Neuroprotective effects of goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) polysaccharides on depression-like behavior in ovariectomized rats: behavioral and biochemical evidence.

AIM: To assess the protective effects of goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) polysaccharides (LBP) on depression-like behavior in ovariectomized rats and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these effects. METHODS: One hundred female Wistar albino rats (three months old) were randomly assigned either to ovariectomy (n=50) or sham surgery (n=50). After a 14-day recovery period, the groups were divided into five treatment subgroups (10 per group): high-dose LBP (200 mg/kg), low-dose LBP (20 mg/kg), imipramine (IMP, 2.5 mg/kg), 17-beta estradiol (E2, 1 mg/kg), and distilled water. Then, rats underwent a forced swimming test. We also determined the levels of serum antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and malondialdehyde), E2 levels, hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), 5HT2A receptor, and transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells. RESULTS: Both low-dose LBP and imipramine decreased depression-like behavior by increasing serum superoxide dismutase activity and by decreasing serum malondialdehyde level. Furthermore, low-dose LPB, high-dose LBP, and imipramine increased the number of 5-HT2A receptor- and BDNF-positive cells but decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the hippocampus. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to show the antidepressant effect of LBP. Although additional research is needed, LBP may be considered a potential new antidepressant.

The Relationship Between Psychological Capital and the Occupational Psychologic Risks of Nurses: The Mediation Role of Compassion Satisfaction.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between psychological capital (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism) and burnout and compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress among general hospital nurses, and the mediating role of compassion satisfaction in this relationship. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey study. Participants were 697 nurses working in different nursing departments in tertiary university hospitals in a metropolitan city in Turkey. METHODS: The semistructured interview form, Professional Quality of Life Scale, and Psychological Capital Scale were used to gather data. Descriptive analysis, the Spearman correlation analyzer, hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, and mediation analyzer with PROCESS and the Sobel test were used to analyze data. FINDINGS: There were moderate relationships between psychological capital total score, all subscales, and burnout, and weak negative correlations between these variables and compassion fatigue. For burnout, self-efficacy and optimism in the first model explained 26% of the variance; when compassion satisfaction was added in the second model, 45% of the total variance was explained. For compassion fatigue, self-efficacy in the first model explained 5% of the variance; adding compassion satisfaction in the second model, the variance did not change at all. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the current study may contribute to enhancing the protection of nurses' well-being in their general hospital settings by developing knowledge about the resources that are needed to prevent or decrease occupational psychological risks. Increasing psychological capital levels of nurses enhances the quality of care and the sustainability of their working conditions. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings of this study can be used to design interventions to better assist nurses in addressing their psychological health. Because psychological capital is a malleable resource, nursing managers can invest in the development and improvement of nurses' resources.

The validity and reliability study of the Cleveland Adolescent Sleepiness ​Questionnaire and examination of the sleepiness of university students.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the reliability and validity of the Cleveland Adolescent Sleepiness Questionnaire in Turkish university students, and to determine the sleepiness of students. DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out with 852 university students in Turkey, Bolu, between February- May 2019. FINDINGS: Results of the analysis indicated that this scale was a valid and reliable measurement tool. As the scores of students' get from Cleveland Adolescent Sleepiness Questionnaire increased, the frequency of students feeling sleepy during the day, sleepiness in and out of school, and getting up in the morning without resting increased. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Nurses can use this scale when evaluating university students' sleepiness.

The spread of COVID-19 virus through population density and wind in Turkey cities.

Beyond the contact and respiratory transmission of the COVID-19 virus, it has recently been reported in the literature that humidity, temperature, and air pollution may be effective in spreading the virus. However, taking the measurements regionally suspects the accuracy or validity of the data. In this research, climate values (temperature, humidity, number of sunny days, wind intensity) of 81 provinces in Turkey were collected in March 2020. Also, the population, population density of the provinces, and average air pollution data were taken. The findings of the study showed that population density and wind were effective in spreading the virus and both factors explained for 94% of the variance in virus spreading. Air temperature, humidity, the number of sunny days, and air pollution did not affect the number of cases. Besides, population density mediated the effect of wind speed (9%) on the number of COVID-19 cases. The finding that COVID-19 virus, invisible in the air, spreads more in windy weather indicates that the virus in the air is one threatening factor for humans with the wind speed that increases air circulation.

Psychosocial predictors of the fear of childbirth in Turkish pregnant women.

