The opiate addiction test: a clinical evaluation of a quick test for physical dependence on opiate drugs.

OpenAIRE

Ghodse, H; Taylor, D R; Greaves, J L; Britten, A J; Lynch, D

1995-01-01

1. Mydriasis (pupil dilation) in response to conjunctivally applied naloxone hydrochloride has been demonstrated using an innovative electronic binocular pupillometer in 40 opiate dependent patients, on maintenance methadone treatment. 2. No pupillary response to naloxone was seen when an identical procedure was carried out in a control population of 12 healthy volunteers. 3. After a baseline measurement of pupil size, two drops of naloxone hydrochloride were instilled into the conjunctival s...

Pregabalin abuse among opiate addicted patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Grosshans, Martin; Lemenager, Tagrid; Vollmert, Christian; Kaemmerer, Nina; Schreiner, Rupert; Mutschler, Jochen; Wagner, Xenija; Kiefer, Falk; Hermann, Derik

2013-12-01

Pregabalin is a novel GABA-analogue approved for the treatment of partial onset seizures, neuropathic pain, and general anxiety disorder. Pregabalin has been classified as a Schedule V drug with a low risk of inflicting abuse or addiction. However, some publications have indicated that pregabalin may have a potential for abuse among patients with past or current opiate addiction. Thus, we hypothesized that pregabalin might be abused by patients who were undergoing an opiate replacement therapy and never had an indication for taking pregabalin on medical grounds. Urine specimens from 124 patients with opiate dependency syndrome and from 111 patients with other addiction disorders (alcohol, benzodiazepines, cannabis, amphetamines) were screened for pregabalin by means of a mass spectrometer analysis. We found 12.1 % of all urine specimens from patients with opiate addiction to be positive for pregabalin. None of the patients concerned had a medical indication for using pregabalin. In the control group, 2.7 % of the patients were tested positively for pregabalin, due to their taking it regularly for chronic pain or general anxiety. Our data suggest that pregabalin is liable to be abused among individuals with opiate dependency syndrome Thus, vigilance and caution are called for when patients with a past or current opiate dependency are exposed to treatment with pregabalin.

Differences in depression severity and frequency of relapses in opiate addicts treated with methadone or opiate blocker after detoxification

OpenAIRE

Jovanović Tatjana; Lazarević Dušan; Nikolić Gordana

2012-01-01

Background/Aim. Relapse of opiate dependence is a common occurrence after detoxification and introduction of opiate addicts in abstinence from opiates. Clinical evaluation showed that over 90% of opiate addicts exhibit depressive manifestations during detoxification, or develop post-detoxification depression. The aim of this study was to determine differences in the frequency of relapses, severity and course of depression during a of 6-month period, and previous patterns of use of opioi...

NMDA receptor blockade in the prelimbic cortex activates the mesolimbic system and dopamine-dependent opiate reward signaling.

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Tan, Huibing; Rosen, Laura G; Ng, Garye A; Rushlow, Walter J; Laviolette, Steven R

2014-12-01

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are involved in opiate reward processing and modulate sub-cortical dopamine (DA) activity. NMDA receptor blockade in the prelimbic (PLC) division of the mPFC strongly potentiates the rewarding behavioural properties of normally sub-reward threshold doses of opiates. However, the possible functional interactions between cortical NMDA and sub-cortical DAergic motivational neural pathways underlying these effects are not understood. This study examines how NMDA receptor modulation in the PLC influences opiate reward processing via interactions with sub-cortical DAergic transmission. We further examined whether direct intra-PLC NMDA receptor modulation may activate DA-dependent opiate reward signaling via interactions with the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Using an unbiased place conditioning procedure (CPP) in rats, we performed bilateral intra-PLC microinfusions of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, (2R)-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP-5), prior to behavioural morphine place conditioning and challenged the rewarding effects of morphine with DA receptor blockade. We next examined the effects of intra-PLC NMDA receptor blockade on the spontaneous activity patterns of presumptive VTA DA or GABAergic neurons, using single-unit, extracellular in vivo neuronal recordings. We show that intra-PLC NMDA receptor blockade strongly activates sub-cortical DA neurons within the VTA while inhibiting presumptive non-DA GABAergic neurons. Behaviourally, NMDA receptor blockade activates a DA-dependent opiate reward system, as pharmacological blockade of DA transmission blocked morphine reward only in the presence of intra-PLC NMDA receptor antagonism. These findings demonstrate a cortical NMDA-mediated mechanism controlling mesolimbic DAergic modulation of opiate reward processing.

Opiate exposure state controls dopamine D3 receptor and cdk5/calcineurin signaling in the basolateral amygdala during reward and withdrawal aversion memory formation.

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Rosen, Laura G; Rushlow, Walter J; Laviolette, Steven R

2017-10-03

The dopamine (DA) D3 receptor (D3R) is highly expressed in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), a neural region critical for processing opiate-related reward and withdrawal aversion-related memories. Functionally, D3R transmission is linked to downstream Cdk5 and calcineurin signaling, both of which regulate D3R activity states and play critical roles in memory-related synaptic plasticity. Previous evidence links D3R transmission to opiate-related memory processing, however little is known regarding how chronic opiate exposure may alter D3R-dependent memory mechanisms. Using conditioned place preference (CPP) and withdrawal aversion (conditioned place aversion; CPA) procedures in rats, combined with molecular analyses of BLA protein expression, we examined the effects of chronic opiate exposure on the functional role of intra-BLA D3R transmission during the acquisition of opiate reward or withdrawal aversion memories. Remarkably, we report that the state of opiate exposure during behavioural conditioning (opiate-naïve/non-dependent vs. chronically exposed and in withdrawal) controlled the functional role of intra-BLA D3R transmission during the acquisition of both opiate reward memories and withdrawal-aversion associative memories. Thus, whereas intra-BLA D3R blockade had no effect on opiate reward memory formation in the non-dependent state, blockade of intra-BLA D3R transmission prevented the formation of opiate reward and withdrawal aversion memory in the chronically exposed state. This switch in the functional role of D3R transmission corresponded to significant increases in Cdk5 phosphorylation and total expression levels of calcineurin, and a corresponding decrease in intra-BLA D3R expression. Inhibition of either intra-BLA Cdk5 or calcineurin reversed these effects, switching intra-BLA associative memory formation back to a D3R-independent mechanism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular and Neuronal Plasticity Mechanisms in the Amygdala-Prefrontal Cortical Circuit: Implications for Opiate Addiction Memory Formation

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Laura G Rosen

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The persistence of associative memories linked to the rewarding properties of drugs of abuse is a core underlying feature of the addiction process. Opiate class drugs in particular, possess potent euphorigenic effects which, when linked to environmental cues, can produce drug-related ‘trigger’ memories that may persist for lengthy periods of time, even during abstinence, in both humans and other animals. Furthermore, the transitional switch from the drug-naïve, non-dependent state to states of dependence and withdrawal, represents a critical boundary between distinct neuronal and molecular substrates associated with opiate-reward memory formation. Identifying the functional molecular and neuronal mechanisms related to the acquisition, consolidation, recall and extinction phases of opiate-related reward memories is critical for understanding, and potentially reversing, addiction-related memory plasticity characteristic of compulsive drug-seeking behaviors. The mammalian prefrontal cortex (PFC and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA share important functional and anatomical connections that are involved importantly in the processing of associative memories linked to drug reward. In addition, both regions share interconnections with the mesolimbic pathway’s ventral tegmental area (VTA and nucleus accumbens (NAc and can modulate dopamine (DA transmission and neuronal activity associated with drug-related DAergic signaling dynamics. In this review, we will summarize research from both human and animal modelling studies highlighting the importance of neuronal and molecular plasticity mechanisms within this circuitry during critical phases of opiate addiction-related learning and memory processing. Specifically, we will focus on two molecular signaling pathways known to be involved in both drug-related neuroadaptations and in memory-related plasticity mechanisms; the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase system (ERK and the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent

Alcohol-related brief intervention in patients treated for opiate or cocaine dependence: a randomized controlled study

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Khan Riaz

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the importance of heavy drinking and alcohol dependence among patients with opiate and cocaine dependence, few studies have evaluated specific interventions within this group. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of screening with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT and of brief intervention (BI on alcohol use in a sample of patients treated for opioid or cocaine dependence in a specialized outpatient clinic. Methods Adult outpatients treated for opioid or cocaine dependence in Switzerland were screened for excessive alcohol drinking and dependence with the AUDIT. Patients with AUDIT scores that indicated excessive drinking or dependence were randomized into two groups--treatment as usual or treatment as usual together with BI--and assessed at 3 months and 9 months. Results Findings revealed a high rate (44% of problematic alcohol use (excessive drinking and dependence among patients with opiate and cocaine dependence. The number of drinks per week decreased significantly between T0 (inclusion and T3 (month 3. A decrease in average AUDIT scores was observed between T0 and T3 and between T0 and T9 (month 9. No statistically significant difference between treatment groups was observed. Conclusions In a substance abuse specialized setting, screening for alcohol use with the AUDIT, followed by feedback on the score, and use of alcohol BI are both possibly useful strategies to induce changes in problematic alcohol use. Definitive conclusions cannot, however, be drawn from the study because of limitations such as lack of a naturalistic group. An important result of the study is the excellent internal consistency of AUDIT in a population treated for opiate or cocaine dependence.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2014.

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Bodnar, Richard J

2016-01-01

This paper is the thirty-seventh consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2014 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (endogenous opioids and receptors), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (pain and analgesia); stress and social status (human studies); tolerance and dependence (opioid mediation of other analgesic responses); learning and memory (stress and social status); eating and drinking (stress-induced analgesia); alcohol and drugs of abuse (emotional responses in opioid-mediated behaviors); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (opioid involvement in stress response regulation); mental illness and mood (tolerance and dependence); seizures and neurologic disorders (learning and memory); electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (opiates and conditioned place preferences (CPP)); general activity and locomotion (eating and drinking); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (alcohol and drugs of abuse); cardiovascular responses (opiates and ethanol); respiration and thermoregulation (opiates and THC); and immunological responses (opiates and stimulants). This paper is the thirty-seventh consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2014 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular

How to find non-dependent opiate users: a comparison of sampling methods in a field study of opium and heroin users.

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Korf, Dirk J; van Ginkel, Patrick; Benschop, Annemieke

2010-05-01

The first aim is to better understand the potentials and limitations of different sampling methods for reaching a specific, rarely studied population of drug users and for persuading them to take part in a multidisciplinary study. The second is to determine the extent to which these different methods reach similar or dissimilar segments of the non-dependent opiate-using population. Using ethnographic fieldwork (EFW) and targeted canvassing (TARC; small newspaper advertisements and website announcements), supplemented by snowball referrals, we recruited and interviewed 127 non-dependent opiate users (lifetime prevalence of use 5-100 times; 86.6% had used heroin and 56.7% opium). Average age was 39.0; 66.1% were male and 33.9% female. In addition to opiates, many respondents had wide experience with other illicit drugs. The majority had non-conventional lifestyles. Both EFW and TARC yielded only limited numbers of snowball referrals. EFW requires specific skills, is labour-intensive, thus expensive, but allows unsuitable candidates to be excluded faster. Respondents recruited through EFW were significantly more likely to have experience with opium and various drugs other than opiates. TARC resulted in larger percentages of women and respondents with conventional lifestyles. TARC is less labour-intensive but requires more time for screening candidates; its cost-effectiveness depends on the price of advertising for the recruitment. Different methods reach different segments of the population of non-dependent opiate users. It is useful to employ a multi-method approach to reduce selectivity. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Opiate and opioid withdrawal

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... opiate withdrawal; Oxycontin - opiate withdrawal; Hydrocodone - opiate withdrawal; Detox - opiates; Detoxification - opiates ... facilities set up to help people with detoxification (detox). In a regular hospital, if symptoms are severe. ...

Striatal dopamine D2 receptor binding and dopamine release during cue-elicited craving in recently abstinent opiate-dependent males

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zijlstra, Fleur; Booij, Jan; van den Brink, Wim; Franken, Ingmar H. A.

2008-01-01

Opiate addiction is a chronic disorder characterized by relapse behaviour, often preceded by craving and anhedonia. Chronic craving and anhedonia have been associated with low availability of dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs) and cue-elicited craving has been linked with endogenous dopamine release. We

The Neuropsychology of Amphetamine and Opiate Dependence: Implications for Treatment

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Sahakian, Barbara J

2013-01-01

Chronic use of amphetamines and/or opiates has been associated with a wide range of cognitive deficits, involving domains of attention, inhibitory control, planning, decision-making, learning and memory. Although both amphetamine and opiate users show marked impairment in various aspects of cognitive function, the impairment profile is distinctly different according to the substance of abuse. In light of evidence showing that cognitive impairment in drug users has a negative impact on treatment engagement and efficacy, we review substance-specific deficits on executive and memory function, and discuss possibilities to address these during treatment intervention. PMID:17690986

Assessing Need for Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opiate-Dependent Prison Inmates

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Albizu-García, Carmen E.; Caraballo, José Noel; Caraballo-Correa, Glorimar; Hernández-Viver, Adriana; Román-Badenas, Luis

2012-01-01

Individuals with a history of heroin dependence are overrepresented in American correctional facilities and 75% of inmates with a drug use disorder do not receive treatment during incarceration or after release. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with opiate agonists, such as methadone or buprenorphine, constitute standard of care; to guide planning for an expansion of drug treatment services in correctional facilities, a needs assessment was conducted at the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DCR) of Puerto Rico (PR). We report on the research process, the findings that informed our recommendations for the PCR to expand MAT for eligible inmates, and lessons learned. PMID:22263714

Sedatives for opiate withdrawal in newborn infants.

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Osborn, David A; Jeffery, Heather E; Cole, Michael J

2010-10-06

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) due to opiate withdrawal may result in disruption of the mother-infant relationship, sleep-wake abnormalities, feeding difficulties, weight loss and seizures. Treatments used to ameliorate symptoms and reduce morbidity include opiates, sedatives and non-pharmacological treatments. To assess the effectiveness and safety of using a sedative compared to a non-opiate control for NAS due to withdrawal from opiates, and to determine which type of sedative is most effective and safe. This update included searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 1, 2010), MEDLINE 1966 to April 2010 and abstracts of conference proceedings. Trials enrolling infants with NAS born to mothers with an opiate dependence with > 80% follow-up and using random or quasi-random allocation to sedative or control. Control could include another sedative or non-pharmacological treatment. Each author assessed study quality and extracted data independently. Seven studies enrolling 385 patients were included. There were substantial methodological concerns for most studies including the use of quasi-random allocation methods and sizeable, largely unexplained differences in reported numbers allocated to each group.One study reported phenobarbitone compared to supportive care alone did not reduce treatment failure or time to regain birthweight, but resulted in a significant reduction in duration of supportive care (MD -162.1 min/day, 95% CI -249.2, -75.1). Comparing phenobarbitone to diazepam, meta-analysis of two studies found phenobarbitone resulted in a significant reduction in treatment failure (typical RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.24, 0.62). Comparing phenobarbitone with chlorpromazine, one study reported no significant difference in treatment failure.In infants treated with an opiate, one study reported addition of clonidine resulted in no significant difference in treatment failure, seizures or mortality. In infants treated with an opiate, one study

Surface ionization mass spectrometry of opiates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usmanov, D.T.

2009-07-01

Key words: surface ionization, adsorption, heterogeneous reactions, surface ionization mass spectrometry, thermodesorption surface ionization spectroscopy, thermoemitter, opiates, extracts of biosamples. Subjects of study. The mass - spectrometric study of thermal - ion emission: surface ionization of opiates by on the surface of oxidized refractory metals. Purpose of work is to establish the regularities of surface ionization (SI) of multi-atomic molecule opiates and their mixtures develop the scientific base of SI methods for high sensitive and selective detection and analysis of these substances in the different objects, including biosamples. Methods of study: surface ionization mass spectrometry, thermodesorption surface ionization spectroscopy. The results obtained and their novelty. For the first time, SI of molecule opiates on the oxidized tungsten surface has been studied and their SI mass-spectra and temperature dependences of ion currents have been obtained, the characteristic heterogeneous reactions of an adsorbed molecules and the channels of monomolecular decays vibrationally-excited ions on their way in mass-spectrometry have been revealed, sublimation energy has been defined, the activation energy of E act , of these decays has been estimated for given period of time. Additivity of the SI mass-spectra of opiate mixtures of has been established under conditions of joint opiate adsorption. High selectivity of SI allows the extracts of biosamples to be analyzed without their preliminary chromatographic separation. The opiates are ionized by SI with high efficiency (from 34 C/mol to 112 C/mol), which provides high sensitivity of opiate detection by SI/MS and APTDSIS methods from - 10 -11 g in the samples under analysis. Practical value. The results of these studies create the scientific base for novel SI methods of high sensitive detection and analysis of the trace amounts of opiates in complicated mixtures, including biosamples without their preliminary

Differences in depression severity and frequency of relapses in opiate addicts treated with methadone or opiate blocker after detoxification

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Jovanović Tatjana

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. Relapse of opiate dependence is a common occurrence after detoxification and introduction of opiate addicts in abstinence from opiates. Clinical evaluation showed that over 90% of opiate addicts exhibit depressive manifestations during detoxification, or develop post-detoxification depression. The aim of this study was to determine differences in the frequency of relapses, severity and course of depression during a of 6-month period, and previous patterns of use of opioids in the two groups of opiate addicts treated by two different therapeutic modalities. Methods. The results of the two groups of opiate addicts were compared: the patients on substitution methadone treatment (M and the patients treated with opiate blocker naltrexone (B. In all the patients, clinical and instrumental evaluations confirmed depressive syndrome. Opioid relapses were diagnosed by the panel test for rapid detection of metabolites of opiates in urine. Then they were brought in connection with scores of depression and addiction variables. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD and Zunge Depression Scale were the applied instruments for measuring the level of depression. All the subjects completed a questionnaire Pompidou (short version. Psychological measurements were carried out during a 6-month follow-up on three occasions. The presence of opiate metabolites in urine was controlled every two weeks. Results. Both groups of patients (M and B had high scores on HAMD during the study. The group on methadone had a strong depression in all three measurements. There was a drop in the level of depression in both experimental groups over time, which was accompanied by a decrease in the incidence of recurrence. In both tested groups the frequency of relapses was positively correlated with earlier addiction variables - intravenous application of opioids, the experience of overdose, the absence of immunization against hepatitis C and hepatitis C virus carriers

[Differences in depression severity and frequency of relapses in opiate addicts treated with methadone or opiate blocker after detoxification].

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Jovanović, Tatjana; Lazarević, Dusan; Nikolić, Gordana

2012-04-01

Relapse of opiate dependence is a common occurrence after detoxification and introduction of opiate addicts in abstinence from opiates. Clinical evaluation showed that over 90% of opiate addicts exhibit depressive manifestations during detoxification, or develop post-detoxification depression. The aim of this study was to determine differences in the frequency of relapses, severity and course of depression during a of 6-month period, and previous patterns of use of opioids in the two groups of opiate addicts treated by two different therapeutic modalities. The results of the two groups of opiate addicts were compared: the patients on substitution methadone treatment (M) and the patients treated with opiate blocker naltrexone (B). In all the patients, clinical and instrumental evaluations confirmed depressive syndrome. Opioid relapses were diagnosed by the panel test for rapid detection of metabolites of opiates in urine. Then they were brought in connection with scores of depression and addiction variables. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Zunge Depression Scale were the applied instruments for measuring the level of depression. All the subjects completed a questionnaire Pompidou (short version). Psychological measurements were carried out during a 6-month follow-up on three occasions. The presence of opiate metabolites in urine was controlled every two weeks. Both groups of patients (M and B) had high scores on HAMD during the study. The group on methadone had a strong depression in all three measurements. There was a drop in the level of depression in both experimental groups over time, which was accompanied by a decrease in the incidence of recurrence. In both tested groups the frequency of relapses was positively correlated with earlier addiction variables - intravenous application of opioids, the experience of overdose, the absence of immunization against hepatitis C and hepatitis C virus carriers. The opioid relapse behavior is associated with a

Ventral tegmental area GABA neurons and opiate motivation

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Vargas-Perez, Hector; Mabey, Jennifer K.; Shin, Samuel I.; Steffensen, Scott C.; van der Kooy, Derek

2013-01-01

Rational Past research has demonstrated that when an animal changes from a previously drug-naive to an opiate-dependent and withdrawn state, morphine’s motivational effects are switched from a tegmental pedunculopontine nucleus (TPP)-dependent to a dopamine-dependent pathway. Interestingly, a corresponding change is observed in ventral tegmental area (VTA) GABAA receptors, which change from mediating hyperpolarization of VTA GABA neurons to mediating depolarization. Objectives The present study investigated whether pharmacological manipulation of VTA GABAA receptor activity could directly influence the mechanisms underlying opiate motivation. Results Using an unbiased place conditioning procedure, we demonstrated that in Wistar rats, intra-VTA administration of furosemide, a Cl− cotransporter inhibitor, was able to promote a switch in the mechanisms underlying morphine’s motivational properties, one which is normally observed only after chronic opiate exposure. This behavioral switch was prevented by intra-VTA administration of acetazolamide, an inhibitor of the bicarbonate ion-producing carbonic anhydrase enzyme. Electrophysiological recordings of mouse VTA showed that furosemide reduced the sensitivity of VTA GABA neurons to inhibition by the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol, instead increasing the firing rate of a significant subset of these GABA neurons. Conclusion Our results suggest that the carbonic anhydrase enzyme may constitute part of a common VTA GABA neuron-based biological pathway responsible for controlling the mechanisms underlying opiate motivation, supporting the hypothesis that VTA GABAA receptor hyperpolarization or depolarization is responsible for selecting TPP- or dopamine-dependent motivational outputs, respectively. PMID:23392354

Effective medical treatment of opiate addiction. National Consensus Development Panel on Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-12-09

To provide clinicians, patients, and the general public with a responsible assessment of the effective approaches to treat opiate dependence. A nonfederal, nonadvocate, 12-member panel representing the fields of psychology, psychiatry, behavioral medicine, family medicine, drug abuse, epidemiology, and the public. In addition, 25 experts from these same fields presented data to the panel and a conference audience of 600. Presentations and discussions were divided into 3 phases over 2 1/2 days: (1) presentations by investigators working in the areas relevant to the consensus questions during a 2-day public session; (2) questions and statements from conference attendees during open discussion periods that are part of the public session; and (3) closed deliberations by the panel during the remainder of the second day and morning of a third day. The conference was organized and supported by the Office of Medical Applications of Research, National Institutes of Health. The literature was searched through MEDLINE and other National Library of Medicine and online databases from January 1994 through September 1997 and an extensive bibliography of 941 references was provided to the panel and the conference audience. Experts prepared abstracts for their presentations as speakers at the conference with relevant citations from the literature. Scientific evidence was given precedence over clinical anecdotal experience. The panel, answering predefined questions, developed its conclusions based on the scientific evidence presented in open forum and the scientific literature. The panel composed a draft statement that was read in its entirety and circulated to the experts and the audience for comment. Thereafter, the panel resolved conflicting recommendations and released a revised statement at the end of the conference. The panel finalized the revisions within a few weeks after the conference. The draft statement was made available on the World Wide Web immediately following its

Suboxone misuse along the opiate maintenance treatment pathway.

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Furst, R Terry

2013-01-01

This study explores strategies that Suboxone misusers utilize while in drug treatment. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with 14 patients who had cycled in and out of Suboxone treatment. The objective of the study is to identify strategies implemented by patients who intermittently use opiates/opioids while in Suboxone treatment. Findings indicate that some patients serially stop and start treatment in a Harm Reduction setting in New York City. Many patients suggest that they manage their opiate/opioid dependency through a sequential use of Suboxone and heroin to avoid withdrawal and to continue their misuse of opiates/opioids. Results are discussed in conjunction with the difficulties inherent to substance abuse treatment and suggestions for improvement are offered.

Interrogative suggestibility in opiate users.

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Murakami, A; Edelmann, R J; Davis, P E

1996-09-01

The present study investigated interrogative suggestibility in opiate users. A group of patients undergoing a methadone detoxification programme in an in-patient drug treatment unit (Detox group, n = 21), and a group of residents who had come off drugs and were no longer suffering from withdrawal syndrome (Rehab group, n = 19) were compared on interrogative suggestibility and various other psychological factors. Significant differences were found between the two groups, with the Detox group having more physical and psychological problems, and a higher total suggestibility score in comparison with the Rehab group. These findings are discussed in relation to the context of police interrogations and the reliability of confessions made by suspects and witnesses dependent on opiates.

Identification of a dopamine receptor-mediated opiate reward memory switch in the basolateral amygdala-nucleus accumbens circuit.

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Lintas, Alessandra; Chi, Ning; Lauzon, Nicole M; Bishop, Stephanie F; Gholizadeh, Shervin; Sun, Ninglei; Tan, Huibing; Laviolette, Steven R

2011-08-03

The basolateral amygdala (BLA), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and nucleus accumbens (NAc) play central roles in the processing of opiate-related associative reward learning and memory. The BLA receives innervation from dopaminergic fibers originating in the VTA, and both dopamine (DA) D1 and D2 receptors are expressed in this region. Using a combination of in vivo single-unit extracellular recording in the NAc combined with behavioral pharmacology studies, we have identified a double dissociation in the functional roles of DA D1 versus D2 receptor transmission in the BLA, which depends on opiate exposure state; thus, in previously opiate-naive rats, blockade of intra-BLA D1, but not D2, receptor transmission blocked the acquisition of associative opiate reward memory, measured in an unbiased conditioned place preference procedure. In direct contrast, in rats made opiate dependent and conditioned in a state of withdrawal, intra-BLA D2, but not D1, receptor blockade blocked opiate reward encoding. This functional switch was dependent on cAMP signaling as comodulation of intra-BLA cAMP levels reversed or replicated the functional effects of intra-BLA D1 or D2 transmission during opiate reward processing. Single-unit in vivo extracellular recordings performed in neurons of the NAc confirmed an opiate-state-dependent role for BLA D1/D2 transmission in NAc neuronal response patterns to morphine. Our results characterize and identify a novel opiate addiction switching mechanism directly in the BLA that can control the processing of opiate reward information as a direct function of opiate exposure state via D1 or D2 receptor signaling substrates.

Pharmacoepidemiology of opiate use in the neonatal ICU: Increasing cumulative doses and iatrogenic opiate withdrawal.

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Lewis, Tamorah; Erfe, Betty Luan; Ezell, Tarrah; Gauda, Estelle

2015-01-01

Neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) care involves use of opiates to treat postoperative, ventilated, or chronically ill infants. Opiates provide necessary analgesia and sedation, but the morbidities include prolonged neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and extended length of stay for dose tapering. Our objective was to quantify trends in opiate exposure in a tertiary care NICU. The authors hypothesize that medical opiate exposure and resultant ICU-acquired NAS would increase over time. Retrospective cross-sectional cohort study. Tertiary care NICU. High-risk inborn infants admitted in fiscal years 2003-2004, 2007-2008, and 2010-2011. Average cumulative morphine exposure (all opiate doses converted to morphine equivalents) per time epoch was compared in cohorts of clinically similar infants. Linear regression was used to assess the primary outcome, assessing changes in opiate exposure over time. Sixty-three infants were included in the final analysis. The primary analysis assessing cumulative opiate exposure per infant showed an increase of 134 mg per time epoch (95% CI-12, 279 mg, p-value 0.071). There was a statistically significant increase in the percent of infants with a diagnosis of iatrogenic NAS, increasing from 9 to 35 to 50 percent (p-value 0.012).

Social stress engages opioid regulation of locus coeruleus norepinephrine neurons and induces a state of cellular and physical opiate dependence.

