Effects of an immersive psychosocial training program on depression and well-being: A randomized clinical trial.

Psychiatry stands to benefit from brief non-pharmacological treatments that effectively reduce depressive symptoms. To address this need, we conducted a single-blind randomized clinical trial assessing how a 6-day immersive psychosocial training program, followed by 10-min daily psychosocial exercises for 30 days, improves depressive symptoms. Forty-five adults were block-randomized by depression score to two arms: (a) the immersive psychosocial training program and 10-min daily exercise group (36 days total; total n = 23; depressed at baseline n = 14); or (b) a gratitude journaling control group (36 days total; total n = 22; depressed at baseline n = 13). The self-report PHQ-9 was used to assess depression levels in both groups at three time points: baseline, study week one, and study week six. Depression severity improved over time, with a significantly greater reduction in the psychosocial training program group (-82.7%) vs. the control group (-23%), p = 0.02 for baseline vs. week six. The effect size for this reduction in depression symptoms was large for the intervention group (d = -1.3; 95% CI, -2.07, -0.45; p < 0.001) and small for the control group (d = -0.3; 95% CI, -0.68, 0.03; p = 0.22). Seventy-nine percent (11/14) of depressed participants in the intervention condition were in remission (PHQ-9 ≤ 4) by week one and 100% (14/14) were in remission at week six. Secondary measures of anxiety, stress, loneliness, and well-being also improved by 15-80% in the intervention group (vs. 0-34% in the control group), ps < 0.05. Overall, this brief, immersive psychosocial training program rapidly and substantially improved depression levels and several related secondary outcomes, suggesting that immersive interventions may be useful for reducing depressive symptoms and enhancing well-being.

Real-time alerting system for COVID-19 and other stress events using wearable data.

Early detection of infectious diseases is crucial for reducing transmission and facilitating early intervention. In this study, we built a real-time smartwatch-based alerting system that detects aberrant physiological and activity signals (heart rates and steps) associated with the onset of early infection and implemented this system in a prospective study. In a cohort of 3,318 participants, of whom 84 were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), this system generated alerts for pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in 67 (80%) of the infected individuals. Pre-symptomatic signals were observed at a median of 3 days before symptom onset. Examination of detailed survey responses provided by the participants revealed that other respiratory infections as well as events not associated with infection, such as stress, alcohol consumption and travel, could also trigger alerts, albeit at a much lower mean frequency (1.15 alert days per person compared to 3.42 alert days per person for coronavirus disease 2019 cases). Thus, analysis of smartwatch signals by an online detection algorithm provides advance warning of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a high percentage of cases. This study shows that a real-time alerting system can be used for early detection of infection and other stressors and employed on an open-source platform that is scalable to millions of users.

