The examination of the relationships among digital addiction, loneliness, shyness, and social anxiety in adolescents / El examen de las relaciones entre adicción digital, soledad, timidez y ansiedad social en adolescentes

La adicción digital, que se determina como un problema común entre los adolescentes en los últimos años, afecta negativamente la vida de los adolescentes en muchos aspectos. El objetivo del estudio es examinar las relaciones entre la adicción digital, la soledad, la timidez y la ansiedad social de los adolescentes. Gate se reunió con adolescentes que completaron la Escala de adicción digital, la versión corta de la Escala de soledad de UCLA, la Escala de timidez y la Escala de gravedad del trastorno de ansiedad social DSM-5 - Formulario infantil. Las hipótesis sugeridas se han probado utilizando los datos recopilados de 991 adolescentes y un análisis de regresión jerárquica. Los resultados de la investigación encontraron una relación positiva y significativa entre la adicción digital, la soledad, la timidez y la ansiedad social entre los adolescentes. Además, los hallazgos muestran que la adicción digital, la soledad y la timidez predicen la ansiedad social. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que la adicción digital, la soledad y la timidez tienen efecto sobre la ansiedad social. Según los hallazgos, se sugiere aplicar diversas intervenciones educativas por parte de profesionales de la salud mental a adolescentes que presenten signos de adicción digital, soledad, timidez y ansiedad social.(AU)

Digital addiction, which is determined as a common problem among adolescents in the last years, affects the lives of adolescents nega-tively in terms of many aspects. The aim of the study is to examine the re-lationships between adolescents' digital addiction, loneliness, shyness and social anxiety. Gate gathered from adolescents who completed Digital Ad-diction Scale, Short Form of UCLA Loneliness Scale, Shyness Scale, and DSM-5 Social Anxiety Disorder Severity Scale -Child Form. The suggest-ed hypotheses have been tested using the data gathered from 991 adoles-cents and hierarchical regression analysis. The research findings found a positive and significant relationship between digital addiction, loneliness, shyness and social anxiety among adolescents. Furthermore, the findings show that digital addiction, loneliness, and shyness predict social anxiety. The results obtained prove that digital addiction, loneliness and shyness have an effect on social anxiety. According to the findings, it is suggested to applyvarious educational interventions by mental health professionals to adolescents who show signs of digital addiction, loneliness, shyness, and social anxiety.(AU)

Co-stimulation of muscarinic M1 and M4 acetylcholine receptors prevents later cocaine reinforcement in male and female mice, but not place-conditioning.

Acute stimulation of M1 or M4 muscarinic cholinergic receptors reduces cocaine abuse-related effects in mice and rats. The combined activation of these receptor subtypes produces synergistic effects on some behavioural endpoints in mice. M1 and M1 + M4 receptor stimulation in a cocaine vs. food choice assay in rats and microdialysis in rats showed delayed and lasting "anticocaine effects". Here, we tested whether these putative lasting neuroplastic changes are sufficient to occlude the reinforcing effects of cocaine at the behavioural level in mice. Mice were pre-treated with the M1 receptor partial agonist VU0364572, M4 receptor positive allosteric modulator VU0152100, or VU0364572 + VU0152100 two weeks prior to acquisition of cocaine intravenous self-administration (IVSA). Male C57BL/6JRj mice received vehicle, VU0364572, VU0152100, or VU0364572 + VU0152100. Female mice were tested with two VU0364572 + VU0152100 dose combinations or vehicle. To attribute potential effects to either reduced rewarding effects or increased aversion to cocaine, we tested VU0364572 alone and VU0364572 + VU0152100 in acquisition of cocaine-conditioned place preference (CPP) in male mice using an unbiased design. The acquisition of cocaine IVSA was drastically reduced and/or slowed in male and female mice receiving VU0364572 + VU0152100, but not either drug alone. Food-maintained operant behaviour was unaffected, indicating that the treatment effects were cocaine-specific. No treatment altered the acquisition of cocaine-CPP, neither in the post-test, nor in a challenge 14 days later. The cocaine IVSA findings confirm unusual long-lasting "anticocaine" effects of muscarinic M1 + M4 receptor stimulation. Thus, in mice, simultaneous stimulation of both receptor subtypes seems to produce potential neuroplastic changes that yield lasting effects.

