Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2020 22;53:e20200040. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Infectologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) is a chronic infection that can affect the skin and mucous membranes. We report a case of oral, nasopharyngeal, and penile lesions in a 35-year-old cocaine user. The patient presented with ulcerated lesions in 2014. Read More

Rev Fac Cien Med Univ Nac Cordoba 2020 05 10;77(2):79-85. Epub 2020 May 10.

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Introduction: the use of cocaine and cannabis during pregnancy is a growing problem, of importance for the World Public Health. Women can present a wide range of complications during pregnancy and perinatally, although knowledge about evolution thereafter is scarce.

Objectives: to describe and compare health trajectories up to 4 years pospartum of user and not user women of cocaine and/or cannabis during pregnancy. Read More

J Laryngol Otol 2020 May 20;134(5):440-446. Epub 2020 May 20.

Department of ENT, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, Scotland, UK.

Background: Levamisole is an increasingly common cutting agent used with cocaine. Both cocaine and levamisole can have local and systemic effects on patients.

Methods: A retrospective case series was conducted of patients with a cocaine-induced midline destructive lesion or levamisole-induced vasculitis, who presented to a Dundee hospital or the practice of a single surgeon in Paisley, from April 2016 to April 2019. Read More

Ann Emerg Med 2020 05;75(5):669-679

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX.

Science 2020 04;368(6487):197-201

Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.

Vulnerability to relapse during periods of attempted abstinence from cocaine use is hypothesized to result from the rewiring of brain reward circuitries, particularly ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons. How cocaine exposures act on midbrain dopamine neurons to precipitate addiction-relevant changes in gene expression is unclear. We found that histone H3 glutamine 5 dopaminylation (H3Q5dop) plays a critical role in cocaine-induced transcriptional plasticity in the midbrain. Read More

Nature 2020 04;580(7802):178-181

Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 2020 Feb 21;90(1). Epub 2020 Feb 21.

Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.

Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH) is characterised by diffuse pulmonary opacities, respiratory failure, a falling haemoglobin level along with presence of hemosiderin-laden macrophages on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Finding the underlying aetiology of DAH can be challenging but of importance as the treatment and prognosis are largely determined by it. We report a case of DAH with underlying cocaine abuse, a rare cause for the same. Read More

Am J Public Health 2020 04 20;110(4):580-586. Epub 2020 Feb 20.

Lara Carson Weinstein, Qais Iqbal, Amy Cunningham, and Alexis Silverio are with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA. Robin Debates, Greg Landistratis, and Patrick Doggett are with Project HOME Health Services, Philadelphia.

To describe and report initial outcomes of a low-threshold, group-based primary care medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) program in a federally qualified health center. We performed a retrospective chart review of patients enrolled in the program from October 4, 2017, to October 3, 2018, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The main outcome measure was time retained in treatment, defined as time from treatment initiation to unplanned treatment termination. Read More

Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2020 Mar 10;19:937-950. Epub 2020 Jan 10.

Department of Human Anatomy and Histoembryology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China. Electronic address:

We previously found that cocaine abuse could increase microRNA134 (miR134) levels in the hippocampus; yet the roles of miR134 in cocaine-related abnormal psychiatric outcomes remain unknown. In this study, using the cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) mice model, we found that mice exhibit enhanced anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors during the cocaine extinction (CE) period of CPP, accompanied by obviously increased miR134 levels and decreased levels of 19 genes that are associated with synaptic plasticity, glia activity, and neurochemical microenvironments, in the ventral hippocampus (vHP). Knockdown of miR134 in vHP in vivo reversed the changes in 15 of 19 potential gene targets of miR134 and rescued the abnormal anxiety-like and depression-like behavioral outcomes in CE mice. Read More

Actas Esp Psiquiatr 2019 Nov 1;47(6):218-28. Epub 2019 Nov 1.

Servicio de Psiquiatría. Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España.

Introduction: Personality disorders (PD) and substance use disorders (SUD) have a high prevalence and an important health and socioeconomic impact so, it is interesting to study the relationship between them. The objectives of the study are: to compare the prevalence of SUD between patients with and without diagnosis of PD, to analyze if any PD is related to the SUD, and if a specific PD is associated with a specific SUD.

Material And Methods: Cross-sectional study in 837 patients from centers of attention to drug addiction and mental health in Madrid, Spain. Read More

Braz J Psychiatry 2020 20;42(3):295-308. Epub 2019 Dec 20.

Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología Conductual, Microcirugía y Terapéutica Experimental, Subdirección de Investigaciones Clínicas, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría, Ciudad de México, Mexico.

