scholarly journals Altered gene expression and PTSD symptom dimensions in World Trade Center responders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby Marchese ◽  
Leo Cancelmo ◽  
Olivia Diab ◽  
Leah Cahn ◽  
Cindy Aaronson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Ptsd Symptom ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Total N ◽  
Symptom Dimensions ◽  
Anxious Arousal ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Trade Center

AbstractDespite experiencing a significant trauma, only a subset of World Trade Center (WTC) rescue and recovery workers developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Identification of biomarkers is critical to the development of targeted interventions for treating disaster responders and potentially preventing the development of PTSD in this population. Analysis of gene expression from these individuals can help in identifying biomarkers of PTSD.We established a well-phenotyped sample of 371 WTC responders, recruited from a longitudinal WTC responder cohort, by obtaining blood, self-reported and clinical interview data. Using bulk RNA-sequencing from whole blood, we examined the association between gene expression and WTC-related PTSD symptom severity on (i) highest lifetime Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) score, (ii) past-month CAPS score, and (iii) PTSD symptom dimensions using a 5-factor model of re-experiencing, avoidance, emotional numbing, dysphoric arousal and anxious arousal symptoms. We corrected for sex, age, genotype-derived principal components and surrogate variables. Finally, we performed a meta-analysis with existing PTSD studies (total N=1,016), using case/control status as the predictor and correcting for these variables.We identified 66 genes significantly associated with highest lifetime CAPS score (FDR-corrected p<0.05), and 31 genes associated with past-month CAPS. Our more granular analyses of PTSD symptom dimensions identified additional genes that did not reach statistical significance in our overall analysis. In particular, we identified 82 genes significantly associated with lifetime anxious arousal symptoms. Several genes significantly associated with multiple PTSD symptom dimensions and lifetime CAPS score (SERPINA1, RPS6KA1, and STAT3) have been previously associated with PTSD. Geneset enrichment of these findings has identified pathways significant in metabolism, immune signaling, other psychiatric disorders, neurological signaling, and cellular structure. Our meta-analysis revealed 10 genes that reached genome-wide significance, all of which were down-regulated in cases compared to controls (CIRBP, TMSB10, FCGRT, CLIC1, RPS6KB2, HNRNPUL1, ALDOA, NACA, ZNF429 and COPE). Additionally, cellular deconvolution highlighted an enrichment in CD4 T cells and eosinophils in responders with PTSD compared to controls.The distinction in significant genes between lifetime CAPS score and the anxious arousal symptom dimension of PTSD highlights a potential biological difference in the mechanism underlying the heterogeneity of the PTSD phenotype. Future studies should be clear about methods used to analyze PTSD status, as phenotypes based on PTSD symptom dimensions may yield different gene sets than combined CAPS score analysis. Potential biomarkers implicated from our meta-analysis may help improve therapeutic target development for PTSD.

PTSD symptom dimensions and their relationship to functioning in World Trade Center responders

2013 ◽  
Vol 210 (3) ◽  
pp. 1049-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilo J. Ruggero ◽  
Roman Kotov ◽  
Jennifer L. Callahan ◽  
Jared N. Kilmer ◽  
Benjamin J. Luft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Trade ◽  
Ptsd Symptom ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Symptom Dimensions ◽  
Trade Center

scholarly journals Gene expression associated with PTSD in World Trade Center responders: An RNA sequencing study

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Fen Kuan ◽  
Monika A. Waszczuk ◽  
Roman Kotov ◽  
Sean Clouston ◽  
Xiaohua Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
World Trade ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Trade Center

Factors Associated with High-Rise Evacuation: Qualitative Results from the World Trade Center Evacuation Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn R.M. Gershon ◽  
Kristine A. Qureshi ◽  
Marcie S. Rubin ◽  
Victoria H. Raveis
Keyword(s):  
Fire Safety ◽  
World Trade ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
The World ◽  
Trade Center ◽  
The Individual

AbstractIntroduction:Due to the fact that most high-rise structures (i.e., >75 feet high, or eight to ten stories) are constructed with extensive and redundant fire safety features, current fire safety procedures typically only involve limited evacuation during minor to moderate fire emergencies. Therefore, full-scale evacuation of high-rise buildings is highly unusual and consequently, little is known about how readily and rapidly high-rise structures can be evacuated fully. Factors that either facilitate or inhibit the evacuation process remain under-studied.Objective:This paper presents results from the qualitative phase of the World Trade Center Evacuation Study, a three-year, five-phase study designed to improve our understanding of the individual, organizational, and environmental factors that helped or hindered evacuation from the World Trade Center (WTC) Towers 1 and 2, on 11 September 2001.Methods:Qualitative data from semi-structured, in-depth interviews and focus groups involving WTC evacuees were collected and analyzed.Results:On the individual level, factors that affected evacuation included perception of risk (formed largely by sensory cues), preparedness training, degree of familiarity with the building, physical condition, health status, and footwear. Individual behavior also was affected by group behavior and leadership. At the organizational level, evacuation was affected by worksite preparedness planning, including the training and education of building occupants, and risk communication. The environmental conditions affecting evacuation included smoke, flames, debris, general condition and degree of crowdedness on staircases, and communication infrastructure systems (e.g., public address, landline, cellular and fire warden's telephones).Conclusions:Various factors at the individual, organizational, and environmental levels were identified that affected evacuation. Interventions that address the barriers to evacuation may improve the full-scale evacuation of other high-rise buildings under extreme conditions. Further studies should focus on the development and evaluation of targeted interventions, including model emergency preparedness planning for high-rise occupancies.

