Oral microbiota signatures in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) veterans.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represents a global public health concern, affecting about 1 in 20 individuals. The symptoms of PTSD include intrusiveness (involuntary nightmares or flashbacks), avoidance of traumatic memories, negative alterations in cognition and mood (such as negative beliefs about oneself or social detachment), increased arousal and reactivity with irritable reckless behavior, concentration problems, and sleep disturbances. PTSD is also highly comorbid with anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. To advance the field from subjective, self-reported psychological measurements to objective molecular biomarkers while considering environmental influences, we examined a unique cohort of Israeli veterans who participated in the 1982 Lebanon war. Non-invasive oral 16S RNA sequencing was correlated with psychological phenotyping. Thus, a microbiota signature (i.e., decreased levels of the bacteria sp_HMT_914, 332 and 871 and Noxia) was correlated with PTSD severity, as exemplified by intrusiveness, arousal, and reactivity, as well as additional psychopathological symptoms, including anxiety, hostility, memory difficulties, and idiopathic pain. In contrast, education duration correlated with significantly increased levels of sp_HMT_871 and decreased levels of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, and presented an inverted correlation with adverse psychopathological measures. Air pollution was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms, psychopathological symptoms, and microbiota composition. Arousal and reactivity symptoms were correlated with reductions in transaldolase, an enzyme controlling a major cellular energy pathway, that potentially accelerates aging. In conclusion, the newly discovered bacterial signature, whether an outcome or a consequence of PTSD, could allow for objective soldier deployment and stratification according to decreases in sp_HMT_914, 332, 871, and Noxia levels, coupled with increases in Bacteroidetes levels. These findings also raise the possibility of microbiota pathway-related non-intrusive treatments for PTSD.

Understanding the association between advanced paternal age and schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported an association between advanced paternal age at birth and increased risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While some hypothesize that this association is caused by de-novo mutations in paternal spermatozoa, others cite factors associated with psycho-social characteristics of fathers who have children at a late age. This study aims to test these hypotheses. METHODS: A historical-prospective, population-based cohort study, performed by linking the Israeli Draft Board Registry and the Israeli National Psychiatric Hospitalization Registry (N = 916 439; 4488 with schizophrenia, 883 with bipolar disorder). Odds ratios (OR) and two-sided 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by logistic regression models, using paternal age as predictor and risk for later hospitalizations for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder as outcome measure. Models were first fitted unadjusted, then adjusted for paternal age at birth of the first child. RESULTS: In the unadjusted model, offspring of fathers aged 45 and above at birth had increased risk of schizophrenia (OR = 1.71, 95% CI 1.49-1.99) and bipolar disorder (OR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.16-2.24). However, taking into account paternal age at birth of first child, advanced paternal age was no longer associated with increased risk of schizophrenia (OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.48-0.79) or bipolar disorder (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.56-1.90). CONCLUSIONS: Controlling for paternal age at birth of the first offspring, advanced paternal age does not predict increased risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. These data indicate that the association between advanced paternal age and having an offspring with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is likely due to psychos-social factors, or common genetic variation associated with delayed initial fatherhood.

Witnessing Acute Stress Reaction in Team Members: The Moderating Effect of Peer-Based Training.

Individuals who witness team members exhibiting symptoms of an acute stress reaction (ASR) in the middle of a high-stress operational event may be negatively affected; ASR-related training may moderate this impact. In the present study, 560 Israeli soldiers were surveyed about ASR exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, public stigma, and whether they had received ASR-related training. This training, called YaHaLOM, is a Hebrew acronym that outlines steps for managing ASR in team members. Controlling for combat exposure, greater exposure to ASR symptoms was associated with more overall PTSD symptoms, PTSD cluster symptoms, and public stigma. YaHaLOM training buffered these relationships for PTSD, intrusion and avoidance symptoms, and public stigma. The findings suggest that such training may help teams in high-risk occupations better manage ASR exposure.

The effect of the Suicide Prevention Program (SPP) on the characteristics of Israeli soldiers who died by suicide after its implementation.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is major cause of death in the IDF. The Suicide Prevention Program (SPP) led to significant reduction in yearly rates of suicide. A study regarding demographic changes of those who died by suicide was done to further investigate its affect. METHOD: Nested case control retrospective study based on medical and HR data gathered between 1992 and 2016. Participants were divided into four groups: soldiers who died by suicide and non-suicidal soldiers, before and after SPP implementation. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis with suicide as the binary logistic dependent variable before and after implementation of the SPP among four groups revealed that before SPP the OR was higher for males (OR, 7.885; 95% CI, 5.071-12.259;p < 0.001) compared to after (OR, 3.281; 95% CI, 1.600-6.726; p = 0.001). For support unit soldiers the values before SPP were OR, 14.962 and 95% CI, 8.427-26.563 (p < 0.001) while after SPP they were OR, 6.304 and 95% CI, 3.334-11.919 (p < 0.001). After SPP, OR was higher for psychiatric diagnosis at recruitment (OR, 5.830; 95% CI, 2.046-16.612; p =  0.001) than before SPP (OR, 2.422; 95% CI, 1.526-3.842; p < 0.001).For soldiers from Ethiopian ethnicity, after SPP values were higher (OR, 8.130 and 95% CI, 2.868-23.047 (p < 0.001) compared to before (OR, 3.522; 95% CI, 1.2891-6.650; p < 0.001). For those of Druse religion before values (OR, 4.027; 95% CI, 2.211-7.331; p < 0.001) were significant but not after. CONCLUSIONS: While the SPP succeeded in reducing risk of suicide in situational factors, dispositional risk factors were not affected by the SPP. The OR decreased in critical masses and rose in unique and smaller groups.