Stress-induced endocrine response and anxiety: the effects of comfort food in rats.

The long-term effects of comfort food in an anxiogenic model of stress have yet to be analyzed. Here, we evaluated behavioral, endocrine and metabolic parameters in rats submitted or not to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), with access to commercial chow alone or to commercial chow and comfort food. Stress did not alter the preference for comfort food but decreased food intake. In the elevated plus-maze (EPM) test, stressed rats were less likely to enter/remain in the open arms, as well as being more likely to enter/remain in the closed arms, than were control rats, both conditions being more pronounced in the rats given access to comfort food. In the open field test, stress decreased the time spent in the centre, independent of diet; neither stress nor diet affected the number of crossing, rearing or grooming episodes. The stress-induced increase in serum corticosterone was attenuated in rats given access to comfort food. Serum concentration of triglycerides were unaffected by stress or diet, although access to comfort food increased total cholesterol and glucose. It is concluded that CUMS has an anorexigenic effect. Chronic stress and comfort food ingestion induced an anxiogenic profile although comfort food attenuated the endocrine stress response. The present data indicate that the combination of stress and access to comfort food, common aspects of modern life, may constitute a link among stress, feeding behavior and anxiety.

Estresse, competência e problemas psicológicos de adolescentes estudantes / Stress, competence and psychological problems in adolescent students

INTRODUÇÃO: O desenvolvimento positivo resulta em competências em diferentes domínios (cognitivos, afetivos, sociais) importantes para a proteção frente a problemas psicológicos e de comportamento que podem levar a disfunções, prejudicando a organização de ações, percepções, atitudes e interação com o meio. OBJETIVO: Avaliar de forma descritiva indicadores de estresse, competência social e problemas psicológicos e comportamentais em um grupo de adolescentes estudantes em jornada integral. MÉTODO: Este estudo incluiu 50 adolescentes (22 meninos e 28 meninas com idades de 12 a 18 anos). Os instrumentos usados foram o ASQ (Questionário de estresse para adolescentes) e o YSR (Inventário de autoavaliação para adolescentes). Dados relativos à competência social e a problemas psicológicos e de comportamento foram sistematizados com uso do software do YSR, enquanto a organização dos resultados do ASQ seguiu padrões descritivos de frequência dos dados da escala tipo Likert do instrumento. O estudo da associação entre ASQ e as variáveis do YSR foi feito a partir da observação de gráficos de dispersão e do cálculo do coeficiente de correlação linear de Pearson. RESULTADOS: Verificou-se tendência geral à baixa intensidade de estresse e à faixa não clínica para problemas psicológicos e para competência total (que inclui competência social). No subgrupo dos meninos foi verificada correlação moderada entre problemas psicológicos e estresse. CONCLUSÃO: Embora tenham sido detectadas queixas relacionadas ao tempo de ficar na escola, a inserção escolar em período integral pode ter sido importante variável interveniente para os resultados positivos encontrados, o que aponta necessidades de ampliação de estudos na temática.

INTRODUCTION: Positive development results in acquiring competence in different domains (cognitive, affective, social), that are important protection factors to psychological and behavioral problems, which might lead to anomalies in development, damaging the organization of actions, perceptions, attitudes and the interactions with the environment. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate comprised perceptions related to stress, social competence, psychological and behavioral problems in a group of adolescent students in integral shift. METHOD: This study included 50 adolescents (22 boys, 28 girls, aged 12-18 years). The instruments used were ASQ (Adolescent stress questionnaire) and YSR (Youth self report). Data related to social competence and psychological problems were systematized with the use of the software YSR, while the organization of the results obtained from ASQ followed the standards described for the frequency of data from the Likert scale from the instrument. The study of the association between ASQ and the variables from YSR was made from the observation of dispersion graphics and the calculation of the Pearson linear correlation coefficient. RESULTS: A general trend was verified to low intensity of stress to the non clinical level for psychological problems and to total competence (including social competence). A moderate correlation between psychological problems and stress was identified within the boys subgroup. CONCLUSION: Although some complaints about the excessive time in school were related, the permanence in school for an integral shift might have been an important variable intervening for the positive results found, which points to the necessity to increase the studies in this theme.

