News You Can Use:

Bill Banning Synthetic Drugs Passes Senate, Awaits President’s Signature

By Join Together Staff | June 29, 2012 | reprinted from: http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/drugs/bill-banning-synthetic-drugs-passes-senate-awaits-president%E2%80%99s-signature

The U.S. Senate passed a bill outlawing synthetic drugs this week, and awaits President Obama’s signature, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012 bans drugs such as “bath salts” and synthetic marijuana at the federal level.

According to a news release from the office of Senator Charles Schumer of New York, the amendment included three bills relating to synthetic substances: one for bath salts, one for synthetic marijuana, and one for synthetic hallucinogens. Click on link above for more information.

USDTL Unveils New “bath Salts” Assay in Umbilical Cord</p>

DES PLAINES, Ill. (June 1, 2012) – United States Drug Testing Laboratories, Inc (USDTL), a reference laboratory specializing in alcohol and substances of abuse testing, released a new assay testing umbilical cord for newborn exposure in utero to Designer Stimulants/ Bath Salts on Friday, June 1, 2012. The CordStat® assay screens for the most common of designer stimulants known as “Bath Salts.”

Designer stimulants produce an euphoric high and have been described by the CDC as “a serious public threat.” These stimulants are packaged as bath salts, plant food or stain remover with labels that indicate “not for human consumption”. (CDC, 2011; Dargan et al, 2010; Dargan et al, 2011). Officials say the powdery substance mimics the effects of cocaine, ecstasy and LSD. These chemicals can cause hallucinations, paranoia, rapid heart rates, violent behavior and suicidal thoughts.

Healthcare workers are seeing neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) like symptoms similar to those seen in newborns exposed to the drugs listed above but cannot be attributed to opiates or other commonly screened for substances of abuse. Due in part to the lack of a widely-available, objective screen to identify newborns that have been exposed to designer stimulants, currently no specific research exists concerning the short-term or long-term harm caused by in utero exposure to designer stimulants. That said, the UK Teratology Information Service has warned that use of designer stimulants should be avoided during pregnancy (UKTIS, 2010).

CordStat® is an ideal clinical assay for healthcare practitioners concerned with monitoring newborns at high risk for having been exposed to Bath Salts/Designer Stimulants. The assay, which tests for 8 of the most common ingredients, can be ordered as an add-on test to one of our standard CordStat® 5-, 7-, 9-, 12- and 13-drug panels. To order, researchers and clinicians can contact Client Services at (800) 235-2367 or at clientservices@usdtl.com.

Established in 1991 as a specialty drug testing facility, USDTL quickly became a leader in the industry.USDTL has made significant breakthroughs by developing procedures to effectively use umbilical cord tissue and meconium specimens to diagnose alcohol misuse and substances of abuse. To find out more, please visit https://www.usdtl.com/.

Contact:
Bob Demaree, Clinical Projects Manager
bob.demaree@usdtl.com
(800) 235-2367

USDTL Now GSA Certified Contractor

DES PLAINES, Ill. (May 25, 2012) – Des Plaines, IL,—We are pleased to announce that United States Drug Testing Laboratories, Inc. (USDTL) has been awarded a 5-year Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract (V797P-2097D) from the Department of Veteran Affairs as part of the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule which went into effect February 15, 2012. USDTL received the award for Schedule 621II Medical Laboratory Testing and Analytical Services as a certified small business enterprise.

VA Centers around the nation can now utilize USDTL’s state-of-the-art, long-term alcohol and drug biomarkers to assist with the treatment of chronic substance abuse. The contract also allows OB/GYN practitioners at all US military hospitals access to USDTL’s state-of-the-art toxicology services for newborn meconium and umbilical cord tissue testing for prenatal exposure to substances of abuse and heavy alcohol use.

USDTL is a leader in the toxicology industry; bringing new and innovative services to market to assist healthcare professionals to solve complex addiction issues. Government purchasers may contact Client Services at (800) 235-2367 or clientservice@usdtl.com to obtain more information and to coordinate specimen collection instructions and supplies.

Contact:
Joseph Jones, Vice President of Laboratory Services
joe.jones@usdtl.com
(800) 235-2367

Synthetic pot dangerous, hard to recognize – ABC 7 –http://bit.ly/GBBexh

Spring Break Ritual Could Lead to Brain Damage http://bit.ly/y8olhB

War Veterans with Mental Health Diagnoses More Likely to Receive Prescription Opioids for Pain http://bit.ly/wCFxPi

Wyoming kidney failure outbreak linked to “Spice” drug http://reut.rs/wWgjsG

Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office raids stores accused of selling synthetic drugs: Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie L… http://bit.ly/Arv8oZ

Huffington Post guest columnist Michael Friedman, LMSW, reviews the signs of prescription painkiller misuse. http://fb.me/HAowMmdv

Addicted at Birth
The Multidisciplinary Counterdrug Task Force Training: A Partnership Between the Florida National Guard and St. Petersburg College has developed a broadcast focusing on drug addicted infants.

