69 research outputs found
A comprehensive overview on Kratom
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth) is a tropical tree, indigenous to South East Asia. Historically, the plant is locally used as a stimulant, a remedy in traditional medicine and in social context. Imported to Western countries, Kratom is classified as a novel psychoactive substance (NPS). A systematic review of the literature on Mitragyna speciosa and its main constituents was carried by our international multidisciplinary group. Results were qualitatively analysed in three main areas of interest: in-vitro and preclinical data on pharmacology and behavioral effects, laboratoristic techniques for identification/characterization, epidemiological/toxicological reports on humans. At present, there is no systematic data on the prevalence of Kratom use in all the native countries, but it seems to be considerable. In South-East Asia, Kratom, even if banned, might be still considered a better option than other illicit drugs, an alternative opioid treatment, a ânaturalâ remedy with no real social stigma attached to its consumption. In parallel, this ethno-drug seems to be popular in Western countries, largely unregulated, easily available on the Internet. Kratom pharmacology appears to be complex, with many alkaloids involved. The subjective effects in humans are very peculiar and seem to be dose-dependent, ranging from psycho-stimulant to sedative-narcotic. Available data on Kratom suggest caution: this psychoactive plant could exhibit a serious harmful potential. Kratom use seems to be associated with drug dependency, development of withdrawal symptoms, craving, serious adverse effects and life-threatening effects in a multidrug-intoxicating scenario. On the other hand, its anxyiolitic, antidepressant and analgesic properties deserve to be further studied
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Voices of temporary sobriety - a diary study of an alcohol-free month in Hungary
Background: Temporary abstinence from alcohol as a challenge could support self-knowledge, self-care, and health consciousness in several ways.
Objectives: The present study explored Dry November participantsâ personal experiences and coping strategies during a one-month abstinence period. The research is embedded in the Hungarian context of drinking habits, culture, society, and alcohol policy.
Methods: This qualitative study comprised the thematic analysis of 23 participantsâ diaries, reported twice a week for 30âdays (in November 2017), to identify and understand the common experiences of temporary sobriety.
Results: Three main themes emerged from the analysis: challenge, community, and relationship toward alcohol and abstinence. Results showed that there are no categorical differences between successful and non-successful participants.
Conclusions: The present research demonstrated that during the challenge, rather than simply saying ânoâ to alcohol, participants utilized other refusal strategies to avoid social confrontation
The 21-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Revised (BIS-R-21): an alternative three-factor model
Background and aims: Due to its important role in both healthy groups and those with physical, mental and behavioral disorders, impulsivity is a widely researched construct. Among various self-report questionnaires of impulsivity, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is arguably the most frequently used measure. Despite its international use, inconsistencies in the suggested factor structure of its latest version, the BIS-11, have been observed repeatedly in different samples. The goal of the present study was therefore to test the factor structure of the BIS-11 in several samples.
Methods: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two representative samples of Hungarian adults (N 5 2,457; N 5 2,040) and a college sample (N 5 765).
Results: Analyses did not confirm the original model of the measure in any of the samples. Based on explorative factor analyses, an alternative three-factor model (cognitive impulsivity; behavioral impulsivity; and impatience/ restlessness) of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is suggested. The pattern of the associations between the three factors and aggression, exercise, smoking, alcohol use, and psychological distress supports the construct validity of this new model.
