Drinking, smoking, and drug use linked to premature heart disease in the young

Those who regularly use 4 or more substances 9 times as likely to be affected

February 15, 2021

Science Daily BMJ

Recreational drinking, smoking, and drug use is linked to premature heart disease in young people, particularly younger women, finds research published online in the journal Heart.

Those who regularly use 4 or more substances are 9 times as likely to be affected, the findings indicate.

The numbers of new cases of heart disease (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) have been increasing in young adults, but the potential role of recreational substance use isn't entirely clear.

To probe this further, the researchers explored whether the recreational use of tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, and illicit drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, might be linked to prematurely and extremely prematurely furred up arteries.

They drew on information supplied to the 2014-2015 nationwide Veterans Affairs Healthcare database and the Veterans with premaTure AtheroscLerosis (VITAL) registry.

Extremely premature heart disease was defined as an 'event', such as a heart attack, angina, or stroke before the age of 40, while premature heart disease was defined as an event before the age of 55 in men and before the age of 65 in women.

In all, there were 135,703 people with premature heart disease and 7716 with extremely premature heart disease. They were compared with 1,112, 45 patients who didn't have premature heart disease.

Recreational use of any substance was independently associated with a higher likelihood of premature and extremely premature heart disease.

Patients with premature heart disease were more likely to smoke (63% vs 41%), drink (32% vs 15%), and to use cocaine (13% vs 2.5%), amphetamines (3% vs 0.5%), and cannabis (12.5% vs 3%).

After accounting for potentially influential factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, those who smoked tobacco were nearly twice as likely to have premature heart disease while those who drank recreationally were 50% more likely to do so.

Cocaine users were almost 2.5 times as likely to have premature heart disease, while those who used amphetamines were nearly 3 times as likely to do so. Cannabis users were more than 2.5 times as likely to have premature heart disease while those using other drugs were around 2.5 times as likely to do so.

The higher the number of substances used recreationally, the greater was the risk of premature heart disease, ranging from a doubling in risk with the use of 1 substance to a 9-fold heightened risk for those using 4 or more.

Similar trends were observed among those who had extremely premature heart disease, with recreational substance use associated with 1.5 to 3 times higher odds of heart disease.

The associations were even stronger among women with premature and extremely premature heart disease than among similarly affected men.

This is an observational study, and as such can't establish causality. And the researchers acknowledge that they were unable to gather information on other potentially influential factors, such as the dose and duration of recreational substance use.

In a linked editorial, Dr Anthony Wayne Orr of LSU Health Shreveport, Louisiana, points out that use of cocaine and methamphetamine have been associated with faster cell ageing and neurocognitive decline, with higher than average loss of grey matter.

And epidemiological studies suggest that 1 in 5 young adults misuse several substances and that these 'polysubstance users' often start using at younger ages, and so have worse health over the long term, he says.

The growing body of published research on these issues "suggests the need for a nationwide education campaign on the potential long-term damage being done to the cardiovascular system in patients with substance use disorders," he argues.

These people need to be aware of the long term consequences for their health beyond the risk of an overdose, while doctors should screen patients with a history of substance misuse, he says.

"We are only young once, and we should do everything in our power to maintain that state as long as we can," he concludes.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210215211040.htm

Long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution increases risk of heart and lung disease

February 22, 2021

Science Daily/American Heart Association

Analysis of records for more than 63 million Medicare enrollees from 2000 to 2016 finds long-term exposure to air pollution had a significant impact on the number of people hospitalized for cardiac and respiratory conditions. Researchers examined three components of air pollution: fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. Even levels lower than national standards affected heart and respiratory illnesses.

Exposure to what is considered low levels of air pollution over a long period of time can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation and pneumonia among people ages 65 and older, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

Air pollution can cause harm to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems due to its effect on inflammation in the heart and throughout the body. Newer studies on the impact of air pollution on health are focused on understanding the potential harm caused by long-term exposure and are researching the effects of multiple air pollutants simultaneously. Research on air pollution is critical to informing recommendations for national environmental and health guidelines.

"People should be conscious of the air quality in the region where they live to avoid harmful exposure over long periods of time, if possible," said Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Pharm.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., a post-doctoral research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "Since our study found harmful effects at levels below current U.S. standards, air pollution should be considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory disease by clinicians, and policy makers should reconsider current standards for air pollutants."

Researchers examined hospitalization records for more than 63 million Medicare enrollees in the contiguous Unites States from 2000 to 2016 to assess how long-term exposure to air pollution impacts hospital admissions for specific cardiovascular and respiratory issues. The study measured three components of air pollution: fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). Using hundreds of predictors, including meteorological values, satellite measurements and land use to estimate daily levels of pollutants, researchers calculated the study participants' exposure to the pollutants based upon their residential zip code. Additional analysis included the impact of the average yearly amounts of each of the pollutants on hospitalization rates for non-fatal heart attacks, ischemic strokes, atrial fibrillation and flutter, and pneumonia.

Statistical analyses found thousands of hospital admissions were attributable to air pollution per year. Specifically:

The risks for heart attacks, strokes, atrial fibrillation and flutter, and pneumonia were associated with long-term exposure to particulate matter.

Data also showed there were surges in hospital admissions for all of the health outcomes studied with each additional unit of increase in particulate matter. Specifically, stroke rates increased by 2,536 for each additional ug/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air) increase in fine particulate matter each year.

There was an increased risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation associated with long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide.

Pneumonia was the only health outcome in the study that seemed impacted by long-term exposure to ozone; however, researchers note there are currently no national guidelines denoting safe or unsafe long-term ozone levels.

"When we restricted our analyses to individuals who were only exposed to lower concentrations of air pollution, we still found increased risk of hospital admissions with all of the studied outcomes, even at concentration levels below current national standards," added Danesh Yazdi. "More than half of the study population is exposed to low levels of these pollutants, according to U.S. benchmarks, therefore, the long-term health impact of these pollutants should be a serious concern for all, including policymakers, clinicians and patients."

The researchers further stratified the analyses to calculate the cardiovascular and respiratory risks associated with each of the pollutants among patient subgroups including gender, race or ethnicity, age and socioeconomic factors, detailed in the study.

The causality in the study could only be interpreted and not proven definitively due to the limitations of the data available, which may have not included other known CVD risk factors. In addition, coding errors can occur in the Medicare database, which would impact the analyses.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210222082622.htm

Seasonal variation in daylight influences brain function

February 23, 2021

Science Daily/University of Turku

Seasons have an impact on our emotions and social life. Negative emotions are more subdued in the summer, whereas seasonal affective disorder rates peak during the darker winter months. Opioids regulate both mood and sociability in the brain.

In the study conducted at the Turku PET Centre, Finland, researchers compared how the length of daylight hours affected the opioid receptors in humans and rats.

"In the study, we observed that the number of opioid receptors was dependent on the time of the year the brain was imaged. The changes were most prominent in the brain regions that control emotions and sociability. The changes in the opioid receptors caused by the variation in the amount of daylight could be an important factor in seasonal affective disorder," says Postdoctoral Researcher Lihua Sun from the Turku PET Centre and the University of Turku.

Animal studies confirm the significance of daylight

The researchers wanted to ensure that the changes in brain function were caused by the amount of daylight and not some other factor. To achieve this, they measured the opioid receptors in rats when the animals were kept in standard conditions where only the length of daylight hours was changed. The results were similar to those observed in humans.

"On the basis of the results, the duration of daylight is a particularly critical factor in the seasonal variation of opioid receptors. These results help us to understand the brain mechanisms behind seasonal affective disorder," says Professor Lauri Nummenmaa from the Turku PET Centre.

