Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced acute and persistent psychosocial stressors for many individuals, with emerging gender differences that suggest women may be at greater risk for poorer mental health outcomes. This may have unintended consequences for women's overall health and well-being, including disruptions to reproductive function as elevated stress is often associated with menstrual cycle irregularities. The objective of this study was to determine if and how the Covid-19 pandemic and its related stressors have impacted women's menstrual cyclicity. Materials and Methods: An online survey instrument designed to capture self-reported information on menstrual cycle changes and perceived stress levels was distributed between July and August 2020. A total of 210 women between the ages of 18-45 years met stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria and completed the survey. Results: Of the 210 respondents, more than half (54%) reported changes in their menstrual cycles. These included changes in menstrual cycle length (50%), the duration of menses (34%), and changes in premenstrual symptoms (50%). Respondents with high perceived stress scale (PSS) scores during Covid were more likely to experience a longer duration of menses ( p < 0.001) and heavier bleeding during menses ( p = 0.028) compared with those with moderate Covid PSS scores. Conclusions: By uncovering a trend in increased menstrual cycle irregularities during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, this study contributes to our understanding of the implications that the pandemic may have on women's reproductive health.

Obesity is influenced by both genetics and diet and has wide ranging comorbidities, including anxiety and depressive disorders. In this study, outbred Heterogeneous Stock (HS) rats were fed high fat diet (HFD) or low fat diet (LFD) and tested for metabolic and behavioral outcomes. Male HS rats were fed 60% HFD or 10% LFD ad lib for 12-21 weeks. Rats were weighed weekly. We assessed multiple metabolic (glucose tolerance, fasting insulin, fat pad weights) and behavioral (elevated plus maze - EPM, open field test - OFT, splash test - SpT, and forced swim test - FST) measures. We found negative effects of HFD on metabolic outcomes, including increased body weight and fat pad weights, decreased glucose tolerance, and increased fasting insulin. We also found negative effects of HFD on coping response to stress and/or despair- and anxiety-like behaviors, including increased closed arm time and decreased open arm time in the EPM, increased movement and rest episodes and decreased rearing episodes in the OFT, increased SpT grooming time, and increased FST immobility. Positive correlations were found between FST immobility and visceral fat pad weights. We also found diet-dependent correlations between EPM, OFT and SpT measures. HFD negatively affected metabolic and behavioral health in HS rats. Changes in multiple coping/despair-and anxiety-like behaviors, independent of locomotion, indicate a role of HFD on behavioral health beyond just fat mass. This work establishes the HS rat as a model to study gene by diet interactions affecting obesity and behavioral health.

Context Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) levels decline with aging and age-related decline in NAD has been postulated to contribute to age-related diseases. Objective We evaluated the safety and physiologic effects of NAD augmentation by administering its precursor, β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (MIB-626, Metro International Biotech, Worcester, MA), in adults at risk for age-related conditions. Methods Thirty overweight or obese adults, ≥ 45 years, were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to 2 MIB-626 tablets each containing 500 mg of microcrystalline β-nicotinamide mononucleotide or placebo twice daily for 28 days. Study outcomes included safety; NAD and its metabolome; body weight; liver, muscle, and intra-abdominal fat; insulin sensitivity; blood pressure; lipids; physical performance, and muscle bioenergetics. Results Adverse events were similar between groups. MIB-626 treatment substantially increased circulating concentrations of NAD and its metabolites. Body weight (difference −1.9 [−3.3, −0.5] kg, P = .008); diastolic blood pressure (difference −7.01 [−13.44, −0.59] mmHg, P = .034); total cholesterol (difference −26.89 [−44.34, −9.44] mg/dL, P = .004), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (−18.73 [−31.85, −5.60] mg/dL, P = .007), and nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased significantly more in the MIB-626 group than placebo. Changes in muscle strength, muscle fatigability, aerobic capacity, and stair-climbing power did not differ significantly between groups. Insulin sensitivity and hepatic and intra-abdominal fat did not change in either group. Conclusions MIB-626 administration in overweight or obese, middle-aged and older adults safely increased circulating NAD levels, and significantly reduced total LDL and non-HDL cholesterol, body weight, and diastolic blood pressure. These data provide the rationale for larger trials to assess the efficacy of NAD augmentation in improving cardiometabolic outcomes in older adults.

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