A latent class analysis of poly-marijuana use among young adults.

INTRODUCTION: With more states legalizing marijuana use, the marijuana industry has grown, introducing a variety of marijuana products. Our study explores the use of multiple marijuana products (poly-marijuana use) and the characteristics associated with this behavior. METHODS: Past-month marijuana users aged 18-34years were surveyed online via an existing online panel (n=2444). Participants answered questions about past-month use of three types of marijuana (plant-based, concentrates, edibles), marijuana use patterns, and driving after use. Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of marijuana users. RESULTS: Four classes of marijuana users were identified: Light plant users, who used only plant-based products infrequently and were unlikely to drive after use (32%); Heavy plant users, who used mainly plant-based products frequently, multiple times per day, and were likely to drive after use (37%); Plant and concentrates users, who used plant-based products heavily and concentrates at least infrequently, used multiple times per day, and were likely to drive after use (20%); Light plant and edibles users, who used both products infrequently and were unlikely to drive after use (10%). Those in legal marijuana states were more likely to belong to the poly-marijuana groups. DISCUSSION: Our findings reflect the increase in popularity of new marijuana products in legal states and suggest that heavy user groups, including concentrates users, are associated with driving after use. As various forms of marijuana use increases, monitoring and surveillance of the use of multiple types of marijuana will be important for determining potential varying impacts on physiological and social consequences.

Marijuana advertising exposure among current marijuana users in the U.S.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about marijuana advertising exposure among users in the U.S. We examined the prevalence of advertising exposure among young adult marijuana users through traditional and new media, and identified characteristics associated with seeking advertisements. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 18-34 year-old past-month marijuana users in the U.S. using a pre-existing online panel (N=742). The survey queried about passively viewing and actively seeking marijuana advertisements in the past month, sources of advertisements, and marijuana use characteristics. RESULTS: Over half of participants were exposed to marijuana advertising in the past month (28% passively observed advertisements, 26% actively sought advertisements). Common sources for observing advertisements were digital media (i.e., social media, online, text/emails; 77%). Similarly, those actively seeking advertisements often used Internet search engines (65%) and social media (53%). Seeking advertisements was more common among those who used medically (41% medical only, 36% medical and recreational) than recreational users (18%), who used concentrates or edibles (44% and 43%) compared to those who did not (20% and 19%), and who used multiple times per day (33%) compared to those who did not (19%) (all p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to marijuana advertising among users is common, especially via digital media, and is associated with medical use, heavier use, and use of novel products with higher THC concentrations (i.e., concentrates) or longer intoxication duration (i.e., edibles). As the U.S. marijuana policy landscape changes, it will be important to examine potential causal associations between advertising exposure and continuation or frequency/quantity of use.

Effect of electrical parameters on ECT convulsive threshold and duration.

BACKGROUND: Optimal stimulus parameters for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are unclear. Pulse duration and frequency related to convulsive threshold and seizure duration in the first ECT treatment in a series were evaluated. METHODS: Convulsive threshold was estimated for all patients (N = 550) receiving ECT over 27 months. Thresholds were estimated using different brief pulse stimulators, starting with a dose of approximately 25 mC per pulse train for right unilateral (RUL) stimulation (50 mC for bilateral [BL] stimulation). The charge was applied in 25-mC serial increments (approximately doubling for BL stimulation) up to approximately 100 mC (>200 mC for BL stimulation) to a generalized motor seizure endpoint. Patients lacking seizure response at 100 mC (200 mC for BL stimulation) received >500 mC. RESULTS: Convulsive threshold increased with age, African American identity, diagnosis other than depression, and female sex, and decreased with RUL electrode placement, low frequency (30 Hz), and brief pulse width (0.5 msec). RUL stimulation and lower anesthetic medication doses promoted longer seizures. Younger patients had longer seizures than older patients. Pulse width and frequency did not affect seizure duration. Lower charge yielded longer seizures. CONCLUSIONS: ECT efficiency appears to be achieved by lower frequency and briefer pulse duration stimulation. Randomized trials are needed for corroboration of these findings.

Selected State Policies and Associations With Alcohol Use Behaviors and Risky Driving Behaviors Among Youth: Findings from Monitoring the Future Study.

