Cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors are global healthcare problems, given their high prevalence and the recognized low rates of adequate control despite the abundant body of evidence on different therapeutic options. The World Heart Federation has scrutinized the reasons for poor control of cardiovascular risk factors. Among these reasons, patients' poor adherence to treatment regimens as well as limited rates of evidence-based therapy prescription from healthcare providers play a substantial role in the challenge of cardiovascular risk management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Psychophysiol Biofeedback
September 2023
Light-induced effects on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are assumed to be mediated by retinal projections to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) via different routes. Light information for the circadian system is detected by a subset of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), however, inconsistency exists in research concerning the effects of light exposure on heart rate variability (HRV). Two within-subject experiments were conducted in a standardized sleep laboratory to investigate effects of light intensity (study I, n = 29: 2 days dim vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMental illness such as depression and anxiety as well as cerebrovascular disease are linked to impairment of neurocardiac function mediated by changes to the autonomic nervous system with increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity. Autonomic neurocardiac function can be evaluated by computing heart rate variability (HRV). Over the past decades, research has demonstrated the diagnostic value of HRV as independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality and as disease marker in progressive autonomic nervous system disorders such as Parkinson's disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Some individuals with panic disorder (PD) display reduced heart rate variability (HRV), which may result in an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. Heart rate variability-biofeedback (HRV-BF) training has been shown to improve the modulation of the autonomic activity. Therefore, this randomized controlled trial was conducted to investigate the effect of a 4-week HRV-BF intervention in individuals with PD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe synthesis of iodine(I) complexes with either benzoimidazole or carbazole-derived sp N-containing Lewis bases is described, as well as their corresponding silver(I) complexes. The addition of elemental iodine to the linear two-coordinate Ag(I) complexes produces iodine(I) complexes with a three-center four-electron (3c-4e) [N-I-N] bond. The H and H- N HMBC NMR studies unambiguously confirm the formation of the complexes in all cases via the [N-Ag-N] →[N-I-N] cation exchange, with the N NMR chemical shift change between 94 to 111 ppm when compared to the free ligand.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: The term myxedema psychosis (MP) was introduced to describe the occurrence of psychotic symptoms in patients with untreated hypothyroidism, but the optimal assessment and treatment of this condition are unclear. We aimed to synthesize data from the literature to characterize the clinical presentation and management of MP.
Methods: We performed a systematic review according to the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines in PubMed (Medline), Embase, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases, including observational studies, case series, and case reports published from 1/1/1980 to 31/12/2019 in the English language.
Chronic stress can lead to physiological illness. Emergency physicians in danger of developing such illnesses due to their demanding working environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological stress level of emergency physicians (EPs) of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) between emergency operations in one shift.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Alcohol addiction compromises cardiovascular health, possibly due to impaired control of the heart and vasculature by the autonomic nervous system. We aimed to assess the effects of National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) acupuncture on cardiovascular autonomic functions, psychiatric comorbidities and abstinence in patients addicted to alcohol.
Material And Methods: A randomized sham controlled three-arm study was undertaken in 72 patients (nine females, aged 43.
Introduction: Up to date, there has been little research about the acute stress load of emergency physicians of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS). Therefore, this study investigates the physiological stress level between an air-rescue day, a clinic day, and a day off (control day). Furthermore, phases of activity and resting were compared to assess the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We recently showed in a randomized controlled trial that Web-based self-help as an adjunct improved the effectiveness of multimodal inpatient psychotherapy for depression.
Objective: The aims of this study were (1) to determine whether a Web-based self-help adjunctive to multimodal inpatient psychotherapeutic treatment could also improve the course of depressive symptoms and (2) to identify predictors of residual depressive symptoms at follow-up.
Methods: Overall, 229 patients were randomized either to the Web-based self-help intervention group (Deprexis) or an active control group (Web-based information about depression and depressive symptoms) in addition to multimodal inpatient psychotherapy.
Depressive disorders are among the most important health problems and are predicted to constitute the leading cause of disease burden by the year 2030. Aside significant impact on quality of life, psychosocial well-being and socioeconomic status of affected patients, depression is associated with impaired cardiovascular health and increased mortality. The link between affective and cardiovascular disease has largely been attributed to dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system resulting in a chronic shift toward increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity and, consecutively, cardiac dysautonomia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Psychol Psychother
July 2019
Maladaptive schemas are stable relational patterns that develop through harmful childhood experiences with primary caregivers. Schemas within somatoform disorders are rarely explored even though these disorders are clinically important due to high prevalence, co-morbidity, and cost for the health care system. This study investigates schemas according to Young's schema theory in patients with somatoform disorders in comparison with healthy controls and patients with depressive or anxiety disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim Of The Study: In order to develop an online portal for the preparation for inpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation, information requirements as well as the online use behavior of rehabilitants were determined first.
Methods: Four focus groups with rehabilitants (N=31) as well as two with the treatment team (N=18) were performed and evaluated qualitatively.
Results: A total of 419 statements by rehabilitants and 333 statements by the treatment team were coded and assigned to categories.
Background: Depression is one of the most frequent and costly mental disorders. While there is increasing evidence for the efficacy of online self-help to improve depression or prevent relapse, there is little evidence in blended care settings, especially combined with inpatient face-to-face psychotherapy. Therefore, we evaluated whether an evidence-based online self-help program improves the efficacy of inpatient psychotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A randomized controlled study (RCT) recently showed that short-term heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback in addition to standard rehabilitation care for alcohol dependence can reduce craving, anxiety and improve cardiovascular autonomic function. In this one-year follow-up study we aimed to explore whether completion of 2-week HRV-Biofeedback training is associated with long-term abstinence. Furthermore, we sought to identify potential predictors of post-treatment abstinence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRehabilitation (Stuttg)
October 2017
In Germany, medical-occupational rehabilitation represents an essential link between rehabilitation programs focusing either on medical or occupational rehabilitation. Its main objective is return to work. The current study presents the vocational integration 5 years after medical-occupational rehabilitation and determines possible prognostic factors for long-term occupational integration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Psychophysiol Biofeedback
June 2017
Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) constitutes a widely used marker of cardiac autonomic inflexibility which has been linked to disorders such as panic disorder (PD). To date, the pathophysiological mechanisms whereby panic leads to attenuated HRV are not fully elucidated. We aimed to investigate the hypothesis that PD patients show pathological reactivity both in response to interoceptive and psychosocial stress in comparison to healthy individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients' treatment expectations are a key factor in psychotherapy. Several studies have linked higher expectations to better treatment success. Therefore, we want to evaluate the impact of a targeted video-based intervention on patients' expectations and the treatment success of inpatient rehabilitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: In patients with alcohol dependence, ethyl-toxic damage of vasomotor and cardiac autonomic nerve fibers leads to autonomic imbalance with neurovascular and cardiac dysfunction, the latter resulting in reduced heart rate variability (HRV). Autonomic imbalance is linked to increased craving and cardiovascular mortality. In this study, we sought to assess the effects of HRV biofeedback training on HRV, vasomotor function, craving, and anxiety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Psychophysiol Biofeedback
March 2014
Preterm birth is a highly prevalent phenomenon that was shown to be associated with mental stress during pregnancy (Rich-Edwards and Grizzard in Am J Obstet Gynecol 192(5 Suppl):S30-S35, 2005). We aimed to assess the effects of heart rate variability (HRV)-biofeedback in patients with preterm labour. Therefore, we conducted a controlled randomized parallel group study in 48 female patients aged 19-38 years (median = 29) with preterm labour at gestational week 24th-32nd (median = 29th).
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