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After a chemical fire, an investigation assessed health effects by using syndromic surveillance to monitor emergency department (ED) visits, a general health survey to assess the general public, and a first responders health survey to assess first responders. A total of four separate multivariable logistic regression models were developed to examine associations between reported exposure to smoke, dust, debris, or odor with any reported symptom in the general public. Syndromic surveillance identified areas with increased ED visits. Among general health survey respondents, 45.1% (911 out of 2,020) reported at least one symptom. Respondents reporting exposure to smoke, dust, debris, or odor had 4.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) [3.7, 5.5]), 4.6 (95% CI [3.6, 5.8]), 2.0 (95% CI [1.7, 2.5]), or 5.8 (95% CI [4.7, 7.3]) times the odds of reporting any symptom compared with respondents not reporting exposure to smoke, dust, debris, or odor, respectively. First responders commonly reported contact with material and being within 1 mi of the fire [greater than or equal to] 5 hr; 10 out of 31 of first responders reported at least one symptom. There was high symptom burden reported after the fire. Results from our investigation might assist the directing of public health resources to effectively address immediate community needs and prepare for future incidents., Introduction On the morning of June 14, 2021, a fire ignited and spread rapidly through an industrial chemical facility owned by the largest industrial grease manufacturer in the U.S. and [...]

The aim of this study was to explore the associations between temperamental reactivity and regulation and the emergence of anxiety traits in a longitudinal sample of infants enriched for later ASD. Parents of 143 infants who were at high- and low-risk for ASD rated their child's temperament traits when they were 9, 15 and 24 months old; they rated anxiety and ASD traits when they were 36 months old. The findings suggest that behavioural inhibition may be an early predictor of later anxiety in children with and without ASD and that lower levels of effortful control in children who later develop ASD may contribute to the higher expression of anxiety within this population., Author(s): Mutluhan Ersoy [sup.1] , Tony Charman [sup.1] , Greg Pasco [sup.1] , Ewan Carr [sup.2] , Mark H. Johnson [sup.3] [sup.4] , Emily J. H. Jones [sup.3] , Anna [...]

Shared difficulties with cognitive control may play a role in co-occurring mental health problems frequently observed in autistic children. We investigated how different cognitive control processes (inhibitory control, conflict resolution, cognitive flexibility) associated with traits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety in 7-year-old children at elevated (n = 44) and typical (n = 37) familial likelihood for ASD. Poor inhibitory control was associated with higher ADHD traits. Better inhibitory control and poorer cognitive flexibility predicted higher anxiety traits. Cognitive control processes were not associated dimensionally with autistic traits, though better conflict resolution predicted greater likelihood of meeting diagnostic criteria for ASD in categorical analysis. These findings suggest that different cognitive control alterations are associated with ASD, ADHD and anxiety., Author(s): Priscilla B. G. Godoy [sup.1] , Elizabeth Shephard [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.5] , Bosiljka Milosavljevic [sup.2] [sup.3] [sup.6] , Mark H. Johnson [sup.3] [sup.4] , Tony Charman [sup.2] , Simon [...]

Parents participating in a prospective longitudinal study of infants with older siblings with autism completed an autism screening questionnaire and were asked about any concerns relating to their child's development, and children were administered an interactive assessment conducted by a researcher at 14 months. Scores on the parent questionnaire were highest for children later diagnosed with autism. Parental concerns and scores from the examiner-led assessment distinguished children with later developmental difficulties (both autism and other developmental atypicalities) from those who were developing typically. Children about whom parents expressed concern scored higher on both the questionnaire and the interactive assessment than those without concerns. There were no significant associations between total or individual item scores from the questionnaire and interactive assessment., Author(s): Greg Pasco [sup.1] , Kim Davies [sup.2] , Helena Ribeiro [sup.2] , Leslie Tucker [sup.2] , Carrie Allison [sup.3] , Simon Baron-Cohen [sup.3] , Mark H. Johnson [sup.2] [sup.4] [...]

