Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and lifetime use of psychoactive substances among French university students: A cross-sectional study.

In a cross sectional study of 13,837 university students, we aimed to explore the association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and lifetime psychoactive substance use (LPSU) on a wide range of illicit substances. Logistic and Hurdel multivariable regressions were used. ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with the lifetime use of ketamine, magic mushrooms, poppers, and nine other psychoactive substances. There was an association between ADHD symptoms and both LPSU and truncated count of lifetime psychoactive substance use. High levels of ADHD symptoms are associated with the use of a large variety and multiple LPSU.

Association between ADHD symptoms and illicit stimulants use following 1 year among French university students of the i-Share cohort.

PURPOSE: Although attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with illicit stimulants use, less is known about their prospective association in university students. We aimed to examine the association between ADHD symptoms at inclusion and illicit stimulants use following 1 year among university students. METHODS: The i-Share cohort recruited French students from February 2013 to July 2020. The study included 4270 participants. The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) was used to evaluate ADHD symptoms at inclusion. Illicit stimulants use was assessed at inclusion and 1 year after inclusion. Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to assess the association between ADHD symptoms at inclusion and illicit stimulants use following 1 year. RESULTS: High levels of ADHD symptoms at inclusion were associated with a greater probability of illicit stimulants use following 1 year (adjusted OR: 2.42 (1.51-3.8)). The adjusted odds ratio was 2.7 (1.08-7.84) among participants who had used illicit stimulant at least once (continuation) and 2.25 (1.04-4.37) among participants who had never used illicit stimulants at inclusion (initiation). CONCLUSION: High levels of ADHD symptoms are a feature that may promote both initiation and continuation of illicit stimulants use among university students. Our findings suggest that university students with high levels of ADHD symptoms may benefit from screening to help identify those at risk of illicit stimulants use.

Feasibility and validity of Ecological Momentary Assessment in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) has expanded rapidly in healthcare research but its application specifically to the field of cardiology has been limited. This study presents essential information concerning the feasibility and validity of EMA in patients with acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: Four months after a first-ever acute coronary syndrome, 47 patients completed EMA five times a day for seven consecutive days concerning their current activities, mood and perceived negativity or positivity of daily events. RESULTS: Compliance with the repeated electronic assessments was high, and no evidence was found for time-dependent biases such as fatigue or practice effects. The resulting EMA data were found to have high internal validity, high reliability when considering average scores, and low reliability when considering within-person variance. CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence for the feasibility and intrinsic validity of EMA in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Research examining daily life experiences, symptoms and therapeutic adherence in this population can be reinforced through the use of mobile technologies.

Daily life behaviors and depression risk following stroke: a preliminary study using ecological momentary assessment.

Approximately one-third of stroke survivors have symptoms of depression. A better understanding of the early risk factors implicated in this form of comorbidity may contribute to the development of early prevention strategies and to improving outcomes for this population. The current study uses ecological momentary assessment techniques to identify behavioral risk factors for depression 3 months after stroke. Thirty-six participants completed ambulatory monitoring of daily life circumstances (location, social environment, and activity) 5 times per day during a 1-week period after hospital discharge. Clinician-administered measures of depression were also provided before discharge and 3 months later. Ambulatory monitoring revealed that depression scores at 3 months were lower among individuals with more social interactions but higher among those who reported having sports activities and working in the week following hospital discharge. Daily life behaviors may have important implications for understanding the risk of poststroke depression, and mobile technologies may provide important contributions to their investigation.

Genotype x environment interaction for male attractiveness in an acoustic moth: evidence for plasticity and canalization.

The lek paradox arises when choosy females deplete the genetic variance for male display traits from a population, yet substantial additive genetic variation (V(A)) in male traits persists. Thus, the lek paradox can be more generally stated as one of the most fundamental evolutionary questions: What maintains genetic variation in natural populations? One solution to this problem may be found in the condition-dependent nature of many sexually selected traits. Genotype x environment (G x E) interactions can maintain V(A) under conditions of environmental heterogeneity provided certain restrictions are met, although antagonistic pleiotropy has also been proposed as a mechanism. Here, we provide evidence for G x E interactions and against the role of antagonistic pleiotropy in the maintenance of V(A) for sexually selected traits. Using inbred lines of the lesser waxmoth Achroia grisella, we measured V(A) for song attractiveness, condition and development rate under different competitive environments and found that genotypes differed in their plasticity. We argue that variation persists in natural populations because G x E interactions prevent any one variant from producing the optimal phenotype across all environments.

Ceramide binding to African-American hair fibre correlates with resistance to hair breakage.

