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Miller KE, Rasmussen A, Jordans MJD. Strategies to improve the quality and usefulness of mental health trials in humanitarian settings. Lancet Psychiatry 2023; 10:974-980. [PMID: 37879349 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(23)00273-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
A striking rise in the number of people affected by humanitarian crises has led to an increase in mental health and psychosocial support interventions to reduce the psychological effects of such crises. In a parallel trend, researchers have brought increased methodological rigour to their evaluation of these interventions. However, several methodological issues still constrain the quality and real-world relevance of the existing evidence base. We examine five core challenges in randomised controlled trials of mental health and psychosocial support interventions with conflict-affected and disaster-affected populations. These challenges are: translating intervention effects into metrics of real-world significance; giving adequate consideration to the selection and monitoring of control conditions; following rigorous processes to ensure outcome measures are culturally appropriate and psychometrically sound; ensuring and monitoring implementation variables, including fidelity, exposure, participant engagement, and the competence of implementation staff; and assessing mechanisms of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Andrew Rasmussen
- Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Mark J D Jordans
- Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Alemi Q, Panter-Brick C, Oriya S, Ahmady M, Alimi AQ, Faiz H, Hakim N, Sami Hashemi SA, Manaly MA, Naseri R, Parwiz K, Sadat SJ, Sharifi MZ, Shinwari Z, Ahmadi SJ, Amin R, Azimi S, Hewad A, Musavi Z, Siddiqi AM, Bragin M, Kashino W, Lavdas M, Miller KE, Missmahl I, Omidian PA, Trani JF, van der Walt SK, Silove D, Ventevogel P. Afghan mental health and psychosocial well-being: thematic review of four decades of research and interventions. BJPsych Open 2023; 9:e125. [PMID: 37424447 PMCID: PMC10375890 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2023.502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Four decades of war, political upheaval, economic deprivation and forced displacement have profoundly affected both in-country and refugee Afghan populations. AIMS We reviewed literature on mental health and psychosocial well-being, to assess the current evidence and describe mental healthcare systems, including government programmes and community-based interventions. METHOD In 2022, we conducted a systematic search in Google Scholar, PTSDpubs, PubMed and PsycINFO, and a hand search of grey literature (N = 214 papers). We identified the main factors driving the epidemiology of mental health problems, culturally salient understandings of psychological distress, coping strategies and help-seeking behaviours, and interventions for mental health and psychosocial support. RESULTS Mental health problems and psychological distress show higher risks for women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and youth. Issues of suicidality and drug use are emerging problems that are understudied. Afghans use specific vocabulary to convey psychological distress, drawing on culturally relevant concepts of body-mind relationships. Coping strategies are largely embedded in one's faith and family. Over the past two decades, concerted efforts were made to integrate mental health into the nation's healthcare system, train cadres of psychosocial counsellors, and develop community-based psychosocial initiatives with the help of non-governmental organisations. A small but growing body of research is emerging around psychological interventions adapted to Afghan contexts and culture. CONCLUSIONS We make four recommendations to promote health equity and sustainable systems of care. Interventions must build cultural relevance, invest in community-based psychosocial support and evidence-based psychological interventions, maintain core mental health services at logical points of access and foster integrated systems of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qais Alemi
- School of Behavioral Health, Loma Linda University, California, USA
| | - Catherine Panter-Brick
- Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and Department of Anthropology, Yale University, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Mariam Ahmady
- Department of Counselling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Kabul University, Afghanistan
| | | | - Hafizullah Faiz
- Jalalabad Regional Management Office, Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, Jalalabad, Afghanistan
| | - Nadia Hakim
- Migration Health Unit, International Organization for Migration, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | | | | | - Roman Naseri
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Unit, International Medical Corps, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | | | - Sayed Javid Sadat
- Mental Health and Peacebuilding Program, International Assistance Mission, Herat, Afghanistan
| | | | - Zalmai Shinwari
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Unit, HealthNet TPO, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | | | - Rohullah Amin
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Helmut-Schmidt University, Germany
| | - Sayed Azimi
- Independent Mental Health Specialist, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Atal Hewad
- Department of Ipso Academy and Quality Management, International Psychosocial Organisation, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Zeinab Musavi
- Behrawan Research and Psychology Services Organization, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | | | - Martha Bragin
- Silberman School of Social Work, The City University of New York, New York, USA
| | - Wataru Kashino
- Prevention Treatment and Rehabilitation Section, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michalis Lavdas
- Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Inge Missmahl
- International Psychosocial Organisation, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | | | - Sarah Kate van der Walt
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Unit, Première Urgence – Aide Médicale Internationale, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Derrick Silove
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Peter Ventevogel
- Public Health Section, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland
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Jordans MJD, Bakolis I, Arnous M, Koppenol-Gonzalez GV, Tossyeh F, Chen A, Miller KE. Effectiveness of the caregiver support intervention on child psychosocial wellbeing among Syrian refugees in Lebanon: Mediation and secondary analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Child Abuse Negl 2023:106335. [PMID: 37400323 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND War and violence have a serious negative impact on the wellbeing and mental health of many children. Caregivers play an important role in mitigating or exacerbating this impact. OBJECTIVE This study evaluates the impact of the nine session Caregiver Support Intervention on improving children's wellbeing and examines putative mediators of changes in children's psychosocial wellbeing. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING 240 female caregivers were randomly allocated (1:1) to the CSI or a waitlist control comparison condition. The study was implemented in Lebanon, in an area characterized by high levels of poverty and a high number of the Syrian refugees. METHODS A parallel group Randomized Controlled Trial reporting on caregiver-reported child-level wellbeing. We used a combination of the Kid- and Kiddy-KINDL (parent version) for index children ages three to 12. Putative mediators of the CSI on children's psychosocial wellbeing included harsh parenting, caregiver psychological distress, caregiver wellbeing. Measurements were conducted at baseline, post-intervention and 3-months follow-up. RESULTS We demonstrated a statistically significant change in caregiver reported children's psychosocial wellbeing at post-intervention (Mdiff =4.39, 95 % CI = 1.12, 7.65, p < 0.01, d = 0.28) but not at follow-up (Mdiff = -0.97, 95 % CI = -4.27, 2.32, p > 0.05). The proportion of the total effect of the CSI intervention on child psychosocial wellbeing mediated by caregiver distress, caregiver wellbeing and harsh parenting was 77 %. CONCLUSION The CSI holds potential for down-stream short-term effect on improving children's psychosocial wellbeing, beyond the previously reported positive caregiver outcomes. This effect was not sustained three months post intervention. The study confirms caregiver wellbeing and parenting support as dual pathways mediating child psychosocial wellbeing. Prospective trial registration: ISRCTN22321773.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J D Jordans
- Research and Development, War Child Holland, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Health Service and Population Research Department & Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - I Bakolis
- Health Service and Population Research Department & Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - A Chen
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, United States of America
| | - K E Miller
- Research and Development, War Child Holland, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Canada
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Miller KE, Chen A, Koppenol-Gonzalez GV, Bakolis I, Arnous M, Tossyeh F, El Hassan A, Saleh A, Saade J, Nahas N, Abboud M, Jawad L, Jordans MJD. Supporting parenting among Syrian refugees in Lebanon: a randomized controlled trial of the caregiver support intervention. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:71-82. [PMID: 35837815 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parenting interventions in humanitarian settings have prioritized the acquisition of parenting knowledge and skills, while overlooking the adverse effects of stress and distress on parenting-a key mediator of refugee children's mental health. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Caregiver Support Intervention (CSI), which emphasizes caregiver wellbeing together with training in positive parenting. METHODS We conducted a two-arm randomized controlled trial of the CSI with Syrian refugees in Lebanon, with an intent-to-treat design, from September 2019-December 2020. A total of 480 caregivers from 240 families were randomized to the CSI or a waitlist control group (1:1). Retention from baseline to endline was 93%. Data on parenting and caregiver psychological wellbeing were collected at baseline, endline, and three-month follow-up. Prospective trial registration: ISRCTN22321773. RESULTS We did not find a significant change on overall parenting skills at endline (primary outcome endpoint) (d = .11, p = .126) or at follow-up (Cohen's d = .15, p = .054). We did find a significant effect on overall parenting skills among participants receiving the full intervention-the sub-sample not interrupted by (COVID-19) (d = 0.25, p < .05). The CSI showed beneficial effects in the full sample at endline and follow-up on harsh parenting (d = -.17, p < .05; d = .19, p < .05), parenting knowledge (d = .63, p < .001; d = .50, p < .001), and caregiver distress (d = -.33, p < .001; d = .23, p < .01). We found no effects on parental warmth and responsiveness, psychosocial wellbeing, stress, or stress management. Changes in caregiver wellbeing partially mediated the impact of the CSI on harsh parenting, accounting for 37% of the reduction in harsh parenting. CONCLUSIONS The CSI reduced harsh parenting and caregiver distress, and demonstrated the value of addressing caregiver wellbeing as a pathway to strengthening parenting in adversity. These effects were achieved despite a pandemic-related lockdown that impacted implementation, a severe economic crisis, and widespread social unrest. Replication under less extreme conditions may more accurately demonstrate the intervention's full potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,War Child, Research and Development Department, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alexandra Chen
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Ioannis Bakolis
- Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Nayla Nahas
- Department of Psychology, University of Balamand, Tripoli, Lebanon
| | | | | | - Mark J D Jordans
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Miller KE, Arnous M, Saade J, Tossyeh F, Jordans MJ. Worlds of Pain: A process evaluation of the Caregiver Support Intervention with Syrian refugees in Lebanon. SSM - Mental Health 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Anderson MB, Thomas Curtis J, Miller KE. Corrigendum to "A free open-source method of image cytometry in rat dorsal root ganglia with fluorescent immunohistochemistry" [Anal. Biochem. (2021) 627 114184]. Anal Biochem 2022; 655:114822. [PMID: 35964338 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2022.114822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Anderson
- Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa, OK, 74135, USA.
