A parallel investigation of trauma exposure, maladaptive appraisals and posttraumatic stress reactions in two groups of trauma-exposed adolescents.

Maladaptive appraisals, such as thoughts about experiencing a permanent and disturbing change and about being a fragile person in a scary world, are associated with posttraumatic stress reactions (PTSR) for trauma-exposed children and adolescents. Less is known about what puts young people at risk for developing such appraisals, and the differential relationship between the types of appraisals and PTSR The primary aim was to examine the role of age, gender and exposure to potentially traumatizing events (PTEs) for the levels of maladaptive appraisals. The secondary aim was to investigate the association between the levels of maladaptive appraisals (appraisals of a permanent change and appraisals about a scary world) and PTSR.

'My child could have died': counterfactual thoughts and psychological distress in parents of trauma survivors.

After exposure to a potentially traumatic event, survivors may experience thoughts about 'what could have happened', referred to as counterfactual thoughts (CFTs). CFTs have been found to have a negative impact on survivors' mental health. This is the first study to investigate whether parents of trauma survivors experience CFTs and the association with psychological distress in this group.

The effect of resolvin D1 on primary oral epithelial cell migration in vitro.

Specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs) are known for their anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving actions. The aim of the present study was to find new functions of the SPM resolvin D1 (RvD1) on oral epithelial cells. As a starting point, we used a dataset obtained by RNA high-throughput sequencing of oral epithelial cells exposed to TNF-α and RvD1 versus TNF-α alone.

Warning signals? An explorative study of distant recollections of the moments before a disaster.

How do we remember what happened shortly before a traumatic experience? There has been little focus on the temporal context of trauma memories, but a few studies suggest that aspects of what happened in the moments prior to a traumatic experience may be selectively enhanced and prioritized in memory. The main aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence, nature, and content of voluntary memories about what happened shortly before a disaster. The participants were individuals who had survived a fire on the passenger ferry 26 years earlier.

RvD1 Downregulates the Transcription of Pro-Inflammatory Genes in Oral Epithelial Cells and Reverses Nuclear Translocation of Transcription Factor p65 after TNF-α Stimulation.

Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are multifunctional lipid mediators that participate in the resolution of inflammation. We have recently described that oral epithelial cells (OECs) express receptors of the SPM resolvin RvD1 and that cultured OECs respond to RvD1 addition by intracellular calcium release, nuclear receptor translocation and transcription of genes coding for antimicrobial peptides. The aim of the present study was to assess the functional outcome of RvD1-signaling in OECs under inflammatory conditions.

Expression and function of resolvin RvD1 receptors in oral epithelial cells.

Chronic inflammatory responses can inflict permanent damage to host tissues. Specialized pro-resolving mediators downregulate inflammation but also can have other functions. The aim of this study was to examine whether oral epithelial cells express the receptors FPR2/ALX and DRV1/GPR32, which bind RvD1 , a recently described pro-resolving mediator derived from omega-3 docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and whether RvD1 exposure induced significant responses in these cells.

Origin of langerin (CD207)-expressing antigen presenting cells in the normal oral mucosa and in oral lichen planus lesions.

The number of langerin-expressing antigen-presenting cells is higher in oral lichen planus than in normal oral mucosa. However, langerin may be expressed by several functionally different lineages of antigen presenting cells (APCs), and this has important implications for our understanding of the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus. The aim of this study was to determine the origin of the langerin-expressing APCs.

No buffer effect of perceived social support for people exposed to violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional community study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has represented a burden to communities worldwide. Research indicates that this burden is not equally distributed in the community, and vulnerable groups, such as violence-exposed individuals may pay a particularly high prize. Perceived social support is known to buffer against negative effects of trauma and adversity, but it is not clear whether this is the case during times of social restrictions and lockdowns.

Trusting Others During a Pandemic: Investigating Potential Changes in Generalized Trust and Its Relationship With Pandemic-Related Experiences and Worry.

Generalized trust, the belief that most other people can be trusted, has positive consequences for health and wellbeing. An increased sense of community is often seen in times of crisis or disaster, but it is unclear whether this is the case in the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of the current study were to assess whether generalized trust increased in an early pandemic phase compared to pre-pandemic levels, and whether trust was lower in individuals who felt particularly threatened or burdened in the pandemic.

Investigating the frequency of intrusive memories after 24 hours using a visuospatial interference intervention: a follow-up and extension.

Background: There is a need for effective, low-cost, readily available measures for reducing trauma symptoms so that people exposed to potentially traumatic events can receive help more quickly. A previous study reported that performing an intervention including a visuospatial task shortly after a reminder of a series of unpleasant film clips seen 24 hours earlier reduced the number of intrusive memories over the following week.

Objective: This study reports a follow-up and extension of the earlier promising finding.

Worry and mental health in the Covid-19 pandemic: vulnerability factors in the general Norwegian population.

Background: There is an urgent need for knowledge about the mental health consequences of the ongoing pandemic. The aim of this study was to identify vulnerability factors for psychological distress and reduced life satisfaction in the general population. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the role of COVID-related worries for psychological distress and life satisfaction.

Host Modulation and Treatment of Periodontal Disease.

