Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health最新文献

The present study investigated potential associations between tendencies towards social networks use disorder (SNUD) and smoking status/tobacco use disorder (TUD) tendencies. A final sample of n = 529 participants was recruited via an online survey, with the effective sample comprising n = 228 non-smokers, n = 54 ex-smokers, and n = 247 smokers. In this preregistered work, a significant association was observed between SNUD and smoking status. In detail, when running analysis without controlling for potential age and gender effects, smoking status was visibly linked to individual differences in SNUD scores: the smoking-group was associated with lowest SNUD scores. Further (and exclusive) analysis of the smoker-group revealed no significant associations between SNUD and TUD tendencies. Interestingly, exploratory analyses of the male and female smoker subsamples revealed a mild non-significant positive association between SNUD and TUD in males and a mild non-significant negative association between SNUD and TUD in females (the latter was a very small positive correlation after controlling for age though). In sum, the study revealed that associations between SNUD and TUD might exist, but the observed findings were not in line with the preregistration and need to be revisited by future studies in larger sample sizes.

Background and Aims

New psychoactive substances (NPS) pose challenges not only due to their harms to users but also because they are difficult to monitor with traditional epidemiologic methods. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) offers a reliable method to assess drug-taking habits in different geographical settings and their evolution over time. The aim of this systematic review was to examine NPS preferences and trends across Europe.

Methods

We searched electronic databases between September 5th to 30th, 2022, included OVID/Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge. Key search terms focused on NPS, WBE, prevalence, and geographic Europe. 18 articles were included in the systematic review. All studies were WBE studies, with 17 studies collecting samples from wastewater treatment plants, one collecting from pissoirs. Due to heterogeneity across studies, a meta-analysis was not performed.

Results

Literature reviewed in this study showed a trend towards stimulant-type NPS use, with the United Kingdom showing highest detection frequency. The most detected chemical class of NPS were synthetic cathinones. Southern and Western Europe showed the largest variety of NPS detected. Metabolite detection ranged extensively across countries.

Conclusion

This is the first systematic review to address types of new psychoactive substances present in wastewater in Europe. Gaps in literature point to a need for standardization in wastewater-based epidemiology so that drug policies and public health policies, including drug and harm reduction services, can be targeted to those NPS that are most widely used.

Background

One of the most common types of addiction after narcotic or stimulant materials is the alcohol addiction. This study investigated the relationship between self-concept and attributional styles with group spiritual care in the Alcoholics anonymous (AA) group in Mashhad city.

Methods

This correlation study was conducted on 300 persons of AA of Mashhad which were selected by the simple random sampling method. The data collection tools were Attributional Styles Questionnaire (ASQ) of Seligman & Singh, Self-concept Questionnaire (SCQ) of Raj Kumar Saraswat and Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS) Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22) and Pearson's correlation statistic tests and multivariate regression analysis.

Results

The results of regression variance analysis of attributional style and self-concept components with group spiritual care in the studied persons showed that the attributional styles and the self-concept components can explain together about 27 % of the group spiritual care in the studied persons, which was statistically significant (P <0.001 and 20/15 = F).Also, there is a positive and significant relationship between the attributional style and the self-concept component with group spiritual care in the studied persons.

Conclusions

According to the results, it is suggested that the members of AA Association should be aware of the attributional styles, the self-concept components, and group spiritual care in order to discover their own suitable attributional styles and self-concept components and benefit from them to strengthen the group spiritual care.

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is an umbrella term used to describe a heterogeneous group of compounds that mimic the effects of existing drugs and whose demand and use rapidly emerge, change, or even vanish in the drug market. The novelty of this global phenomenon and its dynamic nature represent major challenges for the scientific community that constantly requires timely evidence-based inputs. Our aim is to review the literature on NPS and compare its temporal evolution according to the topics presented at the International Conference series on NPS over the past decade. Our analysis shows that some new clusters of research recently emerged in comparison to a previous review and that the material presented at the NPS Conferences anticipates the scientific literature by approximately 2.5 years. Such findings not only provide new original insights on the latest NPS trends but also address existing knowledge gaps in the NPS field, while emphasizing the importance of face-to-face thematic events supported by faster publication processes to inform prompt interventions and policy making.