The study was conducted with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and altogether 204 volunteers participated as subjects. A small dose of radioactive tracer that binds to the brain's opioid receptors was injected in the subjects' blood circulation. The decay of the tracers was measured with a PET scanner. The study is based on the AIVO database hosted by Turku University Hospital and Turku PET Centre. The database contains different in vivo molecular brain scans for extensive analyses. Furthermore, the amount of opioid receptors was studied with PET imaging of rats. Animal studies were conducted at the Central Animal Laboratory, University of Turku, with the genuine support of Professor Anne Roivainen and Dr Emrah Yatkin.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210223110343.htm

Effective treatment for insomnia delivered in a few short phone calls

February 23, 2021

Science Daily/University of Washington

Insomnia -- trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early -- is a common condition in older adults. Sleeplessness can be exacerbated by osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis causing joint pain. While there are effective therapies for treating insomnia in older adults, many people cannot get the treatment they need because they live in areas with limited access to health care, either in person or over the internet.

With telephones nearly universal among the elderly, however, researchers at the University of Washington and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute sought to determine if therapy using only a phone connection could be used to dramatically improve access to insomnia treatment.

In a study involving patients in the Kaiser Permanente Washington system -- the Osteoarthritis and Therapy for Sleep, or OATS study, published Feb. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine -- the researchers found that effective treatment for insomnia can be delivered in a few short phone calls. The phone-delivered therapy, which consisted of guided training and education to combat insomnia, also helped reduce fatigue as well as pain associated with osteoarthritis.

"It's very exciting," said Susan M. McCurry, lead author and research professor in the UW School of Nursing, "because when people have insomnia, it's miserable. Our study has shown that this treatment can be delivered over the phone, and its effects are sustainable for up to a year."

Importantly, added McCurry, who is also an affiliate investigator at Kaiser Permanente, the study results also mean people living in rural or other areas with limited access to the internet and health care, especially sleep clinics, could potentially be reached and helped.

"When people can get relief from their sleep problems," she said, "they're going to function better during the day. They're going to emotionally feel better, be less irritable and think more clearly."

The study tracked 327 people over 60 years old with moderate to severe insomnia from 2016 to 2018. The patients were interviewed six times for 20 to 30 minutes over an eight-week period. Roughly half of the patients received materials and guided training called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. CBT-I is a proven and effective strategy used as the first line of treatment for insomnia.

The remaining patients were in a control group, which received education-only phone calls that did not include the CBT-I therapy. The control group was important, McCurry said, to make sure the positive effects of the phone calls weren't due to "the fact that you have someone who's smart and pleasant calling you every week."

The key task of the therapy sessions was to guide patients through routines, information and self-monitoring in order to get their homeostatic sleep drive, which is the internal drive to sleep that is dissipated during the night and builds up during the day, and circadian rhythms, the complex and innate cycles of biochemical, physiological and behavioral processes, working together so that the patient will sleep at night and be wakeful during the daytime.

The phone-based therapy also helped patients reduce anxiety related to sleeplessness.

"People can become conditioned to knowing that when they get into bed, they're going to have a bad night. The bed becomes an anxious place for them to be," McCurry said. "We help them develop cognitive tools that can give their mind something else to do other than worry about what tomorrow is going to be like if they don't get a good night's sleep."

While earlier phone-based studies using similar techniques improved sleep, these studies were limited by their small number of participants and included only patients of specialty insomnia clinics. The OATS study was the first large trial of a statewide population of older adults with chronic osteoarthritis who were randomly assigned to either the treatment or a control group.

"Although osteoarthritis-related insomnia is a very common condition among older adults, it can be a challenge to find and enroll people with this condition in a clinical trial. Our ability to work with Kaiser Permanente Washington's extensive electronic health records data made it possible to identify and recruit more than 300 patients across Washington state over age 60 with moderate to severe osteoarthritis pain and insomnia," said Kai Yeung, co-author and assistant scientific investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute.

The study authors concluded that the phone-based treatment benefits for insomnia were "large, robust" and sustained for a year, even for patients with more severe insomnia and pain symptoms. The study also found a reduction of those pain symptoms, although the pain reductions did not last a full year.

While the study results can give hope to those suffering from insomnia and osteoporosis-related pain, the study authors said patients may not yet have access to a phone-based system of treatment. However, they can still talk to their medical care provider to learn what treatment options are available to them now.

"The bottom line is nobody should be sleeping poorly," said Michael V Vitiello, co-author and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at University of Washington School of Medicine. "We have ways to fix sleep problems. Older adults don't need to suffer. We can make them better."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210223135603.htm

A sleep disorder associated with shift work may affect gene function

Going on holiday has a restorative effect on changes in DNA

February 22, 2021

Science Daily/University of Helsinki

Long-term sleep deprivation is detrimental to health, increasing the risk of psychiatric and somatic disorders, such as depression and cardiovascular diseases. And yet, little is known about the molecular biological mechanisms set in motion by sleep deprivation which underlie related adverse health effects.

In a recently published study, the University of Helsinki, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and the Finnair airline investigated dynamic changes to DNA methylation in shift workers. DNA methylation denotes epigenetic regulation that modifies gene function and regulates gene activity without changing the sequence of bases in the DNA.

Short-term genetic changes caused by DNA methylation are not well known. While methylation is connected with our surroundings, more research is needed on how the environment affects epigenetic regulation and gene function.

The recently published study provides researchers with new information on both DNA methylation and the biological processes that have an impact on a sleep disorder related to shift work (shift work disorder, or SWD).

The study was published in the Scientific Reports publication series.

Changes to DNA methylation can mediate infections caused by sleep deprivation

A total of 32 shift workers participated in the study, of whom 21 suffered from shift work disorder and 11 were in the control group. Dynamic changes to DNA methylation were investigated through a genome-wide analysis during work and after a holiday period.

Changes to DNA methylation which affected gene function were identified in study subjects suffering from a sleep disorder caused by shift work. The findings demonstrated that rest and recovery during holiday periods also resulted in the restoration of DNA methylation in cases where changes had been observed during the work period.

The study proved the dynamic nature of DNA methylation, which was particularly emphasised in the activity of NMDA glutamate receptors. The strongest evidence was gained from the GRIN2C receptor: the methylation level of a specific CpG base pair in the regulatory region was lower during the work period in subjects suffering from shift work disorder. However, this change was reversed after the holiday period.

"Based on the results, we can deduce that changes to the DNA methylation of white blood cells are associated with shift work disorder. These changes, such as low methylation levels observed during the work period, are probably linked to sleep deprivation and related inflammatory consequences which DNA changes may mediate," says doctoral student Alexandra Lahtinen, MSc, from the University of Helsinki.

"Sufficient rest and recovery are important for everyone, but especially important for people with a background of long-term sleep deprivation due to, for example, living habits or irregular working conditions. Having said that, it's positive that the subjects recovered from at least some of the changes related to shift work disorder observed in the study," says Professor Tiina Paunio from the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, who was the principal investigator of the study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210222095035.htm

Pandemic got you down? A little nature could help

Spending time in nature can help ease stressful feelings, researchers find

February 18, 2021

Science Daily/University of Connecticut

Having trouble coping with COVID?

Go take a hike. Literally.

Researchers have long been aware of the positive impact of a connection with nature on psychological health and, according to a new study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, the pandemic hasn't decreased the power of nature to improve mental well-being.

"Thinking about the natural world in an interconnected and harmonious way corresponds to improved psychological health, no matter where you are," says Brian W. Haas, the lead author of the new study and an associate professor in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program at the University of Georgia.

Haas and his collaborators -- Fumiko Hoeft, a professor of psychological sciences at UConn and director of UConn's Brain Imaging Research Center; and Kazufumi Omura, faculty of Education, Art and Science at Yamagata University in Japan -- used a survey in America and Japan to measure worldviews on nature as well as how much the pandemic impacted people's lives, and their current psychological health.

