Depressive symptoms and factors associated with depression and suicidal behavior in substances user in treatment: Focus on suicidal behavior and psychological problems.

AIM: To investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms, psychological problems, suicidal behaviour and their associations in substance users in treatment. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, with 307 substance users in an out-patient treatment facility, was undertaken. Socio-demographic data, psychoactive substances used, depressive symptoms, and suicide information were obtained. RESULTS: 70% of participants were depressed; of those, 8.1% were either under the influence of drugs or in withdrawal. Suicidal ideation was found to be present in those who had anxiety, were nervous, had depressive symptoms, or were under drug influence or in withdrawal. CONCLUSION: It is important to identify potential suicidal risk factors and implement the management of these conditions in substance users.

The use of asymmetric distributions in average bioequivalence.

Generic drugs have been commercialized in numerous countries. Most of these countries approve the commercialization of a generic drug when there is evidence of bioequivalence between the generic drug and the reference drug. Generally, the pharmaceutical industry is responsible for the bioequivalence test under the supervision of a regulatory agency. This procedure is concluded after a statistical data analysis. Several agencies adopt a standard statistical analysis based on procedures that were previously established. In practice, we face situations in which this standard model does not fit to some sets of bioequivalence data. In this study, we propose an evaluation of bioequivalence using univariate and bivariate models based on an extended generalized gamma distribution and a skew-t distribution, under a Bayesian perspective. We introduce a study of the empirical power of hypothesis tests for univariate models, showing advantages in the use of an extended generalized gamma distribution. Three sets of bioequivalence data were analyzed under these new procedures and compared with the standard model proposed by the majority of regulatory agencies. In order to verify that the asymmetrical distributions are usually better fitted for the data, when compared with the standard model, model discrimination methods were used, such as the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) and quantile-quantile plots. The research concluded that, in general, the use of the extended generalized gamma distribution may be more appropriate to model bioequivalence data in the original scale. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Postnatal growth and cardiometabolic profile in young adults born large for gestational age.

CONTEXT: The association between large for gestational age (LGA) phenotype, postnatal growth and cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in adult life remains unclear. The role of IGF1 genotype on LGA-related outcomes in adult life is unknown. AIM: To assess the postnatal growth, IGF-I levels, CMR and the influence of the 737.738 IGF1 in adults born LGA. SUBJECTS: Case-control study (n = 515) nested in a population-based prospective cohort (n = 2063); 117 LGA and 398 gender-matched controls appropriate for gestational age (AGA) subjects. METHODS: Anthropometry was evaluated at birth, at 9-10 and at 23-25 years old. At the age of 23-25 years, blood pressure (BP), glycaemia, insulinaemia, homeostasis model assessment - insulin resistance, lipids, fibrinogen, and plasma IGF-I and 737.738 IGF1 polymorphism were assessed. RESULTS: Large for gestational age subjects remained heavier and taller than AGA at 9-10 and 23-25 years (P < 0·05); at 23-25 years, LGA had greater waist circumference (WC; P < 0·05) and higher BP (P < 0·05) than controls. Body proportionality at birth did not predict metabolic outcome. LGA subjects presenting catch-down of weight in childhood had lower body mass index (BMI; P = 0·001), lower WC (P < 0·05) and lower BP (P < 0·05) at 23-25 years. 737.738 IGF-I genotype differed between groups (P < 0·001). Homozygosis for polymorphic alleles was associated with increased odds of LGA (OR: 3·2; 95% CI: 1·5-6·9), higher IGF-I (56·9 ± 16·4 vs 37·7 ± 16·0 nm; P < 0·01) and lower BP (114/68 vs 121/73 mmHg; P < 0·05). CONCLUSIONS: Young adults born LGA presented higher BMI, WC and BP and appear to be at higher CMR risk than AGA subjects. The 737.738 IGF1 polymorphism appears to play a role on birth size and LGA-related metabolic outcomes.

The emotional and psychiatric problems of adolescents on parole whose parents are substance users: A Brazilian cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the associations between having parents with substance use problems, and having suffered neglect within the family, and behavioral problems (psychological and drug use) among adolescents. All the participants were enrolled on the socio-educational parole scheme, 'Assisted Freedom'. In this cross-sectional study, 150 adolescents were interviewed using the Drug Abuse Screening Test, Teen Addiction Severity Index, and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Ninety-five percent of the participants were male (n = 143), aged 13-17. Thirty percent of adolescents had a parent who used substances and had experienced neglect from their families. Those adolescents who were living with both parents (odds ratio adjusted (ORA) = 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.13-6.37), from a low-income family (ORA = 6.7, 95% CI = 1.85-24.22), experienced hallucinations (ORA = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.25-6.14), had problems controlling violent behavior (ORA = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.12-5.87), and were physically neglected (ORA = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.24-7.49) were more likely to have parents who used substances and to have experienced parental neglect. This article concludes that adolescents, who are on parole, come from families with high level of psychosocial vulnerabilities, including substance use, experience neglect by their families leading to adverse emotional and psychological states.

