Abuse Of Narcotic Drugs Research Articles

Do modifiable patient factors increase the risk of postoperative complications after total joint arthroplasty?

Numerous studies demonstrate that modifiable lifestyle risk factors can influence patient outcomes including survivability, quality of life, and postoperative complications following orthopaedic surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of modifiable lifestyle risk factors on postoperative medical and surgical complications following a total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in a large national healthcare system. A retrospective chart review of a large national health system database was performed to identify patients who underwent TJA between 2017 and 2021. TJA included total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, and total shoulder arthroplasty. Modifiable lifestyle risk factors were defined as tobacco use, narcotic drug abuse, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Postoperative medical complications and postoperative surgical complications were collected. Logistic regression and odds ratio point estimate analysis were conducted to assess for associations between postoperative complications and modifiable lifestyle risk factors. Of the 16,940 patients identified, the mean age was 71 years, mean BMI was 29.7kg/m2, and 62% were women. We found that 3.5% had used narcotics, 8.7% were past or current smokers, 24% had diabetes, and 61% had hypertension; in addition, 5.4% experienced postoperative medical complications and 6.4% experienced postoperative surgical complications. Patients who used narcotics were 90% more likely to have postoperative complications (p < 0.0001) and 105% more likely to experience prosthetic complications (p < 0.0001). Similarly, patients with tobacco use were 65% more likely to have postoperative complications (p < 0.0001) and 27% more likely to experience prosthetic complications. Our results demonstrate critical rates of increased postoperative medical and surgical complications after TJA for patients with narcotic abuse, tobacco use, or diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, adopting preoperative interventions and optimization programs informed by our findings on specific modifiable risk factors could aid orthopaedic surgeons in optimizing patient health. III; Retrospective study.

Crime Impact Model of Narcotic Drug Abuse in Nigeria

Crime Impact Model of Narcotic Drug Abuse in Nigeria

Substance Use among School-Going Adolescents and Young Adults in Rural Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

The ongoing public health crisis of substance use among school adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in South Africa is not new in research parlance, amidst the national policy of drug abuse management in schools. In view of no tangible progress to reduce substance use in high schools in the country, we conducted a cross-sectional quantitative study aimed at investigating substance use among adolescents and young adults in the four public high schools selected through multi-stage sampling in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Data on substance use, demographics, household socio-demographics, and related factors were collected via a validated self-administered questionnaire. Hierarchical logistic regression was performed using STATA 18. The study included 402 AYAs aged between 14 and 23 years (18 ± 1 years), and 45% reported substance use in the last twelve months. Alcohol was the most used substance (74%), followed by cigarettes (12%) and cannabis (11%). AYAs used substances out of social influence, curiosity, to find joy, and to eliminate stress, especially in social events, on the streets, and at home, and reported negative physical health outcomes, mainly hallucinations, sleeping disorders, body weakness, and dry mouths. Hierarchical logistic regression showed that the likelihood of substance use was three times in a particular high school (S4) (AOR = 3.93, 95%CI: 1.72-8.99), twice among the grade 12s (AOR = 2.73, 95%CI: 1.46-5.11), over twenty times in the communities with substance availability (AOR = 22.45, 95%CI: 2.75-183.56), almost ten times among AYAs participating in recreational/sports activities (AOR = 9.74, 95%CI: 4.21-22.52), and twice likely to happen in larger households (AOR = 2.96, 95%CI: 1.57-5.58). Prevention and intervention efforts should consider these specific health concerns to develop targeted strategies for mitigating substance use and its adverse consequences in this vulnerable population towards achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal Target 3.5, which aims to strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and the harmful use of alcohol.

Rethinking agrarian livelihoods affected by narcotic drug abuse on China's Southeast Asian borders: a typological perspective.

Rethinking agrarian livelihoods affected by narcotic drug abuse on China's Southeast Asian borders: a typological perspective.

