The abuse of drugs and chemicals has become a problematic public health dilemma for the world's population and one that must be dealt with by parents, societies, clinicians, researchers, and even countries in the world. This book discusses the complex neurobiology that underlies drug addiction and reveals how these illicit chemicals disrupt central nervous system neurotransmission involving such neurotransmitters as serotonin, dopamine, and others. This manual reviews current understanding in drug interactions with neurotransmitter systems, neuroimmune signaling, current research on reward circuitry, and current medications used to treat drug addiction. It also discusses related topics such as drug addiction in females, co-morbid conditions, drug addiction in minority populations, prenatal drug exposure and others. The book covers new drugs of the 21st century and discusses such controversial topics as legalization of drug use. It also provides internet resources, treatment facilities by state, and parent support organizations. The importance of prevention of drug abuse is a key theme of the book.

Psychiatric disorders in adolescents are an important social problem which is relevant to almost all healthcare professionals. According to the results of The National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), the lifetime prevalence of anxiety, behavior, mood, and substance use disorders among adolescents was 31.9%, 19.1%, 14.3%, and 11.4%, respectively. Approximately 40% of participants in this survey with one class of disorder also met criteria for another class of lifetime disorder. Comorbidity is increasingly recognized as a key feature of mental disorders among adolescents. Female adolescents are more likely than males to have mood and anxiety disorders, but less likely to have behavioral and substance use disorders. Regretfully, medical professionals are not sufficiently trained about adolescent psychiatric disorders. For example, primary care providers correctly identify less than a fourth of youth with a depressive or anxiety disorder. Also, many clinicians underestimate the importance of the problem of adolescent psychiatric illnesses and suicidal behavior. Lack of skilled medical providers impedes the delivery of needed services to adolescents with mental health issues. This coupled with a lag in the ability of primary health care services to incorporate psychiatric interventions, and a failure of public health initiatives to pay attention to adolescent mental health problems has led to continuing gaps in care over decades despite the public pronouncements of needs. In this book you will find relevant information for health professionals, since we believe that the mental health of adolescents is essential for sustaining healthy and productive societies.

Psychodermatology is a relatively new field in evolution and thus, there is a comparative paucity of information in general. However, when it comes to children and adolescents there is a complete vacuum of information as no other book has aimed to specifically address the psychodermatological issues facing this particular population. For assessment, diagnosis, comprehensive treatment of children with psychodermatologic conditions and establishing a relationship between skin and psyche, there is a lack of clear and relevant clinical information about these complex disorders. The complexity of these disorders is related to lack of understanding in genetic, embryonic, physiologic, neuroimmunologic, neurocutaneous, stress-related neuromodulation, and psychosomatic interconnections. This book presents a clinically relevant approach to the management of psychodermatologic issues encountered in normal practice. Various classifications and major categories that are discussed include psychophysiologic disorders, psychiatric conditions with dermatologic manifestations, dermatologic disorders predisposing to psychiatric disorders, systemic diseases with psychodermatological manifestations, and special issues in management of psychocutaneous disorders in children and adolescents.

Primary care clinicians are called on to care for adolescents in a time with increasing pharmacologic agents that are available in the management of these patients. The emphasis in this book is on the current pharmacologic treatment of common medical disorders in adolescents. Selected topics of practical relevance in adolescent medicine are covered. The goal of this book is to provide a succinct and practical guide specifically written for practicing physicians and allied health professionals who work with adolescents.

Primary care clinicians are called on to care for adolescents in a time with increasing pharmacologic agents that are available in the management of these patients. The emphasis in this book is on the current pharmacologic treatment of common medical disorders in adolescents. Selected topics of practical relevance in adolescent medicine are covered. The goal of this book is to provide a succinct and practical guide specifically written for practicing physicians and allied health professionals who work with adolescents.

Youth gambling represents a potentially serious public policy and health issue. Nevertheless, the rise in youth gambling issues and problems in the global context is not matched with a parallel increase in research on adolescent gambling. As such, there is an urgent need to conduct more studies on adolescent gambling behaviour. Recently significant advances in the knowledge of the risk factors associated with adolescent problems has emerged. This book addresses issues related to prevalence, assessment, prevention and treatment of youth gambling problems as well as concerns related to technological changes associated with youth problem gambling.

Just a few decades ago, children born with significant congenital anomalies or genetic and metabolic diseases perished at an early age and very few survived into their teens and even less into adulthood. Congenital heart disease, major errors in metabolism, cancer, cystic fibrosis and many other major diseases were fatal. Because of that many physicians in adult primary care did not have the opportunity to see patients with these problems and thus unable to learn how to care for them. In this book, we have recruited highly qualified and experienced physicians to compile what is to the best of our knowledge, the first book dealing entirely with the issue of children's diseases in adults. Our goal is to provide a resource for all health care providers in order to help with caring for such adult patients. We believe that it will be valuable to all health care providers who provide care to adults with children's diseases. To our knowledge, there is no such resource available for practitioners which will make this book desirable.

