100. The facial esthetic value of each subject was calculated as a mean VAS score. Three observers recorded the position of 13 facial landmarks included in 19 putative golden proportions, based on the golden proportions as defined by Ricketts. The proportions and each proportion's deviation from the golden target (1.618) were calculated. This deviation was then related to the VAS scores. Only 4 of the 19 proportions had a significant negative correlation with the VAS scores, indicating that beautiful faces showed less deviation from the golden standard than less beautiful faces. Together, these variables explained only 16% of the variance. Few golden proportions have a significant relationship with facial esthetics in adolescents. The explained variance of these variables is too small to be of clinical importance.

Stress and symptoms of depression among medical students at the University of Copenhagen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haldorsen, Hilde; Hasle Bak, Nanna; Dissing, Agnete

2014-01-01

This article aims to assess the levels of stress and symptoms of depression among Danish medical students, as well as explore the effect of social support on psychological distress. The results are based on numbers from the follow-up study 'From Student to Graduate' (j.nr 2006-41-6876). Materials......: 30.5% of the students reported depressive symptoms. Stress frequency measured a mean of 2.26 (SD = 1.35). The mean for stress perception was 2.85 (SD = 1.30). Women reported higher levels of stress and depression compared to male medical students, but the differences were not significant (p > 0.......05). Only the dimensions of stress and coping alone were significantly associated with reporting symptoms of depression (p Students coping alone had a two times higher odds ratio for reporting depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Nearly one third of the participants reported feeling depressed. Stress...

Perceived stress and dietary choices: The moderating role of stress management.

Science.gov (United States)

Errisuriz, Vanessa L; Pasch, Keryn E; Perry, Cheryl L

2016-08-01

Many college students exhibit unhealthy eating behaviors, consuming large quantities of high-fat foods and few fruits and vegetables. Perceived stress has been linked to daily dietary choices among college students; however, this work has been conducted among predominantly white, female populations. The role of perceived stress management in moderating this relationship is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary choices among a diverse sample of male and female college freshmen and assessed whether perceived ability to manage stress moderated this relationship. 613 students from a large, public university completed an online survey which assessed past week consumption of various foods and beverages (e.g. soda, fast food, fruits, vegetables), as well as perceived stress and ability to manage stress. Hierarchical linear regression examined the association between perceived stress and past week dietary choices, and the moderating effect of perceived ability to manage stress, controlling for demographic variables. Perceived stress was positively associated with past week soda, coffee, energy drink, salty snack, frozen food, and fast food consumption (pmoderated the relationship between stress and sweet snack consumption. Individuals who reported low ability to manage stress consumed greater amounts. Findings indicate greater stress is associated with poor dietary choices among college freshmen. The relationship between stress and sweet snack consumption was exacerbated among those who reported low ability to manage stress. It may be important for college nutrition education programs to focus on the relationship between stress and diet and promote effective stress management techniques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stress-induced anhedonia in mice is associated with deficits in forced swimming and exploration.

Science.gov (United States)

Strekalova, Tatyana; Spanagel, Rainer; Bartsch, Dusan; Henn, Fritz A; Gass, Peter

2004-11-01

In order to develop a model for a depression-like syndrome in mice, we subjected male C57BL/6 mice to a 4-week-long chronic stress procedure, consisting of rat exposure, restraint stress, and tail suspension. This protocol resulted in a strong decrease in sucrose preference, a putative indicator of anhedonia in rodents. Interestingly, predisposition for stress-induced anhedonia was indicated by submissive behavior in a resident-intruder test. In contrast, most mice with nonsubmissive behavior did not develop a decrease in sucrose preference and were regarded as nonanhedonic. These animals were used as an internal control for stress-induced behavioral features not associated with the anhedonic state, since they were exposed to the same stressors as the anhedonic mice. Using a battery of behavioral tests after termination of the stress procedure, we found that anhedonia, but not chronic stress per se, is associated with key analogues of depressive symptoms, such as increased floating during forced swimming and decreased exploration of novelty. On the other hand, increased anxiety, altered locomotor activity, and loss of body weight were consequences of chronic stress, which occurred independently from anhedonia. Thus, behavioral correlates of stress-induced anhedonia and of chronic stress alone can be separated in the present model.

Stress, Social Support, and Depression: A Test of the Stress-Buffering Hypothesis in a Mexican Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Raffaelli, Marcela; Andrade, Flavia C. D.; Wiley, Angela R.; Sanchez-Armass, Omar; Edwards, Laura L.; Aradillas-Garcia, Celia

2013-01-01

This study examined social support as a potential moderator between stress and depressive symptoms among Mexican university applicants aged 16--21 years ("N" = 6,715; "M" age = 17.9 years; 55% female). In bivariate analyses, perceived stress was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, and social support with lower…

Rapid Quantification of Abscisic Acid by GC-MS/MS for Studies of Abiotic Stress Response.

Science.gov (United States)

Verslues, Paul E

2017-01-01

Drought and low water potential induce large increases in Abscisic Acid (ABA ) content of plant tissue. This increased ABA content is essential to regulate downstream stress resistance responses; however, the mechanisms regulating ABA accumulation are incompletely known. Thus, the ability to accurately quantify ABA at high throughput and low cost is important for plant stress research. We have combined and modified several previously published protocols to establish a rapid ABA analysis protocol using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Derivatization of ABA is performed with (trimethylsilyl)-diazomethane rather than the harder to prepare diazomethane. Sensitivity of the analysis is sufficient that small samples of low water potential treated Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings can be routinely analyzed in reverse genetic studies of putative stress regulators as well as studies of natural variation in ABA accumulation.

Stress, Shock, and Adaptation in the Twentieth Century

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leese, Peter

2016-01-01

Review article on: David Cantor and Edmund Ramsden, eds. Stress, Shock, and Adaptation in the Twentieth Century. Rochester Studies in Medical History. Rochester, N.Y.: University of Rochester Press, 2014. vi + 367 pp. Ill. $125.00 (978-1-58046-476-5).......Review article on: David Cantor and Edmund Ramsden, eds. Stress, Shock, and Adaptation in the Twentieth Century. Rochester Studies in Medical History. Rochester, N.Y.: University of Rochester Press, 2014. vi + 367 pp. Ill. $125.00 (978-1-58046-476-5)....

Investigations of some rock stress measuring techniques and the stress field in Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanssen, Tor Harald

1998-12-31

Rock stresses are important to the safe construction and operation of all man-made structures in rock, whether In mining, civil or petroleum engineering. The crucial issue is their relative magnitude and orientation. This thesis develops equipment and methods for further rock stress assessment and reevaluates existing overcoring rock stress measurements, and relates this information to the present geological setting. Both laboratory work and field work are involved. In the field, rock stresses are measured by the overcoring and the hydraulic fracturing technique. An observation technique for assessing likely high stresses is developed. The field data refer to several hydropower projects and to some offshore hydrocarbon fields. The principal sections are: (1) Tectonic setting in the western Fennoscandia, (2) Triaxial rock stress measurements by overcoring using the NTH cell (a strain gauge cell developed at the Norwegian technical university in Trondheim and based on the CSIR cell of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), (3) Laboratory testing of the NTH cell, (4) Quality ranking of stresses measured by the NTH cell, (4) Recalculated rock stresses and implications to the regional stress field, (5) Hydraulic fracturing stress measurements. 113 refs., 98 figs., 62 tabs.

Investigations of some rock stress measuring techniques and the stress field in Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanssen, Tor Harald

1997-12-31

Rock stresses are important to the safe construction and operation of all man-made structures in rock, whether In mining, civil or petroleum engineering. The crucial issue is their relative magnitude and orientation. This thesis develops equipment and methods for further rock stress assessment and reevaluates existing overcoring rock stress measurements, and relates this information to the present geological setting. Both laboratory work and field work are involved. In the field, rock stresses are measured by the overcoring and the hydraulic fracturing technique. An observation technique for assessing likely high stresses is developed. The field data refer to several hydropower projects and to some offshore hydrocarbon fields. The principal sections are: (1) Tectonic setting in the western Fennoscandia, (2) Triaxial rock stress measurements by overcoring using the NTH cell (a strain gauge cell developed at the Norwegian technical university in Trondheim and based on the CSIR cell of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), (3) Laboratory testing of the NTH cell, (4) Quality ranking of stresses measured by the NTH cell, (4) Recalculated rock stresses and implications to the regional stress field, (5) Hydraulic fracturing stress measurements. 113 refs., 98 figs., 62 tabs.

Memory-guided sensory comparisons in the prefrontal cortex: contribution of putative pyramidal cells and interneurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussar, Cory R; Pasternak, Tatiana

2012-02-22

Comparing two stimuli that occur at different times demands the coordination of bottom-up and top-down processes. It has been hypothesized that the dorsolateral prefrontal (PFC) cortex, the likely source of top-down cortical influences, plays a key role in such tasks, contributing to both maintenance and sensory comparisons. We examined this hypothesis by recording from the PFC of monkeys comparing directions of two moving stimuli, S1 and S2, separated by a memory delay. We determined the contribution of the two principal cell types to these processes by classifying neurons into broad-spiking (BS) putative pyramidal cells and narrow-spiking (NS) putative local interneurons. During the delay, BS cells were more likely to exhibit anticipatory modulation and represent the remembered direction. While this representation was transient, appearing at different times in different neurons, it weakened when direction was not task relevant, suggesting its utility. During S2, both putative cell types showed comparison-related activity modulations. These modulations were of two types, each carried by different neurons, which either preferred trials with stimuli moving in the same direction or trials with stimuli of different directions. These comparison effects were strongly correlated with choice, suggesting their role in circuitry underlying decision making. These results provide the first demonstration of distinct contributions made by principal cell types to memory-guided perceptual decisions. During sensory stimulation both cell types represent behaviorally relevant stimulus features contributing to comparison and decision-related activity. However in the absence of sensory stimulation, putative pyramidal cells dominated, carrying information about the elapsed time and the preceding direction.

Transcriptomic analysis on the formation of the viable putative non-culturable state of beer-spoilage Lactobacillus acetotolerans.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Junyan; Deng, Yang; Peters, Brian M; Li, Lin; Li, Bing; Chen, Lequn; Xu, Zhenbo; Shirtliff, Mark E

2016-11-07

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most common beer-spoilage bacteria regardless of beer type, and thus pose significant problems for the brewery industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic mechanisms involved in the ability of the hard-to-culture beer-spoilage bacterium Lactobacillus acetotolerans to enter into the viable putative non-culturable (VPNC) state. A genome-wide transcriptional analysis of beer-spoilage L. acetotolerans strains BM-LA14526, BM-LA14527, and BM-LA14528 under normal, mid-term and VPNC states were performed using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and further bioinformatics analyses. GO function, COG category, and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted to investigate functional and related metabolic pathways of the differentially expressed genes. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis indicated that heightened stress response and reduction in genes associated with transport, metabolic process, and enzyme activity might play important roles in the formation of the VPNC state. This is the first transcriptomic analysis on the formation of the VPNC state of beer spoilage L. acetotolerans.

