Inflammatory biomarkers and emotional approach coping in men with prostate cancer

ObjectiveEmotion-regulating coping is associated with improvements in psychological and physical health outcomes. Yet in the context of prostate cancer-related stressors, limited research has characterized associations of emotion-regulating coping processes (emotional expression, emotional processing) and inflammatory processes that are related to disease risk. This investigation examined the relation of Emotional Approach Coping (EAC) with markers of inflammation to test the hypothesis that higher EAC scores at study entry (T1) would be associated with lower proinflammatory markers four months later (T2), specifically sTNF-RII, CRP, and IL-6.MethodsForty-one men (M age = 66.62 years; SD = 9.62) who had undergone radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer within two years completed questionnaires, including assessments of EAC, at T1, and provided blood samples for immune assessments at T2.ResultsWhen controlling for relevant biobehavioral controls, emotional processing predicted lower IL-6 (B = −.66, p < .01), sTNF-RII (B = −.43, p < .05), and CRP (B = −.43, p < .10), whereas emotional expression was significantly associated with higher levels of sTNF-RII (B = .55, p < .05). Associations of emotional expression and IL-6 (B = .38, p < .10), and CRP (B = .44, p < .10) approached significance. Probing interactions of emotional processing and expression (though only approaching significance) suggested that expression of emotion is associated with higher inflammation (CRP and sTNF-RII) only in the context of low emotional processing.ConclusionsAttempts at emotion regulation via emotional processing appear to modulate inflammatory processes. Understanding, making meaning of, and working through emotional experience may be a promising target of intervention to reduce inflammation with potential effects on psychological and cancer outcomes in men with prostate cancer.     

Gender differences in the association of sleep apnea and inflammation

Over the last 15 years, many studies have established an association of sleep apnea with inflammation and metabolic aberrations. However, no controlled studies have examined potential gender effects in this association. We recruited 120 middle-aged, predominantly non-obese mild-to-moderate sleep apneics and controls (62 males, 58 females). All participants underwent a clinical history, physical examination, and 1-night 8-h polysomnography recording and provided a single fasting blood sample for assessment of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), C-reactive protein (CRP), leptin, and adiponectin levels. Among non-sleep apneics, females had higher levels of TNFR1 (p = 0.01), CRP (p = 0.005), leptin (p < 0.001), and adiponectin (p < 0.001) compared to males, independent of age and body mass index. When analyzed separately by gender, sleep apneic men had elevated TNFR1 (p = 0.04), CRP (p = 0.06) and IL-6 (p = 0.11) relative to control men; in sleep apneic females, only CRP was elevated (p = 0.04). Furthermore, CRP was associated with apnea severity in a dose–response manner (p-linear = 0.04 in both genders) and was independently associated with comorbid hypertension in apnea (p-linear = 0.005 for women; p-linear = 0.09 for men). In conclusion, although women have naturally higher levels of inflammatory and metabolic markers than men, sleep apneic men appear to have a more severe inflammatory profile compared to women. Our findings suggest that these markers should be analyzed and interpreted separately in men and women, and that a single measure of plasma CRP appears to be a clinically-useful marker of apnea severity and comorbid cardiovascular morbidity.     

Educational attainment and late life telomere length in the Health,Aging and Body Composition Study

Morbidity and mortality are greater among socially disadvantaged racial/ethnic groups and those of lower socioeconomic status (SES). Greater chronic stress exposure in disadvantaged groups may contribute to this by accelerating cellular aging, indexed by shorter age-adjusted telomere length. While studies consistently relate shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) to stress, the few studies, mostly from the UK, examining associations of LTL with SES have been mixed. The current study examined associations between educational attainment and LTL among 2599 high-functioning black and white adults age 70-79 from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Multiple regression analyses tested associations of race/ethnicity, educational attainment and income with LTL, adjusting for potential confounders. Those with only a high school education had significantly shorter mean LTL (4806 basepairs) than those with post-high school education (4926 basepairs; B = 125, SE = 47.6, p = .009). A significant interaction of race and education (B = 207.8, SE = 98.7, p = .035) revealed more beneficial effects of post-high school education for blacks than for whites. Smokers had shorter LTL than non-smokers, but the association of education and LTL remained significant when smoking was covaried (B = 119.7, SE = 47.6, p = .012). While higher income was associated with longer LTL, the effect was not significant (p > .10). This study provides the first demonstration of an association between educational attainment and LTL in a US population where higher education appears to have a protective effect against telomere shortening, particularly in blacks.     

