A translationally informed approach to vital signs for psychiatry: a preliminary proof of concept.

The nature of data obtainable from the commercial smartphone - bolstered by a translational model emphasizing the impact of social and physical zeitgebers on circadian rhythms and mood - offers the possibility of scalable and objective vital signs for major depression. Our objective was to explore associations between passively sensed behavioral smartphone data and repeatedly measured depressive symptoms to suggest which features could eventually lead towards vital signs for depression. We collected continuous behavioral data and bi-weekly depressive symptoms (PHQ-8) from 131 psychiatric outpatients with a lifetime DSM-5 diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety over a 16-week period.

Commentary: Cigarette dependence in menthol and non-menthol young adult cigarette smokers.

FDA's Proposed Final Rule to ban menthol cigarettes asserts that "menthol cigarettes contribute to greater nicotine dependence in youth and young adults than non-menthol cigarettes." However, none of the publications referenced included young adults. To provide empirical evidence on the subject, we examine smoking frequency and Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI) dependence among 2,194 young adult (ages 18-25 years) menthol and non-menthol smokers from 31 online survey samples.

Heaviness of smoking index in menthol and non-menthol smokers.

Background: It has been hypothesized that menthol in cigarettes increases dependence. Several studies suggest that menthol and non-menthol smokers have similar or lower levels of dependence, but those studies are not without limitations. The Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI) is a widely accepted, validated measure of cigarette dependence.

Measures of dependence in menthol and nonmenthol smokers - A comprehensive narrative review.

More than a decade ago, concerns were raised that menthol in cigarettes might enhance addiction to smoking. This article provides a comprehensive review of published studies examining cigarette dependence among menthol and nonmenthol smokers. The purpose of the review is to evaluate the scientific evidence to determine if menthol increases cigarette dependence.

A Well-Mixed Computational Model for Estimating Room Air Levels of Selected Constituents from E-Vapor Product Use.

Concerns have been raised in the literature for the potential of secondhand exposure from e-vapor product (EVP) use. It would be difficult to experimentally determine the impact of various factors on secondhand exposure including, but not limited to, room characteristics (indoor space size, ventilation rate), device specifications (aerosol mass delivery, e-liquid composition), and use behavior (number of users and usage frequency). Therefore, a well-mixed computational model was developed to estimate the indoor levels of constituents from EVPs under a variety of conditions.

Predictors, indicators, and validated measures of dependence in menthol smokers.

This article presents a comprehensive review of the menthol cigarette dependence-related literature and results from an original analysis of the Total Exposure Study (TES), which included 1,100 menthol and 2,400 nonmenthol adult smokers. The substantial scientific evidence available related to age of first cigarette, age of regular use, single-item dependence indicators (smoking frequency, cigarettes per day, time to first cigarette, night waking to smoke), smoking duration, numerous validated and widely accepted measures of nicotine/cigarette dependence, and our analysis of the TES do not support that menthol smokers are more dependent than nonmenthol smokers or that menthol increases dependence.

Cigarettes with different nicotine levels affect sensory perception and levels of biomarkers of exposure in adult smokers.

Introduction: Few clinical studies involving cigarettes have provided a comprehensive picture of smoke exposure, test article characterization, and insights into sensory properties combined. The purpose of these pilot studies was to determine whether cigarettes with different levels of nicotine but similar tar levels would affect sensory experience or smoking behavior so as to significantly alter levels of selected biomarkers of exposure (BOE).

Methods: In 2 confined, double-blind studies, 120 adult smokers switched from Marlboro Gold cigarettes at baseline to either 1 of 2 lower nicotine cigarettes or 1 of 2 higher nicotine cigarettes and then to the other cigarette after 5 days.

Factors affecting exposure to nicotine and carbon monoxide in adult cigarette smokers.

Exposure to cigarette smoke among smokers is highly variable. This variability has been attributed to differences in smoking behavior as measured by smoking topography, as well as other behavioral and subjective aspects of smoking. The objective of this study was to determine the factors affecting smoke exposure as estimated by biomarkers of exposure to nicotine and carbon monoxide (CO).

