Drug overdose deaths in Brazil between 2000 and 2020: an analysis of sociodemographics and intentionality

Objectives: To examine drug overdose records in Brazil from 2000 to 2020, analyzing trends over time in overdoses and overall sociodemographic characteristics of the deceased. Methods: Using data from the Brazilian Mortality Information System (Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade), we identified records from 2000-2020 in which the underlying cause-of-death was one of the following codes: X40-X45 (accidental poisoning), X60-X65 (intentional poisoning), or Y10-Y15 (undetermined intentionality poisoning). The Brazilian dataset included 21,410 deaths. We used joinpoint regression analysis to assess changes in trends over time. Results: People who died of drug overdoses in Brazil between 2000 and 2020 had a mean age of 38.91 years; 38.45% were women, and 44.01% were identified as White. Of the overdose deaths, 44.70% were classified as intentional and 32.12% were classified as unintentional. Among the identified drugs, stimulants were the most common class. However, most records did not report which drug was responsible for death. Conclusion: Sociodemographic trends in overdose deaths in Brazil must guide country-specific policies. Nevertheless, data collection protocols must be improved, particularly regarding the drug used in overdoses

Increased dopamine transporter density in Parkinson's disease patients with social anxiety disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is more common among PD patients than in the general population. This association may be explained by psychosocial mechanisms but it is also possible that neurobiological mechanism underlying PD can predispose to SAD. the aim of this study was to investigate a possible dopaminergic mechanism involved in PD patients with SAD, by correlating striatal dopamine transporter binding potential (DAT-BP) with intensity of social anxiety symptoms in PD patients using SPECT with TRODAT-1 as the radiopharmaceutical. Eleven PD patients with generalized SAD and 21 PD patients without SAD were included in this study; groups were matched for age, gender, disease duration and disease severity. SAD diagnosis was determined according to DSM IV criteria assessed with SCID-I and social anxiety symptom severity with the Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS). Demographic and clinical data were also collected. DAT-BP was significantly correlated to scores on BSPS for right putamen (r = 0.37, p = 0.04), left putamen (r = 0.43, p = 0.02) and left caudate (r = 0.39, p = 0.03). No significant correlation was found for the right caudate (r = 0.23, p = 0.21). This finding may reinforce the hypothesis that dopaminergic dysfunction might be implicated in the pathogenesis of social anxiety in PD. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Hosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Inst Ensino & Pesquisa, Inst Cerebro, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psiquiatria, LiNC,Lab Inierdisciplinar Neurociencias Clin, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurocirurgia, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Dept Neurosci & Behav, Ribeirao Preto, BrazilCNPq, INCT Translat Med, Brasilia, DF, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psiquiatria, LiNC,Lab Inierdisciplinar Neurociencias Clin, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurocirurgia, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc