Solvent Use and its Management - An Overview

Solvents, whose use is widely prevalent across the world, are one of the most common illicit drugs abused in Kerala, especially among the adolescents. However, few solvent users come in contact with the health care system due to their disenfranchisement and social isolation. This selective review outlines the current concepts and clinical management strategies related to solvent use and related disorders. No robust studies are currently available on treatment approaches, and all published treatment guidelines have been based on expert consensus. There are few case reports on use of baclofen, buspirone and lamotrigine in reducing craving and treating solvent dependence. Risperidone, haloperidol and carbamazepine are reported to be effective in the treatment of solvent induced psychosis. Recommended nonpharmacological approaches include cognitive, group, and behavior therapies. Many other aspects of solvent dependence, including course and outcome, have not been studied, despite the fact that use of solvents is associated with significant mortality, morbidity and psychosocial dysfunction. There is an urgent need for a concerted effort to develop effective evidence based interventions to tackle this issue

INFLUENCE OF SUBSTRATE SURFACE ROUGHNESS ON THE THERMAL EMISSIVITY OF TITANIUM CARBIDE COATINGS ON GRAPHITE

This study focused on the impact of substrates shape on the heat radiationcharacteristics of a coating made of titanium carbide, TiC, deposited over a graphite basis. The TiC coating emissivity increase by 29.65% at 1050 °C and by 37.45% at 1650 °C when graphite, substrate surface roughness, was decreased from 3.01 µm to 0.73 µm. Simultaneously, the TiC coating’s spectrum emissivity on the graphite substrate indicated the material’s clear characteristic heat radiation. These findings demonstrated that the coating and substrate interacted to determine the coating’s heat radiation properties. A simplified coating model created to consider how the shape of the substrate affects the coating’s ability to conduct heat. Ultimately, the rough form of the substrate led to a decrease in the coating’s heat radiation characteristics and an enhancement in energy loss at the interface

Astrovirus MLB1 Is Not Associated with Diarrhea in a Cohort of Indian Children

Astroviruses are a known cause of human diarrhea. Recently the highly divergent astrovirus MLB1 (MLB1) was identified in a stool sample from a patient with diarrhea. It has subsequently been detected in stool from individuals with and without diarrhea. To determine whether MLB1 is associated with diarrhea, we conducted a case control study of MLB1. In parallel, the prevalence of the classic human astroviruses (HAstVs) was also determined in the same case control cohort. 400 cases and 400 paired controls from a longitudinal birth cohort in Vellore, India were analyzed by RT-PCR. While HAstVs were associated with diarrhea (p = 0.029) in this cohort, MLB1 was not; 14 of the controls and 4 cases were positive for MLB1. Furthermore, MLB1 viral load did not differ significantly between the cases and controls. The role of MLB1 in human health still remains unknown and future studies are needed

Evidence-based Kernels: Fundamental Units of Behavioral Influence

This paper describes evidence-based kernels, fundamental units of behavioral influence that appear to underlie effective prevention and treatment for children, adults, and families. A kernel is a behavior–influence procedure shown through experimental analysis to affect a specific behavior and that is indivisible in the sense that removing any of its components would render it inert. Existing evidence shows that a variety of kernels can influence behavior in context, and some evidence suggests that frequent use or sufficient use of some kernels may produce longer lasting behavioral shifts. The analysis of kernels could contribute to an empirically based theory of behavioral influence, augment existing prevention or treatment efforts, facilitate the dissemination of effective prevention and treatment practices, clarify the active ingredients in existing interventions, and contribute to efficiently developing interventions that are more effective. Kernels involve one or more of the following mechanisms of behavior influence: reinforcement, altering antecedents, changing verbal relational responding, or changing physiological states directly. The paper describes 52 of these kernels, and details practical, theoretical, and research implications, including calling for a national database of kernels that influence human behavior

Tobacco Use Among College Students Across Various Disciplines in Kerala, India

Background: Tobacco use is a major public health concern in India. Its use in young people is linked to increased severity, longer duration, and reduced efforts to seek treatment for tobacco use. A significant proportion of young people are enrolled in colleges, and early prevention during this period has better effectiveness. There is preliminary evidence that prevalence may vary across courses even among students of the same sociocultural background. Hence, we compared the prevalence and correlates of tobacco use among college students enrolled in five common streams of collegiate education (medical, nursing, engineering, arts/science and others, law/fisheries) in Kerala, India. Methods: 5784 college students from 58 colleges (medical, nursing, engineering, arts, and law and fisheries) selected by cluster random sampling in the district of Ernakulum, Kerala, completed a self-administered questionnaire incorporating standardized instruments. R software was used for analyses. Lifetime prevalence and severity of tobacco use were determined. Sociodemographic variables of tobacco users and nonusers enrolled in various courses were compared using chi-square test and two-way ANOVA. Furthermore, for each course, factors influencing tobacco use were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the sample was 19.5 ± 1.9 years, with the majority being female (65.3%). Lifetime prevalence of tobacco use varied from 0.5% in nursing students, 4.2% in medical students, 8.2% in students of arts and science, 12.5% in engineering students, and 22.8% among other students (law/fisheries). Approximately two-thirds of all tobacco users across courses showed signs of nicotine dependence. Dependent users also showed variance with none in nursing, 2.6% among medicine, 1.6% among arts and science, 1.9% among engineering, and 6.3% among others. Male gender and alcohol use were consistently associated with tobacco use across courses, whereas other examined psychosocial correlates showed variance. Conclusions: To conclude, it appears that among college students, course-level characteristics may influence risk of tobacco use. This has public health importance as it suggests that interventions need to be tailored bearing this in mind. Future research needs to examine campus-level characteristics that may explain variance. </jats:sec