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Background: Alterations in heart rate (HR) may provide new information about physiological signatures of depression severity. This 2-year study in individuals with a history of recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) explored the intra-individual variations in HR parameters and their relationship with depression severity. Methods: Data from 510 participants (Number of observations of the HR parameters = 6666) were collected from three centres in the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK, as a part of the remote assessment of disease and relapse-MDD study. We analysed the relationship between depression severity, assessed every 2 weeks with the Patient Health Questionnaire-8, with HR parameters in the week before the assessment, such as HR features during all day, resting periods during the day and at night, and activity periods during the day evaluated with a wrist-worn Fitbit device. Linear mixed models were used with random intercepts for participants and countries. Covariates included in the models were age, sex, BMI, smoking and alcohol consumption, antidepressant use and co-morbidities with other medical health conditions. Results: Decreases in HR variation during resting periods during the day were related with an increased severity of depression both in univariate and multivariate analyses. Mean HR during resting at night was higher in participants with more severe depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that alterations in resting HR during all day and night are associated with depression severity. These findings may provide an early warning of worsening depression symptoms which could allow clinicians to take responsive treatment measures promptly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the physiological dynamics of cognitive stress in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and design a multiparametric model for objectively measuring severity of depression. Physiological signal recordings from 40 MDD patients and 40 healthy controls were collected in a baseline stage, in a stress-inducing stage using two cognitive tests, and in the recovery period. Several features were extracted from electrocardiography, photoplethysmography, electrodermal activity, respiration, and temperature. Differences between values of these features under different conditions were used as indexes of autonomic reactivity and recovery. Finally, a linear model was designed to assess MDD severity, using the Beck Depression Inventory scores as the outcome variable. The performance of this model was assessed using the MDD condition as the response variable. General physiological hyporeactivity and poor recovery from stress predict depression severity across all physiological signals except for respiration. The model to predict depression severity included gender, body mass index, cognitive scores, and mean heart rate recovery, and achieved an accuracy of 78%, a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 59%. There is an observed correlation between the behavior of the autonomic nervous system, assessed through physiological signals analysis, and depression severity. Our findings demonstrated that decreased autonomic reactivity and recovery are linked with an increased level of depression. Quantifying the stress response together with a cognitive evaluation and personalization variables may facilitate a more precise diagnosis and monitoring of depression, enabling the tailoring of therapeutic interventions to individual patient needs., (© 2024 The Author(s). Psychophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Psychophysiological Research.)

Introduction: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a high-prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, frequently co-occurring with other psychiatric and medical conditions. Current diagnosis is time-consuming and often delays effective treatment; to date, no valid biomarker has been identified to facilitate this process. Research has linked the core symptoms of ADHD to autonomic dysfunction resulting from impaired arousal modulation, which contributes to physiological abnormalities that may serve as useful biomarkers for the disorder. While recent research has explored alternative objective assessment tools, few have specifically focused on studying ADHD autonomic dysregulation through physiological parameters. This study aimed to design a multiparametric physiological model to support ADHD diagnosis., Methods: In this observational study we non-invasively analyzed heart rate variability (HRV), electrodermal activity (EDA), respiration, and skin temperature parameters of 69 treatment-naïve ADHD children and 29 typically developing (TD) controls (7-12 years old). To identify the most relevant parameters to discriminate ADHD children from controls, we explored the physiological behavior at baseline and during a sustained attention task and applied a logistic regression procedure., Results: ADHD children showed increased HRV and lower EDA at baseline. The stress-inducing task elicits higher reactivity for EDA, pulse arrival time (PAT), and respiratory frequency in the ADHD group. The final classification model included 4 physiological parameters and was adjusted by gender and age. A good capacity to discriminate between ADHD children and TD controls was obtained, with an accuracy rate of 85.5% and an AUC of 0.95., Discussion: Our findings suggest that a multiparametric physiological model constitutes an accurate tool that can be easily employed to support ADHD diagnosis in clinical practice. The discrimination capacity of the model may be analyzed in larger samples to confirm the possibility of generalization., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Castro Ribeiro, García Pagès, Huguet, Alda, Badiella and Aguiló.)

