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Addressing the need for accessible SARS-CoV-2 testing, carboxy-PEG 12-thiol functionalized gold nanoparticles conjugates were developed for rapid point-of-care (POC) detection against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, pseudo-SARS-CoV-2, and authentic Beta SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. These conjugates leverage gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as signal transducers, cross-linked to either angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) or SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibodies as bioreceptors and showed a distinct color shift from pink to blue. To assess their POC feasibility, the conjugates were integrated into facemasks and breathalyzers, wherein aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 antigens were successfully detected, producing a color change within 10 and 30 minutes for the breathalyzer and facemask prototypes, respectively. Furthermore, we explored quantitative analysis using varying concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Both conjugates demonstrated a linear relationship between blue color intensity and virus concentration, with linear ranges of 0.08-0.6 ng/mL and 0.04-0.5 ng/mL, respectively. Low limits of detection and quantification were also achieved. They exhibited specificity, responding solely to SARS-CoV-2 even in complex matrices containing diverse proteins, including the SARS-CoV-1 spike protein. Precision tests yielded coefficient of variations below 2 %, showcasing their remarkable reproducibility. This work presents a promising approach for rapid, sensitive, and specific POC detection of SARS-CoV-2 paving the way for improved pandemic response and management.

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The biosensor, named "virusmeter" in this study, integrates quartz crystal microbalance technology with an immune-functionalized chip to distinguish between symptomatic patients with respiratory diseases and healthy individuals by analyzing exhaled air samples. Renowned for its compact design, rapidity, and noninvasive nature, this device yields results within a 5-min timeframe. Evaluated under controlled conditions with 54 hospitalized symptomatic COVID-19 patients and 128 control subjects, the biosensor demonstrated good overall sensitivity (98.15%, 95% CI 90.1-100.0) and specificity (96.87%, 95% CI 92.2-99.1). This proof-of-concept presents an innovative approach with significant potential for leveraging piezoelectric sensors to diagnose respiratory diseases.

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CONTEXT: Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a novel respiratory viral infection, causing a relatively large number of deaths especially in people who underly lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary and asthma, and humans are still suffering from the limited testing capacity. In this article, a solution is proposed for the detection of COVID-19 viral infections through the analysis of exhaled breath gasses, i.e., nitric oxide, a prominent biomarker released by respiratory epithelial, as a non-invasive and time-saving approach. Here, we designed a novel and low-cost N and P co-doped C60 fullerene-based breathalyzer for the detection of NO gas exhaled from the respiratory epithelial cells. This breathalyzer shows a quick response to the detection of NO gas by directly converting NO to NO2 without passing any energy barrier (0 kcal/mol activation energy). The recovery time of breathalyzer is very short (0.98 × 103 s), whereas it is highly selective for NO sensing in the mixture of CO2 and H2O gasses. The study provides an idea for the synthesis of low-cost (compared to previously reported Au atom decorated nanostructure and metal-based breathalyzer), efficient, and highly selective N and P co-doped C60 fullerene-based breathalyzer for COVID-19 detection. METHODS: The geometries of N and P-doped systems and gas molecules are simulated using spin-polarized density functional theory calculations.

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OBJECTIVES: To document the process of linking breathalyzer and motor vehicle crash (MVC) data for the State of Connecticut using a unique identifier in the place of personal and private information. METHODS: Deterministic linkage methodologies were utilized in Microsoft SQL Server to join 5,634 (of 6,650) breathalyzer records to corresponding MVC driver records for the period of January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2022. Differences between the linked and original datasets were documented by comparing the consistency of frequency and proportion distributions of key variables. RESULTS: Proportions of annual records, alcohol breath tests, and refusals were nearly unchanged when comparing linked and original breathalyzer data. When examining variables in the original MVC driver records, there were differences in the within-group proportions for sex and age, with an overrepresentation of males and drivers aged 26-to-40 years old. For crash and injury severity, the linked dataset had lower proportions of more severe injury records when compared to the original MVC data. Additionally, 1,007 breathalyzer records were not matched with an associated MVC record. CONCLUSIONS: Linkage methodology is sound and produced quality matches. The use of a unique identifier provided a strong match qualifier in the absence of personal and private data. Changes in proportions for age, sex, crash and injury severity align with previous research. Potential missed matches may be attributed to several factors outside of the linkage process, including data discrepancies and varied reporting practices. Future studies will further explore these differences and incorporate additional toxicology data as part of a continued effort to fuze crash, citation, toxicology, and public health data. The end result will be a holistic, comprehensive, and multifaceted database for transportation research and education.

