Psychiatric outcomes and overall functioning in healthcare students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: There is evidence that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted students on health care courses, including evidence of associations between anxiety or depression and inadequate coping mechanisms or unhealthy habits. However, little is known about possible predictors of mental health or psychiatric symptoms in Brazilian health care students during this period. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate possible factors associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, used to measure psychiatric outcomes, and quality of life, used as a parameter of overall functionality, in Brazilian students on health care courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with Brazilian students on health care courses from May to December 2020. Participants were recruited through social media and answered a 71-item open online questionnaire exploring demographic characteristics and personal behavior during the pandemic, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. We searched for variables potentially associated with psychiatric symptoms and mental health in these individuals using Poisson regression models. RESULTS: Multivariate models showed depression and anxiety were associated with poor quality of life and medication abuse was associated with greater anxiety and poor quality of life. Psychotherapy was an effective coping strategy for anxiety and meditation or mindfulness practice and physical activity improved the students' quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Our study presents important information about the factors associated with psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies for coping with them that should be helpful to reflect on and for designing appropriate interventions.

Psychiatric outcomes and overall functioning in healthcare students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Introduction There is evidence that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted students on health care courses, including evidence of associations between anxiety or depression and inadequate coping mechanisms or unhealthy habits. However, little is known about possible predictors of mental health or psychiatric symptoms in Brazilian health care students during this period. Objective To evaluate possible factors associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, used to measure psychiatric outcomes, and quality of life, used as a parameter of overall functionality, in Brazilian students on health care courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with Brazilian students on health care courses from May to December 2020. Participants were recruited through social media and answered a 71-item open online questionnaire exploring demographic characteristics and personal behavior during the pandemic, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. We searched for variables potentially associated with psychiatric symptoms and mental health in these individuals using Poisson regression models. Results Multivariate models showed depression and anxiety were associated with poor quality of life and medication abuse was associated with greater anxiety and poor quality of life. Psychotherapy was an effective coping strategy for anxiety and meditation or mindfulness practice and physical activity improved the students' quality of life. Conclusions Our study presents important information about the factors associated with psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies for coping with them that should be helpful to reflect on and for designing appropriate interventions.

Pretreatment with water kefir reduces the development of acidified ethanol-induced gastric ulcers

Abstract To evaluate the gastroprotective and antioxidant effects of pretreatment with water kefir on ulcers induced with HCl/ethanol. All pretreatments lasted 14 days. Male mice were separated into five groups: the control (C) group received vehicle without ulcer induction; the ulcerated (U) group received vehicle; the lansoprazole (L) group received 30 mg/kg/day lansoprazole; the water kefir (WK15 and WK30) groups received WK at a dose of 0.15 or 0.30 ml/kg/day, respectively. Gastroprotection was measured by ulcer area, ulcer index and ulcer reduction percentage. Antioxidant effects were quantified by measuring advanced oxidized protein products (AOPPs), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase activity in the stomach. Pretreatment with WK at both doses promoted gastroprotection against HCl/ethanol-induced ulcers much like the pretreatment with lansoprazole. In addition, WK decreased protein oxidation while increasing SOD and catalase activity. We concluded that pretreatment with water kefir increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes, preventing gastric lesions induced by HCl/ethanol by maintaining the antioxidant performance in gastric tissue.

The benefits of soluble non-bacterial fraction of kefir on blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy in hypertensive rats are mediated by an increase in baroreflex sensitivity and decrease in angiotensin-converting enzyme activity.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate whether long-term treatment with the soluble non-bacterial fraction of kefir affects mean arterial pressure (MAP) and cardiac hypertrophy through the modulation of baroreflex sensitivity, ACE activity, and the inflammatory-to-anti-inflammatory cytokine ratio in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). METHODS: SHRs were treated with the soluble non-bacterial kefir fraction (SHR-kefir) or with kefir vehicle (SHR-soluble fraction of milk). Normotensive control Wistar Kyoto animals received the soluble fraction of milk. All treatments were administered by gavage (0.3 mL/100g/body weight), once daily for eight weeks. At the end, after basal MAP and Heart Rate (HT) measurement, barorreflex sensitivity was evaluated through in bolus administrations of sodium nitroprusside and phenylephrine (AP50 [arterial pressure 50%], the lower plateau, and HR range were measured). ACE activity and cytokines (TNF-α and IL-10) were evaluated by ELISA. Cardiac hypertrophy was analysed morphometrically. RESULTS: Compared to SHR control, SHR-kefir exhibited a significant decrease in both MAP (SHR: 184 ± 5; SHR-Kefir: 142 ± 8 mmHg), and HR (SHR: 360 ± 10; SHR-kefir: 310 ± 14 bpm). The non-bacterial fraction of kefir also reduced cardiac hypertrophy, TNF-α-to-IL10 ratio, and ACE activity in SHRs. SHR-kefir baroreflex sensitivity, resulted in a partial but significant recovery of baroreflex gain, as demonstrated by improvements in AP50, the lower plateau, and HR range. CONCLUSION: In summary, our results indicate that long-term administration of the non-bacterial fraction of kefir promotes a significant decrease in both MAP and HR, by improving baroreflex, and reduces cardiac hypertrophy in SHRs, likely via ACE inhibition, and reduction of the TNF-α-to-IL10 ratio.