Risk of repeated self-harm and associated factors in children, adolescents and young adults

Background: Repeated self-harm represents the single strongest risk factor for suicide. To date no study with full national coverage has examined the pattern of hospital repeated presentations due to self-harm among young people. Methods: Data on consecutive self-harm presentations were obtained from the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland. Socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics of individuals aged 10–29 years who presented with self-harm to emergency departments in Ireland (2007–2014) were analysed. Risk of long-term repetition was assessed using survival analysis and time differences between the order of presentations using generalised estimating equation analysis. Results: The total sample comprised 28,700 individuals involving 42,642 presentations. Intentional drug overdose was the most prevalent method (57.9%). Repetition of self-harm occurred in 19.2% of individuals during the first year following a first presentation, of whom the majority (62.7%) engaged in one repeated act. Overall, the risk of repeated self-harm was similar between males and females. However, in the 20–24-year-old age group males were at higher risk than females. Those who used self-cutting were at higher risk for repetition than those who used intentional drug overdose, particularly among females. Age was associated with repetition only among females, in particular adolescents (15–19 years old) were at higher risk than young emerging adults (20–24 years old). Repeated self-harm risk increased significantly with the number of previous self-harm episodes. Time differences between first self-harm presentations were detected. Time between second and third presentation increased compared to time between first and second presentation among low frequency repeaters (patients with 3 presentations only within 1 year following a first presentation). The same time period decreased among high frequency repeaters (patients with at least 4 to more than 30 presentations). Conclusion: Young people with the highest risk for repeated self-harm were 15–19-year-old females and 20–24-year-old males. Self-cutting was the method associated with the highest risk of self-harm repetition. Time between first self-harm presentations represents an indicator of subsequent repetition. To prevent risk of repeated self-harm in young people, all individuals presenting at emergency departments due to self-harm should be provided with a risk assessment including psychosocial characteristics, history of self-harm and time between first presentations.

Manifestações orais associadas ao consumo da droga de abuso MDMA

O uso para fins ou meios festivos de lazer da droga ilícita MDMA, também chamado de Ecstasy ou Moly, tem vindo a aumentar drasticamente em Portugal e no Mundo. Esta situação desafia os profissionais de saúde para vários parâmetros na saúde oral e geral. O objetivo desta dissertação visa avaliar e descrever as lesões e patologias na cavidade oral que estão relacionadas com o consumo da substância ilícita MDMA. As consequências para a cavidade oral podem ser a xerostomia, o bruxismo, as cáries rampantes, a doença periodontal, o desgaste e a erosão dentária, e as lesões dos tecidos moles. Os indivíduos consumidores podem apresentar carências nutricionais e um estímulo aumentado à dor. A gestão do prognóstico e o tratamento realizado aos consumidores de MDMA, pois afeta vários órgãos e sistemas no corpo humano, requer uma abordagem multidisciplinar que inclui educação, prevenção e tratamento integrados. Esta revisão bibliográfica teve com base artigos publicados em revistas científicos e monografias disponíveis em vários motores de busca. As palavras-chave usadas foram: “ecstasy”, “MDMA”, “oral manifestations”, “oral health”, “substance abuse”, ”overdose treatment”, “xerostomia” e “methamenfetamine” e a sua conjugação. As situações orais, perante as mais prevalentes comorbidades patogénicas relacionadas com o MDMA e outras dependências ilícitas, necessitam de mais atenção e reforço em relação à prática clínica e aos serviços de saúde. Uma das dificuldades para o tratamento correto destes indivíduos é a falta de informação sobre o assunto referente à prática na clínica dentária. A omissão sobre o consumo por parte do paciente bem como de uma recaída no uso, apresentam dúvidas sobre o fator em causa ou até mesmo no diagnóstico. São, muitas vezes, os Médicos Dentistas os primeiros a terem a oportunidade de diagnosticar o aparecimento de possíveis alterações surgidas em virtude do consumo de MDMA.

Metformin adsorption onto activated carbons prepared by hydrothermal carbonization and activation

The hydrothermal carbonization can be considered an environmental friendly process for the production of carbon materials with tailored properties, such as regular porous structure and specific surface chemistry. This process is easy to perform and uses mild temperatures without the use of solvents or gases, which results in a positive environmental balance when compared with the usual pyrolysis process [1]. Diabetes affects more than 152 million people in Europe and is on the rise all over the World. Metformin is one of the most used drugs to treat type 2 diabetes. This drug is an endocrine disruptor with a potential negative impact in the environment due to the fact that metformin is almost not metabolized in the human body and the incorrect disposal into the domestic garbage. Another relevant aspect is the danger of overdose intake of the drug that can lead to lactic acidosis, which in extreme cases can be lethal. The work now reported study the in vitro adsorption of metformin onto activated carbons using simulated gastric and intestinal fluids.