Grammer

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with heterogeneous manifestations, including neurological and psychiatric symptoms. Genetic association studies in SLE have been hampered by insufficient sample size and limited power compared to many other diseases. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic relapsing autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that also manifests neurological and immunological features. Here, we identify a method of leveraging large-scale genome wide association studies (GWAS) in MS to identify novel genetic risk loci in SLE...

Suicide remains a leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.) Armed Forces. Access to firearms increases the risk of death by suicide due to the high lethality of firearm-related injuries (~90% in suicide attempts) and the highly dynamic nature of suicide which includes rapid change from low- to high-risk states. Critical gaps remain in research, programming, and communication amongst scientists, Department of Defense (DoD) programmatic leaders, front-line commanders, and service members. To enhance communication and coordination, in June 2022, the first-ever national "Firearm Suicide Prevention in the Military: Messaging and Interventions Summit " was held, with discussion of Firearm Leadership, a concept that emphasizes the importance of communication about lethal means safety (LMS) among military leaders and service members...

OBJECTIVE: Little research explores military perspectives on medical disability-related transition. A qualitative study sought to understand transition experiences of United States military Service members found unfit for duty following medical and physical evaluation boards (MEBs and PEBs). METHODS: Confidential telephone interviews were conducted with 25 current and prior Service members. Participants were asked to share their experiences before, during, and after the MEB and PEB processes...

OBJECTIVE: We developed a chatbot aimed to facilitate mental health services use for eating disorders (EDs) and offered the opportunity to enrol in a research study and use the chatbot to all adult respondents to a publicly available online ED screen who screened positive for clinical/subclinical EDs and reported not currently being in treatment. We examined the rates and correlates of enrolment in the study and uptake of the chatbot. METHOD: Following screening, eligible respondents (≥18 years, screened positive for a clinical/subclinical ED, not in treatment for an ED) were shown the study opportunity...

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective and well-established treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Deep TMS utilizes specially designed H-Coils to stimulate the deep and broad cerebral regions associated with the reward system. The improved depth penetration of Deep TMS may be particularly important in late-life patients who often experience brain atrophy. The aim of this phase IV open-label study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Deep TMS in patients with late-life MDD...

INTRODUCTION: B cells can have both pathogenic and protective roles in autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Deficiencies in the number or immunosuppressive function of IL-10 producing regulatory B cells (Bregs) can cause exacerbated autoimmune inflammation. However, the exact role of Bregs in lupus pathogenesis has not been elucidated. METHODS: We carried out gene expression analysis by scRNA-seq to characterize differences in splenic Breg subsets and molecular profiles through stages of disease progression in lupus-prone mice...

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Machine learning (ML) has the potential to identify subsets of patients with distinct phenotypes from gene expression data. However, phenotype prediction using ML has often relied on identifying important genes without a systems biology context. To address this, we created an interpretable ML approach based on blood transcriptomics to predict phenotype in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a heterogeneous autoimmune disease. We employed a sequential grouped feature importance algorithm to assess the performance of gene sets, including immune and metabolic pathways and cell types, known to be abnormal in SLE in predicting disease activity and organ involvement...

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is known to be clinically heterogeneous. Previous efforts to characterize subsets of SLE patients based on gene expression analysis have not been reproduced because of small sample sizes or technical problems. The aim of this study was to develop a robust patient stratification system using gene expression profiling to characterize individual lupus patients. METHODS: We employed gene set variation analysis (GSVA) of informative gene modules to identify molecular endotypes of SLE patients, machine learning (ML) to classify individual patients into molecular subsets, and logistic regression to develop a composite metric estimating the scope of immunologic perturbations...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the mental health problems that college students with eating disorders (EDs) and comorbid depression and/or anxiety disorders preferred to target first in a digital treatment program and explore correlates of preferred treatment focus. METHODS: Four hundred and eighty nine college student users of a digital cognitive-behavioral guided self-help program targeting common mental health problems (76.7% female, Mage  = 20.4 ± 4...

Introduction: Peru had the world's highest death rate of COVID-19 with 213,000+ deaths and counting (Beaubien, 2021). Hospitalization and care for COVID-19 patients with limited resources has added stress to the shortage of frontline workers and resulted in students filling in the gap in acute care clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, and coping) and grief on undergraduate nursing and pharmacy students in Lima, Peru...

