Characteristics of abstainers from substance use and antisocial behavior in the United States

Purpose

Whether lifetime abstainer's antisocial behavior is maladjusted or well-adjusted is unresolved. The aim of this study was to compare abstainers (defined as persons with no lifetime use of alcohol and other drugs and non-engagement in antisocial or delinquent behavior) with non-abstainers across a range of sociodemographic and mental health characteristics in the United States.

Methods

Data were derived from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Structured psychiatric interviews (N = 43,093) using the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule — DSM-IV version (AUDADIS-IV) were completed by trained lay interviewers between 2001 and 2002.

Results

The prevalence of abstaining was 11 percent. Abstainers were significantly more likely to be female, Asian and African-American, born outside the U.S., and less likely to be unemployed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that abstainers were significantly less likely to evidence lifetime mood, anxiety, or personality disorder compared to non-abstainers.

Conclusions

Findings indicate that abstainers are not maladapted and are comparatively more functional than non-abstainers.     

Forensic medical diagnostics of chronic alcoholic intoxication based on histological changes in the soft tissues of oral cavity and salivary glands

Histological studies of oral cavity mucosa and salivary glands in subjects with chronic alcoholic intoxication revealed changes at the surface of the tongue and in the glandular tissues. Specific features of chronic alcoholic intoxication include acinar and ductal hyperplasia, reduction of the adipose tissue mass in salivary gland stroma, predominance of T-lymphocytes in hard palate minor salivary glands and B-lymphocytes in the stroma of labial minor salivary gland, the absence of plasma cells in the stroma of hard palate minor salivary glands and labial mucosa. Leukoplakia, dysplasia, and hyperplasia of the basal epithelial layer of oral cavity mucosa are considered to be the signs of long-term (over 12 months) alcohol consumption.     

Optimization of the biological microchip for genotyping the AB0 locus: analytical aspects

The present work continues the search for methodological options facilitating the improvement and optimization of the biological microchip designed for genotyping the AB0 locus. It was shown in an earlier study designed to test a prototype biological microchip using a reference set of preparations with the known group specificity that under certain conditions some cells of the biochip appear to generate artifact hybridization signals that tend to make the results of genotyping either incorrect or difficult to interpret. We performed the correction of the molecular structure of DNA probes of the prototype biochip for the purpose of optimization of their hybridization potency. In addition, we developed and synthesized new DNA probes and designed new variants of the biochip. The experimental analysis of hybridization properties of all DNA probes thus obtained was carried out for the final choice of the most promising options suitable for the creation of the optimized biochip.     

Forensic medical expertise of injuries in the anorectal region and rectum related to the sexual assault

Injuries to the anorectal region and rectum associated with sexual crimes require forensic medical assessment even though this issue remains to be poorly developed. The results of 84 forensic medical expertises are presented based on the materials obtained by examining both women and men who applied with complains of sexual abuse (anogenital penetration) to the Primorskoye territorial Bureau of forensic medical expertise during 5 years, from 2005 to 2009. The study has demonstrated correlation between dynamics of applications of the victims of either sex and the lack of a tendency toward a decrease in their frequency. The signs characteristic of acute injuries and chronic conditions are described. The causes of diagnostic errors during forensic medical expertise of sexual abuse are discussed.     

Forensic medical expertise of injuries in the anorectal region and rectum unrelated to attempts at sexual abuse

The results of analysis of 46 commission forensic medical expertises are presented based on the materials concerning injuries and changes in the anorectal region and rectum unrelated to attempts at sexual abuse. The materials were collected and stored by the Primorskoye territorial Bureau of forensic medical expertise during 5 years, from 2005 to 2009. All injuries and changes were categorized into several groups in terms of their origin, viz. car accidents, inadequate medical care, insertion of foreign bodies, falls on sharp and protruding objects, gunshot wounds, chemical and thermal burns, sports training, etc. The occurrence of the injuries is illustrated by the examples from forensic medical practice. It is concluded that experts describing injuries and changes in the anorectal region and rectum must act in conformity with the order of the Russian Ministry of Health No 346 dated October 21, 2010) and use instrumental methods and terminology accepted in modern proctology. The severity of harm to health in subjects presenting with injuries and changes in the anorectal region and rectum should be evaluated in terms of both the degree of the threat to life and the outcome of the treatment with special reference to the duration of health impairment, severity of the trauma, and its consequences (anorectal dysfunction).     

Two cases of stab and slash wounds in the vitally important body regions

Two cases of severe injuries to the head and the neck are reported. Both patients recovered after the traumas.     

Serious assaults on prison staff: A descriptive analysis

Objective

The current study sought to illuminate the patterns associated with serious inmate-on-staff assaults, as well as the characteristics of perpetrators and victims.

Material and methods

This study examined 79 assaults on prison staff requiring more than first aid treatment, perpetrated by 96 inmates, in a large state correctional department during a 14-month period (September 1, 2007 through October 31, 2008).

Results

These assaults were both infrequent (53 per 100,000 inmates annually) and progressively more infrequent as the severity increased (hospitalization for non-life threatening injury or required reconstructive surgery = 2.2 per 100,000 inmates annually; hospitalization for life-threatening injury = 0.5 per 100,000 inmates annually). Among staff victims, Black and female correctional officers were underrepresented. Inmate perpetrators who were younger, Black, prison gang members, and/or serving sentences for violent offenses were disproportionately represented among assailants.

Conclusions

The low overall rate of serious staff assaults attests to the level of professionalism and training in modern corrections departments. Nonetheless, situational factors uncovered in the current analysis suggest that particular circumstances increase the likelihood of staff assaults, hence the need for continued training and vigilance on the part of correctional staff that come in direct contact with inmates.     

Fuelling traffic

Over the last decade, researchers and legislators have struggled to get an accurate picture of the scale and nature of the problem of human trafficking. In the absence of reliable data, some anti-prostitution activists have asserted that a causal relationship exists between legalised prostitution and human trafficking. They claim that systems of legalised or decriminalised prostitution lead to increases in trafficking into the sex industry. This paper critically analyses attempts to substantiate this claim during the development of anti-trafficking policy in Australia and the United States. These attempts are explored within the context of persistent challenges in measuring the scale and nature of human trafficking. The efforts of abolitionist campaigners to use statistical evidence and logical argumentation are analysed, with a specific focus on the characterisation of demand for sexual services and systems of legalised prostitution as ‘pull’ factors fuelling an increase in sex trafficking. The extent to which policymakers sought to introduce evidence-based policy is also explored.     

Determinants of congressional minimum wage support: the role of economic education

Much has been made about the lack of economic education among the public at large, yet little has been said about the limited education of Members of Congress. This paper examines the economic education levels of Members of Congress voting on the 2007 increase in the minimum wage. Controlling for a variety of characteristics of members and constituents, this study finds that members who majored in economics as undergraduates were less likely to vote for the minimum wage increase than their colleagues. No other major had a consistent influence. A large number of statistical specifications confirm the robustness of the finding.