Effect of Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction on Well-being and Views on Risk-Reducing Surgery Among Women With BRCA Variants in Israel: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The high risk for breast and ovarian cancers conferred by being a carrier of BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline variant can negatively impact physical and psychological well-being. Novel nonpharmacological interventions on well-being in women with BRCA variants have rarely been reported. Objective: To determine the effect of a 12-week inquiry-based stress reduction (IBSR) program on psychological well-being, sleep quality, psychosocial variables, and attitudes toward risk-reducing surgical procedures among women in Israel who carried BRCA variants. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial had a 12-week intervention period and a 12-week follow-up period. It was conducted between April 1, 2017, and July 31, 2020. Participants were recruited from the Meirav Breast Center at the Sheba Medical Center, Israel, and the intervention was conducted in Tel Aviv, Israel. The cohort included women with BRCA variants. Data were analyzed from August 1 to December 1, 2020. Interventions: Women were randomly assigned to the 12-week IBSR program or standard care. The IBSR technique is based on the skills of mindfulness, inquiry, and cognitive reframing. The intervention included standardized, weekly group meetings conducted throughout 12 weeks. Standard care included semi-annual breast examinations and breast magnetic resonance imaging (alternating), a gynecological examination, a transvaginal ultrasonographic examination, and CA-125 serum determination. Differences between the groups were tested using mixed-effects models in an intent to treat analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was psychological well-being, including 6 parameters: autonomy, personal growth, positive relationships, control of the environment, goals in life, and self-acceptance. Secondary outcomes included sleep quality, attitudes toward risk-reducing surgical procedures, and psychosocial variables. Questionnaires were administered at baseline (T1), at completion of the 12-week intervention (T2), and 12 weeks after completion of the intervention (T3). Results: Overall, 100 women (mean [SD] age, 41.37 [11.06] years) completed the study, with 50 randomized to the intervention group and 50 randomized to the control group. Mean (SD) time from variant discovery was 4.7 (3.3) years. There were no differences between the intervention and control groups in baseline mean (SD) scores of psychological well-being parameters (autonomy: 55.20 [11.12] vs 56.77 [9.90]; environmental control: 56.30 [11.98 vs 58.51 [11.41]; positive relationships: 63.10 [15.91] vs 68.10 [9.86]; goals in life: 60.00 [14.12] vs 64.82 [10.57]; self-acceptance: 55.02 [16.62] vs 60.32 [13.50]) except personal growth (63.70 [14.66] vs 68.85 [8.07]). The IBSR group, compared with the control group, experienced better mean (SD) scores on all psychological well-being parameters at T2 (autonomy: 63.64 [8.35] vs 54.73 [10.41]; environmental control: 63.95 [10.05] vs 57.45 [11.43]; personal growth: 73.00 [8.34] vs 65.76 [10.95]; positive relationships 71.17 [9.99] vs 65.06 [12.58]; goals in life: 67.57 [8.88] vs 61.18 [12.87]; self-acceptance: 66.93 [11.15] vs 58.09 [15.55]) and at T3 (autonomy: 62.68 [9.05] vs 56.12 [10.64]; environmental control: 64.55 [10.28] vs 59.35 [12.98]; personal growth: 72.00 [8.06] vs 67.15 [11.82]; positive relationships: 71.24 [9.78] vs 66.92 [12.37]; goals in life: 68.33 [8.54] vs 62.92 [13.24]; self-acceptance: 66.84 [11.35] vs 58.97 [17.03]). Individuals in the IBSR group also experienced statistically significant improvements in sleep quality (mean [SD]: T1, 7.35 [3.97]; T3, 4.63 [3.21], P < .001), whereas the control group experienced no statistically significant difference. Women in the intervention group had a more favorable consideration of risk-reducing oophorectomy, from 7 women (14%) who refused to consider oophorectomy at T1 to 1 woman (2%) who refused to consider it at T3 (P = .04), and similar change in consideration of mastectomy: from 23 women (46%) who refused to consider mastectomy at T1 to 13 women (29%) who refused to consider it at T3 (P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: This randomized clinical trial found that IBSR improved psychological well-being and led to a more favorable view on risk-reducing surgical procedures for at least 6 months among women in Israel who carried BRCA variants. These results suggest that IBSR may be implemented as a self-practice tool to enhance the well-being of individuals who carry BRCA variants and support them in their decision-making processes. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03162276.

A scalable, secure, and interoperable platform for deep data-driven health management.

The large amount of biomedical data derived from wearable sensors, electronic health records, and molecular profiling (e.g., genomics data) is rapidly transforming our healthcare systems. The increasing scale and scope of biomedical data not only is generating enormous opportunities for improving health outcomes but also raises new challenges ranging from data acquisition and storage to data analysis and utilization. To meet these challenges, we developed the Personal Health Dashboard (PHD), which utilizes state-of-the-art security and scalability technologies to provide an end-to-end solution for big biomedical data analytics. The PHD platform is an open-source software framework that can be easily configured and deployed to any big data health project to store, organize, and process complex biomedical data sets, support real-time data analysis at both the individual level and the cohort level, and ensure participant privacy at every step. In addition to presenting the system, we illustrate the use of the PHD framework for large-scale applications in emerging multi-omics disease studies, such as collecting and visualization of diverse data types (wearable, clinical, omics) at a personal level, investigation of insulin resistance, and an infrastructure for the detection of presymptomatic COVID-19.

Real-time Alerting System for COVID-19 Using Wearable Data.