Periodontitis is the sixth-most prevalent disease in the world and the first cause for tooth loss in adults. With focus shifted to the inflammatory/immune response in the pathogenesis of periodontitis, there is a critical need to evaluate host modulatory agents. Synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are a cornerstone for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Trauma in the third decade: Ruminative coping, social relationships and posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Background: Previous research suggest that rumination and poor social relationships contribute to the maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after traumatic events. Less is known about how these factors work together. The aim of this study was to assess the association between ruminative coping style and long-term PTSS, and to determine whether perceived social support and loneliness can attenuate or potentiate this association, respectively.

Long-term mental health and social support in victims of disaster: comparison with a general population sample.

Background: Trauma and traumatic bereavement have well-known consequences for mental health, but little is known about long-term adjustment, particularly with respect to health-protective factors.AimsTo assess the levels of anxiety/depression and perceived social support among the survivors and the bereaved 26 years after the Scandinavian Star ferry disaster compared with expected levels from the general population.

Method: Anxiety/depression and social support were assessed in face-to-face interviews with the survivors and the bereaved (N = 165, response rate 58%).

Loss of Trust May Never Heal. Institutional Trust in Disaster Victims in a Long-Term Perspective: Associations With Social Support and Mental Health.

Natural disasters, technological disasters, and terrorist attacks have an extensive aftermath, often involving society's institutions such as the legal system and the police. Victims' perceptions of institutional trustworthiness may impact their potential for healing. This cross-sectional study investigates institutional trust, health, and social support in victims of a disaster that occurred in 1990.

Imagining What Could Have Happened: Types and Vividness of Counterfactual Thoughts and the Relationship With Post-traumatic Stress Reactions.

A growing body of research suggests that counterfactual thinking after traumatic events is associated with post-traumatic stress reactions. In this study we explored frequency of upward and downward counterfactuals in trauma-exposed individuals, and how trauma-related counterfactuals were represented in terms of vividness. We examined the relationships between vividness and frequency of counterfactual thoughts and post-traumatic stress reactions in two groups who had experienced different types of traumatic exposure, namely survivors and bereaved from the fire on the ferry Scandinavian Star in 1990.

Gender Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms after a Terrorist Attack: A Network Approach.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms are more prevalent in women than in men. To improve our understanding of gender differences in PTSD, detailed knowledge about the underlying symptom networks and gender specific symptom profiles is needed. We aimed to describe the gender differences in levels of individual posttraumatic stress symptoms after a terrorist attack, as well as identify possible gender differences in associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms.

The Regulatory Role of the Oral Commensal Streptococcus mitis on Human Monocytes.

Streptococcus mitis colonizes all niches of the human oral cavity from early infancy and throughout life. Monocytes patrol blood vessels, lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues and migrate into infected tissue where they participate in the inflammatory cascade and immune regulation. Here, we studied the effect of S.

Prevalence and Course of Symptom-Defined PTSD in Individuals Directly or Indirectly Exposed to Terror: A Longitudinal Study.

Objective: It is well established that direct exposure to terrorism can result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, individuals indirectly exposed to terrorism may also develop symptoms of PTSD. This study examined the prevalence and course of symptom-defined PTSD in employees who were present and not present at the site of a workplace terror attack.

The oral commensal Streptococcus mitis activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in human oral epithelial cells.

Streptococcus mitis (S. mitis) is a pioneer commensal bacterial species colonizing many of the surfaces of the oral cavity in healthy individuals. Yet, not much information is available regarding its interaction with the host.

Lysophosphatidic acid induces expression of genes in human oral keratinocytes involved in wound healing.

Objective: Epithelial cells participate in wound healing by covering wounds, but also as important mediators of wound healing processes. Topical application of the phospholipid growth factor lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) accelerates dermal wound healing and we hypothesized that LPA can play a role in human oral wound healing through its effects on human oral keratinocytes (HOK).

Design: HOK were isolated from gingival biopsies and exposed to LPA.

For Whom Does Time Heal Wounds? Individual Differences in Stability and Change in Posttraumatic Stress After the 2011 Oslo Bombing.

Prospective studies describing and predicting individual differences in the course of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after disasters are scarce. The present study aimed to describe and predict individual differences in both the level and the rate of change in PTSS after the 2011 Oslo bombing, a terrorist attack directed at the Norwegian government. Survey data from ministerial employees (N = 256) were collected 10, 22, and 34 months after the bombing.

Towards an exposure-dependent model of post-traumatic stress: longitudinal course of post-traumatic stress symptomatology and functional impairment after the 2011 Oslo bombing.

Background: Our understanding of the dynamics of post-traumatic stress symptomatology and its link to functional impairment over time is limited.

Method: Post-traumatic stress symptomatology (Post-traumatic Checklist, PCL) was assessed three times in 1-year increments (T1, T2, T3) following the Oslo bombing of 22 July, 2011, in directly (n = 257) and indirectly exposed (n = 2223) government employees, together with demographics, measures of exposure and work and social adjustment. The dynamics of post-traumatic stress disorder symptom cluster interplay were examined within a structural equation modelling framework using a cross-lagged autoregressive panel model.

Does optimism act as a buffer against posttraumatic stress over time? A longitudinal study of the protective role of optimism after the 2011 Oslo bombing.

Objective: Cross-sectional studies have revealed that high levels of optimism can protect against high levels of posttraumatic stress after exposure to trauma. However, this is the first study to explore (a) the protective role of optimism in a longitudinal perspective and (b) optimism's protective effects on specific symptom clusters within the posttraumatic stress symptomatology.

Method: This study used prospective survey data from ministerial employees (n = 256) collected approximately 1, 2, and 3 years after the 2011 Oslo bombing.