The contribution of mental health to the risk of smoking is increasingly acknowledged but still insufficiently studied during the key period of student life. In particular, the simultaneous action of stress and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms on the risk of smoking remains poorly understood.

To assess the effects of stress and ADHD symptoms on tobacco smoking.

Multivariate modeling was conducted on the French i-Share study (n = 8110, median age 20.3 years, 74.8% females, 32.9% regular/occasional smokers) to evaluate the associations between stress, ADHD symptoms and tobacco smoking, adjusting for potential family/socio-demographic confounders.

Students with high levels of stress were more likely to smoke > 10 cigarettes/day (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12–1.96) than those with low levels of stress. Students with high levels of ADHD symptoms were more likely to smoke > 10 cigarettes/day (aOR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.58–2.75) than those with low levels of ADHD symptoms.

Stress and ADHD contribute independently to the risk of smoking. Interventions targeting each condition are likely to reduce the burden of tobacco use in students.

Numerous observational studies suggest that blood pressure management with antihypertensive drugs may be effective in reducing dementia risk.

To quantify dementia risk in relation to diuretic medication use.

Electronic databases were searched until June 2015. Eligibility criteria: population, adults without dementia at baseline from primary care, community cohort, residential/institutionalized or randomized controlled trial (RCT); exposure, diuretic medication; comparison, no diuretic medication, other or no antihypertensive medication, placebo-control; outcome, incident dementia in accordance with standardized criteria. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled in fixed-effects models with RevMan 5.3. The overall quality and strength of evidence was rated with GRADE criteria.

Fifteen articles were eligible comprising a pooled sample of 52,599 persons and 3444 incident dementia cases (median age 76.1 years, 40% male) with a median follow-up of 6.1 years. Diuretic use was associated with 17% reduction in dementia risk (HR 0.83; 95% CI 0.75 to 0.90) and a 21% reduction in Alzheimer's disease risk (HR 0.79; 95% CI 0.68 to 0.93). GRADE was rated as moderate. Risk estimates were consistent comparing monotherapy versus combination therapy, study design and follow-up. Meta-regression did not suggest that age, gender, systolic blood pressure, attrition, mortality rate, education, cognitive function, stroke, Apolipoprotein E allele, heart failure or diabetes altered the primary results.

Diuretic medication was associated with a consistent reduction in dementia and Alzheimer's disease risk and the absence of heterogeneity points to the generalizability of these findings.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

To examine the longitudinal risk of vision loss (VL) or hearing loss (HL) for experiencing suicidal ideation in older adults.

The Three-City study, examining data from three waves of follow-up (2006–2008, 2008–2010, and 2010–2012).

Community-dwelling older French adults.

N = 5,438 adults aged 73 years and over.

Suicidality was assessed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Major Depressive Disorder module. Mild VL was defined as Parinaud of 3 or 4 and severe VL as Parinaud >4. Mild HL was self-reported as difficulty understanding a conversation and severe HL as inability to understand a conversation.

Severe VL was associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation at baseline (OR = 1.59, 95% CIs = 1.06–2.38) and over five years (OR = 1.65, 95% CIs = 1.05–2.59). Mild and severe HL were associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, both at baseline (OR = 1.29, 95% CIs = 1.03–1.63; OR = 1.78, 95% CIs = 1.32–2.40) and over five years (OR = 1.47, 95% CIs = 1.17–1.85; OR = 1.97, 95% CIs = 1.44–2.70).

Sensory losses in late life pose a risk for suicidal ideation. Suicidality requires better assessment and intervention in this population.

Accumulating evidence links blood pressure variability (BPV) with white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and stroke. The longitudinal association between BPV with late onset depression (LOD) and cognitive decline remains unexplored.

Prospective cohort study of 2812 participant's age ⩾65 years (median age 72 years, 63.6% female) without dementia or stroke. Serial clinic visits assessed blood pressure, cognitive function, depression disorder, and depressive symptoms. A brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) substudy was performed in 1275 persons to examine possible associations with WMH.

The interaction between symptomatic LOD and systolic BPV was associated with cognitive decline on the Isaac Set Test [slope −4.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) −8.92 to −0.16, p = 0.04], Benton Visual Retention Test (slope −0.89; 95% CI −1.77 to −0.01, p = 0.049), Mini Mental State Examination (slope −1.08; 95% CI −1.86 to −0.30, p = 0.007) and Finger Tapping Test (slope −7.53; 95% CI −13.71 to −1.34, p = 0.017) but not Trail Making Test-A or -B/A. The MRI substudy demonstrated that systolic BPV was associated with cognitive decline via interactions with depression and total WMH volume, but this was not dependent on either deep or periventricular WMH volumes.

The findings show that the interaction between systolic BPV with symptomatic depression and WMH increases cognitive decline in persons ⩾65 years of age. Future work could extend these findings by examining systolic BPV in relation to cognitive decline and WMH in older populations with depression.

Several studies have reported smaller hippocampal volume (HcV) in depression patients; however, the temporality of the association remains unknown. One proposed hypothesis is that depression may cause HcV loss. This study evaluates whether previous depression and recent depressive symptoms are associated with HcV and HcV loss.

We used a prospective cohort of older adults (n = 1328; age = 65–80 years) with two cerebral magnetic resonance imaging examinations at baseline and 4-year follow-up. Using multivariable linear regression models, we estimated, in stratified analyses by gender, the association between indicators of history of depression and its severity (age at onset, recurrence, hospitalization for depression), proximal depressive symptoms [Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale], baseline antidepressant use, and the outcomes: baseline HcV and annual percentage change in HcV.

At baseline, women with more depressive symptoms had smaller HcV [−0.05 cm3, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.1 to −0.01 cm3 per 10-unit increase in CES-D scores]. History of depression was associated with a 0.2% faster annual HcV loss in women (95% CI 0.01–0.36%). More baseline depressive symptoms and worsening of these symptoms were also associated with accelerated HcV loss in women. No associations were observed in men. Treatment for depression was associated with slower HcV loss in women and men.

While only concomitant depressive symptoms were associated with HcV, both previous depression and more proximal depressive symptoms were associated with faster HcV loss in women.