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Introduction Although several studies have explored craving for certain drugs, there is limited data describing the relationship between alcohol and nicotine craving from a multidimensional perspective among individuals with comorbid nicotine dependence ( ND) and alcohol dependence ( AD). Methods We compared a group of male patients diagnosed with ND and AD ( n = 160) to a group of male patients diagnosed with ND only ( n = 235). Smoking- and drinking-related clinical features were measured, including craving levels and the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale ( NDSS), which is a multidimensional questionnaire measuring ND. Subsequently, we studied factors that influenced smoking and alcohol craving in the ND and AD group. Results Regarding the NDSS, the sum, priority and tolerance scores were significantly higher in the ND and AD group compared with the ND only group ( P < 0.000, P < 0.000 and P = 0.001, respectively). In the comorbid group, regression analyses revealed that alcohol craving and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence ( FTND) scores contributed to nicotine craving (beta coefficient = 0.37, P = 0.005 and beta coefficient = 0.35, P = 0.026, respectively) and these two factors explained 36% of the variance). Nicotine craving appeared to be the only factor that contributed to alcohol craving (beta coefficient = 0.35, P = 0.002), and nicotine craving explained 16% of the variance. Discussion This study may help clarify the clinical relationship between comorbid alcohol and nicotine dependence and help guide the development of effective treatment strategies for ND and AD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Improving and maintaining performance status is an important part of cancer treatment because it may predict patients' survival. Several cancer-related medical conditions have been known to influence the functional performance of cancer patients. We here examined whether emotional distress would also contribute to performance decline of cancer patients. Methods With consecutive sampling, a total of 880 patients diagnosed as having cancer were recruited and evaluated on cancer-related variables, emotional distress, and performance status using the standardized instruments. Results Approximately 8.9% of participants showed compromised performance rated 2 or more on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status scale. Emotional distress was strongly associated with compromised performance after controlling for demographic and cancer-related external risk factors. The effects of emotional distress on performance decline were likely to be remarkably greater in the younger age group (<45 years) than in old-aged cancer patients (≥65 years). Conclusions Our results provide support for the independent effects of emotional distress on having a higher risk for performance decline in cancer patients. These effects seem to be age-dependent suggesting that special clinical attention to emotional distress may be required in younger patients with cancer. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been lots of studies about the relationship between chronic use of alcohol and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Chronic use of alcohol can be affected by the altered level of ghrelin and leptin which regulate food-seeking behavior having similar mechanism of controlling alcohol-craving behavior. Those peptides are known to be correlated with T2DM. Ghrelin and leptin also have been regarded as possible regulators of glucose metabolism and insulin function. Hence, there is the possibility that ghrelin and leptin can be related with deteriorated pathophysiology of T2DM in alcoholic patients. Patients with alcohol dependence diagnosed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) underwent an 75 g oral glucose-tolerance test (OGTT), to classify them to normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n = 52), pre-diabetes including impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired fasting glucose level (IFG) and combination of IGT and IFG (Pre-DM, n = 26) and T2DM ( n = 24) groups. Fasting plasma ghrelin and leptin levels were compared among groups. There was no difference of ghrelin concentration among the groups but the leptin concentration was significantly different between NGT and T2DM group ( p < 0.05). Increased leptin levels were significantly correlated with body mass index (BMI), insulin level, and insulin resistance. Chronic alcohol drinking might produce leptin resistance which makes leptin significantly correlated with fasting insulin concentration and insulin resistance. Therefore, we suppose that increased level of leptin by chronic alcohol use could be one of the main mechanisms that develop insulin resistance in alcoholic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]