Perceived health is associated with visiting natural favourite places in the vicinity

Visiting favourite natural settings may serve as a resource for regulating negative feelings and coping with perceived stress. The authors investigated the association between perceived health, the selection and experiential qualities of favourite places in four residential areas; 211 respondents (average age 40 years) responded to the questionnaire. Respondents with a certain amount of health complaints, such as headaches, chest or stomach pains, and faintness or dizziness, were more likely to select natural favourite places than those with few complaints. Respondents with health complaints benefited more in emotional terms from their visits to the favourite place although they did not visit their places more frequently than others. The change toward positive feelings was associated in particular with natural favourite places and relaxing in them. The results give impetus to research on the self-regulation of mood and neighbourhood context in health.     

Effects of group exercise on cognitive functioning and mood in older women

Abstract: A randomised controlled trial was conducted to determine whether a 12–month program of group exercise had beneficial effects on physiological and cognitive functioning and mood in 187 older community–dwelling women. The exercisers ( n = 94) and controls ( n = 93) were well matched in terms of the test measures and a number of health and life–style assessments. The mean number of classes attended by the 71 exercise subjects who completed the program was 59.0 (range 26 to 82). At the end of the trial, the exercisers showed significant improvements in reaction time, strength, memory span and measures of wellbeing when compared with the controls. There was also an indication that anxiety had been reduced in the exercisers. Within the exercise group, improvements in memory span were associated with concomitant improvements in both reaction time and muscle strength. Also, within this group, initial mood measures were significantly inversely associated with improvements at retest, which suggests that the program may have normalised mood states in subjects who had high initial depression, anxiety and stress levels, rather than inducing improvements in all subjects. These findings suggest that group exercise has beneficial effects on physiological and cognitive functioning and wellbeing in older people.     

Reading and Listening to Music Increase Resting Energy Expenditure during an Indirect Calorimetry Test

Indirect calorimetry is often done early in the morning in a fasting state, with the subject unshowered and abstained from caffeine or other stimulants. Subjects often fall asleep, resulting in measurement of a sleeping metabolic rate rather than a resting metabolic rate. The objective of this study was to determine whether listening to self-selected relaxing music or reading an electronic device or magazine affects resting energy expenditure (REE) during measurement in healthy adults. A randomized trial comparing three different conditions (ie, resting, reading, and listening to music) was performed. Sixty-five subjects (36 female and 29 male) were used in final data analysis. Inclusion criteria included healthy subjects between the ages of 18 and 50 years with a stable weight. Exclusion criteria included pregnant or lactating women or use of medications known to affect metabolism. Results showed that reading either a magazine or an electronic device significantly increased REE by 102.7 kcal/day when compared with resting (P<0.0001); however, there was no difference in REE between the electronic device and magazine. Listening to self-selected relaxing music increased REE by 27.6 kcal/day compared with rest (P=0.0072). Based on our results, we recommend subjects refrain from reading a magazine or electronic device during an indirect calorimetry test. Whether or not the smaller difference found while listening to music is practically significant would be a decision for the indirect calorimetry test administrator.     

Individual alcohol reaction profiles

The purpose of this study was to evaluate interindividual variation in acute reactions to ethanol. Six young, healthy female subjects participated in a double-blind experiment consisting of two identical alcohol sessions and one control session where glucose was infused instead of ethanol. Alcohol was infused in a standardized way to reach blood alcohol concentration of 1 mg/ml in 1 hr. During the 4 hr-sessions EEG-spectra, smooth pursuit eye movements, various mood variables, BAC and breath alcohol concentrations were studied repeatedly. The results showed that the subjects had a rather repeatable, individual reaction profile as expressed by changes in alpha mean frequency, theta band power, amount of corrective eye movements and subjective intoxication. The sensitivity of the subject to ethanol should thus be expressed as a reaction profile rather than as a change in a single variable.     

The effects of aerobic exercise on psychological adjustment: a randomized study of sedentary obese women attempting weight loss.