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Chaijale, Nayla N; Curtis, Andre L; Wood, Susan K; Zhang, Xiao-Yan; Bhatnagar, Seema; Reyes, Beverly As; Van Bockstaele, Elisabeth J; Valentino, Rita J

2013-09-01

Stress is implicated in diverse psychiatric disorders including substance abuse. The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system is a major stress response system that is also a point of intersection between stress neuromediators and endogenous opioids and so may be a site at which stress can influence drug-taking behaviors. As social stress is a common stressor for humans, this study characterized the enduring impact of repeated social stress on LC neuronal activity. Rats were exposed to five daily consecutive sessions of social stress using the resident-intruder model or control manipulation. LC discharge rate recorded 2 days after the last manipulation was decreased in stressed rats compared with controls. By 10 days after the last manipulation, LC rates were comparable between groups. Systemic administration of the opiate antagonist, naloxone, robustly increased LC discharge rate in a manner suggestive of opiate withdrawal, selectively in stressed rats when administered 2 or 10 days after the last manipulation. This was accompanied by behavioral signs of mild opiate withdrawal. Western blot and electron microscopic studies indicated that repeated social stress decreased corticotropin-releasing factor type 1 receptor and increased μ-opioid receptor levels in the LC. Together, the results suggest that repeated social stress engages endogenous opioid modulation of LC activity and induces signs of cellular and physical opiate dependence that endure after the stress. These cellular effects may predispose individuals with a history of repeated social stress to substance abuse behaviors.

Comparison of temperament and character personality traits in opiate and stimulant addicts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Sadeghi Pouya

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Phenomenon of addiction as one of the social problems has a high prevalence, especially among youth. The aim of the present study was to compare personality traits based on the temperament and character inventory in opiate and stimulant addicts in Tehran.  Methods: In the present quasi-experimental study, 60 male addicts (30 opiate and 30 stimulant addicts who referred to addiction treatment centers in the suburbs of Tehran were selected through convenience sampling method and were studied using Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI. The participants were sorted according to their age and education.    Results: There was a significant difference between the two groups with regard to harm avoidance, reward dependence, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence traits. Thus, opiate addicts had higher levels of harm avoidance, reward dependence, and cooperativeness, and stimulant addicts had higher levels of self-transcendence. The significance level was set at P<0.01.  Conclusion: The obtained results showed that there was a significant difference between opiate and stimulant addicts. Opiate addicts gained higher scores, compared with stimulant addicts, in Temperament and Character Inventory variables. The obtained results also showed that stimulant addicts were suffering from more severe disorders than opiate addicts. Based on the means of the values of the TCI, personality traits reflecting personality disorders are detectable and predictable in substance abusers. This new understanding is important in the prevention and treatment of addiction.

Neurogenetics of acute and chronic opiate/opioid abstinence: treating symptoms and the cause.

Science.gov (United States)

Blum, Kenneth; Gold, Mark S; Jacobs, William; McCall, William Vaughn; Febo, Marcelo; Baron, David; Dushaj, Kristina; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Badgaiyan, Rajendra D

2017-03-01

This review begins with a comprehensive history of opioid dependence and treatment in the United States. The focus is an evidence-based treatment model for opioid/opiate dependent individuals. The role of reward genetic polymorphisms and the epigenetic modifications that lead to vulnerability to use and misuse of opiates/opioid to treat pain are reviewed. The neurochemical mechanisms of acute opiate withdrawal and opiate/opioid reward mechanisms are explored with a goal of identifying specific treatment targets. Alterations in functional brain connectivity based on neurobiological mechanisms in heroin dependence and abstinence are also reviewed. A new clinical model an alternative to merely blocking acute withdrawal symptoms as identified in the DSM -5 is proposed. Genetic diagnosis at the onset of detoxification, to determine risk stratification, and identify polymorphic gene targets for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical interventions, followed by the simultaneous initiation of Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT), to enable psychological extinction, and steady pro-dopaminergic therapy with the goal of developing "dopamine homeostasis" is recommended. The objective of these interventions is to prevent future relapse by treating all "Reward Deficiency Syndrome" (RDS) behaviors and eventually make an addiction-free life possible .

Modulation of opiate-related signaling molecules in morphine-dependent conditioned behavior: conditioned place preference to morphine induces CREB phosphorylation.

Science.gov (United States)

Morón, José A; Gullapalli, Srinivas; Taylor, Chirisse; Gupta, Achla; Gomes, Ivone; Devi, Lakshmi A

2010-03-01

Opiate addiction is a chronic, relapsing behavioral disorder where learned associations that develop between the abused opiate and the environment in which it is consumed are brought about through Pavlovian (classical) conditioning processes. However, the signaling mechanisms/pathways regulating the mechanisms that underlie the responses to opiate-associated cues or the development of sensitization as a consequence of repeated context-independent administration of opiates are unknown. In this study we examined the phosphorylation levels of various classic signaling molecules in brain regions implicated in addictive behaviors after acute and repeated morphine administration. An unbiased place conditioning protocol was used to examine changes in phosphorylation that are associated with (1) the expression of the rewarding effects of morphine and (2) the sensitization that develops to this effect. We also examined the effects of a delta-receptor antagonist on morphine-induced conditioned behavior and on the phosphorylation of classic signaling molecules in view of data showing that blockade of delta-opioid receptor (deltaOR) prevents the development of sensitization to the rewarding effects of morphine. We find that CREB phosphorylation is specifically induced upon the expression of a sensitized response to morphine-induced conditioned behavior in brain areas related to memory consolidation, such as the hippocampus and cortex. A similar effect is also observed, albeit to a lesser extent, in the case of the GluR1 subunit of AMPA glutamate receptor. These increases in the phosphorylation levels of CREB and pGluR1 are significantly blocked by pretreatment with a deltaOR antagonist. These results indicate a critical role for phospho-CREB, AMPA, and deltaOR activities in mediating the expression of a sensitized response to morphine-dependent conditioned behavior.

Pharmacological Treatment of Neonatal Opiate Withdrawal: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony Liu

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Illicit drug use with opiates in pregnancy is a major global health issue with neonatal withdrawal being a common complication. Morphine is the main pharmacological agent administered for the treatment of neonatal withdrawal. In the past, morphine has been considered by and large inert in terms of its long-term effects on the central nervous system. However, recent animal and clinical studies have demonstrated that opiates exhibit significant effects on the growing brain. This includes direct dose-dependent effects on reduction in brain size and weight, protein, DNA, RNA, and neurotransmitters—possibly as a direct consequence of a number of opiate-mediated systems that influence neural cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. At this stage, we are stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. There are no real alternatives to pharmacological treatment with opiates and other drugs for neonatal opiate withdrawal and opiate addiction in pregnant women. However, pending further rigorous studies examining the potential harmful effects of opiate exposure in utero and the perinatal period, prolonged use of these agents in the neonatal period should be used judiciously, with caution, and avoided where possible.

Achalasia and chronic opiate use: innocent bystanders or associated conditions?

Science.gov (United States)

Ravi, K; Murray, J A; Geno, D M; Katzka, D A

2016-01-01

High-resolution manometry identifies three subtypes of achalasia. However, type 3 differs from classic achalasia. Although opiates affect esophageal motility, opiate use and achalasia have not been studied. Patients with a new diagnosis of achalasia at Mayo Clinic Rochester between June 1, 2012 and January 3, 2014 were identified. Clinical records were reviewed to assess symptoms, opiate use, and therapy. Fifty-six patients with achalasia were identified, 14 (25%) were on opiates. Opiate prescription was unrelated to achalasia in all cases, with chronic back and joint pain constituting the majority. Of patients on opiates, five (36%) had type 3 achalasia compared with four (10%) not on opiates (P = 0.02). No patients on opiates had type 1 achalasia. Clinical presentation did not differ with opiates, although those on opiates were more likely to report chest pain (39 vs. 14%, P = 0.05) and less likely to have esophageal dilation (62 vs. 82%, P = 0.13), none with greater than 5-cm diameter. Contractile vigor was greater with opiate use, with distal contractile integral of 7149 versus 2615.5 mmHg/cm/second (P = 0.08). Treatment response was inferior on opiates, with persistent symptoms in 22% compared with 3% without opiates (P = 0.06). Opiate use is common in type 3 achalasia, with the majority of patients on opiates. No patients on opiates were diagnosed with type 1 achalasia. Manometric findings of type 3 achalasia mimic those induced by opiates, suggesting a physiologic mechanism for opiate induced type 3 achalasia. Treatment outcome is inferior with opiates, with opiate cessation perhaps preferable. Further studies assessing opiate use and achalasia are needed. © 2014 International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

Machine-learning identifies substance-specific behavioral markers for opiate and stimulant dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Woo-Young; Vassileva, Jasmin

2016-04-01

Recent animal and human studies reveal distinct cognitive and neurobiological differences between opiate and stimulant addictions; however, our understanding of the common and specific effects of these two classes of drugs remains limited due to the high rates of polysubstance-dependence among drug users. The goal of the current study was to identify multivariate substance-specific markers classifying heroin dependence (HD) and amphetamine dependence (AD), by using machine-learning approaches. Participants included 39 amphetamine mono-dependent, 44 heroin mono-dependent, 58 polysubstance dependent, and 81 non-substance dependent individuals. The majority of substance dependent participants were in protracted abstinence. We used demographic, personality (trait impulsivity, trait psychopathy, aggression, sensation seeking), psychiatric (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, anxiety, depression), and neurocognitive impulsivity measures (Delay Discounting, Go/No-Go, Stop Signal, Immediate Memory, Balloon Analogue Risk, Cambridge Gambling, and Iowa Gambling tasks) as predictors in a machine-learning algorithm. The machine-learning approach revealed substance-specific multivariate profiles that classified HD and AD in new samples with high degree of accuracy. Out of 54 predictors, psychopathy was the only classifier common to both types of addiction. Important dissociations emerged between factors classifying HD and AD, which often showed opposite patterns among individuals with HD and AD. These results suggest that different mechanisms may underlie HD and AD, challenging the unitary account of drug addiction. This line of work may shed light on the development of standardized and cost-efficient clinical diagnostic tests and facilitate the development of individualized prevention and intervention programs for HD and AD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Outcome of heroin-dependent adolescents presenting for opiate substitution treatment.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Smyth, Bobby P

2012-01-01

Because the outcome of methadone and buprenorphine substitution treatment in adolescents is unclear, we completed a retrospective cohort study of 100 consecutive heroin-dependent adolescents who sought these treatments over an 8-year recruitment period. The participants\\' average age was 16.6 years, and 54 were female. Half of the patient group remained in treatment for over 1 year. Among those still in treatment at 12 months, 39% demonstrated abstinence from heroin. The final route of departure from the treatment program was via planned detox for 22%, dropout for 32%, and imprisonment for 8%. The remaining 39% were transferred elsewhere for ongoing opiate substitution treatment after a median period of 23 months of treatment. Males were more likely to exit via imprisonment (p < .05), but other outcomes were not predicted by gender. There were no deaths during treatment among these 100 patients who had a cumulative period of 129 person years at risk. Our findings suggest that this treatment delivers reductions in heroin use and that one fifth of patients will exit treatment following detox completion within a 1- to 2-year time frame.

In vivo studies of opiate receptors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frost, J.J.; Dannals, R.F.; Duelfer, T.; Burns, H.D.; Ravert, H.T.; Langstroem, B.; Balasubramanian, V.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.

1984-01-01

To study opiate receptors noninvasively in vivo using positron emission tomography, techniques for preferentially labeling opiate receptors in vivo can be used. The rate at which receptor-bound ligand clears from the brain in vivo can be predicted by measuring the equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) at 37 degrees C in the presence of 100 mM sodium chloride and 100 microM guanyl-5'-imidodiphosphate, the drug distribution coefficient, and the molecular weight. A suitable ligand for labeling opiate receptors in vivo is diprenorphine, which binds to mu, delta, and kappa receptors with approximately equal affinity in vitro. However, in vivo diprenorphine may bind predominantly to one opiate receptor subtype, possibly the mu receptor. To predict the affinity for binding to the opiate receptor, a Hansch correlation was determined between the 50% inhibitory concentration for a series of halogen-substituted fentanyl analogs and electronic, lipophilic, and steric parameters. Radiochemical methods for the synthesis of carbon-11-labeled diprenorphine and lofentanil are presented

In vivo studies of opiate receptors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frost, J.J.; Dannals, R.F.; Duelfer, T.; Burns, H.D.; Ravert, H.T.; Langstroem, B.; Balasubramanian, V.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.

1984-01-01

To study opiate receptors noninvasively in vivo using positron emission tomography, techniques for preferentially labeling opiate receptors in vivo can be used. The rate at which receptor-bound ligand clears from the brain in vivo can be predicted by measuring the equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) at 37 degrees C in the presence of 100 mM sodium chloride and 100 microM guanyl-5'-imidodiphosphate, the drug distribution coefficient, and the molecular weight. A suitable ligand for labeling opiate receptors in vivo is diprenorphine, which binds to mu, delta, and kappa receptors with approximately equal affinity in vitro. However, in vivo diprenorphine may bind predominantly to one opiate receptor subtype, possibly the mu receptor. To predict the affinity for binding to the opiate receptor, a Hansch correlation was determined between the 50% inhibitory concentration for a series of halogen-substituted fentanyl analogs and electronic, lipophilic, and steric parameters. Radiochemical methods for the synthesis of carbon-11-labeled diprenorphine and lofentanil are presented.

Glutamate mechanisms underlying opiate memories

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peters, J.; de Vries, T.J.

2012-01-01

As the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, glutamate plays an undisputable integral role in opiate addiction. This relates, in part, to the fact that addiction is a disorder of learning and memory, and glutamate is required for most types of memory formation. As opiate addiction

NCK2 Is Significantly Associated with Opiates Addiction in African-Origin Men

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhifa Liu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Substance dependence is a complex environmental and genetic disorder with significant social and medical concerns. Understanding the etiology of substance dependence is imperative to the development of effective treatment and prevention strategies. To this end, substantial effort has been made to identify genes underlying substance dependence, and in recent years, genome-wide association studies (GWASs have led to discoveries of numerous genetic variants for complex diseases including substance dependence. Most of the GWAS discoveries were only based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs and a single dichotomized outcome. By employing both SNP- and gene-based methods of analysis, we identified a strong (odds ratio = 13.87 and significant (P value = 1.33E−11 association of an SNP in the NCK2 gene on chromosome 2 with opiates addiction in African-origin men. Codependence analysis also identified a genome-wide significant association between NCK2 and comorbidity of substance dependence (P value = 3.65E−08 in African-origin men. Furthermore, we observed that the association between the NCK2 gene (P value = 3.12E−10 and opiates addiction reached the gene-based genome-wide significant level. In summary, our findings provided the first evidence for the involvement of NCK2 in the susceptibility to opiates addiction and further revealed the racial and gender specificities of its impact.

Opiate Withdrawal Complicated by Tetany and Cardiac Arrest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irfanali R. Kugasia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Patients with symptoms of opiate withdrawal, after the administration of opiate antagonist by paramedics, are a common presentation in the emergency department of hospitals. Though most of opiate withdrawal symptoms are benign, rarely they can become life threatening. This case highlights how a benign opiate withdrawal symptom of hyperventilation led to severe respiratory alkalosis that degenerated into tetany and cardiac arrest. Though this patient was successfully resuscitated, it is imperative that severe withdrawal symptoms are timely identified and immediate steps are taken to prevent catastrophes. An easier way to reverse the severe opiate withdrawal symptom would be with either low dose methadone or partial opiate agonists like buprenorphine. However, if severe acid-base disorder is identified, it would be safer to electively intubate these patients for better control of their respiratory and acid-base status.

Electrocardiographic abnormalities in opiate addicts.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallner, Christina; Stöllberger, Claudia; Hlavin, Anton; Finsterer, Josef; Hager, Isabella; Hermann, Peter

2008-12-01

To determine in a cross-sectional study the prevalence of electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in opiate addicts who were therapy-seeking and its association with demographic, clinical and drug-specific parameters. In consecutive therapy-seeking opiate addicts, a 12-lead ECG was registered within 24 hours after admission and evaluated according to a pre-set protocol between October 2004 and August 2006. Additionally, demographic, clinical and drug-specific parameters were recorded. Included were 511 opiate-addicts, 25% female, with a mean age of 29 years (range 17-59 years). One or more ECG abnormalities were found in 314 patients (61%). In the 511 patients we found most commonly ST abnormalities (19%), QTc prolongation (13%), tall R- and/or S-waves (11%) and missing R progression (10%). ECG abnormalities were more common in males than in females (64 versus 54%, P seizures less often (16 versus 27%, P opiate addicts. The most frequent ECG abnormalities are ST abnormalities, QTc prolongation and tall R- and/or S-waves. ST abnormalities are associated with cannabis, and QTc prolongation with methadone and benzodiazepines.

Integration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies into Primary-Care Pain Management for Opiate Reduction in a Rural Setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehl-Madrona, Lewis; Mainguy, Barbara; Plummer, Julie

2016-08-01

Opiates are no longer considered the best strategy for the long-term management of chronic pain. Yet, physicians have made many patients dependent on them, and these patients still request treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies have been shown to be effective, but are not widely available and are not often covered by insurance or available to the medically underserved. Group medical visits (GMVs) provided education about non-pharmacological methods for pain management and taught mindfulness techniques, movement, guided imagery, relaxation training, yoga, qigong, and t'ai chi. Forty-two patients attending GMVs for at least six months were matched prospectively with patients receiving conventional care. No one increased their dose of opiates. Seventeen people reduced their dose, and seven people stopped opiates. On a 10-point scale of pain intensity, reductions in pain ratings achieved statistical significance (p = 0.001). The average reduction was 0.19 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12-0.60; p = 0.01). The primary symptom improved on average by -0.42 (95% CI -0.31 to -0.93; p = 0.02) on the My Medical Outcome Profile, 2nd version. Improvement in the quality-of-life rating was statistically significant (p = 0.007) with a change of -1.42 (95% CI = -0.59 to -1.62). In conventional care, no patients reduced their opiate use, and 48.5% increased their dose over the two years of the project. GMVs that incorporated CAM therapies helped patients reduce opiate use. While some patients found other physicians to give them the opiates they desired, those who persisted in an environment of respect and acceptance significantly reduced opiate consumption compared with patients in conventional care. While resistant to CAM therapies initially, the majority of patients came to accept and to appreciate their usefulness. GMVs were useful for incorporating non-reimbursed CAM therapies into primary medical care.

Early Maladaptive Schemas in Opiate and Stimulant Users

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Karami

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Early maladaptive schemas are valid representations of unpleasant childhood experiences that shape a person’s viewpoints of the world, and lead to clinical symptoms such as depression, personality disorders, and substance abuse. Given the importance of this matter, we conducted a research on early maladaptive schemas in substance-abusers, to allow more appropriate preventive measures to be taken with a better understanding of the issue. Methods: For this descriptive-comparative study, 115 patients (91 opiate users and 24 stimulant users visiting drug addiction treatment centers were selected through convenience sampling from persons who were admitted to substance abuse treatment centers (Methadone Maintenance therapy centers, addiction treatment camps and self-help groups and Narcotics Anonymous (NA of Yasuj. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Questionnaire and Young’s Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (SQ-SF. Data analysis was done with ANOVA and t-tests. Results: The results showed a significant difference (P<0.05 between users of opiates and stimulants in terms of vulnerability to harm or illness, enmeshment, subjugation, emotional inhibition, entitlement, insufficient self-control/self-discipline, emotional  deprivation, social isolation, defectiveness, failure/shame, and dependence. The average score of the stimulant-users was higher than that of opiate-users in all the schemas except for the dimensions of abandonment, mistrust, and unrelenting standards. Discussion: Stimulant users have more early maladaptive schemas and are at a greater risk of psychological vulnerability. Early maladaptive schemas can be used by clinicians and researchers as a psychopathology and treatment method for substance dependence disorder.

Influence of Psychiatric and Personality Disorders on Smoking Cessation Among Individuals in Opiate Dependence Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooperman, Nina A; Lu, Shou-En; Richter, Kimber P; Bernstein, Steven L; Williams, Jill M

2016-01-01

We aimed to evaluate how psychiatric and personality disorders influence smoking cessation goals and attempts among people with opiate dependence who smoke. This information could aid the development of more effective cessation interventions for these individuals. Participants (N = 116) were recruited from two methadone clinics, completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III, and were asked about their smoking behavior and quitting goals. We used the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) method, a technique commonly used for studies with small sample sizes and large number of predictors, to develop models predicting having a smoking cessation goal, among those currently smoking daily, and ever making a quit attempt, among those who ever smoked. Almost all participants reported ever smoking (n = 115, 99%); 70% (n = 80) had made a serious quit attempt in the past; 89% (n = 103) reported current daily smoking; and 59% (n = 61) had a goal of quitting smoking and staying off cigarettes. Almost all (n = 112, 97%) had clinically significant characteristics of a psychiatric or personality disorder. White race, anxiety, and a negativistic personality facet (expressively resentful) were negative predictors of having a cessation goal. Overall, narcissistic personality pattern and a dependent personality facet (interpersonally submissive) were positive predictors of having a cessation goal. Somatoform disorder, overall borderline personality pattern, and a depressive personality facet (cognitively fatalistic) were negative predictors of ever making a quit attempt. Individual histrionic (gregarious self-image), antisocial (acting out mechanism), paranoid (expressively defensive), and sadistic (pernicious representations) personality disorder facets were positive predictors of ever making a quit attempt. Each model provided good discrimination for having a smoking cessation goal or not (C-statistic of .76, 95% CI [0.66, 0.85]) and ever making a quit

Influence of Psychiatric and Personality Disorders on Smoking Cessation among Individuals in Opiate Dependence Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Cooperman, Nina A.; Lu, Shou-En; Richter, Kimber P.; Bernstein, Steven L.; Williams, Jill M.

2016-01-01

Objective We aimed to evaluate how psychiatric and personality disorders influence smoking cessation goals and attempts among people with opiate dependence who smoke. This information could aid the development of more effective cessation interventions for these individuals. Methods Participants (N=116) were recruited from two methadone clinics, completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory–III, and were asked about their smoking behavior and quitting goals. We used the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) method, a technique commonly used for studies with small sample sizes and large number of predictors, to develop models predicting having a smoking cessation goal, among those currently smoking daily, and ever making a quit attempt, among those who ever smoked. Results Almost all participants reported ever smoking (n = 115, 99%); 70% (n = 80) had made a serious quit attempt in the past; 89% (n = 103) reported current daily smoking; and, 59% (n = 61) had a goal of quitting smoking and staying off cigarettes. Almost all (n = 112, 97%) had clinically significant characteristics of a psychiatric or personality disorder. White race, anxiety, and a negativistic personality facet (expressively resentful) were negative predictors of having a cessation goal. Overall narcissistic personality pattern and a dependent personality facet (interpersonally submissive) were positive predictors of having a cessation goal. Somatoform disorder, overall borderline personality pattern, and a depressive personality facet (cognitively fatalistic) were negative predictors of ever making a quit attempt. Individual histrionic (gregarious self-image), antisocial (acting out mechanism), paranoid (expressively defensive), and sadistic (pernicious representations) personality disorder facets were positive predictors of ever making a quit attempt. Each model provided good discrimination for having a smoking cessation goal or not (C-statistic of .76, 95% CI[0.66, 0

The effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention on the prevention of relapse, craving and self-control in opiate-dependent individuals

OpenAIRE

alireza maredpour; Mahmmod Najafy; Farangiss amiri

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention on the prevention of relapse, craving and self-control in opiate-dependent individuals in Yasuj. Methodology: This quasi-experimental study applied pretest - posttest and a control group. The sample included 30 male patients with drug addiction in Yasuj who were chosen from addiction clinics based on criterion sampling. To collect the required data the short form of Self-Co...

Modification of opiate agonist binding by pertussis toxin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abood, M.E.; Lee, N.M.; Loh, H.H.

1986-03-05

Opiate agonist binding is decreased by GTP, suggesting the possible involvement of GTP binding proteins in regulation of opiate receptor binding. This possibility was addressed by asking whether pertussis toxin treatment, which results in ADP-ribosylation and modification of G proteins, would alter opiate agonist binding. The striatum was chosen for the initial brain area to be studied, since regulation of opiate action in this area had been shown to be modified by pertussis toxin. Treatment of striatal membranes with pertussis toxin results in up to a 55% decrease in /sup 3/(H)-DADLE binding as compared with membranes treated identically without toxin. This corresponds to a near complete ADP-ribosylation of both G proteins in the striatal membrane. The decrease in agonist binding appears to be due to an altered affinity of the receptor for agonist as opposed to a decrease in the number of sites. This effect of pertussis toxin on opiate agonist binding demonstrates the actual involvement of G proteins in regulation of opiate receptor binding.

Modification of opiate agonist binding by pertussis toxin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abood, M.E.; Lee, N.M.; Loh, H.H.

1986-01-01

Opiate agonist binding is decreased by GTP, suggesting the possible involvement of GTP binding proteins in regulation of opiate receptor binding. This possibility was addressed by asking whether pertussis toxin treatment, which results in ADP-ribosylation and modification of G proteins, would alter opiate agonist binding. The striatum was chosen for the initial brain area to be studied, since regulation of opiate action in this area had been shown to be modified by pertussis toxin. Treatment of striatal membranes with pertussis toxin results in up to a 55% decrease in 3 (H)-DADLE binding as compared with membranes treated identically without toxin. This corresponds to a near complete ADP-ribosylation of both G proteins in the striatal membrane. The decrease in agonist binding appears to be due to an altered affinity of the receptor for agonist as opposed to a decrease in the number of sites. This effect of pertussis toxin on opiate agonist binding demonstrates the actual involvement of G proteins in regulation of opiate receptor binding

Poppy Seed Consumption or Opiate Use: The Determination of Thebaine and Opiates of Abuse in Postmortem Fluids and Tissues

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Johnson, Robert D; Lewis, Russell J; Hattrup, Rachael A

2005-01-01

.... Therefore, the interpretation of positive opiate results must be viewed with caution. We have developed a simple method for the simultaneous determination of 8 opiate compounds from one extraction...

Picrotoxin-induced seizures modified by morphine and opiate antagonists.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, J; Nores, W L; Kenigs, V; Olson, G A; Olson, R D

1993-07-01

The effects of naloxone, Tyr-MIF-1, and MIF-1 on morphine-mediated changes in susceptibility to picrotoxin-induced seizures were studied. Rats were pretreated with naloxone, MIF-1, Tyr-MIF-1, or saline. At 15-min intervals, they received a second pretreatment of morphine or saline and then were tested for seizures following a convulsant dose of picrotoxin. Several parameters of specific categories of seizures were scored. Morphine increased the number of focal seizure episodes, duration of postseizure akinesis, and incidence of generalized clonic seizures. Naloxone tended to block the morphine-mediated changes in susceptibility. Tyr-MIF-1 had effects similar to naloxone on duration of postseizure immobility but tended to potentiate the effects of morphine on focal seizure episodes. The effects of morphine and the opiate antagonists on focal seizure episodes and postseizure duration suggest the general involvement of several types of opiate receptors in these picrotoxin-induced behaviors. However, the observation of antagonistic effects for Tyr-MIF-1 on immobility but agonistic effects for focal seizures suggests that the type of effect exerted by opiate agents may depend upon other neuronal variables.

Imaging opiate receptors with positron emission tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frost, J.J.; Dannals, R.F.; Ravert, H.T.; Wilson, A.A.; Wong, D.F.; Links, J.M.; Burns, H.D.; Kuhar, M.J.; Snyder, S.H.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.

