Predominance of alcohol and illicit drugs among traffic accidents fatalities in an urban area of Brazil

<p><b>Objective:</b> The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of alcohol and illicit drug use among victims of fatal traffic accidents in the Metropolitan Region of Vitória, Brazil, during the period 2011–2012.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> Blood samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of drugs from 391 deceased victims of traffic crashes that occurred in the Metropolitan Region of Vitória, Brazil. The victims included drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, day of the week, and period of the year in which the accidents occurred were recorded. The analyses were performed by a gas chromatography–flame ionization method for alcohol and by a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for amphetamines, cocaine, and cannabis.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> The results showed that 44.8% (<i>n</i> = 175) of all cases were positive for alcohol and/or illicit drugs. The detection of alcohol and/or drugs was more frequent in young males, aged 17 to 34, whose samples were positive in 46.8% of cases. Small differences among drivers, passengers, and pedestrians were observed (drivers = 45.9%, passengers = 46.4%, and pedestrians = 45.6%). In general, the most prevalent drug was alcohol, with 141 positive cases (36.1%), followed by cocaine, with 47 positive cases (12%). Amphetamines and cannabis had positivity rates of 4.1 and 4.3%, with 16 and 17 positive cases, respectively. The combined use of alcohol and other drugs was found in 36 cases (9.2%). Crack cocaine use was observed in 27.7% of the positive cases for cocaine.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> For the effective reduction of traffic accidents related to driving under influence of drugs (DUID), we suggest the intensification of enforcement actions against the use of alcohol by drivers, the definition of which illicit drugs should be surveyed, as well the cutoff values, the promotion of changing legislation to oblige drivers to provide samples for toxicological testing, and the establishment of public information programs and specific actions aimed at young drivers to promote behavioral changes.</p

Extrinsic functional connectivity of the default mode network in crack-cocaine users

<div><p>Abstract Objective: This study aimed to explore the functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) in crack-cocaine users, in comparison with that observed in age-matched non-drug-using controls. Materials and Methods: Inpatient crack-cocaine users who had been abstinent for at least four weeks and age-matched non-drug-using controls underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Images were acquired while the subjects rested with their eyes closed. After data preprocessing, DMNs were defined by spatial independent component analysis and seed-based correlation analysis, by chosen regions of interest centered in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex and in the posterior cingulate cortex. Results: The functional connectivity of the DMN determined by independent component analysis did not differ between the crack-cocaine users and the controls. However, the seed-based correlation analysis seeking a single metric of functional connectivity between specific brain regions showed that the negative connectivity between the ventral anterior cingulate cortex and the left superior parietal lobule was significantly greater in the crack-cocaine users than in the controls. Conclusion: The results suggest that selective extrinsic network connectivity of the DMN related to motor and executive function is impaired during crack-cocaine addiction.</p></div