GLP-1 Restores Altered Insulin and Glucagon Secretion in Posttransplantation Diabetes.

Objective: Development of posttransplantation diabetes (PTDM) is characterized by reduced insulin secretion and sensitivity. We aimed to investigate whether hyperglucagonemia could play a role in PTDM and to examine the insulinotropic and glucagonostatic effects of the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) during fasting and hyperglycemic conditions, respectively.

Research Design And Methods: Renal transplant recipients with (n = 12) and without (n = 12) PTDM underwent two separate experimental days with 3-h intravenous infusions of GLP-1 (0.

Characteristics of methadone-related fatalities in Norway.

There are currently over 7000 patients enrolled in opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) programs in Norway. A rise in methadone-related deaths proportional to increasing methadone sales over the period 2000-2006 has been observed, but the causative factors for these fatalities have been elusive. In the present study, individual characteristics, methadone concentrations and additional toxicological findings were analyzed.

Methadone-related deaths in Norway.

Introduction: The use of methadone in opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) is potentially associated with a number of adverse effects and the risk of fatal toxicity. Increased methadone availability may lead to an increase in methadone-related deaths. We have investigated methadone-related deaths in Norway over the period 2000-2006.

Impairment due to cannabis and ethanol: clinical signs and additive effects.

Aims: Studies have shown that the impairing effects of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are dose-related. Cannabis intake increases the risk of traffic accidents. The purpose of this study was to see how different clinical tests and observations were related to blood THC concentrations and to determine whether the combined influence of THC and ethanol was different from either drug alone.

Methadone and impairment in apprehended drivers.

Aims: According to Norwegian guidelines, patients who are in opioid-assisted rehabilitation programmes are permitted to drive a motor vehicle provided that certain requirements are met. The purpose of this study was to investigate apprehended drivers who had methadone in their blood at the time of apprehension and, further, the relationship between blood methadone concentration and impairment as measured by the clinical test of impairment (CTI).

Methods: The division of Forensic Toxicology and Drug Abuse (DFTDA) at the Norwegian Institute of Public Heath analyses blood samples from all drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs nation-wide.

Frequency and irregularity of heart rate in drivers suspected of driving under the influence of cannabis.

Background: Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the major active component of cannabis. Cardiovascular effects of THC have previously been reported: tachycardia after intake, but also bradycardia at higher doses. The purpose of this study was, firstly, to investigate the frequency and irregularity of heart rate in a group of cannabis users in their natural surroundings.

Blood alcohol concentrations in apprehended drivers of cars and boats suspected to be impaired by the police.

Objective: According to the Norwegian Road Traffic Act, car drivers are not allowed to operate a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above 0.2 g/kg. Depending on the size of the boat or ship, boat drivers/captains/first mates are not allowed to conduct the boat with a BAC above 0.

[Anaesthetics and breast feeding].

Many women undergo anaesthetic procedures related to childbirth or during the period of lactation. Most anaesthetic drugs are lipophilic and are thus excreted into breast milk. This article summarises available knowledge regarding anaesthetics, their excretion into breast milk and possible effects on the suckling infant.

[Determination of buprenorphine in urine].

Buprenorphine is one of the drugs used for treatment of opioid-dependent patients enrolled in rehabilitation programs in Norway. Buprenorphine is metabolized in the liver by cytochrome P450 to the active metabolite norbuprenorphine, and further to buprenorphine-glucuronide and norbuprenorphine-glucuronide. The Division of Forensic Toxicology and Drug Abuse at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has during the past 5 years received an increasing number of urine samples for buprenorphine analysis.

Relationship between methadone and EDDP (2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine) in urine samples from Norwegian prisons.

Background: Methadone maintenance treatment is a widely used therapy in the rehabilitation of opioid addiction the world over. Methadone is metabolised in the body to a number of inactive metabolites, but primarily to 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP). The Division of Forensic Toxicology and Drug Abuse (DFTDA) of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health carries out drug analysis of urine samples from inmates of prisons throughout Norway.

[Routines upon suspicion of driving under influence].

Norway was the first country in the world to introduce an act, in 1936, that prohibits driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above 0.5 g/kg. This Norwegian Road Traffic Act was expanded in 1959 to include illegal drugs and other medicinal psychoactive drugs.

[Cannabis affects driving skills].

Delta (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most important psychoactive substance in cannabis, is frequently detected in blood from apprehended drivers suspected for drugged driving. Both experimental and epidemiological studies have demonstrated the negative effects of THC upon cognitive functions and psychomotor skills. These effects could last longer than a measurable concentration of THC in blood.

[Cannabis and cannabinoids as drugs].

Background: Cannabis has been used throughout human history. Delta (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. THC metabolises to 11-OH-THC and further to THC-acid, which is an inactive metabolite.

[Khat--a new drug of abuse in Norway].

Background: The stimulating drug, Khat, is a drug of abuse that has become known in Norway due to increased immigration from East-Africa, especially Somalia.

Method: Review of recent literature.

Results: Khat is present in leaves from the tree Catha Edulis and is taken by chewing the leaves.

Relationship between THC concentration in blood and impairment in apprehended drivers.

Objective: The most important psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, Delta (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is one of the most frequently detected substances in blood samples from suspected impaired drivers in Norway. There is growing concern over possible links between the use of cannabis and increased risk of motor-vehicle crashes. Experimental studies have provided useful information on the role of THC and dose-effect relations with respect to psychomotor performance.