Can the blind see? Participant guess about treatment arm assignment may influence outcome in a clinical trial of bupropion for smoking cessation.

In a placebo-controlled bupropion smoking cessation trial, we examined blind integrity, the link between blind integrity and quit rates, and whether side effects and changes in nicotine withdrawal symptoms or mood were mechanisms through which blind integrity is threatened. At a 12-month follow-up, 498 participants indicated whether they thought they received bupropion, placebo, or were not sure. Potential mediators of treatment effects on treatment arm guess (i.

Associations between relationship support and psychological reactions of participants and partners to BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing in a clinic-based sample.

Background: Despite the potential importance of communication about genetic testing between test participants and their significant others, little is known about social support and communication between women undergoing BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing and their partners.

Purpose: The aims of this longitudinal study were to examine communication about genetic testing during and following testing and to evaluate whether communication is associated with psychological distress reported by test participants and their partners.

Methods: Participants were 153 women who were undergoing genetic testing and 118 partners of women undergoing testing.

Effects of dopamine transporter and receptor polymorphisms on smoking cessation in a bupropion clinical trial.

This study examined the role of dopaminergic genes in prospective smoking cessation and response to bupropion treatment in a placebo-controlled clinical trial. Smokers of European ancestry (N=418) provided blood samples for genetic analysis and received either bupropion or placebo (10 weeks) plus counseling. Assessments included the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) genotype, dopamine transporter (SLC6A3) genotype, demographic factors, and nicotine dependence.

Pharmacogenetic investigation of smoking cessation treatment.

Despite the efficacy of bupropion for smoking cessation, smokers exhibit variability in treatment outcome. The CYP2B6 gene has been implicated in bupropion kinetics and nicotine metabolism, and is a plausible candidate for pharmacogenetic studies of treatment response. We investigated whether a functional genetic polymorphism in the CYP2B6 gene predicts smoking outcomes in a placebo-controlled randomized trial.

Psychosocial correlates of alternate tobacco product use during early adolescence.

Background: The objective was to assess psychosocial correlates of alternate tobacco product (chew/snuff, cigar, pipe, bidi, kretek) use.

Methods: Measures of alternate tobacco product use, cigarette smoking, environmental smoking exposure, and depression were included in a school-based self-report survey completed by 1,107 ninth graders.

Results: The current (past 30 days) use rate for one or more alternate tobacco products was 8.

Association of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms with levels of cigarette smoking in a community sample of adolescents.

Objective: Research on the association of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with cigarette smoking has primarily occurred within samples of clinically referred youths. This paper reports the association of ADHD symptoms with smoking practices in a community sample of adolescents.

Method: Confidential self-report surveys were completed by 1,066 tenth-grade students enrolled in five public high schools who were taking part in a longitudinal study of biobehavioral predictors of adolescent smoking adoption.

Mediating mechanisms for the impact of bupropion in smoking cessation treatment.

Several studies have documented the effectiveness of bupropion for smoking cessation, yet little is known about the mechanisms by which it facilitates abstinence. In this placebo-controlled randomized trial. We examined whether bupropion's effects on cessation were mediated by changes in withdrawal and/or negative or positive affect (PA).

Recruiting adolescents into genetic studies of smoking behavior.

The goal of this study is to describe the process of establishing a longitudinal cohort to study genetic, psychological, and social predictors of adolescent smoking. Parents of eligible adolescents were approached for their consent via mail. Seventy-two percent of parents (n = 1533 of 2120) provided a response regarding their teens' participation.

Interacting effects of depression and tobacco advertising receptivity on adolescent smoking.

Objective: To evaluate the independent effects of exposure to others who smoke and receptivity to tobacco advertising on adolescent smoking practices and the moderating influence of depression on these relationships.

Methods: Participants were 1,123 high school freshmen who completed a self-report survey as part of a longitudinal investigation of the biobehavioral predictors of adolescent smoking adoption. Sixty percent of freshmen reported that they were never smokers (i.