Effectiveness of School-based Substance abuse Prevention Programme (SSPP) on awareness, attitude, peer pressure, and life skills among adolescents in selected public schools of Pokhara, Nepal–A cluster randomized trial protocol

ObjectiveEarly substance use has been linked to various adverse outcomes and escalates quickly during adolescence. Delaying the onset of substance use among adolescents is a primary public priority as it is associated with severe effects. The objective of the study is to develop and determine the effectiveness of a School-based Substance Abuse Prevention Programme (SSPP) on awareness, attitude, peer pressure, and life skills towards preventing substance abuse among adolescents. MethodPhase I of the study is a qualitative approach, where a focus group discussion (FGD) will be conducted among different stakeholders to explore their perceptions regarding the prevention of substance use among adolescents. The anticipated sample size is 38. Thematic analysis will be done by using ATLAS.ti software. The inputs given by the stakeholders will be incorporated in developing the intervention (SSPP). Phase II is a cluster randomized controlled trial. A minimum of 210 adolescents (105 each in the intervention and control groups) between the age group of 13 to 15 years from 8th and 9th grade will be recruited for the study. In this study, the school will be the cluster and will be randomly assigned either to an intervention or control arm. The data will be collected at pre, post, 3-month, and 6-month intervals. The ethical approval was obtained from the Nepal Health Research Council Committee, Nepal (NHRC 276/2023). The trial was also registered under the Clinical Trial Registry of USA-Clinical Trials.gov (CTRI 06004726/2023/08/22/). Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used to analyze the data. Expected resultsImplementation of the SSPP module will improve the awareness, attitude, peer pressure, and life skills of adolescents toward preventing substance use behavior. Overall, the study aims to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.5- ‘Good Health and Well-being; strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.’ ConclusionThe present study protocol will help to develop a unique training module (SSPP) focused on preventing substance use behaviour among adolescents in Nepal.

Understanding the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in India: A Comprehensive Analysis

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) of 1985 is a pivotal legislation in India aimed at combating the illicit trafficking and abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the NDPS Act, examining its historical context, key provisions, enforcement mechanisms, and impact on public health and criminal justice. Through a critical examination of the Act, this article aims to elucidate its strengths, weaknesses, and implications for drug control efforts in India. Furthermore, it explores contemporary challenges and potential avenues for reform to enhance the effectiveness and equity of drug policy in the country

The Effectiveness of Management in Reducing The Abuse of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances

This scientific article investigates the multifaceted nature of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, examining their causes of proliferation and far-reaching effects on society encompassing the social, economic, and political spheres. The study underscores the gravity of drug-related issues, characterizing them as a significant social menace that impedes intellectual and artistic progress while fueling organized crime. It delves into the influence of drugs in inducing criminal activities due to their profound impact on individuals' nervous and sensory systems, highlighting Iraq's historical concern with this issue. The research identifies various economic, social, and psychological factors contributing to drug proliferation and abuse within society. Furthermore, it elucidates the devastating consequences of drug abuse on individuals, emphasizing the erosion of personal responsibility and productivity, often resulting in chronic health conditions. The study underscores the critical role of shared responsibility among society members and regulatory authorities in combatting drug-related challenges, emphasizing that mere legal texts are insufficient without effective enforcement. These findings call for a comprehensive approach to address the global issue of drug abuse and its detrimental implications on society, urging collaborative efforts and proactive measures for prevention and control.&#x0D; Highlights:&#x0D; &#x0D; Drug abuse fuels organized crime and hinders societal progress, posing a grave threat.&#x0D; Various economic, social, and psychological factors contribute to drug proliferation.&#x0D; Collaborative efforts and effective enforcement are crucial to combat drug-related challenges and protect society.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Drug Proliferation, Organized Crime, Societal Impact

Combination of fluorescence sensor and artificial intelligence—a new method of quantitative ketamine detection

Drug abuse is currently a growing concern, with the abuse of narcotic drugs, represented by ketamine, being particularly serious. Chronic use and overdose of such drugs can lead to hallucinations and serious health risks. Therefore, it is essential to establish a fast and high-precision detection method for strict control of drug abuse. In this study, we propose a fast detection process for small instruments, and the use of data augmentation and transfer learning techniques makes it possible to build a high-precision detection model based on small data sets. We also propose an EfficientNet-based Ketamine quantitative detection network. We maintain its lightweight architecture while introducing large kernel convolution to obtain a stronger feature representation without increasing the number of parameters. Our proposed detection process is time-saving and effective, reducing the time required to acquire large data sets, and our proposed model predicts all test data perfectly, solving the problem of bias of other networks in predicting low concentration samples, and breaking the limit of optical biosensor detection accuracy from 1 ng ml−1 to 0.1 ng ml−1.

