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Thermoregulation is a complex, dynamic process involving coordination between multiple autonomic, endocrine, and behavioral mechanisms. In the context of infection, this intricate machinery generates fever, a process believed to serve vital functions in the body's defense against pathogens. In addition to increasing core temperature, infection can lead to changes in the dynamic fluctuations in body temperature over time. The patterns of these deviations may convey information about the health of the body and the course of illness. Here, we utilized dynamic structural equation modeling to explore patterns of body temperature change following an experimental respiratory virus challenge in an aggregated, archival dataset of human participants (N = 1,412). We also examined whether temperature dynamics during infection were related to symptom severity, as well as individual differences in biomarkers of inflammation and stress. We found that individuals meeting the criteria for infection exhibited higher but less stable body temperatures over time compared to those not meeting criteria of infection. While temperature parameters did not reliably predict symptom severity, higher levels of nasal proinflammatory cytokines were associated with lower, more consistent temperatures during the study period. Further, levels of salivary cortisol and urinary catecholamines measured at the beginning of the study appeared to have disparate effects on temperature change. In sum, this research highlights the utility of dynamic time series modeling as a framework for studying body temperature change and lends novel insights into how stress may interact with infection to influence patterns of thermoregulation.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is common among patients with stable heart failure (HF) and associated with inflammation and altered autonomic function. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on the Hypothalamic Pituitary (HPA) Axis, autonomic function, inflammation and circadian rhythmicity and the associations between these biomarkers and insomnia, sleep characteristics, symptoms, functional performance, and sleep-related cognitions. METHODS: We conducted a sub-analysis of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) (NCT02827799) whose primary aim was to test the effects of CBT-I on insomnia. We randomized 51 patients with stable Class II-IV HF to CBT-I (n = 30) or attention control (n = 21). Participants completed wrist actigraphy and self-reported insomnia severity, sleep characteristics, sleep-related cognitions, daytime symptoms, and functional performance. We measured day and nighttime urinary free cortisol, melatonin sulfate, epinephrine and norepinephrine at baseline and 2 weeks after CBT-I and computed general linear models and partial correlations. RESULTS: CBT-I had no effects on the biomarkers, but there were statistically significant negative cross-sectional correlations between the ratio of day/night urinary free cortisol and sleep disturbance, anxiety, fatigue, depression, and negative sleep cognitions. Increases in the ratio of day/night cortisol were associated with statistically significant improvements in fatigue, depression, sleep duration and sleep-related cognitions. CONCLUSIONS: Biomarkers of stress and autonomic function are associated with sleep, sleep-related symptoms and cognitions among people with chronic HF. Future studies are needed to identify potential causal relationships and the impact of sleep interventions.

Summary Aim: This Belgian epidemiological study aimed to assess the prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and associated bother in a female primary care population. Methods: Data on OAB and SUI were prospectively collected among women ≥ 40 years by general practitioners (GP) during a regular visit for any reason. The validated Bladder Control Self-Assessment Questionnaire (B-SAQ) was used and complemented with a question on SUI and bladder bother. The presence of mild bladder control symptoms (BCS) was defined as an overall B-SAQ symptom score (OSS) ≥ 4 and an overall bother score (OBS) ≥ 1. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: Data from 7139 women were analysed. About 33.9% had mild BCS. Most women reported overall mild OAB symptoms (46.9%) and 34.9% had moderate-to-(very) severe symptoms. The prevalence of moderate-severe urgency, frequency or nocturia was higher than that of moderate-severe incontinence. Urgency and nocturia were considered the most bothersome symptoms. Moderate-severe SUI affected 17.7% of women. About 16.4% of women reported to be moderately-severely bothered by their bladder in everyday life. The risk of severe symptoms and bother increased with age. About 10% of women had clinically significant BCS (OSS ≥ 7 and OBS ≥ 4). Conclusions: In Belgian women ≥ 40 years visiting a GP for any reason, one in three had mild BCS and might benefit from further evaluation. Up to 10% of these women had clinically significant BCS for which medical therapy might be necessary. This warrants awareness for early diagnosis and intervention.

Introduction There are no studies on psychological correlates on Probation Officers/PO in Portugal. Objectives analyze levels of depressive/anxiety symptoms, stress, coping and resilience in a PO sample; explore differences in these variables by gender, marital status, Regional Delegation and types of competences and associations between these variables and sociodemographic/professional variables. Methods 89 PO (females, 75.3 %; M = 47.4/SD = 7.10/range = 27-61) completed a sociodemographic-professional questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale/DASS-21, the Brief COPE and the Scale to assess Resilience. Results Women presented higher levels of Use of Instrumental and Emotional Support. Professionals from the Centre Delegation had higher scores on Resilience vs. the North Delegation; from the North Delegation had higher levels of Stress vs. the South and Islands Delegation; with mixed competence had higher levels of Anxiety vs. with specific competence. In the total sample, Depression was associated with Denial and Substances Use. In males, Use of Emotional Support and Instrumental Support correlated with Depression and Anxiety. In all Delegations, Resilience higher levels correlated with more positive coping strategies and Depression, Anxiety and Stresshigher levels with lower levels of positive coping strategies and higher levels of negative coping strategies. Anxiety higher levels, either in mixed and specific competence teams correlated with higher levels of negative coping strategies. Conclusions Differences found accentuate aspects to address in an intervention with these professionals. Resilience higher levels were associated, as in other professionals, with more positive coping strategies and higher levels of symptoms with more negative coping strategies.