Every day, babies are born addicted to prescription medications. They scream and twitch as their tiny bodies withdraw from the drugs their mothers took during pregnancy. All around the country, this problem grows as the number of prescription addicts rises. What can be done?

The broadcast is one hour long and is called Addicted at Birth. See how doctors, nurses, and other professionals treat these tiny addicts and why it is so expensive and time-consuming. You’ll learn why some pregnant women do not seek help during their pregnancy and why abruptly stopping prescription use can be harmful for both mother and the baby. Hear how law enforcement and other emergency responders play a big role in insuring help for the newborns.

Key Concepts:

• Understand the scope of the problem
• Learn how prescription-addicted babies are treated
• Understand why some pregnant women do not seek help
• See how law enforcement and emergency responders play a role in protecting these babies

For more information or to view the broadcast, please click here.

http://www.mctft.com/telecasts/view_course.aspx?telecastID=2012-03-29-1

Michael Sucher, MD
Medical Director, President and Contract Manager, Greenburg and Sucher PC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjxer0YWvRg

As promised we are offering this week’s News You Can Use in Newborn Health.

A Warning for pregnant women who want a holiday drink: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/pregnant-women-holiday-drinking-fetal-alcohol-syndrome-disorder/story?id=15099090 (FASD)

Acetaminophen concentrations changing; for infant safety check the dosage: http://www.examiner.com/healthy-living-in-huntsville/infant-safety-know-concentration-before-giving-acetaminophen-to-babies?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

At United States Drug Testing Laboratories, Inc., one of our goals is to keep you up-to-date on news in alcohol and substances of abuse testing. Throughout the year we will be gathering information and posting it here. Tuesdays will be for adult/teen alcohol and substance of abuse testing.

To begin, we are excited about a recent paper on phosphatidylethanol testing. Following is a link to the abstract: bit.ly/tnXMZU

In other news:

Grundy County, IL bans synthetic drugs: http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/2011/12/19/grundy-county-bans-synthetic-drugs/aial91x/

Drug Free Homes has a new program that has successfully reduced teen drug use in African American populations: http://www.drugfreehomes.org/2011/12/program-helps-fight-substance-abuse-among-african-american-teens.html

Teen marijuana use on the rise nationally, binge drinking also a local concern:http://www.examiner.com/healthy-living-in-hartford/teen-marijuana-use-on-the-rise-nationally-binge-drinking-also-a-local-concern

Keep an eye on the blog as Thursdays we will present news you can use for newborn health.

Drug and alcohol abuse occurs in all segments of society. A recent survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that among pregnant women, aged 15 to 44 years 4.4% used illicit drugs in the previous month, 10.8% reported alcohol use, and 4.7% admitted binge or heavy drinking. Substance abuse is a contributing factor to a variety of developmental and behavioral conditions. A substance abusing mother is more likely to neglect her newborn. 

Pregnancy may be the one time in a woman’s life when she would be open to treating important issues like drug and alcohol abuse. Addiction is a serious disease that can improve with treatment. Current identification methods rely on maternal self-report, use of a universal screening tool, or positive urine toxicology results. Maternal self-report may be limited by concerns about social stigma or possible legal implications. Screening tools require skill and training to develop effective interview techniques. Urine toxicology is not an effective tool in identifying alcohol abuse and has limited value with drugs. With the exception of marijuana, urine generally provides a 1-3 day window of exposure for illicit drug use. Therefore; the most effective antenatal drug or alcohol treatment program includes objective drug testing to monitor relapse.

Drug and alcohol toxicology test methods are a key component of any treatment program. USDTL offers customizable drug test panels in a variety of sample matrices, hair, nails, blood, urine, oral fluid, meconium, and umbilical cord sections. The laboratory provides a confirmed test result for a specific drug or metabolite. The unique test panels help identify a growing problem of polysubstance abuse.

Visit our website at https://www.usdtl.com/ for more information.

Our Clinical Projects Manager, Bob Demaree, will be in San Diego at the World Symposium of Perinatal Medicine. Stop by booth number 305 and learn more about our screening tests for alcohol and substances of abuse during the antenatal period.

If you can’t be there, Bob will also be in Washington D.C. this weekend Dec 4-6 for the Hot Topics in Neonatology meeting.

Visit our website: https://www.usdtl.com/ for information about all the services we provide.