Tai Chi and Wellness Interventions for Veterans with Gulf War Illness: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial.

Background: Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multi-symptom illness that affects up to one-third of the 700,000 American military personnel deployed to the Persian Gulf region in 1990 and 1991. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine feasibility and the relative efficacy of two 12-week in-person group treatments (Tai Chi and Wellness) to address GWI symptoms of chronic pain, fatigue, and changes in mood and cognitive functioning.

Method: Male and female veterans were randomly assigned to Tai Chi (n = 27) or Wellness (n = 26) group interventions and assessed at four time points: baseline, post-treatment, 3-, and 9-month follow-up.

Personalizing cognitive processing therapy with a case formulation approach to intentionally target impairment in psychosocial functioning associated with PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition often accompanied by significant functional impairments affecting quality of life and well-being. While Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a leading, evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD, demonstrating substantial efficacy in core symptom reduction, its impact on psychosocial functioning is less well-established. The Personalizing Cognitive Processing Therapy with a Case Formulation Approach (Personalizing Approaches to Therapy: PATh) study aims to enhance CPT by explicitly targeting functional impairments and idiosyncratic challenges to optimal therapy outcomes (COTOs), comparing its efficacy against standard CPT in improving psychosocial functioning, quality of life, well-being, and core PTSD and depression symptoms.

Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Timed Goals and the Personal Health Inventory in a Wellness Group for Veterans With GWI.

Background: Interventions based on the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) Whole Health (WH) initiative may be beneficial for veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI) through specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and timed (SMART) goal setting and monitoring of perceived goal attainment with the Personal Health Inventory (PHI).

Objectives: This secondary analysis of 2 randomized controlled trials focused on (1) categorizing SMART goals set during a wellness intervention based on the VHA's WH approach to identify goals most relevant for veterans with GWI and chronic pain and (2) descriptively examining the PHI over a course of treatment to assess its preliminary sensitivity to change. Also, changes in PHI for those who engaged in the intervention in-person versus remotely were compared.

Protocol for remote Tai Chi and wellness for PTSD and pain in veterans.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychological disorder that is associated with a host of psychosocial and health ailments, including chronic pain. Although evidence-based psychological therapies are recommended as first-line PTSD treatments, a large proportion of individuals either drop out and/or do not achieve a therapeutic response. PTSD is increasingly recognized as a systemic disorder that impacts both physical and mental health, and mind-body approaches, such as Tai Chi, have shown promise.

Complementary and integrative interventions for PTSD.

To treat the impact of trauma, most current evidence supports the use of trauma-focused psychotherapy as the first line approach. However, millions of individuals exposed to trauma worldwide seek Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) therapies in hopes of achieving wellness above and beyond reducing symptoms. But what is the evidence for CIH interventions? What are potential pitfalls? Given the growing popularity of and strong interest in CIH, EJPT is featuring research on these approaches in this special issue.

A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial of Doxazosin for Co-Occurring PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder in Veterans.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of doxazosin, an α-adrenergic antagonist, for the treatment of co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). This 12-week, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of doxazosin (16 mg/d) was conducted between June 2016 and December 2019 at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

Massed vs Intensive Outpatient Prolonged Exposure for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Improved, efficient, and acceptable treatments are needed for combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Objective: To determine the efficacy of 2 compressed prolonged exposure (PE) therapy outpatient treatments for combat-related PTSD.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted among military personnel and veterans at 4 sites in Texas from 2017 to 2019.

Study protocol for a revised randomized trial: Remotely delivered Tai Chi and wellness for Gulf War illness.

Background: Many of the 700,000 American military personnel deployed to the Persian Gulf region in 1990 and 1991 have since reported health symptoms of unknown etiology. This cluster of symptoms has been labeled Gulf War Illness and include chronic musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, headaches, memory and attention difficulties, gastrointestinal complaints, skin abnormalities, breathing problems, and mood and sleep problems [1,2]. There have been few high-quality intervention trials and no strong evidence to support available treatments [3].

A pilot randomized effectiveness trial of the unified protocol in trauma-exposed veterans.

Background: The unified protocol (UP) is a promising transdisgnostic treatment for emotional disorders; limited data exists with trauma-exposed populations. This study compared effectiveness of the UP, presented centered therapy (PCT), and treatment as usual (TAU) in trauma-exposed veterans presenting to routine care.

Method: Trauma-exposed veterans with one or more emotional disorder diagnoses participated in a pilot hybrid-1 effectiveness/preimplementation study.

Randomised controlled trial evaluating the effects of screening and referral for social determinants of health on Veterans' outcomes: protocol.

Introduction: Health policy leaders recommend screening and referral (S&R) for unmet social needs (eg, food) in clinical settings, and the American Heart Association recently concluded that the most significant opportunities for reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) death and disability lie with addressing the social determinants of CVD outcomes. A limited but promising evidence base supports these recommendations, but more rigorous research is needed to guide health care-based S&R efforts. Funded by the Veteran Health Administration (VA), the study described in this paper will assess the efficacy of S&R on Veterans' connections to new resources to address social needs, reduction of unmet needs and health-related outcomes (adherence, utilisation and clinical outcomes).

Tai Chi and Qigong for trauma exposed populations: A systematic review.

Background: Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress are highly prevalent and comorbid with health problems. Despite the apparent systemic nature of post-traumatic stress, recommended treatments neglect trauma's deleterious effects on health. Integrative mind-body treatments for posttraumatic stress, such as Tai Chi and Qigong (TCQ), may offer a promising adjunct to first-line treatments.

STRONG STAR and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD: Shaping the future of combat PTSD and related conditions in military and veteran populations.