This study evaluated the psychological effects of aerobic conditioning in 40 moderately obese, sedentary women participating in a 12-week behavioral weight loss program. Participants were randomly assigned to a no-exercise or moderate walking condition. Emotional impact of the treatment was assessed in two ways: (1) Subjects reported subjective mood prior to each eating episode and (2) the SCL-90-R was administered before and after the program. Exercisers lost more weight and body fat than non-exercisers. Both groups of subjects showed numerous improvements in mood as a result of participating in the weight loss program. Exercise had no specific differential effect on emotions as measured by daily mood ratings or the SCL-90-R. Exercise did not appear to add appreciably to the psychological benefits of losing weight in this sedentary obese population. Future studies utilizing longer periods of aerobic exercise training, larger sample size, and exercise specific measures are recommended.     

Acute neurocognitive effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)

Green tea is reported to have wide ranging beneficial health outcomes across epidemiological studies, which have been attributed to its flavonoid content. We investigated whether the flavonoid epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) modulates brain activity and self-reported mood in a double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study. Participants completed baseline assessments of cognitive and cardiovascular functioning, mood and a resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) before and then 120 min following administration of 300 mg EGCG or matched placebo. EGCG administration was associated with a significant overall increase in alpha, beta and theta activity, also reflected in overall EEG activity, more dominant in midline frontal and central regions, specifically in the frontal gyrus and medial frontal gyrus. In comparison to placebo the EGCG treatment also increased self-rated calmness and reduced self rated stress. This pattern of results suggests that participants in the EGCG condition may have been in a more relaxed and attentive state after consuming EGCG. This is in keeping with the widespread consumption of green tea for its purported relaxing/refreshing properties. The modulation of brain function due to EGCG is deserving of further controlled human studies.     

音乐疗法在婴幼儿静脉穿刺中的干预影响

目的探讨音乐疗法对减轻婴幼儿静脉穿刺疼痛、有效稳定情绪的可能性。方法将480例进行静脉穿刺的患儿随机分为干预、对照两组,干预组256例给予常规心理护理外,同时采用音乐疗法;对照组224例采用除常规心理护理外,不再采用音乐疗法。结果干预组患儿疼痛减轻,情绪、生理功能稳定者明显高于对照组（P〈0.01）。结论音乐疗法能有效减轻静脉穿刺后患儿的疼痛、稳定患儿情绪、调节患儿的生理功能,更适合护士操作的需要。     

Exercise and energy intake in overweight,sedentary individuals

Exercise expends energy, but without dietary intervention, exercise does not appear to produce substantial weight loss. The present study examined whether overweight, sedentary individuals increase their energy intake after moderate intensity exercise, particularly in the presence of negative mood. A repeated measures design was used where overweight, sedentary individuals (N = 65) completed, in counterbalanced order, two conditions: 3 min of exercise (Active) and 3 min of sedentary activity (Sedentary) during one session. Snack foods were presented 10 min after each activity. Mixed-effects regression modeling revealed no significant effect of Active versus Sedentary condition on energy intake. However, moderational analyses revealed that change in negative mood interacted with condition to predict energy intake, such that participants who reported increased negative mood during exercise consumed more calories in the Active compared to the Sedentary condition. That a short bout of exercise resulted in mood deterioration and increased energy intake for some overweight, sedentary individuals is concerning. Further research examining behavioral and physiological mechanisms of mood deterioration and caloric overcompensation following exercise in overweight, sedentary individuals is warranted.     

The effect on heart rate and facial skin temperature of wearing respiratory protection at work

Twelve New Zealand workers from a range of occupations were studied to investigate the effect of wearing air-filtering respiratory protection on heart rate (HR) and facial skin temperature (Tlip and Tcheek) whilst working. All variables were measured continuously during simulated and actual work. The former allowed physiological measurements to be undertaken during the physical activities carried out during the work task without respirators and without exposure to hazardous airborne substances. Mean heart rates in subjects moving without respirators ranged from 75 to 94 beats/min and from 77 to 98 beats/min during respirator use at work. Mean skin temperature under the mask (Tlip) increased in 11 of the 12 subjects while using respirators (range 1.2-4.8 degrees C) but Tcheek only increased in four (range 0.6-1.5 degrees C). The use of simulated work tasks in the experiment was a compromise. The heart rate data from the real and simulated work indicated that effort and workload, though not identical, were similar. The increase in skin temperature under the mask may account for the reluctance of individuals to wear respiratory protection at work. This region of the face is very thermosensitive.     

