scholarly journals Mobile applications for anxiety and stress reduction: potential for preventing noncommunicable diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 4681
Author(s):  
K. A. Zamyatin ◽  
D. I. Nozdrachev ◽  
M. N. Solovieva
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Reduction Potential ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Breathing Exercises ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Sound Therapy ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Disease Specificity ◽  
The Relationship

The article discusses using mobile applications for smartphones as tools to reduce anxiety and stress. The modern views on pathogenesis of the relationship between stress, anxiety disorders and cardiovascular disease are considered. Based on a review of some representative studies, a methodology for evaluating the characteristics and functions of mobile applications for managing anxiety and stress symptoms is proposed. The applications selected for analysis were tested according to this methodology. There are following key features of the Russianlanguage field of mobile applications for anxiety and stress reduction: a small number of applications, high prevalence of using breathing exercises, meditations and sound therapy, an extremely low disease specificity and focus mainly on helping with general symptoms of anxiety.

scholarly journals Maternal toxoplasmosis and the risk of childhood autism: serological and molecular small-scale studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamila S. Al Malki ◽  
Nahed Ahmed Hussien ◽  
Fuad Al Malki
Keyword(s):  
Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Saudi Arabian ◽  
Childhood Autism ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Delayed Language Development

Abstract Background Toxoplasmosis resulting from infection with the Toxoplasma parasite has become an endemic disease worldwide. Recently, a few studies have reported a high prevalence of Toxoplasmosis infections among Saudi Arabian women. This disease could become life threatening for pregnant women and for immunodeficient people. There is evidence that infections during pregnancy, especially in the early stages, are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Autism disorder represents one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders worldwide; it is associated with delayed language development, weak communication interaction, and repetitive behavior. The relationship between prenatal toxoplasmosis and autism in childhood remains unclear. The present study aims to report a link between maternal toxoplasmosis and autistic offspring among Saudi Arabian women. Method Blood samples (36 maternal, 36 from their non-autistic children, and 36 from their autistic children) were collected for serological and molecular evaluation. Results A toxoplasmosis infection was reported for 33.34% of participants using an ELISA assay (5.56% IgG+/IgM+, 11.11% IgG−/IgM+, and 16.67% IgG+/IgM-); however, a nested PCR assay targeting B1 toxoplasmosis specific genes recorded positive tests for 80.56% of the samples. In addition, the present study detected several points of mutation of mtDNA including NADH dehydrogenase (ND1, ND4) and Cyt B genes and the nDNA pyruvate kinase (PK) gene for autistic children infected with toxoplasmosis. Conclusion Considering previous assumptions, we suggest that a maternal toxoplasmosis infection could have a role in the development of childhood autism linked to mtDNA and nDNA impairment.

scholarly journals Community-Level Sports Group Participation and Health Behaviors Among Older Non-Participants in a Sports Group: A Multilevel Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 531
Author(s):  
Taishi Tsuji ◽  
Satoru Kanamori ◽  
Yasuhiro Miyaguni ◽  
Katsunori Kondo
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Change ◽  
Transtheoretical Model ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Partial Regression Coefficient ◽  
Group Participation ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
The Relationship

This study validates the relationship between community-level sports group participation and the frequency of leaving the house and transtheoretical model stages of behavior change for exercise among older individuals who did not participate in a sports group. We used cross-sectional data from the 2016 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. The proportion of sports group participants at the community level was calculated using the data from 157,233 older individuals living in 1000 communities. We conducted a multilevel regression analysis to examine the relationship between the proportion of sports group participants and the frequency of leaving the house (1 day/week or less) and the transtheoretical model stages of behavior change for exercise. A statistically significant relationship was observed between a high prevalence of sports group participation and lower risk of homeboundness (odds ratio: 0.94) and high transtheoretical model stages (partial regression coefficient: 0.06) as estimated by 10 percentage points of participation proportion. Older individuals, even those not participating in a sports group, living in a community with a high prevalence of sports group participation are less likely to be homebound; they are highly interested and have numerous opportunities to engage in exercise.

Relationship between levels of salivary cortisol with depression and suicidal ideation

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1631-1631 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. De Usabel Guzmán ◽  
M.J. Mota Rodríguez ◽  
A. Pampin Alfonso ◽  
J.B. Brenlla Gonzalez ◽  
M.J. Núñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Santiago De Compostela ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
The Relationship

