Excessive Substance Research Articles

The Effect of Pollutantmigration on the Environmental Situation in the Zone of Chemical Weaponinfluence

The article is devoted to the issues of monitoring the environment state in the influence zone of chemically hazardous objects on the example of the environmental monitoring system of a chemical weapons storage and destruction facility (CWDF) in the city of Kambarka, Udmurt Republic. Among the components there are: production control systems and site monitoring, environmental monitoring and health monitoring, however, it is environment in the zone of the chemical waste disposal facility influence which hasthe largest area and is the most difficult to control. Here, due to large areas, the process of migration of pollutants over considerable distances is observedclearly. The importance of the system for arranging sampling points on the topographic map of the waste disposal facility is shown in order to take into account the process of pollutantmigration. Vertical and horizontal migration of pollutants can lead to the emergence of unobvious local areas of pollutantaccumulation both within and outside the influence zone of the chemical waste disposal facility. A solution to the problem of migration process modeling on a conditionally selected area of the territory within the facility influence zone is presented to show the effect pollutantmigration on the dynamics of the environmental situation within the chemical waste disposal area. It has been proven that within the area under consideration there will be a significant amount of pollutant, which, subject to further evaporation of rainwater runoff, will remain in this area. This indicates the inevitability of the appearance of local areas of pollutantaccumulation in the influence zone of chemically-disposable substances in excess of permissible standards for their concentration, which requires a revision of the arranging sampling pointsystem, taking into account the application of migration processmodeling methods. The need for dynamic observations in individual sites of the area, selected with respect to the analysis results of the pollutantmigration routes within the entire influence zone of the chemically-disposable waste disposal facility, in order to assess the degree of impact of the non-toxic waste disposal facility on the environment, is substantiated.

Digital interventions targeting excessive substance use and substance use disorders: a comprehensive and systematic scoping review and bibliometric analysis.

Addictive substances are prevalent world-wide, and their use presents a substantial and persistent public health problem. A wide range of digital interventions to decrease use and negative consequences thereof have been explored, differing in approach, theoretical grounding, use of specific technologies, and more. The current study was designed to comprehensively map the recent (2015-2022) extant literature in a systematic manner, and to identify neglected and emerging knowledge gaps. Four major databases (Medline, Web of Science Core Collection, and PsychInfo) were searched using database-specific search strategies, combining terms related to clinical presentation (alcohol, tobacco or other drug use), technology and aim. After deduplication, the remaining n=13,917 unique studies published were manually screened in two stages, leaving a final n=3,056 studies, the abstracts of which were subjected to a tailored coding scheme. Findings revealed an accelerating rate of publications in this field, with randomized trials being the most common study type. Several meta-analyses on the topic have now been published, revealing promising and robust effects. Digital interventions are being offered on numerous levels, from targeted prevention to specialized clinics. Detailed coding was at times made difficult by inconsistent use of specific terms, which has important implications for future meta-analyses. Moreover, we identify several gaps in the extant literature - few health economic assessments, unclear descriptions of interventions, weak meta-analytic support for some type of interventions, and limited research on many target groups, settings and new interventions like video calls, chatbots and artificial intelligence - that we argue are important to address in future research.

Investigation of the causes and pattern of early first permanent molar extraction in children in the western Mediterranean region of Türkiye

Aim: This study aims to investigate the causes and pattern of extraction of first permanent molars (FPMs) in children aged 6-15 years in the western Mediterranean region of Türkiye. Methods: The data from the patients who applied to Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Akdeniz University, between the years 2016–2020, were scanned; patients, who had at least one FPM extracted between the ages of 6–15, and who had pre-extraction panoramic radiographs were selected. Information about age, gender, reason for extraction, extracted tooth, and previous treatment status of a total of 562 patients (263 males and 299 females) were recorded. The data were statistically analyzed using chi-square tests. Results: The mean age was 11.87±1.89, and there was no difference between female and male patients (p=0.828). 727 FPMs were evaluated, and the main reason for extraction was detected to be “Excessive substance loss” (55.8%) for both genders in all age groups. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th reasons were early FPM extraction, infection, parents’ request, and others respectively. The total number of extracted teeth of female patients was higher (53.6%) than that of males (46.4%) but there was no significant difference. It was observed that mandibular teeth were more frequently extracted than maxillary ones. Most children (75.8%) had one tooth extracted, 19.9% had two teeth, and 3.3% had three teeth. It was determined that the FPMs were not previously treated in the majority of children (90.7%). Conclusions: The most important finding from this study is that most of the extracted FPMs have not been treated previously. This indicates that individuals in our society do not have enough information about and are late in accessing oral health services. Therefore, further steps should be taken to improve public oral health. Keywords: Child; First Permanent Molar; Tooth Extraction

