Association of Maternal Smoking and Alcohol Consumption with Young Adults' Cannabis Use: A Prospective Study

This 2006 study examined 1) whether maternal use of tobacco and consumption of alcohol when a child is 5 and 14 years of age predict cannabis use in young adults, and 2) whether this association is explained by possible confounding or mediating factors. Data were taken from a prospective birth cohort study of mothers and their children in Brisbane, Australia. This study was based on a cohort of 3,176 young adults who participated at the 21-year follow-up of the study and for whom data were available on maternal smoking and alcohol consumption 5 and 14 years after their birth. After controlling for possible confounders, the authors found that maternal smoking at 14 years was associated with frequent use of cannabis in offspring at 21 years, regardless of maternal smoking at 5 years. Children of mothers who drank more than one glass of alcohol at 5 years and continued at 14 years were more likely to use cannabis in early adulthood. The association between maternal substance use and offspring cannabis use was partially mediated by adolescent externalizing behavior and smoking measured at 14 years. Prevention programs that address maternal and adolescent tobacco use and adolescent externalizing behavior should be considered as strategies to reduce cannabis use by young adult

Association between cannabis use and psychosis-related outcomes using sibling pair analysis in a cohort of young adults

Context: Prospective cohort studies have identified an association between cannabis use and later psychosis-related outcomes, but concerns remain about unmeasured confounding variables. The use of sibling pair analysis reduces the influence of unmeasured residual confounding

Endoscopic Findings and Histopathological Patterns of Gastric Mucosal Biopsies in Functional Dyspepsia: A Clinicopathological Study

Background: Endoscopic examination of the gastrointestinal tract through macroscopic and histopathological evaluation provides a tool to differentiate the major causes of functional dyspepsia. The distinction is not always clear. This study aimed to assess the frequency and type of the macroscopic and histopathological changes in gastrointestinal tract endoscopy in patients with symptoms of functional dyspepsia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 97 patients aged 10–85 years who underwent gastroscopy due to functional dyspepsia symptoms. The patients had no history of weight loss, major comorbidities like diabetes or cirrhosis, non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drug (NSAID) consumption, peptic ulcer, or any other confounding causes. Biopsy specimens were taken from the stomach and duodenum for histopathological examination. The presence of Helicobacter pylori infection was established based on histopathological examination and a positive rapid urease test. Results: Gastric biopsies of 97 patients with functional dyspepsia were studied. In histological examination of gastric mucosal biopsies, chronic inflammation was present in 94 (96.9%), activity was seen in 47 (48.5%), glandular atrophy was seen in 3 (3.1%), and intestinal metaplasia was seen in 9 (9.2%) patients. H. pylori was identified on gastric mucosal biopsies in 46 (47.4%) patients based on sections stained with H&E and Giemsa. Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it is concluded that patients with functional dyspepsia have a higher frequency of gastric mucosal inflammation and H. pylori infection

Lead poisoning among opium users in Iran: an emerging health hazard

Background Lead (Pb) poisoning among people using opium has been an increasing problem in Iran. The present study highlights the clinical effects of lead toxicity associated with opium use in Iran, Kerman province. Methods Between January 2016 and June 2016, patients with signs and symptoms of Pb poisoning were questioned to assess whether they had a history of opium dependency. In total, 249 patients were enrolled onto this cross-sectional study, all were opium dependent. Para-clinical data including blood lead level (BLL), demographic information, user preferences, and symptoms were obtained. Results The patients used either opium (83.9%), refined opium (6.4%) or a combination of both (9.7%) via ingestion (71.9%), smoking (8.4%) or a combination of both (19.7%). The overall median BLL was 80.0 μg/dL [IQR: 51.7–119.0]. The median BLL did not differ significantly between opium and refined opium users. Further, BLL was not significantly affected by the type of substance, route of use, duration of use, or daily quantity consumed. Common symptoms included abdominal pain (86.9%), constipation (75.8%), anorexia (71.5%) and nausea (54.7%). Linear regression analysis showed log of BLL was significantly associated with abdominal pain, myalgia and anorexia. Conclusions The study unravelled an increase in opium-related Pb poisoning in the Kerman province. Raised awareness of this emerging Pb source and investigation of its aetiology is recommended. Pb poisoning should be considered among the primary differential diagnosis of opium users with gastrointestinal symptoms.publishedVersio

Interleukin-17 Serum Levels and TLR4 Polymorphisms in Ulcerative Colitis

ABSTRACT Background: Inflammatory bowel disease, an autoimmune disease, has two clinical manifestations including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). IL-17 has been the target of intensive research in autoimmune diseases. The influence of Toll like receptor 4 (TLR-4) gene polymorphisms on IL-17 production has also been revealed in UC patients and tissue inflammation in mice. Objectives: To investigate the association between the TLR-4 gene polymorphisms, Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile and IL-17 serum levels with ulcerative colitis. Additionally, we aimed to study modulation effects of forenamed gene polymorphisms on IL-17 serum levels in UC patients and controls. Methods: A total of 256 healthy controls and 85 UC patients enrolled in our study. DNA was extracted and PCR-RFLP technique was employed to determine Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms in TLR-4 gene and IL-17 serum levels were measured by ELISA method. Results: There was no significant difference between the frequency of Asp299Gly A>G and Thr399Ile C>T in UC patients and controls. While IL-17 serum levels in UC patients were significantly higher than controls (p=0.003), no significant difference in IL-17 levels between different genotypes existed. Additionally, a significant inverse relationship was observed between hemoglobin level and IL-17 serum levels in UC patients (p=0.039). Conclusions: Increased IL-17 serum levels in our UC patients might be explained through the synergistic activity of IL-17/IL-23 axis and pro-inflammatory cytokines, causing severe clinical outcome in patients with IBD. The prolonged excretion of blood in stool driven by inflammatory process which causes iron metabolism disorder and anemia may elucidate the inverse correlation between hemoglobin and IL-17 serum levels in UC patients. Lack of association between the TLR-4 gene polymorphisms and UC in our study was consistent with the results from other Caucasian populations