Cytogenetic biomonitoring of peripheral blood and oral mucosa cells from car painters.

The aim of the present study was to comparatively evaluate genomic damage and cellular death in exfoliated oral mucosa cells and peripheral blood from car painters. A total of 24 car painters and 19 healthy controls (non-exposed individuals) were included in this setting. Individuals had epithelial cells from cheek mucosa (left and right side) mechanically exfoliated, placed in fixative and dropped in clean slides which were checked for the specific nuclear phenotypes. A total of 5 µL from peripheral blood was collected for the single cell gel (comet) assay. The results pointed out statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) of micronucleated oral mucosa cells from car painters. In addition, DNA damage was detected in peripheral blood cells by single cell gel (comet) assay. Nevertheless, exposure to car paints did not cause increases other nuclear alterations closely related to cytotoxicity such as karrhyorexis, pyknosis and karyolysis in buccal mucosa cells. In summary, the results of the present study suggest that car painters comprise a high risk group since paints can induce genotoxic and mutagenic effects in peripheral blood and oral mucosa cells, respectively.

Salivary concentrations of cortisol and testosterone and prediction of performance in a professional triathlon competition.

The aim of this study was to examine salivary cortisol and testosterone concentrations in professional male athletes during a short triathlon competition using non-invasive methods, and to determine whether these hormone concentrations could be accurate predictors of performance. Eight adult male athletes (age, mean ± SEM: 27.8 ± 3.2 years; body mass index: 21.66 ± 0.42) in a professional triathlon team volunteered to participate in this study. Saliva samples were taken on the competition day and 7 days after competition on a rest day. The performance of the athletes was assessed by their rank order in the competition. Salivary cortisol concentrations were greater on the competition day than on the rest day in the early morning, immediately after waking up, 30 min later, immediately before the start of the competition, and later in the evening. Testosterone concentrations were greater on the competition day in the morning and in the evening. The diurnal rhythm of both cortisol and testosterone concentrations was maintained on both days and the testosterone/cortisol ratio (T/C ratio) was similar between days. The performance of the athletes was positively correlated with salivary cortisol concentration in the early morning of the competition day, but was not correlated with testosterone concentrations at any of the time points. In conclusion, early morning salivary cortisol concentration, but not T/C ratio, could be used to predict performance in athletes during a professional triathlon competition.

Protective effects of green tea against hepatic injury induced by high-cholesterol diet in rats: histopathological analysis, oxidative DNA damage and COX-2 expression.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to investigate whether daily administration of green tea is able to protect the liver injury induced by cholesterol. METHODS: Male Wistar rats (n = 24) were distributed into four groups: group 1, negative control; group 2, cholesterol at 1% (w/w) in the diet treated for 5 weeks; group 3, cholesterol at 1% treated for 5 weeks and green tea at 1% (w/v) in drinking water in the last week only and group 4, cholesterol and green tea at 1% in drinking water for 5 weeks. RESULTS: The results pointed out that treatment with green tea in the last week (group 3) showed mild degenerative changes of liver tissue in cholesterol exposed group when compared to group 2. Green tea aqueous extract was not able to reduce cholesterol levels, that is, no significant statistical differences (p > 0.05) were noticed when compared to positive control group. Nevertheless, green tea was able to decrease oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage either to peripheral blood or to liver cells as depicted by significant statistical differences (p < 0.05) in the mean tail moment between groups treated with green tea and cholesterol and cholesterol only. Furthermore, histomorphometric analysis of COX-2 expression revealed that in groups exposed to green tea they were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), regardless of time exposure adopted. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results suggest that daily administration of green tea for at least 7 days displays some preventive properties as indicated by COX-2 downregulation and decreased oxidative DNA damage.

