Determinants of Chronic Biological Stress, Measured as Hair Cortisol Concentration, in a General Population of Adolescents: From Individual and Household Characteristics to Neighborhood Urbanicity.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Verheyen VJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8650704 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:IntroductionThe diagnosis of endogenous Cushing syndrome is often challenging and requires multiple repeated blood, urine, and saliva tests to detect elevated cortisol levels. Hair cortisol concentration has been described as a marker of long-term exposure to systemic cortisol in patients with Cushing syndrome. Like hemoglobin A1c is used to detect serum glucose exposure over months, segmental hair cortisol can help identify patients with milder forms of and/or periodic or cyclical Cushing syndrome, which may reduce time and costs associated with collection of urine, salivary, and serum cortisol.Areas coveredSuccess of hair cortisol in detection of Cushing syndrome will be discussed in context of current literature, including differences between total or segmental hair cortisol in accurately determining timeline of cortisol exposure. Optimal methods of hair collection, storage, processing, and analysis and efforts toward standardization will be a major focus.Expert commentaryRecent evidence suggests increased sensitivity and specificity of hair cortisol in detecting Cushing syndrome. Future guidelines should consider this test as a routine part of the repertoire of screening tests for Cushing syndrome. Possible confounders to explain discrepant results in the literature will be discussed.
| S-EPMC6378952 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hair cortisol is a novel biomarker of chronic stress. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of hair color and length, as well as, animal age on hair cortisol concentration in beef feedlot steers. Nineteen beef crossbred steers used for nutrition research and housed in a small feedlot setting were used for this study. Seven of the steers (680 ± 4.5 kg; ~9 years of age) were fitted with ruminal fistulas and duodenal cannulas. The other 12 steers (473 ± 3.1 kg; ~2.5 years of age) were fitted with only ruminal fistulas. Hair samples from each steer were collected throughout a period of 6 weeks from six different areas and analyzed for cortisol concentrations. One pre-determined area was shaved each week for 5 weeks (Weeks 1-5). During week 6, all five, previously shaved areas and an additional area was shaved to collect hair samples of various lengths. Hair length was recorded prior to the collection of each hair sample. Only data from the last week (Week 6) of collection were included in the analyses. Steers were categorized into one of three groups: old with black hair (OB, n = 3); old with white hair (OW, n = 3); young with black hair (YB, n = 12). Older steers exhibited greater hair cortisol concentrations than younger steers (P < 0.001). Hair cortisol concentration was not impacted by duration of growth (P = 0.33). Cortisol concentrations exhibited a weak, positive correlation with hair length (r = 0.33, P-value = 0.01). The average hair growth per week of beef steers in the winter months was calculated to be 0.90 mm. Further research should be performed to improve our understanding of the effect of hair characteristics, sampling methodologies and analysis techniques on hair cortisol concentrations.
| S-EPMC6768966 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Introduction:Childhood undernutrition is a crucial public health problem globally. The objective of this study is to measure the prevalence of childhood undernutrition and assess the distinct role of various factors on childhood undernutrition in Bangladesh. Methods:This study utilized the latest cross-sectional data from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2014. A total of 7256 data on children younger than 5 years old were analyzed. The undernutrition status of children was assessed by stunting (height-for-age), wasting (weight-for-height), and underweight (weight-for-age), while bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify various individual-, household-, and community-level factors of childhood undernutrition. Results:The prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight were 36.5%, 14.6%, and 32.5%, respectively. Along with various individual- and household-level factors (eg, age, recent diarrheal disease, fever, number of under-5 children in the household, mother's education and nutritional status, and wealth status), community index, particularly regional and geographic variation of community, had significant role for childhood undernutrition in Bangladesh. Conclusion:Childhood undernutrition is an overwhelming public health issue in Bangladesh. In order to improve the nutritional status of under-5 children, interventions should take into account the various predictors discussed in this study. Indeed, a joint effort by the government, nongovernmental organizations, and the community is necessary to improve the childhood nutritional status in Bangladesh.
| S-EPMC6749788 | biostudies-other
Project description:Background:Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is an increasingly used measure of systemic cortisol concentration. However, determinants of HCC in children and adolescents are unclear because few prospective studies have been conducted to date.Study design:We followed 725 children in Project Viva, a pre-birth cohort study of mothers and children, who provided hair samples at mid-childhood (median age: 7.7 years) or early adolescence (median age: 12.9 years). We examined associations of various factors measured from pregnancy to mid-childhood with HCC in mid-childhood and early adolescence, as well as change in HCC between these time points (?HCC).Results:There were 426 children with HCC measurements in both mid-childhood and early adolescence, 173 children with measures only in mid-childhood, and 126 with measures only in early adolescence. HCC was lower in mid-childhood (median 1.0pg/mg [interquartile range, IQR: 0.5, 2.4]) than early adolescence (2.2pg/mg [1.1, 4.4]). In multivariable-adjusted regression models, female sex (? = -0.41, 95% CI: -0.67, -0.15) and birth weight-for-gestational age z-score (? = -0.19, 95% CI: -0.33, -0.04) were associated with lower mid-childhood HCC, while prenatal smoking was associated with higher mid-childhood HCC (? = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.04, 1.01). In early adolescence, child age (? = 0.34 per year, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.46) female sex (? = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.57), and maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (? = 0.15 per 5-kg/m2, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.29) were positively associated with HCC. Child anthropometric measures and biomarker concentrations were not associated with HCC.Conclusion:Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal prenatal smoking, and low birth weight were associated with higher mid-childhood and adolescent HCC. However, few postnatal characteristics were associated with HCC.