CYP2B6 and ABCB1 genotypes predict methadone plasma exposure among patients on maintenance therapy against opioid addictions in Tanzania.

AIMS: Methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) exhibits significant variability in pharmacokinetics and clinical response, partly due to genetic variations. However, data from sub-Saharan African populations are lacking. We examined plasma methadone variability and pharmacogenetic influences among opioid-addicted Tanzanian patients. METHODS: Patients attending MMT clinics (n = 119) in Tanzania were genotyped for common functional variants of the CYP3A4, CYP3A5, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, ABCB1, UGT2B7 and SLCO1B1 genotypes. Trough plasma concentrations of total methadone, S-methadone (S-MTD) and R-methadone (R-MTD), with their respective metabolites, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The methadone-to-EDDP metabolic ratio (MMR) was used to categorize the phenotype. RESULTS: The proportions of MMR-predicted ultrarapid, extensive, intermediate and slow methadone metabolizer phenotypes were 2.5%, 58.2%, 23.7% and 15.6%, respectively. CYP2B6 genotype significantly correlated with S-methadone (P = .006), total methadone (P = .03), and dose-normalized methadone plasma concentrations (P = .001). Metabolic ratios of R-methadone (R-MTD/R-EDDP), S-methadone (S-MTD/S-EDDP), and total methadone (MMR) were significantly higher among patients homozygous for defective variants (*6 or *18) than heterozygous or CYP2B6*1/*1 genotypes (P < .001). The metabolic ratio for S-MTD and total methadone was significantly higher among ABCB1c.3435T/T than in the C/C genotype. No significant effect of CYP2D6, CYP2C19, CYP3A4, CYP3A5, CYP2A6, UGT2B7 and SLCO1B1 genotypes on S-methadone, R-methadone, or total methadone was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one in six opioid-addicted Tanzanian patients are methadone slow metabolizers, influenced by genetic factors. Both the CYP2B6 and ABCB1 genotypes are strong predictors of methadone metabolic capacity and plasma exposure. Further investigation is needed to determine their predictive value for methadone treatment outcomes and to develop genotype-based dosing algorithms for safe and effective therapy.

The effects of smartphone addiction on the body in young adults in Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: The frequency of smartphone usage is increasing day by day in Turkey. This study was planned to reveal the level of smartphone addiction and the factors affecting smartphone addiction in young adults in Turkey. DESIGN: In the study, how long the young people had been using the smartphone and their daily usage times were recorded. The Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), Body Awareness Scale (BAS), and Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) scales were employed as data collection tools. RESULTS: The study was conducted with 1000 participants aged 18-45, and 807 were female. 85.6% of the participants have been using smartphones for at least 3 years and 77.3% of all participants use smartphones for more than 4 hours a day. According to the SAS scale, 34.8% of the participants had smartphone addiction. Smartphone addiction is higher especially in those who have a sedentary life or individuals with neck disabilities (p = 0.005; p < 0.001 respectively). No significant difference was found between body awareness and smartphone addiction (p = 0.380). However, body awareness scores were higher in the group without smartphone addiction. There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of the SAS, BAS, NDI, and SBQ scores in the participants classified by smartphone usage time. CONCLUSION: Female gender, daily usage of a smartphone for more than 4 hours a day, having a smartphone for at least 3 years, presence of sedentary behavior, and neck disability were the factors affecting smartphone addiction in young people. No relationship was found between body awareness and smartphone addiction. Further studies on the awareness of the effects of intensive smartphone usage on the body should be conducted among young people in Turkey.

Young people's experiences of addiction to nicotine vaping products: A qualitative analysis from Aotearoa New Zealand.

