The ratio between positive and negative affect and flourishing mental health across adulthood.

Using data from a 30-day diary study with 239 adults (81 young, 81 middle-aged, and 77 older adults), this study examined whether a specific ratio between positive and negative affect distinguished individuals with different mental health status and especially flourishing from non-flourishing individuals. In addition, the study addressed whether there were age differences in the positivity ratio when daily affect data were used, and whether the proposed critical positivity ratio of 2.9 discriminated equally well between individuals with different mental health status across the adult lifespan. Findings showed that the ratio of positive to negative affect differed across adulthood such that age was associated with an increasing preponderance of positive to negative affect. The positivity ratio was also associated with mental health status in the hypothesized direction; higher positivity ratios were associated with better mental health. Finally, although the data supported the notion of a positivity ratio of 2.9 as a 'critical value' in young adulthood, this value did not equally well discriminate the mental health status of middle-aged and older adults.

Mood enhancement persists for up to 12 hours following aerobic exercise: a pilot study.

The objective was to estimate the duration of the effects of aerobic exercise on mood. Healthy men (n = 13) and women (n = 35) ages 18 to 25 years (M = 20.2, SD = 3.4) were randomly assigned to either a control or exercise group. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States before, after, and at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours following either exercise at 60% VO2 peak or quiet rest. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance was utilized with VO2 peak entered as a covariate. The exercise group showed significantly lower total mood disturbance immediately after and at 4, 8, and 12 hours following exercise.

Salivary dysfunction and quality of life in Sjögren syndrome: a critical oral-systemic connection.

BACKGROUND: The importance of oral health to systemic health and quality of life (QOL) is gaining attention. Although several studies have examined generic (general) QOL in Sjögren syndrome (SS), little information exists on the effect of oral health on QOL and relationships among self-reported oral health, systemic health and objective clinical measures of health. The authors conducted this study to characterize these relationships in a sample of patients with SS. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with a diagnosis of SS ascertained by means of the 2002 American-European Consensus criteria completed both the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) QOL questionnaires. OHIP-14 measures pain; functional limitation; and psychological, emotional and social disability associated with the mouth. SF-36 measures physical and emotional health and the ability to perform usual activities. Additional measures included the number of self-reported autoimmune symptoms and an index of disease damage. Statistical analysis was performed by using hierarchical regression analysis. RESULTS: Both generic and oral health-related QOL were poor in these patients. Specifically, the findings indicated that salivary flow rate was correlated significantly with both Disease Damage Index and OHIP-14 ratings, the number of autoimmune symptoms was correlated significantly with both oral and generic QOL, and oral health accounted for a significant percentage of variance in SF-36 domains of general health and social function. CONCLUSIONS: Oral health appears to have an independent influence on general QOL in patients with SS. These findings underscore the importance of proactive dental management of the oral manifestations of SS. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Dentists and physicians must work collaboratively to maintain oral health and quality of life for patients with Sjögren syndrome. The dentist should address patients' concerns of xerostomia and hyposalivation in an aggressive manner.

IL-22 regulation of functional gene expression in salivary gland cells.

TH17 cells and their associated signature cytokines, IL-17 and IL-22, are highly elevated in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSjS). The levels of IL-22 present in sera showed significant correlations with many disease parameters, specifically hyposalivation, anti-SSB, anti-SSA/SSB, hypergammaglobulinemia and rheumatoid factor. The present study aims to examine the biological function of IL-22 on human salivary glands. To accomplish the goal, microarray analysis using the HumanHT-12 v4 Expression BeadChip was utilized to determine the biological function of IL-22. Differential expression analyses were conducted using the LIMMA package from the Bioconductor project. MTT assay, flow cytometry and Western blotting were used to identify the function of IL-22 on human salivary gland cells. Results indicate an extensive effect of IL-22 on many major molecular functions including activation of antimicrobial genes and downregulation of immune-associated pathways. Functional studies performed in-vitro using human salivary gland cells treated with IL-22 indicated a direct effect of IL-22 on cell cycling, specifically reducing cellular proliferation at the G2-M phase by activation of STAT3. These results suggest the important role of IL-22 in the salivary gland function. The present study suggests that IL-22 might be involved in regulating inflammation and controlling the cell proliferation in SjS.