Background: Mental health conditions have become a substantial cause of disability worldwide, resulting in economic burden and strain on the public health system. Incorporating cognitive and physiological biomarkers using noninvasive sensors combined with self-reported questionnaires can provide a more accurate characterization of the individual's well-being. Biomarkers such as heart rate variability or those extracted from the electrodermal activity signal are commonly considered as indices of autonomic nervous system functioning, providing objective indicators of stress response. A model combining a set of these biomarkers can constitute a comprehensive tool to remotely assess mental well-being and distress., Objective: This study aims to design and validate a remote multiparametric tool, including physiological and cognitive variables, to objectively assess mental well-being and distress., Methods: This ongoing observational study pursues to enroll 60 young participants (aged 18-34 years) in 3 groups, including participants with high mental well-being, participants with mild to moderate psychological distress, and participants diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorder. The inclusion and exclusion criteria are being evaluated through a web-based questionnaire, and for those with a mental health condition, the criteria are identified by psychologists. The assessment consists of collecting mental health self-reported measures and physiological data during a baseline state, the Stroop Color and Word Test as a stress-inducing stage, and a final recovery period. Several variables related to heart rate variability, pulse arrival time, breathing, electrodermal activity, and peripheral temperature are collected using medical and wearable devices. A second assessment is carried out after 1 month. The assessment tool will be developed using self-reported questionnaires assessing well-being (short version of Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) as the reference. We will perform correlation and principal component analysis to reduce the number of variables, followed by the calculation of multiple regression models. Test-retest reliability, known-group validity, and predictive validity will be assessed., Results: Participant recruitment is being carried out on a university campus and in mental health services. Recruitment commenced in October 2022 and is expected to be completed by June 2024. As of July 2023, we have recruited 41 participants. Most participants correspond to the group with mild to moderate psychological distress (n=20, 49%), followed by the high mental well-being group (n=13, 32%) and those diagnosed with a mental health condition (n=8, 20%). Data preprocessing is currently ongoing, and publication of the first results is expected by September 2024., Conclusions: This study will establish an initial framework for a comprehensive mental health assessment tool, taking measurements from sophisticated devices, with the goal of progressing toward a remotely accessible and objectively measured approach that maintains an acceptable level of accuracy in clinical practice and epidemiological studies., Trial Registration: OSF Registries N3GCH; https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/N3GCH., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/51298., (©Thais Castro Ribeiro, Esther García Pagès, Laura Ballester, Gemma Vilagut, Helena García Mieres, Víctor Suárez Aragonès, Franco Amigo, Raquel Bailón, Philippe Mortier, Víctor Pérez Sola, Antoni Serrano-Blanco, Jordi Alonso, Jordi Aguiló. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 29.03.2024.)

Introduction: The increasing burden on mental health has become a worldwide concern especially due to its substantial negative social and economic impact. The implementation of prevention actions and psychological interventions is crucial to mitigate these consequences, and evidence supporting its effectiveness would facilitate a more assertive response. Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) has been proposed as a potential intervention to improve mental wellbeing through mechanisms in autonomic functioning. The aim of this study is to propose and evaluate the validity of an objective procedure to assess the effectiveness of a HRV-BF protocol in mitigating mental health symptoms in a sample of frontline HCWs (healthcare workers) who worked in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A prospective experimental study applying a HRV-BF protocol was conducted with 21 frontline healthcare workers in 5 weekly sessions. For PRE-POST intervention comparisons, two different approaches were used to evaluate mental health status: applying (a) gold-standard psychometric questionnaires and (b) electrophysiological multiparametric models for chronic and acute stress assessment. Results: After HRV-BF intervention, psychometric questionnaires showed a reduction in mental health symptoms and stress perception. The electrophysiological multiparametric also showed a reduction in chronic stress levels, while the acute stress levels were similar in PRE and POST conditions. A significant reduction in respiratory rate and an increase in some heart rate variability parameters, such as SDNN, LFn, and LF/HF ratio, were also observed after intervention. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a 5-session HRV-BF protocol is an effective intervention for reducing stress and other mental health symptoms among frontline HCWs who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. The electrophysiological multiparametric models provide relevant information about the current mental health state, being useful for objectively evaluating the effectiveness of stress-reducing interventions. Further research could replicate the proposed procedure to confirm its feasibility for different samples and specific interventions., Competing Interests: Since 16th June 2022, the co-author PSS has been employed by Frontiers Media SA. PSS declared his/her affiliation with Frontiers, and the handling Editor states that the process nevertheless met the standards of a fair and objective review. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Castro Ribeiro, Sobregrau Sangrà, García Pagès, Badiella, López-Barbeito, Aguiló and Aguiló.)