We investigated infant's manual motor behaviour; specifically behaviours crossing the body midline. Infants at elevated likelihood of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) produced fewer manual behaviours that cross the midline compared to infants with a typical likelihood of developing these disorders; however this effect was limited to 10-month-olds and not apparent at age 5 and 14 months. Although, midline crossing did not predict ASD traits, it was related to ADHD traits at 2 years of age. We rule out motor ability and hand dominance as possible explanations for this pattern of behaviour, positing that these results may be a consequence of multisensory integration abilities, and the neurobehavioural shift period, in the first year of life., Author(s): Jannath Begum Ali [sup.1] , Tony Charman [sup.2] , Mark H. Johnson [sup.1] [sup.3] , Emily J. H. Jones [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.88379.3d, 0000 0001 2324 0507, Centre [...]

Cognitive and adaptive behaviour abilities early in life provide important clinical prognostic information. We examined stability of such skills in children at high familial risk for ASD who either met diagnostic criteria for ASD at age 7 years (HR-ASD, n = 15) or did not (HR-non-ASD, n = 24) and low-risk control children (LR, n = 37), prospectively studied from infancy. For both HR groups, cognitive skills were consistently lower across time than those of LR children. HR-ASD children showed increasing difficulties in adaptive behaviour over time compared to LR children, while the HR-non-ASD children showed no such difficulties. This pattern of change may inform our understanding of developmental profiles of HR siblings beyond core ASD symptoms., Author(s): Erica Salomone [sup.1] [sup.2] , Elizabeth Shephard [sup.2] , Bosiljka Milosavljevic [sup.2] , Mark H. Johnson [sup.3] [sup.4] , Tony Charman [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 2336 6580, [...]

Anxiety and threat bias were examined in 6-8-year-old children at familial-risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and low-risk (LR, n = 37) controls. The high-risk (HR) group was divided into those who met diagnostic criteria for ASD (HR-ASD, n = 15) and those who did not (HR-non ASD, n = 24). The HR-ASD group had highest levels of parent-reported anxiety. The HR-non ASD group exhibited increased threat bias on a spatial-cueing task, while the HR-ASD group did not. Anxiety symptoms were associated with both threat bias and ASD severity. These findings suggest that the mechanisms underlying anxiety in HR siblings without ASD are similar to those in non-ASD populations. However, among children with ASD, hypersensitivity to threat may not underlie anxiety symptoms., Author(s): Bosiljka Milosavljevic [sup.1] , Elizabeth Shephard [sup.2] , Francesca G. Happé [sup.2] , Mark H. Johnson [sup.3] , Tony Charman [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Psychology, Institute of [...]

Links between brain function measures and quality of parent-child interactions within the early developmental period have been investigated in typical and atypical development. We examined such links in a group of 104 infants with and without a family history for autism in the first year of life. Our findings suggest robust associations between event related potential responses to eye gaze and observed parent-infant interaction measures. In both groups, infants with more positive affect exhibit stronger differentiation to gaze stimuli. This association was observed with the earlier P100 waveform component in the control group but with the later P400 component in infants at-risk. These exploratory findings are critical in paving the way for a better understanding of how infant laboratory measures may relate to overt behavior and how both can be combined in the context of predicting risk or clinical diagnosis in toddlerhood. Keywords Infant * Autism * Interaction * EEG * Familial risk * Prospective study, Introduction In recent years, several studies on autism have investigated possible early behavioural markers of the disorder. As yet, a behavioural diagnosis is rarely made before the child reaches the [...]

The EEG reflects the activation of large populations of neurons that act in synchrony and propagate to the scalp surface. This activity reflects both the brain's background electrical activity and when the brain is being challenged by a task. Despite strong theoretical and methodological arguments for the use of EEG in understanding the neural correlates of autism, the practice of collecting, processing and evaluating EEG data is complex. Scientists should take into consideration both the nature of development in autism given the life-long, pervasive course of the disorder and the disability of altered or atypical social, communicative, and motor behaviors, all of which require accommodations to traditional EEG environments and paradigms. This paper presents guidelines for the recording, analyzing, and interpreting of EEG data with participants with autism. The goal is to articulate a set of scientific standards as well as methodological considerations that will increase the general field's understanding of EEG methods, provide support for collaborative projects, and contribute to the evaluation of results and conclusions. Keywords EEG * Electrophysiology * ERP * Event-related potentials * MEG * Magnetoencephalography * Autism * ASD * Guidelines, Scalp electrophysiological recordings are a non-invasive method of recording the brain's electrical activity. The methodology can be used across the lifespan (birth to old age) and with participants who have [...]

