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Rev Bras Epidemiol 2018 Nov 29;21(suppl 1):e180007. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil.

Introduction: The use of illicit drugs is a public health concern. This paper describes the prevalence and factors associated with the use of illicit drugs throughout life among 9th grade students attending public and private schools in daylight period in Brazil.

Method: Data from the Brazilian Adolescent School-based Health Survey (PeNSE) were analyzed. Read More

Brain Res Bull 2018 Nov 16;144:58-67. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Sección de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón, Ciudad de México, C.P. 11340, Mexico; Laboratorio Integrativo para el Estudio de Sustancias Inhalables Adictivas, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Calzada México Xochimilco 101, Ciudad de México, C.P. 14370, Mexico. Electronic address:

Inhalants are widely used as recreational drugs, and toluene is the main chemical compound present in most inhalants used for these purposes. Previous studies have shown that repeated toluene exposure produces cellular death and memory impairment, while environmental enrichment (EE) rescues from those effects. However, the mechanisms involved in those responses are unclear. Read More

J Community Psychol 2018 Nov 8. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Arizona State University.

Drawing from an ecodevelopmental framework, this article examines if adding a parenting component, Families Preparing the New Generation (Familias Preparando la Nueva Generación), to an efficacious classroom-based drug abuse prevention intervention, keepin'it REAL, will boost the effects of the youth intervention in preventing substance use for middle school Mexican-heritage students. Youth attending schools in a large urban area in the Southwestern U.S. Read More

Addict Behav 2018 Oct 16;90:48-54. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Department of Applied Health Science, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Use of illicit drugs and misuse of prescription medications among U.S. adolescents have been major public health issues. Read More

Circ J 2018 Oct 6;82(11):2913-2916. Epub 2018 Oct 6.

Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Center.

Background: Post-repair atrial septal defects (ASD) patients are frequently discharged from follow-up, but the extent of pulmonary symptoms long-term post-repair is unknown. Methods and Results: The national CONgenital CORvitia registry was linked to the national Drug Registry to investigate all ambulatory-dispensed pulmonary inhalants for 2006-2014. ASD patients were compared with age- and sex-matched referents from the general population. Read More

Am J Addict 2018 Dec 28;27(8):625-631. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

Laboratory of Neurosciences, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico.

Background And Objectives: Substance use disorders (SUDs) have high comorbidities with psychiatric disorders. Childhood and adolescence are particularly vulnerable developmental periods for the onset of SUDs. The objective of this study was to explore the differences, if any, between Mexican adolescents and young adults with respect to the prevalences of groups of psychiatric disorders, the types of substances used and the social factors involved. Read More

S Afr J Psychiatr 2018 12;24:1139. Epub 2018 Apr 12.

HIV/AIDS/STIs and TB Research Programme, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa.

Objective: Illicit drug use is a growing public health problem. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of drug use and the sociodemographic and health characteristics that influence it among young and adult South Africans.

Methods: Data based on the South African national population-based survey in 2012 for 26 453 individuals (52. Read More

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2019 Jan 18;127(1):40-48. Epub 2018 Aug 18.

Department of Dermatovenereology, University Hospital Center Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia; School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine potential allergic reactions to different materials in oral and perioral diseases.

Study Design: The study included 230 consenting subjects in total-180 patients with oral and perioral diseases (30 patients each in the following groups: angioedema, oral lichenoid reactions [OLRs], burning mouth syndrome [BMS], gingivostomatitis, cheilitis, and perioral dermatitis) and 50 healthy controls. Comprehensive diagnostic workups were performed prior to patch testing with standard series allergens and with specific dental materials and skin prick testing (SPT) for food, preservatives and additives, and inhalants. Read More

Int J Drug Policy 2018 Oct 3;60:10-17. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Department of Preventive Medicine, Section of Biostatistics, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil.

Introduction: A school-based randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2014/2015 with students in 7 and 8 grades in 72 public schools in 6 Brazilian cities. A total of 5028 students were linked (75, 7%) in at least one of the two waves of follow-up (9 months and 21 months later). The principal research question was whether this 12-lesson program delays the initiation of alcohol, tobacco, inhalants and binge drinking among early adolescents when compared to usual care, that is, no prevention program in Brazilian schools, after 21 months of follow up. Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2018 10 25;191:25-36. Epub 2018 Jul 25.