Automatic and nonautomatic processes in dietary restraint: further evidence for a commonality between food and drug abstinence

The deleterious effect of dietary restraint on cognitive performance is now well established. However, recent evidence suggests that this impairment shares characteristics with those found in abstinent drug users. In this study, high (n=21) and low-to-medium restrained eaters (n=41) completed a reaction-time task, once while imagining their favourite food and once while imagining their favourite holiday. Afterwards, these participants ate lunch and then completed a second set of reaction-time measures. Both before and after lunch, ratings of the vividness of the scenarios were similar across groups. Likewise, the groups produced similar ratings of hunger, thirst, and desire to eat. However, as predicted, performance was significantly impaired in restrained eaters, but only while imagining food, and only before lunch. No impairments were observed in the low-to-medium restrained group. This finding provides further evidence that Tiffany's [Psychol. Rev. 97 (1990) 147] model of drug-related urges can be generalised to dietary restraint. The merits of conceptualising dietary restraint in terms of automatic and nonautomatic processes are discussed, together with suggestions for future research.     

The mental and physical health outcomes of green exercise

Both physical activity and exposure to nature are known separately to have positive effects on physical and mental health. We have investigated whether there is a synergistic benefit in adopting physical activities whilst being directly exposed to nature ('green exercise'). Five groups of 20 subjects were exposed to a sequence of 30 scenes projected on a wall whilst exercising on a treadmill. Four categories of scenes were tested: rural pleasant, rural unpleasant, urban pleasant and urban unpleasant. The control was running without exposure to images. Blood pressure and two psychological measures (self-esteem and mood) were measured before and after the intervention. There was a clear effect of both exercise and different scenes on blood pressure, self-esteem and mood. Exercise alone significantly reduced blood pressure, increased self-esteem, and had a positive significant effect on 4 of 6 mood measures. Both rural and urban pleasant scenes produced a significantly greater positive effect on self-esteem than the exercise-only control. This shows the synergistic effect of green exercise in both rural and urban environments. By contrast, both rural and urban unpleasant scenes reduced the positive effects of exercise on self-esteem. The rural unpleasant scenes had the most dramatic effect, depressing the beneficial effects of exercise on three different measures of mood. It appears that threats to the countryside depicted in rural unpleasant scenes have a greater negative effect on mood than already urban unpleasant scenes. We conclude that green exercise has important public and environmental health consequences.     

Contemplating movement: A randomized control trial of yoga training for mental health

Yoga is increasingly recognized for both its physical and mental health benefits, yet its central mechanisms of action remain unclear. In addition to benefits generally associated with physical exercise, yoga may also cultivate interoception, the sense of the body's internal state, the ability to notice and respond adaptively to physiological cues. Complicating matters, yoga training varies in the relative emphasis on physical movement and the cultivation of interoceptive awareness, yet few studies have explored whether differences in emphasis impact yoga's benefits. A randomized trial explored the effects of interoceptive emphasis in yoga training on attention and subjective wellbeing. Over a 10-week period featuring classes twice each week, community-dwelling adult participants with moderate depressive symptoms (N = 58) were randomized to attend either more Movement-Focused yoga or Interoception-Focused yoga. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and at a one-month follow-up, which included both self-reports of mood and interoception, and task-performance on a Sustained Attention to Response Task. Relative to Movement-Focused yoga, Interoception-Focused yoga practitioners showed greater improvements in sustained attention, but no differences in self-reported mood or interoception. Yet sustained attention improvements in the Interoception-Focused group were greatest for those endorsing high levels of interoception, an effect that was absent in the Movement-Focused group. Despite an exploratory sample size, these findings support the potential for an interoceptive focus to extend yoga's attentional benefits, particularly for those who report high interoceptive awareness.     

