Search

Background Heroin and cocaine are among the most dangerous illicit drugs available and their presence on the market is increasing. These facts have led to the investigation of the quality of heroin and cocaine samples seized in Luxembourg by police and customs but also collected at the national supervised drug consumption facilities. Methods Samples obtained from 2019 to 2020 were analyzed to determine their composition and content using GC–MS, HPLC-UV and LC-Q-ToF. The statistical evaluation of concentration changes depending on the source of collection is based on an ANOVA single factor test and a two-tailed t test. Results Results showed important differences between seizure and collection sources. For both drugs, customs samples had significantly higher concentrations than police samples and the latter had significantly higher concentrations than samples from drug consumption facilities, whereas for heroin two cutting steps were identified, for cocaine samples only one appears to occur on the local market. Indeed, cocaine samples seized by police consisted of a mixture of low and high concentration samples. Conclusion The results show that extensive adulteration with pharmacological active and inactive compounds takes place at local levels, which, however, are different for heroin and cocaine. This knowledge on variability of quality of drugs should be considered in the elaboration of drug and harm prevention strategies.

Based on a five-and-a-half month ethnography in two Costa Rican beach towns, this article seeks to explain the drug consumption that occurs during touristic experiences by reworking the crime-consumerism nexus framework. Employing an uneven development perspective, it explains why drug consumption occurring within touristic contexts is under-policed and instead treated as privileged playful deviance. In doing so, the article demonstrates how the politics of the night-time economy (NTE) specific to the tourism industry shape the touristic destination into a liminal space that facilitates, encourages, and sustains drug consumption. The article provides new theoretical insights into the criminology of touristic spaces, the NTE, and playful deviance.

Background : Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis generally attacking lungs, and the treatment is a minimum of six months. The recovery of TB clients requires adherence to medication treatment and Drug Consumption Supervisors (PMO). Objective : This study aims to analyze the relationship between drug consumption, supervisors' knowledge and support, and patients' obedience to take tuberculosis drugs. Method : This research employed a quasi-experiment with a total population sampling technique. The study was conducted in May-August 2019 in sector one, East Jambe, Karawang district (4 villages), and it employed 101 respondents of TB patients and 101 respondents of supervisors (family). Analysis in this study is used in the Spearman Rho Test. Result : The supervisor analysis reveals that 71.3% of the supervisors are 25-49 years old, 59.4% of them are female, 80.1% of them are unemployed, 70.3% of them have low education, and 52.5% of them are married couples. TB patient analysis reveals that 59.4% of the patients are 25-49 years old, 63.4% of them are male, and 59.4% of them have new TB The level of supervisors' knowledge is good at 78.2%, and their support is good at 63.4%, while the patients' adherence to taking drugs is good at 93.1%. The relationship analysis reveals there is no relationship between the supervisors' knowledge and patient's medication adherence (p-value 0.13); otherwise, there is a significant relationship between the supervisors' support and drug-taking adherence (p-value 0.04). Conclusion: The supervisors' knowledge does not affect adherence, but their support significantly influences the patients' obedience of taking TB drugs.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the association between drug consumption and unemployment. This paper also studies the differential association between these variables in both the pre- and current-crisis periods. The results are compared in an attempt to verify that the population of users is more vulnerable in terms of how likely they are to get and hold down a job in the labour market. Design/methodology/approach Matching methods and microdata from the Survey on Alcohol and Drugs in Spain, EDADES are used. The use of these methods on the estimates carried out prove to be particularly effective in reducing treatment-selection bias. The authors’ interest is also to analyse the differential association between the interest variables in both the pre- and current-crisis periods. For this purpose, the authors also use the differences-in-differences (DID) estimation method between the two periods to check if the impact of drug use on unemployment depends on the economic context. The estimations are compared in an attempt to verify that the population of users is less likely to attain and hold down a job in the labour market than non-drug users. Findings The results obtained in the current study are consistent with the hypothesis that drug use decreases an individual’s capacity and availability when he or she is trying to enter the labour market. In both 2007 and 2013, drug users were more likely to be unemployed, regardless of the type of drug. Differences in the probability of being unemployed intensify during an economic crisis. In light of these results, it is possible to conclude that the negative effect of drug consumption on an individual’s employability is increased during periods of economic recession. Research limitations/implications The study presented here has some limitations. Firstly, cross-sectional data were used to examine the causal relationship between consumption and employment. In this sense, the results are susceptible to bias. The unavailability of longitudinal data on the same individual made it impossible for the researchers to consider periods of abstinence, the duration of periods of consumption and how this consumption affected an individual’s productivity and his or her working situation. Another limitation is that certain relevant unemployment variables may have been omitted. Among the variables that affect an individual’s labour participation is the existence of sources of income as an alternative to market salaries. With state subsidies, income from illegal activities and money sent by family or friends, an individual may decide not to work. This problem could be mitigated if omitted variables operate in a similar way throughout both of the periods examined. Social implications Given the results obtained in this paper, the authors believe that public policy conclusions should be mainly concerned with the importance of implementing proactive employment policies, along with family support programmes and a greater role for primary care among the people with the highest risks of exclusion. Health treatment should go jointly with measures that make it easier for individuals to enter the workforce. These steps would only be possible with an improved level of education and more complete professional profiles, to increase motivation when individuals seek employment. Originality/value This study could make various contributions to the existing body of evidence. In the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to document the effect of the economic crisis on the employability of the drug-using population in contrast with the general population. Moreover, a methodology is presented that provides an alternative to those used in earlier studies, in terms of reducing treatment-selection bias. At the same time, the use of a DID estimation method between pre- and current-crisis periods allow us to check if the impact of drugs consumption on unemployment depends on the economic context.

The Rat Park studies are classic experiments in addiction neuroscience, yet they have not been successfully replicated directly and several serious methodological criticisms have been raised. However, the conceptual reproducibility of the Rat Park studies is supported by both contemporaneous and subsequent research. Contemporaneous research on social and environmental enrichment frequently found social isolation rendered rats less sensitive to the effects of drugs of abuse. The Rat Park studies therefore confirmed the importance of social and environmental enrichment and extended this literature to suggest that enrichment reduced opioid consumption. Subsequent studies have also demonstrated social and environmental enrichment reduces drug consumption. However, there are also several papers reporting no effects of enrichment (or ‘negative’ results) and caveats from studies that show genes, age, sex and drug of abuse are all important parameters. While the Rat Park studies did not use methods that are reliable by current standards, enrichment has been shown to reliably reduce opioid consumption and this effect can generalise to other drugs of abuse.

