The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in conjunction with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), is issuing this Health Advisory to notify public health professionals, clinicians, laboratorians, and people at risk for overdose about increasing reports from U.S. jurisdictions detecting medetomidine in the illegal drug supply and a severe withdrawal syndrome due to medetomidine exposure. Medetomidine (also known as 'rhino tranq,' 'mede,' or 'dex') is not approved for human use but is approved for sedation and analgesia in dogs. Its dextro-isomer...

ABSTRACT: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), a plant native to Southeast Asia, has gained global popularity due to both its dose-dependent stimulant and sedative effects. This has raised concerns, particularly around adolescent use, as regular consumption can lead to dependence and withdrawal symptoms. In the Czech Republic, kratom is reportedly used alongside cannabis among adolescents. However, there is limited clinical data on the impact of kratom dependence within this demographic. This study aims to address this gap by exploring adolescent kratom use from the clinical and healthcare policy...

Previous studies have shown that when students perceive their parents set strict limits on underage drinking, they tend to consume less alcohol. However, the best ways to communicate these limits effectively remain unclear. To explore this, a recent study examined the potential impact of hypothetical text messages focused on drinking limits on students' estimated alcohol consumption.

The study involved 253 undergraduate students who participated in an online survey. They were asked to imagine a scenario where they planned to attend a night event that involved drinking. Each participant was...

INTRODUCTION:

This study aimed to (i) analyse the prevalence of gaming in young elementary school-aged children; (ii) assess the effect of gaming frequency on excessive screen use; and (iii) identify sociodemographic variables associated with frequent gaming.

METHODS:

A survey was conducted in April–June 2021 with parents of children attending grades 1–3 in randomly selected elementary schools in Czechia, Slovakia, and Finland. Parents (n = 1871) reported the daily screen time and the weekly gaming frequency of their children during a typical week and provided sociodemographic information.

The goal of the present handbook is to offer encouragement, examples, rationales and concrete advice on how to increase youth participation in substance use prevention, harnessing the insights of young people on the most important target group in prevention efforts: their peers. It is designed to enable all decision makers to capitalise on the power of youth participation, exploring the full potential of young people as a force for change. The guidance is aimed at leaders in charge of substance use prevention and health promotion efforts at the local, regional, national and international...

BACKGROUND: As a theoretical base we used Jessor’s concept of the Syndrome of Risk Behaviour in Adolescence, the self-concept, and the concept of body image.

AIM: The main aim of the contribution was research on the relations between the self-schema, specifically the physical proportions represented by BMI, and risk behaviour. The secondary aims were research on the relations between the self-schema, specifically the physical proportions represented by BMI, and sex and age.

METHOD: In the research we used the 46-item modified version of the Risk Behaviour Questionnaire (Čerešník, 2016).

SAM...

INTRODUCTION: Individuals who visit nightclubs and electronic dance music (EDM) festivals tend to use psychoactive substances, often multiple substances, in this setting and are at risk of serious negative health effects. This paper aims to explore respondents’ experiences and perceptions in order to have a better understanding of patterns and motives related to psychoactive substance use and high-risk behaviours in EDM event attendees.

METHODS: In-depth and focus group interviews with 30 EDM event attendees who reported psychoactive substance use at nightlife events. The data was analysed...

Background

Several reports have described a growing prevalence of illicit drug use in Afghanistan, with recognition of a recent shift from traditional modes of consumption involving inhalation and oral ingestion to injecting drug use.

Objective

Conduct a comprehensive review of existing literature to map the injecting drug use situation in Afghanistan. The review intends to describe risk factors and impacts of injecting drug use, drug use characteristics and risk behaviours among people who inject drugs (PWID), and access to harm reduction and treatment.

Methods

We searched Embase, Global...