Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Monitoring Prevalence, Treatment, And Control Of Metabolic Conditions In New York City Adults Using 2013 Primary Care Electronic Health Records: A Surveillance Validation Study, Lorna E. Thorpe, Katharine H. Mcveigh, Sharon Perlman, Pui Y. Chan, Katherine Bartley, Lauren Schreibstein, Jesica Rodriguez-Lopez, Remle Newton-Dame

Publications and Research

Introduction: Electronic health records (EHRs) can potentially extend chronic disease surveillance, but few EHR-based initiatives tracking population-based metrics have been validated for accuracy. We designed a new EHR-based population health surveillance system for New York City (NYC) known as NYC Macroscope. This report is the third in a 3-part series describing the development and validation of that system. The first report describes governance and technical infrastructure underlying the NYC Macroscope. The second report describes validation methods and presents validation results for estimates of obesity, smoking, depression and influenza vaccination. In this third paper we present validation findings for metabolic indicators …

Cellmapper: Rapid And Accurate Inference Of Gene Expression In Difficult-To-Isolate Cell Types, Bradlee D. Nelms, Levi Waldron, Luis A. Barrera, Andrew W. Weflen, Jeremy A. Goettel, Guoji Guo, Robert K. Montgomery, Marian R. Neutra, David T. Breault, Scott B. Snapper, Stuart H. Orkin, Martha L. Bulyk, Curtis Huttenhower, Wayne I. Lencer

Publications and Research

We present a sensitive approach to predict genes expressed selectively in specific cell types, by searching publicly available expression data for genes with a similar expression profile to known cell-specific markers. Our method, CellMapper, strongly outperforms previous computational algorithms to predict cell type-specific expression, especially for rare and difficult-to-isolate cell types. Furthermore, CellMapper makes accurate predictions for human brain cell types that have never been isolated, and can be rapidly applied to diverse cell types from many tissues. We demonstrate a clinically relevant application to prioritize candidate genes in disease susceptibility loci identified by GWAS.

Burnout And Depression In Psychiatric Residents, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent, Pierre Vandel, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Kealy et al. (2016) found that 21% of psychiatric residents were suffering symptoms of burnout. A number of problems call that finding into question. First, the writers used a one-item measure to assess burnout. Second, mounting evidence suggests that burnout is a depressive syndrome. Third, unresolvable job stress is related to depression. Given burnout's overlap with depression and the diagnostic blur around burnout, research on the impact of job stress should connect with depression, which is nosologically well characterized and diagnosable using clinically validated instruments.

Burnout Is Associated With A Depressive Cognitive Style, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

We examined whether burnout is associated with a depressive cognitive style, understood as a combination of dysfunctional attitudes, ruminative responses, and pessimistic attributions. A total of 1386 U.S. public school teachers were included—1063 women (M_age: 42.73, SD_age = 11.36) and 323 men (M_age: 44.60, SD_age = 11.42). Burnout was assessed with the Shirom–Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM). Dysfunctional attitudes were measured with the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale Short Form, ruminative responses with the Ruminative Responses Scale, and pessimistic attributions with the Depressive Attributions Questionnaire. For comparative purposes, depression was assessed using the 9-item depression module of the …

Re: "Job Strain And The Cortisol Diurnal Cycle In Mesa: Accounting For Between- And Within-Day Variability, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Rudolph et al. (2016) examined the association between job strain and cortisol profile. Several potential confounders were considered, including sociodemographic characteristics, income-wealth index, financial strain, physical health, physical activity, and medication use. No relationship between job strain and the cortisol awakening response was observed. We have 4 comments on the methods used in the study. First, although the authors related the modifications in cortisol profiles to job strain, they did not assess and statistically control for a number of nonoccupational strain factors (e.g., family- or couple-related chronic stress). Second, depressive symptoms and disorders were not considered in the study. Depression …

Burnout And Depression: Label-Related Stigma, Help-Seeking, And Syndrome Overlap, Renzo Bianchi, Jay Verkuilen, Romain Brisson, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We investigated whether burnout and depression differed in terms of public stigma and help-seeking attitudes and behaviors. Secondarily, we examined the overlap of burnout and depressive symptoms. A total of 1046 French schoolteachers responded to an Internet survey in November–December 2015. The survey included measures of public stigma, help-seeking attitudes and behaviors, burnout and depressive symptoms, self-rated health, neuroticism, extraversion, history of anxiety or depressive disorder, social desirability, and socio-demographic variables. The burnout label appeared to be less stigmatizing than the depression label. In either case, however, fewer than 1% of the participants exhibited …

On The Dead End Of Current Research On Burnout's Prevalence, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

Dimou et al. (2016) concluded that >50% of surgeons experience burnout. For three reasons, we think that such conclusions are unwarranted. First, there are no consensual or binding diagnostic criteria for burnout. Second, recent research (e.g., Bianchi, Schonfeld, & Laurent, 2015) suggests that burnout is actually a depressive syndrome. Finally, we note that researchers’ recommendations about stress-reducing organizational changes often remain incantatory because they insufficiently consider the economic issues and macrosocial power relationships that can hamper the recommendations’ implementation. Current practices in burnout research have led to an accumulation of results, the clinical meaning of which is obscure.

