The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic, causing substantial anxiety. One potential factor in the spread of anxiety in response to a pandemic threat is emotion ...contagion, the finding that emotional experiences can be socially spread through conscious and unconscious pathways. Some individuals are more susceptible to social contagion effects and may be more likely to experience anxiety and other mental health symptoms in response to a pandemic threat. Therefore, we studied the relationship between emotion contagion and mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. We administered the Emotion Contagion Scale (ESC) along with a measure of anxiety in response to COVID-19 (modified from a previous scale designed to quantify fear of the Swine Flu outbreak) and secondary outcome measures of depression, anxiety, stress, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. These measures were completed by a large (
= 603) student sample in the United States. Data were collected in the months of April and May of 2020 when the fear of COVID-19 was widespread. Results revealed that greater susceptibility to emotion contagion was associated with greater concern about the spread of COVID-19, more depression, anxiety, stress, and OCD symptoms. Consumption of media about COVID-19 also predicted anxiety about COVID-19, though results were not moderated by emotion contagion. However, emotion contagion did moderate the relationship between COVID-19-related media consumption and elevated OCD symptoms. Although limited by a cross-sectional design that precludes causal inferences, the present results highlight the need for study of how illness fears may be transmitted socially during a pandemic.
Oxidative stress is created in aerobic organisms when molecular oxygen chemically oxidizes redox enzymes, forming superoxide
(O
) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Prior work identified several ...flavoenzymes from Escherichia coli that tend to autoxidize. Of these, fumarate reductase (Frd) is notable both for its high turnover number and for its production
of substantial O
in addition to H 2 O 2 . We have sought to identify characteristics of Frd that predispose it to this behavior. The ability of excess succinate to
block autoxidation and the inhibitory effect of lowering the flavin potential indicate that all detectable autoxidation occurs
from its FAD site, rather than from iron-sulfur clusters or bound quinones. The flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) moiety of
Frd is unusually solvent-exposed, as evidenced by its ability to bind sulfite, and this may make it more likely to react adventitiously
with O 2 . The autoxidizing species is apparently fully reduced flavin rather than flavosemiquinone, since treatments that more fully
reduce the enzyme do not slow its turnover number. They do, however, switch the major product from O
to H 2 O 2 . A similar effect is achieved by lowering the potential of the proximal 2Fe-2S cluster. These data suggest that Frd releases
O
into bulk solution if this cluster is available to sequester the semiquinone electron; otherwise, that electron is rapidly
transferred to the nascent superoxide, and H 2 O 2 is the product that leaves the active site. This model is supported by the behavior of âaspartate oxidaseâ (aspartate:fumarate
oxidoreductase), an Frd homologue that lacks Fe-S clusters. Its dihydroflavin also reacts avidly with oxygen, and H 2 O 2 is the predominant product. In contrast, succinate dehydrogenase, with high potential clusters, generates O
exclusively. The identities of enzyme autoxidation products are significant because O
and H 2 O 2 damage cells in different ways.
The fitness of organisms depends upon the rate at which they generate superoxide (OÂ·Ì 2 ) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) as toxic by-products of aerobic metabolism. In Escherichia coli these ...oxidants arise primarily from the autoxidation of components of its respiratory chain. Inverted vesicles that were
incubated with NADH generated OÂ·Ì 2 and H 2 O 2 at accelerated rates either when treated with cyanide or when devoid of quinones, implicating an NADH dehydrogenase as their
source. Null mutations in the gene encoding NADH dehydrogenase II averted autoxidation of vesicles, and its overproduction
accelerated it. Thus NADH dehydrogenase II but not NADH dehydrogenase I, respiratory quinones, or cytochrome oxidases formed
substantial OÂ·Ì 2 and H 2 O 2 . NADH dehydrogenase II that was purified from both wild-type and quinone-deficient cells generated â¼130 H 2 O 2 and 15 OÂ·Ì 2 min â1 by autoxidation of its reduced FAD cofactor. Sulfite reductase is a second autoxidizable electron transport chain of E. coli , containing FAD, FMN, 4Fe-4S, and siroheme moieties. Purified flavoprotein that contained only the FAD and FMN cofactors
had about the same oxidation turnover number as did the holoenzyme, 7 min â1 FAD â1 . Oxidase activity was largely lost upon FMN removal. Thus the autoxidation of sulfite reductase, like that of the respiratory
chain, occurs primarily by autoxidation of an exposed flavin cofactor. Great variability in the oxidation turnover numbers
of these and other flavoproteins suggests that endogenous oxidants will be predominantly formed by only a few oxidizable enzymes.
Thus the degree of oxidative stress in a cell may depend upon the titer of such enzymes and accordingly may vary with growth
conditions and among different cell types. Furthermore, the chemical nature of these reactions was manifested by their acceleration
at high temperatures and oxygen concentrations. Thus these environmental parameters may also directly affect the OÂ·Ì 2 and H 2 O 2 loads that organisms must bear.
