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The article discusses the issue of communicable epidemic diseases and the history of public health, with a focus on historical disease control methods referenced in religious texts including the Bible and the Talmud. Topics include the discovery of bacteriology and disease prevention during the 20th century, Jewish historical texts which detail early public health measures for the treatment of a pestilence, and a comparison to modern diseases based on the symptoms described in Jewish religious texts.

A nationwide random sample of psychiatric patients (n = 832) admitted for hospitalization in Israel in 1980 was followed up until the end of 1984 regarding their hospitalization patterns. Information about hospitalizations as well as demographic and diagnostic data were obtained from the Israel Central Psychiatric Case Register. Two main contrasting patterns of hospitalization emerged. One pattern consisted of a single short hospitalization during the entire follow-up period. This pattern was found among more than 50% of those patients for whom this hospitalization was the first in their life. The second pattern characterized the patients who accumulated long periods of inpatient stay, that is, at least one year during the follow-up period. These are the "new chronic" patients (about 30% of the total sample). About one third of these "new chronic" patients (8.2% of the total sample) accumulated their long stay through one continuous hospitalization, thus resembling the "old chronic" patients; two-thirds accumulated their long stay over several hospitalizations. Each patient has a fairly constant pattern of hospitalization, regarding the length of stay in hospital and out of hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a report on the effects of a psychiatrists' strike in Israel on emergency psychiatric referrals and admissions from two catchment areas. One had comprehensive psychiatric services, the other did not. Three periods were compared - before, during and after the strike. During the strike period, overall referrals to the emergency room decreased by 3.9%. A significant 15.8% decrease in referrals was registered in the comprehensive psychiatric service area, and an 11.4% increase in referrals in the other catchment area. Although no increase was seen in total emergency admissions during the strike, involuntary admissions increased by 21.6%, within the catchment area which did not have a comprehensive service, whereas within the area with the comprehensive service there was a significant decrease of 33% in involuntary admissions. The impact of these services on emergency referrals and admissions, especially during the strike, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic torsion dystonia (ITD) has long been considered to be genetically determined, but the pattern of inheritance has been unclear. It has been suggested that inheritance may differ in Jews and non-Jews. In the present study, data gathered in a nationwide survey of ITD in Israel were analysed. Between 1969 and 1980, 47 patients were collected, of whom 40 were of European origin. In these European Jews, the ITD frequency was about 1:23 000 live births, which was five-fold greater than in Jews of Afro-Asian origin. Assuming that all cases fit the same genetic model, an X linked or a simple autosomal recessive model of inheritance did not agree well with our data. An autosomal dominant model with low penetrance could have accounted for our observations and would yield an ITD gene frequency in European Jews of 3 to 4:100 000. In view of the increased ages of their fathers, the isolated cases may have included some new mutations. Multifactorial inheritance was also possible. However, it may be inappropriate to assume that all cases have the same genetic basis, or even that all are inherited. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract Background In 2001, the Rehabilitation of the Mentally Disabled Law was implemented, defining a basket of rehabilitation services to which people with mental disabilities are entitled. Objectives To describe change over time in the characteristics of applicants to rehabilitation committees, types of referral agencies, and the proportion of those referred who were admitted. To identify factors affecting implementation of decisions to admit people with mental disabilities into different rehabilitation services and predictors of the length of time they remain in the services. Methods The study population consisted of all applicants to rehabilitation committees during 2001-2008. Rehabilitation services included hostels, supported housing, and vocational services. Data were extracted from Ministry of Health rehabilitation and psychiatric hospitalization case registers. Findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, and Cox regressions. Results There was a trend over time for more patients with shorter or no psychiatric hospitalization histories to be referred to rehabilitation services. Moreover, there was an increase in the proportion of referrals from the community, although the majority of referrals still came from psychiatric hospitals. Less than half of those recommended for a rehabilitation program were admitted and remained in a rehabilitation facility for one year or more. One factor predicting participants' longer stays in rehabilitation services after hospitalization was the proximity of the committees' decisions to the hospitalization. Another factor was the patient receiving vocational services while in residential care. Conclusion Although over time the new law has resulted in a broader spectrum of people with mental disabilities receiving rehabilitation services, additional efforts are needed to enable them to remain in the system for a sufficient amount of time. Programs addressing specific needs should be developed accordingly.