1984-01-01

Opiate receptors exist in the mammalian brain and are thought to meditate the diverse pharmacological actions of the opiates, such as analgesia, euphoria, and sedation. The 4-carbomethoxyl derivatives of fentanyl, such as lofentanil and R31833 (4-carbomethoxyfentanyl) bind to the opiate receptor with high affinity. C-11 R31833 was synthesized by reacting C-11 methyl iodide with the appropriate carboxylate. Male ICR mice were injected intravenously with C-11 R31833 (5..mu..g/kg), killed 30 minutes later, and the brains rapidly dissected. The thalami, striata, and cerebral cortex are rich in opiate receptors, but the cerebellum contains a very low concentration of opiate receptors. The thalamus/cerebellum and striatum/cerebellum activity ratios, calculated per mg of wet tissue, were 4.1 and 5.2 respectively. Coinjection of 5mg/kg naloxone reduced the ratios to 1.1, which indicates that the preferential localization of C-11 R31833 in the thalami and striata is due to binding to opiate is due to binding to opiate receptors. A 22 kg anesthetized male baboon was imaged using the NeuroECAT after injection of 18.9 mCi of C-11 R13833 (0.50 ..mu..g/kg, specific activity 616 Ci/mmole at time of injection). From 15-70 minutes after injection preferential accumulation of activity could be seen in the thalami, caudate nuclei, and cerebral cortex and, conversely, low activity was demonstrated in the cerebellum. At one hour postinjection the maximum measured caudate/cerebellum activity ratio per pixel was 2.9. For the NeuroECAT the recovery coefficient for the baboon caudate is ca. 0.2-0.3, and therefore the actual caudate/cerebellum ratio is ca. 10-15.

Imaging opiate receptors with positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frost, J.J.; Dannals, R.F.; Ravert, H.T.

1984-01-01

Opiate receptors exist in the mammalian brain and are thought to meditate the diverse pharmacological actions of the opiates, such as analgesia, euphoria, and sedation. The 4-carbomethoxyl derivatives of fentanyl, such as lofentanil and R31833 (4-carbomethoxyfentanyl) bind to the opiate receptor with high affinity. C-11 R31833 was synthesized by reacting C-11 methyl iodide with the appropriate carboxylate. Male ICR mice were injected intravenously with C-11 R31833 (5μg/kg), killed 30 minutes later, and the brains rapidly dissected. The thalami, striata, and cerebral cortex are rich in opiate receptors, but the cerebellum contains a very low concentration of opiate receptors. The thalamus/cerebellum and striatum/cerebellum activity ratios, calculated per mg of wet tissue, were 4.1 and 5.2 respectively. Coinjection of 5mg/kg naloxone reduced the ratios to 1.1, which indicates that the preferential localization of C-11 R31833 in the thalami and striata is due to binding to opiate is due to binding to opiate receptors. A 22 kg anesthetized male baboon was imaged using the NeuroECAT after injection of 18.9 mCi of C-11 R13833 (0.50 μg/kg, specific activity 616 Ci/mmole at time of injection). From 15-70 minutes after injection preferential accumulation of activity could be seen in the thalami, caudate nuclei, and cerebral cortex and, conversely, low activity was demonstrated in the cerebellum. At one hour postinjection the maximum measured caudate/cerebellum activity ratio per pixel was 2.9. For the NeuroECAT the recovery coefficient for the baboon caudate is ca. 0.2-0.3, and therefore the actual caudate/cerebellum ratio is ca. 10-15

Heroin-assisted treatment as a response to the public health problem of opiate dependence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fischer, Benedikt; Rehm, Jürgen; Kirst, Maritt; Casas, Miguel; Hall, Wayne; Krausz, Michael; Metrebian, Nicky; Reggers, Jean; Uchtenhagen, Ambros; van den Brink, Wim; van Ree, Jan M.

2002-01-01

Injection drug use (involving the injection of illicit opiates) poses serious public health problems in many countries. Research has indicated that injection drug users are at higher risk for morbidity in the form of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C, and drug-related mortality, as well as increased

Recidivism with opiate addicted patients on buprenorphine substitution treatment: Case report

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Crnić Katarina B.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Opiate dependence is a serious, chronic and recurrent psychiatric disorder, whose prevalence reach epidemic proportions. This also contributes to a significant increase in mortality, associated with overdose with opiates, as well as the rise in other health and social problems of the society. The methods and availability of treatment do not correspond to increased treatment needs, and treatment success is limited by the characteristics of the disorder, or numerous risk factors, which contribute to a high percentage of recidivism. Good clinical practice guidelines have defined treatment recommendations that include high and low-demanding programs. The personalized and integrative approaches are emphasized. Case report: The patient aged 41 years, intravenous-use opiate addict from his adolescences, with numerous psychological, health and social complications of addiction, is a participant in institutional treatment, following a court order as a measure of obligatory treatment, due to criminal offenses related to addiction. The history of the disease refers to numerous unsuccessful attempts to heal and short-term abstinence in the past, mainly in penal institutions. The patient meets all the criteria defined by the guidelines for inclusion in the buprenorphine maintenance program started in the year 2013. During the four-year treatment, the doses of the drug were adapted as needed; two heroin relapses and many in-risk situations for relapse were registered. The treatment continued with close monitoring of the patient's condition and, with appropriate psychosocial interventions, contribute to keeping the patient in treatment and preventing the development of new complications of addiction, as well an improving the quality of his life. Discussion: Pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence relies on agents belonging to groups of antagonists, agonists and partial agonists of opiate receptors. The earlier programs with abstinence as a

Medically assisted recovery from opiate dependence within the context of the UK drug strategy: methadone and Suboxone (buprenorphine-naloxone) patients compared.

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McKeganey, Neil; Russell, Christopher; Cockayne, Lucinda

2013-01-01

The focus of drug policy in the UK has shifted markedly in the past 5 years to move beyond merely emphasising drug abstinence towards maximising individuals' opportunities for recovery. The UK government continues to recognise the prescribing of narcotic medications indicated for opiate dependence as a key element of these individuals' recovery journey. This article describes a small, naturalistic comparison of the efficacy of the two most commonly prescribed opiate substitute medications in the UK--methadone hydrochloride (methadone oral solution) and Suboxone (buprenorphine-naloxone sublingual tablets)--for reducing current heroin users' (n = 34) days of heroin use, and preventing short-term abstainers (n = 37) from relapsing to regular heroin use. All patients had been prescribed either methadone or Suboxone for maintenance for 6 months prior to intake. Results showed that when controlling for a number of patient-level covariates, both methadone and Suboxone significantly reduced current users' days of heroin use between the 90 days prior to intake and at the 8-month follow-up, with Suboxone yielding a significantly larger magnitude reduction in heroin use days than methadone. Methadone and Suboxone were highly and equally effective for preventing relapse to regular heroin use, with all but 3 of 37 (91.9%) patients who were abstinent at intake reporting past 90-day point prevalence heroin abstinence at the 8-month follow-up. Overall, prescribing methadone or Suboxone for eight continuous months was highly effective for initiating abstinence from heroin use, and for converting short-term abstinence to long-term abstinence. However, the study design, which was based on a relatively small sample size and was not able randomise patients to medication and so could not control for the effects of potential prognostic factors inherent within each patient group, means that these conclusions can only be made tentatively. These positive but preliminary indications of the

Morphine analgesia and cerebral opiate receptors: a developmental study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auguy-Valette, A.; Pontonnier, G.; Cros, J.; Gouarderes, C.; Gout, R.

1978-01-01

Development of the analgesic response to morphine and ontogenesis of central opiate receptors were analyzed in rats 5 to 120 days old. The analgesic effect of morphine increased until day 15, after which it decreased to reach a plateau at about day 30. With phenoperidine, on the other hand, the analgesic effect increased until day 15, remained constant between day 15 and day 30 after which it decreased slowly. The ratio of the amounts of morphine in blood over those in brain increased about 3 fold between day 15 and day 30. Opiate receptors were detected in the brain of newborn rats; stereospecific binding of [ 3 H]-naloxone at 10 and 50 nM indicated the presence of low and high affinity binding sites. The number of [ 3 H]-naloxone binding sites increased rapidly during the second and third week after birth. Their affinity for several opiates remained constant throughout development. These results indicate that the analgesic activity of opiates varies with age: until day 15, the analgesic effect of opiates increases in parallel with the number of opiate brain receptors. Then, the formation of the blood brain barrier introduces an additional step in the regulation of opiate activity. (author)

Differences in prevalence of prescription opiate misuse among rural and urban probationers.

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Havens, Jennifer R; Oser, Carrie B; Leukefeld, Carl G; Webster, J Matthew; Martin, Steven S; O'Connell, Daniel J; Surratt, Hilary L; Inciardi, James A

2007-01-01

We compared the prevalence of prescription opiate misuse among 2 cohorts of felony probationers (N = 1525). Multiple logistic regression was utilized to determine the independent correlates of prescription opiate misuse among rural (n = 782) and urban (n = 743) probationers participating in an HIV-intervention study. After adjustment for differences in demographic and drug use characteristics, rural participants were almost five times more likely than their urban counterparts to have misused prescription opiates. The prevalence of prescription opiate misuse was significantly higher among the rural probationers; however, given the paucity of illicit opiates and relatively recent emergence of prescription opiates in rural areas, rural substance abuse treatment may be ill-prepared to treat prescription opiate misuse.

Neuropsychological predictors of clinical outcome in opiate addiction.

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Passetti, F; Clark, L; Mehta, M A; Joyce, E; King, M

2008-04-01

A growing literature supports a role for neurocognitive deficits such as impaired decision-making in the development and maintenance of addictive behaviour. On the basis of these findings, it has been suggested that measures of neurocognitive functioning may be applied to the task of predicting clinical outcome in drug addiction. This in turn may have relevance for differentiating treatment based on individual patient needs. To explore this hypothesis we obtained neurocognitive measures of planning, impulsivity and decision-making from 37 opiate dependent individuals within 6 weeks of starting a community drug treatment programme and we followed them up 3 months into the programme. Performance on two tests of decision-making, but not on tests of planning, motor inhibition, reflection impulsivity or delay discounting, was found to predict abstinence from illicit drugs at 3 months with high specificity and moderate sensitivity. In particular, two thirds of the participants performing normally on the Cambridge Gamble Task and the Iowa Gambling Task, but none of those impaired on both, were abstinent from illicit drugs at follow up. Other neuropsychological, psychiatric or psychosocial factors measured in this sample did not explain this finding. The results are discussed in terms of the brain circuitry involved and the potential implications for the planning of treatment services for opiate dependence.

Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Opiate Use and Retention in Methadone Maintenance Treatment in China: A Randomised Trial.

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Shujun Pan

Full Text Available Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT is widely available in China; but, high rates of illicit opiate use and dropout are problematic. The aim of this study was to test whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT in conjunction with MMT can improve treatment retention and reduce opiate use.A total of 240 opiate-dependent patients in community-based MMT clinics were randomly assigned to either weekly CBT plus standard MMT (CBT group, n=120 or standard MMT (control group, n=120 for 26 weeks. The primary outcomes were treatment retention and opiate-negative urine test results at 12 weeks and 26 weeks. The secondary outcomes were composite scores on the Addiction Severity Index (ASI and total scores on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS at 12 weeks and 26 weeks.Compared to the control group in standard MMT, the CBT group had higher proportion of opiate-negative urine tests at both 12 weeks (59% vs. 69%, p<0.05 and 26 weeks (63% vs. 73%, p<0.05; however, the retention rates at 12 weeks (73.3% vs. 74.2%, p=0.88 and 26 weeks were not different (55.8% vs. 64.2%, p=0.19 between the two groups. At both 12 and 26 weeks, all of the ASI component scores and PSS total scores in the CBT group and control group decreased from baseline; but the CBT group exhibited more decreases in ASI employment scores at week 26 and more decrease in the PSS total score at week 12 and week 26.CBT counselling is effective in reducing opiate use and improving employment function and in decreasing stress level for opiate-dependent patients in MMT in China.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01144390.

Opiate addiction in Republic of Srpska: Characteristics and etiology

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Niškanović Jelena

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Opiate addiction is a significant social and health problem with a negative impact on individuals' health and their social environment. The aim of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of opiate addicts in order to determine the social and contextual factors underlying the development of addiction. All health care facilities and therapeutic communities which provide care and help addicts are required to fill in the Form of treated addicts. The analysis included people who sought treatment during the period from 25th November 2010 to 21st May 2013 in health care facilities and associations for substance abuse treatment in the Republic of Srpska. The majority of treated addicts belong to opiate addiction (N= 241: 91%. Opiate addicts are mostly males (88.8%, while 11.2% of treated opiate addicts are female. The highest percentage of opiate addicts live in urban areas (86.7%, have secondary education (73.4%, 63.3% are unemployed, while 70.5% live with primary family. Predominant etiologic factor for the development of addiction is peer or partner pressure (29%, pathology of the family as family breakdown or alcoholism (19.3%, while on the third place is low self control (16.8%. For 19.1% of opiate addicts, delinquent behavior started before taking any drugs. The presented data confirms the importance of social environment, like low family control and presence of family pathology. The mentioned factors in combination with negative peer pressure can lead to risky behavior and potential addiction.

The epileptogenic spectrum of opiate agonists.

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Snead, O C; Bearden, L J

1982-11-01

The present authors gave mu, delta, kappa, epsilon and sigma opiate receptor agonists intracerebroventricularly to rats both singly and in combination while monitoring the electroencephalogram from cortical and depth electrodes. Dose-response curves were plotted with naloxone against the changes produced by each agonist, and the effect of a number of anticonvulsant drugs on agonist-induced seizures was ascertained. Each opiate agonist produced a different seizure pattern with a different naloxone dose-response curve and anticonvulsant profile. The order of convulsive potency was epsilon greater than delta greater than mu greater than sigma much greater than kappa. Petit mal-like seizure activity was unique to the delta agonist, leucine-enkephalin, while only the mu agonist, morphine produced generalized convulsive seizures. These experiments raise the possibility that opiate systems in the brain may be involved in the pathogenesis of a wide spectrum of seizure disorders.

Temporal correlation between opiate seizures in East/Southeast Asia and B.C. heroin deaths: a transoceanic model of heroin death risk.

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McLean, Mark E

2003-01-01

Because heroin supply changes cannot be measured directly, their impact on populations is poorly understood. British Columbia has experienced an injection drug use epidemic since the 1980s that resulted in 2,590 illicit drug deaths from 1990-1999. Since previous work indicates heroin seizures can correlate with supply and B.C. receives heroin only from Southeast Asia, this study examined B.C. heroin deaths against opiate seizures in East/Southeast Asia. Opiate seizures in East/Southeast Asia and data from two B.C. mortality datasets containing heroin deaths were examined. The Pearson correlation coefficient for seizures against each mortality dataset was determined. Opiate seizures, all illicit drug deaths and all opiate deaths concurrently increased twice and decreased twice from 1989-1999, and all reached new peak values in 1993. Three B.C. sub-regions exhibited illicit drug deaths rate trends concurrent with the three principal datasets studied. The Pearson correlation coefficient for opiate-induced deaths against opiate seizures from 1980-1999 was R=0.915 (popiate seizures from 1987-1999 was R=0.896 (popiate seizures in East/Southeast Asia were very strongly correlated with B.C. opiate and illicit drug deaths. The number of B.C. heroin-related deaths may be strongly linked to heroin supply. Enforcement services are not effective in preventing harm caused by heroin in B.C.; therefore, Canada should examine other methods to prevent harm. The case for harm reduction is strengthened by the ineffectiveness of enforcement and the unlikelihood of imminent eradication of heroin production in Southeast Asia.

Racial Differences in Opiate Administration for Pain Relief at an Academic Emergency Department

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Dickason, R. Myles

2015-05-01

noted for all three conditions: LBF, migraine, and back pain at this institution. A race-based disparity in the likelihood of receiving opiate analgesia for back pain was observed in this ED. The etiology of this is likely multifactorial, but understanding physician and patient characteristics of institutions may help to decrease the disparity by raising awareness of practice patterns and can provide the basis for quality improvement projects. [West J Emerg Med. 2015;16(3:372–380.

Photoaffinity labeling of opiate receptors using intrinsically photoactive 3H-opiates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kooper, G.N.; Levinson, N.R.; Copeland, C.F.; Bowen, W.D.

1988-01-01

Opiate receptors in rat and cow brain membranes have been labeled irreversibly using the intrinsic photolability of 3H-opiates. Membranes were incubated with 3H-ligand and then irradiated with UV light of 254 nm. Nonspecific binding was determined in the presence of 10 microM unlabeled levallorphan. Irreversible binding was defined as binding which survived heat or acid denaturation of membranes. Specific incorporation of label into denatured samples was observed only when unbound or loosely bound 3H-ligand was washed free from the membranes prior to irradiation. There was a general correlation between photosensitivity of the 3H-ligand and its ability to photolabel receptors. Hence, photolabeling presumably results by covalent attachment of highly reactive species generated during photochemical decomposition of ligand. With 3H-etorphine, optimal irradiation time was 5 min. In addition to 3H-etorphine, receptors could be labeled irreversibly with 3H-oxymorphone, 3H-dihydromorphine, and 3H-ethylketocyclazocine. Of the specific binding present in irradiated, nondenatured samples, 45-60% remained attached to receptors upon denaturation. 3H-Ethylketocyclazocine exhibited an 86% yield of incorporation. Signal-to-noise levels of 50-80% could be achieved in denatured samples. Therefore, this method provides a means of covalently labeling opiate receptors in high yield and with high signal-to-noise ratios. The opioid peptides, 3H-D-Ala2,D-Leu5-enkephalin, 3H-D-Ser2,Leu5,Thr6-enkephalin, 3H-D-Ala2,Met5-enkephalin amide, and 3H-D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly-ol5-enkephalin, as well as the benzomorphan, 3H-bremazocine, apparently lack the structural characteristics which allow photolabeling

Decision-making, somatic markers and emotion processing in opiate users.

Science.gov (United States)

Biernacki, Kathryn; Terrett, Gill; McLennan, Skye N; Labuschagne, Izelle; Morton, Phoebe; Rendell, Peter G

2018-01-01

Opiate use is associated with deficits in decision-making. A possible explanation for these deficits is provided by the somatic marker hypothesis, which suggests that substance users may experience abnormal emotional responses during decision-making involving reward and punishment. This in turn may interfere with the brief physiological arousal, i.e. somatic markers that normally occur in anticipation of risky decisions. To date, the applicability of the somatic marker hypothesis to explain decision-making deficits has not been investigated in opiate users. This study assessed whether decision-making deficits in opiate users were related to abnormal emotional responses and reduced somatic markers. Opiate users enrolled in an opiate substitute treatment program (n = 28) and healthy controls (n = 32) completed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) while their skin conductance responses (SCRs) were recorded. Participants' emotional responses to emotion-eliciting videos were also recorded using SCRs and subjective ratings. Opiate users displayed poorer decision-making on the IGT than did controls. However, there were no differences between the groups in SCRs; both groups displayed stronger SCRs following punishment than following reward, and both groups displayed stronger anticipatory SCRs prior to disadvantageous decisions than advantageous decisions. There were no group differences in objective or subjective measures of emotional responses to the videos. The results suggest that deficits in emotional responsiveness are not apparent in opiate users who are receiving pharmacological treatment. Thus, the somatic marker hypothesis does not provide a good explanation for the decision-making deficits in this group.

Pro- and anticonvulsant actions of morphine and the endogenous opioids: involvement and interactions of multiple opiate and non-opiate systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Frenk, H

1983-10-01

The proconvulsant actions of high doses of systemic morphine are probably mediated by 3 different systems. One of them produces non-convulsant electrographic seizures and can be activated separately from the others both by intracerebroventricular injections as well as microinjections into discrete subcortical areas. The enkephalins and beta-endorphin, when administered to the same loci, produce similar effects. Pharmacological evidence suggests that specific opiate receptors of the delta-subtype mediate the epileptiform effects produced by this system. The second system mediating proconvulsant effects of systemic morphine is not mediated by stereo-specific opiate receptors. It produces behavioral convulsions, and the GABA-ergic system has been implicated in its action. A third proconvulsant action of systemic morphine can be activated separately from the other two systems by administering this compound with other convulsive agents or manipulations. Specific mu-type opiate receptors are implicated in this effect. In addition to potent proconvulsant effects, systemic morphine also has anticonvulsant properties which are mediated by specific opiate mu-receptors. The conditions under which morphine acts as a proconvulsant rather than an anticonvulsant agent are, as yet, not understood.

Psychometric evaluation of the Dutch version of the Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, B.A.G.; Krabbe, P.F.M.; Riezebos, T.G.M.; Staak, C.P.F. van der; Jong, C.A.J. de

2007-01-01

AIM: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the 16-item Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS). The SOWS measures withdrawal symptoms at the time of assessment. METHODS: The Dutch SOWS was repeatedly administered to a sample of 272 opioid-dependent inpatients of four

The efficacy of methadone maintenance interventions in reducing illicit opiate use, HIV risk behavior and criminality: a meta-analysis.

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Marsch, L A

1998-04-01

To provide empirically based evaluation data regarding the efficacy of psychopharmacological interventions in opiate substance abuse, the present study employed meta-analytic statistical procedures to determine the effectiveness of methadone hydrochloride as a pharmacotherapeutic agent. Empirical research findings from 11 studies investigating the effect of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) on illicit opiate use, and eight and 24 studies investigating the effect of MMT on HIV risk behaviors and criminal activities, respectively, by individuals in such treatment were addressed. Results demonstrate a consistent, statistically significant relationship between MMT and the reduction of illicit opiate use, HIV risk behaviors and drug and property-related criminal behaviors. The effectiveness of MMT is most apparent in its ability to reduce drug-related criminal behaviors. MMT had a moderate effect in reducing illicit opiate use and drug and property-related criminal behaviors, and a small to moderate effect in reducing HIV risk behaviors. Results clarify discrepancies in the literature and are useful in predicting the outcomes of individuals in treatment. The treatment's effectiveness is evident among opiate-dependent individuals across a variety of contexts, cultural and ethnic groups, and study designs.

Activation of the mu-opiate receptor by Vitex agnus-castus methanol extracts: implication for its use in PMS.

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, D E; Lu, J; Chen, S-N; Farnsworth, N R; Wang, Z Jim

2006-06-30

The dried ripe fruit of Vitex agnus-castus L. (VAC) is widely used for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). A previous study reported that extracts of VAC showed affinity to opiate receptors; however, functional activity was not determined. We tested two different VAC extracts in receptor binding and functional assays. Our objectives were: (1) to confirm the opiate affinity; (2) to rule out interference by free fatty acids (FFA); (3) to determine the mode of action of VAC at the mu-opiate receptor. Methanol extracts of VAC were prepared either before (VAC-M1) or after (VAC-M2) extraction with petroleum ether to remove fatty acids. Both extracts showed significant affinities to the mu-opiate receptor, as indicated by the concentration-dependent displacement of [3H]DAMGO binding in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-human mu-opiate receptor (hMOR) cells. The IC50 values were estimated to be 159.8 microg/ml (VAC-M1) and 69.5 microg/ml (VAC-M2). Since the defatted extract not only retained, but exhibited a higher affinity (p<0.001), it argued against significant interference by fatty acids. In an assay to determine receptor activation, VAC-M1 and VAC-M2 stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS binding by 41 and 61% (p<0.001), respectively. These results suggested for the first time that VAC acted as an agonist at the mu-opiate receptor, supporting its beneficial action in PMS.

Comparison of the components of mindfulness on Stimulant and opiate addicts

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Sayeadyounes Mohammadi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Phenomenon of addiction as one of the social problem have the high prevalence, especially among youth. Study and scientific cognition of mental and psychological components of addicts is very important in order to help them to compatibility and reduce their psychological problem. Therefore, the aim of present study was to comparison of mindfulness components on stimulant and opiate addicts. Materials & Methods: In this study 60 addicts (30 opiate addicts and 30 stimulants addicts were studied by using Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ. Data were analyzed by using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA. Results: findings showed that there was a significant difference between opiate and stimulant addicts in mindfulness components. Conclusion: results illustrated that the opiate addicts gained higher scores than stimulant addicts in mindfulness components. The results also emphasized that mindfulness components are as determinant variable in opiate and stimulant addicts pathology.

The Independence Pipeline project : ANR's supply link - Independence Pipeline, Transco's market link

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persells, T.

1998-01-01

An overview of the Independence Pipeline project was presented. The project offers access from Chicago to the U.S. Midwest market, as well as to Ontario via MichCon, Consumers Power, Great Lakes and Panhandle. The project has three components: ANR's Supply Link, the Independence Pipeline and Transco's MarketLink. The three components are budgeted at $ 1.332 billion dollars and projected for completion between Nov 1999 and Nov 2000. Each component (services, access advantages, market links, rates, storage services, etc ) are described separately. figs

[Hospital morbidity and mortality of acute opiate intoxication].

Science.gov (United States)

Larpin, R; Vincent, A; Perret, C

1990-09-22

The records of 188 consecutive patients admitted for acute opiate intoxication were analyzed retrospectively to evaluate the morbidity and mortality of opiates. The most frequently used of these drugs were heroin (127 cases) and methadone (41 cases). In 79 cases the opiate was associated with another psychodepressant, usually benzodiazepines, alcohol or barbiturates. Forty-seven percent of the patients were admitted in deep coma, with respiratory arrest in almost every case. The complications observed in 49 patients were: aspiration of gastric contents (n = 24), rhabdomyolysis (n = 22), often associated with myocarditis (n = 13), pulmonary edema (n = 16), convulsions (n = 10), left ventricular dysfunction (n = 5) and lesions of the peripheral nervous system (n = 4). All patients survived, except one who died of cardiac arrest before admission. It is concluded that acute opiate intoxication treated in hospital has an excellent prognosis for life provided no cardiac arrest occurs prior to admission. One quarter of the patients require prolonged stay in an intensive care unit because of complications. The other patients, even when deeply comatose on admission, spend less than 1 day in hospital owing to the specific antagonist available.

Opiate addicts in and outside of treatment; Different populations?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.A. Goossensen (Anne)

1997-01-01

textabstractThe core of this study is related to the insight that the population of opiate addicls is quite an invisible group. Some paris of this group can be identified at treatment institutions and in prisons. However, a large pari of the opiate addicls is hard to detect. This is because

Production of antibodies which recognize opiate receptors on murine leukocytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carr, D.J.J.; Bost, K.L.; Blalock, J.E.

1988-01-01

An antibody has been developed which recognizes opiate receptors on cells of the immune system. This antibody blocks specific binding of the radiolabeled opiate receptor ligand, /sup 3/H-dihydromorphine, to receptors on murine splenocytes. Additionally, the anti-receptor antibody competes with ..beta..-endorphin, meta-enkephalin, and naloxone for the same binding site on the leukocytes. Moreover, the anti-receptor antibody possesses agonist activity similar to ..beta..-endorphin in suppressing cAMP production by lymphocytes. These results suggest the development of an antibody which recognizes classical opiate receptors on cells of the immune system.

Effect of moderate alcohol consumption on plasma opiate levels in premenopausal women

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhathena, S.J.; Kim, Y.C.; Law, J.S.; Berlin, E.; Judd. J.T.; Reichman, M.E.; Taylor, P.R.; Schatzkin, A. (Dept. of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD (United States) NCI, Bethesda, MD (United States))

1991-03-15

Opiate changes have been reported in response to excessive alcohol consumption. Different phases of the menstrual cycle also affect the opiate tone. The authors studied the effect of moderate alcohol consumption and the menstrual cycle per se on plasma opiates. Forty premenopausal women were given alcohol or a soft drink of equal caloric value for 3 menstrual cycles in a cross over study. The subjects were fed a controlled diet containing 35% of energy from fat. Blood was collected in the third menstrual cycle of each period during follicular (F), ovulatory (O) and luteal (L) phases. {beta}-endorphin, met-enkephalin and lwu-enkephalin (LE) were measured by radioimmunoassay. None of the opiates showed significant change after alcohol consumption though LE was consistently higher after alcohol consumption during all three phases of the menstrual cycle. There was a significant decrease in BEN during L phase compared to F phase while both enkephalins were higher during L phase than during F phase. Opiate levels during O phase were intermediate between F and L. Thus, in contrast to previously observed opiate changes following excessive alcohol consumption, they did not observe changes with moderate consumption.