scholarly journals BIOLOGICAL MARKERS OF AGING: CHRONIC STRESS AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN RESPONDERS FROM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S93-S94
Author(s):  
Erica D Diminich ◽  
Sean Clouston ◽  
Stacey B Scott ◽  
Nikhil Palekar ◽  
Erica D santiago ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Ptsd Symptom ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
The World ◽  
Trade Center ◽  
Post Traumatic

Abstract Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a stress related syndrome. Chronic PTSD has increasingly been associated with poor health outcomes, neurodegeneration and risk for cognitive impairment (CI). However, the biological mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of symptoms and potential associations in accelerating aging are not well understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether specific biomarkers influence functional limitations and cognitive impairment in rescue and recovery workers (i.e. responders) from the attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York. Plasma biomarkers were collected during annual health and wellness visits at the WTC responder clinic between 2012 and 2014. Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and clinical data were examined with prospective PTSD symptom scores collected during participant’s initial enrollment into the parent study as early as 2002. We examined the relationship between cardiovascular (Diastolic Blood Pressure, Systolic Blood Pressure, pulse rate), metabolic (Total Cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, Triglycerides, Glucose, Body Mass Index) and inflammation markers (Albumin, White Blood Count) with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), cognitive functioning (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and frailty (Short Physical Performance Battery) in responders from the World Trade Center (WTC). We first examined correlations between biomarkers, PTSD symptom severity, PTSD dimensions, cognitive functioning and frailty. We then conducted multivariate regression analyses. In models adjusted for potential confounders, among N=1,045 responders, elevated PTSD was strongly associated with increased frailty, cardiovascular dysregulation and mild cognitive impairment. Current work is ongoing to identify trajectories of change in cognition with frailty and biological factors.

scholarly journals World Trade Center responders in their own words: predicting PTSD symptom trajectories with AI-based language analyses of interviews

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Youngseo Son ◽  
Sean A. P. Clouston ◽  
Roman Kotov ◽  
Johannes C. Eichstaedt ◽  
Evelyn J. Bromet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Symptom Severity ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Ptsd Symptom ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
First Person ◽  
Symptom Trajectories ◽  
Trade Center ◽  
Ptsd Symptom Severity ◽  
First Person Plural

Abstract Background Oral histories from 9/11 responders to the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks provide rich narratives about distress and resilience. Artificial Intelligence (AI) models promise to detect psychopathology in natural language, but they have been evaluated primarily in non-clinical settings using social media. This study sought to test the ability of AI-based language assessments to predict PTSD symptom trajectories among responders. Methods Participants were 124 responders whose health was monitored at the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program who completed oral history interviews about their initial WTC experiences. PTSD symptom severity was measured longitudinally using the PTSD Checklist (PCL) for up to 7 years post-interview. AI-based indicators were computed for depression, anxiety, neuroticism, and extraversion along with dictionary-based measures of linguistic and interpersonal style. Linear regression and multilevel models estimated associations of AI indicators with concurrent and subsequent PTSD symptom severity (significance adjusted by false discovery rate). Results Cross-sectionally, greater depressive language (β = 0.32; p = 0.049) and first-person singular usage (β = 0.31; p = 0.049) were associated with increased symptom severity. Longitudinally, anxious language predicted future worsening in PCL scores (β = 0.30; p = 0.049), whereas first-person plural usage (β = −0.36; p = 0.014) and longer words usage (β = −0.35; p = 0.014) predicted improvement. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate the value of AI in understanding PTSD in a vulnerable population. Future studies should extend this application to other trauma exposures and to other demographic groups, especially under-represented minorities.

Social Cognitive Function and Trauma-Related Symptom Dimensions in 9/11 World Trade Center Responders

2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (9) ◽  
pp. S220
Author(s):  
Dayle Lapolla ◽  
Elisa Monti ◽  
Agnes Norbury ◽  
Robert Pietrzak ◽  
Mercedes Perez-Rodriguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Symptom Dimensions ◽  
Related Symptom ◽  
Trade Center

Risk, coping and PTSD symptom trajectories in World Trade Center responders

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 68-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Feder ◽  
Natalie Mota ◽  
Ryan Salim ◽  
Janice Rodriguez ◽  
Ritika Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Trade ◽  
Ptsd Symptom ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Symptom Trajectories ◽  
Trade Center ◽  
Risk Coping
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