Is (poly-) substance use associated with impaired inhibitory control? A mega-analysis controlling for confounders.

Many studies have reported that heavy substance use is associated with impaired response inhibition. Studies typically focused on associations with a single substance, while polysubstance use is common. Further, most studies compared heavy users with light/non-users, though substance use occurs along a continuum. The current mega-analysis accounted for these issues by aggregating individual data from 43 studies (3610 adult participants) that used the Go/No-Go (GNG) or Stop-signal task (SST) to assess inhibition among mostly "recreational" substance users (i.e., the rate of substance use disorders was low). Main and interaction effects of substance use, demographics, and task-characteristics were entered in a linear mixed model. Contrary to many studies and reviews in the field, we found that only lifetime cannabis use was associated with impaired response inhibition in the SST. An interaction effect was also observed: the relationship between tobacco use and response inhibition (in the SST) differed between cannabis users and non-users, with a negative association between tobacco use and inhibition in the cannabis non-users. In addition, participants' age, education level, and some task characteristics influenced inhibition outcomes. Overall, we found limited support for impaired inhibition among substance users when controlling for demographics and task-characteristics

Prevalence of IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in patients with HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

With the emergence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), Toxoplasma gondii has arisen as an important opportunist pathogenic agent, especcially in the central nervous system, being the most common cause of intracerebral lesions. The incidence of Toxoplasma gondii in HIV-infected patients depends principally on the existence of latent Toxoplasma parasitosis in the population affected. Through the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were found in 92 patients of which 46 (50.0%) were IgG seropositive, and only one case (1.0%) had IgM antibodies.Of the 92 patients: 53 were HIV seropositives and 39 had AIDS. The detection and monitoring of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in HIV patients is essential, since in this group there is a high percentage risk of developing cerebral toxoplasmosis, which is the second cause of death in this type of patients.<br>Com a aparição do vírus de inmunodeficiência humana (VIH), a prevalência de toxoplasmosis tem aumentado demais. Em dos pacientes com o síndrome de inmunodeficiência, a toxoplasmosis é a principal causa de morte. A incidência, de anticorpos nesse tipo de pacientes depende da prevalência da população onde se apresenta a doença. O método de Enzima Inmuno Ensaio absorvemnte (ELISA) foi aplicado a 92 pacientes para determinar si eram positivos a anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma IgG e IgM. O resultado foi: 46 (50.5%) foram seropositivos e un caso apresentou anticorpos IgM. D estos 92 pacientes, 53 apresentavam o virus de inmunodeficiência humana (HIV) y 39 tinham SIDA. A determinação e o "monitoreo" de anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma em pacientes com HIV é indispensável, pois uma taxa elevada destos pacientes pode desenvolver a toxoplasmosis cerebral, a causa principal de morte nessos pacientes