Persistent depressive symptomatology and inflammation: To what extent do health behaviours and weight control mediate this relationship?

We examined if persistent depressive symptoms are associated with markers of inflammation (C-Reactive Protein-CRP) and coagulation (fibrinogen), and if this association can be partly explained by weight control and behavioural risk factors (smoking, alcohol, physical activity). The study sample included 3609 men and women (aged 60.5 ± 9.2 years) from The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a prospective study of community dwelling older adults. Depressive symptoms (using the 8-item CES-D scale), health behaviours (smoking, alcohol, physical activity), body weight, and central adiposity were assessed at baseline and 2 years follow up. CRP and fibrinogen were assessed at follow up. At baseline 12.7% of the sample reported elevated depressive symptomatology, which persisted in 6.1% of participants at follow up. Baseline CES-D score was associated with CRP (β = .035, SE = .0066) and fibrinogen (β = .023, SE = .0060) measured 2 years later. Using simple mediation analysis we observed both a direct association of depressive symptoms on CRP (β = .013, SE = .0066) and indirect mediating effects through behavioural risk factors (β for total indirect effect β = .022, SE = .0023). For fibrinogen there were no direct effects of depression, and the association was entirely explained through indirect mediating effects of health behaviours. The presence of recurrent elevated depressive symptomatology at both time points was more strongly associated with CRP and fibrinogen. In summary, the association between depressive symptoms and low grade inflammation can be partly explained by behavioural risk factors. The presence of persistent depression appears to be associated with the greatest risk of elevated inflammation.     

Polymorphisms in the CRP gene moderate an association between depressive symptoms and circulating levels of C-reactive protein

Although many studies have found psychological depression associated with higher circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), not all findings are consistent. Since DNA sequence variation in the CRP gene has also been shown to predict plasma CRP levels, we hypothesized that plasma CRP may covary with depressive symptomatology as a function of allelic variation in the CRP gene. We tested this hypothesis in 868 healthy community volunteers of European ancestry. Depressive symptomatology was measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CESD) scale, and plasma CRP was assayed from whole blood. Three polymorphisms [rs1417938 (A/T), rs1800947 (C/G) and rs1205 (C/T)] were genotyped and three-locus haplotypes were generated. Regression models adjusting for demographic and lifestyle-related covariates showed no direct association of CESD depression scores with CRP. In regression models adjusting for age, gender, education, smoking status and statin use, one CRP haplotype (T-G-C) was associated with CRP level (p = 0.014) and a second haplotype (A-G-T) showed marginal association (p = 0.064, respectively). Neither haplotype was related to depressive symptoms. However, plasma CRP was predicted by the interaction of A-G-T haplotype with depressive symptomatology (p = 0.009). Higher CESD scores were associated positively with CRP levels among individuals with the A-G-T haplotype (p = 0.004). In secondary analyses, body mass index was found to partially account for the moderating effects of the A-G-T haplotype on the association of depression with circulating CRP. In conclusion, we found that haplotypic variation in the CRP locus moderates an association of depressive symptoms with circulating CRP, which is partially mediated by BMI.     

Sex differences in the association between stressor-evoked interleukin-6 reactivity and C-reactive protein

Individuals differ consistently in the magnitude of their inflammatory responses to acute stressors, with females often showing larger responses than males. While the clinical significance of these individual differences remains unclear, it may be that greater inflammatory responses relate to increased systemic inflammation and thereby risk for chronic inflammatory disease. Here, we examined whether acute stressor-evoked interleukin (IL)-6 responses associate with resting levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, and whether this association differs by sex. Subjects were 57 healthy midlife adults (30–51 years; 33% female; 68% white). Blood was drawn before and 30-min after two mental stress tasks: a multisource interference task and a Stroop color word task. Hierarchical regressions controlling for age, sex, race, and BMI tested whether stressor-evoked IL-6 responses were associated with resting CRP and whether this association differed by sex. Results indicated that sex and stressor-evoked IL-6 responses interacted to predict CRP (ΔR² = 0.08, B = −1.33, β = −0.39, p = 0.02). In males, larger stressor-evoked IL-6 responses associated with higher CRP, whereas in females, stressor-evoked IL-6 responses showed a non-significant negative association with CRP. These findings indicate that inflammatory responses to acute stressors associate with resting levels of CRP; however, this association differs by sex. Previous literature suggests that there are sex differences in stressor-evoked IL-6 responses, but this is the first study to show sex differences in the relationship between acute inflammatory responses and systemic inflammation. The contribution of these sex differences to inflammatory disease risk warrants further investigation.     

