Online Peer-to-Peer Support for Young People With Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review.

Background: Adolescence and early adulthood are critical periods for the development of mental disorders. Online peer-to-peer communication is popular among young people and may improve mental health by providing social support. Previous systematic reviews have targeted Internet support groups for adults with mental health problems, including depression.

Privacy Issues in the Development of a Virtual Mental Health Clinic for University Students: A Qualitative Study.

Background: There is a growing need to develop online services for university students with the capacity to complement existing services and efficiently address student mental health problems. Previous research examining the development and acceptability of online interventions has revealed that issues such as privacy critically impact user willingness to engage with these services.

Objective: To explore university student perspectives on privacy issues related to using an online mental health service within the context of the development of an online, university-based virtual mental health clinic.

A Virtual Mental Health Clinic for University Students: A Qualitative Study of End-User Service Needs and Priorities.

Background: Help seeking for mental health problems among university students is low, and Internet-based interventions such as virtual clinics have the potential to provide private, streamlined, and high quality care to this vulnerable group.

Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct focus groups with university students to obtain input on potential functions and features of a university-specific virtual clinic for mental health.

Methods: Participants were 19 undergraduate students from an Australian university between 19 and 24 years of age.

Genome-wide association study of body mass index in subjects with alcohol dependence.

Outcomes related to disordered metabolism are common in alcohol dependence (AD). To investigate alterations in the regulation of body mass that occur in the context of AD, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of body mass index (BMI) in African Americans (AAs) and European Americans (EAs) with AD. Subjects were recruited for genetic studies of AD or drug dependence and evaluated using the Semi-structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism.

Genome-wide meta-analysis reveals common splice site acceptor variant in CHRNA4 associated with nicotine dependence.

We conducted a 1000 Genomes-imputed genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis for nicotine dependence, defined by the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence in 17 074 ever smokers from five European-ancestry samples. We followed up novel variants in 7469 ever smokers from five independent European-ancestry samples. We identified genome-wide significant association in the alpha-4 nicotinic receptor subunit (CHRNA4) gene on chromosome 20q13: lowest P=8.

Linkage analyses in Caribbean Hispanic families identify novel loci associated with familial late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: We performed linkage analyses in Caribbean Hispanic families with multiple late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) cases to identify regions that may contain disease causative variants.

Methods: We selected 67 LOAD families to perform genome-wide linkage scan. Analysis of the linked regions was repeated using the entire sample of 282 families.

Association of Long Runs of Homozygosity With Alzheimer Disease Among African American Individuals.

Importance: Mutations in known causal Alzheimer disease (AD) genes account for only 1% to 3% of patients and almost all are dominantly inherited. Recessive inheritance of complex phenotypes can be linked to long (>1-megabase [Mb]) runs of homozygosity (ROHs) detectable by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays.

Objective: To evaluate the association between ROHs and AD in an African American population known to have a risk for AD up to 3 times higher than white individuals.

Genome-wide linkage analyses of non-Hispanic white families identify novel loci for familial late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Few high penetrance variants that explain risk in late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) families have been found.

Methods: We performed genome-wide linkage and identity-by-descent (IBD) analyses on 41 non-Hispanic white families exhibiting likely dominant inheritance of LOAD, and having no mutations at known familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) loci, and a low burden of APOE ε4 alleles.

Results: Two-point parametric linkage analysis identified 14 significantly linked regions, including three novel linkage regions for LOAD (5q32, 11q12.

F-box/LRR-repeat protein 7 is genetically associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: In the context of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) over 20 genes have been identified but, aside APOE, all show small effect sizes, leaving a large part of the genetic component unexplained. Admixed populations, such as Caribbean Hispanics, can provide a valuable contribution because of their unique genetic profile and higher incidence of the disease. We aimed to identify novel loci associated with LOAD.

Evidence of CNIH3 involvement in opioid dependence.

Opioid dependence, a severe addictive disorder and major societal problem, has been demonstrated to be moderately heritable. We conducted a genome-wide association study in Comorbidity and Trauma Study data comparing opioid-dependent daily injectors (N=1167) with opioid misusers who never progressed to daily injection (N=161). The strongest associations, observed for CNIH3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), were confirmed in two independent samples, the Yale-Penn genetic studies of opioid, cocaine and alcohol dependence and the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment, which both contain non-dependent opioid misusers and opioid-dependent individuals.

Variations in opioid receptor genes in neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Background: There is significant variability in the severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) due to in-utero opioid exposure. We wanted to determine if single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in key candidate genes contribute to this variability.

Methods: Full-term opioid-exposed newborns and their mothers (n=86 pairs) were studied.

