The association between childhood adversity and the conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA) in sexual minority men.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACES) increase risk for mental and physical health disorders in adulthood, particularly in individuals from sexual and ethnic minority groups. The effects of ACES on health may be mediated by the immune system. The exact mechanisms by which an environmental exposure, such as childhood adversity, can affect the immune system are still unknown.

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on language, speech and communication outcomes: a review longitudinal studies.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to provide a systematic review and update on the available longitudinal studies on the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on language, speech and communication development, as well as associated potential environmental confounders during the preschool period.

Methods: A literature search was restricted to English, full-text, peer-reviewed, longitudinal studies in from 1970 until present: PUBMed, Scopus, Web of Science {C-e Collection, Biological Abstracts, KCI-Kean Journal Database, Russian Science Citation Index, SciELO Citation Index, Zoological Rec-d}, Academic Search Premier (Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO. Keywords included: prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE); speech or language or communication outcomes; neurocognitive or neurodevelopment or neurobehavioral or neurobehavioural; infant or baby or toddler or preschooler; longitudinal or follow-up.

Psychoactive substances: Position statement on harm reduction.

Psychoactive substances are subject to several international and national conventions and laws that have emphasised the importance of the 'war on drugs' and supply reduction. At the same time, it is increasingly clear that evidence-based, balanced policies are needed, which address the important differences between alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other psychoactive substances or drugs. The Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act 70 of 2008 speaks to the National Drug Master Plan, which emphasises a range of strategies for addressing the excessive use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other psychoactive substances.

International prescribing practices in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Objectives: To assess rates of psychotropic medication use in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in seven different countries on five continents and to compare these with international treatment guidelines.

Methods: Researchers in the field of OCD were invited to contribute summary statistics on the characteristics of their patients with OCD and on their incidence of psychotropic use. Consistency of summary statistics across countries was evaluated.

Position statement on cannabis.

There is an ongoing national debate around cannabis policy. This brief position statement by the Executive Committee of the Central Drug Authorityoutlines some of the factors that have contributed to this debate, delineates reduction strategies, summarises the harms and benefits ofmarijuana, and provides recommendations. These recommendations emphasise an integrated and evidence-based approach, the need forresources to implement harm reduction strategies against continued and chronic use of alcohol and cannabis, and the potential value of afocus on decriminalisation rather than the legalisation of cannabis.

Neuroimaging effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the developing human brain: a magnetic resonance imaging review.

Objective: This paper reviews the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) literature on the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the developing human brain.

Method: A literature search was conducted through the following databases: PubMed, PsycINFO and Google Scholar. Combinations of the following search terms and keywords were used to identify relevant studies: 'alcohol', 'fetal alcohol spectrum disorders', 'fetal alcohol syndrome', 'FAS', 'FASD', 'MRI', 'DTI', 'MRS', 'neuroimaging', 'children' and 'infants'.

Revenge and forgiveness in the New South Africa.

Insofar as South Africa underwent a rapid transformation from apartheid to democracy, it may provide a unique laboratory for investigating aspects of revenge and forgiveness. Here we suggest that observations and data from South Africa are partially consistent with the hypotheses generated by MCullough and colleagues. At the same time, the rich range of revenge and forgiveness phenomena in real-life settings is likely to require explanatory concepts other than specialized modules and their computational outputs.

Tourette's syndrome, trichotillomania, and obsessive-compulsive disorder: how closely are they related?

The question of whether Tourette's syndrome (TS) and trichotillomania (TTM) are best conceptualized as obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders was raised by family studies demonstrating a close relationship between TS and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and by psychopharmacological research indicating that both TTM and OCD respond more robustly to clomipramine than to desipramine. A range of studies have subsequently allowed comparison of the phenomenology, psychobiology, and management of TS and TTM, with that of OCD. Here we briefly review this literature.