The survey sought to gauge whether the participants had a worldview in harmony with nature -- being in tune or connected with the natural world, or a worldview of mastery over nature -- the belief that people have the ability to control the natural world. They also reported on their stress levels and were asked if the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them personally or impacted their employment or finances.

The researchers found that, while participants in general report greater stress levels during the pandemic, individuals with a harmony-with-nature worldview were coping better regardless of whether they lived in Japan or in the United States.

"Clearly there's great need for study as relates to the pandemic, not just now during COVID, but also of previous pandemics and for possible future pandemics," says Hoeft. "I feel like this is a really great lesson, and a moment for us to really appreciate that things like our relationship with nature do matter and make an impact on more tangible things, like our mental health, which we often forget."

The researchers found that the difference between the two cultures, however, became apparent when looking at individuals with a mastery-over-nature worldview.

"We found that the Americans who believed that humans are, and should be, the masters of the natural world did not tend to cope well during the pandemic," Haas says. "While this was not the case in Japan."

Rather, in Japan, having a mastery-over-nature worldview was not correlated with poor coping. The researchers suggest the difference might be rooted in the concept of naïve dialecticism -- the acceptance or tolerance of contradiction.

"In other cultures outside of the United States, people tend to be more comfortable with contradiction; in other cultures, it is generally more accepted to possess conflicting ideas within your mind at the same time," Haas says. "But in the United States, it's not. We can apply this concept to nature and the current global pandemic. For instance, if I hold a view that I am the master of the natural world, and then a global pandemic happens, this is a clear natural disaster. If I believe that I am the master of the natural world, then surely I would never allow a natural disaster to happen. These concepts are inconsistent with one another, and a consequence of inconsistency is often negative mood."

While the study offers only a snapshot view of just two cultures, Haas believes other cultures would likely demonstrate a similar positive association with a harmony-with-nature worldviews, predicting that "it's likely a universal phenomenon."

Both Haas and Hoeft say that, in an increasingly virtual and technology driven world, taking a moment to appreciate nature has clear benefits regardless of where you live.

"In Japanese, there's this word called 'forest-bathing,'" Hoeft says. "It's basically when you go out into nature, and enjoy being surrounded by trees. It's usually for forests, but you go walking and it's supposed to refresh you. People often talk about how they went out 'forest bathing.' I love thinking about these kinds of old phrases -- do they have some real impact or real scientific background in the end? And I think this is one of them where this really does have a connection. There is some scientific truth behind this."

"Think about taking a step away from Zoom for a moment and taking a walk and listening to the birds chirp," Haas says. "I mean, just the benefit of that, and understanding that we have a role in this natural world, and we're part of it. I think that's really intuitive and it's obvious, but I think it's also really, really important. We're showing very convincingly with empirical data that, during a very difficult time like we are in now, that it's important to do these things to maintain your psychological health."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210218140115.htm

Irregular sleep schedules connected to bad moods and depression

The more variation in wake-up time and sleep time, the worse mood and more chance of depression symptoms in study of first-year medical residents

February 18, 2021

Science Daily/Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

An irregular sleep schedule can increase a person's risk of depression over the long term as much as getting fewer hours of sleep overall, or staying up late most nights, a new study suggests.

Even when it comes to just their mood the next day, people whose waking time varies from day to day may find themselves in as much of a foul mood as those who stayed up extra late the night before, or got up extra early that morning, the study shows.

The study, conducted by a team from Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan's academic medical center, uses data from direct measurements of the sleep and mood of more than 2,100 early-career physicians over one year. It's published in npj Digital Medicine.

The interns, as they are called in their first year of residency training after medical school, all experienced the long intense work days and irregular work schedules that are the hallmark of this time in medical training. Those factors, changing from day to day, altered their ability to have regular sleep schedules.

The new paper is based on data gathered by tracking the interns' sleep and other activity through commercial devices worn on their wrists, and asking them to report their daily mood on a smartphone app and take quarterly tests for signs of depression.

Those whose devices showed they had variable sleep schedules were more likely to score higher on standardized depression symptom questionnaires, and to have lower daily mood ratings. Those who regularly stayed up late, or got the fewest hours of sleep, also scored higher on depression symptoms and lower on daily mood. The findings add to what's already known about the association between sleep, daily mood and long-term risk of depression.

"The advanced wearable technology allows us to study the behavioral and physiological factors of mental health, including sleep, at a much larger scale and more accurately than before, opening up an exciting field for us to explore," says Yu Fang, M.S.E., lead author of the new paper and a research specialist at the Michigan Neuroscience Institute. "Our findings aim not only to guide self-management on sleep habits but also to inform institutional scheduling structures."

Fang is part of the team from the Intern Health Study, led by Srijan Sen, M.D., Ph.D., that has been studying the mood and depression risk of first-year medical residents for more than a decade. The study collected an average of two weeks of data from before the doctors' intern years began, and an average of nearly four months of monitoring through their intern year.

For the new paper, the team worked with Cathy Goldstein, M.D., M.S., an associate professor of neurology and physician in the Sleep Disorders Center at Michigan Medicine.

She notes that wearable devices that estimate sleep are now being used by millions of people, including the Fitbit devices used in the study, other activity trackers, and smart watches.

"These devices, for the first time, allow us to record sleep over extensive time periods without effort on behalf of the user," says Goldstein. "We still have questions surrounding the accuracy of the sleep predictions consumer trackers make, though initial work suggests similar performance to clinical and research grade actigraphy devices which are cleared by the FDA."

Sen, who holds the Eisenberg Professorship in Depression and Neurosciences and is a professor of neuroscience and psychiatry, notes that the new findings build on what his team's work has already shown about high risk of depression among new physicians, and other underlying factors that as associated with a heightened risk.

"These findings highlight sleep consistency as an underappreciated factor to target in depression and wellness," he says. "The work also underscores the potential of wearable devices in understanding important constructs relevant to health that we previously could not study at scale."

The team notes that the relatively young group of people in the study -- with an average age of 27, and holding both college and medical degrees -- are not representative of the broader population. However, because all of them experience similar workloads and schedules, they are a good group to test hypotheses in. The researchers hope that other groups will study other populations using similar devices and approaches, to see if the findings about variation in sleep schedule hold up for them.

Fang, for instance, notes that the parents of young children might be another important group to study. "I also wish my 1-year-old could learn about these findings and only wake me up at 8:21 a.m. every day," she jokes.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210218094502.htm

New link between personality and risk of early death

February 17, 2021

Science Daily/University of Limerick

Ground-breaking research led by University of Limerick has revealed for the first time that the immune system directly links personality to long-term risk of death.

The study sheds new light on why people who are more conscientious tend to live longer.

Results from the new international study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity have found that the immune system plays a previously unknown role in the link between personality traits and long-term risk of death.

"Personality is known to be associated with long-term risk of death, it is a well replicated finding observed across numerous research studies internationally," explained Principal Investigator on the study Dr Páraic Ó Súilleabháin, from the Department of Psychology and Health Research Institute at University of Limerick, Ireland.

"The critical question is 'how'. We wanted to find out if a biological pathway such as our immune system may explain why this happens.

"Our personality is critically important throughout our lives, from early stages in our development, to the accumulation of the impact of how we think, feel, and behave across our lives, and in the years preceding our death. It is also becoming increasingly apparent how important personality actually is for our long-term health and resulting longevity. For instance, it has been shown that people scoring lower on the personality trait of conscientiousness (a tendency to be responsible, organized, and capable of self-control) can be at a 40% increased risk of future death compared to their higher scoring counterparts. What is not clear is how this could happen, and importantly, what biological pathway might be responsible for this link," added Dr Ó Súilleabháin.

Led by Dr Ó Súilleabháin, this study was conducted with a team of collaborators from the Department of Psychology at UL, the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University, the Department of Psychology at Humboldt University Berlin, and the College of Medicine at Florida State University.