Perceived stress and quality of life of pharmacy students in University of Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Opoku-Acheampong, Adomah; Kretchy, Irene A; Acheampong, Franklin; Afrane, Barima A; Ashong, Sharon; Tamakloe, Bernice; Nyarko, Alexander K

2017-03-02

Stress among pharmacy students could greatly affect their learning activities and general well-being. It is therefore necessary to investigate how stress relates with the quality of life of students to maintain and/or improve their personal satisfaction and academic performance. A school-based longitudinal study was used to investigate the relationship between stress and quality of life of undergraduate pharmacy students. The 10-item perceived stress scale and the shorter version of the WHO quality of life scale were administered to the same participants at two time points i.e. Time 1 (4 weeks into the semester) and Time 2 (8 weeks afterwards). The correlations and differences between the study variables were tested using the Pearson's coefficient and independent sample t test. The mean stress scores were higher at Time 2 compared to Time 1 for the first and second years. However, there was no significant difference in stress for different year groups-Time 1 [F (3) = 0.410; p = 0.746] and Time 2 [F(3) = 0.909; p = 0.439]. Female students had higher stress scores at Time 2 compared to male students. The main stressors identified in the study were; large volume of material to be studied (88.2%), laboratory report writing (78.2%), constant pressure to maintain good grades (66.4%) and the lack of leisure time (46.4%). Even though most students employed positive stress management strategies such as time management (68.2%), other students resorted to emotional eating (9.1%) and alcohol/substance use (1.8%). At Time 2, perceived stress scores were significantly negatively correlated with social relationship (r = -0.40, p ≤ 0.0001), environmental health (r = -0.37, p ≤ 0.0001), physical health (r = -0.49, p ≤ 0.0001) and psychological health (r = -0.51, p ≤ 0.0001). The study reported significant correlations between stress and various domains of quality of life of undergraduate pharmacy students. It is thus necessary to institute some

Transcriptional regulation of the operon encoding stress-responsive ECF sigma factor SigH and its anti-sigma factor RshA, and control of its regulatory network in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Busche Tobias

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The expression of genes in Corynebacterium glutamicum, a Gram-positive non-pathogenic bacterium used mainly for the industrial production of amino acids, is regulated by seven different sigma factors of RNA polymerase, including the stress-responsive ECF-sigma factor SigH. The sigH gene is located in a gene cluster together with the rshA gene, putatively encoding an anti-sigma factor. The aim of this study was to analyze the transcriptional regulation of the sigH and rshA gene cluster and the effects of RshA on the SigH regulon, in order to refine the model describing the role of SigH and RshA during stress response. Results Transcription analyses revealed that the sigH gene and rshA gene are cotranscribed from four sigH housekeeping promoters in C. glutamicum. In addition, a SigH-controlled rshA promoter was found to only drive the transcription of the rshA gene. To test the role of the putative anti-sigma factor gene rshA under normal growth conditions, a C. glutamicum rshA deletion strain was constructed and used for genome-wide transcription profiling with DNA microarrays. In total, 83 genes organized in 61 putative transcriptional units, including those previously detected using sigH mutant strains, exhibited increased transcript levels in the rshA deletion mutant compared to its parental strain. The genes encoding proteins related to disulphide stress response, heat stress proteins, components of the SOS-response to DNA damage and proteasome components were the most markedly upregulated gene groups. Altogether six SigH-dependent promoters upstream of the identified genes were determined by primer extension and a refined consensus promoter consisting of 45 original promoter sequences was constructed. Conclusions The rshA gene codes for an anti-sigma factor controlling the function of the stress-responsive sigma factor SigH in C. glutamicum. Transcription of rshA from a SigH-dependent promoter may serve to quickly

Transcriptional regulation of the operon encoding stress-responsive ECF sigma factor SigH and its anti-sigma factor RshA, and control of its regulatory network in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Science.gov (United States)

Busche, Tobias; Silar, Radoslav; Pičmanová, Martina; Pátek, Miroslav; Kalinowski, Jörn

2012-09-03

The expression of genes in Corynebacterium glutamicum, a Gram-positive non-pathogenic bacterium used mainly for the industrial production of amino acids, is regulated by seven different sigma factors of RNA polymerase, including the stress-responsive ECF-sigma factor SigH. The sigH gene is located in a gene cluster together with the rshA gene, putatively encoding an anti-sigma factor. The aim of this study was to analyze the transcriptional regulation of the sigH and rshA gene cluster and the effects of RshA on the SigH regulon, in order to refine the model describing the role of SigH and RshA during stress response. Transcription analyses revealed that the sigH gene and rshA gene are cotranscribed from four sigH housekeeping promoters in C. glutamicum. In addition, a SigH-controlled rshA promoter was found to only drive the transcription of the rshA gene. To test the role of the putative anti-sigma factor gene rshA under normal growth conditions, a C. glutamicum rshA deletion strain was constructed and used for genome-wide transcription profiling with DNA microarrays. In total, 83 genes organized in 61 putative transcriptional units, including those previously detected using sigH mutant strains, exhibited increased transcript levels in the rshA deletion mutant compared to its parental strain. The genes encoding proteins related to disulphide stress response, heat stress proteins, components of the SOS-response to DNA damage and proteasome components were the most markedly upregulated gene groups. Altogether six SigH-dependent promoters upstream of the identified genes were determined by primer extension and a refined consensus promoter consisting of 45 original promoter sequences was constructed. The rshA gene codes for an anti-sigma factor controlling the function of the stress-responsive sigma factor SigH in C. glutamicum. Transcription of rshA from a SigH-dependent promoter may serve to quickly shutdown the SigH-dependent stress response after the cells have

Putative pacemakers in the eyestalk and brain of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii show circadian oscillations in levels of mRNA for crustacean hyperglycemic hormone.

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Janikua Nelson-Mora

Full Text Available Crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH synthesizing cells in the optic lobe, one of the pacemakers of the circadian system, have been shown to be present in crayfish. However, the presence of CHH in the central brain, another putative pacemaker of the multi-oscillatory circadian system, of this decapod and its circadian transcription in the optic lobe and brain have yet to be explored. Therefore, using qualitative and quantitative PCR, we isolated and cloned a CHH mRNA fragment from two putative pacemakers of the multi-oscillatory circadian system of Procambarus clarkii, the optic lobe and the central brain. This CHH transcript synchronized to daily light-dark cycles and oscillated under dark, constant conditions demonstrating statistically significant daily and circadian rhythms in both structures. Furthermore, to investigate the presence of the peptide in the central brain of this decapod, we used immunohistochemical methods. Confocal microscopy revealed the presence of CHH-IR in fibers and cells of the protocerebral and tritocerebal clusters and neuropiles, particularly in some neurons located in clusters 6, 14, 15 and 17. The presence of CHH positive neurons in structures of P. clarkii where clock proteins have been reported suggests a relationship between the circadian clockwork and CHH. This work provides new insights into the circadian regulation of CHH, a pleiotropic hormone that regulates many physiological processes such as glucose metabolism and osmoregulatory responses to stress.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of a putative glucokinase/hexokinase from Thermus thermophilus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Tsutomu; Kashima, Yasuhiro; Mine, Shouhei; Oku, Takashi; Uegaki, Koichi

2011-01-01

In this study, a putative glucokinase/hexokinase from T. thermophilus was purified and crystallized. Diffraction data were collected and processed to 2.02 Å resolution. Glucokinase/hexokinase catalyzes the phosphorylation of glucose to glucose 6-phosphate, which is the first step of glycolysis. The open reading frame TTHA0299 of the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus encodes a putative glucokinase/hexokinase which contains the consensus sequence for proteins from the repressors, open reading frames and sugar kinases family. In this study, the glucokinase/hexokinase from T. thermophilus was purified and crystallized using polyethylene glycol 8000 as a precipitant. Diffraction data were collected and processed to 2.02 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to space group P2 1 , with unit-cell parameters a = 70.93, b = 138.14, c = 75.16 Å, β = 95.41°

SGH: stress or strain gradient hypothesis? Insights from an elevation gradient on the roof of the world.

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Liancourt, Pierre; Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Yoann; Rixen, Christian; Dolezal, Jiri

2017-07-01

The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH), the view that competition prevails in undisturbed and productive environments, and shifts to facilitation in disturbed or stressful environments, has become a central paradigm in ecology. However, an alternative view proposes that the relationship between biotic interactions and environmental severity should be unimodal instead of monotonic. Possible causes of discrepancies between these two views were examined in the high elevation desert of the arid Trans-Himalayas. A putative nurse species and its associated plant community was surveyed over its entire elevation range, spanning from alpine to desert vegetation belts. The results were analysed at the community level (vegetation cover and species richness), considering the distinction between the intensity and the importance of biotic interactions. Interactions at the species level (pairwise interactions) were also considered, i.e. the variation of biotic interactions within the niche of a species, for which the abundance (species cover) and probability of occurrence (presence/absence) for the most widespread species along the gradient were distinguished. Overall, facilitation was infrequent in our study system; however, it was observed for the two most widespread species. At the community level, the intensity and importance of biotic interactions showed a unimodal pattern. The departure from the prediction of the SGH happened abruptly where the nurse species entered the desert vegetation belt at the lowest elevation. This abrupt shift was attributed to the turnover of species with contrasting tolerances. At the species level, however, facilitation increased consistently as the level of stress increases and individuals deviate from their optimum (increasing strain). While the stress gradient hypothesis was not supported along our elevation gradient at the community level, the strain gradient hypothesis, considering how species perceive the ambient level of stress and deviate

The role of responsiveness within the self in transitions to university

OpenAIRE

Marsico, Giuseppina; Gomes, Ramon; Dazzani, Virginia

2018-01-01

Entering university is a complex psychosocial phenomenon that can create several new stressful situations that students need to face. The transition into university may be accompanied by some psychosocial problems such as reduced self-esteem and academic achievement, increased social anxiety, and a critical rise in the probability of dropout.How does a person use cultural elements to cope with stress? Responding to thisquestion requires an understanding of the multivocal and ambivalent self. ...

Evaluation of surveillance of dengue fever cases in the public health centre of Putat Jaya based on attribute surveillance

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Zumaroh Zumaroh

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF is a public health problem in the village of Putat Jaya which is an endemic area. Surveilans activity in DHF control program is the most important activity in controlling and monitoring disease progression. The program is expected to achieve incidence rate 55/100.000 population. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of case surveilans in health centre of putat jaya based on attribute surveillance. Attribute surveillance is an indicator that describes the characteristics of the surveillance system. This research was an evaluation research with descriptive study design. As informants were clinic staff who deal specifically with cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever and laboratory workers. The techniques of data collection by interviews and document study. The variables of this study were simplicity, flexibility, acceptability, sensitivity, positive predictive value, representativeness, timeliness, data quality and data stability. It could be seen from Incidence Rate in 2013 has reached 133/100.00 population. The activity of surveilance in the village of Putat Jaya reviewed from disease contol program management was not succeed into decrease incidence rate of DHF. Therefore, dengue control programs in health centers Putat Jaya need to do cross-sector cooperation and cross-program cooperation, strengthening the case reporting system by way increasing in the utilization of information and communication technology electromedia. Keywords: case surveillance, dengue hemorrhagic fever, evaluation, attribute surveillance, Putat Jaya

Clonidine blocks stress-induced craving in cocaine users.

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Jobes, Michelle L; Ghitza, Udi E; Epstein, David H; Phillips, Karran A; Heishman, Stephen J; Preston, Kenzie L

2011-11-01

Reactivity to stressors and environmental cues, a putative cause of relapse in addiction, may be a useful target for relapse-prevention medication. In rodents, alpha-2 adrenergic agonists such as clonidine block stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking, but not drug cue-induced reinstatement. The objective of this study is to test the effect of clonidine on stress- and cue-induced craving in human cocaine users. Healthy, non-treatment-seeking cocaine users (n = 59) were randomly assigned to three groups receiving clonidine 0, 0.1, or 0.2 mg orally under double-blind conditions. In a single test session, each participant received clonidine or placebo followed 3 h later by exposure to two pairs of standardized auditory-imagery scripts (neutral/stress and neutral/drug). Subjective measures of craving were collected. Subjective responsivity ("crave cocaine" Visual Analog Scale) to stress scripts was significantly attenuated in the 0.1- and 0.2-mg clonidine groups; for drug-cue scripts, this attenuation occurred only in the 0.2-mg group. Other subjective measures of craving showed similar patterns of effects but Dose × Script interactions were not significant. Clonidine was effective in reducing stress-induced (and, at a higher dose, cue-induced) craving in a pattern consistent with preclinical findings, although this was significant on only one of several measures. Our results, though modest and preliminary, converge with other evidence to suggest that alpha-2 adrenergic agonists may help prevent relapse in drug abusers experiencing stress or situations that remind them of drug use.

Transcriptome response mediated by cold stress in Lotus japonicus

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Pablo Ignacio Calzadilla

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Members of the Lotus genus are important as agricultural forage sources under marginal environmental conditions given their high nutritional value and tolerance of various abiotic stresses. However, their dry matter production is drastically reduced in cooler seasons, while their response to such conditions is not well studied. This paper analyzes cold acclimation of the genus by studying Lotus japonicus over a stress period of 24 h. High-throughput RNA sequencing was used to identify and classify 1077 differentially expressed genes, of which 713 were up-regulated and 364 were down-regulated. Up-regulated genes were principally related to lipid, cell wall, phenylpropanoid, sugar, and proline regulation, while down-regulated genes affected the photosynthetic process and chloroplast development. Together, a total of 41 cold-inducible transcription factors were identified, including members of the AP2/ERF, NAC, MYB, and WRKY families; two of them were described as putative novel transcription factors. Finally, DREB1/CBFs were described with respect to their cold stress expression profiles. This is the first transcriptome profiling of the model legume L. japonicus under cold stress. Data obtained may be useful in identifying candidate genes for breeding modified species of forage legumes that more readily acclimate to low temperatures

Chronic Stress in Young German Adults: Who Is Affected? A Prospective Cohort Study.

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Herrera, Ronald; Berger, Ursula; Genuneit, Jon; Gerlich, Jessica; Nowak, Dennis; Schlotz, Wolff; Vogelberg, Christian; von Mutius, Erika; Weinmayr, Gudrun; Windstetter, Doris; Weigl, Matthias; Radon, Katja

2017-10-31

We aimed to prospectively assess changes in chronic stress among young adults transitioning from high school to university or working life. A population-based cohort in Munich and Dresden (Germany) was followed from age 16-18 (2002-2003) to age 20-23 (2007-2009) ( n = 1688). Using the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress, two dimensions of stress at university or work were assessed: work overload and work discontent. In the multiple ordinal generalized estimating equations, socio-demographics, stress outside the workplace, and job history were additionally considered. At follow-up, 52% of the population were university students. Work overload increased statistically significantly from first to second follow-up, while work discontent remained constant at the population level. Students, compared to employees, reported a larger increase in work overload (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.07, 1.67), while work discontent did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, work overload increases when young adults transition from school to university/job life, with university students experiencing the largest increase.

Phosphate-dependent root system architecture responses to salt stress

KAUST Repository

Kawa, Dorota; Julkowska, Magdalena; Montero Sommerfeld, Hector; Horst, Anneliek ter; Haring, Michel A; Testerink, Christa

2016-01-01

Nutrient availability and salinity of the soil affect growth and development of plant roots. Here, we describe how phosphate availability affects root system architecture (RSA) of Arabidopsis and how phosphate levels modulate responses of the root to salt stress. Phosphate (Pi) starvation reduced main root length and increased the number of lateral roots of Arabidopsis Col-0 seedlings. In combination with salt, low Pi dampened the inhibiting effect of mild salt stress (75mM) on all measured RSA components. At higher NaCl concentrations, the Pi deprivation response prevailed over the salt stress only for lateral root elongation. The Pi deprivation response of lateral roots appeared to be oppositely affected by abscisic acid (ABA) signaling compared to the salt stress response. Natural variation in the response to the combination treatment of salt and Pi starvation within 330 Arabidopsis accessions could be grouped into four response patterns. When exposed to double stress, in general lateral roots prioritized responses to salt, while the effect on main root traits was additive. Interestingly, these patterns were not identical for all accessions studied and multiple strategies to integrate the signals from Pi deprivation and salinity were identified. By Genome Wide Association Mapping (GWAS) 13 genomic loci were identified as putative factors integrating responses to salt stress and Pi starvation. From our experiments, we conclude that Pi starvation interferes with salt responses mainly at the level of lateral roots and that large natural variation exists in the available genetic repertoire of accessions to handle the combination of stresses.

Phosphate-dependent root system architecture responses to salt stress

KAUST Repository

Kawa, Dorota

2016-05-20

Nutrient availability and salinity of the soil affect growth and development of plant roots. Here, we describe how phosphate availability affects root system architecture (RSA) of Arabidopsis and how phosphate levels modulate responses of the root to salt stress. Phosphate (Pi) starvation reduced main root length and increased the number of lateral roots of Arabidopsis Col-0 seedlings. In combination with salt, low Pi dampened the inhibiting effect of mild salt stress (75mM) on all measured RSA components. At higher NaCl concentrations, the Pi deprivation response prevailed over the salt stress only for lateral root elongation. The Pi deprivation response of lateral roots appeared to be oppositely affected by abscisic acid (ABA) signaling compared to the salt stress response. Natural variation in the response to the combination treatment of salt and Pi starvation within 330 Arabidopsis accessions could be grouped into four response patterns. When exposed to double stress, in general lateral roots prioritized responses to salt, while the effect on main root traits was additive. Interestingly, these patterns were not identical for all accessions studied and multiple strategies to integrate the signals from Pi deprivation and salinity were identified. By Genome Wide Association Mapping (GWAS) 13 genomic loci were identified as putative factors integrating responses to salt stress and Pi starvation. From our experiments, we conclude that Pi starvation interferes with salt responses mainly at the level of lateral roots and that large natural variation exists in the available genetic repertoire of accessions to handle the combination of stresses.

Stress among Graduate Students in Relation to Health Behaviors

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van Berkel, Kelly; Reeves, Brenda

2017-01-01

Problem: While stress is universal for graduate students, the difference in terms of stress symptoms and the effects on health behavior is how students cope. While numerous research studies have linked stress and negative health behaviors, few studies have objectively assessed these variables. Purpose: Utilize current health and fitness technology…

Effect of year of study on stress levels in male undergraduate dental students

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Alzahem AM

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Abdullah M Alzahem,1 Henk T van der Molen,2 Benjamin J de Boer31Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD Residency Program, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center/King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences/National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 3Clinical Psychology, Princess Nora University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaObjective: Stress among dental students can be a significant threat, resulting in physical and/or mental illness, and have a negative effect on students' performance and the professional practice of dentistry. Stress can occur from different sources. The purpose of this study is to test whether the year of study has an effect on the stress levels of dental students.Method: Our study consisted of a cross-sectional survey using a modified version of the Dental Environment Stress (DES questionnaire. The questionnaires were filled out by male undergraduate dental students at King Saud University in Riyadh City during the 2010–2011 academic year (n = 214.Results: The results show the most common sources of stress: examinations and completing clinical requirements. Moreover, in the five-year lecture-based traditional curriculum, the third year students reported the highest level of stress, whereas the first year reported the lowest level of stress.Conclusion: Third year undergraduate dental students reported the highest level of stress. This stress could be reduced by reviewing and modifying the dental curriculum by allowing students to have contact with patients more gradually, starting from the first year, in addition to adding stress prevention and intervention programs in dental curricula.Keywords: dental, education, students, stress, study year

Emotion perception and overconfidence in errors under stress in psychosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Köther, Ulf; Lincoln, Tania M; Moritz, Steffen

2018-03-21

Vulnerability stress models are well-accepted in psychosis research, but the mechanisms that link stress to psychotic symptoms remain vague. Little is known about how social cognition and overconfidence in errors, two putative mechanisms for the pathogenesis of delusions, relate to stress. Using a repeated measures design, we tested four groups (N=120) with different liability to psychosis (schizophrenia patients [n=35], first-degree relatives [n=24], participants with attenuated positive symptoms [n=19] and healthy controls [n=28]) and depression patients (n=14) as a clinical control group under three randomized experimental conditions (no stress, noise and social stress). Parallel versions of the Emotion Perception and Confidence Task, which taps both emotion perception and confidence, were used in each condition. We recorded subjective stress, heart rate, skin conductance level and salivary cortisol to assess the stress response across different dimensions. Independent of the stress condition, patients with schizophrenia showed poorer emotion perception performance and higher confidence in emotion perception errors than participants with attenuated positive symptoms and healthy controls. However, they did not differ from patients with depression or first-degree relatives. Stress did not influence emotion perception or the extent of high-confident errors, but patients with schizophrenia showed an increase in high-confident emotion perception errors conditional on higher arousal. A possible clinical implication of our findings is the necessity to provide stress management programs that aim to reduce arousal. Moreover, patients with schizophrenia might benefit from interventions that help them to reduce overconfidence in their social cognition judgements in times in which they feel being under pressure. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Expression of putative expansin genes in phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch) induced root galls of Vitis spp.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawo, N C; Griesser, M; Forneck, A

Grape phylloxera ( Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch) is a serious global pest in viticulture. The insects are sedentary feeders and require a gall to feed and reproduce. The insects induce their feeding site within the meristematic zone of the root tip, where they stay attached, feeding both intra- and intercellularly, and causing damage by reducing plant vigour. Several changes in cell structure and composition, including increased cell division and tissue swelling close to the feeding site, cause an organoid gall called a nodosity to develop. Because alpha expansin genes are involved in cell enlargement and cell wall loosening in many plant tissues it may be anticipated that they are also involved in nodosity formation. To identify expansin genes in Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot noir , we mined for orthologues genes in a comparative analysis. Eleven putative expansin genes were identified and shown to be present in the rootstock Teleki 5C ( V. berlandieri Planch. x V. riparia Michx.) using specific PCR followed by DNA sequencing. Expression analysis of young and mature nodosities and uninfested root tips were conducted via quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Up-regulation was measured for three putative expansin genes (VvEXPA15, -A17 and partly -A20) or down-regulation for three other putative genes (VvEXPA7, -A12, -A20) in nodosities. The present study clearly shows the involvement of putative expansin genes in the phylloxera-root interaction.

Distribution of putative virulence genes and antimicrobial drug resistance in Vibrio harveyi

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Parvathi, A.; Mendez, D.; Anto, C.

zonula occludens toxin (Zot) and a hemolysin-coregulated protein gene (hcp) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of the four putative reversible toxin genes, vhh-1 was detected in 31% of the isolates, vhh-2 in 46%, vhh-3 in 23% and vhh-4 was detected in 27...

Cloning and characterization of prunus serotina AGAMOUS, a putative flower homeotic gene

Science.gov (United States)

Xiaomei Liu; Joseph Anderson; Paula Pijut

2010-01-01

Members of the AGAMOUS subfamily of MADS-box transcription factors play an important role in regulating the development of reproductive organs in flowering plants. To help understand the mechanism of floral development in black cherry (Prunus serotina), PsAG (a putative flower homeotic identity gene) was isolated...

Level of empathy among medical students in Kuwait University, Kuwait.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, S; Al-Sharqawi, N; Dashti, F; AbdulAziz, M; Abdullah, A; Shukkur, M; Bouhaimed, M; Thalib, L

2013-01-01

To evaluate the level of empathy among medical students in Kuwait University Medical School and its association with sociodemographic factors, stress levels and personality. A cross-sectional survey of 264 medical students was conducted in the Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University. Empathy levels were measured using the Jefferson Scale, personality was assessed using the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale was used to measure stress levels. Factors associated with empathy were evaluated using t test/ANOVA for categorical variables and correlation for continuous predictors. Mean empathy score was 104.6 ± 16.3. Empathy scores were significantly associated with gender, year of study, mother's level of education, household income, satisfactory relationship with the mother and stress levels. Male medical students in their clinical years also had significantly lower empathy levels. However, factors such as grade point average, desired specialty, marital status of parents, father's educational level and relationship with father were not significantly (p > 0.05) associated with levels of empathy. Stress scores were significantly and positively associated with empathy (r = 0.13; p = 0.041). Medical students in Kuwait University had low empathy level and this may be a cause for concern; as such we suggest a possible inclusion of emphasis on empathy in the curriculum. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Towards an Integrated View of Early Molecular Changes Underlying Vulnerability to Social Stress in Psychosis.