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on public health, economic activity, and mental health as it spread across the globe. Research from past pandemics links ...excessive anxiety about illness-related threats with symptoms of health anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In the present study, we investigated whether intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a psychological vulnerability factor involved in both OCD and health anxiety, accounts for a portion of the relationship between these symptoms and fear of COVID-19 during the early stages of the outbreak in the Unites States. We administered measures of concern about the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Threat Scale; CTS), health anxiety, and OCD symptoms to a large sample of community adults in the United States (n = 738) recruited through Amazon MTurk. Results revealed that concern about COVID-19 was moderately and positively correlated with both OCD and health anxiety symptoms, as well as IU. Moreover, regression analyses found that IU partially accounted for the connections between concern about the spread of COVID-19 and OCD and health anxiety symptoms. These results highlight IU as a potential mechanism connecting OCD and health anxiety to anxiety about pandemic threats. Clinical implications, limitations, and future directions for research are discussed.
•Mturk participants completed surveys in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.•Fear of the spread of COVID-19 related to OCD symptoms and health anxiety.•IU significantly predicted concerns about the spread of COVID-19.•IU accounted for a portion of the relationship between OCD symptoms, health anxiety, and fear of COVID-19.
With a lifetime U.S. prevalence of 2.3%, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition often producing reduced quality of life and disability when left untreated. Little is known about ...the prevalence or treatment of diagnosed OCD in public behavioral health systems.
Using a claims analysis of 2019 New York State Medicaid data (N=2,245,084 children; N=4,274,100 adults), the authors investigated the prevalence and characteristics of children and adults with OCD. The authors also examined whether these individuals received treatment with medication or psychotherapy.
The prevalence of OCD was 0.2% among children and 0.3% among adults. Fewer than half of children (40.0%) and adults (37.5%) received U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medications (with or without psychotherapy); another 19.4% of children and 11.0% of adults received 45- or 60-minute psychotherapy alone.
These data demonstrate the need for public behavioral health systems to increase their capacity to identify and treat OCD.
There has been substantial concern about the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) given the overlap between OCD symptoms ...(e.g., excessive handwashing) and appropriate disease prevention measures. However, the pandemic has demonstrated heterogeneous mental health effects, suggesting that individual-level factors could play a role in buffering or exacerbating its deleterious impact. This study aimed to understand how individual differences in resilience were associated with trajectories of obsessive-compulsive, depression, and anxiety symptoms among healthy adults and those with OCD residing in New York City, considered the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States at its onset. The sample consisted of healthy individuals (n = 30) and people with OCD (n = 33) who completed clinical interviews and self-report questionnaires that assessed baseline resilience, OCD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and perceived positive effects of the pandemic at four assessment timepoints: baseline (April 2020) and one, two, and six months later. Linear mixed-effects growth models revealed that greater resilience was associated with stable trajectories of symptoms over time. Conversely, less resilience was associated with worsening obsessive-compulsive symptoms from the two-month to six-month assessment timepoints and worsening depressive symptoms at six months across both groups, and with worsening anxiety symptoms in individuals with OCD at six months. Resilience was correlated with the ability to appreciate “silver linings” of the pandemic. These findings highlight resilience as a potential treatment target for bolstering mental health outcomes among individuals with and without psychopathology during sustained and unprecedented periods of stress.
•We examined anxiety, depression, and OCD symptom trajectories during the pandemic.•We assessed people with and without OCD at four timepoints over six months.•Higher baseline resilience was associated with more stable trajectories of symptoms.•Less resilience was associated with worsening symptoms over time.•Baseline resilience was correlated with seeing “silver linings” of the pandemic.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by a loss of immunologic tolerance to a multitude of self-antigens. Epidemiological data suggest an important role for genes ...in the etiology of lupus, and previous genetic studies have implicated the HLA locus, complement genes, and low-affinity IgG (Fcγ) receptors in SLE pathogenesis. In an effort to identify new susceptibility loci for SLE, we recently reported the results of a genomewide microsatellite marker screen in 105 SLE sib-pair families. By using nonparametric methods, evidence for linkage was found in four intervals: 6p11-21 (near the HLA), 16q13, 14q21-23, and 20p12.3 (LOD scores ⩾2.0), and weaker evidence in another nine regions. We now report the results of a second complete genome screen in a new cohort of 82 SLE sib-pair families. In the cohort 2 screen, the four best intervals were 7p22 (LOD score 2.87), 7q21 (LOD score 2.40), 10p13 (LOD score 2.24), and 7q36 (LOD score 2.15). Eight additional intervals were identified with LOD scores in the range 1.00–1.67. A combined analysis of MN cohorts 1 and 2 (187 sib-pair families) showed that markers in 6p11-p21 (D6S426, LOD score 4.19) and 16q13 (D16S415, LOD score 3.85) met the criteria for significant linkage. Three intervals (2p15, 7q36, and 1q42) had LOD scores in the range 1.92–2.06, and another 13 intervals had LOD scores in the range of 1.00–1.78 in the combined sample. These data, together with other available gene mapping results in SLE, are beginning to allow a prioritization of genomic intervals for gene discovery efforts in human SLE.