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Background: Consistent monitoring of blood alcohol concentration through breathalyzers is critical for identifying reoccurrence. Little research has effectively utilized convenient wireless enabled breathalyzers that can measure blood alcohol concentration while enhancing treatment motivation for outpatient care. The current study attempted to understand the impact of wireless breathalyzers on treatment motivation and self-efficacy in remaining sober for individuals diagnosed with alcohol use disorder in an outpatient treatment facility. Methods: Participants were assigned to one of two conditions: the experimental breathalyzer and the treatment as usual group. The groups were assessed by the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA), and on self-efficacy, measured by the Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale (AASE). The evaluation period took place over three months with a six-week follow-up evaluation. During the entirety of the evaluation period and post-study follow up, interviews occurred. Results: As a secondary analysis, the URICA's motivational scores were higher for participants receiving the experimental intervention at a two-month evaluation and at the six-week follow-up. The AASE's temptation to reoccurrence scores significantly reduced over time for both groups. The confidence to resist temptation was not significant. Three major themes emerged from the interviews, including the benefit of the breathalyzer facilitating their treatment, ease of device use, and technical issues. Conclusions: The insights gained from this study will be important to develop cost-effective ancillary interventions for comprehensive alcohol dependence treatment. On-going monitoring enabled by new technology allows treatment providers to take an individualized disease-management approach as well as facilitating timely interventions by the treatment provider.

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Introduction: Alcohol consumption is a key driver of the burden of violence and injury in South Africa (SA). Hence, we aim to validate various alcohol assessment tools against a blood test to assess their utility for improving national health practice and policy. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional pilot study from 3 to 19 August 2022 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, SA. This was to test logistics for the time of venous blood centrifugation and validation of alcohol assessment tools used in injured patients ahead of the main validation study. Adults aged 18 years and older, who were injured <8 h before arrival were included. Consent was obtained for venous blood alcohol testing to validate, as the gold standard, against the following: active- and passive breath alcohol testing, clinical screening and a finger prick test. Descriptive statistics were reported for the pilot study. Results: The active breath alcohol test's digital reading and the passive test's 'yes/no' results corresponded well against the venous blood alcohol results. The average time to centrifugation was within the laboratory's 2-h cut-off requirement to preserve the alcohol in the serum. Discussion and Conclusion: The pilot study was helpful in identifying challenges with one of the alcohol assessment tools and prevented further costs ahead of the main validation study. We also determined that the selected tertiary hospital site caused a delay in recruiting eligible patients due to other hospital referrals. Hence, the main validation study is in progress at a district-level hospital for a larger sample of eligible patients for testing.

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Background: Our prior open trial showed the feasibility of a smartphone-based support system coupled with a Bluetooth breathalyzer (SoberDiary) in assisting recovery for patients with alcohol dependence (AD). In this 24-week follow-up study, we further explored the efficacy of supplementing SoberDiary to treatment as usual (TAU) over 12 weeks of intervention and whether the efficacy persisted in the post-intervention 12 weeks. Methods: 51 patients who met the DSM-IV criteria of AD were randomly assigned to the technological intervention group (TI group, receiving technology intervention of SoberDiary plus TAU, n = 25) or those receiving only TAU (TAU group, n = 26). After 12 weeks of intervention (Phase I), all participants were followed for another post-intervention 12 weeks (Phase II). We collected the drinking variables and psychological assessment data every 4 weeks (i.e., weeks 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24). In addition, the cumulative abstinence days and retention rates were recorded. We used mixed-model analysis to compare the difference in outcomes between groups. Results: In Phase I or Phase II, we did not find differences in drinking variables, alcohol craving, depression, or anxiety severity between the two groups. However, the TI group showed greater self-efficacy for drinking refusal in Phase II than the TAU group. Conclusions: Although our system (SoberDiary) did not demonstrate benefits in drinking or emotional outcomes, we found the system holds promise to enhance self-efficacy on drinking refusal. Whether the benefit in promoting self-efficacy persists longer than 24 weeks requires further investigation.

