Anxiety, anhedonia, and related food consumption in Israelis populations:An online cross-sectional study two years since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted daily life. Beyond severe health and economic consequences, psychological consequences have surfaced that require in-depth research to understand the pandemic's effects on mental health. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the association between anxiety levels and anhedonia with food consumption patterns and changes in body weight over the two years since the COVID-19 outbreak in Israel. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized non-randomized sampling through an online survey that included 741 study participants aged 18 to 94. participants were asked to complete the Beck's Anxiety Questionnaire, the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale for Anhedonia Measurement, the Mediterranean Nutrition Questionnaire, and self-reports of body weight and serving size changes. Results: Those who reported severe anxiety and anhedonia reported the highest intake of fats, sugars, and carbohydrates and the highest weight gain (e.g., Butter and cream food: severe anxiety (M = 1.342, SEM = 0.217); low anxiety (M = 0.682, SEM = 0.042), Sweet pastries: severe anxiety (M = 4.078, SEM = 0.451); low anxiety (M = 3.175, SEM = 0.436)). Anhedonic participants consumed more sweetened beverages (M = 0.987, SEM = 0.013) than hedonic participants (M = 0.472, SEM = 0.231). Among participants that gained weight, severe anxiety participants consumed significantly more salty pastries (M = 2.263, SEM = 0.550) than those with low anxiety (M = 1.096, SEM = 0.107; p = .003). A significant interaction was found between weight, anxiety, and consuming salty pastries. High anxiety subjects and weight gain declared the highest intake of this food (p = .018); Significant interactions were found between those with severe anxiety and anhedonia, who reported the highest consumption of butter and cream (p = .005) and salty pastries (p = .021). Significant associations were found between weight and anhedonia and weight and anxiety levels (p = .000, p = .006 - respectively). Conclusions: The outbreak of COVID-19 and its long-term presence strengthen the negative psychological aspects and increase the consumption of foods high in fat and sugar. Further attention to nutritional health is needed since crises may occur, and we must be prepared to prevent adverse consequences.

A rat model of pre-puberty (juvenile) stress-induced predisposition to stress-related disorders: sex similarities and sex differences in effects and symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the interactive effect of two risk factors: "Juvenile stress" and sex in the long-term consequences of "Juvenile stress" in male and female rats. METHODS: Rats were exposed to "Juvenile stress" and to additional stress in adulthood. Measurements of anxiety and depressive-like behaviours were assessed in relation to each stress exposure and "Sex-specific" sets of criteria in order to characterize individual profiles of altered behaviours. RESULTS: While both male and female rats were affected by exposure to "Juvenile stress", sex difference were evident in saccharine preference, coping with the stressful challenge of the two-way shuttle avoidance task, and on "Adult stress" induced changes in saccharine preference. "Profiling" altered behaviours revealed sex differences also in the prevalence of rats exhibiting different categories of "Affected" behaviours, indicating that female rats are more susceptible to the long-term effects of "Juvenile stress" and to the immediate effects of "Adulthood stress". Additionally, the prevalence of "Affected" animals among "Juvenile+ Adulthood stress" was similar, yet the profile of altered behaviours was significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: The "Behavioural Profiling" approach presented here is of importance to understanding gender differences in the aetiology of predisposition to stress-related disorders, and of gender symptomatology differences in stress-related disorders.

Post-weaning to pre-pubertal ('juvenile') stress: a model of induced predisposition to stress-related disorders.

Human studies suggest that childhood trauma predisposes individuals to develop stress-related disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent years have witnessed growing interest in effectively modeling in animals the long-term effects of childhood emotional trauma on stress responses in adulthood. Most studies concerned with the impact of early-life stress on subsequent stress responses in adulthood in rodents have focused on the post-natal pre-weaning period. However, psychiatric studies often refer to human childhood rather than infancy when investigating the patients' traumatic history of stress-related psychopathologies. In accordance with that, we have examined the consequences of stress exposure at a later early-life period, the post-weaning, pre-puberty (juvenile) period, which holds greater resemblance to human childhood. This review summarizes a series of studies examining the impact of exposure of rats to stressors during 'juvenility' ('juvenile stress') on the ability of these animals to cope with stress later in life. Exposure to relatively brief but significant stress experience during juvenility was found to impair the ability of animals to cope with stressful challenges in adulthood. These behavioral manifestations were associated with lasting alterations in limbic system brain regions of neuromodulatory pathways, such as alterations in the expression of cell adhesion molecules, GABAergic system functioning and alterations in levels of circulating corticosterone. Importantly, these studies have also demonstrated considerable individual and sex differences, which call for the development of adequate analysis approaches. The juvenile stress model combined with characterization of individual profiles is presented as a useful model to study in rodents different facets of stress-related disorders and neural mechanisms of vulnerability and resilience to stress.