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Barron, Henry; Hafizi, Sina; Mizrahi, Romina

2017-01-01

Psychotic disorders are heterogeneous and complex, involving many putative causal factors interacting along the course of disease development. Many of the factors implicated in the pathogenesis of psychosis also appear to be involved in disease onset and subsequent neuroprogression. Herein, we highlight the pertinent literature implicating inflammation and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of psychosis, and the potential contribution of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). We also emphasize the role of peripubertal social stress in psychosis, and the ways in which hippocampal dysfunction can mediate dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and cortisol release. Finally, we propose a model wherein inflammation and oxidative stress act as a first hit, producing altered parvalbumin interneuron development, NMDAR hypofunction, microglial priming, and sensitivity to a second hit of peripubertal social stress. With a greater understanding of how these factors interact, it may be possible to detect, prevent, and treat psychosis more effectively. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF A PUTATIVE OXIDOREDUCTASE FROM KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baig, M.; Brown, A.; Eswaramoorthy, S.; Swaminathan, S.

2009-01-01

Klebsiella pneumoniae, a gram-negative enteric bacterium, is found in nosocomial infections which are acquired during hospital stays for about 10% of hospital patients in the United States. The crystal structure of a putative oxidoreductase from K. pneumoniae has been determined. The structural information of this K. pneumoniae protein was used to understand its function. Crystals of the putative oxidoreductase enzyme were obtained by the sitting drop vapor diffusion method using Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350, Bis-Tris buffer, pH 5.5 as precipitant. These crystals were used to collect X-ray data at beam line X12C of the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The crystal structure was determined using the SHELX program and refi ned with CNS 1.1. This protein, which is involved in the catalysis of an oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction, has an alpha/beta structure. It utilizes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) or nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to perform its function. This structure could be used to determine the active and co-factor binding sites of the protein, information that could help pharmaceutical companies in drug design and in determining the protein’s relationship to disease treatment such as that for pneumonia and other related pathologies.

Academic Stress and Self-Regulation among University Students in Malaysia: Mediator Role of Mindfulness.

Science.gov (United States)

Hj Ramli, Nur Hamizah; Alavi, Masoumeh; Mehrinezhad, Seyed Abolghasem; Ahmadi, Atefeh

2018-01-15

Academic stress is the most common emotional or mental state that students experience during their studies. Stress is a result of a wide range of issues, including test and exam burden, a demanding course, a different educational system, and thinking about future plans upon graduation. A sizeable body of literature in stress management research has found that self-regulation and being mindful will help students to cope up with the stress and dodge long-term negative consequences, such as substance abuse. The present study aims to investigate the influence of academic stress, self-regulation, and mindfulness among undergraduate students in Klang Valley, Malaysia, and to identify mindfulness as the mediator between academic stress and self-regulation. For this study, a total of 384 undergraduate students in Klang Valley, Malaysia were recruited. Using Correlational analysis, results revealed that there was a significant relationship between academic stress, self-regulation, and mindfulness. However, using SPSS mediational analysis, mindfulness did not prove the mediator role in the study.

Reasons Why University Students Do Not Seek Counselling Services in Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Kamunyu, Ruth Njeri; Ndungo, Catherine; Wango, Geoffrey

2016-01-01

Transition to university life can be stressful for all students. In mitigation, most universities in Kenya offer social support to students in form of counselling, financial assistance, health and academic support. Despite this it has been documented that only a minority of university students who experience psychological distress seek…

Agmatine attenuates chronic unpredictable mild stress induced behavioral alteration in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Taksande, Brijesh G; Faldu, Dharmesh S; Dixit, Madhura P; Sakaria, Jay N; Aglawe, Manish M; Umekar, Milind J; Kotagale, Nandkishor R

2013-11-15

Chronic stress exposure and resulting dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis develops susceptibility to variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Agmatine, a putative neurotransmitter has been reported to be released in response to various stressful stimuli to maintain the homeostasis. Present study investigated the role of agmatine on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced behavioral and biochemical alteration in mice. Exposure of mice to CUMS protocol for 28 days resulted in diminished performance in sucrose preference test, splash test, forced swim test and marked elevation in plasma corticosterone levels. Chronic agmatine (5 and 10 mg/kg, ip, once daily) treatment started on day-15 and continued till the end of the CUMS protocol significantly increased sucrose preference, improved self-care and motivational behavior in the splash test and decreased duration of immobility in the forced swim test. Agmatine treatment also normalized the elevated corticosterone levels and prevented the body weight changes in chronically stressed animals. The pharmacological effect of agmatine was comparable to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine (10mg/kg, ip). Results of present study clearly demonstrated the anti-depressant like effect of agmatine in chronic unpredictable mild stress induced depression in mice. Thus the development of drugs based on brain agmatinergic modulation may represent a new potential approach for the treatment of stress related mood disorders like depression. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Self-Critical Perfectionism, Acculturative Stress, and Depression among International Students

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Kenneth G.; Choi, Chun-Chung; Zhang, Yanmei; Morero, Yanina Ines; Anderson, Debra

2012-01-01

The authors tested a classic diathesis-stress, stress-enhancement model of perfectionism with subgroups of Chinese (N = 129) and Asian Indian (N = 166) international graduate students attending a major U.S. university. More specifically, the authors tested whether self-critical perfectionism, acculturative stress, and their interaction accounted…

Tumour suppressor protein p53 regulates the stress activated bilirubin oxidase cytochrome P450 2A6

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Hao, E-mail: hao.hu1@uqconnect.edu.au [The University of Queensland, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox), 4072 Brisbane, Queensland (Australia); Yu, Ting, E-mail: t.yu2@uq.edu.au [The University of Queensland, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox), 4072 Brisbane, Queensland (Australia); Arpiainen, Satu, E-mail: Satu.Juhila@orion.fi [Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); Lang, Matti A., E-mail: m.lang@uq.edu.au [The University of Queensland, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox), 4072 Brisbane, Queensland (Australia); Hakkola, Jukka, E-mail: Jukka.hakkola@oulu.fi [Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); Abu-Bakar, A' edah, E-mail: a.abubakar@uq.edu.au [The University of Queensland, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox), 4072 Brisbane, Queensland (Australia)

2015-11-15

Human cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A6 enzyme has been proposed to play a role in cellular defence against chemical-induced oxidative stress. The encoding gene is regulated by various stress activated transcription factors. This paper demonstrates that p53 is a novel transcriptional regulator of the gene. Sequence analysis of the CYP2A6 promoter revealed six putative p53 binding sites in a 3 kb proximate promoter region. The site closest to transcription start site (TSS) is highly homologous with the p53 consensus sequence. Transfection with various stepwise deletions of CYP2A6-5′-Luc constructs – down to − 160 bp from the TSS – showed p53 responsiveness in p53 overexpressed C3A cells. However, a further deletion from − 160 to − 74 bp, including the putative p53 binding site, totally abolished the p53 responsiveness. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay with a probe containing the putative binding site showed specific binding of p53. A point mutation at the binding site abolished both the binding and responsiveness of the recombinant gene to p53. Up-regulation of the endogenous p53 with benzo[α]pyrene – a well-known p53 activator – increased the expression of the p53 responsive positive control and the CYP2A6-5′-Luc construct containing the intact p53 binding site but not the mutated CYP2A6-5′-Luc construct. Finally, inducibility of the native CYP2A6 gene by benzo[α]pyrene was demonstrated by dose-dependent increases in CYP2A6 mRNA and protein levels along with increased p53 levels in the nucleus. Collectively, the results indicate that p53 protein is a regulator of the CYP2A6 gene in C3A cells and further support the putative cytoprotective role of CYP2A6. - Highlights: • CYP2A6 is an immediate target gene of p53. • Six putative p53REs located on 3 kb proximate CYP2A6 promoter region. • The region − 160 bp from TSS is highly homologous with the p53 consensus sequence. • P53 specifically bind to the p53RE on the − 160 bp region. • HNF4�

Universal treatment of plumes and stresses for pressurized thermal shock evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theofanous, T.G.; Angelini, S.; Yan, H.

1991-01-01

Thermally-induced stresses in a reactor pressure vessel wall, as a result of high-pressure safety injection, are an essential component of integrated risk analyses of pressurized thermal shock transients. Limiting cooldowns arise when this injection occurs under stagnated loop conditions which, in turn, correspond to a rather narrow range (in size) of small-break loss-of-coolant accidents. Moreover, at these conditions, the flow is thermally stratified, and in addition to the global cooldown, one must be concerned about the additional cooling potential due to the downcomer plumes formed by the cold streams pouring out of the cold legs. In the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Integrated Pressurized Thermal Shock (IPTS) study, this stratification was calculated with the codes REMIX/NEWMIX. A comprehensive comparison with all available experimental data has currently been compiled. The stress analysis using this input was carried out at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using a one-dimensional approximation with the intent to conservatively bound the magnitude of thermal stresses

Commentary: "An Evaluation of Universal Grammar and the Phonological Mind"-UG Is Still a Viable Hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Berent, Iris

2016-01-01

Everett (2016b) criticizes The Phonological Mind thesis (Berent, 2013a,b) on logical, methodological and empirical grounds. Most of Everett's concerns are directed toward the hypothesis that the phonological grammar is constrained by universal grammatical (UG) principles. Contrary to Everett's logical challenges, here I show that the UG hypothesis is readily falsifiable, that universality is not inconsistent with innateness (Everett's arguments to the contrary are rooted in a basic confusion of the UG phenotype and the genotype), and that its empirical evaluation does not require a full evolutionary account of language. A detailed analysis of one case study, the syllable hierarchy, presents a specific demonstration that people have knowledge of putatively universal principles that are unattested in their language and these principles are most likely linguistic in nature. Whether Universal Grammar exists remains unknown, but Everett's arguments hardly undermine the viability of this hypothesis.

College Student Stress and Satisfaction with Life

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, Lawrence; Laverghetta, Antonio

2009-01-01

The following study was performed to determine if general life satisfaction is negatively correlated with college student stress. We administered the satisfaction with life scale (Diener et al., 1985), college student stress scale (Feldt, 2008) and a brief demographics survey to a sample of college students at a regional southwestern university in…

Transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to As (V stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Joshua S

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Arsenic is toxic to plants and a common environmental pollutant. There is a strong chemical similarity between arsenate [As (V] and phosphate (Pi. Whole genome oligonucleotide microarrays were employed to investigate the transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to As (V stress. Results Antioxidant-related genes (i.e. coding for superoxide dismutases and peroxidases play prominent roles in response to arsenate. The microarray experiment revealed induction of chloroplast Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD (at2g28190, Cu/Zn SOD (at1g08830, as well as an SOD copper chaperone (at1g12520. On the other hand, Fe SODs were strongly repressed in response to As (V stress. Non-parametric rank product statistics were used to detect differentially expressed genes. Arsenate stress resulted in the repression of numerous genes known to be induced by phosphate starvation. These observations were confirmed with qRT-PCR and SOD activity assays. Conclusion Microarray data suggest that As (V induces genes involved in response to oxidative stress and represses transcription of genes induced by phosphate starvation. This study implicates As (V as a phosphate mimic in the cell by repressing genes normally induced when available phosphate is scarce. Most importantly, these data reveal that arsenate stress affects the expression of several genes with little or unknown biological functions, thereby providing new putative gene targets for future research.

