Does the association of child maltreatment with adult cardiovascular disease differ by gender?

Biological Connection of Psychological Stress and Polytrauma under Intensive Care: The Role of Oxytocin and Hydrogen Sulfide

This paper explored the potential mediating role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and the oxytocin (OT) systems in hemorrhagic shock (HS) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Morbidity and mortality after trauma mainly depend on the presence of HS and/or TBI. Rapid "repayment of the O2 debt" and prevention of brain tissue hypoxia are cornerstones of the management of both HS and TBI. Restoring tissue perfusion, however, generates an ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury due to the formation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species. Moreover, pre-existing-medical-conditions (PEMC's) can aggravate the occurrence and severity of complications after trauma. In addition to the "classic" chronic diseases (of cardiovascular or metabolic origin), there is growing awareness of psychological PEMC's, e.g., early life stress (ELS) increases the predisposition to develop post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) and trauma patients with TBI show a significantly higher incidence of PTSD than patients without TBI. In fact, ELS is known to contribute to the developmental origins of cardiovascular disease. The neurotransmitter H2S is not only essential for the neuroendocrine stress response, but is also a promising therapeutic target in the prevention of chronic diseases induced by ELS. The neuroendocrine hormone OT has fundamental importance for brain development and social behavior, and, thus, is implicated in resilience or vulnerability to traumatic events. OT and H2S have been shown to interact in physical and psychological trauma and could, thus, be therapeutic targets to mitigate the acute post-traumatic effects of chronic PEMC's. OT and H2S both share anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and vasoactive properties; through the reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway, where their signaling mechanisms converge, they act via the regulation of nitric oxide (NO).

H2S and Oxytocin Systems in Early Life Stress and Cardiovascular Disease

Today it is well established that early life stress leads to cardiovascular programming that manifests in cardiovascular disease, but the mechanisms by which this occurs, are not fully understood. This perspective review examines the relevant literature that implicates the dysregulation of the gasomediator hydrogen sulfide and the neuroendocrine oxytocin systems in heart disease and their putative mechanistic role in the early life stress developmental origins of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, interesting hints towards the mutual interaction of the hydrogen sulfide and OT systems are identified, especially with regards to the connection between the central nervous and the cardiovascular system, which support the role of the vagus nerve as a communication link between the brain and the heart in stress-mediated cardiovascular disease.