Matrix-enhanced surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (ME-SALDI-MS) for mass spectrometry imaging of small molecules.

Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS), a parallel technique to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), utilizes inorganic particles or porous surfaces to aid in the desorption/ionization of low-molecular-weight (MW) analytes. As a matrix-free and "soft" LDI approach, SALDI offers the benefit of reduced background noise in the low MW range, allowing for easier detection of biologically significant small MW species. Despite the inherent advantages of SALDI-MS, it has not reached comparable sensitivity levels to MALDI-MS.

Nanostructure-initiator mass spectrometry (NIMS) for molecular mapping of animal tissues.

Nanostructure-initiator mass spectrometry (NIMS) is an established method for sensitive detection of small molecules in complex samples. It is based on the optimal combination of a porous Si substrate and a carefully selected polymer coating to allow certain analytes of interest to be concentrated on the substrate for effective ionization with minimal background interference from conventional organic matrices. The previous chapter has detailed the history and current state of the art of the technique in small-molecule profiling and imaging applications.

Current status and future prospects of mass spectrometry imaging of small molecules.

In the field of small-molecule studies, vast efforts have been put forth in order to comprehensively characterize and quantify metabolites formed from complex mechanistic pathways within biochemical and biological organisms. Many technologies and methodologies have been developed to aid understanding of the inherent complexities within biological metabolomes. Specifically, mass spectroscopy imaging (MSI) has emerged as a foundational technique in gaining insight into the molecular entities within cells, tissues, and whole-body samples.

Prequit fMRI responses to pleasant cues and cigarette-related cues predict smoking cessation outcome.

Introduction: The reasons that some smokers find it harder to quit than others are unclear. Understanding how individual differences predict smoking cessation outcomes may allow the development of more successful personalized treatments for nicotine dependence. Theoretical models suggest that drug users might be characterized by increased sensitivity to drug cues and by reduced sensitivity to nondrug-related natural rewards.

The late positive potential (LPP) in response to varying types of emotional and cigarette stimuli in smokers: a content comparison.

Identifying neural mechanisms associated with addiction has substantially improved the overall understanding of addictive processes. Indeed, research suggests that drug-associated cues may take advantage of neural mechanisms originally intended for emotional processing of stimuli relevant to survival. In this study, we investigated cortical responses to several categories of emotional cues (erotic, romance, pleasant objects, mutilation, sadness, and unpleasant objects) as well as two types of smoking-related cues (people smoking and cigarette-related objects).

Effects of varenicline and bupropion sustained-release use plus intensive smoking cessation counseling on prolonged abstinence from smoking and on depression, negative affect, and other symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Importance: Given the actions of varenicline tartrate and bupropion hydrochloride sustained-release (SR) on neurobiological targets related to affect and reward, it is thought that the modulation of nicotine withdrawal symptoms may contribute to their effectiveness.

Objective: To assess the relative efficacy of varenicline and bupropion SR plus intensive counseling on smoking cessation and emotional functioning.

Design And Setting: Placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial at a university medical center.

Alpha oscillations in response to affective and cigarette-related stimuli in smokers.

Introduction: The presence of cigarette-related cues has been associated with smoking relapse. These cues are believed to activate brain mechanisms underlying emotion, attention, and memory. Electroencephalography (EEG) alpha desynchronization (i.

Differential cigarette-related startle cue reactivity among light, moderate, and heavy smokers.

In this study, we examined the relationship between the level of daily cigarette consumption and the startle response to affective and cigarette-related cues among treatment-seeking smokers. Before receiving any behavioral or pharmacological treatment, 136 smokers attended a baseline laboratory session, during which we recorded their reflexive eyeblink responses to acoustic startle probes while they were viewing pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, and cigarette-related pictures. We found that 1) cigarette-related and pleasant pictures similarly reduced the startle magnitude compared to neutral pictures; 2) the magnitude of startle modulation rendered by pleasant or unpleasant pictures did not differ among light, moderate, and heavy smokers; and 3) startle attenuation by cigarette-related pictures was greater in heavy smokers than in light smokers.

Resumption of valued activities in the first year post liver transplant.

ABSTRACT Current practice in education of transplant recipients includes general guidelines about return to involvement in life activities emphasizing medical precautions during wound healing and avoidance of activities that present risk of infection or rejection. This approach assumes patients gradually resume pre-transplant involvement in life activities: an assumption that has not been tested. Using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, this cross-sectional descriptive pilot study (n = 20) explored differences in the performance of activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, leisure, and productivity at three time periods within the first year.

Neural substrates of smoking cue reactivity: a meta-analysis of fMRI studies.

Reactivity to smoking-related cues may be an important factor that precipitates relapse in smokers who are trying to quit. The neurobiology of smoking cue reactivity has been investigated in several fMRI studies. We combined the results of these studies using activation likelihood estimation, a meta-analytic technique for fMRI data.

Do brain responses to emotional images and cigarette cues differ? An fMRI study in smokers.

