The prospective contribution of hostility characteristics to high fasting glucose levels: the moderating role of marital status.

Objective: To assess whether psychological constructs of hostility, anger, type A behavior pattern, and depressive symptom severity 1) were associated with concurrent and prospective fasting glucose levels and 2) whether this association was moderated by marital status.

Research Design And Methods: Participants were 485 healthy men ([mean +/- SD] age 59 +/- 7 years) without a history of heart disease, diabetes, or taking related medications in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study. Their fasting glucose levels between 1986 and 1995 were examined.

Effects of Acute Nicotine Abstinence on Cue-elicited Ventral Striatum/Nucleus Accumbens Activation in Female Cigarette Smokers: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

To achieve greater understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying nicotine craving in female smokers, we examined the influence of nicotine non-abstinence vs. acute nicotine abstinence on cue-elicited activation of the ventral striatum. Eight female smokers underwent an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm presenting randomized sequences of smoking-related and non-smoking related pictures.

Lifetime characteristics of participants and non-participants in a smoking cessation trial: implications for external validity and public health impact.

Background: Detailed information about the characteristics of smokers who do and do not participate in smoking cessation treatment is needed to improve efforts to reach, motivate, and treat smokers.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore a broad range of characteristics related to participation in a smoking cessation trial.

Methods: Eligible smokers were recruited from a longitudinal birth cohort.

Nonpharmacologic therapy for smoking cessation: characteristics and efficacy of current approaches.

This article reviews the most common nonpharmacologic approaches used to support smoking cessation and, where possible, provides estimates of their efficacy in controlled clinical trials. Virtually all of the approaches that have been systematically evaluated to date have demonstrated modest efficacy in increasing quit rates. A cornerstone of effective treatment is tobacco dependence counseling, for which there is a dose-response relation between the intensity of counseling (total minutes of contact) and its effectiveness.

Anxiety characteristics independently and prospectively predict myocardial infarction in men the unique contribution of anxiety among psychologic factors.

Objectives: This study investigated whether anxiety characteristics independently predicted the onset of myocardial infarction (MI) over an average of 12.4 years and whether this relationship was independent of other psychologic variables and risk factors.

Background: Although several psychosocial factors have been associated with risk for MI, anxiety has not been examined extensively.

Chronic cigarette smoking and the microstructural integrity of white matter in healthy adults: a diffusion tensor imaging study.

Results from recent studies suggest that chronic cigarette smoking is associated with increased white matter volume in the brain as determined by in vivo neuroimaging. We used diffusion tensor imaging to examine the microstructural integrity of the white matter in 10 chronic smokers and 10 nonsmokers. All individuals were healthy, without histories of medical or psychiatric illness.

Bupropion efficacy for smoking cessation is influenced by the DRD2 Taq1A polymorphism: analysis of pooled data from two clinical trials.

We analyzed pooled data from two comparable randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials of bupropion pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation for which data on DRD2 Taq1A genotype were available. A total of 722 smokers across the two trials were randomized to 10 weeks of sustained-release bupropion hydrochloride or placebo. General estimating equation analysis demonstrated a significant gene x drug interaction (B = 0.

Effects of progression to cigarette smoking on depressed mood in adolescents: evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Aims: To investigate the relationship between smoking status and continuously distributed depressed mood among a cohort of adolescents.

Design: Quasi-experimental design, selecting the subset of adolescents who reported never having smoked a cigarette at baseline, some of whom progressed subsequently to smoking at follow-up approximately 1 year later.

Setting: Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, an ongoing study designed to assess the health status of adolescents, and explore the causes of adolescent health-related behaviours.

HIV-positive smokers considering quitting: differences by race/ethnicity.

Objective: To better characterize smoking in HIV-positive individuals and to identify critical components of a targeted smoking cessation intervention for multiethnic HIV-positive smokers.

Methods: Differences in baseline characteristics of 444 HIV-positive smokers were examined by race, and a multivariate linear regression model evaluated factors associated with nicotine dependence in an HIV-positive population, with a particular emphasis on race/ethnic differences.

Results: Low smoking self-efficacy and higher contemplation of quitting were predictive of greater nicotine dependence.

Cigarette smoking and the lifetime alcohol involvement continuum.

Greater understanding of how alcohol use relates to the initiation, progression, and persistence of cigarette smoking is of great significance for efforts to prevent and treat smoking and excessive drinking and their substantial combined iatrogenic effects on health. Studies investigating the relationship between levels of alcohol involvement and smoking have typically been limited by analytic approaches that treat drinking behavior and alcohol use disorder diagnoses as separate phenomena rather than as indicators of a single latent alcohol involvement dimension. The purposes of the present study were (a) to create a lifetime index of alcohol involvement that integrates information about alcohol consumption and alcohol problems into a single measure and (b) to relate this index to initiation of smoking, progression from initiation to daily smoking, progression from initiation to dependence, and persistence of smoking.

Educational attainment, smoking initiation and lifetime nicotine dependence among male Vietnam-era twins.

Background: Smoking initiation and persistence are clearly associated with factors commonly thought to be environmental in origin, including socio-economic status. However, twin models that incorporate gene-environment correlation and gene x environment interaction have not been applied to elucidate the genetic or environmental role that socio-economic status plays in smoking initiation and nicotine dependence.

Method: Twin structural equation modelling was used to examine gene-environment correlation and gene x environment interaction of one index of socio-economic status, educational attainment, with smoking initiation and nicotine dependence among 5119 monozygotic and 4295 dizygotic male-male Vietnam-era twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry, a national registry of twin pairs who served in the military during the Vietnam era.

Consistency of self-reported smoking over a 6-year interval from adolescence to young adulthood.

