Prevalence of MTHFR Polymorphisms in Patients With Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobile Spectrum Disorders in a US Hypermobility Clinic.

Objective: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) are characterized by joint hypermobility, joint subluxations and dislocations, hyperextensible skin, and chronic and progressive multiorgan comorbidities. Diagnosing hEDS and HSD is difficult because of variable phenotypes and unknown genetic etiology. In our clinic, we observed many patients with hEDS and HSD with a high serum level of unmetabolized folate, which suggests that hypermobility may be linked to methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR)-mediated folate metabolism.

COVID-19 behavioral health and quality of life.

In addition to concern about physical health consequences of COVID-19, many researchers also note the concerning impact on behavioral health and quality of life due to disruption. The purpose of this paper is to explore pathways of COVID-19 behavioral health and quality of life. We found increased anxiety, depression, and alcohol misuse and that the pandemic exacerbated prior problems.

COVID-19 Mental Health Disparities.

Communities of color in the United States have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies exploring the mental health implications of these disparities have only just begun to emerge. The purpose of this study is to better understand mental health concerns and test whether social determinants of health and COVID-19-related experiences influence these concerns.

Virtual Patient Simulations for Brief Assessment of Mental Health Disorders in Integrated Care Settings.

This mixed methods pilot investigation evaluated the use of virtual patient simulations for increasing self-efficacy and diagnostic accuracy for common behavioral health concerns within an integrated care setting. A two by three factorial design was employed to evaluate three different simulated training conditions with a sample of 22 Masters level behavioral health students. Results support engagement in virtual patient simulation training to increase students' self-efficacy in brief clinical assessment, and support the use of virtual patient simulations to improve diagnostic accuracy.

Loneliness, isolation, and social support factors in post-COVID-19 mental health.

Social support plays a key role in well-being, yet one of the major preventative efforts for reducing the spread of COVID-19 involves social distancing. During times of crisis, social support is emphasized as a coping mechanism. This requires many people to change their typical ways of connectedness and assumes that people have existing healthy relationships or access to technology.

Behavioral Health and Response for COVID-19.

Research from financial stress, disasters, pandemics, and other extreme events, suggests that behavioral health will suffer, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Furthermore, these symptoms are likely to exacerbate alcohol or drug use, especially for those vulnerable to relapse. The nature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vast reach of the virus, leave many unknows for the repercussions on behavioral health, yet existing research suggests that behavioral health concerns should take a primary role in response to the pandemic.

Depression in the barrio: An analysis of the risk and protective nature of cultural values among Mexican American substance users.

Understanding the effect of cultural values on depression and how social networks influence these relationships may be important in the treatment of substance-using, Mexican American populations. Latino cultural values, familismo, personalismo, fatalismo, and machismo, may be associated with depression among Latinos. The current study identified the association of traditional Latino values on depressive symptomatology among a sample of Mexican American heroin injectors.

Relations between mental health diagnoses, mental health treatment, and substance use in homeless youth.

Background: Youth experiencing homelessness have elevated rates of mental illness and substance use compared to the general population. However, the extent to which underlying mental health issues may contribute to substance use as a way to manage symptoms and whether mental health treatment may reduce risk for substance use is unclear. This paper investigated these relations in a community sample of homeless youth.

A pilot feasibility study of virtual patient simulation to enhance social work students' brief mental health assessment skills.

This study presents preliminary feasibility and acceptability data on the use of virtual patient (VP) simulations to develop brief assessment skills within an interdisciplinary care setting. Results support the acceptability of technology-enhanced simulations and offer preliminary evidence for an association between engagement in VP practice simulations and improvements in diagnostic accuracy and clinical interviewing skills. Recommendations and next steps for research on technology-enhanced simulations within social work are discussed.

The Perceived Role of Family in Heroin Use Behaviors of Mexican-American Men.

The influence of the family is not well understood as it relates to drug use behaviors of Hispanic male adults. We examined the family's influence on drug use behavior, as perceived by Hispanic men who use heroin. One-time qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 current and former heroin users who participated in a larger study on long-term heroin use in Mexican-American men.

Withdrawal Symptoms and Nicotine Dependence Severity Predict Virtual Reality Craving in Cigarette-Deprived Smokers.

Introduction: Virtual reality (VR) has been shown to be effective in eliciting responses to nicotine cues in cigarette smokers. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether cigarette-deprived smokers would exhibit increased craving and changes in heart rate when viewing cigarette related cues as compared to non-smoking cues in a VR environment, and the secondary aim was to assess the extent to which self-assessed measures of withdrawal and dependence correlated with VR craving.

Methods: Nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers were recruited for a 2 day study.

From "Kickeando las malias" (kicking the withdrawals) to "Staying clean": The impact of cultural values on cessation of injection drug use in aging Mexican-American men.