Many preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) present relative lack of receptive advantage over concurrent expressive language. Such profile emergence was investigated longitudinally in 54 infants at high-risk (HR) for ASD and 50 low-risk controls, with three language measures taken across four visits (around 7, 14, 24, 38 months). HR infants presented three outcome subgroups: ASD, other atypicality, and typical development. Reduced receptive vocabulary advantage was observed in HR infants by 14 months, but was maintained to 24 months only in ASD/other atypicality outcome subgroups while typically-developing HR infants regained a more normative profile. Few group differences appeared on a direct assessment of language and parent-reported functional communication. Processes of early development toward ASD outcome and in intermediate phenotypes are discussed. Keywords Autism spectrum disorder * Broader autism phenotype * High-risk siblings * Receptive language * Expressive language * Language profiles, Introduction Substantive language heterogeneity presents within autism spectrum disorders (ASD). While much remains to be understood regarding language processes in these conditions (see Boucher 2012, for a recent review), a [...]

Theory and evidence suggest the potential value of prodromal intervention for infants at risk of developing autism. We report an initial case series (n = 8) of a parent-mediated, video-aided and interaction-focused intervention with infant siblings of autistic probands, beginning at 8-10 months of age. We outline the theory and evidence base behind this model and present data on feasibility, acceptability and measures ranging from parent-infant social interaction, to infant atypical behaviors, attention and cognition. The intervention proves to be both feasible and acceptable to families. Measurement across domains was successful and on larger samples promise to be an effective test of whether such an intervention in infancy will modify emergent atypical developmental trajectories in infants at risk for autism. Keywords Autism * Intervention * Prodromal * Infancy * Parent-child interaction, Introduction Recent theoretical models of the early emergence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have proposed that infant intrinsic risk susceptibilities in brain functioning or behaviour may be amplified by interaction [...]

The current study investigated early temperament in 54 infants at familial high-risk of ASD and 50 controls. Parental report of temperament was assessed around 7, 14 and 24 months of age and diagnostic assessment was conducted at 3 years. The high-risk group showed reduced Surgency at 7 and 14 months and reduced Effortful Control at 14 and 24 months, compared to controls. High-risk infants later diagnosed with ASD were distinguished from controls by a temperament profile marked by increased Perceptual Sensitivity from the first year of life, and increased Negative Affect and reduced Cuddliness in the second year of life. Temperament may be an important construct for understanding the early infant development of ASD. Keywords Autism spectrum disorder * Broader autism phenotype * High-risk siblings * Temperament, Introduction ASDs are neurodevelopmental disorders resulting from genetic and other organic etiological factors which affect brain development very early in life (Levy et al. 2009). While symptoms emerge during infancy, [...]

Whilst joint attention (JA) impairments in autism have been widely studied, little is known about the early development of gaze following, a precursor to establishing JA. We employed eye-tracking to record gaze following longitudinally in infants with and without a family history of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 7 and 13 months. No group difference was found between at-risk and low-risk infants in gaze following behaviour at either age. However, despite following gaze successfully at 13 months, at-risk infants with later emerging socio-communication difficulties (both those with ASD and atypical development at 36 months of age) allocated less attention to the congruent object compared to typically developing at-risk siblings and low-risk controls. The findings suggest that the subtle emergence of difficulties in JA in infancy may be related to ASD and other atypical outcomes. Keywords Autism * At-risk siblings * Broader autism phenotype * Joint attention * Gaze following, Introduction In typical development sensitivity to another's gaze appears to be present from birth. Neonates show a preference for faces with eyes open (Batki et al. 2000) and fixate for [...]

The current study investigated whether contrasting face recognition abilities in autism and Williams syndrome could be explained by different spatial frequency biases over developmental time. Typically-developing children and groups with Williams syndrome and autism were asked to recognise faces in which low, middle and high spatial frequency bands were masked. All three groups demonstrated a gradual specialisation toward the mid-band. However, while the use of high spatial frequencies decreased in control and autism groups over development, the Williams syndrome group did not display a bias toward this band at any point. These data demonstrate that typical outcomes can be achieved through atypical developmental processes, and confirm the importance of cross-syndrome studies in the investigation of developmental disorders. Keywords Face recognition * Spatial frequency * Development * Autism * Williams syndrome, Autism and Williams syndrome (WS) are two genetically-based neuro-developmental disorders that display contrasting social phenotypes (Bailey et al. 1995; Osborne 2006). While autism is defined by reduced and atypical social [...]