BACKGROUND: Effective policies that can reduce alcohol use behaviors and impaired driving among young people at a population level are needed. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws increase the driving privileges of young novice drivers as they age and gain more driving experience. In this study, we seek to determine the effects of GDLs on risky driving behaviors of youth and to assess if GDLs have an unintended effect on underage drinking behaviors. METHODS: We utilized 2000 to 2013 data on 12th grade students from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, an ongoing, annual national survey (since 1975) that studies the substance use behaviors of adolescents, as well as data on GDL laws obtained via the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). We conducted a series of regular logistic regression models that included fixed effects for year and state, and adjusted for demographic characteristics, school characteristics, and other state alcohol policies. RESULTS: Total weighted sample size was 129,289 12th graders. Past month alcohol use and binge drinking (i.e., ≥5 drinks on one occasion) in the past 2 weeks were 45 and 26%, respectively. Seventeen percent of respondents reported riding with a driver who drank alcohol. Nearly 12% reported driving in the past 2 weeks after drinking alcohol, and 7% reported driving after binge drinking. Over half of the students lived in a state with a "good" GDL law. The logistic regression models suggest a link between restrictive GDL policies and a reduction of alcohol use behaviors and risky driving behaviors among youth. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the effects of GDLs extend beyond driving-related risks and into other drinking-related behaviors that pose immediate or delayed health risks for young people. We speculate that GDLs may dictate social norms and expectations for youth risk behaviors, and should be maximized throughout the United States.

Multiple Levels of Influence That Impact Youth Tobacco Use.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple levels of influence interplay to impact youth tobacco use. We work towards understanding important policy and environmental strategies that are associated with youth tobacco use behaviors. METHODS: We utilized data from participants of the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study and linked national data from multiple sources to assess correlates of youth tobacco use behaviors across individual, family, school, community, and state-level policy influences. RESULTS: Higher cigarette prices had the strongest association with youth tobacco use behaviors. Demographic and socio-economic characteristics at the individual, familial, and community/school-levels were associated with youth tobacco use behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we confirm that higher cigarette prices could help to reduce youth tobacco use behaviors. Several states are still lagging behind in terms of their low cigarette tax and they should enact tax policies to reduce youth tobacco use.

The role of postoperative chemoradiation for oropharynx carcinoma: a critical appraisal of the published literature and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) describes the presence of extracapsular spread and/or positive margins in oropharynx cancer (OPC) as an indication for the addition of chemotherapy to postoperative radiation. The guideline's category 1 consensus is based on what they term high-level evidence. For this study, the authors performed a critical appraisal of the research upon which the NCCN guideline is based and assessed its relevance in the era of human papillomavirus (HPV)/p16-positive OPC. Multiple shortcomings were identified, including patient exclusion after randomization and the use of unplanned subgroup analyses without multivariate adjustment, which undermined internal validity. Indeterminate HPV/p16 status limited external validity. Given the unique biology of HPV/p16-positive tumors and the problems of internal and external validity, the authors concluded that the literature upon which the recommendation for the addition of chemotherapy to adjuvant radiation was based does not generate high-level evidence, and its relevance for the postoperative management of patients with HPV/p16-positive OPC remains unknown.

Maternal age and risk of labor and delivery complications.

We utilized an updated nationally representative database to examine associations between maternal age and prevalence of maternal morbidity during complications of labor and delivery. We used hospital inpatient billing data from the 2009 United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample, part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. To determine whether the likelihood that maternal morbidity during complications of labor and delivery differed among age groups, separate logistic regression models were run for each complication. Age was the main independent variable of interest. In analyses that controlled for demographics and clinical confounders, we found that complications with the highest odds among women, 11-18 years of age, compared to 25-29 year old women, included preterm delivery, chorioamnionitis, endometritis, and mild preeclampsia. Pregnant women who were 15-19 years old had greater odds for severe preeclampsia, eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, poor fetal growth, and fetal distress. Pregnant women who were ≥35 years old had greater odds for preterm delivery, hypertension, superimposed preeclampsia, severe preeclampsia, and decreased risk for chorioamnionitis. Older women (≥40 years old) had increased odds for mild preeclampsia, fetal distress, and poor fetal growth. Our findings underscore the need for pregnant women to be aware of the risks associated with extremes of age so that they can watch for signs and symptoms of such complications.