INTRODUCTION: Fear of childbirth (FOC) affects women's emotional health, preparation for birth, and outcomes of birth. Identifying the predictors of FOC can aid in identifying strategies for reducing women's FOC. OBJECTIVE: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was aimed at determining the psychosocial predictors of FOC in pregnant women. METHODS: The participants were 624 nulliparous and multiparous pregnant women in their last trimester. Data were collected using a personal information form, Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire A, Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Prenatal Self-Evaluation Questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of FOC. RESULTS: FOC was high among this study's participants and severe for one fifth of them. The psychosocial variables predicting FOC were self-efficacy and trait anxiety level, and spousal support was found to be a mediator variable in the relationship between self-efficacy and FOC. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that psychosocial variables are key to predicting FOC.

Anxiolytic, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects of goji berry polysaccharides in ovariectomized rats: experimental evidence from behavioral, biochemical, and immunohistochemical analyses.

Recent studies have indicated that polysaccharides, the main component of the Lycium barbarum L. fruit, have beneficial effects (e.g., anxiolytic, antioxidant, and neuroprotective) on humans and rodents. However, the effects of different dosages of such polysaccharides on ovariectomized rats and their underlying mechanisms in the brain have not been evaluated in the literature. Here, we aimed to evaluate the effects of the high and low doses of polysaccharides obtained from Lycium barbarum fruits (HD-LBP and LD-LBP, respectively) on anxious behaviors via behavioral (using the OFT and EPM), biochemical (using ELISA), and immunohistochemical (using immunohistochemical staining) measures in detail. Two weeks after ovariectomy, the rats were randomly assigned to either the treatment conditions [control (DW, 3 mL/kg, p.o., per day), LD-LBP (20 mg/kg, 3 mL/kg, p.o., per day), HD-LBP (200 mg/kg, 3 mL/kg, p.o., per day), 17 ß-ES (1 mg/kg, 3 mL/kg, p.o., per day), DZ(1 mg/kg, 3 mL/kg, p.o., per day)] or operation type [SHAM (pseudo-ovariectomized) and OVX (ovariectomized)]. The treatments were applied for 30 consecutive days, and then serum and brain tissue samples of all rats were collected. Biochemical (SOD, CAT, GPX, MDA, and 17 ß-ES) and immunohistochemical (BDNF, SER, and apoptosis) analyses of the samples were performed as well. The rats administered HD-LBP and LD-LBP were less anxious than the control groups. The HD-LBP-treated rats had high levels of SOD and low levels of MDA in their serum samples. Moreover, HD-LBP and drug-treated groups had a high number of SER receptors and BDNF-positive cells and a low number of TUNEL-positive cells in their hippocampal brain tissues. The HD-LBP treatments decrease anxious behavior by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities, hippocampal SER and BDNF neurotransmitter levels and decreasing the TUNEL-positive cell count of ovariectomized rats. Given these findings, we suggest that menopause-induced symptoms of anxiety can be reduced by polysaccharides obtained from goji berry fruits, and that these findings will be beneficial for the production studies of natural herbal-origin antianxiety (anxiolytic) drugs in the future.

The effects of the intraamygdalar melatonin injections on the anxiety like behavior and the spatial memory performance in male Wistar rats.

In the present study, the effects of intraamygdalar administrations of melatonin (1 and 100µg/kg), saline and diazepam on the anxiety-like behavior and spatial memory performance in pinealectomized and sham-pinealectomized Wistar rats were investigated. The animals were tested by open field and elevated plus maze tests for anxiety-like behavior, and Morris water maze test for spatial memory. In open field, (a) diazepam was more effective in reducing the anxiety, (b) control subjects were more mobile than pinealectomized subjects and (c) 100µg/kg melatonin administrations reduced the velocity of the animals. In elevated plus maze, (a) 100µg/kg melatonin administrations increased the distance totally travelled and (b) enhanced the time spent in open arms, however, after the pinealectomy, 1µg/kg melatonin administrations decreased it and (c) control animals were less mobile than pinealectomized ones. In Morris water maze, (a) diazepam group travelled more distance than the others in control condition whereas, in pinealectomy condition high dose of melatonin and saline groups travelled more distance than the others, (b) in pinealectomy condition subjects who received 100µg/kg melatonin also travelled more distance than those who received 1µg/kg melatonin and diazepam, (c) the subjects who received 1µg/kg spent less time than those who received other treatments, and (d) in control condition subjects who received 100µg/kg melatonin were slower than those who received the other treatments. In conclusion, melatonin administration to amygdala decreased the anxiety; however, spatial memory performance of the rats was impaired by the pinealectomy and melatonin administrations.