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The Spectrum of Mood Disorders Associated with Premenstrual Dysphoria
Published in Peter Manu, The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes, 2020
The same group of Austrian investigators published evidence establishing a role for the serotonin transporter promoter gene in the association between premenstrual syndrome and seasonal affective disorder (Praschak-Rieder et al., 2002). The polymorphism of this gene region has been identified as a risk factor for seasonality of abnormalities in mood (Rosenthal et al., 1998), as well as for neuroticism and depression (Lesch et al., 1996). The study tested the hypothesis that the risk of premenstrual syndrome in patients with seasonal affective disorder has a positive correlation with a family history of depression and with the serotonin transporter promoter repeat length polymorphism (5-HTTLPR). A group of 89 patients with seasonal affective disorders and no other current psychiatric diagnoses participated in the study. Forty-eight patients fulfilled criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Patients with and without premenstrual dysphoria were similar with regard to age, number of pregnancies, mood polarity, and global seasonal variation of their symptoms. Family members were assessed with a structured interview. Biological data were obtained with polymerase chain reaction amplification of genomic material isolated from nucleated blood cells.
Effects of Environmental Factors on the Endocrine System
Published in George H. Gass, Harold M. Kaplan, Handbook of Endocrinology, 2020
To study the possible seasonality in human reproduction, we must understand the mechanisms involved in seasonal breeders with clear annual rhythmicity. Seasonality is closely linked to photoperiodism with a strong genetic basis. There are significant species differences in photoperiodic responsiveness with a varying degree of seasonality. Exposure to different environmental conditions is the main driving force for the evolution of seasonality. Domestication, for example, is known to reduce seasonality.
Population Dynamics of Pathogens
Published in Leonhard Held, Niel Hens, Philip O’Neill, Jacco Wallinga, Handbook of Infectious Disease Data Analysis, 2019
Some level of seasonality is very common in infectious diseases and is usually reflected in seasonal cycles in incidence (even for persistent infections for which prevalence may remain relatively stable6) [28]. Influenza is the poster child for seasonality in infection risk in the public eye [e.g., [29]]. Figure 2.4a shows the mean weekly influenza-related deaths in Pennsylvania between 1972 and 1998. The pronounced winter-peaked seasonality of these respiratory viruses are not fully understood, but are thought to be linked to how weather conditions — notably absolute humidity [30] — affect transmissibility of the virus, so the effective reproductive ratio () only peaks above 1 during winter in temperate regions.
Evaluation of the factors affecting lung function in pediatric patients with asthma
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2023
Tao Ai, Ying Wu, Lei Zhang, Ronghua Luo, Huling Liao, Yinghong Fan, Wanmin Xia, Cheng Xie, Libing Zhang
Deterioration of asthma may be significantly associated with modulations in the environment (39). Viral infections, especially rhinoviruses, may cause this seasonality (40), and peak asthma incidence is consistent with seasonal patterns of related allergens and respiratory virus infection prevalence (41). The worsening of asthma in school-age children, which peaks in autumn, may also be associated with children returning to school after the summer holidays (40). This may be due to the higher probability of children being exposed to the source of infection upon return to school and the increased probability of acting as an intermediary for infection (40). It is speculated that peak viral density in autumn may also be the reason why lung function in children with asthma is worse than in other seasons. In addition, CVA was found to be a risk factor for abnormal lung function. In clinical practice, more attention should be given to lung function in patients with CVA, and treatment given as early as possible to prevent more serious consequences.
Seasonal impact on the outcome of multidisciplinary pain therapy
Published in Chronobiology International, 2023
Jens Heyn, Isabel Kiesewetter, Birgit Uenze, Ricarda Christoph, Nannette Baumann, Lorenz Mihatsch, Benjamin Luchting
A lot of efforts have been made to evaluate chronobiological factors (including circadian rhythms, photoperiodic mechanisms, and melatonin) on seasonality and seasonal affective diseases like depression. It could be demonstrated that seasonal photoperiod acts on the pineal gland. As a result, the pineal gland secretes different levels of melatonin (reduced levels in autumn), resulting in seasonal changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis-hippocampal-receptor. These changes might be the pathophysiological basis for the onset/aggravation of several diseases including depression (Carpenter et al. 2017; Winthorst et al. 2017). Since a relationship between low levels of melatonin during autumn and depression has been suggested (Carpenter et al. 2017), one can speculate that the setting of MPSPs might have a positive impact on chronobiological factors including melatonin as well.
Unraveling racial disparities in asthma emergency department visits using electronic healthcare records and machine learning
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2022
Adeboye A. Adejare, Yadu Gautam, Juliana Madzia, Tesfaye B. Mersha
Our analysis revealed that the population exposures ranked higher in the importance measure of asthma severity for AA in the winter while during the rest of the seasons, pollution factors ranked slightly higher for EA than AA (supporting information Appendix Figure 5). This could be due to the neighborhood location of AA and EA, where AA residency are located closer to the highways and roads in the urban center and lack efficient clean air circulation. In the winter, the cold weather may have caused the pollution to accumulate to the residency in the close proximal of roads and highway, and thus affecting AA patients (34). The environment is a key factor in human health, and seasonal changes in particular have been associated with human conditions and diseases including allergies. For example, mortality rates in the U.S. show a notable seasonality with rates in winter 25% higher than in summer (35). The results of our study have important implications in healthcare and highlight the value of considering seasonality when assessing population wide health risk and management (36).