Background: Psychiatric morbidity is frequent in primary care, but a substantial proportion of these psychiatric problems appear to be neither recognized nor adequately treated by GPs. There exists a number of models of introduction of mental health services (MHS) into primary care, but little data are available on their effect on GPs' detection or management of mental disorders. The study aimed to measure the effect of referring patients to a psychiatrist within primary care (Shifted OutPatient model-SOP) or consultation of psychiatrists by the GPs (Psychiatric Community Consultation Liaison-PCCL) on the detection and treatment of mental disorders by GPs., Methods: In six primary care clinics in Israel (three "SOP clinics" and three "PCCL clinics"), GP detection of mental disorders and treatment of GP-detected cases were evaluated before and after provision of 1-year MHS, according to GP questionnaires on a sample of primary care consecutive attenders whose psychological distress was determined according to the GHQ12 and psychiatric disorders according to the Composite International Diagnostic Interview., Results: After model implementation, a significant reduction in detection of mental disorders was found in SOP clinics, while no significant change was found in PCCL clinics. No significant change in detection of distress was found in any clinic. An increase in referrals to MHS for GP-diagnosed depression and anxiety cases, a reduction in GP counselling for GP-detected cases and those with diagnosed anxiety, an increased prescription of antidepressants and a reduced prescription of antipsychotics were found in SOP clinics. In PCCL clinics, no significant changes in GP management were observed except an increase in referral of GP-diagnosed depression cases to MHS., Conclusions: MHS models did not improve GP detection of mental disorders or distress, but possibly improved referral case mix. The SOP model might have a deskilling influence on GPs, resulting from less involvement in treatment, with decrease of detection and counselling. This should be taken into consideration when planning to increase referrals to a psychiatrist within primary care settings. Lack of positive effect of the PCCL model might be overcome by more intensive programs incorporating educational components., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Clinicians increasingly serve youths from societal/cultural backgrounds different from their own. This raises questions about how to interpret what such youths report. Rescorla et al. (2019, European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 1107) found that much more variance in 72,493 parents' ratings of their offspring's mental health problems was accounted for by individual differences than by societal or cultural differences. Although parents' reports are essential for clinical assessment of their offspring, they reflect parents' perceptions of the offspring. Consequently, clinical assessment also requires self-reports from the offspring themselves. To test effects of individual differences, society, and culture on youths' self-ratings of their problems and strengths, we analyzed Youth Self-Report (YSR) scores for 39,849 11-17 year olds in 38 societies., Methods: Indigenous researchers obtained YSR self-ratings from population samples of youths in 38 societies representing 10 culture cluster identified in the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavioral Effectiveness study. Hierarchical linear modeling of scores on 17 problem scales and one strengths scale estimated the percent of variance accounted for by individual differences (including measurement error), society, and culture cluster. ANOVAs tested age and gender effects., Results: Averaged across the 17 problem scales, individual differences accounted for 92.5% of variance, societal differences 6.0%, and cultural differences 1.5%. For strengths, individual differences accounted for 83.4% of variance, societal differences 10.1%, and cultural differences 6.5%. Age and gender had very small effects., Conclusions: Like parents' ratings, youths' self-ratings of problems were affected much more by individual differences than societal/cultural differences. Most variance in self-rated strengths also reflected individual differences, but societal/cultural effects were larger than for problems, suggesting greater influence of social desirability. The clinical significance of individual differences in youths' self-reports should thus not be minimized by societal/cultural differences, which-while important-can be taken into account with appropriate norms, as can gender and age differences., (© 2022 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.)

Background: Suicide rates among Ethiopian immigrants to Israel (EI) are relatively high. This study sought to identify suicide-risk factors in this population in order to suggest some potentially preventive measures to mental health policymakers who are struggling to prevent suicide among EI., Method: Nationwide age-adjusted suicide rates were calculated for EI, Former Soviet Union immigrants (FSUI) and Israeli-born (IB) Jews by age, gender, and year of death and, for EI, by marital status and immigration period in the years 1985-2017 (1990-2017 for FSUI)., Results: Age-adjusted suicide rates for the period 1990-2017 confirmed the significantly higher rate among EI--3.1 times higher than for FSUI and 4.1 times higher than for IB. Similar rates were obtained for both genders, within each age group, and in all study years. Comparable male/female rate ratios were found among EI and IB (3.3, 3.6, respectively). Over the years of the study, only among the Ethiopian immigrants were there large fluctuations in suicide rates: a decrease (1992-2001), followed by an increase (2001-2006), and then a progressive decrease (from 2006). The secular changes differed greatly according to age. Among females, these fluctuations were smaller, the decrease began earlier and was greater, and the subsequent increase was much smaller. Marriage was found to be less protective for Ethiopian immigrants than for the other surveyed populations., Conclusions: The considerable gap between the EI's and FSUI's suicide rates highlights the critical role of immigrants' integration difficulties. These difficulties among EI lead to ongoing conflict within the family, which may explain why marriage is less protective for EI. Nevertheless, progressive integration is occurring as indicated by the decline in suicide rates since 2006. The fluctuations in EI suicide rates over time seem to be associated with modifications in social welfare allowances, which are crucial for EI of low socioeconomic status. Groups at risk, particularly EI men facing socioeconomic challenges and EI with considerable family conflict, typically identified by HMOs and welfare services, should be screened for suicide risk, and those identified as at risk referred to tailored workshops sensitive to Ethiopian culture.

