Psychological Stress, Mast Cells, and Psoriasis—Is There Any Relationship?

Psoriasis vulgaris is a common inflammatory skin disease with still unknown pathogenesis. In recent years, genetic and environmental factors have been mentioned as the main causes. Among environmental factors, many researchers are trying to investigate the role of mental health and its importance in the development of many diseases. In the pathophysiology of psoriasis, the role of the interaction between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are often emphasized. So far, no one has clearly indicated where the pathological process begins. One of the hypotheses is that chronic stress influences the formation of hormonal changes (lowering the systemic cortisol level), which favors the processes of autoimmunity. In inflammatory skin conditions, mast cells (MCs) are localized close to blood vessels and peripheral nerves, where they probably play an important role in the response to environmental stimuli and emotional stress. They are usually connected with a fast immune response, not only in allergies but also a protective response to microbial antigens. Among many cells of the immune system, MCs have receptors for the hormones of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis on their surface. In this review, we will try to take a closer look at the role of MCs in the pathophysiology of psoriasis. This knowledge may give the opportunity to search for therapeutic solutions.

PATH ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION OF HEAT PRESSURE, PULSE RATE, BODY TEMPERATURE AGAINST HEAT STRAIN EVENTS IN WORKERS IN BREM PRODUCTION INDUSTRY

Background: Brem industry workers can be at risk to get into heat strain in their workplace. The cases are caused by heat pressure, pulse rate, and body temperature. Purpose: To analyze the heat pressure, pulse rate, and body temperature that can influence the heat strain simultaneously to the workers of the Brem industry in the Kaliabu region, Madiun city, Indonesia. Method: The research is characteristic analytic observation quantitative with the cross-sectional approach in which a sample is 157 respondents with a total amount are 266 workers. The analysis test path use SPSS AMOS 23 accessories to analyze the data. Result: The results of the research are that heat stress does not influence the pulse rate (estimate 0, 02). Heat stress influences body temperature (estimate 0, 12). Heat stress does not influence the heat strain directly (estimate 0, 011). Pulse rate does not influence the heat strain (estimate 0, 08) and body temperature influences the heat strain (estimate 0, 04). Conclusion: Heat stress does not influence the heat strain directly but it influences the variety of body temperature so it needs to pay attention to the work duration time well. (7 hours working and 1 hour for taking rest). Also, it needed an arrangement of the room and adding the system of ventilation to get down the heat from the environment so heat strain can be restrained by checking the environment temperature and body temperature workers routine.

CCL23 in Balancing the Act of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Antitumor Immunity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a cellular process in response to stress stimuli in protecting functional activities. However, sustained hyperactive ER stress influences tumor growth and development. Hepatocytes are enriched with ER and highly susceptible to ER perturbations and stress, which contribute to immunosuppression and the development of aggressive and drug-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ER stress-induced inflammation and tumor-derived chemokines influence the immune cell composition at the tumor site. Consequently, a decrease in the CCL23 chemokine in hepatic tumors is associated with poor survival of HCC patients and could be a mechanism hepatic tumor cells use to evade the immune system. This article describes the prospective role of CCL23 in alleviating ER stress and its impact on the HCC tumor microenvironment in promoting antitumor immunity. Moreover, approaches to reactivate CCL23 combined with immune checkpoint blockade or chemotherapy drugs may provide novel opportunities to target hepatocellular carcinoma.

Water-Stress Influences on Three New Promising HLB-Tolerant Citrus Rootstocks

Drought and flooding conditions are increasingly common abiotic factors that affect citrus crops in both the Mediterranean Basin and Florida. Furthermore, emerging diseases, such as Huanglongbing (HLB), are a potential risk for these crops in those producing areas. This study aimed to evaluate the behavior under water-stress treatments of three new citrus rootstocks (UFR-6, B11R5T60, and 2247 x 6070-02-2) with reported tolerance of HLB, comparing them with a common commercial citrus rootstock (Carrizo citrange). Four water conditions were established: Control, Medium Water Stress (MWS), Drought, and Flooding. Chlorophyll index (SPAD), growth in height, relative growth rate, biomass (fresh and dry weight) and plant water status were evaluated. Citru rootstock response were different for each genotype; Carrizo citrange was negatively affected by all water treatments in the chlorophyll index (SPAD) and biomass production. By contrast, UFR-6 showed a positive response in SPAD and growth under MWS and Drought, B11R5T60 displayed similar behavior to Control under all water stresses, and the response of 2247 x 6070-02-2 under MWS treatment was adequate but was not under Drought or Flooding conditions. Our study describes the behavior of these promising new citrus rootstocks against water stress; B11R5T60 exhibiting the best performance. These results can be useful for the citrus industry to address water-stress problems in these crops.

