What Users Think about the Differences between Caffeine and Illicit/Prescription Stimulants for Cognitive Enhancement

Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (CE) is a topic of increasing public awareness. In the scientific literature on student use of CE as a study aid for academic performance enhancement, there are high prevalence rates regarding the use of caffeinated substances (coffee, caffeinated drinks, caffeine tablets) but remarkably lower prevalence rates regarding the use of illicit/prescription stimulants such as amphetamines or methylphenidate. While the literature considers the reasons and mechanisms for these different prevalence rates from a theoretical standpoint, it lacks empirical data to account for healthy students who use both, caffeine and illicit/prescription stimulants, exclusively for the purpose of CE. Therefore, we extensively interviewed a sample of 18 healthy university students reporting non-medical use of caffeine as well as illicit/prescription stimulants for the purpose of CE in a face-to-face setting about their opinions regarding differences in general and morally-relevant differences between caffeine and stimulant use for CE. 44% of all participants answered that there is a general difference between the use of caffeine and illicit/prescription stimulants for CE, 28% did not differentiate, 28% could not decide. Furthermore, 39% stated that there is a moral difference, 56% answered that there is no moral difference and one participant was not able to comment on moral aspects. Participants came to their judgements by applying three dimensions: medical, ethical and legal. Weighing the medical, ethical and legal aspects corresponded to the students' individual preferences of substances used for CE. However, their views only partly depicted evidence-based medical aspects and the ethical issues involved. This result shows the need for well-directed and differentiated information to prevent the potentially harmful use of illicit or prescription stimulants for CE

Hirndoping im Kontext von Stress, Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung

In Reaktion auf \u27stressige\u27 Arbeits- und Lebenssituationen ist die Einnahme von leistungssteigernden Substanzen mit begrenzten prokognitiven Effekten und nicht zu unterschätzenden Nebenwirkungen eine mittlerweile nicht mehr seltene Bewältigungsstrategie geworden. Dieses sogenannte "pharmakologische Neuroenhancement" fordert die betriebliche und öffentliche Weiterbildung zunehmend konzeptionell und institutionell heraus. (DIPF/Orig.

Psychiatric Comorbidity and Stress in Medical Students Using Neuroenhancers

Background: Pharmacological neuroenhancement (PN) is a common healthcare problem at least among students. PN seems to be associated with stressful situations. There is a lack of data about personal characteristics, comorbidities, and coping strategies regarding stress and factors of resilience in students and medical staff. Methods: A web-based survey about the non-medical use of PN drugs with a focus on neuroenhancement was developed and distributed among medical students throughout Germany; the questionnaire was open in April and May of 2020. The survey contained questions about the use of well-known PN drugs, frequency, special purposes, reasons for the use, psychiatric disorders, use of psychotropic drugs apart from PN purposes, and factors of resilience using the brief resilience scale. Results: Data of 1,159 students of medicine were analyzed. The most frequently used substances for PN were coffee (78.8% lifetime prevalence rate), energy drinks (45.7%), caffeine tablets (24.3%), methylphenidate (5.2%), illicit amphetamines (2.0%), and cocaine (1.7%). 98.4% suspected that PN drug use could lead to addiction. PN drug use specifically for PN was significantly associated with the use of (a) any psychotropic drug (other than neuroenhancers), (b) any psychiatric disorder, and (c) higher values of feeling pressure to perform in professional/students' life and in private life as well as (d) the subjective feeling of pressure to perform to be burdening and (e) harmful to one's own health. PN drug use in general was significantly associated with being less resilient. The use of illicit PN drugs, over the counter drugs and prescription drugs was associated with being less resilient. Conclusion: This study indicates that PN with legal and illegal drugs is a widespread phenomenon among German medical students. Users seem to be more often burdened by psychiatric disorders, especially addictive disorders, the perception of stress, pressure to perform and low levels of resilience. These aspects should be considered in further investigation of PN drug use

Проект модернизации оборотного водоснабжения ТЭЦ ООО "Юргинский машзавод"

ТЭЦ являются одним из основных загрязнителей атмосферы твёрдыми частицами золы, окислами серы азота, другими веществами, оказывая вредное воздействие на здоровье людей, а также углекислым газом, способствующим возникновению «парникового эффекта». Поэтому предлагается сократить вредные выбросы путем оптимизации водно-химического режима ТЭЦ. Thermoelectric plant is one of the major polluters of the atmosphere solid particles of ash, nitrogen oxides, sulfur, and other substances, exerting harmful effects on human health, as well as carbon dioxide, contributing to the emergence of the "greenhouse effect." It is therefore proposed to reduce emissions through the optimization of water chemistry thermoelectric plant

Just “Like Coffee” or Neuroenhancement by Stimulants?

