Increasing smoking cessation adherence: Do we need to consider the role of executive function and rumination?

Despite the cost and health consequences, a large number of people continue to smoke cigarettes worldwide every day. Notwithstanding, there have been a number of interventions to help people stop smoking but, in general, these have produced only limited success, and better interventions are needed. Accruing evidence affirmed that rumination and executive function play a pivotal role in cigarette smoking behavior, and in this editorial, we describe and discuss the key findings between these constructs and smoking, and argue that an impairment in executive functions does not act alone, but interacts with rumination by directing attention to depressive thoughts, thereby reducing the ability of smokers to engage in constructive behaviors, such as quitting smoking. Finally, we offer a new theory-driven model based on a deep understanding of the interactions between executive functions and rumination and potential moderator effects

The Effectiveness of the Mitchell Method Relaxation Technique for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Symptoms: A Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Mitchell Method Relaxation Technique (MMRT) in reducing symptoms of fibromyalgia. Design: A randomised controlled trial was used to compare the effectiveness of self-administered MMRT (n= 67) with attention control (n = 66) and usual care (n = 56) groups. Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcomes included self-reported fatigue, pain, and sleep. Secondary outcomes were daily functioning, quality of life, depression, and coping, anxiety and perceived stress. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-intervention (four weeks) and followup (eight weeks). Results: A significant combined improvement on outcomes (p<.005), specific significant effects for sleep problems (d=0.29, p<.05), sleep inadequacy (d=0.20, p<.05), and fatigue (d=0.47, p<.05) were present in the MMRT group. At the follow-up, fatigue did not differ to the post-intervention score (p=.25) indicating short-term sustainability of the effect. The effects on sleep problems and sleep inadequacy were not sustained. The pain levels decreased when the MMRT was practiced three times a week (p<.001). Conclusion: MMRT was effective in reducing pain, sleep problems, and fatigue. High rates of relative risk reduction for fatigue (37%) and pain (42.8%) suggest clinical significance

Assessing the effect of a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)-based workshop on work-related rumination, fatigue, and sleep

This quasi-experimental longitudinal study assessed the effect of a one-day Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)-based workshop on work-related rumination, chronic fatigue and sleep quality. We hypothesised that participants who attended the workshop would report lower levels of affective work-related rumination and chronic fatigue and improved sleep quality, at follow-up, six months after workshop completion. Two hundred and twenty seven participants took part in the study, with 102 participants attending a one-day workshop delivered in their place of work. Participants completed an online questionnaire at two time-points, with follow-up occurring 6 months after initial survey completion. Results showed that participants who took part in the CBT workshop reported significantly lower levels of affective rumination (p=.03) and chronic fatigue (p=.003), at follow-up in comparison to individuals who did not attend the workshop; however there were no significant differences between the groups in self-reported sleep quality (p=.06). A combination of more effective recovery both at work and outside of work may explain the reductions in both affective rumination and fatigue over time. This study adds to the recovery from work literature by providing initial support for a one-day CBT-based workshop delivered in the workplace

An association between pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex infections and biomarkers of Th2-type inflammation

Background: The rising incidence of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAI) infection is unexplained but parallels the growing world-wide epidemic of allergic disease. We hypothesized an association between pulmonary MAI infection and Th2-type immune responses as seen in allergy. / Methods: Biomarkers of patient Th2-type immune responses (peripheral blood eosinophil counts and serum IgE levels) were compared between patients with positive pulmonary samples for tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection. A further comparison of clinical characteristics, including respiratory co-morbidities, and biomarkers, was conducted between patients culturing MAI NTM and those culturing NTM other than MAI. / Results: Patients culturing NTM from pulmonary samples had significantly higher peripheral blood eosinophil levels than those culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Furthermore, patients culturing MAI compared to those culturing NTM other than MAI had higher eosinophil counts (mean 0.29x109/L vs 0.15x109/L, p=0.010) and IgE levels (geometric mean 138kU/L vs 47kU/L, p=0.021). However there was no significant difference in the frequency of asthma between the two NTM groups. / Conclusions: There is an association between biomarkers of Th2-type immune responses and pulmonary MAI. Prospective and translational research could identify the direction of causation; and so determine whether our finding may be utilized within future management strategies for MAI