The Corona hype, the Corona panic, has manifested the common cold as a brand new disease. What we present here is the psychosomatic hypothesis for COVID-19. We are living in a time of change. It is easy to assume that we live in a safe and stabile world, but the Corona COVID-19 pandemic has shown the whole world that this is not the case. Mighty forces changes our way of living, thinking and things changes fast. It is difficult to understand what is happening, for you need to be an expert in many different fields in order to really get it: medicine, economy and politics. You even need psychology, sociology and maybe even consciousness-research to fully comprehend what we are dealing with in the 2019-2020 Corona pandemic. This book tries to give you sufficient background in different areas to at least get an idea of what is happening around us in all parts of the world.

In the 19th century, a greater understanding of childrens rights was acknowledged, and in the 20th century, child abuse was discovered in 1962 after many years of turning a blind eye. The number of reported cases of child abuse worldwide has since exploded into a public health epidemic with a much higher incidence than better-funded diseases such as juvenile cancer. The evaluation of child abuse and neglect is complex, with many professionals and agencies involved to try and decrease these incidences. This can be one of the reasons why the field has not been able to attract appropriate resources for prevention, treatment, education and research. Child abuse must be looked upon as a major public health problem, and professionals must make the 21st century a century for the child. In this book, the authors have given a short review of the field.

In Canada over the past fifteen years, there has been a 39% rise in new cancer patients, necessitating the expansion of current oncological facilities. The population is getting older and larger, which in turn is translating into more cases of cancer. Other reports projecting cancer growth across different countries found similar results. With the prevalence of cancer expected to increase in the future, it is important to properly allocate resources towards cancer research to better serve the population. Patients with cancer continue to live longer; as such, more elderly individuals will live with cancer. In fact, cancer has been classified as a chronic illness alongside diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. This may translate to an increased demand for oncologists, specialist-trained nurses, diagnostic services, cancer centres, cancer therapies and palliative care. More importantly, this will translate to an increased necessity for cancer research to decrease the mortality and morbidity associated with cancer while improving the quality of care.

With effective systemic therapy and comprehensive supportive care, patients with metastases can live longer. Breast cancer patients with only or predominantly bone metastases have a median survival of 2.3 years following diagnosis, while metastatic prostate cancer patients have a median survival time of 11.3 months. With recent advances in research, the overall survivorship of metastatic patients has increased. The improved quality of care for metastatic cancer patients has resulted in longer survivorship. Living longer can lead to a higher chance of development for skeletal-related events (SREs), which are defined as either spinal cord compression, hypercalcemia, pathological fractures or a need for palliative radiation therapy or surgery for bone pain. To try to reduce pathological fractures, it is important to detect impending fractures earlier and to administer prophylactic surgery as needed. Longer survivorship also allows time for the development of brain metastases. Recent advances incorporating stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) have been favored over conventional whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) in the preservation of neurocognitive functions and survival benefit in patients less than 50 years of age. Multidisciplinary clinics for brain metastases are again desirable with the joint input of the radiation oncologists and neurosurgeons.

A variety of topics are presented in this book that seek to reflect on medical history before and after the golden age of the Medical Renaissance. These topics include newborn care, the story of adolescence, behavioral pediatrics, psychopharmacology, substance abuse, psychodermatology, specific organ systems (the kidney and the heart in pediatrics), and other motifs. Reflections on adolescence are provided based on society's classic disdain and envy of its youth, which is seen throughout the ages of human life. In this book, we include a variety of scholars who stood on the shoulders of giants and made giant leaps in medicine of their own. In each century since the Medial Renaissance, these giants advanced the field of medicine into what we have as today's standard medical care, and perhaps we can learn what it will be like in the future. These esteemed experts learned from the past, made mistakes, exhibited amazing courage, and faced scientific -- and sometimes -- sacerdotal criticism. Their courage was amazing, as many were confronted with minacious, inauspicious, portentous, and unpropitious attacks against their ethics and accomplishments. However, they persisted and were able to develop verifiable data that others could independently substantiate and sometimes improve upon for the benefit of all humans.

