More habitual physical activity is linked to the use of specific,more adaptive cognitive reappraisal strategies in dealing with stressful events

Physical activity may improve stress resilience and well‐being. However, specific links to individuals' coping abilities with stressful events are sparse. This study tested whether individuals reporting more physical activity in daily life showed a higher capacity for cognitive reappraisal in dealing with potential stressors. Ninety‐eight participants reported their regular physical activity in the Freiburger Questionnaire on Physical Activity and completed a maximum performance test of their inventiveness in generating reappraisals for situations depicting real‐life stressors. The latter provides scores for overall cognitive reappraisal capacity (quantity of ideas) and preference for specific cognitive reappraisal strategies (quality of ideas; positive reinterpretation; problem‐oriented, de‐emphasizing reappraisals). Additionally, participants' anxious and depressive dispositions and general creative abilities were assessed. Results showed no association between time spent on physical activities per week and total quantity of generated reappraisal ideas. However, a higher degree of physical activity was specifically linked to a greater relative preference for the reappraisal strategy of positive reinterpretation. Opposite associations emerged for the strategy of de‐emphasizing reappraisals. The findings support the notion of more adaptive cognitive reappraisal use in more physically active individuals and may advance research on interrelationships between physical activity and cognitive and affective functions implicated in stress management.     

Nonlinear optical microscopy is a novel tool for the analysis of cutaneous alterations in pseudoxanthoma elasticum

Lasers in Medical Science - Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE, OMIM 264800) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder with ectopic mineralization and fragmentation of elastin fibers. It is caused by...     

Impact of the Diet on the Formation of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Induced by Bacterial Biofilm in the Oral Cavity

The diet is related to the diversity of bacteria in the oral cavity, and the less diverse microbiota of the oral cavity may favor the growth of pathogenic bacteria of all bacterial complexes. Literature data indicate that disturbances in the balance of the bacterial flora of the oral cavity seem to contribute to both oral diseases, including periodontitis, and systemic diseases. If left untreated, periodontitis can damage the gums and alveolar bones. Improper modern eating habits have an impact on the oral microbiome and the gut microbiome, which increase the risk of several chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The subject of our consideration is the influence of the traditional diet on the formation of oxidative stress and inflammation caused by bacterial biofilm in the oral cavity. Through dental, biomedical and laboratory studies, we wanted to investigate the effect of individual nutrients contained in specific diets on the induction of oxidative stress inducing inflammation of the soft tissues in the oral cavity in the presence of residual supra- and subgingival biofilm. In our research we used different types of diets marked as W, T, B, F and noninvasively collected biological material in the form of bacterial inoculum from volunteers. The analyzed material was grown on complete and selective media against specific strains of all bacterial complexes. Additionally, the zones of growth inhibition were analyzed based on the disc diffusion method. The research was supplemented with dental and periodontological indicators. The research was supplemented by the application of molecular biology methods related to bacterial DNA isolation, PCR reactions and sequencing. Such selected methods constitute an ideal screening test for the analysis of oral bacterial microbiota. The obtained results suggest that certain types of diet can be an effective prophylaxis in the treatment of civilization diseases such as inflammation of the oral cavity along with periodontal tissues and gingival pockets.     

The Karlsburg type 1 diabetes risk study of a normal schoolchild population: association of beta-cell autoantibodies and human leukocyte antigen-DQB1 alleles in antibody-positive individuals

The intent of this study was to analyze the prevalence of diabetes-associated autoantibodies (AAbs) at or above the 99(th) percentile as well as their association with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQB1 alleles in a normal population of 6,337 schoolchildren. AAbs against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), tyrosine phosphatase IA-2 (IA-2A), and/or insulin (IAA) were detected by (125)I-antigen binding and islet cell antibodies (ICA) immunohistochemically in 181 (2.86%) schoolchildren. HLA-DQB1 alleles were analyzed in 178/181 children and subsequently compared with 119 controls. 2.37% (150/6,337) possessed only one AAb, whereas 0.49% (31/6,337) had multiple AAbs but at increased levels (P < 0.001). Subjects with GADA, IA-2A, or IAA revealed an increased frequency of the diabetes-associated HLA-DQB1 alleles *0302 and/or *02 (P = 0.001-0.006) as well as a decreased frequency in the protective allele *0602 (P < 0.001-0.022). DQB1*0602 was completely absent within children with multiple AAbs or with GADA, IA2-A, or IAA at or above the 99.9(th) percentile. In comparison to children with single AAbs, the frequency of associated/protective alleles of children with multiple AAbs was enhanced/diminished (P = 0.004-0.009). The study shows that also in the general population the multiple AAbs or high level single AAbs predict rather certainly a HLA-DQB1-mediated diabetes susceptibility as shown for first degree relatives of type 1 diabetic patients.     

Status of minimal residual disease after induction predicts outcome in both standard and high-risk Ph-negative adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The Polish Adult Leukemia Group ALL 4-2002 MRD Study

The treatment of adults with Philadelphia-negative acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) depends on the presence of risk factors including age, white blood cell count, immunophenotype and time to complete remission. In recent years, status of minimal residual disease (MRD) has been postulated as an additional risk criterion. This study prospectively evaluated the significance of MRD. Patients were treated with a uniform Polish Adult Leukemia Group (PALG) 4-2002 protocol. MRD status was assessed after induction and consolidation by multiparametric flow cytometry. Out of 132 patients included (age, 17–60 years), 116 patients were suitable for analysis. MRD level ≥0·1% of bone marrow cells after induction was found to be a strong and independent predictor for relapse in the whole study population ( P  < 0·0001), as well as in the standard risk (SR, P  = 0·0003) and high-risk ( P  = 0·008) groups. The impact of MRD after consolidation on outcome was not significant. The combination of MRD status with conventional risk stratification system identified a subgroup of patients allocated to the SR group with MRD <0·1% after induction who had a very low risk of relapse of 9% at 3 years as opposed to 71% in the remaining subjects ( P  = 0·001). We conclude that MRD evaluation after induction should be considered with conventional risk criteria for treatment decisions in adult ALL.