In this first compendium in the growing literature of behavioral teratology, readers will discover an easy-to-access, concise presentation that covers a huge range of subjects. The book synthesizes important findings that help explain why prenatal events may result in abnormal behavior and learning disabilities later in life. It goes further to examine the role of prenatal perturbations in conditions as varied as dyslexia, schizophrenia, fetal alcohol syndrome, and autism.

Significant changes have taken place in the policy landscape surrounding cannabis legalization, production, and use. During the past 20 years, 25 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis and/or cannabidiol (a component of cannabis) for medical conditions or retail sales at the state level and 4 states have legalized both the medical and recreational use of cannabis. These landmark changes in policy have impacted cannabis use patterns and perceived levels of risk. However, despite this changing landscape, evidence regarding the short- and long-term health effects of cannabis use remains elusive. While a myriad of studies have examined cannabis use in all its various forms, often these research conclusions are not appropriately synthesized, translated for, or communicated to policy makers, health care providers, state health officials, or other stakeholders who have been charged with influencing and enacting policies, procedures, and laws related to cannabis use. Unlike other controlled substances such as alcohol or tobacco, no accepted standards for safe use or appropriate dose are available to help guide individuals as they make choices regarding the issues of if, when, where, and how to use cannabis safely and, in regard to therapeutic uses, effectively. Shifting public sentiment, conflicting and impeded scientific research, and legislative battles have fueled the debate about what, if any, harms or benefits can be attributed to the use of cannabis or its derivatives, and this lack of aggregated knowledge has broad public health implications. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids provides a comprehensive review of scientific evidence related to the health effects and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis. This report provides a research agendaâ€"outlining gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for providing additional insight into these issuesâ€"that summarizes and prioritizes pressing research needs.

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: A Clinician's Guide provides comprehensive, clinically relevant information for mental health practitioners and professionals in educational, vocational, legal, child welfare, and correctional settings who may encounter individuals with a "hidden disability" that compromises their success in career, family, and life. The author is a noted scholar and clinician in the field of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), and the book fills a glaring gap in the training literature on prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Lacking a diagnosis and the professional assistance they so desperately need, people with FASD can experience great frustration and suffering. Many are institutionalized unnecessarily or have entered the criminal justice system. Drawing upon evidence-based research and employing the most current assessment techniques and treatment strategies, the book aims to help the reader understand that pathophysiology is key to interpreting outcomes and that the effects of PAE vary according to the differential impacts of other biopsychosocial factors. The book emphasizes the need for individual clinicians to develop expert knowledge of PAE, rather than create new alternative services or systems to cater to these patients. Beautifully written and clinically rich, the guide offers in-depth coverage of essential topics: * Through the use of clinical vignettes, the book helps clinicians work through differential diagnoses, recognize the "red flags" that individuals with PAE may exhibit, and implement evidence- and practice-based modifications to care that help patients improve and even thrive.* Over the five decades that the complications of PAE have been recognized in the scientific literature, the terms used to describe the entities have changed. The book helps readers understand this nosological evolution and recognize the bridging of FASD in the interface of PAE and its mental disorder sequelae.* The section on assessment and diagnosis covers the latest techniques, including neuroimaging and psychological testing, both of which are promising although not yet reliable, and laboratory testing for general screening, diagnostic confirmation, monitoring, and risk management.* Chapters are included on pharmacological intervention, which reviews both medications currently in use and those requiring further study and psychological treatment, which focuses on interventions to replace deficits with techniques that correct affect regulation, executive dysfunction, and impulsivity.* Strategies and programs that enhance quality of life, ensure interdependence, and are socially responsible and inclusive are explored in a chapter on the "critical success factors." Proper diagnosis of FASD is fraught with difficulty, and clinicians need specialized knowledge to navigate the red herrings and red flags. Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: A Clinician's Guide equips professionals with the requisite skills and clinical acumen to identify individuals with PAE and provide them with optimum care.

This User’s Guide is intended to support the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and quality evaluation of registries created to increase understanding of patient outcomes. For the purposes of this guide, a patient registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. A registry database is a file (or files) derived from the registry. Although registries can serve many purposes, this guide focuses on registries created for one or more of the following purposes: to describe the natural history of disease, to determine clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of health care products and services, to measure or monitor safety and harm, and/or to measure quality of care. Registries are classified according to how their populations are defined. For example, product registries include patients who have been exposed to biopharmaceutical products or medical devices. Health services registries consist of patients who have had a common procedure, clinical encounter, or hospitalization. Disease or condition registries are defined by patients having the same diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis or heart failure. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews.

The book focuses on implications of traditional and processed foods for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) intervention and management. Numerous phytonutrients and pharmacologically active compounds in edible natural products and diet could influence and offer protection to neuronal dysfunction that occurs due to ASD. The neuroprotective effects of various fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds phytochemicals, and other natural bioactive ingredients against ASD and related conditions are discussed. Topics such as the possible neuroprotective mechanism of action of these foods and the therapeutic role of antioxidants in relation to ASD are addressed. This book also highlights the scope of using anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants to promote neurogenesis and improve other symptoms in ASD. It emphasizes personalized nutritional approaches with dietary management of neurodevelopmental disorders/ASD cases. Information in this book is relevant to researchers in the field of complementary and alternative medicine, nutraceuticals, neuroscience, agriculture, nutrition, and food science. This volume is beneficial to students of varying levels, and across multiple disciplines.

Prenatal Cocaine Exposures addresses the timely problem of maternal cocaine abuse and its effects on exposed infants, including growth retardation, learning, cardiovascular effects, and seizures. The impact of substance abuse on this and future generations presents an ongoing challenge to medical science. This comprehensive and authoritative volume reviews both animal and clinical studies to explain implications for treatment and long-term outcomes of early exposure. Prenatal Cocaine Exposures investigates the specific role of cocaine in altering fetal development. Discussions of current studies and state-of-the-art techniques provide a basis for informed clinical decisions. Pediatricians, medical specialists, basic scientists, educators, and policy makers will all benefit from the comprehensive research gathered in this volume.

Links information on experimental teratogenic agents with the congenital defects in human beings.