| | - J Thomas Curtis
- Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa, OK, 74135, USA
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa, OK, 74135, USA
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Gujar V, Anderson MB, Miller KE, Pande RD, Nawani P, Das S. Separation of Rat Epidermis and Dermis with Thermolysin to Detect Site-Specific Inflammatory mRNA and Protein. J Vis Exp 2021. [PMID: 34661580 DOI: 10.3791/59708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Easy-to-use and inexpensive techniques are needed to determine the site-specific production of inflammatory mediators and neurotrophins during skin injury, inflammation, and/or sensitization. The goal of this study is to describe an epidermal-dermal separation protocol using thermolysin, a proteinase that is active at 4 °C. To illustrate this procedure, Sprague Dawley rats are anesthetized, and right hind paws are injected with carrageenan. Six and twelve hours after injection, rats with inflammation and naïve rats are euthanized, and a piece of hind paw, glabrous skin is placed in cold Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium. The epidermis is then separated at the basement membrane from the dermis by thermolysin in PBS with calcium chloride. Next, the dermis is secured by microdissection forceps, and the epidermis is gently teased away. Toluidine blue staining of tissue sections show that the epidermis is separated cleanly from the dermis at the basement membrane. All keratinocyte cell layers remain intact, and the epidermal rete ridges along with indentations from dermal papillae are clearly observed. Qualitative and real-time RT-PCR is used to determine nerve growth factor and interleukin-6 expression levels. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry are finally performed to detect amounts of nerve growth factor. This report illustrates that cold thermolysin digestion is an effective method to separate epidermis from dermis for evaluation of mRNA and protein alterations during inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikramsingh Gujar
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
| | - Michael B Anderson
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences;
| | - Radhika D Pande
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
| | - Pranav Nawani
- Institute for Shock Physics, Washington State University
| | - Subhas Das
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
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Anderson MB, Das S, Miller KE. Subcellular localization of neuronal nuclei (NeuN) antigen in size and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) populations of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons during acute peripheral inflammation. Neurosci Lett 2021; 760:135974. [PMID: 34146639 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Pseudo-unipolar cell bodies of somatosensory primary neurons are located in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). The somatic and peripheral domains of DRG neurons are often studied in sensory pain research to understand molecular mechanisms involved in the activation of pain and maintenance of inflammation. Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) is an inflammatory model that elicits a robust and rapid onset immune response with a maximal swelling period of 24-48 h and persisting for several weeks. The AIA model in the hind paw of the rat elicits a potent inflammatory response of the dermis and epidermis, leading to protein expression changes for sensitization of many DRG neurons; however, it is unknown if the AIA model in the hind paw of the rat induces DRG neuronal injury, necrosis, or apoptosis at the somatic level. Neuronal nuclei (NeuN) antigen is a biomarker for post-mitotic neurons, neuronal identification, protein alterations, injury, and loss. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is expressed in C and Aδ DRG neurons, a subset of DRG neurons known to play a role in peripheral sensitization. The focus of this research was to evaluate the expression pattern of NeuN immunoreactivity, in size (soma) and CGRP subpopulations of DRG neurons in naïve and inflamed groups. Confirmed by both immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation, DRG neuronal expression of NeuN was localized to nuclear and cytoplasmic subcellular compartments. NeuN increased within the nucleus of small CGRP positive DRG neurons during inflammation, indicating a potential role for NeuN in a subset of nociceptive neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Anderson
- Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Anatomy & Cell Biology (E-453/461), 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa OK, 74135, United States(1).
| | - Subhas Das
- Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Anatomy & Cell Biology (E-453/461), 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa OK, 74135, United States(1)
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Anatomy & Cell Biology (E-453/461), 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa OK, 74135, United States(1)
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Anderson MB, Curtis JT, Miller KE. Open-source method of image cytometry in dorsal root ganglia tissue with immunofluorescence. Anal Biochem 2021; 627:114184. [PMID: 33811851 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2021.114184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a valuable tool in clinical and biological research for evaluating proteins and other antigens in spatially bound tissue. In neuroinflammatory pain research, primary afferent neurons of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) are studied to understand molecular signaling mechanisms involved in nociception (pain) and inflammation. Measuring IHC (immunofluorescence) in DRG neurons requires manual hand tracing of nuclear and somatic boundaries, which is laborious, error-prone, and may require several weeks to collect the appropriate sample size with a mouse or pen-input display monitor. To overcome these limitations and increase standardization of sampling and measurement, we employed a reliable neuronal cytoplasmic reporter, exclusive to DRG neuronal soma, in a semi-automated algorithm-based approach of Image Cytometry in rat DRG (IC-DRG). The resulting output images are binary nuclear and somatic masks of DRG neurons, defining boundaries of measurement for CellProfiler and manually scored at 94% accurate. Herein, we successfully show a novel approach of automated image analysis for DRG neurons using a robust ImageJ/FIJI script, overcoming morphological variability and imaging artifacts native to imaging frozen tissue sections processed with immunofluorescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Anderson
- Michael Anderson, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Anatomy & Cell Biology, (E-453/461), 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa, OK, 74135, USA.
| | - J Thomas Curtis
- Michael Anderson, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Anatomy & Cell Biology, (E-453/461), 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa, OK, 74135, USA
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Michael Anderson, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Anatomy & Cell Biology, (E-453/461), 1111 W 17th St, Tulsa, OK, 74135, USA
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Miller KE, Shea CP. Characterizing suitable habitat for the largest remaining population of the threatened Florida scrub-jay Aphelocoma coerulescens. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2021. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Miller KE, Koppenol-Gonzalez GV, Arnous M, Tossyeh F, Chen A, Nahas N, Jordans MJD. Supporting Syrian families displaced by armed conflict: A pilot randomized controlled trial of the Caregiver Support Intervention. Child Abuse Negl 2020; 106:104512. [PMID: 32408022 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The impact of armed conflict and displacement on children's mental health is strongly mediated by compromised parenting stemming from persistently high caregiver stress. Parenting interventions for refugees emphasize the acquisition of parenting knowledge and skills, while overlooking the deleterious effects of chronic stress on parenting. War Child Holland's Caregiver Support Intervention (CSI) aims to strengthen parenting by lowering stress and improving psychosocial wellbeing among refugee parents, while also increasing knowledge and skill related to positive parenting. The CSI is a nine-session group intervention delivered by non-specialist providers. OBJECTIVE We describe the findings of a two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial of the CSI with Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The primary aim was to test the feasibility of our study methodology prior to conducting a definitive RCT. METHODS We recruited 78 families (151 parents), who were randomized to the CSI or a waitlist control group. Data were collected at baseline and post-intervention. RESULTS Randomization was successful, retention was high (99 %), as was intervention completion (95 % among women, 86 % among men). Implementation fidelity was excellent. Blinding was largely, though not completely effective. The CSI group showed significantly increased parental warmth and responsiveness, decreased harsh parenting, lowered stress and distress, improved psychosocial wellbeing, and improved stress management. CSI parents reported increased child psychosocial wellbeing. Control families showed no significant change on any variable. CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrate the feasibility of our methodology for a definitive RCT, and suggest that the CSI shows promise as a scalable approach to strengthening parenting in refugee communities. Trial registration # ISRCTN33665023.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- War Child Holland, Helmholtzstraat 61g, 1098LE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark J D Jordans
- War Child Holland, Helmholtzstraat 61g, 1098LE Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Miller KE, Boland EM, Klingaman EA, Gehrman PR. 0462 Identifying and Characterizing Insomnia Symptom Groups Across the Deployment Cycle in Current Army Soldiers. Sleep 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Most research conducted on insomnia and its development in military personnel focuses on cross-sectional data, precluding examination of the course of sleep changes over time. The present study characterized Army Soldiers based on insomnia symptom status trajectory from pre to post-deployment and explored baseline factors predictive of these trajectories in a sample of 7,245 soldiers across 3 Brigade Combat Teams.
Methods
Data were analyzed from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service members (STARRS)-All-Army Study (AAS) Pre Post Deployment Study, using surveys that captured 1-2 months pre-deployment, during deployment, and 6-months post-deployment. Insomnia symptom status was defined at each timepoint as insomnia symptoms that interfered with one or more domains of functioning at least some of the time in the past month. Theoretically-derived variables linked to sleep disturbance were selected as predictors of insomnia symptom trajectory and evaluated using a general linear selection model.
