JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Addictive use of the stimulant drug pemoline caused a delusional disorder in a middle-aged man. Discontinuance of use of the drug promptly reversed the psychosis, which subsequently recurred when pemoline was again used. Pemoline seems to be an addictive drug and has an additional property that heretofore has been attributed mainly to amphetamines--precipitation of a paranoid psychosis.
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Frequent smoking of cannabis (marijuana) has been shown to be associated with a decline in social, mental, and perceptual skills and, during adolescence, with maladaptive emotional development. Urinalysis for the detection of such use can be a useful tool for the physician responsible for treatment and counseling of adolescents who develop habitual use of marijuana. ⋯ The pharmacokinetics and metabolism of the active constituents of cannabis are described as well as the interpretation of urinalysis results as they relate to use patterns. Guidelines are presented for the primary care physician for selecting candidates for such testing and for the use of such tests in the treatment or counseling of adolescents for whom marijuana abuse has become a psychological and social problem.
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To assess relationships between increases in triceps skin-fold thickness (TRSF) and changes in levels of serum lipids and lipoproteins in early life, a biracial sample of 1,598 five to 12 year olds were reexamined five years after an initial examination. Significant positive correlations, controlled for age, were observed between changes in TRSF and changes in levels of serum total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and low- and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. ⋯ Increases in estimated percentage body fat and ponderal index (kilograms per cubic meter) were highly associated with changes in TRSF, but showed slightly different associations with the serum lipids and lipoproteins. Results show that increases in obesity in youth are accompanied by an increasingly atherogenic lipoprotein profile.