Narrative Review of Heart Failure Related to Cocaine Consumption and Its Therapeutic Management.

Cocaine use can cause multiple cardiovascular complications, including heart failure. This general review of the literature delivers data on the relationship between cocaine consumption and the development of heart failure, as well as the elements of its diagnosis and management. A literature search was carried out using the PubMed, Web Of Science, and Google Scholar bibliographic databases over the period of 2007-2022 using the following keywords: "cocaine" AND "heart failure" NOT "acute heart disease".

From regional signal to alert in addictovigilance.

France has several monitoring systems that form the foundation of its health safety surveillance. This system is designed for the early detection of signals and their swift into an action system that enables timely, appropriate, and effective interventions to protect public health. These signals are considered alerts when sufficiently validated after an initial risk assessment and if they represent a potential threat to public health, necessitating an appropriate response.

Monitoring misuse and abuse of psychoactive substances in France: Insights from substance abuse treatment facilities through the OPPIDUM program.

The OPPIDUM program was first created in 1990. It is an annual, repeated, cross-sectional, nationwide, multicenter program. Data are provided directly from users of psychoactive substances (PAS) seen in substance abuse treatment facilities.

Isotonitazene, a synthetic opioid from an emerging family: The nitazenes.

From 2019, in the United States and Europe, the synthetic opioid market has diversified with the appearance of the 2-benzylbenzimidazole family, commonly named "nitazenes". In vitro studies show that these synthetic opioids have much higher affinities on μ-opioid receptors: 100 times more than morphine, and slightly higher than fentanyl for isotonitazene, increasing the risk of overdose. In south of France, isotonitazene (IZN) was identified for the first time in March 2023.

Functional vitamin B deficiency is a consistent feature in hospital admissions for neurological disorders due to the use of nitrous oxide.

Misuse of inhaled nitrous oxide is a growing concern in France. It is known to alter concentrations of vitamin B which is required as a cofactor for methionine synthase and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase activity. Hence, measurement of the concentrations of cobalamin metabolism biomarkers, including vitamin B, homocysteine, and methylmalonic acid, could assist in the management of patients with a complex clinical presentation or in those who deny the consumption of nitrous oxide.

Alprazolam misuse: Analysis of French Addictovigilance Network data from 2011 to 2020.

Objectives: Alprazolam, a high-potency and short-acting anxiolytic benzodiazepine, is one of the most misused benzodiazepines in France. In the context of various reports on alprazolam misuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, the objective of this study was to assess alprazolam abuse potential by analyzing French addictovigilance and international data.

Methods: Data collected from 2011 to 2020 using the following epidemiological tools of the French Addictovigilance Network were analyzed: spontaneous reports (SRs), OPPIDUM (addiction care center data), OSIAP (falsified prescriptions), DRAMES (substance-related deaths), and chemical submission surveys.

Chemsex in HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis users: Assessment of mood disorders and addictive behavior.

The assessment of mood disorders and addiction linked to the practice of chemsex is of interest given the psychoactive substances used. The aim of this study was to assess risky sexual and addictive behavior to chemsex and related anxiety/depression symptoms in individuals receiving HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). In this cross-sectional study, all adults presenting for PrEP renewal at French sexual health centers were enrolled from January 2018 to March 2019.

Ten-year trends in hospitalizations related to cocaine abuse in France.

In France, the abuse/misuse of psychoactive substances, including cocaine, is monitored via spontaneous notifications, and under-reporting is its main limitation. Therefore, the French national hospital discharge database (Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d'information [PMSI]) was used to identify all hospital stays possibly due to complications related to cocaine use. The objective was to determine the main trends in the rate of cocaine-related hospitalizations from 2010 to 2019 by age category and by areas.

Abuse and misuse of second-generation antipsychotics: An analysis using VigiBase, the World Health Organisation pharmacovigilance database.

The study aim was to assess the abuse/misuse potential of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAPs) using VigiBase data. We extracted individual case safety reports of "Drug abuse, dependence and withdrawal" involving SGAPs up to June 2018. We assessed disproportionate reporting by calculating the information component, considering the lower end of the 95% credibility interval for the information component (IC ), and the proportional reporting ratio.

Management of Pregabalin Use Disorder: A Case Series.

Pregabalin is indicated for the treatment of partial epilepsy, generalized anxiety disorder, and neuropathic pain. The first reports on pregabalin use disorder have been published in Europe in 2010 and notified to the French Addictovigilance Network (FAN) in 2011. The management of pregabalin use disorder is challenging due to the risks associated with the abrupt withdrawal and lack of guidelines.

Opioid misuse in community pharmacy patients with chronic non-cancer pain.

Aims: Community pharmacists could contribute to identify people misusing prescription opioids, which may be associated with hospitalizations, substance use disorders and death. This study investigated prescription opioid misuse in community pharmacy patients and the factors potentially associated with high Prescription Opioid Misuse Index (POMI) scores.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, pharmacy students asked patients with opioid prescriptions to fill in a questionnaire (including the POMI) in community pharmacies in a French region, in April 2019.

