Is burnout simply a stress reaction?

Whether burnout is synonymous with stress is a question of clinical importance when considering the nosological status and management of both states. The biological changes associated with both stress and burnout suggest considerable overlap. However, we argue that the widespread acceptance by the lay community of burnout as a distinct and relatable syndrome suggests it is worthy of independent designation.

How Does Schema Affect Stress and Productivity at the Workplace?

Maintaining mental health has become a great concern not only for one's well-being, but also for companies' management, while one's personality trait has gained its popularity as a cause. In this article, the authors then investigate how worksite productivity loss is accounted for by stress response accompanied with schema. To this end, the conventional stress model is extended so as to include schema. The pivotal idea of the extended model stands in that both stressor and strain are associated with schema. The result of multiple regression analysis showed that workplace productivity loss is most largely affected by irritability, fatigue, and depression. In addition, the result of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that schema affects stress reaction both directly and indirectly, and that there exists a so-called buffering effect between job control and coworkers' support. These findings suggest that work productivity may be improved by intervention regarding schema or by promoting the buffering effect.

Adaptive morphogenesis of the adrenal glands of ducks in conditions of hyperthermia

It was found that under conditions of hyperthermia, morphofunctional changes develop in the interrenal part of the adrenal glands, indicating an increase in the functional activity of the gland. The study of ducks on the 5th day of hyperthermia revealed loosening and thickening of the adrenal gland capsule compared to the control. Significant hemodynamic disorders were noted: the phenomena of stasis and erythrocyte sludge in sharply expanded blood capillaries of the adrenal glands. It was found that on the 10th day of hyperthermia, hemodynamic disorders are progressive: the phenomena of sludge and red blood cell stasis are less pronounced, but parenchymal edema and a sharp expansion of sinusoid capillaries persist. Changes in interrenal cells (their high prismatic shape, cytoplasmic vacuolization, apical granularity) are also determined to characterize the high secretory activity of endocrinocytes. The found changes indicate the development of a stress reaction.

Stress Characterization is a more Reliable Approach for the Assessment of Metabolism than Blood Glucose Value

The stress reaction (acute, repetitive or chronic stress patterns) is a non-specific response of an organism to a pathological state. The metabolic characteristics of these stress patterns are well documented. Recognizing the interrelation between a stress-induced pathological state and the relevant pattern of the resultant stress reaction can provide a more accurate assessment of actual cellular metabolism than an approach relying on blood glucose values. Stress activation is obligatorily associated with negative energetic balance in affected cellular metabolism, which is reversed by elimination of the stressor. Prolongation of the stress reaction is a marker indicating the ineffective elimination of the causal stressor. Chronic stress induces progressive self-generating cellular metabolic dysfunction, resulting in the development of both diabetic and ischaemic disorders. Chronic stress conditions are characterized by reductions in inducible metabolic capacity, acute stress tolerance, and functional performance, accompanied by stress-specific micro- and macroscopic alterations. Chronic stress can be activated by both somatic and psychomental stressors. Diabetes, starvation, obesity, ageing, pregnancy, and any chronic disease state of a vital organ are associated with activation of stress reaction. The increased susceptibility of diabetic patients on gliflozins to the development of postoperative euglycaemic ketoacidosis can be explained by a reduction in chronic stress-associated acute stress tolerance, related mainly to diabetes, and a relative glucose deficiency induced by gliflozin therapy. Chronic hyperglycaemia associated with chronic stress should be considered both the primary cause and the secondary consequence of cellular dysmetabolism. Achievement of near-normoglycaemia is a beneficial effect but is not a causal intervention

Resveratrol Suppresses Annulus Fibrosus Cell Apoptosis through Regulating Oxidative Stress Reaction in an Inflammatory Environment

During disc degeneration, the increase of inflammatory cytokines and decrease of disc cell density are two prominent features. Enhanced inflammatory reaction contributes to disc annulus fibrosus (AF) cell apoptosis. In this study, we investigated whether resveratrol can suppress AF cell apoptosis in an inflammatory environment. Rat disc AF cells were cultured in medium with or without tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Resveratrol was added along with the culture medium supplemented with TNF-α. Caspase-3 activity, cell apoptosis ratio, expression of apoptosis-associated molecules (Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, cleaved PARP, and cleaved caspase-3), reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, and the total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured. Our results showed that TNF-α significantly increased caspase-3 activity and AF cell apoptosis ratio and upregulated gene/protein expression of Bax, caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved PARP, whereas it downregulated the expression of Bcl-2. Moreover, TNF-α significantly increased ROS content but decreased the total SOD activity. Further analysis demonstrated that resveratrol partly attenuated the effects of TNF-α on AF cell apoptosis-associated parameters, decreased ROS content, and increased the total SOD activity in the AF cells treated with TNF-α. In conclusion, resveratrol attenuates inflammatory cytokine TNF-α-induced AF cell apoptosis through regulating oxidative stress reaction in vitro. This study sheds a new light on the protective role of resveratrol in alleviating disc degeneration.