Does endogenous variation in stress modulate risk and time preferences?

It has been argued that one dimension of the cycle of poverty is that poverty is a state of chronic stress and that chronic stress impairs decision-making. These poor decisions, made under chronic stress, might include carrying high-interest loans, failure to buy health insurance, gambling or drug use. As such, these decisions can contribute to the cycle of poverty. More specifically, a few studies suggest that increased stress may lead to more risk-aversion and steeper delay-discounting. While the deleterious effects of chronic stress on brain function are well established, much less is known about how chronic stress influences financial decision making specifically. Here, in a longitudinal design within six weeks period we aimed to incorporate biological mechanisms to improve our understanding of how stress influences economic decisions. We used a combination of decision-making tasks, questionnaires, saliva and hair samples within-subject (N=41). We assessed time and risk preferences using hierarchical Bayesian techniques to both pool data and allow heterogeneity in decision making and compared those to cortisol levels and self-reported stress. We found only weak links between endogenous variation in stress and model-based estimates of risk and time preferences. In particular, we found that fluctuations in the stress level measured via hair sample were not only positively correlated with time preferences in the short delay task and risk preferences, but also the decision noise in the risk task. However, relationships for the risk task disappeared when an outlier was removed. Also, we found model-free task measures in the short delay task to be moderately related to both hair cortisol as well as the stressful life events questionnaire measure. For example, we observed that endogenous stress fluctuations and the life change units were negatively correlated with the proportion of later choices. Finally, we established that for the reaction times the curvilinear relationship was preferred to the linear one for those with increase in biological stress level compared to the baseline: when cortisol level increased slightly, participants decided slower, but when stress increased to higher levels, they decided quicker.

Perception of stress in cats by German cat owners and influencing factors regarding veterinary care

Objectives Visiting the veterinarian is generally perceived as a stressful situation for cats. Previous studies have shown that the perception of stress may influence cats’ healthcare. In order to minimise stress in cats during the veterinary consultation, feline-friendly handling has gained importance and is increasingly being used. The aim of this study was to find out whether cats experience stress during a visit to the veterinarian (and, if so, to what extent), and which factors influence the perception of stress and whether feline-friendly handling techniques have an impact. Methods An online survey was conducted among German cat owners. In total, 889 questionnaires were evaluated. The results were analysed with binary logistic regression and a χ² test. A principal component analysis was used to detect the main influencing factors on the perception of stress. Results Most of the cats (88.7%, n = 732/825) were perceived as stressed during a veterinary consultation, while only about half of the owners (50.8%, n = 419/824) stated that they felt stressed themselves. The cat owners (n = 819) who perceived visiting the veterinarian as a stressful situation also described their cat as stressed significantly more often compared with owners who did not feel stressed (χ² = 101.113, P <0.001). The probability that owners experienced stress themselves was significantly increased if they perceived their cat to be stressed too (odds ratio 0.073, 95% confidence interval 0.016–0.328). One factor that influenced whether an owner was stressed was the stress behaviour of their cat (P <0.001). Furthermore a feline-friendly demeanour by the veterinarian led to less stress in the owners (P <0.001). Conclusions and relevance The owner’s stress influences the perception of their cat’s stress. By adhering to feline-friendly handling guidelines, veterinarians can reduce owner stress associated with veterinary visits, thereby promoting optimal veterinary care and health for their feline patients.

The Influence of Organizational Support, Leader Member Exchange, And Work Stress on Employee Performance With Employee Engagement as Intervening Variables

This study aims to determine The Influence of Organizational Support, Leader Member Exchange, And Work Stress on Employee Performance With Employee Engagement as Intervening Variables in PT.XYZ. The population used is production employees of PT.XYZ, amounting to 187 people, and in this study as many as 128 people were sampled. The sampling technique used in this study is simple random sampling. Data collection is carried out through questionnaires. To test the hypothesis used multiple linear regression analysis tools, multiple correlation coefficients (R), coefficient of multiple determination (R2), classic assumption test, F test and t test with the help of SPSS statistical 18.0, as well as validity and reliability tests. The results of this study prove that intrinsic organizational support, leader member exchange, and work stress, influences employee performance. organizational support, leader member exchange, and work stress influences employee engagement, besides that intrinsic organizational support, leader member exchange, and work stress, and employee engagement have a direct and indirect influence on employee performance.