Objective: Given that most effective alcohol harm-reduction laws specify the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) that constitutes illegal behavior (e.g., the .08% breath alcohol concentration legal limit), interventions that allow drinkers to accurately estimate their BACs, and thus better assess their risk, have potential importance to long-term driving-under-the-influence prevention efforts. This study describes a field experiment designed to test the impact on drinking of providing 'Know Your Limit' (KYL) BAC estimation cards to individuals in a natural drinking environment. Method: We randomly sampled 1,215 U.S. residents as they entered Mexico for a night of drinking, interviewed them, and randomly assigned them to one of six experimental conditions. Participants were reinterviewed and breath-tested when they returned to the United States. The experimental conditions included providing generic warnings about drinking and driving, giving out gender-specific BAC calculator cards (KYL cards), and providing incentives to moderate their drinking. Results: Cueing participants about the risks of drunk driving resulted in significantly lower BACs (relative to control) for participants who indicated that they would drive home. Providing KYL matrixes did not reduce BACs, and, in fact, some evidence suggests that KYL cards undermined the effect of the warning. Conclusions: KYL information does not appear to be an effective tool for reducing drinking and driving. Implications for prevention and future research are discussed. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 72, 79-85,2011), ALCOHOL-RELATED DRIVING FATALITIES remain a serious public health problem. Alcohol-impaired driving accidents accounted for 32% of all traffic fatalities, representing more than 11,500 deaths in 2008 (National Highway Traffic Safety [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.12.006 Byline: Lucy E. Napper (a), Dennis G. Fisher (a), Mark E. Johnson (b), Michele M. Wood (c) Keywords: Amphetamine; Reliability; Validity; Self-report Abstract: Relatively few studies have addressed the psychometric properties of self-report measures of amphetamine use. This study examines the reliability and validity of the Risk Behavior Assessment's (RBA) lifetime and recent amphetamine-use questions. To evaluate validity, 4027 out-of-treatment primarily cocaine and heroin users provided urine samples that were compared to self-report data; to evaluate reliability, 218 completed the RBA at two time points, 48h apart. In the overall sample, self-reports demonstrated moderately high validity, with a 95% accuracy rate (kappa=.54). When analysis was restricted to recent amphetamine users validity was slightly lower (71.5% accuracy; kappa=.41). Test-retest data indicated good reliability for self-reports of ever having used amphetamine (kappa=.79), and amphetamine use in the past 30days (.75< r Author Affiliation: (a) Center for Behavioral Research and Services, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90813, USA (b) Behavioral Health Research and Services, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA (c) Health Science Department, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92831, USA

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01312.x Byline: Sarah Lloyd-Fox (1), Anna Blasi (2), Agnes Volein (3), Nick Everdell (4), Claire E. Elwell (4), Mark H. Johnson (5) Abstract: The capacity to engage and communicate in a social world is one of the defining characteristics of the human species. While the network of regions that compose the social brain have been the subject of extensive research in adults, there are limited techniques available for monitoring young infants. This study used near infrared spectroscopy to investigate functional activation in the social brain network of 36 five-month-old infants. We measured the hemodynamic responses to visually presented stimuli in the temporal lobes. A significant increase in oxyhemoglobin was localized to 2 posterior temporal sites bilaterally, indicating that these areas are involved in the social brain network in young infants. Author Affiliation: (1)University of London (2)University College London (3)University of London (4)University College London (5)University of London Article note: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sarah Lloyd-Fox, Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic mail may be sent to s.fox@bbk.ac.uk.