The researchers wanted to investigate if two biological markers which are central to the immune system may explain why personality traits are associated with long-term mortality risk. Specifically, they wanted to test if interleukin-6 and c-reactive protein which are known to play an important role in age-related morbidity may explain how our personality traits are related to how long we live. The study was drawing on data from the Midlife in the United States Longitudinal Study carried out on 957 adults who were examined over a 14-year period.

Dr Ó Súilleabháin explained: "We found that part of the reason why people who score higher on the personality trait of conscientiousness live longer is as a result of their immune system, specifically due to lower levels of a biological marker called interleukin-6. There are likely further biological mechanisms that are yet to be discovered which will give a clearer picture of all the different ways that our personalities are so critical to our long-term health.

"These findings are very important and identify for the first time that an underlying biological marker directly links personality to long-term mortality risk. With replication, these findings provide an opportunity for future interventions to increase our longevity and health across the lifespan," Dr Ó Súilleabháin added.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210217151051.htm

Regular caffeine consumption affects brain structure

February 16, 2021

Science Daily/University of Basel

Coffee, cola or an energy drink: caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance. Researchers from the University of Basel have now shown in a study that regular caffeine intake can change the gray matter of the brain. However, the effect appears to be temporary.

No question -- caffeine helps most of us to feel more alert. However, it can disrupt our sleep if consumed in the evening. Sleep deprivation can in turn affect the gray matter of the brain, as previous studies have shown. So can regular caffeine consumption affect brain structure due to poor sleep? A research team led by Dr. Carolin Reichert and Professor Christian Cajochen of the University of Basel and UPK (the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel) investigated this question in a study.

The result was surprising: the caffeine consumed as part of the study did not result in poor sleep. However, the researchers observed changes in the gray matter, as they report in the journal Cerebral Cortex. Gray matter refers to the parts of the central nervous system made up primarily of the cell bodies of nerve cells, while white matter mainly comprises the neural pathways, the long extensions of the nerve cells.

A group of 20 healthy young individuals, all of whom regularly drink coffee on a daily basis, took part in the study. They were given tablets to take over two 10-day periods, and were asked not to consume any other caffeine during this time. During one study period, they received tablets with caffeine; in the other, tablets with no active ingredient (placebo). At the end of each 10-day period, the researchers examined the volume of the subjects' gray matter by means of brain scans. They also investigated the participants' sleep quality in the sleep laboratory by recording the electrical activity of the brain (EEG).

Sleep unaffected, but not gray matter

Data comparison revealed that the participants' depth of sleep was equal, regardless of whether they had taken the caffeine or the placebo capsules. But they saw a significant difference in the gray matter, depending on whether the subject had received caffeine or the placebo. After 10 days of placebo -- i.e. "caffeine abstinence" -- the volume of gray matter was greater than following the same period of time with caffeine capsules.

The difference was particularly striking in the right medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is essential to memory consolidation. "Our results do not necessarily mean that caffeine consumption has a negative impact on the brain," emphasizes Reichert. "But daily caffeine consumption evidently affects our cognitive hardware, which in itself should give rise to further studies." She adds that in the past, the health effects of caffeine have been investigated primarily in patients, but there is also a need for research on healthy subjects.

Although caffeine appears to reduce the volume of gray matter, after just 10 days of coffee abstinence it had significantly regenerated in the test subjects. "The changes in brain morphology seem to be temporary, but systematic comparisons between coffee drinkers and those who usually consume little or no caffeine have so far been lacking," says Reichert.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210216100137.htm

Veterans Putting Americans to Work: How to be One of Them

Guest Post by: Kelli Brewer deploycare.org

A penchant for being organized. Attention to details. Dedication. Operating under pressure. These are just some of the attributes that fit many veterans who transfer well to entrepreneurship. While possessing these traits certainly doesn’t guarantee success, there is a reference for success: According to this article in Military.com, “around 9% of all businesses in the U.S. are veteran-owned and 10% of veterans run their own business.”

Get started with an idea, resources to help you with planning, and steps to protect yourself and your business and yA penchant for being organized. Attention to details. Dedication. Operating under pressure. These are just some of the attributes that fit many veterans who transfer well to entrepreneurship. While possessing these traits certainly doesn’t guarantee success, there is a reference for success: According to this article in Military.com, “around 9% of all businesses in the U.S. are veteran-owned and 10% of veterans run their own business.”

Get started with an idea, resources to help you with planning, and steps to protect yourself and your business and you may be on your way to helping put other Americans to work. MindSpa provides some tips and resources that can help you get started.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

First steps, boot by boot

You may remember learning about some business resources during your Transition Assistance Program (TAP) as you were preparing to transition out of service. In particular, you hopefully took advantage of the US Small Business Administration’s Boots to Business program that provides education and training to veteran entrepreneurs. You can also participate in Reboot classes. In general, the SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development Resources is going to be an excellent starting point for guidance and additional resources. It will also point you to your nearest Veterans Business Outreach Center for available workshops and training.

By now, you likely have an idea of what type of business you want to pursue. Still, it’s not a bad idea to review popular ideas for veterans that have a good track record of success, such as franchise ownership and retail, and compare the pros and cons of each against your own ideas.

Planning pieces

One of the things you’ll learn about is the importance of the business plan. This business roadmap details your ideas and the realistic opportunities for business success – including any threats, such as competition or market hindrances – to demonstrate your preparedness. Even if you think you have it “all in your head” or you’ve already gotten a good start and things are going well, it’s important to examine things from every angle to prepare for change. Also, if you need outside financing, your investor or lender will want to see your business plan, along with other documents such as a marketing plan and financial projections.

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Another important preparation piece is liability protection. If you remain a sole proprietor, you open yourself up to near-unlimited liability if something goes wrong in your business, such as a lawsuit or a business failure that leaves behind substantial debt. To avoid this, consider structuring your business as a limited liability company. While an LLC is a corporate structure, it offers more flexibility than some other corporate structures while still, in most cases, protecting your personal assets, like your house and personal bank accounts.

Individual states govern how LLCs are structured and can operate within their states, so it’s important to check your state laws. You can approach your secretary of state office for details and instructions; or, to save you time, a lawyer can take care of everything. However, to save that expense, consider a company that provides this same service for typically far less cost.

Continuing to serve

Owning your own business gives you an opportunity to continue to serve. Fulfilling your dream of being your own boss and pursuing a passion is rewarding – even more so when you consider that you could be one of the many veterans who continue to serve Americans by providing them with rewarding jobs and careers.ou may be on your way to helping put other Americans to work. MindSpa provides some tips and resources that can help you get started.

Tuning the circadian clock, boosting rhythms may be key to future treatments and medicines

New article unravels the remarkable relationship between time-of-day and physiology

February 11, 2021

Science Daily/University of California - Irvine

Subconsciously, our bodies keep time for us through an ancient means -- the circadian clock. A new University of California, Irvine-led article reviews how the clock controls various aspects of homeostasis, and how organs coordinate their function over the course of a day.

"What is fascinating is that nearly every cell that makes up our organs has its own clock, and thus timing is a crucial aspect of biology," said Kevin B. Koronowski, PhD, lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in Biological Chemistry at the UCI School of Medicine. "Understanding how daily timing is integrated with function across organs has implications for human health, as disruption of the clock and circadian rhythms can be both a cause and effect of diseases from diabetes to cancer."

The circadian clock generates a ~24 hour rhythm that controls behavior, hormones, the immune system and metabolism. Using human cells and mice, researchers from the Paolo Sassone-Corsi Laboratory at UCI's Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism aim to uncover the physiological circuits, for example between the brain and liver, whereby biological clocks achieve coherence. Their work, titled, "Communicating clocks shape circadian homeostasis," was published today in Science.