Discussion: The new measurement model of impulsivity was confirmed in two independent samples. However, it requires further cross-cultural validation to clarify the content of self-reported impulsivity in both clinical and nonclinical samples
Internationale KonsenserklÀrung zu Screening, Diagnostik und Behandlung von Jugendlichen und Heranwachsenden mit Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/HyperaktivitÀtsstörung und gleichzeitigen Störungen durch Substanzgebrauch
International Consensus Statement for the Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Adolescents with Concurrent Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Substance Use Disorder Abstract.Background: Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for substance misuse and substance use disorder (SUD) in adolescence and (early) adulthood. ADHD and SUD also frequently co-occur in treatment-seeking adolescents, which complicates diagnosis and treatment and is associated with poor treatment outcomes. Research on the effect of treatment of childhood ADHD on the prevention of adolescent SUD is inconclusive, and studies on the diagnosis and treatment of adolescents with ADHD and SUD are scarce. Thus, the available evidence is generally not sufficient to justify robust treatment recommendations. Objective: The aim of the study was to obtain a consensus statement based on a combination of scientific data and clinical experience. Method: A modified Delphi study to reach consensus based upon the combination of scientific data and clinical experience with a multidisciplinary group of 55 experts from 17 countries. The experts were asked to rate a set of statements on the effect of treatment of childhood ADHD on adolescent SUD and on the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of adolescents with comorbid ADHD and SUD. Results: After 3 iterative rounds of rating and adapting 37 statements, consensus was reached on 36 of these statements representing 6 domains: general (n = 4), risk of developing SUD (n = 3), screening and diagnosis (n = 7), psychosocial treatment (n = 5), pharmacological treatment (n = 11), and complementary treatments (n = 7). Routine screening is recommended for ADHD in adolescent patients in substance abuse treatment and for SUD in adolescent patients with ADHD in mental healthcare settings. Long-acting stimulants are recommended as the first-line treatment of ADHD in adolescents with concurrent ADHD and SUD, and pharmacotherapy should preferably be embedded in psychosocial treatment. The only remaining no-consensus statement concerned the requirement of abstinence before starting pharmacological treatment in adolescents with ADHD and concurrent SUD. In contrast to the majority, some experts required full abstinence before starting any pharmacological treatment, some were against the use of stimulants in the treatment of these patients (independent of abstinence), while some were against the alternative use of bupropion. Conclusion: This international consensus statement can be used by clinicians and patients together in a shared decision-making process to select the best interventions and to reach optimal outcomes in adolescent patients with concurrent ADHD and SUD
Why do people use new psychoactive substances? Development of a new measurement tool in six European countries.
This study was supported by the European Union (New Psychoactive Substances: transnational project on different user groups, user characteristics, extent and patterns of use, market dynamics, and best practices in prevention [HOME/2014/JDRU/AG/DRUG/7077]), the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (Grant number: KKP126835; NKFIH1157-8/2019-DT). The study was also supported for the realization of this international cofinanced science project in 2016-2017 by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. MĂĄtĂ© KapitĂĄny-FövĂ©ny acknowledges the support by the JĂĄnos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the support by the ĂNKP-19 New National Excellence Program of the Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology. The funding institutions had no role in the study design or the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication
Primary alterations during the development of hidradenitis suppurativa
BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the apocrine glandârich (AGR) skin region. The initial steps of disease development are not fully understood, despite intense investigations into immune alterations in lesional HS skin. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to systematically investigate the inflammatory molecules involved in three stages of HS pathogenesis, including healthy AGR, nonâlesional HS and lesional HS skin, with the parallel application of multiple mRNA and proteinâbased methods. METHODS: Immune cell counts (T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages), Th1/Th17ârelated molecules (ILâ12B, TBX21, IFNG, TNFA, ILâ17, IL10, ILâ23A, TGFB1, RORC, CCL20), keratinocyteârelated sensors (TLR2,4), mediators (S100A7, S100A8, S100A9, DEFB4B, LCN2, CAMP, CCL2) and proâinflammatory molecules (IL1B, IL6, TNFA, ILâ23A) were investigated in the three groups by RNASeq, RTâqPCR, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Epidermal changes were already detectable in nonâlesional HS skin; the epidermal occurrence of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), ILâ1ÎČ, TNFâα and ILâ23 was highly upregulated compared with healthy AGR skin. In lesional HS epidermis, TNFâα and ILâ1ÎČ expression remained at high levels while AMPs and ILâ23 increased even more compared with nonâlesional skin. In the dermis of nonâlesional HS skin, signs of inflammation were barely detectable (vs. AGR), while in the lesional dermis, the number of inflammatory cells and Th1/Th17ârelated mediators were significantly elevated. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings that nonâlesional HS epidermal keratinocytes produce not only AMPs and ILâ1ÎČ but also high levels of TNFâα and ILâ23 confirm the driver role of keratinocytes in HS pathogenesis and highlight the possible role of keratinocytes in the transformation of nonâinflammatory Th17 cells (of healthy AGR skin) into inflammatory cells (of HS) via the production of these mediators. The fact that epidermal TNFâα and ILâ23 appear also in nonâlesional HS seems to prove these cytokines as excellent therapeutic targets
How are time-dependent childbearing intentions realized? Realization, postponement, abandonment, bringing forward
Our study aims to identify factors that facilitate or inhibit the realization of fertility intentions. The analysis uses data collected in the first two waves of a Hungarian longitudinal survey. Fertility intentions recorded at the first wave pertain to the subsequent 3-year period, just similar to the behavior variable measuring the realization of intentions, i.e., a birth within the 3-year period in question. For this analysis, we used the respondentsâ demographic, socio-structural, and orientational traits recorded at the first interview. Our findings show that age, parity, and partnership play a determining role in the realization of fertility intentions, but employment status, religious affiliation, and overall life satisfaction all exhibit significant effects. A marked gender difference was detected not only with regard to employment status but in the area of values and orientations as well.Lâobjectif de notre Ă©tude est dâidentifier les facteurs qui facilitent ou inhibent la rĂ©alisation des intentions de fĂ©conditĂ©. Lâanalyse sâappuie sur les deux premiĂšres vagues dâune enquĂȘte longitudinale menĂ©e en Hongrie. Les intentions de fĂ©conditĂ© recueillies dans le cadre de la premiĂšre vague concernent la pĂ©riode des trois annĂ©es Ă venir, de la mĂȘme façon que la variable de comportement mesurant la rĂ©alisation des intentions, Ă savoir, une naissance survenue au cours de cette mĂȘme pĂ©riode. Les caractĂ©ristiques dĂ©mographiques et socio-structurelles, de mĂȘme que certaines dispositions personnelles recueillies lors du premier entretien ont Ă©tĂ© utilisĂ©es dans lâanalyse. Nos rĂ©sultats indiquent quâĂ la fois lâĂąge, la paritĂ©, et la situation de couple jouent un rĂŽle capital dans la rĂ©alisation des intentions et aussi que la situation dâemploi, lâappartenance religieuse et le niveau de satisfaction par rapport Ă la vie exercent une influence significative. Une diffĂ©rence prononcĂ©e entre hommes et femmes est mise en Ă©vidence en matiĂšre de situation dâemploi et Ă©galement dans le domaine des valeurs et des dispositions personnelles
Substance use and psychological disorders among art and non-art university students: an empirical self-report survey
Media stories often suggest that those working in the creative arts appear to use and abuse psychoactive substances. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the use of psychoactive substances and the presence of psychological disorders among art and non-art students. Questionnaires related to these two areas were completed by 182 art students in higher education and a control group of 704 non-art university students. To assess psychoactive substance use, a structured questionnaire including the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was administered to participants. Psychological disorders were assessed using the Hungarian version of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Global Severity Index (GSI). After analyzing the data, significant differences were found between the two groups regarding their first use of psychoactive substances. Art students' current substance use was found to be significantly more frequent compared to the control group. In relation to psychological disorders, art students scored significantly higher on three scales of the BSI (i.e., psychoticism, hostility, and phobic anxiety). Overall, a significantly higher proportion of artists were labeled as "problematic" using the GSI. The results suggest that artists have a higher risk of both substance use and experiencing psychological disorders
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