Background: Substance abuse is a common practice among health-care workers across the globe. Aim: To assess prevalence and practices of tobacco, alcohol, and non-medicinal drug consumption practices among MBBS (including intern) and medical laboratory technology (MLT) students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted and students underwent a face-to-face confidential interview using a predesigned, pretested, semi-structured interview schedule adapted from the Global Health Professional Student Survey. Results: A total of 283 (MBBS = 206 and MLT = 77) students participated in the study giving a response rate of 83.3%. The mean age was 20.92 (±1.75) years; 56.9% were male. Among medical students who had “ever” undertaken such practices were as follows: smoking (cigarette) (83, 40.2%), alcohol (98, 47.5%), and drug (38, 18.4%) intake, respectively; current (past 30 days) smokers were 34 (16.5%), and current (past 30 days) alcohol drinkers were 61 (29.6%). Males had a slightly higher prevalence of consumption of all substances in comparison to females except alcohol (P > 0.05). A statistically higher proportion of medical compared to paramedical (29.9% and 3.9%) students had ever drunk alcohol or consumed drug (P < 0.05). About 40 (14.1%) students had consumed all the three substances. On multiple regression analysis it was found that students staying in hostel (OR: 2.57; 95% CI: 1.3–4.8) had ever tried smoking in comparison to day-scholar (P = 0.003). Similarly, medical students (OR: 2.94; 95% CI: 1.1–7.5; P = 0.02) in comparison to paramedical students were ever alcohol drinker, and finally, drug intake was found to be statistically significant with age (above 20 years in reference to

In 2016 West Java was the fourth-ranked province as the region with the highest prevalence ofhypertension, which was 29.4% in Indonesia. Failure to treat hypertension was found due tolow compliance in the use of hypertension drugs. Non-compliance with the consumption ofantihypertensive drugs will have an impact on the incidence of uncontrolled blood pressure.Long term Uncontrolled blood pressure can cause complications of the disease and even death.The purpose of this study is to identify the overview of hypertensive patients in consuminghypertension drugs.This study uses a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach through in-depthinterviews on 6 people with hypertension, using semi-structured questions about theirexperience in taking hypertension medication.From this study, it was found that taking medication for a long period caused a feeling oflaziness and boredom in taking medicine, resulting in patients with hypertension who stoppedconsuming medication. Fear of side effects from taking medication for a long time makeshypertensive patients decided to stop the consumption of hypertension medicine.It is hoped that this research can be an input to improve health promotion to reduce the failureof hypertension treatment.

Illegal drug consumption is a long-run issue with a worldwide apprehension. Drug abusers identify themselves differently to remain far from public appearance and escape court institutions. Nicknaming drugs and their different types and forms constitute one way of drug abusing concealment and disguisement. Nicknaming involves a variety of practices that acquire full of positive and/ or negative connotations in society over time. Social practices carry cultural values that shape the nickname giver’s perception of the nickname bearer, a fact that can be reflected in the way the nickname is chosen within various fields. Nickname givers are alone responsible for allocating the exclusionary or inclusionary character to the nickname bearer. The present paper seeks to examine and analyse the various nicknames attributed to diverse types of such psychotropic substances by the Algerians with special reference to the west of multilingual and diglossic Algerian speech community. More particularly, how are drugs nicknamed in western Algeria? Which language varieties are involved in such nicknaming? Why are illegal drugs nicknamed at all? The findings at hand assign nicknames to physicality, mannerism, experience and/ or linguistic adjustments. Drug nicknaming nomenclature under study makes up importantly drug consumers’ secret language in the present setting.

Elisabetta Caselli,1,2 Luca Arnoldo,3 Carla Rognoni,4 Maria D’Accolti,1,2 Irene Soffritti,1,2 Luca Lanzoni,2 Matteo Bisi,2 Antonella Volta,2 Rosanna Tarricone,4 Silvio Brusaferro,3 Sante Mazzacane2 1Section of Microbiology and Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; 2CIAS Research Interdepartmental Centre, Departments of Architecture and Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; 3Department of Medicine, University of Udine, Udine, Italy; 4Centre for Research on Health and Social Care Management (CERGAS), Department of Policy Analysis and Public Management, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy Purpose: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major threats to human health, and the high frequency of resistant pathogens in the hospital environment can contribute to the transmission of difficult-to-treat health care-associated infections (HAIs). We recently reported that, compared with conventional chemical cleaning, the use of a microbial-based sanitation strategy (Probiotic Cleaning Hygiene System [PCHS]) was associated with remodulation of hospital microbiota and reduction of HAI incidence. Here, we aimed to analyze the impact of PCHS on AMR and related effects, such as HAI-associated antimicrobial drug consumption and costs. Patients and methods: Five Italian hospitals, enrolled in a multicenter study where conventional sanitation methods were replaced with PCHS, were included in the analysis. The study period included a 6-month observation for each sanitation type. Surface microbiota AMR was analyzed using microarray, nested PCR, antibiogram, and microdilution tests. Drug consumption data and related costs were obtained from the medical records of all hospitalized patients affected by HAIs. Results: PCHS use was associated with up to 99% decrease of the AMR genes harbored by surface hospital microbiota, independently of the resistance types originally present in each individual setting (Pc

Introduction: In Hungary, health expenditures – especially the question of health insurance subsidies for medicinal products – are becoming increasingly important. Aim: The aim of our analysis is to reveal the state’s health insurance expenditure between 2010 and 2016 as well as the amount of health insurance subsidies for medicinal products. Data and methods: Data were derived from the database of the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary and of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. During the analysis we examined the period between 2010 and 2016. We analysed the health expenditures in proportion to the gross domestic product (GDP) as well as the changes of drug traffic based on gross consumer prices and those of health insurance subsidies, and also our regional inequalities. When writing the present study, we used descriptive statistical methods. Results: The expenditures of the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary significantly increased as proportions of the GDP from 5.5% in 2010 to 6.1% in 2016. The health insurance subsidies for medicinal products increased since 2013. The highest health insurance subsidies per 10 000 inhabitants could be seen in Baranya (405 788 HUF/inhabitant) and Csongrád (384 724 HUF/inhabitant) counties and in Budapest (377 316 HUF/inhabitant). The lowest health insurance subsidies were found in Nógrád (289 168 HUF/inhabitant) and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (271 104 HUF/inhabitant) counties. Conclusion: The trends of health and drug expenditure show a growing tendency. We can find significant regional inequalities in case of both the drug traffic based on gross consumer prices and the health insurance subsidies. It would be needed to strengthen the elements of prevention, and to popularize health-conscious lifestyle and doing sports. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(Suppl 1): 49–54.

The detection of illicit psychotropic substances in both indoor and outdoor air is a challenging analytical discipline and the data from such investigation may provide intelligence in a variety of fields. Applications of drug monitoring in air include providing data on national and international drug consumption trends, as monitored by organisations such as the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Air monitoring enables mapping of illicit drug manufacturing, dealing or consumption in cities and the identification of emergent compounds including the recent proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS). The rapid spread of NPS has changed the global drug market with greater diversity and dynamic spread of such compounds over several nations. This review provides an up to date analysis of key thematic areas within this analytical discipline. The process of how illicit psychotropic substances spread from emission sources to the atmosphere is considered alongside the sampling and analytical procedures involved. Applications of the technique applied globally are reviewed with studies ranging from the analysis of individual dwellings through to major international air monitoring campaigns providing evidence on global drug trends. Finally, we consider thermal breakdown products of illicit psychotropic substances including NPS that are released upon heating, combustion or vaping and related potential for exposure to these compounds in the air.

