The human gut microbiome is closely linked to mental health and sleep. We aimed to verify the efficacy and safety of probiotic NVP-1704, a mixture of Lactobacillus reuteri NK33 and Bifidobacterium adolescentis NK98, in improving stress, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, along with the measurement of some blood biomarkers. A total of 156 healthy adults with subclinical symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia were retrospectively registered and randomly assigned to receive either NVP-1704 (n = 78) or a placebo (n = 78) for eight weeks. Participants completed the Stress Response Inventory, Beck’s Depression and Anxiety Inventory, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, and Insomnia Severity Index at baseline, at four and eight weeks of treatment. Pre- and post-treatment blood tests for biomarkers were conducted. After intervention, gut microbiota composition was quantified by pyrosequencing the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The NVP-1704 group had a more significant reduction in depressive symptoms at four and eight weeks of treatment, and anxiety symptoms at four weeks compared to the placebo group. Those receiving NVP-1704 also experienced an improvement in sleep quality. NVP-1704 treatment led to a decrease in serum interleukin-6 levels. Furthermore, NVP-1704 increased Bifidobacteriaceae and Lactobacillacea, whereas it decreased Enterobacteriaceae in the gut microbiota composition. Our findings suggest that probiotic NVP-1704 could be beneficial for mental health and sleep.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between mental health problems and unhealthy behaviors among healthcare workers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using an online survey, we collected data on healthcare workers' perception regarding COVID-19 exposure in a work unit. Workers' depression, insomnia, and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Insomnia Severity Index, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale, respectively. Work-related stress and anxiety in response to the viral epidemic were measured using the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemic-9 (SAVE-9) scale. We found that work-related stress and anxiety in response to the viral epidemic was associated with female sex, perception of the workplace as being dangerous, and depressive symptoms. Unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and drinking as coping behaviors during the pandemic, were associated with male sex, young age, depression, and insomnia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to closely observe the patterns of work-related stress and anxiety reactions among healthcare workers to reduce their burnout.

Objective We aimed to investigate the effect of nursing professionals’ resilience on their mental health, work-related stress, and anxiety in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods We conducted an online survey in the Asan Medical Center and Ulsan University Hospital, South Korea. We extracted data of 824 nursing professionals who consented to participate, including demographic variables and the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9 (SAVE-9), PHQ-9, GAD-7, and Brief Resilience Scale scores.Results Resilience was negatively correlated with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) (rho=-0.23), Generalized Anxiety Scale-7 items (GAD-7) (rho=-0.25), Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidem-ics-6 items (SAVE-6) (rho=-0.15), and Stress And anxiety to Viral Epidemics-3 items (SAVE-3) (rho=-0.13, all, p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis adjusting age, marital status, and years of employment revealed that high level of general anxiety [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.31–1.50], work-related stress during viral epidemics (aOR=1.16, 95% CI=1.03–1.29), and a low level of resilience (aOR=0.91, 95% CI=0.85–0.97) were expecting variables for the depression of healthcare workers.Conclusion Nursing professionals’ level of resilience may be associated with low level of work-related stress and anxiety induced by a viral epidemic. We need to explore further the possibility of resilience as coping strategy of healthcare workers in this pandemic era.