Chronic smoking is thought to cause changes in brain reward systems that result in overvaluation of cigarette-related stimuli and undervaluation of natural rewards. We tested the hypotheses that, in smokers, brain circuits involved in emotional processing: (i) would be more active during exposure to cigarette-related than neutral pictures; and (ii) would be less active to pleasant compared with cigarette-related pictures, suggesting a devaluation of intrinsically pleasant stimuli. We obtained whole-brain blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 35 smokers during the presentation of pleasant (erotica and romance), unpleasant (mutilations and sad), neutral, and cigarette-related pictures.

Beyond cue reactivity: blunted brain responses to pleasant stimuli predict long-term smoking abstinence.

Identifying addicts with higher risk of relapse would provide the opportunity to implement individualized interventions and increase cessation success rates. Unfortunately, the ability to predict the long-term success of drug cessation treatments continues to elude researchers. We tested whether brain responses to emotional and cigarette-related pictures were predictive of the ability to abstain from smoking.

Brain reactivity to emotional, neutral and cigarette-related stimuli in smokers.

Addiction has been described as the pathological usurpation of the neural mechanisms normally involved in emotional processing. Event-related potentials (ERPs) can provide a non-invasive index of neural responses associated with the processing of emotionally relevant stimuli and serve as a tool for examining temporal and spatial commonalities between the processing of intrinsically motivating stimuli and drug cues. Before beginning a smoking cessation program, 116 smokers participated in a laboratory session in which dense-array ERPs (129 sensors) were recorded during the presentation of pictures with emotional (pleasant and unpleasant), neutral and cigarette-related content.

Effects of an intensive depression-focused intervention for smoking cessation in pregnancy.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate a depression-focused treatment for smoking cessation in pregnant women versus a time and contact health education control. We hypothesized that the depression-focused treatment would lead to improved abstinence and reduced depressive symptoms among women with high levels of depressive symptomatology. No significant main effects of treatment were hypothesized.

Cigarette cues capture smokers' attention: evidence from event-related potentials.

Abstract Before starting a smoking cessation treatment, 51 smokers took part in a study aimed at investigating brain mechanisms associated with attention allocation. Event-related potentials to acoustic startle probes were recorded from 129 sensors during the presentation of neutral, pleasant, unpleasant, and cigarette-related pictures. Results indicated that the amplitude of the startle probe P3 component was reduced for pleasant, unpleasant, and cigarette-related conditions relative to neutral.

The HIV transmission gradient: relationship patterns of protection.

We describe a gradient of potential HIV transmission from HIV-infected persons to their partners and thence to uninfected populations. The effect of this newly discovered transmission gradient is to limit the spread of HIV. We roughly estimate a 2% long-term transmission probability for sex and 14% for drug injection for two-step transmission.

Are keratoacanthomas variants of squamous cell carcinomas? A comparison of chromosomal aberrations by comparative genomic hybridization.

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a benign keratinocytic neoplasm that usually presents as a solitary nodule on sun-exposed areas, develops within 6-8 weeks and spontaneously regresses after 3-6 months. KAs share features such as infiltration and cytological atypia with squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Furthermore, there are reports of KAs that have metastasized, invoking the question of whether or not KA is a variant of SCC.

The association between EIC receipt and employment in a sample of drug using and non-drug using TANF recipients.

This article examines the extent to which Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients file income tax returns and take advantage of the Earned Income Credit (EIC), a program specifically designed to increase the economic self-sufficiency of lower income earners by supplementing earned and other income to make working more profitable. This study consisted primarily of Black and Hispanic women (n = 317), recruited for a longitudinal study designed to examine the effects of welfare reform on drug using and non-drug using welfare recipients. At the 2-year mark, 70% of the sample reported having ever filed an income tax return, of these 76% had received an EIC.

Safety and efficacy of 5% imiquimod cream for the treatment of skin dysplasia in high-risk renal transplant recipients: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 5% imiquimod cream for cutaneous dysplasia in high-risk renal transplant recipients.

Design: A randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled study comparing treated with control skin.

Setting: A specialist organ transplant dermatology clinic.

Social support, drug use, and employment among low-income women.

This study examined social support and its association with employment, income, and drug use in a sample of 534 low-income women. Functional support was defined as the perceived quality of one's interactions with others. Structural support was defined as the number of individuals within five particular types of networks: social, employment, drug, close, and emergency.

Personal adjustment and substance abuse problems in a longitudinal study of TANF recipients and the potential need for treatment.

Objective: This study assessed the need over time for treatment of personal adjustment and substance abuse problems among chronic drug using and other recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Methods: Participants were administered the personal adjustment problems and substance abuse problems scales contained in the Multidimensional Addictions and Personality Profile (MAPP) at intake, one-year, and two-year interviews.

Results: Most participants who were not chronic users had total scale scores that would indicate no recommended referral or a referral to outpatient treatment.

p16INK4a and p14ARF tumor suppressor genes are commonly inactivated in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

The p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF) tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) are encoded within the CDKN2A locus on chromosome 9p21 and function as cell cycle regulatory proteins in the p53 and RB pathways. Inactivation of these genes by genetic and epigenetic changes has been described in some human cancers, but their importance in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has not been established. Our detailed examination of 40 cutaneous SCC revealed loss of heterozygosity of 9p21 markers in 32.