Pub Date : 2022-08-01DOI: 10.2174/2666082218666220801095440
Wai Yee Sin, Wai Nga Wong, Yi To Michelle Lo, Uen Ting Elizabeth Tse, Hoi Wai Helen Wong, Ka Yin Elizabeth Tung, Amy Dun-mi Fung, Michael Chih Chien Kuo
Independence in community living is an important aspect of rehabilitation in schizophrenia. Previous studies investigating relationships of coginitive, symptomatic, and demographic factors in community living ability of schizophrenia showed inconsistent findings. These findings may be due to variations in functional measures used or a heterogenous sample of participants recruited. To investigate the relationships of cognitive, symptomatic and demographic factors with community living skills for people with schizophrenia living in supported living facilities. This is a cross-sectional study. Thirty-seven adults with schizophrenia and 32 matched healthy controls were recruited. Both groups completed the Verbal Fluency Test, subtests of Cognistat, and the Color Trail Test. Additional assessments (i.e., Chinese version of St. Louis Inventory of Community Living Skills – SLICLS-C and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale – PANSS) were used to evaluate participants with schizophrenia. Cognitive profile was compared between the two groups. Correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships of cognitive abilities, symptomatology, and demographic factors with community living skills in schizophrenia. Results showed that participants with schizophrenia performed worse than the control group in verbal fluency, visual memory, immediate memory, delayed memory, and executive function tests. Significant moderate correlations between SLICLS-C score and participants’ years of education, positive symptoms, general psychopathology, and PANSS total score were identified. Results indicated cognitive impairments are persistent in schizophrenia who are in remission and have been partially integrated back into the community. Cognitive deficits that people with schizophrenia experience might be stable over most of the course of the illness. Participants’ years of education, positive symptoms, general psychopathology, and PANSS total score might be important moderating variables to include in future investigations related to predicting community living performance in schizophrenia.
{"title":"Cognition, Symptomatology, and Community Living Skills in Schizophrenia","authors":"Wai Yee Sin, Wai Nga Wong, Yi To Michelle Lo, Uen Ting Elizabeth Tse, Hoi Wai Helen Wong, Ka Yin Elizabeth Tung, Amy Dun-mi Fung, Michael Chih Chien Kuo","doi":"10.2174/2666082218666220801095440","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2174/2666082218666220801095440","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000Independence in community living is an important aspect of rehabilitation in schizophrenia. Previous studies investigating relationships of coginitive, symptomatic, and demographic factors in community living ability of schizophrenia showed inconsistent findings. These findings may be due to variations in functional measures used or a heterogenous sample of participants recruited.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000To investigate the relationships of cognitive, symptomatic and demographic factors with community living skills for people with schizophrenia living in supported living facilities.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000This is a cross-sectional study. Thirty-seven adults with schizophrenia and 32 matched healthy controls were recruited. Both groups completed the Verbal Fluency Test, subtests of Cognistat, and the Color Trail Test. Additional assessments (i.e., Chinese version of St. Louis Inventory of Community Living Skills – SLICLS-C and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale – PANSS) were used to evaluate participants with schizophrenia. Cognitive profile was compared between the two groups. Correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships of cognitive abilities, symptomatology, and demographic factors with community living skills in schizophrenia.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000Results showed that participants with schizophrenia performed worse than the control group in verbal fluency, visual memory, immediate memory, delayed memory, and executive function tests. Significant moderate correlations between SLICLS-C score and participants’ years of education, positive symptoms, general psychopathology, and PANSS total score were identified.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000Results indicated cognitive impairments are persistent in schizophrenia who are in remission and have been partially integrated back into the community. Cognitive deficits that people with schizophrenia experience might be stable over most of the course of the illness. Participants’ years of education, positive symptoms, general psychopathology, and PANSS total score might be important moderating variables to include in future investigations related to predicting community living performance in schizophrenia.\u0000","PeriodicalId":36711,"journal":{"name":"Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45980089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-22DOI: 10.2174/2666082218666220722123532
S. Aljhani, Shahad Al Jameli, Fayzah AlHussan, M. Almutairi
Insomnia is considered one of the most common sleep disorders. One-third of the world’s population has one or more symptoms of insomnia, with 10% satisfying the criteria for clinical diagnosis. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of insomnia among pharmacists working in Saudi Arabia and its association with self-medication. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed online by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, targeting pharmacists from different working areas in Saudi Arabia. The survey included socio-demographic data, level of education, working area, and work experience; use of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic sleeping aid; reasons for self-medication; and the Insomnia Severity Index questionnaire. A total of 515 pharmacists participated in the study (male 53.4% vs. female 46.6%). The prevalence of clinically significant insomnia was 48.2%. Of these, 66.5% were mild, 29.8% were moderate, and 3.6% were severe. The prevalence of pharmacists currently using sleep aid medications was 22.7%. Factors associated with clinically significant insomnia were younger age (21 – 30 years), female sex, unmarried status, living in the central region, chronic diseases, history of psychiatric disorder, consultation with a health care professional, current use of sleep aid medications, and use of psychological and behavioral intervention as a sleeping aid. Insomnia is common among pharmacists in Saudi Arabia, but self-medication is uncommon. Of all pharmacists, female young adults who were not married and had a previous history of psychiatric disorders were greatly affected by insomnia and self-medicated the most.