The STRONG STAR Consortium (South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma and Resilience) and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD are interdisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortia focused on the detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid conditions in military personnel and veterans. This manuscript outlines the consortia's state-of-the-science collaborative research model and how this can be used as a roadmap for future trauma-related research. STRONG STAR was initially funded for 5 years in 2008 by the U.

Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression: A Pilot Study of a Brief Treatment to Help Veterans Reduce Impulsive Aggression.

Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report more aggression than civilians with PTSD. Because emotion regulation difficulties mediated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and impulsive aggression in veterans, we developed an intervention to increase emotion regulation skills. This pilot study tested the feasibility and acceptability of a three-session treatment, Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA), and examined its effectiveness at reducing aggression and emotion dysregulation.

Intensive, Multi-Couple Group Therapy for PTSD: A Nonrandomized Pilot Study With Military and Veteran Dyads.

Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (CBCT for PTSD; Monson & Fredman, 2012) is efficacious in improving PTSD symptoms and relationship adjustment among couples with PTSD. However, there is a need for more efficient delivery formats to maximize engagement and retention and to achieve faster outcomes in multiple domains. This nonrandomized trial was designed to pilot an abbreviated, intensive, multi-couple group version of CBCT for PTSD (AIM-CBCT for PTSD) delivered over a single weekend for 24 couples that included an active-duty service member or veteran with PTSD who had deployed in support of combat operations following September 11, 2001.

The Effects of Tai Chi Mind-Body Approach on the Mechanisms of Gulf War Illness: an Umbrella Review.

Gulf War illness (GWI) is a chronic and multisymptom disorder affecting military veterans deployed to the 1991 Persian Gulf War. It is characterized by a range of acute and chronic symptoms, including but not limited to, fatigue, sleep disturbances, psychological problems, cognitive deficits, widespread pain, and respiratory and gastrointestinal difficulties. The prevalence of many of these chronic symptoms affecting Gulf War veterans occur at markedly elevated rates compared to nondeployed contemporary veterans.

Redesigning TOR Kinase to Explore the Structural Basis for TORC1 and TORC2 Assembly.

TOR is a serine/threonine protein kinase that assembles into distinct TOR Complexes 1 and 2 (TORC1 or TORC2) to regulate cell growth. In mammalian cells, a single mTOR incorporates stably into mTORC1 and mTORC2. By contrast, in , two highly similar Tor1 and Tor2 proteins exist, where Tor1 assembles exclusively into TORC1 and Tor2 assembles preferentially into TORC2.

Alliance across group treatment for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: The role of interpersonal trauma and treatment type.

Objective: Examine initial levels and pattern of change of alliance in group treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for veterans.

Method: One hundred and seventy-eight male veterans with PTSD were recruited for this study. Participants were randomly assigned to either group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) or to group present-centered therapy (GPCT).

A systematic review of randomized trials of mind-body interventions for PTSD.

Objective: To systematically review outcomes from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mind-body treatments for PTSD.

Methods: Inclusion criteria based on guidelines for assessing risk of bias were used to evaluate articles identified through electronic literature searches.

Results: Twenty-two RCTs met inclusion standards.

Sterol transporters at membrane contact sites regulate TORC1 and TORC2 signaling.

Membrane contact sites (MCSs) function to facilitate the formation of membrane domains composed of specialized lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. In cells, membrane domains regulate membrane dynamics and biochemical and signaling pathways. We and others identified a highly conserved family of sterol transport proteins (Ltc/Lam) localized at diverse MCSs.

Initiation, dropout, and outcome from evidence-based psychotherapies in a VA PTSD outpatient clinic.

Trauma-focused, evidence-based psychotherapies (TF-EBPs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been widely promoted in the Veterans Health Administration to provide access to state-of-the-art treatments, but dropout rates may affect the impact of TF-EBPs. The current study summarizes findings from a program evaluation of 67 veterans assigned to trauma-focused treatment in a Veterans Affairs outpatient PTSD clinic. Outcomes of interest include attendance rates, dropout rates and patterns, treatment paths, changes in self-reported symptoms, and clinician ratings.

Xanthine oxidase inhibition protects against Western diet-induced aortic stiffness and impaired vasorelaxation in female mice.

Consumption of a high-fat, high-fructose diet [Western diet (WD)] promotes vascular stiffness, a critical factor in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Obese and diabetic women exhibit greater arterial stiffness than men, which contributes to the increased incidence of CVD in these women. Furthermore, high-fructose diets result in elevated plasma concentrations of uric acid via xanthine oxidase (XO) activation, and uric acid elevation is also associated with increased vascular stiffness.

Feasibility, qualitative findings and satisfaction of a brief Tai Chi mind-body programme for veterans with post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Objective: To examine feasibility, qualitative feedback and satisfaction associated with a 4-session introduction to Tai Chi for veterans with post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Design: We observed and reported recruitment and retention rates, participant characteristics, adherence, and satisfaction across 2 cohorts. We also examined qualitative feedback provided by questionnaires, focus groups and individual interviews.

Explication and Definition of Mental Health Recovery: A Systematic Review.

This review assessed the concordance of the literature on recovery with the definition and components of recovery developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Each SAMHSA identified recovery component was first explicated with synonyms and keywords and made mutually exclusive by authors. Inter-rater reliability was established on the coding of the presence of 17 recovery components and dimensions in 67 literature reviews on the recovery concept in mental health.

A Zebrafish Genetic Screen Identifies Neuromedin U as a Regulator of Sleep/Wake States.

Neuromodulation of arousal states ensures that an animal appropriately responds to its environment and engages in behaviors necessary for survival. However, the molecular and circuit properties underlying neuromodulation of arousal states such as sleep and wakefulness remain unclear. To tackle this challenge in a systematic and unbiased manner, we performed a genetic overexpression screen to identify genes that affect larval zebrafish arousal.