Centre for Mental Health and Safety, Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Published: September 2021
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Background And Aim: The prevalence of tobacco smoking among individuals receiving treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) remains high. Respiratory disease and other harms are of prime concern to health policy-makers, given the contributory role played by tobacco smoking in the excess rates of premature mortality seen in individuals with SUD. The aim was to use SUD treatment data to investigate tobacco smoking prevalence among subgroups of adults over the course of treatment.
Methods: We used the English National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) to examine number of days tobacco had been smoked in the previous month in adults receiving SUD treatment (N = 106,472, median length of treatment 157 days).
Results: At baseline (treatment start), 48.7% reported smoking tobacco; the highest rate was observed in opiate users (61%). Overall, the level of smoking at the latest assessment was 48.5%. Reductions (of between 5 and 7%) were observed among those who finished treatment but only within the final stages of treatment. A 5% increase in smoking was observed in those still in treatment within the study timeframe.
Conclusions: This study identifies the potential for a greater emphasis on reducing tobacco consumption within SUD treatment, for example, by offering all smokers within SUD treatment smoking cessation support as part of their SUD treatment programme.
Introduction: There has been increasing recognition of unethical practices occurring in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, such as patient brokering and deceptive marketing. We conducted a qualitative study with key informants to characterize state actions that have been undertaken to target unethical practices and the context surrounding state-level actions, including barriers and facilitators to their implementation.
Methods: We recruited key informants at the state-level, as well as those from national organizations engaged in improving SUD treatment quality, who could provide perspectives on the scope of unethical practices in the field and ways in which states have sought to prevent unethical practices and improve the quality of SUD treatment.
Substance use disorder (SUD) is increasing among primary Spanish-speaking populations, and treatment use is disproportionately low. Patient-provider Spanish language concordance is associated with SUD treatment initiation and better outcomes. Recent geographic shifts within primary Spanish-speaking populations are important considerations in identifying gaps in SUD service delivery in Spanish.
Objective: Ensuring uniformity of forensic medical expertise in cases related to the improper provision of medical care; reducing the load on public forensic expert institutions by reducing the number of repeated examinations; raising the authority of forensic medical expertise service via introducing a unified approach to assessing the presence and nature of cause and effect relationship.
Material And Methods: The authors provide expert and court practice examples to show fundamental differences in forensic medical assessment of causal relations of improper provision of medical care with an adverse outcome. A focus is given to the court's assessment of expert opinions in a criminal process.
Macroautophagy, a universal cellular process, sends cellular material to lysosomes for breakdown and is often activated by stressors like hypoxia or drug exposure. It is vital for protein balance, neurotransmitter release, synaptic function, and neuron survival. The role of macroautophagy in substance use disorders is dual.