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An accurate cannabis breathalyzer based on quantitation of the psychoactive cannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) could be an important tool for deterring impaired driving. Such a device does not exist. Simply translating what is known about alcohol breathalyzers is insufficient because ethanol is detected as a vapor. THC has extremely low volatility and is hypothesized to be carried in breath by aerosol particles formed from lung surfactant. Exhaled breath aerosols can be recovered from electrostatic filter devices, but consistent quantitative results across multiple studies have not been demonstrated. We used a simple-to-use impaction filter device to collect breath aerosols from participants before and after they smoked a legal market cannabis flower containing ∼25% Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. Breath collection occurred at an intake session (baseline-intake) and four weeks later in a federally-compliant mobile laboratory 15 min before (baseline-experimental) and 1 h after cannabis use (post-use). Cannabis use was in the participant's residence. Participants were asked to follow a breathing maneuver designed to increase aerosol production. Breath extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry with multiple reaction monitoring of two transitions for analytes and their deuterated internal standards. Over more than 1 yr, 42 breath samples from 18 participants were collected and analyzed in six batches. THC was quantified in 31% of baseline-intake, 36% of baseline-experimental, and 80% of 1 h post-use breath extracts. The quantities observed 1 h post-use are compared to those reported in six other pilot studies that sampled breath at known intervals following cannabis use and are discussed with respect to participant characteristics and breath sampling protocols. Larger studies with verified abstinence and more post-use timepoints are necessary to generate statistically significant data to develop meaningful cannabis breathalyzer technology.

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Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatments, including medications, are increasingly offered via telehealth.Objective: This study characterizes 90-day treatment retention and changes in objectively measured blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in a large cohort receiving AUD telehealth.Methods: Patients received AUD treatment through Ria, a virtual (telehealth) program offering AUD treatment that is tailored to patient goals (e.g. abstinence or controlled drinking). Patients were encouraged to complete breathalyzer readings twice daily for measurement-based care. We characterized rates of 90-day treatment retention (i.e. completing a BAC reading or medical/coaching encounter on the 90th day or later) and used growth curve analyses to model changes in daily estimated peak BAC over 90 days.Results: Of 4121 patients (51.5% women), 50.1% had 90-day treatment retention (n = 2066, 52.2% women). Most patients received prescriptions for AUD medications (84.6%) and completed encounters with medical providers (86.7%) and coaches (86.1%). Patients with 90-day retention provided 184,817 BAC readings in the first 90 days. Growth curve analyses revealed significant reductions in daily estimated peak BAC (p < .001) from a mean of 0.092 (day 1) to 0.038 (day 90). Similar magnitudes of BAC reduction were observed for men and women and for patients with abstinence and controlled drinking goals.Conclusion: Telehealth appears to be a viable approach to delivering AUD treatments in a manner that promotes drinking reductions. Telehealth approaches can yield reductions in objectively measured BAC, including for some patient subgroups that have historically faced greater stigma in AUD treatment settings, such as women and people with non-abstinence drinking goals.

