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The COVID-19 lockdown has had a significant impact on mental health. Patients with eating disorders (ED) have been particularly vulnerable. (1) To explore changes in eating-related symptoms and general psychopathology during lockdown in patients with an ED from various European and Asian countries; and (2) to assess differences related to diagnostic ED subtypes, age, and geography. The sample comprised 829 participants, diagnosed with an ED according to DSM-5 criteria from specialized ED units in Europe and Asia. Participants were assessed using the COVID-19 Isolation Scale (CIES). Patients with binge eating disorder (BED) experienced the highest impact on weight and ED symptoms in comparison with other ED subtypes during lockdown, whereas individuals with other specified feeding and eating disorders (OFSED) had greater deterioration in general psychological functioning than subjects with other ED subtypes. Finally, Asian and younger individuals appeared to be more resilient. The psychopathological changes in ED patients during the COVID-19 lockdown varied by cultural context and individual variation in age and ED diagnosis. Clinical services may need to target preventive measures and adapt therapeutic approaches for the most vulnerable patients.

Purpose: The circumpolar habitat stands as one of the most vulnerable environments for human activity and health. The primary study objective was to compare sleep-related factors, light exposure, social cues, and potential confounding variables among schoolchildren residing in the European Arctic region from two settlements situated below and above the Polar Circle using validated self-reported questionnaires. Materials and Methods: We recruited 94 children aged 13–15 years (40.4% males), matched by sex and age, from public educational institutions in two circumpolar settlements located below (Kem', Republic of Karelia; 64.6 NL) and above the Polar Circle (Apatity, Murmansk Region; 67.3 NL). Participants completed several surveys, including the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale, and the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire, to evaluate sleep parameters and chronotype. The χ2 test was used to test for differences between proportions. Linear regression and multiple regression models with co-factors were applied to assess the relationship between studied indicators. Results: A noteworthy increase in physical activity was observed in children residing in Kem' compared to those in Apatity. Children from Apatity showed higher alcohol consumption than their counterparts from Kem'. The overall rate of excessive daytime sleepiness in the sample was 17.1%. Moderate insomnia symptoms were reported in 18.4% of adolescents living in Kem' and in 25% of respondents living in Apatity, respectively. Notably, participants from Kem' attained higher academic scores and had longer exposure to sunlight on schooldays. On the other hand, children from Apatity tended to have later bedtimes and sleep-onset times on schooldays. According to the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire data, a reliance on alarm clocks on schooldays, and a higher Sleep Stability Factor based on the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale. Discussion: Our study indicating that higher physical activity and longer sunlight exposure among Kem' children on schooldays are associated with earlier wake-up times during schooldays, earlier bedtime whole week, reduced dependence on alarm clocks, and higher academic achievements. The results of older schoolchildren differ from many works published previously in the USA, Argentina, and Japan, which could be explained by the season when the study was performed. Here, we observed a negative impact on school performance and sleep parameters in children living in high latitudes, namely in circumpolar regions. Conclusions: Our study points out that adolescents living above the Polar Circle tend to have sleep problems, e.g., late sleep-onset times, higher excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia-related symptoms, because of experiencing reduced exposure to natural light. Future research encompassing assessments across all four seasons will provide a more comprehensive understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased blood pressure and reduced robustness of circadian rhythms are frequently reported in elderly subjects. The present study was aimed to investigate whether such changes can be reversed by daily melatonin ingestion. 97 normotensive and hypertensive volunteers of both genders and 63 to 91 years old participated. They lived in the Tyumen Elderly Veteran House on a self-chosen sleep-wake regimen to suit their personal convenience. The experiment lasted for three weeks. After one control week, part of the group (n=63) received 1.5 mg melatonin (Melaxen(TM)) each day at 22:30 h for two weeks. The other 34 subjects were placebo-treated. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were measured using semi-automated devices at 03:00, 08:00, 11:00, 14:00, 17:00, 23:00 h each day of the first and the third week. Specially trained personnel made the measurements, taking care not to disturb subjects' sleep. Rhythm characteristics were estimated by means of single and population-mean cosinor analyses. Bingham test was used to compare rhythm parameters between groups and investigated physiologic variables. The 24-h HR rhythm was monophasic as described in other studies for young subjects though with a steeper increase in the morning. The daily SBP and DBP rhythms were bimodal. In reference to previously reported data of younger subjects, mean blood pressure of our cohort was elevated, particularly the nocturnal fall was less pronounced. Also, the overall SBP variability was higher as was the percentage of the 12-h component. Both values and also the SBP and DBP levels were reduced during melatonin treatment. The hypotensive effect of melatonin was most pronounced between 3:00 and 8:00 in the morning, i.e. at the time of the highest risk of adverse cardiovascular events, and in subjects with highest BP values before treatment. Moreover, the morning increase of HR was gentler what could have been of additional benefit. Melatonin has a direct hypotensive effect. Also, it stabilizes the internal temporal order enhancing the circadian component and the synchronization between rhythms of different physiological functions. This may further improve health and welfare of elderly subjects and particularly of those with hypertension. Taken together our data show the usefulness of melatonin for adjuvant medication.

This review summarizes current knowledge on deteriorations in temporal order with advanced age. Changes of the overt rhythms will be described but also their putative causes and possible treatments of the disturbances. In aging animals and humans, all rhythm characteristics change. The most prominent changes are a decrease of circadian amplitude, leading to an extra-circadian dissemination (ECD), and a diminished ability to synchronize with the periodic environment. ECD is a shift from circadian to ultradian and infradian frequencies, accompanied by the loss of day-to-day phase stability. Responsiveness to photic and non-photic cues is decreased. As a consequence, both internal and external temporal order are disturbed not only under steady-state conditions but and even more markedly after changes in the periodic environment or following stressful events. Many of the changes seem to occur within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the central circadian pacemaker, itself. The number of functioning neurons decreases with advancing age as does the coupling between them. Accordingly, the SCN generates a weaker and less stable circadian signal, insufficient to entrain peripheral oscillators properly or to regulate body functions rhythmically. However, age-dependent disturbances in peripheral organs must also be considered. These changes may occur at different ages, thus causing further internal desynchronization. Several possibilities exist with regard to treating circadian disruptions or at least minimizing their consequences for health and fitness and preventing sleep disturbances. Benefits of bright light, melatonin and other chronobiotics, physical activity, social contacts and regular feeding schedules in preserving the temporal order of aged organisms are discussed.