As societies become increasingly diverse, mental health professionals need instruments for assessing emotional, behavioral, and social problems in terms of constructs that are supported within and across societies. Building on decades of research findings, multisample alignment confirmatory factor analyses tested an empirically based 8-syndrome model on parent ratings across 30 societies and youth self-ratings across 19 societies. The Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 and Youth Self-Report for Ages 11-18 were used to measure syndromes descriptively designated as Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn/Depressed, Somatic Complaints, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, Rule-Breaking Behavior , and Aggressive Behavior . For both parent ratings ( N =  61,703) and self-ratings ( N  = 29,486), results supported aggregation of problem items into 8 first-order syndromes for all societies (configural invariance), plus the invariance of item loadings (metric invariance) across the majority of societies. Supported across many societies in both parent and self-ratings, the 8 syndromes offer a parsimonious phenotypic taxonomy with clearly operationalized assessment criteria. Mental health professionals in many societies can use the 8 syndromes to assess children and youths for clinical, training, and scientific purposes.

Background: The temporal structure of macroscopic brain activity displays both oscillatory and scale-free dynamics. While the functional relevance of neural oscillations has been largely investigated, both the nature and the role of scale-free dynamics in brain processing have been disputed., New Method: Here, we offer a novel method to rigorously enrich the characterization of scale-free brain activity using a robust wavelet-based assessment of self-similarity and multifractality. For this, we analyzed human brain activity recorded with magnetoencephalography (MEG) while participants were at rest or performing a visual motion discrimination task., Results: First, we report consistent infraslow (from 0.1 to 1.5 Hz) scale-free dynamics (i.e., self-similarity and multifractality) in resting-state and task data. Second, we observed a fronto-occipital gradient of self-similarity reminiscent of the known hierarchy of temporal scales from sensory to higher-order cortices; the anatomical gradient was more pronounced in task than in rest. Third, we observed a significant increase of multifractality during task as compared to rest. Additionally, the decrease in self-similarity and the increase in multifractality from rest to task were negatively correlated in regions involved in the task, suggesting a shift from structured global temporal dynamics in resting-state to locally bursty and non Gaussian scale-free structures during task., Comparison With Existing Method(s): We showed that the wavelet leader based multifractal approach extends power spectrum estimation methods in the way of characterizing finely scale-free brain dynamics., Conclusions: Altogether, our approach provides novel fine-grained characterizations of scale-free dynamics in human brain activity., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Earlier reported small interfering RNA (siRNA) high-throughput screens, identified seven-transmembrane superfamily member 3 (TM7SF3) as a novel inhibitor of pancreatic β-cell death. Here we show that TM7SF3 maintains protein homeostasis and promotes cell survival through attenuation of ER stress. Overexpression of TM7SF3 inhibits caspase 3/7 activation. In contrast, siRNA-mediated silencing of TM7SF3 accelerates ER stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). This involves inhibitory phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α activity and increased expression of activating transcription factor-3 (ATF3), ATF4 and C/EBP homologous protein, followed by induction of apoptosis. This process is observed both in human pancreatic islets and in a number of cell lines. Some of the effects of TM7SF3 silencing are evident both under basal conditions, in otherwise untreated cells, as well as under different stress conditions induced by thapsigargin, tunicamycin or a mixture of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1 beta and interferon gamma). Notably, TM7SF3 is a downstream target of p53: activation of p53 by Nutlin increases TM7SF3 expression in a time-dependent manner, although silencing of p53 abrogates this effect. Furthermore, p53 is found in physical association with the TM7SF3 promoter. Interestingly, silencing of TM7SF3 promotes p53 activity, suggesting the existence of a negative-feedback loop, whereby p53 promotes expression of TM7SF3 that acts to restrict p53 activity. Our findings implicate TM7SF3 as a novel p53-regulated pro-survival homeostatic factor that attenuates the development of cellular stress and the subsequent induction of the UPR.