We performed a standardized interview on medical history and lifestyle. We measured continuous blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) reactivity, saliva cortisol reactivity and perceived stress during a psychological

stress protocol.

Results: Albeit not statistically significant in all groups, systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), HR and cortisol reactivity to the psychological stress protocol were lower in those with mild-to-severe depression or anxiety symptoms and those ever clinically diagnosed with depression or anxiety, while perceived levels of stress were higher compared to those without depression or anxiety symptomatology. Maximum SBP, HR and cortisol stress responses significantly decreased and perceived stress scores significantly increased with increasing scores on the HADS depression subscale (HADS-D) and HADS anxiety subscale selleck chemicals (HADS-A) (all P < 0.05). The same held for stress responses in relation to the total HADS GSK461364 score (all P < 0.05) and, in this case, the maximum DBP stress response was also significantly lower with an increasing HADS score (P = 0.05). In addition, the maximum DBP stress response was significantly lower for those ever clinically diagnosed

with depression (P = 0.04). Adjusting for sex, use of anti-hypertensive medication, anti-depressant and anxiolytic medication, smoking, alcohol consumption, socio-economic Sinomenine status (SES) and body mass index (BMI) did not attenuate the results.

Conclusion: The present study results suggest that the biological stress response of middle-aged men and women who experienced depressed and anxious feelings does not completely correspond with how stressed they feel at that moment. Although differences were not substantial in all cases, response to a psychological stress protocol seemed to be decreased in the groups with experience of depressed and anxious feelings, while the perception of stress seemed to be increased. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Nicotine dependence and cocaine abuse are major public health problems, and most cocaine abusers also smoke cigarettes.

An ideal pharmacotherapy would reduce both cigarette smoking and cocaine abuse. Buspirone (Buspar) is a clinically available, non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic medication that acts on serotonin and dopamine systems. In preclinical studies, it reduced cocaine self-administration following both acute and chronic treatment in rhesus monkeys. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of chronic buspirone treatment on self-administration of intravenous (IV) nicotine and IV nicotine + cocaine combinations. Five cocaine-experienced adult rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were trained to self-administer nicotine or nicotine + cocaine combinations, and food pellets (1 g) during four 1-h daily sessions under a second-order schedule of reinforcement (FR 2 (VR16:S)).