Antiandrogen pretreatment alters cocaine pharmacokinetics in men.

Among cocaine users, men experience more adverse brain and vascular effects than their female counterparts. This could be caused by testosterone, which may potentiate some of cocaine's effects. We examined whether antiandrogen (flutamide, FL) pretreatment alters cocaine's acute behavioral, physiologic, and pharmacokinetic effects in men with histories of occasional cocaine use.

Clinical outcome in patients with bipolar I disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder or both.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BPD) is often comorbid with obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and other anxiety disorders, but the impact of such comorbidity on long-term outcome has not been evaluated systematically.

Methods: Extensive follow-up assessments were carried out at 4.3 years after index hospitalizations in a mixed BPD-OCD group (N=20) compared to matched groups with BPD (N=22) or OCD (N=20) alone.

An extract of the Chinese herbal root kudzu reduces alcohol drinking by heavy drinkers in a naturalistic setting.

Background: Of the available medications for treating alcohol-related problems, none are universally effective, and all have side effects that may limit their use. Extracts of kudzu containing a variety of isoflavones have been shown to reduce alcohol drinking in rats and hamsters.

Methods: The present study was designed to test the efficacy of a kudzu extract in a clinical population.