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Monitoring the prevalence of problematic cannabis use is an important public health issue. International surveys need invariant measurement tools to allow reliable comparisons across countries and between sexes. The Cannabis abuse screening test (CAST) has been developed for this purpose. This study is the first assessing its country and sex invariance in a sample of European pupils. The data come from the self-administered questionnaires completed in 2019 by pupils aged 15-16 in the European school survey project (Espad). The analytical sample was restricted to the 17 countries where at least 300 pupils reported a previous-year cannabis use (n = 8740); multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess the configural, metric and scalar invariance of the CAST toward country and sex in the 2019 Espad release. Configural, metric and scalar invariance toward country hold for the 17 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Italia, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Scalar invariance toward sex was met in the 17 countries as a whole and in 11 of the 12 countries where the test could be run. Scalar invariance toward country was met with 6 additional countries comprising at least 250 respondents: Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands and Norway. The CAST is a suitable test for comparing the measurement of problematic cannabis use amongst adolescents in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: Psychometric and screening properties of the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) were investigated using DSM-IV diagnoses of cannabis dependence (CD) and cannabis use disorders (CUD) as external criteria. Performance of the binary and the full version of the CAST were compared. Methods: The sample consisted of 2566 French adolescents aged 17 who reported cannabis use 12 months prior to the survey. The Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) was used as a gold standard for DSM-IV diagnoses. Internal consistency (Cronbach''s α), construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, correlation of CAST scores with related variables), and criterion validity (Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses) were assessed. Results: Both CAST versions were unidimensional and Cronbach''s α was 0.748 for the binary and 0.775 for the full version. High and comparable AUC values indicate a good ability of both test versions to discriminate between individuals with and without a clinical diagnosis. Based on balanced sensitivity and specificity, the optimal cut-off scores for CD and CUD were 2 for the binary and 3 or 4 for the full version. While both versions largely overestimated CD prevalence, CUD prevalence was slightly underestimated. Conclusions: The binary and the full version of the CAST are equally useful for screening for cannabis-related disorders. Both clinical and research applications of the scale are possible. The CAST may be used for estimating CUD prevalence rather than CD prevalence. The ultimate choice of the cut-off depends on the purpose of the specific study using the CAST. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two genes (PRKAG3 and CAST) were screened for genotype incidence and their effect on green ham traits in pigs suitable for dry-cured ham production from three commercial crosses (in three countries France, Slovenia and Spain). Hams were genotyped for PRKAG3 Ile199Val, CAST Lys249Arg and CAST Ser638Arg polymorphisms and the traits of interest (green ham weight and fat thickness, pH in M. semimembranosus (SM), M. gluteus medius (GM) colour) were measured. The genotype frequencies as well as the effect of the studied genes varied according to the country, which used different genetic crosses and selection criteria for dry-cured ham processes. Regarding the association with traits of interest, we observed a significant effect of PRKAG3 Ile199Val polymorphism on green ham weight and colour grade in the French cross, on green ham fat thickness, colour grade and GM Minolta L⁎ and a⁎ values in the Slovenian cross, and on SM pH in the Spanish cross. The CAST Lys249Arg polymorphism affected green ham weight in Slovenian cross, whereas CAST Ser638Arg affected green ham colour grade in French cross. No effect of CAST polymorphisms on the traits of interest was found in Spanish cross. According to our results, PRKAG3 gene seems to be more influential on green ham traits important for dry ham production than CAST gene. However the results were different for each country, indicating possible interaction with other genetic or environmental factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Although the use of cannabis among young people has become a major public health concern, there is no such test in France for general population surveys. Objective: This article aims to present a short screening test for cannabis abuse among adolescents and young adults in general population surveys, the CAST (Cannabis Abuse Screening Test) designed at the French Monitoring Center for Drug and Drug addictions (OFDT). Methods: The survey was conducted in France among 1728 scholars aged 14-22, in secondary schools, high schools, and university. After presenting internal consistency and factorial structure, the authors compared the CAST with the part of the POSIT (Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers) dealing with alcohol and drug abuse among cannabis users in order to validate the optimal thresholds of the CAST for the high risk of abuse defined for the POSIT. Results: The CAST appears to be unidimensional and have high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha equals 0.81). Among cannabis users whoa are low alcohol consumers, CAST presents very high sensitivity and specificity compared with the POSIT (respectively, 93 and 81%). Conclusions: The CAST seems to be an efficient tool in order to screen for cannabis use disorders among adolescents and young adults. Further research is needed to confirm this result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]