INTRODUCTION: Young people who use nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes, or 'vapes', risk becoming addicted to these products. While several studies document dependency symptoms, few report in-depth qualitative analyses of addiction. METHODS: We explored experiences of self-reported vaping addiction using in-depth interviews with 22 young people aged 16-20 years who vaped and lived in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our semi-structured interview guide probed participants' early experiences and how they progressed from experimentation to addiction and explored how addiction affected their perceptions and daily routines. We used an inductive reflexive thematic analysis approach to interpret the data. RESULTS: Vaping's pervasiveness piqued participants' curiosity and encouraged trial. Most transitioned from experimentation to addiction within a couple of months; while a minority described a slower progression, nearly all felt irritable, angry or uncomfortable if they had to delay vaping. Intense cravings disrupted school and work routines and dictated how they spent their time. Many deeply regretted vaping and some suffered shame and embarrassment. These participants saw vaping as a threat to the well-being of younger youth, which they tried to shield from addiction. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: We go beyond earlier studies by probing the burden vaping comes to represent, offering new insights into young people's everyday experiences of vaping addiction. In addition to informing health promotion campaigns, our findings could inform policy directions. Understanding the speed with which addiction can occur, its impact on daily life, and the considerable regret many felt could help inform a more strategic and sorely needed approach to reducing youth vaping.

Describing endosymbiont-host interactions within the parasitism-mutualism continuum.

Endosymbionts are widespread in arthropods, living in host cells with effects that extend from parasitic to mutualistic. Newly acquired endosymbionts tend to be parasitic, but vertical transmission favors coevolution toward mutualism, with hosts sometimes developing dependency. Endosymbionts negatively affecting host fitness may still spread by impacting host reproductive traits, referred to as reproductive "manipulation," although costs for hosts are often assumed rather than demonstrated. For cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that involves endosymbiont-mediated embryo death, theory predicts directional shifts away from "manipulation" toward reduced CI strength; moreover, CI-causing endosymbionts need to increase host fitness to initially spread. In nature, endosymbiont-host interactions and dynamics are complex, often depending on environmental conditions and evolutionary history. We advocate for capturing this complexity through appropriate datasets, rather than relying on terms like "manipulation." Such imprecision can lead to the misclassification of endosymbionts along the parasitism-mutualism continuum.

Work addiction risk, stress and well-being at work: testing the mediating role of sleep quality.

Introduction: Attention to work addiction risk is growing; however, more studies are needed to explore the possible impact of work addiction risk on various aspects of employees' work and life domains. Although several studies have considered the antecedents or consequences of work addiction risk, this study particularly focuses on sleep quality as a potential explanatory underlying mechanism in the relation between work addition risk and three outcome variables including stress at home, stress at work and well-being. Method: The data was collected using an online platform and participants consisted of 188 French employees who were selected using simple random sampling method. Participants responded to the survey including the Work Addiction Risk Test (WART), stress at work, well-being, and sleep quality. The data was analyzed using JASP and SPSS-26 programs. Results: The results revealed that there are significant positive relationships between work addiction risk and both stress at home and at work and negative relationships between work addiction risk and both sleep quality and well-being. In addition, the analyses of the mediation paths suggest the significant mediation role of sleep quality for the link between work addition risk and stress at work as well as the link between work addiction risk and well-being. Discussion: Given the verified mediating role of sleep quality in the relationship between work addiction, stress and wellbeing, it is recommended that organizations and companies pay particular attention to their employees' sleep quality.

The interplay of psychological resilience and adolescent mobile phone addiction in Henan province, China: insights from latent class analysis.