National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, 6001 Executive Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Background: While evidence suggests bidirectional associations between cigarette use and substance (alcohol or drug) use, how these associations are reflected across the range of currently available tobacco products is unknown. This study examined whether ever tobacco use predicted subsequent substance use, and ever substance use predicted subsequent tobacco use among 11,996 U.S. Read More

J Thorac Dis 2018 Jun;10(6):3269-3276

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

Background: Data on the clinical characteristics of asthma patients including utilization of medical facilities, disease management, and healthcare costs by types of health care are insufficient.

Methods: We evaluated data on 729,343 asthma patients from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database of Korea between July 2013 and June 2014.

Results: Most asthma patients were treated via primary care (81. Read More

Pediatr Rev 2018 Aug;39(8):403-414

Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, Denver Health Hospital, Denver, CO.

Adolescent substance abuse remains common, with almost a third of adolescents admitting to ethanol use, and a quarter admitting to illicit drug use. It is essential for pediatricians to regularly screen adolescent patients for substance use, because early initiation of drug use has been associated with physical, behavioral, and social health risks. Adolescents abuse what is common and readily available; this includes ethanol, over-the-counter products, marijuana, and inhalants. Read More

J Consult Clin Psychol 2018 Aug;86(8):657-665

Department of Preventive Medicine.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of #Tamojunto, a Brazilian adaptation of the Unplugged prevention program, on patterns of drug use among adolescents and to characterize their trajectories of drug use over time.

Method: An in-cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2014-2015 with 2 parallel arms (intervention and control). The intervention group attended 12 weekly classes of the #Tamojunto intervention. Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2018 09 7;190:104-111. Epub 2018 Jul 7.

National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, México-Xochimilco 101, Tlalpan, 14370, Mexico City, Mexico.

Background: Inhalant use disorder (IUD) is associated with deficits in executive functions (EFs). We described latent profiles of EFs and distribution of neuropsychiatric disorders and patterns of severity of use across these profiles.

Methods: Individuals with IUD were recruited at community-based residential facilities for substance use treatment in Mexico City. Read More

Am J Public Health 2018 Aug;108(8):1031-1034

Theodore L. Caputi is with the School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health, University College Cork, Cork, Republic of Ireland. Laramie R. Smith and Steffanie A. Strathdee are with the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego. John W. Ayers is with the Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University.

Objectives: To provide current national estimates of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) adolescents' (grades 9-12) substance use risks.

Methods: The 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey included questions for 19 substance use outcomes covering 15 substances. LGBQ adolescents' substance use was described and their risk relative to heterosexual adolescents was estimated after controlling for sociodemographic confounders. Read More

Case Rep Nephrol 2018 7;2018:4627890. Epub 2018 Jun 7.

Houston Methodist Hospital, 6550 Fannin Street, Suite 1101, Smith Tower, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Difluoroethane is the active ingredient in various computer cleaners and is increasingly abused by teenagers due to its ease of access, quick onset of euphoric effects, and lack of detectability on current urine drug screens. The substance has detrimental effects on various organ systems; however, its effects on the kidneys remain largely unreported. The following case report adds new information to the developing topic of acute kidney injury in patients abusing difluoroethane inhalants. Read More

Schizophr Res 2018 Nov 27;201:360-366. Epub 2018 Jun 27.

Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Wacol, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia; Metro North Mental Health, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.

Background: Cross-sectional studies have suggested inhalant use is associated with psychosis. This association was examined in a longitudinal study accounting for other substance use and potential confounders.

Methods: We used a prospective sample (N = 6542) from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. Read More

Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2018 Jul 14;38(7):1665-1669. Epub 2018 Jun 14.

Division of Cardiology, Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Center (A.T.N., A.M.T., C.A.M.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Objective: Emerging evidence suggests a link between coronary artery disease and type 2 immunity. We sought to test the hypothesis that IgE sensitization to the mammalian oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal)-the target allergen of delayed anaphylaxis to red meat-is associated with coronary artery disease.

Approach And Results: Total IgE and specific IgE to α-Gal were assayed on sera from 118 subjects who presented for cardiac catheterization and underwent intravascular ultrasound. Read More

Eur Addict Res 2018 14;24(2):79-87. Epub 2018 Jun 14.

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.

Background: Polysubstance use (PSU) is common among patients with cannabis use (CU) and is related to more severe CU problems. However, it is unclear how PSU predicts CU treatment outcomes beyond CU patterns. We examined the frequency, amount, and class of additionally used substances as predictors for primary and secondary outcomes. Read More

Biomedica 2018 05 1;38(0):70-85. Epub 2018 May 1.

Grupo de Investigación en Salud Mental, Universidad CES, Medellín, Colombia.