Over-expression of a NAC 67 transcription factor from finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) confers tolerance against salinity and drought stress in rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Hifzur; Ramanathan, Valarmathi; Nallathambi, Jagedeeshselvam; Duraialagaraja, Sudhakar; Muthurajan, Raveendran

2016-05-11

NAC proteins (NAM (No apical meristem), ATAF (Arabidopsis transcription activation factor) and CUC (cup-shaped cotyledon)) are plant-specific transcription factors reported to be involved in regulating growth, development and stress responses. Salinity responsive transcriptome profiling in a set of contrasting finger millet genotypes through RNA-sequencing resulted in the identification of a NAC homolog (EcNAC 67) exhibiting differential salinity responsive expression pattern. Full length cDNA of EcNAC67 was isolated, characterized and validated for its role in abiotic stress tolerance through agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation in a rice cultivar ASD16. Bioinformatics analysis of putative NAC transcription factor (TF) isolated from a salinity tolerant finger millet showed its genetic relatedness to NAC67 family TFs in related cereals. Putative transgenic lines of rice over-expressing EcNAC67 were generated through Agrobacterium mediated transformation and presence/integration of transgene was confirmed through PCR and southern hybridization analysis. Transgenic rice plants harboring EcNAC67 showed enhanced tolerance against drought and salinity under greenhouse conditions. Transgenic rice plants were found to possess higher root and shoot biomass during stress and showed better revival ability upon relief from salinity stress. Upon drought stress, transgenic lines were found to maintain higher relative water content and lesser reduction in grain yield when compared to non-transgenic ASD16 plants. Drought induced spikelet sterility was found to be much lower in the transgenic lines than the non-transgenic ASD16. Results revealed the significant role of EcNAC67 in modulating responses against dehydration stress in rice. No detectable abnormalities in the phenotypic traits were observed in the transgenic plants under normal growth conditions. Results indicate that EcNAC67 can be used as a novel source for engineering tolerance against drought and salinity

Paroxetine blunts the corticosterone response to swim-induced stress and increases depressive-like behavior in a rat model of postpartum depression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overgaard, Agnete; Lieblich, Stephanie E; Richardson, Robin

2018-01-01

Perinatal depression (PND) affects 15% of women. During the perinatal period both stress- and gonadal hormones fluctuate widely. Putatively, these fluctuations are involved in PND disease mechanisms. The serotonin system is sensitive to such hormone fluctuations, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors...... depression. In the rat model corticosterone (CORT; 40mg/kgs.c.) was administered in Sprague Dawley rats across postpartum day (PD)2 to PD14. Stress response was measured during the first exposure to the forced swim test (FST1), and depressive-like behavior was measured in both FST1 and FST2. We found...... that paroxetine completely blunted the swim stress-induced CORT response and increased depressive-like behavior in both FST1 and FST2. Our findings suggest that in the postpartum context, SSRIs compromise stress axis dynamics, which are needed for a healthy stress response. This is likely unfavorable...

Distribution and innervation of putative peripheral arterial chemoreceptors in the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans).

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, Catalina; Fong, Angelina Y; Milsom, William K

2015-06-15

Peripheral arterial chemoreceptors have been isolated to the common carotid artery, aorta, and pulmonary artery of turtles. However, the putative neurotransmitters associated with these chemoreceptors have not yet been described. The goal of the present study was to determine the neurochemical content, innervations, and distribution of putative oxygen-sensing cells in the central vasculature of turtles and to derive homologies with peripheral arterial chemoreceptors of other vertebrates. We used tract tracing together with immunohistochemical markers for cholinergic cells (vesicular acetylcholine transporter [VAChT]), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis), and serotonin (5HT) to identify putative oxygen-sensing cells and to determine their anatomical relation to branches of the vagus nerve (Xth cranial nerve). We found potential oxygen-sensing cells in all three chemosensory areas innervated by branches of the Xth cranial nerve. Cells containing either 5HT or VAChT were found in all three sites. The morphology and size of these cells resemble glomus cells found in amphibians, mammals, tortoises, and lizards. Furthermore, we found populations of cholinergic cells located at the base of the aorta and pulmonary artery that are likely involved in efferent regulation of vessel resistance. Catecholamine-containing cells were not found in any of the putative chemosensitive areas. The presence of 5HT- and VAChT-immunoreactive cells in segments of the common carotid artery, aorta, and pulmonary artery appears to reflect a transition between cells containing the major neurotransmitters seen in fish (5HT) and mammals (ACh and adenosine). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Draft genome sequence of Streptomyces coelicoflavus ZG0656 reveals the putative biosynthetic gene cluster of acarviostatin family α-amylase inhibitors.

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Guo, X; Geng, P; Bai, F; Bai, G; Sun, T; Li, X; Shi, L; Zhong, Q

2012-08-01

The aims of this study are to obtain the draft genome sequence of Streptomyces coelicoflavus ZG0656, which produces novel acarviostatin family α-amylase inhibitors, and then to reveal the putative acarviostatin-related gene cluster and the biosynthetic pathway. The draft genome sequence of S. coelicoflavus ZG0656 was generated using a shotgun approach employing a combination of 454 and Solexa sequencing technologies. Genome analysis revealed a putative gene cluster for acarviostatin biosynthesis, termed sct-cluster. The cluster contains 13 acarviostatin synthetic genes, six transporter genes, four starch degrading or transglycosylation enzyme genes and two regulator genes. On the basis of bioinformatic analysis, we proposed a putative biosynthetic pathway of acarviostatins. The intracellular steps produce a structural core, acarviostatin I00-7-P, and the extracellular assemblies lead to diverse acarviostatin end products. The draft genome sequence of S. coelicoflavus ZG0656 revealed the putative biosynthetic gene cluster of acarviostatins and a putative pathway of acarviostatin production. To our knowledge, S. coelicoflavus ZG0656 is the first strain in this species for which a genome sequence has been reported. The analysis of sct-cluster provided important insights into the biosynthesis of acarviostatins. This work will be a platform for producing novel variants and yield improvement. © 2012 The Authors. Letters in Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Analysis of soybean root proteins affected by gibberellic acid treatment under flooding stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Myeong Won; Nanjo, Yohei; Komatsu, Setsuko

2014-01-01

Flooding is a serious abiotic stress for soybean because it restricts growth and reduces grain yields. To investigate the effect of gibberellic acid (GA) on soybean under flooding stress, root proteins were analyzed using a gel-free proteomic technique. Proteins were extracted from the roots of 4-days-old soybean seedlings exposed to flooding stress in the presence and absence of exogenous GA3 for 2 days. A total of 307, 324, and 250 proteins were identified from untreated, and flooding-treated soybean seedlings without or with GA3, respectively. Secondary metabolism- and cell-related proteins, and proteins involved in protein degradation/synthesis were decreased by flooding stress; however, the levels of these proteins were restored by GA3 supplementation under flooding. Fermentation- and cell wall-related proteins were not affected by GA3 supplementation. Furthermore, putative GA-responsive proteins, which were identified by the presence of a GA-responsive element in the promoter region, were less abundant by flooding stress; however, these proteins were more abundant by GA3 supplementation under flooding. Taken together, these results suggest that GA3 affects the abundance of proteins involved in secondary metabolism, cell cycle, and protein degradation/synthesis in soybeans under flooding stress.

Gender differences in stressors and reactions to stressors among Jordanian university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamaideh, Shaher H

2012-01-01

Stress among university students has been a topic of interest for researchers and teachers for many years because it affects not only their academic performance but also their physiological and psychological health. Male and female students perceive and react to stressors differently due to their differences in appraising stressful situations. The aims of this study were to examine differences in the perception of stressors and reactions to stressors between male and female Jordanian university students, and to identify the best predictors of stressors among them. Descriptive cross-sectional design was employed. The Student-Life Stress Inventory was used to measure stressors and reactions to stressors of 465 male and 485 female Jordanian university students recruited through stratified random sampling. There were statistical differences between male and female students regarding their perception and reactions to stressors. Female students reported a higher perception of stressors in frustrations, conflict, pressures and changes, as well as emotional reactions to stressors. Male students reported higher behavioural and cognitive reactions to stressors than female students. Participation in stress workshops, perception of general health, and perception of stress level in general were found to predict stressors among male students, while mother's educational level, perception of general health, and perception of stress level in general were found to predict stressors among female students. This study showed that gender differences in perception of stressors and reactions to stressors are similar to previous studies conducted all over the world. Interventions can be developed to help students better cope with stress. Conducting specific stress-training programmes for male and female students will help in reducing stress levels.

Chronic Stress in Young German Adults: Who Is Affected? A Prospective Cohort Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronald Herrera

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We aimed to prospectively assess changes in chronic stress among young adults transitioning from high school to university or working life. A population-based cohort in Munich and Dresden (Germany was followed from age 16–18 (2002–2003 to age 20–23 (2007–2009 (n = 1688. Using the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress, two dimensions of stress at university or work were assessed: work overload and work discontent. In the multiple ordinal generalized estimating equations, socio-demographics, stress outside the workplace, and job history were additionally considered. At follow-up, 52% of the population were university students. Work overload increased statistically significantly from first to second follow-up, while work discontent remained constant at the population level. Students, compared to employees, reported a larger increase in work overload (adjusted odds ratio (OR: 1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI: 1.07, 1.67, while work discontent did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, work overload increases when young adults transition from school to university/job life, with university students experiencing the largest increase.

Stress Carry-Over and College Student Health Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Pedersen, Daphne E.

2012-01-01

Objective: Using a stress carry-over perspective, this study examines the relationship between stress stemming from school and family domains and physical and mental health outcomes. Methods: The study sample included 268 undergraduate men and women from a Midwestern university. Participants completed an anonymous online questionnaire. OLS…

Semi-automated literature mining to identify putative biomarkers of disease from multiple biofluids

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Computational methods for mining of biomedical literature can be useful in augmenting manual searches of the literature using keywords for disease-specific biomarker discovery from biofluids. In this work, we develop and apply a semi-automated literature mining method to mine abstracts obtained from PubMed to discover putative biomarkers of breast and lung cancers in specific biofluids. Methodology A positive set of abstracts was defined by the terms ‘breast cancer’ and ‘lung cancer’ in conjunction with 14 separate ‘biofluids’ (bile, blood, breastmilk, cerebrospinal fluid, mucus, plasma, saliva, semen, serum, synovial fluid, stool, sweat, tears, and urine), while a negative set of abstracts was defined by the terms ‘(biofluid) NOT breast cancer’ or ‘(biofluid) NOT lung cancer.’ More than 5.3 million total abstracts were obtained from PubMed and examined for biomarker-disease-biofluid associations (34,296 positive and 2,653,396 negative for breast cancer; 28,355 positive and 2,595,034 negative for lung cancer). Biological entities such as genes and proteins were tagged using ABNER, and processed using Python scripts to produce a list of putative biomarkers. Z-scores were calculated, ranked, and used to determine significance of putative biomarkers found. Manual verification of relevant abstracts was performed to assess our method’s performance. Results Biofluid-specific markers were identified from the literature, assigned relevance scores based on frequency of occurrence, and validated using known biomarker lists and/or databases for lung and breast cancer [NCBI’s On-line Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Cancer Gene annotation server for cancer genomics (CAGE), NCBI’s Genes & Disease, NCI’s Early Detection Research Network (EDRN), and others]. The specificity of each marker for a given biofluid was calculated, and the performance of our semi-automated literature mining method assessed for breast and lung cancer

LTP after Stress: Up or Down?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marian Joëls

2007-01-01

Full Text Available When an organism is exposed to a stressful situation, corticosteroid levels in the brain rise. This rise has consequences for behavioral performance, including memory formation. Over the past decades, it has become clear that a rise in corticosteroid level is also accompanied by a reduction in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP. Recent studies, however, indicate that stress does not lead to a universal suppression of LTP. Many factors, including the type of stress, the phase of the stress response, the area of investigation, type of LTP, and the life history of the organism determine in which direction LTP will be changed.

Automation of a universal machine; Automatizacion de una maquina universal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodriguez S, J

1997-09-01

The development of the hardware and software of a control system for a servo-hydraulic machine is presented. The universal machine is an Instron, model 1331, used to make mechanical tests. The software includes the acquisition of data from the measurements, processing and graphic presentation of the results in the assay of the `tension` type. The control is based on a PPI (Programmable Peripheral Interface) 8255, in which the different states of the machine are set. The control functions of the machine are: (a) Start of an assay, (b) Pause in the assay, (c) End of the assay, (d) Choice of the control mode of the machine, that they could be in load, stroke or strain modes. For the data acquisition, a commercial card, National Products, model DAS-16, plugged in a slot of a Pc was used. Three transducers provide the analog signals, a cell of load, a LVDT and a extensometer. All the data are digitalized and handled in order to get the results in the appropriate working units. A stress-strain graph is obtained in the screen of the Pc for a tension test for a specific material. The points of maximum stress, rupture stress and the yield stress of the material under test are shown. (Author).

