Addiction and Health最新文献

Background: Tobacco use is highly prevalent in Afghanistan, posing a significant challenge among young people, including university students. This study aims to investigate tobacco product usage patterns and associated factors among male students at Herat University, Afghanistan, addressing the critical need for understanding and addressing this public health issue.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted between April and May 2021, 640 male university students were surveyed using interview-based stratified random sampling to assess cigarette, smokeless tobacco (ST), hookah, and e-cigarette use alongside sociodemographic factors. Logistic regression identified significant predictors.

Findings: The prevalence was 35.3% for cigarette smoking, 15% for ST use, 14.1% for e-cigarette vaping, and 35.5% for hookah smoking. In the cigarette model, predictors included age (OR=1.20), mother's education (secondary/high school OR=2.19; university OR=2.68), friends' use (OR=9.54), and employment status (OR=2.52). The hookah model highlighted friends' use (OR=31.05), marital status (OR=2.10), employment status (OR=1.76), and mother's education (secondary/high school OR=2.18; university OR=3.57) as predictors. In the ST model, predictors were friends' use (OR=20.12), employment status (OR=3.37), and mother's education (secondary/high school OR=2.91). Lastly, the e-cigarette model revealed the predictors of friends' use (OR=7.91) and employment status (OR=1.87).

Conclusion: Tobacco use among Afghan male university students is significantly influenced by peer behavior, employment status, and parental education. Interventions should target accessibility and sociocultural attitudes and include educational programs and policy measures to reduce tobacco consumption in the university setting.

Background: The prevalence of substance abuse (SA) among youth has increased in recent years. However, limited data exist about SA among medical sciences students. Therefore, this study assessed SA prevalence and contributing factors among medical sciences students.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019. Participants were 238 medical sciences students randomly selected from Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. The data collection instrument was the SA prevalence assessment questionnaire developed by the Mental Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Iran. Data were analyzed using the SPSS (v. 22.0) software.

Findings: The most commonly abused substances were waterpipe tobacco (31.9%), cigarettes (20.2%), and alcoholic beverages (10.5%). Most participants with a history of SA had started SA before entering university. The prevalence rates of waterpipe tobacco smoking, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption were 9.2%, 8.8%, and 4.2% in the past month and 16.4%, 18.1%, and 7.6% in the past year, respectively. The prevalence of SA among dormitory students and students with lower grade point averages was significantly higher than among non-dormitory students and students with higher grade point averages.

Conclusion: The onset age of SA was mainly before eighteen years, so strategies are needed to reduce SA in secondary schools. Moreover, strategies are needed to prevent and reduce SA at universities, particularly among dormitory students and students with lower grade point averages. University authorities should use effective educational and counseling programs to prevent student SA.

Sexuality remains a subject of ongoing debate, with significant implications for self-perception and self-esteem, and addiction is a factor that can adversely affect it. Sexual dysfunction heavily burdens people with substance use disorders, as it can cause severe issues such as erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, dyspareunia, and delayed ejaculation. These issues can be caused by hormonal imbalances, loss of vaginal lubrication, lowered blood flow to the penile tissue, and problems with other organs, such as the liver. There could be some therapies to resolve such issues at least partially, for example, medication (oral and injectable), low-intensity focused shockwave therapy, vacuum constriction device, promoting exercise, and testosterone replacement therapy. Utilizing such methods could be helpful, but we could not be sure of their effectiveness. The current review aims to give a brief overview of sexual function, substance use disorders, and their impact on sexuality.

Background: Opioids can lead to mood disorders, anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment. Valproic acid (VPA) has neuroprotective effects that can prevent neural degeneration. This study aims to examine the impact of VPA on learning, social interaction, and depression in mice dependent on morphine.

Methods: Subjects were divided into four groups and received injections of saline, VPA, morphine, or a combination of VPA and morphine for eight days. Behavioral tests were conducted on day 8, and then administration of VPA and morphine was stopped, leading to spontaneous withdrawal syndrome. Behavioral tests were repeated on day 11, and histological analysis was performed on the hippocampus.

Findings: The preference index (PI%) decreased in the novel object recognition test in the VPA and morphine sulfate (MOR) groups compared to the control (CTL) group in the chronic phase. The concomitant administration of VPA and morphine caused an increase in social interaction criteria in both the chronic and withdrawal phases. The decrease in immobility time in the VPA and MOR+VPA groups compared to the CTL group in the withdrawal phase was not statistically significant in the tail suspension test (TST). In Nissl staining, the combination of MOR+VPA led to a significant decrease in the DC/All cell ratio compared to the individual MOR and VPA groups (P<0.05).

Conclusion: VPA may improve social relationships and depression indices during morphine withdrawal. VPA may potentially mitigate the cellular changes in the CA1 of the hippocampus induced by morphine.

Oxidative stress (OS) results from an imbalance between the formation and detoxification of reactive species. Although reactive species at low or moderate levels play numerous physiological roles, high concentrations can lead to disturbances in signaling and metabolic pathways and cause different metabolic, chronic, and age-related disorders. Several endogenous and exogenous processes may lead to the formation of reactive species. The severity of OS can be reduced with the help of antioxidants. Tobacco is one of the most important environmental factors contributing to reactive species production. After cigarette smoking, water-pipe tobacco (WPT) smoking is ranked as the second most popular tobacco product. Its popularity is proliferating due to flavored products, social acceptability, etc. However, studies have shown that WPT smoking is associated with an increased risk of arterial stiffness, ischemic heart disease, and several cancer types. In this study, we aimed to review the most recent evidence on WPT smoking constituents and their association with OS.