Results
Four trajectories characterized the majority of the sample: ‘good sleepers’ (no insomnia symptoms across time; 44.4%), ‘non-remitting new onset insomnia’ (no pre-deployment insomnia, developed insomnia symptoms during deployment that remained at 6 months; 22.8%), ‘deployment-only insomnia symptoms’ (no pre-deployment insomnia, developed insomnia during deployment but recovered by follow-up; 12.8%), and ‘chronic insomnia’ (insomnia both pre- and post-deployment; 7.4%). Several pre-deployment factors predicted insomnia trajectory, the strongest of which were past six-month attention deficit disorder symptoms, number of lifetime exposures to potentially traumatic events, and past month depression symptoms.
Conclusion
Insomnia is one of the most common reasons that military personnel seek behavioral health treatment and is associated with poorer military readiness. Better characterization and identification of insomnia symptoms over time can improve intervention during post-deployment transitions, particularly for those with new onset insomnia that does not remit.
Support
Cooperative agreement U01MH087981 (Department of the Army; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Clinical Science Research and Development-IK2CX001874-PI:Katherine E. Miller, IK2CX001501-PI:Elaine M. Boland; Rehabilitation Research and Development-1IK2RX001836-PI:Elizabeth A. Klingaman. The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Miller
- VISN, MIRECC, Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
| | - E M Boland
- VISN, MIRECC, Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - E A Klingaman
- Department of Veterans Affairs VISN, MIRECC, Baltimore, MD
| | - P R Gehrman
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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Miller KE, Arnous M, Tossyeh F, Chen A, Bakolis I, Koppenol-Gonzalez GV, Nahas N, Jordans MJD. Protocol for a randomized control trial of the caregiver support intervention with Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Trials 2020; 21:277. [PMID: 32183862 PMCID: PMC7079443 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-020-4175-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is evidence that chronic stress negatively impacts parenting among refugees and other war-affected communities. Persistent parental stress and distress may lead to unresponsive, anxious, or overly harsh parenting and a corresponding increase in emotional and behavior problems among children. Most parenting interventions emphasize the acquisition of knowledge and skills; however, this overlooks the deleterious effects of chronic stress on parenting. The Caregiver Support Intervention (CSI) aims to strengthen quality of parenting skills by lowering stress and improving psychosocial wellbeing among refugee caregivers of children aged 3–12 years, while also increasing knowledge and skills related to positive parenting. The CSI is a nine-session psychosocial group intervention delivered by non-specialist providers. It is intended for all adult primary caregivers of children in high-adversity communities, rather than specifically targeting caregivers already showing signs of elevated distress. Methods/design The primary objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the CSI through a parallel group randomized controlled study with Syrian refugee families in North Lebanon. Participants will be primary caregivers of children aged 3–12 years, with one index child per family. Families will be randomized to the CSI or a waitlist control group. A total of 240 families (480 caregivers) will be recruited into the study. Randomization will be at the family level, and CSI groups will be held separately for women and men. The study will be implemented in two waves. Outcomes for both arms will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome is quality of parenting skills. Secondary outcomes include parental warmth and sensitivity, harsh parenting, parenting knowledge, and child psychosocial wellbeing. Putative mediators of the CSI on parenting are caregiver stress, distress, psychosocial wellbeing, and stress management. Discussion This trial may establish the CSI as an effective intervention for strengthening parenting in families living in settings of high adversity, particularly refugee communities. Trial registration International Society for the Registration of Clinical Trials, ISRCTN22321773. Registered on 5 August 2019
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- Research and Development, War Child Holland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Maguy Arnous
- War Child Holland Lebanon Offices (Beirut and Tripoli), Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon
| | - Fadila Tossyeh
- War Child Holland Lebanon Offices (Beirut and Tripoli), Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon
| | - Alexandra Chen
- Psychology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ioannis Bakolis
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Mark J D Jordans
- Research and Development, War Child Holland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Dawson KS, Watts S, Carswell K, Shehadeh MH, Jordans MJ, Bryant RA, Miller KE, Malik A, Brown FL, Servili C, van Ommeren M. Improving access to evidence-based interventions for young adolescents: Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE). World Psychiatry 2019; 18:105-107. [PMID: 30600639 PMCID: PMC6313693 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Katie S. Dawson
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sarah Watts
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kenneth Carswell
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Melissa Harper Shehadeh
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mark J.D. Jordans
- Department of Research and Development, War Child, Amster‐dam, The Netherlands,Center for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Richard A. Bryant
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kenneth E. Miller
- Department of Research and Development, War Child, Amster‐dam, The Netherlands
| | - Aiysha Malik
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland,Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training, Isis Education Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Felicity L. Brown
- Department of Research and Development, War Child, Amster‐dam, The Netherlands
| | - Chiara Servili
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mark van Ommeren
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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15
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Anderson-Hanley C, Barcelos NM, Zimmerman EA, Gillen RW, Dunnam M, Cohen BD, Yerokhin V, Miller KE, Hayes DJ, Arciero PJ, Maloney M, Kramer AF. The Aerobic and Cognitive Exercise Study (ACES) for Community-Dwelling Older Adults With or At-Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): Neuropsychological, Neurobiological and Neuroimaging Outcomes of a Randomized Clinical Trial. Front Aging Neurosci 2018; 10:76. [PMID: 29780318 PMCID: PMC5945889 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior research has found that cognitive benefits of physical exercise and brain health in older adults may be enhanced when mental exercise is interactive simultaneously, as in exergaming. It is unclear whether the cognitive benefit can be maximized by increasing the degree of mental challenge during exercise. This randomized clinical trial (RCT), the Aerobic and Cognitive Exercise Study (ACES) sought to replicate and extend prior findings of added cognitive benefit from exergaming to those with or at risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). ACES compares the effects of 6 months of an exer-tour (virtual reality bike rides) with the effects of a more effortful exer-score (pedaling through a videogame to score points). Fourteen community-dwelling older adults meeting screening criteria for MCI (sMCI) were adherent to their assigned exercise for 6 months. The primary outcome was executive function, while secondary outcomes included memory and everyday cognitive function. Exer-tour and exer-score yielded significant moderate effects on executive function (Stroop A/C; d's = 0.51 and 0.47); there was no significant interaction effect. However, after 3 months the exer-tour revealed a significant and moderate effect, while exer-score showed little impact, as did a game-only condition. Both exer-tour and exer-score conditions also resulted in significant improvements in verbal memory. Effects appear to generalize to self-reported everyday cognitive function. Pilot data, including salivary biomarkers and structural MRI, were gathered at baseline and 6 months; exercise dose was associated with increased BDNF as well as increased gray matter volume in the PFC and ACC. Improvement in memory was associated with an increase in the DLPFC. Improved executive function was associated with increased expression of exosomal miRNA-9. Interactive physical and cognitive exercise (both high and low mental challenge) yielded similarly significant cognitive benefit for adherent sMCI exercisers over 6 months. A larger RCT is needed to confirm these findings. Further innovation and clinical trial data are needed to develop accessible, yet engaging and effective interventions to combat cognitive decline for the growing MCI population. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02237560
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Affiliation(s)
- Cay Anderson-Hanley
- The Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab, Union College, Schenectady, NY, United States
| | - Nicole M Barcelos
- The Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab, Union College, Schenectady, NY, United States
| | - Earl A Zimmerman
- Alzheimer's Disease Center, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY, United States
| | - Robert W Gillen
- Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital, Schenectady, NY, United States
| | - Mina Dunnam
- Stratton VA Medical Center, Albany, NY, United States
| | - Brian D Cohen
- Department of Biology, Union College, Schenectady, NY, United States
| | - Vadim Yerokhin
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - David J Hayes
- The Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab, Union College, Schenectady, NY, United States
| | - Paul J Arciero
- Department of Health & Human Physiological Sciences, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
| | - Molly Maloney
- The Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab, Union College, Schenectady, NY, United States
| | - Arthur F Kramer
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
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Miller KE, Kuhn E, Weiss B, Owen J, Crowley JJ, Yu J, Taylor KL, Trockel M. 0356 CLINICIAN PERCEPTIONS RELATED TO THE USE OF CBT-I COACH MOBILE APP. Sleep 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/sleepj/zsx050.355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Abstract
Axons are living systems that display highly dynamic changes in stiffness, viscosity, and internal stress. However, the mechanistic origin of these phenomenological properties remains elusive. Here we establish a computational mechanics model that interprets cellular-level characteristics as emergent properties from molecular-level events. We create an axon model of discrete microtubules, which are connected to neighboring microtubules via discrete crosslinking mechanisms that obey a set of simple rules. We explore two types of mechanisms: passive and active crosslinking. Our passive and active simulations suggest that the stiffness and viscosity of the axon increase linearly with the crosslink density, and that both are highly sensitive to the crosslink detachment and reattachment times. Our model explains how active crosslinking with dynein motors generates internal stresses and actively drives axon elongation. We anticipate that our model will allow us to probe a wide variety of molecular phenomena-both in isolation and in interaction-to explore emergent cellular-level features under physiological and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- R de Rooij
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - K E Miller
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - E Kuhl
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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18
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Wang T, Miller KE. Characterization of glutamatergic neurons in the rat atrial intrinsic cardiac ganglia that project to the cardiac ventricular wall. Neuroscience 2016; 329:134-50. [PMID: 27167082 PMCID: PMC5922425 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The intrinsic cardiac nervous system modulates cardiac function by acting as an integration site for regulating autonomic efferent cardiac output. This intrinsic system is proposed to be composed of a short cardio-cardiac feedback control loop within the cardiac innervation hierarchy. For example, electrophysiological studies have postulated the presence of sensory neurons in intrinsic cardiac ganglia (ICG) for regional cardiac control. There is still a knowledge gap, however, about the anatomical location and neurochemical phenotype of sensory neurons inside ICG. In the present study, rat ICG neurons were characterized neurochemically with immunohistochemistry using glutamatergic markers: vesicular glutamate transporters 1 and 2 (VGLUT1; VGLUT2), and glutaminase (GLS), the enzyme essential for glutamate production. Glutamatergic neurons (VGLUT1/VGLUT2/GLS) in the ICG that have axons to the ventricles were identified by retrograde tracing of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) injected in the ventricular wall. Co-labeling of VGLUT1, VGLUT2, and GLS with the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) was used to evaluate the relationship between post-ganglionic autonomic neurons and glutamatergic neurons. Sequential labeling of VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 in adjacent tissue sections was used to evaluate the co-localization of VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 in ICG neurons. Our studies yielded the following results: (1) ICG contain glutamatergic neurons with GLS for glutamate production and VGLUT1 and 2 for transport of glutamate into synaptic vesicles; (2) atrial ICG contain neurons that project to ventricle walls and these neurons are glutamatergic; (3) many glutamatergic ICG neurons also were cholinergic, expressing VAChT; (4) VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 co-localization occurred in ICG neurons with variation of their protein expression level. Investigation of both glutamatergic and cholinergic ICG neurons could help in better understanding the function of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK 74107, United States
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK 74107, United States.