Race/ethnicity moderates the relationship between depressive symptom severity and C-reactive protein: 2005–2010 NHANES data

Because few studies have examined depression facets or potential moderators of the depression–inflammation relationship, our aims were to determine whether particular depressive symptom clusters are more strongly associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and whether race/ethnicity moderates these relationships. We examined data from 10,149 adults representative of the U.S. population (4858 non-Hispanic White, 1978 non-Hispanic Black, 2260 Mexican American, 1053 Other Hispanic) who participated in the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 and 2010. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and high-sensitivity serum CRP was quantified by latex-enhanced nephelometry. Total (p < .001), somatic (p < .001), and nonsomatic (p = .001) depressive symptoms were each positively related to serum CRP in individual models. However, in the simultaneous model that included both symptom clusters, somatic symptoms (p < .001), but not nonsomatic symptoms (p = .98), remained associated with serum CRP. Evidence of moderation by race/ethnicity was also observed, as six of the nine depressive symptoms × race/ethnicity interactions were significant (ps < .05). Among non-Hispanic Whites, the pattern of results was identical to the full sample; only somatic symptoms (p < .001) remained related to serum CRP in the simultaneous model. No relationships between total, somatic, or nonsomatic symptoms and serum CRP were observed among the non-Hispanic Black, Mexican American, or Other Hispanic groups. Our findings indicate that the link between depressive symptoms and systemic inflammation may be due to the somatic symptoms of sleep disturbance, fatigue, appetite changes, and psychomotor retardation/agitation and may be strongest among non-Hispanic Whites.     

Stereotype confirmation concern and fear of negative evaluation among African Americans and Caucasians with Social Anxiety Disorder

Fear of negative evaluation is a central component of social anxiety. The current study examines the relation between fear of negative evaluation and fears of confirming stereotypes about social groups to which one belongs among people diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. Participants (N = 94) with a primary diagnosis of social anxiety disorder who self-identified as either African American (n = 41) or Caucasian (n = 53) completed standardized self-report measures of stereotype confirmation concerns and fear of negative evaluation. Results from hierarchical logistical regression showed that stereotype confirmation concerns predicted fear of negative evaluation for both racial groups, with greater concern predicting greater fear. This association was moderated by race, B = −.24, t = −2.67, p < .01, such that stereotype confirmation concerns had a stronger association with fear of negative evaluation for Caucasians (b = .38, p < .01) than for African Americans (b = .14, p < .05). This study is the first to directly examine the relation between stereotypes and fear of negative evaluation within a socially anxious sample. Although we cannot identify the specific social group to which each participant's stereotype confirmation concerns apply, this study provides quantitative evidence that the social context within which socially anxious individuals view themselves impacts their fear of negative evaluation and highlights the need for further research in this area.     

The associations among vitamin D deficiency,C-reactive protein,and depressive symptoms

ObjectiveVitamin D deficiency has been reported to be associated with depression, but the underlying mechanisms aren't well understood. Our study aims to investigate the associations among serum vitamin D, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and depressive symptoms.MethodsSerum levels of Vitamin D and CRP were measured from 52,228 participants. Depressive symptoms were assessed using a Korean version of the CES-D scale. We used logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio (ORs) of depressive symptoms according to vitamin D and CRP levels. The regressions were adjusted for covariates, and each model was adjusted mutually for vitamin D and CRP levels.ResultsA significant difference was found in vitamin D status between depressed and non-depressed participants, but CRP status was not significantly different. The OR for the presence of depressive symptoms was significantly increased in participants with vitamin D deficiency after adjusting for potentially confounding factors (Adjusted OR = 1.158, 95% CI = 1.003–1.336, p = 0.046). The OR of depressive symptoms was not significantly increased in individuals with high (3.01-10 mg/L) CRP level compared to individuals with low (≤ 3 mg/L) CRP level (Adjusted OR = 1.004, 95% CI = 0.821–1.227, p = 0.97). There was no significant association between vitamin D and CRP level. Additional adjustment for serum CRP level did not weaken the resulting association between vitamin D deficiency and the presence of depressive symptoms.ConclusionVitamin D deficiency was associated with depressive symptoms, but elevated serum CRP level was not. The results indicate that CRP level does not account for the association between vitamin D deficiency and the presence of depressive symptoms.     

