To study the salivary cortisol level, and to analyze the correlation between salivary cortisol and peri-abortion depression in the women suffering termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly.
 Methods: Comparing the difference in salivary cortisol level between the women with and without depression when they underwent termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly in a prospective cohort study. Analyzing the correlation between salivary cortisol and peri-abortion depression through logistics regression analysis.
 Results: The salivary cortisol awakening response was lower in women with depression than women without depression. Based on the logistics regression analysis, the salivary cortisol awakening response showed a negative correlation with pre-abortion (OR=0.063, 95% CI 0.005 to 0.754) and post-abortion (OR=0.002, 95% CI 0.000 to 0.061) depression.
 Conclusion: Cortisol awakening response possesses a negative correlation with peri-abortion depression, and it is a predictive factor for post-abortion depression.
Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Prospective Studies ; Saliva ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the endocrinal factors which influence the aggressive behavior of adolescents.

METHODSThe levels of cortisol (CORT), testosterone (T), prolactin (PRL), and growth hormone (GH) in saliva from 20 aggressive students and 20 non-aggressive control students were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The students were matched for their gender, age, grade, stage of pubertal development, and economic status of their families.

RESULTSThe salivary T levels were 22.20 +/- 14.50 pg/mL and 19.54 +/- 12.52 pg/mL in aggressive male and female students, 13.20 +/- 6.85 pg/mL and 5.24 +/- 3.03 pg/mL in non-aggressive male and female students (P < 0.05). The male aggressive students had a lower level of CORT in saliva than non-aggressive male students (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the salivary levels of PRL or GH between the aggressive and non-aggressive groups. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship in male students between the salivary CORT levels and the aggression factor scores of the child behavior checklist (CBCL). In addition, the data also showed a positive relationship between the salivary T levels and the aggression factor scores of CBCL in female students. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the salivary CORT level was an independent predictive factor for aggressive behaviors in adolescent boys. The higher the CORT level, the less aggressive the boys were.

CONCLUSIONCORT and T levels may play a certain role in adolescent aggressive behaviors.

Adolescent ; Aggression ; Child ; Female ; Growth Hormone ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; metabolism ; Male ; Prolactin ; metabolism ; Saliva ; metabolism ; Testosterone ; metabolism

PURPOSE: The present study was carried out to determine day-to-day differences in cortisol levels and the molar cortisol-to-dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) ratio (molar C/D ratio) in working subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cortisol and DHEA levels were measured from saliva samples collected 30 minutes after awakening for 7 consecutive days in full-time working subjects that worked Monday through Saturday. To determine the day-to-day differences within subjects, the collected data was analyzed using variance (ANOVA) for a randomized complete block design (RCBD). RESULTS: The cortisol levels from samples collected 30 minutes after awakening on workdays were similar to each other, but were significantly different from the cortisol levels on Sunday. The DHEA levels were not significantly different between the days of week. The DHEA levels on Monday and Tuesday were relatively lower than the levels on the other weekdays. The DHEA levels on Thursday and Friday were relatively higher than the other days. The molar C/D ratios on Sunday were significantly lower than those on workdays. The molar C/D ratios on Monday and Tuesday were significantly higher than those on Wednesday or other workdays. CONCLUSION: The cortisol levels and the molar C/D ratios demonstrate differences in adrenocortical activities between workdays and non-workdays, but the molar C/D ratio additionally represents differences in adrenocortical status between the first two workdays and other workdays. Thus, it is possible that the day-to-day differences in the cortisol levels and the molar C/D ratio represent the adrenal response to upcoming work-related stress.
Adult ; Analysis of Variance ; Dehydroepiandrosterone/*metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone/*metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Saliva/chemistry ; Work/*physiology

The adrenocartical carcinoma is a rare tumor with an estimated incidence of 1 case per 1,700,000 population. Despite its rarity, a large number of investigators have studied this neoplasm for the following two reasons. The First is the occasional difficulty of differentiation between careinoma and adenoma at the time of initial surgery, even by histopathologic examination. The other is its unique feature of corticosteroidogenesis. Steroid metabolism of adrenocortieal carcinoma is characterized by its low efficiency of steroid production due to deficiency of steroidogenic enzyme. The deficieney of 11 B-hydroxylase has been indieated in case of adrenoeortical carcinoma by several investigators. In this study, the serum level of cortisol was within normal range, but the serum level of 11-deoxycortisol was 50 times higher than normal. After the removal of tumor, the serum level of ll-deoxycortisol was markedly decm. In conclusion, the results from the this case suggest that measurement of serum 11-deoxy- cortisol may be a useful tool in the diagnosis and follow-up of adrenocortical carcinoma.
Adenoma ; Adrenocortical Carcinoma* ; Cortodoxone ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Incidence ; Metabolism ; Reference Values ; Research Personnel