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Abstract
Research on the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of children in conflict-affected settings has undergone a significant paradigm shift in recent years. Earlier studies based on a war exposure model primarily emphasized the effects of direct exposure to armed conflict; this has gradually given way to a broader understanding of the diverse pathways by which organized violence affects children. A robustly supported comprehensive model includes risk factors at multiple points in time (prior war exposure, ongoing daily stressors) and at all levels of the social ecology. In particular, findings suggest that material deprivation and a set of family variables, including harsh parenting, parental distress, and witnessing intimate partner violence, are important mediators of the relationship between armed conflict and children's wellbeing. To date, however, interventions aimed at supporting war-affected children's wellbeing, both preventive and treatment-focused, have focused primarily on direct work with children, while paying only modest attention to ongoing risk factors in their families and broader environments. Possible reasons for the ongoing prioritization of child-focused interventions are considered, and examples are provided of recent evidence-based interventions that have reduced toxic stressors (harsh parenting and the use of violent discipline by teachers) in conflict-affected communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Research and Development, War Child Holland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Mark J D Jordans
- Department of Research and Development, War Child Holland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Center for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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20
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Abstract
Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, produced by its synthetic enzyme, glutaminase (GLS), and packaged by vesicular transporters (VGluT2) into synaptic vesicles. Primary sensory peripheral nerve and spinal synaptic terminals release glutamate during nociceptive (pain) signaling. In post-incisional and inflammation models in rats, GLS and VGluT2 production is elevated in dorsal root ganglion neuronal cell bodies and transported to peripheral and spinal terminals for increased glutamate synthesis and release. 6-Diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON) is a GLS inhibitor that produces long lasting pain relief when applied to the inflamed paw of arthritic rats, but its effect in a post-incisional model has not been evaluated. In this study, we examined the analgesic efficacy of DON in a surgical incision model by measuring thermal latency and mechanical allodynia. Following behavioral evaluation, we examined the skin for VGluT2, GLS and glutamate immunoreactivity (ir). Our findings revealed that VGluT2-ir is elevated in the stratum lucidum by approximately 19%, 64 hours post-surgical incision and attenuated by approximately 5.4% after the administration of DON. During that same period GLS-ir was elevated in dermal nerve fibers by 52% and was attenuated by approximately 27.9% after the application of DON. Additionally, glutamate-ir was elevated in epidermal nerve fibers by 35% after incision and attenuated by approximately 23% after the administration of DON. Behavioral testing 24 and 48 hours after a single local administration of DON showed five out of six animals having an analgesic response to mechanical allodynia, but not to thermal hyperalgesia. Following a surgical incision, the area of injury shows increased VGluT2-, GLS-, glutamate-ir, mechanical allodynia and no change in thermal latency. After the application of the GLS inhibitor, DON, nerve fiber of the skin showed decreased VGluT2, GLS, and glutamate-ir. Furthermore, post-incision DON treated animals exhibited decreased mechanical allodynia with no change in thermal latency when compared to control animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heith A Crosby
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University, USA
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University, USA
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21
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Crosby HA, Ihnat M, Miller KE. Evaluating the Toxicity of the Analgesic Glutaminase Inhibitor 6-Diazo-5-Oxo-L-Norleucine in vitro and on Rat Dermal Skin Fibroblasts. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 1. [PMID: 29750203 DOI: 10.15406/mojt.2015.01.00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON) is a glutamine antagonist produced naturally by Streptomyces. It inhibits several glutamine-dependent enzyme pathways. Of particular note is its inhibitory effect on the mitochondrial enzyme, glutaminase (GLS), the primary producer of neuronal glutamate. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter released by primary sensory peripheral nerve terminals and spinal synaptic terminals during pain signaling. Previous work using the tail incision and inflammatory models of pain has demonstrated that a single application of the glutaminase inhibitor, DON, into a surgical incision or the paw of arthritic animals results in pain relief. Even though this compound shows promise as a therapeutic agent, limited data exist regarding its dermal toxicity. As a first approach, we evaluated the effect of several concentrations of DON, on the viability, mitochondrial oxidative capacity and proliferation of rat skin fibroblasts, and then examined the effect of DON after incubation with human liver microsomes on proliferation. Finally, we evaluated DON treated rat skin (tail and hind paw) for cellular necrosis, inflammation and mitotic bodies. No significant effects (p > 0.05) of DON were noted on apoptosis, necrosis, and mitochondrial activity in experiments with cultured rat skin fibroblasts. Flow cytometry revealed the absence of apoptosis in cells treated at the IC50 of 232.5 μM. Enhanced toxicity post-exposure to human microsomes was not observed when compared to DON alone. The H&E staining of the rat skin revealed no obvious pathology in the DON treatment group (10 mM). DON has no/minimal cellular toxicity in vitro on dermal fibroblasts at concentrations that effectively provide analgesia. The local application of concentrations greater than the in vitro IC50 for DON revealed no in vivo skin toxicity. These data provide results indicating zero-to-minimal cellular toxicity with DON and support the further investigation of DON as an analgesic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heith A Crosby
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences, USA
| | - Michael Ihnat
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Oklahoma-Health Sciences Center, USA
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences, USA
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22
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Freissinet C, Glavin DP, Mahaffy PR, Miller KE, Eigenbrode JL, Summons RE, Brunner AE, Buch A, Szopa C, Archer PD, Franz HB, Atreya SK, Brinckerhoff WB, Cabane M, Coll P, Conrad PG, Des Marais DJ, Dworkin JP, Fairén AG, François P, Grotzinger JP, Kashyap S, ten Kate IL, Leshin LA, Malespin CA, Martin MG, Martin-Torres FJ, McAdam AC, Ming DW, Navarro-González R, Pavlov AA, Prats BD, Squyres SW, Steele A, Stern JC, Sumner DY, Sutter B, Zorzano MP. Organic molecules in the Sheepbed Mudstone, Gale Crater, Mars. J Geophys Res Planets 2015; 120:495-514. [PMID: 26690960 PMCID: PMC4672966 DOI: 10.1002/2014je004737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover is designed to conduct inorganic and organic chemical analyses of the atmosphere and the surface regolith and rocks to help evaluate the past and present habitability potential of Mars at Gale Crater. Central to this task is the development of an inventory of any organic molecules present to elucidate processes associated with their origin, diagenesis, concentration, and long-term preservation. This will guide the future search for biosignatures. Here we report the definitive identification of chlorobenzene (150-300 parts per billion by weight (ppbw)) and C2 to C4 dichloroalkanes (up to 70 ppbw) with the SAM gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) and detection of chlorobenzene in the direct evolved gas analysis (EGA) mode, in multiple portions of the fines from the Cumberland drill hole in the Sheepbed mudstone at Yellowknife Bay. When combined with GCMS and EGA data from multiple scooped and drilled samples, blank runs, and supporting laboratory analog studies, the elevated levels of chlorobenzene and the dichloroalkanes cannot be solely explained by instrument background sources known to be present in SAM. We conclude that these chlorinated hydrocarbons are the reaction products of Martian chlorine and organic carbon derived from Martian sources (e.g., igneous, hydrothermal, atmospheric, or biological) or exogenous sources such as meteorites, comets, or interplanetary dust particles. KEY POINTS First in situ evidence of nonterrestrial organics in Martian surface sediments Chlorinated hydrocarbons identified in the Sheepbed mudstone by SAM Organics preserved in sample exposed to ionizing radiation and oxidative condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Freissinet
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
- NASA Postdoctoral Program, Oak Ridge Associated UniversitiesOak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
- Correspondence to:
C. Freissinet and P. R. Mahaffy,, ,
| | - D P Glavin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - P R Mahaffy
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Correspondence to:
C. Freissinet and P. R. Mahaffy,, ,
| | - K E Miller
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - J L Eigenbrode
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - R E Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - A E Brunner
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology, University of MarylandCollege Park, Maryland, USA
| | - A Buch
- Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés et Matériaux, Ecole Centrale ParisChâtenay-Malabry, France
| | - C Szopa
- Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Pierre and Marie Curie University, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and CNRSParis, France
| | - P D Archer
- Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space CenterHouston, Texas, USA
| | - H B Franz
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyBaltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - S K Atreya
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - W B Brinckerhoff
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - M Cabane
- Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Pierre and Marie Curie University, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and CNRSParis, France
| | - P Coll
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Paris VII–Denis Diderot University, and CNRSCréteil, France
| | - P G Conrad
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - D J Des Marais
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research CenterMoffett Field, California, USA