The multidimensionality of the stress response has shown the complexity of this phenomenon and therefore the impossibility of finding a unique biomarker among the physiological variables related to stress. An experimental study was designed and performed to guarantee the correct synchronous and concurrent measure of psychometric tests, biochemical variables and physiological features related to acute emotional stress. The population studied corresponds to a group of 120 university students between 20 and 30 years of age, with healthy habits and without a diagnosis of chronic or psychiatric illnesses. Following the protocol of the experimental pilot, each participant reached a relaxing state and a stress state in two sessions of measurement for equivalent periods. Both states are correctly achieved evidenced by the psychometric test results and the biochemical variables. A Stress Reference Scale is proposed based on these two sets of variables. Then, aiming for a non-invasive and continuous approach, the Acute Stress Model correlated to the previous scale is also proposed, supported only by physiological signals. Preliminary results support the feasibility of measuring/quantifying the stress level. Although the results are limited to the population and stimulus type, the procedure and methodological analysis used for the assessment of acute stress in young people can be extrapolated to other populations and types of stress., Competing Interests: Author JG-R was employed by Omya Clariana S.L.U. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 García Pagès, Arza, Lazaro, Puig, Castro, Ottaviano, Arredondo, Bernal, López-Antón, Cámara, Gil, Laguna, Bailón, Aguiló and Garzón-Rey.)

Background: Changes in lifestyle, finances and work status during COVID-19 lockdowns may have led to biopsychosocial changes in people with pre-existing vulnerabilities such as Major Depressive Disorders (MDDs) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS)., Methods: Data were collected as a part of the RADAR-CNS (Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse-Central Nervous System) program. We analyzed the following data from long-term participants in a decentralized multinational study: symptoms of depression, heart rate (HR) during the day and night; social activity; sedentary state, steps and physical activity of varying intensity. Linear mixed-effects regression analyses with repeated measures were fitted to assess the changes among three time periods (pre, during and post-lockdown) across the groups, adjusting for depression severity before the pandemic and gender., Results: Participants with MDDs (N = 255) and MS (N = 214) were included in the analyses. Overall, depressive symptoms remained stable across the three periods in both groups. A lower mean HR and HR variation were observed between pre and during lockdown during the day for MDDs and during the night for MS. HR variation during rest periods also decreased between pre- and post-lockdown in both clinical conditions. We observed a reduction in physical activity for MDDs and MS upon the introduction of lockdowns. The group with MDDs exhibited a net increase in social interaction via social network apps over the three periods., Conclusions: Behavioral responses to the lockdown measured by social activity, physical activity and HR may reflect changes in stress in people with MDDs and MS. Remote technology monitoring might promptly activate an early warning of physical and social alterations in these stressful situations. Future studies must explore how stress does or does not impact depression severity.

Purpose: Long-term extension of a previous randomized controlled clinical trial comparing open (OVHR) vs. laparoscopic (LVHR) ventral hernia repair, assessing recurrence, reoperation, mesh-related complications and self-reported quality of life with 10 years of follow-up., Methods: Eighty-five patients were followed up to assess recurrence (main endpoint), reoperation, mesh complications and death, from the date of index until recurrence, death or study completion, whichever was first. Recurrence, reoperation rates and death were estimated by intention to treat. Mesh-related complications were only assessed in the LVHR group, excluding conversions (intraperitoneal onlay; n = 40). Quality of life, using the European Hernia Society Quality of Life score, was assessed in surviving non-reoperated patients (n = 47)., Results: The incidence rates with 10 person-years of follow-up were 21.01% (CI 13.24-33.36) for recurrence, 11.92% (CI: 6.60-21.53) for reoperation and 24.88% (CI 16.81-36.82) for death. Sixty-two percent of recurrences occurred within the first 2 years of follow-up. No significant differences between arms were found in any of the outcomes analyzed. Incidence rate of intraperitoneal mesh complications with 10 person-years of follow-up was 6.15% (CI 1.99-19.09). The mean EuraHS-QoL score with 13.8 years of mean follow-up for living non-reoperated patients was 6.63 (CI 4.50-8.78) over 90 possible points with no significant differences between arms., Conclusion: In incisional ventral hernias with wall defects up to 15 cm wide, laparoscopic repair seems to be as safe and effective as open techniques, with no long-term differences in recurrence and reoperation rates or global quality of life, although lack of statistical power does not allow definitive conclusions on equivalence between alternatives., Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT04192838)., (© 2021. Société Internationale de Chirurgie.)

