"Freshman's week": characteristics associated with participation and experiencing adverse effects.

BACKGROUND: "Freshman's week" (FW) is a Norwegian initiation ritual to higher education. Previous research has suggested that FW-participation is associated with better social adjustment to the student setting, as well as heavy alcohol use both during and after the event. In this study, we aimed to identify characteristics associated with participation in FW and characteristics associated with experiencing adverse effects of alcohol use during FW. METHODS: Students in the city of Bergen, Norway participated in a survey during fall 2015, shortly after FW. The current sample consisted of the first-year students (N = 4, 401, estimated response rate: 49%). The sample's mean age was 24 years (range: 17-73 years), 65% were females, and the majority were born in Norway (93%). Logistic regressions were conducted to identify characteristics associated with participation in FW and experiencing adverse effects. RESULTS: A total of 64% of the first-year students reported participation in FW, and 27% of these reported experiencing at least one adverse alcohol-related effect during FW. Participation in FW was positively associated with being single (OR = 1.29), extroversion (OR = 1.18), and alcohol use (OR = 1.28), and inversely associated with age (OR = 0.70), and having children (OR = 0.36). Several characteristics (e.g., alcohol use (OR = 1.84), extroversion (OR = 0.60), symptoms of depression (OR = 1.60)) were associated with an increased risk of experiencing adverse effects of alcohol use during participation. CONCLUSION: The current results suggest that initiatives for increasing the participation rate in FW, reducing alcohol use during FW, and decreasing the occurrence of adverse alcohol effects during FW are warranted. Aiming to reduce the focus on alcohol use during FW, and seeking to make FW more available and enjoyable for students with other priorities, students who do not match the stereotype of the typical first-year student, and less sociable students, might both increase participation rate and prevent the occurrence of adverse alcohol effects. Future studies should aim to develop and assess interventions designed to increase participation in FW and reduce the occurrence of adverse effects related to participation.

Tanning addiction: conceptualization, assessment and correlates.

BACKGROUND: Research into problematic tanning (or 'tanning addiction') has markedly increased over the past few years. Although several instruments exist to measure excessive tanning, most of these are psychometrically poor, are not theoretically anchored, and have been used mainly on small samples. OBJECTIVES: To develop a new tanning addiction scale based on a specific theoretical approach utilizing core addiction criteria. METHODS: A scale comprising seven items (salience/craving, tolerance, mood modification, relapse/loss of control, withdrawal, conflict and problems) was administered online to a cross-sectional convenience sample of 23 537 adults (mean ± SD age 35·8 ± 13·3 years). There was also assessment of demographic factors, the five-factor model of personality, and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression. RESULTS: A confirmatory factor analysis showed that a one-factor model gave an optimal fit with the data collected [root mean square error of approximation = 0·050, 90% confidence interval (CI) 0·047-0·053; comparative fit index = 0·99; Tucker-Lewis index = 0·99]. High factor loadings (0·78-0·91, all P < 0·001) and coefficient omega indicator of reliability (ω = 0·94, 95% CI 0·94-0·94) were also found using the new scale. In a multiple linear regression analysis, tanning addiction was positively associated with being female, not being in a relationship, extraversion, neuroticism, anxiety and obsessive-compulsiveness. It was also found that educational level, intellect/openness and depression were inversely associated with tanning addiction. CONCLUSIONS: The new scale, the Bergen Tanning Addiction Scale (BTAS), showed good psychometric properties, and is the first scale to conceptualize tanning addiciton fully within a contemporary addiction framework. Given this, the BTAS may potentially assist future clinical practice in providing appropriate patient care, prevention and disease management.

Expression of neurotrophic factors in diabetic muscle--relation to neuropathy and muscle strength.

Diabetic polyneuropathy can lead to atrophy and weakness of distally located striated muscles due to denervation. Lack of neurotrophic support is believed to contribute to the development of diabetic neuropathy. In this study, we measured the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), neurotrophin 4 (NT-4) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in muscle biopsies taken from the gastrocnemic and deltoid muscles in 42 diabetic patients and 20 healthy control subjects. To express the distal neuropathic gradient and to reduce interindividual variation, a distal/proximal ratio between expression levels in the gastrocnemic and deltoid muscles was calculated for all neurotrophic factors. Neuropathic status was determined by clinical examination, electrophysiological studies and quantitative sensory examination in diabetic patients, and muscle strength at both the shoulder and ankle was assessed by isokinetic dynamometry. Distal/proximal ratios for NT-3 were lower in diabetic patients [median (range) 110.7 (39.8-546.8)] than in controls [157.6 (63.3-385.4); (P < 0.05)], and in neuropathic diabetic patients [107.1 (39.8-326.0)] versus patients without neuropathy [134.5 (46.6-546.8); (P < 0.005)]. Further, ratios for NT-3 were related to muscle strength (r(s) = 0.41, P < 0.01) and showed a tendency towards a negative relationship to the combined score of all measures of neuropathy [Neuropathy rank-sum score (NRSS)] (r(s) = -0.27, P = 0.09). Similar trends were observed for ratios for NT-4. Ratios for NGF (r(s) = -0.32, P < 0.05) and BDNF (r(s) = -0.32, P < 0.05) were related to NRSS, but not to muscle strength. Ratios for CNTF were higher in diabetic patients [64.6 (23.7-258.7)] compared with controls [50.2 (27.2-186.4); (P < 0.05)], but showed no relationship to neither NRSS nor muscle strength. Our results show that the expression of NT-3 is reduced in striated muscles in diabetic patients and is related to muscle weakness and neuropathy. We suggest that lack of NT-3 contributes to insufficient re-innervation leading to the loss of muscle strength in diabetic neuropathy.

Accelerated atrophy of lower leg and foot muscles--a follow-up study of long-term diabetic polyneuropathy using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of the study was to determine the loss of muscle volume in the lower leg and foot in long-term diabetic patients in relation to the presence of neuropathy. METHODS: We re-examined 26 type 1 diabetic patients who had participated in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies on muscle volume in the lower leg and foot 9 to 12 years earlier. Re-examination involved MRI, isokinetic dynamometry, clinical examination, electrophysiological studies and quantitative sensory examinations. RESULTS: Annual loss of muscle volume of ankle dorsal and plantar flexors was 4.5 (5.5-3.9)% (median [range]) and 5.0 (7.0-4.2)% in neuropathic patients, 1.9 (3.2-1.0)% and 1.8 (2.6-1.3)% in non-neuropathic patients, and 1.7 (2.8-0.8)% and 1.8 (2.4-0.8)% in controls, respectively (p < 0.01). Annual change of volume and strength correlated for ankle dorsal flexors (r (s) = 0.73, p < 0.01) and for ankle plantar flexors (r (s) = 0.63, p < 0.05) in diabetic patients. In addition, annual change of muscle volume for dorsal and plantar flexors was related to the combined score of all measures of neuropathy (r (s) = -0.68, p < 0.02 and r (s) = -0.73, p < 0.01, respectively). Foot muscle volume declined annually by 3.0 (3.4-1.0)% in neuropathic patients and by 1.1 (4.0-0.2)% in non-neuropathic patients, both values being significantly different from controls (0.2 [-2.5 to 2.4]%). Loss of foot muscle volume was related to severity of neuropathy assessed at clinical evaluation (r (s) = -0.6, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Muscular atrophy in long-term diabetic neuropathy occurs early in the feet, progresses steadily in the lower legs, relates to severity of neuropathy and leads to weakness at the ankle.