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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alcohol demand, a measure of alcohol's reinforcing value, is associated with greater alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Although alcohol demand has primarily been evaluated as a 'trait-like', individual difference measure, recent evidence indicates that demand exhibits meaningful short-term fluctuations. We aimed to determine whether moment-to-moment fluctuations in alcohol demand in individuals' natural drinking environments predicted drinking occurrence, drinking continuation, and drinking quantity. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Individuals' natural drinking environments in Columbia, Missouri, USA. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-nine young adults (56% female; mean age = 24.8) participated from November 2018 to October 2020. Participants reported 14.5 drinking days [standard deviation (SD = 8.1)] and 4.1 drinks per occasion (SD = 2.5) during ecological momentary assessment (EMA). MEASUREMENTS: Participants completed the alcohol purchase task at baseline. Following this, participants reported on their alcohol demand (breakpoint, Omax , intensity) and drinking behavior during EMA at daily, timed prompts from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. They provided breathalyzer samples using a BACtrack Mobile® Pro. Models tested concurrent and prospective (lagged) associations between alcohol demand and drinking occurrence and drinking continuation after drinking initiation. Additional models tested concurrent associations between demand and breath alcohol concentrations (BrACs). FINDINGS: Higher alcohol demand was associated with higher odds of drinking and continued drinking for all demand indices at the momentary [odds ratio (OR) = 1.27-1.56, ps ≤ 0.03] and day-level (OR = 2.14-3.39, ps < 0.001). Additionally, lagged demand predicted higher odds of drinking occurrence and continuation at the following prompt (OR = 1.32-1.53, ps ≤ 0.004). Higher alcohol demand was associated with higher BrACs at the momentary (bs = 0.0011-0.0026, ps ≤ 0.03) and day-level (bs = 0.0053-0.0062, ps < 0.001). At the person-level, findings varied depending on the demand measure. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol demand appears to be associated with both when and how much individuals drink in their natural drinking environments. Elevations in alcohol demand appear to be associated with increased likelihood of drinking and continuing to drink, and greater total alcohol consumption, both within and across drinking days.

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BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder is a chronic disorder with a high likelihood of relapse. The consistent monitoring of blood alcohol concentration through breathalyzers is critical to identifying relapse or misuse. Smartphone apps as a replacement of or in conjunction with breathalyzers have shown limited effectiveness. Yet, there has been little research that has effectively utilized wireless or Wi-Fi-enabled breathalyzers that can accurately, securely, and reliably measure blood alcohol concentration. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a wireless blood alcohol concentration device in collaboration with long-term treatment on dropout rates, psychological distress, treatment motivation, quality of life, and need for higher levels of follow-up care for patients with alcohol use disorder. METHODS: The randomized clinical trial will include two arms, access to the wireless breathalyzer versus no access to the breathalyzer, while both groups have access to treatment. Evaluation will last 3 months with a 6-week follow-up, during which each participant will be interviewed at admission, 1 month in, 2 months in, 3 months in, and follow-up. Individuals will be recruited online through a secure telehealth meeting invitation. Outcomes will focus on the impact of the wireless breathalyzer within the alcohol use disorder population, and the combined effect on psychological distress, treatment motivation, and quality of life. In addition, we intend to investigate the impact of the breathalyzer on dropout rates and participants' need for higher levels of follow-up care and treatment. RESULTS: The recruitment of this study started in July 2020 and will run until 2022. CONCLUSIONS: This information will be important to develop cost-effective treatments for alcohol dependence. Ongoing monitoring allows treatment providers to take an individualized disease management approach and facilitates timely intervention by the treatment provider. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04380116; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04380116. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/30186.

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One third of fatal car accidents and so many tragedies are due to alcohol abuse. These sad numbers could be mitigated if everyone had access to a breathalyzer anytime and anywhere. Having a breathalyzer built into a phone or wearable technology could be the way to get around reluctance to carry a separate device. With this goal, we propose an inexpensive breathalyzer that could be integrated in the screens of mobile devices. Our technology is based on the evaporation rate of the fog produced by the breath on the phone screen, which increases with increasing breath alcohol content. The device simply uses a photodiode placed on the side of the screen to measure the signature of the scattered light intensity from the phone display that is guided through the stress layer of the Gorilla glass screen. A part of the display light is coupled to the stress layer via the evanescent field induced at the edge of the breath microdroplets. We demonstrate that the intensity signature measured at the detector can be linked to blood alcohol content. We fabricated a prototype in a smartphone case powered by the phone's battery, controlled by an application installed on the smartphone, and tested it in real-world environments. Limitations and future work toward a fully operational device are discussed.