Early detection of infectious disease is crucial for reducing transmission and facilitating early intervention. We built a real-time smartwatch-based alerting system for the detection of aberrant physiological and activity signals (e.g. resting heart rate, steps) associated with early infection onset at the individual level. Upon applying this system to a cohort of 3,246 participants, we found that alerts were generated for pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infections in 78% of cases, and pre-symptomatic signals were observed a median of three days prior to symptom onset. Furthermore, by examining over 100,000 survey annotations, we found that other respiratory infections as well as events not associated with COVID-19 (e.g. stress, alcohol consumption, travel) could trigger alerts, albeit at a lower mean period (1.9 days) than those observed in the COVID-19 cases (4.3 days). Thus this system has potential both for advanced warning of COVID-19 as well as a general system for measuring health via detection of physiological shifts from personal baselines. The system is open-source and scalable to millions of users, offering a personal health monitoring system that can operate in real time on a global scale.

Immune Responses to SARS-CoV2 Mirror Societal Responses to COVID-19: Identifying Factors Underlying a Successful Viral Response.

The adaptive immune system was sculpted to protect individuals, societies, and species since its inception, developing effective strategies to cope with emerging pathogens. Here, we show that similar successful or failed dynamics govern personal and societal responses to a pathogen as SARS-CoV2. Understanding the self-similarity between the health-protective measures taken to protect the individual or the society, help identify critical factors underlying the effectiveness of societal response to a pathogenic challenge. These include (1) the quick employment of adaptive-like, pathogen-specific strategies to cope with the threat including the development of "memory-like responses"; (2) enabling productive coaction and interaction within the society by employing effective decision-making processes; and (3) the quick inhibition of positive feedback loops generated by hazardous or false information. Learning from adaptive anti-pathogen immune responses, policymakers and scientists could reduce the direct damages associated with COVID-19 and avert an avoidable "social cytokine storm" with its ensuing socioeconomic damage.

Inquiry Based Stress Reduction (IBSR) Improves Overall Stuttering Experience among Adults Who Stutter: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Stuttering is a speech disorder that can cause disturbances in the timing and flow of speech. In addition to being a communication disorder, stuttering is often accompanied by a reduction in the quality of life and has impacts on social status, mental well-being, self-acceptance, and the chances of integration into the labor market. The Inquiry Based Stress Reduction (IBSR) program, developed in the United States by Byron Katie in 1986, is the clinical application of "The Work" method (Thework.com) and represents an emerging mindfulness and cognitive-reframing method. IBSR has been demonstrated to improve mental health and well-being in adults and may alleviate psychological and psychosocial symptoms of stuttering. The purpose of this trial was to examine the effect of a 12-week IBSR intervention on the overall stuttering experience and indicators of anxiety, psychological flexibility, and well-being among adults who stutter (AWS). This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial. Participants were randomized to IBSR (n = 28) and control (n = 28) groups. Validated questionnaires of overall stuttering experience (OASES-A), anxiety (STAI), psychological flexibility (PFQ), and satisfaction with life (SWLS) were completed before, after, and one month after the intervention. An intention-to-treat approach was implemented for analysis. Our results show that participants in the IBSR intervention group exhibited a greater improvement in their overall stuttering experience as compared to the control group, as well as in general information on stuttering awareness and perception, reactions to stuttering, communication in daily situations, and quality of life. In addition, we found a greater reduction in anxiety levels and an increase in satisfaction-with-life scores in the IBSR group. These results indicate that IBSR can improve the overall stuttering experience.

Non-traditional immersive seminar enhances learning by promoting greater physiological and psychological engagement compared to a traditional lecture format.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an immersive seminar, which included moderate intensities of physical activity, on learning when compared to traditional lecture format. Twenty-six healthy participants were randomly divided into an immersive seminar or traditional lecture format group and presented material related to positive psychology and human values/beliefs over the course of two days. Physical activity was collected using a bio-harness while salivary cortisol and perceptual measures of well-being were collected over the two days. Performance on an examination related to course material was used to assess learning. Average time spent over 65% of max heart rate, energy expenditure, total bounds, mechanical and physiological load were significantly greater in the immersive seminar group when compared to traditional lecture group. In addition, cortisol levels and perceptual measures of mood, focus, energy, and well-being were significantly greater in the immersive seminar when compared to the traditional lecture format. Participants in the immersive seminar demonstrated significantly greater memory retention of course material 30-days post lecture when compared to the traditional lecture group. These findings support incorporating more physical activity and increasing arousal in order to enhance learning of lecture material.

