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PubMed1995

[Drug-addicted mothers].

Drug addiction in Portuguese women has greatly increased recently and affects women of child-bearing age. The lack of scientific knowledge of the influence of drug addiction on pregnancy led us to create a model to approach the problem. With that purpose, a Clinic for Pregnant Drug Addicts was opened in the Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital in 1989, intended to set up a special permanent team to provide personalized pre-natal care. This clinic should be considered an integral part of multi-disciplinary action covering obstetrics, pediatrics, anesthesiology, nursing, clinical psychology and social assistance. The evolution of 164 pregnant women was monitored from October 1989 to December 1992, urine and amniotic fluid was analysed in 51 women. Due to the difficulty in applying standard criteria to the pregnancies observed, three levels of pre-natal care for the aforementioned 51 pregnant women, who are the object of this study, are proposed. The pre-natal observation of 164 pregnant drug addicts revealed that 74% were aged from 20 to 29 years, 49% had completed compulsory education, 59% were unemployed, 61% were unmarried and 82% had not planned their baby and had attended their first pre-natal clinic in the 19th week of pregnancy. The women's partners were drug addicts in 80% of cases. Their toxicological history revealed that 29% of them began taking drugs between the ages of 11 and 15, cannabis-based products being the first drug in 67% and opium-based in 28% of cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[What does unmet needs of self-help group for drug addiction?].

DARC (Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Center) is self-help group for drug addiction with NA-based 12step meetings. The unmet needs of them were investigated among 26 facilities of DARC. The half of facilities didn't get any official supports and depending on user fee. Finally, we summarized that 1) financial problem result from lack of official supports, 2) lack of vocational opportunity, 3) lack of staffs and training of them, 4) psychiatric care of clients were common unmet needs of them. We suggested that 1) official supports would be required regarding feature of self-help group, 2) necessity of non-judgmental employment system for drug addicts, 3) recovered staff can play an important role in drug strategy, 4) mental health center can bridge a gap between DARC and psychiatric hospitals.

Female↗
PubMed2004

Serum immunoglobulins and white blood cells status of drug addicts: influence of illicit drugs and sex habit.

The aim of this study was to investigate the serum immunoglobulins and white blood cells status of drug addicts and to assess the extent of influence of drug habit and sexual practice on the immune components. The study was conducted among 253 male drug addicts and 100 non-addict controls of aged 18-45 years. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to analyse the serum immunoglobulin concentrations. White blood cells profile was estimated by counting 200 cells. Results showed a significant increase (p<0.03) of serum IgG, IgA and IgM in the drug addicts (6.93+/-1.53 g/l, 2.90+/-1.13 g/l and 1.72+/-0.73 g/l, respectively) compared to those in the cohort controls (6.52+/-1.05 g/l, 2.61+/-0.83 g/l and 1.52+/-0.59 g/l, respectively). A significant (p=0.00) decrease of peripheral lymphocytes (51.8+/-15.2 vs. 71.9+/-11.5) was noted in the drug addicts. Monocytes (8.3+/-4.9), neutrophils (128.2+/-18.9) and eosinophils (11.4+/-5.8) were found to be increased in the drug addicts against those in the controls (5.2+/-2.5, 113.2+/-13.0 and 9.6+/-5.8, respectively). Multiple drug abuse for longer period had resulted in a significant (p<0.05) decrease of serum immunoglobulins and lymphocytes. The longer period of addiction had also made a significant (p<0.05) decrease of eosinophils (p=0.05) and an increase of monocytes and neutrophils. Sex with multiple sexual partners had shown a significant (p<0.01) decrease of serum immunoglobulins and eosinophils.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

[Dental and mouth mucosal findings in drug addicts].

100 drug addicts and 116 alcoholics, who were compared with 100 non-addicts of corresponding age, exhibited an extraordinarily intensive manifestation of dental caries, expecially at the cervical region. This observation appears to be partly a result of drug-induced changes in metabolism as well as the concomitant asialia and xerostomia and predominantly a result of poor oral hygiene and dental care. These latter ones fell proportionally with the disintegration of social status. Drug addicts show rather frequently fractures and fissures of partially distroyed teeth as a result of bruxism. 78% of the investigate drug addicts suffered from profound inflammatory parodontopathy, 42% showed pigmentation of the gingival and/or buccal mucosa. The dental surgion should pay attention to the possible danger of an hepatitis infection.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1994

[Deaths among drug addicts in Denmark. A forensic medical study of deaths among drug addicts during the period 1991-1992 related to the period 1984-1985].

