Smartphone Abuse Amongst Adolescents: The Role of Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking

Adolescence is the stage of development where the reward and emotional regulation systems are yet to be adjusted and where most excessive behaviors start, like smartphone abuse. In addition, in this evolutionary period adolescents are more susceptible to behavioral changes through specific interventions or educational programs. Thus, it is fundamental to analyze the personality profile of those adolescents showing excessive mobile phone usage to properly approach later prevention strategies. Impulsivity is one of the most repeated variables associated with teenage addictions, although it has been observed that not all impulsive behaviors need to be detrimental. The aim of this study is to analyze how impulsivity affects smartphone addiction directly, but also indirectly, by assessing its association with sensation seeking variables (thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility) which are in turn decisive when using these technologies improperly. The sample was made up of 614 adolescents aged 13–18 attending secondary education from Burgos, Spain. Dickman Impulsivity Inventory, Sensation Seeking Scale, and Ad-hoc questionnaire on adolescent self-perception as to smartphone use were applied. Results show that 41.4% of participants admit to abusing smartphones sometimes, while 18.3% admit to abusing them more frequently and 24% to, at least ever, having defined themselves as smartphone addicts. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that gender (female), dysfunctional impulsivity and sensation seeking (disinhibition and thrill and adventure seeking) evidence 15.7% of variance in smartphone abuse. In addition, sensation seeking (thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility) were found to mediate the relationship between dysfunctional impulsivity and smartphone abuse. Therefore, dysfunctional impulsivity was directly connected with teenage smartphone abuse, but also had an indirect stronger association through thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility

Distribution of polymorphic variants of CYP2A6 and their involvement in nicotine addiction

Tobacco consumption has become a major public health issue, which has motivated studies to identify and understand the biological processes involved in the smoking behavior for prevention and smoking cessation treatments. CYP2A6 has been identified as the main gene that codifies the enzyme that metabolizes nicotine. Many alleles have been identified after the discovery of CYP2A6, suggesting a wide interethnic variability and a diverse smoking behavior of the allele carrying individuals. The main purpose of this review is to update and highlight the effects of the CYP2A6 gene variability related to tobacco consumption reported from diverse human populations. The review further aims to consider CYP2A6 in future studies as a possible genetic marker for the prevention and treatment of nicotine addiction. Therefore, we analyzed several population studies and their importance at addressing and characterizing a population using specific parameters. Our efforts may contribute to a personalized system for detecting, preventing and treating populations at a higher risk of smoking to avoid diseases related to tobacco consumption

Influencia de la impulsividad y de la búsqueda de sensaciones en el consumo precoz de cannabis. Diferencias de género y orientaciones para la prevención

