Burnout, racial trauma, and protective experiences of Black psychologists and counselors.

OBJECTIVE: The present study explored rates of burnout and racial trauma among 182 Black mental health professionals (BMHPs) and utilized racial-cultural theory to explore potential protective factors against burnout and racial trauma. METHOD: We collected data from 182 Black psychologists and counselors who were active mental health professionals during 2020. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analyses of variance, follow-up univariate analyses of variance, bivariate correlations, and multiple regression analyses were used. RESULTS: Both burnout and racial trauma were considerably higher among BMHPs than has been reported across general samples of helping professionals and across a sample of Black participants across the United States. Differences among rates of burnout and racial trauma existed across genders and specialties (i.e., counseling and psychology). Higher levels of social support and an external locus of control significantly predicted lower levels of burnout and racial trauma. In addition, higher levels of resilient coping predicted lower levels of burnout. Last, more frequent meetings with a mentor significantly predicted lower levels of racial trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study suggest that BMHPs may be more susceptible to burnout and race-based traumatic stress as a result of their work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Gut microbiome and metabolome profiling in Framingham heart study reveals cholesterol-metabolizing bacteria.

Accumulating evidence suggests that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with an altered gut microbiome. Our understanding of the underlying mechanisms has been hindered by lack of matched multi-omic data with diagnostic biomarkers. To comprehensively profile gut microbiome contributions to CVD, we generated stool metagenomics and metabolomics from 1,429 Framingham Heart Study participants. We identified blood lipids and cardiovascular health measurements associated with microbiome and metabolome composition. Integrated analysis revealed microbial pathways implicated in CVD, including flavonoid, γ-butyrobetaine, and cholesterol metabolism. Species from the Oscillibacter genus were associated with decreased fecal and plasma cholesterol levels. Using functional prediction and in vitro characterization of multiple representative human gut Oscillibacter isolates, we uncovered conserved cholesterol-metabolizing capabilities, including glycosylation and dehydrogenation. These findings suggest that cholesterol metabolism is a broad property of phylogenetically diverse Oscillibacter spp., with potential benefits for lipid homeostasis and cardiovascular health.

Linking microbial genes to plasma and stool metabolites uncovers host-microbial interactions underlying ulcerative colitis disease course.

Understanding the role of the microbiome in inflammatory diseases requires the identification of microbial effector molecules. We established an approach to link disease-associated microbes to microbial metabolites by integrating paired metagenomics, stool and plasma metabolomics, and culturomics. We identified host-microbial interactions correlated with disease activity, inflammation, and the clinical course of ulcerative colitis (UC) in the Predicting Response to Standardized Colitis Therapy (PROTECT) pediatric inception cohort. In severe disease, metabolite changes included increased dipeptides and tauro-conjugated bile acids (BAs) and decreased amino-acid-conjugated BAs in stool, whereas in plasma polyamines (N-acetylputrescine and N1-acetylspermidine) increased. Using patient samples and Veillonella parvula as a model, we uncovered nitrate- and lactate-dependent metabolic pathways, experimentally linking V. parvula expansion to immunomodulatory tryptophan metabolite production. Additionally, V. parvula metabolizes immunosuppressive thiopurine drugs through xdhA xanthine dehydrogenase, potentially impairing the therapeutic response. Our findings demonstrate that the microbiome contributes to disease-associated metabolite changes, underscoring the importance of these interactions in disease pathology and treatment.