Aims: To examine the reliability of self-report cigarette smoking questions by describing recanting (denial of previous smoking reports) in a nationally representative sample of US adolescents followed throughout young adulthood. Predictors of recanting across stages of smoking uptake/progression are examined.

Design: A total of 12 985 respondents to cigarette smoking questions during in-home interviews at waves I and III (6 years apart) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health).

Pharmacogenetic clinical trial of sustained-release bupropion for smoking cessation.

This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial examined genetic influences on treatment response to sustained-release bupropion for smoking cessation. Smokers of European ancestry (N = 291), who were randomized to receive bupropion or placebo (12 weeks) plus counseling, were genotyped for the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2-Taq1A), dopamine transporter (SLC6A3 3' VNTR), and cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6 1459 CT) polymorphisms. Main outcome measures were cotinine-verified point prevalence of abstinence at end of treatment and at 2-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups post quit date.

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.

Bupropion and cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression in smoking cessation.

This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial examining the effects of an intensive cognitive-behavioral mood management treatment (CBTD) and of bupropion, both singularly and in combination, on smoking cessation in adult smokers. As an extension of our previous work, we planned to examine the synergistic effects of CBTD and bupropion on smoking cessation outcomes in general and among smokers with depression vulnerability factors. Participants were 524 smokers (47.

Prevalence of anxiety disorders in men and women with established coronary heart disease.

Purpose: Anxiety has been associated with the development and recurrence of coronary heart disease (CHD). The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anxiety disorders in men and women with established CHD.

Methods: One hundred fifty CHD patients were evaluated via a semistructured, psychiatric interview to assess both current and lifetime prevalence rates of anxiety disorders.

Internet- vs. telephone-administered questionnaires in a randomized trial of smoking cessation.

The Internet offers a promising channel to conduct smoking cessation research. Among the advantages of Internet research are the ability to access large numbers of participants who might not otherwise participate in a cessation trial, and the ability to conduct research efficiently and cost-effectively. To leverage the opportunity of the Internet in clinical research, it is necessary to establish that measures of known validity used in research trials are reliable when administered via the Internet.

Characteristics of smokers reached and recruited to an internet smoking cessation trial: a case of denominators.

The Internet can deliver smoking cessation interventions to large numbers of smokers. Little is known about the feasibility, reach, or efficacy of Internet cessation interventions. Virtually no data exist on who enrolls in cessation programs or on differences between those who complete enrollment and those who do not.

Are emergency chest pain patients ready to quit smoking?

This study examined predictors of readiness to quit smoking among emergency chest pain patients admitted to the observation unit (OU) to rule out myocardial infarction. While in the OU, patients (n=543) completed surveys assessing smoking history, nicotine dependence, readiness to quit, and other relevant variables. Participants smoked an average of 18.

Smoking cessation patterns in methadone-maintained smokers.

To determine predictors of smoking cessation duration in a randomized clinical trial, we assigned participants to nicotine patch (8-12 weeks) plus either (a) a baseline tailored brief motivational intervention, a quit date behavioral skills counseling session, and a relapse prevention follow-up session, or (b) brief advice using the National Cancer Institute's 4A's model. A total of 383 smokers from five methadone maintenance treatment centers in Rhode Island were enrolled, of whom 312 (82%) completed 6-month follow-up assessments. The primary outcome was longest period of self-reported abstinence during follow-up.

Advice on using over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy-patch, gum, or lozenge-to quit smoking.

Although the use of over the counter (OTC) nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is effective for smoking cessation, many concerns and misunderstandings persist that may reduce the effectiveness of NRT. Clinical practice and public health experts responded to a questionnaire that explored challenges associated with promoting proper NRT use and gathered recommendations on overcoming these challenges. Two predominant themes emerged including the identification of policies and practices that hinder NRT use, and smokers' views regarding NRT use.

Long-term stability of maternal prenatal steroid hormones from the National Collaborative Perinatal Project: still valid after all these years.

Large epidemiological samples, including the National Collaborative Perinatal Project (NCPP), in which blood/serum was collected during pregnancy and offspring followed longitudinally, offer the unique opportunity to examine neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying prenatal "programming" of adult health and disease. However, in order to conduct longitudinal analyses, it is critical to determine the validity of maternal prenatal samples stored over long periods. We investigated the validity of cortisol, testosterone, and their binding globulins (corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)) in maternal prenatal serum from the NCPP after over 40 years of storage.

Links between physical fitness and cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to psychological stressors: A meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of published studies with adult human participants was conducted to evaluate whether physical fitness attenuates cardiovascular reactivity and improves recovery from acute psychological stressors. Thirty-three studies met selection criteria; 18 were included in recovery analyses. Effect sizes and moderator influences were calculated by using meta-analysis software.

Hostility and urine norepinephrine interact to predict insulin resistance: the VA Normative Aging Study.

Objective: Previous research has produced mixed results pertaining to the association between hostility and insulin resistance. These inconsistent findings may be the result of a lack of studies examining potential moderators of this relationship and inconsistent measures of insulin resistance and/or hostility. We hypothesized that hostility may interact with circulating norepinephrine (NEPI) levels, indexed by 24-hour urine concentrations, to affect insulin resistance.

Efficacy of naltrexone in smoking cessation: a preliminary study and an examination of sex differences.

This double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of naltrexone as an adjunct to standard smoking cessation treatment. Participants (N = 110) were adult male and female nicotine-dependent smokers who expressed interest in quitting smoking. All subjects received six sessions of behavioral counseling (1 hr/session for 6 weeks), and 1 month of the nicotine patch (21 mg for the first 2 weeks, 14 mg the third week, 7 mg the fourth week).