IDENTIFICATION OF AQPS IN CHINESE HAMSTERS AND THEIR EXPRESSION PATTERNS IN TESTES OF DIFFERENT WEIGHTS

Aquaporins (AQPs) are a class of proteins encoded by MIP gene family, which play a critical role in maintaining cell morphology and small molecule transmembrane transport. In recent years, the role of AQPs in reproduction has gradually been revealed. They have been proved to be widely expressed in many species. The testicles of Chinese hamsters have the characteristics of large size and long spermatogenic cycle. This seems contradictory in evolution and has not been fully studied. At present, the whole genome analysis of AQPs in Chinese hamsters and the expression patterns in testes have not been reported. In this study, 13 AQPs were identified and characterized in the genome of Chinese hamster for the first time. Protein sequence analysis of AQPs showed that its structure and function were unified. The concentrations of testosterone are higher in larger testes. The expression patterns of AQPs in testes were different. AQP5, AQP7 and AQP11 were positively correlated with testicular weight. Sperm count showed that larger testes could produce more sperm and store it in epididymis. It is speculated that under the regulation of testosterone, AQPs affect the excretion of excess substances at the end of spermatogenesis, and adapt to the reproductive competition of Chinese hamsters by regulating the rate of spermatogenesis. The results provide basic resources for further studying the role of AQPs in spermatogenesis of Chinese hamster. Keywords: Chinese hamster; Testis; Reproduction competition; AQPs

Pathways to care for substance use treatment among tribal patients at a psychiatric hospital: A comparative study.

According to the national mental health survey, substance use disorders (SUDs) are prevalent in 22.4% of the population above 18 years, whereas the same is 26% among the tribal population. The treatment gap is also high in substance-addictive disorders. Our study aimed to compare the severity of substance use, pathways to psychiatric care, and treatment-seeking behavior among the tribal and non-tribal populations. The study was conducted at a tertiary psychiatric teaching institute in India. It was a cross-sectional comparative study. Patients fulfilling the International Classification of Disease 10 diagnostic criteria of mental and behavioral disorders due to substance use, with active dependence, were taken without comorbidity. Forty patients in tribal and non-tribal groups were recruited with consecutive sampling. The samples were assessed with a semi-structured interview schedule, addiction severity index, attitudes toward help-seeking, and pathways-to-care. Excessive substance use median was for 7.00 (± 5.00) years in tribal and 6.00 (± 4.00) years in non-tribal; in tribal, substance intake was younger than non-tribal (P = 0.167), and general health-care system more distance than the non-tribal (P < 0.001). Around 65% of the persons with SUD never consulted their general practitioner and primary health-care facilities. Alcohol severity was higher in the tribal population than in the non-tribal population. The cannabis and opioid severity was high in the non-tribal population. Help-seeking behavior was deficient in both groups. Most of the substance abuse tribal and non-tribal populations reach healthcare very late and do not consider it as a health issue initially. The major reason for the delayed pathway is a lack of awareness about mental health care facilities and stigma in both populations. The stigma is high in non-tribal communities compared to the tribal community. There is a need to improve the identification and treatment of alcohol morbidity in primary care.

Promoting Social Participation and Recovery Using Virtual Reality-Based Interventions Among People With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: Qualitative Study.

