Introduction. This chapter compares two alternative models of physiological regulation. The first model, homeostasis (" stability through constancy "), has dominated physiology and medicine since Claude Bernard declared, " All the vital mechanisms...have only one object – to preserve constant the conditions of ... the internal environment ". His dictum has been interpreted literally to mean tha...

Since its inception in the 1980s, through further developments during the 1990s, and continuing today, the paradigm of allostatic load (AL) has becomed an important paradigm for predicting senescence and mortality. AL is a cumulative measure of the effects of multiple stressors and the process of responding to stressors on the soma. AL measurements of individuals is being tested on various samp...

Since its inception in the 1980s, through further deve]opments during the 1990s, and continuing today, the paradigm of allostatic load (AL) has becorned an important paradigm fbr predicting senescence and mortality. AL is a cumulative measure of the effects of multiple stressors and the process of responding to stressors on the soma. AL measurements of individuals is being tested on various sam...

The prevalence of mental health disorders continues to rise worldwide, such that it is estimated that 1in 4 individuals will be affected by a mental health disorder at some point in their lifetime. Research has found that the most prevalent mental health disorders are depressive disorder. Depression is a common condition, particularly within the aging population. The development of depression, ...

Substantial recent research has focused on examining hormone indicators of psychosocial stress and on how relationships between stress and hormone changes might be linked to chronic illness. Particular attention has been paid to disease progression in cancer and HIV/AIDS. This focus has generated a plethora of research which has contributed both theoretically and clinically to the understanding...

In aquaculture management it is important to establish objective criteria to assess health and welfare of the fish. Here we show that European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) confronted with husbandry-associated stress (tank cleaning, i.e. scrubbing, and water temperature variation) during early life stages show poorer survival and disease resistance as juveniles. We evaluated several parameter...

BACKGROUND A nascent explanatory theory regarding the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder posits that alterations in metabolic networks (e.g., insulin and glucocorticoid signaling) mediate allostasis. METHOD We conducted a PubMed search of all English-language articles published between January 1966 and September 2006. The search terms were: neurobiology, cognition, neuroprotection, ...

BACKGROUND Cognitive decline and accompanying neurological changes associated with non-CNS cancer diagnosis and treatment have been increasingly identified in a subset of patients. Initially believed to be because of neurotoxic effects of chemotherapy exposure, observation of cognitive decline in patients not treated with chemotherapy, cancer-diagnosed individuals prior to treatment, and patien...