OBJECTIVES: To explore the damage effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on amygdala cells through the rat CRS model. METHODS: The rat CRS model was established, and the changes in body weight and adrenal mass in control group and CRS group were monitored at 1 d, 7 d, 14 d and 21 d. The behavior changes were evaluated by the percentage of retention time of open arms and open arm entries using the elevated plus maze (EPM). ELISA was used to detect the concentrations of rat's corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol. The changes of expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in amygdala were determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Ultrastructure changes of glial cell were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The apoptosis rate of amygdala was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Compared with the control group at the same time points, body weight of CRS 1 d, 7 d, 14 d and 21 d groups increased slowly, but adrenal mass increased significantly; the serum level of CRH, cortisol and ACTH increased significantly at 7 d, 14 d and 21 d respectively; the expression of GR in amygdala was increased while that of GFAP was decreased; EPM test suggested that the percentage of retention time of open arms and open arm entries decreased significantly after 14 d. The CRS group showed different degrees of glial cell damage in amygdala, and the apoptosis rate of glial cell was significantly increased in 21 d group. CONCLUSIONS This study successfully established a CRS model in rats, and anxiety-like behavioral changes in model rats may be caused by apoptosis of amygdala astrocytes.
Rats ; Animals ; Hydrocortisone/pharmacology* ; Amygdala/metabolism* ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone/pharmacology* ; Apoptosis ; Body Weight

The effect of the menstrual cycle on the diurnal cortisol rhythm was investigated in 15 normally cyclic healthy women during reproductive life. Salivary cortisol was measured by radioimmunoassay in samples collected every 2 h for 24 h during the four phases of the menstrual cycle: menstrual phase, late follicular/peri-ovulation phase, early to mid luteal phase and late luteal phase, respectively. Distinct diurnal rhythms of free cortisol were found throughout the menstrual cycle by using a nonlinear periodic regression model. The model was characterized by an asymmetrically peaked diurnal cycle and ultradian harmonics. There was a trend to higher troughs and significantly shorter peak-width in phase II and phase IV compared to phase I. The ultradian amplitude in phase IV was significantly lower compared with phase I and showed a trend of decrease compared with phase II. The results suggest that the daily cortisol secretion is modulated by the phase of the menstrual cycle.
Adult ; Circadian Rhythm ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; secretion ; Luteal Phase ; Menstrual Cycle ; Radioimmunoassay ; Salvia ; metabolism

Despite significant advances in neuroscience research over the past several decades, the exact cause of AD has not yet fully understood. The metabolic hypothesis as well as the amyloid and tau hypotheses have been proposed to be associated with AD pathogenesis. In order to identify metabolome signatures from the postmortem brains of sporadic AD patients and control subjects, we performed ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (UPLC-LTQ–Orbitrap-MS). Not only our study identified new metabolome signatures but also verified previously known metabolome profiles in the brain. Statistical modeling of the analytical data and validation of the structural assignments discovered metabolic biomarkers associated with the AD pathogenesis. Interestingly, hypotaurin, myo-inositol and oxo-proline levels were markedly elevated in AD while lutamate and N-acetyl-aspartate were decreased in the postmortem brain tissue of AD patients. In addition, neurosteroid level such as cortisol was significantly increased in AD. Together, our data indicate that impaired amino acid metabolism is associated with AD pathogenesis and the altered amino acid signatures can be useful diagnostic biomarkers of AD. Thus, modulation of amino acid metabolism may be a possible therapeutic approach to treat AD.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid ; Biomarkers ; Brain ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Metabolism ; Metabolome ; Metabolomics ; Models, Statistical ; Neurosciences

Chronic psychological stress can promote vascular diseases, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. This study aims to explore the effects and mechanism of chronic psychological stress on aortic medial calcification (AMC). Rat arterial calcification model was established by nicotine gavage in combination with vitamin D₃ (VitD₃) intramuscular injection, and rat model of chronic psychological stress was induced by humid environment. Aortic calcification in rats was evaluated by using Alizarin red staining, aortic calcium content detection, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay. The expression levels of the related proteins, including vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contractile phenotype marker SM22α, osteoblast-like phenotype marker RUNX2, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) markers (GRP78 and CHOP), were determined by Western blot. The results showed that chronic psychological stress alone induced AMC in rats, further aggravated AMC induced by nicotine in combination with VitD₃, promoted the osteoblast-like phenotype transformation of VSMCs and aortic ERS activation, and significantly increased the plasma cortisol levels. The 11β-hydroxylase inhibitor metyrapone effectively reduced chronic psychological stress-induced plasma cortisol levels and ameliorated AMC and aortic ERS in chronic psychological stress model rats. Conversely, the glucocorticoid receptor agonist dexamethasone induced AMC, promoted AMC induced by nicotine combined with VitD₃, and further activated aortic ERS. The above effects of dexamethasone could be inhibited by ERS inhibitor 4-phenylbutyrate. These results suggest that chronic psychological stress can lead to the occurrence and development of AMC by promoting glucocorticoid synthesis, which may provide new strategies and targets for the prevention and control of AMC.
Rats ; Animals ; Glucocorticoids/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Nicotine/metabolism* ; Hydrocortisone/metabolism* ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Dexamethasone/metabolism* ; Vascular Calcification/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism* ; Cells, Cultured