Comparison of buprenorphine and methadone effects on opiate self-administration in primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Mello, N K; Bree, M P; Mendelson, J H

1983-05-01

The effects of ascending and descending doses of buprenorphine (0.014-0.789 mg/kg/day) and methadone (0.179-11.86 mg/kg/day) on opiate and food intake were studied in Macaque monkeys over 195 to 245 days. Food (1-g banana pellets) and i.v. drug self-administration (heroin 0.01 or 0.02 mg/kg/injection or Dilaudid 0.02 mg/kg/injection) were maintained on a second-order schedule of reinforcement [FR 4 (VR 16:S)]. Buprenorphine (0.282-0.789 mg/kg/day) produced a significant suppression of opiate self-administration at 2.5 to 7 times the dose shown to be effective in human opiate abusers (P less than .05-.001). Methadone (1.43-11.86 mg/kg/day) did not suppress opiate self-administration in four of five monkeys across a dose range equivalent to 100 to 800 mg/day in man. The distribution of opiate self-administration across drug sessions did not account for the absence of methadone suppression as monkeys took 43% of the total daily opiate injections during the first daily drug session, 2.5 hr after methadone administration. During buprenorphine maintenance, food intake remained stable or increased significantly above base-line levels. Methadone maintenance was associated with significant decrements in food intake in four of five monkeys. Buprenorphine appeared to be significantly more effective in suppressing opiate self-administration than methadone across the dose range studied. Buprenorphine had none of the toxic side effects (seizures, respiratory depression, profound psychomotor retardation) associated with high doses of methadone over 6 to 8 months of daily drug treatment. These data are consistent with clinical studies of buprenorphine effects on heroin self-administration in human opiate addicts.

Women Opiate Users' Perception Toward MMT: A Qualitative Study in Iran

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Fatemeh Zarei

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Methadone maintenance therapy (MMT is an evidence-based approach for opiate addiction treatment. While its effectiveness in reducing opiate use has been evidently verified, unanswered questions with respect to the cultural scenarios for MMT programs remain unanswered. This study was conducted to explore understanding address MMT initiation among a women-recruited sample of persons who use Opiate. Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews were used in purposeful and maximum variation sampling. All participants recruited for interview in 60-90 minutes were 17 women with opiate addiction experience from three MMT clinics in Sari capital city of Mazandaran, Iran. We applied a content analysis with a conventional approach for analyzing and finding addicted women perception towards MMT. Results: To answer the main concern of the research team about how Iranian Opiate- addicted women perceived the MMT. The results were categorized into six main themes including Service Providers’ Support, Stigma in Society, Fear of Rejection, Long waiting time, Family Support, and Methadone’ Side Effects. Conclusion: The results revealed that there are several perceived reasons beyond personal and psychological factors. The contextual experience acts as important cues that might encourage or deter drug users toward MMT.

Pain acceptance and opiate use disorders in addiction treatment patients with comorbid pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Lewei Allison; Bohnert, Amy S B; Price, Amanda M; Jannausch, Mary; Bonar, Erin E; Ilgen, Mark A

2015-12-01

Studies from pain treatment settings indicate that poor acceptance of pain may be an important and modifiable risk factor for higher severity of opioid use. However, the degree to which pain acceptance relates to opioid use severity in the addiction treatment population is unknown. In this study of addiction treatment patients with co-morbid pain, we examined correlates of severity of opiate (heroin and prescription opioid) use, with a particular focus on the role of pain acceptance. Patients in residential addiction treatment with comorbid pain (N=501) were stratified into low, moderate and high severity of opiate use. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared across opiate severity categories. 72% (N=360) of the participants had symptoms that were consistent with an opiate use disorder. Younger age, Caucasian race, female gender, cocaine use and lower pain acceptance were associated with higher severity of opiate use, whereas pain intensity was not. Controlling for demographic and other risk factors, such as substance use and pain intensity, higher pain acceptance was associated with lower odds of severe prescription opioid (AOR 0.50, 95% CI 0.38-0.68 for a one SD increase in pain acceptance) and heroin use (AOR 0.57, 95% CI 0.44-0.75 for a one SD increase in pain acceptance). Problematic opiate use is common in addictions treatment patients with chronic pain. Lower pain acceptance is related to greater opiate use severity, and may be an important modifiable target for interventions to successfully treat both pain and opiate use disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changes in reward-induced brain activation in opiate addicts.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Soelch, C; Chevalley, A F; Künig, G; Missimer, J; Magyar, S; Mino, A; Schultz, W; Leenders, K L

2001-10-01

Many studies indicate a role of the cerebral dopaminergic reward system in addiction. Motivated by these findings, we examined in opiate addicts whether brain regions involved in the reward circuitry also react to human prototypical rewards. We measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography (PET) during a visuo-spatial recognition task with delayed response in control subjects and in opiate addicts participating in a methadone program. Three conditions were defined by the types of feedback: nonsense feedback; nonmonetary reinforcement; or monetary reward, received by the subjects for a correct response. We found in the control subjects rCBF increases in regions associated with the meso-striatal and meso-corticolimbic circuits in response to both monetary reward and nonmonetary reinforcement. In opiate addicts, these regions were activated only in response to monetary reward. Furthermore, nonmonetary reinforcement elicited rCBF increases in limbic regions of the opiate addicts that were not activated in the control subjects. Because psychoactive drugs serve as rewards and directly affect regions of the dopaminergic system like the striatum, we conclude that the differences in rCBF increases between controls and addicts can be attributed to an adaptive consequence of the addiction process.

Neuroscience of opiates for addiction medicine: From stress-responsive systems to behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yan; Leri, Francesco

2016-01-01

Opiate addiction, similarly to addiction to other psychoactive drugs, is chronic relapsing brain disease caused by drug-induced short-term and long-term neuroadaptations at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels. Preclinical research in laboratory animals has found important interactions between opiate exposure and stress-responsive systems. In this review, we will discuss the dysregulation of several stress-responsive systems in opiate addiction: vasopressin and its receptor system, endogenous opioid systems (including proopiomelanocortin/mu opioid receptor and dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor), orexin and its receptor system, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. A more complete understanding of how opiates alter these stress systems, through further laboratory-based studies, is required to identify novel and effective pharmacological targets for the long-term treatment of heroin addiction. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of hyperthyroidism on opiate receptor binding and pain sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edmondson, E.A.; Bonnet, K.A.; Friedhoff, A.J.

1990-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the effect of thyroid hormone on opiate receptor ligand-binding and pain sensitivity. Specific opiate receptor-binding was performed on brain homogenates of Swiss-Webster mice. There was a significant increase in 3 H-naloxone-binding in thyroxine-fed subjects (hyperthyroid). Scatchard analysis revealed that the number of opiate receptors was increased in hyperthyroid mice (Bmax = 0.238 nM for hyperthyroid samples vs. 0.174 nM for controls). Binding affinity was unaffected (Kd = 1.54 nM for hyperthyroid and 1.58 nM for control samples). When mice were subjected to hotplate stimulation, the hyperthyroid mice were noted to be more sensitive as judged by pain aversion response latencies which were half that of control animals. After morphine administration, the hyperthyroid animals demonstrated a shorter duration of analgesia. These findings demonstrate that thyroxine increases opiate receptor number and native pain sensitivity but decreases the duration of analgesia from morphine

The effect of hyperthyroidism on opiate receptor binding and pain sensitivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edmondson, E.A. (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (USA)); Bonnet, K.A.; Friedhoff, A.J. (New York Univ. School of Medicine, NY (USA))

1990-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the effect of thyroid hormone on opiate receptor ligand-binding and pain sensitivity. Specific opiate receptor-binding was performed on brain homogenates of Swiss-Webster mice. There was a significant increase in {sup 3}H-naloxone-binding in thyroxine-fed subjects (hyperthyroid). Scatchard analysis revealed that the number of opiate receptors was increased in hyperthyroid mice (Bmax = 0.238 nM for hyperthyroid samples vs. 0.174 nM for controls). Binding affinity was unaffected (Kd = 1.54 nM for hyperthyroid and 1.58 nM for control samples). When mice were subjected to hotplate stimulation, the hyperthyroid mice were noted to be more sensitive as judged by pain aversion response latencies which were half that of control animals. After morphine administration, the hyperthyroid animals demonstrated a shorter duration of analgesia. These findings demonstrate that thyroxine increases opiate receptor number and native pain sensitivity but decreases the duration of analgesia from morphine.

Evaluation of short-term psychological functions in opiate addicts after ablating the nucleus accumbens via stereotactic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Fei; Guan, Hao; Zhao, Zhijing; Miao, Xinfang; Zhou, Qin; Li, Lihong; Huang, Dongmei; Liu, Anheng; Miao, Danmin

2008-01-01

To investigate the short-term psychological function of opiate addicts who have undergone ablative stereotactic surgery targeting the nucleus accumbens (NAc) for alleviating opiate drug psychological dependence. The psychological functional status of 14 opiate addicts was assessed by standardized psychological tests both before and approximately 3 months after stereotactic surgery. Standardized tests included the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Chinese (WAIS-RC), the Clinical Memory Scale of Chinese (CMS), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90). The evaluation of psychological dimensions included intelligence, memory, personality characteristics and mental health symptoms. Compared with the preoperative state, there was no statistically significant difference in full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) postoperatively, but without Bonferroni correction a significant decline by 13.55% (p memory quotient (MQ) of CMS demonstrated a significant decline of 10.65% (p increase (p intelligence measures were not changed significantly, their short-term memory and attention appeared to decline postoperatively. In addition, there was a trend towards change in some personality characteristics postoperatively. The postoperative mental health levels of the patients increased, indicating a trend towards improvement. Stereotactic ablation of the NAc in opiate addicts may be associated with short-term negative psychological functions. Advisement regarding the safety of the new surgical modality and recommendations for further investigation are necessary. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

[Reimbursement of opiate substitution drugs to militaries in 2007].

Science.gov (United States)

d'Argouges, F; Desjeux, G; Marsan, P; Thevenin-Garron, V

2012-09-01

The use of psychoactive drugs by militaries is not compatible with the analytical skills and self-control required by their jobs. Military physicians take this problem into consideration by organising systematic drugs screening in the French forces. However, for technical reasons, opiates are not concerned by this screening with the agreement of the people concerned. The estimated number of militaries who use an opiate substitute may be an approach of heroin consumption in the French forces. This study describes buprenorphine and methadone reimbursements made during 2007 by the national military healthcare centre to French militaries. Each French soldier is affiliated to a special health insurance. The national military healthcare centre has in its information system, all the data concerning drug reimbursement made to French military personnel. This is a retrospective study of buprenorphine and methadone reimbursements made during 2007 by the military healthcare centre, to militaries from the three sectors of the French forces, and from the gendarmerie and joint forces. Only one reimbursement of one of these two drugs during this period allowed the patient to be included in our study. Daily drug dose and treatment steadiness profile have been calculated according to the criteria of the French monitoring centre for drugs and drug addiction. The criteria of the National guidelines against frauds have been used to identify misuse of these drugs. Doctors' shopping behaviour has also been studied. Finally, the nature of the prescriber and the consumption of other drugs in combination with opiate substitute have been analysed. One hundred and eighty-one military consumers of opiate substitute drugs (167 men and 14 women) participated. This sample included people from the three sectors of the French forces as well as from the gendarmerie and from the joint forces. The average age of the consumers was 26.6 years (20-42 years). The average length of service was 6.1 years

Implicit motive profile of treatment-seeking opiate users: high affiliation and low achievement.

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Bársonya, Katalin; Martos, Tamás; Ehmann, Bea; Balázs, Hedvig; Demetrovics, Zsolt

2013-01-01

Research on basic human motives (achievement, affiliation, and power) encoded at the emotional level recently returned to the forefront of scientific research. To date, there are only a few studies on the pattern of implicit motives of substance users, so the present study examined opiate users participating in methadone maintenance treatment (N = 80) along these dimensions, comparing them to 40 non-substance users. Participants were asked to create stories on the basis of the pictures of the Thematic Apperception Test. The stories were analyzed using the content analysis method of David Winter (1991). Like other substance user groups, opiate-dependent persons used less achievement and more affiliation notions in creating stories, while there was no significant difference between the two groups concerning power notions. The results proved to be independent of the presence of anxiety and depression symptoms, despite substance users reporting higher levels of these, and suggest that motivational factors are worth considering in treatment planning.

Craving and drug reward: A comparison of celecoxib and ibuprofen in detoxifying opiate addicts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

sara jafari

2017-10-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Craving for substance abuse is a usual and complicated problem in patients, with opioid addiction, who are in their opioid cessation process. Craving has been added as one of the diagnostic criteria of substance use disorders in DSM-5. AIM: The present trial was intended to compare effects of celecoxib versus ibuprofen in reducing pain and in decreasing the desire to use opiates in patients undergoing opiate detoxification. (n=32. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A total of 32 patients (both inpatients and outpatients, who were undergoing opiate detoxification procedure entered this 4 week study. Subjects who suffered pain due to opiate withdrawal were randomized into two groups; group one received celecoxib 200 milligrams once daily and group two received ibuprofen 400 milligrams four times per day.  Self-reported Desire for Drug Questionnaire (DDQ was utilized at baseline and at the end of the study to evaluate changes in opiate craving. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of treatment, with either ibuprofen or celecoxib, significant improvements in pain and craving were noted in each group. However no significant difference between the two groups was observed after 4 weeks of treatment with celecoxib and ibuprofen. CONCLUSION: The study noted that both celecoxib and ibuprofen, reduce craving in patients with opiate craving after 4 weeks of treatment without any significant difference between the two groups. The results suggest further study of celecoxib and other NSAIDs in the maintenance treatment of opiate craving.

Estimating the number of opiate users in amsterdam by capture-recapture: the importance of case definition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buster, M. C.; van Brussel, G. H.; van den Brink, W.

2001-01-01

One of the objectives of Amsterdam's methadone maintenance treatment is maximising its coverage among problematic opiate users. In order to evaluate what proportion is reached, the capture-recapture method is conducted to estimate the prevalence of problematic opiate use. Samples of opiate users in

The OceanLink Project

Science.gov (United States)

Narock, T.; Arko, R. A.; Carbotte, S. M.; Chandler, C. L.; Cheatham, M.; Finin, T.; Hitzler, P.; Krisnadhi, A.; Raymond, L. M.; Shepherd, A.; Wiebe, P. H.

2014-12-01

A wide spectrum of maturing methods and tools, collectively characterized as the Semantic Web, is helping to vastly improve the dissemination of scientific research. Creating semantic integration requires input from both domain and cyberinfrastructure scientists. OceanLink, an NSF EarthCube Building Block, is demonstrating semantic technologies through the integration of geoscience data repositories, library holdings, conference abstracts, and funded research awards. Meeting project objectives involves applying semantic technologies to support data representation, discovery, sharing and integration. Our semantic cyberinfrastructure components include ontology design patterns, Linked Data collections, semantic provenance, and associated services to enhance data and knowledge discovery, interoperation, and integration. We discuss how these components are integrated, the continued automated and semi-automated creation of semantic metadata, and techniques we have developed to integrate ontologies, link resources, and preserve provenance and attribution.

A new and novel treatment of opioid dependence: nigella sativa 500 mg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sangi, S.; Ahmed, S.P.; Channa, M.A.

2008-01-01

Opioid dependence is one of the major social and psychiatric problem of society. Unfortunately there is no non opiate treatment available. For centuries man has used plants for their healing proprieties. These plants play a fundamental part in all treatment modalities, both ancient and modern. This study was conducted to find non opiate treatment for opiate withdrawal. Total 35 known addicts of opiates were included in the study. This study was based on DSM IV criteria for opioid dependence. This study demonstrates that non opioid treatment for opioid addiction decreases the withdrawal effects significantly. It further demonstrates that there are no changes in physiological parameters of subjects during treatment (BP, Pulse rate etc.). There is increased appetite but no significant weight gain in the subjects. Non opioid drug Nigella sativa is effective in long term treatment of opioid dependence. It not merely cures the opioid dependence but also cures the infections and weakness from which majority of addicts suffer. (author)

Mu-opiate receptors measured by positron emission tomography are increased in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Frost, J J; Mayberg, H S; Fisher, R S; Douglass, K H; Dannals, R F; Links, J M; Wilson, A A; Ravert, H T; Rosenbaum, A E; Snyder, S H

1988-03-01

Neurochemical studies in animal models of epilepsy have demonstrated the importance of multiple neurotransmitters and their receptors in mediating seizures. The role of opiate receptors and endogenous opioid peptides in seizure mechanisms is well developed and is the basis for measuring opiate receptors in patients with epilepsy. Patients with complex partial seizures due to unilateral temporal seizure foci were studied by positron emission tomography using 11C-carfentanil to measure mu-opiate receptors and 18F-fluoro-deoxy-D-glucose to measure glucose utilization. Opiate receptor binding is greater in the temporal neocortex on the side of the electrical focus than on the opposite side. Modeling studies indicate that the increase in binding is due to an increase in affinity or the number of unoccupied receptors. No significant asymmetry of 11C-carfentanil binding was detected in the amygdala or hippocampus. Glucose utilization correlated inversely with 11C-carfentanil binding in the temporal neocortex. Increased opiate receptors in the temporal neocortex may represent a tonic anticonvulsant system that limits the spread of electrical activity from other temporal lobe structures.

Desomorphine Screening Using Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays.

Science.gov (United States)

Winborn, Jessica; Kerrigan, Sarah

2017-06-01

Desomorphine ("Krokodil") is a semi-synthetic opioid that has drawn attention as a recreational drug, particularly in Russia, neighboring former Soviet Republics, Eastern and Central Europe. It has no accepted medicinal uses and is currently a schedule I drug in the United States. In clandestine environments, desomorphine is synthesized from codeine using red phosphorous, hydroiodic acid and gasoline. Residual starting materials in illicit preparations have been associated with severe dermatological effects and extensive tissue necrosis. Desomorphine is not well studied, and there are limited reports concerning its pharmacology or detection in biological matrices. Immunoassays are widely relied upon for both antemortem and postmortem toxicology screening. Although desomorphine is an opioid of the phenanthrene-type, its ability to bind to conventional opioid antibodies has not been described. In this report we describe the cross-reactivity of desomorphine using six commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (Immunalysis Opiates Direct ELISA, Immunalysis Oxycodone/Oxymorphone Direct ELISA, Randox Opiate ELISA, OraSure Technologies OTI Opiate Micro-plate EIA, Neogen Opiate Group ELISA and Neogen Oxycodone/Oxymorphone ELISA). Cross-reactivites were highly variable between assays, ranging from 77 to desomorphine than those directed towards oxycodone. The Immunalysis Opiates Direct ELISA produced the greatest cross-reactivity, although several of the assays evaluated produced cross-reactivity of a sufficient magnitude to be effective for desomorphine screening. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Stability of opiates in hair fibers after exposure to cosmetic treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Pötsch, L; Skopp, G

1996-08-15

The stability of opiates in clipped natural human hair was investigated. Hair fibers were incubated with defined solutions of morphine, codeine and dihydrocodeine (pH 7.4) until saturated. Original opiate-positive hair samples collected from drug addicts also were examined. Commercially available bleaching as well as perming formulas (Poly Blonde Ultra, Poly Lock; Henkel, Düsseldorf, Germany) were applied in vitro to the hair strands of both groups under investigation. After these treatments, the drug concentration had decreased for both bleaching and permanent waving. In the spiked hair, only 2-18% of the starting solution could be found after bleaching. About 20-30% of the drug substances could still be detected after perming. In the authentic hair samples, the drug levels of the formerly opiate positive hair fibers had also been reduced but distinct tendencies could not be observed.

Post-radiation analgesia at rats and function of endogenous opiates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slivkova, E.; Smajda, B.; Paulikova, E.; Lackova, M.

2002-01-01

In this work post-radiation analgesia at rats as well as the function of endogenous opiates were tested. Males of rats were irradiated all-body dose 6 Gy. Hot-plate test was used. Dose of 8 mg of naloxone per kg of animal blocked perception of ache. This dose blocked analgetic effect of ionising radiation. Activity of phagocyte activity and phagocyte index were enhanced at rats which obtained naloxone. Authors stated that opiate system play a significant role at analgesia induced by radiation at rats and can modify response of immunity system on the stress

Effect of thyrotrophin releasing hormone on opiate receptors of the rat brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balashov, A.M.; Shchurin, M.R.

1987-01-01

It has recently been shown that the hypothalamic thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) has the properties of a morphine antagonist, blocking its inhibitory action on respiration and, to a lesser degree, its analgesic action. This suggests that the antagonistic effects of TRH are mediated through its interaction with opiate receptors. The aim of this paper is to study this hypothesis experimentally. Tritium-labelled enkephalins in conjunction with scintillation spectroscopy were used to assess the receptor binding behavior. The results indicate the existence of interconnections between the opiate systems and TRH. Although it is too early to reach definite conclusions on the mechanisms of this mutual influence and its physiological significance it can be tentatively suggested that TRH abolishes the pharmacological effects of morphine by modulating the functional state of opiate reception.

Opiate receptor binding in the brain of the seizure sensitive Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, R J; Olsen, R W; Lomax, P; McCabe, R T; Wamsley, J K

1984-12-01

Opiate receptor binding was studied in seizure sensitive (SS) and seizure resistant (SR) strains of the Mongolian gerbil. Cryostat sections of the brain were labeled with [3H]-dihydromorphine, subjected to autoradiography and analysed by microdensitometry. SS gerbils, prior to seizure induction, demonstrated overall greater brain opiate binding when compared to SR animals. Immediately following a seizure, binding in the interpeduncular nucleus fell to levels found in SR animals. The increased opiate binding in the SS (pre-seizure) compared to SR gerbils could reflect a deficit of endogenous ligand which could underlie the seizure diathesis in the gerbil.

Betting on change: modeling transitional probabilities to guide therapy development for opioid dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Kenneth M; Jiang, Huiping; Sullivan, Maria A; Bisaga, Adam; Comer, Sandra D; Raby, Wilfrid Noel; Brooks, Adam C; Nunes, Edward V

2009-03-01

This study investigated the process of change by modeling transitions among four clinical states encountered in 64 detoxified opiate-dependent individuals treated with daily oral naltrexone: no opiate use, blocked opiate use (i.e., opiate use while adhering to oral naltrexone), unblocked opiate use (i.e., opiate use after having discontinued oral naltrexone), and treatment dropout. The effects of baseline characteristics and two psychosocial interventions of differing intensity, behavioral naltrexone therapy (BNT) and compliance enhancement (CE), on these transitions were studied. Participants using greater quantities of opiates were more likely than other participants to be retained in BNT relative to CE. Markov modeling indicated a transition from abstinence to treatment dropout was approximately 3.56 times greater among participants in CE relative to participants in BNT, indicating the more comprehensive psychosocial intervention kept participants engaged in treatment longer. Transitions to stopping treatment were more likely to occur after unblocked opiate use in both treatments. Continued opiate use while being blocked accounted for a relatively low proportion of transitions to abstinence and may have more deleterious effects later in a treatment episode. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

The specifics of opiate abuse in women as a basis of prevention programs and treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raketić Diana

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to determine the specifics of opiate addiction in women in our environment, so as to create a specific plan of action in preventing and treatment opiate addiction in women based on the conducted description and results analysis. The sample consists of 32 examinees. Sociodempgraphic questionnaire and widely applied ASI structured interview (McLellan, Cacciola, 1982 were used. The results are in accordance with foreign research. 62.5% of opiate addicted women live with someone who is a drug addict, either as a family member or a partner. 40.6% of the examinees were physically abused, 21.9% were sexually abused as well, and 43.7% were positive for HCV. Positive criminal status and doing illegal business were present in 56% of the examinees. 56.3% of the examinees reported depression, while 84.4% are anxious. 65.6% are unemployed. Research results indicate some significant specifics of opiate addiction in women, with regard to which valuable recommendations for prevention and treatment can be made in our environment. Prevention and treatment must be multidisciplinary with the emphasis on the preserved capacities and the development of positive behavior in opiate addicted women.

Opiate and non-opiate aspects of morphine induced seizures.

Science.gov (United States)

Frenk, H; Liban, A; Balamuth, R; Urca, G

1982-12-16

The intraperitoneal administration of morphine hydrochloride at doses of 300 mg/kg produced analgesia, catalepsy, and electrographic spiking in rats that developed into electrographic seizure patterns after approximately 2.5 h. Whereas naltrexone (12 mg/kg) reversed analgesia and catalepsy, and diminished electrographic spiking, it precipitated electrographic seizure activity similar to that observed following intraperitoneal morphine alone. These seizures were accompanied by behavioral convulsions. No tolerance to these seizures developed with repeated paired administration of morphine and naltrexone or in morphine tolerant rats, but rather potentiation was observed. The epileptogenic effects were found to be potentiated in amygdaloid kindled rats, as well. It was concluded that morphine at these doses activates two different epileptogenic mechanisms, one mediated by opiate receptors, the other not. The possibility of the simultaneous activation of a morphine sensitive anticonvulsant mechanism is discussed.

Quantification of mu and non-mu opiate receptors in temporal lobe epilepsy using positron emission tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayberg, H S; Sadzot, B; Meltzer, C C; Fisher, R S; Lesser, R P; Dannals, R F; Lever, J R; Wilson, A A; Ravert, H T; Wagner, H N

1991-07-01

Alterations in a variety of neurotransmitter systems have been identified in experimental models of epilepsy and in brain tissue from patients with intractable temporal lobe seizures. The availability of new high-affinity radioligands permits the study of some neuroreceptors in vivo with positron emission tomography (PET). We previously characterized the in vivo binding of 11C-carfentanil, a potent and selective mu opiate receptor agonist, and described increases in 11C-carfentanil binding in the temporal neocortex of patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy. These studies have been extended to 11C-diprenorphine, which labels mu, kappa, and delta opiate receptor subtypes. Paired measurements of opiate receptor binding were performed with PET using 11C-carfentanil and 11C-diprenorphine in patients with unilateral temporal lobe seizures. Carfentanil binding, reflecting changes in mu opiate receptors, was increased in the temporal neocortex and decreased in the amygdala on the side of the epileptic focus. Diprenorphine binding, reflecting mu as well as non-mu opiate subtypes, was not significantly different among regions in the focus and nonfocus temporal lobes. Regional glucose metabolism, measured using 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose, was decreased in the mesial and lateral aspects of the temporal lobe ipsilateral to the epileptogenic focus. The variation in pattern of carfentanil and diprenorphine binding supports a differential regulation of opiate subtypes in unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy.

Opiate-induced seizures: a study of mu and delta specific mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Snead, O C

1986-08-01

Two groups of experiments were conducted to determine if morphine- and enkephalin-induced seizures are specifically mediated by the mu and delta receptor, respectively. In the first experiments, designed to assess the ontogeny of mu- or delta-seizures, rats from 6 h to 85 days of age received implanted cortical and depth electrodes as well as an indwelling cannula in the lateral ventricle. Various amounts of the mu-receptor agonists, morphine and morphiceptin, and the delta agonists, D-Ala2-D-Leu5-enkephalin (DADL) and Tyr-D-Ser-Gly-Phe-Leu-Thr (DSLET), were then administered intracerebroventricularly (icv) with continuous EEG monitoring. The second experiments entailed use of the nonspecific opiate antagonist, naloxone, as well as the specific delta antagonist, ICI 154,129, against seizures induced by icv-administered morphine, morphiceptin, DADL, or DSLET. Both morphine and morphiceptin produced electrical seizure activity in rats as young as 5 days after birth. The drugs produced similar seizure activity in terms of electrical morphology, observed behavior, ontogeny, threshold dose, and reversibility with small doses of naloxone. In the pharmacologic experiments, icv naloxone blocked all opiate-induced seizures. ICI 154,129 blocked DSLET seizure, had little effect on enkephalin or DADL seizures, and no effect on morphine or morphiceptin seizures. These data indicate that DSLET seizures are delta-specific but that all other opiate-induced seizures studied may involve multiple opiate receptor-mediated mechanisms.

