Oral lesions and disorders and their prevalence arising from the use of illicit drugs in a prison population.

Background: The dependence on the illicit drugs has been proven to be harmful to the oral cavity and may lead to a series of abnormal manifestations. The main objective of this study was to observe the effects caused by the consumption of illicit drugs in the oral cavity, in a prison population in the North of Portugal.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted involving 91 male inmates aged 25-75 years (mean age 41.

Is methamphetamine blood concentration in emergency department patients associated with the clinical picture?

Aims: This study aimed to describe clinical features and outcomes of patients presenting to the emergency department with analytically confirmed methamphetamine intoxication, to determine the blood concentration of methamphetamine and to test its association with clinical findings.

Design: The Western Australian Illicit Substance Evaluation (WISE) study is a prospective observational cohort study.

Setting: Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department, Perth, Australia, between 2016 and 2018.

Role of toxic and essential elements in sleep duration of patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Sleep disorders are a common aspect of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) that can negatively impact a patient's quality of life, trigger coronary events, accelerate disease progression, and influence patient survival. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between essential and toxic elements with sleep duration among CVD patients. The study utilized cross-sectional data from 150 patients with CVDs (n = 150) from the Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD) Cohort Study.

Hepatic adverse events associated with ketamine and esketamine: A population-based disproportionality analysis.

Background And Objective: To determine whether there is disproportionate reporting of hepatobiliary disorders in the United States (US) FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for individuals prescribed ketamine or esketamine.

Design: We identified Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terms in the FAERS related to hepatobiliary disorders.

Main Measures: Formulations of ketamine and esketamine were evaluated for the proportionality of reporting for each hepatobiliary disorder parameter using the reporting odds ratio (ROR).

Investigating gender dynamics in forensic toxicology: The role of masculinity and femininity in alcohol and drug abuse.

The concept of "gender" refers to the socially constructed characteristics that define feminine or masculine behavior, which are constantly changing and can influence access to healthcare and patterns of help-seeking. These factors significantly impact forensic toxicology, a key area within the medicolegal landscape, forcing the adoption of a gender-sensitive approach to better understand the differing impacts of substances on men and women. Research indicates significant disparities in drug use between genders; men are more likely to abuse alcohol and illicit drugs, while women tend to use prescription medications.

Phase 1b/2a safety study of lemborexant as an adjunctive treatment for insomnia to buprenorphine-naloxone for opioid use disorder: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Evidence supports the common incidence of sleep disturbance in opioid use disorder (OUD) as a potential marker of disrupted orexin system functioning. This study evaluated the initial safety and tolerability of a challenge dose of lemborexant, a dual orexin antagonist, as an adjunct to buprenorphine/naloxone.

Methods: Patients (18-65 years old) with OUD receiving sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone, with a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total score of 6 or higher, were recruited from outpatient clinics.

Epidemiology of New Psychoactive Substances in Relation to Traditional Drugs of Abuse in Clinical Oral Fluid Samples.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are health-hazardous through unpredictable toxicity and effects and largely unknown epidemiology, motivating studies of the latter. Up to 138 NPS were retrospectively identified using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry data from all 34 183 oral fluid drug samples collected in one Swedish health care region 2019-2020 representing 9468 psychiatric and addiction care patients. In total, 618 findings representing 58 NPS were detected in 481 samples from 201 patients.

Eco-friendly synthesis of gold nanoparticles via peel extract: Unveiling their multifaceted biological and catalytic potentials.

Recent advancements in nanoscience underscore the transformative potential of nanomaterials in environmental and biological applications. In this study, we synthesized gold nanoparticles (Au@ NPs) using an eco-friendly and cost-effective approach, leveraging peel extract as both a capping and reducing agent. This method presents a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical agents.

Alpinetin Exhibits Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects in C57BL/6 Mice with Alcoholic Liver Disease Induced by the Lieber-DeCarli Ethanol Liquid Diet.

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a common non-communicable chronic liver disease characterized by a spectrum of conditions ranging from steatosis and alcohol-associated steatohepatitis (AH) to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The pathogenesis of ALD involves a complex interplay of various molecular, biochemical, genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. While the mechanisms are well studied, therapeutic options remain limited.

Evaluation of rewarding effects of nitazene analogs: results from conditioned place preference tests and in vivo microdialysis experiments in mice.

In illicit drug markets, the most recently expanding new synthetic opioid subclass is benzimidazoles, also known as nitazenes, which were originally developed as analgesics in the 1950s. The emergence of this classical, potent drug family has attracted extensive research interest in the field of forensic toxicology; however, information on their psychological and physical dependence is very limited. Herein, we evaluated the rewarding effects of four nitazene analogs using a battery of in vivo experiments, with a positive control drug (isotonitazene).

Use of a Personalized Clinical Decision Support System for Dosing in Psychopharmacotherapy in Patients with Alcoholic Hallucinosis Based on Pharmacogenomic Markers.