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Resumen En Argentina, cada año mueren alrededor de 5 000 personas en siniestros viales y conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol es uno de los principales factores de riesgo. El objetivo de la presente revisión fue analizar qué medidas han sido efectivas en reducir la siniestralidad vial relacionada al consumo de alcohol en el mundo y cuáles de las políticas relevadas se implementan y con qué resultados en nuestro país. Se realizó la búsqueda en Psycinfo, Dialnet, Lilacs, Scielo y Pubmed. Se constató que en nuestro país se aplican algunas políticas públicas que han demostrado ser eficaces, aunque no se conocen los resultados de su implementación en nuestra población. Se identificaron también acciones realizadas que no cuentan, al menos por el momento, con evidencia suficiente que justifique su implementación. A partir de los resultados hallados se sugiere desarrollar investigaciones que generen evidencias consistentes ante este grave problema de salud.

Abstract In Argentina 5 000 people die every year in traffic accidents, and driving under the influence of alcohol is one of the main risk factors. The accidents produce social, psychological and physical sequels and they are the main cause of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Driving under the influence of alcohol is one of the main risk factors involved in traffic accidents. This is the main cause of death in young people (15-34 years old) who are exposed to episodic excessive alcohol consumption (ingestion of a great amount of alcohol in a short period of time), a frequent activity among adolescents during the weekends. The main goal of this revision is to know which public policies have been effective to reduce the alcohol related traffic accidents around the world, and also to know the current legislation in our country and which one of those policies has been implemented and what are the results of those policies. The search was conducted in: Psycinfo, Dialnet, Lilacs, Scielo and Pubmed. The words used were "Alcohol", "Tránsito", "Accidents", and "Alcoholemia'' in Spanish, and in English: "Alcohol", "Traffic", "Crashes", and "Breathalyzer". The studies included were results studies of the implementation of accident reduce policies (when they were measured), and reviews that were published in the last five years. However, relevant studies published in English or Spanish before 2015 were included. Out of 448 studies, 12 were included. The countries studied were Brazil, Mexico, Spain, United States of America, Norway, Botswana and Australia. It was found that in our country the application of some public policies had been effective against alcohol related traffic accidents, such as random breath tests, although there is no information about the results of the implementations of these policies. There were found actions that do not show enough evidence that justify their implementation, actions such as "Designated driver". The relationship between traffic accidents and alcohol consumption is overwhelming. Different countries have proposed policies to reduce alcohol related traffic accidents. One of the most successful policies found was the limitations of blood alcohol content and the use of breathalyzers. With the exception of Norway, a country in which there were not good results. In Argentina the use of breathalyzers is implemented, but there are no studies about its efficacy, and the limitation of blood alcohol content is the same as in other countries (0.05 g/dl). Other policies that seem to be effective are the time restrictions for selling alcohol, where in most cases it is prohibited to sell alcohol between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m. In Argentina there is a regulation that specifies the time frame within alcohol can be sold but, again, there are no studies about its efficacy. Other policies such as awareness campaigns in night clubs and the "designated driver" or "designated driving" have not been supported by the evidence on results studies (for example, in Spain). These policies have been implemented in Argentina, again without result studies. Our review concludes in the importance of the evaluation, study and measure of the impact of the specific policies in this relevant problem. This would provide evidence that would allow the development of policies and well designed and evidence-based interventions. More specifically, it is recommended to consider proposals such as re evaluation of the minimum age allowed for alcohol consumption; more severe penalties and the removal of vehicles in cases of test positive on a breathalyzer; decrease in the limit of alcohol level permitted while driving for new and young drivers and increase taxes on alcoholic beverages. The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to develop research programs that generate consistent evidence towards this major health problem.

