Effects of Drug Exposure on the Health of Women and Children

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of Pathophysiology entitled “Effects of Drug Exposure on the Health of Women and Children”. There is a growing health crisis among women and children due to exposure to prescription drugs and illegal substances. Women experience unique issues while dealing with drug abuse that are associated with their biology and socioeconomic and sociocultural issues. Recent studies indicate that women develop an addiction to drugs more quickly, use lower doses when compared to men, experience more severe signs of withdrawal, and are more likely to relapse. The dangers of multi-substance misuse include an increased risk of overdose, impaired physical and mental functions, a decline in quality of life, and mortality due to overdose or suicidal ideation. During pregnancy, most substances may be transferred through the placenta to the fetus, which could result in the development of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in a newborn and affect child development. Moreover, involuntary drug exposure during childhood may contribute to psychiatric and behavioral symptoms in the child and affect cognitive functions and language.

This Special Issue is dedicated to identifying and addressing problems associated with drug exposure in women and children that affect their mental and physical health as well the consequences of prenatal and perinatal drug exposure on child development. We welcome reviews, original studies, and case reports that improve our understanding of these effects and how to mitigate them.

We look forward to your contributions.

Dr. Nadejda Korneeva
Prof. Dr. Urska Cvek
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathophysiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• substance abuse
• opiates and opioids 
• benzodiazepine
• cannabinoids, marijuana 
• methamphetamine and amphetamines 
• prescription drugs 
• neonatal abstinence syndrome 
• child development 
• female 
• addiction 
• stress