Relationship between biomarkers of cigarette smoke exposure and biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and platelet activation in adult cigarette smokers.

Background: Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for several diseases, including cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer, but the role of specific smoke constituents in these diseases has not been clearly established.

Methods: The relationships between biomarkers of potential harm (BOPH), associated with inflammation [white blood cell (WBC), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen, and von Willebrand factor (vWF)], oxidative stress [8-epi-prostaglandin F(2α) (8-epiPGF(2α))] and platelet activation [11-dehydro-thromboxin B(2) (11-dehTxB(2))], and machine-measured tar yields (grouped into four categories), biomarkers of exposure (BOE) to cigarette smoke: nicotine and its five metabolites (nicotine equivalents), 4-methylnitrosamino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (total NNAL), carboxyhemoglobin, 1-hydroxypyrene, 3-hydroxypropylmercapturic acid, and monohydroxybutenyl-mercapturic acid, were investigated in 3,585 adult smokers and 1,077 nonsmokers.

Results: Overall, adult smokers had higher levels of BOPHs than nonsmokers.

A comprehensive evaluation of the toxicology of cigarette ingredients: aromatic and aliphatic alcohol compounds.

Context: Various aromatic and aliphatic alcohol compounds are found in tobacco and tobacco smoke.

Objective: A battery of tests was used to compare the toxicity of mainstream smoke from experimental cigarettes containing eight aromatic and aliphatic alcohol compounds that were added individually to experimental cigarettes at three different levels. The lowest target inclusion level was 100 ppm and the highest level was 24,400 ppm.

The relationship between nicotine dependence scores and biomarkers of exposure in adult cigarette smokers.

Background: Tobacco dependence is a multidimensional phenomenon. The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) is a widely administered six-item questionnaire used as a measure of nicotine dependence. It has been suggested that this test may not represent the entire spectrum of factors related to dependence.

Biomarkers of potential harm among adult smokers and nonsmokers in the total exposure study.

Introduction: There is overwhelming medical and scientific consensus that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and other serious diseases in smokers. In the Total Exposure Study, 29 biomarkers of potential harm (BOPH) were measured in a cross-sectional sample of 3,585 adult smokers (AS) and 1,077 nonsmokers (NS). The BOPH included markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, platelet activation, endothelial function, lipid metabolism, hematology, metabolism, the cardiovascular system, lung function, kidney function, and liver function.

Does dual use jeopardize the potential role of smokeless tobacco in harm reduction?

Introduction: The use of smokeless tobacco as part of a strategy to reduce the harm from cigarette smoking is a topic of debate within the tobacco control and public health communities. One concern voiced regarding endorsement of such a tactic is the possibility of actually increasing harm should current smokers adopt dual cigarette/smokeless tobacco use (dual use), which could lead to unintended consequences by perpetuating cigarette smoking, diminishing tobacco cessation, or increasing tobacco-related harm.

Methods: Here, we review the available literature on health effects and trajectories of use among dual users from a variety of U.

The relationship between smoking machine derived tar yields and biomarkers of exposure in adult cigarette smokers in the US.

Unlabelled: Comprehensive data on human exposure to smoke constituents from different machine-measured tar yield cigarettes is limited.

Methods: This study used a stratified, cross-sectional, multi-center design to estimate biomarkers of exposure (BOE) from nicotine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), pyrene, CO, acrolein, and 1,3-butadiene and their relationship to tar yield categories of cigarette in adult smokers in the U.S.

Evaluation of biomarkers of exposure to selected cigarette smoke constituents in adult smokers switched to carbon-filtered cigarettes in short-term and long-term clinical studies.

