Mental health and use of health care services in opioid‑exposed school‑aged children compared to foster children

Given the concerns raised regarding the effects of prenatal exposure to methadone and buprenorphine on the developmental outcomes of the children, this study assessed mental health and use of services in a national sample of school-aged children (N = 78) born to women enrolled in opioid maintenance treatment during pregnancy, compared with a group of foster children (N = 140). The majority of the opioid-exposed children lived with their birth parent(s) at the time of assessment (N = 62), while 16 lived in foster homes. Caregivers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Reactive Attachment Disorder scale. Teachers completed the SDQ. Three kinds of services were included in measuring service use: school-based education services, child mental health services, and hospital-based habilitation services. The main finding of the study is that children prenatally exposed to methadone or buprenorphine living with their family of origin had significantly better mental health status than their foster-placed counterparts and that of the comparison group of foster children. In addition, the exposed children living at home had less child welfare involvement, and only half of them were using any of the three services measured. The odds for using services increased significantly in accordance with increasing mental health problems, independent of group affiliation, indicating a need-based access to services. In line with other studies, we found that the odds for using one or more services was 2.3 times greater for boys than for girls. Our results contribute to a more-nuanced understanding of the developmental outcomes of prenatal exposure to methadone and buprenorphine, and factors associated with increased service use in groups of at-risk children.publishedVersio

Objective measures for the assessment of post-operative pain in bos indicus bull calves following castration

The aim of the study was to assess pain in Bos indicus bull calves following surgical castration. Forty-two animals were randomised to four groups: no castration (NC, n = 6); castration with pre-operative lidocaine (CL, n = 12); castration with pre-operative meloxicam (CM, n = 12); and, castration alone (C, n = 12). Bodyweight was measured regularly and pedometers provided data on activity and rest from day −7 (7 days prior to surgery) to 13. Blood was collected for the measurement of serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin, fibrinogen, and iron on days 0, 3 and 6. Bodyweight and pedometry data were analysed with a mixed effect model. The blood results were analysed with repeated measure one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). There was no treatment effect on bodyweight or activity. The duration of rest was greatest in the CM group and lowest in the C group. There was a significant increase in the concentrations of SAA, haptoglobin, and fibrinogen in all of the groups from day 0 to 3. Iron concentrations were not different at the time points it was measured. The results of this study suggest that animals rest for longer periods after the pre-operative administration of meloxicam. The other objective assessments measured in this study were not able to consistently differentiate between treatment groups

ESTUDO IN SILICO DA INTERAÇÃO DO Δ9-TETRAHIDROCANABINOL COM PROCESSOS BIOLÓGICOS EM Drosophila melanogaster E Homo sapiens

Cannabis sativa L. (C. sativa) é uma espécie do gênero Cannabis, pertencente à família Cannabaceae. Possui uma grande quantidade de substâncias ativas chamadas canabinoides (CBs), dentre eles destacamos o Δ9-tetrahidrocanabinol (THC), o responsável pelos efeitos psicoativos atribuídos à C. sativa. Drosophila melanogaster é utilizada como organismo modelo para o estudo de processos moleculares, celulares e de desenvolvimento de doenças já que, 75% de seus genes possuem ortólogos em humanos, o que vem contribuindo ao longo dos anos para a melhor compreensão dos mecanismos que são conservados em seres humanos. Em razão disso, utilizamos a biologia de sistemas, uma ferramenta de bioinformática, para realizar uma caracterização inicial da forma como o THC poderia interagir com os sistemas biológicos da mosca da fruta e seres humanos. Redes de proteínas e THC foram fusionadas utilizando STITCH 5.0, STRING 11.0 e o software Cytoscape 3.5. Embora D. melanogaster não possua receptores CB1 e CB2, que são receptores canabinoides bem estabelecidos em humanos, foram identificados 112 nós e 888 conectores para o D. melanogaster. Uma rede composta por 136 nós e 2447 conectores para Homo sapiens também foi criada e, quando comparados os resultados de centralidades de ambas as redes, observamos que as seis proteínas, com maior valor dentro da rede (Hub-bottleneck), eram ortólogas entre os dois organismos de estudo. Desta maneira, os resultados mostram que o THC possui capacidade de interagir com proteínas relacionadas à receptores acoplados à proteína G, proteínas ribossomais e ainda ubiquitina tanto em D. melanogaster quanto em H. sapiens. Estes resultados apontam para a possibilidade de utilizar D. melanogaster como organismo experimental em estudos que envolvem a avaliação da toxicidade e genotoxicidade de canabinoides, como o THC, com um bom nível de extrapolação dos resultados para humanos