Resting-state functional connectivity analyses have been used to examine synchrony in neural networks in substance use disorders (SUDs), with the default mode network (DMN) one of the most studied. Prior research has generally found less DMN synchrony during use and greater synchrony during cessation, although little research has utilized this method with opioid use. This study examined resting brain activity in treatment-seeking persons who use opioids at two points-when using opioids and when opioid-free-to determine whether the DMN exhibits different levels of connectivity during opioid use and cessation and whether differences in connectivity predict subsequent relapse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis is a retrospective study about haematological ratios in different stages of canine periodontal disease in one single breed, more specifically the Portuguese Podengo. The aim of the study was to assess the clinical significance of five haematological ratios, namely neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume-to-platelet count ratio (MPV/PLT), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-to-neutrophil ratio (PNR), easily obtained through the parameters provided by the complete blood count, in the stages of gingivitis and periodontitis, compared to clinical healthy individuals. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to identify ideal sensitivity and specificity cut-offs for cases of gingivitis or periodontitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCannabis use disorder is common among young adults in psychiatric care, particularly those at risk for psychosis. Yet, interventions tailored to address this issue are limited. The goal of this qualitative study was to determine barriers and facilitators for reducing/quitting cannabis use, and to obtain end-user perspectives to inform a mobile app-based intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the United States (U.S.), 90% of annual health care expenditures are devoted to people with chronic physical and mental health conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Cell Endocrinol
January 2025
Background: Exercise is beneficial for persons with schizophrenia; however, high dropout rates limit the impact of interventions. Virtual exercise programs have the potential to improve engagement; however, few intervention studies of virtual programs have been conducted in this population.
Methods: This study examined qualitative data from 15 adults with schizophrenia who participated in a pilot randomized controlled trial of Virtual PACE-Life, a live, video-delivered group walking intervention guided by self-determination theory.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in fecal isolates from wildlife is crucial for monitoring the spread of this microorganism in the environment and for developing effective AMR control strategies. Wildlife can act as carriers of AMR bacteria and spread them to other wildlife, domestic animals, and humans; thus, they have public health implications. A total of 128 isolates were obtained from 66 of 217 fecal samples obtained from different wild animals using media without antibiotic supplementation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Exercise anxiety is a novel mechanism related to non-adherence to exercise and lifestyle physical activity. We developed a cognitive-behavioral treatment, Behavioral Exposure For Interoceptive Tolerance (BE-FIT), which is a manualized, values-based exposure intervention designed to target exercise anxiety that is delivered as a supplement to outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR).
Method: We describe a Stage II randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test BE-FIT, compared to a Health Education Control (HEC) intervention on exercise and physical activity outcomes at end-of-treatment (EOT) and follow-ups (Weeks 12, 18, and 24), and evaluate mechanisms of change (i.
Objective: Obesity is linked to perturbations in energy balance mechanisms, including ghrelin and leptin actions at the hypothalamic circuitry of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and melanocortin. However, information about the regulation of this system in the periphery is still scarce. Our objective was to study the regulation of the NPY/melanocortin system in the adipose tissue (AT) and evaluate its therapeutic potential for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPain, substance use, and mental health conditions are common among people living with HIV (PLWH), and avoidance and rumination may influence the co-occurrence of these conditions. The present study examined longitudinal associations between avoidance/rumination and pain outcomes, anxiety, anger, and substance use among PLWH. Participants (N = 187) with chronic pain and depressive symptoms completed self-report assessments over a 1-year period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Among people living with HIV (PLWH), unhealthy drinking presents an increased risk for negative outcomes. Physical inactivity and sedentariness raise additional health risks. Despite evidence that physical activity (PA) is associated with improved physical and mental functioning and reduced alcohol cravings, there have been no PA studies conducted with PLWH engaged in unhealthy drinking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Compared to men, women with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are more likely to drink to manage stress and negative affect. Given women's risk for poor drinking outcomes, it is critical to develop and test interventions that target these affective factors. Physical activity improves negative affect and has emerged as a promising adjunct to AUD treatment and, thus, may be especially valuable for women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer continues to be a serious threat to human health worldwide. Lung, prostate and triple-negative breast cancers are amongst the most incident and deadliest cancers. Steroidal compounds are one of the most diversified therapeutic classes of compounds and they were proven to be efficient against several types of cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Strong positive links exist between mood, alcohol craving, and sweet taste preference. During alcohol abstinence, individuals have increased cravings for alcohol and sweets, in association with anxiety and depression symptoms. Research also suggests a substitution effect of alcohol with sweets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We aim to independently assess the validity of the damage index for antiphospholipid syndrome (DIAPS) in thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) patients by exploring the prevalence and risk factors of organ damage and evaluating its impact on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL).
Methods: Cross-sectional study including all thrombotic APS patients (Sydney criteria) attending a Portuguese tertiary centre. Damage was assessed using the DIAPS, and HR-QoL using the 3- and 5-level EuroQol HR-QoL (EQ-D5-3L and 5L), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) applied via a phone questionnaire.
In hunted animals, quality of blood samples may often be compromised. Alternative samples, such as meat juice, may offer an advantage to perform serological tests. This study evaluates if meat juice is a feasible alternative sample to perform the Tuberculosis ELISA test in hunted large game.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFaPLs are a major determinant of the increased cardiovascular risk in patients with SLE. They adversely affect clinical manifestations, damage accrual and prognosis. Apart from the antibodies included in the 2006 revised classification criteria for APS, other non-classical aPLs might help in identifying SLE patients at increased risk of thrombotic events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Exercise is increasingly used as adjunct treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Evidence suggests that moderate-to-high-intensity exercise can ameliorate cravings. We explored the potential mediating effects of changes in mood states in the relationship between exercise intensity and alcohol cravings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effect of anti-algics on tumor progression and the overall survival of patients is controversial and remains unclear. Herein, we disclose the in vitro effects of the local anesthetics lidocaine, ropivacaine, and levobupivacaine on breast (MCF7), prostate (PC3, LNCaP), and bladder (TCCSUP, HT1376) cancer cell lines, both as monotherapy and in combination with standard-of-care therapeutics. Assays for cell proliferation, viability, death profile, and migration were performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConsuming excessive amounts of alcohol causes impaired mobility and judgment and driving accidents, resulting in more than 800 injuries and fatalities each day. Passive methods to detect intoxicated drivers beyond the safe driving limit can facilitate Just-In-Time alerts and reduce Driving Under the Influence (DUI) incidents. Popularly-owned smartphones are not only equipped with motion sensors (accelerometer and gyroscope) that can be employed for passively collecting gait (walk) data but also have the processing power to run computationally expensive machine learning models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn recent years, the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has suffered a variety of alterations. Chemotherapy (CTX), immunotherapy (IT) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have shown remarkable results. However, not all patients with NSCLC respond to these drug treatments or receive durable benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic pain affects up to half of individuals taking opioid agonist therapy (OAT; i.e., methadone and buprenorphine) for opioid use disorder (OUD), and yoga-based interventions may be useful for decreasing pain-related disability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTwo primary ovarian hormones that fluctuate across the female menstrual cycle-estradiol and progesterone-have been independently linked in separate literatures to nicotine reinforcement and anxiety psychopathology. We identify existing methodological limitations in these literatures, describe an example protocol that was developed to address such limitations, highlight case examples, and offer insights on the resulting advantages and challenges. This protocol was an observational, prospective, within-subjects study of female cigarette smokers who were followed over the course of a complete menstrual cycle.
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