Assessment of salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol as a pain related stress biomarker in dogs pre-and post-operation

Background The use of salivary biomarkers has garnered attention because the composition of saliva reflects the body’s physiological state. Saliva contains a wide range of components, including peptides, nucleic acids, electrolytes, enzymes, and hormones. It has been reported that salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol are biomarkers of stress related biomarker in diseased dogs; however, evaluation of salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol pre- and post- operation has not been studied yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol levels in dogs before and after they underwent surgery and investigate the association between the salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol activity and pain intensity. For this purpose, a total of 35 dogs with disease-related pain undergoing orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries were recruited. Alpha-amylase and cortisol levels in the dogs’ saliva and serum were measured for each using a commercially available canine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, and physical examinations (measurement of heart rate and blood pressure) were performed. In addition, the dogs’ pre- and post-operative pain scores determined using the short form of the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF) were evaluated. Results After surgery, there was a significant decrease in the dogs’ pain scores (0.4-fold for the CMPS-SF, p < 0.001) and serum cortisol levels (0.73-fold, p < 0.01). Based on their pre-operative CMPS-SF scores, the dogs were included in either a high-pain-score group or a low-pain-score group. After the dogs in the high-pain-score group underwent surgical intervention, there was a significant decrease in their CMPS-SF scores and levels of salivary alpha-amylase, serum alpha-amylase, and serum cortisol. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between salivary alpha-amylase levels and CMPS-SF scores in both the high- and low-pain-score groups. Conclusions The measurement of salivary alpha amylase can be considered an important non-invasive tool for the evaluation of pain-related stress in dogs.

STRESS-RESISTANT OF PUREBRED AND CROSSBRED PIGS OF DIFFERENT BRED COMBINATIONS

The authors presented the results of experimental studies on the stress-resistant of pigs. The first group is a breed created in Sapphire Ltd. This breed is a breeding group (BG) in purebred breeding and their mixtures in two- and three-breed combinations with Landrace (L) and Duroc (D) boars under conditions of industrial farm technology in Siberia. Two methods assessed stress-resistant of piglets of different breed groups. The first method is “weaning crisis”. The second method is a com-parison of cortisol levels in the blood. Three-breed weanling piglets (SGxL)xD turned out to be the most stress-sensitive. Stress-resistant piglets had an effect on their growth during the rearing period. During this period, stress-resistant animals of all breed combinations had higher average daily gain than stress-sensitive animals (P < 0.001). Stress-resistant animals of the breeding group (SG) showed an average daily growth of 547.5 g during the fattening period. Also, the stress-resistant animals of the breeding group reliably surpassed the stress-sensitive pigs by 461.4 g (P < 0.01), the two-breed pigs by 455.9 g and 404.7 g and the three-breed pigs 451.8 g and 419.2 g, respectively. There was a statistically significant advantage in the indices of the average daily gain among the purebred young-sters of the breeding group (SG) (543 g) compared to the two-breed pigs (447g) and the three-breed pigs (402g), i. e., by 17.8 % and 26 % at P < 0.001. The authors found that the EAAcr/- genotype in stress-sensitive pigs was more common than EAA-/(0.71 ± 0.07 vs 0.48 ± 0.09). Stress-resistant pigs of the breeding group (SG) with EAE edg/edf blood group genotypes were characterized by increased growth intensity and reliable superiority over stress-sensitive pigs. The authors believe that these genotypes can be accepted as preliminary candidates for genetic markers of stress resistant. Blood cortisol levels appeared to be unrelated to stress-resistant compared to the “weaning crisis” method. This relationship (blood cortisol level with stress-resistant) applies to all studied breed combinations, both individually and as a whole.