{"title":"Insomnia and Self-medication among pharmacists in Saudi Arabia","authors":"S. Aljhani, Shahad Al Jameli, Fayzah AlHussan, M. Almutairi","doi":"10.2174/2666082218666220722123532","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2174/2666082218666220722123532","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000Insomnia is considered one of the most common sleep disorders. One-third of the world’s population has one or more symptoms of insomnia, with 10% satisfying the criteria for clinical diagnosis.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000This study aimed to determine the prevalence of insomnia among pharmacists working in Saudi Arabia and its association with self-medication.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed online by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, targeting pharmacists from different working areas in Saudi Arabia. The survey included socio-demographic data, level of education, working area, and work experience; use of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic sleeping aid; reasons for self-medication; and the Insomnia Severity Index questionnaire.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000A total of 515 pharmacists participated in the study (male 53.4% vs. female 46.6%). The prevalence of clinically significant insomnia was 48.2%. Of these, 66.5% were mild, 29.8% were moderate, and 3.6% were severe. The prevalence of pharmacists currently using sleep aid medications was 22.7%. Factors associated with clinically significant insomnia were younger age (21 – 30 years), female sex, unmarried status, living in the central region, chronic diseases, history of psychiatric disorder, consultation with a health care professional, current use of sleep aid medications, and use of psychological and behavioral intervention as a sleeping aid.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000Insomnia is common among pharmacists in Saudi Arabia, but self-medication is uncommon. Of all pharmacists, female young adults who were not married and had a previous history of psychiatric disorders were greatly affected by insomnia and self-medicated the most.\u0000","PeriodicalId":36711,"journal":{"name":"Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43661701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-13DOI: 10.2174/2666082218666220713122430
G. Sikharulidze, L. Ratiani, Mariam Sordia, Ė. I. Sikharulidze, Tinatin Khutsishvili, Khatuna Lejava, E. Vermetten
The global pandemic which the world has been facing for the past two years has demonstrated the need to study the effects of this virus on mental health. Various studies showed that COVID-19 could be a threat to people's mental health and physical health, but the findings are still very limited. The purpose of the study was to fill an existing gap in corresponding literature by analysing Post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, somatic complaints, depression and anxiety in COVID-19 patients and studying their comorbidity to determine the impact of the virus on the patients’ mental well-being. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 took part in the study one month after their discharge from the hospital, accounting for 10% of all COVID-19 patients across Georgia during the research. PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) was used. Depression, somatic symptoms and anxiety were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). The results have shown that COVID-19, as a traumatic event, presents an association with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and somatic complaints. A high prevalence of depression (38,6%), anxiety (34,9%), and somatic symptoms (47%) was displayed. The overall indirect effect of PTSD on somatic symptoms was significant through depression and anxiety: 0.16, 95% CI [0.08, 0.26]. According to the report, the indirect effect of PTSD on somatic symptoms of depression was 0.12, 95% CI [0.05, 0.20]. The study presents important findings on the relations between COVID-19 and mental health. Somatic complaints, depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms were prevalent in participants after a month since they had COVID-19. Correlations between somatic complaints, anxiety, depression and PTSD were also demonstrated. Even with various limitations to this study, it shows how COVID-19 could affect mental health and prepares the groundwork for further, more detailed research, which is necessary.