The discrimination faced by people understood to have alcohol or other drug addictions has been the subject of extensive research, with many studies documenting experiences of stigma within healthcare services. Building on this literature, we examine the role of stigma in shaping the healthcare expectations of people seen as affected by alcohol and other drug addictions. Our analysis draws on recent theorisations of stigma as a process of social production to analyse in-depth, qualitative interviews with 20 people who had recently attended an inpatient withdrawal management service. Participants describe as exceptional forms of care that are often taken for granted by other members of the community. We argue that routinised experiences of discrimination work to constitute basic care as exceptional. This finding is significant for two reasons: (1) people who consume alcohol and other drugs often have complex healthcare needs and already encounter obstacles to accessing the care they need, and (2) by positioning people who consume drugs outside the purview of healthcare, this dynamic obstructs their fundamental right to care. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of these findings for those who are often positioned as not entitled to high quality healthcare.

Background Illicit drug consumption in Mexico has been growing constantly and has begun to be a public health problem. The aim of this study is to identify the principal characteristics and socioeconomic variables associated with consumption of illegal drugs in Mexico. Methods Using information from the 2016 national addictions survey in Mexico, we develop a logistic regression model to determine the variables associated with drug consumption, sometime in lifetime or recently, in the general population of Mexico. Results Analyzing information from 56,877 persons, the prevalence of the use of illicit drugs at least once in lifetime was 15.4% and 3.6% for males and females, respectively. The variables associated with more consumption of illegal drugs was utilization of substances with alcohol (RR 9.3; 95% CI 7.9-10.8) and nicotine products (RR 4.7; 95% CI 4.3-5.1), male gender (RR 2.6; 95% CI 2.4-2.8), and relatives' drug consumption (RR 2.1; 95% CI 1.8-2.4). Conclusions Having more education, being older, and having a partner was associated with lower illicit drug consumption sometime in lifetime; in the case of recent consumption, in addition, having a job or active child-rearing in the house in a positive sense.

The landscape of addiction is dominated by two rival models: a moral model and a model that characterizes addiction as a neurobiological disease of compulsion. Against both, I offer a scientifically and clinically informed alternative. Addiction is a highly heterogenous condition that is ill-characterized as involving compulsive use. On the whole, drug consumption in addiction remains goal directed: people take drugs because drugs have tremendous value. This view has potential implications for the claim that addiction is, in all cases, a brain disease. But more importantly, it has implications for clinical and policy interventions. To help someone overcome addiction, you need to understand and address why they persist in using drugs despite negative consequences. If they are not compelled, then the explanation must advert to the value of drugs for them as an individual. What blocks us from acknowledging this reality is not science but fear: that it will ignite moralism about drugs and condemnation of drug users. The solution is not to cleave to the concept of compulsion but to fight moralism directly.

Therapies - Sous presse. Epreuves corrigees par l'auteur. Disponible en ligne depuis le jeudi 28 janvier 2021

This study introduces an adaptive causal network model of the effects of treatment on drug consumption in the case of addiction. Different factors are included that have been found to affect drug consumption and are impacted by addiction treatments. To prove the validity of the model, a number of example scenarios are presented that simulate treatments of different lengths and comprehensiveness. In addition, validation was supported by parameter tuning, and verification was performed by mathematically verifying stationary points for simulations of the model.

El consumo de drogas y la impulsividad se encuentran asociados al comportamiento criminal. Objetivo: determinar el efecto de los sistemas BIS/BAS e impulsividad en el consumo de drogas en personas privadas de la libertad. Muestra: 175 personas privadas de la libertad en una cárcel de mediana seguridad del estado de Jalisco, México. Método: investigación cuantitativa, no experimental, transversal. Instrumentos: escalas BIS/BAS, de impulsividad y cuestionario exprofeso para variables sociodemográficas. Resultados: de la muestra, la media de edad fue de 36, DE = 9, estado civil, 35.4 solteros y 27.7 % concubinato. Escolaridad: 50.3 % educación primaria y 24.6 % educación secundaria. El 68 % reportó consumo de drogas antes de ingresar a reclusión. Las variables de estudio explican el 23.5 % de la varianza del consumo de drogas en personas privadas de la libertad. Las personas que vivieron violencia en la infancia (OR = 4.9) y con autoconcepto impulsivo (OR = 5.09) tienen mayor riesgo de consumo de drogas. Se descarta el efecto del sistema BIS sobre el consumo de drogas en personas privadas de la libertad.

Background Iranian government has introduced multiple healthcare system reforms during the last 30 years aiming at improving accessibility and affordability of care. Pharmaceutical products are one of the major sources of financial burden on the healthcare system. The healthcare system and pharmaceutical sector have been balanced out by the partially counteracting effects of the HSEP (Health sector evolution plan) and the imposed sanctions. Methods This research investigates the healthcare system performance as well as the pharmaceutical market trend mostly based on the financial criteria from 2001. The correlation between the two change patterns was studied to understand the underlying driving market forces. Results During 2001 to 2013, total health expenditure has grown 25.6% in average. THE (Total health expenditure) share of the GDP remains between 6-7%, while the out of pocket payment has dropped to 37% in 2015 from 57% in 2001, and most health services been directed to the inpatient facilities. Iranian pharmaceutical market has grown rapidly in recent years and grew 28.38% per year and drug consumption per capita reached 34.43$ from 2.28$. However, the import drove most of the market expansion. Noteworthy, the share of pharmaceuticals from THE has also increased. Conclusions It is concluded that the sanctions and HSEP have enforced partially counteracting forces on the pharmaceutical market to maintain its consistent growing trend.

International audience; Background: Assessment and Screening of Assistance Needs (ASAN-Drugs) has its objective to identify the severity of drug consumption through 28 items. This instrument allows for the matching of severity levels of the degree of care needed to allow the orientation of the person in the service that corresponds to his/her case and needs. The aim of this research is to assess the factorial validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the ASAN-D. Methods: The study included a sample of 53 participants; all of them were males (100%). Participants' age ranged from 18 to 50 with a mean age (SD) of 31.5 (6.27). Results: The results of the exploratory factor analysis demonstrated a one-factor solution which explained 61% of the total sample. Through confirmatory factor analysis, this model can be considered as satisfactory. Reliability was good in the total sample (α = .84). Conclusions: According to these results, the factorial validity of the Arabic version of the ASAN-D appears as a helpful assessment instrument to detect the degree of assistance needed and to better orient the individual in the appropriate service in Saudi Arabia.