Objective: Several studies have shown that the time of day regulates the reinforcing effects of cocaine. Additionally, melatonin and its MT1 and MT2 receptors have been found to participate in modulation of the reinforcing effects of such addictive drugs as cocaine. Loss of the diurnal variation in cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization and cocaine-induced place preference has been identified in pinealectomized mice. Read More

Rev Bras Enferm 2019 Dec;72(suppl 3):178-183

Universidade de São Paulo. Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.

Objective: to characterize the sociodemographic and psychiatric profile of women users of psychoactive substances in treatment for drug addiction.

Method: descriptive study of quantitative approach performed with women attended at a Psychosocial Care Center for Users of Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAPS ad) from the interior of São Paulo State.

Results: the sample consisted of 349 adult women, single, low educational level and unemployed, users of alcohol, cocaine, crack and tranquillizers. Read More

Ann Ist Super Sanita 2019 Oct-Dec;55(4):338-344

Osservatorio Epidemiologico Metropolitano Dipendenze Patologiche, DSM-DP, Azienda USL Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Introduction: Ketamine is an essential medicine used as an anesthetic in low and middle-income countries and in veterinary medicine. Recreational use is widespread throughout the world, especially owing to its lower price compared to other substances. In Western countries its use has been mainly linked to subpopulations of young people who use drugs recreationally. Read More

Invest Educ Enferm 2019 Sep;37(3)

Brasil,

Objectives: To analyze the care strategies of the adolescent crack user under treatment.

Methods: Study of qualitative approach of descriptive type. The participants were 20 professionals from the Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Drogas (Center for Psychosocial Care Alcohol and Drugs) and 10 professionals from the Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Infanto-juvenil (Center for Child Psychosocial Care) in a municipality in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Read More

Biol Aujourdhui 2019 12;213(3-4):141-145. Epub 2019 Dec 12.

CNRS ERL3649, Inserm U1124, Université Paris Descartes, Pharmacologie et thérapie des addictions, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris, France.

Addiction is a chronic disease that has serious consequences, both in terms of public health and economy. Clear characteristics distinguish recreational and controlled use from addiction. Thus, today, addiction includes the notions of compulsive drug use, associated with a loss of control over consumption, leading to craving. Read More

Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2019 11;77(11):825-827

Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Interna, Curitiba PR, Brasil.

Jean-Martin Charcot, the most celebrated neurologist of the 19th century, had a profound influence on Sigmund Freud's career. Freud spent the winter of 1885-1886 working in Charcot's neurology department in Paris. During this period, he went to Charcot's house on several occasions to participate in the very famous Tuesday soirées under the guidance of Gilles de la Tourette. Read More

Braz J Psychiatry 2020 Apr 5;42(2):214-217. Epub 2019 Dec 5.

Centro de Pesquisa em Álcool e Drogas (CPAD), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Objective: To evaluate the association between childhood trauma (CT) and serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) during crack-cocaine withdrawal.

Method: Thirty-three male crack-cocaine users were recruited at admission to a public addiction treatment unit. Serum BDNF and TBARS levels were evaluated at intake and discharge. Read More

Nat Neurosci 2020 01 2;23(1):32-46. Epub 2019 Dec 2.

Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Cocaine-associated memories are persistent, but, on retrieval, become temporarily destabilized and vulnerable to disruptions, followed by reconsolidation. To explore the synaptic underpinnings for these memory dynamics, we studied AMPA receptor (AMPAR)-silent excitatory synapses, which are generated in the nucleus accumbens by cocaine self-administration, and subsequently mature after prolonged withdrawal by recruiting AMPARs, echoing acquisition and consolidation of cocaine memories. We show that, on memory retrieval after prolonged withdrawal, the matured silent synapses become AMPAR-silent again, followed by re-maturation ~6 h later, defining the onset and termination of a destabilization window of cocaine memories. Read More

Am J Cardiol 2020 01 19;125(2):282-288. Epub 2019 Nov 19.

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas; Cardiovascular Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York; Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Laboratory, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Electronic address:

Evidence linking cocaine to the risk of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is limited and inconsistent. We examined whether cocaine use, in the absence of other known causes of PH, was associated with elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) and increased probability of PH. We compared patients with documented cocaine use to a randomly selected age, sex, and race-matched control group without history of cocaine use. Read More

Commun Biol 2019 15;2:418. Epub 2019 Nov 15.

Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065 USA.

Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is an abundant neuroprotein elevated in cocaine addicts, linked to drug craving, and recruited to axon terminals undergoing glutamatergic plasticity - a proposed mechanism for substance abuse. However, little is known about normal α-syn function or how it contributes to substance abuse. We show that α-syn is critical for preference of hedonic stimuli and the cognitive flexibility needed to change behavioral strategies, functions that are altered with substance abuse. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2019 Nov 19;13(1):337. Epub 2019 Nov 19.

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 110 S. Paca Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.

Introduction: In the United States, cocaine is a commonly used drug of abuse. It is also a recognized contributing factor for both hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes. However, cocaine-induced basilar artery thrombosis has rarely been reported in the literature. Read More

Harm Reduct J 2019 11 13;16(1):60. Epub 2019 Nov 13.

Public Health Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, L2 2QP, UK.

Background: Venous access is a priority for people who inject drugs (PWID). Damage and scarring of peripheral veins can exacerbate health harms, such as skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), and promote transitions to femoral and subcutaneous injecting. Brown heroin available in Europe requires acidification for injection preparation. Read More

Brain Behav 2019 12 7;9(12):e01451. Epub 2019 Nov 7.

Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

Introduction: Cocaine dependence affects millions of individuals worldwide; however, there are no pharmacotherapeutic and/or diagnostic solutions. Recent evidence suggests a role for lipid signaling in the development and maintenance of addiction, highlighting the need to understand how lipid remodeling mediates neuroadaptation after cocaine exposure.

Methods: This study utilized shotgun lipidomics to assess cocaine-induced lipid remodeling in rats using a novel behavioral regimen that incorporated multiple sessions of extinction training and reinstatement testing. Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2019 12 22;205:107657. Epub 2019 Oct 22.

Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, the Rockefeller University, New York NY, United States.

Background: Persons dually diagnosed with opioid and cocaine dependence (OD + CD) present a clinical challenge and are at risk of morbidity and mortality. The time of escalation of heroin and cocaine exposure in persons with OD + CD remain understudied, and the influence of gender and other variables have not been examined. This observational study focused on the time of escalation of heroin and cocaine in volunteers with OD + CD, examining gender and exposure to other drugs (e. Read More

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 2019 11 6;14(1):46. Epub 2019 Nov 6.

Psychiatry Department, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Major Maragliano Street, 241, São Paulo, SP, 04017-030, Brazil.

Background: Substance dependence is considered an international health issue and studies that access the characteristic of this population are required to develop public health programs for harm reduction. To this aim, we purpose to to identify, in a population undergo addiction treatment, if the use of substances leads to sexual risky behavior and also check if another variables influences in this behavior.

Method: Observational study of clinical sample collected of adult patients seeking treatment to dependence of alcohol and cocaine. Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2019 12 30;205:107640. Epub 2019 Oct 30.

Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research, College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY, United States; Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States.

Objective: To estimate prevalence of past-month marijuana, cocaine, and nonmedical prescription opioid (NPO) use and determine employment-related correlates of drug use among construction trade/extraction workers (CTEW).

Methods: We analyzed ten years of data (2005-2014) from 293,492 adults (age≥18) in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, comparing CTEW and non-CTEW.

Results: CTEW were 5. Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2019 12 18;205:107642. Epub 2019 Oct 18.

Grupo Interdisciplinar de Estudos sobre Álcool e Drogas (GREA), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, 785 Rua Dr Ovidio Pires de Campos, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Psychiatric Neuroimaging (LIM-21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, 785 Rua Dr Ovidio Pires de Campos, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address:

Background And Aims: Cannabis use is frequent among individuals with cocaine use disorder. Despite recent non-controlled studies advocating a therapeutic role of smoked cannabis, there is a paucity of evidence-based data on potential therapeutic and cognitive side-effects of this association.

Methods: We examined 63 cocaine-addicted subjects who used cannabis more than 50 times in lifetime (COC + CAN), 24 cocaine-addicted patients who use cannabis less than 50 times (COC), and 36 controls (CON). Read More

Pediatr Clin North Am 2019 12;66(6):1135-1147

Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. Electronic address:

Cocaine use by adolescents and young adults continues to be a significant public health issue and the cause of medical and psychological morbidity and mortality. Although use rates are lower than those seen with alcohol, tobacco, and other illicit substances such as marijuana, cocaine is highly addictive and presents significant acute and long-term medical and psychological effects. This article reviews the epidemiology of cocaine use among adolescents and young adults, discusses the pharmacology and neurobiology of cocaine use and dependence, provides information regarding acute intoxication and systemic effects seen with more chronic use, and describes current assessment and treatment approaches. Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2019 12 21;205:107648. Epub 2019 Oct 21.

Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.

Background: Despite calls for non-abstinence endpoints in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for cocaine use disorder, there is a lack of data validating non-abstinence endpoints. We conducted a clinical validation of reduction in cocaine frequency level as a non-abstinence endpoint in RCTs for cocaine use disorder (CUD).

Methods: We utilized a pooled dataset (n = 716; 63. Read More

Am J Psychiatry 2019 11;176(11):892-893

Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.

Drug Alcohol Depend 2019 12 20;205:107650. Epub 2019 Oct 20.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.

Background: Methadone maintenance is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), yet many methadone-maintained patients (MMPs) struggle with cocaine use during OUD recovery. The current study aimed to identify whether prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity during a risky decision-making task was associated with cocaine use during a 90-day follow-up in MMPs.

Methods: MMPs (N = 28) attended a single neuroimaging session wherein PFC activity was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). Read More

Sci Adv 2019 10 16;5(10):eaax1532. Epub 2019 Oct 16.

Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, Center for Studies of Addiction, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Email:

Cocaine use continues to be a serious worldwide public health problem. Cocaine abuse is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Cocaine overdose deaths are increasing in the United States and, in certain populations, outnumber heroin and opiate overdose deaths. Read More

BMC Neurol 2019 Oct 28;19(1):260. Epub 2019 Oct 28.

Institute of Genomic Medicine and Rare Disorders, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.

Background: Parkinsonism is a complex multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder, in which genetic and environmental risk factors may both play a role. Among environmental risk factors cocaine was earlier ambiguously linked to Parkinsonism. Former single case reports described Parkinsonism in chronic cocaine users, but an epidemiological study did not confirm an increased risk of Parkinson's disease. Read More

Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2020 Feb;28(1):1-5

Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, West Virginia University School of Medicine.

Nationally, it was estimated that 11.4 million people misused opioids in 2017 with more than 47,000 opioid-related deaths. Although medication-assisted treatment (MAT) has been effective in enhancing treatment retention and decreasing frequency of opioid use, relapse rates for opioids and other substances remain high, emphasizing the importance of investigating novel interventions to augment MAT. Read More

Neurology 2019 10;93(17):759-763

From the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA.

Psychiatry Res 2019 12 11;282:112611. Epub 2019 Oct 11.

Addiction Sciences Division, Medical University of South Carolina, 125 Doughty Street, Suite 190, Charleston, SC 29425, United States.

In this double-blind study, cocaine-dependent women were administered a pharmacological stressor or placebo prior to two cue-reactivity procedures. The Inventory of Drug Taking Situations is a self-report questionnaire measuring antecedents to relapse and is comprised of three subscales: negative, positive, and temptation situational drug use. It was hypothesized that women with higher IDTS scores would have a greater cortisol response to the cue-reactivity task while receiving yohimbine versus placebo. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Oct 17;12(10). Epub 2019 Oct 17.

Department of Radiology, Hospital de Braga, Braga, Portugal.

Pneumomediastinum is more frequent in young men and usually presents in association with subcutaneous emphysema. It can occur in case of oesophageal or chest trauma, be iatrogenic or develop spontaneously, in case of emesis, coughing or forceful straining. Use of illicit drugs, such as cocaine, has been associated with multiple respiratory complications, including pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 10 15;16(20). Epub 2019 Oct 15.

Association for the Application of Neuroscientific Knowledge to Social Aims (AU-CNS), 55045 Pietrasanta, Lucca, Italy.

: Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a growing public health concern, but so far no effective pharmacotherapies have been demonstrated. Stimulant medications have proved to be promising in CUD treatment. The self-medication hypothesis (SMH) can help to explain this phenomenon better, especially in cases where CUD co-occurs with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (A-ADHD). Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2019 12 6;205:107610. Epub 2019 Oct 6.

Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, division of Molecular Neurogenetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, the Netherlands. Electronic address:

Background: Human neuroimaging studies indicate that the amygdala plays a key role in cocaine addiction. One key plasticity factor that modulates effects of cocaine on the brain is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). A wealth of evidence shows that cocaine exposure alters BDNF signaling in corticolimbic structures, but, surprisingly, such evidence is very limited for the amygdala. Read More

Genetics 2019 12 7;213(4):1225-1236. Epub 2019 Oct 7.

Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut 06520

Longitudinal phenotypes have been increasingly available in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and electronic health record-based studies for identification of genetic variants that influence complex traits over time. For longitudinal binary data, there remain significant challenges in gene mapping, including misspecification of the model for phenotype distribution due to ascertainment. Here, we propose L-BRAT (Longitudinal Binary-trait Retrospective Association Test), a retrospective, generalized estimating equation-based method for genetic association analysis of longitudinal binary outcomes. Read More

J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2019 11;78(11):1059-1065

Unit of Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.

The aim of the study was to investigate blood-brain barrier alterations, neuroinflammation, and glial responses in drug abusers. Five immunohistochemical markers (CD3, zonula occludens-1 [ZO-1], intracellular adhesion molecule 1 [ICAM-1], vascular cell adhesion molecule [VCAM-1], and glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]) were assessed on postmortem brain samples collected from drug abusers who died from acute intoxication of cocaine, heroin, or a combination of both, compared with controls. CD3 and ICAM-1 immunopositivity were significantly stronger in drug abusers than in controls. Read More

Ann Cardiol Angeiol (Paris) 2019 Nov 23;68(5):367-370. Epub 2019 Sep 23.

Service de cardiologie, centre hospitalier d'Avignon, 305, rue Raoul-Follereau, 84000 Avignon, France.

Cocaine is a potent sympathomimetic drug usually associated with cardiotoxicity, including ventricular arrhythmia, systemic hypertension and acute myocardial infarction. It constitutes the most frequent cause of drug-related death reported by medical examiners in the US, and these events are most often related to the cardiovascular manifestations of the drug. However; to the best of our knowledge; cocaine induced acute myocarditis has very rarely been reported. Read More

J Mol Endocrinol 2019 11;63(4):R81-R92

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, School of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Addiction and eating disorders involve brain reward circuits. Binge eating predisposes to addictive behavior, while the cessation of exposure to drugs of abuse leads to reward activities, including intake of tasty foods. Cocaine use is associated with a decrease in food intake, with reversal after drug use is discontinued. Read More

J Pak Med Assoc 2019 Sep;69(9):1372-1375

Bezmialem Vakif University, TURKEY.

Myocardial calcification is a rare echocardiographic finding, which is often found in patients who have suffered from a myocardial infarction. Rarely, myocardial calcification may be present in individuals without a significant medical history. Until today, there has not been a published case report emphasising the relation between myocardial calcification and cocaine usage. Read More

J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2019 07;80(4):431-440

Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Objective: Abstinence outcomes are typically prioritized in the treatment of cocaine use disorder while ignoring patterns of low-frequency cocaine use. This study examined patterns of cocaine use frequency during treatment and evaluated how these patterns related to baseline characteristics and functioning outcomes 6 and 12 months after treatment.

Method: We used a pooled dataset (N = 720) from seven randomized clinical trials for cocaine use disorder. Read More

Invest Educ Enferm 2019 May;37(2)

Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, University of São Paulo, Brazil,

Objectives: To understand the family experience regarding the trajectory of crack users for the street situation.

Methods: Qualitative study using the systemic approach as the theoretical referential and the narrative as methodological referential. We conducted interviews with eleven family members of crack users with street situation experience cared for at a community mental health service. Read More

Medicina (B Aires) 2019 ;79(4):284-286

Servicio de Salud Mental, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Endomyocardial fibrosis is a restrictive cardiomyopathy with high morbidity and mortality rates, prevalent in the sub-Saharan Africa region but infrequent in our population. It has a close relation with blood hypereosinophilia. Hypoxic hepatitis is frequently observed in intensive care units and its diagnosis is clinical. Read More

Cells 2019 09 3;8(9). Epub 2019 Sep 3.

Department of Pharmacology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8651, USA.

Semen exosomes (SE) from HIV-uninfected (HIV-) individuals potently inhibit HIV infection in vitro. However, morphological changes in target cells in response to SE have not been characterized or have the effect of HIV infection or the use of illicit substances, specifically psychostimulants, on the function of SE been elucidated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of HIV infection, psychostimulant use, and both together on SE-mediated regulation of monocyte function. Read More

Harm Reduct J 2019 09 2;16(1):53. Epub 2019 Sep 2.

Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Aims: To identify geographic "hotspots" for potential transmission of HIV and HCV and for drug overdose among persons who use heroin and cocaine in New York City and to examine historical continuities in problem drug use hotspots in the city.

Methods: A total of 2714 study participants were recruited among persons entering Beth Israel substance use treatment programs. A structured questionnaire was administered and blood samples for HIV and HCV testing were collected. Read More