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BACKGROUND: Alcohol intoxication often affects patient management in the emergency department. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates participants' subjective sense of impairment using ability to drive as a reference compared with measured breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC) and evaluate whether there is a gender difference. METHODS: In this prospective study, 55 volunteers consumed one beer and estimated their BrAC and their ability to drive. BrAC was measured objectively and participants were blinded to the value until they reached a BrAC of 0.1 g/dL. Then they stopped drinking and estimated their BrAC and ability to drive every 30 min until objective BrAC reached 0.08 g/dL. RESULTS: As BrAC increased, the association between estimated and perceived ability to drive was significantly different (p < 0.0001). At BrAC levels > 0.08 g/dL, 20.3% affirmed the ability to drive. At BrAC levels < 0.08 g/dL, 35.5% denied ability to drive. As BrAC decreased, the association between estimated and actual ability to drive was significantly different (p = 0.001). At BrAC values > 0.08 g/dL, 59.7% affirmed the ability to drive. At BrAC < 0.08 g/dL, 49.1% denied ability to drive. As BrAC increased, the correlations for men and women were strong and statistically significant (r = 0.80, p < 0.0001 and r = 0.79, p < 0.0001, respectively). As men's and women's BrAC decreased, the women's correlation was higher (r = 0.061 and r = 0.74, respectively; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Both genders can estimate their impaired ability to drive while drinking, but women are better at assessing their capacity to drive after drinking cessation.

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Acetone is a metabolic byproduct found in the exhaled breath and can be measured to monitor the metabolic degree of ketosis. In this state, the body uses free fatty acids as its main source of fuel because there is limited access to glucose. Monitoring ketosis is important for type I diabetes patients to prevent ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal condition, and individuals adjusting to a low-carbohydrate diet. Here, we demonstrate that a chemiresistor fabricated from oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized with titanium dioxide (SWCNT@TiO2) can be used to detect acetone in dried breath samples. Initially, due to the high cross sensitivity of the acetone sensor to water vapor, the acetone sensor was unable to detect acetone in humid gas samples. To resolve this cross-sensitivity issue, a dehumidifier was designed and fabricated to dehydrate the breath samples. Sensor response to the acetone in dried breath samples from three volunteers was shown to be linearly correlated with the two other ketone bodies, acetoacetic acid in urine and ß-hydroxybutyric acid in the blood. The breath sampling and analysis methodology had a calculated acetone detection limit of 1.6 ppm and capable of detecting up to at least 100 ppm of acetone, which is the dynamic range of breath acetone for someone with ketosis. Finally, the application of the sensor as a breath acetone detector was studied by incorporating the sensor into a handheld prototype breathalyzer.

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The ketogenic diet, while originally thought to treat epilepsy in children, is now used for weight loss due to increasing evidence indicating that fat is burned more rapidly when there is a low carbohydrate intake. This low carbohydrate intake can lead to elevated ketone levels in the blood and breath. Breath and blood ketones can be measured to gauge the level of ketosis and allow for adjustment of the diet to meet the user's needs. Blood ketone levels have been historically used, but now breath acetone sensors are becoming more common due to less invasiveness and convenience. New technologies are being researched in the area of acetone sensors to capitalize on the rising popularity of the diet. Current breath acetone sensors come in the form of handheld breathalyzer devices. Technologies in development mostly consist of semiconductor metal oxides in different physio-chemical formations. These current devices and future technologies are investigated here with regard to utility and efficacy. Technologies currently in development do not have extensive testing of the selectivity of the sensors including the many compounds present in human breath. While some sensors have undergone human testing, the sample sizes are very small, and the testing was not extensive. Data regarding current devices is lacking and more research needs to be done to effectively evaluate current devices if they are to have a place as medical devices. Future technologies are very promising but are still in early development stages.

