Does early drug use-related police contact predict premature mortality and morbidity: A population register-based study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim was to analyse whether age at first drug offense predicts premature mortality and morbidity due to substance use and violence among adolescents and young adults. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal register-linkage study based on a total population sample from Finland including individuals born between 1987 and 1992 and aged 15-25 years during follow-up in 2002-2017 (n = 386 435). Age-specific rates of deaths and health-care admissions (morbidity) during a 5-year follow-up were calculated from the first drug offense. Cox regression models were used to estimate differences in mortality and morbidity at ages 21-25. RESULTS: Of all 15- to 20-year-olds, 1.4% (n = 5540) have had a police contact. The 5-year mortality rates (per 1000 person-years) among those with first drug offense at ages 15-16 was 2.92 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.56-6.18], and 5.26 (CI 4.00-7.07) and 5.05 (CI 4.06-6.38) at ages 17-18, and 19-20, respectively. The rates of morbidity varied between 61.20 (CI 52.43-71.76) and 87.51 (CI 82.11-93.33). Both mortality and morbidity rates were over 10 times higher than among the general population. In models adjusted for family background, first police contact at an early age (15-16) did not increase the risk of mortality at ages 21-25 compared with first police contact at ages 17-18 (hazard ratio 1.55, CI 0.77-3.09) or 19-20 (hazard ratio 1.52, CI 0.78-2.98). The results were similar for morbidity. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with drug-related police contacts have high risk of mortality and morbidity due to substance use and violence regardless of age of first contact.

Social media and access to drugs online: a nationwide study in the United States and Spain among adolescents and young adults / Redes sociales y acceso online a las drogas: un estudio nacional en EE UU y España entre adolescentes y adultos jóvenes

Drugs are sold on both dark web services and on social media, but research investigating these drug purchases online is still emerging. The aim of this study is to analyze risk factors associated with buying drugs online. Utilizing theories of criminology and addiction research, it was hypothesized that social bonds, low levels of self-control, and poor mental health are associated with buying drugs online. Additionally, it was predicted that purchases of drugs online would mediate the relationship between low self-control and regular drug use. Participants of this nationwide study were 15 to 25 years old living in the United States (N = 1,212) and Spain (N = 1,212). Measures of impulsivity, a sense of mastery, social belonging, psychological distress, excessive behaviors (drinking, gambling and internet use) were utilized to predict purchasing drugs online. Two percent of the U.S. and Spanish respondents reported buying drugs online with 77% of them utilizing social media services to buy drugs. Results from multinomial logistic regression, penalized maximum-likelihood logistic regression, and binary mediation regression models indicated that buying drugs online was associated with lower self-control, higher psychological distress, and excessive gambling behavior and excessive Internet use. Having online friends was not a risk factor, but having strong social bonds with offline friends served as a protective factor. Additionally, buying drugs online mediated the relationship between low self-control and regular use of drugs. Results indicate that more focus should be placed on mainstream social media services as sources of drug acquisition as online drug buyers have multiple self-control and mental health problems

Las drogas se venden en páginas web oscuras y en las redes sociales, aunque la investigación de estas adquisiciones online está aún en sus comienzos. Este estudio tiene como objetivo examinar los factores de riesgo vinculados a la compra de drogas online. De acuerdo con las teorías de la criminología y la investigación sobre adicciones, se planteó la hipótesis de que los vínculos sociales, el bajo nivel de autocontrol y los problemas de salud mental están relacionados con la compra online de drogas. Además, se postuló que la adquisición online de drogas estaría mediada por la relación entre el bajo autocontrol y el consumo frecuente de drogas. Participaron en el estudio un total de 2,424 jóvenes residentes en Estados Unidos (N = 1,212) y en España (N = 1,212), que fueron evaluados en impulsividad, sensación de dominio, pertenencia social, malestar psicológico, comportamientos abusivos (bebida, juego y utilización de internet) , con el objetivo de predecir la compra online de drogas. El 2% de los participantes de EE UU y España dijeron que compraban drogas online, de los cuales el 77% utilizaba servicios de redes sociales para tal fin. Los resultados de una regresión logística multinomial, regresión logística de máxima verosimilitud penalizada y modelos de regresión de mediación binaria mostraron que la adquisición online de drogas se relaciona con un menor autocontrol y un mayor malestar emocional y abuso del juego, y del uso de internet. El hecho de tener amigos por internet no constituía un factor de riesgo y tener vínculos sociales estrechos con amigos fuera de internet constituía un factor protector. A su vez, la compra online de drogas es un factor que media la relación entre bajo autocontrol y uso habitual de drogas. Los resultados sugieren que debería prestarse mayor atención a las redes sociales como medio habitual de adquisición de drogas, dado que los compradores online de drogas tienen múltiples problemas de salud mental y autocontrol

Inhibition of choline uptake by N-cyclohexylcholine, a high affinity ligand for the choline transporter at the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) choline transporter (CHT) may have utility as a drug delivery vector for drugs that act in the central nervous system. Previous studies suggested the importance of hydrophobic moieties on the cationic nitrogen of choline for improved affinity for this transporter. In a pilot study, we therefore designed five novel N-cycloalkyl derivatives of choline, one of which showed promising inhibition properties. This choline analogue had a cyclohexyl (UMBB-5) moiety substituting one of the methyl groups attached to the cationic nitrogen in choline. In situ experimental data were obtained from in situ rat brain perfusion studies. The binding affinity for the BBB-choline transporter found for UMBB-5 was K(i)=1.9 microM. Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) suggested that the cyclohexyl moiety orientates towards a steric favourable area. Taken together, the results of these in situ and in silico studies provide further evidence or restrictions that occur with binding to this brain drug delivery vector.