Toluene, found in glues and cleaners, is among the inhalants most commonly abused by workers and young drug addicts. In this study, we examined the changes in sleep patterns and monoamine content induced by chronic toluene exposure. Rats were chronically exposed to toluene vapors beginning at 30 days of age for a duration of 30 days. Experiment I was performed in a control group (n=10) and a ch...

OBJECTIVE This study aimed at describing the prevalence of illicit drug use among 9th grade students in the morning period of public and private schools in Brazil, and assessing associated factors. METHOD The Brazilian survey PeNSE (National Adolescent School-based Health Survey) 2012 evaluated a representative sample of 9th grade students in the morning period, in Brazil and its five regions...

The most common definition of a street child or youth is “any girl or boy who has not reached adulthood, for whom the street has become her or his habitual abode and/or sources of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible adults” (Inter-NGO, 1985). UNICEF defines street children as, “those who are of the street and on the street.” “Children of the stre...

Researchers have established that rates of alcohol and illicit drug use among American Indians/Alaska Natives vary by tribe, gender, and age group, making it difficult to get an accurate estimate of the actual extent of the problem of substance abuse within this population group. Although percentage rates of alcohol consumption are higher in non-Hispanic Whites, American Indians/Alaska Natives ...

In 2011, a cluster of peripartum patients were admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Seoul with signs and symptoms of severe respiratory distress of unknown etiology. Subsequent epidemiological and animal studies suggested that humidifier disinfectant (HD) might represent the source of this pathology. Epidemiological studies, animal studies, and dose-response analysis de...

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether juvenile sexual offenders use substances and engage in substance related criminality or if other forms of criminality (e.g. sexual or nonsexual crime) are associated with substance use. Three related quantitative articles were written to execute this project. The first article explored the prevalence of substance use and related crime among s...

INTRODUCTION Many studies indicate the high prevalence of juvenile substance abuse. There is increasingly more dual diagnosis and mental illnesses in adolescents and many juvenile offenses are related to drug abuse. METHOD This is a descriptive study about the relationship between drug abuse and clinical, demographic and criminal characteristics in a sample of 144 youths seen in the Therapeut...

OBJECTIVES To examine all-cause and cause-specific mortality over a 15-year follow-up period in relation to at-baseline reported lifetime use of illegal drugs from five classes (marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and inhalants) among adults in the United States (US) household population. METHODS The study involved 20,983 sample adults who responded to the 1991 National Health Intervie...

Background: Paint thinner is a highly toxic chemical solvent, that when inhaled has many psychoactive properties. Chronic abuse of inhalants in humans leads to pronounced neurobiological and neuropsychological impairments; however, limited studies have demonstrated the cytotoxic effects of exposure to organic solvents in its complex mixture form. Objectives: Neuronal cells could be affected by ...

Sir, A changing trend is being seen in schools of getting a health check up done and getting a cardiac clearance done by the physician for the children opting for competitive sports to avoid any mishap leading to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Sudden cardiac death is defined as an instant unexpected death which occurs in one hour of onset of symptoms most commonly due to tachyarrhythmias. Sudden c...