Patterns of adaptation to stress cardiovascular responses in smokers during ad libitum smoking and withdrawal.

There is considerable evidence documenting associations between tobacco smoking, including initiation, maintenance, and relapse of addiction, with diminished cardiovascular responses to acute psychological stress. However, less is known about how smokers respond to repeated stress across time. The current study examined patterns of cardiovascular reactivity and adaptation to recurrent stress among 24-h abstinence smokers, smokers who continued to smoke at their normal rate, and non-smokers.

Nicotine addiction and the influence of life adversity and acute stress on PYY: Prediction of early smoking relapse.

Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with earlier initiation and maintenance of tobacco smoking and with a greater risk of subsequent relapse. There is growing evidence that appetite hormones, including peptide YY (PYY), which modulates craving and satiety responses, play a role in stress and addiction processes. This study employed a quasi-experimental design to examine the association between ELA and circulating PYY stress responses in smokers and nonsmokers (N = 152, ages 19-73 years) to examine the effects of nicotine addiction.

Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal and autonomic nervous system biomarkers of stress and tobacco relapse: Review of the research.

Tobacco smoking is a risk factor for countless diseases, and smoking relapse remains a major public health concern. Subjective reports of stress by smokers are a common theme for relapse, however, the role of objective stress-related biomarkers in predicting tobacco relapse risk has been less studied. The aim of this manuscript was to review existing literature on the connection between biomarkers of stress and smoking relapse.

Patients with schizophrenia in Morocco during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal observational study.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, social-distancing and confinement measures were implemented. These may affect the mental health of patients with mental disorders such as schizophrenia. This study examined the clinical course of patients with schizophrenia at a public hospital in Morocco during the COVID-19 pandemic.

World addiction medicine reports: formation of the International Society of Addiction Medicine Global Expert Network (ISAM-GEN) and its global surveys.

Addiction medicine is a dynamic field that encompasses clinical practice and research in the context of societal, economic, and cultural factors at the local, national, regional, and global levels. This field has evolved profoundly during the past decades in terms of scopes and activities with the contribution of addiction medicine scientists and professionals globally. The dynamic nature of drug addiction at the global level has resulted in a crucial need for developing an international collaborative network of addiction societies, treatment programs and experts to monitor emerging national, regional, and global concerns.

Impact of Early-Life Adversity on Cannabis Use: Exploring the Mediating and Moderating Effects of Chronic Pain.

Although research suggests that early-life adversity (ELA) and cannabis use are linked, researchers have not established factors that mediate or modify this relationship. Identifying such factors could help in developing targeted interventions. We explored chronic pain as a potential mediator or moderator of this relationship.

Barriers and facilitators of colorectal cancer screening among East African men in Minnesota: a qualitative investigation.

This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among East African men in Minnesota. Six focus groups were conducted in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, USA.

Biobehavioral and affective stress responses during nicotine withdrawal: Influence of regular cannabis co-use.

Background: Co-use of cannabis is increasing in nicotine users and presents additional challenges in addressing nicotine dependence. This study examined the links between regular co-use of cannabis and nicotine with biobehavioral and affective changes in response to stress during nicotine withdrawal and ad libitum use.

Methods: Participants (N = 79) who regularly used nicotine-only, cannabis-only, both substances, or neither substance were invited to attend two laboratory stress assessment sessions.

Early life adversity and substance use: The mediating role of mood and the moderating role of impulsivity.

Introduction: Early life adversity (ELA) is a risk factor for substance use and misuse, and multiple factors mediate and moderate this association. We examined whether moods mediate the relationships between ELA and nicotine use, cannabis use, and co-use, and whether these mediation effects varied as a function of delay discounting.

Methods: A total of 2555 adults completed a delay discounting task and responded to questions related to demographics, ELA, mood, and substance use.

Immediate Switching to Reduced Nicotine Cigarettes in a U.S.-Based Sample: The Impact on Cannabis Use and Related Variables at 20 Weeks.

Introduction: The FDA proposed rule-making to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to minimally addictive levels. Research suggests decreasing nicotine levels (i.e.

Smoking abstinence and cessation-related outcomes one month after an immediate versus gradual reduction in nicotine content of cigarettes.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has the authority to reduce the nicotine content in cigarettes to minimal or non-addictive levels and could do so immediately or gradually over time. A large clinical trial compared the two approaches. This secondary analysis assesses abstinence and cessation-related outcomes one month after the trial concluded, when participants no longer had access to very low nicotine content (VLNC) research cigarettes.

Circulating ghrelin changes as a biomarker of the stress response and craving in abstinent smokers.

Rationale: There has been growing interest in the role of ghrelin in stress and addiction. Ghrelin regulates central reward mechanisms by mediating the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. Stress also induces neurophysiological activations related to drug reward.

Uncertainty and psychological distress during COVID-19: What about protective factors?

Unlabelled: The present study examined the relationship between perceived uncertainty and depression/ anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and it tested the moderating roles of resilience and perceived social support in this relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 31st and May 15th, 2020, using an online, multi-language, international survey built within Qualtrics. We collected data on sociodemographic features, perceived uncertainty, perceived social support, depression and anxiety symptoms, and resilience.