Monitoring of non-cigarette tobacco use using Google Trends.

BACKGROUND: Google Trends is an innovative monitoring system with unique potential to monitor and predict important phenomena that may be occurring at a population level. We sought to validate whether Google Trends can additionally detect regional trends in youth and adult tobacco use. METHODS: We compared 2011 Google Trends relative search volume data for cigars, cigarillos, little cigars and smokeless tobacco with state prevalence of youth (grades 9-12) and adult (age 18 and older) use of these products using data from the 2011 United States state-level Youth Risk Behaviors Surveillance System and the 2010-2011 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), respectively. We used the Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the associations. RESULTS: We found significant positive correlations between state Google Trends cigar relative search volume and prevalence of cigar use among youth (r=0.39, R(2) = 0.154, p=0.018) and adults (r=0.49, R(2) = 0.243, p<0.001). Similarly, we found that the correlations between state Google Trends smokeless tobacco relative search volume and prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among youth and adults were both positive and significant (r=0.46, R(2) = 0.209, p=0.003 and r=0.48, R(2) = 0.226, p<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study validate that Google Trends has the potential to be a valuable monitoring tool for tobacco use. The near real-time monitoring features of Google Trends may complement traditional surveillance methods and lead to faster and more convenient monitoring of emerging trends in tobacco use.

Comparison of comorbidity collection methods.

BACKGROUND: Multiple valid comorbidity indices exist to quantify the presence and role of comorbidities in cancer patient survival. Our goal was to compare chart-based Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 index (ACE-27) and claims-based Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) methods of identifying comorbid ailments and their prognostic abilities. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 6,138 newly diagnosed cancer patients at 12 different institutions. Participating registrars were trained to collect comorbidities from the abstracted chart using the ACE-27 method. The ACE-27 assessment was compared with comorbidities captured through hospital discharge face sheets using ICD coding. The prognostic accomplishments of each comorbidity method were examined using follow-up data assessed at 24 months after data abstraction. RESULTS: Distribution of the ACE-27 scores was: "none" for 1,453 (24%) of the patients; "mild" for 2,388 (39%); "moderate" for 1,344 (22%), and "severe" for 950 (15%) of the patients. Deyo's adaption of the CCI identified 4,265 (69%) patients with a CCI score of 0, and the remaining 31% had CCI scores of 1 (n = 1,341 [22%]), 2 (n = 365 [6%]), or 3 or more (n = 167 [3%]). Of the 4,265 patients with a CCI score of zero, 394 (9%) were coded with severe comorbidities based on ACE-27 method. A higher comorbidity score was significantly associated with higher risk of death for both comorbidity indices. The multivariable Cox model, including both comorbidity indices, had the best performance (Nagelkerke's R(2) = 0.37) and the best discrimination (C index = 0.827). CONCLUSIONS: The number, type, and overall severity of comorbid ailments identified by chart- and claims-based approaches in newly diagnosed cancer patients were notably different. Both indices were prognostically significant and able to provide unique prognostic information.

Youth tobacco use type and associations with substance use disorders.

AIMS: To examine the associations between youth poly-tobacco use and substance use disorders. DESIGN: Analysis of data from the 2007-11 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health. SETTING: Randomly selected, household-dwelling adolescents from the non-institutionalized, civilian population of the United States. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 91 152 adolescents (aged 12-17 years). METHODS: Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between type of tobacco user (non-user, users of alternative tobacco products only, users of cigarettes only and users of cigarettes plus alternative tobacco products) with past year alcohol, marijuana or other illicit drug use disorders, adjusting for demographic and social variables. FINDINGS: Compared with non-users of tobacco, the greatest risk for substance use disorders was among users of cigarettes plus alternative tobacco products [alcohol disorder adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 18.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 16.2-20.6; marijuana disorder aOR = 37.2, 95% CI = 32.5-42.7; other drug disorder aOR = 18.4, 95% CI = 15.4-21.8], followed by users of cigarettes only (alcohol disorder aOR = 9.6, 95% CI = 8.8-10.6; marijuana disorder aOR = 20.4, 95% CI = 18.1-23.0; other drug disorder aOR = 9.4, 95% CI = 7.8-11.4), then users of alternative tobacco products only (alcohol disorder aOR = 8.1, 95% CI = 6.7-9.6; marijuana disorder aOR = 9.2, 95% CI = 7.5-11.4; other drug disorder aOR = 3.2, 95% CI = 2.4-4.3). CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco use in adolescence is associated with higher rates of substance use disorders across all tobacco users, especially among those who use cigarettes plus other tobacco products.