Objective: The prevalence of drug and alcohol use among patrons of clubs featuring electronic music dance events was determined by using biological assays at entrance and exit. Method: Using a portal methodology that randomly selects groups of patrons on arrival at clubs, oral assays for determining level and type of drug use and level of alcohol use were obtained anonymously. Patrons provided self-reported data on their personal characteristics. A total of 362 patrons were interviewed at entrance and provided oral assay data, and 277 provided data at both entrance and exit. Results: Overall, one quarter of all patrons surveyed at entrance were positive for some type of drug use. Based on our exit sample, one quarter of the sample was positive at exit. Individual drugs most prevalent at entrance or exit included cocaine, marijuana, and amphetamines/stimulants. Only the amphetamine/stimulant category increased significantly from entrance to exit. Drug-using patrons arrive at the club already using drugs; few patrons arrive with no drug use and leave with detectable levels of drug use. Clubs vary widely in drug-user prevalence at entrance and exit, suggesting that both events and club policies and practices may attract different types of patrons. Approximately one half of the total entrance sample arrived with detectable alcohol use, and nearly one fifth arrived with an estimated blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater. Based on our exit sample data, one third of patrons were intoxicated, and slightly less than one fifth were using both drugs and alcohol at exit. Clubs attract a wide array of emerging adults, with both genders and all ethnicities well represented. Clubs also attract emerging adults who are not in college and who are working full time. Conclusions: At clubs featuring electronic music dance events, drug use and/or high levels of alcohol use were detected using biological assays from patrons at entrance and exit from the clubs. Thus, these clubs present a potentially important location for prevention strategies designed to reduce the risks associated with drug and alcohol use for young people. Combined substance use may prove particularly important for prevention efforts designed to increase safety at clubs. Personal characteristics do not identify drug users, suggesting that environmental strategies for club safety may offer more promise for promoting health and safety., IN THE CLUB SETTING, a popular form of entertainment for emerging adults (i.e., 18- to 25-year-olds) features electronic music and dance events (EMDEs). EMDEs share some similarities with rave events, [...]

ABSTRACT We examine the epidemiology of victimization among females crossing the U.S. border to drink in Tijuana, Mexico, with the purpose of creating a framework for an intervention to improve [...]

Objective: We examined the effect of providing drinkers with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) information on subjective assessments of alcohol impairment and drunk-driving risk. Method: We sampled 959 drinking participants from a natural drinking environment and asked them to self-administer a personal saliva-based alcohol test. Participants then were asked to rate their alcohol impairment and to indicate whether they could drive legally under one of four BAC feedback conditions (assigned at random): (1) control condition (no BAC feedback provided before the ratings); (2) categorical BAC information (low, high, and highest risk) from the saliva test; (3) categorical BAC information corroborated by a calibrated police breath alcohol analyzer; and (4) precise (three-digit) BAC information from the breath alcohol analyzer. Results: Both control participants and participants who received precise BAC feedback gave subjective impairment ratings that correlated with actual BACs. For participants who received categorical BAC information from the saliva test, subjective impairment did not correlate with the actual BAC. Providing drinkers with BAC information, however, did help them predict more accurately if their BAC was higher than the legal BAC driving limit. Conclusions: Although BAC information can influence drinkers' assessments of alcohol impairment and drunk-driving risk, there is no strong evidence that personal saliva-based alcohol tests are particularly useful. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 69: 539-549, 2008), WIDMARK'S (1932) PIONEERING WORK on quantifying the level of alcohol in blood allowed illegal impaired driving to be defined in terms of blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Since that time, however, [...]