People with mental health disorders (MHDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) are a highly vulnerable group, particularly affected by social exclusion, marginalization, and disconnectedness. Virtual reality technology holds a potential for simulating social environments and interactions to mitigate the social barriers and marginalization faced by people recovering from MHDs and SUDs. However, it is still unclear how we can harness the greater ecological validity of virtual reality-based interventions targeting social and functional impairments in individuals with MHDs and SUDs. The aim of this paper was to explore how service providers in community-based MHD and SUD health care services perceive the barriers to social participation among adults recovering from MHDs and SUDs to provide a broader understanding of how learning experiences can be modeled to promote social participation in virtual reality environments. Two semistructured, open-ended, and dual-moderator focus group interviews were conducted with participants representing different community-based MHD and SUD health care services. Service providers were recruited from their MHD and SUD services in our collaborating municipality in Eastern Norway. We recruited the first participant group at a municipal MHD and SUD assisted living facility for service users with ongoing excessive substance use and severe social dysfunctionality. We recruited the second participant group at a community-based follow-up care service aimed at clients with a broad range of MHDs and SUDs and various levels of social functioning. The qualitative data extracted in the interviews were analyzed, using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis of the service providers' perceptions of the barriers to social participation among clients with MHDs and SUDs revealed the following five main themes: challenging or lacking social connections, impaired cognitive functions, negative self-perception, impaired personal functioning, and insufficient social security. The barriers identified are interrelated in a cluster of cognitive, socioemotional, and functional impairments, leading to a severe and diverse complex of barriers to social participation. Social participation relies on people's capability to use their present social opportunities. Promoting basic human functioning is key to promoting social participation among people with MHDs and SUDs. The findings in this study indicate a need to address cognitive functioning, socioemotional learning, instrumental skills, and complex social functions to meet the complexity and diversity of the identified barriers to social functioning in our target group. Virtual reality-based interventions for promoting social participation should be sequenced into distinct scenarios dedicated to specific learning goals to build complex learning in a step-by-step process based on successively more complex levels of human and social functioning.

Current treatment approaches of newly graduated, intern dentists and dentists in doctoral and specialty training to teeth with excessive substance loss (cross-sectional study)

Aim: New treatment options have been developed as alternative post-retaining restorations and crowns that preserve remaining tooth tissue in endodontically treated teeth with excessive substance loss. This study, current treatment approaches newly graduated, intern and doctoral or specialist dentists in teeth excessive coronal destruction were evaluated.&#x0D; Material and Method: This cross-sectional study, online questionnaire consisting of 22 questions, 3 parts was applied. First part consists of demographic information participants, second part consists of questions measuring awareness about preferred indirect restorations, last part consists of current treatment approaches newly graduated, intern and doctoral or specialist dentists. Total 234 voluntary participants questionnaires were evaluated. Obtained data were analyzed with IBM SPSS V23.&#x0D; Results: In restoration of endodontically treated buccal mesial walls (least 2 mm thick) molars, participants all 3 groups preferred posterior adhesive indirect restorations according to their titles. Considering level of awareness, participants high group preferred posterior adhesive indirect restorations more in restorations endodontically treated buccal lingual walled molar teeth. Participants all 3 groups preferred use fiber under composite strengthen teeth in the restoration of teeth with excessive substance loss.&#x0D; Conclusion: According to the results, it was determined that awareness and knowledge level of dentists who received specialty or doctoral training about new current treatments was higher than other newly graduated and intern dentists. It was observed that participants group with high level awareness mostly preferred posterior region indirect adhesive restorations such as endocrown and onlay.

Does COVID-19 affect mental health and substance use in young adults?

Mental health has been impacted by COVID-19 throughout the United States and beyond. The mental health and well-being were further affected with excessive substance use during the pandemic. The aim of this research was to explore how the COVID-19 affects the mental health of the young adults (18-24 years) in the South Jersey area. We also examined the association between mental health symptoms in young adults and substance use during the first and second year of the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with (n = 711) 527 participants that included young adults (18-24 years old) across university campus in south jersey and in the community cohorts. Multinomial regression analysis and Chi-squared test were used to explore the association between mental symptoms and substance use. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet for descriptive statistics and Python 3.0 scikit-learn package. The study showed that "Lonely" and "Hopeless" were the top two mental health symptoms. It was observed that the symptoms of "Lonely" and "Hopeless" increased for both males and females. In general, males seemed to be affected more than females in this study for mental health symptoms. For substance use, "Nervous" and "Smoking" showed positive correlation in 2020 and "Hopeless" and "Alcohol" were positively correlated in 2021. Young adults' mental health symptoms and substance use has been proven to be affected through the pandemic and this research results even though localized will assist the community and educational institutions to plan better support to assist young adults with better health and wellness initiatives.

