Purpose: The aim was to assess anterior pituitary hormone levels during the acute phase of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and analyze the possible association with the clinical condition and outcome. Material and methods: Forty patients with aSAH whose aneurysm was secured by endovascular coiling were enrolled. Basal secretions of cortisol, testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels were measured up to 14 days after the incident. Results: The main finding was that hypocortisolism was rare whereas testosterone deficiency was common in male patients. Furthermore, various other hormone deviations were frequent and there was wide interindividual variability. We found no association between delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), outcome of the patients or aneurysm location, and hormone abnormalities, while both Hunt & Hess and Fisher grade were associated with low PRL levels. Hunt & Hess 5 was associated with low PRL concentration when compared to grades 1 (OR = 4.81, 95% CI 1.15-20.14, p = 0.03), 3 (OR 7.73, 95% CI 1.33-45.01, p = 0.02), and 4 (OR = 6.86 95% CI 1.28-26.83, p = 0.02). Fisher grade 4 was associated with low PRL concentration when compared to grades 3 (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.06-10.73, p = 0.03) and 2 (OR 9.71, 95% CI 1.22-77.10, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Deviations from normal and huge interindividual differences are common in hormone levels during the acute phase of aSAH. Routine assessment of anterior pituitary function in the acute phase of aSAH is not warranted. During the follow-up in the outpatient clinic, hormone concentrations were not measured, which would have brought a more long-term perspective into our findings.

Entry to center-based childcare (CC) at three months of life can be an important challenge for infants as it includes major stressors such as long maternal separations and frequently changing caregivers. Stress and the new environment may in turn alter the composition of the gut microbiota with possible implications for future health outcomes. As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, we investigated whether CC, as compared to being cared for by the parents at home, alters the composition of the gut microbiota, while accounting for known covariates of the infant gut microbiota. Stool samples of infants who entered CC (n=49) and control infants (n=49) were obtained before and four weeks after CC entrance. Using Redundancy analysis, Random Forests and Bayesian linear models we found that infant gut microbiota was not affected in a uniform way by entry to CC. In line with the literature, breastfeeding, birth mode, age, and the presence of siblings were shown to significantly impact the microbial composition.

The present study investigated sow colostrum yield (CY), colostrum composition and factors affecting them, and their relation to piglet survivability, growth and mortality. The study included 230 sows with 3,210 live-born piglets from five Finnish and one Dutch sow herd. Sow farrowing was supervised, and piglets were individually weighed at birth (BWB) and 24 h after birth of first piglet in order to calculate piglet CI and sow CY. Colostrum nutritional composition, immunoglobulin (Ig), serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp) contents were assessed. Sow plasma SAA, Hp and progesterone around farrowing were also assessed. Selected ear-tagged piglets were weighed at 3 to 4 weeks of age to calculate individual average daily gain. Sow CY was positively correlated with plasma Hp (P = 0.029) and number of live-born piglets (P < 0.01). An additional minute of farrowing duration lowered the CY by 2.2 g (P = 0.01). Piglet CI was positively associated with piglet weight at birth (P < 0.001) and negatively associated with the number of live-born piglets in the litter and percentage of protein in the colostrum (P < 0.001). Both piglet CI and birth weight were positively associated with piglet average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.001). Piglet survival from birth to weaning depends on CI. We established that the risk of piglet death or of a piglet being treated with antibiotic before weaning increases with a decrease in sow back fat thickness at farrowing (P = 0.04). Similarly, we found that piglets from litters with low BWB and low CI had a higher risk of death before weaning (P < 0.001). Piglets born from sows with lower levels of colostrum IgA and SAA and high plasma progesterone at the end of farrowing had a higher risk of neonatal diarrhea (P = 0.04; P = 0.05; P = 0.04). Piglets born from sows having higher back fat thickness at weaning had a higher risk of developing weaning diarrhea (P = 0.02). In conclusion, longer farrowing duration can be detrimental and can negatively influence sow CY. Sow body condition and physiological status around farrowing can also affect CY, and thereby increase piglet mortality and use of antibiotics in neonatal piglets. Neonatal piglets can benefit from higher colostrum immunoglobulins, SAA, and decreased level of plasma progesterone in sows at the end of farrowing.

Telomeres play an important role in maintaining chromosomal integrity.With each cell division, telomeres are shortened and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has therefore been considered a marker for biological age. LTL is associated with various lifetime stressors and health‑related outcomes. Transgenerationaleffects have been implicated in newborns, with maternal stress, depression,and anxiety predicting shorter telomere length at birth, possibly reflecting the intrauterine growth environment. Previous studies, with relatively small sample sizes, have reported an effect of maternal stress, BMI, and depression during pregnancy on the LTL of newborns. Here, we attempted to replicate previous findings on prenatal stress and newborn LTL in a sample of 1405 infants using aqPCR‑based method.In addition, previous research has been expanded by studying the relationship between maternal sleep quality and LTL. Maternal prenatal stress, anxiety, depression, BMI, and self‑reported sleep quality were evaluated with self‑reported questionnaires.Despite sufficient power to detect similar or even considerably smaller effects than those previously reported in the literature,we were unable to replicate the previous correlation between maternal stress, anxiety, depression,or sleep with LTL. We discuss several possible reasons for the discrepancies between our findings and those previously described.

What are the key factors of psychological resilience in dogs? Why do some individuals recover swiftly from neglect, abuse or several years of harsh kennel environments, while some seem to be permanently traumatized by much milder adverse experiences? Resilience is a concept seldom discussed in canine studies; however, many studies have identified risk factors (both environmental and genetic) for developing anxieties, aggression or other behavioral problems. These studies also indicate several factors that may act as protective agents against life adversities. In this paper, I will present some of the most commonly identified key factors of resilience in other species and discuss what has been found in dogs. This paper is an attempt to raise focus on the positive key factors in a dog's life that are important for dog welfare, a healthy psychological outcome and are also important building blocks of a happy and well-behaving pet.

Background Psychological processes can be manifested in physiological health. We investigated whether acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), targeted on psychological flexibility (PF), influences inflammation and stress biomarkers among working-age adults with psychological distress and overweight/obesity. Method Participants were randomized into three parallel groups: (1) ACT-based face-to-face (n = 65; six group sessions led by a psychologist), (2) ACT-based mobile (n = 73; one group session and mobile app), and (3) control (n = 66; only the measurements). Systemic inflammation and stress markers were analyzed at baseline, at 10 weeks after the baseline (post-intervention), and at 36 weeks after the baseline (follow-up). General PF and weight-related PF were measured with questionnaires (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Weight-Related Difficulties). Results A group x time interaction (p = .012) was detected in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level but not in other inflammation and stress biomarkers. hsCRP decreased significantly in the face-to-face group from week 0 to week 36, and at week 36, hsCRP was lower among the participants in the face-to-face group than in the mobile group (p = .035, post hoc test). Age and sex were stronger predictors of biomarker levels at follow-up than the post-intervention PF. Conclusion The results suggest that ACT delivered in group sessions may exert beneficial effects on low-grade systemic inflammation. More research is needed on how to best apply psychological interventions for the health of both mind and body among people with overweight/obesity and psychological distress.