Circadian clocks align internal processes with external time, which enables diverse lifeforms to anticipate daily environmental changes such as the light-dark cycle. In complex organisms, clock function starts with the genetically encoded molecular clock or oscillator within each cell and builds upward anatomically into an organism-wide system. Circadian misalignment, often imposed in modern society, can disrupt this system and induce adverse effects on health if prolonged.

"Strategies to tune our clocks and boost rhythms have been promising in pre-clinical studies, which illustrates the importance of unraveling this aspect of our biology and unlocking the potential it holds for treatments and medicines of the future," said Koronowski.

Without electrical light, high-speed travel, constant food availability and around the clock work-life schedules, our ancestors' clocks were in constant harmony with the environment. However, due to these pressures of modern society, aligning our internal time with geophysical time has become a challenge in today's world. Chronic misalignment -- when eating and sleeping patterns conflict with the natural light-dark cycle -- is associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions, and cancer. A large portion of the global workforce has atypical hours and may be particularly vulnerable.

"It has become urgent that we uncover the molecular underpinnings of the relationship between the circadian clock and disease," explained Koronowski. "Deciphering the means by which clocks communicate across metabolic organs has the potential to transform our understanding of metabolism, and it may hold therapeutic promise for innovative, noninvasive strategies to promote health."

This work is dedicated to the memory of Paolo Sassone-Corsi (1956-2020), a great scientist, mentor, and human. It was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, Novo Nordisk Foundation and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210211171053.htm

Benefits of CBD, how to use it to improve your overall health

Guest Post by Eva Gore, Alta Farms

 CBD products include CBD gummies, CBD oil and CBD beverages. 

Just in case you did not know, CBD is a type of cannabinoid that is obtained from the hemp cannabis plant. It is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that does not make you high or alter your brain or motor skills. On the other hand, the cannabinoid that does make you experience a “high” is called THC which is found within the sugar, aerial leaves, and flower of the marijuana cannabis plant. There is only 0.3% THC in the CBD Herbal Tea products I am recommending to you today. 

So, you might be thinking, “If CBD won’t make me high, then what is the point of using it?” What I can tell you is that the benefits of cannabinoids extend way beyond altering brain function. As a matter of fact, your body is in possession of an endocannabinoid system which operates with the natural cannabinoid receptors in your brain and immune system, to reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, aid in controlling stress and help you have a good night’s sleep, all of which and including other things, put at risk your internal homeostasis. While taking CBD products, you still are in control and are able to maintain full brain functionality. 

Here are the top 10 health advantages of consuming CBD products. Although gummies are good, most people respond better to CBD in a soluble form. For example, just a cup of CBD infused tea at night before bed will have you feeling the results relatively quick in 15 minutes. 

1) CBD can alleviate Depression and Anxiety 

According to the World Health Organization, over 300 million people in the world suffer from depression and a significant percentage of these people also struggle with anxiety too. These are two profoundly serious mental disorders that can devastate the quality of a person’s life. Nevertheless, more and more medical researchers have found that CBD will reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety for people. It even helps overcome social anxiety and public speaking anxiety too. 

2) Greatly reduces Pain 

CBD gets the most interest because of its ability to decrease pain. CBD can reduce everything from the physical pain caused by arthritis to the neuropathic pain caused by multiple sclerosis. If you live with an inflammatory disease which is causing you physical suffering, then try some CBD oil, Salve, Tea or Gummies and you should see that pain dissipating very quickly. 

3)Overcoming Drug Addiction 

Drug addiction can affect the crucial brain pathways that cause you to develop a dependency to addictive substances like morphine or heroin. CBD works to correct the brain circuits accountable for stimulating the addiction in the first place so that you do not have a dependency on those drugs as much going forward in the future. 

4) Prevent Diabetes 

Yes, you read this correctly! CBD is understood to inhibit a condition called insulitis which destroys pancreatic beta cells. Because insulitis is a big cause of Type I Diabetes, taking steps to prevent insulitis can help avert diabetes too. For those people who already have diabetes, CBD may lower the side effects of the disease like memory loss and neuroinflammation. 

5) Reduces Blood Pressure 

High blood pressure is the major cause of cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, and strokes. Just taking one dose of CBD each day, you may find yourself having lower blood pressure. This means you would have a decreased chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or heart disease. 

6) Fights recurring Insomnia 

Do you regularly have trouble falling asleep? If your answer is yes, then even just 18mg CBD might be the answer you are searching for to help reduce insomnia or any other sleep related difficulties you may be experiencing. CBD has the ability to reduce anxiety and then lessen the effects of worry which cause you to stay awake at night. 

7) Eradicates and Prevents Acne 

Because CBD contains anti-inflammatory properties it will help lower the production of sebum within the skin. Sebum is a naturally produced oil which protects the skin. When disproportionate amounts of sebum are produced, it causes acne to develop on the surface and create those annoying pimples and blackheads. Consuming CBD oil and using CBD lotions can lower the production of sebum, so the sometimes painful acne can clear up quickly. 

8) Reduces and even prevents Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms 

The biggest contributor to the development of Alzheimer’s disease is Neuroinflammation. CBD will act to reduce and may even prevent neuroinflammation by acting to safeguard your neurons from the free radicals that want to destroy them. This means you will lessen chance of having to deal with Alzheimer’s disease or its progressive symptoms. 

9) Anti-psychotic Effects 

Psychotic symptoms have been found to lessen with CBD treatment in people suffering from a variety of mental disorders, like schizophrenia and psychosis. These results have not been medically proven for all types of mental disorders, though people living with these disorders have apparently noticed a welcomed relief from CBD. 

10) Helps Fight Cancer 

Once again, the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD provide anti-tumor effects as well. If you are concerned about developing a cancerous tumor in your, lung, breast, brain, colon, or even prostate, we recommend dosing on CBD consistently. It has been purported that it might even prevent cancer from spreading if it already exists within the system. 

New to CBD? 

I recommend starting simply with a warm cup of delicious CBD tea at night. This way you get used to the unique taste and you will be able to monitor how you feel after consuming it. Alta Farms in Utah bring to us a unique tasting line of specially formulated CBD Herbal Teas (18mg CBD per cup) mixed specifically with natural herbs and spices, to help with pain and inflammation, anxiety and stress and insomnia. If you find the CBD flavor too overwhelming, Alta Farms also have CBD Isolate infusions where there is absolutely no distinct hempy taste. 

Nearly third of US young people prescribed psychoactive drugs admit misusing them

Stimulants and tranquillisers more frequently misused than opioids

February 2, 2021

Science Daily/BMJ

Nearly a third of US teens and young adults prescribed a psychoactive drug misuse that drug, with the likelihood of misuse rising with age, suggests an analysis of national survey responses published in the online journal Family Medicine & Community Health.

Stimulants and tranquillisers were more likely to be misused than opioids, the findings indicate.

Drug overdose is a leading cause of unintentional death in the US, most cases of which involve opioid painkillers, but not all.

Data on the misuse of other prescription psychoactive drugs are few and far between. And every year more than 1 in 3 teens and young adults in the US is prescribed one of these drugs.

To plug this knowledge gap, the researchers drew on the responses of 110,556 US 12-25 year olds who took part in the 2015-2018 National Survey of Drug Use and Health Sampling.

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Overall, around a third (35%) said they had taken a prescribed psychoactive drug in the past year, and a similar proportion (31%) said they had misused that drug.

While opioids were the most commonly prescribed drug, misuse of stimulants and tranquillisers was higher, with nearly 45% of users admitting to this.

One in 10 respondents said they took at least two prescribed psychoactive drugs, with nearly 6 in 10 (58%) confessing to misusing one of these. And 87% admitted to misusing another substance, such as alcohol, cigarettes, cigars, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, inhalants, or hallucinogens.

Use and misuse of a prescribed psychoactive drug increased with age. While one in four teens (12-17 year olds) reported taking any psychoactive prescribed drug over the past year, and around 6% reported taking at least two such drugs, this increased to 41% and 13.5%, respectively, among 18-25 year olds.