Hazards of new media: youth's exposure to tobacco Ads/promotions.

BACKGROUND: A gap in knowledge exists about the youth's exposure to protobacco campaigns via new electronic media outlets. In response, we use national data to delineate the associations between tobacco ads/promotions delivered through new media outlets (i.e., social network sites and text messages) and youth attitudes/beliefs about tobacco and intent to use (among youth who had not yet used tobacco). METHODS: Data were derived from the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a nationally representative sample of U.S. youth enrolled in both public and private schools (N = 15,673). Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between demographic characteristics and reported exposure to tobacco ads/promotions via social networking sites and text messages. Logistic regression models were also used to investigate associations between exposure tobacco ads/promotions and attitudes toward tobacco. RESULTS: We found that highly susceptible youth (i.e., minorities, very young youth, and youth who have not yet used tobacco) have observed tobacco ads/promotions on social networking sites and text messages. These youth are more likely to have favorable attitudes toward tobacco, including the intention to use tobacco among those who had not yet used tobacco. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the need for policy strategies to more effectively monitor and regulate tobacco advertising via new media outlets.

Differential effects of cigarette price changes on adult smoking behaviours.

BACKGROUND: Raising cigarette prices through taxation is an important policy approach to reduce smoking. Yet, cigarette price increases may not be equally effective in all subpopulations of smokers. PURPOSE: To examine differing effects of state cigarette price changes with individual changes in smoking among smokers of different intensity levels. METHODS: Data were derived from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of US adults originally interviewed in 2001-2002 (Wave 1) and re-interviewed in 2004-2005 (Wave 2): 34 653 were re-interviewed in Wave 2, and 7068 smokers defined at Wave 1 were included in our study. Mixed effects linear regression models were used to assess whether the effects of changes in state cigarette prices on changes in daily smoking behaviour differed by level of daily smoking. RESULTS: In the multivariable model, there was a significant interaction between change in price per pack of cigarettes from Wave 1 to Wave 2 and the number of cigarettes smoked per day (p=0.044). The more cigarettes smoked per day at baseline, the more responsive the smokers were to increases in price per pack of cigarettes (ie, number of cigarettes smoked per day was reduced in response to price increases). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings that heavier smokers successfully and substantially reduced their cigarette smoking behaviours in response to state cigarette price increases provide fresh insight to the evidence on the effectiveness of higher cigarette prices in reducing smoking.

A prospective study of the onset of PTSD symptoms in the first month after trauma exposure.

BACKGROUND: The course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in the month after trauma exposure has not been determined adequately. Symptom group C (avoidance/numbing) has been identified retrospectively as a marker for PTSD, but prospective studies are needed to determine whether these symptoms can provide substantially earlier identification of those who will have PTSD 1 month after trauma exposure. METHODS: We evaluated 42 patients hospitalized for traumatic injuries over the first post-injury month to track development of posttraumatic symptoms. RESULTS: Symptoms emerged rapidly, with group B (intrusion) and group D (hyperarousal) symptoms occurring earlier than group C symptoms. At 1 week, group C criteria accurately predicted who would develop PTSD by 1 month, and by 2 weeks, group C criteria also predicted who would not develop PTSD by 1 month. CONCLUSIONS: The findings, if replicated, may permit earlier identification of PTSD and more timely, appropriate treatment.

Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to the temporoparietal junction for tinnitus: four-week stimulation trial.

