Hair analysis is a reliable and widely used tool to evaluate drug exposure in many fields, including workplace testing, drug abuse history and withdrawal control, post-mortem toxicology, doping control, therapeutic drug monitoring of pharmaceuticals and even environmental exposure to toxic agents. Compounds incorporated into the hair structure resist hair growth and regular washing for several months, leading to a potential chronological trace of exposure, with farther periods corresponding to the hair segments more distant from the hair root. The relentless improvement of analytical procedures and instrumental technologies, together with the continuous introduction of new psychoactive substances, have led to an increasing number of studies and practical applications of hair analysis. This book is a comprehensive guide to hair analysis from general concepts, ideal for students and those new to the field, to interpretation and advanced methods for experts working in the area. With contributions from world-leading scientists in each field, this book describes state-of-the-art, emerging issues and recent analytical approaches to hair analysis that will serve as an essential tool to clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories across the globe.

Hair Analysis in Clinical and Forensic Toxicology is an essential reference for toxicologists working with, and researching, hair analysis. The text presents a review of the most up-to-date analytical methods in toxicological hair analysis, along with state-of-the-art developments in the areas of hair physiology, sampling, and pre-treatments, as well as discussions of fundamental issues, applications, and results interpretation. Topics addressed include the diagnosis of chronic excessive alcohol drinking by means of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE), the early detection of new psychoactive substances, including designer drugs, the development of novel approaches to screening tests based on mass spectrometry, and the detection of prenatal exposure to psychoactive substances from the analysis of newborn hair. - Unites an international team of leading experts to provide an update on the cutting-edge advances in the toxicological analysis of hair - Demonstrates toxicological techniques relating to a variety of scenarios and exposure types - Ideal resource for the further study of the psychoactive substances, drug-facilitated crimes, ecotoxicology, analytical toxicology, occupational toxicology, toxicity testing, and forensic toxicology - Includes detailed instructions for the collection, preparation, and handling of hair, and how to best interpret results

Germ cells have a unique and critical role as the conduit for hereditary information. The issue of male germline mutagenesis and the effects on developmental defects in the next generation has become increasingly high profile in recent years. Understanding the mechanisms by which the germline is induced and maintained is one of the effective ways to treat infertility and cancer. Male-mediated Developmental Toxicity discusses these issues and provides analysis of the fundamental mechanisms of mutations covering both clinical and experimental aspects. It helps clarify the data explaining how genotoxicity involves multiple modes of action and highlights novel models and assays being used to assess germ cell genotoxicity. With a clear focus on the various mechanisms that could impact human health, this book is for postgraduate students and researchers in reproductive and developmental toxicology as well as those with an interest in the fields of genetically inherited diseases, developmental biology and, potentially, those with a more clinical background.

In the light of the complex demographic shifts associated with late modernity and the impetus of neo-liberal politics, childhood continues all the more to operate as a repository for the articulation of diverse social and cultural anxieties. Since the Thatcher years, juvenile delinquency, child poverty, and protection have been persistent issues in public discourse. Simultaneously, childhood has advanced as a popular subject in the arts, as the wealth of current films and novels in this field indicates. Focusing on the late twentieth and the early twenty-first centuries, this collection assembles contributions concerned with current political, social, and cultural dimensions of childhood in the United Kingdom. The individual chapters, written by internationally renowned experts from the social sciences and the humanities, address a broad spectrum of contemporary childhood issues, including debates on child protection, school dress codes, the media, the representation and construction of children in audiovisual media, and literary awards for children’s fiction. Appealing to a wide scholarly audience by joining perspectives from various disciplines, including art history, education, law, film and TV studies, sociology, and literary studies, this volume endorses a transdisciplinary and meta-theoretical approach to the study of childhood. It seeks to both illustrate and dismantle the various ways in which childhood has been implicitly and explicitly conceived in different disciplines in the wake of the constructivist paradigm shift in childhood studies.

Paleonutrition is the analysis of prehistoric human diets and the interpretation of dietary intake in relation to health and nutrition. As a field of study, it addresses prehistoric diets in order to determine the biological and cultural implications for individuals as well as for entire populations, placing archaeological interpretations into an anthropological context. Throughout history, and long before written records, human culture has been constantly in flux. The study of paleonutrition provides valuable insights into shifts and changes in human history, whatever their causes. This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date book on the topic. Intended for students and professionals, it describes the nature of paleonutrition studies, reviews the history of paleonutrition research, discusses methodological issues in the reconstruction of prehistoric diets, presents theoretical frameworks frequently used in paleonutrition research, and showcases examples in which paleonutritional analyses have been successfully conducted on prehistoric individuals, groups, and populations. It offers an integrative approach to understanding state-of-the-art anthropological dietary, health, and nutritional assessments. The most recent and innovative methods used to reconstruct prehistoric diets are discussed, along with the major ways in which paleonutrition data are recovered, analyzed, and interpreted. Paleonutrition includes five contemporary case studies that provide useful models of how to conduct paleonutrition research. Topics range from ancient diets in medieval Nubia to children’s health in the prehistoric American Southwest to honey use by an ethnographic group of East African foragers. As well as providing interesting examples of applying paleonutrition techniques, these case studies illustrate the mutually beneficial linkages between ethnography and archaeology.

Environmental health is an area with significant developments and noteworthy challenges that expand into various disciplines: medicine and public health, sociology and communications, technology, policymaking, and legislation. Due to the massive amount of health-related issues, additional literature involving environmental health is required to improve the wellbeing of citizens worldwide. Environmental Exposures and Human Health Challenges provides interdisciplinary insights into concepts and theories related to environmental exposures and human health impacts via the air, water, soil, heavy metal exposure, and other chemical toxins. The book also addresses inequalities and environmental injustices in relation to environmental exposures and health impacts. Covering topics such as health policies, pollution effects, and heavy metal exposure, this publication is designed for public health professionals, preventive medicine specialists, clinicians, data scientists, environmentalists, academicians, practitioners, researchers, and students.