RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Stroke patients often experience psychological distress, which can impact their intimate relationships with spouses, subsequently influencing their treatment and recovery. Physical activity is considered a key rehabilitation method for stroke patients. This paper aims to analyze whether psychological distress affects intimate relationship between spouses through physical activity. AIM: To explore the mediating effect of physical activity between psychological distress and intimate relationship in stroke patients. METHODS: A total of 256 stroke patients who underwent treatment at the First People's Hospital of Shangqiu between July 2021 and July 2022 were enrolled in this study. The participants completed questionnaires, including the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), the Quality of Relationship Index (QRI), International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and a general information questionnaire. Data analysis were performed using SPSS 23.0. The Harman test was employed to detect common method deviations, and Spearman correlation was used for correlation analysis. The mediating effect was assessed using Process 3.4.1, with significance testing of the regression coefficients conducted using the bias-corrected percentile Bootstrap method (5000 iterations, 95% confidence interval). Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed that patients scored an average of 21.61 ± 6.44 points on the K10, 32.40 ± 6.19 points on the QRI; the median physical activity level according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was 1861 (566, 2846) MET·min/w. The level of physical activity (the physical activity intensity of the patients reflected by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form scale) negatively correlated with psychological distress and intimacy (P < 0.05), and positively correlated with each other (P < 0.05), with the correlation stronger at lower physical activity levels compared to higher ones. The mediating effect of physical activity between psychological distress and intimate relationship was calculated to be 40.23%. Bootstrap analysis further validated the results. The mediating effect of psychological distress on intimate relationships through physical activity level was -0.284, with a confidence interval of -0.409 to -0.163, excluding 0, confirming a significant mediating effect of psychological distress on intimate relationships. CONCLUSION: Physical activity significantly affects relationship between psychological distress and intimate relationships among stroke patients. Addressing the role of physical activity may have implications for improving patient outcomes and rehabilitation strategies.
RESUMO
This study aims to explore the gastrointestinal dysfunction and the changes of dopaminergic, nitric oxidergic, and cholinergic neurons in the myenteric plexus of a Parkinson's disease (PD) rat model. A PD rat model was induced through unilateral substantia nigra administration of 6-hydroxydopamine. Four weeks later, the feces in 1 h and residual solid food in stomach at 2 h after feeding were measured. Changes in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in substantial nigra, TH, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in gastric antrum and colon tissue were examined by immunohistochemistry. Reverse transcription (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot were used to evaluate and compare the levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of TH, ChAT, and nNOS in the GI tract between normal and 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats. Compared with control samples, the number of TH⺠cells in the damaged side of substantia nigra of 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The weight and water content of the fecal matter decreased (P < 0.01), and the percentage of residual solid food increased (P < 0.01). The average integrated optical densities of TH-positive areas in the gastric antrum and colon tissue increased significantly (P < 0.01), nNOS decreased significantly (P < 0.01), and there were no significant changes in ChAT (P > 0.05). TH and nNOS mRNA levels in the gastric antrum and proximal colon decreased (P < 0.01), there were no significant changes in ChAT mRNA levels (P > 0.05). The protein levels of TH in the GI tract were significantly increased (P < 0.01), nNOS significantly decreased (P < 0.01), and ChAT had no significant changes (P > 0.05). 6-Hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats had delayed gastric emptying and constipation that might be related to the gastrointestinal TH increase and nNOS decrease. These symptoms were not related to changes in cholinergic transmitters.
