Comparing the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and Measurements in the Addictions for Triage and Evaluation (MATE).

Substance use disorder (SUD) assessment and measurement in Brazil, as well as in many other countries, face significant shortcomings. The Measurement in the Addictions for Triage and Evaluation (MATE) was developed as a public domain tool, drawing from validated scales and incorporating World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework. The Brazilian version of the MATE (MATE-pt-BR) was evaluated for its reliability and validity, with a total of 239 subjects participating in the study, and data collected between 11/01/2021 and 09/01/2022. The majority were male (79.2%), with diverse racial backgrounds. The substances most prevalently used in the last 30 days were. Alcohol (73.2%), nicotine (63.6%), and cocaine (44.2%). The mean scores for MATE modules showed variations, with Module Q2 assessing psychological well-being having high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92). MATE-pt-BR demonstrated robust internal consistency, with Module 6 (personality) and Module 2 (medical and psychiatric consultation indicators) being exceptions. MATE-pt-BR exhibited significant correlations among its sections and strong discriminant validity. Moreover, the paper compares MATE-pt-BR with the Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6), which is considered the gold-standard measure for SUD assessments. MATE-pt-BR offers a valuable tool for assessing substance use and related functional impairments in the Brazilian context.

Tobacco growing and tobacco use.

Tobacco use is associated with an annual global economic cost of two trillion dollars and mortality of half of its regular users. Tobacco leaf cultivation is the starting point of the tobacco cycle. Tobacco farming employs millions of small-scale tobacco farmers around the globe, most of whom are out growers who rely on the tobacco industry. This paper aims to map the regions of greatest tobacco production globally (i.e., the US, Brazil, China, Indonesia, India, and Zambia) and tobacco use rates in these locations. Smoking rates were higher in those areas, except for India, where important population subgroups reported an upward trend for tobacco smoking. In general, there was a relationship between tobacco farming and tobacco smoking. Tobacco farming may lead to a higher risk of tobacco use and lower adherence to tobacco control policies. Therefore, promoting viable alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers must have dual benefits. Additionally, specific health prevention policies might be necessary for those populations reporting higher tobacco use and lower perception of tobacco-related health risks.

A Novel Quantitative Pain Assessment Instrument That Provides Means of Comparing Patient's Pain Magnitude With a Measurement of Their Pain Tolerance.

BACKGROUND: Traditional pain assessment instruments are subjective in nature. They are limited to subjective reporting of the presence and magnitude of pain. There is no means of validating their response or assessing their pain tolerance. The objective of this study was to determine the potential value of a novel addition to the traditional physical examination concerning a patient's pain and more importantly their pain tolerance. METHODS: Extensive preliminary data were collected on 359 consecutive private practice knee patients referable the subject's pain, including the magnitude, the most pain ever experienced, and their opinion of personal pain tolerance. The novel evaluation included physical testing of a series of small ball drops through a vertical tube from various fixed levels on the index finger and patella. The patient's response to this impact testing provided quantitative information, from which a comparison was made to their pain opinion and also to that of other patients with similar demographics. RESULTS: Nine percent of the patients rated their pain tolerance below the midpoint on the visual analog scale. Seventy-one percent thought they were above the midpoint on the scale in regards to pain tolerance. There were discrepancies in both directions between the subject's opinion on pain tolerance and their rating of their pain experience to the ball drop testing. Twenty-eight percent of the entire patient group rated themselves above 5 on tolerance, but experienced above the average discomfort compared to other subjects reporting on the finger impact testing. CONCLUSIONS: This report introduces a novel method for collecting data concerning pain that can be subjected to quantification. The database included quantitative measures providing the opportunity to confirm, validate or refute the patient's assertions concerning pain magnitude and tolerance. This method is best described as a patient pain profile. It has the potential to give both the patient and the physician quantified objective information rendering insight not otherwise available.

Electrodermal lability as an indicator for subjective sleepiness during total sleep deprivation.

The present study addresses the suitability of electrodermal lability as an indicator of individual vulnerability to the effects of total sleep deprivation. During two complete circadian cycles, the effects of 48h of total sleep deprivation on physiological measures (electrodermal activity and body temperature), subjective sleepiness (measured by visual analogue scale and tiredness symptom scale) and task performance (reaction time and errors in a go/no go task) were investigated. Analyses of variance with repeated measures revealed substantial decreases of the number of skin conductance responses, body temperature, and increases for subjective sleepiness, reaction time and error rates. For all changes, strong circadian oscillations could be observed as well. The electrodermal more labile subgroup reported higher subjective sleepiness compared with electrodermal more stable participants, but showed no differences in the time courses of body temperature and task performance. Therefore, electrodermal lability seems to be a specific indicator for the changes in subjective sleepiness due to total sleep deprivation and circadian oscillations, but not a suitable indicator for vulnerability to the effects of sleep deprivation per se.