The Relationship between Motivational Structure, Mental Health and Attitude to Opiate Substances in University Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali akbar Soliemanian

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the relationship between motivational structure, mental health and attitude to opiate substances in a sample of North-Khorasan's university students. Method: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 400 participants (200 males and 200 females were selected by stratified random sampling of three universities of north khorasan. All participants completed the SCL-90-R, Personal Concerns Inventory and Attitude to Opiate Substances questionnaire. Findings: The results revealed that there was a significant difference between participants with maladaptive motivational structure and adaptive motivational structure on GSI and subscales of SCL-90-R. In addition, the comparison of two groups showed that participants with maladaptive motivational structure had significant more positive attitude to opiate Substances than participants with adaptive motivational structure. Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between motivational structure, mental health and attitude to opiate substances.

Linking project-based mechanisms with domestic greenhouse gas emissions trading schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bygrave, S.; Bosi, M.

2004-01-01

Although there are a number of possible links between emission trading and project-based mechanisms, the focus of this paper is on linking domestic GHG emission trading schemes with: (1) domestic; and, (2) international (JI and CDM) GHG reduction project activities. The objective is to examine some of the challenges in linking DETs and project-based mechanisms, as well as some possible solutions to address these challenges. The link between JI / CDM and intergovernmental international emissions trading (i.e. Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol) is defined by the Kyoto Protocol, and therefore is not covered in this paper. The paper is written in the context of: (a) countries adhering to the Kyoto Protocol and elaborating their strategies to meet their GHG emission commitments, including through the use of the emissions trading and project-based mechanisms. For example, the European Union (EU) will be commencing a GHG Emissions Trading Scheme in January 2005, and recently, the Council of ministers and the European Parliament agreed on a text for an EU Linking Directive allowing the use of JI and CDM emission units in the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU-ETS); and (b) all countries (and/or regions within countries) with GHG emission obligations that may choose to use domestic emissions trading and project-based mechanisms to meet their GHG commitments. The paper includes the following elements: (1) an overview of the different flexibility mechanisms (i.e. GHG emissions trading and PBMs), including a brief description and comparisons between the mechanisms (Section 3); (2) an exploration of the issues that emerge when project-based mechanisms link with domestic emissions trading schemes, as well as possible solutions to address some of the challenges raised (Section 4); (3) a case study examining the EU-ETS and the EU Linking Directive on project-based mechanisms, in particular on how the EU is addressing in a practical context relevant linking issues (Section 5); (4) a

Employment-based abstinence reinforcement promotes opiate and cocaine abstinence in out-of-treatment injection drug users.

Science.gov (United States)

Holtyn, August F; Koffarnus, Mikhail N; DeFulio, Anthony; Sigurdsson, Sigurdur O; Strain, Eric C; Schwartz, Robert P; Silverman, Kenneth

2014-01-01

We examined the use of employment-based abstinence reinforcement in out-of-treatment injection drug users, in this secondary analysis of a previously reported trial. Participants (N = 33) could work in the therapeutic workplace, a model employment-based program for drug addiction, for 30 weeks and could earn approximately $10 per hr. During a 4-week induction, participants only had to work to earn pay. After induction, access to the workplace was contingent on enrollment in methadone treatment. After participants met the methadone contingency for 3 weeks, they had to provide opiate-negative urine samples to maintain maximum pay. After participants met those contingencies for 3 weeks, they had to provide opiate- and cocaine-negative urine samples to maintain maximum pay. The percentage of drug-negative urine samples remained stable until the abstinence reinforcement contingency for each drug was applied. The percentage of opiate- and cocaine-negative urine samples increased abruptly and significantly after the opiate- and cocaine-abstinence contingencies, respectively, were applied. These results demonstrate that the sequential administration of employment-based abstinence reinforcement can increase opiate and cocaine abstinence among out-of-treatment injection drug users. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

The CRF1 and the CRF2 receptor mediate recognition memory deficits and vulnerability induced by opiate withdrawal.

Science.gov (United States)

Morisot, Nadège; Contarino, Angelo

2016-06-01

Opiate use disorders are associated with impaired cognitive function and altered stress-responsive systems. The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system mediates stress responses via CRF1 and CRF2 receptors and may be implicated in substance use disorders. However, the specific role for each of the two known CRF receptor subtypes in cognitive impairment induced by opiate administration and withdrawal remains to be elucidated. In the present study, CRF1-/-, CRF2-/- and their respective wild-type mice are injected with escalating doses of morphine and cognitive function assessed by the novel object recognition (NOR) memory task throughout relatively long periods of opiate withdrawal. Early (2 days) phases of opiate withdrawal impair NOR memory in wild-type, CRF1-/- and CRF2-/- mice. However, the duration of opiate withdrawal-induced NOR memory deficits is prolonged in CRF1-/- but shortened in CRF2-/- mice, as compared to their respective wild-type mice, indicating opposite roles for the two CRF receptor subtypes. Nevertheless, following apparent recovery, exposure to an environmental stressor induces the reemergence of NOR memory deficits in long-term opiate-withdrawn wild-type but not CRF1-/- or CRF2-/- mice, indicating an essential role for both CRF receptor subtypes in stress vulnerability. These findings bring initial evidence of a complex physiopathological role for the CRF system in cognitive deficits and the long-lasting vulnerability induced by opiate drugs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Case for Implementing the Levels of Prevention Model: Opiate Abuse on American College Campuses

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels-Witt, Quri; Thompson, Amy; Glassman, Tavis; Federman, Sara; Bott, Katie

2017-01-01

Opiate abuse in the United States is on the rise among the college student population. This public health crisis requires immediate action from professionals and stakeholders who are committed to addressing the needs of prospective, current, and recovering opiate users using comprehensive prevention methods. Such approaches have been used to…

Acquisition, extinction, and recall of opiate reward memory are signaled by dynamic neuronal activity patterns in the prefrontal cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ninglei; Chi, Ning; Lauzon, Nicole; Bishop, Stephanie; Tan, Huibing; Laviolette, Steven R

2011-12-01

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) comprises an important component in the neural circuitry underlying drug-related associative learning and memory processing. Neuronal activation within mPFC circuits is correlated with the recall of opiate-related drug-taking experiences in both humans and other animals. Using an unbiased associative place conditioning procedure, we recorded mPFC neuronal populations during the acquisition, recall, and extinction phases of morphine-related associative learning and memory. Our analyses revealed that mPFC neurons show increased activity both in terms of tonic and phasic activity patterns during the acquisition phase of opiate reward-related memory and demonstrate stimulus-locked associative activity changes in real time, during the recall of opiate reward memories. Interestingly, mPFC neuronal populations demonstrated divergent patterns of bursting activity during the acquisition versus recall phases of newly acquired opiate reward memory, versus the extinction of these memories, with strongly increased bursting during the recall of an extinction memory and no associative bursting during the recall of a newly acquired opiate reward memory. Our results demonstrate that neurons within the mPFC are involved in both the acquisition, recall, and extinction of opiate-related reward memories, showing unique patterns of tonic and phasic activity patterns during these separate components of the opiate-related reward learning and memory recall.

A Preliminary Study of Sexual Dysfunction in Male Opioid-Dependants under Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masoudeh Babakhanian

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Sexual dysfunction is one of the prevalent problems of opiate-dependent patients. The current preliminarily study examines sexual dysfunction in a group of opiate-dependent patients before and after 6 months of MMT. Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional study. The numbers of 30 opiate-dependent patients were selected of Cheraghiyan clinic in Damghan, Iran. Demographics questionnaire and the International Index of Erectile Function were administered before and after treatment. Results: Erectile function showed an increase and intercourse satisfactions completely improved. Sexual desire and overall satisfaction increased, showing slight improvement while orgasmic function increased showing no improvement. Discussion: The findings revealed the prevalence of sexual dysfunction and improvement of some component in patients after treatment. Future studies are needed to explore the roles of other factors.

The Versatile Link common project: feasibility report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasey, F; Soos, C; Troska, J; Hall, D; Huffman, T; Weidberg, T; Kwan, S; Prosser, A; Xiang, A; Ye, J

2012-01-01

The Versatile Link is a bi-directional digital optical data link operating at rates up to 4.8 Gbit/s and featuring radiation-resistant low-power and low-mass front-end components. The system is being developed in multimode or singlemode versions operating at 850 nm or 1310 nm wavelength respectively. It has serial data interfaces and is protocol-agnostic, but is targeted to operate in tandem with the GigaBit Transceiver (GBT) serializer/deserializer chip being designed at CERN. This paper gives an overview of the project status three and a half years after its launch. It describes the challenges encountered and highlights the solutions proposed at the system as well as the component level. It concludes with a positive feasibility assesment and an outlook for future project development directions.

Immunological screening of drugs of abuse and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric confirmation of opiates and cocaine in hair.

Science.gov (United States)

Segura, J; Stramesi, C; Redón, A; Ventura, M; Sanchez, C J; González, G; San, L; Montagna, M

1999-03-05

The work presents an analytical strategy to detect drugs of abuse in hair. It involves two sequential steps: a screening by a simple enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methodology to detect opiates, cocaine and its metabolites, and benzodiacepines, followed by confirmation of opiates and cocaine metabolites in positive samples by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In the same GC-MS run other drugs for substitution therapy (e.g. methadone and its main metabolite) can also be detected. After a double washing of hair samples with dichloromethane, hair specimens were cut into small pieces and 10 mg samples were incubated in 2 ml of methanol-trifluoroacetic acid (9:1) mixture, overnight at 37 degrees C. Aliquots of the extract were then evaporated, reconstituted in buffer and analysed according to the ELISA procedure. Confirmation involved solid-phase extraction of another fraction of the extract kept at -20 degrees C, derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and hexafluoroisopropanol and detection of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methylester, cocaethylene, morphine, codeine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, methadone and 2-ethylidene-1.5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpirrolidine (methadone metabolite) by selective ion monitoring after gas chromatographic separation. During the development of the method it was verified that no more than 10% of cocaine, opiates and benzodiacepines were lost when dichloromethane was used to wash real samples. The results also confirmed the increase of extractability power of TFA when it was added to methanol: the recovery for the analytes (cocaine and its metabolites and opiates) added to methanol-TFA alone was of the order of 90% except for benzoylecgonine (75%), and the recovery for the analytes added to methanol-TFA extract of drug-free hair was about 90% for all analytes except for benzoylecgonine and 6-MAM (around 70%). Regarding the stability of labile compounds, only small amounts of ecgonine methylester (2

Comparison of prescriber evaluations and patient-directed self-reports in office-based practice for buprenorphine treatment of opiate-dependent individuals in France, 2002

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Estelle Lavie

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Estelle Lavie1, Mélina Fatséas1, Jean-Pierre Daulouède1,2, Cécile Denis1, Jacques Dubernet1, Laurent Cattan3, Marc Auriacombe11Laboratoire de psychiatrie/EA4139, INSERM IFR-99 and Faculté de médecine Victor Pachon, University Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France; 2Bizia, Centre de soins d’addictologie, Centre Hospitalier de la Côte Basque, Bayonne, France; 3Centre médical, Noisy-le-sec, FranceAbstract: The objective of this cross-sectional evaluation study was to compare data generated through prescriber assessments, and data generated from independent direct contact with opiate-dependent patients in office-based practice to evaluate buprenorphine treatment for modality of buprenorphine absorption, benzodiazepine use, and depressive symptoms. A group of buprenorphine office-based practice prescribers was selected to participate in this study. They were asked to screen for inclusion all their patients coming for a visit from February to August 2002. Once included by their prescribing physician, patients were given a series of self-administered questionnaires to be returned directly to the research staff, independently of their prescriber. Each prescriber was given a questionnaire to complete based on their knowledge and interview of the patient. Items assessed were history of current treatment, current substance use, buprenorphine treatment related behavior (daily frequency of intake, route of administration, benzodiazepine use and existence of a major depressive episode. Prescribers and patients’ questionnaires were compared. Concordance of both assessments was assessed by kappa statistics. The sensitivity and specificity as well as the positive and negative predictive values of prescriber collected information were compared to that of their patients’. There was an overall good correlation between both data sources on the procedures for buprenorphine use especially for intravenous use of buprenorphine. There were important

Opiate Injection Site Infections--19 years in the UK

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2017-09-06

Dan Lewer, a public health registrar in England, discusses an increase in infections related to opiate injections in the U.K.  Created: 9/6/2017 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 9/6/2017.

Changes in reward-induced brain activation in opiate addicts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martin-Soelch, C; Chevalley, AF; Kunig, G; Missimer, J; Magyar, S; Mino, A; Schultz, W; Leenders, KL

2001-01-01

Many studies indicate a role of the cerebral dopaminergic reward system in addiction. Motivated by these findings, we examined in opiate addicts whether brain regions involved in the reward circuitry also react to human prototypical rewards. We measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with

Selegiline prevents long-term changes in dopamine efflux and stress immobility during the second and third weeks of abstinence following opiate withdrawal.

Science.gov (United States)

Grasing, K; Ghosh, S

1998-08-01

Selegiline is an irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B with trophic and neuroprotective effects. Because of evidence for decreased dopaminergic function during the withdrawal syndromes associated with opiates and other medications with potential for abuse, we investigated effects of treatment with selegiline on in vitro measures of dopamine efflux following opiate withdrawal. Treatment with 2.0 mg/kg/day of selegiline did not modify the severity of opiate withdrawal, as assessed by weight loss over the first 3 days of abstinence. Opiate withdrawal increased immobility in response to a forced warm water swim test performed during the second and third weeks of abstinence following the onset of withdrawal. Brain slices obtained from the nucleus accumbens of opiate-withdrawn animals immediately following swim stress testing displayed diminished efflux of tritiated dopamine after two in vitro exposures to cocaine or amphetamine. Cocaine increases neurotransmitter efflux through blockade of dopamine reuptake, while amphetamine augments efflux by stimulating release of dopamine from intracellular storage vesicles. Although slices from opiate withdrawal subjects showed decreases in efflux after in vitro treatment with these agents, no differences were observed after exposure to 4-aminopyridine, which increases neurotransmitter release by prolonging action potential duration. These findings indicate mechanisms of action that are specific for catecholamine neurotransmitter systems are important for demonstrating long-term changes in dopaminergic function following opiate withdrawal. Selegiline prevented decreases in the efflux of tritiated dopamine in slices obtained from opiate-withdrawn subjects. In addition, selegiline decreased withdrawal-induced immobility during warm water swim testing. In conclusion, treatment with selegiline can prevent long-term changes in stress-induced immobility and deficits in presynaptic dopaminergic function that occur following the

Morphine Tolerance and Physical Dependence Are Altered in Conditional HIV-1 Tat Transgenic Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitting, Sylvia; Stevens, David L; Khan, Fayez A; Scoggins, Krista L; Enga, Rachel M; Beardsley, Patrick M; Knapp, Pamela E; Dewey, William L; Hauser, Kurt F

2016-01-01

Despite considerable evidence that chronic opiate use selectively affects the pathophysiologic consequences of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in the nervous system, few studies have examined whether neuro-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (neuroAIDS) might intrinsically alter the pharmacologic responses to chronic opiate exposure. This is an important matter because HIV-1 and opiate abuse are interrelated epidemics, and HIV-1 patients are often prescribed opiates as a treatment of HIV-1-related neuropathic pain. Tolerance and physical dependence are inevitable consequences of frequent and repeated administration of morphine. In the present study, mice expressing HIV-1 Tat in a doxycycline (DOX)-inducible manner [Tat(+)], their Tat(-) controls, and control C57BL/6 mice were chronically exposed to placebo or 75-mg morphine pellets to explore the effects of Tat induction on morphine tolerance and dependence. Antinociceptive tolerance and locomotor activity tolerance were assessed using tail-flick and locomotor activity assays, respectively, and physical dependence was measured with the platform-jumping assay and recording of other withdrawal signs. We found that Tat(+) mice treated with DOX [Tat(+)/DOX] developed an increased tolerance in the tail-flick assay compared with control Tat(-)/DOX and/or C57/DOX mice. Equivalent tolerance was developed in all mice when assessed by locomotor activity. Further, Tat(+)/DOX mice expressed reduced levels of physical dependence to chronic morphine exposure after a 1-mg/kg naloxone challenge compared with control Tat(-)/DOX and/or C57/DOX mice. Assuming the results seen in Tat transgenic mice can be generalized to neuroAIDS, our findings suggest that HIV-1-infected individuals may display heightened analgesic tolerance to similar doses of opiates compared with uninfected individuals and show fewer symptoms of physical dependence. Copyright © 2015 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental

Increased opioid dependence in a mouse model of panic disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xavier Gallego

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Panic disorder is a highly prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder that shows co-occurrence with substance abuse. Here, we demonstrate that TrkC, the high affinity receptor for neurotrophin-3, is a key molecule involved in panic disorder and opiate dependence, using a transgenic mouse model (TgNTRK3. Constitutive TrkC overexpression in TgNTRK3 mice dramatically alters spontaneous firing rates of locus coeruleus neurons and the response of the noradrenergic system to chronic opiate exposure, possibly related to the altered regulation of neurotrophic peptides observed. Notably, TgNTRK3 locus coeruleus neurons showed an increased firing rate in saline-treated conditions and profound abnormalities in their response to met5-enkephalin. Behaviorally, chronic morphine administration induced a significantly increased withdrawal syndrome in TgNTRK3 mice. In conclusion, we show here that the NT-3/TrkC system is an important regulator of neuronal firing in locus coeruleus and could contribute to the adaptations of the noradrenergic system in response to chronic opiate exposure. Moreover, our results indicate that TrkC is involved in the molecular and cellular changes in noradrenergic neurons underlying both panic attacks and opiate dependence and support a functional endogenous opioid deficit in panic disorder patients.

Preclinical Assessment of a Strategy to Minimize the Abuse Liability of Opiate Medications for Pain

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

plans (3). In fact, Bray and colleagues found that pain medication is the most highly abused of all prescribed drugs in the military (4). Prescription...the drug gamma-vinyl GABA (GVG) prior to morphine treatment effectively eliminates the highly addictive nature of this opiate . In these studies, we...widespread risk of opiate addiction in this population. Preclinical imaging studies aim to build a foundation for effective clinical drug development, and the

Parallel increases in sister chromatid exchanges at base level and with UV treatment in human opiate users

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafer, D.A.; Falek, A.; Madden, J.J.; Tadayon, F.; Pline, M.; Kuehnle, J.C.; Mendelson, J.

1983-01-01

The SCE base level frequency and SCE levels induced by far-UV (254 nm) treatment of cells in early G 1 and early S phases of the cell cycle were significantly higher in leukocytes from heroin addicts as compared to controls. The increased SCE levels in addicts was greatest at base level and smallest after UV irradiation of cells in S phase. These results corrobate and extend our previous findings of increased chromosome damage and reduced DNA-repair synthesis in heroin users. Since opiates do not directly damage DNA, the elevated cytogenetic effects associated with opiate use probably arise from secondary promotional effects related to opiate-mediated alterations in leukocyte metabolism. (orig.)

Accelerated neuroregulation for therapy of opiate dependency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Sunatrio

2004-03-01

Full Text Available Acute weaning from chronic opioid abuse during general anesthesia is usually followed by adrenergic outflow effects. This article is to report our experience with accelerated neuroregulation that reverses the physical and psychological dependency. After a comprehensive psychological and medical examination, 361 heroin dependent patients were admitted to ICU to be hospitalized for a full 24 or 36 hours, including a 6 hour pre-procedure medication process (solbutamol, clonidine, diazepam, ranitidine, omeprazole, vitamin C, octreotide, and ondansetron. Anesthesia was induced with midazolam and propofol iv and maintained with propofol infusion. Naltrexon, clonidine, octreotide, and diazepam were then administered. Anesthesia was maintained for 3 ½ - 5 hours depending on severity of withdrawal symptoms precipitated by naltrexone. Analgetics and sedatives were given as needed afterwards. Upon discharge on the following day, patient was prescribed a regimen of oral naltrexone for 10-12 months. All 361 patients were successfully detoxified without any adverse anesthetic events. The side effects encountered were fatigue, insomnia, drowsy, shivering, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, myalgia, goose bumps and uncomfortable feeling. In most of the patients these symptoms disappeared without any treatment. Symptomatic treatments were needed in 32.7% of patients. In all 166 patients who completed their naltrexone maintenance treatment, craving disappeared in the 10th month. The main problem was the low patient compliance to oral naltrexone, so that only 45.9% of the patients completed their therapy. Conclusion: Accelerated neuroregulation which includes naltrexone maintenance treatment (10-12 months was highly effective to detoxify and to abolish craving in the heroin dependent patients. (Med J Indones 2004; 13: 53-8Keywords: detoxification, craving management

Hydrostatic Pressure Project: Linked-Class Problem-Based Learning in Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Freddie J.; Lockwood-Cooke, Pamela; Hunt, Emily M.

2011-01-01

Over the last few years, WTAMU Mathematics, Engineering and Science faculty has used interdisciplinary projects as the basis for implementation of a linked-class approach to Problem-Based Learning (PBL). A project that has significant relevance to engineering statics, fluid mechanics, and calculus is the Hydrostatic Pressure Project. This project…

Opiate addiction - current trends and treatment options

OpenAIRE

Achal Bhatt; Aminder Gill

2016-01-01

Opioids are widely used drugs for treatment of pain and related disorders. Opiate addiction is a major public health concern in the United States causing significant increase in healthcare expenditure. They produce euphoria and sense of well-being which makes them addictive to some people. Used in higher doses they can lead to cardiac or respiratory compromise. They also impair cognition leading to impaired decision making. Opioids exert their effects by acting on three different types of re...

Clinical pharmacokinetics of non-opiate abused drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Busto, U; Bendayan, R; Sellers, E M

1989-01-01

The present review discusses the available data on the kinetic properties of non-opiate abused drugs including psychomotor stimulants, hallucinogens and CNS-depressants. Some of the drugs of abuse reviewed here are illicit drugs (e.g. cannabis, cocaine), while others are effective pharmacological agents but have the potential to be abused (e.g. benzodiazepines). Although some of the drugs mentioned in this review have been in use for centuries (e.g. caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, cannabis), knowledge of their kinetics and metabolism is very recent and in some cases still incomplete. This is partially due to the difficulties inherent in studying drugs of abuse in humans, and to the complex metabolism of some of these drugs (e.g. cannabis, caffeine) which has made it difficult to develop sensitive assays to determine biological pathways. Although drugs of abuse may have entirely different intrinsic pharmacological effects, the kinetic properties of such drugs are factors contributing to abuse and dependence. The pharmacokinetic properties that presumably contribute to self-administration and drug abuse include rapid delivery of the drug into the central nervous system and high free drug clearance. Kinetic characteristics also play an important role in the development of physical dependence and on the appearance of a withdrawal syndrome: the longer the half-life, the greater the likelihood of the development of physical dependence; the shorter the half-life, the earlier and more severe the withdrawal. The balance between these 2 factors, which has not yet been carefully studied, will also influence abuse patterns. The clinical significance of kinetic characteristics with respect to abuse is discussed where possible.

Binding of kappa- and sigma-opiates in rat brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolozin, B.L.; Nishimura, S.; Pasternak, G.W.

1982-01-01

Detailed displacements of [ 3 H]dihydromorphine by ketocyclazocine and SKF 10,047, [ 3 H]ethylketocyclazocine by SKF 10,047, and [ 3 H]SKF 10,047 by ketocyclazocine are all multiphasic, suggesting multiple binding sites. After treating brain tissue in vitro with naloxazone, all displacements lose the initial inhibition of 3 H-ligand binding by low concentrations of unlabeled drugs. Together with Scatchard analysis of saturation experiments, these studies suggest a common site which binds mu-, kappa, and sigma-opiates and enkephalins equally well and with highest affinity (KD less than 1 nM). The ability of unlabeled drugs to displace the low affinity binding of [ 3 H]dihydromorphine (KD . 3 nM), [ 3 H]ethylketocyclazocine (KD . 4 nM), [ 3 H]SKF 10,047 (KD . 6 nM), and D-Ala2-D-Leu5-[ 3 H]enkephalin (KD . 5 nM) remaining after treating tissue with naloxazone demonstrates unique pharmacological profiles for each. These results suggest the existence of distinct binding sites for kappa- and sigma-opiates which differ from those sites which selectively bind morphine (mu) and enkephalin

Seizure and electroencephalographic changes in the newborn period induced by opiates and corrected by naloxone infusion.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, O; Alexandrou, D; Knoppert, D; Young, G B

1999-03-01

To describe the association between opioid administration in the newborn period and neurologic abnormalities. Case reports of two infants who presented with seizure activity and abnormal electroencephalograms associated with opiate administration, and reversed by naloxone. The first was a preterm infant who developed a burst-suppression pattern on the electroencephalogram while receiving a continuous infusion of morphine and muscle paralysis. Naloxone injection during the electroencephalogram recording reversed the burst-suppression pattern. The second was a term infant receiving fentanyl infusion for pain control following surgery, who presented with motor seizure that was only partially controlled with barbiturates. An abnormal electroencephalogram recording during the opiate infusion improved with naloxone administration. Our observations indicate a potential for neurologic abnormalities, including induction of seizure activity and electroencephalogram abnormalities, suggesting caution when opiates are used for sedation and/or pain control in the newborn period.

Synthesis of N-p-azidophenylethyl-7,8-dihydronormorphine and its 7,8-ditritio analogue. Potential opiate receptor photoaffinity labels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, G.K.; Rapoport, Henry

1985-01-01

The morphine derivatives N-p-azidophenylethyl-7,8-dihydronormorphine and its 7,8-ditritio analogue were synthesized from morphine. This material, a potential photoaffinity label with high specific radio-activity and with opiate agonist activity comparable to morphine, may be useful for labeling of opiate receptors. (author)

A preliminary, controlled investigation of magnesium L-aspartate hydrochloride for illicit cocaine and opiate use in methadone-maintained patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Margolin, Arthur; Kantak, Kathleen; Copenhaver, Michael; Avants, S Kelly

2003-01-01

Based on pre-clinical studies suggesting that magnesium (Mg) reduces cocaine self-administration and potentiates the antinociceptive effects of morphine, we conducted a preliminary randomized clinical trial investigating Mg for the treatment of illicit cocaine and opiate use. Eighteen methadone-maintained patients who used illicit opiates and cocaine received either Mg (732 mg/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Overall, findings showed that the percentage of urine screens testing positive for opiates in the Mg group (22.6%) was half that of the placebo group (46.4%), p = .04; the difference was even greater in the "medication compliant" sample (Mg: 16.3%, placebo: 47.9%), p = .02. Cocaine craving was lower in the Mg compared to the placebo group, but there was no difference between groups in cocaine use. These preliminary findings suggest that Mg may have a beneficial effect for reducing illicit opiate use. It is possible that a higher dose of Mg than was used in this study may be needed to decrease cocaine use.

Initiation of opiate addiction in a Canadian prison: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lim Ronald

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In North America, the harms of illicit drug use have been responded to primarily through law enforcement interventions. This strategy has resulted in record populations of addicted individuals being incarcerated in both Canada and the United States. The incarceration of non-violent drug offenders has become increasingly controversial as studies demonstrate the harms, including elevated HIV risk behavior, of incarcerating injection drug users. Other harms, such as the initiation of illicit drug use by prison inmates who previously did not use drugs, have been less commonly described. Case Presentation We report on the case of an individual who initiated non-injection opiate use in a Canadian prison and developed an addiction to the drug. Upon release into the community, the individual continued using opiates and sought treatment at a clinic. The patient feared that he might initiate injection use of opiates if his cravings could not be controlled. The patient was placed on methadone maintenance therapy. Conclusion While anecdotal reports indicate that initiation in prison of the use of addictive illicit substances is frequent, documentation through clinical experience is rare, and the public health implications of this behavior have not been given sufficient attention in the literature. Strategies of incarcerating non-violent drug offenders and attempting to keep illicit drugs out of prisons have not reduced the harms and costs of illicit drug use. Effective, practical alternatives are urgently needed; expanded community diversion programs for non-violent drug offenders deserve particular attention.

