Due to the complexity of crack -cocaine addiction treatment, the identification of biological markers that could help determining the impact or outcome of drug use has become a major subject of study. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the association of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) levels in crack -cocaine users with treatment adherence and with drug addiction severity. A sample of 47 male inpatient crack- cocaine users were recruited in a treatment unit, and blood samples were collected at admission and discharge in order to measure BDNF and TBARS serum levels. Subjects were split into 2 groups: treatment non-completers (n=23) and treatment completers (n=24). The completer group had a tendency of higher levels of BDNF than non-completers at admission (16.85±3.24 vs. 14.65±5.45, p=0.10), and significant higher levels at discharge (18.10±4.88 vs. 13.91±4.77, p=0.001). A negative correlation between BDNF levels at admission and years of crack use was observed. We did not find significant changes in TBARS levels during inpatient treatment, although the completer group tended to decrease these levels while non-completers tend to increase it. These findings suggest an association between higher levels of BDNF and better clinical outcomes in crack- cocaine users after detoxification. We believe that the variation in BDNF and TBARS found here add evidence to literature data that propose that such biomarkers could be used to better understand the physiopathology of crack- cocaine addiction.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2016.07.050 | DOI Listing |
Heliyon
January 2025
Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, Câmpus de São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil.
Objective: This study aims to analyze saliva composition in crack users using vibrational spectroscopy.
Material And Methods: A total of 90 participants were meticulously selected and divided into three groups, each comprising 30 individuals. All participants met the criterion of having no observable clinical changes in the oral mucosa.
Objective: The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis is to compare the degree to which adolescents and adults with and without impairments in the US engage in illicit drug use.
Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the 2022 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Impairment status (mobility, cognitive, hearing, vision, self-care, and communication impairments), illicit drug use (cocaine, crack, heroin, hallucinogens, LSD, ecstasy and molly, inhalants, and methamphetamine), and demographic variables were measured using self-report.
J Addict Med
January 2025
From the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH (KL, SS, TNC); Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (SH, NM, TP); and RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC (BR).
Objectives: Stigma is known to be a major barrier to treatment for people who use drugs (PWUD). This study uses the Stigma and Health Discrimination Framework to analyze how different forms of stigma shape experiences in the wake of an overdose incident, and perceptions of the efficacy and utility of postoverdose interventions among a sample of PWUD in Dayton, Ohio-a location with a high overdose rate.
Methods: Interviews were conducted with 23 individuals who self-reported past-month illicit opioid, crack/cocaine, or methamphetamine use who had experienced or witnessed a drug overdose in the past 6 months.
Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc
December 2024
Innovation Center in Salivary Diagnostics and Nanobiotechnology, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlandia (UFU), Uberlandia, MG, Brazil. Electronic address:
The non-invasive detection of crack/cocaine and other bioactive compounds from its pyrolysis in saliva can provide an alternative for drug analysis in forensic toxicology. Therefore, a highly sensitive, fast, reagent-free, and sustainable approach with a non-invasive specimen is relevant in public health. In this animal model study, we evaluated the effects of exposure to smoke crack cocaine on salivary flow, salivary gland weight, and salivary composition using Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Soc Psychiatry
December 2024
Center for Drug and Alcohol Research, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Background: Substance Use Disorders are often associated with significant levels of domestic and external violence registered among abusers. This investigation aimed to evaluate the Domestic Violence Involvement (DVI) and related gender differences among Crack Cocaine Users in Brazil.
Methods: For this purpose, a secondary data analysis of a multicenter cross-sectional study involving 780 Crack Cocaine Users from 6 Brazilian capitals was performed.
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