Objective: Seasonality in alcohol consumption has implications for epidemiology and prevention. In this research we examined seasonal, temporal, and contextual variation in drinking among college students at a large West Coast university. Method: We used a field survey (across a 3-year period) to collect anonymous breath alcohol concentrations from students sampled randomly as they walked on and near the campus on weekend nights. Results: After controlling for student demographics, we found that the breath alcohol concentration samples we collected during the spring and winter were significantly higher than those collected during the fall. Subsequent analyses indicated that this difference could be attributed to fewer students drinking in the fall rather than to students consuming smaller quantities of alcohol. Conclusions: Seasonal trends in college student drinking mirror seasonal trends demonstrated in the general population. This research may help guide future intervention or prevention efforts. (J Stud. Alcohol Drugs 69: 323-331, 2008), UNDERSTANDING SEASONAL, temporal, and contextual variations in risky drinking behavior may have important implications for epidemiology and prevention. This may be particularly true for college populations relative to the working [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.12.007 Byline: Mark E. Johnson (a), Christiane Brems (a), Michael E. Mills (b), Dennis G. Fisher (c) Keywords: Psychopathology; Dual diagnosis; Comorbidity; Alcohol detoxification; Alcoholism Abstract: The coexistence of psychiatric symptomatology among individuals receiving longer-term treatment for alcohol use disorders has been well-established; however, less is known about comorbidity among individuals receiving alcohol detoxification. Using the Brief Symptom Inventory [BSI; Derogatis, L. R. (1992). BSI: Administration, scoring, and procedures manual -- II. Towson, MD: Clinical Psychometric Research], we compared psychiatric symptomatology among 815 individuals receiving short-term detoxification services with normative data from non-patients, psychiatric patients, and out-of-treatment individuals using street drugs. Findings revealed that individuals in the current sample reported a wide range of psychiatric symptoms with over 80% meeting BSI criteria for diagnosable mental illness. These BSI scores were significantly more severe than those reported by out-of-treatment individuals using street drugs and most closely resembled BSI scores reported for adult psychiatric inpatients. Findings suggest that routine screening for severe mental health symptoms appears warranted in detoxification units. Such screening would greatly increase the chance that coexistence of substance use and other psychiatric disorders would be properly addressed in ongoing treatment. Author Affiliation: (a) Behavioral Health Research and Services, University of Alaska Anchorage, United States (b) Department of Psychology, Loyola Marymount University, United States (c) Center for Behavioral Research and Services, California State University, Long Beach, United States

We conducted two studies to assess the test-retest reliability of drug treatment questions in the Risk Behavior Assessment (RBA) and Risk Behavior Follow-Up Assessment (RBFA). In Study 1, 218 active drug users participated in an RBA 48-hour test-retest reliability assessment; in Study 2, 257 active drug users participated in an RBFA 48-hour test-retest reliability assessment. Results revealed acceptable reliability for the main drug treatment question in both the RBA (.85) and RBFA (.85): 'Have you ever in your lifetime been in a drug treatment or detoxification center?' Other more specific drug treatment questions yielded mixed results. Twenty-four of the 35 RBA and RBFA treatment variables (68.6%) that could be calculated displayed acceptable test-retest reliability coefficients. Test-retest reliability coefficients for the RBFA continuous variables could not be calculated owing to a lack of participants in drug treatment during the previous 6 months. Future research establishing greater delineation of this problem may aid in the construction of assessment instruments. Keywords: Drug treatment; Self-report; Test-retest reliability; Risk Behavior Assessment

Abstract Restricting alcohol consumption on campus is a measure often used by college administrators to prevent alcohol abuse and-alcohol-related problems. The effect of dry campus policies on alcohol consumption and [...]

Young people consume alcohol almost exclusively in social contexts, but natural drinking group dynamics are poorly understood. Our research focuses on the drivers' role within natural drinking groups. We conducted breath-test surveys of existing groups of young people at the US/Mexico border crossing before they headed to Tijuana bars, and surveyed them again upon their return. Results indicated an individual's perception of other group member's drinking plans predicts drinking intentions to a greater degree for passengers than drivers. Additionally, drivers who anticipated heavy drinking among other group members returned to the United States with BACs nearly identical to drivers who reported that other group members would not drink at all. This suggests drivers were resistant to normative pressures to drink. Evidence that group-dynamic variables may impact drinking behavior underscores the importance of systematic exploration of natural drinking groups. Furthermore, the knowledge gleaned from studying the dynamics and decision making processes of natural drinking groups could be used to design intervention designed to increase designated driver use and to reduce drinking among designated drivers. Keywords: Drunk driving, designated driver, alcohol abuse, group drinking, It is widely acknowledged that young people do most of their drinking within groups of peers (1-3). Although some research has been conducted on groups of drinkers through observation (4-8), [...]

