title: Oxidative stress in university students during examinations.
abstract: Mental stress in psychiatric disease and in daily life contributes to oxidative stress in the body. In this study we investigated a connection between possible psychological stress caused by university undergraduate examinations and oxidative stress experienced by our test subjects. Some parameters of oxidative stress (single strand breaks of DNA in lymphocytes, sensitivity to lipid oxidation and antioxidant status) were studied in medical students on the day of the examination (stress condition) and compared with the same parameters obtained from the same students during the term between two examination periods (non-stress condition). The results show that in the stress condition oxidative damage to DNA and sensitivity to lipid oxidation were significantly increased (p<0.05) when compared with the same parameters in "non-stress" conditions. A significant decrease in plasma antioxidant activity (p<0.05) in students that were under stress was observed. These results suggest that during university examinations students are under increased oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, Bratislava 81372, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sivonová
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zitnanová
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hlincíková
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Skodácek
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trebatická
authors.forename: Zdenka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Duracková
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000502:physiology; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004586:Electrophoresis; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000502:physiology; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D008074:Lipoproteins