音乐放松疗法对宫颈癌围手术期患者的影响

目的探讨音乐放松疗法对宫颈癌围手术期患者的影响作用。方法将240例宫颈癌围手术期患者随机分为研究组120例和对照组120例,研究组在常规护理的基础上给予音乐放松疗法措施干预,对照组只给予常规护理,分别采用焦虑自评量表(SAS)和抑郁自评量表(SDS)测定两组患者的心理状况,术后采用数字评分法(NRS)评估两组患者的疼痛程度,并比较两组患者下床活动时间及肛门排气时间。结果研究组患者采取护理干预措施后,焦虑值及抑郁值评分均明显低于对照组,两组比较,差异均有统计学意义(p<0.01);研究组患者疼痛程度较对照组患者疼痛程度明显减轻,下床活动时间及肛门排气时间均较对照组明显缩短,两者比较,差异均有统计学意义(p<0.01)。结论音乐放松疗法可明显消除宫颈癌围手术期患者不良心理状态,增强患者治疗的信心,能有效减轻术后疼痛,从而促进康复,达到最大限度地维护宫颈癌围手术期患者健康的目的 。     

Mental well-being in alcohol withdrawal: relationship to alpha2-adrenoceptor function.

The possible relationship between postsynaptic alpha2-adrenoceptor function, as assessed by the growth hormone (GH) response to clonidine (CLON) and aspects of mental well-being by self-report of mood using the Swedish Mood Adjective Check List, was investigated in alcohol-dependent patients in the early withdrawal period. Patients had blunted GH responses to CLON and worse mental well-being than control subjects immediately after the end of alcohol intake. No relation was found between mental well-being and postsynaptic alpha2-adrenoceptor function. After 1 week, the GH responses to CLON remained blunted, whereas the state of mental well-being had improved to levels similar to those of control subjects. The results further support a downregulated alpha2-adrenoceptor function during 1 week of alcohol withdrawal. Furthermore, even if subsensitive postsynaptic alpha2-adrenoceptor function was not generally related to state of mood, patients with the lowest postsynaptic alpha2-adrenoceptor function reported the highest levels in the dimensions pleasantness/unpleasantness and activation/deactivation when sober.     

Anaerobic power responses to amino acid nutritional supplementation.

To examine the effect of a nutritional supplement (ATP-E) on high intensity exercise performance, 23 physically active males volunteered to perform six Wingate Anaerobic Power tests. Tests were performed prior to and at 14 and 21 days during ATP-E or placebo ingestion. The experiment followed a double-blind and random-order design. Twelve subjects (responders, R) showed an increase in preexercise blood ATP on Day 14 of ATP-E ingestion compared to control measures. The remaining 11 subjects (nonresponders, NR) had no change in preexercise blood ATP. Peak power and mean power were unchanged for both R and NR subjects across the exercise tests, but R experienced a decrease (p < 0.05) in immediate post-exercise plasma lactate on Day 14 of ATP-E testing compared to their control measures. NR had no change in peak plasma lactate at any time during the study. The results suggest that short-term high intensity exercise performance was maintained in R with less reliance on anaerobic metabolism, and that response was evident following 14 days of ATP-E ingestion.     

The effect of continuous low dose creatine supplementation on force, power, and total work

Dietary supplementation (SUP) has become a significant part of athletic training. Studies indicate that creatine (Cr) can enhance short-duration, high-intensity activities. This study examined the effect of 21 days of low dose Cr SUP ( approximately 7.7 g/day) and resistance training on force output, power output, duration of mean peak power output, and total work performed until fatigue. A double-blind protocol was used, where an individual, who was not part of any other aspect of the study, randomly assigned subjects to creatine and placebo groups. Forty-one male university athletes were randomly assigned to either Cr (n = 20) or placebo (n = 21) SUP. On the first and last day of the study, subjects were required to perform concentric bench press movements until exhaustion on an isokinetic dynamometer. The dynamometer was hard-wired to a personal computer, which provided force, velocity, and duration measures. Force and power output until fatigue, were used to determine total work, force-time, and power-time relationships. ANOVA results revealed that the Cr subjects performed more total work until fatigue, experienced significantly greater improvements in peak force and peak power, and maintained elevated mean peak power for a longer period of time. These results indicate that Cr SUP can significantly improve factors associated with short-duration, high-intensity activity.     

Evaluación de la efectividad de un programa de mindfulness en profesionales de atención primaria

Objectives

To determine the long-term effects of a mindfulness program on burnout, mood states, empathy, and mindfulness in primary care professionals.