ObJectives: Explored the relationship between different types of care providers' willingness to suggest alternative and complementary treatments (CAM), patients' requests for CAM, and provider perceptions about CAM as barriers to effective healthcare. Design: Large survey. Setting: Alaska and New Mexico. Main measures: Survey responses from 1528 physical and behavioral healthcare providers. Results: Over 97% of providers suggested CAM; over 97% reported patients asked for CAM. Providers were more likely to suggest CAM than perceived CAM as a barrier to care. Healthcare providers who were female, from small rural areas, or specializing in behavioral healthcare were more likely to suggest CAM and less likely to perceive CAM as a barrier. Patients of physical healthcare providers asked for CAM more often than patients of behavioral healthcare providers, yet physical care providers suggested CAM less frequently. Conclusions: Healthcare providers of all disciplines, regions, and gender are sensitive to patients' desire for CAM and do not perceive CAM as a barrier to care. KEYWORDS CAM; Alternative therapies; Complementary treatment; Rurality; Barriers to care; CAT

Objective: Designated drivers are a popular strategy for avoiding drunk driving. However, studies have demonstrated that the strategy is often implemented poorly, resulting in diminished risk-reduction effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of six interventions designed to reduce alcohol consumption among designated drivers. Method: A total of 376 groups consisting of 1,412 pedestrians (57.8% men) were recruited as they crossed into Tijuana, Mexico, from San Diego, CA. Before crossing into Mexico, each group was assigned at random to one of six experimental conditions or to one control condition. The six interventions were designed to (1) cue the use of designated drivers, (2) change attitudes about designated drivers, (3) provide monetary rewards for driver sobriety, and (4) increase group supportive norms for proper designated driver use. Participant breath alcohol concentrations (BrACs) were collected before entering Mexico and on return to the United States. Results: Using group members to deliver pro-designated driver messages significantly decreased driver and passenger BrACs relative to controls. Male drivers were more likely to return from Mexico with BrACs of zero if they were rewarded. Among female drivers, wearing a bracelet with the printed words 'designated driver' in addition to cuing resulted in 9 of 10 drivers returning with BrACs equal to zero. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that designated driver sobriety can be enhanced through brief interventions, and proper use of the designated driver concept did not increase the risk of excessive alcohol consumption for passengers., IN THE UNITED STATES, CHANGES in public policy, increased law enforcement, responsible-server training, media attention, and education have reduced alcohol-impaired driving and alcohol-related traffic fatalities (Shults et al., 2001; Wechsler [...]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of concurrent antibiotic administration on the disposition of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and mycophenolic acid glucuronide (MPAG) after oral administration of [...]

According to data collected from women and adolescents, a strong link exists between childhood abuse history and substance abuse. Using a sample of 274 women and 556 men receiving detoxification services, we explored whether the same pattern emerged across genders and types of abuse. Results revealed 20% of men and more than 50% of women reported childhood physical or sexual abuse. Sexual or physical abuse had negative sequelae, regardless of gender. Individuals with abuse history reported earlier age of onset of drinking, more problems associated with use of alcohol/drugs, more severe psychopathology, and more lifetime arrests, arrests related to substance use, and arrests related to mental health. Prevention and proactive intervention activities are crucial to prevent negative sequelae of childhood victimization. Key Words: Child abuse; Substance use; Substance misuse; Physical abuse; Sexual abuse; Addiction., INTRODUCTION The relationship between childhood abuse and adulthood substance misuse has been documented worldwide, including in the United States (1-4), China (5), Great Britain (6), and Germany (7). This research [...]

Byline: John D. Clapp (1), James Lange (2), Jon Wong Min (1), Audrey Shillington (1), Mark Johnson (3), Robert Voas (3) Keywords: heavy drinking; college students; environmental factors Abstract: Two sequential studies are presented that examine the validity of a set of environmental variables to predict heavy drinking at college students' most recent drinking occasions. Random telephone interviews (n = 1609, n = 400) of graduate and undergraduate students attending two large public universities in the southwestern United States were conducted during three separate surveys in 2000 and 2001. An original interview schedule was used and it included measures that examined environmental characteristics of students' most recent drinking events, motivations for drinking, demographics, and alcohol consumption. Using nonparametric exploratory and confirmatory discriminant analyses to distinguish between heavy episodic and nonheavy episodic drinking events, a discriminant function was identified that included the following environmental variables: (1) having many people intoxicated at an event, (2) having illicit drugs available at an event, (3) BYOB events and, (4) the playing of drinking games at the event. The validity of these environmental variables to predict heavy drinking among students was supported in a subsequent study examining a separate sample from the same student population. Environmental factors can be useful to predict heavy drinking events experienced by students. Prevention programs would benefit from targeting such factors in combination with more traditional individual-level approaches. Author Affiliation: (1) School of Social Work, San Diego State University, San Diego, California (2) Student Health Services and Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California (3) Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, Maryland Article History: Registration Date: 28/09/2004