Prevalence of psychological stress, depression and anxiety among medical students in Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

Fawzy, Mohamed; Hamed, Sherifa A

2017-09-01

Poor psychological health in medical students has been reported nationwide. This study estimated the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among medical students who were enrolled in a public university in Upper Egypt and determine the association of these morbidities with the students' basic socio-demographic variables. This cross-sectional study included 700 students. A self-administered, questionnaire for the socio-demographic characteristics, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire were used for assessment. High frequencies of depression (65%), anxiety (73%) and stress (59.9%) were reported. Stress scores were significantly higher than depression and anxiety (P=0.001). 55.7% were poor sleepers. In univarate analysis, females, those living in the University campus/students' residence facility, in the preclinical years and with lower academic achievement had higher scores of DASS and PSQI compared to their comparative partners. Significant correlations were reported between stress with depression, anxiety and PQSI scores (P=0.0001). In multivariate analysis, stress scores were significantly associated with female sex, depression and anxiety scores. We conclude that depression, anxiety and stress symptoms are common in medical students of Assiut University relative to other schools and female gender was significantly correlated with these findings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Mind-Body Connection - Can Prolonged Stress Affect Whether Breast Cancer Returns?

Science.gov (United States)

... traumatic stress to some stress to no significant stress. According to David Spiegel, M.D., one of the study's authors and a faculty member at the Stanford University School of Medicine, there were marked differences. "Comparisons ...

DETERMINATION OF ROCURONIUM AND ITS PUTATIVE METABOLITES IN BODY-FLUIDS AND TISSUE-HOMOGENATES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

KLEEF, UW; PROOST, JH; ROGGEVELD, J

1993-01-01

A sensitive and selective HPLC method was developed for the quantification of the neuromuscular blocking agent rocuronium and its putative metabolites (the 17-desacetyl derivative and the N-desallyl derivative of rocuronium) in plasma, urine, bile, tissue homogenates and stoma fluid. Samples were

Biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic tomatoes by constitutive expression of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazarika, Pranjal; Rajam, Manchikatla Venkat

2011-04-01

Recent findings have implicated the role of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) in stress tolerance. Therefore, the present work was carried out with the goal of generating transgenic tomato plants with human S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (samdc) gene, a key gene involved in biosynthesis of polyamines, viz. spermidine and spermine and evaluating the transgenic plants for tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Several putative transgenic tomato plants with normal phenotype were obtained, and the transgene integration and expression was validated by PCR, Southern blot analysis and RT-PCR analysis, respectively. The transgenic plants exhibited high levels of polyamines as compared to the untransformed control plants. They also showed increased resistance against two important fungal pathogens of tomato, the wilt causing Fusarium oxysporum and the early blight causing Alternaria solani and tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought, cold and high temperature. These results suggest that engineering polyamine accumulation can confer tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses in plants.

Re-evaluating occupational heat stress in a changing climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Spector, June T; Sheffield, Perry E

2014-10-01

The potential consequences of occupational heat stress in a changing climate on workers, workplaces, and global economies are substantial. Occupational heat stress risk is projected to become particularly high in middle- and low-income tropical and subtropical regions, where optimal controls may not be readily available. This commentary presents occupational heat stress in the context of climate change, reviews its impacts, and reflects on implications for heat stress assessment and control. Future efforts should address limitations of existing heat stress assessment methods and generate economical, practical, and universal approaches that can incorporate data of varying levels of detail, depending on resources. Validation of these methods should be performed in a wider variety of environments, and data should be collected and analyzed centrally for both local and large-scale hazard assessments and to guide heat stress adaptation planning. Heat stress standards should take into account variability in worker acclimatization, other vulnerabilities, and workplace resources. The effectiveness of controls that are feasible and acceptable should be evaluated. Exposure scientists are needed, in collaboration with experts in other areas, to effectively prevent and control occupational heat stress in a changing climate. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of stress fractures in the lower extremity in runners

OpenAIRE

Kahanov, Leamor; Eberman,Lindsey; Games,Kenneth; Wasik,Mitch

2015-01-01

Leamor Kahanov,1 Lindsey E Eberman,2 Kenneth E Games,2 Mitch Wasik2 1College of Health Science, Misericordia University, Dallas, PA, USA; 2Department of Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA Abstract: Stress fractures account for between 1% and 20% of athletic injuries, with 80% of stress fractures in the lower extremity. Stress fractures of the lower extremity are common injuries among individuals who participate in endurance, high load-bearing ...

H2S: a universal defense against antibiotics in bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Shatalin, Konstantin; Shatalina, Elena; Mironov, Alexander; Nudler, Evgeny

2011-11-18

Many prokaryotic species generate hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) in their natural environments. However, the biochemistry and physiological role of this gas in nonsulfur bacteria remain largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that inactivation of putative cystathionine β-synthase, cystathionine γ-lyase, or 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase in Bacillus anthracis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli suppresses H(2)S production, rendering these pathogens highly sensitive to a multitude of antibiotics. Exogenous H(2)S suppresses this effect. Moreover, in bacteria that normally produce H(2)S and nitric oxide, these two gases act synergistically to sustain growth. The mechanism of gas-mediated antibiotic resistance relies on mitigation of oxidative stress imposed by antibiotics.

Isolation and characterization of two mitoviruses and a putative alphapartitivirus from Fusarium spp.

Science.gov (United States)

Osaki, Hideki; Sasaki, Atsuko; Nomiyama, Koji; Sekiguchi, Hiroyuki; Tomioka, Keisuke; Takehara, Toshiaki

2015-06-01

The filamentous fungus Fusarium spp. includes several important plant pathogens. We attempted to reveal presence of double-stranded (ds) RNAs in the genus. Thirty-seven Fusarium spp. at the MAFF collection were analyzed. In the strains of Fusarium coeruleum, Fusarium globosum and Fusarium solani f. sp. pisi, single dsRNA bands were detected. The strains of F. coeruleum and F. solani f. sp. pisi cause potato dry rot and mulberry twig blight, respectively. Sequence analyses revealed that dsRNAs in F. coeruleum and F. globosum consisted of 2423 and 2414 bp, respectively. Using the fungal mitochondrial translation table, the positive strands of these cDNAs were found to contain single open reading frames with the potential to encode a protein of putative 757 and 717 amino acids (molecular mass 88.5 and 84.0 kDa, respectively), similar to RNA-dependent RNA polymerases of members of the genus Mitovirus. These dsRNAs in F. coeruleum and F. globosum were assigned to the genus Mitovirus (family Narnaviridae), and these two mitoviruses were designated as Fusarium coeruleum mitovirus 1 and Fusarium globosum mitovirus 1. On the other hand, a positive strand of cDNA (1950 bp) from dsRNA in F. solani f. sp. pisi contained an ORF potentially encoding a putative RdRp of 608 amino acids (72.0 kDa). The putative RdRp was shown to be related to those of members of the genus of Alphapartitivirus (family Partitiviridae). We coined the name Fusarium solani partitivirus 2 for dsRNA in F. solani f. sp. pisi.

Genome-wide analysis of putative peroxiredoxin in unicellular and filamentous cyanobacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cui Hongli

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cyanobacteria are photoautotrophic prokaryotes with wide variations in genome sizes and ecological habitats. Peroxiredoxin (PRX is an important protein that plays essential roles in protecting own cells against reactive oxygen species (ROS. PRXs have been identified from mammals, fungi and higher plants. However, knowledge on cyanobacterial PRXs still remains obscure. With the availability of 37 sequenced cyanobacterial genomes, we performed a comprehensive comparative analysis of PRXs and explored their diversity, distribution, domain structure and evolution. Results Overall 244 putative prx genes were identified, which were abundant in filamentous diazotrophic cyanobacteria, Acaryochloris marina MBIC 11017, and unicellular cyanobacteria inhabiting freshwater and hot-springs, while poor in all Prochlorococcus and marine Synechococcus strains. Among these putative genes, 25 open reading frames (ORFs encoding hypothetical proteins were identified as prx gene family members and the others were already annotated as prx genes. All 244 putative PRXs were classified into five major subfamilies (1-Cys, 2-Cys, BCP, PRX5_like, and PRX-like according to their domain structures. The catalytic motifs of the cyanobacterial PRXs were similar to those of eukaryotic PRXs and highly conserved in all but the PRX-like subfamily. Classical motif (CXXC of thioredoxin was detected in protein sequences from the PRX-like subfamily. Phylogenetic tree constructed of catalytic domains coincided well with the domain structures of PRXs and the phylogenies based on 16s rRNA. Conclusions The distribution of genes encoding PRXs in different unicellular and filamentous cyanobacteria especially those sub-families like PRX-like or 1-Cys PRX correlate with the genome size, eco-physiology, and physiological properties of the organisms. Cyanobacterial and eukaryotic PRXs share similar conserved motifs, indicating that cyanobacteria adopt similar catalytic

Genome-wide analysis of putative peroxiredoxin in unicellular and filamentous cyanobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Hongli; Wang, Yipeng; Wang, Yinchu; Qin, Song

2012-11-16

Cyanobacteria are photoautotrophic prokaryotes with wide variations in genome sizes and ecological habitats. Peroxiredoxin (PRX) is an important protein that plays essential roles in protecting own cells against reactive oxygen species (ROS). PRXs have been identified from mammals, fungi and higher plants. However, knowledge on cyanobacterial PRXs still remains obscure. With the availability of 37 sequenced cyanobacterial genomes, we performed a comprehensive comparative analysis of PRXs and explored their diversity, distribution, domain structure and evolution. Overall 244 putative prx genes were identified, which were abundant in filamentous diazotrophic cyanobacteria, Acaryochloris marina MBIC 11017, and unicellular cyanobacteria inhabiting freshwater and hot-springs, while poor in all Prochlorococcus and marine Synechococcus strains. Among these putative genes, 25 open reading frames (ORFs) encoding hypothetical proteins were identified as prx gene family members and the others were already annotated as prx genes. All 244 putative PRXs were classified into five major subfamilies (1-Cys, 2-Cys, BCP, PRX5_like, and PRX-like) according to their domain structures. The catalytic motifs of the cyanobacterial PRXs were similar to those of eukaryotic PRXs and highly conserved in all but the PRX-like subfamily. Classical motif (CXXC) of thioredoxin was detected in protein sequences from the PRX-like subfamily. Phylogenetic tree constructed of catalytic domains coincided well with the domain structures of PRXs and the phylogenies based on 16s rRNA. The distribution of genes encoding PRXs in different unicellular and filamentous cyanobacteria especially those sub-families like PRX-like or 1-Cys PRX correlate with the genome size, eco-physiology, and physiological properties of the organisms. Cyanobacterial and eukaryotic PRXs share similar conserved motifs, indicating that cyanobacteria adopt similar catalytic mechanisms as eukaryotes. All cyanobacterial PRX proteins

Stress among Job Insecure Workers and Their Spouses.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Stephan M.; And Others

1993-01-01

Examined effects of employee versus spouse status, age, emotional well-being, physical health, number of marriage and family problems, and job stress on general perceived stress among 111 university staff, faculty, and their spouses. Results supported hypotheses that each of these variables, except employee versus spouse, would predict general…

Artistic Tasks Outperform Nonartistic Tasks for Stress Reduction

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Abbott, Kayleigh A.; Shanahan, Matthew J.; Neufeld, Richard W. J.

2013-01-01

Art making has been documented as an effective stress reduction technique. In this between-subjects experimental study, possible mechanisms of stress reduction were examined in a sample of 52 university students randomly assigned to one of four conditions generated by factorially crossing Activity Type (artistic or nonartistic) with Coping…

Personality Traits and Occupational Stress among Chinese Academics

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Li-Fang

2012-01-01

The primary objective of this study was to examine the predictive power of personality traits for occupational stress among Chinese university academics. Two hundred and forty-six participants responded to the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised. Results indicated that the strongest predictor for occupational…

Predicting the "Freshman 15": Environmental and Psychological Predictors of Weight Gain in First-Year University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Vella-Zarb, Rachel A.; Elgar, Frank J.