A goal in addiction research is to distinguish forms of neuroplasticity that are involved in the transition to addiction from those involved in mere drug taking. Animal models of drug self-administration are essential in this context. Here, we compared in male rats two cocaine self-administration procedures that differ in the extent to which they evoke addiction-like behaviours. We measured both incentive motivation for cocaine using progressive ratio procedures, and cocaine-induced c-fos mRNA expression, a marker of neuronal activity. Rats self-administered intravenous cocaine (0.25 mg/kg/infusion) for seven daily 6-hour sessions. One group had intermittent access (IntA; 6 minutes ON, 26 min OFF × 12) to rapid infusions (delivered over 5 s). This models the temporal kinetics of human cocaine use and produces robust addiction-like behaviour. The other group had Long access (LgA) to slower infusions (90 s). This produces high levels of intake without promoting robust addiction-like behaviour. LgA-90 s rats took twice as much cocaine as IntA-5 s rats did, but IntA-5 s rats showed greater incentive motivation for the drug. Following a final self-administration session, we quantified c-fos mRNA expression in corticostriatal regions. Compared to LgA-90 s rats, IntA-5 s rats had more cocaine-induced c-fos mRNA in the orbitofrontal and prelimbic cortices and the caudate-putamen. Thus, a cocaine self-administration procedure (intermittent intake of rapid infusions) that promotes increased incentive motivation for the drug also enhances cocaine-induced gene regulation in corticostriatal regions. This suggests that increased drug-induced recruitment of these regions could contribute to the neural and behavioural plasticity underlying the transition to addiction.

This paper selects and analyzes the key trends of current substance abuse that are most widespread in western European countries, the USA, Canada, and Russia, while also reviewing their differences and similarities. Foreign case studies, along with the results of analyzing the most prominent trends of substance abuse, must be accounted for when designing the optimal and most efficient measures for impacting the current drug abuse situation and eliminating its negative consequences. This paper examines the motivations and factors that encourage substance abuse; the phenomenon of substance abuse normalization; and the problems with identifying modern drug addicts that may arise as they try to adapt their behavior. The paper is based on a secondary analysis of several surveys among the working-age population (2013, 2016, 2017), as well as a college youth survey, entitled “The Student Lifestyle: Behavior Risks” (Ivanovo, Krasnodar, Moscow, Rybinsk, Chita, Yaroslavl). All of the above studies were conducted by the deviant behavior sociology sector of the RAS Federal Sociology Research Center. In addition, we considered surveys of college students in the USA and students in higher education in Canada.The analysis shows that: the age of first drug use is shifting upwards, which signifies that people are consciously deciding to consume addictive substances as mature individuals; there is an emerging trend of people aged 50 and over being introduced to addictive substances; the most popular motivation for consuming such substances is hedonism, i.e. the desire for pleasure; the attitude towards substance abuse is growing more and more tolerant, as introduction to recreational psychoactive drugs is becoming a fact of life and drug use is being integrated into society; modern substance abuse patterns still remain largely latent. We also consider foreign researchers’ insights, which warrant attention as we analyze the situation regarding substance abuse in Russian society and work on an effective anti-drug and addiction prevention policy.

Background There is evidence to suggest that medically supervised drug consumption rooms (DCRs) may form part of responses to reduce drug-related harm. Although DCRs have been established globally, they are perceived by some to be a controversial approach in the UK, and Government has repeatedly rejected proposals to establish one in Glasgow, Scotland. As public support is an important component of policy development and enactment, we sought to investigate the effects of different types of message framing on public support for DCR.\ud Methods We undertook a cross-sectional online study with a randomised design, conducted with a nationally representative sample. Participants were randomised to one of six message conditions comprising combinations of four components. All conditions included i) a basic description of a DCR, and conditions included combinations of ii) factual information; iii) preemptive refutation of common public concerns about DCR; and/or iv) a sympathetic narrative describing a mother whose son died from a heroin overdose. After reading each message, participants completed a bespoke measure assessing support for DCR. Data were analysed using ANCOVA.\ud Results Complete data were obtained from 1591 participants (50.3% Female; mean age 44.9 ± 16.1 years). Compared to reading a basic description of DCR alone, there was greater support for DCR in participants receiving the refutation (p < .001); sympathetic + factual (p < .05); and sympathetic + factual + refutation (p < .001) message conditions. Presenting factual or sympathetic messages alone were not associated with increased support.\ud Conclusion Our findings suggest that public support for DCRs is not improved through communication of factual statements outlining potential benefits of the intervention alone. Advocates seeking to foster public support, and thus influence policy making, should also consider communication campaigns that address common concerns that the public might have about DCRs, and present the intervention in relation to potential benefits that they hold for people indirectly affected by drug-related harm.

Substance abuse is a major and prevalent public health concern among university students. Tobacco smoking, risky alcohol behavior, and illegal drug consumption may lead to health problems and behavioral and academic issues. Several individual and environmental factors associate with substance abuse in this population, and the mediating effect of alcohol abuse in the relationship between tobacco smoking and drug consumption is yet to be explored. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the association of individual and environmental factors and substance use, and to analyze the relationship between tobacco smoking, alcohol abuse, and drug consumption, considering alcohol abuse as a possible mediator. A total of 550 Spanish undergraduate and postgraduate students completed several questionnaires regarding their smoking status, alcohol use, and drug consumption during the last six months. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to explore associations between factors. Direct, indirect and mediating effects were tested using a partial least squares approach (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that substance abuse is associated with being male, living with other students, and combined substance consumption. PLS-SEM showed a significant effect of tobacco smoking and alcohol abuse on drug consumption. Alcohol abuse plays a mediating role in the relationship between tobacco smoking and drug use.

Drug addiction is a psychiatric disorder based on a dysfunction of the brain. It frequently develops from a controlled drug consumption and drug instrumentalization (DI). Thereby, DI is the use of a drug to improve specific non-drug related behaviors, beyond the drug's direct positive or negative reinforcing effects. Currently available pharmacotherapies for drug addiction show low effect size and rather limited long-term efficacy, which suggests that current theories on addiction are still insufficient in how they capture the phenomenon and how they allow predictions for highly efficient treatments. This opinion review attempts a critical analysis of some aspects of current addiction neuroscience using animal models. As a result, (1) animal models that cover previously neglected types of drug memories in controlled drug use are suggested. (2) Animal models for drug instrumentalization are warranted. Animal models of drug addiction should consider that addiction develops predominantly in individuals with mental and/or environmental challenges. It is suggested (3) to preferentially use animal models with similar mental and environmental challenges to model the transition of controlled to compulsive drug use. (4) Animal models should in the future also capture the important aspect of the motivation to self-medicate in order to ameliorate a negative emotional/physical state. Potential pharmaco-treatments of addiction, in order to later achieve compliance in humans, should be tested for their systemic self-administration in order to self-medicate a drug-induced aversive state. This may allow a better understanding of the fundamental differences between an organism that shows controlled psychoactive drug consumption as an integral part of a 'normal' behavioral repertoire and one in a pathological condition with compulsive drug abuse.