{"title":"Comorbidity and Association of Posttraumatic Stress, Depression, Anxiety and Somatic Complaints in COVID-19 Georgian Patients at the Beginning of Pandemic","authors":"G. Sikharulidze, L. Ratiani, Mariam Sordia, Ė. I. Sikharulidze, Tinatin Khutsishvili, Khatuna Lejava, E. Vermetten","doi":"10.2174/2666082218666220713122430","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2174/2666082218666220713122430","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000The global pandemic which the world has been facing for the past two years has demonstrated the need to study the effects of this virus on mental health. Various studies showed that COVID-19 could be a threat to people's mental health and physical health, but the findings are still very limited. The purpose of the study was to fill an existing gap in corresponding literature by analysing Post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, somatic complaints, depression and anxiety in COVID-19 patients and studying their comorbidity to determine the impact of the virus on the patients’ mental well-being.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 took part in the study one month after their discharge from the hospital, accounting for 10% of all COVID-19 patients across Georgia during the research. PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) was used. Depression, somatic symptoms and anxiety were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000The results have shown that COVID-19, as a traumatic event, presents an association with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and somatic complaints. A high prevalence of depression (38,6%), anxiety (34,9%), and somatic symptoms (47%) was displayed. The overall indirect effect of PTSD on somatic symptoms was significant through depression and anxiety: 0.16, 95% CI [0.08, 0.26]. According to the report, the indirect effect of PTSD on somatic symptoms of depression was 0.12, 95% CI [0.05, 0.20].\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000The study presents important findings on the relations between COVID-19 and mental health. Somatic complaints, depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms were prevalent in participants after a month since they had COVID-19. Correlations between somatic complaints, anxiety, depression and PTSD were also demonstrated. Even with various limitations to this study, it shows how COVID-19 could affect mental health and prepares the groundwork for further, more detailed research, which is necessary.\u0000","PeriodicalId":36711,"journal":{"name":"Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41382975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-13DOI: 10.2174/2666082218666220713141318
Shiva Soraya, Ruohollah Seddigh, Fatemeh Hadi, Behnoosh Shahsavaripour, M. Saeidi, M. Haghshenas, M. Mohammadi, Hanieh Salehifar
Opioid agonist treatment, as the most effective treatment for opioid dependency, requires patient adherence for its effectiveness over the long run. Previous studies on psychiatric and non- psychiatric patients indicated that the patient`s temperament has had effect on their treatment compliance. Some studies on different types of addiction have attributed special temperament and character traits to these patients. This study aims to investigate the impact of temperament and characteristics on opioid treatment compliance. In this study, the relationship between demographic variables, type of medication therapy, and temperament and characteristics scales of patients against opioid agonists therapy compliance was examined In this cross-sectional study, 150 patients who had initiated the course of opioid agonist maintenance therapy underwent TCI 125-item test and were followed-up for 2 months regarding compliance. The data were inputted into SPSS 24. K-S and Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to explore the relationship between quantitative and qualitative variables, while for examining the relationship between qualitative variables with each other, Chi-square test was utilized. The significance level in the tests was considered p<0.05. The treatment compliance in this study was 67.2%. In patients who did not have treatment compliance, scores of novelty-seeking (16.7±7versus11.7±4, p<0.001), harm avoidance (16.5±5versus 11.8±5, p<0.0001), reward dependence (12.4±3 versus 10.2±3, p=0.005) and self-transcendence (10.6±2 versus 8.7±2 p=0.002) were higher, but in those who had suitable treatment compliance, scores of persistence (3.5±1 versus 2.3±1, p=0.004) and cooperativeness (17.6±3 versus14.8±4, p=0.004) were higher. Further, some temperament traits were different among patients undergoing treatment with buprenorphine versus methadone (scores of persistence, self-directedness and self-transcendence were higher in the group receiving buprenorphine, while scores of harm avoidance and cooperativeness were higher in the group under methadone treatment). There was also a significant relationship between gender (good compliance: female 100%, male 65%, poor compliance female 0%, male 35%; p=0.04), level of education (higher), as well as type of medication (buprenorphine) and treatment compliance. The results of this study can help to identify high-risk individuals for withdrawing opioid addiction. These people can be a target for pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to have their personality traits modified. Investigation of the effect of performing these interventions on treatment compliance can be a subject of future study in this area. Also while there are differences in personality characteristics among cultures, this study investigated Iranian culture more precisely.