Background: The aim of this study was to classify distinct subgroups of adolescents based on the severity levels of their mobile phone addiction and to investigate how these groups differed in terms of their psychosocial characteristics. We surveyed a total of 2,230 adolescents using three different questionnaires to assess the severity of their mobile phone addiction, stress, anxiety, depression, psychological resilience, and personality. Latent class analysis was employed to identify the subgroups, and we utilized Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and multinomial logistic regression for statistical analysis. All data analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.5. Methods: We classified the subjects into subgroups based on their mobile phone addiction severity, and the results revealed a clear pattern with a three-class model based on the likelihood level of mobile phone addiction (p < 0.05). We examined common trends in psychosocial traits such as age, grade at school, parental education level, anxiety levels, and resilience. ROC analysis of sensitivity versus 1-specificity for various mobile phone addiction index (MPAI) scores yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.893 (95% CI, 0.879 to 0.905, p < 0.001). We also determined diagnostic value indices for potential cutoff points ranging from 8 to 40. The optimal cutoff value for MPAI was found to be >14, which corresponded to the maximum Youden index (Youden index = 0.751). Results: The latent classification process in this research confirmed the existence of three distinct mobile phone user groups. We also examined the psychosocial characteristics that varied in relation to the severity levels of addiction. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the categorization of adolescents based on the severity of mobile phone addiction and sheds light on the psychosocial characteristics associated with different addiction levels. These findings are expected to enhance our understanding of mobile phone addiction traits and stimulate further research in this area.

Sex differences in the effects of N-ethylpentylone in young CD1 mice: Insights on behaviour, thermoregulation and early gene expression.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: New psychoactive substances such as N-ethylpentylone (NEP) are continuously emerging in the illicit drug market, and knowledge of their effects and risks, which may vary between sexes, is scarce. Our present study compares some key effects of NEP in male and female mice. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Psychostimulant, rewarding and reinforcing effects were investigated by tracking locomotor activity, conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm and through a self-administration (SA) procedure, respectively, in CD1 mice. Moreover, the expression of early genes (C-fos, Arc, Csnk1e, Pdyn, Pp1r1b and Bdnf in addiction-related brain areas) was assessed by qPCR. Finally, serum and brain levels of NEP were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS. KEY RESULTS: NEP-treated males experimented locomotor sensitisation and showed higher and longer increases in locomotion as well as higher hyperthermia after repeated administration than females. Moreover, while preference score in the CPP was similar in both sexes, extinction occurred later, and reinstatement was more easily established for males. Female mice self-administered more NEP than males at a higher dose. Differences in early gene expression (Arc, Bdnf, Csnk1e and Ppp1r1b) were found, but the serum and brain NEP levels did not differ between sexes. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our results suggest that male mice are more sensitive to NEP psychostimulant and rewarding effects. These differences may be attributed to different early gene expression but not to pharmacokinetic factors. Moreover, males appear to be more vulnerable to the hyperthermic effects of NEP, while females might be more prone to NEP abuse.

Heterogeneity in choice models of addiction: the role of context.

RATIONALE: Theories of addiction guide scientific progress, funding priorities, and policy development and ultimately shape how people experiencing or recovering from addiction are perceived and treated. Choice theories of addiction are heterogenous, and different models have divergent implications. This breeds confusion among laypeople, scientists, practitioners, and policymakers and reduces the utility of robust findings that have the potential to reduce the global burden of addiction-associated harms. OBJECTIVE: Here we differentiate classes of choice models and articulate a novel framing for a class of addiction models, called contextual models, which share as a first principle the influence of the environment and other contextual factors on behavior within discrete choice contexts. RESULTS: These models do not assume that all choice behaviors are voluntary, but instead that both proximal and distal characteristics of the choice environment-and particularly the benefits and costs of both drug use and non-drug alternatives-can influence behavior in ways that are outside of the awareness of the individual. From this perspective, addiction is neither the individual's moral failing nor an internal uncontrollable urge but rather is the result of environmental contingencies that reinforce the behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Contextual models have implications for guiding research, practice, and policy, including identification of novel target mechanisms while also improving existing interventions.

STAT: schema therapy for addiction treatment, a proposal for the integrative treatment of addictive disorders.

