Enhancing engagement in evidence-based tobacco cessation treatment for smokers with mental illness: A pilot randomized trial.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of a brief telephone-delivered Motivational Interviewing (MI)-based intervention to facilitate engagement in evidence-based cessation treatment for Veterans with mental illness referred to smoking cessation treatment.Methods86 military Veteran smokers with mental illness were recruited from a tobacco cessation consult clinic and randomized to receive either a MI-based treatment engagement intervention (TE; n = 48) or a non-MI assessment and information control (CON; n = 38) condition. Intervention was delivered during a single brief telephone contact. Primary engagement outcomes were 1) attending a treatment session within 30 days and 2) combination treatment (attending session plus using pharmacotherapy). Cessation outcomes included self-reported 24 h cessation attempts and 7 day point abstinence at 3 months post-intervention. Outcomes were assessed at 1 and 3 months post intervention.ResultsOutcome analyses included 85 participants (47 TE, 38 CON) using an intent-to-treat analytic approach. Participants were on average 49.5 (13.4) years old, 88% Male, 59% white, 18% African American and 14% Hispanic/Latino(a). Following intervention delivery TE and CON participants did not differ on likelihood of attending a treatment session during the subsequent 30 days (47% vs 45%, respectively). A significant difference was observed when classified as utilizing combination treatment, 40% of TE versus 18% of CON reported use of smoking cessation medication and behavioral counseling (p = 0.04). No statistical differences were observed for cessation outcomes, although more TE than CON participants reported 7 day point abstinence at 3 months post-intervention (30% vs 18%).ConclusionsThe present pilot study provides initial evidence for the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of a telephone delivered TE intervention for enhancing engagement in combinationevidence evidence-based treatment in a sample of Veteran smokers with mental illness referred to smoking cessation treatment. Smokers with mental illness typically have greater difficulty stopping smoking than those without mental illness. Increased engagement in combination treatment thus has the potential to increase quit rates and ultimately reduce the burden of tobacco use for this population

Surface Stability in Drylands is Influenced by Dispersal Strategy of Soil Bacteria

Microbial adaptations for survival and dispersal may directly influence landscape stability and potential for dust emission in drylands where biological soil crusts (biocrusts) protect mineral soil surfaces from wind erosion. In the Lake Eyre basin of central Australia we operated a wind tunnel on sandy soils and collected the liberated material, which was subjected to DNA sequencing to identify the microbial community composition. Microbial composition of entrained dust was compared with that of the source sand dune soil in addition to nearby claypan and nebkha soils, and water channels which together form a recycling sediment transport system. Wind was found to preferentially liberate 359 identified taxa from sand dunes whereas 137 identified taxa were found to resist wind erosion. Water channel communities included many taxa in common with the soil samples. We hypothesise that the ease with which soil microbes become airborne is often linked to whether the organism is adapted for dispersal by wind or vegetative growth, and that biocrust organisms found in water channels may sometimes use a fluvial dispersal strategy which exploits rare flooding events to rapidly colonise vast pans which are common in drylands. We explain likely geomorphic implications of microbial dispersal strategies which are a consequence of organisms engineering the environment to provide their particular needs. By identifying microbes fitting expectations for these dispersal strategies based on differential abundance analyses, we provide a new perspective for understanding the role of microbiota in landscape stability.NERC grant ref NE/K011464/

Evaluating the Acceptability and Feasibility of Providing Egg or Cereal Breakfast during a Family-Based Treatment for Children with Overweight/Obesity: The Families and Breakfast Pilot Trial.

Background: Family-based behavioral treatment (FBT) is the most successful weight-loss treatment for children with overweight and obesity, however, long-term success is only achieved by a third of children over time. The use of foods that induce satiety, such as eggs, could improve adherence to calorically restricted diets in children and improve outcomes. This study explored the consumption of eggs (FBT+egg) or cereal (FBT+cereal) for breakfast as part of an FBT program, when breakfast foods were provided to families. Methods: Fifty 8-12-year-old children with overweight and obesity and their parents were randomized to a 4-month FBT+egg or FBT+cereal treatment program. Families were provided the ingredients for their assigned breakfast at each treatment session, and instructed to consume the breakfast a minimum of 5 days per week. Families attended assessments at baseline, post-treatment, and 4-months post-treatment. Results: Results showed that both treatments were well liked, FBT attendance was similar, and there was high compliance with consumption of the specified breakfast. Children experienced moderate weight loss at post-treatment [-0.11 standardized BMI (BMIz)] through 4-month follow-up (-0.09 BMIz), with no statistically significant differences (mean difference -0.05 BMIz, 95% confidence interval -0.19 to 0.09) observed between egg and cereal conditions across any anthropometric or appetitive measures. Conclusions: The use of eggs for breakfast in children enrolled in FBT was well tolerated, and future studies should include larger samples and longer follow-up periods to assess the potential differential effects of prescribed breakfasts on children's weight and eating behaviors