Among the teen users of psychoactive prescription drugs, opioids were the most frequently used (19%) followed by stimulants (7%), tranquillisers (4%) and sedatives (2%).

Around 1 in 5 users of prescribed psychoactive drugs said they misused them, with tranquillisers most often misused (40%), followed by stimulants (24%), opioids (nearly 18%), and sedatives (14%).

Among 18-25-year-olds prescribed psychoactive drugs in the past year, 35% reported misuse of at least one drug. And among those prescribed at least two of these drugs, 61% reported misuse and just under 94% reported concurrent use of another substance.

Analyses of the responses from the 18-25-year-olds revealed that, compared with those who had never touched other substances, misuse of psychoactive prescription drugs increased in tandem with more recent use of these substances and number used.

Among 18-25 year-olds, opioids were again the most commonly prescribed psychoactive drug (30%), followed by stimulants (14%), tranquillisers (11.5%) and sedatives (3.5%).

The estimated proportion of misuse in this age group was highest for tranquillisers (45%) followed by stimulants (51%), opioids (23%) and sedatives (19%).

This is an observational study, and therefore can't establish cause, added to which the researchers acknowledge that the study was based on self report; the time frames over which some variables were measured weren't consistent; and misuse was very broadly defined.

Nevertheless, they conclude that the overlap in the profiles of those who use for medical reasons and those who misuse is a strong indicator of how likely they are to abuse psychoactive drugs.

"It is important to monitor the diversity of medication misuse behaviours among youth and young adults, given their potential for abuse liability," they write.

"Modifiable risk factors for prescription substance misuse, such as tobacco and other non-prescription substance use, underscore the need for comprehensive approaches towards health promotion among youth and young adults," they add.

They note that 11.5% of the 18-25 year olds reported serious psychological distress, which was consistently associated with misuse of every psychoactive prescription drug assessed.

"Mental health and medical providers would benefit from using a team approach and having open communication with other healthcare providers to ensure evidence-based guidelines are used when assessing for, and treating, mental health and substance use difficulties," they conclude.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210202192756.htm

Frequent cannabis use by young people linked to decline in IQ

January 28, 2021

Science Daily/RCSI

A study has found that adolescents who frequently use cannabis may experience a decline in Intelligence Quotient (IQ) over time. The findings of the research provide further insight into the harmful neurological and cognitive effects of frequent cannabis use on young people.

The paper, led by researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, is published in Psychological Medicine.

The results revealed that there were declines of approximately 2 IQ points over time in those who use cannabis frequently compared to those who didn't use cannabis. Further analysis suggested that this decline in IQ points was primarily related to reduction in verbal IQ.

The research involved systematic review and statistical analysis on seven longitudinal studies involving 808 young people who used cannabis at least weekly for a minimum of 6 months and 5308 young people who did not use cannabis. In order to be included in the analysis each study had to have a baseline IQ score prior to starting cannabis use and another IQ score at follow-up. The young people were followed up until age 18 on average although one study followed the young people until age 38.

"Previous research tells us that young people who use cannabis frequently have worse outcomes in life than their peers and are at increased risk for serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia. Loss of IQ points early in life could have significant effects on performance in school and college and later employment prospects," commented senior author on the paper Professor Mary Cannon, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health, RCSI.

"Cannabis use during youth is of great concern as the developing brain may be particularly susceptible to harm during this period. The findings of this study help us to further understand this important public health issue," said Dr Emmet Power, Clinical Research Fellow at RCSI and first author on the study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210128134755.htm

Legal cannabis stores linked to fewer opioid deaths in the United States

Findings may have implications for tackling opioid misuse

January 27, 2021

Science Daily/BMJ

Access to legal cannabis stores is associated with a reduction in opioid related deaths in the United States, particularly those linked to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

Opioids are 'morphine-type' drugs that relieve short-term (acute) pain and pain at the end of life. There is little evidence that they are helpful for long-term (chronic) pain, but they are often prescribed for this reason.

This has led to widespread misuse and a sharp rise in overdose deaths, particularly in the United States. In 2018, there were more than 46,000 fentanyl related deaths, representing over two thirds of all US opioid related deaths that year.

Some studies have suggested that increased access to cannabis stores -- legally authorised to sell medical and recreational cannabis -- may help to reduce opioid related deaths, but the evidence so far is mixed.

To explore this further, researchers examined relationships between medical and recreational cannabis stores (referred to as dispensaries) and opioid related deaths from 2014 to 2018.

Their findings are based on data for 812 counties within the 23 US states that allowed legal cannabis dispensaries to operate by the end of 2017.

Information on state level cannabis legislation was combined with county level data on licensed dispensaries and opioid related mortality rates.

After controlling for population characteristics and other potentially influential factors, the researchers found that counties with a higher number of active cannabis dispensaries were associated with reduced opioid related mortality rates.

According to this estimate, an increase from one to two dispensaries in a county was associated with an estimated 17% reduction in all opioid related mortality rates.

This association held for both medical and recreational dispensaries and appeared particularly strong for deaths associated with synthetic opioids other than methadone, with an estimated 21% reduction in mortality rates associated with an increase from one to two dispensaries.

An increase from two to three dispensaries was associated with a further 8.5% reduction in all opioid related mortality rates.

This study is the first to examine the association between active cannabis dispensary operations and opioid related mortality rates at the more fine grained county level.

However, the results are observational, so can't establish cause, and the researchers stress that while cannabis is generally thought to be less addictive than opioids, it still carries potential harms and public safety risks should not be ignored.

But they say their findings suggest "a potential association between increased prevalence of medical and recreational cannabis dispensaries and reduced opioid related mortality rates."

And they call for "a greater understanding of the impact of cannabis legalization on opioid misuse and public health outcomes before policy makers can weigh the potential benefits against the harms of promoting cannabis legalization."

In a linked editorial, researchers argue that cannabis liberalization "cannot be regarded as a remedy to the opioid crisis until a robust evidence base is available."

Although some may interpret these findings as evidence supporting cannabis liberalization to address the opioid crisis, they point out that "such conclusions are currently premature without evidence of causality."

Further experimental studies including individual level data of those with use of prescription opioids and illicit opioids "would inform a more nuanced understanding of the substitution between opioids and cannabis," they conclude.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210127193325.htm

The dangers of drugged driving are outpacing drunk driving

January 26, 2021

Science Daily/University of Cincinnati

A recent study of drugged driving, by a team of University of Cincinnati researchers, shows that a sizable percentage of individuals reported the use of marijuana and other illicit drugs while operating behind the wheel.

"We need to focus our efforts on drugged driving, in addition to drunk driving, because drugged driving causes such a high level of fatalities, says Andrew Yockey, a doctoral student in UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services and researcher at the UC Center for Prevention Science.

Yockey is lead author on the study "Drugged driving among U.S. adults: Results from the 2016-2018 national survey on drug use and health" -- published in the Journal of Safety Research.

"Even though less people are driving, drugs are increasing in availability and are being found in more reports of drugged driving in the U.S.," says Yockey.

The study found that while 8.52% of adults reported driving under the influence of alcohol, compared to 4.49% who drove under the influence of marijuana, a sizable number of adults used both marijuana and other drugs while under the influence of alcohol.

The most commonly reported drugs used while drugged driving are marijuana and opioids, with nearly one in five individuals reporting the use of marijuana while driving a vehicle, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, the study states:

• Sexual minorities drove under the influence of alcohol more often than heterosexuals, and a sizable percentage also used marijuana and other drugs including inhalants (70.34%), cocaine (68.9%) and hallucinogens (63.7%) while driving.

• Multiracial individuals had heightened involvement in driving under the influence of marijuana.

• Males were significantly more likely than females to engage in drugged driving.