ABSTRACTAdolescence is a critical phase of development due to the vulnerability to the consumption of toxic substances. Impulsivity and sensation seeking are personality traits that traditionally appear associated with the early consumption of cannabis in adolescents. This study focuses on the analysis of the differences in impulsivity (functional and dysfunctional) and in sensation seeking (thrill and adventure-seeking, disinhibition, experience seeking, and boredom susceptibility) by gender, age and cannabis use. The sample consisted of 634 adolescents from public and private schools of Burgos (Spain). The Dickman’s Impulsivity Inventory, the Sensations Seeking Scale and a question about cannabis consumption were applied. The characteristics of the sample were analyzed with descriptive statistics and the differences in impulsivity and sensation seeking by gender, age, cannabis consumption and its interaction with the MANOVA test. In general, males are more functional impulsive and more thrills and adventures and experiences seekers than female. Participants aged 14 and 15 score higher in thrill and adventure-seeking, and less in experiences seeking. 22.5% of adolescents consumed cannabis. They scored higher in thrill and adventure-seeking, in experience seeking, and in disinhibition than non-consumers. There is an increase in dysfunctional impulsivity and boredom susceptibility associated with consumption in women. Therefore, preventive programs should take into account the gender and certain personality traits of adolescents to increase their effectiveness.RESUMENLa adolescencia es una fase crítica del desarrollo por la vulnerabilidad respecto al consumo de sustancias tóxicas. La impulsividad y la búsqueda de sensaciones son rasgos de personalidad que aparecen asociados tradicionalmente con el consumo precoz de cannabis en adolescentes. Se analizan las diferencias en impulsividad (funcional y disfuncional) y en búsqueda de sensaciones (búsqueda de emociones y aventuras, búsqueda de experiencias, desinhibición y susceptibilidad al aburrimiento) por género, edad y consumo de cannabis. La muestra estuvo constituida por 634 adolescentes de colegios públicos y concertados de Burgos (España). Se aplicó el Inventario de Impulsividad, el Cuestionario de Búsqueda de Sensaciones y una pregunta sobre el consumo de cannabis. Las características de la muestra se analizaron con estadística descriptiva y las diferencias en impulsividad y búsqueda de sensaciones por género, edad, consumo de cannabis y su interacción con la prueba MANOVA. Los varones son más impulsivos funcionales y más buscadores de emociones, aventuras y experiencias que las mujeres. Con 14 y 15 años puntúan más alto en búsqueda de emociones y aventuras y menos en búsqueda de experiencias. El 22.5% de los adolescentes consumía cannabis. Estos puntúan más alto en búsqueda de emociones y aventuras, en búsqueda de experiencias, y en desinhibición que los no consumidores. Aparece un incremento de la impulsividad disfuncional y de la susceptibilidad al aburrimiento asociada al consumo en las mujeres. Por lo tanto, los programas preventivos deberían tener en cuenta el género de los adolescentes y algunos rasgos de personalidad para incrementar su efectividad.ABSTRACTAdolescence is a critical phase of development due to the vulnerability to the consumption of toxic substances. Impulsivity and sensation seeking are personality traits that traditionally appear associated with the early consumption of cannabis in adolescents. This study focuses on the analysis of the differences in impulsivity (functional and dysfunctional) and in sensation seeking (thrill and adventure-seeking, disinhibition, experience seeking, and boredom susceptibility) by gender, age and cannabis use. The sample consisted of 634 adolescents from public and private schools of Burgos (Spain). The Dickman’s Impulsivity Inventory, the Sensations Seeking Scale and a question about cannabis consumption were applied. The characteristics of the sample were analyzed with descriptive statistics and the differences in impulsivity and sensation seeking by gender, age, cannabis consumption and its interaction with the MANOVA test. In general, males are more functional impulsive and more thrills and adventures and experiences seekers than female. Participants aged 14 and 15 score higher in thrill and adventure-seeking, and less in experiences seeking. 22.5% of adolescents consumed cannabis. They scored higher in thrill and adventure-seeking, in experience seeking, and in disinhibition than non-consumers. There is an increase in dysfunctional impulsivity and boredom susceptibility associated with consumption in women. Therefore, preventive programs should take into account the gender and certain personality traits of adolescents to increase their effectiveness

Optimization of electrospraying conditions for the microencapsulation of probiotics and evaluation of their resistance during storage and in-vitro digestion

Electrospraying has recently emerged as a novel microencapsulation technique with potential for the protection of probiotics. However, research efforts are still needed to minimize the viability loss observed during the processing of sensitive strains, and to maximize productivity. The aim of the present work was the optimization of the electrospraying conditions for the microencapsulation of a model probiotic microorganism, Lactobacillus plantarum, within a whey protein concentrate matrix. In a pre-optimization step, the convenience of encapsulating fresh culture instead of freeze-dried bacteria was established. Additionally, a surface response methodology was used to study the effect of the applied voltage, surfactant concentration, and addition of a prebiotic to the formulation on cell viability and productivity. Viability losses lower than 1 log10 CFU were achieved and the bacterial counts of the final products exceeded 8.5 log10 CFU/g. The protection ability of the developed structures during storage and in-vitro digestion was also evaluated.Laura G. Gómez-Mascaraque is recipient of a predoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Call 2013. Russell Cruz Morfin received a scholarship from the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), Call 2014. Gloria Sánchez is supported by the “Ramón y Cajal” Young Investigator program of the MINECO. This work was financially supported by the Spanish MINECO project AGL2012-30647 and by the CSIC project 201470I002.Peer reviewe

Practical Characterization of Cell-Electrode Electrical Models in Bio-Impedance Assays

This paper presents the fitting process followed to adjust the parameters of the electrical model associated to a cell-electrode system in Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) technique, to the experimental results from cell-culture assays. A new parameter matching procedure is proposed, under the basis of both, mismatching between electrodes and time-evolution observed in the system response, as consequence of electrode fabrication processes and electrochemical performance of electrode-solution interface, respectively. The obtained results agree with experimental performance, and enable the evaluation of the cell number in a culture, by using the electrical measurements observed at the oscillation parameters in the test circuits employed.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2013-46242-C3-1-