Soil biocrusts affect metabolic response to hydration on dunes in west Queensland, Australia

Soil biocrusts, formed from communities of microbes and their extracellular products are a common feature of dryland soil surfaces. Biocrust organisms are only intermittently metabolically active, but due to their ubiquity they make a significant contribution to the carbon cycle. Quantification of the controls and insights into the interlinked process of photosynthesis and respiration are essential to enhancing our understanding of the carbon cycle in the world’s drylands. Yet, there have been relatively few field studies investigating controls on both biocrust photosynthesis and respiration. We undertook field-based experiments at two dune sites during the dry season in Diamantina National Park in Queensland, Australia to determine how biocrust hydration and illumination affect soil CO2 flux and photosynthesis. Static chambers and an infra-red gas analyser were used to quantify soil CO2 flux, and a fluorometer and a CFImager were used to determine a range of photosynthetic parameters in the field and laboratory respectively. When dry, biocrust photosynthetic activity was not detected and soil CO2 flux was very low irrespective of biocrust cover. Hydration led to a large and immediate increase in CO2 flux, which was more pronounced in the presence of biocrusts and on the dune with thinner biocrusts. Hydration also initiated the onset of photosynthesis in some biocrusts, which was greatest under low light conditions and sustained with further hydration. There were only infrequent periods of net CO2 uptake to the soil, occurring when CO2 uptake due to photosynthetic activity was less than background soil CO2 flux. Chlorophyll fluorescence imaging indicated biocrust spatial heterogeneity was evident at the cm scale where microtopography creates a myriad of environments for different crust organisms. Our findings demonstrate that biocrusts are highly spatially heterogenetic at both landscape and small scale, which suggests the maintenance of biocrust spatial diversity is likely to be key to imparting resilience to changing climate and disturbance. As well as reaffirming the importance of biocrusts for the carbon cycle in dryland dune soils the study demonstrates that biocrust respiration and photosynthesis respond differently to hydration and shading. This adds an unpredictability to the distribution of soil carbon stocks and the gaseous exchanges of CO2 between the surface and atmosphere. Future changes to precipitation and increased temperatures are likely to reduce soil moisture across much of the Australian interior and consequently biocrusts may experience a decline in biomass, structure, and function which could have significant repercussions beyond carbon stocks.Natural Environment Research Counci

Impact of marijuana use on self‐rated cognition in young adult men and women

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111084/1/ajad12157.pd

Design of the PACIFIC study: A randomized controlled trial evaluating a novel treatment for adults with overweight and obesity.

The majority of adults in the United States have overweight or obesity which is associated with significant health and psychological consequences. Behavioral Weight Loss (BWL) is the current gold-standard weight-loss program for adults but recidivism rates continue to be disturbingly high. Given the health consequences of excess weight and the lack of long-term effectiveness of BWL, it is important to identify novel weight-loss programs. We developed the ROC (Regulation of Cues) program to reduce overeating through improvement in sensitivity to appetitive cues and decreased responsivity to external food cues. This study is a 4-arm randomized control trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of ROC, ROC combined with BWL, BWL alone and an active comparator over 24 months. Study recruitment completed in November 2017. Two hundred and seventy-one participants were randomized (mean age = 46.97 years; 82% female, mean BMI = 34.59; 20% Hispanic) and assessments were conducted at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months) and post-treatment (12 months). At this time, participants are completing 6- (18 months) and 12-month (24 months) follow-ups. Targeting novel mechanisms is critically important to improve weight-loss programs. Through this trial, we hope to identify treatments for adults with overweight and obesity to facilitate long-term weight loss and improved health

Evaluating psychometric properties of the Emotional Eating Scale Adapted for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) in a clinical sample of children seeking treatment for obesity: a case for the unidimensional model.