Effect of Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction (IBSR) Intervention on Well-Being, Resilience and Burnout of Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on teachers professional and personal lives. Our primary aim was to assess the effect of a blended Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction (IBSR), an emerging mindfulness and cognitive reframing intervention on teacher's well-being. Our secondary aims were to assess the effect of IBSR on resilience, burnout, mindfulness, and stress among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was a prospective controlled trial with an intervention group (N = 35) and a comparison control group (N = 32). The intervention took place in the Jerusalem District throughout the school year from November 2019 to May 2020. The sessions were conducted in blended learning that included traditional learning (face-to-face) and online learning. Data was analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. Results: IBSR blended intervention enhanced the resilience and improved the subjective and psychological well-being of teachers in spite of the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first lockdown in Israel. Simultaneously the control group suffered from enhanced burnout levels and a decline in psychological and subjective well-being. Conclusions: Implementation of IBSR blended intervention during the school year may benefit teachers' well-being and ability to flourish, even during stressful events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other infections in solid organ transplant recipients and household members using wearable devices.

The increasing global prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting COVID-19 disease pandemic pose significant concerns for clinical management of solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR). Wearable devices that can measure physiologic changes in biometrics including heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, respiratory, activity (such as steps taken per day) and sleep patterns, and blood oxygen saturation show utility for the early detection of infection before clinical presentation of symptoms. Recent algorithms developed using preliminary wearable datasets show that SARS-CoV-2 is detectable before clinical symptoms in >80% of adults. Early detection of SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and other pathogens in SOTR, and their household members, could facilitate early interventions such as self-isolation and early clinical management of relevant infection(s). Ongoing studies testing the utility of wearable devices such as smartwatches for early detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other infections in the general population are reviewed here, along with the practical challenges to implementing these processes at scale in pediatric and adult SOTR, and their household members. The resources and logistics, including transplant-specific analyses pipelines to account for confounders such as polypharmacy and comorbidities, required in studies of pediatric and adult SOTR for the robust early detection of SARS-CoV-2, and other infections are also reviewed.

Pre-symptomatic detection of COVID-19 from smartwatch data.

Consumer wearable devices that continuously measure vital signs have been used to monitor the onset of infectious disease. Here, we show that data from consumer smartwatches can be used for the pre-symptomatic detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We analysed physiological and activity data from 32 individuals infected with COVID-19, identified from a cohort of nearly 5,300 participants, and found that 26 of them (81%) had alterations in their heart rate, number of daily steps or time asleep. Of the 25 cases of COVID-19 with detected physiological alterations for which we had symptom information, 22 were detected before (or at) symptom onset, with four cases detected at least nine days earlier. Using retrospective smartwatch data, we show that 63% of the COVID-19 cases could have been detected before symptom onset in real time via a two-tiered warning system based on the occurrence of extreme elevations in resting heart rate relative to the individual baseline. Our findings suggest that activity tracking and health monitoring via consumer wearable devices may be used for the large-scale, real-time detection of respiratory infections, often pre-symptomatically.

The Effect of Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction on Teacher Burnout: A Controlled Trial.

Burnout is a well-known phenomenon with significant social, biological and economic costs. In particular, teacher burnout is associated with unfavorable mental health outcomes and economic costs due to reduced hours and teacher turnover. This study investigated the effect of an Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction (IBSR) cognitive-reframing program on teacher burnout using a quasi-experimental design. Fifty-three teachers participated in a prospective intervention with a passive control group. The intervention group completed a 12-week IBSR program with 4.5 h of weekly engagement. Relative to control, teachers in the intervention group showed greater improvements in emotional exhaustion (18.8 ± 5.2 to 15.9 ± 5.7 vs. 16.0 ± 4.8 to 17.4 ± 4.8; p = 0.01) and personal accomplishment (21.8 ± 5.0 to 24.6 ± 4.3 vs. 21.9 ± 4.5 to 22.8 ± 4.3; p = 0.04). Significant correlations were found between change in emotional exhaustion and negative affect (positive correlation; r = 0.32; p = 0.034) and between personal accomplishment and perceived stress (negative correlation; r = -0.451; p = 0.002). This study demonstrates the potential of IBSR to improve teacher well-being. Future randomized studies are needed to evaluate the causality of IBSR in reducing burnout among teachers and other high-stress workplaces.