The effect of topical caffeine on the morphology of swine hypodermis as measured by ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: Cellulite or lipodystrophy involves the modification of the subcutaneous adipose tissue. A wide variety of topical products is available to combat cellulite, but these have difficulties in being absorbed through the skin. One option is the therapeutic use of the ultrasound to enhance the trans-dermic transport of these drugs. AIM: The objective of this study was the analysis of the effect of caffeine on the morphology of the swine hypodermis, both when applied topically and in combination with ultrasound treatment. METHODS: The following treatments were applied to the dorsal areas of five pigs (Landrace x Large White, 35 days old, weighing 15 kg each): gel, gel + ultrasound, gel + caffeine (5%, w/w), and gel + caffeine + ultrasound, daily for 15 days. A fifth area received no topical application and was used as a control. Continuous ultrasound of 3 MHz with an intensity of 0.2 W/cm(2) was applied at a rate of 1 min/cm(2). After histological processing (hematoxylin and eosin), morphometric analyses were conducted to determine the thickness and numerical profile of the hypodermis. A one-way analysis variance using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was conducted, with a Tukey test used to identify significant differences. A confidence level of P < or = 0.05 was adopted. RESULTS: Caffeine treatment was effective only when associated with ultrasound therapy; the combination resulted in a significant reduction in the thickness of the subcutaneous adipose tissue, as well as damage to the adipocytes, consequently decreasing the number of cells. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound treatment was effective in increasing the cutaneous permeation of caffeine, as evidenced by the reduction in thickness of the hypodermis and number of adipocytes.

Glucocorticoid receptor and Beta-adrenoceptor expression in epididymal adipose tissue from stressed rats.

Adipocytes isolated from epididymal adipose tissue of foot-shock stressed rats are supersensitive to isoprenaline and subsensitive to norepinephrine. These alterations are probably mediated by a stress-induced increase in plasma corticosterone levels. We investigated whether foot-shock stress modifies the expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) and beta-adrenergic protein receptors (beta-ARs) in epididymal adipose tissue from rats submitted to one daily foot-shock session on three consecutive days. This stress protocol caused decreases in GR, beta(1)-AR, and beta(3)-AR protein levels, but caused an increase in beta(2)-AR. These results confirm and support previous functional studies. The alterations in protein expression may be modulated by the high corticosterone levels that downregulate the glucocorticoid receptor.

Sensitivity to beta-adrenoceptor agonists of adipocytes from rats treated with an aqueous extract of Croton cajucara Benth.

Aqueous extracts of Croton cajucara bark are used in folk medicine to treat hepatic and gastrointestinal disorders and as a coadjuvant in weight-loss programs. We examined the effect of treating rats for 15 days with a 5% aqueous extract of C. cajucara on body weight and food intake. The epididymal adipose pads were removed and the lipolytic responses of isolated adipocytes to isoprenaline, noradrenaline (norepinephrine), BRL37344 and adrenaline (epinephrine) were analysed in the absence or presence of metoprolol or ICI118,551. Treated rats had a significantly lower weight gain than control rats, with no difference in food and liquid intake, epididymal fat-pad weight or basal glycerol release. The sensitivity of the lipolytic response to isoprenaline and adrenaline was significantly higher in adipocytes from treated rats. The sensitivity to noradrenaline or BRL37344 was unaltered. Metoprolol shifted the dose-response curves to noradrenaline to the right in adipocytes from control and treated rats; the dose-response curve to isoprenaline in adipocytes from control rats was also shifted to the right. In adipocytes from treated rats, the dose-response curve to isoprenaline was unaltered by metoprolol but was shifted to the right by ICI118,551, a beta(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist. We conclude that in adipocytes from treated rats there is an increase in the lipolytic response to non-selective agonists (isoprenaline and adrenaline) mediated by beta(2)-adrenoceptors, with no alteration in the responses mediated by beta(1)-adrenoceptors (noradrenaline) or beta(3)-adrenoceptors (BRL37344). This effect could increase the role of adrenaline as an endogenous stimulator of lipolysis.