Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Rami Elhaj, Joseph M. Reynolds
Summary: Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a range of diseases specific to troops deployed during the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991). Factors contributing to GWI include chemical exposures, foreign environment, and combat stress. Studies suggest that neurotoxicant exposure may be an underlying factor for GWI development and persistence.
MILITARY MEDICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
R. Toomey, R. E. Alpern, A. J. White, X. Li, D. J. Reda, M. S. Blanchard
Summary: The prevalence of medical and behavioral conditions is higher in children of deployed veterans compared to non-deployed veterans after the 1991 Gulf War. Children of deployed veterans had worse dentition, greater obesity, and more behavioral problems, indicating adverse health effects associated with parental deployment that warrant further exploration. Differences were found in various health indicators among children of different ages and genders, highlighting the need for further research in this area.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edmond A. Lau, Heather P. Enright, Victoria M. Lao, Michael A. Malfatti, Brian Mayer, Audrey Williams, Carlos Valdez
Summary: The ability of the cyclodextrin-oxime construct 6-OxP-CD to bind and degrade nerve agents GF, GD, and VX has been studied. It was found that 6-OxP-CD can degrade GF instantly and form an inclusion complex with GD to improve its degradation efficiency. However, no evidence of an inclusion complex between 6-OxP-CD and VX was found.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Rosemary Toomey, Renee E. Alpern, Domenic J. Reda, Dewleen G. Baker, Jennifer J. Vasterling, Melvin S. Blanchard, Seth A. Eisen
Summary: The study found that spouses of deployed and nondeployed Gulf War veterans did not show significant differences in neuropsychological functioning, but spouses with psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms, or chronic multisymptom illness (CMI), exhibited impairments characteristic of those conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chiara Maria Antonietta Gangemi, Ugne Rimkaite, Andrea Pappalardo, Giuseppe Trusso Sfrazzetto
Summary: A luminescent bis-porphyrin-salen-UO2 complex was reported, which exhibited significant fluorescence light-up response when reacting with DMMP, a simulant of nerve agents. The fluorescence change of this complex by excitation at 365 nm was observable with the naked eye, and it was successfully utilized to construct a test paper for detecting nerve agents.
Article
Neurosciences
Christopher B. Brady, Ian Robey, Thor D. Stein, Bertrand R. Huber, Jessica Riley, Nazifa Abdul Rauf, Keith R. Spencer, Gabriel Walt, Latease Adams, James G. Averill, Sean Walker, Ann C. McKee, Stephen P. Thomson, Neil W. Kowall
Summary: The study introduces the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Biorepository (GWVIB) as a resource for researching Gulf War illness (GWI) and related disorders. By recruiting Gulf War era veterans nationally and conducting annual follow-ups, the GWVIB ensures the collection of health data and postmortem neuropathological examination for tissue banking. Data as of September 2021 show significant enrolment of GWVs, with common neuropathologies such as ALS, CTE, and Lewy body disease observed in tissue samples. High-quality CNS tissue and health data from this well-characterized cohort will support ongoing research on GWI and related disorders.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Gursimrat Bhatti, Audri Villalon, Ruosha Li, Mohamed Elammari, Alexandra Price, Lea Steele, Jose M. Garcia, Marco Marcelli, Ricardo Jorge
Summary: This study aimed to identify hormonal alterations in Gulf War veterans and the relationship between Gulf War Illness (GWI) and hormonal dysregulation. The results showed that veterans with GWI had lower quality of life and greater symptom severity. AGHD was observed in 35.3% of GWI veterans, significantly higher than the 7.7% in veterans without GWI.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Darren M. Winograd, Nicole L. Sullivan, Scott R. Thien, Wilfred R. Pigeon, David R. Litke, Drew A. Helmer, Joseph F. Rath, Shou-En Lu, Lisa M. McAndrew
Summary: The study found that patients with Gulf War Illness utilize a variety of self-management strategies, with healthcare use, lifestyle changes, and positive coping being identified as the most effective strategies. Conversely, avoidance, invalidating experiences, and negative coping were frequently identified as ineffective strategies. This suggests opportunities for providers to encourage effective self-management approaches among GWI patients.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
James Disley, Guzman Gil-Ramirez, Jose Gonzalez-Rodriguez
Summary: Portable gas sensing technology plays an important role in preventive and protective measures for handling nerve agents. This review summarizes the current sensing technology for detecting nerve agent simulants in the gas phase and compares the performance of different sensors. Some work using semiconductor detectors has shown reliable systems for detecting DMMP with low limits of detection, fast response times, and adequate portability.
