The relationship between nicotine metabolism and nicotine and carcinogen exposure among American Indian commercial cigarette smokers and electronic nicotine delivery system users

BackgroundIn American Indian (AI) tobacco users from the southern plains region of the US, we examined the relationship between nicotine and carcinogen exposure and nicotine metabolism.MethodsSmokers (n = 27), electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) users (n = 21), and dual users (n = 25) of AI descent were recruited from a southern plains state. Urinary biomarkers of nicotine metabolism (nicotine metabolite ratio [NMR]), nicotine dose (total nicotine equivalents [TNE]), and a tobacco-specific lung carcinogen (4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol and its glucuronides [total NNAL] were measured.ResultsThe geometric mean of NMR was 3.35 (95% Confidence Interval(CI): 2.42, 4.65), 4.67 (95% CI: 3.39, 6.43), and 3.26 (95% CI: 2.44, 4.37) among smokers, ENDS users, and dual users. Each of the three user groups had relatively low levels of TNE, indicative of light tobacco use. Among smokers, there were inverse relationships between NMR and TNE (r = −0.45) and between NMR and NNAL (r = −0.50). Among dual users, NMR and TNE, and NMR and NNAL were not associated. Among ENDS users, NMR and TNE were not associated.ConclusionsAI tobacco users with higher NMR did not have higher TNE or NNAL exposure than those with lower NMR. This supports prior work among light tobacco users who do not alter their tobacco consumption to account for nicotine metabolism.ImpactThe high prevalences of smoking and ENDS among AI in the southern plains may not be related to nicotine metabolism. Environmental and social cues may play a more important role in light tobacco users and this may be particularly true among AI light tobacco users who have strong cultural ties.     

A tutorial on individual participant data meta-analysis using Bayesian multilevel modeling to estimate alcohol intervention effects across heterogeneous studies

This paper provides a tutorial companion for the methodological approach implemented in Huh et al. (2015) that overcame two major challenges for individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. Specifically, we show how to validly combine data from heterogeneous studies with varying numbers of treatment arms, and how to analyze highly-skewed count outcomes with many zeroes (e.g., alcohol and substance use outcomes) to estimate overall effect sizes. These issues have important implications for the feasibility, applicability, and interpretation of IPD meta-analysis but have received little attention thus far in the applied research literature. We present a Bayesian multilevel modeling approach for combining multi-arm trials (i.e., those with two or more treatment groups) in a distribution-appropriate IPD analysis. Illustrative data come from Project INTEGRATE, an IPD meta-analysis study of brief motivational interventions to reduce excessive alcohol use and related harm among college students. Our approach preserves the original random allocation within studies, combines within-study estimates across all studies, overcomes between-study heterogeneity in trial design (i.e., number of treatment arms) and/or study-level missing data, and derives two related treatment outcomes in a multivariate IPD meta-analysis. This methodological approach is a favorable alternative to collapsing or excluding intervention groups within multi-arm trials, making it possible to directly compare multiple treatment arms in a one-step IPD meta-analysis. To facilitate application of the method, we provide annotated computer code in R along with the example data used in this tutorial.     

Altered topological connectivity of internet addiction in resting-state EEG through network analysis

The results of some neuroimaging studies have revealed that people with internet addiction (IA) exhibit structural and functional changes in specific brain areas and connections. However, the understanding about global topological organization of IA may also require a more integrative and holistic view of brain function. In the present study, we used synchronization likelihood combined with graph theory analysis to investigate the functional connectivity (FC) and topological differences between 25 participants with IA and 27 healthy controls (HCs) based on their spontaneous EEG activities in the eye-closed resting state. There were no significant differences in FC (total network or sub-networks) between groups (p > .05 for all). Graph analysis showed significantly lower characteristic path length and clustering coefficient in the IA group than in the HC group in the beta and gamma bands, respectively. Altered nodal centralities of the frontal (FP₁, FPz) and parietal (CP₁, CP₅, PO₃, PO₇, P₅, P_6, TP₈) lobes in the IA group were also observed. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the observed regional alterations were significantly correlated with the severity of IA. Collectively, our findings showed that IA group demonstrated altered topological organization, shifting towards a more random state. Moreover, this study revealed the important role of altered brain areas in the neuropathological mechanism of IA and provided further supportive evidence for the diagnosis of IA.     

Increased attention to the tobacco power wall predicts increased smoking risk among adolescents

The purpose of this correlational study was to evaluate the association between attention paid by adolescents to the tobacco power wall and their susceptibility to future smoking. The study was conducted in the RAND Store Lab (RSL), a life-sized replica of a convenience store designed to investigate how tobacco advertising displays in retail point-of-sale environments relate to tobacco use risk and behaviors. In this study, middle and high school students (N = 80) shopped in the RSL while their attention to the tobacco power wall was measured covertly. Before and after shopping in the RSL, participants completed a measure of susceptibility to smoking in the future. Controlling for baseline cigarette smoking susceptibility and other potential confounders, attention toward the tobacco power wall was found to be significantly associated with future smoking susceptibility, p = .046. This finding suggests that policies aimed at decreasing the prominence of power walls in retail outlets should be given careful consideration as ways to reduce the impact of point-of-sale tobacco advertising and promotion on youth smoking susceptibility.     

