Patterns and predictors of smoking by race and medical diagnosis during hospital admission: A latent class analysis

Hospital-based tobacco treatment programs provide tobacco cessation for a diverse array of admitted patients. Person-centered approaches to classifying subgroups of individuals within large datasets are useful for evaluating the characteristics of the sample. This study categorized patients who received tobacco treatment while hospitalized and determined whether demographics and smoking-related health conditions were associated with group membership. Chart review data was obtained from 4854 patients admitted to a large hospital in South Carolina, USA, from July 2014 through December 2019 who completed a tobacco treatment visit. Smoking characteristics obtained from the visit interview were dichotomized, and then latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to categorize patients based on smoking history and interest in stopping smoking. Finally, logistic regressions were used to evaluate demographics and smoking-related health conditions as predictors of class membership. LCA generated 5 classes of patients, differentiated by heaviness of smoking and motivation to quit. Patients who were black/African American were more likely to be lighter smokers compared to white patients. Hospitalized patients with a history of hypertension, diabetes, and congestive heart failure were more likely to be motivated to quit and also were more likely to be lighter smokers at the time of hospitalization. Hospitalized patients who smoke and receive tobacco treatment are heterogeneous in terms of their smoking histories and motivation to quit. Understanding latent categories of patients provides insight for tailoring interventions and potentially improving tobacco treatment outcomes

Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: A Synopsis of Coordinated National Crop Wild Relative Seed Collecting Programs across Five Continents

The Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project set out to improve the diversity, quantity, and accessibility of germplasm collections of crop wild relatives (CWR). Between 2013 and 2018, partners in 25 countries, heirs to the globetrotting legacy of Nikolai Vavilov, undertook seed collecting expeditions targeting CWR of 28 crops of global significance for agriculture. Here, we describe the implementation of the 25 national collecting programs and present the key results. A total of 4587 unique seed samples from at least 355 CWR taxa were collected, conserved ex situ, safety duplicated in national and international genebanks, and made available through the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). Collections of CWR were made for all 28 targeted crops. Potato and eggplant were the most collected genepools, although the greatest number of primary genepool collections were made for rice. Overall, alfalfa, Bambara groundnut, grass pea and wheat were the genepools for which targets were best achieved. Several of the newly collected samples have already been used in pre-breeding programs to adapt crops to future challenges.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Treating Tobacco and Alcohol Problems: A Role for Clinical Psychologists

Although there is a high rate of cigarette smoking among alcohol abusers as compared to the general population, treatment professionals have been reluctant to treat both problems together. This is unfortunate, as the combined economic and health care costs of tobacco and alcohol problems are astronomical. In fact, the gross costs have more than doubled over the past 20 years. Because psychological treatments have been shown to be effective for both smoking and alcohol problems, clinical psychologists are in a unique position to help reduce these costs

What Do Internet-Based Alcohol Treatment Websites Offer?

The Internet was searched for websites that advertised or provided treatment or help for alcohol problems. Websites were evaluated for the types of treatment offered and whether the treatment had an empirical basis. While a wide range of treatments were advertised, very few websites offered online services. In addition, very few sites provided or advertised alcohol treatment programs that were empirically based. Recommendations for future Internet-based health care and treatment are offered

The Relationship between Thought Suppression and Smoking Cessation.

Intrusive thoughts (e.g., anxiety, depression, substance use) are among the most salient symptoms of clinical problems. Therefore, methods of thought suppression have received considerable attention. However, some studies have found that attempts to suppress thoughts precipitate an increase in thoughts. In the case of substance abuse, such thoughts could serve as cues for further use. This study examined the association between thought suppression and quitting smoking in a sample of current and ex-smokers. Using the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), scores were obtained for participants\u27 level of thought suppression. Based on the idea that a greater tendency to suppress thoughts would make quitting smoking more difficult, it was hypothesized that unsuccessful quitters would have higher WBSI scores than smokers who had successfully quit. It was found that mean scores on the WBSI were significantly higher (