Detection of six novel de novo mutations in individuals with low resilience to psychological stress

Genetic bases of psychological stress resilience have been studied previously, but mechanisms and genetic variants which are involved in stress resilience are still unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the associations between variants in dopaminergic pathway genes with stress resilience. Subjects of the present study were divided into four groups. Group A included persons with normal reactions to major life events stressors; group B included persons with an acute stress reaction to major life events stressor; group C included persons with normal reactions to Crises/catastrophes stressors, and group D included persons with an acute stress reaction to Crises/catastrophes stressors. DNA was extracted from the subject’s blood, and the entire length of 14 genes DRD1, DRD2, DRD3, DRD4, DRD5, COMT, DBH, TH, MAOA, DDC, DAT, 5-HTT, BDNF, and GDNF were sequenced by automated sequencers ABI 3700. Results showed 24 point mutations in 12 genes, including 16 SNPs and six novel mutations, which were significantly correlated to low-stress resilience. Most of the SNPs were known as risk alleles in psychiatric disorders. Several associations were found between genetic variants and psychological characteristics. Findings suggest dopaminergic as an important pathway in stress and stress resilience also indicated shared genetic bases between low-stress resilience and several psychiatric disorders.

The relationship between teacher stress and job satisfaction as moderated by coping using single-item measures

Teacher stress has been studied for decades and the negative outcomes of too much stress are well known, such as burnout and lack of teacher retention. The present study focuses on the relationship between teacher stress and teacher job satisfaction. The Transactional Model of stress specifies that coping must be accounted for when considering a person's stress reaction, as a person's coping capacity or resources are what determines whether stress reaction will occur. The present study seeks to answer the question: Does coping moderate the relationship between teacher stress and job satisfaction? Moderation analysis was conducted using data from randomized trials examining a leadership training program. The results showed that coping moderated the relationship between stress and job satisfaction. Adding to the importance of this study for practitioners is that all three constructs (stress, coping, and job satisfaction) were measured using single items, making it easy for practitioners to measure among their staff.

Diet therapy for infectious diseases in children

Изменение обмена веществ при инфекционных болезнях у детей характеризуется однотипностью метаболических сдвигов и обусловлено сочетанием значимого повышения потребности организма в энергии и белково-энергетических субстратах с толерантностью тканей к их усвоению. При этом тяжесть течения инфекции обуславливает развитие относительной нутритивной недостаточности. Нарушения обмена веществ, развивающиеся при инфекционных болезнях у детей, носят характер стереотипной стрессорной реакции, характеризующейся на фоне повышения потребностей организма в белково-энергетических субстратах развитием дисбаланса в обмене углеводов, белков и жиров. В статье рассмотрена проблема важности рационального питания у детей при инфекционных болезнях. Показано, что основными подходами к диетотерапии должны быть этапность, учет возраста ребенка и тяжести болезни. Одним из значимых аспектов профилактики негативного влияния инфекционного процесса и, например, антибактериальной терапии является назначение продуктов функционального питания, содержащих пробиотические компоненты. The change in metabolism in infectious diseases in children is characterized by the same type of metabolic changes and is due to a combination of a significant increase in the body's need for energy and protein-energy substrates with tissue tolerance for their assimilation. At the same time, the severity of the course of the infection determines the development of relative nutritional deficiency. Metabolic disorders that develop in infectious diseases in children are in the nature of a stereotypical stress reaction, characterized by the development of an imbalance in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats against the background of an increase in the body's needs for protein-energy substrates. The article deals with the problem of the importance of a balanced diet in children with infectious diseases. It is shown that the main approaches to diet therapy should be stages, taking into account the child's age and the severity of the disease. One of the significant aspects of preventing the negative impact of the infectious process and, for example, antibacterial therapy is the appointment of functional food products containing probiotic components.