Inhalant abuse among street-involved children and adolescents in India: Case for epistemic recognition and reorientation.

Contextualizing the void of research on inhalant abuse among adolescents as epistemic neglect, in this study, we use mixed-methods action research to understand inhalant abuse in a specific context in the Global South. Focusing on a large metropolitan city in Western India, we surveyed 158 street-involved children and adolescents (110 boys and 48 girls, age range from 5 to 17 years) in a group setting along with follow-up group interviews. Despite finding a high prevalence rate of inhalant abuse, our work suggests an absence of supporting structures and emphasizes the need to revisit our understanding and interpretation of substance-using behavior of street-involved youth. Instead of explaining inhalant-abusing behavior as emerging from pathological deficiencies in individuals or households, we stress the need to critically examine the exploitative environment they are embedded in. In doing so, we join efforts to decolonize conventional ways of understanding "deviant" behavior.

Review of biologics in allergic contact dermatitis.

The resistant and recalcitrant nature of severe allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) makes its management challenging. With advances in the understanding of the cellular and molecular pathogenesis of ACD, newer therapeutic targets are becoming apparent. In particular, the use of biologics has gained momentum, given the specificity of their action. This article aims to review the presently available data on the use of biologics in ACD. English-language-based literature available on the use of biological therapy was thoroughly probed in the following databases as on October 14, 2019: PubMed, Google Scholar, The Cochrane library, Embase, Scopus, and EBSCO. The following keywords were used: "contact dermatitis", "allergens", "delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction", "biologics", "biological therapy", "monoclonal antibodies", "patch testing", "TNF-α inhibitors", "infliximab", "adalimumab", "etanercept", "dupilumab", "omalizumab", "secukinumab", "ustekinumab", "rituximab".

Some mechanisms linking economic inequality and infant mortality.

We use data from the 1985, 1987 and 1991 United States Vital Statistics Linked Infant Birth and Death Records to assess the relationship between state-level economic inequality and an infant's probability of death. We find that economic inequality is associated with higher neonatal mortality even after we control mother's age and race and state characteristics that are likely to be associated with both inequality and infant death. Inequality is not associated with post-neonatal mortality. We assess three mechanisms that could link income inequality and infant deaths: non-linearity in the relationship between parental income and infant death, economic segregation, and state health care spending. Our evidence suggests that non-linearity in the relationship between family income and infant health accounts for little of the relationship between inequality and infant death. However inequality is associated with greater economic segregation, which in turn is associated with a higher probability of infant death. This effect is partially offset by the fact that inequality is also associated with state spending on health care, which is in turn associated with lower death rates. The increase in economic segregation increased infant deaths more than the increase in health care spending reduces them, so the net effect of economic inequality is to increase infant deaths especially in the first month after birth.

Change in food security status and change in weight are not associated in urban women with preschool children.

Cross-sectional studies have suggested that food insecurity leads to obesity in women. The objective of this longitudinal study was to determine whether changes in women's food security status were associated with changes in their body weight. In 20 large U.S. cities, 1707 mothers of preschool children were followed for 2 y. At baseline (2001-2003) and follow-up (2003-2005), women's height and weight were measured and food security status was assessed with the US Household Food Security Survey Module. Those with no positive responses on the food security items were considered fully food secure and those with any positive responses were considered not fully food secure. Seventy-one percent were unmarried and 45% had incomes below the U.S. poverty threshold. At baseline, 41% were obese (BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2)) and 31% were not food secure. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and baseline BMI, there were no significant differences in 2-y weight increases between 4 groups that differed in food security status: food secure at both time points (n = 1000), 1.7 kg (95% CI = 1.1-2.3); food secure at baseline, but not at follow-up (n = 183), 2.1 kg (95% CI = 0.7-3.5); not food secure at either time point (n = 257), 1.7 kg (95% CI = 0.5-2.9); and not food secure at baseline but food secure at follow-up (n = 267), 1.9 kg (95% CI = 0.7-3.0). In this population of urban women, changes in food security status over 2 y were not significantly associated with changes in weight. These findings do not support a causal association between food insecurity and obesity.