WOS: 000436912800012 Purpose: This study was designed to examine the effects of drug pricing and reimbursement politics on drug expenditures from January 2007 to September 2013, with a focus on internal reference pricing in Turkey. Method: Data used in this study are from January 2007 to September 2013, which includes five drug clusters involving original drugs and the first generic drug (equivalent of the original drug) that was available on the market in 2010 and 2011. The effect of the first generic drug that entered the market on original drug use was analyzed using the time-series analysis method. To account for the absence of generic drugs in the market, original drug consumption was estimated and compared with original drug consumption following generic drug entry. Winters' Additive was selected as the most suitable method to estimate the consumption amount of the original drug in the five equivalent groups. Results: From 2007 to 2012, the consumption of prescribed drugs in the hypertension group increased about 63% and hypertension drug expenditures of the Social Security Institute (SSI) increased almost 82%. Between 2007 and 2012, the increase in hypertension drug consumption not included in the equivalent group was 83%, whereas it was calculated as 61% for drugs in the equivalent group. The prices of the original and generic drugs were similar as time went by and after regulation by authorities. Conclusion: The generic drug market in Turkey has not reached its full potential. Original pharmaceuticals still dominate most of the market. The internal reference pricing system in Turkey has not been able to encourage price competitiveness and price reductions. (C) 2018 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey Direct Institute Doctorate Scholarship Program [1649B031000021] The data used in this study was obtained from the doctorate thesis study entitled "Effects of Reimbursement Reference Pricing in Hypertension Pharmaceutical Expenditure: 2007-2012 Period Evaluation". This thesis was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey Direct Institute Doctorate Scholarship Program (Grant no. 1649B031000021) (TUBITAK Dogrudan Yurt Ici Doktora Burs Programs). Thesis detail: "Effects of Reimbursement Reference Pricing in Hypertension Pharmaceutical Expenditure: 2007-2012 Period Evaluation". Doctoral Thesis, Hacettepe University, Social Sciences Institute, Ankara, Turkey, 2015.

U.S. drug policy has sometimes implicitly — and incorrectly — assumed that all drug-related harm is caused by drug use, so reducing drug use necessarily reduces drug harm proportionately. Instead, drug policy should try to reduce the sum of both harms incident to drug consumption — including harms to users as well as harms to others — and policy-generated harm in the form of illicit markets, enforcement costs, and increased harmfulness of drug-taking due to controls. A strict prohibition can meet these criteria when it succeeds in keeping illicit markets “thin” and consumption very low. However, promulgating wise policies toward “thick” markets with widespread consumption necessarily involves trade-offs among competing objectives. Recent U.S. history illustrates both the futility of trying to control already “thick” markets using very long prison sentences for dealers (as in the cocaine market) and the risks of allowing “thin” markets to “thicken” by neglecting regulatory and enforcement efforts as prevalence starts to rise (as in the market for prescription opioids).

Introduction: One of the common problems in contemporary world is addiction and its side effects. Dependency and addiction due to drug consumption is a chronic disorder which is followed by cultural, psychological, social, and spiritual effects. The aim of the present research was comparing behavioral-cerebral systems with alexithymia among addictive and normal people. Materials and methods: The statistical population was all referred people to therapy centers of addiction in Ilam among which 40 cases were selected by accessible methods and also 40 cases of normal people without addiction background were selected based on their age, gender, education level, and married conditions by homogeneity procedure. Research method was comparative. Questionnaire of characterization by Wilson and questionnaire of Alexithymia by Toronto were used as research instrument to collect the data. Also, SPSS software and multi variable analysis were used to analysis the collected data. Results: The findings showed that activated systems of behavior and fight-flight in people with addiction background was more than normal people, while behavioral deterrent system activities in normal people was more than people with addiction background (P0.001). Conclusion: So, by identifying people that their behavioral activating system is more active than that of normal ones the risky group can be determined and then they can be benefited from behavioral and educational programs to be prevented from the likelihood of addiction in these groups. Also, cultivating capabilities of control and emotion regulation helps to prevent addiction and also helps people to adopt with changes and stress factors.

The purpose of the paper is to examine the role of mass media in combating drug addiction and drugrelated crime, together with the opportunities of cooperation between the police and the mass media in combating drug-related crime, and the main problems arising from such cooperation. Results of the study allowed us to draw several conclusions. Firstly, we underscore that there is a significant increase in drug consumption, especially among minors and youths. Under these circumstances, a prevention-oriented approach to combating drug-related crime gains a special significance. Secondly, the role of mass media in shaping public perceptions of certain issues, including drugs, makes them a necessary partner for the law enforcement agencies in deterring the spread of drug consumption. Thirdly, there are significant problems arising from the fundamentally different interests of the mass media and the police, which require the latter to seek ways to align their activities. Still, we see cooperation as the only way to succeed, as administrative measures, such as censorship, will be largely counterproductive in the age of high availability of the information. Practical implications of the study lie in the recommendations for the activities of the police aimed at ensuring efficient cooperation with the mass media in organizing informational campaigns, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and discouraging drug consumption. We stress upon the necessity of the well-planned campaign, including not only the careful preparation of the information but also a selection of the most efficient channels of dissemination and setting up of the feedback in order to objectively appraise their results and to allow a certain level of flexibility in adapting and adjusting these campaigns to the circumstances. We also underscore the importance of careful selection of partners in mass media, so that both sides of the partnership have a deep understanding of the issue they are working with. Lastly, we investigate the features of the information campaigns on the local level. Value/originality. The paper provides practical recommendations for setting up an informational campaign aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle and discouraging drug usage. Additionally, it provides the basis for the further research of the issues of police-mass media cooperation, in counteracting drug-related crimes in particular and in the prevention of antisocial and criminal behaviour in general.

Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is a cornerstone in pharmacovigilance. However, information about the underlying consumption of drugs is rarely used when analysing spontaneous reports. The purpose of this study was to combine ADR reports with drug consumption data to demonstrate the additional information this gives in various scenarios, comparing different drugs, gender-stratified sub-populations and changes in reporting over time. We combined all Norwegian ADR reports in 2004–2013 from the EudraVigilance database (n = 14.028) with dispensing data from the Norwegian Prescription Database (more than 800 million dispensed prescriptions during 2004–2013). This was done in order to calculate drug-specific consumption-adjusted adverse drug reaction reporting rates (CADRRs) by dividing the number of reports for each drug with the number of users of the drug during the same time period. Among the ten drugs with the highest number of ADR reports and the ten drugs with the highest CADRR, only four drugs were in both categories. This indicates that drugs with a high number of reports often also have a high number of users and that CADRR captures drugs with potentially relevant safety issues but a smaller number of users. Comparing reported ADRs in females and males using methylphenidate, we found that the two groups report different ADRs. Finally, we showed that changes in ADR reporting for simvastatin and atorvastatin during 2004–2013 were due to changes in consumption and that atorvastatin had a higher CADRR but fewer reports than simvastatin. CADRR provides additional information compared with number of reports alone in studies using spontaneous reports. It is important for researchers to adjust for consumption whenever possible in pharmacovigilance studies.