| | - J P Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - A G Fairén
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York, USA
- Centro de Astrobiología, INTA-CSICMadrid, Spain
| | - P François
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - J P Grotzinger
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, California, USA
| | - S Kashyap
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyBaltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - I L ten Kate
- Earth Sciences Department, Utrecht UniversityUtrecht, Netherlands
| | - L A Leshin
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and School of Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, New York, USA
| | - C A Malespin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Goddard Earth Sciences and Technologies and Research, Universities Space Research AssociationColumbia, Maryland, USA
| | - M G Martin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Catholic University of AmericaWashington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - F J Martin-Torres
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR)Granada, Spain
- Division of Space Technology, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of TechnologyKiruna, Sweden
| | - A C McAdam
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - D W Ming
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate, NASA Johnson Space CenterHouston, Texas, USA
| | - R Navarro-González
- Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad UniversitariaMéxico City, Mexico
| | - A A Pavlov
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - B D Prats
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - S W Squyres
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York, USA
| | - A Steele
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of WashingtonWashington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - J C Stern
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - D Y Sumner
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of CaliforniaDavis, California, USA
| | - B Sutter
- Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space CenterHouston, Texas, USA
| | - M-P Zorzano
- Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA-CSIC)Madrid, Spain
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Freissinet C, Glavin DP, Mahaffy PR, Miller KE, Eigenbrode JL, Summons RE, Brunner AE, Buch A, Szopa C, Archer PD, Franz HB, Atreya SK, Brinckerhoff WB, Cabane M, Coll P, Conrad PG, Des Marais DJ, Dworkin JP, Fairén AG, François P, Grotzinger JP, Kashyap S, Ten Kate IL, Leshin LA, Malespin CA, Martin MG, Martin-Torres FJ, McAdam AC, Ming DW, Navarro-González R, Pavlov AA, Prats BD, Squyres SW, Steele A, Stern JC, Sumner DY, Sutter B, Zorzano MP. Organic molecules in the Sheepbed Mudstone, Gale Crater, Mars. J Geophys Res Planets 2015; 120:495-514. [PMID: 26690960 DOI: 10.1002/2015je004884.received] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover is designed to conduct inorganic and organic chemical analyses of the atmosphere and the surface regolith and rocks to help evaluate the past and present habitability potential of Mars at Gale Crater. Central to this task is the development of an inventory of any organic molecules present to elucidate processes associated with their origin, diagenesis, concentration, and long-term preservation. This will guide the future search for biosignatures. Here we report the definitive identification of chlorobenzene (150-300 parts per billion by weight (ppbw)) and C2 to C4 dichloroalkanes (up to 70 ppbw) with the SAM gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) and detection of chlorobenzene in the direct evolved gas analysis (EGA) mode, in multiple portions of the fines from the Cumberland drill hole in the Sheepbed mudstone at Yellowknife Bay. When combined with GCMS and EGA data from multiple scooped and drilled samples, blank runs, and supporting laboratory analog studies, the elevated levels of chlorobenzene and the dichloroalkanes cannot be solely explained by instrument background sources known to be present in SAM. We conclude that these chlorinated hydrocarbons are the reaction products of Martian chlorine and organic carbon derived from Martian sources (e.g., igneous, hydrothermal, atmospheric, or biological) or exogenous sources such as meteorites, comets, or interplanetary dust particles. KEY POINTS First in situ evidence of nonterrestrial organics in Martian surface sediments Chlorinated hydrocarbons identified in the Sheepbed mudstone by SAM Organics preserved in sample exposed to ionizing radiation and oxidative condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Freissinet
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA ; NASA Postdoctoral Program, Oak Ridge Associated Universities Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
| | - D P Glavin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - P R Mahaffy
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - K E Miller
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - J L Eigenbrode
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - R E Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - A E Brunner
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA ; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology, University of Maryland College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - A Buch
- Laboratoire de Génie des Procédés et Matériaux, Ecole Centrale Paris Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - C Szopa
- Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Pierre and Marie Curie University, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and CNRS Paris, France
| | - P D Archer
- Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas, USA
| | - H B Franz
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA ; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - S K Atreya
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - W B Brinckerhoff
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - M Cabane
- Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Pierre and Marie Curie University, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and CNRS Paris, France
| | - P Coll
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Paris VII-Denis Diderot University, and CNRS Créteil, France
| | - P G Conrad
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - D J Des Marais
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - J P Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - A G Fairén
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University Ithaca, New York, USA ; Centro de Astrobiología, INTA-CSIC Madrid, Spain
| | - P François
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - J P Grotzinger
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California, USA
| | - S Kashyap
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA ; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - I L Ten Kate
- Earth Sciences Department, Utrecht University Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - L A Leshin
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and School of Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York, USA
| | - C A Malespin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA ; Goddard Earth Sciences and Technologies and Research, Universities Space Research Association Columbia, Maryland, USA
| | - M G Martin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA ; Department of Chemistry, Catholic University of America Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - F J Martin-Torres
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR) Granada, Spain ; Division of Space Technology, Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology Kiruna, Sweden
| | - A C McAdam
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - D W Ming
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate, NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas, USA
| | - R Navarro-González
- Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria México City, Mexico
| | - A A Pavlov
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - B D Prats
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - S W Squyres
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - A Steele
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - J C Stern
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - D Y Sumner
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, California, USA
| | - B Sutter
- Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas, USA
| | - M-P Zorzano
- Centro de Astrobiologia (INTA-CSIC) Madrid, Spain
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Crosby HA, Ihnat M, Spencer D, Miller KE. Expression of Glutaminase and Vesicular Glutamate Transporter Type 2 Immunoreactivity in Rat Sacral Dorsal Root Ganglia Following a Surgical Tail Incision. Pharm Pharmacol Int J 2015; 2. [PMID: 29888768 DOI: 10.15406/ppij.2015.02.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, released by primary sensory peripheral nerve and spinal synaptic terminals during nociceptive (pain) signaling. The primary source of neurotransmitter, glutamate, is provided from its synthetic enzyme, glutaminase (GLS). Neurotransmitter glutamate is packaged into synaptic vesicles in nociceptive neurons by the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2). Little is known, however, what effect a surgical incision has on GLS and VGluT2 in primary afferent neurons. In this study, an aseptic, midline incision in the proximal one-third of the rat-tail was examined to determine whether sacral dorsal root ganglia innervate the area of surgical incision, utilizing the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold™. Subsequently, the amount of VGluT2 and GLS immunoreactivity (IR) in sacral dorsal root ganglia (DRG) was evaluated using immunofluorescence with image analysis and Western immunoblotting with density analysis. GLS messenger RNA (mRNA) changes were evaluated using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT2-PCR). Our findings revealed that sacral-1 (S1) DRG neurons innervate the area of surgical incision. Both GLS and VGluT2-ir are elevated post-surgical incision in S1 DRG neurons for up to 72 hours, while GLS mRNA levels rapidly decreased post-incision and remain depressed for at least 96 hours. Following a surgical incision of the tail, sacral DRGs rapidly deplete their available supply of GLS mRNA and alter their production of the synthetic enzyme, GLS and the vesicular transporter, VGluT2. The rapid use of GLS mRNA and subsequent elevation of GLS protein, along with VGluT2 protein may result in both increased glutamate production and release at peripheral and central processes contributing to primary and secondary sensitization, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heith A Crosby
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences, USA
| | - Michael Ihnat
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Oklahoma-Health Sciences Center, USA
| | - Diana Spencer
- Department of Biotechnology, Tulsa Community College, USA
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University-Center for Health Sciences, USA
