Effects of 7-minute practices of breathing and meditation on stress reduction.

We compared the effects of 7-min practices of breathing and meditation on perceived stress reduction and related affective outcomes (active emotion, serenity, anxiety, and fatigue) during micro-breaks. Undergraduates from two classes (N = 59) completed the 7-point online surveys. Results supported the effects of both practices.

Relationship Between Mindfulness and Physical Activity in College Students: The Mediating Effect of Eudaimonic Well-Being.

Previous research has shown many benefits of mindfulness for physical and psychological health, including its link to such health behaviors as increased physical activity (PA). We re-examined the association between mindfulness and PA to better understand a possible mediating role of eudaimonic well-being in this association, while controlling for participants' age, gender, and affect. We had 738 undergraduate student participants (45.0% females; M age = 19.58 years) complete measures of trait mindfulness, eudaimonic well-being, and PA, and we used age, gender, and affect as covariates in a single-wave assessment. We conducted this mediation analysis with a bootstrapping technique to produce 10,000 resamples. We replicated findings of a significant relationship between mindfulness and enhanced eudaimonic well-being (ß = 0.474, p < 0.001), which in turn contributed to increased PA (ß = 0.193, p < 0.001). The bootstrapping method indicated a significant indirect effect of eudaimonic well-being (ß = 0.092, 95% CI = [0.043, 0.142]) in the relationship between mindfulness and PA through eudaimonic well-being. Thus, eudaimonic well-being may mediate the connection between mindfulness and PA. College administrators should consider incorporating mindfulness into health promotion programs as a means of enhancing college students' well-being and health behaviors.

The immediate and durable effects of yoga and physical fitness exercises on stress.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of yoga and physical fitness exercises on stress and the underlying mechanisms. Participants: Healthy undergraduates from four yoga and four fitness classes participated in Study 1 (n = 191) and Study 2 (n = 143), respectively (in 2017 Fall). Methods: Study 1 evaluated the immediate effect (a 60-minute practice) while Study 2 evaluated the durable effect (a 12-week intervention). Results: Results showed that immediate stress reduction was more salient in the yoga group than that in the fitness group in Study 1. Yoga group had a greater increase in mindfulness, which predicted stress reduction. Similar observations were made in Study 2 showing the durable effect of yoga on stress reduction through mindfulness. Conclusions: Yoga intervention is better than fitness exercises in helping undergraduates cultivate mindfulness and reduce stress. These findings may guide future interventions in stress management in college students.

Comparing the Psychological Effects of Meditation- and Breathing-Focused Yoga Practice in Undergraduate Students.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to compare the psychological effects of meditation- and breathing-focused yoga practice in undergraduate students. METHODS: A 12-weeks yoga intervention was conducted among a group of undergraduate students enrolled in four yoga classes at an academically prestigious university in Beijing, China. Four classes were randomized to meditation-focused yoga or breathing-focused yoga. A total of 86 participants finished surveys before and after the 12-weeks intervention, measuring work intention, mindfulness, and perceived stress. The repeated-measure multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) followed by univariate analyses were conducted to examine the differences in work intention, mindfulness, and stress between the two yoga intervention groups over the semester, after controlling for age and gender. RESULTS: The repeated-measure MANCOVA revealed significant group differences with a median effect size [Wilks' lambda, Λ = 0.90, F(3, 80) = 3.10, p = 0.031, η2 = 0.104]. Subsequent univariate analyses showed that students in the breathing-focused yoga group had significant higher work intentions [F (1, 82) = 5.22; p = 0.025; η2 p = 0.060] and mindfulness [F (1, 82) = 6.33; p = 0.014; η2 p = 0.072] but marginally lower stress [F (1, 82) = 4.20; p = 0.044; η2 p = 0.049] than students in the meditation-focused yoga group. CONCLUSION: Yoga practice with a focus on breathing is more effective than that with a focus on meditation for undergraduates to retain energy for work, keep attention and awareness, and reduce stress.

Production of a bispecific antibody targeting TNF-α and C5a in Pichia pastoris and its therapeutic potential in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To provide an alternative therapeutic modality for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a novel bispecific antibody (BsAb) targeting human tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and human complement component C5a was constructed. RESULTS: BsAb was expressed in Pichia pastoris and secreted into the culture medium as a functional protein. In vitro functional study demonstrated that BsAb could simultaneously bind to TNF-α and C5a and neutralize their biological actions. Furthermore, BsAb showed significant improvements in both the antigen-binding affinity and the neutralizing ability as compared to its original antibodies produced in E. coli. It was also found that TNF-α and C5a had an additive/synergistic effect on promoting the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and C5a receptor (C5aR) expression in human macrophages. Compared to single inhibition of TNF-α or C5a with respective antibody, BsAb showed a superior efficacy in blocking inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and C5aR response, as well as in lowering the C5a-mediated chemotaxis of macrophages via C5aR in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: With improved production processing and the ability to simultaneously block TNF-α and C5a action, BsAb has a great potential to be developed into a therapeutic agent and may offer a better therapeutic index for RA.