Chlamydia pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia: a review of 62 hospitalized adult patients.

In a prospective study, Chlamydia pneumoniae was identified as the etiological agent in 62 (17.9%) of 346 adult patients hospitalized over the course of one year for community-acquired pneumonia at the Soroka Medical Center in Beer-Sheva, Israel. The diagnosis of C. pneumoniae infection was based on serological testing of antibodies by the MIF technique. In 43 of these patients (69.4%), at least one other etiological agent, in addition to C. pneumoniae for community-acquired pneumonia was identified. Streptococcus pneumoniae was identified in 34 patients with C. pneumoniae (54.8%), as an additional causative factor in infection. Community-acquired pneumonia patients with C. pneumoniae were significantly older than non-C. pneumoniae patients (p = 0.03), had a higher APACHE II score on admission (p < 0.05), a higher rate of positive blood cultures (p = 0.02), and longer periods of hospitalization (p = 0.022). Seven patients with pure C. pneumoniae infection recovered, despite treatment which is not considered to be specific for C. pneumoniae. It was concluded that C. pneumoniae is a common etiological agent for community-acquired pneumonia in our region, particularly in the elderly, and is characterized by a high rate of concomitant infections with other pulmonary pathogens. No specific clinical or radiological pattern was discerned that could distinguish between C. pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia and non-C. pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia.

Multiple pathogens in adult patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia: a one year prospective study of 346 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the causes of community-acquired pneumonia in adult patients admitted to hospital. METHODS: A prospective study was performed on 346 consecutive adult patients (54% men) of mean (SD) 49.3 (19.5) years (range 17-94) admitted to a university affiliated regional hospital in southern Israel with community-acquired pneumonia over a period of one year. Convalescent serum samples were obtained from 308 patients (89%). The aetiological diagnosis for community-acquired pneumonia was based on positive blood cultures and/or significant changes in antibody titres to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, respiratory viruses, Coxiella burnetii, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Legionella sp. RESULTS: The aetiology of community-acquired pneumonia was identified in 279 patients (80.6%). The distribution of causal agents was as follows: S pneumoniae, 148 patients (42.8%); M pneumoniae, 101 (29.2%); C pneumoniae, 62 (17.9%); Legionella sp, 56 (16.2%); respiratory viruses, 35 (10.1%); C burnetii, 20 (5.8%); H influenzae 19 (5.5%); and other causes, 21 patients (6.0%). In patients above the age of 55 years C pneumoniae was the second most frequent aetiological agent (25.5%). In 133 patients (38.4%) more than one causal agent was found. CONCLUSIONS: The causal agents for community-acquired pneumonia in Israel are different from those described in other parts of the world. In many of the patients more than one causal agent was found. In all these patients treatment should include a macrolide antibiotic, at least in the first stage of their illness.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia: a review of 101 hospitalized adult patients.

The features of community-acquired Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MP-CAP) were assessed in a prospective study of 101 adults who were hospitalized over the course of 1 year, and were compared with 245 patients who were hospitalized during the same period of time with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) not caused by M. pneumoniae (non-MP-CAP). MP was the second most common etiology (29.2%) in all CAP patients, and the most common etiological agent (43.2%) in the 17- to 44-year age group. In 65 patients (64.3%) at least one other pathogen was identified for CAP in addition to MP. Although the disease was most prevalent among younger patients, it also involved older and even elderly patients. Compared to non-MP-CAP patients, the severity of disease was significantly lower on average in the MP-CAP group and the length of hospitalization was significantly shorter. Radiologic findings were the same in the two groups. Twenty-two MP-CAP patients recovered without receiving the treatment which is recognized as effective in this disease. We concluded that (1) in most patients with MP-CAP a second CAP pathogen can be identified serologically, (2) MP-CAP cannot be differentiated from non-MP-CAP on the basis of clinical, radiologic, or routine laboratory tests, and (3) in some MP-CAP patients the disease is self-limited, and in these patients the usefulness of standard antibiotic therapy is doubtful.

