Childhood Trauma and Premenstrual Symptoms: The Role of Emotion Regulation.

BACKGROUND: Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) are more likely to have a history of childhood trauma, and may experience more severe premenstrual symptomatology. However, the pathway in which childhood trauma affects the prevalence and severity of premenstrual symptoms remains largely unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether childhood trauma is associated with increased premenstrual symptoms, and if so, whether emotional dysregulation mediates or moderates this relationship. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: A total of 112 women were recruited for the study among students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. METHODS: Participants completed the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). To test the mediation hypothesis, direct and indirect effects of childhood trauma on premenstrual symptoms were calculated. To test moderation, we performed multiple regression, including the interaction term between childhood trauma and emotion dysregulation RESULTS: Twenty-two women (18.6%) met criteria for premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and sixteen (13.6 %) for PMDD. The number and severity of premenstrual symptoms increased with more childhood trauma (r = .282), and this relationship was completely mediated by emotion regulation difficulties. Specifically, exposure to Sexual abuse (r = .243) and Emotional neglect (r = .198) were significantly associated with premenstrual symptoms. Abuse predicted greater emotion dysregulation (r = .33), whereas, neglect did not. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the current knowledge on the long-term effects of childhood trauma. Promoting use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies for women with a history of childhood trauma, could improve their capability to confront and adapt to premenstrual changes.

Effectiveness of flavonoid-rich leaf extract of Acalypha indica in reversing experimental myocardial ischemia: biochemical and histopathological evidence.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the antimyocardial ischemic effects of flavonoid-rich methanolic leaf extract of Acalypha indica (AIE). METHODS: An animal model of myocardial ischemic injury was induced by isoproterenol (ISO) in adult rats. Albino Wistar rats were pretreated with the AIE (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight orally) for 30 d followed by ISO (85 mg/kg subcutaneously) at an interval of 24 h for 2 d. At the end of the experimental period (12 h after the second dose of ISO injection), rats were sacrificed by anaesthetization with an intramuscular injection of ketamine hydrochloride (24 mg/kg). To ensure anti-ischemic potential of AIE, the plasma lipids such as total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), free fatty acids (FFA), phospholipids (PL), myocardial lipids and hepatic lipids (TC, TG, FFA and PL) were estimated. Histopathology of heart tissue was also examined. RESULTS: Administration of AIE maintained the levels of plasma lipids in all the treatment groups (100 and 200 mg/kg) when compared with the ISO-injected model rats. Histopathological examination of heart tissue of ISO-administered model rat showed myofiber loss, extensive subendocardial necrosis, infiltration of inflammatory cells, marked myocellular edema and vacuolar degeneration. However, pretreatment with AIE at 200 mg/kg showed predominantly normal myocardium structure with myofibers appeared and no inflammatory cell infiltration, edema and necrosis. CONCLUSION: The biochemical and histological evidence from this study shows that AIE is protective against ISO-induced myocardial ischemia.