BackgroundThe Emotional Eating Scale - Adapted for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) assesses children's urge to eat in response to experiences of negative affect. Prior psychometric studies have demonstrated the high reliability, concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability of theoretically defined subconstructs among non-clinical samples of children and adolescents who were primarily healthy weight; however, no psychometric studies exist investigating the EES-C among clinical samples of children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB). Furthermore, studies conducted in different contexts have suggested a discordant number of subconstructs of emotions related to eating. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the EES-C in a clinical sample of children seeking weight-loss treatment.MethodUsing a hierarchical bi-factor approach, we evaluated the validity of the EES-C to measure a single general construct, a set of two separate correlated subconstructs, or a hierarchical arrangement of two constructs, and determined reliability in a clinical sample of treatment-seeking children with OW/OB aged 8-12 years (N = 147, mean age = 10.4 years.; mean BMI z = 2.0; female = 66%; Hispanic = 32%, White and other = 68%).ResultsComparison of factor-extraction methods suggested a single primary construct underlying EES-C in this clinical sample. The bi-factor indices provided clear evidence that most of the reliable variance in the total score (90.8 for bi-factor model with three grouping factors and 95.2 for bi-factor model with five grouping factors) was attributed to the general construct. After adjusting for relationships with the primary construct, remaining correlations among sets of items did not suggest additional reliable constructs.ConclusionResults suggest that the primary interpretive emphasis of the EES-C among treatment-seeking children with overweight or obesity should be placed on a single general construct, not on the 3- or 5- subconstructs as was previously suggested

Nuclear Bar Catalyzed Star Formation: 13^CO, C18^O and Molecular Gas Properties in the Nucleus of Maffei 2

(Abridged) We present resolution maps of CO, its isotopologues, and HCN from in the center of Maffei 2. The J=1-0 rotational lines of 12^CO, 13^CO, C18^O and HCN, and the J=2-1 lines of 13^CO and C18^O were observed with the OVRO and BIMA arrays. The 2-1/1-0 line ratios of the isotopologues constrain the bulk of the molecular gas to originate in low excitation, subthermal gas. From LVG modeling, we infer that the central GMCs have n(H_2) ~10^2.75 cm^-3 and T_k ~ 30 K. Continuum emission at 3.4 mm, 2.7 mm and 1.4 mm was mapped to determine the distribution and amount of HII regions and dust. Column densities derived from C18^O and 1.4 mm dust continuum fluxes indicate the CO conversion factor in the center of Maffei 2 is lower than Galactic by factors of ~2-4. Gas morphology and the clear ``parallelogram'' in the Position-Velocity diagram shows that molecular gas orbits within the potential of a nuclear (~220 pc) bar. The nuclear bar is distinct from the bar that governs the large scale morphology of Maffei 2. Giant molecular clouds in the nucleus are nonspherical and have large linewidths. Dense gas and star formation are concentrated at the sites of the x_1-x_2 orbit intersections of the nuclear bar, suggesting that the starburst is dynamically triggered.Comment: 50 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Physical activity and clustered cardiovascular disease risk factors in young children: a cross-sectional study (the IDEFICS study)

<p>Background The relevance of physical activity (PA) for combating cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in children has been highlighted, but to date there has been no large-scale study analyzing that association in children aged ≤9 years of age. This study sought to evaluate the associations between objectively-measured PA and clustered CVD risk factors in a large sample of European children, and to provide evidence for gender-specific recommendations of PA.</p> <p>Methods Cross-sectional data from a longitudinal study in 16,224 children aged 2 to 9 were collected. Of these, 3,120 (1,016 between 2 to 6 years, 2,104 between 6 to 9 years) had sufficient data for inclusion in the current analyses. Two different age-specific and gender-specific clustered CVD risk scores associated with PA were determined. First, a CVD risk factor (CRF) continuous score was computed using the following variables: systolic blood pressure (SBP), total triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) ratio, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and sum of two skinfolds (score CRFs). Secondly, another CVD risk score was obtained for older children containing the score CRFs + the cardiorespiratory fitness variable (termed score CRFs + fit). Data used in the current analysis were derived from the IDEFICS (‘Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS’) study.</p> <p>Results In boys <6 years, the odds ratios (OR) for CVD risk were elevated in the least active quintile of PA (OR: 2.58) compared with the most active quintile as well as the second quintile for vigorous PA (OR: 2.91). Compared with the most active quintile, older children in the first, second and third quintiles had OR for CVD risk score CRFs + fit ranging from OR 2.69 to 5.40 in boys, and from OR 2.85 to 7.05 in girls.</p> <p>Conclusions PA is important to protect against clustering of CVD risk factors in young children, being more consistent in those older than 6 years. Healthcare professionals should recommend around 60 and 85 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous PA, including 20 min/day of vigorous PA.</p&gt