The nature and origins of addictions and of their adjunctive behaviors, as well as their chronicity, call for treatments that conceptualize and treat them as the long-term and complex processes that they are. Addictions are often comorbid with personality problems and with trauma histories. Patients suffering from these disorders often show poor engagement with treatment and high rates of relapse, possibly because available treatments have yet to address the patient suffering from addiction in a more integrated or holistic manner. In particular, comprehensive treatment models for addictive disorders - like treatments for personality disorders or trauma - are likely to require the integration of behavioral, cognitive, and emotion-focused interventions within a facilitative therapeutic relationship. However, most current treatment models, including ones which are highly effective in stabilization or behavioral change, lack one or more components of treatment that could sustain longer term recovery, wellness, and health for a higher percentage of patients. In this article, I propose approaching addictions and their treatment from the perspective of schema therapy, an integrative, developmental model with a strong track record of positive outcomes in addressing personality disorder symptoms and long-standing trauma histories, commonly comorbid with addictive disorders. In advancing this proposal, I begin by providing some background tying together addictions, attachment, and personality, suggesting they be treated simultaneously to achieve improved outcomes. Then, after briefly reviewing the leading approaches to the treatment of addictions, I introduce the idea that schema therapy is well-situated - both theoretically and practically - to address many of the shortcomings of existing treatment options. In particular, I note how addictive and co-occurring colluding behaviors are deeply intertwined with both early and continued frustration of core developmental needs. I illustrate how the addictive cycle is perpetuated through the process of schema reinforcement and through the operation of schema modes. I then demonstrate how these key terms (i.e., needs, schemas, and modes) inform the patient's assessment and case formulation, guiding treatment interventions from a strong therapeutic relationship that focuses on integrating recovery behavior change, healing dysfunctional schemas and modes, and preventing relapse.

Multiple aspects of matrix stiffness in cancer progression.

The biophysical and biomechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are crucial in the processes of cell differentiation and proliferation. However, it is unclear to what extent tumor cells are influenced by biomechanical and biophysical changes of the surrounding microenvironment and how this response varies between different tumor forms, and over the course of tumor progression. The entire ensemble of genes encoding the ECM associated proteins is called matrisome. In cancer, the ECM evolves to become highly dysregulated, rigid, and fibrotic, serving both pro-tumorigenic and anti-tumorigenic roles. Tumor desmoplasia is characterized by a dramatic increase of α-smooth muscle actin expressing fibroblast and the deposition of hard ECM containing collagen, fibronectin, proteoglycans, and hyaluronic acid and is common in many solid tumors. In this review, we described the role of inflammation and inflammatory cytokines, in desmoplastic matrix remodeling, tumor state transition driven by microenvironment forces and the signaling pathways in mechanotransduction as potential targeted therapies, focusing on the impact of qualitative and quantitative variations of the ECM on the regulation of tumor development, hypothesizing the presence of matrisome drivers, acting alongside the cell-intrinsic oncogenic drivers, in some stages of neoplastic progression and in some tumor contexts, such as pancreatic carcinoma, breast cancer, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

A comprehensive measure assessing different types of problematic use of the internet among Chinese adolescents: The Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11).

BACKGROUND: Problematic use of the internet (PUI) is prevalent, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Given the limited measures to assess specific types of PUI, which encompasses a broad spectrum of activities such as online gaming, social media use, pornography use, shopping, gambling, and web-streaming, Muller et al. (2022) developed the Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11) to comprehensively assess different types of PUI (i.e., gaming, shopping, social media use, gambling, and pornography use). The present study aimed to validate the Chinese ACSID-11 among adolescents incorporating cross-cultural adaptations. METHODS: Using forward-backward translation method, a culturally adapted version of the ACSID-11 was prepared. Then, a cross-sectional online survey was administered between September 8 and September 26, 2023. Adolescents, using a convenience sample (N = 11,492; mean age = 16.42 years [SD ± 0.91]; 59.1% male), were recruited from six schools to complete the translated ACSID-11, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Smartphone Application Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) via an online platform. Pearson correlation coefficients assessed convergent/discriminant validity. Factor structure and measurement invariance were examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega tested internal consistency. RESULTS: Associations between the ACSID-11 components and other scales supported convergent validity (i.e., ACSID-11 gaming scale with IGDS9-SF [0.37 ≤ r ≤ 0.41]; social networks use scale with BSMAS [0.24 ≤ r ≤ 0.31]) and discriminant validity (i.e., online gambling scale with BSMAS [0.16 ≤ r ≤ 0.19] and with SABAS [0.11 ≤ r ≤ 0.13]). A four-factor solution indicated good fit with comparative fit index (CFI) ranging from 0.982 to 0.958. The ACSID-11 was measurement invariant across sexes (∆CFI = -0.001 to 0.000) and different levels of related addictive behaviors (∆CFI = -0.001 to 0.000). Both Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega (0.63 to 0.97) were acceptable for both frequency and intensity of responses. CONCLUSIONS: The ACSID-11 is an appropriate scale to assess different kinds of PUI among Chinese adolescents and students. Psychometric assessment of the measure in other cultures and among clinical samples is recommended.

