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Biomedical subjects

V Manning

Publications and source records attributed to V Manning.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Drug deaths in police custody: is dual diagnosis a significant factor?

This study examined cases for possible mental health issues based on a study of 43 deaths in custody that had been supervised by the PCA between 1998 and 2002 involving the use of drugs. In 18 of the 43 cases, there was evidence of one of three groups of mental health symptoms--in five cases, there was evidence of psychosis, in five of previous self-harm or suicidal attempts, and in a further eight, there were indications of anxiety or depression. This constitutes a total of 42% of the cases studied. Those with mental health factors were more likely to have swallowed the drugs used, were more likely to have used prescription drugs and were more likely to have been believed to be faking their symptoms by the officers involved in these cases. While it is recognised that mental health problems are widespread in the criminal justice system, the diversity of conditions and the marked overlap with the use of alcohol and illicit drugs has not been sufficiently recognised, either in the training of officers or in the procedures for intervention in the custody suite.

Adolescent↗

Ethnic and gender differences in drinking and smoking among London adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The study examines stages of drinking and smoking careers and transitions from initiation to regular use among adolescents, as a function of ethnic status and gender. DESIGN: The data were collected using a confidential, self-completion questionnaire assessing onset and frequency of drinking and smoking. The sample consisted of 1777 adolescents, between the ages of 11 and 14, drawn from eight secondary schools in south-west London. RESULTS: For both smoking and drinking, white children were more likely to have ever smoked tobacco and drunk alcohol, and were also more likely to progress from initiation to regular use than were either black or Asian children. Asian children reported the latest onset and the lowest prevalence rates for both drinking and smoking. Males reported experimenting with both cigarettes and alcohol at an earlier age than females, although a lower proportion of males report regular and lifetime involvement with both alcohol and tobacco. Furthermore, a significantly higher proportion of females who try smoking go on to do so regularly. DISCUSSION: The importance of sociocultural factors in relation to race and gender in predicting onset and escalation of substance use is discussed. The fact that age of onset does not appear to be a significant determinant of transition rate from initiation to regular use is also explored.

Adolescent↗

Drinking and smoking as concurrent predictors of illicit drug use and positive drug attitudes in adolescents.

The study investigates the relationship between smoking and drinking, and the use of illicit drugs in a cohort of London adolescents. A high prevalence of drug experimentation and positive attitudes to illicit drug use were characteristic of those who both drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes on a regular basis. There was then a clear hierarchy in which lower prevalence of use and more negative attitudes marked those who only smoked, then those who only drank, while non-smokers and non-drinkers (the largest group) had lowest lifetime and recent drug use prevalence and the most negative attitudes about drug use.

Adolescent↗

Neuroendocrine differentiation in cervical carcinoma.

AIMS: To examine neuroendocrine differentiation, as shown by chromogranin A (CGA) expression, in cervical carcinomas. METHODS: Sixty seven cervical carcinomas were studied and were classified as adenocarcinomas, adenosquamous carcinomas or squamous cell carcinomas based on the assessment of haematoxylin and eosin staining and stains for mucin. Where features of glandular differentiation were identified, sections were also stained for evidence of intestinal type mucin. CGA immunostaining was done and the results were graded on a three point scale: 0, + (1-5% of cells positive) and ++ (> 5% of cells positive). These findings were then analysed with respect to lymph node status, tumour differentiation and clinical outcome. RESULTS: There were 32 adenocarcinomas, 18 adenosquamous carcinomas and 17 squamous cell carcinomas. Positive staining was seen in 14 (20.9%) cases, of which four were strongly positive. All but one case were either adenocarcinomas or adenosquamous carcinomas. There was a trend for CGA positivity to be related to intestinal differentiation but this failed to reach statistical significance. No correlation could be demonstrated between CGA staining and lymph node status, tumour differentiation and clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Neuroendocrine differentiation is common in cervical carcinomas where there is evidence of glandular differentiation. Whilst the numbers in this study are relatively small, the presence of neuroendocrine cells in otherwise typical carcinomas does not seem to have any association with clinical behaviour.

Adenocarcinoma↗