Association of Sociodemographic, Psychopathological and Gambling-Related Factors with Treatment Utilization for Pathological Gambling

Background/Aims: Only a small percentage of pathological gamblers utilizes professional treatment for gambling problems. Little is known about which social and gambling-related factors are associated with treatment utilization. The aim of this study was to look for factors associated with treatment utilization for pathological gambling. Methods: The study followed a sampling design with 3 different recruitment channels, namely (1) a general population-based telephone sample, (2) a gambling location sample and (3) a project telephone hotline. Pathological gambling was diagnosed in a telephone interview. Participants with pathological gambling (n = 395) received an in-depth clinical interview concerning treatment utilization, comorbid psychiatric disorders and social characteristics. Results: Variables associated with treatment were higher age [odds ratio (OR) 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.08], an increased number of DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.06-1.70), more adverse consequences from gambling (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.16) and more social pressure from significant others (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07-1.27). Affective disorders were associated with treatment utilization in the univariate analysis (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.19-2.73), but multivariate analysis showed that comorbid psychiatric disorders were not independently associated. Conclusion: These results indicate that individuals with more severe gambling problems utilize treatment at an older age when more adverse consequences have occurred. Further research should focus on proactive early interventions

Assessment of Problematic Internet Use by the Compulsive Internet Use Scale and the Internet Addiction Test: A Sample of Problematic and Pathological Gamblers

This study aims to analyze psychometric properties and validity of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and, second, to determine a threshold for the CIUS which matches the IAT cut-off for detecting problematic Internet use. A total of 292 subjects with problematic or pathological gambling (237 men, 55 women) aged 14-63 years and with private Internet use for at least 1 h per working or weekend day were recruited via different recruitment channels. Results include that both scales were internally consistent (Cronbach's α = 0.9) and had satisfactory convergent validity (r = 0.75; 95% CI 0.70-0.80). The correlation with duration of private Internet use per week was significantly higher for the CIUS (r = 0.54) compared to the IAT (r = 0.40). Among all participants, 25.3% were classified as problematic Internet users based on the IAT with a cut-off ≥40. The highest proportion of congruent classified cases results from a CIUS cut-off ≥18 (sensitivity 79.7%, specificity 79.4%). However, a higher cut-off (≥21) seems to be more appropriate for prevalence estimation of problematic Internet use

Reactivity-based identification of oxygen containing functional groups of chemicals applied as potential classifier in non-target analysis

Abstract In this work, we developed a reactivity-based strategy to identify functional groups of unknown analytes, which can be applied as classifier in non-target analysis with gas chromatography. The aim of this strategy is to reduce the number of potential candidate structures generated for a molecular formula determined by high resolution mass spectrometry. We selected an example of 18 isomers with the molecular formula C12H10O2 to test the performance of different derivatization reagents, whereas our aim was to select mild and fast reaction conditions. Based on the results for the isomers, we developed a four-step workflow for the identification of functional groups containing oxygen

Exploring the octanol–water partition coefficient dataset using deep learning techniques and data augmentation

Deep neural networks are potent tools for computational chemistry, but experimental feed data can limit their reach. Here the authors develop deep neural network data augmentation models to predict octanol–water partition coefficients (log P) of a variety of tautomers

Revisiting elimination half live as an indicator for bioaccumulation in fish and terrestrial mammals

Current bioaccumulation regulation is focused on bioconcentration in fish. An extension to terrestrial mammals, e.g. rat, is urgently needed but will have to use a different metric, most likely the BMF. While both metrics are thermodynamically not equivalent the regulative testing requirements for both might be reduced to the investigation of the respective elimination rate constants k2 for fish or rat. These k2 values could be derived from animal tests or from in vitro - in vivo extrapolation and could be combined with estimated uptake rate constants to yield either a BCF or a BMF value. The possibility to use in vitro methods for k2 has the advantage that animal tests can be avoided and it bears the chance to experimentally cover species differences which are currently ignored in bioaccumulation regulation. Existing data for BCF and the respective k2 values for fish - either from feeding studies or from BCF studies themselves-indicate that this approach works. For terrestrial bioaccumulation this approach still needs further experimental support