Microparticle agglutination versus antibody-capture enzyme immunoassay for diagnosis of community-acquired Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

Community-acquired Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is a common disease which is usually diagnosed by serological methods. The objective of the present study was to understand the diagnostic significance and test characteristics of two different serological tests used to identify current Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Three hundred sixty-six patients who suffered from community-acquired pneumonia served as the study population. Six hundred ninety-four (328 paired and 38 unpaired) sera were examined for the presence of antibodies to Mycoplasma pneumoniae with commercial kits based on two serological methods, microparticle agglutination and antibody-capture EIA. Agreement between the two kits was 85.2% when individual sera were compared (kappa = 0.62) and 88.5% when patients were compared (Kappa = 0.69). The positive predictive value and the specificity for the identification of current Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection using a single acute-phase serum were 49.3% and 86.9%, respectively, for the microparticle agglutination method, compared to 91.3% and 97.7% for the antibody-capture EIA method (p < 0.001). The negative predictive value and the sensitivity were 86.3% and 48.1% for the microparticle agglutination, not significantly different from the corresponding values of 86.5% and 61.2% for the antibody-capture EIA. It is concluded that the overall agreement between the two methods tested is good, but not perfect. The methods complement each other in the identification of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as the causative agent in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Secreted collagen induced by ascorbic acid in L5 cloned muscle cultures does not affect acetylcholine receptor expression.

Previous studies have shown that ascorbic acid increases both the total surface acetylcholine receptor (AChR) expression and the mRNA for the alpha-subunit of this receptor in myotubes of cloned L5 muscle cultures. Since ascorbic acid increases collagen synthesis in fibroblasts, we studied the effect of ascorbic acid on collagen secretion in L5 muscle cells and investigated the possibility that the effects of ascorbic acid on collagen and AChR are related. We report that L5 muscle cells secrete collagen types I, III, and V, with collagen type I being the most abundant species, and that accumulation of secreted collagens increased in the medium approximately two- to ninefold within 3 h of ascorbic acid treatment. The increase in surface AChRs, on the other hand, developed more slowly, and was detected only about 20-24 h after ascorbic acid treatment. A short (5 h) treatment with ascorbic acid is, however, sufficient to trigger an increase in AChRs 24 h later. Since ascorbic acid caused a rapid increase in collagen secretion, whereas the effect on total surface AChRs occurs more slowly, we tested the possibility that an increase in secreted collagen might be necessary for the increase in AChRs. However, when the L5 cultures were treated with bacterial collagenase, the ascorbic acid-induced increase in secreted collagen was abolished but its inductive effect on AChRs was unchanged. The increase in secreted collagen is therefore not necessary for the increase in AChRs to occur.

Regulation of acetylcholine receptor synthesis at the level of translation in rat primary muscle cells.

Previous studies have shown that rat primary muscle cells do not respond to crude rat brain extract or one of its active components, ascorbic acid, with a significant increase in surface acetylcholine receptor (AChR) number. We report here that, although little or no response is seen on the cell surface, rat primary muscle cells do respond to both crude brain extract and to ascorbic acid with an approximately threefold increase in AChR alpha-subunit mRNA. The response of the mRNA is similar to that seen in the cloned L5 cells. However, while in L5 cells the increase in alpha-subunit mRNA is further translated into increased levels of alpha-subunit protein, there is no such increase in alpha-subunit synthesis in the primary cells. This study thus shows a regulation of surface AChR synthesis in rat primary cells at the level of alpha-subunit translation. This level of regulation is different from that involving subunit transcription or subunit assembly reported by others.

Acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunit mRNA is increased by ascorbic acid in cloned L5 muscle cells: Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization.

Ascorbic acid is the major factor in brain extract responsible for increasing the average acetylcholine receptor (AChR) site density on the cloned muscle cell line L5. In the present study, we show that this effect of ascorbic acid requires mRNA synthesis, and that the mRNA level for the AChR alpha-subunit is increased to about the same level as are the surface receptors. We have found no increase in the mRNA levels of the beta-, gamma-, and delta-subunits, or in the mRNAs of other muscle-specific proteins, such as that of light chain myosin 2, alpha-actin, and creatine kinase. By in situ hybridization, we further show that the increase in alpha-mRNA in response to ascorbic acid is exclusively in myotubes and is located near clusters of nuclei. mRNA levels for the alpha-subunit in mononucleated cells are very low and do not significantly increase in response to ascorbic acid. The mononucleated cells are thus excluded as a possible source for the increase in alpha-subunit mRNA detected by Northern blot analysis. Our results indicate that there is a very specific action of ascorbic acid on the regulation of AChR alpha-mRNA in the L5 muscle cells, and that the expression of surface receptors in these cells is limited by the amount of AChR alpha-subunit mRNA.

Fractionation of RNA from tetahymena by affinity chromatography on poly-U-Sepharose.

Exponential growing Tetrahymena pyriformis organisms were labelled with (3H) uridine or (3H) adenosine. The labelled RNA was extracted and isolated by affinity chromatography on poly-uridylic-acid sepharose and further analysed by means of sucrose gradient centrifugation and RNase digestion. Experimental evidence proved the existence of RNase resistant poly adenylic-acid fragments in the RNA of Tetrahymena cells. This poly adenylic-acid segment has a sedimentation rate of 4-5 S and would be localised in the 10-12S region of the RNA which is probably the m-RNA.