This study includes all deaths among drug addicts in the years 1991 (n = 219) and 1992 (n = 214) investigated at the three institutes of forensic medicine in Denmark. The results are compared with deaths among drug addicts in 1984-1985. The number of deaths among drug addicts increased by approximately 50% in 1991-1992 compared with 1984-1985. The increase was most significant among drug addicts over 35 years of age. The cause of death was intoxication in three-quarters of the cases in 1991-1992. In half of these cases heroin/morphine had caused death, while intoxications caused by methadone accounted for approximately 30% of the cases. In the metropolitan area the frequency of methadone intoxications increased significantly compared with 1984-1985, whereas the number of heroin/morphine intoxications did not change. Outside the metropolitan area, however, a significant increase in heroin/morphine intoxications was noticed. In all parts of the country the number of propoxyphene intoxications decreased to a few annual cases. The most commonly used drugs of abuse were heroin/morphine, diazepam and methadone, often in combination with alcohol.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Drug addiction as dopamine-dependent associative learning disorder.

Natural rewards preferentially stimulate dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell. This effect undergoes adaptive changes (one-trial habituation, inhibition by appetitive stimuli) that are consistent with a role of nucleus accumbens shell dopamine in associative reward-related learning. Experimental studies with a variety of paradigms confirm this role. A role in associative stimulus-reward learning can provide an explanation for the extinction-like impairment of primary reinforcement that led Wise to propose the 'anhedonia hypothesis'. Addictive drugs share with natural rewards the property of stimulating dopamine transmission preferentially in the nucleus accumbens shell. This response, however, in contrast to that to natural rewards, is not subjected to one-trial habituation. Resistance to habituation allows drugs to activate dopamine transmission in the shell non-decrementally upon repeated self-administration. It is hypothesized that this process abnormally strengthens stimulus-drug associations thus resulting in the attribution of excessive motivational value to discrete stimuli or contexts predictive of drug availability. Addiction is therefore the expression of the excessive control over behaviour acquired by drug-related stimuli as a result of abnormal associative learning following repeated stimulation of dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Drug addiction as a disorder of associative learning. Role of nucleus accumbens shell/extended amygdala dopamine.

Conventional reinforcers phasically stimulate dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell. This property undergoes one-trial habituation consistent with a role of nucleus accumbens shell dopamine in associative learning. Experimental studies with place- and taste-conditioning paradigms confirm this role. Addictive drugs share with conventional reinforcers the property of stimulating dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell. This response, however, undergoes one-trial habituation in the case of conventional reinforcers but not of drugs. Resistance to habituation allows drugs to repetitively activate dopamine transmission in the shell upon repeated self-administration. This process abnormally facilitates associative learning, leading to the attribution of excessive motivational value to discrete stimuli or contexts predictive of drug availability. Addiction is therefore the expression of the excessive control over behavior acquired by drug-related stimuli as a result of abnormal strenghtening of stimulus-drug contingencies by nondecremental drug-induced stimulation of dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1989

Effect of chronic maternal drug addiction on placental drug metabolism.

Microsomes were prepared from the term placentas of 5 drug-dependent and 4 normal (control) mothers and from the livers of 3 normal fetuses (gestational age = 22-24 weeks) to determine if chronic maternal drug addiction can induce metabolic pathways in the placenta which are utilized in the biotransformation of drugs of abuse. Using as model substrates aminopyrine for demethylation, aniline for hydroxylation, and bilirubin for conjugation, we observed little to none of substrate biotransformation in both drug-dependent and control placentas. Similarly, such enzymatic activity in the fetal liver was also low. We conclude that chronic maternal addiction does not induce metabolic pathways in the placenta for the biotransformation of drugs of abuse.

Biotransformation↗