Nurse led models of care for outpatient substance use disorder treatment: A scoping review.

AIM: To map key characteristics and describe nurse led models of care for the treatment of persons with substance use disorders (SUDs) in the outpatient setting. DESIGN: A scoping review. METHODS: Conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology. The PRISMA-ScR checklist was used. DATA SOURCES: Pubmed, CINAHL Complete (EBSCOhost), Cochrane Library, APA PsycNet and Scopus were searched from 1999 to May 2022 and updated on 28 November 2023. A handsearch and a grey literature search was conducted. RESULTS: Title and abstract screening was performed on 774 articles resulting in 88 articles for full text screening. Full text screening yielded 13 articles that met inclusion criteria. CONCLUSION: Existing nurse-led models of care for SUDS are scarce and limited in scope, with the majority focused on treating opioid use disorder. Additional research is needed to develop, test, and implement efficacious nurse-led models of care for the treatment and management of SUDs. IMPLICATIONS TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurse led models of care have demonstrated their efficacy and quality in the management of other chronic diseases. As we move forward with innovative solutions for individuals with addiction, nurse led models of care can be a mechanism to deliver high quality, evidence-based care for SUDs. IMPACT: SUDs are chronic diseases that impact individuals, families, and communities. SUDs require a biopsychosocial approach to treatment. Globally, nurses are well positioned to provide high quality care to mitigate the impact of SUDs. This scoping review mapped the extant literature on nurse led models of care for substance use disorder treatment in the outpatient setting finding that additional research is needed to develop, test and implement evidence-based interventions to care for individuals, families, and communities experiencing SUDs. REPORTING METHOD: PRISMA checklist for scoping reviews. No patient or public contribution were part of this study. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework accessible at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/NSW7V.

The effects of mobile phone addiction on bedtime procrastination in university students: the masking effect of physical activity and anxiety.

PURPOSE: Good sleep is one of the necessary conditions to ensure the normal performance of the physiological and psychological functions of college students. This study aimed to explore the relationship between mobile phone addiction and bedtime procrastination among Chinese college students and the mediating mechanisms of physical exercise and anxiety between the two, with a view to seek ways to prevent and intervene in college students' sleep procrastination and improve their sleep quality. METHODS: Using SPSS 29.0 analysis with Bootstrap's method, 3,800 first-year students, sophomores, and juniors were given the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale, Bedtime Procrastination Scale, Physical Activity Scale, and Anxiety Scale. The results of the analyses included mediation tests and effect analyses of anxiety and physical activity. RESULTS: The correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between mobile phone addiction and bedtime procrastination (r = 0.149, p < 0.01) as well as anxiety (r = 0.497, p < 0.01). Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between mobile phone addiction and physical activity (r = -0.447, p < 0.01). Physical activity was also found to have significant negative correlations with anxiety (r = -0.506, p < 0.01) and bedtime procrastination (r = -0.424, p < 0.01). Furthermore, anxiety showed a significant positive correlation with bedtime procrastination (r = 0.334, p < 0.01). Physical activity and anxiety acted as substantial mediators between mobile phone addiction and nighttime procrastination. Both mediators had considerable masking effects, with the mediating effect amounting to 50.3% and 25.1%, respectively. Physical exercise and anxiety played a chain mediating role between mobile phone addiction and bedtime procrastination, and the masking effect was also significant, with a mediating effect size of 13.4%. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals the special characteristics of the influencing factors and pathways of bedtime procrastination in this group of college students, providing targeted evidence for the prevention and intervention of bedtime procrastination in college students. It also has an important reference value for the effects of exercise and comprehensive intervention to improve bedtime procrastination and enhance the quality of sleep in college students.