2010-01-01

Objectives: (1) To investigate weight gain in first-year university students; and (2) to examine whether environmental and psychological factors, specifically accommodation and stress, predict weight gain. Methods: Eighty-four first-year university students (77 per cent female) were weighed and completed the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck…

Therapeutic Massage Impacts Quality of Life for University Female Faculty in Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sandstrom, Clarine

2009-01-01

Stress is a part of everyone's life. Depending on the level of stress, it may affect people's health and lives. Stress in the workplace may come from many different sources, however for the purpose of this study, the focus was on female faculty working in a Teacher Education program at a small north central, North Dakota university. Stress is…

Mitochondrial Stress Signalling: HTRA2 and Parkinson's Disease

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Enrico Desideri

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Mitochondria are cellular energy generators whose activity requires a continuous supply of oxygen. Recent genetic analysis has suggested that defects in mitochondrial quality control may be key factors in the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD. Mitochondria have a crucial role in supplying energy to the brain, and their deterioration can affect the function and viability of neurons, contributing to neurodegeneration. These organelles can sow the seeds of their own demise because they generate damaging oxygen-free radicals as a byproduct of their intrinsic physiological functions. Mitochondria have therefore evolved specific molecular quality control mechanisms to compensate for the action of damaging agents such as oxygen-free radicals. PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1 and high-temperature-regulated A2 (HTRA2, a mitochondrial protease, have recently been proposed to be key modulators of mitochondrial molecular quality control. Here, we review some of the most recent advances in our understanding of mitochondria stress-control pathways, focusing on how signalling by the p38 stress kinase pathway may regulate mitochondrial stress by modulating the activity of HTRA2 via PINK1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5. We also propose how defects in this pathway may contribute to PD.

Stable expression of mtlD gene imparts multiple stress tolerance in finger millet.

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Ramanna Hema

Full Text Available Finger millet is susceptible to abiotic stresses, especially drought and salinity stress, in the field during seed germination and early stages of seedling development. Therefore developing stress tolerant finger millet plants combating drought, salinity and associated oxidative stress in these two growth stages is important. Cellular protection through osmotic adjustment and efficient free radical scavenging ability during abiotic stress are important components of stress tolerance mechanisms in plants. Mannitol, an osmolyte, is known to scavenge hydroxyl radicals generated during various abiotic stresses and thereby minimize stress damage in several plant species. In this study transgenic finger millet plants expressing the mannitol biosynthetic pathway gene from bacteria, mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (mtlD, were developed through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation. mtlD gene integration in the putative transgenic plants was confirmed by Southern blot. Further, performance of transgenic finger millet under drought, salinity and oxidative stress was studied at plant level in T1 generation and in T1 and T2 generation seedlings. Results from these experiments showed that transgenic finger millet had better growth under drought and salinity stress compared to wild-type. At plant level, transgenic plants showed better osmotic adjustment and chlorophyll retention under drought stress compared to the wild-type. However, the overall increase in stress tolerance of transgenics for the three stresses, especially for oxidative stress, was only marginal compared to other mtlD gene expressing plant species reported in the literature. Moreover, the Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation protocol developed for finger millet in this study can be used to introduce diverse traits of agronomic importance in finger millet.

Stable expression of mtlD gene imparts multiple stress tolerance in finger millet.

Science.gov (United States)

Hema, Ramanna; Vemanna, Ramu S; Sreeramulu, Shivakumar; Reddy, Chandrasekhara P; Senthil-Kumar, Muthappa; Udayakumar, Makarla

2014-01-01

Finger millet is susceptible to abiotic stresses, especially drought and salinity stress, in the field during seed germination and early stages of seedling development. Therefore developing stress tolerant finger millet plants combating drought, salinity and associated oxidative stress in these two growth stages is important. Cellular protection through osmotic adjustment and efficient free radical scavenging ability during abiotic stress are important components of stress tolerance mechanisms in plants. Mannitol, an osmolyte, is known to scavenge hydroxyl radicals generated during various abiotic stresses and thereby minimize stress damage in several plant species. In this study transgenic finger millet plants expressing the mannitol biosynthetic pathway gene from bacteria, mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (mtlD), were developed through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation. mtlD gene integration in the putative transgenic plants was confirmed by Southern blot. Further, performance of transgenic finger millet under drought, salinity and oxidative stress was studied at plant level in T1 generation and in T1 and T2 generation seedlings. Results from these experiments showed that transgenic finger millet had better growth under drought and salinity stress compared to wild-type. At plant level, transgenic plants showed better osmotic adjustment and chlorophyll retention under drought stress compared to the wild-type. However, the overall increase in stress tolerance of transgenics for the three stresses, especially for oxidative stress, was only marginal compared to other mtlD gene expressing plant species reported in the literature. Moreover, the Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation protocol developed for finger millet in this study can be used to introduce diverse traits of agronomic importance in finger millet.

Weak Organic Acids Decrease Borrelia burgdorferi Cytoplasmic pH, Eliciting an Acid Stress Response and Impacting RpoN- and RpoS-Dependent Gene Expression

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Daniel P. Dulebohn

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi survives in its tick vector, Ixodes scapularis, or within various hosts. To transition between and survive in these distinct niches, B. burgdorferi changes its gene expression in response to environmental cues, both biochemical and physiological. Exposure of B. burgdorferi to weak monocarboxylic organic acids, including those detected in the blood meal of fed ticks, decreased the cytoplasmic pH of B. burgdorferi in vitro. A decrease in the cytoplasmic pH induced the expression of genes encoding enzymes that have been shown to restore pH homeostasis in other bacteria. These include putative coupled proton/cation exchangers, a putative Na+/H+ antiporter, a neutralizing buffer transporter, an amino acid deaminase and a proton exporting vacuolar-type VoV1 ATPase. Data presented in this report suggested that the acid stress response triggered the expression of RpoN- and RpoS-dependent genes including important virulence factors such as outer surface protein C (OspC, BBA66, and some BosR (Borreliaoxidative stress regulator-dependent genes. Because the expression of virulence factors, like OspC, are so tightly connected by RpoS to general cellular stress responses and cell physiology, it is difficult to separate transmission-promoting conditions in what is clearly a multifactorial and complex regulatory web.

The CarERF genes in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and the identification of CarERF116 as abiotic stress responsive transcription factor.

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Deokar, Amit A; Kondawar, Vishwajith; Kohli, Deshika; Aslam, Mohammad; Jain, Pradeep K; Karuppayil, S Mohan; Varshney, Rajeev K; Srinivasan, Ramamurthy

2015-01-01

The AP2/ERF family is one of the largest transcription factor gene families that are involved in various plant processes, especially in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Complete genome sequences of one of the world's most important pulse crops chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), has provided an important opportunity to identify and characterize genome-wide ERF genes. In this study, we identified 120 putative ERF genes from chickpea. The genomic organization of the chickpea ERF genes suggested that the gene family might have been expanded through the segmental duplications. The 120 member ERF family was classified into eleven distinct groups (I-X and VI-L). Transcriptional factor CarERF116, which is differentially expressed between drought tolerant and susceptible chickpea cultivar under terminal drought stress has been identified and functionally characterized. The CarERF116 encodes a putative protein of 241 amino acids and classified into group IX of ERF family. An in vitro CarERF116 protein-DNA binding assay demonstrated that CarERF116 protein specifically interacts with GCC box. We demonstrate that CarERF116 is capable of transactivation activity of and show that the functional transcriptional domain lies at the C-terminal region of the CarERF116. In transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing CarERF116, significant up-regulation of several stress related genes were observed. These plants also exhibit resistance to osmotic stress and reduced sensitivity to ABA during seed germination. Based on these findings, we conclude that CarERF116 is an abiotic stress responsive gene, which plays an important role in stress tolerance. In addition, the present study leads to genome-wide identification and evolutionary analyses of chickpea ERF gene family, which will facilitate further research on this important group of genes and provides valuable resources for comparative genomics among the grain legumes.

The Study of Relationship Religious Orientation and Disposition Critical Thinking with Coping Strategies with Stress in Girl Students of Faculty of Humanity of Yazd University

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K Alavi Langroody

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction :the enjoyment of the religious belief and the idea of mental disorders and important role in reducing stress. So this study investigated the relationship between religious orientation and inclination to think critically and Coping with Stress in the Faculty of Humanities graduate students of Yazd University was conducted. Method: statistical community research includes 1617 students graduate from the University of Yazd, which according to Morgan- Krejci Table  the number of 300 students of faculty of humanity for example, chosen with equally classification random sampling method. to measure the research variables we used Allport religious oriented questionnaire, Ricketts questionnaire of disposition critical thinking and the coping Inventory for Stressful Situations of Andler and Parker. Data analysis using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis . Results: first between internal religious orientation and second between external religious orientation with problem focused coping style and also observed a positive and medium correlation between disposition critical thinking and problem-focused coping style in students. Among the factors of disposition critical thinking, there was a significant and positive correlation between innovation and mental maturity factors with problem-focused ciping style, and mental occupation factor first with problem-focused coping style and then with avoidant coping style and in reverse there was a significant negative correlation between mental factor with avoidant and emotional coping styles. among five anticipant variables, respectively, there was a direct relationship between mental occupation, internal and external religious orientations in anticipation of problem-focused coping style, a reverse relationship between internal religious orientations and mental maturity in anticipation of emotional coping style, a direct relationship between external religious

Maternal stress and childhood migraine: a new perspective on management

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Esposito M

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Maria Esposito,1 Beatrice Gallai,2 Lucia Parisi,3 Michele Roccella,3 Rosa Marotta,4 Serena Marianna Lavano,4 Antonella Gritti,5 Giovanni Mazzotta,6 Marco Carotenuto11Center for Childhood Headache, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Mental Health, Physical, and Preventive Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, 2Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, University of Perugia, Perugia, 3Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychology, University of Palermo, Palermo, 4Department of Psychiatry, "Magna Graecia" University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 5Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples, 6Unit of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Azienda Sanitaria Locale 4, Terni, ItalyBackground: Migraine without aura is a primary headache which is frequent and disabling in the developmental age group. No reports are available concerning the prevalence and impact of migraine in children on the degree of stress experienced by parents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of maternal stress in a large pediatric sample of individuals affected by migraine without aura.Methods: The study population consisted of 218 children (112 boys, 106 girls of mean age 8.32 ± 2.06 (range 6–13 years suffering from migraine without aura and a control group of 405 typical developing children (207 boys, 198 girls of mean age 8.54 ± 2.47 years. Mothers of children in each group answered the Parent Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF questionnaire to assess parental stress levels.Results: The two groups were matched for age (P = 0.262, gender (P = 0.983, and body mass index adjusted for age (P = 0.106. Mothers of children with migraine without aura reported higher mean PSI-SF scores related to the Parental Distress domain (P < 0.001, Dysfunctional Parent-Child Interaction domain (P < 0.001, Difficult Child subscale (P < 0.001, and Total Stress domain than mothers of controls (P < 0.001. No differences between the two groups were

Characterization of novel heat-responsive transcription factor (TaHSFA6e) gene involved in regulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs) - A key member of heat stress-tolerance network of wheat.