Provenance Usage in the OceanLink Project

Science.gov (United States)

Narock, T.; Arko, R. A.; Carbotte, S. M.; Chandler, C. L.; Cheatham, M.; Fils, D.; Finin, T.; Hitzler, P.; Janowicz, K.; Jones, M.; Krisnadhi, A.; Lehnert, K. A.; Mickle, A.; Raymond, L. M.; Schildhauer, M.; Shepherd, A.; Wiebe, P. H.

2014-12-01

A wide spectrum of maturing methods and tools, collectively characterized as the Semantic Web, is helping to vastly improve thedissemination of scientific research. The OceanLink project, an NSF EarthCube Building Block, is utilizing semantic technologies tointegrate geoscience data repositories, library holdings, conference abstracts, and funded research awards. Provenance is a vital componentin meeting both the scientific and engineering requirements of OceanLink. Provenance plays a key role in justification and understanding when presenting users with results aggregated from multiple sources. In the engineering sense, provenance enables the identification of new data and the ability to determine which data sources to query. Additionally, OceanLink will leverage human and machine computation for crowdsourcing, text mining, and co-reference resolution. The results of these computations, and their associated provenance, will be folded back into the constituent systems to continually enhance precision and utility. We will touch on the various roles provenance is playing in OceanLink as well as present our use of the PROV Ontology and associated Ontology Design Patterns.

Contingency Management interventions for non-prescribed drug use during treatment for opiate addiction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ainscough, Tom S; McNeill, Ann; Strang, John; Calder, Robert; Brose, Leonie S

2017-09-01

Use of non-prescribed drugs during treatment for opiate addiction reduces treatment success, creating a need for effective interventions. This review aimed to assess the efficacy of contingency management, a behavioural treatment that uses rewards to encourage desired behaviours, for treating non-prescribed drug use during opiate addiction treatment. A systematic search of the databases Embase, PsychInfo, PsychArticles and Medline from inception to March 2015 was performed. Random effects meta-analysis tested the use of contingency management to treat the use of drugs during opiate addiction treatment, using either longest duration of abstinence (LDA) or percentage of negative samples (PNS). Random effects moderator analyses were performed for six potential moderators: drug targeted for intervention, decade in which the study was carried out, study quality, intervention duration, type of reinforcer, and form of opiate treatment. The search returned 3860 papers; 22 studies met inclusion criteria and were meta-analysed. Follow-up data was only available for three studies, so all analyses used end of treatment data. Contingency management performed significantly better than control in reducing drug use measured using LDA (d=0.57, 95% CI: 0.42-0.72) or PNS (d=0.41) (95% CI: 0.28-0.54). This was true for all drugs other than opiates. The only significant moderator was drug targeted (LDA: Q=10.75, p=0.03). Contingency management appears to be efficacious for treating most drug use during treatment for opiate addiction. Further research is required to ascertain the full effects of moderating variables, and longer term effects. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing Personality Traits , Coping Strategies, and Attributional Styles of Opioid-Dependent Patients and Healthy People

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afsaneh Moradi

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study is carried on to compare personality traits, coping strategies, and attributional styles of opiate-dependent patients and healthy people. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sctional and comparative research, three scales Eysenk Personality Questionaire RS (EPQ-RS, Coping Response Inventory (CRI, and Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ are used to measure the mentioned variables on 158 people (78 opiate-dependent patient and 80 healthy people selected by accessible sampling method. Research data were examined on the basis of T-test for independent groups and logistic regression. Results: Results of T-test showed that there were significant differences between healthy and patient group in Coping Response Inventory and Personality Traits Subscale(except Lying subscale and attribution styles for negative events (P<0.001. Logistic regression results showed that all of these variables which entered in model, are able to predict distinction one group from other patient group and healthy one in a meaningful way(P<0.001. Conclusion: opiate-dependent patients when they face problems significantly use problem-solving strategies, social support seeking, and cognitive evaluation significantly less than healthy group and use physical inhibition and emotional inhibition significantly more than the healthy group. Also, drug-dependent patients in terms of tendency to Neuroticism, psychoticism and introversion were significantly higher than the healthy group, and they had more pessimistic attributional style towards negative events. On the other hand it became apparent that some aspects of personality characteristics, coping strategies, and attributional style considerably were able to distinguish healthy people from opiate-dependent patients.

Rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of opiates in extract of poppy head via FTIR and chemometrics: towards in-field sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Nicholas W; Cauchi, Michael; Piletska, Elena V; Preston, Christopher; Piletsky, Sergey A

2009-07-15

Identification and quantification of the opiates morphine and thebaine has been achieved in three commercial poppy cultivars using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, from a simple and rapid methanolic extraction, suitable for field analysis. The limits of detection were 0.13 mg/ml (0.013%, w/v) and 0.3 mg/ml (0.03%, w/v) respectively. The concentrations of opiates present were verified with HPLC-MS. The chemometrics has been used to identify specific "signature" peaks in the poppy IR spectra for characterisation of cultivar by its unique fingerprint offering a potential forensic application in opiate crop analysis.

Opiate antagonist binding sites in discrete brain regions of spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahmani, N.H.; Gulati, A.; Bhargava, H.N.

1991-01-01

The binding of 3 H-naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist, to membranes of discrete brain regions and spinal cord of 10 week old spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats was determined. The brain regions examined were hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, corpus striatum, pons and medulla, midbrain and cortex. 3 H-Naltrexone bound to membranes of brain regions and spinal cord at a single high affinity site with an apparent dissociation constant value of 3 nM. The highest density of 3 H-naltrexone binding sites were in hippocampus and lowest in the cerebral cortex. The receptor density (B max value) and apparent dissociation constant (K d value) values of 3 H-naltrexone to bind to opiate receptors on the membranes of amygdala, hippocampus, corpus striatum, pons and medulla, midgrain, cortex and spinal cord of WKY and SHR rates did not differ. The B max value of 3 H-naltrexone binding to membranes of hypothalamus of SHR rates was 518% higher than WKY rats but the K d values in the two strains did not differ. It is concluded that SHR rats have higher density of opiate receptors labeled with 3 H-naltrexone in the hypothalamus only, in comparison with WKY rats, and that such a difference in the density of opiate receptors may be related to the elevated blood pressure in SHR rats

Tunable detection sensitivity of opiates in urine via a label-free porous silicon competitive inhibition immunosensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonanno, Lisa M; Delouise, Lisa A

2010-01-15

Currently, there is need for laboratory-based high-throughput and reliable point-of-care drug screening methodologies. We demonstrate here a chip-based label-free porous silicon (PSi) photonic sensor for detecting opiates in urine. This technique provides a cost-effective alternative to conventional labeled drug screening immunoassays with potential for translation to multiplexed analysis. Important effects of surface chemistry and competitive binding assay protocol on the sensitivity of opiate detection are revealed. Capability to tune sensitivity and detection range over approximately 3 orders of magnitude (18.0 nM to 10.8 muM) was achieved by varying the applied urine specimen volume (100-5 muL), which results in systematic shifts in the competitive binding response curve. A detection range (0.36-4.02 muM) of morphine in urine (15 muL) was designed to span the current positive cutoff value (1.05 muM morphine) in medical opiate urine screening. Desirable high cross-reactivity to oxycodone, in addition to other common opiates, morphine, morphine-3-glucuronide, 6-acetyl morphine, demonstrates an advantage over current commercial screening assays, while low interference with cocaine metabolite was maintained. This study uniquely displays PSi sensor technology as an inexpensive, rapid, and reliable drug screening technology. Furthermore, the versatile surface chemistry developed can be implemented on a range of solid-supported sensors to conduct competitive inhibition assays.

The possible role of opiates in women with chronic urinary retention: observations from a prospective clinical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Panicker, Jalesh N; Game, Xavier; Khan, Shahid; Kessler, Thomas M; Gonzales, Gwen; Elneil, Sohier; Fowler, Clare J

2012-08-01

Urinary retention in women often presents a diagnostic difficulty, and the etiology may remain unidentified even after excluding structural and neurological causes. We evaluated a group of women referred to a specialist center with unexplained urinary retention. A total of 61 consecutive women with complete urinary retention were evaluated. Urological and neurological investigations locally had failed to identify a cause. Urethral pressure profile, sphincter volume measurement and in some cases urethral sphincter electromyography were performed to diagnose a primary disorder of sphincter relaxation (Fowler's syndrome). Mean patient age was 39 years (range 18 to 88). Following investigations, a probable etiology was identified in 25 (41%) women, the most common being Fowler's syndrome. Of the women 24 (39%) were being treated with opiates for various pain syndromes and in 13 no other cause of retention was identified. Opiates could be discontinued in only 2 patients, and both demonstrated improved sensations and voiding. The cause of urinary retention may remain unknown in spite of extensive investigations. Young women regularly using prescription opiates for various undiagnosed pain syndromes present a challenging clinical problem and this study suggests that iatrogenic causes should be considered if voiding difficulties emerge. An association between opiate use and constipation is well-known and, although urinary retention is a listed adverse event, it appears to be often overlooked in clinical practice. It is hypothesized that Fowler's syndrome is due to an up-regulation of spinal cord enkephalins and that exogenous opiates may compound any functional abnormalities predisposing young women to urinary retention. Copyright © 2012 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiosynthesis of an opiate receptor-binding radiotracer for positron emission tomography: (C-11 methyl)-methyl-4-(N-(1-oxopropyl)-N-phenylamino)-4-piperidine carboxylate (C-11 4-carbomethoxyfentanyl)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dannals, R.F.; Ravert, H.T.; Frost, J.J.; Wilson, A.A.; Burns, H.D.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.

1984-01-01

The development of high affinity, high specific activity tritium-labeled neurotransmitter receptor ligands has made it possible to determine the spatial distribution and relative regional concentration of several neuroreceptors by means of in vivo receptor labeling techniques in animals. This development made possible the biochemical identification of opiate receptors by autoradiographic visualization in experimental animals. The quantitation and localization of opiate receptors in man using non-invasive methods, such as positron emission tomography, could provide a means of obtaining information about a variety of receptor-linked neuropsychiatric diseases as well as normal brain mechanisms regulating pain and emotions. As part of a continuing program to identify and radiolabel high affinity, highly specific ligands for the opiate receptor, the authors have selected two derivatives of fentanyl, a well-known analgesic, as candidates for radiolabeling: R-31,833 (4-carbomethoxy-fentanyl) and R-34,995 (lofentanil). Carbon-11 labeled R-31,833 was synthesized by the methylation of the appropriate carboxylate with C-11 methyl iodide in dimethylformamide at room temperature and purified by high performance liquid chromatography. The average synthesis time from end-of-bombardment (E.O.B.) was 30 minutes. The average specific activity was determined by ultraviolet spectroscopy to be 890 mCi/..mu..mole end-of-synthesis (approx. 2500 mCi/..mu..mole E.O.B.).

Radiosynthesis of an opiate receptor-binding radiotracer for positron emission tomography: [C-11 methyl]-methyl-4-[N-(1-oxopropyl)-N-phenylamino]-4-piperidine carboxylate (C-11 4-carbomethoxyfentanyl)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dannals, R.F.; Ravert, H.T.; Frost, J.J.; Wilson, A.A.; Burns, H.D.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.

1984-01-01

The development of high affinity, high specific activity tritium-labeled neurotransmitter receptor ligands has made it possible to determine the spatial distribution and relative regional concentration of several neuroreceptors by means of in vivo receptor labeling techniques in animals. This development made possible the biochemical identification of opiate receptors by autoradiographic visualization in experimental animals. The quantitation and localization of opiate receptors in man using non-invasive methods, such as positron emission tomography, could provide a means of obtaining information about a variety of receptor-linked neuropsychiatric diseases as well as normal brain mechanisms regulating pain and emotions. As part of a continuing program to identify and radiolabel high affinity, highly specific ligands for the opiate receptor, the authors have selected two derivatives of fentanyl, a well-known analgesic, as candidates for radiolabeling: R-31,833 (4-carbomethoxy-fentanyl) and R-34,995 (lofentanil). Carbon-11 labeled R-31,833 was synthesized by the methylation of the appropriate carboxylate with C-11 methyl iodide in dimethylformamide at room temperature and purified by high performance liquid chromatography. The average synthesis time from end-of-bombardment (E.O.B.) was 30 minutes. The average specific activity was determined by ultraviolet spectroscopy to be 890 mCi/μmole end-of-synthesis (approx. 2500 mCi/μmole E.O.B.)

One Year Study of Chest X-Ray Changes in Opiate -poisoned Patients in Hamadan

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Jafari M.R.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Intoxication with opiates is one of the most common causes of referring to emergency departments in Iran. Because respiratory signs are one of the most common and important signs in these patients, this study was designed to evaluate the chest x-ray changes of the patients.Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional one. The changes noted in the Chest X-Ray (CXR of the patients having been intoxicated with opiates and referred with respiratory signs of intoxication during the one year period between July 2007 till July 2008 to Farshchian Hospital in Hamadan were studied. The data, then, were gathered and analyzed using T and chi-square statistical tests.Results: Out of 1698 patients having referred due to poisoning with drugs and chemical agents, 318(18.72% patients were admitted due to opiates intoxication. Among them, 214 (67.29% had respiratory signs. 84.1% were male and 15.9% were female. Their average age was 35.6. The most important substance used was opium (57.5%.Most of the cases (84.1% were due to abuse. The most common physical signs were: miosis (83.6%, respiratory distress (74.8%, rales & wheezing (67.3%. The most common radiographic abnormality was pulmonary edema (14.5%. And the most common substance causing pulmonary edema was crack (59.4% revealing a significant statistical difference (p=0.001. Conclusion: As expected, one of the most important complications and common causes of death in opiate-poisoned patients was respiratory problems; we suggest that physicians and staffs working in the emergency department be well-trained in management of such patients.Keywords: Radiography, Thoracic; Analgesics, Opioid; Poisoning; Pulmonary Edema.

Women and addiction (alcohol and opiates: Comparative analysis of psychosocial aspects

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Raketić Diana

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Nowadays women constitute one third of all addicts. In the last decade, there has been a remarkable growth in scientific interest in biochemical and psychosocial aspects of women’s addiction. Many researches point out the specific character of women’s addiction. Objective. The aim of the study was to assess and compare psychosocial aspects, including the socio-demographic characteristics as well as the specific aspects of functioning of family and interpersonal relationships of the subjects addicted to opiates and alcohol. Methods. There were two substance addict groups (32 and 30 subjects addicted to drugs and alcohol, respectively and the control group, consisting of 30 subjects (no substance addiction. A socio-demo- graphic data questionnaire and semi-structured Addiction Severity Index (ASI interview were used. Results. The results of the research indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the compared groups in respect to the age of the subjects, family history of addiction disorders, education, parenthood, employment work status, and marital status. The subjects addicted to opiates differed significantly in respect to manifestation of aggressive, delinquent behaviour, infectious diseases, presence of addicts-partnerships, but there were no significant differences in relation to physical abuse, sexual abuse and self-assessment of depression. Conclusion. The results of this research suggest that subjects addicted to opiates differed largely from the subjects addicted to alcohol in terms of the age of the subjects, education level, family relationships, partnerships and social relationships, which all have to be taken into consideration when designing a therapy protocol and planning activities for prevention.

The versatile link, a common project for super-LHC

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Amaral, Luis; Dris, Stefanos; Gerardin, Alexandre; Huffman, Todd; Issever, Cigdem; Pacheco, Alberto Jimenez; Jones, Mark; Kwan, Simon; Lee, Shih-Chang; Lian, Zhijun; Liu, Tiankuan; /CERN /Oxford U. /Fermilab /Taipei, Computing Ctr. /Southern Methodist U.

2009-07-01

Radiation tolerant, high speed optoelectronic data transmission links are fundamental building blocks in today's large scale High Energy Physics (HEP) detectors, as exemplified by the four experiments currently under commissioning at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), see for example. New experiments or upgrades will impose even more stringent demands on these systems from the point of view of performance and radiation tolerance. This can already be seen from the developments underway for the Super Large Hadron Collider (SLHC) project, a proposed upgrade to the LHC aiming at increasing the luminosity of the machine by factor of 10 to 10{sup 35} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1}, and thus providing a better chance to see rare processes and improving statistically marginal measurements. In the past, specific data transmission links have been independently developed by each LHC experiment for data acquisition (DAQ), detector control as well as trigger and timing distribution (TTC). This was justified by the different types of applications being targeted as well as by technological limitations preventing one single solution from fitting all requirements. However with today's maturity of optoelectronic and CMOS technologies it is possible to envisage the development of a general purpose optical link which can cover most transmission applications: a Versatile Link. Such an approach has the clear advantage of concentrating the development effort on one single project targeting an optical link whose final functionality will only result from the topology and configuration settings adopted.

Opiate receptors in idiopathic generalised epilepsy measured with [11C]diprenorphine and positron emission tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Prevett, M C; Cunningham, V J; Brooks, D J; Fish, D R; Duncan, J S

1994-09-01

The neurochemical basis of absence seizures is uncertain. A previous PET study has provided evidence for release of endogenous opioids from cerebral cortex at the time of absence seizures, but it is has not yet been established whether there is an abnormality of opiate receptor numbers interictally. In the present study, the non-specific opiate receptor ligand, [11C]diprenorphine, was used to measure cerebral opiate receptors interictally in patients with childhood and juvenile absence epilepsy. Eight patients and eight normal controls had a single scan after a high specific activity injection of [11C]diprenorphine. The cerebral volume of distribution (Vd) of [11C]diprenorphine relative to plasma was calculated on a pixel-by-pixel basis. There were no significant differences in [11C]diprenorphine Vd between patients and control subjects in either cortex or thalamus, structures thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of absence seizures. The results suggest that there is no overall abnormality of opioid receptors in patients with childhood and juvenile absence epilepsy. Studies with specific ligands may provide information about the different receptor subtypes.

Opiate Users' Perceived Barriers Against Attending Methadone Maintenance Therapy: A Qualitative Study in China

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chunqing; Wu, Zunyou; Detels, Roger

2012-01-01

Methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) in China is facing challenges such as high relapse rates and low coverage. The study assessed factors influencing MMT utilization among opiate users. In-depth interviews were conducted among 30 opiate users in 2008 to ascertain the barriers against seeking MMT. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Barriers to the treatment included requirement of registration with police, perceived discrimination, logistic difficulties, side effects, fear of being addicted to another drug, lack of additional services, and economic burden. The result suggests the need for structural changes such as improving comprehensive services, simplifying application procedure, and enhancing referral system. The study's limitations are noted. PMID:21417558

Selective localization of different types of opiate receptors in hippocampus as revealed by in vitro autoradiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duka, T.; Wuester, M.; Schubert, P.; Stoiber, R.; Herz, A.

1981-01-01

The visualization of opiate binding sites within the hippocampus of the rat has been achieved by means of an in vitro autoradiography. In line with the concept of multiple opiate receptors, different opioid agonists revealed a particular distribution pattern. Whereas the selective delta-receptor agonist [ 3 H]D-Ala 2 , D-Leu 5 -enkephalin specifically labelled binding sites in the CA 2 area, [ 3 H]etorphine grains displayed a uniform dense distribution throughout the pyramidal cell layers from CA 1 to CA 4 . (Auth.)

Opiate Drugs with Abuse Liability Hijack the Endogenous Opioid System to Disrupt Neuronal and Glial Maturation in the Central Nervous System

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Kurt F. Hauser

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The endogenous opioid system, comprised of multiple opioid neuropeptide and receptor gene families, is highly expressed by developing neural cells and can significantly influence neuronal and glial maturation. In many central nervous system (CNS regions, the expression of opioid peptides and receptors occurs only transiently during development, effectively disappearing with subsequent maturation only to reemerge under pathologic conditions, such as with inflammation or injury. Opiate drugs with abuse liability act to modify growth and development by mimicking the actions of endogenous opioids. Although typically mediated by μ-opioid receptors, opiate drugs can also act through δ- and κ-opioid receptors to modulate growth in a cell-type, region-specific, and developmentally regulated manner. Opioids act as biological response modifiers and their actions are highly contextual, plastic, modifiable, and influenced by other physiological processes or pathophysiological conditions, such as neuro-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. To date, most studies have considered the acute effects of opiates on cellular maturation. For example, activating opioid receptors typically results in acute growth inhibition in both neurons and glia. However, with sustained opioid exposure, compensatory factors become operative, a concept that has been largely overlooked during CNS maturation. Accordingly, this article surveys prior studies on the effects of opiates on CNS maturation, and also suggests new directions for future research in this area. Identifying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptive responses to chronic opiate exposure (e.g., tolerance during maturation is crucial toward understanding the consequences of perinatal opiate exposure on the CNS.

Opiate Drugs with Abuse Liability Hijack the Endogenous Opioid System to Disrupt Neuronal and Glial Maturation in the Central Nervous System.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauser, Kurt F; Knapp, Pamela E

2017-01-01

The endogenous opioid system, comprised of multiple opioid neuropeptide and receptor gene families, is highly expressed by developing neural cells and can significantly influence neuronal and glial maturation. In many central nervous system (CNS) regions, the expression of opioid peptides and receptors occurs only transiently during development, effectively disappearing with subsequent maturation only to reemerge under pathologic conditions, such as with inflammation or injury. Opiate drugs with abuse liability act to modify growth and development by mimicking the actions of endogenous opioids. Although typically mediated by μ-opioid receptors, opiate drugs can also act through δ- and κ-opioid receptors to modulate growth in a cell-type, region-specific, and developmentally regulated manner. Opioids act as biological response modifiers and their actions are highly contextual, plastic, modifiable, and influenced by other physiological processes or pathophysiological conditions, such as neuro-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. To date, most studies have considered the acute effects of opiates on cellular maturation. For example, activating opioid receptors typically results in acute growth inhibition in both neurons and glia. However, with sustained opioid exposure, compensatory factors become operative, a concept that has been largely overlooked during CNS maturation. Accordingly, this article surveys prior studies on the effects of opiates on CNS maturation, and also suggests new directions for future research in this area. Identifying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptive responses to chronic opiate exposure (e.g., tolerance) during maturation is crucial toward understanding the consequences of perinatal opiate exposure on the CNS.

Infusion of opiates into substantia nigra protects against maximal electroshock seizures in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Garant, D S; Gale, K

1985-07-01

Microinfusion of morphine sulfate (50 nmol), [d-Ala2]-Met-enkephalin (35 nmol) or dynorphin A 1-13 (1 nmol) bilaterally into the substantia nigra significantly attenuated seizures induced by maximal electroshock in rats. This action was accompanied by stereotyped behavioral hyperactivity. These anticonvulsant and behavioral effects were antagonized by systemic naloxone administration; neither effect was observed after intranigral microinjection of dynorphin A 1-17 amide (1 nmol). These results are consistent with a mu opiate receptor-mediated inhibition of substantia nigra efferent neurons, and with the proposal that bilateral inhibition of nigral efferents attenuates seizure propagation. However, intranigral morphine failed to alter the severity of i.v. bicuculline seizures, indicating that opiate-mediated inhibition in substantia nigra is distinct from that produced by gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Disrupting the memory of places induced by drugs of abuse weakens motivational withdrawal in a context-dependent manner.

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Taubenfeld, Stephen M; Muravieva, Elizaveta V; Garcia-Osta, Ana; Alberini, Cristina M

2010-07-06

Addicts repeatedly relapse to drug seeking even after years of abstinence, and this behavior is frequently induced by the recall of memories of the rewarding effects of the drug. Established memories, including those induced by drugs of abuse, can become transiently fragile if reactivated, and during this labile phase, known as reconsolidation, can be persistently disrupted. Here we show that, in rats, a morphine-induced place preference (mCPP) memory is linked to context-dependent withdrawal as disrupting the reconsolidation of the memory leads to a significant reduction of withdrawal evoked in the same context. Moreover, the hippocampus plays a critical role in linking the place preference memory with the context-conditioned withdrawal, as disrupting hippocampal protein synthesis and cAMP-dependent-protein kinase A after the reactivation of mCPP significantly weakens the withdrawal. Hence, targeting memories induced by drugs may represent an important strategy for attenuating context-conditioned withdrawal and therefore subsequent relapse in opiate addicts.

Effectiveness of Positive Psychotherapy in Improving Opiate Addicts’ Quality of Life

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P Porzoor

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study was aimed to assess the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy based on quality of life in improving opiate addicts’ quality of life. Method: A quasi experimental research design long with control group and pre-test, post-test and follow-up was employed for the conduct of this study. All the opiate addicts referring to treatment centers of Ardebil city in 2013 constituted the statistical population of the study and the number of 36 participants was selected as the sample via purposive sampling and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Quality-of-life-based psychotherapy was conducted on the experimental group in 8 sessions while the control group received no intervention. Quality of life questionnaire was used for data collection purposes. Results: The results suggested the effectiveness of the intervention in quality of life. Conclusion: This intervention, which is formed from the combination positive psychology and cognitive-behavioral approach, can be used as an effective treatment method.

Opiate antagonist binding sites in discrete brain regions of spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats

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Rahmani, N.H.; Gulati, A.; Bhargava, H.N. (Univ. of Illinois, Chicago (USA))

1991-01-01

The binding of {sup 3}H-naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist, to membranes of discrete brain regions and spinal cord of 10 week old spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats was determined. The brain regions examined were hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, corpus striatum, pons and medulla, midbrain and cortex. {sup 3}H-Naltrexone bound to membranes of brain regions and spinal cord at a single high affinity site with an apparent dissociation constant value of 3 nM. The highest density of {sup 3}H-naltrexone binding sites were in hippocampus and lowest in the cerebral cortex. The receptor density (B{sub max}value) and apparent dissociation constant (K{sub d} value) values of {sup 3}H-naltrexone to bind to opiate receptors on the membranes of amygdala, hippocampus, corpus striatum, pons and medulla, midgrain, cortex and spinal cord of WKY and SHR rates did not differ. The B{sub max} value of {sup 3}H-naltrexone binding to membranes of hypothalamus of SHR rates was 518% higher than WKY rats but the K{sub d} values in the two strains did not differ. It is concluded that SHR rats have higher density of opiate receptors labeled with {sup 3}H-naltrexone in the hypothalamus only, in comparison with WKY rats, and that such a difference in the density of opiate receptors may be related to the elevated blood pressure in SHR rats.

Opiate addiction and overdose: experiences, attitudes, and appetite for community naloxone provision.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Barry, Tomás

2017-02-28

More than 200 opiate overdose deaths occur annually in Ireland. Overdose prevention and management, including naloxone prescription, should be a priority for healthcare services. Naloxone is an effective overdose treatment and is now being considered for wider lay use.