Cigarette smoke is a complex aerosol that includes a gas vapor phase and a particulate phase. Inclusion of activated carbon in the cigarette filter can reduce some of the gas-phase smoke constituents implicated as toxicologically relevant. The present study evaluated exposure to selected gas-phase constituents when adult smokers switched to prototype cigarettes with a highly activated carbon filter.

Short-term clinical exposure evaluation of a third-generation electrically heated cigarette smoking system (EHCSS) in adult smokers.

This randomized, controlled, forced-switching, open-label, parallel-group, single-center study in 100 male and female adult smokers evaluated 12 biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure. We measured exposure to the following smoke constituents: nicotine, pyrene, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, three aromatic amines, carbon monoxide, benzene, acrolein, crotonaldehyde, and 1,3-butadiene. After baseline exposure determination, adult smokers of a conventional cigarette (CC) were switched to an electrically heated cigarette smoking system (EHCSS, Series K), continued smoking the CC, or stopped smoking (No-smoking) for 8 days in a controlled, confined, clinical setting.

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) evaluation of a third-generation electrically heated cigarette smoking system (EHCSS).

This sub-study of a randomized, controlled, forced-switching, open-label, parallel-group, clinical study compared environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) produced when 60 male and female adult smokers switched to a third-generation electrically heated cigarette smoking system (EHCSS), continued to smoke a conventional cigarette (CC), or stopped smoking (No-smoking). Concentrations of air constituents including respirable suspended particulate (RSP), carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) and ETS markers including solanesol-related particulate matter (Sol-PM), ultraviolet absorbing particulate matter (UVPM), fluorescent particulate matter (FPM), nicotine and 3-ethenyl pyridine (3-EP) were measured in a ventilated, furnished conference room over a 2-h period on separate occasions for each smoking condition. When the EHCSS was used, concentrations of CO and most ETS markers were in the same range as during no-smoking.

12-week clinical exposure evaluation of a third-generation electrically heated cigarette smoking system (EHCSS) in adult smokers.

This randomized, controlled, forced-switching, open-label, parallel-group, single-center study in 90 male and female adult smokers evaluated six biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure over a 12-week period of unrestricted smoking in the participants' normal life setting. Baseline biomarker levels were measured, then participants were randomly assigned to switch to an electrically heated cigarette smoking system (EHCSS, Series K) or to continue smoking a conventional cigarette (CC) of similar tar yield (Federal Trade Commission method) for 12 weeks. Compared to Baseline, adult smokers who switched to the EHCSS for 12 weeks in their normal life setting had significantly reduced nicotine equivalents (-33%), total NNAL (a biomarker for NNK, -63%), 1-OHP (a surrogate biomarker for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, -38%), carboxyhemoglobin (a biomarker for carbon monoxide, -23%), 3-HPMA (a biomarker for acrolein, -25%) and S-PMA (a biomarker for benzene, -49%), whereas exposure was stable in the CC control group.

Weight gain during substance abuse treatment: the dual problem of addiction and overeating in an adolescent population.

Obesity and substance abuse during adolescence have reached epidemic proportions, and both are among the leading major public health problems in the United States. There is a significant amount of weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) gain in adolescent ex-addicts during supervised and confirmed abstinence from drugs and alcohol. The primary purpose of this secondary data analysis was to examine the effectiveness of two interventions implemented to address weight management in residential facilities treating adolescent substance use disorders.

Tobacco and psychiatric dual disorders.

Smoking is a leading cause of morbidity and premature mortality in the United States. The relationship between tobacco smoking and several forms of cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic lung disease, and other medical diseases is well recognized and accepted. Recent epidemiological studies are now focusing on the link between tobacco use and psychiatric diseases.

Is speeding a form of gambling in adolescents?

Speeding is a major contributor to motor vehicle accidents, which are the leading cause of death in adolescents. This study compares the extent to which adolescents with gambling behavior and substance use reported driving over the posted speed limits ("speeding"). Florida adolescents ages 13-17 (n = 1051) were surveyed, and asked about gambling activities, problems related to gambling, substance use, demographic questions, and speeding.