Concurrent Use of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco among US Males and Females

Background. The current study describes concurrent use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (CiST) among males and females and evaluates factors associated with CiST use. Methods. Cross-sectional data were drawn from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Weighted stratified analyses were performed to find associations between CiST use and sociodemographic factors by gender. CiST users were compared to three different tobacco use groups: nonusers, exclusive smokers, and exclusive ST users. Results. Younger age and heavy alcohol consumption were consistently associated with increased odds of CiST use among both males and females, and regardless of comparison group. Among males, education was inversely related to CiST use, and these findings were consistent in all three comparisons. Among women, those unable to work or out of work were more likely to be CiST users, which was consistent across comparisons. American Indian females had higher odds of CiST use than White females when nontobacco users or smokers were the comparison group. Conclusion. This study identified sociodemographic characteristics associated with CiST use, and differences in these associations among women and men. Additionally, this study highlights the need to carefully consider what comparison groups should be used to examine factors associated with CiST use

Activation of Hsp90 Enzymatic Activity and Conformational Dynamics through Rationally Designed Allosteric Ligands

Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone of pivotal importance for multiple cell pathways. ATP-regulated internal dynamics are critical for its function and current pharmacological approaches block the chaperone with ATP-competitive inhibitors. Herein, a general approach to perturb Hsp90 through design of new allosteric ligands aimed at modulating its functional dynamics is proposed. Based on the characterization of a first set of 2-phenylbenzofurans showing stimulatory effects on Hsp90 ATPase and conformational dynamics, new ligands were developed that activate Hsp90 by targeting an allosteric site, located 65 æ from the active site. Specifically, analysis of protein responses to first-generation activators was exploited to guide the design of novel derivatives with improved ability to stimulate ATP hydrolysis. The molecules’ effects on Hsp90 enzymatic, conformational, cochaperone and client-binding properties were characterized through biochemical, biophysical and cellular approaches. These designed probes act as allosteric activators of the chaperone and affect the viability of cancer cell lines for which proper functioning of Hsp90 is necessary

Trends in Lung Cancer Incidence Rates, Oklahoma 2005–2010

Purpose Lung cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer among men and women in the United States. With cigarette smoking causing the majority of cases, patterns in lung cancer are often monitored to understand the impact of anti-tobacco efforts. The purpose of this research was to investigate trends in lung cancer incidence rates for the period 2005–2010 in Oklahoma. Methods Data on Oklahoma’s incident cases of lung cancer (2005–2010) were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER system. Annual percent change (APC) was calculated by linear regression to characterize trends in lung cancer incidence rates over time for the overall population, by gender, by age group, and by age group within gender. Rates were considered to increase or decrease if the p-value for trend was <0.05. Results From 2005 through 2010, lung cancer incidence rates declined from 81.96 to 68.19 per 100,000 population, with an APC of -3.58% (p-value: 0.0220). When subgroups were examined, declines were observed among all males (APC: -4.25%; p-value: 0.0270), males <65 years (APC: -5.32%; p-value: 0.0008), females <65 years (APC: -4.85%; p-value: 0.0044), and persons aged 55–64 years (APC: -6.38%; p-value: 0.0017). Conclusions Declines in lung cancer incidence rates occurred during 2005–2010 among the overall population and within select demographic groups in Oklahoma. Although trends were stable for several demographic groups, rates of lung cancer incidence were lower in 2010 compared to 2005. Continued evidence-based tobacco control efforts are needed to ensure further reductions in lung cancer incidence rates in the state of Oklahoma.Yeshttp://www.plosone.org/static/editorial#pee

Developmental perspectives on interpersonal affective touch

In the last decade, philosophy, neuroscience and psychology alike have paid increasing attention to the study of interpersonal affective touch, which refers to the emotional and motivational facets of tactile sensation. Some aspects of affective touch have been linked to a neurophysiologically specialised system, namely the C tactile (CT) system. While the role of this sys-tem for affiliation, social bonding and communication of emotions have been widely investigated, only recently researchers have started to focus on the potential role of interpersonal affective touch in acquiring awareness of the body as our own, i.e. as belonging to our psychological ‘self’. We review and discuss recent developmental and adult findings, pointing to the central role of interpersonal affective touch in body awareness and social cognition in health and disorders. We propose that interpersonal affective touch, as an interoceptive modality invested of a social nature, can uniquely contribute to the ongoing debate in philosophy about the primacy of the relational nature of the minimal self

Genetic Control of Canine Leishmaniasis: Genome-Wide Association Study and Genomic Selection Analysis