Background: Disulfiram is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug for the treatment of alcohol dependence, primarily acting as a deterrent agent. The available literature on disulfiram treatment for alcohol dependence among individuals in low-income and middle-income countries is scarce, while numerous factors impact the acceptance and adherence to such treatment.

Methods: The study utilized a purposive sampling methodology. The participants were contacted by telephone at 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks after the initiation of disulfiram treatment. Alcohol abstinence was calculated using the self-reported total alcohol-free days, and adherence and attitudes toward disulfiram treatment were measured using the Treatment Compliance Assessment Scale (TCAS).

Findings: The participants had a mean age of 39.30±7.7 years. Nearly 62% and 46% of the subjects reported maintenance of alcohol abstinence after initiation of 12 and 24 weeks of disulfiram treatment, respectively. The proportion of non-adherent subjects increased from 36.3% to 57.2% during the 12-week and 24-week follow-up periods. Attitudes toward disulfiram treatment varied significantly across different time points. A strong positive correlation was observed in the alcohol abstinence, adherence, and attitude scores at different time points (P<0.01).

Conclusion: The present study's findings unveiled that nearly 60% and 40% of the study subjects were maintaining alcohol abstinence and adherence at 12 weeks and 24 weeks after initiation of disulfiram treatment, respectively. Disulfiram could be a viable psychological tool for alcohol abstinence, but objective measurements are required to underpin its utility in this setting.

Background: Naltrexone is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anti-craving agent for the long-term treatment of alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS). However, it may not be equally effective in all patients. This study aims to assess naltrexone treatment response over four weeks in a national-level tertiary care setting.

Methods: Male patients with ADS (n=100) who were initiated on naltrexone were included in the study. The clinical data, including the drinking pattern and craving, were recorded at baseline. At the end of the one-month follow-up, the drinking status and compliance with naltrexone were recorded.

Findings: At the end of one month, more than half of the patients (n=53) were retained in the study. All the treatment-retained patients (n=53) reported naltrexone consumption for more than 24 days in the last month. Those who retained in the study reported significantly less craving among 72% of patients, while an almost 50% reduction in alcohol use was observed.

Conclusion: This study adds to the evidence of outcomes with naltrexone in terms of reduced craving and alcohol use.

Background: Weight-gaining (WG) products are either medicine or herbal products that have been used intensively by the young and adolescents in Yemen. These products may contain undeclared potentially toxic ingredients that can lead to several health problems and diseases on long-term usage. This study was intended to evaluate the presence of some undeclared pharmaceuticals, dexamethasone (DX) and cyproheptadine (CPR), in WG products in Aden, Yemen.

Methods: The detection of DX & CPR in WG products was evaluated using UV& Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Also, phytochemical analysis was carried out for herbal products.

Findings: The study indicated the presence of CPR in Tab-II, honey mixture, and capsules in the range between 0.10%-102.6%. A lower percentage was detected in the honey mixture and a higher percentage in Tab-2. DX was only detected in Tab-I (102.87%).

Conclusion: It can be concluded that WG products may contain undeclared amounts of DX and CPR. Stricter regulations must be implemented for the usage and distribution of these products to avoid potential long-term adverse consequences.

Background: Personality traits or disorders are now attracting more attention as factors in the initiation and continuation of substance/drug use. However, few studies have been conducted on the association between interpersonal dependence and substance/drug use. The present study aimed to investigate the association between this form of psychological dependence and the tendency to use substances/drugs in medical students.

Methods: The present study was based on an analytical cross-sectional design and conducted on 310 medical students selected by stratified sampling at Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2021. The Interpersonal Dependency Inventory and the Iranian Addiction Potential Scale were employed to assess the two variables of interpersonal dependence and the tendency to use substances/drugs.

Findings: The correlation matrix shows that the tendency to use substances/drugs has a significant negative correlation with interpersonal dependence (P=0.0001, r=-0.285) in general and emotional reliance on another person (P=-0.0001, r=-0.264) and lack of social self-confidence (LSSC) (P=0.0001, r=-0.297) in particular. Female (F=8.57, P=0.004) and married (F=5.14, P=0.024) students showed more tendency to use substances/drugs than male and single students, but no significant difference was observed regarding interpersonal dependence. Academic course, residence status, parents' occupation, number of family members, and birth order did not significantly affect the scores.

Conclusion: Interpersonal dependence can have different functions, depending on its level. Although interpersonal dependence at maladaptive levels can act as a risk factor and make a person vulnerable to some behavioral problems, at adaptive levels, it acts as a protective factor and reduces those problems.

Addiction, characterized by compulsive drug-seeking behavior and impaired self-control, remains a significant public health concern. Understanding the neurobiology of addiction is crucial for identifying novel therapeutic targets and further developing effective treatments. Recently, the apelin/APJ system, an emerging signaling pathway, has attracted attention for its involvement in various neuropsychiatric disorders. The cross-talk between the apelin/APJ system and hypothalamic mu opioid signaling, as well as its heterodimerization with kappa opioid receptors (KORs), supports the potential relevance of this system to addiction. Moreover, several protective effects of apelin against various addictive substances, including methamphetamine, morphine, and alcohol, underscore the need for further investigation into its role in substance use disorder. Understanding the contribution of the apelin/APJ system in addiction may offer valuable insights into the underlying neurobiology and pave the way for novel therapeutic interventions in substance use disorders. This review provides a concise overview of the apelin/APJ system, emphasizing its physiological roles and highlighting its relevance to addiction research.