Can symptoms help in differential diagnosis between substance-induced vs independent psychosis in adults with a lifetime diagnosis of cocaine use disorder?

The main goal of this study it is explore the psychopathological differences between IPD and SIPD in a sample of 125 adults with a lifetime diagnosis of cocaine disorder recruited from treatment setting and through street contacts. A secondary analysis of six cross-sectional studies was conducted between 2000 and 2010. SIPD and IPD were diagnosed using the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM).

Cocaine-induced psychotic symptoms in clinical setting.

Cocaine use is significantly associated with psychiatric co-morbidities of which psychotic symptoms are the most typical. The primary goal of this study is to estimate the life-time prevalence of cocaine-induced psychotic symptoms (CIPS) in a sample of patients without a history of primary psychosis, who attended specific out-patient drug-dependence treatment centres (ODDTCs). This is an observational, cross-sectional design and a consecutive sampling technique.

Liver expression of proteins controlling interferon-mediated signalling as predictive factors in the response to therapy in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.

Combination therapy with interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) and ribavirin is the current treatment of choice for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, an important number of patients fail to respond to this therapeutic strategy. Factors determining IFN responsiveness are not well understood, and assessment of biomarkers that predict the response to IFN therapy in HCV patients is necessary.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide as a novel neuropeptide.

Although earlier studies indicated that GLP-1 (7-36) amide was an intestinal peptide with a potent effect on glucose-dependent insulin secretion, later on it was found that several biological effects of this peptide occur in the brain, rather than in peripheral tissues. Thus, proglucagon is expressed in pancreas, intestine, and brain, but post translational processing of the precursor yields different products in these organs, glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide being one of the forms produced in the brain. Also, GLP-1 receptor cDNA from human and rat brains has been cloned and sequenced, and the deduced amino acid sequences are the same as those found in pancreatic islets.