The association between work-related rumination and heart rate variability: A field study

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordThe objective of this study was to examine the association between perseverative cognition in the form of work-related rumination, and heart rate variability (HRV). We tested the hypothesis that high ruminators would show lower vagally mediated HRV relative to low ruminators during their leisure time. Individuals were classified as being low (n = 17) or high ruminators (n = 19), using the affective scale on the work-related rumination measure. HRV was assessed using a wrist sensor band (Microsoft Band 2). HRV was sampled between 8 pm and 10 pm over three workday evenings (Monday to Wednesday) while individuals carried out their normal evening routines. Compared to the low ruminators, high affective ruminators demonstrated lower HRV in the form of root mean square successive differences (RMSSDs), relative to the low ruminators, indicating lower parasympathetic activity. There was no significant difference in heart rate, or activity levels between the two groups during the recording periods. The current findings of this study may have implications for the design and delivery of interventions to help individuals unwind post work and to manage stress more effectively. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed

Reflecting back and forwards: The ebb and flow of peer-reviewed reflective practice research in sport

Researchers in sport have claimed that reflective practice is important for competent practice. Evidence supporting this claim is sparse, highly theoretical and located within a variety of domains. The aim of this study was to assimilate and analyse the last 12 years of reflective practice literature within the sport domain in order to identify new areas of inquiry, emerging trends with regard to findings or methodology, and to identify implications for future research and practice. A sample of 68 papers published between 2001 and 2012 was examined, and investigated for the research locations, data collection methods utilised, and the professions and communities involved. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future research

CpG Methylation of a Silent Controlling Element in the Murine Avy Allele Is Incomplete and Unresponsive to Methyl Donor Supplementation

Background: The viable yellow allele of agouti (A vy) is remarkable for its unstable and partially heritable epigenetic state, which produces wide variation in phenotypes of isogenic mice. In the A vy allele an inserted intracisternal A particle (IAP) acts as a controlling element which deregulates expression of agouti by transcription from the LTR of the IAP; the phenotypic state has been linked to CpG methylation of the LTR. Phenotypic variation between A vy mice indicates that the epigenetic state of the IAP is unstable in the germline. Principal Findings: We have made a detailed examination of somatic methylation of the IAP using bisulphite allelic sequencing, and find that the promoter is incompletely methylated even when it is transcriptionally silent. In utero exposure to supplementary methyl donors, which alters the spectrum of A vy phenotypes, does not increase the density of CpG methylation in the silent LTR. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, contrary to previous supposition, methyl donor supplementation acts through an indirect mechanism to silence A vy. The incomplete cytosine methylation we observe at the somatically silent A vy allele ma

High-Resolution Analysis of Cytosine Methylation in Ancient DNA

Epigenetic changes to gene expression can result in heritable phenotypic characteristics that are not encoded in the DNA itself, but rather by biochemical modifications to the DNA or associated chromatin proteins. Interposed between genes and environment, these epigenetic modifications can be influenced by environmental factors to affect phenotype for multiple generations. This raises the possibility that epigenetic states provide a substrate for natural selection, with the potential to participate in the rapid adaptation of species to changes in environment. Any direct test of this hypothesis would require the ability to measure epigenetic states over evolutionary timescales. Here we describe the first single-base resolution of cytosine methylation patterns in an ancient mammalian genome, by bisulphite allelic sequencing of loci from late Pleistocene Bison priscus remains. Retrotransposons and the differentially methylated regions of imprinted loci displayed methylation patterns identical to those derived from fresh bovine tissue, indicating that methylation patterns are preserved in the ancient DNA. Our findings establish the biochemical stability of methylated cytosines over extensive time frames, and provide the first direct evidence that cytosine methylation patterns are retained in DNA from ancient specimens. The ability to resolve cytosine methylation in ancient DNA provides a powerful means to study the role of epigenetics in evolution