University undergraduates in Nigeria use prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications for cognitive enhancement and relaxation during examination periods. Such practices can lead to increased toxicity, drug interactions, and other adverse effects. This study investigated the prevalence and pattern of use of prescription and OTC medications amongst undergraduate students at the University of Lagos. Quantitative data were collected from 386 students in 2018. The collected data was analysed using SPSS version 22. The study found that 68% of respondents frequently used prescription and OTC medications, such as non-medical analgesics, caffeine-containing drugs, cough syrups containing codeine, diphenhydramine combinations, bromazepam, antimalarials, and antibiotics, during the examination period. The medications were accessed through community pharmacies and leftover medications at home. The findings highlight the ease of access to these medications as a major contributor to their non-medical use by students. This suggests the need for legislation and a functional regulatory framework to control the sale of medications without a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner and sustained public awareness campaigns on medication use and the potential danger of self-medication.

Background

In a time of unprecedented global change, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in demand of COVID-19 vaccines and related certifications. Mainly due to supply shortages, counterfeit vaccines, fake documentation, and alleged cures to illegal portfolios, have been offered on darkweb marketplaces (DWMs) with important public health consequences. We aimed to profile key DWMs and vendors by presenting some in-depth case studies.

Methods

A non-systematic search for COVID-19 products was performed across 118 DWMs. Levels of activity, credibility, content, COVID-19 product listings, privacy protocols were among the features retrieved. Open web fora and other open web sources were also considered for further analysis of both functional and non functional DWMs. Collected data refers to the period between January 2020 and October 2021.

Results

A total of 42 relevant listings sold by 24 vendors across eight DWMs were identified. Four of these markets were active and well-established at the time of the study with good levels of credibility. COVID-19 products were listed alongside other marketplace content. Vendors had a trusted profile, communicated in English language and accepted payments in cryptocurrencies (Monero or Bitcoin). Their geographical location included the USA, Asia and Europe. While COVID-19 related goods were mostly available for regional supply, other listings were also shipped worldwide.

Interpretation

Findings emerging from this study rise important questions about the health safety of certain DWMs activities and encourage the development of targeted interventions to overcome such new and rapidly expanding public health threats.

Funding

CovSaf, National Research centre on Privacy, Harm Reduction and Adversarial Influence Online (REPHRAIN), Commonwealth Fund.

The Internet offers increased availability and accessibility of medicinal pharmaceuticals including those containing opioids, sedatives and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) drugs through both legal and illegal routes. Sourcing concerns have been further heightened due to the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) pandemic which reduced face-to-face access for non-COVID-19 related health conditions and to drug treatment services. This study is the second of a two stage study comprising interviews with three key stakeholders who were policy makers, health care professionals or police, and three individuals who sourced medicinal products online (ISOs). An in-depth case study approach was adopted. Thematic analysis of in-depth case narratives revealed the following key themes; Motivations, initiation, and making the move online; Process of sourcing online; Supply issues and COVID-19; Perception of control; Quality of medications; and Public health recommendations. Motivations for purchasing online are complex and methods to divert and control the supply of medicinal pharmaceuticals are equally complex and difficult to navigate. Novel routes to access now include Telegram, a cross-platform messaging service with enhance encryption and privacy. Whilst stakeholders and ISOs had similar views on the prevalence and ease of access to medication, there were also some substantial differences primarily in terms of perceptions of risk. This study highlights the need for enhanced pharmacovigilance of non-regulated online vendors and the imperatives of continued health messaging around the potential self-directed use of these controlled drugs and the dangers of using websites purporting to be regulated pharmacies.