IntroductionSuicide is a major public health problem in most of the countries because it has a high prevalence in young people. It has been studied that high levels of cortisol are associated with depression and increase of the suicidal risk.ObjectiveTo analyze the relationship between cortisol levels in a population of university students and the questionnaire results for the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).MethodThe sample was composed by 106 students of the Nursing School of Santiago de Compostela University. The 88.7% of the sample are women with a mean age of 21.50 + /−2.52, the 99% are unmarried. The protocol consisted in 3 sections: demographic variables, BDI questionnaire with spanish scale and determination of salivary cortisol levels. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS 15.ResultsThe are higher levels of salivary cortisol in students with a greater or equal score to 13 on the BDI with statistically significances differences (p = .000). Students with suicidal ideation (item 9 of the BDI) have highest rates of cortisol, with statistically significant differences (p = 0.001).ConclusionsThis study supports other researchs about the association between biological neuroendocrine markers and affective disorders. Explaining suicidal behavior could help us to prevent it by using early intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. They could also identify markers to establish the risk of suicide.

scholarly journals Association between Inflammatory Conditions and Alzheimer’s Disease Age of Onset in Down Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 3116
Author(s):  
Florence Lai ◽  
Nathaniel Mercaldo ◽  
Cassandra M. Wang ◽  
Giovi G. Hersch ◽  
Herminia Diana Rosas
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Vitamin B12 Deficiency ◽  
Inflammatory Conditions ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Autoimmune Conditions ◽  
B12 Deficiency ◽  
The Relationship

Adults with Down syndrome (DS) have an exceptionally high prevalence of Alzheimer disease (AD), with an earlier age of onset compared with the neurotypical population. In addition to beta amyloid, immunological processes involved in neuroinflammation and in peripheral inflammatory/autoimmune conditions are thought to play important roles in the pathophysiology of AD. Individuals with DS also have a high prevalence of autoimmune/inflammatory conditions which may contribute to an increased risk of early AD onset, but this has not been studied. Given the wide range in the age of AD onset in those with DS, we sought to evaluate the relationship between the presence of inflammatory conditions and the age of AD onset. We performed a retrospective study on 339 adults with DS, 125 who were cognitively stable (CS) and 214 with a diagnosis of AD. Data were available for six autoimmune conditions (alopecia, celiac disease, hypothyroidism, psoriasis, diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency) and for one inflammatory condition, gout. Gout was associated with a significant delay in the age of AD onset by more than 2.5 years. Our data suggests that inflammatory conditions may play a role in the age of AD onset in DS. Further studies are warranted.

Associations Between Change Over Time in Pandemic-Related Stress and Change in Physical Activity

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kathryn E. Wilson ◽  
Andrew Corbett ◽  
Andrew Van Horn ◽  
Diego Guevara Beltran ◽  
Jessica D. Ayers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Linear Change ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Trajectories Of Change ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

Background: Physical activity (PA) mitigated psychological distress during the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet not much is known about whether PA had effects on stress in subsequent months. We examined the relationship between change over time in COVID-related stress and self-reported change in PA between March and July 2020. Methods: Latent growth modeling was used to examine trajectories of change in pandemic-related stress and test their association with self-reported changes in PA in an international sample (n = 679). Results: The participants reported a reduction in pandemic-related stress between April and July of 2020. Significant linear (factor mean = −0.22) and quadratic (factor mean = 0.02) changes (Ps < .001) were observed, indicating a deceleration in stress reduction over time. Linear change was related to change in PA such that individuals who became less active during the pandemic reported less stress reduction over time compared with those who maintained or increased their PA during the pandemic. Conclusions: Individuals who experienced the greatest reduction in stress over time during the pandemic were those who maintained their activity levels or became more active. Our study cannot establish a causal relationship between these variables, but the findings are consistent with other work showing that PA reduces stress.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Factors Associated with Hypertension among Adolescents in Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liew JK ◽  
Cheong XP ◽  
Law L ◽  
Teo WH ◽  
Eng SS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Malaysian Adolescents

Introduction: Evidence has shown an increase in paediatric hypertension globally and this could give rise to increase prevalence of adult hypertension. The purpose of this paper was to determine the prevalence of hypertension among adolescents in Malaysia as well as the association between hypertension and lifestyle factors selected based on published literature. Methods: Adolescents aged 13-17 years old were selected randomly from two secondary schools to have their blood pressure measured. Their lifestyle information was obtained through completed bilingual questionnaires based on validated instruments, as well as anthropometry measurements. The relationship between hypertension and lifestyle factors was determined through statistical analysis. Results: A total of 273 students were included in the study with 120 (44%) males and 153 (56%) females. The prevalence of hypertension was 24.5% among the respondents with the highest being recorded among Malays (28.7%). Generally, hypertension was associated with an increased Body Mass Index (BMI) (AOR=4.053, 95%CI=1.677-9.795, p=0.002) and waist circumference (WC) (AOR=2.918, 95%CI=1.171-7.269, p=0.021) in all respondents. Similar associations were noted in females (BMI: AOR=7.707, 95%CI=2.043-29.072, p=0.003; WC: AOR=3.690, 95%CI=1.011-13.464, p=0.048) but not in males. Conclusion: Hypertension recorded high prevalence among Malaysian adolescents in our study. The strong association between elevated body weight, BMI and WC with hypertension may require further study to evaluate the need for screening

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