Somatization disorder and somatoform symptoms in systematically studied survivors of 10 disasters.

BACKGROUND: There is little agreement about the association of somatization with exposure to disaster trauma in the existing literature. METHODS: Pre-disaster and post-disaster psychiatric disorders, somatization disorder, and individual somatoform (medically unexplained) symptoms were assessed with structured diagnostic interviews in 811 directly exposed survivors of 10 disasters. RESULTS: Only 1 individual met criteria for post-disaster somatization disorder; there were no incident cases. Only 21% of all somatic symptoms reported were somatoform symptoms. Although 29% of the sample had ≥1 post-disaster somatoform symptoms, only 13% of the sample had any incident somatoform symptoms, and only 1.5% of the sample had >1. CONCLUSIONS: Somatization disorder is not an observed outcome of disaster. Incidence of individual somatoform symptoms is relatively uncommon and represents a construct that is distinct from somatization disorder. Such symptoms appear to represent nonspecific distress or endemic symptoms in the population and are not necessarily causally related to the disaster. The only studies that have identified somatization symptoms in relation to disaster have used nondiagnostic symptom checklists. As illustrated by the findings from this study, nondiagnostic symptom checklists do not adequately substitute for structured diagnostic instruments in assessment of somatoform psychopathology.

Psychiatric disorders after terrorist bombings among rescue workers and bombing survivors in Nairobi and rescue workers in Oklahoma City.

BACKGROUND: To examine the prevalence of psychopathology in 52 male rescue workers responding to the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya, comparing them with 176 male rescue workers responding to the 1995 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, bombing and with 105 directly exposed male civilian survivors of the Nairobi bombing. METHODS: The Diagnostic Interview Schedule/Disaster Supplement assessed pre-disaster and post-disaster psychiatric disorders and variables related to demographics, exposure, disaster perceptions, and coping in all 3 disaster subgroups. RESULTS: The most prevalent post-disaster disorders were posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (22%) and major depressive disorder (MDD) (27%) among Nairobi rescue workers, which were more than 2 and 4 times higher, respectively, than among Oklahoma City rescue workers. Alcohol use disorder was the most prevalent pre- and post-disaster disorder among Oklahoma City rescue workers. Nairobi rescue workers had a prevalence of PTSD and MDD not significantly different from Nairobi civilian survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Nairobi rescue workers were more symptomatic than Oklahoma City rescue workers and were as symptomatic as Nairobi civilian survivors. The vulnerability of Nairobi rescue workers to psychological sequelae may be a reflection of their volunteer, rather than professional, status. These findings contribute to understanding rescue worker mental health, especially among volunteer rescue workers, with potential implications for the importance of professional status of rescue workers in conferring protection from adverse mental health outcomes.

The course of postdisaster psychiatric disorders in directly exposed civilians after the US Embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya: a follow-up study.

PURPOSE: While disasters are common in Africa, disaster studies in Africa are underrepresented in the published literature. This study prospectively examined the longitudinal course of psychopathology, coping, and functioning among 128 directly exposed Kenyan civilian survivors of the 1998 US Embassy bombing in Nairobi. METHODS: The Diagnostic Interview Schedule/Disaster Supplement assessed predisaster and postdisaster psychiatric disorders and variables related to coping, functioning, safety, and religion near the end of the first and third postdisaster years. RESULTS: Total postdisaster prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the 3-year follow-up was 49; 28% of the sample still had active PTSD. Delayed-onset PTSD was not observed. Posttraumatic symptoms decayed more slowly in individuals with than those without PTSD. PTSD was more prevalent and chronic than major depression. Those with current PTSD or major depression reported more functioning problems than those without. The length of hospitalization for injuries after the bombing predicted major depression remission, but no predictors of PTSD remission were found. CONCLUSIONS: Despite differences in coping and social variables, longitudinal psychopathology in the Nairobi terrorism survivors appeared broadly similar to results in Western disaster populations. These findings contribute to the understanding of disaster mental health in Africa and may have implications for generalizability of psychiatric effects of terrorist attacks around the globe.

A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized clinical trials on the effect of coffee consumption on heart rate.

CONTEXT: Resting heart rate (HR) is increasingly recognized as an indicator of disease and overall morbidity and mortality. Whether chronic coffee consumption affects resting HR is an important consideration for individual consumers as well as from a public health perspective. OBJECTIVE: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to examine the effectiveness of coffee consumption on resting HR. DATA SOURCES: Original RCTs assessing the effect of coffee consumption on resting HR and published prior to March 2023 were identified by searching online databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Data searches and extraction and risk-of-bias assessments were performed according to the Cochrane guidelines, and the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for systematic reviews were followed. Data on study characteristics, type, and amount of coffee and net change and measurement resting HR were extracted. A random-effects or a fixed-effects model was used to estimate the pooled effect sizes. Homogeneity was determined with the Cochran Q test, and publication bias was assessed through Begg's test, Egger's test, and funnel plots. RESULTS: A total of 6 RCTs with 11 intervention trials or arms involving 485 individuals were included. The participants were generally healthy, although some had hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or were overweight. The trial duration ranged from 2 weeks to 24 weeks. The overall pooled analysis showed that coffee consumption resulted in a negligible increase in resting HR of 0.40 beats per minute (95% CI: -0.78 to 1.57; P = 0.506), which was statistically insignificant. Subgroup analysis of all specified categories was consistent with the overall analysis. No heterogeneity was observed among included trials (I2 = 0.0%, P = 0.756). CONCLUSION: The results of the present meta-analysis study demonstrate that daily coffee consumption of 3 to 6 cups for a period of 2 to 24 weeks has no statistically significant effect on resting HR.