Objective: To identify the features of drug consumption, risk-entailing sexual conduct, and the typology of addiction treatment center users in Mexico and Central America. Methods: The info...

Background: Drug prescription studies provide a pharmacoeconomic basis for making evidence-based health-care decisions. In ophthalmology practice, rational prescribing shows a vital role in decreasing the ocular disease burden. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to inspect the drug consumption pattern in ophthalmology department of King Abdulaziz hospital in KSA. Materials and Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of 3 months. The prescriptions for all consecutive patients attending the ophthalmology outpatient department for the first time (first time encounter) were incorporated and reviewed using a pre-designed form to record information from the ophthalmology outpatient department prescription cards of each patient. Data analysis was carried out using the descriptive statistical methods: frequencies, mean, percentage, and standard deviation. Results: A total of 500 prescriptions were considered with the average number of drugs per prescription being 2.2 (0.8). The most common disorders diagnosed were eyelid diseases (31.6%) followed by foreign body in the eye (23,2%), conjunctivitis (20,8%), glaucoma, conrneal ulcer, squint, and others. Drugs were prescribed in different dosage forms with eye drops being the most common (62.9%) followed by ointment (20.5%), capsule (8.6%), and tablets (8.0%) of all dosage forms. The frequency of drug management and period of treatment was recorded in 94% and 76% of all prescriptions respectively. Drugs were predominantly prescribed in brand name rather than generic name. Conclusion: The current study showed certain lacunae in the prescribing practices of the ophthalmologists of the institute as showed by low generic prescribing, insufficient information about frequency of management and period of treatment in many prescriptions. This can be addressed over appropriate sensitization of clinicians in the art of rational prescribing.

bIntroduction./bTaking psychoactive substances constitutes a significant problem for Public Health, particularly in preventing drug abuse and addiction.bObjectives./bTo estimate the amount and incidence of drug consumption in middle and high school pupils, including the circumstances in which drug taking first started, and to determine pupils' knowledge about the consequences of taking psychoactive substances and designer drugs (DDs).bMaterials and methods/b. A randomised study was conducted throughout Poland on 9,360 pupils attending middle school (junior high school) in 2009 and 7,971 pupils from middle and high school pupils in 2011. The survey consisted of a questionnaire devised by the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS) and the replies obtained were subject to the relevant statistical analyses.bResults./bDrug taking was found to have increased between 2009-2011, especially among those attending high school; proportionally rising from 4% - 11%. The numbers who had ever taken designer drugs were 3% for middle school pupils and 4% from high school.bConclusions/b. 1) Adolescent drug consumption has increased, particularly in those of older age and in boys. 2) Despite the only brief interval for which designer drugs were legal, they have gained high popularity among the young. 3) Adolescents have insufficient knowledge about the dangers of using DDs. 4) Faced with the growing threat of a dynamic designer drug market, appropriate counter-measures in education and prevention are therefore necessary.

Background: The cytochrome P450 drug metabolizing enzymes CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 are the major targets for pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing and determining for drug response. Clinical dosing guidelines for specific drug-gene interactions (DGI) are publicly available through PharmGKB. The aim of this register study was to map the use of drugs in Denmark for drugs having actionable dosing guidelines (AG) i.e., dosing recommendations different from standard dosing for CYP2D6 or CYP2C19 DGI in terms of consumption. Methods: The Danish Register of Medicinal Product Statistics was the source to retrieve consumption in Defined Daily Dose (DDD) i.e., the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults and number of users (2017 data). Clinical dosing guidelines were available from the PharmGKB website. Results: Forty-nine drugs have guidelines corresponding to 14.5% of total sales in DDD. Twenty-eight drugs have AG corresponding to 375.2 million DDD. Pantoprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, clopidogrel, and metoprolol constituted fifty-eight percent of the consumption in DDD of drugs having AG. The consumption of antidepressant drugs, opioids, and antipsychotic drugs were 157.0 million DDD, with 441,850 users, 48.9 million DDD, with 427,765 users, and 23.7 million DDD, with 128,935 users, respectively. Age distributions of consumption of drugs and drug combinations, e.g., for sertraline redeemed either alone or in combination with metoprolol and tramadol, are presented. Conclusion: This exploratory register study clearly showed that a large fraction of the Danish population, especially the elderly, are exposed to drugs or drug combinations for which there exist AG related to PGx of CYP2D6 or CYP2C19.

The number of people that have been in touch with drugs is continuously increasing. Excessive intake of drugs becomes problematic when it turns into disorderly behaviors, such as addictions. In order to treat these disorderly behaviors, treatment plans often adhere to a one-size-fits-all approach with fixed and standardized steps. However, for effective treatment of disorderly behaviors it has been acknowledged that personalized treatment programs are necessary. The personality of people has been argued to be a factor that plays an important role in setting up effective treatment plans. In this work we explored the predictability of people's personality traits based on their drug consumption profile. Based on self-reported consumption frequencies of "abusable psychoactive drugs," we found among 1878 respondents that drug consumption profiles can be used to predict people's personality traits. The prediction of personality traits can be used to circumvent intruding questionnaires and to implicitly create personalized treatment programs.

Determining the duration of drug consumption is essential for the success of treatment for drug abuse since the effectivity of such a program depends on the duration of the treatment. One promising set of features to identify the duration of drug consumption is personality features called Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R). In this paper, the Extreme Learning Machine model is employed to perform the classification. The model is trained and tested using 10- fold mechanism to verify the effectivity of the classification. The accuracy of the classifier differs, depending on the type of drug, with the maximum accuracy of 86.31% and the minimum one of 36.65%.

This chapter explores the emerging discourse of governing drugs through harm minimization. It examines this development not so much in terms of how far the changes are being implemented or resisted in practice – an important but separate issue – but rather in terms of the way in which government plans and blueprints effect a re-imagination of what it is to govern drug consumption. Risk managerial models focus on governing through the calculation of risks and the distribution of harms. In harm minimization discourses, the governmental status of any behaviour is determined by the aggregate level of risk that it generates. One of the most crucial issues considered by harm reduction is that the chemical effects of the drugs also are often regarded as less important than the risks of collateral harms. In some respects, 'free will' and 'compulsion' are displaced in harm minimization by two parallel but distinct terms – 'choice' and 'risk'.

