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Substance use is a common contributing factor to emergency department (ED) presentations. While screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for alcohol and tobacco is common in ED settings, it is not routinely conducted for illicit substances. This study aimed to deploy the ASSIST-Lite to screen for risky use of alcohol and other drugs in the ED, to identify differences in risk based on between demographic characteristics.All ED attenders, aged 18 years or older, deemed well enough to participate were approached. Recruitment occurred at the Royal Adelaide Hospital ED between May and June 2017. Participants were asked to self-complete the ASSIST-Lite in the ED waiting room. Overall, 632 people were approached, of which 479 (75.8%) agreed to participate.Alcohol (72.2%), tobacco (27.1%) and cannabis (15.2%) were most commonly reported. Eighty-nine participants reported moderate- or high-risk use of two substances, and a further 49 individuals reported moderate- or high-risk use of three or more substances. Across most substances, age, gender and employment status was associated with risky substance use, with higher likelihood of risk reported by males, unemployed and younger participants. Unemployment was also significantly associated with increased risk severity for both moderate and high-risk illicit use.The rate of risky illicit and polysubstance use found here highlight the need more focused research in ED settings. The findings also provide support for more routine screening, and early intervention approaches; and suggest the need for active referral pathways through an alcohol and other drug consultation liaison service.

The field of ancient DNA is taxonomically dominated by studies focusing on mammals. This taxonomic bias limits our understanding of endogenous DNA preservation for vertebrate taxa with different bone physiology, such as teleost fish. In contrast to most mammalian bone, teleost bone is typically brittle, porous, lightweight and is characterized by a lack of bone remodeling during growth. Using high-throughput shotgun sequencing, we here investigate the preservation of DNA in a range of different bone elements from over 200 archaeological Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) specimens from 38 sites in northern Europe, dating up to 8000 years before present. We observe that the majority of archaeological sites (79%) yield endogenous DNA, with 40% of sites providing samples that contain high levels (> 20%). Library preparation success and levels of endogenous DNA depend mainly on excavation site and pre-extraction laboratory treatment. The use of pre-extraction treatments lowers the rate of library success, although — if successful — the fraction of endogenous DNA can be improved by several orders of magnitude. This trade-off between library preparation success and levels of endogenous DNA allows for alternative extraction strategies depending on the requirements of down-stream analyses and research questions. Finally, we find that — in contrast to mammalian bones — different fish bone elements yield similar levels of endogenous DNA. Our results highlight the overall suitability of archaeological fish bone as a source for ancient DNA and provide novel evidence for a possible role of bone remodeling in the preservation of endogenous DNA across different classes of vertebrates.

Approximately 29.5 million people, or 0.6% of the global adult population, have a drug use disorder (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Drug Report (ISBN: 978–92–1-148291-1, eISBN: 978–92–1-060623-3, United Nations publication, Sales No. E.17.XI.6), 2017). People who use illicit drugs often do not disclose their drug use due to the illegality and stigma associated with that use. The opportunistic nature of brief interventions for illicit drug use makes therapeutic engagement critical to effectiveness. In many settings time will be limited so that brief interventions also need to be efficient.

Measurement comparisons of ancient and modern carp push back the initial stages of aquaculture to 6000 bc, raising the possibility that rice paddy and fish co-culture systems are much older than previously thought. This research suggests carp were later independently domesticated twice, once in Europe and once in Asia.

Background: Alcohol use is a common phenomenon within Australian culture. While there has been significant focus on alcohol use among young Australians, there has been little on health promotion or early interventions focussing on older Australians. Methods: This paper presents the findings of an explorative study that used four interactive focus group workshops to ask the question: Is an existing World Health Organisation alcohol and drug screening tool called the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (originally developed for young people) acceptable and suitable for older people? The data were analysed based on the question using thematic coding. Results: Participants generally considered that they would be more comfortable talking with their health providers about their alcohol and drug use rather than filling out the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test themselves. This suggests that the tool should be modified to accommodate the differences in health status that reflect life events of the different older age groups. Conclusion: Due to potential complex medical and diverse range of pharmacotherapies common among this age group, it is recommended that, if the tool is used, it be administered by health practitioners such as nurses.

Archaeological fish bones reveal increases in marine fish utilisation in Northern and Western Europe beginning in the 10th and 11th centuries AD. We use stable isotope signatures from 300 archaeological cod (Gadus morhua) bones to determine whether this sea fishing revolution resulted from increased local fishing or the introduction of preserved fish transported from distant waters such as Arctic Norway, Iceland and/or the Northern Isles of Scotland (Orkney and Shetland). Results from 12 settlements in England and Flanders (Belgium) indicate that catches were initially local. Between the 9th and 12th centuries most bones represented fish from the southern North Sea. Conversely, by the 13th to 14th centuries demand was increasingly met through long distance transport - signalling the onset of the globalisation of commercial fisheries and suggesting that cities such as London quickly outgrew the capacity of local fish supplies. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This paper explores the potential of stable isotope analysis to identify the approximate region of catch of cod by analysing bones from medieval settlements in northern and western Europe. It measures the δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of cod bone collagen from medieval control samples collected from sites around Arctic Norway, the North Sea, the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea. These data were considered likely to differ by region due to, for example, variation in the length of the food chain, water temperature and salinity. We find that geographical structuring is indeed evident, making it possible to identify bones from cod caught in distant waters. These results provide a new methodology for studying the growth of long-range trade in dried cod and the related expansion of fishing effort—important aspects of the development of commercialisation in medieval Europe. As a first test of the method, we analyse three collections of cod bones tentatively interpreted as imported dried fish based on a priori zooarchaeological criteria. The results tentatively suggest that cod were being transported or traded over very long distances since the end of the first millennium AD.

Addictions are brain disorders that affect neural pathways that subsume reward, motivation, and memory. Only a small proportion of people who initiate substance use will go on to become addicted (dependent) and there is a continuum of use and associated risks between abstinence and dependence. Screening and brief intervention present the opportunity to identify and intervene in risky substance use. Early intervention, prior to the development of neurological changes, can prevent the development of dependence and encourage reductions in risky behaviors. People identified by screening as being at substantial risk of dependence can be encouraged to enter more structured treatment for their substance use. The ASSIST-Lite screening test offers an approach to screening and brief intervention that is quick and suitable for use in generalist health settings, where it is likely that drug use might be detected prior to the development of dependence.

This article presents the York System, a database used for recording animal bones. It is based on the recording protocol used at the Department of Archaeology, University of York, and incorporates that used at the former Environmental Archaeology Unit. The York System has been designed in Access 2000 and includes the commonly identified British mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian species. Emphasis has been placed on database flexibility, within a framework of inter-analyst comparability. The system can be used by experienced zooarchaeologists, while an integrated help file has been included to guide students through the recording process. This article presents the recording protocol behind the database as well as a background to the database design process. A web-based demonstration is provided that replicates the actions of the database, while copies of the database and associated help files are provided for downloading.