Cortisol, alpha amylase, and daily stressors in spouses of persons with mild cognitive impairment.

This study examines the effects of daily primary objective stressors (behavioral problems exhibited by persons with mild cognitive impairment) and subjective stressors (unpleasant marital interactions) on the diurnal cortisol pattern and the diurnal pattern of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) of spousal care partners. Thirty spouse care partners (age 59-85 years) participated in a 7-day diary study and submitted saliva samples on 4 consecutive study days, totaling 406 valid samples. Results from multilevel models revealed that daily objective stressors were associated with elevated cortisol levels and a flatter slope but were not associated with sAA activity.

Insulin resistance and adipose-derived hormones in young men with untreated obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases the risk for insulin resistance (IR). The mechanisms that link the two are not clear and are frequently confounded by obesity. OSA is associated with alterations in adipose-derived hormones (adipokines) that increase IR; however, previous studies have focused on middle-aged and older adults.

Effects of daily stressors on the psychological and biological well-being of spouses of persons with mild cognitive impairment.

Objectives: This research documents spousal accounts of daily symptoms and behaviors of their husbands or wives with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and assesses how MCI-related symptoms and care needs are associated with spouse care partners' psychological well-being and biomarkers of physiological wear and tear.

Method: Thirty spouse care partners participated in a 7-day diary study and reported on behavior problems associated with MCI as well as daily stressors and strains they experienced. They also provided saliva samples on 4 of the study days.

Early evidence of increased risk for metabolic syndrome in young men with latent obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by a repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep and may affect as many as 1 in 5 adults. Although OSA appears to increase risk for metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults, no data currently exist in a younger, preclinical cohort.

Methods: Forty-five sedentary young men: 12 overweight with OSA (OSA), 18 overweight without OSA (NOSA), and 15 normal-weight without OSA (CON).

Eating restraint is negatively associated with biomarkers of bone turnover but not measurements of bone mineral density in young women.

Relationships among bone mineral density (BMD), bone turnover markers, cortisol, calcium and vitamin D intakes, and cognitive eating restraint score were examined. Sixty-five healthy women, ages 18 to 25 years, had total body, spine, hip, and forearm BMD measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Serum osteocalcin, urinary cross-linked N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx), and salivary cortisol were measured, and intakes of calcium and vitamin D were estimated from questionnaires.

Effect of post-exercise supplement consumption on adaptations to resistance training.

Objective: Athletes are interested in nutritional manipulations that may enhance lean tissue gains stimulated by resistance training. Some research demonstrates that acute consumption of food containing protein causes superior muscle protein synthesis compared to isoenergetic foods without protein. This benefit has not been verified in longer-term training studies.

Bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: does exercise training make a difference?

Although postmenopausal women are encouraged to exercise to preserve bone mineral density (BMD), few studies have looked at what type of exercise is most effective.