The research looked at sample data in the United States, the most recent available at the time of the study collected from the National Survey Drug Use and Health Survey; researchers say that current estimates are trending the same, despite fewer people driving during the pandemic.

According to the most current data from the National Institutes of Health, in 2016, among people killed in driving accidents that year, 43.6% of drivers who were drug tested and had positive results: 50.5% were positive for two or more drugs and 40.7% were positive for alcohol.

The UC study is the first of its kind to examine drugged driving over multiple years among adults in the U.S., says Yockey and the study's co-authors: Keith King, the center's director, and co-director Rebecca Vidourek, both professors at UC's School of Human Services.

As legalization of marijuana and other drugs becomes more prevalent, King says, "There is serious concern as to how legalization will affect driving behaviors among adults," adding that more research is needed to specifically evaluate the impact of legalization; particularly among those found to be most vulnerable such as sexual minorities.

While the team utilizes research to identify the risk factors, their efforts also concentrate on education, preferably at an early age, and identifying prevention strategies that are culturally relevant.

For example, Vidourek says that some cultures and communities are less likely to view marijuana as a drug and potentially harmful substance, which may affect its use while driving. "Identifying messages and strategies that are culturally relevant is imperative," she says.

"We need to be vigilant because the trends are increasing," says Yockey.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210126171607.htm

Cannabis use both helps and hurts entrepreneurial creativity

January 26, 2021

Science Daily/Washington State University

When entrepreneurs dream up ideas for new businesses, cannabis use might help, and hinder, their creativity, according to a new study in the Journal of Business Venturing by Washington State University researchers.

The study found that cannabis-using entrepreneurs generated new business ideas such as a weightless, gravity-free virtual reality workout, that were more original, but less feasible, compared to those who do not use cannabis.

"Originality and feasibility are both crucial in entrepreneurship -- one without the other limits potential value creation," said Benjamin Warnick, lead author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship at the WSU Carson College of Business.

Warnick and colleagues found the increased originality and decreased feasibility of cannabis users' business ideas relative to non-users only surfaced for entrepreneurs who reported relatively strong passion for exploring new business ideas. The effect was absent for cannabis-using entrepreneurs with experience founding more than one business.

For the study, Warnick led a team of WSU researchers including Alexander Kier, assistant professor of entrepreneurship in the Carson College of Business, Carrie Cuttler, assistant professor of psychology, and Emily LaFrance, recent WSU psychology Ph.D. graduate.

The 254 entrepreneurs who participated in the study completed a new venture ideation task, generating as many ideas for a new business as possible based on virtual reality technology. The entrepreneurs also answered questions about the extent of their business experience, passion for entrepreneurship and cannabis use patterns.

A panel of experts then rated the originality and feasibility of the idea each entrepreneur identified as their best.

For the purposes of their study, the researchers separated the entrepreneurs into cannabis users and non-users. The cannabis users reported using the drug an average of nearly 20 times in the past month.

The WSU scientists' work could ultimately play a role in helping entrepreneurs and the business community determine if, when and how cannabis use may be beneficial or detrimental to the venture creation process.

"This is the first study we know of that looks at how any kind of drug use influences new business ideation," said Warnick, "But there is still much to explore in this area."

Warnick noted that the cognitive effects of chronic cannabis use have been shown to last for up to a month -- including increased impulsivity and free-thinking tendencies.

Results of the current study held whether or not the cannabis users reported being high at the time of the experiment, but the authors call for future research to consider how being high might influence entrepreneurs' creativity via a randomized experiment.

While the results of the study suggest the effects of marijuana use may have some benefits in the early brainstorming stages of the venture ideation process, the researchers stressed the importance of grounding creativity in reality to successfully launch a new company.

"Our results suggest that cannabis-using entrepreneurs might benefit from non-users' insights to develop the feasibility of their ideas," Kier said. "This may be especially true for cannabis users who tend to get very excited about coming up with new ideas or don't have much experience founding new businesses, since others can serve as a grounding influence, providing a reality-check on their ideas."

As legalization of cannabis continues across the country and the stigma of the drug fades, the researchers hope their work will help paint a clearer picture of the implications of cannabis use among entrepreneurs.

"Clearly there are pros and cons to using cannabis that deserve to be investigated further," Warnick said. "As the wave of cannabis legalization continues across the country, we need to shed light on the actual effects of cannabis not only in entrepreneurship but in other areas of business as well."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210126102800.htm

Marijuana use typically drops at the beginning of the year, then climbs in summer and fall

Seasonal variation may be explained by new year's resolutions

January 11, 2021

Science Daily/New York University

Marijuana use increases throughout the calendar year, with use up 13 percent on average at the end of each year (2015-2019) compared to the beginning, according to a new study published in the journalDrug and Alcohol Dependence.

"We found that marijuana use is consistently higher among those surveyed later in the year, peaking during late fall or early winter before dropping at the beginning of the following year. We think this may be due, in part, to a 'Dry January' in which some people stop drinking alcohol or even stop using marijuana as part of a New Year's resolution," said Joseph Palamar, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, an affiliated researcher with the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at NYU School of Global Public Health, and the study's lead author. "We're now in the time of year when people are the least likely to use marijuana."

Prior research shows that alcohol and drug use vary by time of year, with drug use often increasing during summer months, possibly due, in part, to social events. These seasonal variations can inform interventions -- for instance, studies show that programs to reduce heavy drinking among college students should begin during the summer.

To better understand seasonal trends in marijuana use, Palamar and his colleagues analyzed data from 282,768 adolescents and adults who responded to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2015 to 2019. The survey asked participants about their past-month use of marijuana and other substances, and the researchers estimated their use within each calendar quarter: January through March, April through June, July through September, and October through December.

Each year, as the calendar year progressed, marijuana use grew, increasing in summer and fall months before dropping as each new year began. While 8.9 percent reported using marijuana in January through March, 10.1 percent reported using in October through December, a 13-percent relative increase.

These seasonal trends occurred independently of annual growth in marijuana use and were seen across nearly all groups surveyed, regardless of sex, race/ethnicity, and education level. Teens were one exception; their marijuana use grew in the summer but declined in the fall months back to winter and spring levels.

Recreational use may be driving the growth throughout the year, as similar small increases occurred among those living in states with and without legal medical marijuana, and among those without a prescription for medical marijuana. Seasonal marijuana use also increased among those who reported using other substances, including alcohol, nicotine, and especially LSD.

The researchers note that the consistent dip in marijuana use during winter months could be a result of a variety of factors: a lower supply this time of year from cannabis harvests, colder weather keeping people inside who usually smoke outdoors, or people quitting marijuana as a New Year's resolution.

"Ultimately, we hope that these findings can be utilized by researchers and clinicians alike," said study coauthor Austin Le, DDS, a research associate at NYU Langone Health and orthodontic resident at NYU College of Dentistry. "Researchers studying marijuana use should consider seasonal variation, as surveys administered at the end of the year may yield different results than at the beginning of the year. And for those who wish to reduce marijuana use, it appears the best time for such targeting may be later in the year -- when use is highest."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210111084233.htm

More than half of people using cannabis for pain experience multiple withdrawal symptoms

Minority experience worsening of symptoms over time, especially younger people

January 8, 2021

Science Daily/Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

More than half of people who use medical marijuana products to ease pain also experience clusters of multiple withdrawal symptoms when they're between uses, a new study finds.

And about 10% of the patients taking part in the study experienced worsening changes to their sleep, mood, mental state, energy and appetite over the next two years as they continued to use cannabis.

Many of them may not recognize that these symptoms come not from their underlying condition, but from their brain and body's reaction to the absence of substances in the cannabis products they're smoking, vaping, eating or applying to their skin, says the University of Michigan Addiction Center psychologist who led the study.

When someone experiences more than a few such symptoms, it's called cannabis withdrawal syndrome -- and it can mean a higher risk of developing even more serious issues such as a cannabis use disorder.