Використання відходів ентомологічного виробництва для вирощування мухи чорна львинка

Goal. To compare the influence of waste from different entomological industries on the development of the black lionfly. Methods. The experiments were conducted at a temperature of 25.5–26.5 °C and a relative humidity of 55–65%. Wheat bran weighing 100 g was poured with boiling water (180 ml), after cooling it was used to incubate eggs and revive larvae. After reaching 3 mm, they were removed and moved into containers with different types of wet substrate weighing 100 g, 250 pieces each. Repetition 3 times. Biomaterial was inspected daily, moisture and feed were added as needed. To determine the average weight of older larvae, 30 individuals were selected from each garden. They were washed with water and excess substances were removed using filter paper. The arithmetic mean was calculated for each option. The viability of larvae was determined as the ratio of the number of older and initial larvae. Cages with larvae were installed in small trays, where the prepupae were moved. Insects were moved to closed ventilated cages. From each sample, 30 pupae were selected, weighed and the average value was calculated. Pupa viability was determined as the ratio of the number of reborn adults to the number of pupae. The results. The largest mass was found in larvae that developed on the waste of mill fire, a mixture of grain moth waste and mill fire, large wax moth waste and bran (272–293 mg). The viability of larvae was the highest with the combined use of grain moth waste and vegetable mixture — 98%. The highest viability of pupae (96.2%) was observed in the version where waste from the mill fire was used. Conclusions. In general, according to the experiment, the best results were obtained with the use of mill fire waste and grain moth waste together with a vegetable mixture.

Intergenerational educational trajectories and premature mortality from chronic diseases: A registry population-based study

The tracking of educational gradients in mortality across generations could create a long shadow of social inequality, but it remains understudied. We aimed to assess whether intergenerational educational trajectories shape inequalities in early premature mortality from chronic diseases. The study included 544 743 participants of the Swiss National Cohort, a registry population-based study. Individuals were born 1971–1980 and aged 10–19 at the start of the study (1990). Mortality follow-up was until 2018. Educational trajectories were High–High (reference), High–Low, Low–High, Low–Low, corresponding to the sequence of parental-individual attained education. Examined deaths were related to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancers, and substance use. Sex-specific inequalities in mortality were quantified via standardized cumulative risk differences/ratios between age 20 and 45. We triangulated findings with a negative outcome control. For women, inequalities were negligible. For men, while inequalities in cancers deaths were negligible, inequalities in CVD mortality were associated to low individual education regardless of parental education. Excess CVD deaths for Low–High were negligible while High–Low provided 234 (95% confidence intervals: 100 to 391) and Low–Low 185 (115 to 251) additional CVD deaths per 100 000 men compared to High–High. That corresponded to risk ratios of 2.7 (1.6 to 4.5) and 2.3 (1.6 to 3.4), respectively. Gradients in substance use mortality were observed only when education changed across parent-offspring. Excess substance use deaths for Low–Low were negligible while High–Low provided 225 (88 to 341) additional and Low–High 80 (23 to 151) fewer substance use deaths per 100 000 men compared to High–High. That corresponded to risk ratios of 1.8 (1.3 to 2.5) and 0.7 (0.5 to 0.9), respectively. Inequalities in premature mortality were driven by individual education and by parental education for some chronic diseases. This could justify the development of intergenerational prevention strategies.

Prevalence and associated factors of overweight/obesity among severely ill psychiatric patients in Eastern Ethiopia: A comparative cross-sectional study.

Globally, the burden of overweight and obesity is a major cardiovascular disease risk factor and is even higher among patients with psychiatric disorders compared to the general population. This is mainly due to the deleterious lifestyles characterized by physical inactivity, excessive substance use, and unhealthy diets common among patients with psychiatric disorders, as well as the negative metabolic effects of psychotropic medications. Despite these conditions being a high burden among patients with psychiatric illness, little attention is given to them during routine reviews in psychiatric clinics in most African nations, including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate and compare the prevalence of and associated risk factors for overweight and obesity among patients with psychiatric illnesses. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between severely ill psychiatric patients and non-psychiatric patients in Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia. The study included 192 study participants (96 psychiatric patients and 96 non-psychiatric controls). Weight and height were measured for 192 study participants. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients were described. The data were cleaned and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, Version 21. The intergroup comparisons were performed using an independent sample t-test and Chi-square tests. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between overweight/obesity and the associated variables. The magnitude of overweight/obesity was significantly higher in the severely ill psychiatric groups (43.8%) than in the non-exposed controls (20.80%). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was highest in major depressive disorders (40%), followed by schizophrenia (32%), and bipolar disorder (28%). There was a high prevalence of obesity/overweight among psychiatric patients. Educational status, unemployment, and late stages of the disease were significant predictors of overweight/ obesity. Clinicians should be aware of the health consequences of overweight/obesity, and considering screening strategies as a part of routine psychiatric care is strongly recommended.