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Mary E. Grewe, Lara Khalil, Kristina Felder, Karen M. Goldstein, Rebecca B. McNeil, Kellie J. Sims, Dawn Provenzale, Corrine I. Voils
Summary: Researchers conducted focus groups and phone interviews to explore Gulf War Era veterans' perceptions about research, discovering motivating factors such as seeking answers about health problems and helping others, as well as barriers like distrust of federal entities and concerns about privacy. This information can help researchers better address veterans' concerns and encourage their participation in research to understand and address health issues affecting this population.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Renee L. Webster, Simon P. B. Ovenden, Lyndal J. McDowall, Genevieve H. Dennison, Melissa J. Laws, Nathan W. McGill, Jilliarne Williams, Shannon D. Zanatta
Summary: This study investigates the trace molecular composition of sarin using various analytical techniques and identifies chemical markers related to its synthesis, which provides critical information for tracing the origin of sarin.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
M. F. Vokuev, T. M. Baygildiev, I. Plyushchenko, Y. A. Ikhalaynen, R. L. Ogorodnikov, I. K. Solontsov, A. Braun, E. Savelieva, I. Rybalchenko, I. A. Rodin
Summary: This study presented the targeted LC-MS/MS determination of sarin metabolites in urine samples of rats exposed to a non-lethal dose of sarin, as well as untargeted urine analysis by LC-HRMS. By utilizing computational and statistical methods, the study proposed six potential biomarkers of biological response to exposure. The results confirmed the significant impact of sarin poisoning on the victims' metabolome, with acetylcholinesterase inhibition being just the first step in the complex toxicodynamic response.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carlos A. Valdez, Roald N. Leif
Summary: The field of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the analysis of chemical warfare agents, particularly focusing on organophosphorus-based nerve agents, is constantly evolving and essential for the rapid and accurate detection of these lethal agents. Derivatization reactions, primarily silylations and alkylations, have played a crucial role in efficiently detecting products arising from the degradation of these nerve agents for retrospective identification.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Maxine Krengel, Kimberly Sullivan, Vahe Heboyan, Clara G. Zundel, Col Candy Wilson, Nancy Klimas, Steven S. Coughlin
Summary: This study found that women GW veterans reporting deployment related exposures of pesticide, oil well fire and PB pills are significantly more likely to meet the Kansas GWI criteria. Exposures were related to symptom subdomain endorsements.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Sarah T. Ahmed, Ruosha Li, Peter Richardson, Saurendro Ghosh, Lea Steele, Donna L. White, Alice Nono Djotsa, Kellie Sims, Elizabeth Gifford, Elizabeth R. Hauser, Salim S. Virani, Robert Morgan, George Delclos, Drew A. Helmer
Summary: Gulf War veterans with GWI had higher odds of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and ASCVD compared with Gulf War veterans without GWI.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Substance Abuse
Valerie A. Cardenas, Christina M. Hough, Timothy C. Durazzo, Dieter J. Meyerhoff
ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Susanne G. Mueller, Dieter J. Meyerhoff
Summary: Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are associated with gray matter (GM) atrophy, particularly in the frontal lobes, which can impact GM loss in other regions and potentially influence drinking behavior and relapse. Studies show that GM connectivity plays a crucial role in understanding the patterns of GM loss in interconnected regions.