Susceptibly of Alphitobius diaperinus to Beauveria bassiana extracts.

Alphitobius diaperinus is an important pathogen with worldwide distribution that causes severe economic loss of efficiency in broilers. This study evaluates the potential of organic extracts of two strains entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (CG71 and UNI40) as a biocontrol agent on A. diaperinus and promotes the phytochemical investigation. The effective percentages of mortalities were 95.97% (UNI40 methanolic extract), 69.23, 64.64, and 50.39% (CG 71 methanolic, ethyl acetate and butanol extracts). However, there was a decrease in the lesser mealworms susceptibility in relation to the use of insecticides and extracts. The metabolites 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furanoic acid, dipicolinic acid and monomethyl dipicolinate were isolated from ethyl acetate extract, and ß-adenosine of butanolic extract of B. bassiana CG 71. In addition, the cyclodepsipeptides were identified in methanolic extracts of the two strains. The insecticide activity results indicated that the B. bassiana extracts are an alternative to A. diaperinus control.

The growth hormone receptor exon 3 polymorphism is not associated with height or metabolic traits in healthy young adults.

CONTEXT: The GHR polymorphisms contribution to the interindividual variability in prenatal and postnatal growth as well as to metabolic traits is controversial. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyze the association of the GHRfl/d3 polymorphism with prenatal and postnatal growth and metabolic outcomes in adult life and to compare the genotype distribution in different populations. DESIGN: 385 community healthy subjects followed from birth to adult life (23-25years old) were grouped according to birth size: small-SGA (n=130, 62 males), appropriate-AGA (n=162, 75 males) and large for gestational age-LGA (n=93, 48 males). GHRfl/d3 genotype distribution and its potential association with anthropometric (at birth, childhood and adult life) and metabolic features (in adult life) were analyzed and compared with data obtained from a systematic review of GHRfl/d3 association studies (31 articles). RESULTS: The frequency of the GHR d3/d3 genotype was lower in the LGA (χ2 p=0.01); SGA and AGA subjects exhibited an increased chance of the d3/d3 genotype (OR=3.58; 95%CI: 1.55; 8.24) and (OR=2.39; 95%CI: 1.02; 5.62), respectively. Despite the different prevalence among different birth size groups, in adults, GHRfl/d3 genotype was not associated with height, plasma IGF1 levels or metabolic phenotype and cardiovascular risk. GHRfl/d3 genotype distributions in AGA, SGA and LGA groups were comparable with those found in subjects of European origin but not with those of Asian ancestry. CONCLUSIONS: The GHRd3 genotype was negatively associated with birth size but it was not associated with adult height or weight, plasma IGF1, metabolic phenotype or any marker of increased cardiovascular risk in young adults.

Adiponectin: serum levels, promoter polymorphism, and associations with birth size and cardiometabolic outcome in young adults born large for gestational age.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the -11391G>A polymorphism in the regulatory region of the adiponectin gene (ADIPOQ) is associated with birth size, postnatal growth, adiponectinemia, and cardiometabolic risk in adult life. DESIGN: Case-control study nested within a prospective cohort of 2063 community subjects born in 1978/1979 and followed since birth to date. METHODS: ADIPOQ -11391G>A genotype-phenotype associations were evaluated in 116 subjects born large for gestational age (LGA) and 392 gender-matched controls at birth (birth size), at 8-10 years (catch-down growth), and at 23-25 years of age (cardiometabolic profile). RESULTS: The -11391A variant allele frequency was higher in LGA subjects (P=0.04). AA genotype was associated with augmented probability of being born LGA (odds ratio=4.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.16-16.7; P=0.03). This polymorphism was associated neither with body composition nor with postnatal growth pattern. At the age of 23-25 years, the -11391A variant allele was associated with higher serum adiponectin levels (GG: 10.7+/-6.2 versus GA: 12.2+/-6.5 versus AA: 14.2+/-6.8 microg/ml; P<0.01). Subjects born LGA presented higher body mass index (BMI; P=0.01), abdominal circumference (P=0.04), blood pressure (P=0.04), and homeostasis assessment model for insulin resistance (P=0.01) than adequate for gestational age. Symmetry at birth did not influence these variables. The occurrence of catch-down of weight was associated with lower BMI and abdominal circumference (P<0.001) at 23-25 years. CONCLUSIONS: The -11391A ADIPOQ gene variant was associated with increased chance of being born LGA and with higher adiponectin levels in early adult life.