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Kumar, Ranjeet R; Goswami, Suneha; Singh, Khushboo; Dubey, Kavita; Rai, Gyanendra K; Singh, Bhupinder; Singh, Shivdhar; Grover, Monendra; Mishra, Dwijesh; Kumar, Sanjeev; Bakshi, Suman; Rai, Anil; Pathak, Himanshu; Chinnusamy, Viswanathan; Praveen, Shelly

2018-08-10

Heat stress has an adverse effect on the quality and quantity of agriculturally important crops, especially wheat. The tolerance mechanism has not been explored much in wheat and very few genes/ TFs responsive to heat stress is available on public domain. Here, we identified, cloned and characterized a putative TaHSFA6e TF gene of 1.3 kb from wheat cv. HD2985. We observed an ORF of 368 aa with Hsf DNA binding signature domain in the amino acid sequence. Single copy number of TaHSFA6e was observed integrated in the genome of wheat. Expression analysis of TaHSFA6e under differential HS showed maximum transcripts in wheat cv. Halna (thermotolerant) in response to 38 °C for 2 h during pollination and grain-filling stages, as compared to PBW343, HD2329 and HD2985. Putative target genes of TaHSFA6e (HSP17, HSP70 and HSP90) showed upregulation in response to differential HS (30 & 38 °C, 2 h) during pollination and grain-filling stages. Small HSP17 was observed most triggered in Halna under HS. We observed increase in the catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and decrease in the lipid peroxidation in thermotolerant cvs. (Halna, HD2985), as compared to thermosusceptible (PBW343, HD2329) under differential HS. Multiple stresses (heat - 38 °C, 2 h, and drought - 100 mL of 20% polyethylene Glycol 6000) during seedling stage of wheat showed positive correlation between the expression of TaHSFA6e, putative targets (HSP70, HSP90, HSP17) and TAC. Halna (thermotolerant) performed better, as compared to other contrasting cvs. TaHSFA6e TF can be used as promising candidate gene for manipulating the heat stress-tolerance network. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Workplace stress experienced by quantity surveyors

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Paul (P.A.) Bowen, Department of Construction Economics and Management,. University of Cape Town, Private ..... Explore workplace stress levels among quantity surveyors in the developing nation of ...... London: Free. Association Books.

Chronic Stress in Young German Adults: Who Is Affected? A Prospective Cohort Study

OpenAIRE

Herrera, Ronald; Berger, Ursula; Genuneit, Jon; Gerlich, Jessica; Nowak, Dennis; Schlotz, Wolff; Vogelberg, Christian; Mutius, Erika von; Weinmayr, Gudrun; Windstetter, Doris; Weigl, Matthias; Radon, Katja

2017-01-01

We aimed to prospectively assess changes in chronic stress among young adults transitioning from high school to university or working life. A population-based cohort in Munich and Dresden (Germany) was followed from age 16–18 (2002–2003) to age 20–23 (2007–2009) (n = 1688). Using the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress, two dimensions of stress at university or work were assessed: work overload and work discontent. In the multiple ordinal generalized estimating equations, soc...

Salt stress encourages proline accumulation by regulating proline biosynthesis and degradation in Jerusalem artichoke plantlets.

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Huang, Zengrong; Zhao, Long; Chen, Dandan; Liang, Mingxiang; Liu, Zhaopu; Shao, Hongbo; Long, Xiaohua

2013-01-01

Proline accumulation is an important mechanism for osmotic regulation under salt stress. In this study, we evaluated proline accumulation profiles in roots, stems and leaves of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) plantlets under NaCl stress. We also examined HtP5CS, HtOAT and HtPDH enzyme activities and gene expression patterns of putative HtP5CS1, HtP5CS2, HtOAT, HtPDH1, and HtPDH2 genes. The objective of our study was to characterize the proline regulation mechanisms of Jerusalem artichoke, a moderately salt tolerant species, under NaCl stress. Jerusalem artichoke plantlets were observed to accumulate proline in roots, stems and leaves during salt stress. HtP5CS enzyme activities were increased under NaCl stress, while HtOAT and HtPDH activities generally repressed. Transcript levels of HtP5CS2 increased while transcript levels of HtOAT, HtPDH1 and HtPDH2 generally decreased in response to NaCl stress. Our results supports that for Jerusalem artichoke, proline synthesis under salt stress is mainly through the Glu pathway, and HtP5CS2 is predominant in this process while HtOAT plays a less important role. Both HtPDH genes may function in proline degradation.

Occupational Stress and Teaching Approaches among Chinese Academics

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Zhang, Li-fang

2009-01-01

The primary objective of this study was to examine the predictive power of occupational stress for teaching approaches. Participants were 246 faculty members from a large university in Guangzhou in the People's Republic of China, who completed the Approaches to Teaching Inventory, four scales from the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised…

sigE facilitates the adaptation of Bordetella bronchiseptica to stress conditions and lethal infection in immunocompromised mice

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Barchinger Sarah E

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The cell envelope of a bacterial pathogen can be damaged by harsh conditions in the environment outside a host and by immune factors during infection. Cell envelope stress responses preserve the integrity of this essential compartment and are often required for virulence. Bordetella species are important respiratory pathogens that possess a large number of putative transcription factors. However, no cell envelope stress responses have been described in these species. Among the putative Bordetella transcription factors are a number of genes belonging to the extracytoplasmic function (ECF group of alternative sigma factors, some of which are known to mediate cell envelope stress responses in other bacteria. Here we investigate the role of one such gene, sigE, in stress survival and pathogenesis of Bordetella bronchiseptica. Results We demonstrate that sigE encodes a functional sigma factor that mediates a cell envelope stress response. Mutants of B. bronchiseptica strain RB50 lacking sigE are more sensitive to high temperature, ethanol, and perturbation of the envelope by SDS-EDTA and certain β-lactam antibiotics. Using a series of immunocompromised mice deficient in different components of the innate and adaptive immune responses, we show that SigE plays an important role in evading the innate immune response during lethal infections of mice lacking B cells and T cells. SigE is not required, however, for colonization of the respiratory tract of immunocompetent mice. The sigE mutant is more efficiently phagocytosed and killed by peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs than RB50, and exhibits decreased cytotoxicity toward macrophages. These altered interactions with phagocytes could contribute to the defects observed during lethal infection. Conclusions Much of the work on transcriptional regulation during infection in B. bronchiseptica has focused on the BvgAS two-component system. This study reveals that the Sig

Mood and food at the University of Turku in Finland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

El Ansari, Walid; Suominen, Sakari; Berg-Beckhoff, Gabriele

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVES: We examined perceived stress and food intake at University of Turku, Finland. METHODS: This study was conducted as an online survey (1189 students). We computed two composite food intake pattern scores (sweets, cakes and snacks; fruits and vegetables), a dietary guideline adherence...... to healthy weight students. Sweets, cookies and snacks consumption were not associated with stress. Stress was associated with lower subjective importance of healthy eating, independent of gender and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived stress might have relationships of different magnitudes in overweight vs. normal...

On the lexical stress patterns of Ilami Kurdish

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Amir Karimipour

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to investigate the stress patterns of Ilami Kurdish, a southern variety of Kurdish language, based on the criteria proposed by Kager (1995 and also Hayes (1995 regarding the stress patterns of human languages, including ‘boundedness’, ‘quantity sensitivity’, ‘word headedness’, ‘foot headedness’ and ‘directionality’. After analyzing Ilami Kurdish data and specifying the stress patterns of this dialect of Kurdish, we adopt Optimality Theory framework, which is a modern perspective towards phonology, to show how the optimal candidates are in conformity with the universal phonological constraints in Ilami dialect. All in all, it can be said that Ilami is a right-bounded quantity-sensitive variety as far as monomorphemic words are considered.The next part of the research is devoted to the study of the stress pattern of compound words in Ilami Kurdish. In order to evaluate the stress pattern of these constructions, we use PRAAT software program to analyze the data collected from native speakers of Ilami. Concerning the stress pattern of compounds, it was observed that this is always the rightmost syllable of the final morpheme that bears the strong stress, regardless of the length of word and the number of morphemes. Actually, this tendency always violates the main-left (C universal constraint according to which a clitic group (c is left- headed.

Identification of EhTIF-IA: The putative E. histolytica orthologue of the ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-02-04

Feb 4, 2016 ... We have identified the E. histolytica equivalent of TIF-1A (EhTIF-IA) by homology search within ..... a putative EhTIF-IA with e-value (3e−25). Comparison of .... some biogenesis is correlated with altered rates of rDNA transcription ..... ylation by CK2 facilitates rDNA transcription by promoting dissociation of ...

An examination of stress and burnout in certified athletic trainers at division I-a universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrix, A E; Acevedo, E O; Hebert, E

2000-04-01

A growing body of knowledge indicates that too much stress can negatively influence psychological and physical health. A model proposed by Smith to explore personal and situational variables, stress appraisal, and burnout has led to significant understanding of burnout of individuals working in service professions. We examined the relationship of hardiness, social support, and work-related issues relevant to athletic trainers to perceived stress and the relationship of perceived stress to burnout. Correlational analyses were performed to examine the relationships predicted by Smith's model. In addition, we conducted stepwise multiple regression analyses to assess the relative contributions of the personal and situational variables to perceived stress and to examine the relative impact of perceived stress on 3 burnout factors (emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization). One hundred eighteen certified athletic trainers working in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A intercollegiate settings that maintain a football program. We assessed personal and situational variables using the Hardiness Test, the Social Support Questionnaire, and the Athletic Training Issues Survey, adapted for this study. The Perceived Stress Scale was used to assess stress appraisal, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to assess 3 dimensions of burnout. Our results were in support of Smith's theoretical model of stress and burnout. Athletic trainers who scored lower on hardiness and social support and higher on athletic training issues tended to have higher levels of perceived stress. Furthermore, higher perceived stress scores were related to higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and lower levels of personal accomplishment. Our findings examining burnout in Division I athletic trainers were similar to those of other studies investigating coaches and coach-teachers and in support of Smith's theoretical model of stress and burnout.

Overexpression of an abiotic-stress inducible plant protein in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-09-17

Sep 17, 2008 ... the universal stress hormone, is supplied in the culture ... various abiotic stress like water deficit, high salinity and low temperature or exogenous ... period in a plant growth chamber (NIPPON, LHP-100-RDS, Tokyo,. Japan).

Identification of differentially accumulated proteins involved in regulating independent and combined osmosis and cadmium stress response in Brachypodium seedling roots.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ziyan; Zhu, Dong; Wu, Jisu; Cheng, Zhiwei; Yan, Xing; Deng, Xiong; Yan, Yueming

2018-05-17

In this study, we aimed to identify differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) involved in PEG mock osmotic stress, cadmium (Cd 2+ ) stress, and their combined stress responses in Brachypodium distachyon seedling roots. The results showed that combined PEG and Cd 2+ stresses had more significant effects on Brachypodium seedling root growth, physiological traits, and ultrastructures when compared with each individual stress. Totally, 106 DAPs were identified that are responsive to individual and combined stresses in roots. These DAPs were mainly involved in energy metabolism, detoxification and stress defense and protein metabolism. Principal component analysis revealed that DAPs from Cd 2+ and combined stress treatments were grouped closer than those from osmotic stress treatment, indicating that Cd 2+ and combined stresses had more severe influences on the root proteome than osmotic stress alone. Protein-protein interaction analyses highlighted a 14-3-3 centered sub-network that synergistically responded to osmotic and Cd 2+ stresses and their combined stresses. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of 14 key DAP genes revealed that most genes showed consistency between transcriptional and translational expression patterns. A putative pathway of proteome metabolic changes in Brachypodium seedling roots under different stresses was proposed, which revealed a complicated synergetic responsive network of plant roots to adverse environments.

The PP2C Alphabet is a negative regulator of stress-activated protein kinase signaling in Drosophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Baril, Caroline; Sahmi, Malha; Ashton-Beaucage, Dariel; Stronach, Beth; Therrien, Marc

2009-02-01

The Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 pathways, also known as stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathways, are signaling conduits reiteratively used throughout the development and adult life of metazoans where they play central roles in the control of apoptosis, immune function, and environmental stress responses. We recently identified a Drosophila Ser/Thr phosphatase of the PP2C family, named Alphabet (Alph), which acts as a negative regulator of the Ras/ERK pathway. Here we show that Alph also plays an inhibitory role with respect to Drosophila SAPK signaling during development as well as under stress conditions such as oxidative or genotoxic stresses. Epistasis experiments suggest that Alph acts at a step upstream of the MAPKKs Hep and Lic. Consistent with this interpretation, biochemical experiments identify the upstream MAPKKKs Slpr, Tak1, and Wnd as putative substrates. Together with previous findings, this work identifies Alph as a general attenuator of MAPK signaling in Drosophila.

Genetic Differences in the Immediate Transcriptome Response to Stress Predict Risk-Related Brain Function and Psychiatric Disorders