Methods

A repeated measures before-after study was performed in 87 participants working in primary care. The variables evaluated were scores of the Burnout Inventory (Maslach), mood states (Profile of Mood States [POMS]), empathy (Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy [JSPE]) and mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire [FFMQ]), adherence to the intervention, and changes in attitudes. Evaluations were performed at baseline, at 8 weeks, and at 6 and 12 months. The intervention lasted for 1 year and consisted of two training phases, an intensive first phase lasting 28 hours, spread over 8 weeks, and a second, maintenance phase of 25 hours spread over 10 months. The effect of the intervention was assessed through observed change, standardized response mean (SRM), and linear mixed-effects models on repeated measures.

Results

The scores of all the scales improved significantly during the follow-up compared with baseline scores. The greatest differences were obtained at 12 months, especially in the the FFMQ (SRM: 1.4), followed by the POMS (SRM: 0,8). The greatest improvement in the maintenance phase was found in the difference between consecutive scores. The only scale that showed major changes in all phases was the FFMQ scale. At the end of the intervention, 89% of participants practiced the exercises of the program on their own and 94% reported improvements in self-care and greater professionalism.

Conclusions

A psychoeducational program based on mindfulness reduces burnout and improves mood states, empathy, and mindfulness, while encouraging better self-care.     

Does alcohol modify responses to reward in a competitive task?

Alcohol in two doses (0.75g/kg and 0.25/kg) and a placebo were administered to three matched groups of subjects. Subjective ratings and breath alcohol levels were completed pre-intake and at 30 min intervals up to 2 hr after intake. At 1 hr post-intake, the subjects took part in a competitive task with increasing rewards during which cardiac and electrodermal activity were monitored. Alcohol had very little effect. It did not affect the level of reward administered nor the physiological parameters measured. The only mood effect was sedation. There was no evidence of tension reduction or response disinhibition.     

Effects of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids on depressed mood: systematic review of published trials

BACKGROUND: Greater dietary intakes of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) may be beneficial for depressed mood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to systematically review all published randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of n-3 PUFAs on depressed mood. DESIGN: Eight medical and health databases were searched over all years of records until June 2006 for trials that exposed participants to n-3 PUFAs or fish, measured depressed mood, were conducted on human participants, and included a comparison group. RESULTS: Eighteen randomized controlled trials were identified; 12 were included in a meta-analysis. The pooled standardized difference in mean outcome (fixed-effects model) was 0.13 SDs (95% CI: 0.01, 0.25) in those receiving n-3 PUFAs compared with placebo, with strong evidence of heterogeneity (I2 = 79%, P < 0.001). The presence of funnel plot asymmetry suggested that publication bias was the likely source of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analyses that excluded one large trial increased the effect size estimates but did not reduce heterogeneity. Meta-regression provided some evidence that the effect was stronger in trials involving populations with major depression-the difference in the effect size estimates was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.05, 1.41; P = 0.04), but there was still considerable heterogeneity when trials that involved populations with major depression were pooled separately (I2 = 72%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Trial evidence that examines the effects of n-3 PUFAs on depressed mood is limited and is difficult to summarize and evaluate because of considerable heterogeneity. The evidence available provides little support for the use of n-3 PUFAs to improve depressed mood. Larger trials with adequate power to detect clinically important benefits are required.     

Does negative mood drive the urge to eat? The contribution of negative mood, exposure to food cues and eating style

The current study investigated whether negative mood alone, or in conjunction with exposure to food cues, influences the urge to eat. Female participants (N=160) were allocated to either a negative or neutral mood induction procedure followed by exposure to either a preferred food cue or a non-food cue. Participants reported their urge to eat at baseline, following the mood induction procedure, and following the cue exposure, as well as completing measures of restrained and disinhibited eating. Contrary to prediction, urge to eat decreased following the mood induction procedure for those in the negative mood condition. This was not influenced by eating style (i.e., restrained or disinhibited eaters). Urge to eat subsequently increased following exposure to the food, but not the non-food, cue. This effect was moderated by negative mood and eating style with disinhibited eating being positively associated with urge to eat for those women in the negative mood condition. These findings suggest that negative mood plays a role in the tendency to overeat, but only in the context of personally desirable food cues and for a subgroup of women with a history of disinhibited eating.