Neuroinflammation drives sex-dependent effects on pain and negative affect in a murine model of repeated mild traumatic brain injury.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of reported cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are mild, where chronic pain and depression are 2 of the most common symptoms. In this study, we used a murine model of repeated mild TBI to characterize the associated pain hypersensitivity and affective-like behavior and to what extent microglial reactivity contributes to these behavioral phenotypes. Male and female C57BL/6J mice underwent sham or repeated mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI) and were tested for up to 9 weeks postinjury, where an anti-inflammatory/neuroprotective drug (minocycline) was introduced at 5 weeks postinjury in the drinking water.

Denial and Diagnosis of Methamphetamine Dependence Severity.

Introduction: Denial, or lack of awareness of problems related to substance misuse, is a common feature of drug use disorders and can affect engagement in treatment and recovery. This study tested for association of denial with severity of symptoms used in the diagnosis of Methamphetamine Dependence.

Methods: This secondary analysis used data from 69 participants (52.

Menthol versus non-menthol flavouring and switching to e-cigarettes in black and Latinx adult menthol combustible cigarette smokers: secondary analyses from a randomised clinical trial.

Background: As the US Food and Drug Administration takes regulatory action on menthol cigarettes, debate continues about how restricting menthol e-liquids might impact adult menthol smokers in switching to e-cigarettes.

Methods: Switching patterns and e-cigarette acceptability were assessed at week 6 among 64 black and Latinx menthol cigarette smokers who used JUUL menthol (n=39) or non-menthol e-cigarettes ((n=25), primarily mint or mango) as part of a randomised switching trial.

Results: No clear evidence of effects was found between menthol versus non-menthol e-cigarettes on use or subjective effects/acceptability, effect sizes for all comparisons were small (effect size=0.

Effects of Marijuana Use on Smokers Switching to E-Cigarettes in a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Co-use of tobacco and marijuana is common, and research suggests that marijuana use may be a barrier to smoking cessation. Research to date has not evaluated how marijuana use affects e-cigarette switching behaviors and related outcomes in a harm reduction trial.

Aims And Methods: This secondary analysis includes African American (48%) and Latinx (52%) adult smokers randomized to the e-cigarette group (N = 114) of a harm reduction clinical trial from 2018 to 2019.

The Development of a Web-Based Tobacco Tracker Tool to Crowdsource Campus Environmental Reports for Smoke and Tobacco-Free College Policies: Mixed Methods Study.

Background: College campuses in the United States have begun implementing smoke and tobacco-free policies to discourage the use of tobacco. Smoke and tobacco-free policies, however, are contingent upon effective policy enforcement.

Objective: This study aimed to develop an empirically derived web-based tracking tool (Tracker) for crowdsourcing campus environmental reports of tobacco use and waste to support smoke and tobacco-free college policies.

Tobacco Tracker: A New Tool to Support College Smoke and Tobacco Free Policies.

Introduction: University community members are critical to the success of their smoke and tobacco free (STF) policies. The present study evaluates changes in social enforcement-related attitudes and behaviors following introduction of a new online Tobacco Tracker tool in two university settings.

Methods: Campus wide surveys were administered to current students, faculty, and staff at two California public universities with 100% STF policies before (November 2018; N = 5078) and after (December 2019-January 2020; N = 4853) introduction of Tobacco Tracker in February 2019.

"It is the One Thing that has Worked": facilitators and barriers to switching to nicotine salt pod system e-cigarettes among African American and Latinx people who smoke: a content analysis.

Background: Electronic cigarettes are a harm reduction strategy for individuals who smoke cigarettes who cannot or do not want to quit using FDA-approved cessation methods. Identifying perceived facilitators and barriers to switching among people who smoke cigarettes is critical to optimizing health impact. This is particularly important for the most dominant e-cigarette device, nicotine salt pod electronic cigarettes.

Changes in dependence, withdrawal, and craving among adult smokers who switch to nicotine salt pod-based e-cigarettes.

Background And Aims: For electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to be a viable substitute for combustible cigarettes, it is likely that they must be rewarding enough for regular use, indicated by factors such as craving and dependence, important aspects of reinforcement. This study aimed to understand short-term changes in measures of nicotine dependence between groups differing by use trajectory in a switching trial, and within group changes of these measures.

Design: Secondary data analysis of one arm of an e-cigarette randomized clinical trial.

Harm Reduction Associated with Dual Use of Cigarettes and e-Cigarettes in Black and Latino Smokers: Secondary Analyses from a Randomized Controlled e-Cigarette Switching Trial.

Introduction: Most adult cigarette smokers who use e-cigarettes are dual cigarette and e-cigarette (CC-EC) users, yet little is known about relative consumption of cigarettes to e-cigarettes and any associated harm reduction.

Methods: Rate of substitution from cigarettes to e-cigarettes at week 6 and change in biomarkers of exposure and potential harm were examined among dual dual cigarette and e-cigarette users [64/114 (56%); 35 Black, 29 Latino] in an e-cigarette switching randomized trial.

Results: Dual users averaged 79% substitution of cigarettes for e-cigarettes at week 6, resulting in a reduction from baseline of 70.

Effect of Pod e-Cigarettes vs Cigarettes on Carcinogen Exposure Among African American and Latinx Smokers: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Fourth-generation nicotine salt pod system (NSPS) electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are the leading class of e-cigarettes. They contain high nicotine concentrations, which may facilitate switching among smokers, but could also lead to increased exposure to nicotine and biomarkers of potential harm. African American and Latinx smokers experience significant tobacco-related health disparities.

The highly selective dopamine DR antagonist, R-VK4-40 attenuates oxycodone reward and augments analgesia in rodents.

Prescription opioid abuse is a global crisis. New treatment strategies for pain and opioid use disorders are urgently required. We evaluated the effects of R-VK4-40, a highly selective dopamine (DA) D receptor (DR) antagonist, on the rewarding and analgesic effects of oxycodone, the most commonly abused prescription opioid, in rats and mice.