New numerical dynamics of the heroin epidemic model using a fractional derivative with Mittag-Leffler kernel and consequences for control mechanisms

Intravenous substance consumption is on the upswing all over the globe, especially in Europe and Asia. It is extremely harmful to society; excessive substance consumption is the leading cause of death. Beyond all prohibited narcotics, heroin is a narcotic that has a substantial negative impact on society and the world at large. In this paper, a heroin epidemic model is developed via an Atangana–Baleanu fractional-order derivative in the Caputo sense describe accurately real world problems, equipped with recovery and persistent immunity. Meanwhile, we have established a globally asymptotically stable equilibrium for both the drug-free and drug-addiction equilibriums. Additionally, we apply a novel scheme that is mingled with the two-step Lagrange polynomial and the basic principle of fractional calculus. The simulation results for various fractional values indicate that as the fractional order decreases from 1, the growth of the epidemic diminishes. The modelling data demonstrates that the suggested containment technique is effective in minimizing the incidence of instances in various categories. Furthermore, modelling the ideal configuration indicated that lowering the fractional-order from 1 necessitates a swift commencement of the implementation of the suggested regulatory technique at the maximum rate and sustaining it throughout a significant proportion of the pandemic time frame.

Incidence and predictors of mortality among persons receiving second-line tuberculosis treatment in sub-Saharan Africa: A meta-analysis of 43 cohort studies.

Drug resistance remains from among the most feared public health threats that commonly challenges tuberculosis treatment success. Since 2010, there have been rapid evolution and advances to second-line anti-tuberculosis treatments (SLD). However, evidence on impacts of these advances on incidence of mortality are scarce and conflicting. Estimating the number of people died from any cause during the follow-up period of SLD as the incidence proportion of all-cause mortality is the most informative way of appraising the drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment outcome. We thus aimed to estimate the pooled incidence of mortality and its predictors among persons receiving the SLD in sub-Saharan Africa. We systematically identified relevant studies published between January, 2010 and March, 2020, by searching PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Cochrane library, Google scholar, and Health Technology Assessment. Eligible English-language publications reported on death and/or its predictors among persons receiving SLD, but those publications that reported death among persons treated for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis were excluded. Study features, patients' clinical characteristics, and incidence and/or predictors of mortality were extracted and pooled for effect sizes employing a random-effects model. The pooled incidence of mortality was estimated as percentage rate while risks of the individual predictors were appraised based on their independent associations with the mortality outcome. A total of 43 studies were reviewed that revealed 31,525 patients and 4,976 deaths. The pooled incidence of mortality was 17% (95% CI: 15%-18%; I2 = 91.40; P = 0.00). The studies used varied models in identifying predictors of mortality. They found diagnoses of clinical conditions (RR: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.82-3.05); excessive substance use (RR: 2.56; 95% CI: 1.78-3.67); HIV and other comorbidities (RR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.65-2.32); resistance to SLD (RR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.37-2.23); and male sex (RR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.35-2.44) as consistent predictors of the mortality. Few individual studies also reported an increased incidence of mortality among persons initiated with the SLD after a month delay (RR: 1.59; 95% CI: 0.98-2.60) and those persons with history of tuberculosis (RR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.12-1.32). We found about one in six persons who received SLD in sub-Saharan Africa had died in the last decade. This incidence of mortality among the drug-resistant tuberculosis patients in the sub-Saharan Africa mirrors the global average. Nevertheless, it was considerably high among the patients who had comorbidities; who were diagnosed with other clinical conditions; who had resistance to SLD; who were males and substance users. Therefore, modified measures involving shorter SLD regimens fortified with newer or repurposed drugs, differentiated care approaches, and support of substance use rehabilitation programs can help improve the treatment outcome of persons with the drug-resistant tuberculosis. CRD42020160473; PROSPERO.