Abstract
Background
Lyme carditis (LC) complete heart block (CHB) is typically treated with i.v. antibiotics without requiring permanent pacing. In patients with high degree atrioventricular (AV) ...block, suspicious index in Lyme carditis (SILC) scoring is highly sensitive for diagnosing LC.
Case summary
We present a case of CHB where a permanent pacemaker (PPM) was implanted prior to LC diagnosis. Suspicious index in Lyme carditis score was 2 at the time of exam, indicating a low risk for LC. However, per further discussion at follow-up, his score was retroactively increased to an intermediate risk of 4 and Lyme titres returned positive. An outpatient oral antibiotic regimen was given, and 2 months later, the patient had <0.1% V-pacing on interrogation with a subsequent unremarkable event monitor. The pacemaker was removed after considerations ensuring full conduction recovery. The patient is doing well at follow-up > 1 year.
Discussion
Lyme carditis spontaneous resolution of CHB is common. Once safe extraction parameters have been established, it is appropriate to engage patients without ongoing pacer requirements about explantation of their PPM. For CHB patients without clear aetiology, SILC scoring may be a predictive measure to help prevent unnecessary PPM placement in the future.
Studies have described oral problems associated with fibromyalgia syndrome (FM), including sicca, oral ulcerations, and orofacial pain. We evaluated the prevalence and profile of various oral ...symptoms in a population of patients diagnosed with FM.
Subjects diagnosed with FM by American College of Rheumatology criteria (n = 67; all women, mean age +/- SEM 47.6 +/- 2.3 yrs) were enrolled in the study after meeting strict exclusion criteria (i.e., oral mucosal conditions, Sjögren's syndrome, anemia, inflammatory bowel syndrome or other gastrointestinal disturbances, and other disorders that may manifest oral symptoms). Subjective oral evaluations were carried out for each subject, including oral pain (Melzack scale) for glossodynia, throbbing, aching, etc.; temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD); xerostomia (including intake of fluids, functional problems, etc.); dysphagia; dysgeusia; and information about frequent oral ulcerations or lesions. Psychological tests included Beck Depression Scale (BDS) and Spielberger Anxiety Scale (SAS) were administered.
The results indicated a significant prevalence in some subjects' oral symptoms, compared to age and sex matched control data (mean +/- SEM) for xerostomia 70.9% vs 5.7% (p < 0.001); glossodynia 32.8% vs 1.1% (p < 0.001); TMD 67.6% vs 20% (p < 0.01); dysphagia 37.3% vs 0.4% (p < 0.001); dysgeusia 34.2% vs 1.0% (p < 0.001). Other findings were not significantly different from controls: oral ulcerations/lesions 5.1% vs 4.4% (NS); BDS 34% vs 30% (NS); SAS 21% vs 19% (NS). The average visual analog scale (100 mm) for burning pain was 53.0 +/- 5.6 (p < 0.001). Anxiety and depression scores were no different in the FM subjects compared to controls with chronic pain conditions.
These data indicate that patients with FM have significantly increased prevalence of xerostomia, glossodynia, dysphagia, dysgeusia, and TMD compared to controls, with no significant difference in clinical oral lesions or psychological status.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune multisystem inflammatory disease characterized by the production of pathogenic autoantibodies. Previous genetic studies have suggested associations ...with HLA Class II alleles, complement gene deficiencies, and Fc receptor polymorphisms; however, it is likely that other genes contribute to SLE susceptibility and pathogenesis. Here, we report the results of a genome-wide microsatellite marker screen in 105 SLE sib-pair families. By using multipoint nonparametric methods, the strongest evidence for linkage was found near the HLA locus (6p11-p21) D6S257, logarithm of odds (lod) = 3.90, P = 0.000011 and at three additional regions: 16q13 (D16S415, lod = 3.64, P = 0.000022), 14q21-23 (D14S276, lod = 2.81, P = 0.00016), and 20p12 (D20S186, lod = 2.62, P = 0.00025). Another nine regions (1p36, 1p13, 1q42, 2p15, 2q21-33, 3cent-q11, 4q28, 11p15, qne 15q26) were identified with lod scores ≥ 1.00. These data support the hypothesis that multiple genes, including one in the HLA region, influence susceptibility to human SLE.
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