{"title":"The Impact of Temperament and Character on Treatment Compliance of Opioid Agonists","authors":"Shiva Soraya, Ruohollah Seddigh, Fatemeh Hadi, Behnoosh Shahsavaripour, M. Saeidi, M. Haghshenas, M. Mohammadi, Hanieh Salehifar","doi":"10.2174/2666082218666220713141318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2174/2666082218666220713141318","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000Opioid agonist treatment, as the most effective treatment for opioid dependency, requires patient adherence for its effectiveness over the long run. Previous studies on psychiatric and non- psychiatric patients indicated that the patient`s temperament has had effect on their treatment compliance. Some studies on different types of addiction have attributed special temperament and character traits to these patients.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000This study aims to investigate the impact of temperament and characteristics on opioid treatment compliance. In this study, the relationship between demographic variables, type of medication therapy, and temperament and characteristics scales of patients against opioid agonists therapy compliance was examined\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000In this cross-sectional study, 150 patients who had initiated the course of opioid agonist maintenance therapy underwent TCI 125-item test and were followed-up for 2 months regarding compliance. The data were inputted into SPSS 24. K-S and Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to explore the relationship between quantitative and qualitative variables, while for examining the relationship between qualitative variables with each other, Chi-square test was utilized. The significance level in the tests was considered p<0.05.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000The treatment compliance in this study was 67.2%. In patients who did not have treatment compliance, scores of novelty-seeking (16.7±7versus11.7±4, p<0.001), harm avoidance (16.5±5versus 11.8±5, p<0.0001), reward dependence (12.4±3 versus 10.2±3, p=0.005) and self-transcendence (10.6±2 versus 8.7±2 p=0.002) were higher, but in those who had suitable treatment compliance, scores of persistence (3.5±1 versus 2.3±1, p=0.004) and cooperativeness (17.6±3 versus14.8±4, p=0.004) were higher. Further, some temperament traits were different among patients undergoing treatment with buprenorphine versus methadone (scores of persistence, self-directedness and self-transcendence were higher in the group receiving buprenorphine, while scores of harm avoidance and cooperativeness were higher in the group under methadone treatment). There was also a significant relationship between gender (good compliance: female 100%, male 65%, poor compliance female 0%, male 35%; p=0.04), level of education (higher), as well as type of medication (buprenorphine) and treatment compliance.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000The results of this study can help to identify high-risk individuals for withdrawing opioid addiction. These people can be a target for pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to have their personality traits modified. Investigation of the effect of performing these interventions on treatment compliance can be a subject of future study in this area. Also while there are differences in personality characteristics among cultures, this study investigated Iranian culture more precisely.\u0000","PeriodicalId":36711,"journal":{"name":"Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43015316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-05DOI: 10.2174/2666082218666220705160808
Mine Erdoğan Yılmaz, O. Korukcu, Kamile Kabukçuoğlu
This study aims to determine the effect of skin-to-skin contact between father and baby within the first three hours following the childbirth on the level of paternal attachment. Data were collected from 69 fathers between May-July 2018 with Paternal Infant Attachment Scale in Antalya Medical Park Hospital in Turkey in this quasi-experimental study. Total score of the fathers who established skin-to-skin contact with the babies was 82.34±7.76, and that of the control group was 66.07±18.2 (p<0.05). Moreover, the paternal-infant attachment level of the fathers in the study group who became fathers for the first time was higher than that of the control group. The skin-to-skin contact between father and baby following childbirth was an effective practice in the transition to fatherhood.
{"title":"The Effect of Skin-to-Skin Contact between Father and Baby on Paternal Attachment","authors":"Mine Erdoğan Yılmaz, O. Korukcu, Kamile Kabukçuoğlu","doi":"10.2174/2666082218666220705160808","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2174/2666082218666220705160808","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000This study aims to determine the effect of skin-to-skin contact between father and baby within the first three hours following the childbirth on the level of paternal attachment.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000Data were collected from 69 fathers between May-July 2018 with Paternal Infant Attachment Scale in Antalya Medical Park Hospital in Turkey in this quasi-experimental study.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000Total score of the fathers who established skin-to-skin contact with the babies was 82.34±7.76, and that of the control group was 66.07±18.2 (p<0.05). Moreover, the paternal-infant attachment level of the fathers in the study group who became fathers for the first time was higher than that of the control group.\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000The skin-to-skin contact between father and baby following childbirth was an effective practice in the transition to fatherhood.\u0000","PeriodicalId":36711,"journal":{"name":"Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43418196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-01Epub Date: 2022-06-21DOI: 10.2174/2666082218666220527114427
Kenneth Blum, David Han, David Baron, Shan Kazmi, Igor Elman, Luis Llanos Gomez, Marjorie C Gondre-Lewis, Panyotis K Thanos, Eric R Braverman, Rajendra D Badgaiyan
Background: There is a shortage of clinical studies examining the efficacy of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide and Enkephalinase infusions (IV1114589NAD) in treating Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
Objective: This study aims to provide evidence that IV1114589NAD infusions significantly attenuate substance craving behavior.