Broadened JAR Focus to Support Advertising Practitioners and Scholars

<h3>Background:</h3> Brief interventions delivered by family physicians to address excessive alcohol use among adult patients are effective. We conducted a study to determine whether such an intervention would be similarly effective in reducing binge drinking and excessive cannabis use among young people. <h3>Methods:</h3> We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial involving 33 family physicians in Switzerland. Physicians in the intervention group received training in delivering a brief intervention to young people during the consultation in addition to usual care. Physicians in the control group delivered usual care only. Consecutive patients aged 15–24 years were recruited from each practice and, before the consultation, completed a confidential questionnaire about their general health and substance use. Patients were followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months after the consultation. The primary outcome measure was self-reported excessive substance use (≥ 1 episode of binge drinking, or ≥ 1 joint of cannabis per week, or both) in the past 30 days. <h3>Results:</h3> Of the 33 participating physicians, 17 were randomly allocated to the intervention group and 16 to the control group. Of the 594 participating patients, 279 (47.0%) identified themselves as binge drinkers or excessive cannabis users, or both, at baseline. Excessive substance use did not differ significantly between patients whose physicians were in the intervention group and those whose physicians were in the control group at any of the follow-up points (odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence interval [CI] at 3 months: 0.9 [0.6–1.4]; at 6 mo: 1.0 [0.6–1.6]; and at 12 mo: 1.1 [0.7–1.8]). The differences between groups were also nonsignificant after we re stricted the analysis to patients who reported excessive substance use at baseline (OR 1.6, 95% CI 0.9–2.8, at 3 mo; OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.9–3.2, at 6 mo; and OR 1.9, 95% CI 0.9–4.0, at 12 mo). <h3>Interpretation:</h3> Training family physicians to use a brief intervention to address excessive substance use among young people was not effective in reducing binge drinking and excessive cannabis use in this patient population. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, no. ACTRN12608000432314.

Prescription fill patterns for benzodiazepine and opioid drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

BackgroundCOVID-19 and resulting mitigation measures in the United States (US) brought about limited access to medical care that has been linked to increases in mental health problems, excessive substance use, and drug overdoses. The increase in co-prescription of benzodiazepines and opioids may indicate population-level changes in health behaviors that can be exacerbated by limited access, hence necessitating the tracking of these drugs during COVID-19. We evaluated the impact of the declaration of COVID-19 as a US national emergency on prescription patterns in 2020. MethodsPrescriptions of benzodiazepines and opioids were analyzed using data aggregated on a weekly basis across 38 states over the January 2019-December 2020 period. Data were from Bamboo Health Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and covered all individuals regardless of insurance status. Generalized additive models estimated the effects of the March 13, 2020 declaration on proportion of prescriptions to all controlled substances by comparing volumes before to after the week of March 13 in 2020 (range: January 27-May 24) and comparing this trend to its 2019 counterpart. ResultsWhen comparing the January 27-March 9 period to the March 16-May 24 period in 2020, there was a statistically significant 2.0% increase in the proportion of benzodiazepine dispensations to all controlled substances, and a significant 1.7% mean decrease in proportion of opioid dispensations to all controlled substances. A significant return approaching pre-declaration levels was observed only for opioids (beginning week of May 18, 2020). ConclusionsThe results suggest significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on dispensations of benzodiazepines and opioids across the US. Continued monitoring of prescription trends and maintenance of adequate and accessible access to mental healthcare are important for understanding public health crises related to substance use.

SUBSTANCE USE AND ADDICTION AFFECT MORE THAN THE BRAIN: THE PROMISE OF NEUROCARDIAC INTERVENTIONS.

Addiction and excessive substance use contribute to poor mental and physical health. Much research focuses tightly on neural underpinnings and centrally-acting interventions. To broaden this perspective, this review focuses on bidirectional pathways between the brain and cardiovascular system that are well-documented and provide innovative, malleable targets to bolster recovery and alter substance use behaviors. Cardiovascular signals are integrated via afferent pathways in networks of distributed brain regions that contribute to cognition, as well as emotion and behavior regulation, and are key antecedents and drivers of substance use behaviors. Heart rate variability (HRV), a biomarker of efficient neurocardiac regulatory control, is diminished by heavy substance use and substance use disorders. Promising evidence-based adjunctive interventions that enhance neurocardiac regulation include HRV biofeedback, resonance paced breathing, and some addiction medications. Cardiovascular communication with the brain through bidirectional pathways contributes to cognitive and emotional processing but is rarely discussed in addiction treatment. New evidence supports cardiovascular-focused adjunctive interventions for problematic substance use and addiction.