Antimicrobial resistance - the time for regulatory enforcement before it becomes too late

A century back, antimicrobials heralded a revolution in the treatment of infectious diseases. The leverage gained through years of research led to discovery of powerful antibiotics that changed the course of human civilization. In recent times, however, a well-known phenomenon antimicrobial resistance threatens to sabotage the decades of medical “miracle” observed with antibiotics. The threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) loom like the “sword of Damocles” and threatens to inflict irreparable damage to health and lives of people. The current worldwide annual death toll due to the notorious drug-resistant organisms is 7 lakhs and could jump to 1 crore annually in the current scenario by the middle of the century. The situation is so grave that the mortality and morbidity associated with antimicrobial resistance has brought it to the same footing as ischemic heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. We are sitting on a ticking “time bomb” that can repulse mankind to the medieval era vulnerable to the microscopic flora and fauna. Current plans to contain antimicrobial resistance and develop new and effective antimicrobials lies behind the rapid pace of development of antimicrobial resistance. Most of the control measures have been directed towards spreading awareness and educational programmes about rational and proper use of antibiotics. The programmes have tested some success in closed environment of institutions and small geographical limits. However, in real world, there is rampant, excessive, and unregulated use of antibiotics in the society. The situation is worse in developing countries where lack of access to basic health services makes the population vulnerable to exploitation by unqualified practitioners using unscientific methods. It is a universally recognised phenomenon that the magnitude of consumption of antibiotics bears a temporal and geographical relation with antimicrobial resistance. In our society, most of the antibiotics including the topmost in hierarchy are available as over the counter drugs. There is blatant misuse of antibiotics not only by the so called “quacks” and general public, but also by qualified medical practitioners who in the absence of a universal antibiotic policy and standard regulatory instructions fail to discern the thin line between use and misuse. A new efficacious antibiotic takes 10 years and 1 billion dollars to come into medical use, but years of labour and stacks of money goes into the drains due to negligence and practice of ignorant souls. The preservation of efficacy of existing armamentarium of antibiotics appears to be the single best measure to succeed in the war against antimicrobials. Years of educational interventions have shown little success in abating the menace and antimicrobial resistance have moved from the terminologies of multidrug resistant to extended drug resistant and Pan-drug resistant. In the crisis period, a standard practise guideline for antibiotic prescription with a legal framework and penal measures is the need of the hour. We have a very strong regulatory system for manufacture, distribution, prescription, and sale of narcotic drugs. The system with legal repercussions has effectively been able to control the abuse and misuse of narcotic drugs. A similar regulatory system for antimicrobial use must be brought into place before things get out of control. The world has moved from the era of paper letters and post office to an information age where data is transmitted and disseminated at the click of a mouse or touch of a fingertip. During the COVID pandemic, we all have seen how information technology can make communication and planning possible on a global scale. Any system can be evaluated, monitored, and enacted through a centralised control. A developing nation has many restraints but the interests of all sections of society can be preserved through a transparent and robust web-based system. Vigilance must be implemented over the distribution and sale of antibiotics. A uniform antibiotic policy can be followed on a national scale. Higher antibiotics should be restricted and sale should be regulated within the ambit of the framed guidelines and regulations. Penal measures should be taken when the regulations are violated. Collaboration and coordination between all stake holders are desirable. Awareness and regulation must go hand-in hand to make the initiative viable. It is always good to start on a new journey for a noble cause and the journey to save mankind from the onslaught of the deadly microbes must be started immediately, lest it becomes too late.

Parallel opioid crises: brakes on sustainable development?

This Review perspective analyzes the parallel 'opioid crises' - one of access, the other of excess - affecting different demographic groups in distinct regions of the world, in terms of a knowledge gap between the founding 20th-century regulatory frameworks around 'drugs', including opioids, and evolving 21st-century clinical developments in public health, palliative care, addiction medicine, and regulatory sciences. Identifying the parallel crises as such is a positive step that can enable governance and science to catch up to one another and realign. As it is now, the opioid crises are acting as brakes on development as defined by the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). Both crises affect UN member states' ability to reach the Goal 3 'Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages' of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among the nine targets for Goal 3, the two opioid crises affect progress toward Target 3.5, on strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse, and Target 3.8, providing Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and adequate access to essential medicines. The parallel opioid crises, which both represent misalignment between anachronistic governance structures and epistemic developments, have several things in common beyond the opioid molecules themselves: regulatory and health system deficits that interact pathologically with baked in cultural stigma around psychoactive substances, stigma evident in the designation of these substances in international law as 'narcotic drugs'. Community regeneration, educational development, and governance reforms can now replace politicized rather than evidence-based and public health-promoting drug policies that block progress toward both SDG 3 targets in different countries for different reasons. Quantification of serious health-related suffering (SHS) pertaining to a range of health conditions and demographic groups now provides the epidemiological evidence to legitimate such a timely paradigm shift.

