The role of unhealthy lifestyles in the incidence and persistence of depression: a longitudinal general population study in four emerging countries

BACKGROUND: Unhealthy lifestyles and depression are highly interrelated: depression might elicit and exacerbate unhealthy lifestyles and people with unhealthy lifestyles are more likely to become depressed over time. However, few longitudinal evidence of these relationships has been collected in emerging countries. The present study aims i) to analyse whether people with unhealthy lifestyles are more likely to develop depression, and ii) to examine whether depressed people with unhealthy lifestyles are more likely to remain depressed. A total of 7908 participants from Ghana, India, Mexico and Russia were firstly evaluated in the World Health Organization’s Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) Wave 0 (2002–2004) and re-evaluated in 2007–2010 (Wave 1). Data on tobacco use, alcohol drinking and physical activity, were collected. Logistic regressions models were employed to assess whether baseline unhealthy lifestyles were related to depression in Wave 1, among people without 12-month depression in Wave 0 and any previous lifetime diagnosis of depression, and to 12-month depression at both study waves (persistent depression). RESULTS: Baseline daily and non-daily smoking was associated with depression in Wave 1. Low physical activity and heavy alcohol drinking were associated with persistent depression. CONCLUSIONS: Unhealthy lifestyles and depression are also positively related in emerging countries. Smoking on a daily and non-daily basis was longitudinally related to depression. Depressed people with low physical activity and with heavy drinking patterns were more likely to become depressed over time. Several interpretations of these results are given. Further studies should check whether a reduction of these unhealthy lifestyles leads to lower depression rates and/or to a better clinical prognosis of depressed people

The moderating role of smoking amount per day on the relations between anxiety sensitivity, smoking dependence, and cognitive–affective aspects of smoking among treatment seeking smokers

The current study examined the moderating effects of smoking amount per day on the relation between anxiety sensitivity and nicotine dependence, cigarette smoking outcome expectancies, and reasons for quitting smoking among 465 adult, treatment-seeking smokers (48% female, Mage = 36.6, SD = 13.5). Smoking amount per day moderated the relation between anxiety sensitivity and nicotine dependence, smoking expectancies for negative consequences and appetite control as well as intrinsic reasons for quitting. However, no moderating effect was evident for negative reinforcement expectancies. The form of the significant interactions indicated across dependent variables lower levels of smoking amount per day suppressed the relation between anxiety sensitivity and smoking related dependent variable, such that the positive relation of anxiety sensitivity to smoking dependence and cognitive–affective aspects of smoking is weaker in heavier smokers and more robust in lighter smokers

Biotechnological advances in Lilium

Modern powerful techniques in plant biotechnology have been developed in lilies (Lilium spp., Liliaceae) to propagate, improve and make new phenotypes. Reliable in vitro culture methods are available to multiply lilies rapidly and shorten breeding programs. Lilium is also an ideal model plant to study in vitro pollination and embryo rescue methods. Although lilies are recalcitrant to genetic manipulation, superior genotypes are developed with improved flower colour and form, disease resistance and year round forcing ability. Different DNA molecular markers have been developed for rapid indirect selection, genetic diversity evaluation, mutation detection and construction of Lilium linkage map. Some disease resistance-QTLs are already mapped on the Lilium linkage map. This review presents latest information on in vitro propagation, genetic engineering and molecular advances made in lily.</p

Fatigue severity and emotion dysregulation: roles in mental health among trauma exposed college students

Background: There is increased recognition that traumatic events are a common experience among college students, and such events have shown to be associated with negative mental health outcomes and poorer well-being among this population. Although some work has focused on the relation between trauma exposure and mental health among college students, little work has explored the role of individual difference in fatigue severity within this group. Purpose: Therefore, the current study sought to address this gap in the existing literature by examining the explanatory role of fatigue severity in terms of anxiety/depression and post-traumatic stress among trauma exposed college students. Further, the mechanistic role of emotion dysregulation was evaluated as a possible factor that may underlie the relation between fatigue severity and mental health. Method: Seven hundred and thirty trauma-exposed college students were included in the present study (78.6% female, M age  = 22.59 years, SD = 5.48; 55.3% racial minority). Results: Results revealed that individual differences in fatigue severity had a significant indirect effect on the studied internalizing symptoms through emotion dysregulation. Conclusion: These novel findings suggest future work should continue to explore emotion dysregulation in the association between fatigue severity and internalizing symptoms among trauma-exposed college students

Is there a relationship between cannabis use problems, emotion dysregulation, and mental health problems among adults with chronic pain?

Cannabis is often used to manage pain among persons who suffer from chronic pain. Yet, despite much literature suggesting cannabis use problems are associated with mental health problems, little work has examined mechanisms of this relationship among a chronic pain population. Chronic pain is also associated with emotion dysregulation. Individuals with chronic pain who experience cannabis use problems may have less capacity to regulate negative emotions, which could relate to greater anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Thus, the current study explored whether emotion dysregulation explained, in part, the relation between cannabis use problems and anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among adults with chronic pain. Participants were 431 opioid-using adults with current moderate to severe chronic pain, 176 were current cannabis users, of which 30.20% reported cannabis use problems. Results indicated a significant indirect relationship between cannabis use problems and anxiety [95% CI (.03, .05)], depression [95% CI (.03, .06)], and suicidal ideation [95% CI (.01, .01)] via emotion dysregulation. Tests of specificity suggested potential for a bi-directional effect for suicidal ideation (.001). Initial findings suggest that emotion dysregulation may be an important mechanism in the relationship between cannabis use problems and mental health among adults with chronic pain