Ancestry of the Timorese: age-related macular degeneration associated genotype and allele sharing among human populations from throughout the world.

We observed that the third leading cause of blindness in the world, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), occurs at a very low documented frequency in a population-based cohort from Timor-Leste. Thus, we determined a complete catalog of the ancestry of the Timorese by analysis of whole exome chip data and haplogroup analysis of SNP genotypes determined by sequencing the Hypervariable I and II regions of the mitochondrial genome and 17 genotyped YSTR markers obtained from 535 individuals. We genotyped 20 previously reported AMD-associated SNPs in the Timorese to examine their allele frequencies compared to and between previously documented AMD cohorts of varying ethnicities.

Global and local ancestry in African-Americans: Implications for Alzheimer's disease risk.

Introduction: African-American (AA) individuals have a higher risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) than Americans of primarily European ancestry (EA). Recently, the largest genome-wide association study in AAs to date confirmed that six of the Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related genetic variants originally discovered in EA cohorts are also risk variants in AA; however, the risk attributable to many of the loci (e.g.

Advocacy for health equity: a synthesis review.

Unlabelled: POLICY POINTS: Many barriers hamper advocacy for health equity, including the contemporary economic zeitgeist, the biomedical health perspective, and difficulties cooperating across policy sectors on the issue. Effective advocacy should include persistent efforts to raise awareness and understanding of the social determinants of health. Education on the social determinants as part of medical training should be encouraged, including professional training within disadvantaged communities.

Genomewide Association Study for Maximum Number of Alcoholic Drinks in European Americans and African Americans.

Background: We conducted a genomewide association study (GWAS) for maximum number of alcoholic drinks consumed in a 24-hour period ("MaxDrinks"), in 2 independent samples comprised of over 9,500 subjects, following up on our GWAS for alcohol dependence (AD) in European Americans (EAs) and African Americans (AAs).

Methods: The samples included our GWAS samples (Yale-UPenn) recruited for studies of the genetics of drug or AD, and a publicly available sample: the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment (SAGE). Genomewide association analysis was performed for ~890,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using linear association random effects models.

The ticking clock of Cayo Santiago macaques and its implications for understanding human circadian rhythm disorders.

The circadian clock disorders in humans remain poorly understood. However, their impact on the development and progression of major human conditions, from cancer to insomnia, metabolic or mental illness becomes increasingly apparent. Addressing human circadian disorders in animal models is, in part, complicated by inverse temporal relationship between the core clock and specific physiological or behavioral processes in diurnal and nocturnal animals.

Technology-based interventions for tobacco and other drug use in university and college students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: University students have high levels of tobacco and other drug use, yet they are unlikely to seek traditional care. Technology-based interventions are highly relevant to this population. This paper comprises a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized trials of technology-based interventions evaluated in a tertiary (university/college) setting for tobacco and other drug use (excluding alcohol).

Eye color: A potential indicator of alcohol dependence risk in European Americans.

In archival samples of European-ancestry subjects, light-eyed individuals have been found to consume more alcohol than dark-eyed individuals. No published population-based studies have directly tested the association between alcohol dependence (AD) and eye color. We hypothesized that light-eyed individuals have a higher prevalence of AD than dark-eyed individuals.

Predictors of treatment dropout in self-guided web-based interventions for depression: an 'individual patient data' meta-analysis.

Background: It is well known that web-based interventions can be effective treatments for depression. However, dropout rates in web-based interventions are typically high, especially in self-guided web-based interventions. Rigorous empirical evidence regarding factors influencing dropout in self-guided web-based interventions is lacking due to small study sample sizes.

Polygenic risk for alcohol dependence associates with alcohol consumption, cognitive function and social deprivation in a population-based cohort.

Alcohol dependence is frequently co-morbid with cognitive impairment. The relationship between these traits is complex as cognitive dysfunction may arise as a consequence of heavy drinking or exist prior to the onset of dependence. In the present study, we tested the genetic overlap between cognitive abilities and alcohol dependence using polygenic risk scores (PGRS).

Polygenic Overlap Between C-Reactive Protein, Plasma Lipids, and Alzheimer Disease.

Background: Epidemiological findings suggest a relationship between Alzheimer disease (AD), inflammation, and dyslipidemia, although the nature of this relationship is not well understood. We investigated whether this phenotypic association arises from a shared genetic basis.

Methods And Results: Using summary statistics (P values and odds ratios) from genome-wide association studies of >200 000 individuals, we investigated overlap in single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with clinically diagnosed AD and C-reactive protein (CRP), triglycerides, and high- and low-density lipoprotein levels.