In the new research published in the journal Addiction, a team from the U-M Medical School and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System reports findings from detailed surveys across two years of 527 Michigan residents. All were participating in the state's system to certify people with certain conditions for use of medical cannabis, and had non-cancer-related pain.

"Some people report experiencing significant benefits from medical cannabis, but our findings suggest a real need to increase awareness about the signs of withdrawal symptoms developing to decrease the potential downsides of cannabis use, especially among those who experience severe or worsening symptoms over time," says Lara Coughlin, Ph.D., the addiction psychologist who led the analysis.

Long-term study in medical cannabis use

The researchers asked the patients whether they had experienced any of 15 different symptoms -- ranging from trouble sleeping and nausea to irritability and aggression -- when they had gone a significant time without using cannabis.

The researchers used an analytic method to empirically group the patients into those who had no symptoms or mild symptoms at the start of the study, those who had moderate symptoms (meaning they experienced multiple withdrawal symptoms) and those who had severe withdrawal issues that included most or all of the symptoms.

They then looked at how things changed over time, surveying the patients one year and two years after their first survey.

At baseline, 41% of the study participants fell into the mild symptoms group, 34% were in the moderate group and 25% were classed as severe.

Misconceptions about medical cannabis

Many people who turn to medical cannabis for pain do so because other pain relievers haven't worked, says Coughlin, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry who sees patients as part of U-M Addiction Treatment Services. They may also want to avoid long-term use of opioid pain medications because they pose a risk of misuse and other adverse health consequences.

She notes that people who experience issues related to their cannabis use for pain should talk with their health care providers about receiving other pain treatments including psychosocial treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy.

The perception of cannabis as "harmless" is not correct, she says. It contains substances called cannabinoids that act on the brain -- and that over time can lead the brain to react when those substances are absent.

In addition to a general craving to use cannabis, withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, restlessness, depressed mood, aggression, irritability, nausea, sweating, headache, stomach pain, strange dreams, increased anger and shakiness.

Previous research has shown that the more symptoms and greater severity of symptoms a person has, the less likely they are to be able to reduce their use of cannabis, quit using it or stay away from it once they quit.

They may mistakenly think that the symptoms happen because of their underlying medical conditions, and may even increase the amount or frequency of their cannabis use to try to counteract the effect -- leading to a cycle of increasing use and increasing withdrawal.

Coughlin says people who decide to use a cannabis product for a medical purpose should discuss the amount, route of administration, frequency and type of cannabis product with their regular health provider. They should also familiarize themselves with the symptoms of cannabis withdrawal and tell their provider if they're experiencing them.

Feeling the urge to use cannabis after a period without use, such as soon after waking up, can be a sign of a withdrawal syndrome, she notes. So can the inability to cut back on use without experiencing craving or other symptoms of withdrawal.

Because there is no medically accepted standard for medical cannabis dosing for different conditions, patients are often faced with a wide array of cannabis products that vary in strength and route of administration. Some products could pose more risk for development of withdrawal symptoms than others, Coughlin says.

For example, people who smoked cannabis tended to have more severe withdrawal symptoms than others, while people who vaped cannabis reported symptoms that tended to stay the same or get worse, but generally did not improve, over time.

As more states legalize cannabis for medical or general use, including several states that will legalize its use based on the results of last November's election, use is expected to grow.

More about the study

The researchers asked the patients about how they used cannabis products, how often, and how long they'd been using them, as well as about their mental and physical health, their education and employment status.

Over time, those who had started off in the mild withdrawal symptom group were likely to stay there, but some did progress to moderate withdrawal symptoms.

People in the moderate withdrawal group were more likely to go down in symptoms than up, and by the end of the study the number of the people in the severe category had dropped to 17%. In all, 13% of the patients had gone up to the next level of symptoms by the end of the first year, and 8% had transitioned upward by the end of two years.

Sleep problems were the most common symptom across all three groups, and many in the mild group also reported cravings for cannabis. In the moderate group, the most common withdrawal symptoms were sleep problems, depressed mood, decreased appetite, craving, restlessness, anxiety and irritability.

The severe withdrawal symptom group was much more likely to report all the symptoms except sweatiness. Nearly all the participants in this group reported irritability, anxiety, and sleep problems. They were also more likely to be longtime and frequent users of cannabis.

Those in the severe group were more likely to be younger and to have worse mental health. Older adults were less likely to go up in withdrawal symptom severity, while those who vaped cannabis were less likely to transition to a lower withdrawal-severity group.

The study didn't assess nicotine use, or try to distinguish between symptoms that could also be related to breakthrough pain or diagnosed/undiagnosed mental health conditions during abstinence.

Future directions

Coughlin and her colleagues hope future research can explore cannabis withdrawal symptoms among medical cannabis patients further, including the impact of different attempts to abstain, different types of use and administration routes, and interaction with other physical and mental health factors. Most research on cannabis withdrawal has been in recreational users, or "snapshot" looks at medical cannabis patients at a single point in time.

Further research could help identify those most at risk of developing problems, and reduce the risk of progression to cannabis use disorder, which is when someone uses cannabis repeatedly despite major impacts on their lives and ability to function.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210108142134.htm

Cannabis strength soars over past half century

November 16, 2020

Science Daily/University of Bath

New research shows that over the past 50 years street cannabis across the world has become substantially stronger carrying an increased risk of harm.

The team behind the study from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath, synthesised data from over 80,000 cannabis samples tested in the past 50 years from street samples collected in the USA, UK, Netherlands, France, Denmark, Italy and New Zealand. Their findings are published in the journal Addiction and the research was funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction.

The researchers investigated how concentrations of THC (the intoxicating component of cannabis responsible for giving users a 'high') had changed over time in different types of cannabis. In herbal cannabis, they found that THC concentrations increased by 14% from 1970 to 2017. This was primarily due to a rising market share of stronger varieties such as sinsemilla relative to traditional herbal cannabis which contains seeds and less THC.

The team have previously found consistent evidence that frequent use of cannabis with higher levels of THC carries an increased risk of problems such as addiction and psychotic disorders.

Lead author Dr Tom Freeman, Director of the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath said: "As the strength of cannabis has increased, so too has the number of people entering treatment for cannabis use problems. More Europeans are now entering drug treatment because of cannabis than heroin or cocaine."

The researchers found that the increases in THC were particularly high for cannabis resin, with THC concentrations rising by 24% between 1975 and 2017. Cannabis resin is extracted from herbal cannabis and is now typically stronger than herbal cannabis according to the findings.

They also looked at concentrations of cannabidiol or CBD, which is not intoxicating but may have potential medical uses such as helping people to quit cannabis. In contrast to THC, they found no evidence for changes in CBD in cannabis over time.

Study co-author Sam Craft also from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath explained: "Cannabis resin -- or 'hash' -- is often seen as a safer type of cannabis, but our findings show that it is now stronger than herbal cannabis. Traditionally, cannabis resin contained much lower amounts of THC with equal quantities of CBD, however CBD concentrations have remained stable as THC has risen substantially, meaning it is now much more harmful than it was many years ago."

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the world but has recently been legalised in Canada, Uruguay and several states in the USA. The findings of this new study have particular relevance in light of growing demands to legalise cannabis in an attempt to make it safer. Most recently a referendum in New Zealand (which ultimately failed to receive public support) included measures to limit the strength of cannabis sold through legalisation.

The researchers argue that increases in cannabis strength highlight the need to implement wider strategies for harm reduction similar to those used for alcohol -- such as standard units and public guidelines on safer consumption limits.

Dr Tom Freeman added: "As the strength of cannabis has risen, consumers are faced with limited information to help them monitor their intake and guide decisions about relative benefits and risks. The introduction of a standard unit system for cannabis -- similar to standard alcohol units -- could help people to limit their consumption and use it more safely."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201116092241.htm