Objective: To assess the clinical usefulness of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT studies in patients with occult biochemical recurrence of prostate carcinoma, with negative or inconclusive radiologic and 18 F-Choline PET/CT imaging studies., Material and Methods: Retrospective descriptive study. The first 14 patients with a history of prostate carcinoma, treated with curative intent and presenting suspicion of biochemical recurrence with low PSA values (<3 ng/mL) were selected. Imaging studies, prostate ultrasound, pelvic CT and/or MRI were negative, and all of them had a negative or inconclusive 18F-Choline PET/CT. All patients were referred to 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT., Protocol: Dose 2.2 M Bq/kg. 20 mg furosemide at start. PET/CT images from skull base to proximal third of thighs at 60 min, and late images at 3 h if needed., Results: The 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT was able to localize the occult biochemical recurrence in 9 of the 14 patients (64.2%), and it affected the therapeutic attitude in all of them. Four patients (28.5%) obtained a negative or inconclusive 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT and continued under vigilant approach with PSA controls and imaging studies according to the clinical guidelines. These patients had the lowest PSA values (less than 1 ng/mL). One of the 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT studies was inconclusive, reporting the presence of a doubtful right iliac adenopathy., Conclusion: 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT allows an early diagnosis, with low PSA values, of occult biochemical recurrence of prostate carcinoma, even in patients with negative 18 F-Choline PET/CT., (Copyright © 2021 AEU. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

The appearance of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in several animal species (including rabbits) has set off alarms for their capacity to act as reservoirs for this bacterium. This is especially important in wild animals given its epidemiological implications. The objectives of this study were to identify and characterize S. aureus , specifically MRSA, strains in wild lagomorph high-density areas. Ten hares and 353 wild rabbits from 14 towns with a high rabbit density in the Valencian region (eastern Spanish coast) were sampled. Swabs from the nasal cavity, ears, perineum and lesions (when present) were taken for microbiological studies. The detection of different genes and antibiotic susceptibility studies were also carried out. Of all the animals, 41.3% were positive for S. aureus , of which 63.3% were MRSA. Ears were the anatomical location with more S. au reus and MRSA strains. The more frequently identified MLST type was ST1945 (97.1%, 136/140). The mec A gene was found only in one sample. The rest (n = 139) carried the mec C gene and were included in CC130, except one. Penicillin resistance was detected in 28 mec -negative isolates and, in one case, bacitracin resistance. mec A isolate presented resistance to enrofloxacin and tetracycline, and 10 mec C isolates also showed bacitracin resistance. No MRSA isolate was positive for genes chp , sea , tst and PVL. Two ST1945 isolates contained IEC type E (comprising genes scn and sak ). mec A-isolate was positive for bla Z. Of the 28 MSSA strains showing resistance to penicillin, 22 carried the bla Z gene. These surprising results highlight the marked presence of MRSA strains in wild rabbits in high-density areas., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Social and medical problems associated with stress are increasing globally and seriously affect mental health and well-being. However, an effective stress-level monitoring method is still not available. This paper presents a quantitative method for monitoring acute stress levels in healthy young people using biomarkers from physiological signals that can be unobtrusively monitored. Two states were induced to 40 volunteers, a basal state generated with a relaxation task and an acute stress state generated by applying a standard stress test that includes five different tasks. Standard psychological questionnaires and biochemical markers were utilized as ground truth of stress levels. A multivariable approach to comprehensively measure the physiological stress response is proposed using stress biomarkers derived from skin temperature, heart rate, and pulse wave signals. Acute physiological stress levels (total-range 0-100 au) were continuously estimated every 1 min showing medians of 29.06 au in the relaxation tasks, while rising from 34.58 to 47.55 au in the stress tasks. Moreover, using the proposed method, five statistically different stress levels induced by the performed tasks were also measured. Results obtained show that, in these experimental conditions, stress can be monitored from unobtrusive biomarkers. Thus, a more general stress monitoring method could be derived based on this approach. Graphical abstract Stress measurements of different healthy young people throughout a Stress Session that includes a pre-relax stage (BL s ), memory test (ST and MT), stress anticipation time (SA), video display (VD) and arithmetic task.