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems are increasing in prevalence among college students, yet few students receive treatment due to barriers such as insufficient resources in college counseling centers. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have potential to overcome barriers and offer accessible, evidence-based care to college students. However, to evaluate the true public health impact of evidence-based DMHIs, it is important to assess the reach and uptake rates of DMHIs on college campuses...

OBJECTIVES: Type I interferon (IFN) plays a role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but insufficient attention has been directed to the differences in IFN responses between ancestral populations. Here, we explored the expression of the interferon gene signatures (IGSs) in SLE patients of European ancestry (EA) and Asian ancestry (AsA). METHODS: We used gene set variation analysis with multiple IGS encompassing the response to both type 1 and type 2 IFN in isolated CD14+ monocytes, CD19+B cells, CD4+T cells and Natural Killer (NK) cells from patients with SLE stratified by self-identified ancestry...

Aberrant metabolic demand is observed in immune/inflammatory disorders, yet the role in pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we discover that in lupus, activated B cells, including germinal center B (GCB) cells, have remarkably high glycolytic requirement for survival over T cell populations, as demonstrated by increased metabolic activity in lupus-activated B cells compared to immunization-induced cells. The augmented reliance on glucose oxidation makes GCB cells vulnerable to mitochondrial ROS-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis...

Chaplains frequently serve as first responders for United States military personnel experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The Chaplains-CARE Program, a self-paced, e-learning course grounded in suicide-focused cognitive behavioral therapy principles, was tailored for United States military chaplains to enhance their suicide intervention skills. A pilot program evaluation gathered 76 Department of Defense (DoD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and international military chaplain learners' responses. Most learners indicated that the course was helpful, easy to use, relevant, applicable, and that they were likely to recommend it to other chaplains...

BACKGROUND: Ghrelin is an orexigenic hormone primarily released by the stomach and has two isoforms: acylated (AG) and de-acylated (DAG), that appear to have different functions in humans. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between plasma levels of total ghrelin (TG), AG, and DAG and perceptions of hunger in healthy adults. METHODS: The following criteria were used for inclusion: (i) sample contained adults ≥18 years of age (ii) body mass index (BMI) was ≥18...

BACKGROUND: Binge-type eating disorders (EDs; i.e., bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder) are common among young adults with high body weight, yet few interventions target both conditions. This study tested an online guided self-help intervention that provided cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) tools for EDs and behavioral weight loss (BWL) content to young adults with binge-type EDs and high body weight. METHOD: 60 adults aged 18-39 with clinical/subclinical binge-type EDs and high body weight were randomized to a combined condition or a CBT-only condition...

BACKGROUND: The anglerfish, belonging to the teleost order Lophiiformes, are a diverse and species-rich group of fish that are known to exhibit a number of unique morphological, reproductive and immunological adaptations. Work to date has identified the loss of specific adaptive immune components in two of the five Lophiiformes sub-orders (Lophioidei and Ceratioidei), while no anomalies have been identified to date in two other sub-orders, Antennaroidei and Chaunacoidei. The immunogenome of the fifth sub-order, Ogcocephaloidei has not yet been investigated, and we have therefore used whole genome shotgun sequencing, combined with RNA-seq, to survey the adaptive immune capabilities of the polka-dot batfish, O...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is among the most common genetic disorders in primary care. However, only 15% or less of patients are diagnosed, and few achieve the goals for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). In this analysis of the German Cascade Screening and Registry for High Cholesterol (CaRe High), we examined the status of lipid management, treatment strategies, and LDL-C goal attainment according to the ESC/EAS dyslipidemia guidelines. METHODS: We evaluated consolidated datasets from 1501 FH patients diagnosed clinically and seen either by lipid specialists or general practitioners and internists...

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity (FI), characterized by limited or uncertain access to adequate food, has been associated with eating disorders (EDs). This study explored whether FI was associated with ED behaviors, ED diagnosis, current treatment status, and treatment-seeking intentions among adults who completed an online ED screen. METHODS: Respondents to the National Eating Disorders Association online screening tool self-reported demographics, FI, height and weight, past 3-month ED behaviors, and current treatment status...