Objective: At a Marine Corps base near the Mexican border, off-base alcohol-related incidents increased when serving alcohol to personnel under age 21 on the base was no longer permitted. The bars across the Mexican border, where the legal drinking age is 18, are an important source of alcohol for the Marine enlisted men. To reduce cross-border drinking, the base command instituted a 'chit' system requiring enlisted men to receive written permission to cross the border. This study evaluates the effectiveness of that policy. Method: Breath test surveys of American youths returning from Tijuana to San Diego County provided counts and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of marines returning from a night of drinking in Mexico before and after the 'chit' policy. Comparison counts and breath tests for Navy personnel from a San Diego base not affected by the 'chit' policy were available for the same time periods. Results: The number of underage marines returning from Mexican bars was reduced by 78%, and of those the number with illegal (≥ .08%) BACs was reduced by 84%. There was no significant change for the comparison group of sailors. Conclusions: It appears that the 'chit' policy was highly effective at least for the 6-month post-period covered by this study. This apparent success influenced the implementation of the 'chit' policy on all naval facilities in the San Diego area. (J. Stud. Alcohol 63: 645-648, 2002), DESPITE THE ADOPTION of age-21 minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws in all 50 states (O'Malley and Wagenaar, 1991; Toomey et al., 1996), U.S. military bases abroad generally serve alcohol [...]

This study identified comorbidity (coexistence of substance abuse and mental health diagnoses) rates and characteristics among 104 clients in a substance abuse treatment setting. To identify commonly collected intake variables that can be used for early identification of drug users with coexisting mental health concerns, participants completed a demographics questionnaire, brief symptom inventory, behavior and symptom identification scale (BASIS-32), and a drug and alcohol assessment. Results revealed a comorbidity rate of 45% and significant relationships between comorbidity and the following variables: absence of prior treatment, greater rates of unemployment, poorer physical health, poorer functioning in a variety of areas, greater symptom severity regarding drug use, poorer mental health, and greater rates of homelessness. Of these, the first four variables were the most powerful predictors of comorbidity. It can be concluded that unemployment without looking for work, difficulties relating to self and others, not having received prior outpatient treatment, and having poorer physical health can signal the possible presence of coexisting mental health problems. Implications for early detection and subsequent treatment planning are discussed. Key Words: Comorbidity; Dual diagnosis; Mental health; Assessment; Mental illness, RECOGNIZING COMORBIDITY AMONG DRUG USERS IN TREATMENT The co-occurrence of substance use and other psychiatric disorders has been labeled in a variety of ways, including comorbidity, dual diagnosis, and 'mentally [...]

Objective: Determine the effect of a partial sales ban on cross border drinking in Mexico. Method: On weekend evenings, thousands of youths (younger than 21 years) and young adults (21 to 25 years) residing in communities along the U.S. border cross over into Mexico to patronize all-night bars where the drinking age is 18 rather than 21 years and where the price of alcohol is considerably less than in the United States. On January 1, 1999, Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas, implemented a 2 AM bar closing policy replacing the previous 5 AM closing time. Breath alcohol tests of pedestrians at the Juarez/El Paso border before and after the policy change were compared with a similar sample of pedestrians at the Tijuana, Mexico/San Diego, California border. Results: At the Juarez/El Paso border, the total number of youths with positive BACs returning from Juarez after 3 AM when the bars were closed was reduced 89%, whereas the number returning between midnight and 3 AM remained unchanged. There was no change in either period at the Tijuana/San Diego comparison site. Conclusions: Early closing of the bars in Juarez reduced the number of youths returning after 3 AM to the United States with positive BACs., ON A TYPICAL WEEKEND EVENING, up to 5,000 youths (younger than 21 years) and young adults (younger than 25 years) cross from San Diego, California, into Tijuana, Mexico, to drink, [...]

Abstract This study was undertaken to assess the impact of three months of targeted nutritional therapy for migraine on health-related quality of life. The study is also intended to lend [...]