Comparison of two brief mindfulness interventions for anxiety, stress and burnout in mental health professionals: a randomised crossover trial.

Background: Anxiety, stress and burnout are a growing reality among mental health professionals, impacting negatively on them and their clients. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have demonstrated effectiveness in mitigating these sufferings. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge on the impact of MBIs in Cuba. Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of two brief mindfulness-based interventions for reducing anxiety, work stress and burnout. Methods: A total of 104 mental health professionals from Havana (Cuba) participated in a randomised crossover trial. Group A received first an intervention involving body-centred practices (body scan and Hatha yoga) and a second intervention involving mind-centred practices (focused attention and open monitoring meditation). Group B received the same interventions but in reverse order. Four measures (anxiety, stress, burnout syndrome, and antecedents of burnout) were measured at baseline, posttest1, posttest2, and 6-months follow-up. Results: After the first intervention, there was a between-group difference for burnout syndrome, but the ES was similar for both groups. After the second intervention (implementing both practises), groups showed the largest effect sizes, and there was a between-group difference for antecedents of burnout. Results were partially maintained at 6-month follow-up. Conclusion: These results suggest that mind-centred practises can be as effective as body-centred practises for stress, anxiety and burnout reduction. The combination of both types of practises could be the most effective way of teaching mindfulness. About the sequence of implementation, teaching mind-centred practises first and then body-centred practises could be most effective for reducing antecedents of burnout.Clinical Trial Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT03296254.

Atmospheric pollen allergen load and environmental patterns in central and southwestern Iberian Peninsula.

Over one quarter of the population in industrialised countries suffers from some type of allergy and inhaled aeroallergens from pollen are the primary cause of allergic ailments. The networks for monitoring biological air quality measure the airborne pollen concentrations that characterize periods of exposure to major airborne aeroallergens but there are certain discrepancies in relation to the allergen-pollen dynamic. In this paper we analyse the airborne allergens Ole e 1, Phl p 1, Phl p 5 and Pla a 1, and interpreted the adjustments and mismatches in their concentrations in relation to airborne pollen. The influence of main environmental patterns was considered. The study was conducted in two urban areas of the centre and southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Toledo in Spain and Évora in Portugal). Monitoring for pollen followed the standard protocol using Hirst volumetric spore traps and allergenic particles were quantified by ELISA assay. The results indicate that the discrepancies in this relationship were affected by the weather conditions up to 6 days prior. Precipitation and humidity above normal values caused a higher concentration of the allergen Pla a 1. This effect occurred in reverse in the case of humidity for the allergens Ole e 1 and Phl p 1. Humidity and precipitation generated the same pattern in the allergen-pollen relationship in both Phl p 1 and Phl p 5. Our findings show consistent results that allow to interpret the rate of discrepancy between allergen and pollen, and it can be used to improve allergy risk prediction models generated from atmospheric pollen.

A Case of Sterile Corneal Stromal Infiltration with Hypotonic Maculopathy Under Brimonidine Treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Brimonidine is a commonly used drug for glaucoma treatment, which has been linked to ocular autoimmune disorders like uveitis and conjunctivitis. Corneal pathology under brimonidine is generally less common. CASE DESCRIPTION: Here, we report a 78 -year-old male patient suffering from immune corneal stromal inflammation with hypotony and resulting hypotonic maculopathy after 6 weeks after introduction of brimonidine treatment. Systemic work-up for system autoimmune and infectious diseases was negative. We discontinued brimonidine and administered topical prednisolone under which inflammatory corneal signs and intraocular pressure normalized. Chorioretinal folds persisted after 9 months. CONCLUSION: Our case report suggests monitoring patients under brimonidine for sterile corneal infiltration.

Mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed interventions in bipolar disorder: A meta-analysis based on Becker's method.

Bipolar disorder is a highly disruptive and debilitating problem. Mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed interventions have exponentially emerged as third-generation therapies, applied to a wide spectrum of disorders, including bipolar disorder. However, the reviews and meta-analyses published to date are limited in their conclusions, as they are based on single-group pretest-posttest cohort designs and mostly focused on mindfulness-based interventions. The present review and meta-analysis try to address these limitations, including studies on informed mindfulness, controlled and single-group designs. It used a specific meta-analytical procedure that allows an imputation procedure in those designs lacking a comparison group, by means of separate omnibus tests for the experimental and control group. A total of 13 studies (N = 331) were selected. The results showed an absence of effects on depression (g = 0.21) and mania (g = -0.13), but significant moderate effect on anxiety (g = 0.53). In conclusion, both mindfulness interventions showed robust evidence on anxiety symptoms in pretest-posttest periods compared to control groups. Few studies and lack of evidence of follow-up periods were the main limitations found.

Interactions between Personality and Types of Mindfulness Practice in Reducing Burnout in Mental Health Professionals.

Research on mindfulness-based interventions reports mainly on improvements at the group level. Thus, there is a need to elaborate on the individual differences in their effectiveness. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to examine which personality factors could influence burnout reduction associated with different types of mindfulness practice and (2) to evaluate the interaction between personality factors and the amount of home practice; both aims were controlled for sociodemographic characteristics. A total of 104 Cuban mental health professionals, who participated in a crossover trial, were included. The effect of personality (Cattell's 16 Personality Factors) was analyzed through regression analysis. First, the results revealed that Emotional Stability and Vigilance could negatively moderate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions. Second, participants who scored low in Sensitivity or Vigilance could benefit more from the body-centered practices (i.e., body scan and Hatha yoga practices), but no significant results for the mind-centered practices (i.e., classical meditation) were found. Third, participants who scored high in Self-reliance could benefit more from informal practice. Other personality factors did not appear to moderate the effect of the interventions, though previous experience in related techniques must be considered. Recommendations and clinical implications are discussed. Trial registration number is NCT03296254 (clinicaltrials.gov).

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on anxiety for children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: This paper aims to investigate the extent to which mindfulness-based interventions serve to reduce anxiety in children and adolescents. A heterogeneous sample was used, including clinical and non-clinical population. METHODS: A literature search of controlled intervention studies published up to December 31, 2016, was carried out in PubMed, Lilacs, Cochrane, Embase, PsycInfo, Opengrey and Teseo databases. The effect size was calculated by Cohen's d. The Cochran Q statistic and the I2 index were used for the study of heterogeneity. An analysis was conducted using the random effects model. RESULTS: 829 articles were identified, of which 18 were finally selected. Of these, only three had statistically significant effect sizes. The overall combined result obtained was .013, but it did not result statistically significant (CI95% [-.102, .128].) The Q statistic was statistically significant (Q [18] = 28.497, P = . 39) and the I2 index was 40.34%, indicating a moderate heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis did not obtain statistically significant results that could provide conclusions. In general, the studies analysed are small, of low power and have a marked heterogeneity, which implies that the findings are provisional and need to be supported by more robust studies. Although it cannot be ruled out that mindfulness-based interventions are not effective in the infant-juvenile population, it is also possible that this effect could not be detected due to the limited number of available studies. Larger investigations are needed, with sufficient statistical power and designs that control the variables potentially moderating, to establish clear conclusions.

Cyclic tetrapeptide HDAC inhibitors as potential therapeutics for spinal muscular atrophy: Screening with iPSC-derived neuronal cells.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder that is caused by inactivating mutations in the Survival of motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene, resulting in decreased SMN protein expression. Humans possess a paralog gene, SMN2, which contains a splicing defect in exon 7 leading to diminished expression of full-length, fully functional SMN protein. Increasing SMN2 expression has been a focus of therapeutic development for SMA. Multiple studies have reported the efficacy of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) in this regard. However, clinical trials involving HDACi have been unsatisfactory, possibly because previous efforts to identify HDACi to treat SMA have employed non-neuronal cells as the screening platform. To address this issue, we generated an SMA-patient specific, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived neuronal cell line that contains homogenous Tuj1+neurons. We screened a small library of cyclic tetrapeptide HDACi using this SMA neuronal platform and discovered compounds that elevate SMN2 expression by an impressive twofold or higher. These candidates are also capable of forming gems intranuclearly in SMA neurons, demonstrating biological activity. Our study identifies new potential HDACi therapeutics for SMA screened using a disease-relevant SMA neuronal cellular model.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship study of a new series of selective σ(1) receptor ligands for the treatment of pain: 4-aminotriazoles.

The synthesis and pharmacological activity of a new series of 4-aminotriazoles as potent σ1 receptor (σ1R) ligands are reported. The compounds were prepared using a 4-5-step process, involving as a key step a click chemistry reaction between ynamides and azides. The most active compounds exhibited nanomolar potency for the σ1R, and the selectivity over the σ2R was improved on decreasing the central amine basicity. It was concluded that in order to achieve good σ1R potency a minimum lipophilicity was required, while limiting to a defined range of cLogP avoided human ether-a-go-go-related gene channel inhibition. This made the most interesting derivatives to be concentrated in a narrow margin of lipophilicity. Among them, compound 13g exhibited the most potent in vivo antinociceptive properties, which are indicative of its antagonist character.

Vitamin B(12) and folic acid imbalance modifies NK cytotoxicity, lymphocytes B and lymphoprolipheration in aged rats.

Different vitamin B12 and folic acid concentrations could exacerbate the immune response. The aim was to evaluate different dietary folic acid and vitamin B12 levels on the immune response in aged rats. Male Sprague Dawley aged rats were assigned to three folic acid groups (deficient, control, supplemented) each in absence of vitamin B12 for 30 days. Several parameters of innate and acquired immune responses were measured. Serum and hepatic folate levels increased according to folic acid dietary level, while vitamin B12 levels decreased. There was a significant decrease in natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity in the spleen for the vitamin B12 deficient diet and folic acid control diet groups. Significant changes in CD45 lymphocyte subsets were also observed according to dietary imbalance. Lymphoproliferative response to concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin did not differ significantly between groups. The spleen response to lipopolysaccharide increased significantly, but was unmodified for the other organs. An imbalance between dietary vitamin B12 and folic acid concentrations alters some immunological parameters in aged rats. Therefore, the ratio between folate and vitamin B12 could be as important as their absolute dietary concentrations.

Guanidinium and aminoimidazolinium derivatives of N-(4-piperidyl)propanamides as potential ligands for mu opioid and I2-imidazoline receptors: synthesis and pharmacological screening.

Derivatives of N-(1-phenethyl-4-piperidyl)propanamides incorporating guanidinium and 2-aminoimidazolinium groups have been prepared by a synthetic approach involving first introduction of a spacer between the piperidine and the functional group by reductive amination of piperidinone. The formation of each of these functional groups was carried out using N-N'-di(tert-butoxycarbonyl)thiourea and 2-methylthioimidazolinium iodide, respectively. These structures have been designed to incorporate two pharmacologic goals into one entity. Radioligand binding assays have been used to study their affinity for opioid (mu, delta and kappa) and I2-imidazoline receptors. Two of them, 10 and 16, showed high affinity for mu opioid receptors and functionally they had moderate analgesic properties in the hot plate and writhing tests. The in vitro studies on guinea pig ileum (GPI) indicated that both compounds are mu opioid agonists. In what concerns I2-imidazoline receptor activity, these derivatives showed low affinity around 6 to 7 times less than idazoxan.