We describe here a modern tool for exploring documents pertaining to the world Cultural Heritage while avoiding their contamination or damage. Known under the acronym EVA, it consists of a plastic foil of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate studded with strong cation and anion resins admixed with C8 and C18 hydrophobic beads. When applied to any surface such foils can harvest any type of surface material, which is then eluted and analyzed via standard means, such as GS/MS (typically for metabolites), MS/MS (for peptide and protein analysis), X-ray (for elemental analysis). We briefly review here a number of past data, such as screening of original documents by Bulgakov, Chekov, Casanova, Kepler, while dealing in extenso with very recent data, pertaining to Orwell and Stalin and analysis of the skin of an Egyptian mummy. The technique was also successfully applied to paintings, such as the Donna Nuda at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, attributed to Leonardo and his school. This novel methodology represents a formidable tool for exploring the past life of famous authors, scientist and literates in that it can detect traces of their pathologies and even drug consumption left by saliva and sweat traces on their original hand-written documents.

Aims: The study investigated the attitudes of intravenous drug users (IDUs) towards the provision of drug consumption rooms (DCRs) in the UK and their willingness to use DCRs. Methods: Participants were 90 methadone-maintained outpatients recruited from a London clinic. A questionnaire asked about their willingness to use a DCR, their views on various rules commonly-implemented by DCRs, and how they believed DCRs might impact on the drug-taking behaviours of drug users and their peers. Findings: A large majority (89%) expressed willingness to use a DCR and accepted the need for rules such as no drug sharing (84.3%), no assistance with injecting (81.8%), compulsory supervision (76.7%) and compulsory hand washing (92.1%). However, the IDUs were split over whether injection in the neck or groin should be disallowed and whether certain categories of IDUs (e.g. juveniles, pregnant women) should be excluded from DCRs. Majorities thought it unlikely that DCRs would encourage users to try risker drug preparations (76.6%), or encourage non injectors to inject for the first time (74.5%). Conclusions: In a country where DCRs are not available, the study highlights the willingness of IDUs to use a DCR and accept its rules, even for a sample most of whom were not homeless.

Among mammals, every cell has a biological sex, and the sex of an individual pervades its body and brain. In this review, we describe the processes through which mammals become phenotypically male or female by organizational and activational influences of genes and hormones throughout development. We emphasized that the molecular and cellular changes triggered by sex chromosomes and steroid hormones may generate sex differences in overt physiological functions and behavior, but they may alternatively promote end-point convergences between males and females. Clinical and pre-clinical evidences suggest that sex and gender differences modulate drug consumption as well as of the transition towards drug-promoted pathological states such as dependence and addiction. Additionally, sex differences in drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics will also influence dependence and addiction as well as side effects of drugs. These effects will further interact with socially gendered factors to result in sex differences in the access to, engagement in and efficacy of any therapeutic attempt. Finally, we maintain that 'sex sameness' is as important as 'sex differences' when building a complete understanding of biology for both males and females and provide a framework with which to classify and guide investigation into the mechanisms mediating sex differences and sex sameness.

Drug consumption is a commonplace practice at music festivals. It can result in a risk of adverse consequences to individual drug users in attendance, and in some cases fatality. The implementation of on-site drug testing at such events through harm reduction focused law reform could significantly reduce these risks. Section 12 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 prevents music festival organisers and management from allowing drug testing to take place for fear of prosecution. Not allowing drug testing to occur at music festivals threatens the right not to be deprived of life enshrined in s 8 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Protection of this right should compel government to legislate accordingly so that festival organisers and management can allow drug testing to occur at their events. Such harm reduction focused law reform to allow testing would act as the least limiting measure on the right not to be deprived of life. This paper argues that it is possible to balance this right with the drug free values and protection of youth promoted in our society while still permitting drug testing at music festivals.

This chapter includes results of data analysis. The relationship between personality profiles and drug consumption is described and the individual drug consumption risks for different drugs is evaluated. Significant differences between groups of drug users and non-users are identified. Machine learning algorithms solve the user/non-user classification problem for many drugs with impressive sensitivity and specificity. Analysis of correlations between use of different drugs reveals existence of clusters of substances with highly correlated use, which we term correlation pleiades. It is proven that the mean profiles of users of different drugs are significantly different (for benzodiazepines, ecstasy, and heroin). Visualisation of risk by risk maps is presented. The difference between users of different drugs is analysed and three distinct types of users are identified for benzodiazepines, ecstasy, and heroin.

Drug-induced nephrolithiasis is a rare condition in children. The involved drugs may be divided into two different categories according to the mechanism involved in calculi formation. The first one includes poorly soluble drugs that favor the crystallization and calculi formation. The second category includes drugs that enhance calculi formation through their metabolic effects. The diagnosis of these specific calculi depends on a detailed medical history, associated comorbidities and the patient's history of drug consumption. There are several risk factors associated with drug-induced stones, such as high dose of consumed drugs and long duration of treatment. Moreover, there are some specific risk factors, including urinary pH and the amount of fluid consumed by children. There are limited data regarding pediatric lithogenic drugs, and hence, our aim was to perform a comprehensive review of the literature to summarize these drugs and identify the possible mechanisms involved in calculi formation and discuss the management and preventive measures for these calculi.

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar los patrones de consumo de drogas en sujetos recluidos en un establecimiento penitenciario de Lima. Es un estudio transversal descriptivo y la muestra estuvo conformada por 330 internos varones, de los cuales se pudo validar la información de 279 internos. La edad entre los internos vario desde los 18 a más de 65 años, siendo la edad de mayor prevalencia (31,2%) entre 31 a 40 años, el interno con menor edad tiene 18 años y el de mayor edad fue de 75 años. Se utilizó un cuestionario de opciones múltiples, adaptados para la presente investigación, la cual está dividida en cinco áreas: a) nivel educativo, b) estado civil, c) situación jurídica, d) delito y e) consumo de drogas. Asimismo se utilizó el cuestionario de uso de Drogas (DAST-20), cuya confiabilidad varía entre un 0,92 a 0,94. También se utilizó el cuestionario de Identificación de Trastornos por consumo de alcohol (AUDIT), cuyo nivel de confiabilidad se situaba por encima de 0,90. Entre las conclusiones más importantes destacan que las drogas de mayor prevalencia entre de las personas recluidas son el alcohol, tabaco, marihuana, clorhidrato de cocaína y pasta básica de cocaína, siendo estas mismas las de mayor consumo en los últimos 30 días. La edad, el grado de instrucción y el delito influyen significativamente en el consumo de drogas al interior del centro penitenciario.

Personality was assessed with the Freiburger Personlichkeits Inventar (FPI) [Freiburg Personality Inventory] in a representative sample of 6,315 19-year-old conscripts in the Canton of Zurich (Switzerland). Furthermore, the kind of drugs used, the frequency of drug consumption and drug combinations were investigated in this age group. First, subjects who had taken only cannabis were compared for personality aspects with those who had taken only hallucinogens. Secondly, a comparison was made between those consuming only cannabis and those taking cannabis as well as other drugs. No significant differences were found in the personality variables assessed in either of these comparisons.