Introduction: Violence in its different forms increases the risk of mental disorders and the use of drugs. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of mental disorders, and the use and abuse of drugs, as well as associated factors in victims of forced displacement in three cities in Colombia. Materials and methods: We conducted a prevalence study with 1. Read More

Addiction 2018 Oct 5;113(10):1862-1873. Epub 2018 Jul 5.

Clinical Institute of Occupational, Traffic and Sports Medicine, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Background And Aims: Although generally prohibited by national regulations, underage gambling has become popular in Europe, with relevant cross-country prevalence variability. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of underage gambling in Europe stratified by type of game and on-/off-line mode and to examine the association with individual and family characteristics and substance use.

Design: Our study used data from the 2015 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) cross-sectional study, a survey using self-administered anonymous questionnaires. Read More

Prev Sci 2018 May 10. Epub 2018 May 10.

Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 NW 14th Street, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.

While substance use and sexual risk behaviors among Hispanic youth continue to be public health concerns, few evidence-based preventive interventions are developed for and implemented with Hispanic/Latino youth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of eHealth Familias Unidas, an Internet adaptation of an evidence-based family intervention for Hispanics. A randomized controlled trial design (n = 230) was used to evaluate intervention effects on substance use and condomless sex among a sample of Hispanic eighth graders with behavioral problems. Read More

Public Health Rep 2018 Jul/Aug;133(4):432-441. Epub 2018 May 10.

1 Department of Psychology, Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.

Objectives: American Indian adolescents who reside on or near reservations report higher levels of substance use than adolescents in other racial/ethnic groups. Little research has addressed patterns of use, which have important implications for prevention and treatment planning. The objective of our study was to describe substance use among a large, population-based sample of American Indian and white students who lived on or near reservations. Read More

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2018 Jul 2;53(7):709-716. Epub 2018 May 2.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of inhalant use in Russian adolescents and to investigate associated psychosocial problems from a gender perspective.

Methods: Data on inhalant use and comorbid psychopathology were collected by means of self-reports from 2892 (42.4% boys) sixth to tenth grade students in public schools in Arkhangelsk, Russia. Read More

Neurotoxicol Teratol 2018 Jul - Aug;68:27-35. Epub 2018 Apr 30.

Departamento de Farmacobiología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Calzada de los Tenorios No. 235, México City 14330, Mexico. Electronic address:

Despite serious health effects, volatile industrial products containing toluene are deliberately inhaled for their psychoactive actions, mainly among adolescents and young adults. Chronic toluene inhalation induces multiple alterations at the cellular and behavioral level; however, modifications of neuronal networks associated with the reward system after repeated toluene exposure are not thoroughly characterized. Here we used whole-cell recordings to determine the effects of repeated exposure to toluene (1000, 4000 or 8000 ppm for 30 min, twice a day, for ten days) on the neurophysiological properties of prelimbic layer 5 pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in adolescent male Wistar rats. Read More

PLoS One 2018 24;13(4):e0196244. Epub 2018 Apr 24.

Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.

There are only few reports regarding the role of lifetime drug or substance use in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology. In this study, we investigated the potential effect of drug or substance exposure on the onset of MS diagnosis. We conducted a population-based incident case control study in Tehran. Read More

Rev Esp Sanid Penit 2018 ;20(1):11-20

Departamento de Epidemiología Clínica y Bioestadística. Facultad de Medicina. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá (Colombia).

Objective: To assess the prevalence of drug abuse before prison admission and to identify associated sociodemographic and family history risk factors, according to gender, in prisons of Peru.

Materials And Methods: A secondary analysis was carried out with data from the First National Prisoner Census 2016, using a questionnaire of 173 items that was applied to the whole prison population of Peru. The types of drugs used before admission were analyzed according to characteristics of the penitentiary population, and generalized linear models were used to calculate prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals to identify possible factors associated with drug use. Read More

Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2018 Feb;64(2):114-118

Faculty of Nursing, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with illicit drug use by adolescents and young adults of a formal urban settlement.

Method: Cross-sectional study including adolescents and young adults 12-24 years of an urban settlement in the Midwest Region of Brazil. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Stata, version 12. Read More

J Psychoactive Drugs 2018 Jul-Aug;50(3):206-213. Epub 2018 Apr 2.

c Friends Research Institute, Inc; David Geffen School of Medicine, Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) exhibit elevated rates of mental health and substance use disorder relative to their non-MSM male counterparts. Methamphetamine use in particular has been associated with both neuronal damage and mental health disorders among MSM, and this study reports on the prevalence and comorbidity of DSM-5 mental health and substance use disorders in a sample of methamphetamine-using MSM. From March 2014 through January 2015, 286 methamphetamine-using MSM enrolled in a study to reduce methamphetamine use and sexual risk behaviors. Read More

Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018 08 21;32:80-96. Epub 2018 Feb 21.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan,4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.