Juveniles' Perception of Drug Crime Among Young People

Modern society is affected by the problem of drug addiction and drug crime on a global and national level, and the damaging consequences of drug abuse are extremely serious and widespread. The fact that minors are more often than before in the role of perpetrators of criminal acts related to narcotic drugs contributes to the additional seriousness of the overall situation. As the trend of drug crime among young people in the last few years indicates growing of this phenomenon in our society, the focus of our work will be determining the importance of certain factors on the perception of young people about drug crime. In order to achieve this task, we conducted a survey among high school students whose goal was to examine the influence of family environment and school environment factors, and also influence of certain media content on their perception of drug crime. A hundred students participated in this research. The research results show that the socio-demographic characteristics of young people do not have a significant impact on their perception of drug crime. The school environment, on the other hand, has a more dominant influence, due to the existence of convenient places for buying and selling drugs in close proximity to school, as well as the presence of people who "deal" drugs. In addition, minors are strongly influenced by their peers who previously had some experiences with the abuse of narcotic drugs. The research results indicate a high level of liking media content about drug crime among young people, but also an insufficiently developed awareness among them about the impact that such content has on them.

Adverse Effect of Non-Narcotic Drug on CNS and Visceral Organ

Drug abuse is a serious and most often willful misuse of drug now whether it is narcotic or non-narcotic doesn't matter. In our non-narcotic drug too, there are many drugs which lead to addiction. In this pandemic even many people have gone for immunity boosting tablets without knowing its side effect. Non narcotic drug abuse can also be done because of depression, anxiety, mental disorder etc. People actually start taking a lot of medicine for depression but they are not known about the adverse effect of those medicines on their CNS and visceral organs. The present study was conducted to get an idea of drug addiction in people in the society via a survey. Result revealed maximum people opt for taking medicine by their own without consulting doctor were they are maybe known about the work of the drug but unknown about the composition, dosage, how long to continue, etc &amp; there they go for the harmful side effect of those drugs. Even the heavy use of non-narcotic analgesic is paralleled with the high risk of depression, emotional liability, etc. Drug use is dangerous it can harm your brain and body as well. Here, herbal medicine plays a marvellous role in treating the ill without showing any toxic effect. In early stages the signs of medicine developed around those plants which had curative properties. A continued search for medicinal plant during the last several centuries has given rise to a long list of plants which are of great use in the treatment of diseases &amp; promoting health. [1].

Analysis of questionnaire-based response of Indian medical students about the distinguishing features of relevant toxic plants, their systemic effects and legal provisions under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985

Drug abuse is a great social evil. It affects all aspects of life. The young generation of impressionable age easily falls into the trap and ruins their Physical, mental, social and financial health for the rest of their life. To control the situation, it is essential to know the level of awareness about the toxic plant, their systemic effects and various legal provisions under the NDPS Act 1985 so that a suitable strategy could be planned to fight Narcotic Drug abuse. A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2020 and January 2021 among Phase 3 MBBS students in a medical college at Barabanki with the objective to estimate the level of awareness about the identification of plants, their systemic effects and legal provisions under the NDPS Act 1985. Atotal of 163 students(86 males and 77 females) participated in the study. 63.8% of students were well versed with the legal provisions of the NDPS Act 1985. 60.7% of students could recollect and correlate the morphological features of the plants covered under the NDPS Act 1985. Knowledge of the systemic effects of these toxic plants was not adequate. The knowledge of phase-3 MBBS students about toxic plant identification, their systemic effect and legal provisions under the NDPS Act 1985 is Moderate.

A new minisatellite VNTR marker, Pscp1, discovered for the identification of opium poppy