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to determine the appropriate sampling time of the salivary stress markers, chromogranin A (CgA) and cortisol as objective indices of job stress assessment in adult females. METHODS: The subjects were 20~39-year-old women (13 office workers, 11 sales-service workers, and 11 college students) who were eligible for the study and free of acute and chronic medical conditions. Salivary CgA and cortisol levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Saliva samples were collected (2ml each) at 7:00, 8:00, 10:30, 12:00, 17:30, and 22:30 on a typical day. Salivary CgA and cortisol levels, according to sampling time, were compared among the three groups using general linear model. The full version of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), which includes socioeconomic characteristics, health behavior, work-related characteristics, and BMI, was used to access the subjects' job stress. Multiple regression analysis of the job stressors identified by the KOSS was performed on salivary CgA and cortisol levels. RESULTS: The salivary CgA level peaked at 7:00 (time of awakening), then decreased and were maintained at a low level throughout the day, and increased slightly at 17:30. The salivary cortisol level increased steeply within the 1st hour after awakening, followed by a gradual decrease by 12:00, and was then maintained at a low level throughout the day. The salivary cortisol levels of subjects who worked < or =5 days per week and graduated from the university were significantly lower at 8:00 (p=0.006). The salivary cortisol levels of non-smokers were significantly lower at 7:00 (p=0.040) and 8:00 (p=0.003) compared to smokers. There were no significant differences in salivary CgA and cortisol levels at 10:30 and 12:00 in general characteristics. The regression coefficients on salivary CgA level were significant with interpersonal conflict at 17:30 and job insecurity at 22:30. Regression coefficients on salivary cortisol level were significant with organizational system and total job stressors at 17:30. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the appropriate sampling times for the salivary stress markers, CgA and cortisol, are at 7:00 (time of awakening), 8:00 (1 hour after awakening), 17:30 (early evening), and 22:30 (before sleep).
Adult ; Biological Markers/metabolism ; Chromogranin A/*metabolism ; Circadian Rhythm ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone/*metabolism ; Korea ; Saliva/*metabolism ; Stress, Psychological/diagnosis/etiology/*metabolism ; Workplace/*psychology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of glucocorticoid on skeletal muscle protein metabolism in burn sepsis and its possible mechanism.

METHODSThe rats were randomly divided into four groups with 15 rats in each group. Group B, 30% TBSA full-thickness burn was produced on the back and endotoxin (6 mg/kg bw) was given intraperitoneally after the injury to simulate burn sepsis. Groups C and D, glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486 (10 mg/kg bw) was given by gavage 2 hours before or 2 hours after burn with endotoxin, respectively. Group A, the rats received only normal saline in same volume as endotoxin. Plasma levels of cortisol were determined with standard procedure. Extensor digitorium longus muscles (EDL) were procured from both legs 12 hours after the injury. After weighing, the proteolytic rate was determined in vitro in an incubation system with oxygen rich environment by high performance liquid chromatography. The gene expressions of ubiquitin, E(2)-14kDa and C2 in the muscles were determined by Northern blot analysis.

RESULTSThe weight of EDL was significantly lower in group B than in group A (t = 9.03, P < 0.01). Although the weight of EDL muscles was also lower in groups C and D than in group A, it was significantly higher than in group B (t = 2.26, 6.42, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The concentrations of plasma cortisol were markedly higher in groups B, C and D than in group A (t = 9.03 - 22.94, P < 0.01). A 58.8% (210/357) of the total and 335.5% (4.16/1.24) of myofibrillar proteolytic rate in group B was higher than in group A (t = 36.99 and t = 46.19, P < 0.01), respectively. The total and myofibrillar proteolytic rate in group D was 28.3% (161/567) and 49.6% (2.68/5.40) and in group C 18.9% (108/567) and 23.2% (1.25/5.40), which were lower than those in group B (t = 5.34 approximately 34.68, P < 0.01), respectively. Although the expressions of ubiquitin mRNA (2.4 kb), E(2)-14 kDa mRNA (1.2 kb) and C2 mRNA in groups C and D were significantly higher than in group A, all the values were lower than those in group B (t = 3.22, 11.32, P < 0.01), especially in group C.

CONCLUSIONSThe proteolytic rate of skeletal muscle, especially the myofibrillar proteolytic rate, was enhanced during burn with sepsis. Hypersecretion of glucocorticoid could upgrade the gene expression of ubiquitin system, resulting in hyperdegradation of skeletal muscle protein during burn with sepsis. Glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486 could decrease the hyperdegradation of skeletal muscle during burn with sepsis.

Animals ; Burns ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Glucocorticoids ; physiology ; Hydrocortisone ; blood ; Male ; Mifepristone ; pharmacology ; Muscle Proteins ; metabolism ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sepsis ; metabolism ; Ubiquitin ; metabolism