Toward AI-driven neuroepigenetic imaging biomarker for alcohol use disorder: A proof-of-concept study.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a disorder of clinical and public health significance requiring novel and improved therapeutic solutions. Both environmental and genetic factors play a significant role in its pathophysiology. However, the underlying epigenetic molecular mechanisms that link the gene-environment interaction in AUD remain largely unknown. In this proof-of-concept study, we showed, for the first time, the neuroepigenetic biomarker capability of non-invasive imaging of class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) epigenetic enzymes in the in vivo brain for classifying AUD patients from healthy controls using a machine learning approach in the context of precision diagnosis. Eleven AUD patients and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy controls completed a simultaneous positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET/MR) scan with the HDAC-binding radiotracer [11C]Martinostat. Our results showed lower HDAC expression in the anterior cingulate region in AUD. Furthermore, by applying a genetic algorithm feature selection, we identified five particular brain regions whose combined [11C]Martinostat relative standard uptake value (SUVR) features could reliably classify AUD vs. controls. We validate their promising classification reliability using a support vector machine classifier. These findings inform the potential of in vivo HDAC imaging biomarkers coupled with machine learning tools in the objective diagnosis and molecular translation of AUD that could complement the current diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-based intervention to propel precision medicine forward.

Discovery of a mu-opioid receptor modulator that in combination with morphinan antagonists induces analgesia.

Morphinan antagonists, which block opioid effects at mu-opioid receptors, have been studied for their analgesic potential. Previous studies have suggested that these antagonists elicit analgesia with fewer adverse effects in the presence of the mutant mu-opioid receptor (MOR; S196A). However, introducing a mutant receptor for medical applications represents significant challenges. We hypothesize that binding a chemical compound to the MOR may elicit a comparable effect to the S196A mutation. Through high-throughput screening and structure-activity relationship studies, we identified a modulator, 4-(2-(4-fluorophenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-3-methylbenzoic acid (BPRMU191), which confers agonistic properties to small-molecule morphinan antagonists, which induce G protein-dependent MOR activation. Co-application of BPRMU191 and morphinan antagonists resulted in MOR-dependent analgesia with diminished side effects, including gastrointestinal dysfunction, antinociceptive tolerance, and physical and psychological dependence. Combining BPRMU191 and morphinan antagonists could serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for severe pain with reduced adverse effects and provide an avenue for studying G protein-coupled receptor modulation.

Patient and Physician Perspectives on Discussing Addiction Recovery and Spirituality in the Primary Care Setting.

BACKGROUND: Spirituality is an important component of recovery for many individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). However, few studies have compared patient and physician attitudes on spirituality in SUD recovery. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates patient and physician beliefs about the role of spirituality in SUD recovery and about discussing spirituality in relationship to recovery in primary care settings. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary care physicians recruited at two academic hospitals, and patients recruited from a faith-based residential therapeutic community. Interview transcripts were independently coded by two researchers and a grounded theory approach was used to generate themes that reflected participants' experiences. KEY RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with 15 patients and 10 physicians. Patients had diverse views about the impact of spirituality on their SUD recovery, including positive, negative, and neutral. Patient and physician opinions on discussing spirituality in a primary care setting differed: most physicians felt positively towards this, believing that understanding their patients' spirituality helped them care for their patients as whole people. Many patients felt neutral, stating that they did not feel like these conversations were necessary for their care, and that they believed physicians preferred not to discuss spirituality in medical settings. Tolerance from both the patient and physician, open-ended questioning, and an individualized approach were identified as facilitators to effective discussions about spirituality and recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Spirituality can have diverse effects on an individual's SUD recovery. Physicians endorsed the benefits of discussing spirituality in the context of their patients' recovery, while patients expressed reservations about engaging in these conversations with their physicians. This variation in perspectives highlights the need for additional research to understand the individual and structural factors that contribute to it, as well as best practices for engaging in effective, non-judgmental conversations about spirituality in recovery.

