Trial reportBMC palliative care2022
Characteristics of salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase as psychobiological study outcomes in palliative care research.
Trial report in BMC palliative care, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Extensive comparison of salivary collection, transportation, preparation, and storage methods: a systematic review.BMC oral health · 2024Pooled it
- Psychoneuroendocrinological effects of music therapy versus mindfulness in palliative care: results from the 'Song of Life' randomized controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Trial
- Salivary cortisol as a neuroendocrine stress biomarker for xerostomia in multiple sclerosis patients: a comparative cross-sectional study.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Bias in hair cortisol measures for psychological stress: Self vs. professional collection.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Effects of long-term mindfulness meditation training on attentional capacity in professional male fencer athletes.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Characteristics and influencing factors of anticipated HIV stigma among HIV-negative/unknown MSM in China: A regression mixture model.Brain and behavior · 2024Article
- Perspective on salutogenic approaches to persistent pain with a focus on mindfulness interventions.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- [Effects of coffee consumption on salivary cortisol and alpha amylase in young adults].Revista cientifica odontologica (Universidad Cientifica del Sur)Article
- Exploring Inflammation and Stress as Biological Correlates of Symptoms in Children With Advanced Cancer: A Longitudinal Feasibility Study.Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology nursingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPsychosocial interventions are rapidly emerging in palliative care. However, randomized trials often fail to provide evidence for their effectiveness with regard to patient-reported outcomes. Stress biomarkers could complement self-report data, but little is known about their feasibility, acceptance, and interpretability.
methodsTherefore, we designed a randomized crossover trial in which 42 patients in a palliative care unit participated in both a brief mindfulness intervention (MI) and a resting state control condition (CC) on two consecutive afternoons. On each day, we collected four saliva samples in 20-min intervals using Salivettes
results78.6% of the patients provided the maximum number of 8 saliva samples and 62.2% reported no subjective difficulties with the sampling procedures. 66.6% (sCort) and 69.6% (sAA) of all possible samples were finally included in the analysis. Xerostomia and nausea were the main reasons for missing data. Higher sCort levels were associated with higher heart rate and lower quality of life, functional status, and heart rate variability. Corticosteroid and sedative medication as well as time since last meal were identified as potential confounders. Regarding reactivity to the MI, we found an overall decrease in sCort levels over time (b = -.03, p = .01), but this effect did not differ significantly between the study conditions (b = .03, p = .21). sAA levels were higher in men than in women. Trajectories over time did not significantly differ between the two conditions (b = -.02, p = .80) and associations with other stress and health-related constructs were weak.
conclusionsFindings indicate that sCort might serve as a psychobiological outcome in future palliative care trials. However, future research should refine the exact measurement and conceptualization strategies for sCort in palliative care research. High attrition rates should be expected in patients with xerostomia or nausea.
trial registrationRegistered at the German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS00013135) at 04/12/2017.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.