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OBJECTIVE: Assess the prevalence of prenatal alcohol exposure in the Republic of the Congo by measuring breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) levels using a breathalyzer device. METHODS: Pregnant women were assessed for alcohol use with a breathalyzer reading during two prenatal visits and during labor and delivery. RESULTS: Among 662 pregnant women consented and screened with a breathalyzer, 192 (29.0%) had a positive BrAC during 1st trimester. During the second assessment, approximately 69% (132) of the 192 pregnant women had a second positive BrAC. A third assessment during labor and delivery identified 60 women (31%) with a third positive BrAC. About 19% (36) of the 192 pregnant women had positive BrACs at all three times. Among women who were positive on the first and second assessments, 30% had a BrAC that was above 0.07, which is almost equivalent of binge drinking (four or more standard drinks in about 2 h). The mean BrAC reading decreased as the pregnancy progressed. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study utilizing a unique exposure detection methodology suggest that the use of BrAC may be a useful objective option to detect and quantify alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The prevalence of alcohol use identified during pregnancy in the Republic of the Congo was increased over 20% when compared to maternal reports from a previous study. Nearly one of every five women identified at the first prenatal visit continued drinking throughout pregnancy. Urgent measures are needed to reduce alcohol consumption among this population of pregnant women.

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OBJECTIVE: The most common form of measurement of breath alcohol content (BrAC) is through the use of a diode catheter. This study aims to test the accuracy of breath alcohol analysis through different manipulations. METHODS: BrAC was measured after individuals consumed each standardized beer until they reached a 0.1 BrAC. Then, the individuals were breath analyzed while not providing full effort, using the side of their mouths, immediately after hyperventilating, 5 and 10 min after hyperventilation, immediately after a sip of water, and 5 min after that water. RESULTS: There were 54 individuals. Two baselines were used as the controls. The first baseline was a mean BrAC of. 104 with standard deviation of +0.008 for poor effort, side of mouth, and hyperventilating. The second baseline used for drinking water manipulations was a BrAC of 0.099 + 0.11. Poor effort (mean + standard deviation: 0.099 ± 0.10, P < 0.0001), immediately after hyperventilating (0.086 ± 0.011, P < 0.0001), 5 min after hyperventilating (0.099 ± 0.009, P < 0.0001), and 10 min after hyperventilating (0.099 ± 0.011, P < 0.0001) were all found to be statistically significant in their ability to lower BrAC. Both immediately after water (0.084 ± 0.011, P < 0001) and 5 min after drinking water (0.096 ± 0.13, P < 0.0001) were found to have significantly altered the BrAC. CONCLUSION: Our research shows that manipulations can alter BrAC readings significantly. Breath analyzer operators should be cognizant of these methods that may lead to falsely lower BrAC readings.

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Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive component of cannabis, and there is an urgent need to build low-cost and portable devices that can detect its presence from breath. Similarly to alcohol detectors, these tools can be used by law enforcement to determine driver intoxication and enforce safer and more regulated use of cannabis. In this work, we propose to use a class of microporous crystals, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), to selectively adsorb THC that can be later detected using optical, electrochemical, or fluorescence-based sensing methods. We computationally screened more than 5000 MOFs, highlighting the materials that have the largest affinity with THC, as well as the highest selectivity against water, showing that it is thermodynamically feasible for MOFs to adsorb THC from humid breath. We propose and compare different models for THC and different computational protocols to rank the promising materials, also presenting a novel approach to assess the permeability of a porous framework to nonspherical molecules. We identified three adsorption motifs in MOFs with high affinity to THC, which we refer to as "narrow channels", "thick walls", and "parking spots". Therefore, we expect our protocols and our findings to be generalizable for different classes of microporous materials and also for investigating the adsorption properties of other large molecules that, like THC, have a nonspherical shape.

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Semiconductor-enriched single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) have potential for application as a chemiresistor for the detection of breath compounds, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound found in the marijuana plant. Herein we show that chemiresistor devices fabricated from s-SWCNT ink using dielectrophoresis can be incorporated into a hand-held breathalyzer with sensitivity toward THC generated from a bubbler containing analytical standard in ethanol and a heated sample evaporator that releases compounds from steel wool. The steel wool was used to capture THC from exhaled marijuana smoke. The generation of the THC from the bubbler and heated breath sample chamber was confirmed using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, respectively. Enhanced selectivity toward THC over more volatile breath components such as CO2, water, ethanol, methanol, and acetone was achieved by delaying the sensor reading to allow for the desorption of these compounds from the chemiresistor surface. Additionally, machine learning algorithms were utilized to improve the selective detection of THC with better accuracy at increasing quantities of THC delivered to the chemiresistor.

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