Repetitive hair-relaxing treatments often applied to African-American hair weaken the hair structure. Therefore hair breakage is a common feature of African-American hair and an important cause of hair loss. Recently, by analysing the lipids extracted from human hair, a fraction of free-ceramide was isolated in which sphinganine was predominant. This study shows that this sphinganine-derived ceramide (i.e. C18-dhCer) binds to African-American hair and protects it from weakening caused by chemicals. To show this binding, we used two methods: radioactivity detection with a microimager and secondary ion mass spectrometry. We evaluated the benefits of C18-dhCer on African-American hair fibre, relaxed by guanidine hydroxide, using a new method called the Break'in Brush Technique (BBT). This method determines the hair breakage resistance during a brushing. Using this technique, we have shown less breakage when applying a shampoo with ceramide. The present study opens new prospects for the development of products able to increase the protection, provide better care and meet the needs of African-American hair thanks to the effect of ceramide binding.

Isolation and identification of human hair ceramides.

Synopsis The analysis of the lipids extracted from human hair by silica-gel-column liquid chromatography permitted an isolation of the fraction enriched in free ceramides. These were identified by GC/MS and are related to ceramide classes 2 and 5 in which the long-chain base was predominantly sphinganine. This differs from that observed in the free ceramides found within the stratum corenum.

Stratum corneum lipids in skin xerosis.

Lipids of the stratum corneum are implicated in cohesion and desquamation of the stratum corneum as well as in the maintenance of normal barrier function. Evidence linking the intercellular lipids to such processes has mainly been derived from studies on acquired or inherited diseases of lipid metabolism manifesting abnormalities in the structure and the function of the stratum corneum. We have studied the composition of stratum corneum lipids in clinically normal individuals with typical xerosis or 'winter dry skin' in order to establish if the lipid composition differs from that of normal individuals, showing no signs of xerosis. The amount of total stratum corneum lipids was not related to xerosis (22.0 +/- 1.8 micrograms/cm2 for normal skin, and 26.3 +/- 2.9 micrograms/cm2 for severe xerosis), and no correlation was evident between polar lipids, cholesterol sulfate (2.8 +/- 0.5% for normal skin, and 1.6 +/- 0.2% for severe xerosis), or ceramides types I-VI, and dry skin. It therefore appears that dramatic changes in stratum corneum lipids are not detectable in normal 'winter dry' skin. However, a decreased proportion of neutral lipids (sterol esters, triglycerides), coupled to increased amounts of free fatty acids, were found associated to the severity of dry skin. Apart from a decline in the sebaceous function and in esterases activity, winter dry skin does not appear to be associated to dramatic changes in polar stratum corneum lipids.

Microrelief changes in chronically sun-exposed human skin.

The effects of solar exposure on the microtopography of the human skin can be followed, in vivo, by comparing 2 nearby areas, protected and non-protected, of the arm. This has been possible in the case of professional cyclists, whose short-sleeved outerwear provides a clear demarcation of the 2 zones. The microrelief was measured from negative replicas by an automatic image analysis method. The skin pattern showed clear changes between the 2 zones. Results are discussed in an attempt to outline similarities and differences between the effects of the actual aging process and solar radiation.

Age-associated changes in stratum corneum lipids and their relation to dryness.

Stratum corneum lipids (SCL) were collected on the right and left legs of 50 subjects of varying ages and skin dryness. The level of dryness and composition of the lipid was the same on both sides. While skin dryness continuously increased with age, the composition of SCL showed a constant profile from the 50s. Aging was mostly associated with a decrease in sterol esters and triglycerides. On the legs, the SCL do not seem to primarily govern the increased desquamative process which features xerosis.

Embryonic cerebellar neurons accumulate [3H]-gamma-aminobutyric acid: visualization of developing gamma-aminobutyric acid-utilizing neurons in vitro and in vivo.

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the proposed neurotransmitter for four types of cerebellar neurons-Purkinje, Golgi, basket, and stellate neurons. With this investigation we have begun studies to establish when these neurons acquire their neurotransmitter "identification." Autoradiographic studies of both cultured embryonic (embryonic day 13) cerebellar cells and of intact embryonic cerebellum (embryonic day 13) were conducted with tritiated GABA. Two to 5% of the embryonic cerebellar cells accumulated [3H]GABA in vitro. By morphological and immunocytochemical criteria, labeled cells were large neurons with either a thick, apical process, a multipolar shape, or were bipolar with longer processes. The identification of cells which accumulated [3H]GABA as neuronal precursors was supported by the differential sensitivity to drugs that preferentially inhibit accumulation of [3H]GABA by neurons and glia. The results of the in vitro experiments were confirmed and extended with in vivo experiments. When intact cerebellar tissue was removed at embryonic day 13, stripped of meninges and choroid plexus, exposed to low concentrations of [3H]GABA, and processed for light microscopic autoradiography, heavily labeled cells were seen in the middle of the cerebellar anlage. Labeled cells were not seen in the ventricular zone of proliferating neuroblasts lining the fourth ventricle or in the external granular layer emerging at the lateral aspect of the pial surface. The accumulation of [3H]GABA by these cells also showed the pharmacological characteristics of uptake by neurons. This study shows that among migrating, immature forms of the larger neurons of the embryonic cerebellum, there is a select group which accumulates [3H]GABA and other classes of cells which do not. These results indicate very early acquisition of transmitter expression by cerebellar neurons, far in advance of their final positioning and establishment of synapses.