One of the objectives of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (https://abcdstudy.org/) is to establish a national longitudinal cohort of 9 and 10 year olds that will be followed for 10 years in order to prospectively study the risk and protective factors influencing substance use and its consequences, examine the impact of substance use on neurocognitive, health and psychosocial outcomes, and to understand the relationship between substance use and psychopathology. This article provides an overview of the ABCD Study Substance Use Workgroup, provides the goals for the workgroup, rationale for the substance use battery, and includes details on the substance use module methods and measurement tools used during baseline, 6-month and 1-year follow-up assessment time-points. Read More

J Biol Regul Homeost Agents 2018 Jan-Feb;32(1 Suppl. 1):19-24

Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.

The skin prick test (SPT) is the most common test for the diagnosis of allergy. SPT is performed by pricking the skin, usually in the volar surface of the forearm, with a lancet through a drop of an allergen extract and is usually the first choice test in the diagnostic workup for allergic diseases because of its reliability, safety, convenience and low cost. SPT is minimally invasive and has the advantage of testing multiple allergens in 15 to 20 min. Read More

Cad Saude Publica 2018 03 8;34(3):e00144316. Epub 2018 Mar 8.

Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil.

The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine illicit drug use and associations with socioeconomic factors as well as peer group influence among Brazilian adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Two-stage cluster sampling was adopted, involving the random selection of public and private schools from the nine administrative districts of a Brazilian state capital and the random selection of classrooms at each school. Illicit drug use was the outcome and was measured through the question: "Have you ever used any illicit drugs (marijuana, inhalants, hypnotics, cocaine/crack, hallucinogens, amphetamines and opioids) in your life?". Read More

Front Neurosci 2018 6;12:35. Epub 2018 Feb 6.

Laboratory of Pharmacology, Neurobiology and Behavior (URAC-37), Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco.

Thinners are highly toxic chemicals widely employed as organic solvents in industrial and domestic use. They have psychoactive properties when inhaled, and their chronic abuse as inhalants is associated with severe long-term health effects, including brain damage and cognitive-behavioral alterations. Yet, the sites and mechanisms of action of these compounds on the brain are far from being fully understood. Read More

J Neurosci Rural Pract 2018 Jan-Mar;9(1):117-122

Department of Psychiatry, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Substance use disorders are comparable to chronic medical illnesses and have a chronic relapsing course. Despite being significant contributors to morbidity and mortality, limited treatment options exist. The current narrative review was aimed at providing an overview of yoga therapy in substance-use disorders and discuss the relevant methodological issues. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 02;97(5):e9784

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Basel University Hospital and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

The aim of the study was to compare self-reported and analytically confirmed substance use in cases of acute recreational drug toxicity.We performed a retrospective analysis of emergency department presentations of acute recreational drug toxicity over 2 years (October 2013 to September 2015) within the European Drug Emergencies Network Plus project.Among the 10,956 cases of acute recreational drug toxicity during the study period, 831 could be included. Read More

J Neurosci 2018 Feb 9;38(6):1462-1471. Epub 2018 Jan 9.

Department of Neuroscience and

Abuse rates for inhalants among adolescents continue to be high, yet preclinical models for studying mechanisms underlying inhalant abuse remain limited. Our laboratory has previously shown that, in male rats, an acute binge-like exposure to toluene vapor that mimics human solvent abuse modifies the intrinsic excitability of mPFC pyramidal neurons projecting to the NAc. These changes showed region (infralimbic; IL vs prelimbic; PRL), layer (shallow; 2/3 vs deep; 5/6), target (core vs shell), and age (adolescent vs adult) dependent differences (Wayman and Woodward, 2017). Read More

Open Access Emerg Med 2018 20;10:9-23. Epub 2017 Dec 20.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.

Patients can use numerous drugs that exist outside of existing regulatory statutes in order to get "legal highs." Legal psychoactive substances represent a challenge to the emergency medicine physician due to the sheer number of available agents, their multiple toxidromes and presentations, their escaping traditional methods of analysis, and the reluctance of patients to divulge their use of these agents. This paper endeavors to cover a wide variety of "legal highs," or uncontrolled psychoactive substances that may have abuse potential and may result in serious toxicity. Read More

Ital J Pediatr 2018 Jan 4;44(1). Epub 2018 Jan 4.