Methods: The study cohort consisted of addicted poly-drug, mixed gender, multi-ethnic individuals resistant to standard treatment. The investigation utilized Likert-Scales to assess behavioral outcomes.
Results: Using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and sign tests, our team detected significant results by comparing baseline to post outcome scores after IV1114589NAD injections: craving scores (P=1.063E-9); anxiety (P=5.487E-7); and depression (P=1.763E-4). A significant reduction in cravings, anxiety, and depression followed a dose-dependent linear trend. Linear trend analyses showed a significant relationship between NAD infusions and decreasing scores for cravings (P=0.015), anxiety (P=0.003), and depression (P=8.74E-5). A urine analysis was conducted on a subset of 40 patients midway through the study to assess relapse; 100% of the urine samples analyzed failed to detect illicit substance use.
Discussion: The opioid crisis in America has claimed close to 800,000 lives since 2004; daily deaths are estimated to stand at 127, and in 2021, over 107,000 deaths were due to overdose. There is an urgency to find safe, side-effect-free solutions. Current interventions, such as Naltrexone implants, are invasive and may interfere with dopamine homeostasis leading to an anti-reward phenomenon. Larger randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled studies are needed to elucidate further the significance of the results presented in this study. The current pilot study provides useful preliminary data regarding the effectiveness of IV1114589NAD infusions in SUD treatment.
Conclusion: This pilot study provides significant evidence that NAD infusions are beneficial in the treatment of SUD. This investigation serves as a rationale to extend these findings onto future research investigating the use of NAD/NADH as a stand-alone treatment, especially in patients showing high genetic risk as measured in the Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) test. Utilizing GARS will help provide a real personalized therapeutic approach to treat Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS).
{"title":"Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) and Enkephalinase Inhibition (IV1114589NAD) Infusions Significantly Attenuate Psychiatric Burden Sequalae in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in Fifty Cases.","authors":"Kenneth Blum, David Han, David Baron, Shan Kazmi, Igor Elman, Luis Llanos Gomez, Marjorie C Gondre-Lewis, Panyotis K Thanos, Eric R Braverman, Rajendra D Badgaiyan","doi":"10.2174/2666082218666220527114427","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2174/2666082218666220527114427","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is a shortage of clinical studies examining the efficacy of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide and Enkephalinase infusions (IV1114589NAD) in treating Substance Use Disorder (SUD).</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to provide evidence that IV1114589NAD infusions significantly attenuate substance craving behavior.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study cohort consisted of addicted poly-drug, mixed gender, multi-ethnic individuals resistant to standard treatment. The investigation utilized Likert-Scales to assess behavioral outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and sign tests, our team detected significant results by comparing baseline to post outcome scores after IV1114589NAD injections: craving scores (P=1.063E-9); anxiety (P=5.487E-7); and depression (P=1.763E-4). A significant reduction in cravings, anxiety, and depression followed a dose-dependent linear trend. Linear trend analyses showed a significant relationship between NAD infusions and decreasing scores for cravings (P=0.015), anxiety (P=0.003), and depression (P=8.74E-5). A urine analysis was conducted on a subset of 40 patients midway through the study to assess relapse; 100% of the urine samples analyzed failed to detect illicit substance use.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The opioid crisis in America has claimed close to 800,000 lives since 2004; daily deaths are estimated to stand at 127, and in 2021, over 107,000 deaths were due to overdose. There is an urgency to find safe, side-effect-free solutions. Current interventions, such as Naltrexone implants, are invasive and may interfere with dopamine homeostasis leading to an anti-reward phenomenon. Larger randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled studies are needed to elucidate further the significance of the results presented in this study. The current pilot study provides useful preliminary data regarding the effectiveness of IV1114589NAD infusions in SUD treatment.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This pilot study provides significant evidence that NAD infusions are beneficial in the treatment of SUD. This investigation serves as a rationale to extend these findings onto future research investigating the use of NAD/NADH as a stand-alone treatment, especially in patients showing high genetic risk as measured in the Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) test. Utilizing GARS will help provide a real personalized therapeutic approach to treat Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS).</p>","PeriodicalId":36711,"journal":{"name":"Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews","volume":"18 2","pages":"125-143"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9474872/pdf/nihms-1832923.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40366880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}