Background: the current disease model for leishmaniasis suggests that only a proportion of infected individuals develop clinical disease, while others are asymptomatically infected due to immune control of infection. The factors that determine whether individuals progress to clinical disease following Leishmania infection are unclear, although previous studies suggest a role for host genetics. Our hypothesis was that canine leishmaniasis is a complex disease with multiple loci responsible for the progression of the disease from Leishmania infection. Methodology/Principal Findings: genome-wide association and genomic selection approaches were applied to a population-based case-control dataset of 219 dogs from a single breed (Boxer) genotyped for ~170,000 SNPs. Firstly, we aimed to identify individual disease loci; secondly, we quantified the genetic component of the observed phenotypic variance; and thirdly, we tested whether genome-wide SNP data could accurately predict the disease. Conclusions/Significance: we estimated that a substantial proportion of the genome is affecting the trait and that its heritability could be as high as 60%. Using the genome-wide association approach, the strongest associations were on chromosomes 1, 4 and 20, although none of these were statistically significant at a genome-wide level and after correcting for genetic stratification and lifestyle. Amongst these associations, chromosome 4: 61.2-76.9 Mb maps to a locus that has previously been associated with host susceptibility to human and murine leishmaniasis, and genomic selection estimated markers in this region to have the greatest effect on the phenotype. We therefore propose these regions as candidates for replication studies. An important finding of this study was the significant predictive value from using the genomic information. We found that the phenotype could be predicted with an accuracy of ~0.29 in new samples and that the affection status was correctly predicted in 60% of dogs, significantly higher than expected by chance, and with satisfactory sensitivity-specificity values (AUC = 0.63)

Sugar Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Adults With Children in the Home

Introduction: Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSB)s has been linked with adult and childhood obesity, an increasing health burden in the United States. The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with the consumption of SSBs among Oklahoma adults with children in the home.Methods: A random sample of 1,118 Oklahoma adults with children in the home participated in a survey about their SSB consumption between August and October, 2015. We calculated weighted prevalence estimates and examined the relationship between types of SSBs consumed and covariates of interest using logistic regression techniques appropriate for survey data. Outcome variables included three categories of SSB consumption: consuming ≥1 sugar-sweetened sodas daily, consuming ≥1 other SSBs daily, and total daily SSB consumption, defined as ≥1 SSB of any kind. Heavy consumers were those who drank ≥3 SSBs per day.Results: Almost half (44%) of adults with children in the home consumed ≥1 total SSBs daily; 29% consumed ≥1 sugar-sweetened sodas and 28% consumed ≥1 other SSBs not including soda daily. The odds of consuming ≥1 SSBs daily was four times higher among those with a high school education or less (AOR = 4.06, 95% CI = 2.34, 7.04); almost three times higher for those who perceived their diet as somewhat healthy, or not very healthy (AOR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.27, 5.82), more than double among those aged 18–34 years (AOR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.08, 5.40), and almost double among those who consume &lt;8 cups of water daily (AOR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.06, 2.99).Conclusion: Because SSBs have been linked with obesity, understanding factors associated with consumption is important, especially among parents and caregivers of children. These findings have implications for developing and targeting messages to prevent SSB consumption among those most at risk

Disparities in cannabis use outcomes, perceived risks and social norms across sexual orientation groups of US young adult women and men

Little research has examined mechanisms driving cannabis use disparities among sexual minority (SM; versus heterosexual) young adults (YAs). Participants were US YA women (N = 1345; 24.8% bisexual, 6.1% lesbian) and men (N = 998: 8.9% bisexual, 13.8% gay). Bivariate analyses examined associations between sexual orientation (heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bisexual) and cannabis use outcomes (past 30-day [current] use, use frequency, cannabis-tobacco dual use, use intentions), perceived risks (harm, addictiveness) and social norms (social acceptability, peer use). Regressions examined sexual orientation, perceived risks and social norms as correlates of cannabis outcomes. Bisexual and lesbian (versus heterosexual) women reported lower cannabis-related perceived risks, greater social norms and higher odds of current use. Bisexual (versus heterosexual) women reported more days of use, higher odds of cannabis-tobacco dual use and greater use intentions. Gay (versus heterosexual) men reported lower perceived addictiveness, greater social norms and higher odds of current use. Lower perceived risks and greater social norms predicted greater use outcomes for women and men. Bisexual women displayed higher odds of several cannabis use outcomes, whereas lesbian women and gay men displayed higher odds of current cannabis use only. Cannabis-related perceptions and social norms may be important targets for public health messaging for SMYAs

Age-adjusted rate of lung cancer per 100,000 population, Oklahoma 2005–2010.

<p>Age-adjusted rate of lung cancer per 100,000 population, Oklahoma 2005–2010.</p