Introduction: Pharmacological neuroenhancement (PN) is a topic of increasing importance and prevalence among students. However, there is a lack of differentiating PN substances, according to their psychoactive effects. In particular, there is a lack of data about PN by caffeinated drinks, even if coffee is a common and broadly used Neuroenhancer because of its cognitively enhancing effects regarding wakefulness, alertness and concentration. Materials and Methods: A web-survey was developed for German students and alumni about the non-medical use of caffeine for PN contained questions about coffee, caffeinated drinks and energy drinks, caffeine pills and methylxanthine tea regarding frequency and further contextual factors. Results: Six hundred and eighty-three participants completed the survey. Nearly all participants knew about PN (97.7%). 88.1% admitted using some over-the-counter substances. For PN purposes, coffee was used by 72.9% followed by energy drinks (68.2%) and cola drinks (62.4%). Methylxanthine containing tea was used for PN purposes, too (black tea 52.3%, green tea 51.7%). 1.8% admitted using illegal substances or prescription drugs, too. Discussion: Using legal methylxanthine containing drinks for PN seems to be extremely common with coffee and energy drinks being the preferred substances, while illegal and prescription drugs are only minimally used. Further studies should investigate the awareness of methylxanthine containing drinks as well as its character to be a flavoring drink or a neuroenhancer

ADPβS evokes microglia activation in the rabbit retina in vivo

To investigate whether stimulation of purinergic P2Y1 receptors modulates the activation of microglial and Müller glial cells in the rabbit retina in vivo, adenosine 5-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (ADPβS; 2 mM in 100 μl saline), a non-hydrolyzable ADP analogue, was intravitreadly applied into control eyes or onto retinas that were experimentally detached from the pigment epithelium. Both retinal detachment and application of ADPßS onto control retinas induced phenotype alterations of the microglial cells (decrease of soma size, retraction of cell processes) and had no influence on microglial cell density. ADPßS application onto detached retinas accelerated the process retraction and resulted in a strongly decreased density of microglial cells. The effects of ADPßS on microglia density and phenotype in detached retinas were partially reversed by co-application of the selective inhibitor of P2Y1 receptors, MRS-2317 (3 mM in 100 μl saline). ADPßS apparently did not influence Müller cell gliosis, as determined by electrophysiological and calcium imaging records. It is concluded that rabbit retinal microglial cells express functional P2Y1 receptors in vivo, and that activation of these receptors stimulates phenotype alterations that are characteristical for microglia activation

Losses and depolarization of ultracold neutrons on neutron guide and storage materials

At Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), we have measured the losses and depolarization probabilities of ultracold neutrons on various materials: (i) nickel-molybdenum alloys with weight percentages of 82/18, 85/15, 88/12, 91/9, and 94/6 and natural nickel Ni100, (ii) nickel-vanadium NiV93/7, (iii) copper, and (iv) deuterated polystyrene (dPS). For the different samples, storage-time constants up to ∼460s were obtained at room temperature. The corresponding loss parameters for ultracold neutrons, η, varied between 1.0×10−4 and 2.2×10−4. All η values are in agreement with theory except for dPS, where anomalous losses at room temperature were established with four standard deviations. The depolarization probabilities per wall collision β measured with unprecedented sensitivity varied between 0.7×10−6 and 9.0×10−6. Our depolarization result for copper differs from other experiments by 4.4 and 15.8 standard deviations. The β values of the paramagnetic NiMo alloys over molybdenum content show an increase of β with increasing Mo content. This is in disagreement with expectations from literature. Finally, ferromagnetic behavior of NiMo alloys at room temperature was found for molybdenum contents of 6.5 at.% or less and paramagnetic behavior for more than 8.7 at.%. This may contribute to solving an ambiguity in literature

Involvement of the 14-3-3 gene family in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia: Genetics, transcriptomics and functional analyses

The 14-3-3 protein family are molecular chaperones involved in several biological functions and neurological diseases. We previously pinpointed YWHAZ (encoding 14-3-3ζ) as a candidate gene for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through a whole-exome sequencing study, which identified a frameshift variant within the gene (c.659-660insT, p.L220Ffs*18). Here, we explored the contribution of the seven human 14-3-3 family members in ASD and other psychiatric disorders by investigating the: (i) functional impact of the 14-3-3ζ mutation p.L220Ffs*18 by assessing solubility, target binding and dimerization; (ii) contribution of common risk variants in 14-3-3 genes to ASD and additional psychiatric disorders; (iii) burden of rare variants in ASD and schizophrenia; and iv) 14-3-3 gene expression using ASD and schizophrenia transcriptomic data. We found that the mutant 14-3-3ζ protein had decreased solubility and lost its ability to form heterodimers and bind to its target tyrosine hydroxylase. Gene-based analyses using publicly available datasets revealed that common variants in YWHAE contribute to schizophrenia (p = 6.6 × 10-7), whereas ultra-rare variants were found enriched in ASD across the 14-3-3 genes (p = 0.017) and in schizophrenia for YWHAZ (meta-p = 0.017). Furthermore, expression of 14-3-3 genes was altered in post-mortem brains of ASD and schizophrenia patients. Our study supports a role for the 14-3-3 family in ASD and schizophrenia