Sleep duration versus sleep insufficiency as predictors of cardiometabolic health outcomes

ObjectiveThe objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between sleep insufficiency and sleep duration, particularly regarding negative cardiometabolic health outcomes already considered to be affected by reduced sleep time.MethodsA total of N = 30,934 participants from the 2009 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) answered questions about their sleep duration as well as subjective feelings of sleep insufficiency. Outcomes included body mass index (BMI), obesity (BMI ? 30 kg m^?2) and history of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, heart attack and stroke. Linear and logistic regression models examined whether cardiometabolic outcomes were associated with (1) sleep duration alone, (2) sleep insufficiency alone and (3) the combined effect of sleep duration and sleep insufficiency.ResultsResults indicated that, when examined alone, sleep duration <5 h (versus 7 h) was related to BMI (B = 2.716, p < 0.01), obesity (B = 2.080, p < 0.000001), diabetes (B = 3.162, p < 0.000001), hypertension (B = 2.703, p < 0.000001), hypercholesterolaemia (B = 1.922, p < 0.00001), heart attack (B = 4.704, p < 0.000001) and stroke (B = 4.558, p < 0.000001), and sleep insufficiency (days per week, continuous) was related to BMI (B = 0.181, p < 0.01), obesity (B = 1.061, p < 0.000001) and hypercholesterolaemia (B = 1.025, p < 0.01). All of these relationships remained significant after adjustment for covariates, except for diabetes and sleep duration. Also, after adjustment, a significant relationship between insufficient sleep and hypertension emerged (B = 1.039, p < 0.001). When evaluated together, after adjustment for covariates, significant relationships remained between sleep duration <5 h (versus 7 h) and BMI (B = 1.266, p < 0.05), obesity (B = 1.389, p < 0.05), hypertension (B = 1.555, p < 0.01), heart attack (B = 2.513, p < 0.01) and stroke (B = 1.807, p < 0.05). It should be noted that relationships between sleep duration >9 h (versus 7 h) were seen for heart attack (B = 1.863, p < 0.001) and stroke (B = 1.816, p < 0.01). In these models, sleep insufficiency was associated with hypercholesterolaemia (B = 1.031, p < 0.01) and hypertension (B = 1.027, p < 0.05).ConclusionsThese analyses show that both sleep duration and insufficiency are related to cardiometabolic health outcomes, and that when evaluated together, both variables demonstrate unique effects.     

Circulating levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) independently predict depressive symptom severity after 12 months in heart failure patients

Objective. To determine whether inflammatory markers prospectively predict depressive symptom severity 12 months later in heart failure (HF) patients. Methods. In 30 HF patients we assessed depressive symptom severity by the Beck depression inventory (BDI) at baseline as well as 12 months later. We measured circulating levels of the soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1, the cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 and the acute phase protein C-reactive protein (CRP) at baseline assessment. Results. sICAM-1 (r = .38, p = .045) but not CRP or IL-6 correlated with BDI scores 12 months later. Hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed that independent of baseline BDI assessment, cardiovascular risk factors, indicators of HF disease severity, and medication intake, sICAM-1 significantly predicted BDI scores 12 months later. sICAM-1 independently explained between 7% (β = .26, p = .040) and 10% (β = .35, p = .045) of the total variance in BDI scores 12 months later. Conclusion. The findings from this exploratory analysis suggest that the adhesion molecule sICAM-1 is an independent predictor of depressive symptoms 12 months later in HF patients. Our prospective findings support the suggested role for inflammation in increasing future depressive symptom severity and extend this linkage for the first time to HF.     

Preoperative inflammatory biomarkers and neurovegetative symptoms in peritoneal carcinomatosis patients

BackgroundInflammation plays a central role in peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) etiology and progression, and circulating levels of inflammatory biomarkers prior to surgery predict progression-free and overall survival in PC patients. Depression and fatigue are prevalent among PC patients, and experimental research shows that these symptoms may be mediated by proinflammatory cytokines. As yet unstudied is the possibility that the heightened levels of inflammatory markers in PC patients may contribute to their experience of common neurovegetative symptoms.MethodsValidated self-report measures of fatigue, depressive symptoms, and quality of life were administered to 64 patients scheduled to undergo aggressive surgical treatment for PC. Serum samples were collected the morning of surgery, and ELISAs were conducted to quantify circulating IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α levels.ResultsConsistent with hypotheses, higher IL-6 levels were associated with more severe fatigue (β = −.39, p < .01) and neurovegetative symptoms of depression (β = .30, p < .05). IL-6 was also related to poorer physical quality of life (β = −.28, p < .05). CRP showed similar significant relationships with fatigue and physical quality of life. Inflammatory biomarkers were not significantly related to emotional symptoms of depression or to emotional or social functioning aspects of quality of life, and TNF-α levels were not related to patient-reported measures.ConclusionPreoperative inflammatory activity may contribute to patients’ experiences of fatigue and neurovegetative depressive symptoms as well as impaired quality of life. These biological mechanisms warrant consideration in the clinical management of neurovegetative symptoms in PC patients.     

A prospective study of C-reactive protein as a state marker in Cardiac Syndrome X

Cardiac Syndrome X (CSX), the presence of angina pectoris despite normal epicardial coronary arteries seen on invasive angiography, is known to be associated with an elevation of several inflammatory biomarkers, suggesting a possible role for inflammation in its pathogenesis. We sought to establish if C-reactive protein (CRP) levels varied with disease severity and so whether it is a state or trait marker. We studied 16 CSX patients with typical angina pectoris, normal coronary arteries and an electrically positive exercise stress test (EST) and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). CSX patients were followed up at a subsequent visit with repeated exercise stress testing and CRP measurement. We found that CRP levels were significantly higher in the CSX group compared to the HC (1.5 [0.8–4.5] v 0.8 [0.4–1.4] mg/L, p = 0.02). This elevation in CRP persisted throughout the study length. CRP correlated with time to symptoms on EST at enrolment and at the second visit (r = −0.690, df = 10, p = 0.013 and r = −0.899, df = 4, p = 0.015, respectively). At the follow-up visit, 50% of CSX patients developed electrically and symptomatically negative ESTs. The mean CRP of this group was significantly lower than that of the CSX patients with ongoing symptoms and positive ESTs (1.2 ± 0.2 v 2.8 ± 0.6 mg/L, p = 0.018) and did not differ significantly from that of healthy controls. CRP levels also dropped in patients whose symptoms improved while they increased in patients who became more symptomatic (p = 0.027). We conclude that the results of this small study support the concept of CSX being an inflammatory-mediated condition with CRP levels prospectively varying with functional measures of disease severity. This indicates that CRP is a state marker in CSX.     

Predictors of intellectual functioning after epilepsy surgery in childhood: The role of socioeconomic status

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the association between socioeconomic status and intellectual functioning in children with medically refractory epilepsy, before and after resective epilepsy surgery. Family environment is a strong contributor to cognitive development in children and has been recently shown to play a significant role in intellectual outcome after surgery in children with epilepsy.MethodsOne hundred children who had undergone resective epilepsy surgery and completed preoperative and postoperative assessments of IQ as part of clinical care were included in the study. We evaluated the impact of epilepsy-related variables, income quintile, and residence location on IQ.ResultsGreater improvements in IQ after surgery were associated with an older age at surgery (β = .235, p = .018). Higher IQ scores at follow-up were associated with an older age of seizure onset (β = .371, p < .001), older age at surgery (β = .356, p < .001), unilobar epileptogenic focus (β = .394, p < .001), and mesial temporal sclerosis (β = .338, p = .001) or tumor (β = .457, p < .001) in comparison with malformation of cortical development; age at seizure onset did not remain as a significant predictor in multivariable regression analysis. Income quintile, residence location, seizure control, and antiepileptic medication use were not significant predictors.ConclusionsEpilepsy-related variables were the strongest predictors of IQ and postoperative change in IQ. We were unable to identify a significant association between IQ and socioeconomic status. Future research should evaluate the impact of multiple aspects of family environment.     