Chemsex practice in France: An update in Addictovigilance data.

Background: Complications related to Chemsex practice (consumption of psychoactive substances in sexual context) were first assessed by the French Addictovigilance Network in 2014. In response to the deaths reported in 2016, a new expert report was commissioned to update the complications and evolution of Chemsex-related practices in France.

Methods: Between January 2008 and August 2017, all Chemsex cases collected through the French Addictovigilance Network's epidemiological tools were analyzed.

Bacterial infections in people who inject psychoactive substances: An observational study in a French university hospital.

Aim Of The Study: To describe bacterial infections in injection drug users (IDUs) hospitalized at Montpellier University Hospital, France, and to identify factors that might influence the development of local or systemic infections.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational monocentric study prospectively included bacterial infections in IDUs hospitalized at Montpellier University Hospital between 2012 and 2018. Types of infection (local or systemic) were described and compared to identify specific features (injection practices).

Meningiomas in patients with long-term exposition to progestins: Characteristics and outcome.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe progestin-associated meningiomas' characteristics, outcome and management.

Material And Methods: We included 53 patients operated on and/or followed in the department for meningioma with progestin intake longer than one year and with recent drug discontinuation.

Results: Cyproterone acetate (CPA), nomegestrol acetate (NomA), and chlormadinone acetate (ChlA) were involved in most cases.

Substance use among refugees in three Lebanese camps: A cross-sectional study.

Background: There is a strong link between conflict exposure and ill health, including substance use. However, this widely acknowledged problem has not been studied yet in refugee camps in Lebanon.

Aim: To investigate substance use among civilians following war or displacement, and to assess its association with socio-demographic characteristics.

Characterization of benzodiazepine misuse and comorbidities in patients with alcohol use disorder.

Background: Due to the frequent presence of anxious symptoms and sleep disorders, benzodiazepines (BZD) are often prescribed to patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Objectives: To assess BZD misuse and psychiatric comorbidities in patients with AUD.

Methods: This prospective, monocentric study included all adult patients with AUD hospitalized in a French addiction unit for alcohol withdrawal from November 2017 to May 2018.

Postoperative complications in cranial and spine neurosurgery: a prospective observational study.

Background: Postoperative complications do occur in all neurosurgical departments, but the way they are defined, and their true incidence vary a lot. The aim of the present study was to objectively assess the morbidity and mortality related to all neurosurgical procedures performed in our department and provide insight on their main causes and identify key factors to reduce their incidence.

Methods: Data were retrieved from a prospectively maintained database regarding all patients undergoing a cranial or spinal neurosurgical procedure between November 2016 and April 2016 in the neurosurgical department in Timone University Hospital (APHM- Marseille).

Role of 3D volume growth rate for drug activity evaluation in meningioma clinical trials: the example of the CEVOREM study.

Background: We aimed to improve the assessment of the drug activity in meningioma clinical trials based on the study of the 3D volume growth rate (3DVGR) in a series of aggressive meningiomas. We secondarily aimed to correlate 3DVGR study with patient outcome.

Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis based on volume data and 3DVGR extracted from CEVOREM study including 18 patients with 32 recurrent high-grade meningiomas and treated with everolimus and octreotide.

Complications Related to Sexualized Drug Use: What Can We Learn From Literature?

Chemsex is described as the use of specific psychoactive substances (PS) during sexual activity to sustain, enhance, disinhibit or facilitate the sexual experience. It preferentially concerns men who have sex with men (MSM). They use new synthetic substances like cathinones, methamphetamines, gamma-butyrolactone/gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GBL/GHB), ketamine, and cocaine.

Health consequences of cocaine use in France: data from the French Addictovigilance Network.

As the number and severity of complications related to cocaine use reported to the French Addictovigilance Network have increased, the French health authorities requested a national epidemiologic study of the data collected by this network from 2010 to 2016. For this purpose, the spontaneous reports (SRs) linked to cocaine notified by health professionals were analyzed as well as the data from the pharmacoepidemiological surveys OPPIDUM (observation of illegal drugs and misuse of psychotropic medications) and DRAMES (deaths related to the abuse of licit and illicit psychoactive substances). In total, 1 265 SRs were analyzed (510% increase from 2010 to 2016).

Addictovigilance contribution during COVID-19 epidemic and lockdown in France.

Addictovigilance is a safety monitoring targeted at substances with potential for abuse and dependence. This vigilance was involved during the period of COVID-19 epidemic due to the significant changes in access to drugs and psychological disruption caused by the pandemic and lockdown. This article aims to present the different steps implemented by the French Addictovigilance network in collaboration with the French Health authorities from March to May 2020, including monitoring of potential harmful events, and scientific communication.