Sensing Cell-Culture Assays with Low-Cost Circuitry

An alternative approach for cell-culture end-point protocols is proposed herein. This new technique is suitable for real-time remote sensing. It is based on Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) and employs the Oscillation-Based Test (OBT) method. Simple and straightforward circuit blocks form the basis of the proposed measurement system. Oscillation parameters – frequency and amplitude – constitute the outcome, directly correlated with the culture status. A user can remotely track the evolution of cell cultures in real time over the complete experiment through a web tool continuously displaying the acquired data. Experiments carried out with commercial electrodes and a well-established cell line (AA8) are described, obtaining the cell number in real time from growth assays. The electrodes have been electrically characterized along the design flow in order to predict the system performance and the sensitivity curves. Curves for 1-week cell growth are reported. The obtained experimental results validate the proposed OBT for cell-culture characterization. Furthermore, the proposed electrode model provides a good approximation for the cell number and the time evolution of the studied cultures.España, Feder TEC2013-46242-C3-1-

Effect of self-administered intraperitoneal bemiparin on peritoneal transport and ultrafiltration capacity in peritoneal dialysis patients with membrane dysfunction: a randomized, multi-centre open clinical trial

Randomized controlled trial[Abstract] Background: Progressive peritoneal membrane injury and dysfunction are feared repercussions of peritoneal dialysis (PD), and may compromise the long-term feasibility of this therapy. Different strategies have been attempted to prevent or reverse this complication with limited success. Methods: We performed a randomized, open multi-centre trial, aimed at scrutinizing the efficacy of self-administered intraperitoneal (i.p.) bemiparin (BM) to modulate peritoneal membrane dysfunction. The main outcome variables were peritoneal creatinine transport and the ultrafiltration (UF) capacity, estimated during consecutive peritoneal equilibration tests. The trial included a control group who did not undergo intervention. The treatment phase lasted 16 weeks with a post-study follow-up of 8 weeks. Results: Intraperitoneal BM did not significantly improve creatinine transport or the UF capacity, when the whole group was considered. However, we observed a time-limited improvement in the UF capacity for the subgroup of patients with overt UF failure, which was not observed in the control group. Intraperitoneal injection of BM did not carry an increased risk of peritoneal infection or major haemorrhagic complications. Conclusions: Our data do not support the systematic use of BM for management of peritoneal membrane dysfunction in PD patients. Further studies on the usefulness of this approach in patients with overt UF failure are warranted. Intraperitoneal administration of BM is safe in PD patients, provided regulated procedures are respected

Enterovirus 75 and aseptic meningitis, Spain, 2005

To our knowledge, this is the first isolation of EV75 in Spain. Indeed, isolation of EV75 has not been reported in Europe

An Empirical-Mathematical Approach for Calibration and Fitting Cell-Electrode Electrical Models in Bioimpedance Tests

This paper proposes a new yet efficient method allowing a significant improvement in the on-line analysis of biological cell growing and evolution. The procedure is based on an empirical-mathematical approach for calibration and fitting of any cell-electrode electrical model. It is valid and can be extrapolated for any type of cellular line used in electrical cell-substrate impedance spectroscopy (ECIS) tests. Parameters of the bioimpedance model, acquired from ECIS experiments, vary for each cell line, which makes obtaining results difficult and—to some extent-renders them inaccurate. We propose a fitting method based on the cell line initial characterization,and carry out subsequent experiments with the same line to approach the percentage of well filling and the cell density (or cell number in the well). To perform our calibration technique, the so-called oscillation-based test (OBT) approach is employed for each cell density. Calibration results are validated by performing other experiments with different concentrations on the same cell line with the same measurement technique. Accordingly, a bioimpedance electrical model of each cell line is determined, which is valid for any further experiment and leading to a more precise electrical model of the electrode-cell system. Furthermore, the model parameters calculated can be also used by any other measurement techniques. Promising experimental outcomes for three different cell-lines have been achieved, supporting the usefulness of this technique

Remote Cell Growth Sensing Using Self-Sustained Bio-Oscillations

A smart sensor system for cell culture real-time supervision is proposed, allowing for a significant reduction in human effort applied to this type of assay. The approach converts the cell culture under test into a suitable “biological” oscillator. The system enables the remote acquisition and management of the “biological” oscillation signals through a secure web interface. The indirectly observed biological properties are cell growth and cell number, which are straightforwardly related to the measured bio-oscillation signal parameters, i.e., frequency and amplitude. The sensor extracts the information without complex circuitry for acquisition and measurement, taking advantage of the microcontroller features. A discrete prototype for sensing and remote monitoring is presented along with the experimental results obtained from the performed measurements, achieving the expected performance and outcomes