It Must have been Burnout: Prevalence and Related Factors among Spanish PhD Students.

Recent studies in different countries indicate that PhD students are more vulnerable to psychological disorders compared to the general population. No such data are available for the Spanish population. This study addresses this issue by studying prevalence rates and factors related to a common response to prolonged stress such as burnout syndrome. Burnout, emotional abilities, resilience, satisfaction with the dissertation advisor, and sociodemographic data were collected from 305 PhD students. The results indicated that the burnout rates are high in this group, especially for the emotional exhaustion dimension. Different linear regression models explained between 14% and 41% of the overall burnout scores variance and its dimensions. The psychological variables and the satisfaction with the dissertation advisor were the most relevant predictors. Consistent with what has been found in other countries, the evidence found indicates that the mental state of PhD students in Spain is alarming. The results of this study have important implications for the design and implementation of interventions to alleviate this problem.

It must have been burnout: prevalence and related factors among Spanish PhD students

Recent studies in different countries indicate that PhD students are more vulnerable to psychological disorders compared to the general population. No such data are available for the Spanish population. This study addresses this issue by studying prevalence rates and factors related to a common response to prolonged stress such as burnout syndrome. Burnout, emotional abilities, resilience, satisfaction with the dissertation advisor, and sociodemographic data were collected from 305 PhD students. The results indicated that the burnout rates are high in this group, especially for the emotional exhaustion dimension. Different linear regression models explained between 14% and 41% of the overall burnout scores variance and its dimensions. The psychological variables and the satisfaction with the dissertation advisor were the most relevant predictors. Consistent with what has been found in other countries, the evidence found indicates that the mental state of PhD students in Spain is alarming. The results of this study have important implications for the design and implementation of interventions to alleviate this problem

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Regulatory T cells and other lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with melanoma developing interferon-induced thyroiditis during high-dose interferon-α2b treatment.

CONTEXT: One of the side effects of interferon-alpha therapy is interferon-induced thyroiditis (IIT). The role of lymphocyte subpopulations in IIT melanoma patients remains to be defined. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess different peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations, mainly regulatory T cells (Tregs), in melanoma patients who developed IIT. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 30 melanoma patients receiving high-dose interferon (HDI)-alpha 2b (IFN-α2b) treatment, those who developed IIT (IIT patients) were selected and compared with patients who did not develop IIT (Co-MM) and healthy controls (Co-H). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained before treatment (BT), mid-treatment (MT), end of treatment (ET), 24 weeks post-treatment and at appearance of IIT (TT). RESULTS: Nine patients developed IIT (30%): four Hashimoto's thyroiditis and five destructive thyroiditis. An increase in Tregs was observed in both melanoma groups during HDI treatment. A decrease in CD3(+) , NKT lymphocyte subpopulations and Bcl2 expression on B cells was also observed in both groups. However, no changes were observed in the percentage of CD4(+) , CD8(+) , CD3(+) γδ(+) , CD19(+) , transitional B cells (CD24(high) CD38(high) CD19(+) CD27(-) ), natural killer (NK), invariant NKT (iNKT) lymphocytes and Th1/Th2 balance when BT was compared with ET. At TT, IIT patients had a higher Tregs percentage than Co-MM (P = 0·012) and Co-H (P = 0·004), a higher iNKT percentage than Co-MM (P = 0·011), a higher transitional B cells percentage than Co-H (P = 0·015), a lower CD3(+) percentage than Co-H (P = 0·001) and a lower Bcl2 expression on B cells than Co-H (P < 0·001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results point to the immunomodulatory effects of IFN-α on different lymphocyte subpopulations and a possible role of Tregs in melanoma patients who developed IIT.

A prospective study of lymphocyte subpopulations and regulatory T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection developing interferon-induced thyroiditis.

OBJECTIVE: One of the side effects of interferon-alpha (IFN-α) therapy is interferon-induced thyroiditis (IIT). The role of lymphocyte subpopulations in IIT remains to be defined. The aim of this study was to assess different peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations, mainly CD4(+) CD25(+) CD127low/-FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs), in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who developed IIT. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 120 patients with chronic HCV who started antiviral treatment, those who developed IIT (IIT patients) were selected and compared with patients who did not develop IIT (Co-HCV). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained before treatment (BT), mid-treatment (MT), end of treatment (ET), 24 weeks post-treatment (PT) and at appearance of IIT (TT). RESULTS: Eleven patients developed IIT: three Hashimoto's thyroiditis, one Graves'disease, one positive antithyroidal antibodies, one nonautoimmune hypothyroidism and five destructive thyroiditis. During antiviral treatment, an increase in CD8(+) and in Tregs was observed in both groups. A decrease in CD3(+) , CD19(+) and NKT lymphocyte subpopulations was also observed (all P < 0·05). However, no changes were observed in the percentage of CD4(+) , CD3(+) γδ(+) and iNKT lymphocytes, Th1/Th2 balance and Bcl2 expression on B cells when BT was compared with ET. At the appearance of IIT (TT), IIT patients had a higher Th1 response (CCR5(+) CCR7(-) ) (P < 0·01) and a higher Tregs percentage (P < 0·05) than Co-HCV. CONCLUSIONS: Our results point to the immunomodulatory effects of IFN-α on different lymphocyte subpopulations and a possible role of Th1 response and Tregs in patients with HCV who developed IIT.

Regulatory T cells in type 1 diabetic patients with autoimmune chronic atrophic gastritis.

Type A chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is increased in type 1 diabetic patients (DM1). To address this issue, we determined and analyzed the number of peripheral blood regulatory T cells (Tregs) in 15 DM1-CAG patients, 15 DM1 patients without associated autoantibodies (DM1) and 15 healthy controls by flow cytometry and compared gastric Tregs expression (CD4+Foxp3+/CD4+) in DM1-CAG patients with that observed in 10 control Helicobacter pylori CAG-infected biopsies. The percentage of peripheral Tregs was higher in DM1-CAG patients compared to DM1 and controls (CD4+Foxp3+: 7.67 +/- 1.91% vs. 5.38 +/- 1.57% and 5.65 +/- 1.76%, P < 0.001, respectively), with no differences between DM1 and controls. Gastric mucosal Tregs were higher in H. pylori CAG than in DM1-CAG patients (31.31 +/- 5.52% vs. 7.68 +/- 3.70%; P < 0.001). Data suggest that Tregs are stimulated in patients with more than one autoimmune disease (DM1 + CAG) in an ineffectual attempt to control autoimmune response and that the number of Tregs in gastric mucosa implicated in the chronification of gastritis differs according to the etiology.