Test of the stress sensitization model in adolescents following the pipeline explosion

PurposeThe stress sensitization model states that early traumatic experiences increase vulnerability to the adverse effects of subsequent stressful life events. This study examined the effect of stress sensitization on development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in Chinese adolescents who experienced the pipeline explosion.MethodsA total of 670 participants completed self-administered questionnaires on demographic characteristics and degree of explosion exposure, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL-C). Associations among the variables were explored using MANOVA, and main effects and interactions were analyzed.ResultsOverall MANOVA tests with the PCL-C indicated significant differences for gender (F = 6.86, p = .000), emotional abuse (F = 6.79, p = .000), and explosion exposure (F = 22.40, p = .000). There were significant interactions between emotional abuse and explosion exposure (F = 3.98, p = .008) and gender and explosion exposure (F = 2.93, p = .033).ConclusionsBeing female, childhood emotional abuse, and a high explosion exposure were associated with high PTSD symptom levels. Childhood emotional abuse moderated the effect of explosion exposure on PTSD symptoms. Thus, stress sensitization influenced the development of PTSD symptoms in Chinese adolescents who experienced the pipeline explosion as predicted by the model.     

Association between serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and plasma interleukin-6 in major depressive disorder with melancholic features

Inflammatory processes as well as attenuation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) availability are involved in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Although it is generally presumed that these two systems interact negatively in the brain, preclinical and human in vitro studies have shown synergistic rather than antagonistic interactions in the periphery. We therefore examined the association between serum levels of BDNF and plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in patients with MDD (n = 1070) and non-depressed controls (n = 379) from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. We used multiple regression analyses with serum BDNF as the dependent variable and we specifically tested the presence of BDNF–cytokine associations in DSM-IV-assigned melancholic MDD patients, identified by the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology. After adjustment for sociodemographics, sampling variability, lifestyle indicators, somatic diseases and medication use, BDNF levels were predicted by the interaction between MDD diagnosis and IL-6 (p-interaction = .006). Stratified analyses showed that BDNF levels are indeed positively associated with IL-6 levels in MDD patients (β = .07, p = .02), but not in non-depressed controls (β = −.07, p = .23). When further stratified for melancholic and non-melancholic MDD (p-interaction = .005), IL-6 emerged as a robust positive predictor of BDNF only in the melancholic sample (β = .21, p = .01), wherein serum BDNF levels were accordingly enhanced. Post-hoc exploratory analyses verified an accentuated positive association of BDNF levels with leucocyte counts in melancholia. No significant associations emerged between BDNF and TNF-α. Overall, our cross-sectional approach may have disclosed an allostatic, BDNF-inducing component of peripheral immunity and/or an immunotrophic function of peripheral BDNF. Both scenarios may warrant further exploration, as they could inform new research concepts towards immune-based antidepressive treatment strategies.     

Job satisfaction is associated with elevated natural killer cell immunity among healthy white-collar employees

Although the association of job satisfaction with health has been well documented, little is known about the biological mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study investigates the association of job satisfaction with cell-mediated immunity among Japanese white-collar daytime workers. A total of 306 healthy full-time employees (141 women and 165 men), aged 22–69 (mean 36) years, provided a blood sample for the measurement of circulating immune (natural killer (NK), B, and total T) cells and NK cell cytotoxicity (NKCC) and completed a questionnaire survey during April to June 2002. Job satisfaction was measured by a 4-item scale from the Japanese version of the generic job stress questionnaire with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction. Analyses were done separately for women and men using a hierarchical multiple linear regression model controlling for multiple confounders. The results revealed that greater job satisfaction was positively correlated with NKCC (β = .207; p = .029) and the number of NK (CD3^?CD56⁺) cells (β = .261; p = .008) in women. In men, job satisfaction was marginally correlated with NKCC (β = .165; p = .050) but was not correlated with the number of NK (CD3^?CD56⁺) cells (β = .142; p = .107). Job satisfaction did not correlate with numbers of T (CD3⁺CD56^?) and B (CD19⁺) cells in both women and men. Our findings suggest an independent association between job satisfaction and NK cells but the association seems to be stronger in women than in men. Although the results provide a support for the biological plausibility of the job satisfaction-health relationship, additional research is required to determine whether greater job satisfaction contributes to recovery/maintenance of NK cell immunity and host defense over time.     

