American journal of preventive medicine
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In 2018, the first Medically Supervised Injecting Room in Melbourne, Australia was officially opened. This study assessed whether this facility attracted people who inject drugs, who were socially vulnerable, and who engaged in drug-related behaviors associated with increased morbidity and mortality risk. ⋯ The Melbourne Medically Supervised Injecting Room attracted socially marginalized people who inject drugs who are most at risk of harms related to injecting drug use and therefore who are most in need of the service. To determine the long-term impact use of this facility on key health outcomes such as overdose, future studies should consider the differences in vulnerability and risk behavior of people who inject drugs who use the Medically Supervised Injecting Room when examining the outcomes associated with the use of the facility.
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This study identifies the longitudinal trajectories of multiple forms of substance use and handgun carrying and examines their comorbidity over time. ⋯ Both substance use and gun carrying are developmentally heterogeneous phenomena. Varied forms of substance use should be targeted to counter the distinct gun carrying patterns.
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Kratom is a plant with partial opioid agonist effects, and its use has become popular to ameliorate symptoms of opioid withdrawal. However, use has been linked to thousands of poisonings, although most have involved use of other drugs. Little is known regarding prevalence and correlates of use in the general U.S. ⋯ Kratom use is particularly prevalent among those with prescription opioid use disorder, but it is also prevalent among people who use other drugs. Research is needed to determine reasons for use and potential dangers associated with adding kratom to drug repertoires.
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Psychoactive substance use may be risky for adults with functional impairments. This study investigates cannabis use and prescription opioid and tranquilizer/sedative (mis)use among adults aged ≥50 years reporting functional impairments in the U.S. ⋯ Prescription drug misuse is linked to functional impairments among adults aged ≥50 years and may pose a potential risk for this vulnerable population.
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This study investigated whether individual-level social capital modifies the association between adverse childhood experiences and dementia onset. ⋯ Among older adults in Japan, adverse childhood experiences were associated with increased dementia incidence only for those with low social capital.