| S-EPMC6999889 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Many protocols have been developed to assess farm animal welfare. However, the validity of these protocols is still subject to debate. The present study aimed to compare nine welfare assessment protocols, namely: (1) Welfare Quality© (WQ), (2) a modified version of Welfare Quality (WQ Mod), which has a better discriminative power, (3) WelzijnsWijzer (Welfare Indicator; WW), (4) a new Welfare Monitor (WM), (5) Continue Welzijns Monitor (Continuous Welfare Monitor; CWM), (6) KoeKompas (Cow Compass; KK), (7) Cow Comfort Scoring System (CCSS), (8) Stall Standing Index (SSI) and (9) a Welfare Index (WI Tuyttens). In addition, a simple welfare estimation by veterinarians (Estimate vets, EV) was added. Rank correlation coefficients were calculated between each of the welfare assessment protocol scores and mean hair cortisol concentrations from 10 cows at 58 dairy farms spread over the Netherlands. Because it has been suggested that the hair cortisol level is related to stress, experienced over a long period of time, we expected a negative correlation between cortisol and the result of the welfare protocol scores. Only the simple welfare estimation by veterinarians (EV) (ρ = -0.28) had a poor, but significant, negative correlation with hair cortisol. This correlations, however, failed to reach significance after correction of p-values for multiple correlations. Most of the results of the different welfare assessment protocols had a poor, fair or strong positive correlation with each other, supporting the notion that they measure something similar. Additional analyses revealed that the modified Welfare Quality protocol parameters housing (ρ = -0.30), the new Welfare Monitor (WM) parameter health (ρ = -0.33), and milk yield (ρ = -0.33) showed negative correlations with cortisol. We conclude that because only five out of all the parameter scores from the welfare assessment protocols showed a negative, albeit weak, correlation with cortisol, hair cortisol levels may not provide a long term indicator for stress in dairy cattle, or alternatively, that the protocols might not yield valid indices for cow welfare.
| S-EPMC7998858 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) represent a potential biomarker of chronic psychological stress. Previous studies exploring the association between perceived stress and HCC have been limited to relatively small and selected populations. We collected hair samples from 881 women from the Mexican Teachers' Cohort (MTC) and 398 women from the Icelandic SAGA pilot-cohort following identical protocols. HCC was quantified using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The self-reported Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, 10 and 4 item, range 0-40 and 0-16) was used to assess psychological stress. We conducted multivariable linear regression analyses to assess the association between perceived stress and log-transformed HCC in the combined sample and in each cohort separately. MTC participants had slightly higher HCC and PSS scores than SAGA participants (median HCC 6.0pg/mg vs. 4.7pg/mg and mean PSS-10 score 12.4 vs. 11.7, respectively). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and health behaviors, we observed a 1.4% (95% CI 0.6, 2.1) increase in HCC for each unit increase in the PSS-10 score in the combined sample. Furthermore, PSS-10 quintiles were associated with a 24.3% (95% CI 8.4, 42.6, mean logHCC 1.8 vs 1.6) increase in HCC when comparing the highest to the lowest quintile, after multivariable adjustment. Similar results were obtained when we analyzed each cohort separately and when using the PSS-4. Despite relatively small absolute differences, an association between perceived stress and HCC was found in a sample of women from two diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds supporting the hypothesis that HCC is a viable biomarker in studies of chronic psychological stress.
| S-EPMC10021558 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: Stress and poor mental health are significant issues in the workplace and are a major cause of absenteeism and reduced productivity. Understanding what might contribute towards employee stress is important for managing mental health in this setting. Physical activity has been shown to be beneficial to stress but less research has addressed the potential negative impact of sedentary behaviour such as sitting. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between device-measured occupational desk-based sitting patterns and stress (hair cortisol levels (HCL), as a marker of chronic stress and self-reported perceived stress (PS)). Methods: Employees were recruited from four workplaces located in Central Scotland with large numbers of desk-based occupations. Seventy-seven participants provided desk-based sitting pattern data (desk-based sitting time/day and desk-based sit-to-stand transitions/day), a hair sample and self-reported perceived stress. HCL were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and PS using the Cohen Self-Perceived Stress Scale. Linear regression models were used to test associations between desk-based sitting time/day, desk-based sit-to-stand transitions/day, HCL and PS. Results: There were no associations between any of the desk-based sitting measures and either HCL or PS. Conclusions: Desk-based sitting patterns in the workplace may not be related to stress when using HCL as a biomarker of chronic stress or PS. The relationship between sitting patterns and stress therefore requires further investigation.