Objective: This study aims to show evidence of the Empowerment Session's effectiveness through measurements of surgery related emotional stress before and after this session., Method: The study was performed on 41 patients with knee arthroplasty surgery prescription by measuring the evolution of their emotional stress generated by surgery expectative, during the empowerment session. Two sets of measurements per patient were performed, before and after the empowerment session. Each set consisted of recording an electrocardiogram for 10min while the patients were seated and then applying two standard psychometric tests: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory test and Visual Analog Stress test. Differences in emotional stress were analyzed using psychometric tests and heart rate variability (HRV) analysis as stress biomarkers., Results: Psychometric stress measurement shows a 17.8% reduction in stress according to the total stress scale value, and a 41.9% reduction in stress between test results before and after the session. Mean heart rate values increased by 7.4% with respect to the initial values, very low frequency power and total power also change in value suggesting more sympathetic and less parasympathetic activity., Conclusions: Both psychological and physiological measurements suggest the effectiveness of the empowerment session due to a significant increase in the wellness state of patients. Additionally, the correlation between psychometric tests and HRV indices demonstrates that both emotional stress indicators could be used as feedback on the empowerment sessions or as a reference to enhance surgical outcomes., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Caregiving induces chronic stress with physical and psychological impact on informal caregivers health. Therefore, subjective and objective indicators are needed for the early diagnosis of pathologic stress to prevent the risk of developing stress-related diseases in caregivers. Our aim was to assess the self-perceived stress, that is, how and how much the stressor affects the individual, through endocrine, metabolic, and immunologic biomarkers levels in geriatric and oncologic informal caregivers. Informal caregivers and non-caregivers were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study at the Clinic Hospital of Barcelona. Demographic and lifestyle characteristics, self-perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Stress Visual Analogue Scale), and biomarkers (copeptin, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), cholesterol, triglycerides, α-amylase, cortisol, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and Interleukins (IL-6 and IL-10)) were evaluated. Descriptive and non-parametric statistical data analysis were performed. Fifty-six subjects (19 non-caregivers, 17 geriatric caregivers, and 20 oncologic caregivers) participated. Median age (IQR) was 57 years (47-66) and 71.46% were women. Self-perceived stress was higher in oncologic caregivers than geriatric caregivers in all psychometric test analyzed (Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, p value < .05). Glucose concentrations and glycated hemoglobin levels differed statistically among groups (Kruskal-Wallis test (K-W tests), p value < .05), even though the median levels were not clinically relevant. Levels of other biomarkers did not differ significantly (K-W tests, p value > .05). These findings suggest that perceived stress is not homogeneous in the caregivers community and thus these two groups could be differentiated. These results provide the baseline information to initiate social actions addressed to each group of caregivers to increase their wellbeing.

Aims: To evaluate the initial results of the oesophagogastric cancer registry developed for the Sociedad Valenciana de Cirugía and the Health Department of the Comunidad Valenciana (Spain)., Methods: Fourteen of the 24 public hospitals belonging to the Comunidad Valenciana participated. All patients with diagnosis of oesophageal or gastric carcinomas operated from January 2013 to December 2014 were evaluated. Demographic, clinical and pathological data were analysed., Results: Four hundred and thirty-four patients (120 oesophageal carcinomas and 314 gastric carcinomas) were included. Only two hospitals operated more than 10 patients with oesophageal cancer per year. Transthoracic oesophaguectomy was the most frequent approach (84.2%) in tumours localized within the oesophagus. A total gastrectomy was performed in 50.9% patients with gastroesophageal junction (GOJ) carcinomas. Postoperative 30-day and 90-day mortality were 8% and 11.6% in oesophageal carcinoma and 5.9 and 8.6% in gastric carcinoma. Before surgery, middle oesophagus carcinomas were treated mostly (76,5%) with chemoradiotherapy. On the contrary, lower oesophagus and GOJ carcinomas were treated preferably with chemotherapy alone (45.5 and 53.4%). Any neoadjuvant treatment was administered to 73.6% of gastric cancer patients. Half patients with oesophageal carcinoma or gastric carcinoma received no adjuvant treatment., Conclusions: This registry revealed that half patients with oesophageal cancer were operated in hospitals with less than 10 cases per year at the Comunidad Valenciana. Also, it detected capacity improvement for some clinical outcomes of oesophageal and gastric carcinomas., (Copyright © 2017 AEC. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)