Comparing the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and Measurements in the Addictions for Triage and Evaluation (MATE).

Substance use disorder (SUD) assessment and measurement in Brazil, as well as in many other countries, face significant shortcomings. The Measurement in the Addictions for Triage and Evaluation (MATE) was developed as a public domain tool, drawing from validated scales and incorporating World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework. The Brazilian version of the MATE (MATE-pt-BR) was evaluated for its reliability and validity, with a total of 239 subjects participating in the study, and data collected between 11/01/2021 and 09/01/2022.

Psychopharmacology of smoking cessation medications: focus on patients with mental health disorders.

The adverse effects of smoking cessation in individuals with mental health disorders have been a point of concern, and progress in the development of treatment has been slow. The primary first-line treatments for smoking cessation are Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Bupropion, Varenicline, and behavioural support. Nortriptyline and Clonidine are second-line treatments used when the first-line treatments are not effective or are contraindicated.

Network analysis of pandemic fatigue symptoms in samples from five South American countries.

Background: Pandemic fatigue generates low motivation or the ability to comply with protective behaviors to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Aims: This study aimed to analyze the symptoms of pandemic fatigue through network analysis in individuals from five South American countries.

Method: A total of 1,444 individuals from Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay participated and were evaluated using the Pandemic Fatigue Scale.

Pharmacological Treatment of Alcohol Cravings.

(1) Background: The treatment of substance addiction is challenging and has persisted for decades, with only a few therapeutic options. Although there are some recommendations for specific treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), there is no specific medication used to treat alcohol cravings, which could benefit millions of patients that are suffering from alcoholism. Cravings, or the urge to use drugs, refer to the desire to experience the effects of a previously experienced psychoactive substance.

"Pandemic Fatigue" in South America: A Multi-Center Report from Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a heavy impact on daily life, leading to physical and psychosocial consequences. Nowadays, clinicians and health researchers are particularly interested in describing and facing the long-term effects of COVID-19, also known as "long-COVID syndrome". Pandemic fatigue has been defined as a cluster of demotivation, tiredness, and psychological effects that emerge gradually over time after the infection or through the adoption of the recommended measures to combat it.

Tobacco growing and tobacco use.

Tobacco use is associated with an annual global economic cost of two trillion dollars and mortality of half of its regular users. Tobacco leaf cultivation is the starting point of the tobacco cycle. Tobacco farming employs millions of small-scale tobacco farmers around the globe, most of whom are out growers who rely on the tobacco industry.

Neural Correlates of Depressive Symptoms in Smokers - A Systematic Review of Imaging Studies.

This review aims to summarize neuroimaging studies in order to better understand the neural correlates of depressive symptoms in tobacco smokers. Using the keywords "depressive OR depression" AND "tobacco OR nicotine OR smok OR cigarette" AND "neuroimage OR magnetic resonance OR smri OR structural magnetic resonance OR fmri OR functional magnetic resonance OR pet OR positron emission tomography", literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO databases. The first and the last author read the abstracts of all the studies found in the search (n = 179).

Smoking and Cognition.

Given the large availability of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) throughout the brain, and the wide range of neurotransmitter systems affected (norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine), nicotine influences a wide variety of cognitive domains such as sensorial, motor, attention, executive function, learning and memory. This article reviews current state of the art research on the effects of nicotine upon cognition. There are different neurobiological mechanisms involved in acute/chronic smoking and nicotine abstinence.