The fishing sector in Seychelles: an overview,with an emphasis on artisanal fisheries

Seychelles has a well-developed fishing sector that is a vital part of the social and economic development of the country. Three main types of fisheries are recognised: artisanal fisheries targeting demersal and semi-pelagic species, semi-industrial fisheries targeting pelagic species, and industrial fisheries targeting species of tuna. In economic terms, the industrial fisheries are of greatest importance. The per capita consumption of fish in Seychelles is one of the highest in the world and the artisanal fisheries contribute significantly to the protein requirements of the country. Artisanal fisheries catches have remained fairly stable since comprehensive monitoring began in 1985, averaging 4568 MT per annum. A wide range of fish and invertebrate species are targeted and the general catch composition has remained stable. Landing of tuna by the purse seine fleets has grown substantially over the last 18 years, attaining a record catch of approximately 42 945 MT in 2002. The demersal stocks targeted by the artisanal fisheries are known to be over- or optimally exploited close to centres of population, and lightly exploited elsewhere, whilst the industrialised fisheries for pelagic species require a precautionary approach to management as some stocks are being exploited close to maximum sustainable yield levels. Future development in Seychelles is tightly linked to fisheries and the marine environment in general.     

Test–retest repeatability of [18F]Flortaucipir PET in Alzheimer’s disease and cognitively normal individuals

The aim of this study was to investigate the test–retest (TRT) repeatability of various parametric quantification methods for [¹⁸F]Flortaucipir positron emission tomography (PET). We included eight subjects with dementia or mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease and six cognitively normal subjects. All underwent two 130-min dynamic [¹⁸F]Flortaucipir PET scans within 3 ± 1 weeks. Data were analyzed using reference region models receptor parametric mapping (RPM), simplified reference tissue method 2 (SRTM2) and reference logan (RLogan), as well as standardized uptake value ratios (SUVr, time intervals 40–60, 80–100 and 110–130 min post-injection) with cerebellar gray matter as reference region. We obtained distribution volume ratio or SUVr, first for all brain regions and then in three tau-specific regions-of-interest (ROIs). TRT repeatability (%) was defined as |retest–test|/(average (test + retest)) × 100. For all methods and across ROIs, TRT repeatability ranged from (median (IQR)) 0.84% (0.68–2.15) to 6.84% (2.99–11.50). TRT repeatability was good for all reference methods used, although semi-quantitative models (i.e. SUVr) performed marginally worse than quantitative models, for instance TRT repeatability of RPM: 1.98% (0.78–3.58) vs. SUVr_80–100: 3.05% (1.28–5.52), p < 0.001. Furthermore, for SUVr_80–100 and SUVr_110–130, with higher average SUVr, more variation was observed. In conclusion, while TRT repeatability was good for all models used, quantitative methods performed slightly better than semi-quantitative methods.     

The link between language and action in aging

ObjectiveMany studies have demonstrated the existence of a link between action verb processing and action. However, little is known about the changes in this relationship with aging.MethodTo assess this point, we compare the performances of younger and older people during a priming task consisting of judging whether an image contains a human after listening to an action verb.ResultsIn accordance with previous literature, the results showed that younger people were faster to detect the presence of a human in the image in congruent conditions, namely, when the action verb and the image refer to the same action. However, this effect was not present in older adults’ participants.ConclusionThese findings suggest that the link between action and language decreases with age. We discuss these findings in the context of the embodied view of cognition.     

A thread of hope for successful revascularization for acute embolic basilar artery occlusion due to miserable vertebral artery stump syndrome. A technical report

Acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is associated with major morbidities and a high mortality rate. The prevalence of acute BAO is 10.4% among patients treated with thrombectomy for acute large vessel occlusion. Vertebral artery stump syndrome (VASS) reportedly causes ischemic stroke with tandem occlusions as vertebral artery (VA) origin occlusion and BAO. The pathogenesis of ischemic stroke due to VASS can be attributed to thrombi or emboli. Acute embolic BAO due to VASS accounted for 2 of 25 cases (8.0%) of BAO treated using thrombectomy between April 2014 and May 2019 in our registry. VASS must be considered as one cause of BAO. With the initial Magnetic resonance angiography on arrival, it is difficult to distinguish between BAO due to simple cardiogenic embolus and due to embolus caused by VASS rapidly. In patients suffering from acute embolic BAO due to VASS, the presence of VA origin occlusion makes endovascular therapy (EVT) difficult to perform. Here, we report consecutive cases of thrombectomy for acute embolic BAO due to VASS, showing markedly different outcomes. VA origin occlusion severely limits the technical options for EVT. Visualization or conjecture of the origin of both or dominant VAs conceivably offers the possibility of successful EVT and may allow good outcomes.