Journal of psychosomatic research
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To assess the association of alexithymia (deficit in emotional awareness) with 12-month prevalence of low back pain (LBP) cross-sectionally in a cohort study of 1180 San Francisco transit operators. ⋯ The results support an association between alexithymia and LBP.
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The study examined the multivariate relationship between mental fatigue and different work-related (work load, work hours) and background/life style factors, as well as disturbed sleep. ⋯ Disturbed sleep is an important predictor of fatigue, apparently stronger than previously well-established predictors such as work load, female gender, lack of exercise, etc.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
The effect of brief exercise cessation on pain, fatigue, and mood symptom development in healthy, fit individuals.
Abnormalities of the biological stress response (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system) have been identified in both fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Although these changes have been considered to be partly responsible for symptom expression, we examine an alternative hypothesis that these HPA and autonomic changes can be found in subsets of healthy individuals in the general population who may be at risk of developing these conditions. Exposure to "stressors" (e.g., infections, trauma, etc.) may lead to symptom expression (pain, fatigue, and other somatic symptoms) in part by precipitating lifestyle changes. In particular, we focus on the effect of deprivation of routine aerobic exercise on the development of somatic symptoms. ⋯ A subset of subjects developed symptoms of pain, fatigue, or mood changes after exercise deprivation. This cohort was different from the individuals who did not develop symptoms in baseline measures of HPA axis, immune, and autonomic function. We speculate that a subset of healthy individuals who have hypoactive function of the biological stress response systems unknowingly exercise regularly to augment the function of these systems and thus suppress symptoms. These individuals may be at risk for developing chronic multisymptom illnesses (CMIs) (e.g., FM or CFS among others) when a "stressor" leads to lifestyle changes that disrupt regular exercise.
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Self-reported sensitivity to continuous noninvasive blood pressure monitoring via the radial artery.
Many blood pressure (BP) methods common in psychosomatic research have salient limitations, including subject discomfort, sampling limits, and measurement validity concerns. This study examines the utility of the Vasotrac APM 205 BP monitor, which works via continuous nonocclusive compression and decompression of the radial artery, primarily in regard to its intrusiveness. ⋯ Responses indicate the Vasotrac is nonintrusive during extended wear. Its sampling rate far exceeds that of ausculatory and oscillometric methods, and so it may offer further reliability and validity benefits for BP measurement.
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To examine the cross-sample and temporal stability of the three subscales of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and to study the pattern of associations between the TAS-20 scales, neuroticism, and alexithymia. ⋯ Future studies on the psychometric properties and the clinical value of the TAS-20 should pay more attention to its subscales. Especially the EOT facet needs further examination.