Opium poppy, a member of the Papaveraceae family, is an ancient herbaceous plant and well-known medical resource in the pharmaceutical industry. However, opium poppies are grown worldwide for producing illicit drugs, significantly increasing the incidence of narcotic drug abuse. Since the narcotic poppy has not yet been genetically investigated, we characterized a novel variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) marker of forensically important poppy species based on the genetic analysis of 164 samples collected from two locations spanning the Jeolla province and Jeju island of South Korea. Comparing analysis of the chloroplast (cp) genome sequences for four representative species of Papaver (Papaver somniferum, Papaver somniferum subs. setigerum, Papaver orientale, and Papaver rhoeas) revealed a unique region with 1–3 repeats for 16 nucleotide motifs in the genome inverted repeat A (IRA, positions 128,651 to 128,698) region. For 16 nucleotide motifs, 3 repeats were found in P. somniferum, and 2 repeats were found in P. somniferum subs. setigerum. Therefore, 10 known and the 133 unknown, seized Papaver species were compared to determine whether the species could be identified via variations in the repeat units. The sizes of a novel VNTR ranged from 181 to 252 bp between the species. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that a novel VNTR, which we named Pscp1, could clearly distinguish between the narcotic and non-narcotic types of Papaver species based on the patterns of sequence variation. Interestingly, we found that Pscp1 could also distinguish between P. somniferum and P. somniferum subs. setigerum. The regions of eight non-narcotic species displayed similar patterns and also differences were found due to the nucleotide substitution and deletion events. The structural differences of Pscp1 were observed within the two narcotic species or between the narcotic and non-narcotic species, suggesting that these variations may act as a genetic marker. We, therefore, developed a new Pscp1 PCR-capillary electrophoresis (CE) method that can reliably identify the narcotic type of Papaver species. Taken together, our findings suggest that the newly developed Pscp1 can be used as an identification marker of opium poppy, and establish that the Pscp1 genotyping method by PCR-CE is an effective primary screening tool that can also contribute to species discrimination in the field of forensic diagnosis and applications.

Analysis of Questionnaire based Response of Indian Medical Students about the Distinguishing Features of Relevant Toxic Plants, their Systemic Effects and Legal Provisions Under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985

Introduction: Drug abuse is a great social evil .It affects all aspects of life. Young generation of impressionable age easily falls into the trap and ruin their Physical, mental, social and financial health for rest of their life. To control the situation it is essential to know the level of awareness about toxic plant, their systemic effects and various legal provisions under NDPS Act 1985 so that suitable strategy could be planned to fight Narcotic Drug abuse. Aim: 1. To find out awareness of medical students regarding distinguishing features of relevant toxic plant and their systemic effects 2. To assess their Knowledge about various legal provisions under NDPS Act 1985 .Material and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted during December 2020 and January 2021 among Phase 3 MBBS students in a Medical college at Barabanki with the objective to evaluate the awareness about identification of plants, their systemic effect and legal provisions under NDPS Act 1985. A total of 163 students 86 male and 77 female participated in the study.Result : 63.8% students were well versed with the legal provisions of NDPS Act 1985. 60 .7% students could recollect and correlate the morphological features of the plants covered under NDPS Act 1985. Knowledge of systemic effects of these toxic plants was not adequate. Conclusion: The knowledge of phase-3 MBBS students about plant identification, their systemic effect and legal provisions under NDPS Act 1985 is Moderate.

Penerapan Diversi melalui Pendekatan Keadilan Restoratif (Restorative Justice) pada Anak Pelaku Penyalahgunaan Narkotika

This research aims to find out how implementation of the diversion of the perpetrators of the abuse of narcotic drugs by using the method of the approach of restorative justice by involving the perpetrator, the victim, the family of the offender or the victim, community counselors and professionals. The research method used is the normative legal research with approach of legislation, articles as well as the doctrine or the views from experts associated with the diversion and narcotic in children. With regard to the handling of child abuse of narcotic drugs, the problems in this thesis is the arrangement of diversion by law about the criminal justice system of the child and the application of diversion through approach restorative justice in the criminal offence of child perpetrator of abuse of narcotic. The settings regarding diversion here is actually a settling criminal acts with children outside of the criminal justice process. Where the diversion can be carried out against the perpetrator of the crime that the threat of punishment of less than 7 (seven) years and is not a repetition of the crime. Against the application of the abuse of narcotics diversion for children conducted through deliberation in accordance whit the provisions of article 8 of law about the criminal justice system so that children can make a deal with diversion consider the child’s interests, in this case intended to avoid and keep children from the judicial process. In terms of the results of the diversion agreement already agreed upon with the parties where the implementation of the outcome of the diversion agreement would of course also have to be monitored both from the elderly, the environment, and investigators also rehabilitation center to ascertain if the result of the diversion deal was already done by the child and reported to the Chairman of the District Court where the implementation of such diversion is implemented.