Division of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University-Hospital Pediatric Department (DPUO), Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165, Rome, Italy.

Background: Prevalence of allergy has steeply increased during the past few decades, particularly in high-income countries. The development of atopy could present different characteristics in internationally adopted children with regard to incidence, specific patterns of allergies and timing of occurrence. We aimed to investigate the occurrence of allergic diseases among adopted children in Italy. Read More

Neurotoxicol Teratol 2018 Jan - Feb;65:42-50. Epub 2017 Dec 29.

Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.

The intentional misuse of volatile solvents like toluene is a persistent public health concern. Limited clinical data suggest that chronic inhalant abusers may experience signs of withdrawal, including anxiety. Behavioral withdrawal from toluene has not been examined in a preclinical model. Read More

Psychiatry Res 2018 03 11;261:61-67. Epub 2017 Dec 11.

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.

Inhalants, which are neurotoxic central nervous system (CNS) suppressants, are frequently abused by young adults. Unlike other CNS depressants, including alcohol and opiates, no treatment is currently approved for inhalant dependence. In this report, a novel approach of substitution treatment for inhalant addiction was explored in a double-blinded, randomized, controlled crossover design to examine the effects of inhalation of essential oil and perfume on the reduction of cue-induced craving for inhalant in thirty-four Thai males with inhalant dependence. Read More

Addiction 2018 Apr 19;113(4):719-728. Epub 2017 Dec 19.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.

Background And Aims: While cigarette smoking has declined over time, it is not known whether this decline has occurred similarly among individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) in the United States (US). The current study estimated trends in smoking from 2002 to 2014 among US individuals with and without SUDs.

Design: Linear time trends of current smoking prevalence were assessed using logistic regression models. Read More

J Addict Med 2018 Mar/Apr;12(2):92-98

Police General Hospital (PY); Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (MMM, RK); Thanyarak Institute on Drug Abuse, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Pathumthani (VV); and Department of Psychiatry, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand (RK).

Objectives: Use of methamphetamine (MA) commonly co-occurs with the use of other substances. The present study aims to examine substance initiation patterns of other substances, including alcohol, nicotine, inhalants, and cannabis (OTH), in MA users and its consequence on the time lag of MA dependence.

Methods: Sociodemographic, environmental, and clinical data were obtained from MA users at a Thai substance treatment center. Read More

Int J Drug Policy 2018 01 16;51:20-26. Epub 2017 Nov 16.

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 550 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States. Electronic address:

Background: An increase in heroin seizures in East Africa may signal wider local consumption of illicit drugs. Most information about drug use in Tanzania is from the economic capital, Dar es Salaam, and well-travelled Zanzibar. More data are needed on the extent, trends, and characteristics of illicit drug use in the vast coast and interior of the country. Read More

Clin Exp Allergy 2018 Jan 15;48(1):48-59. Epub 2017 Dec 15.

Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

Background: While allergic sensitization and atopic dermatitis (AD) are known to increase the risk for allergic diseases, the impact of different temporal and clinical patterns of sensitization and AD is less well defined.

Objective: We investigated patterns of sensitization and AD from early infancy to age 3, and the differential risk of developing allergic diseases within each pattern in a general cohort.

Methods: Children (n = 2629) from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study underwent skin prick tests and were assessed clinically for AD at ages 1 and 3 years. Read More

Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2018 Jun 13;56(6):442-445. Epub 2017 Nov 13.

a Office of Science, Center for Tobacco Products , U.S. Food and Drug Administration , Silver Spring , MD , USA.

Over the past decade, smoking behaviors have changed in the US. Hookah or waterpipe smoking is increasing, especially among youth and young adults. Social media sites describe the "hookah high" or "buzz", which may be related to nicotine, carbon monoxide, or other inhalants in hookah smoke. Read More

Indian J Psychiatry 2017 Jul-Sep;59(3):275-283

Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Background: Substance misuse is a global health and social problem with major adverse consequences. A number of regional studies on prevalence of substance use and dependence have been carried out in India; but methodologically robust data from Chandigarh are sparse.

Methodology: A house-to-house survey was carried out to estimate the prevalence of substance use and dependence in an adequate multistage-stratified random sample in the Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh, using standardized instruments and predefined measures. Read More

Pediatr Pulmonol 2018 Apr 30;53(4):391-399. Epub 2017 Oct 30.

Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonary Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.

Aim: Inhalant abuse in the adolescent population is a growing concern for care givers, communities, physicians, and medical providers. The aim of this article is to provide a review of the literature about this new challenge. In addition, it raises awareness about recent health policy rulings. Read More