Employment-based reinforcement of adherence to an FDA approved extended release formulation of naltrexone in opioid-dependent adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

DeFulio, Anthony; Everly, Jeffrey J; Leoutsakos, Jeannie-Marie S; Umbricht, Annie; Fingerhood, Michael; Bigelow, George E; Silverman, Kenneth

2012-01-01

Naltrexone provides excellent opioid blockade, but its clinical utility is limited because opioid-dependent patients typically refuse it. An injectable suspension of naltrexone for extended release (XR-NTX) was recently approved by the FDA for treatment of opioid dependence. XR-NTX treatment may require concurrent behavioral intervention to maximize adherence and effectiveness, thus we sought to evaluate employment-based reinforcement as a method of improving adherence to XR-NTX in opiate dependent adults. Opioid-dependent adults (n=38) were detoxified and inducted onto oral naltrexone, then randomly assigned to contingency or prescription conditions. Participants received up to six doses of XR-NTX at four-week intervals. All participants could earn vouchers for attendance and performance at a therapeutic workplace. Contingency participants were required to accept XR-NTX injections to access the workplace and earn vouchers. Prescription participants could earn vouchers independent of their acceptance of XR-NTX injections. Contingency participants accepted significantly more naltrexone injections than prescription participants (87% versus 52%, p=.002), and were more likely to accept all injections (74% versus 26%, p=.004). Participants in the two conditions provided similar percentages of samples negative for opiates (72% versus 65%) and for cocaine (58% versus 54%). Opiate positivity was significantly more likely when samples were also cocaine positive, independent of naltrexone blockade (p=.002). Long-term adherence to XR-NTX in unemployed opiate dependent adults is low under usual care conditions. Employment-based reinforcement can maintain adherence to XR-NTX. Ongoing cocaine use appears to interfere with the clinical effectiveness of XR-NTX on opiate use. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular identification of the mode of interaction of nitrous oxide with the opiate receptor system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wallar, D D

1985-01-01

The discovery of the opioid receptors in 1973 has led to a great deal of in vivo and in vitro research in order to understand the mechanism of binding of endogenous and synthetic opiate ligands. The use of nitrous oxide (N/sub 2/O) in anaesthesia is well documented. However, at lower concentrations N/sub 2/O produces analgesia. In 1976, it was reported that N/sub 2/O analgesia in man could be modified by the opiate antagonist naloxone. This clearly linked nitrous oxide analgesia to the opioid receptor system. It is the purpose of this dissertation to examine the molecular mechanism of action of N/sub 2/O at the opioid receptor through the use of in vitro binding studies. In addition, a model of the opioid receptor will be proposed. The following radiolabelled ligands were used in classical competitive binding assays to determine K (sub D),B(sub max), and IC/sub 50/ values in the presence of nitrous oxide and other control gases: dihydromorphine, N-allyl-N-normetazocine (SKF 10,047), and ethylketocyclazocine, for putative ..mu.., sigma and kappa opioid binding sites, respectively. All assays were performed using rat forebrain homogenates suspended in buffer previously saturated with the gas. Results indicate that N/sub 2/O differentially affects the binding kinetics of dihydromorphine. The binding kinetics of SKF 10,047 or ethylketocyclazocine were not altered significantly by N/sub 2/O indicating that N/sub 2/O is specific in its effects for the putative ..mu..-binding site. It is suggested that N/sub 2/O exerts its analgesic effects by perturbation of protein/lipid interactions within a multiple binding site opioid receptor complex.

The distribution of multiple opiate receptors in bovine brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninkovic, M.; Hunt, S.P.; Emson, P.C.; Iversen, L.L.

1981-01-01

The distribution of μ and delta opiate receptors in bovine brain has been investigated using the selective radioligands [ 3 H]morphine and D-[ 3 H]Ala 2 , D-Leu 5 -enkephalin. Their distributions were found to vary independently through different brain areas with up to a 10-fold difference between the ratio of μ to delta binding sites for the substantia nigra and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. (Auth.)

Comparison of efficacy between buprenorphine and tramadol in the detoxification of opioid (heroin)-dependent subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Chawla, Jatinder Mohan; Pal, Hemraj; Lal, Rakesh; Jain, Raka; Schooler, Nina; Balhara, Yatan Pal Singh

2013-01-01

Tramadol is a synthetic opiate and a centrally acting weak m-opioid receptor agonist. The potential advantages of tramadol include ease of administration, low abuse potential, and being nonscheduled. This study compared tramadol and buprenorphine for controlling withdrawal symptoms in patients with opioid dependence syndrome. Consenting male subjects between 20 and 45 years of age who fulfilled the ICD-10-DCR criteria for opiate dependence syndrome were randomly assigned in a double-blind, double-dummy placebo-controlled trial for detoxification. Those with multiple drug dependence, abnormal cardiac, renal and hepatic functions, psychosis, or organic mental illness were excluded. Assessments included Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS), Objective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (OOWS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Side Effect Check List. Subjects were evaluated daily and study duration was 10 days. Sixty two subjects were enrolled. The mean SOWS and OOWS and VAS were significantly lower in the buprenorphine group on second and third day of detoxification as compared to the tramadol group. Although the retention rate was higher for buprenorphine group throughout the study, when compared with tramadol the difference was not significant on any day. Three subjects in the tramadol group had seizures. Tramadol was found to have limited detoxification efficacy in moderate to severe opioid withdrawal and substantial risk of seizures as compared to buprenorphine. Further studies are warranted to examine its efficacy in mild opioid withdrawal symptoms and its potential use in outpatient settings where its administration advantages may be valuable.

Fear Memory Recall Potentiates Opiate Reward Sensitivity through Dissociable Dopamine D1 vs. D4 Receptor-Dependent Memory Mechanisms in the Prefrontal Cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jing Jing; Szkudlarek, Hanna; Renard, Justine; Hudson, Roger; Rushlow, Walter; Laviolette, Steven R

2018-04-23

Disturbances in prefrontal cortical (PFC) dopamine (DA) transmission are well-established features of psychiatric disorders involving pathological memory processing, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and opioid addiction. Transmission through PFC DA D4 receptors (D4R) has been shown to potentiate the emotional salience of normally non-salient emotional memories whereas transmission through PFC DA D1 receptors (D1R) has been demonstrated to selectively block recall of reward or aversion-related associative memories. In the present study, using a combination of fear conditioning and opiate reward conditioning in male rats, we examined the role of PFC D4/D1R signaling during the processing of fear-related memory acquisition and recall and subsequent sensitivity to opiate reward memory formation. We report that PFC D4R activation potentiates the salience of normally sub-threshold fear conditioning memory cues and simultaneously potentiates the rewarding effects of systemic or intra-ventral tegmental area (VTA) morphine conditioning cues. In contrast, blocking the recall of salient fear memories with intra-PFC D1R activation, blocks the ability of fear memory recall to potentiate systemic or intra-VTA morphine place preference. These effects were dependent upon dissociable PFC phosphorylation states involving calcium-calmodulin-kinase II (CaMKII-α) or extracellular-signal-related-kinase 1-2 (ERK 1/2), following intra-PFC D4 or D1R activation, respectively. Together, these findings reveal new insights into how aberrant PFC DAergic transmission and associated downstream molecular signaling pathways may modulate fear-related emotional memory processing and concomitantly increase opioid addiction vulnerability. Significance Statement: Post-traumatic stress disorder is highly comorbid with addiction. In this study, we use a translational model of fear memory conditioning to examine how transmission through dopamine D1 or D4 receptors, in the prefrontal cortex

Linked open data creating knowledge out of interlinked data : results of the LOD2 project

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Bryl, Volha; Tramp, Sebastian

2014-01-01

Linked Open Data (LOD) is a pragmatic approach for realizing the Semantic Web vision of making the Web a global, distributed, semantics-based information system. This book presents an overview on the results of the research project “LOD2 -- Creating Knowledge out of Interlinked Data”. LOD2 is a large-scale integrating project co-funded by the European Commission within the FP7 Information and Communication Technologies Work Program. Commencing in September 2010, this 4-year project comprised leading Linked Open Data research groups, companies, and service providers from across 11 European countries and South Korea. The aim of this project was to advance the state-of-the-art in research and development in four key areas relevant for Linked Data, namely 1. RDF data management; 2. the extraction, creation, and enrichment of structured RDF data; 3. the interlinking and fusion of Linked Data from different sources and 4. the authoring, exploration and visualization of Linked Data.

LINKING PROJECTS TO BUSINESS STRATEGY THROUGH PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

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A.J. Buys

2012-01-01

Full Text Available

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In many organisations, a chasm exists between the development of strategy and its successful implementation. Failure to cross this chasm may ultimately result in strategy failure and the loss of competitive advantage, profits, and employment. Project Portfolio Management (PPM is theorised as a management methodology that links a portfolio of projects to the business strategy. However, current literature lacks empirical evidence of the levels of employment, functionality, and success of the Project Portfolio Management approach in South Africa. A survey of respondents in 32 technology organisations was used to analyze the reasons for the following: strategy implementation and project delivery failure in South African technology organisations; the South African situation regarding the chasm that exists in many organisations between strategy development and successful strategy implementation; and the extent to which – and with what success – Project Portfolio Management is employed in South African technology organisations.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In baie organisasies bestaan daar ’n gaping tussen strategie-ontwikkeling en suksesvolle strategie-implementering. Die onvermoë om die gaping te oorbrug sal uiteindelik lei tot strategiefaling en die verlies van mededingende voordeel, winste, en werksgeleenthede. Projekportefeuljebestuur (PPB word voorgehou as ’n bestuursmetodologie wat ’n portefeulje van projekte koppel aan die besigheidstrategie. Bestaande literatuur gaan egter mank aan empiriese bewyse ten opsigte van die vlakke van indiensneming, funksionaliteit, en sukses van die Projekportefeuljebestuursbenadering in Suid-Afrika. ’n Opname van respondente in 32 tegnologie-organisasies is gebruik om die volgende aspekte te ondersoek: die redes vir falings in strategie-implementering en projekaflewering in Suid-Afrikaanse tegnologie-organisasies; die Suid-Afrikaanse situasie rakende die gaping wat bestaan tussen

Dismantling the Afghan Opiate Economy: A Cultural and Historical Policy Assessment, with Policy Recommendations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Byrom, Christopher L

2005-01-01

.... Specific lessons are taken from a chapter dedicated to Afghan culture, history, and rural power structures, and applied in chapters analyzing the opiate economy and current counter-narcotics policies...

The Effectiveness of Matrix Model in Relapse Prevention and Coping Skills Enhancement in Participants with Substance Dependency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Farnam

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Matrix model in relapse prevention and enhancement of coping skills in participants with opiate substance dependency. Method: In a semi-experimental study, 23 participants with diagnosis of opiate dependency who successfully detoxified, selected by cluster random sampling and they were divided into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 32 sessions of Matrix model training and the control group did not receive any treatment. All subjects were assessed by alcohol abuse coping response inventory (AACRI and Morphine test before treatment, randomly during treatment, after treatment, and after 3-months follow up stage. Results: The results showed that experimental and control groups had a significant differed in relapse rates. In addition, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA showed a significant difference between two groups in coping skills enhancement at periods of post test and follow up. Conclusion: With consideration of the results of the present study indicated that matrix model is effective in relapse prevention and coping skills enhancement in people with opiate substance dependency.

How to overcome hurdles in opiate substitution treatment? A qualitative study with general practitioners in Belgium.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraeyman, Jessica; Symons, Linda; Van Royen, Paul; Van Hal, Guido; Peremans, Lieve

2016-06-01

Opiate substitution treatment (OST) is the administration of opioids (methadone or buprenorphine) under medical supervision for opiate addiction. Several studies indicate a large unmet need for OST in general practice in Antwerp, Belgium. Some hurdles remain before GPs engage in OST prescribing. Formulate recommendations to increase engagement of GPs in OST, applicable to Belgium and beyond. In 2009, an exploratory qualitative research was performed using focus group discussions and interviews with GPs. During data collection and analysis, purposive sampling, open and axial coding was applied. The script was composed around the advantages, disadvantages and conditions of engaging in OST in general practice. We conducted six focus groups and two interviews, with GPs experienced in prescribing OST (n = 13), inexperienced GPs (n = 13), and physicians from addiction centres (n = 5). Overall, GPs did not seem very willing to prescribe OST for opiate users. A lack of knowledge about OST and misbehaving patients creates anxiety and makes the GPs reluctant to learn more about OST. The GPs refer to a lack of collaboration with the addiction centres and a need of support (from either addiction centres or experienced GP-colleagues for advice). Important conditions for OST are acceptance of only stable opiate users and more support in emergencies. Increasing GPs' knowledge about OST and improving collaboration with addiction centres are essential to increase the uptake of OST in general practice. Special attention could be paid to the role of more experienced colleagues who can act as advising physicians for inexperienced GPs.

Use of Opiates to Manage Pain in the Seriously and Terminally Ill Patient

Science.gov (United States)

... and misconceptions about the use of opiates for pain management, among health care professionals as well as among ... class that are commonly used by experts in pain management are: Single drugs (used for control of moderate ...

Synthesis and evaluation of fluorinated derivatives of fentanyl as candidates for opiate receptor studies using positron emission tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Dahren; Feliu, A L; Wolf, A P; MacGregor, R R; Fowler, J S; Arnett, C D

1986-03-01

Three fluorinated derivatives of fentanyl, fluorofentanyl (3), keto-fluorofentanyl (5), and fluorofentanol (6), were synthesized and their abilities to compete with /sup 3/diprenorphine for binding sites in guinea pig brain membranes were determined. The relative potencies were fentanyl > 3 approx.= 6 >> 5. On the basis of its apparent affinity for opiate receptors and its relative ease of synthesis, 6 was selected for further study. Fentanyl was slightly better than 6 in its ability to compete with (/sup 3/H)naltrexone for binding sites in rat brain membranes. Both fentayl and 6 exhibited a similar high ''sodium ratio'' (quotient of the IC/sub 50/'s against (/sup 3/H)naltrexone in the presence and absence of sodium chloride) generally characteristic of opiate agonists. The analgesic potencies of fentanyl and 6 were determined in rats by measuring suppression of locomotion and vocalization responses to footshock. 6 appeared slightly less potent than fentanyl, but produced a similar analgesia and catalepsy which was entirely blocked by pretreatment of rats with naloxone, an opiate antagonist. A rapid synthesis of (/sup 18/F)-6 was developed and the tissue distribution of (/sup 18/F)-6 in mice was determined 5, 60, and 120 minutes after intravenous injection. The use of this general route to /sup 18/F-labeled derivatives of fentanyl for studies of the opiate receptor using positron emission tomography is planned.

Synthesis and evaluation of fluorinated derivatives of fentanyl as candidates for opiate receptor studies using positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahren Hwang; Feliu, A.L.; Wolf, A.P.; MacGregor, R.R.; Fowler, J.S.; Arnett, C.D.

1986-01-01

Three fluorinated derivatives of fentanyl, fluorofentanyl (3), keto-fluorofentanyl (5), and fluorofentanol (6), were synthesized and their abilities to compete with 3 diprenorphine for binding sites in guinea pig brain membranes were determined. The relative potencies were fentanyl > 3 approx.= 6 >> 5. On the basis of its apparent affinity for opiate receptors and its relative ease of synthesis, 6 was selected for further study. Fentanyl was slightly better than 6 in its ability to compete with [ 3 H]naltrexone for binding sites in rat brain membranes. Both fentayl and 6 exhibited a similar high ''sodium ratio'' (quotient of the IC 50 's against [ 3 H]naltrexone in the presence and absence of sodium chloride) generally characteristic of opiate agonists. The analgesic potencies of fentanyl and 6 were determined in rats by measuring suppression of locomotion and vocalization responses to footshock. 6 appeared slightly less potent than fentanyl, but produced a similar analgesia and catalepsy which was entirely blocked by pretreatment of rats with naloxone, an opiate antagonist. A rapid synthesis of [ 18 F]-6 was developed and the tissue distribution of [ 18 F]-6 in mice was determined 5, 60, and 120 minutes after intravenous injection. The use of this general route to 18 F-labeled derivatives of fentanyl for studies of the opiate receptor using positron emission tomography is planned. (author)

Taiwan links up to world's first LHC computing grid project

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

"Taiwan's Academia Sinica was linked up to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Computing Grid Project last week to work jointly with 12 other countries to construct the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator" (1/2 page).

[The role of the opiate mechanisms of the hippocampus and substantia nigra in the behavioral and convulsive disorders in picrotoxin-induced kindling].

Science.gov (United States)

Kryzhanovskiĭ, G N; Shandra, A A; Godlevskiĭ, L S; Mazarati, A M; Nguyen, T T

1991-03-01

It was shown in the experiments on rats that the repeated picrotoxin administration resulted in the kindling of generalized seizures. Generalized convulsions were followed by the development of either postictal depression or explosiveness. The injection of mu-opiate agonist met-enkephalin into hippocampus of kindled rats resulted in the increase in the severity of seizure reactions which were induced by picrotoxin and also in the increase in the number of animals with postictal explosiveness. The injection of dynorphin-A-1-13 (kappa-opiate agonist) into substantia nigra reticulata induced the locomotor depression which was like one in postictal period and resulted in the decrease of picrotoxin-induced seizures severity. It was concluded that mu-opiate system of hippocampus took part in the formation of generator of pathologically enhanced excitation in the structure during kindling and the development of seizure syndrome, providing also the postictal explosiveness. Kappa-opiate system of substantia nigra plays an important role in the activation of the antiepileptic system, limitation of seizures and the development of postictal depression.

Synthesis and evaluation of fluorinated derivatives of fentanyl as candidates for opiate receptor studies using positron emission tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahren Hwang; Feliu, A.L.; Wolf, A.P.; MacGregor, R.R.; Fowler, J.S.; Arnett, C.D.

1986-03-01

Three fluorinated derivatives of fentanyl, fluorofentanyl (3), keto-fluorofentanyl (5), and fluorofentanol (6), were synthesized and their abilities to compete with /sup 3/diprenorphine for binding sites in guinea pig brain membranes were determined. The relative potencies were fentanyl > 3 approx.= 6 >> 5. On the basis of its apparent affinity for opiate receptors and its relative ease of synthesis, 6 was selected for further study. Fentanyl was slightly better than 6 in its ability to compete with (/sup 3/H)naltrexone for binding sites in rat brain membranes. Both fentayl and 6 exhibited a similar high ''sodium ratio'' (quotient of the IC/sub 50/'s against (/sup 3/H)naltrexone in the presence and absence of sodium chloride) generally characteristic of opiate agonists. The analgesic potencies of fentanyl and 6 were determined in rats by measuring suppression of locomotion and vocalization responses to footshock. 6 appeared slightly less potent than fentanyl, but produced a similar analgesia and catalepsy which was entirely blocked by pretreatment of rats with naloxone, an opiate antagonist. A rapid synthesis of (/sup 18/F)-6 was developed and the tissue distribution of (/sup 18/F)-6 in mice was determined 5, 60, and 120 minutes after intravenous injection. The use of this general route to /sup 18/F-labeled derivatives of fentanyl for studies of the opiate receptor using positron emission tomography is planned.

Methadone detoxification of tramadol dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Leo, R J; Narendran, R; DeGuiseppe, B

2000-10-01

Tramadol hydrochloride is a centrally acting analgesic with a partial affinity for the opiate receptor (mu), having an analgesic potency estimated to be one tenth that of morphine. While preclinical investigations suggested that abuse liability associated with tramadol use is low, there are increasing numbers of cases reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of abuse, dependence, and withdrawal associated with tramadol use. A case of a patient with tramadol dependence requiring detoxification with methadone is presented. Acute management of significant tramadol dependence has not yet been reported in the literature. Long-term treatment issues are also discussed.

Different Levels in Orexin Concentrations and Risk Factors Associated with Higher Orexin Levels: Comparison between Detoxified Opiate and Methamphetamine Addicts in 5 Chinese Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haoran Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study sought to explore the degree of orexin levels in Chinese opiate and methamphetamine addicts and the differences between them. The cross-sectional study was conducted among detoxified drug addicts from Mandatory Detoxification Center (MDC in five Chinese cities. Orexin levels were assayed with radioimmunoassay (RIA. Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to detect differences across groups, and logistic regression was used to explore the association between orexin levels and characteristics of demographic and drug abuse. Between November 2009 and January 2011, 285 opiates addicts, 112 methamphetamine addicts, and 79 healthy controls were enrolled. At drug withdrawal period, both opiate and methamphetamine addicts had lower median orexin levels than controls, and median orexin levels in opiate addicts were higher than those in methamphetamine addicts (all above P<0.05. Adjusted odds of the above median concentration of orexin were higher for injection than “chasing the dragon” (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.2–7.9. No significant factors associated with orexin levels of methamphetamine addicts were found. Development of intervention method on orexin system by different administration routes especially for injected opiate addicts at detoxification phase may be significant and was welcome.

Effects of drugs of abuse on hippocampal plasticity and hippocampus-dependent learning and memory: contributions to development and maintenance of addiction

Science.gov (United States)

Kutlu, Munir Gunes

2016-01-01

It has long been hypothesized that conditioning mechanisms play major roles in addiction. Specifically, the associations between rewarding properties of drugs of abuse and the drug context can contribute to future use and facilitate the transition from initial drug use into drug dependency. On the other hand, the self-medication hypothesis of drug abuse suggests that negative consequences of drug withdrawal result in relapse to drug use as an attempt to alleviate the negative symptoms. In this review, we explored these hypotheses and the involvement of the hippocampus in the development and maintenance of addiction to widely abused drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine, nicotine, alcohol, opiates, and cannabis. Studies suggest that initial exposure to stimulants (i.e., cocaine, nicotine, and amphetamine) and alcohol may enhance hippocampal function and, therefore, the formation of augmented drug-context associations that contribute to the development of addiction. In line with the self-medication hypothesis, withdrawal from stimulants, ethanol, and cannabis results in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory deficits, which suggest that an attempt to alleviate these deficits may contribute to relapse to drug use and maintenance of addiction. Interestingly, opiate withdrawal leads to enhancement of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Given that a conditioned aversion to drug context develops during opiate withdrawal, the cognitive enhancement in this case may result in the formation of an augmented association between withdrawal-induced aversion and withdrawal context. Therefore, individuals with opiate addiction may return to opiate use to avoid aversive symptoms triggered by the withdrawal context. Overall, the systematic examination of the role of the hippocampus in drug addiction may help to formulate a better understanding of addiction and underlying neural substrates. PMID:27634143

The Comparison of Early Maladaptive Schema’s Domains Between Successful And Non-Successful Opiate Addicts and Non-Clinical Persons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahram Sahand

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The current research was done in order to compare the early maladaptive schema’s domains between successful and non-successful opiate addicts and non-clinical persons in Tehran. Method: The research design was causal effect method. In this purpose 90 men (include successful and non-successful opiate addicts, and non-clinical persons (30 for each group, were selected by the available sampling method. Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-RE2R, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ, and Personal Characteristic Questionnaire were administered among selected sample. The results were analyzed by ANOVA, chi square, MANOVA, and tukey test. Results: The findings of this research indicated that there was a significant difference on “Early Maladaptive Schema’s domains” between these three groups. Conclusion: The results have important clinical interpretations. It is assumed that medical interference with the aim of modifying and correcting the “Early Maladaptive Schema’s domains” can be effective on the level of success for opiate addicts to give up their addiction.

Rapid determination of methadone and its major metabolite in biological fluids by gas-liquid chromatography with thermionic detection for maintenance treatment of opiate addicts.

Science.gov (United States)

Chikhi-Chorfi, N; Pham-Huy, C; Galons, H; Manuel, N; Lowenstein, W; Warnet, J M; Claude, J R

1998-11-06

A rapid gas-liquid chromatographic assay is developed for the quantification of methadone (Mtd) and its major metabolite, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), in biological fluids of opiate addicts. After alkaline extraction from samples with lidocaine hydrochloride as internal standard, Mtd and EDDP are separated on SP-2250 column at 220 degrees C and detected with a thermionic detector. The chromatographic time is about 6 min. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) of Mtd and EDDP standards are between 1.5 and 5.5%. Most drugs of abuse (morphine, codeine, narcotine, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, dextropropoxyphene etc) are shown not to interfere with this technique. The method has been applied to study the levels of Mtd and EDDP metabolite in serum, saliva and urine of patients under maintenance treatment for opiate dependence. EDDP levels were found higher than those of Mtd in urine samples from four treated patients, but lower in serum and undetectable in saliva. However, Mtd concentrations were higher in saliva than in serum.

Risky decision-making predicts short-term outcome of community but not residential treatment for opiate addiction. Implications for case management.

Science.gov (United States)

Passetti, F; Clark, L; Davis, P; Mehta, M A; White, S; Checinski, K; King, M; Abou-Saleh, M

2011-10-01

Opiate addiction is associated with decision-making deficits and we previously showed that the extent of these impairments predicts aspects of treatment outcome. Here we aimed to establish whether measures of decision-making performance might be used to inform placement matching. Two groups of opiate dependent individuals, one receiving treatment in a community setting (n=48) and one in a residential setting (n=32) were administered computerised tests of decision-making, impulsivity and planning shortly after the beginning of treatment, to be followed up three months into each programme. In the community sample, performance on the decision-making tasks at initial assessment predicted abstinence from illicit drugs at follow-up. In contrast, in the residential sample there was no relationship between decision-making and clinical outcome. Intact decision-making processes appear to be necessary for upholding a resolve to avoid taking drugs in a community setting, but the importance of these mechanisms may be attenuated in a residential treatment setting. The results support the placement matching hypothesis, suggesting that individuals with more prominent decision-making deficits may particularly benefit from treatment in a residential setting and from the inclusion of aspects of cognitive rehabilitation in their treatment programme. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy on Improving Quality of Life in Opiate Addicts under Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fereshteh Momeni

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study was aimed to assess the effectiveness of cognitive- behavioral group therapy on improvement of quality of life in opiate patients under methadone maintenance treatment. Method: This was a semi experimental study using control group also pre-test, post-test and follow-up. Thirty six patients on MMT were selected between the entire opiate addicts referred to Iranian national center for addiction studies within judgmental sampling and were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. They were all administered the WHOQOL-BREF. In experimental group, cognitive behavior group therapy was performed in 8 sessions and the control group was registered in the waiting list for the CBGT. Findings: Data analysis revealed that the mean WHOQOL-BREF score in the experimental group had significant higher increase when compared with that of the control group. But it wasn’t significant in follow up. Conclusion: Results demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive–behavior group therapy On improvement of quality of life of opiate addicts on MMT in short term but didn’t seem to be effective in long term.

Taiwan links up to world's 1st LHC Computing Grid Project

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

Taiwan's Academia Sinica was linked up to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Computing Grid Project to work jointly with 12 other countries to construct the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator

Continuous subcutaneous infusion of opiates at end-of-life.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Stacey L; Shreve, Scott T

2004-06-01

To review pertinent controlled trials using the continuous subcutaneous infusion of opioids (CSIO) at end-of-life and offer insight to pharmacists and clinicians into the appropriate use of this route of administration. A MEDLINE search for information regarding the subcutaneous administration of opioids in terminally ill patients (1975-December 2002) was conducted using the key words subcutaneous, narcotics, morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl, pain, hospices, and palliative care. Additional references were located through review of bibliographies of the articles cited. Case reports and postsurgical studies were excluded. Searches were limited to English-language studies using humans. Experimental and observational studies were evaluated, using prospective trials as the evidence base for conclusions and including pertinent retrospective trials as they relate to the subcutaneous infusion of opioids at end-of-life. CSIO is effective and safe for use in terminal illness. Appropriate situations for consideration of CSIO are when difficulties arise in using the oral route, standard oral opiate therapy has failed adequate trials, the patient has limited intravenous access, adequate supervision of the CSIO is present, and CSIO will not unduly limit the functional activity of the patient. CSIO has a proven role in the management of pain at end-of-life. CSIO should not be considered the first route for administration of opiates, but does offer distinct advantages in the appropriate setting. CSIO continues to be a choice for end-of-life patients and is gradually becoming a standard practice in palliative medicine.

Multimodal analgesia versus traditional opiate based analgesia after cardiac surgery, a randomized controlled trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rafiq, Sulman; Steinbrüchel, Daniel Andreas; Wanscher, Michael Jaeger

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: To evaluate if an opiate sparing multimodal regimen of dexamethasone, gabapentin, ibuprofen and paracetamol had better analgesic effect, less side effects and was safe compared to a traditional morphine and paracetamol regimen after cardiac surgery. METHODS: Open-label, prospective...