Burnout-Depression Overlap: A Study Of New Zealand Schoolteachers, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Mayor, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

We examined the overlap of burnout with depression in a sample of 184 New Zealand schoolteachers. Burnout and depressive symptoms were strongly correlated with each other (r = .73; disattenuated correlation: .82) and moderately correlated with dysfunctional attitudes, ruminative responses, and pessimistic attributions. All the participants with high frequencies of burnout symptoms were identified as clinically depressed. Suicidal ideation was reported by 36% of those participants. Three groups of teachers emerged from a two-step cluster analysis: “low burnout-depression,” “medium burnout-depression,” and “high burnout-depression.” The correlation between the affective-cognitive and somatic symptoms of depression was similar in strength to the burnout-depression …

Burnout And Depression: Two Entities Or One, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the overlap in burnout and depression. Method: The sample comprised 1,386 schoolteachers (mean age = 43; mean years taught = 15; 77% women) from 18 different U.S. states. We assessed burnout, using the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure, and depression, using the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire. Results: Treated dimensionally, burnout and depressive symptoms were strongly correlated (.77; disattenuated correlation, .84). Burnout and depressive symptoms were similarly correlated with each of 3 stress-related factors, stressful life events, job adversity, and workplace support. In categorical analyses, 86% of the teachers identified as …

Hot And Cold Executive Functions In Pure Opioid Users Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Effects Of Methadone Dose, Treatment Duration, And Time Between Last Methadone Administration And Testing, Usha Barahmand, E. Tavakolian, A. Khazaee, K. Mohammadi

Publications and Research

Context: Methadone maintenance is a standard treatment for opiate‑dependent individuals. However, deficits in cognitive functioning have been associated with this treatment.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the dose and treatment duration‑related effects of methadone on executive functions.

Setting and Design: Pure male opioid users with no considerable history of other drug abuse, undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) were recruited from a major government‑run de‑addiction center.

Methods: Hot executive functions including decision‑making and emotion recognition were assessed using the Iowa gambling task and Ekman faces test, whereas cold executive functions including working memory (WM), cognitive flexibility, and response inhibition were …

An Advertisement Analysis Of Alcohol Products In Popular Women’S Magazines, M Dottington Fullwood, Jennifer Mongiovi, Grace Hillyer, Corey H. Basch, Danna Ethan, Rodney Hammond

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Working Memory And Interference Control In Children With Specific Language Impairment, Klara Marton, Naomi Eichorn, Luca Campanelli, Lilla Zakarias

Publications and Research

Language and communication disorders are often associated with deficits in working memory (WM) and interference control. WM studies involving children with specific language impairment (SLI) have traditionally been framed using either resource theories or decay accounts, particularly Baddeley's model. Although significant interference problems in children with SLI are apparent in error analysis data from WM and language tasks, interference theories and paradigms have not been widely used in the SLI literature. A primary goal of the present paper is to provide an overview of interference deficits in children with SLI. Review of the extant literature on interference control shows deficits …

Burnout In Firefighters: A Word On Methodology, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

At least three methodological problems affect the study by Katsavouni et al. (2016). First, there are currently no diagnostic criteria for burnout, neither in the DSM-5, nor in the ICD-10. Second, one extremely important variable was omitted from this study of firefighters, namely, depression. Third, the authors did not control for relevant nonoccupational factors such as stressors occurring outside of work.

The “Burnout” Construct: An Inhibitor Of Public Health Action?, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

The prevention and treatment of the “burnout syndrome” within the critical care community is an important objective of the Moss et al. Burnout in the occupational area is based on the idea that burnout is especially common in individuals who care for critically ill patients. We think that the authors’ observations and recommendations are diminished by the fact that studies of burnout’s prevalence are methodologically problematic. The current definition and use of the burnout construct may in fact be detrimental to public health decision making.

Job Stress, Inflammation, And Atherosclerosis: A Reflection, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Stress in general has been associated with inflammation and atherosclerosis (Sapolsky, 2004; Slavich and Irwin, 2014). The accumulation of inadequately controlled studies has become a concern (Bianchi, 2016; Schonfeld & Bianchi, 2016). Stronger efforts should be made to take into account both empirically identified and theoretically likely confounders in this research field. Assessing the contribution of job-related factors to given outcomes without simultaneously considering the role of relevant non-job factors is unwarranted. Results from inadequately controlled studies can lead to our making ineffective, or even counter-productive, decisions in terms of public health policies.

Knowledge-Based Tweet Classification For Disease Sentiment Monitoring, Xiang Ji, Soon Ae Chun, James Geller

Publications and Research

Disease monitoring and tracking is of tremendous value, not only for containing the spread of contagious diseases but also for avoiding unnecessary public concerns and even panic. In this chapter, we present a near real-time sentiment analysis service of public health-related tweets. Traditionally, it is impossible for humans to effectively measure the degree of public health concerns due to limited resources and significant time delays. To solve this problem, we have developed a computational intelligence approach for Epidemic Sentiment Monitoring System (ESMOS) to automatically analyze the disease sentiments and gauge the Measure of Concern (MOC) expressed by Twitter users. More …

Modulation Of Gamma And Alpha Spinal Motor Neurons Activity By Trans-Spinal Direct Current Stimulation: Effects On Reflexive Actions And Locomotor Activity, Zaghloul Ahmed

Publications and Research

Spontaneous and evoked spinal activities interact to set the characteristics of emergent motor responses. Gamma motor neurons have feedforward and feedback functions in motor control, which are crucial for transforming motor commands into action. Meanwhile, the intrinsic excitability and functional connectivity of alpha motor neurons determine the accuracy of actions. In this study, we investigated the effects of trans-spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) on spontaneous and cortically evoked activity of well-isolated single units of gamma and alpha motor neurons in mice. We also investigated the effects of tsDCS on reflexive and locomotor actions. In general, motor neurons showed increased responses …