IMPORTANCE: This research examines the impact of 4 weeks of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) stimulation to the temporoparietal junction and compares the results of this longer duration of treatment with a similar stimulus protocol of only 2 weeks' duration. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness and safety of 4 weeks of low-frequency rTMS to the left temporoparietal junction in a cohort of patients with bothersome tinnitus. DESIGN: Crossover, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Outpatient academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: The study population comprised 14 adults aged between 22 and 59 years with subjective, unilateral or bilateral, nonpulsatile tinnitus of 6 months' duration or greater and a score of 34 or greater on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). INTERVENTIONS: Low-frequency (1 Hz) 110% motor threshold rTMS or sham to the left temporoparietal junction for 4 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE: The difference of the change in the THI score between active rTMS and sham rTMS. RESULTS: Active treatment was associated with a median reduction in THI score of 10 (range, -20 to +4) points, and sham treatment was associated with a median reduction of 6 (range, -24 to +12) points. The median difference in THI score between the change associated with active and sham rTMS was 4 (95% CI, -9 to 10; and range, -32 to +14) points. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Daily low-frequency active rTMS to the left temporoparietal junction area for 4 weeks was no more effective than sham for patients with chronic bothersome tinnitus. Possible explanations for this negative study include the failure of rTMS to stimulate deeper parts of auditory cortex within the sylvian fissure and more widespread cortical network changes not amenable to localized rTMS effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00567892.

Characteristics of sexually active teenage girls who would be pleased with becoming pregnant.

To investigate factors associated with favorable pregnancy attitudes among teenage girls. Participants were sexually active teenage girls aged 15-18 years old (n = 965) who took part in the 2002 or 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Multinomial multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the likelihood of being pleased with a teenage pregnancy. Sixteen percent of sexually active teenage girls (n = 164) would be pleased (11 % a little pleased, 5 % very pleased) if they became pregnant. In a multivariable model, participants who had not yet discussed sexual health topics (i.e., how to say no to sexual intercourse or birth control) or had only discussed birth control with a parent were more likely to be very pleased with a teenage pregnancy than participants who had discussed both topics with a parent. Prior pregnancy, racial/ethnic group status, older age, and having parents with a high school education or less also increased the odds of being pleased with a teenage pregnancy. Being pleased with a teenage pregnancy was correlated with a lack of discussion of sexual health topics with parents, prior pregnancy, and sociodemographic factors (having less educated parents, racial/ethnic group status). Pregnancy prevention efforts can be improved by acknowledging the structural and cultural factors that shape teenage pregnancy attitudes.

Comparison of Scoring Methods for ACE-27: Simpler Is Better.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prognostic value of different comorbidity coding schemes for predicting survival of newly diagnosed elderly cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed data from 8,867 patients aged 65 years of age or older, newly diagnosed with cancer. Comorbidities present at the time of diagnosis were collected using the Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 index (ACE-27). We examined multiple scoring schemes based on the individual comorbidity ailments, and their severity rating. Harrell's c index and Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) were used to evaluate the performance of the different comorbidity models. RESULTS: Comorbidity led to an increase in c index from 0.771 for the base model to 0.782 for a model that included indicator variables for every ailment. The prognostic value was however much higher for prostate and breast cancer patients. A simple model which considered linear scores from 0 to 3 per ailment, controlling for cancer type, was optimal according to AIC. CONCLUSION: The presence of comorbidity impacts on the survival of elderly cancer patients, especially for less lethal cancers, such as prostate and breast cancers. Different ailments have different impacts on survival, necessitating the use of different weights per ailment in a simple summary score of the ACE-27.

Associations between selected state laws and teenagers' drinking and driving behaviors.

BACKGROUND: We examined the associations between selected state-level graduated driving licensing (GDL) laws and use-and-lose laws (laws that allow for the suspension of a driver's license for underage alcohol violations including purchase, possession, or consumption) with individual-level alcohol-related traffic risk behaviors among high school youth. METHODS: Logistic regression models with fixed effects for state were used to examine the associations between the selected state-level laws and drinking and driving behaviors youth aged 16 to 17 years (obtained from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS); responses dichotomized as "0 times" or "1 or more times") over an extended period of time (1999 to 2009). RESULTS: A total of 11.7% of students reported having driven after drinking any alcohol and 28.2% reported riding in a car with a driver who had been drinking on 1 or more occasions in the past 30 days. Restrictive GDL laws and use-and-lose laws were associated with decreased driving after drinking any alcohol and riding in a car with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Restrictive GDL and use-and-lose laws may help to bolster societal expectations and values about the hazards of drinking and driving behaviors and are therefore partly responsible for the decline in these alcohol-related traffic risk behaviors.