Understanding physical activity and motivations for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: An investigation using the Theory of Planned Behavior

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, affecting approximately 5–6% of children. Previous research has consistently found children with DCD being less physically active compared to typically-developing (TD) children; however, the psychosocial factors associated with physical activity for children with DCD are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine how theory-based physical activity cognitions impacts physical activity behaviors for children with and without DCD. Participants included a sample of boys (N = 61, M_age = 13.25 ± .46) with DCD (n = 19) and without DCD (n = 42), drawn from a larger prospective cohort study. A questionnaire with psychosocial measures was first administered, and accelerometers were used to assess their physical activity behavior over the subsequent week. Findings indicate that DCD was significantly associated with lower physical activity (F(1,58) = 6.51, p < .05), and poorer physical activity cognitions (F(4,56) Wilks Lambda = 2.78, p < .05). Meditational analyses found attitudes (B = .23, p < .05) and subjective norms (B = .31, p < .05) partially mediating the relationship between DCD and physical activity. Overall, this study further confirms that the activity deficit that exists among boys with DCD, and that the relationship is partially mediated through some physical activity cognitions. Interventions should target the perceived approval of influential people, and the personal evaluations of physical activity for boys with motoric difficulties. These findings further emphasizes the discrepancy in physical activity that exist between boys with DCD and TD boys, and highlight the need to better understand the psychological factors related to physical activity for children with DCD.     

Chronic discrimination predicts higher circulating levels of E-selectin in a national sample: The MIDUS study

Chronic discrimination in both minority and non-minority populations is linked to adverse health outcomes, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease and increased mortality, but the biological processes through which discrimination affects health are unclear. The current study tested the hypothesis that discrimination in a sample of Caucasians would predict elevated serum levels of E-selectin, an indication of endothelial dysfunction which itself is associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease risk. Participants (N = 804) in the biomarker sample from the Survey of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) provided information about experiences of both major and everyday discrimination at two times separated by a 9–10 year interval. The discrimination measures were designed to assess perceived unfair treatment (e.g. being fired unfairly) independently of the perceived reasons for the unfair treatment (e.g. race, gender). Serum E-selectin was measured at the second wave of data collection. Women reported significantly more instances of major (P < 0.05) and everyday P < 0.001) discrimination than men. Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA) showed that both greater lifetime exposure to major discrimination (P < 0.05) and chronic exposure to everyday discrimination (P < 0.05) predicted higher circulating levels of E-selectin, but only in men. These associations remained statistically significant after adjustments for potential confounding variables, including age, race, socioeconomic status, health status, and health behavior. These results highlight a potential biological mechanism by which exposure to unfair treatment may be related to health, particularly cardiovascular function. Moreover, they add to a growing literature suggesting that unfair treatment in general may predict adverse health outcomes.     

Impact of tactile function on upper limb motor function in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

This study investigated the presence of, and relationship between tactile dysfunction and upper limb motor function in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) compared to typical developing (TD) children. Participants were 36 children aged 6–12 years. Presence of DCD (n = 20) or TD (n = 16) was confirmed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, second edition. All children participated in a comprehensive assessment of tactile registration (Semmes Weinstein Monofilaments); tactile spatial perception (Single Point Localisation (SPL) and two-point discrimination (2PD)); haptic perception (Stereognosis); speed of simple everyday manual tasks (Jebsen–Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF)); and handwriting speed and accuracy (Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ETCH)). Compared to TD children, children with DCD demonstrated poorer localisation of touch in the non-dominant hand (p = 0.04), slower speed of alphabet writing (p < 0.05) and less legible handwriting (p < 0.01), but no difference in speed of simple everyday manual tasks (JTTHF: p > 0.05). Regression analysis showed that spatial tactile perception (SPL) predicted handwriting legibility (ETCH: r = 0.11) and speed of functional tasks (JTTHF: r = 0.33). These results suggest that tactile function, specifically single point localisation, should be a primary tactile assessment employed to determine reasons for upper limb motor difficulties experienced by children with DCD.