Leadership training is beneficial for the development of every human being, but few leadership models have focused on leadership qualities under service economies. In view of the lack of leadership models designed for service economies, the service leadership model was proposed by the Hong Kong Institute of Service Leadership and Management. To promote service leadership in the growing service economies, there is an obvious need to develop service leadership education for young people, particularly university students who are pillars of society in the future. In this book, the core beliefs and basic assertions of the service leadership model are highlighted, and integration of Western notions of leadership and Chinese philosophies (e.g., Confucian virtues) is attempted. Students are expected to integrate the academic content of the subject with their real life experiences. Finally, several evaluation mechanisms have been used to evaluate the subject. The authors' hope to generate more interest, discussion, and further development of service leadership education within and outside of Hong Kong.

Using the experience from the United States on positive youth development, researchers in Hong Kong developed the Project P.A.T.H.S., trained the potential program implementers and evaluated the developed programs. Because of the overwhelming success of the project in Hong Kong, the project was piloted in mainland China for several years. This project (supported by the Tin Ka Ping Foundation) was piloted in four cities in East China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Changzhou and Yangzhou) from 2011 to 2014. In this book, we present the training program in mainland China and also a leadership project for university students at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The chapters underscore the importance of evaluation, and we hope that the findings will motivate university teachers and others to utilise positive youth development principles within and outside of Hong Kong.

The current and future shortage of pediatric cardiologists necessitates information on the pediatric heart for primary care clinicians, as they care for the child and adolescent with cardiovascular dilemmas and disorders. In view of this shortage and the rapidly increasing knowledge in pediatric cardiology, as well as understanding indications for referral to pediatric cardiologists in the 21st century, au courant assiduous information aimed at primary care clinicians in these areas becomes increasingly important. The heart does not exist in isolation, but is involved in other aspects of the body; thus, hypertension that may involve renal pathophysiology and hyperlipidemia that involves various organ systems is also an important topic. Behavioral aspects of chronic disease, including renal disorders, should also be considered because of the importance and impact that renal (and chronic) disease has on children and adolescents. Certainly, seeking to stay current on basic principles of pediatric cardiology is important; these include fluid and electrolyte physiology, management of pediatric hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. In view of the importance of hypertension in children and adolescents concerning complications in all stages of life (i.e. renal disease, cardiovascular disease, and others), periodic ambulatory blood pressure monitoring by the primary care clinician (PCP) is an extremely important task. The current epidemic of obesity also heightens the importance of hypertension screening in the 21st century.

The "Break the Cycle" program has been an annual academic event since 2005, recruiting students from many different disciplines and departments at different universities across the United States and the world, to break the cycle of environmental health disparities at any point. This volume presents the set of "Break the Cycle" projects that look at the international stage. Environmental conditions and health disparities are universal and represent a challenge for our global village. We hope to see many more students assist with this program in different international settings. The students are, after all, our future; our work is a preparation for them to make the world a better place for generations to come. Poverty, disadvantage, disease and disability are all global challenges. This global picture has been captured in the Millennium Development Goals 2015, which came out of the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders in history. We now have the UN Sustainable Development Goals to guide our efforts for the next couple of decades.

In this yearbook we have many interesting chapters and topics. We start out with chapters on psychocutaneous disorders from different points of view. Then we move to the newborn period with chapters on evaluation and screening of the newborn, prematurity, circumcision and environment. Then we move into specific health issues in the new born period and end up with several chapters on cost-benefit, sleep disorders, immunisations and more. It is our hope that you will find the content of interest.

Adolescence identifies a critical period of human life that allows sufficient maturity for the human being to leave childhood dependency and pass through a dramatic period of immense physiological, psychological, and sociological consequences. The adolescent must accept the failures and successes of childhood with the initiation of puberty and in the end, starts his or her adult life as central nervous system maturity occurs. The tremendous peaks of growth and development are only exceeded by those seen in utero and in early childhood. This yearbook has research on pregnancy, cyberbullying, transition issues, body image, health issues and environmental health, which we hope you will find of interest.

In the past there has been much emphasis on child and adolescent developmental problems and while it is perfectly legitimate to look at child and adolescent problems, there are two problems with this approach. First, over-emphasis on problems can reinforce a pathological orientation. As such, children and adolescents may be seen as "problems" or "issues" to be fixed. Second, this approach may overlook talents, potentials and abilities in young people. Because of the limitations of the "deficiency" or "pathological" approach in understanding children and adolescents, there has been a greater interest in positive youth development programs in recent years with a shift from looking at the negative to turning the related programs and approach into something positive and highlighting the positive side of youth development. This has resulted in a focus on talents, strengths, interests and potential in order to facilitate a stronger and better youth development. Instead of viewing children and adolescents as "problems" or "issues" to be resolved, they are regarded as "resources" and "assets" to be developed. In this Yearbook 2015 we cover many aspects of child and adolescent development and health issues from newborn to adolescence and it is our humble wish that the chapters can help stimulate more interest and effort in developing and implementing programs for children and youth to ensure a good and positive development.