The Spatial Form of the Nephrons

The kidney excretes excess substances through urine: decomposition products of substances foreign to the metabolism and organism (medicines, nutritional supplements). The kidneys also play an important regulatory role (fluid and water balance, pH, blood pressure, hematopoiesis, bone metabolism). Our experiments analyzed the microscopic picture of kidneys of patients who died during gestational age or infancy. We found that the structural and functional unit of the kidney is the nephron. The nephrons have two important mechanisms: filtration and reabsorb. We determined the spatial form of the nephrons is rotating ellipsoid. In our opinion, the excretory apparatus should have a control associated with its own structure, which is likely to consist of neurons with hyperordonated spatial structure, called the “hypothetical secondary brain”.

One-step method for obtaining potassium sulfate and processing of lye

Method of obtaining potassium sulfate with basic substance content higher 92 % shown. Process conditions: 110 % KCl (10 % excess substance from stoichiometry), mixing at temperature higher 95 °C during 30 min, mixing at temperature 0 °C for 1 hour, stirrer speed 500 rpm, sludge washing 15 % water from wet sludge weight, drying the washed sludge at 70–80 °C during 1 hour. The degree of evaporation of the solution at which the double salt of potassium and ammonium sulfate precipitated was determined. The degree is 30 % at the evaporated suspension cooled, and is 45 % at hot filtration.

Lipophagy: A New Perspective of Natural Products in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment.

Autophagy has been reported to involve in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which protects the insulin target tissues and pancreatic β-cells. However, autophagy is inhibited when the cells are lipid overload. That, in turn, increases the accumulation of fat. Lipotoxicity caused by excessive lipid accumulation contributes to pathogenesis of T2DM. Therefore, it is undeniable to break the vicious circles between lipid excess and autophagy deficiency. Lipophagy, a selective form of autophagy, is characterized by selective breakdown of lipid droplets (LDs). The nutritional status of cells contributes to the way of autophagy (selective or non-selective), while selective autophagy helps to accurately remove excess substances. It seems that lipophagy could be an effective means to decrease abnormal lipid accumulation that leads to insulin resistance and β-cell impairment by removing ectopic LDs. Based on this process, many natural compounds have been reported to decrease lipid accumulation in tissues through autophagy-lysosomal pathway, which gradually highlights the significance of lipophagy. In this review, we focus on the mechanisms that lipophagy improves T2DM and natural products that are applied to induce lipophagy. It is also suggested that natural herbs with rich contents of natural products inducing lipophagy would be potential candidates for alleviating T2DM.

Coronavirus lockdown: Excessive alcohol consumption and illicit substance use in DUI subjects

Objective This study investigates the consequences of the SarS-CoV-2 outbreak and of the resulting control measures on alcohol and illicit substance use in a high-risk population for substance-related disorders, utilizing an integrated medico-legal and toxicological approach. Methods The research was structured as a retrospective case-control study of subjects found to be driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or other psychoactive substances who were examined for driver’s license regranting. Alcohol and/or drug use was assessed by comparing cases examined in the period from May to August 2020 (immediately after the lockdown in Italy) to control subjects examined in the same period in 2019. DUI subjects were examined by an integrated approach, descriptive analyses were conducted, and significance was determined by chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. Variables linked to the pandemic outbreak and resulting lockdown were investigated as predictive factors in determining unfitness to drive. Results Cases (281) were significantly different from controls (261) concerning the judgment of unfitness to drive (p<.001) and had more subjects with chronic excessive alcohol use and/or illicit substance use. The two groups were rather homogeneous concerning the other variables, except for a difference in blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at the time of DUI (p = .027). No statistical association was found between the investigated variables linked to the lockdown and the judgment of unfitness to drive. Conclusions Chronic excessive alcohol consumption and illicit substance use were more frequently observed in cases, which suggests a possible correlation between the pandemic/lockdown restrictions and an increase in psychoactive substance misuse. While these potentially correlative factors are discussed in this article, they require further study. If confirmed, the results should be considered in forensic and clinical settings.