Three- Versus Two-Drug Therapy for Patients With Newly Diagnosed Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Background: In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), there are no data comparing initial triple oral therapy with initial double oral therapy.

Objectives: TRITON (The Efficacy and Safety of Initial Triple Versus Initial Dual Oral Combination Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension; NCT02558231), a multicenter, double-blind, randomized phase 3b study, evaluated initial triple (macitentan, tadalafil, and selexipag) versus initial double (macitentan, tadalafil, and placebo) oral therapy in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients with PAH.

Methods: Efficacy was assessed until the last patient randomized completed week 26 (end of main observation period).

Initial combination therapy of macitentan and tadalafil in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

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Neuroimaging Evidence for Right Orbitofrontal Cortex Differences in Adolescents With Emotional and Behavioral Dysregulation.

Objective: To characterize the structural and functional neurobiology of a large group of adolescents exhibiting a behaviorally and emotionally dysregulated phenotype.

Method: Adolescents aged 14 years from the IMAGEN study were investigated. Latent class analysis (LCA) on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to identify a class of individuals with elevated behavioral and emotional difficulties ("dysregulated"; n = 233) who were compared to a matched sample from a low symptom class (controls, n = 233).

The Cortical Neuroimmune Regulator TANK Affects Emotional Processing and Enhances Alcohol Drinking: A Translational Study.

Alcohol abuse is a major public health problem worldwide. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control regular drinking may help to reduce hazards of alcohol consumption. While immunological mechanisms have been related to alcohol drinking, most studies reported changes in immune function that are secondary to alcohol use.

Grey Matter Volume Differences Associated with Extremely Low Levels of Cannabis Use in Adolescence.

Rates of cannabis use among adolescents are high, and are increasing concurrent with changes in the legal status of marijuana and societal attitudes regarding its use. Recreational cannabis use is understudied, especially in the adolescent period when neural maturation may make users particularly vulnerable to the effects of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on brain structure. In the current study, we used voxel-based morphometry to compare gray matter volume (GMV) in forty-six 14-year-old human adolescents (males and females) with just one or two instances of cannabis use and carefully matched THC-naive controls.

Allele-Specific Methylation of SPDEF: A Novel Moderator of Psychosocial Stress and Substance Abuse.

Objective: Psychosocial stress is a key risk factor for substance abuse among adolescents. Recently, epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation have emerged as potential mechanisms that could mediate this relationship. The authors conducted a genome-wide methylation analysis to investigate whether differentially methylated regions are associated with psychosocial stress in an adolescent population.

The initiation of cannabis use in adolescence is predicted by sex-specific psychosocial and neurobiological features.

Cannabis use initiated during adolescence might precipitate negative consequences in adulthood. Thus, predicting adolescent cannabis use prior to any exposure will inform the aetiology of substance abuse by disentangling predictors from consequences of use. In this prediction study, data were drawn from the IMAGEN sample, a longitudinal study of adolescence.

Cutaneous melanoma in France in 2015 attributable to solar ultraviolet radiation and the use of sunbeds.

Background: Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and the use of UV-emitting tanning devices are associated with cutaneous malignant melanoma occurrence.

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify the proportion and number of melanoma cases attributable to solar UVR exposure and sunbed use in France in 2015.

Methods: Population attributable fractions (PAFs) and numbers of melanoma cases attributable to solar UVR exposure were estimated by age and sex using the incidence rates of a 1903 birth cohort as the primary reference.

Can we trust the calculation of texture indices of CT images? A phantom study.

Purpose: Texture analysis is an emerging tool in the field of medical imaging analysis. However, many issues have been raised in terms of its use in assessing patient images and it is crucial to harmonize and standardize this new imaging measurement tool. This study was designed to evaluate the reliability of texture indices of CT images on a phantom including a reproducibility study, to assess the discriminatory capacity of indices potentially relevant in CT medical images and to determine their redundancy.

Sleep habits, academic performance, and the adolescent brain structure.

Here we report the first and most robust evidence about how sleep habits are associated with regional brain grey matter volumes and school grade average in early adolescence. Shorter time in bed during weekdays, and later weekend sleeping hours correlate with smaller brain grey matter volumes in frontal, anterior cingulate, and precuneus cortex regions. Poor school grade average associates with later weekend bedtime and smaller grey matter volumes in medial brain regions.