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Miller KE, Frierdich GE, Dillard RH, Soriano RH, Roufa DG. Intermittent vs Continuous Administration of Nerve Growth Factor to Injured Medial Septal Cholinergic Neurons in Rat Basal Forebrain. Neurosci Med 2014; 5:109-118. [PMID: 30473908 PMCID: PMC6247915 DOI: 10.4236/nm.2014.52014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many medial septal neurons of the basal forebrain are dependent on nerve growth factor (NGF) from the hippocampus for survival and maintenance of a cholinergic phenotype. When deprived of their source of NGF by axotomy, medial septal neuronal cell bodies atrophy and lose their cholinergic markers. This is similar to what is observed in the basal forebrain during Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the present study, medial septal neurons were axotomized in female rats by way of a fimbria/fornix lesion. For fourteen days following axotomy, varying NGF doses (1 – 250 μg/ml) were administered to the lateral cerebral ventricle with either mini-osmotic infusion or daily injection. The responsiveness of medial septal neurons was evaluated with choline acetyltransferase immunohistochemistry. Within the mini-osmotic pumps, NGF activity diminished greatly during the first five days of implantation, but increased dramatically in the CSF after five days of infusion. The responsiveness of medial septal neurons to NGF was dose dependent and the ED50 for NGF injection was determined to be 14.08 μg/ml compared to 27.60 μg/ml for NGF infusion. Intermittent injections at varying intervals were evaluated with 30 μg/ml NGF over a fourteen-day time period (2, 3, 6, or 12 injections). No differences occurred in the number of choline acetyltransferase neurons from rats that received weekly injections to those that received daily injections of NGF. NGF administration has been suggested as a therapy for AD. The results of these studies continue to highlight the need for NGF stability within the delivery system and AD patient CSF, the choice of delivery system, frequency of administration, and the NGF dose for maintaining basal forebrain cholinergic neurons during AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, USA
| | - Gregory E Frierdich
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, USA
| | - Robert H Dillard
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, USA
| | - Robert H Soriano
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, USA
| | - Dikla G Roufa
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, USA
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26
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Ming DW, Archer PD, Glavin DP, Eigenbrode JL, Franz HB, Sutter B, Brunner AE, Stern JC, Freissinet C, McAdam AC, Mahaffy PR, Cabane M, Coll P, Campbell JL, Atreya SK, Niles PB, Bell JF, Bish DL, Brinckerhoff WB, Buch A, Conrad PG, Des Marais DJ, Ehlmann BL, Fairén AG, Farley K, Flesch GJ, Francois P, Gellert R, Grant JA, Grotzinger JP, Gupta S, Herkenhoff KE, Hurowitz JA, Leshin LA, Lewis KW, McLennan SM, Miller KE, Moersch J, Morris RV, Navarro-González R, Pavlov AA, Perrett GM, Pradler I, Squyres SW, Summons RE, Steele A, Stolper EM, Sumner DY, Szopa C, Teinturier S, Trainer MG, Treiman AH, Vaniman DT, Vasavada AR, Webster CR, Wray JJ, Yingst RA. Volatile and organic compositions of sedimentary rocks in Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars. Science 2013; 343:1245267. [PMID: 24324276 DOI: 10.1126/science.1245267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
H2O, CO2, SO2, O2, H2, H2S, HCl, chlorinated hydrocarbons, NO, and other trace gases were evolved during pyrolysis of two mudstone samples acquired by the Curiosity rover at Yellowknife Bay within Gale crater, Mars. H2O/OH-bearing phases included 2:1 phyllosilicate(s), bassanite, akaganeite, and amorphous materials. Thermal decomposition of carbonates and combustion of organic materials are candidate sources for the CO2. Concurrent evolution of O2 and chlorinated hydrocarbons suggests the presence of oxychlorine phase(s). Sulfides are likely sources for sulfur-bearing species. Higher abundances of chlorinated hydrocarbons in the mudstone compared with Rocknest windblown materials previously analyzed by Curiosity suggest that indigenous martian or meteoritic organic carbon sources may be preserved in the mudstone; however, the carbon source for the chlorinated hydrocarbons is not definitively of martian origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- D W Ming
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
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27
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Gichinga HN, Miller KE, Anderson MB, Meek BD. Characterization of mast cells in the wall of the cerebral arterial systems in the rat and the baboon. FASEB J 2013. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.525.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Harry N Gichinga
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health SciencesTulsaOK
| | - Kenneth E Miller
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health SciencesTulsaOK
| | - Michael B Anderson
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health SciencesTulsaOK
| | - Bill D Meek
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health SciencesTulsaOK
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28
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Wang T, Zhang Z, Miller KE. Vesicular glutamate transporter 1‐immunoreactive sensory neurons in the rat intrinsic cardiac ganglia. FASEB J 2013. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.525.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health ScienceTulsaOK
| | - Zijia Zhang
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health ScienceTulsaOK
| | - Kenneth E. Miller
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health ScienceTulsaOK
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29
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Wang T, Miller KE. Glutamatergic Neurons of the Rat Epicardial Ganglia. FASEB J 2012. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.524.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State UniversityTulsaOK
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30
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Hoffman EM, Zhang Z, Anderson MB, Schechter R, Miller KE. Potential mechanisms for hypoalgesia induced by anti-nerve growth factor immunoglobulin are identified using autoimmune nerve growth factor deprivation. Neuroscience 2011; 193:452-65. [PMID: 21802499 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.06.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2011] [Revised: 06/22/2011] [Accepted: 06/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Nerve growth factor (NGF) antagonism has long been proposed as a chronic pain treatment. In 2010, the FDA suspended clinical trials using tanezumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-NGF antibody, to treat osteoarthritis due to worsening joint damage in 16 patients. Increased physical activity in the absence of acute pain which normally prevents self-harm was purported as a potential cause. Such an adverse effect is consistent with an extension of tanezumab's primary mechanism of action by decreasing pain sensitivity below baseline levels. In animal inflammatory pain models, NGF antagonism decreases intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) density and attenuates increases in expression of nociception-related proteins, such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP). Little is known of the effects of NGF antagonism in noninflamed animals and the hypoalgesia that ensues. In the current study, we immunized rats with NGF or cytochrome C (cytC) and examined (1) nocifensive behaviors with thermal latencies, mechanical thresholds, the hot plate test, and the tail flick test, (2) IENF density, and (3) expression of CGRP, SP, voltage-gated sodium channel 1.8 (Nav1.8), and glutaminase in subpopulations of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons separated by size and isolectin B4 (IB4) labeling. Rats with high anti-NGF titers had delayed responses on the hot plate test but no other behavioral abnormalities. Delayed hot plate responses correlated with lower IENF density. CGRP and SP expression was decreased principally in medium (400-800 μm(2)) and small neurons (<400 μm(2)), respectively, regardless of IB4 labeling. Expression of Nav1.8 was only decreased in small and medium IB4 negative neurons. NGF immunization appears to result in a more profound antagonism of NGF than tanezumab therapy, but we hypothesize that decreases in IENF density and nociception-related protein expression are potential mechanisms for tanezumab-induced hypoalgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Hoffman
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, 1111 West 17th Street, Tulsa, OK 74107, USA
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31
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Crosby HA, Spencer D, Miller KE. Changes in Glutaminase mRNA Expression in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglion Post Tail Inicision. FASEB J 2011. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.lb413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kenneth E Miller
- Anatomy and Cell BiologyOklahoma State University Center for Health SciencesTulsaOK
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Miller KE, Hoffman EM, Sutharshan M, Schechter R. Glutamate pharmacology and metabolism in peripheral primary afferents: physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms. Pharmacol Ther 2011; 130:283-309. [PMID: 21276816 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2011.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2011] [Accepted: 01/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In addition to using glutamate as a neurotransmitter at central synapses, many primary sensory neurons release glutamate from peripheral terminals. Primary sensory neurons with cell bodies in dorsal root or trigeminal ganglia produce glutaminase, the synthetic enzyme for glutamate, and transport the enzyme in mitochondria to peripheral terminals. Vesicular glutamate transporters fill neurotransmitter vesicles with glutamate and they are shipped to peripheral terminals. Intense noxious stimuli or tissue damage causes glutamate to be released from peripheral afferent nerve terminals and augmented release occurs during acute and chronic inflammation. The site of action for glutamate can be at the autologous or nearby nerve terminals. Peripheral nerve terminals contain both ionotropic and metabotropic excitatory amino acid receptors (EAARs) and activation of these receptors can lower the activation threshold and increase the excitability of primary afferents. Antagonism of EAARs can reduce excitability of activated afferents and produce antinociception in many animal models of acute and chronic pain. Glutamate injected into human skin and muscle causes acute pain. Trauma in humans, such as arthritis, myalgia, and tendonitis, elevates glutamate levels in affected tissues. There is evidence that EAAR antagonism at peripheral sites can provide relief in some chronic pain sufferers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK 74107, United States.
