Tobacco, heated tobacco products, e-cigarette, alcohol, cannabis and other psychotropic substances. Polysubstance use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

Objective: Psychoactive substance use is largely found to involve multiple substances. In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed psychoactive substance use patterns. Aim of this study is to investigate profiles of polysubstance and their pattern during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Changes in Alcohol Consumption During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic From 2020 to 2023 in a Prospective Cohort of Italian Adults.

Background: The lockdowns imposed by the government during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have had a significant impact on the Italian population habits.

Methods: LOckdown and lifeSTyles in Italy and in Tuscany studies collected data on a representative sample of the Italian adult population in 2020 (n = 6,003) followed up through 2023 via four additional surveys (3,000 ≤ n ≤ 6,600) through an online self-administered questionnaire. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise was used to identify at-risk drinkers.

Changes in the use of nicotine-containing products during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in a representative sample of the Italian adult population.

Introduction: To assess nicotine-containing products (NCPs; heated tobacco products and/or electronic cigarettes) use in relation to conventional smoking.

Methods: "LOST IN ITALY" ("LOckdown and Lifestyles IN ITALY") and "LOST IN TOSCANA" cross-sectional surveys estimated lifestyles changes before, during, and after the lockdown in a representative sample of the Italian population. A Poisson regression model was used to estimate prevalence ratios of NCP use according to socio-demographic, mental distress, and smoking variables.

ViolHelp: results of a pilot study to identify potential warning signs and risk factors for self- and hetero-directed violence in the calls received by the Helplines of the Italian National Institute of Health.

Background: Self- and hetero-directed violence (SHDV) is a serious public health problem and a complex phenomenon, influenced by individual and environmental factors. SHDV may occur particularly in moments of personal, economic and/or social crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ISS-Helplines operators have perceived an increase in psychological distress and self-isolation among callers.

The Italian National Institute of Health helpline to quit tobacco and nicotine dependence: 20 years of activity.

Introduction: Tobacco use is one of the world's leading preventable causes of death and is a major preventable risk factor of non-communicable diseases. Although smokers are aware of the health risks, their attempts to quit often fail, primarily due to the strong nicotine and/or tobacco dependence. Antismoking helplines have become an integral part of tobacco control efforts in many countries.

Smoking intensity changes during the COVID-19 pandemic waves in a cohort of smokers in Italy.

Introduction: COVID-19 lockdown in Italy resulted in increased smoking consumption, mainly associated with mental distress. This study aims to update previous findings investigating changes in smoking intensity during the whole COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This analysis was carried out within the "LOST IN ITALY" ("LOckdown and lifeSTyle IN ITALY") and "LOST IN TOSCANA" studies on 880 smokers with information collected during main pandemic peaks.

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on gambling habit: A cross-sectional study from Italy.

Background And Aims: Few preliminary studies have shown an impact of COVID-19 confinement on gambling habits. We aim to evaluate short-term effects of lockdown restrictions on gambling behaviors in Italy.

Methods: Within the project Lost in Italy, a web-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of 6,003 Italians aged 18-74 years, enrolled during April 27-May 3 2020, and were asked to report gambling activity before the lockdown and at the time of interview.

An Item Response Theory-Based Scoring of the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised Adolescents.

The South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised Adolescent (SOGS-RA) is one of the most widely used screening tools for problem gambling among adolescents. In this study, item response theory was used for computing measures of problem gambling severity that took into account how much information the endorsed items provided about the presence of problem gambling. A zero-inflated mixture two-parameter logistic model was estimated on the responses of 4,404 adolescents to the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised Adolescent to compute the difficulty and discrimination of each item, and the problem gambling severity level (θ score) of each respondent.

Stimulant substance use and gambling behaviour in adolescents. Gambling and stimulant use.

Gambling is widely recognized as an important public health problem. Despite the rising use of stimulant substances among adolescents, there are still very few studies focusing on whether adolescents' use of stimulants is associated with their gambling behaviour. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between gambling habits and consumption of stimulants such as coffee, energy drinks, and new psychoactive substances in a sample of Italian adolescents.

Pathways connecting socioeconomic variables, substance abuse and gambling behaviour: a cross-sectional study on a sample of Italian high-school students.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to elucidate the pathway of associations linking gambling, alcohol intake, smoking habit, cannabis consumption between each other and with demographic and socioeconomic variables.

Setting And Participants: A survey was conducted in 2017 on a representative sample of 15 602 Italian 14-year-olds to 17-year-olds attending 201 secondary schools.

Outcome Measures: Structural Equation Models analysis was used to assess the pathway between gambling, alcohol intake, smoking, cannabis consumption, demographics and socioeconomic factors.

Improvement of hair testing for Ethylglucuronide by supported liquid extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

To improve the reproducibility, suitability and speed of hair testing for Ethylglucuronide (EtG), an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated together with a supported liquid extraction (SLE) EtG from the keratin matrix. EtG was analyzed using reversed phase chromatography with gradient elution and detection with tandem mass spectrometry operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode via negative electrospray ionization (ESI). The method showed good linearity from limit of quantification (LOQ) to 100 pg/mg hair (r 0.

Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Assay for Determination of Endogenous GHB and GHB-Glucuronide in Nails.

: The short chain fatty acid gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a precursor, and the metabolite of gamma-aminobutyric acid is commonly used as an illegal recreational drug of abuse. : An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for endogenous GHB and its glucuronide in nails, to complement hair in forensic contexts for a retrospective detection of psychotropic drugs consumption. : GHB endogenous values for children and adolescents, adult females, and adult males in fingernails ranged from 0.

Determination of different recreational drugs in sweat by headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME GC/MS): Application to drugged drivers.

A procedure based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been developed for the determination of most commonly used drugs of abuse in sweat of drivers stopped during roadside controls. DrugWipe 5A sweat screening device was used to collect sweat by a specific pad rubbed gently over forehead skin surface. The procedure involved an acid hydrolysis, a HS-SPME extraction for drugs of abuse but Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, which was directly extracted in alkaline medium HS-SPME conditions, a GC separation of analytes by a capillary column and MS detection by electron impact ionisation.

Gender disparity in addiction: an Italian epidemiological sketch.

Introduction: Gender disparity in different fields of addiction such as tobacco smoking, alcohol use, drugs of abuse consumption and doping practice has been investigated in Italian population.

Methods: We used the surveys and studies carried out for the above reported issues in recent years as revised by the "National Observatory on Tobacco smoke, Drugs of abuse, Alcohol and Doping" at Istituto Superiore di Sanità.

Results: Concerning tobacco habit, the trend of smoking women has been in constant decrease from a 19.

Emerging trends in consuming behaviours for non-controlled substances by Italian urban youth: a cross sectional study.

Introduction: We investigated emerging trends in consuming behaviours for non-controlled substances in a cross sectional study on urban Italian adolescents and young adults, the reasons for consumption and risk perception as function of age, the relation with lifestyles and finally risk factors associated.

Methods: The survey methodology involved the administration of an anonymous questionnaire. It consisted of 68 questions, divided into five sections: personal details, socioeconomic characteristics, family and peer group, free time and lifestyles, and substances use.

Segmental hair analysis to assess effectiveness of single-session motivational intervention to stop ethanol use during pregnancy.

Background: This study aimed to test the effectiveness of single-session motivational intervention to stop ethanol use during pregnancy using segmental hair analysis of ethyl glucuronide to objectively verify drinking behavior before and after intervention.

Methods: 168 pregnant women attending Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Spain) for antenatal visit were included in the study and randomly assigned to one of two conditions: single-session motivational intervention (MI; N=83) or single-session educational control condition (ECC; N=85). Ethyl glucuronide was measured in maternal hair divided into three segments of 3 cm each corresponding to the three different gestation trimesters by a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method.

Pediatric exposure to drugs of abuse by hair testing: monitoring 15 years of evolution in Spain.

Hair testing is a useful tool to investigate the prevalence of unsuspected chronic exposure to drugs of abuse in pediatric populations and it has been applied to three different cohorts of children from Barcelona, Spain along fifteen years to evaluate eventual changes in this exposure. Children were recruited from three independent studies performed at Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Spain) and approved by the local Ethics Committee. Hair samples were collected from the first 187 children cohort (around 4 years of age) in 1998, from the second 90 children cohort (1.

The NASOROSSO (Rednose) project: an Italian study on alcohol consumption in recreational places.

The Nasorosso project of the Italian Youth Department and the National Institute of Health, aimed to raise awareness about drinking and driving under the influence of alcohol among club goers with a series of initiatives. Within the framework of the project, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was measured on 106,406 individuals before and after clubbing in 66 different recreational sites from 11 Italian provinces, over 16 months. Participating individuals were interviewed regarding sociodemographic and environmental characteristics and alcohol intoxicated people were offered to be taken home.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for hair analysis of atomoxetine and its metabolites: Application in clinical practice.

Atomoxetine (ATX) is a potent inhibitor of the noradrenaline reuptake transporter approved since 2002 for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, adolescents, and adults as alternative treatment to methylphenidate. A procedure based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of ATX and its main metabolites (4-hydroxyatomoxetine - 4 hydroxyATX - and N-desmethylatomoxetine - des-methylATX) in hair of one treated child and five treated adolescents. Since hair samples can be easily collected without the need for specials skills and exposing a patient to discomfort, hair testing of ATX and eventually of its metabolites should be useful, especially in case of pediatric patients, to check compliance in a wider time-window.

Hair and urine testing to assess drugs of abuse consumption in couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART).

For the first time in Europe hair and urine testing have been applied to assess drugs of abuse consumption in couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology and the eventual association of toxic habits with other lifestyle, health status and sociodemographic factors was also investigated. Couples attending five assisted reproduction centers in Rome were invited to join the study. When they presented at the Centre for the visit, they were asked to answer a structured questionnaire concerning sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle habits, and at the same time to provide hair and urine samples.