Predictors of indoor smoking at young children’s homes—a cross-sectional study

The aim of the study was to determine factors associated with indoor smoking in homes (ISIH) using a sample of households with at least one child aged 3 or younger and at least one smoking adult. In a defined German region, all households (n = 3,570) with a child aged 3 or younger were invited to participate in a study that tested the efficacy of an intervention for reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. In 1,282 households, at least one parent reported daily smoking. Among these, 917 (71.5 %) participated in the study. ISIH was defined as smoking ‘in specific rooms only’ or ‘everywhere’. Cross-sectional data were analysed using regression analysis. Among the households, 37.5 % reported ISIH. ISIH was more likely if the youngest child had not visited a nursery (OR, 1.81; CI, 1.21–2.70) and if no private outdoor area was present (OR = 4.38, CI, 2.64–7.25). Lower household education level and partly unemployment in dual-parent households were associated with ISIH. Conclusion: Fostering nursery attendance and availability of a private outdoor area may protect young children living in household with smoking parents from environmental tobacco smoke

Assessment, distribution, and ecological risk of contaminants of emerging concern in a surface water-sediment-fish system impacted by wastewater

The presence of contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic ecosystems represents an ever-increasing environmental problem. Aquatic biota is exposed to these contaminants, which can be absorbed and distributed to their organs. This study focused on the assessment, distribution, and ecological risk of 32 CECs in a Spanish river impacted by effluents from a wastewater treatment plant, analyzing the organs and plasma of common carp. Environmental concentrations in water and sediment were examined at sites upstream and downstream of the wastewater treatment plant. The two downstream sites showed 15 times higher total concentrations (12.4 μg L-1 and 30.1 μg L-1) than the two upstream sites (2.08 μg L-1 and 1.66 μg L-1). Half of the CECs were detected in fish organs, with amantadine having the highest concentrations in the kidney (158 ng g-1 w.w.) and liver (93 ng g-1 w.w.), followed by terbutryn, diazepam, and bisphenol F in the brain (50.2, 3.82 and 1.18 ng g-1 w.w.). The experimental bioaccumulation factors per organ were compared with the bioconcentration factors predicted by a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model, obtaining differences of one to two logarithmic units for most compounds. Risk quotients indicated a low risk for 38 % of the contaminants. However, caffeine and terbutryn showed an elevated risk for fish. The mixed risk quotient revealed a medium risk for most of the samples in the three environmental compartments: surface water, sediment, and fish.This work was supported by the CSIC and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under grant agreement No. 2022AEP007 (PREWATERPOLLUT) associated with the national project CICLIC-TRAPPER (RTI2018-097158-B-C33). The authors also acknowledge the support from the “Agencia Estatal de Investigación” from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the IDAEA-CSIC, a Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa (CEX2018-000794-S) and the Economy and Knowledge Department of the Catalan Government through Consolidated Research Group (ONHEALTH, 2021 SGR 01150). DM was supported by the Grant Montcelimar Foundation 2023. NM was supported by the Grant RYC2021-031725-I funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and, as appropriate, by “ESF Investing in your future”.Peer reviewe

Determination of lindane leachability in soil-biosolid systems and its bioavailability in wheat plants

The leachability of lindane from different biosolid amended soils was determined and compared to its bioavailability. Sand, soil, and a mixture of soil-sand (1:1 w/w) were spiked with lindane, blended with different amounts of biosolids, and subjected to a leaching process with water that lasted for 1-28. d. This procedure is in accordance with ISO/TS 21268-1: 2007. After these batch tests, lindane was extracted from the leachates using three different solvent-free microextraction techniques, including solid phase microextraction (SPME), stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), and silicone rod extraction (SRE). The amount of lindane was determined with thermal desorption and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The efficiencies of the three microextraction techniques were statistically different, and the efficiency could be related to the amount of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in each extraction device. However, all of the techniques provide data that shows that the le

Multicriteria Approach To Select Polyaromatic River Mutagen Candidates

The identification of unknown compounds remains one of the most challenging tasks to link observed toxic effects in complex environmental mixtures to responsible toxicants in effect-directed analysis (EDA). Here, a workflow is presented based on nontarget liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) starting with molecular formulas determined in a previous study. A compound database search (ChemSpider) was performed to retrieve candidates for each formula. Subsequently, the number of candidates was reduced by applying MS-, physical-chemical, and chromatography-based selection criteria including HRMS/MS fragmentation and plausibility, ionization efficiency with different ion sources and detection modes, acid/base behavior, octanol/water partitioning, retention time prediction and finally toxic effects (mutagenicity caused by aromatic amines). The workflow strongly decreased the number of possible candidates and resulted in the tentative identification of possible mutagens and the positive identification of the nonmutagen benzyl­(diphenyl) phosphine oxide in a mutagenic fraction. The positive identification of mutagens was hampered by a lack of commercially available standards. The workflow is an innovative and promising approach and forms an excellent basis for possible further advancements