Search

Background: Khat (Catha edulis) is a plant commonly found in the horn of Africa whose leaves are chewed for their psycho-stimulant effects. Several studies have demonstrated the association between khat use and mental health problems. Nevertheless, evidence is mixed and inconsistent, warranting further review of available studies. This scoping review is aimed at investigating the content and quality of evidence base on the associations between khat use and mental health disorders and suggesting avenues for further research. Methods: We used a scoping review methodology to map the existing evidence using PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, and CINAHL databases. Primary studies focusing on the association between any pattern of khat use and any form of mental health disorders are included. The review focused on all age groups, any study design, all geographical locations, and any publication year. The terms used for searching eligible studies include khat, mental disorders, and various alternative terminologies. Narrative review is employed to present findings. Results: 7,121 articles were found, of which 108 were eligible, conducted across 12 different countries. The majority of the studies was done during the last ten years and the studies mostly employed cross-sectional design. About 10 different categories of mental health disorders have been identified as showing associations with khat use. Despite many contradictory findings between the studies, most of the evidence base suggests that khat use is associated with mental health disorders. Non-specific psychological distress is the most frequently mentioned mental health problem (reported in 26.9% of the studies). Khat use as a predictor variable is mostly assessed using a ‘yes/no’ category, and as a result, dose-dependent effects of khat use on mental health are not given much consideration. Conclusion: Although most of the studies associate khat use with mental health disorders, the causal relationships are inconclusive given the cross-sectional design of the studies, and the presence of potential confounders and several forms of biases. Available studies also report contradictory findings. Further studies are recommended using prospective designs, standardized and valid measures of khat use, and focusing on specific types of mental health disorders.

In many European countries, one or more general population surveys have been carried out to get an impression of the characteristics of illicit drug use at national level. Despite valuable efforts to standardise national drug surveys among the general populations in European Member States and to enhance cross-national comparability, national drug surveys still use different instruments, reporting formats and methodologies. To facilitate the comparison of survey practices in EU countries and to provide a tool for everyone planning, organising or executing a survey about drug use among the general population, a meta-analysis of 25 population surveys on drug use in Europe was carried out, including intrinsic and methodological discussions and a description of financial sources, timetables and accessibility of the fieldwork and data documentation. The analysis presented here is part of a larger feasibility study of a repetitive drug survey among the general population in Belgium.

Research into the horizontal complexity of drug markets does not only suggest there are different types of drug markets, but also indicates that within these drug markets a wide variety of dealers or suppliers operate. The concept ‘social supply’ was developed in the 2000s to capture these ‘other’ forms of supply. ‘Socail supply’ refers to a supply that is ‘non-commercial’ and happens between ‘non-strangers’. This study aims to contribute to the theoretical debate on the conceptualisation of ‘social supply’. It thereby also aims to explore why social supply is described as social by young recreational cannabis users and their suppliers. During a computer-assisted interview, 50 young recreational cannabis users drew their personal network maps. Based on the results, a two-dimenstional conceptualisation of (social) supply is put forward. This definition shows the continued relevance of theories on group processes. Aside from these groups processes, an explanation for this particular way of defining appears to include a proces of normifciation.

In recent years, hedge fund activists have played a transformative role in the corporate governance of European listed firms by launching campaigns and demanding operational, strategic and governance changes. Originally an American phenomenon, hedge fund activism has been comparatively under-researched from the perspective of European law and the goal of this doctoral project is to fill this gap in European scholarship by analyzing how hedge fund activism plays out in the European shareholder-centric system of corporate governance (in comparison with the U.S. board-centric corporate governance system). It makes four important contributions. First, it shows how EU insider trading rules can affect pre-disclosure investor communications and hedge funds’ wolf-pack formation. Second, it elaborates on the restrictive effect of British, German and Italian takeover laws on the collective submission of shareholder-sponsored director slates. Third, it provides empirical evidence of recent settlements reached between activist hedge funds and European public firms, and fourth, it analyses the discharge of activist directors’ fiduciary duties when serving on British, German, French and Dutch corporate boards.

Nico Gunzburg: leven en werk

Op 31 januari 2011 nam de vereniging Oudstudenten Criminologie Universiteit Gent (OSCRUG) een doorstart en ging ze op in de nieuw gevormde vzw Crimilumni, Vereniging van Oudstudenten Criminologie Gent. Hiermee brak een nieuwe periode aan in de rijke geschiedenis van de alumniverenging van studenten Criminologie van de Universiteit Gent. In deze bijdrage schetsen we deze geschiedenis.