Validation of a commercial ELISA kit to measure 11-oxoetiocholanolone in equine and bovine feces.

Feces are a noninvasive and easily collectible matrix that may help determine cumulative hormone metabolite concentrations over medium-to-long times. To date, 11-oxoetiocholanolone, an important metabolite of cortisol, has been measured in equine and bovine feces solely by an in-house enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Therefore, we validated the use of a commercial ELISA kit (11-oxoetiocholanolone ELISA kit; Cayman Chemical), which had been validated on sheep feces and human urine, to measure 11-oxoetiocholanolone in feces from 42 horses and 32 bulls. The ELISA kit had good precision (intra- and inter-assay CVs: 5.8% and 11.2% for equine feces; 9.9% and 11.2% for bovine feces, respectively), analytical sensitivity (0.186 ng/mL for both equine and bovine feces), and accuracy (parallelism and recovery tests) in determining 11-oxoetiocholanolone concentrations in feces from both species. We found ranges of 11-oxoetiocholanolone concentrations of 1-109 ng/g in equine feces and 40-302 ng/g in feces of bulls. The Cayman Chemical ELISA kit offers a simple and accessible means of analysis of 11-oxoetiocholanolone in equine and bovine fecal samples.

Hair dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate as biomarker of employees' well-being? A longitudinal investigation of support, resilience, and work engagement during COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Building on the motivational process of the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, in the current research we investigated the longitudinal association between supervisor support/resilience as job/personal resources, work engagement (WE) and hair dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, or DHEA(S), as a possible biomarker of employees' well-being. Methods: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, 122 workers completed two self-report questionnaires (i.e., psychological data): the former at Time 1 (T1) and the latter three months afterwards, at Time 2 (T2). Participants also collected a strand of hair (i.e., biological data) at T2. Results: Results from path analysis showed that both SS and resilience at T1 were positively related to WE at T2, which, in its turn, was positively related to hair DHEA(S) at T2. Both SS and resilience at T1 had a positive indirect effect on hair DHEA(S) at T2 through WE at T2, which fully mediated the association between job/personal resources and hair DHEA(S). Discussion: Overall, results are consistent with the motivational process of the JD-R. Furthermore, this study provides preliminary evidence for the role of hair DHEA(S) as a biomarker of WE, a type of work-related subjective well-being that plays a central role in the motivational process of the JD-R, leading to favorable personal and organizational outcomes. Finally, the article outlines practical implications for organizations and professionals to foster WE within the workplace.

Is Smart Working Beneficial for Workers' Wellbeing? A Longitudinal Investigation of Smart Working, Workload, and Hair Cortisol/Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Building on the job demands-resources (JD-R) and allostatic load (AL) models, in the present study we examined the role of smart working (SW) in the longitudinal association between workload/job autonomy (JA) and a possible biomarker of work-related stress (WRS) in the hair-namely, the cortisol-dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA(S)) ratio-during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 124 workers completed a self-report questionnaire (i.e., psychological data) at Time 1 (T1) and provided a strand of hair (i.e., biological data) three months later (Time 2, T2). Results from moderated multiple regression analysis showed that SW at T1 was negatively associated with the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio at T2. Additionally, the interaction between workload and SW was significant, with workload at T1 being positively associated with the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio at T2 among smart workers. Overall, this study indicates that SW is a double-edged sword, with both positive and negative consequences on employee wellbeing. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the hair cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio is a promising biomarker of WRS. Practical implications that organizations and practitioners can adopt to prevent WRS and promote organizational wellbeing are discussed.

Validation of an ELISA kit to measure allopregnanolone in human and equine hair.

In humans, allopregnanolone plays important roles in a number of different neurodegenerative disorders, and it has been proposed for use in some therapies. Horses are commonly used as animal models for human neurodegenerative diseases, mental and behavioral disorders, and neuropsychiatric disorders, and there is interest in using hair as a biological sample to study hormones in these conditions. We validated the use of a commercial ELISA kit (DetectX allopregnanolone kit; Arbor Assays), which was designed for serum, plasma, feces, urine, and tissue samples, to assess allopregnanolone in hair samples from 30 humans and 63 horses. The ELISA kit had good precision (intra- and inter-assay CVs: 6.4% and 11.0% for equine hair; 7.3% and 11.0% for human hair, respectively), sensitivity (50.4 pg/mL for both equine and human hair), and accuracy (parallelism and recovery tests) in determining allopregnanolone concentrations in hair from both species. The allopregnanolone concentrations in human hair were 7.3-79.1 pg/mg; the concentrations were 286 ± 141 pg/mg (x̄ ± SD) in mares on the day of parturition and 16.9 ± 5.5 pg/mg in nonpregnant mares. The DetectX ELISA kit offered a simple and accessible analysis of allopregnanolone in human and equine hair samples.