Recurrent depression predicts high leptin concentrations in patients with coronary artery disease over an 18-months follow-up period: Findings from the prospective multicenter randomized controlled SPIRR-CAD Trial.

Background: Leptin, an adipokine suspected to play a role in coronary artery disease (CAD), may also be associated with deteriorated mental health. We investigated the prospective impact of recurrent depressed mood (RDM) on heightened plasma leptin levels in CAD patients.

Methods: Derived from the randomized SPIRR-CAD trial, plasma leptin were measured by the Human Leptin DuoSet ELISA at baseline in 539 patients (including 115 (21.

Placebo effects on nausea and motion sickness are resistant to experimentally-induced stress.

Nausea often occurs in stressful situations, such as chemotherapy or surgery. Clinically relevant placebo effects in nausea have been demonstrated, but it remains unclear whether stress has an impact on these effects. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the interplay between acute stress and placebo effects in nausea.

Exploring Pain, Quality of Life, and Emotional Well-Being in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Practicing Spiritual Meditation: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Studies on mind-body approaches in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are rare. We performed a pilot study with follow-up until 1 year to explore changes in pain, quality of life (QoL), stress, and negative emotions in patients with advanced PDAC, who regularly practiced a standardized form of spiritual meditation in addition to standard medical care.

Methods: At baseline and every 2 months for a maximum of 1 year, global pain, QoL (global, SEIQoL, FACT-G), spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp), perceived stress (PSQ-20), anxiety and depression (HADS), and diurnal cortisol secretion (cortisol slope) were assessed.

Open-Label Placebo Administration Decreases Pain in Elderly Patients With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis - A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Recent studies indicate that the administration of open-label placebos (OLP) can improve symptoms in various medical conditions. The primary aim of this 3-week randomized controlled trial was to examine the effects of OLP treatments on pain, functional disability, and mobility in patients with arthritic knee pain.

Methods: Sixty patients (55% females; mean age, 66.

Evaluating the psychometric properties of the German adaptation of the client attachment to therapist scale.

Background: The present study examines the psychometric properties of the German adaptation of the Client Attachment to Therapist Scale (CATS). The validity of the scale as originally proposed has recently been brought into question, as patients were identified as "pseudosecure".

Methods: We examined the measure's factorial structure, as well as reliability and validity towards related measures using a clinical sample of N = 354 participants.

The Physical, Psychological, and Social Day-to-Day Experience of Women Living With Endometriosis Compared to Healthy Age-Matched Controls-A Mixed-Methods Study.

Endometriosis is characterized by lesions of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. Chronic pain is considered as main symptom, but challenges can relate to various physical, mental, and social aspects of the women's lives. The aim of our study was to gain a holistic understanding of the everyday reality of women with endometriosis compared to healthy controls.

Reduced frequency of perforin-positive CD8+ T cells in menstrual effluent of endometriosis patients.

Endometriosis is a widespread disease and commonly reduces the life quality of those affected. Scientific literature indicates different underlying immunological changes. Frequently examined tissues are peripheral blood, endometrial tissue and peritoneal fluid.

[Cough as a Psychosomatic Entity - A short journey through historical and current concepts, and impacts of the corona pandemic].

Cough as a Psychosomatic Entity - A short journey through historical and current concepts, and impacts of the corona pandemic In this chapter, we focus on the psychosocial relevance of the symptom and the phenomenon cough. We will be reflecting about cough in the current corona crisis and will highlight a historical case that played an important role in the development of psychoanalytic theory. In the second part, we are outlining current psychosomatic concepts on coughing in order to elucidate the significance of this fundamental symptom.

Health-related quality-of-life in people living with HIV after switching to dual therapy with ritonavir-boosted darunavir + dolutegravir: a DUALIS sub-study.

The DUALIS study demonstrated efficacy and safety of switching to dolutegravir plus ritonavir-boosted darunavir (DRV/r) (2DR) as compared to standard-of-care-therapy with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors + DRV/r (3DR) in pretreated people living with HIV (PLWH), 48 weeks after switching. This DUALIS sub-study investigates health-related-quality-of-life (HrQoL) in this study-population. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Medical Outcome Survey-HIV (MOS-HIV) were used assessing anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively HrQoL.

The Role of Tactile Stimulation for Expectation, Perceived Treatment Assignment and the Placebo Effect in an Experimental Nausea Paradigm.

Introduction: Tactile stimulation during a placebo treatment could enhance its credibility and thereby boost positive treatment expectations and the placebo effect. This experimental study aimed to investigate the interplay between tactile stimulation, expectation, and treatment credibility for the placebo effect in nausea.

Methods: Ninety healthy participants were exposed to a 20-min vection stimulus on two separate days and were randomly allocated to one of three groups on the second day after the baseline period: Placebo transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with tactile stimulation ( = 30), placebo TENS without tactile stimulation ( = 30), or no intervention ( = 30).

Placebo and Nocebo Effects in Patients With Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and Heart-Healthy Controls.

The etiology of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC)-a rare, reversible, and acquired form of cardiac diseases-is not yet fully explained. An exaggerated activation of the sympathetic-nervous-system (SNS) following stressful psychosocial life events is discussed to be of key importance. In this experimental study, we tested whether TTC patients, compared to heart-healthy controls, respond more strongly to supporting placebo interventions and stressful nocebo interventions targeting cardiac function.

Individual Factors Contributing to Nausea in First-Time Chemotherapy Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The expectation of developing side effects can enhance the likelihood to develop them - a phenomenon referred to as nocebo effect. Whether nocebo effects can be reduced by lowering negative expectancies, is not clear. The aim of this prospective study was to learn more about the factors contributing to nausea expectancy and their potential role in actual occurrence of nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy for the first time in their life.