Morning Cortisol and Circulating Inflammatory Cytokine Levels: A Mendelian Randomisation Study

Cortisol exerts a broad anti-inflammatory effect on the immune system. Inflammatory cytokines contribute to the molecular signalling pathways implicated in various autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. However, the mechanisms by which cortisol modulates such signalling pathways remain uncertain. Leveraging summary-level data from the CORtisol NETwork (CORNET, n = 25,314) and FINRISK (n = 8293) genome-wide association studies, we used two-sample Mendelian randomisation to investigate the causal effect of genetically proxied increased morning cortisol levels on 42 circulating cytokines. We found that increased genetically proxied morning cortisol levels were associated with reduced levels of IL-8 and increased levels of MIF. These results provide mechanistic insight into the immunomodulatory effects of endogenous cortisol and the therapeutic effects of exogenous corticosteroids. Clinically, our findings underline the therapeutic importance of steroids in inflammatory conditions where IL-8 and MIF play a central pathophysiological role in the onset and progression of disease.

The Comparison of Plasma Cortisol Levels between 0.125% Bupivacaine and 5 mg Continuous Oxycodone in Lower Extremity Orthopedic Surgery

Introduction: Pain is a problem often encountered in postoperative patients. Study has shown after a procedure, 80% patients experience acute pain. This postoperative pain will affect patient’s quality of life therefore necessitating quick and proper treatment. Tissue trauma during surgery will have influence on body system, including endocrine. One of endocrine system response is cortisol secretion. Cortisol levels may be attenuated by bupivacaine and oxycodone. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of bupivacaine0,125% and oxycodone 5 mg on pain perception measured by cortisol in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery of the lower limb. Methods: A randomized clinical trial, double-blind study was performed at Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital in Palembang, South Sumatra, from November to May 2021. There were forty samples and divided into two groups (bupivacaine 0,125% and oxycodone 5 mg). Groups were divided by block randomization by computerized random number generator. Blinding were done by making analgesic has the same packages to prevent knowledge of which intervention is being done. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney and Chi Square with SPSS version 22.0. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups on age, gender, body mass index and duration of surgery. In bupivacaine group, cortisol level decreased from 12.94±6.99 µg/dl to 11.32±5.42 µg/dl meanwhile oxycodone group cortisol levels increased from 11.81±8.47 µg/dl to 11.82±7.56 µg/dl. There were no significant difference between two groups relating to cortisol levels. Conclusions: No significant difference was found on administration of bupivacaine 0,125% and oxycodone 5 mg as epidural analgesia on cortisol level in postoperative orthopedic surgery of the lower limb patient.

The effect of post-abortion care (PAC) on anxiety in women with spontaneous abortion based on MicroRNA-21 expression, cortisol level, and Fordyce happiness pattern

Abortion is one of the most common complications in pregnancy, and the cause of its occurrence in many cases remains unknown. The high prevalence and consequences of anxiety in women with spontaneous abortion could highlight the importance and role of post-abortion care (PAC). Detection and identification of biomarkers related to abortion and anxiety can effectively diagnose and prevent complications. Among the known biomarkers, microRNAs and the cortisol level have high potential. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effect of post-abortion care (PAC) on anxiety in women with spontaneous abortion based on MicroRNA-21 expression, cortisol level, and Fordyce happiness pattern. In this randomized clinical trial, 72 women with spontaneous abortion were studied and randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n = 36) and control (n = 36). Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire and HADS. To assess PAC, the intervention group was consulted in 8 sessions of 60 minutes in the first 72 hours after abortion. Meetings were held twice a week for four weeks. Both groups were followed up immediately after and one month after the intervention. To evaluate biological factors, 4ml of blood sample was obtained from the subjects. Blood cortisol levels were measured by the Cortisol Competitive Human ELISA Kit (Thermo-Fisher, USA), and microRNA-21 evaluation was performed by Real-time PCR technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 software. Results showed that before the intervention, there was no significant difference in the mean score of anxiety between the control and intervention groups (P> 0.05); But at the time immediately and one month after the intervention, there was a significant difference in the mean score of anxiety (p <0.001). The results of biological factors evaluation showed that in the intervention group, serum cortisol levels and microRNA-21 expression decreased significantly (p <0.05). In general, PAC based on the happiness pattern can control the anxiety of women with spontaneous abortion. Therefore, it is recommended as an effective and non-invasive intervention in preventing women's psychological problems after spontaneous abortion.