DRUG CRIME AS A THREAT TO INDONESIA'S NATIONAL SECURITY

&lt;p&gt;Drug crime—i.e. narcotic drug abuse, smuggling, and trafficking—is still a serious problem for many countries. In Indonesia, it is perceived as a threat to national security and Indonesians' well-being. It is not surprising, then, if the government of Indonesia declared war on drugs to preserve Indonesia's national security. The systemic measures to address the drugs problem formulated as an integrated program consists of eradication and prevention of drug smuggling and trafficking, and rehabilitation for the victims of drug abuse. This study discusses the implementation of the program as a part of maintaining national security, as well as its constraints and obstacles. Riau Islands Province was chosen as a case study. The data collection was conducted by in-depth interviews, focused group discussion, and literature studies. In analyzing the data, it uses the theory of drug abuse prevention to organize and to interpret the findings. The result of the analysis shows that several obstacles still hinder the effectiveness of the government's efforts in combating drug crime. In the eradication of narcotic drug smuggling and illicit trafficking, the main obstacles manifest in geographical challenges, regulatory constraints, and technological shortcomings. In the prevention of drug crime, the real effectiveness of socialization as the main tool of prevention is hard to be measured and evaluated. In the rehabilitation of drug abuse victims, the main obstacles are the low awareness of the community, the limited availability of counselors and other infrastructures, and the unsupportive legal system.&lt;/p&gt;

Aligning the contents of curriculum of undergraduate medical education in Bangladesh with health related targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Abstract Introduction: This descriptive type of cross sectional study was conducted to assess teachers’ views regarding the alignment of contents of curriculum of undergraduate medical education in Bangladesh with the health related targets of Sustainable Development Goals.&#x0D; Methods: The study was conducted during the period of July 2018 to June 2019. The study used standardized pre-tested instruments. Convenience sampling technique was employed to include 04 public and 04 private medical colleges, of which 05 were located in Dhaka city and 03 were located outside Dhaka city. Data were collected from 123 faculty members by using self-administered semi-structured questionnaire and from 25 Key informants by using in-depth Interview schedule. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS 19.0.&#x0D; Results: Among 123 medical teachers 84(68.3%) opined inadequacy of contents about neglected tropical diseases, 97(78.9%) about road traffic accidents, 103(83.7%) about narcotic drug abuse, 93(75.6%) about universal health coverage, 108(87.8%) about sexual health care services, 97(78.9%) viewed about tobacco control and 116(94.3%) about early warning about national and global health risks.&#x0D; Conclusion: To achieve the health related targets of SDG, the curriculum of undergraduate medical education should be reviewed with inclusion of relevant contents which will help students to achieve relevant competencies of SDGs.&#x0D; Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.11(2) 2020: 21-26

Research progress on current situation and preventive measures for the narcotic and psychotropic drugs abuse in the elderly

Both narcotic and psychotropic drugs are more often used to alleviate related multiple physical or mental health problems, but these drugs are very easily addicted to. With the aging of population, abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic drugs among the elderly are called for more attention. In this paper, harms caused by the abuse of anesthetic and psychotropic drugs, current situation and causes related to the abuse of anesthetic and psychotropic drugs as well as risk factors and preventive measures regarding the abuse of anesthetic and psychotropic drugs, among the elderly, are reviewed.

Determinants of Length of Stay in a Psychiatric Ward: a Retrospective Chart Review.

Considering the limited resources for providing inpatient services, identification of the factors influencing length of stay (LOS) is of great importance. The current study is a retrospective chart review which was planned to investigate the determinants of LOS in two gender-specific psychiatric wards within Baqiatallah Hospital (BQH) located in Tehran. The observation period was between March 21, 2011 and March 19, 2016. 3203 patients were recruited in terms of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Next, required data on 25 explanatory variables were extracted from their case-files. Descriptive measures were used for analysis and Independent Samples T-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and Bonferroni's post-hoc test for inferential analysis. Lastly, a multiple linear regression model was run to determine significant predictors of psychiatric LOS. Variables significantly correlated with patients' LOS included gender, age, employment status, marital status, number of divorces, disability rate, discharge diagnosis, physical comorbidity, number of previous hospitalizations, suicide ideation, number of suicide attempts, history of assault, tobacco consumption, a history of narcotic drug abuse and number of ECT sessions. Through the analysis of multiple linear regression, it came to light that significant predictors of LOS in the final model could account for 37.9% of the variance in LOS. From the findings of current study, it can be inferred that clinical aspects as well as treatment procedures have major effects on LOS. Although the factors examined here could not explain an acceptable variance in LOS, the results are useful for the treatment team when they want to devise a care plan or give discharge to a patient.