Effects of regular cannabis and nicotine use on acute stress responses: chronic nicotine, but not cannabis use, is associated with blunted adrenocortical and cardiovascular responses to stress.

Rationale: Cannabis is one of the most prevalent substances used by tobacco smokers and, in light of the growing list of states and territories legalizing cannabis, it is expected that co-use of cannabis and nicotine will escalate significantly and will lead to continuing challenges with tobacco use.

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the interactive effects of chronic cannabis and nicotine use on adrenocortical, cardiovascular, and psychological responses to stress and to explore sex differences in these effects.

Methods: Participants (N = 231) included cannabis-only users, nicotine-only users, co-users of both substances, and a non/light-user comparison group.

Acculturation Style Is Associated with Stress and Tobacco Use among East African Immigrants.

While tobacco use rates are relatively high among East African immigrants in the U.S., factors contributing to this high rate are largely unknown.

Stress-induced analgesia: an evaluation of effects on temporal summation of pain and the role of endogenous opioid mechanisms.

Introduction: Acute stress reduces responses to static evoked pain stimuli (stress-induced analgesia [SIA]). Whether SIA inhibits temporal summation of pain, a dynamic evoked pain measure indexing central sensitization, has been little studied and mechanisms were not evaluated.

Objectives: We tested whether acute laboratory stressors reduce temporal summation and whether endogenous opioid (EO) mechanisms contributed.

Psychosocial Correlates of Experience and Intention to Receive Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Cross-Sectional Study Among East African Men in the U.S.

Cancer screening is an important approach to reducing disease burden. The rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among immigrants in the U.S.

Stress and pain: modality-specific opioid mediation of stress-induced analgesia.

Preclinical research has demonstrated that exposure to acute stress is associated with attenuated pain perception, so called stress-induced analgesia (SIA). Mechanisms of SIA in humans have not been reliably demonstrated. This study examined the role of the endogenous opioid system in the impact of combined interpersonal and mental stressors on evoked pain responses in 84 participants (34 women).

Impact of Acute and Chronic Cannabis Use on Stress Response Regulation: Challenging the Belief That Cannabis Is an Effective Method for Coping.

Although research has only recently started to examine the impact of cannabis use on stress response, there is some evidence that indicates acute and chronic impacts of cannabis on these processes. In this paper, we review processes involved in regulating the stress response and we review the influence of acute and chronic exposure to cannabis on patterns and regulation of the stress response. We also highlight the role of stress as a risk factor for initiation and maintenance of cannabis use.

Tobacco withdrawal increases junk food intake: The role of the endogenous opioid system.

Background: The aims of this study were to 1) determine whether acute nicotine withdrawal increases the intake of junk food (high in salt, fat, and sugar) and 2) assess whether the endogenous opioid system is involved in junk food intake during nicotine withdrawal using naltrexone as a pharmacological probe.

Methods: Smokers were randomly assigned to 24-hr withdrawal from tobacco products (n = 42) or smoking ad libitum (n = 34). A non-smoking group (n = 29) was included.

Impulsivity mediates the impact of early life adversity on high risk behaviors among Tunisian adolescents.

Adverse childhood experience (ACE) has become an alarming phenomenon exposing youth at a great risk of developing mental health issues. Several studies have examined the mechanism by which ACE affects adolescent's engagement in risky behaviors. However, little is known about these associations in the Tunisian/African context.

Stress and COVID-19 related behaviours: The mediating role of delay discounting.

We examined stress as a predictor of behaviours related to Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) through its effects on delay discounting. Adults (N = 3686) completed an online survey with a behavioural measure of delay discounting and questions regarding stress, physical distancing, and stockpiling of food and supplies. Stress was weakly, but positively, correlated with delay discounting (p < 0.

Neurobiological mechanisms of early life adversity, blunted stress reactivity and risk for addiction.

Blunted stress reactivity resulting from early exposure to stress during childhood and adolescence may increase vulnerability to addiction. Early life adversity (ELA) affects brain structure and function and results in blunted stress axis reactivity. In this review, we focus on the underlying neurobiological mechanisms associated with a blunted response to stress, ELA, and risk for addictive disorders.

Early life adversity and appetite hormones: The effects of smoking status, nicotine withdrawal, and relapse on ghrelin and peptide YY during smoking cessation.

There is evidence suggesting that ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY) modulate stress responses and the rewarding effects of drugs, although no research has examined the impact of exposure to early life stress on these hormones in smokers nor during smoking cessation. This study examined the relationships between early life adversity (ELA) and circulating ghrelin and PYY during ad libitum smoking and early withdrawal in tobacco smokers (N = 98) who were interested in cessation. We also included a comparison group of nonsmokers (N = 36).

Resilience and the Role of Depressed and Anxious Mood in the Relationship Between Perceived Social Isolation and Perceived Sleep Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The aim of the study was to examine the mediating role of depressed and anxious mood in the relationship between perceived social isolation and perceived sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also aimed to investigate the moderating role of psychological resilience in this mediation.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of adults (18+ years old) was conducted using an online, multi-language, international survey between March 31 and May 15, 2020.