| S-EPMC6603713 | biostudies-other
Project description:To investigate whether hair cortisol (HCC) and hair cortisone (HCNC) can be predicted by repeated stress reports from postpartum women in different mental health conditions (non-depressed, ND, adjustment disorder, AD, postpartum depression, PPD), 240 mothers (mean age 31.8 years; SD = 4.7) were monitored from within 1 to 6 days of childbirth over a period of three months. HCC and HCNC in 3 cm hair samples were assessed via triple mass spectrometry after liquid chromatographic separation. Every second day, participants reported their stress levels online. The summed perceived stress scores were not found to be predictive of HCC. However, perceived stress predicted a decrease in HCNC (rSpearman = -0.153, p = 0.035) and an increase in the HCC/HCNC ratio (rSpearman = 0.304, p < 0.001) in the ND group. With AD in the first few weeks after childbirth, an inverse effect appeared for HCNC (rSpearman = 0.318, p = 0.011), suggesting an overall downregulation of the HPA axis owing to the stressful experience of adjusting to the new situation. No effects were found for mothers developing PPD. The indirect results of HPA-axis activity are better indicators of the experience of psychological stress in postpartum women than the absolute HCC value.
| S-EPMC8707977 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPsychological resilience is considered to protect against detrimental effects of perceived stress on cardiovascular and metabolic health, but few studies have tested biological mechanisms underlying these relationships.PurposeThis study examined whether psychological resilience moderated the indirect association of perceived stress with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) severity via hair cortisol concentration (HCC), a retrospective index of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activity.MethodParticipants included 228 adults (73 White, 86 Hispanic, 69 African American; mean age 45.29 years; 68% females). Participants completed questionnaires assessing perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and resilience (Brief Resilience Scale). The first 3 cm of scalp-near hair were analyzed for cortisol concentration using enzyme-linked immunoassay analysis. Cardiometabolic risk factors including blood glucose, lipids, blood pressure, and waist circumference were assessed, from which a sex- and race/ethnicity-specific continuous MetS severity score was calculated. A moderated mediation model was tested using path analysis.ResultsPsychological resilience moderated the association of perceived stress with HCC (R2 change for interaction = 0.014, p = 0.043), such that the association of perceived stress and HCC decreased as resilience scores increased. Resilience also moderated the indirect association of perceived stress with MetS severity via HCC (b = -0.039, 95% CI [-0.001; -0.100]), such that HCC mediated the association of greater perceived stress with greater MetS severity only for individuals reporting Brief Resilience Scale scores 3 or below (range: 1.17-5.00). Psychological resilience was also associated with lower MetS severity (β = -0.227, p = 0.014) independent of perceived stress and HCC.ConclusionFindings suggest that psychological resilience may serve as both a stress buffer and as a direct determinant of cardiometabolic health. These results extend literature on psychological resilience to measures of retrospective HPA axis function and MetS severity in a diverse sample.
| S-EPMC7769194 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hair cortisol is a stress indicator and could be used to assess the pigs' exposure to stressors in the weeks/months prior to non-invasive hair sampling. The main aim of this study was to describe the hair cortisol concentration (HCC) variability between individuals within a batch, between farms and between batches within a farm. The secondary aim was to determine how the number of sampled pigs influences the characterization of HCC within a batch. Twenty farrow-to-finish pig farms were recruited considering the diversity of their management practices and health status (data collected). Hair was sampled in two separate batches, 8 months apart. The necks of 24 finishing pigs were clipped per batch the week prior to slaughter. To describe the variability in HCC, an analysis of the variance model was run with three explanatory variables (batch, farm and their interaction). To identify farm clusters, a principal component analysis followed by a hierarchical clustering was carried out with four active variables (means and standard deviations of the two batches per farm) and 17 supplementary variables (management practices, herd health data). We determined how the number of sampled pigs influenced the characterization of HCC within a batch by selecting subsamples of the results. HCC ranged from 0.4 to 121.6 pg/mg, with a mean of 25.9 ± 16.2 pg/mg. The variability in HCC was mainly explained by differences between pigs (57%), then between farms (24%), between batches within the same farm (16%) and between batches (3%). Three clusters of farms were identified: low homogeneous concentrations (n = 3 farms), heterogeneous concentrations with either higher (n = 7) or lower (n = 10) HCC in batch 2 than in batch 1. The diversity of management practices and health statuses allowed to discuss hypotheses explaining the HCC variations observed. We highlighted the need to sample more than 24 pigs to characterize HCC in a pig batch. HCC differences between batches on six farms suggest sampling pigs in more than one batch to describe the HCC at the farm level. HCC variations described here confirm the need to study its links with exposure of pigs to stressors.
| S-EPMC10839108 | biostudies-literature