Introduction: Alcoholic hallucinosis (AH) is one of the severe complications of chronic alcoholism, characterized by psychotic symptoms such as auditory hallucinations and delusions. Haloperidol is widely used to treat AH; however, its therapy is often complicated by side effects. A personalized approach using pharmacogenetic testing (particularly the CYP2D6 polymorphism) allows individualization of haloperidol dosage, improving both safety and efficacy of therapy.

Psychedelics for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: Interpreting and Translating Available Evidence and Guidance for Future Research.

During the past decade, there has been extraordinary public, media, and medical research interest in psychedelics as promising therapeutics for difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders. Short-term controlled trial data suggest that certain psychedelics are effective and safe in the treatment of major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Preliminary evidence also supports efficacy in other psychiatric disorders (e.

Active games for increasing social and emotional competencies of young adults in probation system: a one-sample trial study in Izmir city in Turkiye.

Introduction: The prevalence of substance use among young adults has been increasing in Turkiye. Probation as a form of execution continues to grow in popularity around the world, as it has the potential for more successful outcomes than closed institutional execution methods. However, in the face of changing societal and individual needs, the probation system must rapidly adapt to current public realities, especially with new approaches, including the use of purposeful physical movement for young adults who are obliged due to illegal substance use.

Tramadol as a fentanyl adulterant: Prevalence and management in a ToxIC Fentalog study prospective cohort.

Background: Tramadol is an adulterant of illicit opioids. As it is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor as well as a μ-opioid agonist, tramadol adulteration may worsen overdose signs and symptoms or affect the amount of naloxone patients receive.

Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective cohort of adult patients with suspected opioid overdoses who presented to one of eight United States emergency departments and were included in the Toxicology Investigators Consortium's Fentalog Study.

Epac2-mediated synaptic insertion of Ca-permeable AMPARs in the nucleus accumbens contributes to incubation of cocaine craving.

The accumulation of GluA2-lacking Ca-permeable AMPARs (CP-AMPARs) in the medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is required for the expression of incubation of cocaine craving. The exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac) is an intracellular effector of cAMP and a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase Rap1. Epac2 has been implicated in the trafficking of AMPA receptors at central synapses.

Self-Harm as a Contributor to the Opioid Epidemic: Data From the Toxicology Investigators Consortium Registry.

Objectives: Although considerable focus has been placed on understanding the causes of opioid drug overdoses, the intentions for such overdoses are not well characterized. We investigated the motivations behind nonfatal opioid exposures resulting in serious adverse health outcomes.

Methods: We analyzed prospectively collected data on nonfatal opioid overdoses in the multicenter Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) Core Registry between 2014 and 2021.

A 7-year study of workplace drug testing in two major cities in Türkiye.

Background: Workplace Drug Testing (WDT) is a worldwide practice that is crucial in anti-drug efforts. This study aimed to provide compherensive information about the WDT applications in Türkiye with data obtained from two major cities in two different regions of Türkiye.

Methods: The retrospective assessment of forensic toxicological analysis results in urine, hair or urine&hair samples collected from 220 WDT cases in İzmir (3 largest city) and Adana (5 largest city) from 2016 to 2022 years was carried.

An initial randomized controlled trial of a Combined Medication and Behavioral Activation Treatment (CoMBAT) for people with opioid use disorder.

Introduction: Opioid use disorder is a chronic, relapsing disease and a major source of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) have been shown to reduce opioid use; however, MOUD maintenance is often suboptimal.

Brain microRNA profiles after exposure to heroin in rats.

Heroin addiction is one of the neuropsychiatric burdens that affects many genetic and epigenetic systems. While it is known that heroin may change the expressions of some genes in the brain during dependence, there is no detailed study related to which gene are mostly affected. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to determine alterations in the miRNA profiles of rats' brains for providing a detailed analysis of molecular mechanisms in heroin addiction-related toxicology.

Comparison of Laboratory Confirmed Drugs in Acute Recreational Drug Toxicity Presentations to an Urban Hospital in London, UK, 2016/17 versus 2019/20.

Introduction: Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS) use is increasingly prevalent and is often associated with severe acute recreational drug toxicity (ARDT). 258 UK deaths were attributed to NPS use in 2021. Confirmatory testing which identifies NPS is limited by expense and timeliness.

Studies on the Stability and Microbial Biotransformation of Five Deschloroketamine Derivatives as Prerequisite for Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Screening.

Wastewater (WW)-based epidemiology (WBE) is a powerful tool for screening and surveillance of drugs (of abuse) or new psychoactive substances (NPSs) in larger population. Since the drug market changes frequently, it is crucial for WBE to define screening and surveillance biomarkers considering drug metabolism and (microbial) stability. The aims of the presented work were first to identify metabolites, potentially serving as a WBE biomarker of five deschloroketamine derivatives (DCKDs) in rat feces samples after oral administration in addition to already known urinary metabolites, and second to elucidate the microbial biotransformation and WW stability of five DCKDs and their metabolites detected in urine and feces.