In this yearbook for 2015 we present you with the latest research on pain management. We start out with chapters on cancer, intellectual disability and pain. Then we move into the field of palliative care, quality of life and cancer. Post-traumatic stress disorder in cancer patients is discussed from experiences in Canada and you will also find a chapter on burnout for professionals working with cancer patients. Social work related to end of life is also presented and it is our hope that you as the reader will find the information of interest and useful.

Just a few decades ago, children born with significant congenital anomalies or genetic and metabolic diseases perished at an early age, and very few survived into their teens and even less into adulthood. Congenital heart disease, major errors in metabolism, cancer, cystic fibrosis and many other major diseases were fatal. Because of this, many physicians in adult primary care did not have the opportunity to see patients with these problems and thus were unable to learn how to care for them. With major advancements in medical knowledge, technology, imaging techniques, surgical skills and pharmaceutical products (as well as prosthetic devices), many of these patients now live much longer lives and sometimes even survive to the average life expectancy. With that, a new medical care challenge has been created and we have to take a life span approach.

Disorders of consciousness (DOC) represent one of the most complex and crucial challenges for neuroscientists. A precise and reliable assessment of the arousal and awareness of consciousness in patients with severe brain damage would allow for a comprehensible classification of DOC. Intensive care has led to an increase in the number of patients who survive after severe acute brain damage. Most comatose patients who survive begin to awaken and recover gradually within 24 weeks. Although some of these individuals gradually experience complete brain function loss which leads to brain death (BD), oftentimes this state is treated as synonymous with the death of the individual. Nonetheless, other individuals progress to "wakeful unawareness", which is defined as a vegetative state (VS). DOC terminology may be useful clinically, but does little to explain the nature of consciousness. While it is not known which portions of the brain are responsible for cognition and consciousness, what little is known points to substantial interconnections among the brainstem, subcortical structures and the neocortex. Thus, the "higher brain" may well exist only as a metaphorical concept and not in reality.

Several medical options in palliative care can have complex moral, religious, cultural, medical and legal issues. These treatment options, such as assisted suicide, rehydration, parenteral nutrition and cardiopulmonary resuscitation have been heavily debated in the literature. Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic for debate, with growing pressure from advocacy groups for legalisation in regions that have yet to decide. Currently, there is substantial opposition from concerned medical professionals. However, a school of medical professionals acknowledges that physician-assisted suicide may have a role in terminal care. The debate over the use of artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) in terminal illness is also contentious despite extensive ethical and empirical research. Advocates for and against ANH both agree that the most compassionate and humane option for patients near the end of life is hospice and/or palliative care. However, many of those who support ANH do not seem to appreciate that the standard palliative practice is to avoid the use of ANH in almost all instances. These topics remain heavily disputed in the medical community. In formulating a satisfactory answer, we need to remind ourselves that we cannot generalise a treatment as a correct or incorrect option. Rather, we need to consider each case individually, weigh the risks and benefits of each treatment, and individually consider treatment options in a multidisciplinary care model.

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society, organizations (public and private), communities and individuals. The mission of public health is the fulfillment of society's interest in assuring the conditions which make people healthy. In the twentieth century, one of the improvements in public health has been an increased life expectancy in the developed world. However, we have also seen other achievements in the provision of vaccinations, motor-vehicle safety, safer workplaces, control of infectious diseases, decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke, safer and healthier foods, healthier mothers and babies, and family planning and fluoridation of drinking water. There has been some positive trends in recent years in developed countries, such as less smoking, more physical activity and better vaccination status. Still, drinking, obesity, violent crime and lack of health insurance are some challenging areas in public health. We need to apply what we have learned and know now in order to reduce health inequality in our nations in the future. We also need to use advanced technology to improve health and address new health issues as they emerge over time; it is imperative that people are ready to intervene and minimize adverse effects of new diseases at all times.

In this book, we have looked at some aspects commonly found in urban cities within developed countries. Although the chapters are all from Hong Kong (China's most international city) with a focus on Chinese children and adolescents, key developmental issues are reviewed and new research agenda are discussed with implications for other cultures and cities. This book might be of interest to researchers who want to develop a new framework for understanding some of the most intriguing developmental issues of today's youth. They may find new perspectives and precious hints for planning future research. In addition, teachers, psychologists, social workers, and mental health practitioners in general should also be interested, as they need to design prevention or intervention programs to reduce the risk factors for adolescents. Finally, we hope it may be a resource for everyone involved at any level with the promotion of positive youth development.