Article
Substance Abuse
Timothy C. Durazzo, Linh-Chi Nguyen, Dieter J. Meyerhoff
ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Timothy C. Durazzo, Dieter J. Meyerhoff
Summary: Chronic cigarette smoking is associated with regional metabolite abnormalities in the human brain, particularly affecting GABA levels in different cortical regions. Smokers had lower GABA levels in the right DLPFC compared to nonsmokers, and higher ACC GABA levels were correlated with better decision-making abilities and auditory-verbal learning in smokers. Longitudinal studies with more female participants are needed to determine if these metabolite abnormalities persist or normalize with smoking cessation.
Article
Substance Abuse
Dieter J. Meyerhoff, Timothy C. Durazzo
ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Psychiatry
Angela M. Muller, Dieter J. Meyerhoff
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
Angela M. Muller, Dieter J. Meyerhoff
Summary: Abstinence and relapse are lifelong challenges for patients with AUD. The study revealed that successful recovery from AUD is not linked to regaining the brain organization found in non-drinking controls, but to a new brain configuration distinct from healthy controls. Resting-state fMRI offers valuable insights into neuroplastic adaptations associated with AUD treatment outcomes.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neuroimaging
Alison Myoraku, Adam Lang, Charles T. Taylor, R. Scott Mackin, Dieter J. Meyerhoff, Susanne Mueller, Irina A. Strigo, Duygu Tosun
Summary: The study found that differences in brain morphology between MDD patients and healthy controls are dependent on age and brain region, with significant age-by-group interactions in the lateral orbital frontal gyrus and insular subregions, making these regions potential targets for future longitudinal studies of MDD.
NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Angela M. Muller, David L. Pennington, Dieter J. Meyerhoff
Summary: This study found that substance use disorder patients exhibit gray matter loss mainly in the frontal cortex, and the patterns of brain alterations may differ across different types of substance use disorders. These alterations are also associated with functional networks in the brain.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna E. Kirkland, Brittney D. Browning, ReJoyce Green, Lorenzo Leggio, Dieter J. Meyerhoff, Lindsay M. Squeglia
Summary: Alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder have neurobiological consequences as shown by the meta-analysis of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies. These studies reveal alterations in brain metabolite levels, indicating decreased neuronal and axonal viability as well as membrane alterations related to alcohol misuse. The differences in creatine-containing metabolite levels were also noted. This study provides valuable information for further investigation of treatments targeting the observed disturbances.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Anna E. E. Kirkland, Brittney D. D. Browning, ReJoyce Green, Helen Liu, Anna M. M. Maralit, Pamela L. L. Ferguson, Dieter J. J. Meyerhoff, James J. J. Prisciandaro, Robert Miranda Jr, Kathleen T. T. Brady, Rachel L. L. Tomko, Kevin M. M. Gray, Lindsay M. M. Squeglia
Summary: Current treatments for adolescent alcohol use disorder (AUD) are limited in their efficacy, so investigating pharmacotherapies as adjunctive treatments is crucial. N-acetylcysteine is a promising candidate due to its tolerability and ability to modulate neurotransmitter systems. This preliminary investigation found no significant differences in brain metabolite levels or alcohol use between N-acetylcysteine and placebo, possibly due to the young age and non-treatment seeking status of the participants.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Substance Abuse
A. C. May, D. J. Meyerhoff, T. C. Durazzo
Summary: This study investigated differences in brain structures associated with varying levels of alcohol consumption among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) after treatment. The findings suggest that individuals who consume low-risk levels of alcohol post-treatment have brain volumes more similar to abstainers, indicating that harm reduction may be a beneficial and attainable goal for some individuals seeking treatment for AUD.
ALCOHOL-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Neuroimaging
Angela M. Muller, Dieter J. Meyerhoff
Summary: The study found that alcohol use disorder is associated with brain-wide gray matter reduction, with particular impact on the frontocerebellar circuit. There were significant differences in gray matter volume in the frontocerebellar circuit between abstainers and future relapsers, with abstainers showing increased gray matter with abstinence. Additionally, both AUD groups showed global atrophy relative to controls at follow-up, with different recovery patterns observed.
NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Substance Abuse
A. M. Muller, D. J. Meyerhoff
ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2020)
Meeting Abstract
Substance Abuse
A. M. Muller, D. J. Meyerhoff
ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2020)