The ReCoDe addiction research consortium: Losing and regaining control over drug intake-Findings and future perspectives.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are seen as a continuum ranging from goal-directed and hedonic drug use to loss of control over drug intake with aversive consequences for mental and physical health and social functioning. The main goals of our interdisciplinary German collaborative research centre on Losing and Regaining Control over Drug Intake (ReCoDe) are (i) to study triggers (drug cues, stressors, drug priming) and modifying factors (age, gender, physical activity, cognitive functions, childhood adversity, social factors, such as loneliness and social contact/interaction) that longitudinally modulate the trajectories of losing and regaining control over drug consumption under real-life conditions. (ii) To study underlying behavioural, cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of disease trajectories and drug-related behaviours and (iii) to provide non-invasive mechanism-based interventions. These goals are achieved by: (A) using innovative mHealth (mobile health) tools to longitudinally monitor the effects of triggers and modifying factors on drug consumption patterns in real life in a cohort of 900 patients with alcohol use disorder. This approach will be complemented by animal models of addiction with 24/7 automated behavioural monitoring across an entire disease trajectory; i.e. from a naïve state to a drug-taking state to an addiction or resilience-like state. (B) The identification and, if applicable, computational modelling of key molecular, neurobiological and psychological mechanisms (e.g., reduced cognitive flexibility) mediating the effects of such triggers and modifying factors on disease trajectories. (C) Developing and testing non-invasive interventions (e.g., Just-In-Time-Adaptive-Interventions (JITAIs), various non-invasive brain stimulations (NIBS), individualized physical activity) that specifically target the underlying mechanisms for regaining control over drug intake. Here, we will report on the most important results of the first funding period and outline our future research strategy.

Food addiction and the physical and mental health status of adults with overweight and obesity.

Background: Overweight and obesity now affect more than a third of the world's population. They are strongly associated with somatic diseases, in particular increasing the risk of many metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, but also with mental disorders. In particular, there is a strong association between obesity and depression. As a result, more attention is paid to the neurobiological, behavioural, and psychological mechanisms involved in eating. One of these is food addiction (FA). Research comparing lifestyle elements, physical and mental health problems of excess body weight and individuals with FA is limited and has focused on younger people, mainly students. There is also a lack of studies that relate actual metabolic parameters to FA. To better understand the problem of FA also in older adults, it is important to understand the specific relationships between these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 172 adults with overweight and obesity (82% female) aged 23-85 years. The mean age of all subjects was M = 59.97 years (SD = 11.93), the mean BMI was M = 32.05 kg/m2 (SD = 4.84), and the mean body fat was M = 39.12% (SD = 6.48). The following questionnaires were used: Food Frequency Questionnaire-6 (FFQ-6), Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 (TFEQ-R18), Yale Food Addiction Scale 2. 0 (YFAS 2.0), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Body composition, anthropometry, fasting glucose, lipid profile, and blood pressure were measured. Results: A total of 22.7% of participants with overweight and obesity had symptoms of depression according to the SDS, and 18.6% met the criteria for FA according to YFAS 2.0. FA was statistically significantly more common among people up to 50 years. BMI, body fat mass, diastolic blood pressure and sedentary behaviour were statistically significantly higher in people with FA symptoms. Those who were sedentary for 301-450 min per day were significantly more likely to have depressive symptoms, and those who were sedentary for more than 450 min per day were significantly more likely to have FA symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings complement the current literature on FA, particularly in older adults and metabolic parameters, and suggest further research directions. Although our cross-sectional study design does not allow causal interpretations, increasing physical activity appears to be particularly important in the management of people with overweight or obesity and FA. This may be even more important than for people with depression alone, but future research is needed to explore these relationships further.