Addiction
-
To establish the prevalence, correlates, comorbidity and treatment gap of alcohol use disorders in the Singapore resident population. ⋯ The prevalence of alcohol use disorders is relatively low in the Singapore adult population. Comorbidity with mental and physical disorders is significant, emphasizing the need to screen people with alcohol use disorders for these comorbidities.
-
This paper provides a critical overview a decade after the New Zealand Government announced its intention to formally incorporate a public health approach into its comprehensive revision of gambling legislation. ⋯ As with tobacco control, the policy integrity of a public health approach to gambling requires close attention to ways of reducing vested interests in both government and community sectors and to establishing strong points of independent accountability.
-
The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of corrected QT interval (QTc) prolongation in a methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) population, and to examine potential associations between this QTc interval and methadone dose as well as concurrent use of opiates, cocaine and benzodiazepines. ⋯ Drug-induced corrected QT interval prolongation is evident (ranging from 8.8-11.1%, depending on definition applied) in patients receiving relatively low daily doses of methadone therapy, with no evidence of a dose-response relationship. The presence of cocaine metabolites in urine does not appear to be associated with increased corrected QT interval. Increased awareness of cardiac safety guidelines, including relevant clinical and family history, baseline and trough dose ECG monitoring, should be incorporated into methadone maintenance therapy protocols.