Metabolic syndrome is associated with and predicted by resting heart rate: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: Although higher resting heart rate (RHR) has emerged as a predictor for lifespan, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. The present study investigates whether a positive relationship exists between RHR and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and whether RHR predicts future MetS. METHODS: A cohort of 89,860 participants were surveyed during 2006-2007 in Kailuan/Tangshan, China. MetS was diagnosed when a participant presented at least three of the following: abdominal adiposity, low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high triglycerides, hypertension or impaired fasting glucose. RHR was derived from ECG recordings and subjects were stratified based on RHR. Some participants without MetS at baseline were followed-up for 4 years. RESULTS: At baseline, 23,150 participants (25.76%) had MetS. There was a positive association between RHR and MetS. The OR of having MetS was 1.49 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.69) in subjects with RHR at 95-104 compared with those at 55-64 beats per minute (bpm) (reference), after adjusting for variables including age, sex, education, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activities, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, inflammatory biomarkers and renal function. More importantly, when 43,725 individuals from the original study without MetS at baseline were followed-up, higher RHR was found to predict greater risk of MetS incidence. The OR of developing MetS 4 years later was 1.41 (95% CI 1.21 to 1.65) in subjects with RHR at 95-104 bpm compared with reference, after all adjustments. CONCLUSIONS: Our cross-sectional and longitudinal findings provide evidence that RHR is an independent risk factor for existing MetS and a powerful predictor for future incidence of MetS.

Agreement comparison between home and clinic blood pressure measurements in 200 Chinese participants.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the agreement, mean difference, prevalence, and control rates of arterial hypertension between clinic (i.e. office) and home blood pressure (BP) measurements in a general population. Variations in home BP between morning and evening measurements and the dynamic changes during 7 days of measurements were also examined. METHODS: A total of 200 participants were selected from three communities in the Beijing area. Patients underwent a clinical interview and measurement of both clinic and home BP. Thresholds for elevated clinic and home BP were defined as at least 140/90 and 135/85 mmHg. RESULTS: Systolic and diastolic BP measured at clinic was higher than at home; the mean difference was 3.1/1.6 mmHg in all participants and 6.2/1.1 mmHg in hypertensive patients. With home BP monitoring, the first day of monitoring showed the highest and most varied (as reflected by standard deviation) BP readings. Home diastolic BP was significantly higher in the morning (76.6 ± 10.1 mmHg) than in the evening (74.2 ± 9.8 mmHg, P<0.0001), but home systolic BP was not. The prevalence of hypertension was higher when estimated by clinic versus by home BP (53.0 vs. 39.6%, P=0.025); and the control rate of hypertension tended to be lower when estimated by clinic versus by home BP (56.1 vs. 64.1%, P=0.24). The overall agreement between clinic and home BP in diagnosis of hypertension was 80.3% (κ coefficient: 0.6). CONCLUSION: The present study in 200 Chinese demonstrates that BP is higher (a) at the clinic setting compared with at home and (b) on the first day of initiating home BP monitoring. There is moderate agreement between clinic and home BP in diagnosing hypertension. As home BP measurements may best represent the 'true' BP level in normotensives and hypertensives, its use in clinical practice should be promoted.

Heart rate, lifespan, and mortality risk.

An increasing body of scientific research and observational evidence indicates that resting heart rate (HR) is inversely related to the lifespan among homeothermic mammals and within individual species. In numerous human studies with patients stratified by resting HR, increased HR is universally associated with greater risk of death. The correlation between HR and maximum lifespan seems to be due to both basal metabolic rate and cardiovascular-related mortality risk. Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors are already postulated to determine how the biological clock works, through regulating and modulating the processes such as protein oxidation, free radical production, inflammation and telomere shortening. Given the remarkable correlation between HR and lifespan, resting HR should be seriously considered as another possible cap on maximum lifespan. Future research is needed to determine whether deliberate cardiac slowing, through methods like lifestyle modification, pharmacological intervention, or medical devices, can decelerate biological clock of aging, reduce cardiovascular mortality and increase maximum lifespan in humans in general.

Inhibitory effect of antihypertensive drugs on calcineurin in cardiomyocytes.

In recent years, a handful of research investigations have shown that some antihypertensive drugs, i.e., angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), and calcium channel blocker (CCB), can inhibit myocardial expression and/or activity of calcineurin. Calcineurin is a Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine phosphatase and is a target for some immunosuppressive drugs. It is well known that traditional immunosuppressants, such as cyclosporine A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK506), are anticalcineurin, and their prohypertensive effects are such that antihypertensive therapy is often required in organ transplant recipients who receive these drugs. Therefore, the idea that ACEI, ARB, and CCBs are both antihypertensive and anticalcineurin seems paradoxical. This invited review tries to summarize these new findings and analyze the scientific and clinical significance of these claims. The review also emphasizes some of the shortcomings in these studies and some questions that need to be addressed in future investigations.