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The consumption and abuse of alcohol and other drugs are increasingly present in the lives of university students and may already be considered a public health problem because of the direct impacts on the physical and mental health of these individuals. The requirements of the medical program play a vital role in the increasing rate of drug users. OBJECTIVES To carry out a systematic review of the literature on the use of drugs, licit or not, in Brazilian medical students. METHODS A descriptive-exploratory study, in which the SciELO and MEDLINE databases were used. A total of 99 articles were found, of which 16 were selected for this review. RESULTS Alcohol and tobacco were the most frequently used licit drugs among medical students. The most consumed illicit drugs were marijuana, solvents, “lança-perfume” (ether spray), and anxiolytics. The male genre presented a tendency of consuming more significant amounts of all kinds of drugs, with the exception of tranquilizers. It was found an increasing prevalence of drug consumption in medical students, as the program progressed, which may result from the intrinsic stress from medical school activities. Students who do not use psychoactive drugs are more likely to live with their parents, to disapprove drugs consumption, to practice religious beliefs and to be employed. Conclusion The prevalence of licit and illicit drug use among medical students is high, even though they understand the injuries it may cause. RESUMO INTRODUÇÃO O consumo e o abuso de álcool e outras drogas estão cada vez mais presentes na vida dos estudantes universitários, e podem ser considerados problemas de saúde pública pelos potenciais prejuízos acarretados na saúde física e mental. No curso de medicina, as exigências acadêmicas e o estresse têm papel fundamental no aumento do uso de drogas entre os estudantes. OBJETIVO Realizar uma revisão sistemática da literatura sobre o uso de drogas, lícitas e ilícitas, em estudantes de medicina brasileiros. MÉTODOS Estudo de revisão de literatura, cuja fonte bibliográfica foram os portais de periódicos SciELO e Medline. No total, 99 artigos foram encontrados, dos quais 16 foram selecionados para esta revisão. RESULTADOS O álcool e o tabaco foram as drogas mais consumidas por estudantes de medicina. Dentre as drogas ilícitas, as mais frequentemente utilizadas incluem maconha, solventes, lança-perfume e ansiolíticos. O sexo masculino apresentou maior proporção de consumo de todos os tipos de drogas, com exceção de tranquilizantes. Foi encontrado um aumento da prevalência de consumo de drogas ao longo do curso de medicina, o que pode ser resultante do estresse próprio das atividades do curso. Estudantes que fazem menos uso de substâncias psicoativas tendem a viver com os pais, não possuir vínculos próximos com usuários de drogas, desaprovar o consumo de drogas, possuir e praticar crenças religiosas e trabalhar. CONCLUSÃO A prevalência de consumo de drogas lícitas e ilícitas entre estudantes de medicina é alta, mesmo eles tendo conhecimento sobre os malefícios que o uso pode causar.

The low efficacy of crack cocaine addiction treatment available in Brazil has led Brazilian users to find alternatives to reduce drug consumption or even to reach abstinence. One of them is the use of entheogenic substances, like ayahuasca, an infusion obtained from two native plant species from the Amazon. The present report aimed to understand how crack cocaine users recover from drug addiction by consuming ayahuasca tea in a religious context. This is a qualitative study with a purposeful sample of 40 crack cocaine users, based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants reported that ayahuasca allowed them to access a consciousness dimension which enabled them to solve problems and traumas and reduce crack cocaine consumption. The religious ceremony increased the user's spirituality and the reception from the community gave them a sense of self-esteem, strengthening them in an emotional and social way. That positive experience has been incorporated into the daily routine of most participants. Findings indicate that ayahuasca, in a religious context, may have therapeutic value for crack cocaine dependence treatment.

DOI: 10.5152/IstanbulJPharm.2018.398141 “Always Better Control” (ABC) and “Vital Essential Desirable” (VED) are widely used methods for controlling drug inventories. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the optimal level of drug storage for the hospital by evaluating the annual amounts spent on drugs with (ABC) and (VED). By this means, it is aimed to reduce inventory costs to an optimum level. In this study, drug consumption data of a private hospital operating in Istanbul for 2016 was used. Based on the annual unit consumption and the unit costs of 910 medicines, the total annual expenditure for each drug was calculated and drugs were ranked in increasing order according to this calculation. Drugs that accounted for 70% of the total drug expenditure were classified as Category A, 20% were classified as Category B, and 10% were classified as Category C. The (VED) analysis was conducted with three pharmacologists and drugs were classified according to their degree of vital importance as category “Vital (V)”, “Essential (E)” and “Desirable (D)”. Then, the data were combined with the (ABC-VED) matrix in three separate categories. According to a ABC analysis, 70.08% of this expenditure consists of 46 drugs (A), 19.88% of 92 drugs (B) and 10.04% of 772 drugs (C). According to the (VED) analysis, it has been determined that 265 drugs are in category “V”, 467 drugs in “E” and 178 drugs in “D”. According to the (ABC-VED) matrix, there are 298 drugs in the first category, 446 drugs in the second category and 163 drugs in the third category. Consequently, these analyzes will contribute to management especially in determining the safety stock levels of drugs that constitute a significant part of the total expenditure.

Se estudia la Comorbilidad entre consumo de drogas legales e ilegales y el tipo de Trastorno de Personalidad en una muestra de 320 adultos: a través de Entrevista Clínica Psiquiátrica (estandarizada y normatizada) a pacientes que concurrieron a un servicio especializado en adicciones. Hay un predominio del sexo masculino, solteros, con edad de inicio en el consumo de drogas de 20 años y de consulta –promedio- de 35 años. El 50% de las consultas fue por alcohol, en ambos sexos. Las drogas ilegales más frecuentes fueron marihuana y cocaína. Se encontraron diferencias de género, entre ellas, el consumo de sedantes propio de las mujeres y el de marihuana en los hombres, así como un perfil de personalidad diferente. En los Trastornos de Personalidad predominaron los del grupo B. El consumo de drogas ilegales se asocia a los Trastornos Disocial y Límite. En los hombres se agrega el Narcisista y en las mujeres el Histriónico y Dependiente.

Basis and objective To describe the pattern of drug use among men who have sex with men (MSM) living in Spain and its association with sexual risk practices. Material and method The European MSM Internet Survey was implemented in 2010 in 38 European countries on websites for MSM and collected data on sociodemographics, sexual behavior, and other sexual health variables. The association between unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with casual partners and drug consumption was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression models. Results Among the 13,111 participants, most consumed drugs were cannabis (30.1%), popper (28.4%) and cocaine (18.7%). The risk of UAI with casual partners was 1.5 among those who had used drugs in relation to the other participants. The proportion of MSM who had injected drugs at least once in life was 2.5%, and 1.4% in the last 12 months. The prevalence of UAI with casual partners (53.4%), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (23%), hepatitis C (8.2%) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) (15.8%) was higher in MSM injectors related to those who had not used injected drugs ( p Conclusions The results of this study confirm a high prevalence of drug use in MSM and their relationship to sexual risk behavior. Although the use of injected drugs in MSM is a minority, this group reported a higher level of sexual risk behaviors, self-reported HIV, hepatitis C and other STI.