The Swiss cohort study on substance use risk factors : findings of two waves

Aim: To summarize published findings in peer-reviewed journals of the first two waves of the Swiss Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF), a longitudinal study assessing risk and protective factors of 5,987 young men during the phase of emerging adulthood (20 years at baseline, followed-up 15 months later). Methods: Included were 33 studies published until November 2014 focusing on substance use. Results: Substance use in early adulthood is a prevalent and stable behavior. The 12-month prevalence of nonmedical use of prescription drugs (10.6%) lies between that of cannabis (36.4%) and other illicit drugs such as ecstasy (3.7%) and cocaine (3.2%). Although peer pressure in the form of misconduct is associated with increased substance use, other aspects such as peer involvement in social activities may have beneficial effects. Regular sport activities are associated with reduced substance use, with the exception of alcohol use. Young men are susceptible to structural conditions such as the price of alcohol beverages or the density of on-premise alcohol outlets. Particularly alcohol use in public settings such as bars, discos or in parks (compared with private settings such as the home) is associated with alcohol-related harm, including injuries or violence. Being a single parent versus nuclear family has no effect on alcohol use, but active parenting does. Besides parenting, religiousness is an important protective factor for both legal and illegal substance use. Merely informing young men about the risks of substance use may not be an effective preventive measure. At-risk users of licit and illicit substances are more health literate, e. g., for example, they seek out more information on the internet than non-at-risk-users or abstainers. Discussion: There are a number of risk and protective substance use factors, but their associations with substance use do not necessarily agree with those found outside Europe. In the United States, for example, heavy alcohol use in this age group commonly takes place in private settings, whereas in Switzerland it more often takes place in public settings. Other behaviors, such as the nonmedical use of prescription drugs, appear to be similar to those found overseas, which may show the need for targeted preventive actions. C-SURF findings point to the necessity of establishing European studies to identify factors for designing specific preventive actions.

Forensic aspects of the weathering and ageing of spray paints

This paper presents a preliminary study on the degradation of spray paint samples, illustrated by Optical, FTIR and Raman measurements. As opposed to automotive paints which are specifically designed for improved outdoor exposure and protected using hindered amine light absorbers (HALS) and ultra-violet absorbers (UVA), the spray paints on their side are much simpler in composition and very likely to suffer more from joint effects of solar radiation, temperature and humidity. Six different spray paint were exposed to outdoor UV-radiation for a total period of three months and both FTIR and Raman measurements were taken systematically during this time. These results were later compared to an artificial degradation using a climate chamber. For infrared spectroscopy, degradation curves were plotted using the photo-oxidation index (POI), and could be successfully approximated with a logarithmic fitting (R2 > 0.8). The degradation can appear after the first few days of exposure and be important until 2 months, where it stabilizes and follow a more linear trend afterwards. One advantage is that the degradation products appeared almost exclusively at the far end (∼3000 cm−1) of mid-infrared spectra, and that the fingerprint region of the spectra remained stable over the studied period of time. Raman results suggest that the pigments on the other side, are much more stable and have not shown any sign of degradation over the time of this study. Considering the forensic implications of this environmental degradation, care should be taken when comparing samples if weathering is an option (e.g. an exposed graffiti compared to the paint from a fresh spray paint can). Degradation issues should be kept in mind as they may induce significant differences between paint samples of common origin.

Eye lens monitoring for interventional radiology personnel: dosemeters, calibration and practical aspects of H p (3) monitoring. A 2015 review.

A thorough literature review about the current situation on the implementation of eye lens monitoring has been performed in order to provide recommendations regarding dosemeter types, calibration procedures and practical aspects of eye lens monitoring for interventional radiology personnel. Most relevant data and recommendations from about 100 papers have been analysed and classified in the following topics: challenges of today in eye lens monitoring; conversion coefficients, phantoms and calibration procedures for eye lens dose evaluation; correction factors and dosemeters for eye lens dose measurements; dosemeter position and influence of protective devices. The major findings of the review can be summarised as follows: the recommended operational quantity for the eye lens monitoring is H p (3). At present, several dosemeters are available for eye lens monitoring and calibration procedures are being developed. However, in practice, very often, alternative methods are used to assess the dose to the eye lens. A summary of correction factors found in the literature for the assessment of the eye lens dose is provided. These factors can give an estimation of the eye lens dose when alternative methods, such as the use of a whole body dosemeter, are used. A wide range of values is found, thus indicating the large uncertainty associated with these simplified methods. Reduction factors from most common protective devices obtained experimentally and using Monte Carlo calculations are presented. The paper concludes that the use of a dosemeter placed at collar level outside the lead apron can provide a useful first estimate of the eye lens exposure. However, for workplaces with estimated annual equivalent dose to the eye lens close to the dose limit, specific eye lens monitoring should be performed. Finally, training of the involved medical staff on the risks of ionising radiation for the eye lens and on the correct use of protective systems is strongly recommended.

Un "fil rouge" pour prévenir la violence au travail : propositions de mesures prioritaires dans le contexte suisse

Une première étude menée par les auteures de cet article dans le cadre de l'Unité de médecine des violences du Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois et de l'Institut universitaire romand de santé au travail avait montré que les conséquences à long terme d'une agression physique au travail pouvaient être sérieuses et le soutien de l'employeur était primordial pour surmonter les conséquences d'un tel événement. Une étude complémentaire, dont les résultats sont présentés ici, avait pour but de formuler des propositions concrètes de mesures de prévention de la violence physique au travail dans le contexte suisse. Les résultats sont présentés dans un «fil rouge» qui se présente sous forme de check-lists de recommandations concrètes. Ce travail s'appuie sur l'analyse et la synthèse d'une abondante documentation, ainsi que sur des entretiens auprès de personnes-ressource et des témoignages de victimes d'agressions physiques au travail. En conclusion, il apparaît que les mesures existantes en Suisse sont encore trop souvent partielles et fragmentées, et se limitent souvent à des offres de formation ou d'information ponctuelles. Alors même que les organisations sont de plus en plus confrontées aux agressions envers le personnel, il y a lieu de les sensibiliser à la nécessité d'instaurer de véritables dispositifs de prévention inscrits dans la durée et s'appuyant sur des modèles éprouvés, opérant aux trois niveaux de prévention primaire, secondaire et tertiaire.

Médecine légale et prise en charge des victimes de violence: Les infirmières en première ligne

Au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, l'Institut Universitaire de Médecine Légale de Lausanne a ouvert en 2006 l'Unité de Médecine des Violences qui offre une consultation médico-légale spécialisée dans la prise en charge des adultes victimes de violence. L'ouverture de cette unité a vu l'entrée de la profession infirmière dans le champ de la médecine légale clinique. Les infirmières assurent en effet de manière autonome les consultations sous la supervision d'un médecin légiste.