Social support, exhaled nitric oxide, and upper respiratory symptoms in health and asthma.

Accumulating research identifies a role of psychological process, particularly negative affect, in the expression of airway nitric oxide (NO), yet directional associations tend to vary across methodologies and samples. Recent findings indicate higher social support to be associated with higher airway NO; however, consequences for respiratory infection remain unexplored. NO has a key role in the first line of epithelial defense against pathogens, thus, social support could unfold airway protective effects through enhanced production of NO.

Beetroot juice supplementation for the prevention of cold symptoms associated with stress: A proof-of-concept study.

Objectives: Psychological stress has been linked to common cold symptoms. Nitric oxide (NO) is part of the first line of epithelial defense against pathogens, and beetroot juice is a source of dietary nitrate that increases NO availability. We therefore tested whether beetroot juice protects against cold symptoms in a period of sustained acute stress.

Towards an assessment of perceived COPD exacerbation triggers: Initial development and validation of a questionnaire.

Background And Objective: Prevention of exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is important to decrease overall declines in functioning and improve quality of life. The present study sought to develop a psychometrically valid measure of perceived triggers of exacerbations in COPD patients, the COPD Exacerbation Trigger Inventory (CETI).

Methods: Participants (n = 192) were recruited through local clinics and online to complete surveys of the CETI, demographic information, disease-specific information and the COPD Assessment Test (CAT).

Acute ingestion of beetroot juice increases exhaled nitric oxide in healthy individuals.

Background And Objective: Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in the airways' innate immune response, and the fraction of exhaled NO at a flow rate of 50mL per second (FENO50) has been utilized to capture NO. Deficits in NO are linked to loss of bronchoprotective effects in airway challenges and predict symptoms of respiratory infection. While beetroot juice supplements have been proposed to enhance exercise performance by increasing dietary nitrate consumption, few studies have examined the impact of beetroot juice or nitrate supplementation on airway NO in contexts beyond an exercise challenge, which we know influences FENO50.

Sensitivity of salivary hydrogen sulfide to psychological stress and its association with exhaled nitric oxide and affect.

Background: Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is the third gasotransmitter recently discovered after nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide. Both NO and HS are involved in multiple physiological functions. Whereas NO has been shown to vary with psychological stress, the influence of stress on HS and the relationship between HS and NO are unknown.

A novel biomarker associated with distress in humans: calcium-binding protein, spermatid-specific 1 (CABS1).

Calcium-binding protein spermatid-specific 1 (CABS1) is expressed in the human submandibular gland and has an anti-inflammatory motif similar to that in submandibular rat 1 in rats. Here, we investigate CABS1 in human saliva and its association with psychological and physiological distress and inflammation in humans. Volunteers participated across three studies: ) weekly baseline measures; ) a psychosocial speech and mental arithmetic stressor under evaluative threat; and ) during academic exam stress.