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Miller KE, Rasmussen A. Mental health and armed conflict: The importance of distinguishing between war exposure and other sources of adversity: A response to Neuner. Soc Sci Med 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Fernando GA, Miller KE, Berger DE. Growing Pains: The Impact of Disaster-Related and Daily Stressors on the Psychological and Psychosocial Functioning of Youth in Sri Lanka. Child Dev 2010; 81:1192-210. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01462.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Rasmussen A, Nguyen L, Wilkinson J, Vundla S, Raghavan S, Miller KE, Keller AS. Rates and impact of trauma and current stressors among Darfuri refugees in Eastern Chad. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2010; 80:227-36. [PMID: 20553516 PMCID: PMC2920620 DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01026.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Darfur refugees face hardships associated with chronic displacement, including lack of basic needs and safety concerns. Psychiatric research on refugees has focused on trauma, but daily stressors may contribute more to variance in distress. This article reports rates of past trauma and current stressors among Darfur refugees and gauges the contribution of each to psychological distress and functional impairment. A representative sample of 848 Darfuris in 2 refugee camps were interviewed about traumatic events, stressors faced in the camps, psychological distress, and functional impairment. Basic needs and safety concerns were more strongly correlated with measures of distress (rs = .19-.31) than were war-related traumatic events (rs = .09-.20). Hierarchical regression supported models in which effects of trauma on distress were mediated by current stressors. Although war-related traumatic events are the initial causes of refugees' hardship, findings suggest that the day-to-day challenges and concerns in camps mediate psychological distress associated with these events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Rasmussen
- New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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36
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Hoffman EM, Miller KE. Peripheral inhibition of glutaminase reduces carrageenan-induced Fos expression in the superficial dorsal horn of the rat. Neurosci Lett 2010; 472:157-60. [PMID: 20132864 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.01.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2009] [Revised: 01/23/2010] [Accepted: 01/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In inflamed tissue, the levels of the excitatory amino acid glutamate are increased. Glutamate sensitizes peripheral axons of primary afferent neurons during inflammation leading to decreased firing threshold and hyperexcitability. One proposed source of glutamate is the primary afferent. Antagonizing glutamate receptors on peripheral axons of primary afferents during inflammation provides analgesia in animals and humans. The enzyme glutaminase is used by primary sensory neurons to convert glutamine to glutamate, and peripheral inhibition of glutaminase with 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON) provides long-lasting analgesia during inflammation. In this study, we measured the effects of glutaminase inhibition on carrageenan-induced spinal Fos expression. Rats were given intraplantar injections of carrageenan and treated locally with either vehicle or DON. After 3h of inflammation, hind paw swelling and spinal expression of Fos were examined. CellProfiler was used to automate Fos nuclei counting in five laminar groupings in the spinal cord (I-II, III-IV, V-VI, VII-IX, X). Carrageenan increased hind paw thickness by approximately 70% and spinal Fos expression in superficial (I-II) and deep (V-VI) laminae by 10-fold and 5-fold, respectively. Treatment with DON reduced hind paw swelling by approximately 13% and suppressed Fos expression in the laminae I-II by approximately 54%, but not the deep laminae. Our results further support the notion of glutamate as a peripheral inflammatory mediator and indicate that glutaminase should be considered as a novel therapeutic target for treatment of inflammatory pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest M Hoffman
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, USA
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37
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Hoffman EM, Schechter R, Miller KE. Fixative composition alters distributions of immunoreactivity for glutaminase and two markers of nociceptive neurons, Nav1.8 and TRPV1, in the rat dorsal root ganglion. J Histochem Cytochem 2009; 58:329-44. [PMID: 20026672 DOI: 10.1369/jhc.2009.954008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Most, if not all, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons use the neurotransmitter glutamate. There are, however, conflicting reports of the percentages of DRG neurons that express glutaminase (GLS), the enzyme that synthesizes glutamate, ranging from 30% to 100% of DRG neurons. Defining DRG neuron populations by the expression of proteins like GLS, which indicates function, is routinely accomplished with immunolabeling techniques. Proper characterization of DRG neuron populations relies on accurate detection of such antigens. It is known intuitively that fixation can alter immunoreactivity (IR). In this study, we compared the effects of five formaldehyde concentrations between 0.25% and 4.0% (w/v) and five picric acid concentrations between 0.0% and 0.8% (w/v) on the IR of GLS, the voltage-gated sodium channel 1.8 (Na(v)1.8), and the capsaicin receptor TRPV1. We also compared the effects of five incubation time lengths from 2 to 192 hr, in primary antiserum on IR. Lowering formaldehyde concentration elevated IR for all three antigens, while raising picric acid concentration increased Na(v)1.8 and TRPV1 IR. Increasing IR improved detection sensitivity, which led to higher percentages of labeled DRG neurons. By selecting fixation conditions that optimized IR, we found that all DRG neurons express GLS, 69% of neurons express Na(v)1.8, and 77% of neurons express TRPV1, indicating that some previous studies may have underestimated the percentages of DRG neurons expressing these proteins. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc.org. Please visit this article online to view these materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Matthew Hoffman
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74107, USA
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Miller KE, Rasmussen A. War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health in conflict and post-conflict settings: bridging the divide between trauma-focused and psychosocial frameworks. Soc Sci Med 2009; 70:7-16. [PMID: 19854552 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 578] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This paper seeks to bridge the divisive split between advocates of trauma-focused and psychosocial approaches to understanding and addressing mental health needs in conflict and post-conflict settings by emphasizing the role that daily stressors play in mediating direct war exposure and mental health outcomes. The authors argue that trauma-focused advocates tend to overemphasize the impact of direct war exposure on mental health, and fail to consider the contribution of stressful social and material conditions (daily stressors). Drawing on the findings of recent studies that have examined the relationship of both war exposure and daily stressors to mental health status, a model is proposed in which daily stressors partially mediate the relationship of war exposure to mental health. Based on that model, and on the growing body of research that supports it, an integrative, sequenced approach to intervention is proposed in which daily stressors are first addressed, and specialized interventions are then provided for individuals whose distress does not abate with the repair of the social ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- Harvard School of Public Health, Research Program on Children and Global Adversity, François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, 651 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Miller KE, Omidian P, Kulkarni M, Yaqubi A, Daudzai H, Rasmussen A. The validity and clinical utility of post-traumatic stress disorder in Afghanistan. Transcult Psychiatry 2009; 46:219-37. [PMID: 19541748 DOI: 10.1177/1363461509105813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the validity and utility of PTSD among 320 adults in Afghanistan. Findings support the validity of PTSD in this cultural context: PTSD symptoms were highly prevalent, shared common variance, and correlated as expected with exposure to traumatic stress. However, only limited support was found for the clinical utility of PTSD. Other types of psychiatric symptomatology, including depression and a culturally specific measure of general distress, correlated more highly with traumatic stress than did PTSD; and PTSD accounted for limited variance in functioning beyond that explained by depression and general distress. Implications for research and intervention are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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40
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Abstract
Working in Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul, the authors assessed the relative contribution of daily stressors and war-related experiences of violence and loss to levels of depression, PTSD, impaired functioning, and a culturally specific measure of general psychological distress. For women, daily stressors were a better predictor than war experiences of all mental health outcomes except for PTSD; for men, daily stressors were a better predictor of depression and functional impairment, while war experiences and daily stressors were similarly predictive of general distress. For men, daily stressors moderated the relationship between war experiences and PTSD, which was significant only under conditions of low daily stress. The study's implications for research and intervention in conflict and post-conflict settings are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth E Miller
- Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights at Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
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Craven I, Haselden J, Miller KE, Miller GV, Bradford I, Sebag-Montefiore D. Omission of concurrent chemoradiation after a response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer with a synchronous liver metastasis: a note of caution. Br J Radiol 2007; 80:e257-9. [DOI: 10.1259/bjr/38988181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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Ghosh C, Storey-Workley M, Usip S, Hafemeister J, Miller KE, Papka RE. Glutamate and metabotropic glutamate receptors associated with innervation of the uterine cervix during pregnancy: Receptor antagonism inhibits c-fos expression in rat lumbosacral spinal cord at parturition. J Neurosci Res 2007; 85:1318-35. [PMID: 17304580 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.21225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons connect the spinal cord and uterine cervix, and are activated at parturition with subsequent stimulation of secondary neurons in the spinal dorsal horn and autonomic areas. Neuropeptide neurotransmitters and receptors have been studied in these areas, but amino acid transmitters, e.g., glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter involved in sensory and nociceptive processing, have not been characterized. To determine if glutamate is involved in innervation of the cervix, rats were examined for markers of glutamatergic neurons in the L6-S1 spinal cord, DRG and cervix. Metabotropic glutamate receptors mGluR5 in the spinal dorsal horn and their expression over pregnancy were examined in pregnant rats and pregnant rats treated continuously with an antagonist of mGluR5, 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl) pyridine (MPEP). Rats were allowed to deliver pups to determine if the antagonist altered the expression of an early response gene protein, Fos, in the L6-S1 cord. Immunohistochemistry showed glutamate- and vesicular glutamate transporter1 (VGluT1)-positive fibers in the cervix, glutamate- and VGluT1-expressing neurons in the DRG, some of which also exhibited retrograde tracer from cervical injections, and VGluT1 and mGluR5 immunoreactivities in the L6-S1 spinal dorsal horns. Expression of mGluR5 receptors increased over pregnancy. Fos-positive neurons were present among mGluR5-immunoreactivity in the spinal dorsal horn. Parturition-induced Fos-positive neurons in the spinal cords were abundant in control rats, but were reduced by 70% in MPEP-treated animals. These results suggest that glutamate is likely involved in the transmission of sensory signals, possibly pain, from the cervix to the spinal cord at parturition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaitali Ghosh
- Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA
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Guo HY, Hoffman AL, Steinhauer LC, Miller KE, Milroy RD. Evidence of relaxation and spontaneous transition to a high-confinement state in high-beta steady-state plasmas sustained by rotating magnetic fields. Phys Rev Lett 2006; 97:235002. [PMID: 17280209 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.97.235002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2006] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Evidence of relaxation has appeared, for the first time, in the extremely high-beta, steady-state field-reversed configuration plasma states driven by rotating magnetic fields (RMF) in the translation, confinement, and sustainment experiment. The plasma self-organizes into a near-force-free state in the vicinity of the magnetic axis, with significant improvement in confinement. Associated with this change in magnetic topology is the appearance of an axial RMF component; this would, in turn, generate a current drive in the poloidal direction, thus sustaining the magnetic helicity. A newly developed two-dimensional "equilibrium-lite" model is employed to analyze the magnetic properties of the final high-confinement state, and shows a large q and a significant magnetic shear in the core.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Y Guo
- Redmond Plasma Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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Qin C, Farber JP, Miller KE, Foreman RD. Responses of thoracic spinal neurons to activation and desensitization of cardiac TRPV1-containing afferents in rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2006; 291:R1700-7. [PMID: 16887920 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00231.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine how upper thoracic spinal neurons responded to activation and desensitization of cardiac transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1)-containing afferent fibers. Extracellular potentials of single T3 spinal neurons were recorded in pentobarbital-anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated male rats. To activate cardiac nociceptive receptors, a catheter was placed in the pericardial sac to administer various chemicals: bradykinin (BK; 10 μg/ml, 0.2 ml), capsaicin (CAP, 10 μg/ml, 0.2 ml), or a mixture of algesic chemicals (AC; 0.2 ml) containing adenosine 10−3 M, BK, serotonin, histamine, and PGE2, 10−5 M for each. Spinal neurons that responded to intrapericardial BK and/or CAP were used in this study. Results showed that 81% (35/43) of the neurons had excitatory responses to both intrapericardial BK and CAP, and the remainder responded to either BK or CAP. Intrapericardial resiniferatoxin (RTX) (0.2 μg/ml, 0.2 ml, 1 min), which desensitizes TRPV1-containing nerve endings, abolished excitatory responses to both BK ( n = 8) and CAP ( n = 7), and to AC ( n = 5) but not to somatic stimuli. Intrapericardial capsazepine (1 mg/ml, 0.2 ml, 3 min), a specific antagonist of TRPV1, sharply attenuated excitatory responses to CAP in 5/5 neurons, but responses to BK in 5/5 neurons was maintained. Additionally, intrapericardial capsazepine had no significant effect on excitatory responses to AC in 3/3 neurons. These data indicated that intrapericardial BK-initiated spinal neuronal responses were linked to cardiac TRPV1-containing afferent fibers, but were not dependent on TRPV1. Intraspinal signaling for cardiac nociception was mediated through CAP-sensitive afferent fibers innervating the heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Qin
- Department of Physiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, USA.
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Miller KE, Kulkarni M, Kushner H. Beyond trauma-focused psychiatric epidemiology: bridging research and practice with war-affected populations. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2006; 76:409-22. [PMID: 17209709 DOI: 10.1037/0002-9432.76.4.409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This article examines the centrality of trauma-focused psychiatric epidemiology (TFPE) in research with war-affected populations. The authors question the utility of the dominant focus on posttraumatic stress disorder and other disorders of Western psychiatry, and they identify a set of critical research foci related to mental health work with communities affected by political violence. Core assumptions of TFPE and its roots in logical positivism and the biomedical model of contemporary psychiatry are explored. The authors suggest that an alternative framework--social constructivism--can serve as a bridge between researchers and practitioners by helping to refocus research efforts in ways that are conceptually and methodologically more attuned to the needs of war-affected communities and those working to address their mental health needs.
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Miller KE, Omidian P, Quraishy AS, Quraishy N, Nasiry MN, Nasiry S, Karyar NM, Yaqubi AA. The Afghan symptom checklist: a culturally grounded approach to mental health assessment in a conflict zone. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2006; 76:423-433. [PMID: 17209710 DOI: 10.1037/0002-9432.76.4.423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
This article describes a methodology for developing culturally grounded assessment measures in conflict and postconflict situations. A mixed-method design was used in Kabul, Afghanistan, to identify local indicators of distress and develop the 22-item Afghan Symptom Checklist (ASCL). The ASCL contains several indigenous items and items familiar to Western mental health professionals. The ASCL was pilot tested and subsequently administered to 324 adults in 8 districts of Kabul. It demonstrated excellent reliability (alpha=.93) and good construct validity, correlating strongly with a measure of exposure to war-related violence and loss (r=.70). Results of the survey indicate moderate levels of distress among Afghan men and markedly higher levels of distress and impaired functioning among women (and widows in particular).
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Miller KE, Casseday JH, Covey E. Relation between intrinsic connections and isofrequency contours in the inferior colliculus of the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus. Neuroscience 2006; 136:895-905. [PMID: 16344159 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2004] [Revised: 03/21/2005] [Accepted: 04/05/2005] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Information processing in the inferior colliculus depends on interactions between ascending pathways and intrinsic circuitry, both of which exist within a functional tonotopic organization. To determine how local projections of neurons in the inferior colliculus are related to tonotopy, we placed a small iontophoretic injection of biodextran amine at a physiologically characterized location in the inferior colliculus. We then used electrophysiological recording to place a grid of small deposits of Chicago Sky Blue throughout the same frequency range to specify an isofrequency contour. Using three-dimensional computer reconstructions, we analyzed patterns of transport relative to the physiologically determined isofrequency contour to quantify the extent of the intrinsic connection lamina in all three dimensions. We also performed a quantitative analysis of the numbers of cells in different regions relative to the biodextran amine injection. Biodextran amine-labeled fibers were mainly located dorsomedial to the injection site, confined within the isofrequency contour, but biodextran amine-labeled cells were mainly located ventrolateral to the injection site. When we counted numbers of labeled cells classified by morphological type, we found that both elongate and multipolar cells were labeled within the isofrequency contour. Because the dendrites of multipolar cells typically extend outside the isofrequency lamina, it is likely that they receive input from other isofrequency contours and relay it to more dorsomedial portions of their specific isofrequency contour, along with the frequency-specific projections of the elongate cells. Within a given isofrequency contour, there is a consistent organization in which intrinsic connections ascend from the ventrolateral portion to more dorsomedial points along the contour, forming a cascaded system of intrinsic feedforward connections that seem ideally suited to provide the delay lines necessary to produce several forms of selectivity for temporal patterns in inferior colliculus neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Guo HY, Hoffman AL, Steinhauer LC, Miller KE. Observations of improved stability and confinement in a high-beta self-organized spherical-torus-like field-reversed configuration. Phys Rev Lett 2005; 95:175001. [PMID: 16383833 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.95.175001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2005] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
An extremely high-beta (over 85%) self-organized field-reversed configuration (FRC) with a spherical-torus- (ST-)like core is produced in the translation, confinement, and sustainment experiment by highly super-Alfvénic translation of a spheromaklike plasmoid. Substantial flux conversion from toroidal into poloidal occurs during the capture process, resulting in the ST-like core. This plasma state exhibits a remarkable stabilizing property for the ubiquitous centrifugally driven interchange modes present in theta-pinch formed FRCs. This is explained, for the first time, by a simple model taking into account magnetic shear and centrifugal effects. The FRC-ST configuration has up to 4 times improvement in flux confinement times over the scaling of conventional theta-pinch formed FRCs and, thus, a significant improvement in the resistivity and transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Y Guo
- Redmond Plasma Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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Schechter R, Beju D, Miller KE. The effect of insulin deficiency on tau and neurofilament in the insulin knockout mouse. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2005; 334:979-86. [PMID: 16039605 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2005] [Accepted: 07/04/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Complications of diabetes mellitus within the nervous system are peripheral and central neuropathy. In peripheral neuropathy, defects in neurofilament and microtubules have been demonstrated. In this study, we examined the effects of insulin deficiency within the brain in insulin knockout mice (I-/-). The I-/- exhibited hyperphosphorylation of tau, at threonine 231, and neurofilament. In addition, we showed hyperphosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3 beta) at serine 9. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK 1) showed decrease in phosphorylation, whereas ERK 2 showed no changes. Ultrastructural examination demonstrated swollen mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus, and dispersion of the nuclear chromatin. Microtubules showed decrease in the number of intermicrotubule bridges and neurofilament presented as bunches. Thus, lack of insulin brain stimulation induces JNK hyperphosphorylation followed by hyperphosphorylation of tau and neurofilament, and ultrastructural cellular damage, that over time may induce decrease in cognition and learning disabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Schechter
- William K. Warren Medical Research Institute, University of Oklahoma Medical Health Science Center, Tulsa, OK 74107, USA.
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