Drug use among older adults is a growing concern, particularly for the burgeoning Hispanic population. Older adults seeking drug treatment will double over the next decade to almost 6 million. Cultural factors influence drug use, and more specifically, Hispanic cultural values influence heroin use.

Spatial accessibility of drug treatment facilities and the effects on locus of control, drug use, and service use among heroin-injecting Mexican American men.

Background: This study explores the spatial accessibility of outpatient drug treatment facilities and the potential relationship with drug use-related outcomes among Mexican American heroin users.

Methods: Secondary data on 219 current and former heroin-injecting Mexican American men aged 45 and older were drawn from a research study in Houston, Texas. We used geographic information systems (GIS) to derive two spatial accessibility measures: distance from one's place of residence to the closest drug treatment facility (in minutes); and the number of facilities within a 10-minute driving distance from one's place of residence.

Using virtual reality to study food cravings.

Food cravings (FCs) are associated with overeating and obesity and are triggered by environmental cues. The study of FCs is challenged by difficulty replicating the natural environment in a laboratory. Virtual reality (VR) could be used to deliver naturalistic cues in a laboratory.

"El lado oscuro": "the dark side" of social capital in Mexican American heroin using men.

This article describes social capital in a cohort of 227 Mexican American men who are long-term injection heroin users. Social capital scores for current and former users were similar, suggesting equal absolute values of capital, but associated with illicit activities in current users and with cessation efforts in former users. Stable drug-using relationships provided high negative capital, whereas conventional relationships provided positive capital.

Development and testing of virtual reality exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in active duty service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This study was an open-label, single-group, treatment-development project aimed at developing and testing a method for applying virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) to active duty service members diagnosed with combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Forty-two service members with PTSD were enrolled, and 20 participants completed treatment. The PTSD Checklist-Military version, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were used as outcome measures.

Effects of D-cycloserine on cue-induced craving and cigarette smoking among concurrent cocaine- and nicotine-dependent volunteers.

Rates of cigarette smoking are 3- to 4-fold greater among those with cocaine-dependence, and compared to non-users, cocaine users are at greater risk of incurring smoking-related negative health effects and death. The current study examined D-cycloserine's (0 or 50mg once weekly) effects on 1) extinction of cue-induced craving for cigarettes, 2) cigarette smoking in conjunction with cognitive-behavioral therapy, and 3) safety and tolerability in cocaine-dependent smokers. This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between groups, outpatient study.

A Feasibility Study of Virtual Reality-Based Coping Skills Training for Nicotine Dependence.

Objective: Virtual reality (VR)-based cue reactivity has been successfully used for the assessment of drug craving. Going beyond assessment of cue reactivity, a novel VR-based treatment approach for smoking cessation was developed and tested for feasibility.

Method: In a randomized experiment, 10-week treatment feasibility trial, 46 nicotine-dependent adults, completed the10-week program.

Feasibility of Using Virtual Reality to Assess Nicotine Cue Reactivity During Treatment.

Cue reactivity assessments have been widely used to assess craving and attention to cues among cigarette smokers. Cue reactivity has the potential to offer insights into treatment decisions; however, the use of cue reactivity in treatment studies has been limited. This study assessed the feasibility of using a virtual reality-based cue reactivity assessment approach (VR-NCRAS) during treatment.

Using virtual reality to investigate complex and contextual cue reactivity in nicotine dependent problem drinkers.

Alcohol and cigarette smoking frequently co-occur among adults in the U.S., resulting in a myriad of deleterious health outcomes.

What virtual reality research in addictions can tell us about the future of obesity assessment and treatment.

Virtual reality (VR), a system of human-computer interaction that allows researchers and clinicians to immerse people in virtual worlds, is gaining considerable traction as a research, education, and treatment tool. Virtual reality has been used successfully to treat anxiety disorders such as fear of flying and post-traumatic stress disorder, as an aid in stroke rehabilitation, and as a behavior modification aid in the treatment of attention deficit disorder. Virtual reality has also been employed in research on addictive disorders.

Cue reactivity in virtual reality: the role of context.

Cigarette smokers in laboratory experiments readily respond to smoking stimuli with increased craving. An alternative to traditional cue-reactivity methods (e.g.

Reactivity to cannabis cues in virtual reality environments.

Virtual reality (VR) cue environments have been developed and successfully tested in nicotine, cocaine, and alcohol abusers. Aims in the current article include the development and testing of a novel VR cannabis cue reactivity assessment system. It was hypothesized that subjective craving levels and attention to cannabis cues would be higher in VR environments with cannabis cues compared to VR neutral environments.

Using virtual reality to assess young adult smokers' attention to cues.

Cigarette smokers, when confronted with cues associated with smoking, evidence strong reactions, including increased attentional bias toward those smoking-related cues. These reactions have not been extensively studied in young adult smokers, a group that research suggests may respond differently than adults or adolescent smokers. Furthermore, the impact of olfactory cues, such as cigarette smoke, on attentional bias has not been explored in young adult smokers.