Cryogenic digital data links for the liquid argon time projection chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, T; Gong, D; Liu, C; Xiang, A C; Ye, J; Hou, S; Su, D-S; Teng, P-K

2012-01-01

In this paper we present the cryogenic functionality of the components of data links for the Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC), a potential far site detector technology of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE). We have confirmed that an LVDS driver can drive a 20-meter CAT5E twisted pair up to 1 gigabit per second at the liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). We have verified that a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) serializer, a laser diode driver, laser diodes, optical fibers and connectors, and field-programming gate arrays (FPGA's) continue to function at 77 K. A variety of COTS resistors and capacitors have been tested at 77 K. All tests we have conducted show that the cryogenic digital data links for the liquid argon time projection chamber are promising.

RIVER INTER-LINKING (RIL) PROJECT: A QUESTION ON INDIAN FEDERALISM.

OpenAIRE

Shazia Waheed; Pradip Kumar Jha.

2017-01-01

The Supreme Court of India, in 2002 directed the central government to link major Indian rivers within 10 years. In December 2002, the government appointed a task force on interlinking of 37 rivers and the dead line was extended by 2016. The RIL project not only raises national issue but also give way to international conflict in South Asia over sharing of river waters. The paper examines the impact of the RIL project on the paradigms and working of Indian federalism. It is based on triangula...

Clinical Manifestations of the Opiate Withdrawal Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faniya Shigakova

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Currently, substance abuse is one of the most serious problems facing our society. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical manifestations of the opiate withdrawal syndrome (OWS. The study included 112 patients (57 women and 55 men aged from 18 to 64 years with opium addiction according to the DSM-IV. To study the clinical manifestation of OWS, the special 25-score scale with four sections to assess severity of sleep disorders, pain syndrome, autonomic disorders, and affective symptoms was used. Given the diversity of the OWS symptoms, attention was focused on three clinical variants, affective, algic and mixed. The OWS affective variant was registered more frequently in women, while the mixed type of OWS was more typical of men.

Concentration-dependent oligomerization of cross-linked complexes between ferredoxin and ferredoxin–NADP+ reductase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimata-Ariga, Yoko; Kubota-Kawai, Hisako; Lee, Young-Ho; Muraki, Norifumi; Ikegami, Takahisa; Kurisu, Genji; Hase, Toshiharu

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Cross-linked complexes of ferredoxin (Fd) and Fd–NADP + reductase form oligomers. •In the crystal structures, Fd- and FNR moieties swap across the molecules. •The complexes exhibit concentration-dependent oligomerization at sub-milimolar order. -- Abstract: Ferredoxin–NADP + reductase (FNR) forms a 1:1 complex with ferredoxin (Fd), and catalyzes the electron transfer between Fd and NADP + . In our previous study, we prepared a series of site-specifically cross-linked complexes of Fd and FNR, which showed diverse electron transfer properties. Here, we show that X-ray crystal structures of the two different Fd–FNR cross-linked complexes form oligomers by swapping Fd and FNR moieties across the molecules; one complex is a dimer from, and the other is a successive multimeric form. In order to verify whether these oligomeric structures are formed only in crystal, we investigated the possibility of the oligomerization of these complexes in solution. The mean values of the particle size of these cross-linked complexes were shown to increase with the rise of protein concentration at sub-milimolar order, whereas the size of dissociable wild-type Fd:FNR complex was unchanged as analyzed by dynamic light scattering measurement. The oligomerization products were detected by SDS–PAGE after chemical cross-linking of these complexes at the sub-milimolar concentrations. The extent and concentration-dependent profile of the oligomerizaion were differentiated between the two cross-linked complexes. These results show that these Fd–FNR cross-linked complexes exhibit concentration-dependent oligomerization, possibly through swapping of Fd and FNR moieties also in solution. These findings lead to the possibility that some native multi-domain proteins may present similar phenomenon in vivo

Effects of drugs of abuse on hippocampal plasticity and hippocampus-dependent learning and memory: contributions to development and maintenance of addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutlu, Munir Gunes; Gould, Thomas J

2016-10-01

It has long been hypothesized that conditioning mechanisms play major roles in addiction. Specifically, the associations between rewarding properties of drugs of abuse and the drug context can contribute to future use and facilitate the transition from initial drug use into drug dependency. On the other hand, the self-medication hypothesis of drug abuse suggests that negative consequences of drug withdrawal result in relapse to drug use as an attempt to alleviate the negative symptoms. In this review, we explored these hypotheses and the involvement of the hippocampus in the development and maintenance of addiction to widely abused drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine, nicotine, alcohol, opiates, and cannabis. Studies suggest that initial exposure to stimulants (i.e., cocaine, nicotine, and amphetamine) and alcohol may enhance hippocampal function and, therefore, the formation of augmented drug-context associations that contribute to the development of addiction. In line with the self-medication hypothesis, withdrawal from stimulants, ethanol, and cannabis results in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory deficits, which suggest that an attempt to alleviate these deficits may contribute to relapse to drug use and maintenance of addiction. Interestingly, opiate withdrawal leads to enhancement of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Given that a conditioned aversion to drug context develops during opiate withdrawal, the cognitive enhancement in this case may result in the formation of an augmented association between withdrawal-induced aversion and withdrawal context. Therefore, individuals with opiate addiction may return to opiate use to avoid aversive symptoms triggered by the withdrawal context. Overall, the systematic examination of the role of the hippocampus in drug addiction may help to formulate a better understanding of addiction and underlying neural substrates. © 2016 Kutlu and Gould; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

FERC approves process for Lake Erie link: Project meets significant regulatory milestone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

2002-01-01

The Federal Electric Regulatory Commission (FERC) of the United States has issued an order to TransEnergie US Ltd., and Hydro One Inc., authorizing the sale of transmission rights for the proposed Lake Erie link. This project will consists of bi-directional high voltage direct current facilities connecting the transmission grids of Ontario, Canada and the United States. The sale is authorized to proceed via a non-discriminatory 'open season' process. The project will consist of buried underwater cables under Lake Erie connecting the transmission systems near Simcoe, Ontario with those in the US at either, or both, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Ashtabula, Ohio. The project will provide an increase in transmission capability of up to 975 MW between the electric control areas of the Ontario Independent Electricity Market Operator, the East Central Area Reliability Coordination Agreement in Ohio and the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection. The Lake Erie Link will be financially supported by those consumers who see value in the associated transmission rights, rather than through the regulated rates paid by transmission customers in general. The article provides an overview of the background of the Lake Erie Link, the cable system, the converter station, and the potential economic benefits

Do consumers substitute opium for hashish? An economic analysis of simultaneous cannabinoid and opiate consumption in a legal regime.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, Siddharth; Chandra, Madhur

2015-11-01

To analyze interrelationships in the consumption of opiates and cannabinoids in a legal regime and, specifically, whether consumers of opiates and cannabinoids treat them as substitutes for each other. Econometric dynamic panel data models for opium consumption are estimated using the generalized method of moments (GMM). A unique dataset containing information about opiate (opium) consumption from the Punjab province of British India for the years 1907-1918 is analyzed (n=252) as a function of its own price, the prices of two forms of cannabis (the leaf (bhang), and the resin (charas, or hashish)), and wage income. Cross-price elasticities are examined to reveal substitution or complementarity between opium and cannabis. Opium is a substitute for charas (or hashish), with a cross price elasticity (βˆ3) of 0.14 (pprice elasticity=0.00, p>0.10). Opium consumption (βˆ1=0.47 to 0.49, pprice (βˆ2=-0.34 to -0.35, pprice and wage income responsiveness (inelasticity) consistent with an addictive substance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A class-based link prediction using Distance Dependent Chinese Restaurant Process

Science.gov (United States)

Andalib, Azam; Babamir, Seyed Morteza

2016-08-01

One of the important tasks in relational data analysis is link prediction which has been successfully applied on many applications such as bioinformatics, information retrieval, etc. The link prediction is defined as predicting the existence or absence of edges between nodes of a network. In this paper, we propose a novel method for link prediction based on Distance Dependent Chinese Restaurant Process (DDCRP) model which enables us to utilize the information of the topological structure of the network such as shortest path and connectivity of the nodes. We also propose a new Gibbs sampling algorithm for computing the posterior distribution of the hidden variables based on the training data. Experimental results on three real-world datasets show the superiority of the proposed method over other probabilistic models for link prediction problem.

Auditory sensitivity in opiate addicts with and without a history of noise exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vishakha Rawool

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Several case reports suggest that some individuals are susceptible to hearing loss from opioids. A combination of noise and opium exposure is possible in either occupational setting such as military service or recreational settings. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, prescriptions for opiate-based drugs have skyrocketed in the past decade. Since both opium and noise independently can cause hearing loss, it is important to know the prevalence of hearing loss among individuals who are exposed to opium or both opium and noise. The purpose of this research was to evaluate auditory sensitivity in individuals with a history of opium abuse and/or occupational or nonoccupational noise exposure. Twenty-three men who reported opiate abuse served as participants in the study. Four of the individuals reported no history of noise exposure, 12 reported hobby-related noise exposure, 7 reported occupational noise exposure including 2 who also reported hobby-related noise exposure. Fifty percent (2/4 of the individuals without any noise exposure had a hearing loss confirming previous reports that some of the population is vulnerable to the ototoxic effects of opioids. The percentage of population with hearing loss increased with hobby-related (58% and occupational noise exposure (100%. Mixed MANOVA revealed a significant ear, frequency, and noise exposure interaction. Health professionals need to be aware of the possible ototoxic effects of opioids, since early detection of hearing loss from opium abuse may lead to cessation of abuse and further progression of hearing loss. The possibility that opium abuse may interact with noise exposure in determining auditory thresholds needs to be considered in noise exposed individuals who are addicted to opiates. Possible mechanisms of cochlear damage from opium abuse, possible reasons for individual susceptibility, and recommendations for future studies are presented in the article.

BRDF-dependent accuracy of array-projection-based 3D sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Heist, Stefan; Kühmstedt, Peter; Tünnermann, Andreas; Notni, Gunther

2017-03-10

In order to perform high-speed three-dimensional (3D) shape measurements with structured light systems, high-speed projectors are required. One possibility is an array projector, which allows pattern projection at several tens of kilohertz by switching on and off the LEDs of various slide projectors. The different projection centers require a separate analysis, as the intensity received by the cameras depends on the projection direction and the object's bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). In this contribution, we investigate the BRDF-dependent errors of array-projection-based 3D sensors and propose an error compensation process.

sigma opiates and certain antipsychotic drugs mutually inhibit (+)-[3H]SKF 10,047 and [3H]haloperidol binding in guinea pig brain membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tam, S.W.; Cook, L.

1984-01-01

The relationship between binding of antipsychotic drugs and sigma psychotomimetic opiates to binding sites for the sigma agonist (+)-[ 3 H]SKF 10,047 (N-allylnormetazocine) and to dopamine D 2 sites was investigated. In guinea pig brain membranes, (+)-[ 3 H]SKF 10,047 bound to single class of sites with a K/sub d/ of 4 x 10 -8 M and a B/sub max/ of 333 fmol/mg of protein. This binding was different from μ, kappa, or delta opiate receptor binding. It was inhibited by opiates that produce psychotomimetic activities but not by opiates that lack such activities. Some antipsychotic drugs inhibited (+)-[ 3 H]SKF 10,047 binding with high to moderate affinities in the following order of potency: haloperidol > perphenazine > fluphenazine > acetophenazine > trifluoperazine > molindone greater than or equal to pimozide greater than or equal to thioridazine greater than or equal to chlorpromazine greater than or equal to triflupromazine. However, there were other antipsychotic drugs such as spiperone and clozapine that showed low affinity for the (+)-[ 3 H]SKF 10,047 binding sites. Affinities of antipsychotic drugs for (+)-[ 3 H]SKF 10,047 binding sites did not correlate with those for [ 3 H]spiperone (dopamine D 2 ) sites. [ 3 H]-Haloperidol binding in whole brain membranes was also inhibited by the sigma opiates pentazocine, cyclazocine, and (+)-[ 3 H]SKF 10,047. In the striatum, about half of the saturable [ 3 H]haloperidol binding was to [ 3 H]spiperone (D 2 ) sites and the other half was to sites similar to (+)-[ 3 H]SKF 10,047 binding sites. 15 references, 4 figures, 1 table

Comparison of childhood sexual histories in subjects with pedophilia or opiate addiction and healthy controls: is childhood sexual abuse a risk factor for addictions?

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Lisa J; Forman, Howard; Steinfeld, Matthew; Fradkin, Yuli; Frenda, Steven; Galynker, Igor

2010-11-01

Given the recent interest in the concept of sexual addictions, it is instructive to study subjects with pedophilia alongside chemically addicted individuals and non-addicted controls in order to help identify which factors may determine the objects of people's respective addictions, as well as any factors that may predispose people to developing an addictive disorder. In this study, we considered whether childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a specific risk factor for pedophilia as opposed to other types of addictive disorders by comparing the childhood sexual histories of 48 pedophilic sex offenders, 25 subjects with opiate addiction in remission, and 61 healthy controls. CSA was assessed with The Sexual History Questionnaire and the Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Compared with both opiate addicted subjects and healthy controls, subjects with pedophilia were more likely to report experiencing adult sexual advances when they were children and a first sexual contact by age 13 with a partner at least 5 years older. Although both subjects with pedophilia and those with opiate addiction first had sex at a younger age than healthy controls, opiate addicted subjects, compared with healthy controls, reported neither increased reception of sexual advances as children nor increased rates of first sexual contact before age 13 with a partner at least 5 years older. Further, subjects with pedophilia but not those with opiate addiction scored significantly higher than healthy controls on the CTQ. Sexual abuse in childhood may be a specific risk factor for sexual addictions such as pedophilia but may not be a specific risk factor for chemical addictions.

Simultaneous quantification of cocaine, amphetamines, opiates and cannabinoids in vitreous humor.

Science.gov (United States)

Peres, Mariana Dadalto; Pelição, Fabrício Souza; Caleffi, Bruno; De Martinis, Bruno Spinosa

2014-01-01

A GC-MS method for simultaneous analysis of cocaine (COC), amphetamines (AMPs), opiates, cannabinoids and their metabolites in vitreous humor (VH) was developed and fully validated. VH samples were extracted using solid phase extraction and injected into the GC-MS, using a selected ion monitoring mode. Linearity ranged from 10 to 1000 ng/mL; the exception was anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME), for which linearity ranged from 10 to 750 ng/mL. Inter-assay imprecision lay from 1.2 to 10.0%, intra-assay imprecision was samples taken from individuals whose blood had screened positive for drugs of abuse. All the individuals screened positive for COC in the blood (seven samples) also had positive results in VH; COC concentration ranged from 30.81 to 283.97 ng/mL (mean 186.98 ng/mL) and benzoylecgonine concentration ranged from 11.47 to 460.98 ng/mL (mean 133.91 ng/mL). It was also noticed that, in five cases, cocaethylene was detected. AEME was also quantified in one case. The use of AMP detected by blood analysis was confirmed in the VH of one individual (24.31 ng/mL). However, samples taken from three individuals whose blood tested positive for carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol presented negative results. The results demonstrated that VH is a suitable alternative biological sample to determine COC, AMPs, opiates and their metabolites.

Halden project activities on software dependability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahll, G.; Sivertsen.

1994-01-01

Since 1977, the OECD Halden Reactor Project has been working in the field of software dependability. Special emphasis has been put on the use of software in safety critical systems. All phases in software development, from specification through software development, verification, and validation have been covered and are discussed in this article

Prospective, randomized, controlled trial of thoracic epidural or patient-controlled opiate analgesia on perioperative quality of life.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ali, M

2010-03-01

Perioperative epidural analgesia provides continuous pain control and may have advantages over parenteral opiate administration. This study assessed the impact of epidural analgesia on quality of life (QOL) of patients undergoing major surgery.

EpiCollect+: linking smartphones to web applications for complex data collection projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Aanensen, David M; Huntley, Derek M; Menegazzo, Mirko; Powell, Chris I; Spratt, Brian G

2014-01-01

Previously, we have described the development of the generic mobile phone data gathering tool, EpiCollect, and an associated web application, providing two-way communication between multiple data gatherers and a project database. This software only allows data collection on the phone using a single questionnaire form that is tailored to the needs of the user (including a single GPS point and photo per entry), whereas many applications require a more complex structure, allowing users to link a series of forms in a linear or branching hierarchy, along with the addition of any number of media types accessible from smartphones and/or tablet devices (e.g., GPS, photos, videos, sound clips and barcode scanning). A much enhanced version of EpiCollect has been developed (EpiCollect+). The individual data collection forms in EpiCollect+ provide more design complexity than the single form used in EpiCollect, and the software allows the generation of complex data collection projects through the ability to link many forms together in a linear (or branching) hierarchy. Furthermore, EpiCollect+ allows the collection of multiple media types as well as standard text fields, increased data validation and form logic. The entire process of setting up a complex mobile phone data collection project to the specification of a user (project and form definitions) can be undertaken at the EpiCollect+ website using a simple 'drag and drop' procedure, with visualisation of the data gathered using Google Maps and charts at the project website. EpiCollect+ is suitable for situations where multiple users transmit complex data by mobile phone (or other Android devices) to a single project web database and is already being used for a range of field projects, particularly public health projects in sub-Saharan Africa. However, many uses can be envisaged from education, ecology and epidemiology to citizen science.

Imaging opiate receptors by positron tomography (PET): Evaluation by displacement of 3-Acetyl-6-Deoxy-6-Beta-/sup 18/F-flouronaltrexone with active and inactive naloxone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larson, S.M.; Channing, M.A.; Rice, K.R.; Pert, C.B.; Eckelman, W.C.; Burke, T.R.; Bennett, J.M.; Carson, R.E.; Di Chiro, G.

1985-01-01

We recently reported the development of a new radiopharmaceutical for in vivo PET imaging of opiate receptors, 3-acetyl-6-deoxy-6-Beta-/sup 18/F-fluoronaltrexone: 3-acetylcyclofoxy, or /sup 18/F-ACF. These studies involved displacement of /sup 18/F-ACF from sites of uptake in the baboon sub-cortical gray matter, and provided strong proof of the opiate receptor specificity of the tracer. We now report on the anatomic localization of /sup 18/F-ACF in the sub-cortical grapy matter of baboon, and the kinetics of uptake and displacement of the tracer. /sup 18/F-ACF was prepared from the known 3-acetyl-6-alpha-naltrexol via the triflate, using /sup 18/F produced by neutron bombardment of /sup 6/Li/sub 2/CO/sub 3/. Anesthetized baboons were imaged after injection of /sup 18/F-ACF (sp.ac.=20Ci/mmol), using the NIH NEUROPET, a high resolution PET scanner. After bolus injection, the initial distribution to brain was rapid with peak uptake at 6 minutes post-injection. Clearance from opiate receptor rich regions of thalamus and basal ganglia was gradual, but after injection of active (but not after inactive), naloxone, clearance from these regions more than doubled. In non-opiate rich regions, (e.g. cerebellum), the predominant component of clearance was equally rapid with or without the active naloxone. Displacement studies of positron labelled ligands provide a powerful tool for non-invasive study of opiate receptor in living primates

Adolescent opiate exposure in the female rat induces subtle alterations in maternal care and transgenerational effects on play behavior.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicole L. Johnson

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The non-medical use of prescription opiates, such as Vicodin® and MSContin®, has increased dramatically over the past decade. Of particular concern is the rising popularity of these drugs in adolescent female populations. Use during this critical developmental period could have significant long-term consequences for both the female user as well as potential effects on her future offspring. To address this issue, we have begun modeling adolescent opiate exposure in female rats and have observed significant transgenerational effects despite the fact that all drugs are withdrawn several weeks prior to pregnancy. The purpose of the current set of studies was to determine whether adolescent morphine exposure modifies postpartum care. In addition, we also examined juvenile play behavior in both male and female offspring. The choice of the social play paradigm was based on previous findings demonstrating effects of both postpartum care and opioid activity on play behavior. The findings revealed subtle modifications in the maternal behavior of adolescent morphine-exposed females, primarily related to the amount of time females’ spend nursing and in non-nursing contact with their young. In addition, male offspring of adolescent morphine-exposed mothers (MOR-F1 demonstrate decreased rough and tumble play behaviors, with no significant differences in general social behaviors (i.e. social grooming and social exploration. Moreover, there was a tendency toward increased rough and tumble play in MOR-F1 females, demonstrating the sex-specific nature of these effects. Given the importance of the postpartum environment on neurodevelopment, it is possible that modifications in maternal-offspring interactions, related to a history of adolescent opiate exposure, plays a role in the observed transgenerational effects. Overall, these studies indicate that the long-term consequences of adolescent opiate exposure can impact both the female and her future offspring.

Lifetime ATS use and increased HIV risk among not-in-treatment opiate injectors in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chawarski, Marek C; Vicknasingam, Balasingam; Mazlan, Mahmud; Schottenfeld, Richard S

2012-07-01

Malaysia has been experiencing significant drug abuse problems since the 1970s, and drug abuse is the major driver of HIV transmission in Malaysia. We investigated risk factors for HIV associated with use of amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) among not-in-treatment opiate injectors in Malaysia. Between October of 2006 and May of 2008, we conducted a series of surveys in three major urban areas of Malaysia. A total of 732 opiate IDUs (679 males and 53 females) were enrolled in the three surveys. The survey instruments consisted of a structured interview on demographic characteristics, drug use history (including year of first use, and past month history of use of illicit drugs; lifetime and past month history of IDU or needle or equipment sharing), and HIV status. There were 194/704 (27.6%) HIV positive participants in the sample. Two factors were significantly associated with HIV infection in this sample: lifetime history of ATS use (OR [95%CI]: 2.3 [1.5-3.6]) and lifetime history of sharing of injection equipment (OR [95% CI]: 4.2 [1.8-9.8]). Both HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants reported high levels of current needle/equipment sharing practices: 82% vs. 75%, respectively. ATS use spread rapidly in the study sample after 1997 and is associated with an increased risk of HIV infection in this population already at high risk because of opiate IDU. Out-of-treatment IDUs in Malaysia engage in high risk behaviors regardless of their HIV status. Increased education and public health prevention measures are needed to reduce HIV transmission risks in this population. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Opiate addiction in gravidity - consequences for the newborn. Results of an interdisciplinary treatment concept].

Science.gov (United States)

Rohrmeister, K; Bernert, G; Langer, M; Fischer, G; Weninger, M; Pollak, A

2001-01-01

To evaluate the outcome of infants of drug dependent mothers (IDM) after establishing an interdisciplinary attention concept at the University Hospital in Vienna. To compare the influence of different maintenance agents on neonatal morbidity. All newborns of opiate dependent mothers were prospectively included from III 1995 to IX 1999. The following data were collected: maintenance agent (methadone, slow release morphine, buprenorphine), infectious status, demographic data, congenital malformations, perinatal complications, as well as incidence and duration of the neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Medical treatment with phenobarbital (1995 - 96) or morphine hydrochloride (MoHCl) (1997 - 99), respectively, was indicated when Finnegan score exceeded 10. 88 neonates (38 females/50 males) with a median gestational age of 39 weeks were included, 18 (20.5 %) were born prematurely. The median birthweight was 2905 g, 24 (27.3 %) infants were small for date (methadone group 76 %, in the morphine group 93 %, but in the buprenorphine group 19 % only (p methadone and morphine exposure (8.3 d versus 15 d and 16.5 d respectively). In neonates treated with phenobarbital duration of NAS was 17.6 d, whereas NAS in infants with MoHCl therapy lasted 12.8 d (p methadone and morphine exposure. Withdrawal time under morphin-hydrochloride therapy was reduced by one third compared to treatment with phenobarbital.

Antagonism of the morphine-induced locomotor activation of mice by fructose: comparison with other opiates and sugars, and sugar effects on brain morphine.

Science.gov (United States)

Brase, D A; Ward, C R; Bey, P S; Dewey, W L

1991-01-01

The mouse locomotor activation test of opiate action in a 2+2 dose parallel line assay was used in a repeated testing paradigm to determine the test, opiate and hexose specificities of a previously reported antagonism of morphine-induced antinocociception by hyperglycemia. In opiate specificity studies, fructose (5 g/kg, i.p.) significantly reduced the potency ratio for morphine and methadone, but not for levorphanol, meperidine or phenazocine when intragroup comparisons were made. In intergroup comparisons, fructose significantly reduced the potencies of levorphanol and phenazocine, but not methadone or meperidine. In hexose/polyol specificity studies, tagatose and fructose significantly reduced the potency ratio for morphine, whereas glucose, galactose, mannose and the polyols, sorbitol and xylitol, caused no significant decrease in potency. Fructose, tagatose, glucose and mannose (5 g/kg, i.p.) were tested for effects on brain morphine levels 30 min after morphine (60 min after sugar), and all four sugars significantly increased brain morphine relative to saline-pretreated controls. It is concluded that the antagonism of morphine by acute sugar administration shows specificity for certain sugars and occurs despite sugar-induced increases in the distribution of morphine to the brain. Furthermore, the effects of fructose show an opiate specificity similar to that of glucose on antinociception observed previously in our laboratory, except that methadone was also significantly inhibited in the present study, when a repeated-testing experimental design was used.

The link class project : Collaborative virtual teams between Peru and The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olivos Rossini, L.M.; Rincon, Sandra; Rutkowski, Anne-Francoise

2015-01-01

The Link Class Project presented in this article provides an example of established collaborative group activities to negotiate and build a report together in virtual teams composed of students at Universidad ESAN, Lima (Peru) and Tilburg University, Tilburg (Netherlands). It further analyzes the

Do Consumers Substitute Opium for Hashish? An Economic Analysis of Simultaneous Cannabinoid and Opiate Consumption in a Legal Regime

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, Madhur

2015-01-01

Aim To analyze interrelationships in the consumption of opiates and cannabinoids in a legal regime and, specifically, whether consumers of opiates and cannabinoids treat them as substitutes for each other. Method Econometric dynamic panel data models for opium consumption are estimated using the generalized method of moments (GMM). A unique dataset containing information about opiate (opium) consumption from the Punjab province of British India for the years 1907–1918 is analyzed (n=272) as a function of its own price, the prices of two forms of cannabis (the leaf (bhang), and the resin (charas, or hashish)), and wage income. Cross-price elasticities are examined to reveal substitution or complementarity between opium and cannabis. Results Opium is a substitute for charas (or hashish), with a cross price elasticity (β3) of 0.14 (p 0.10). Opium consumption (β1 = 0.47 to 0.49, p opium is slightly responsive (inelastic) to changes in its own price (β2 = −0.34 to −0.35, p Opium and hashish, a form of cannabis, are substitutes. In addition, opium consumption displays properties of habit persistence and slight price and wage income responsiveness (inelasticity) consistent with an addictive substance. PMID:26455552

Systemic morphine blocks the seizures induced by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of opiates and opioid peptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Urca, G; Frenk, H

1982-08-19

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of the endorphins and of morphine in rats produce highly characteristic, naloxone sensitive, electrographic seizures. In contrast, systemic injections of morphine have been shown to exert a marked anticonvulsant effect. The present study demonstrates that systemic morphine pretreatment can prevent the occurrence of electrographic seizures injected by i.c.v. morphine, Leu-enkephalin and beta-endorphin and that the anti-epileptic effect of morphine can be reversed by naloxone. Male albino rats, previously prepared for chronic i.c.v. injections and EEG recordings, were pretreated with 0--100 mg/kg of intraperitoneal (i.p.) morphine. Thirty five minutes later morphine (520 nmol), Leu-enkephalin (80 nmol) or beta-endorphin (5 nmol) were injected i.c.v. Pretreatment with i.p. morphine blocked the occurrence of seizures induced by morphine and both endogenous opioids. Lower doses of systemic morphine (50 mg/kg) were necessary to block i.c.v. morphine seizures than the dose (100 mg/kg) necessary to block seizures induced by i.c.v. Leu-enkephalin and beta-endorphin. Naloxone (1 mg/kg) administered 25 min following 50 mg/kg of i.p. morphine and preceding the injections of i.c.v. morphine reversed the antiepileptic effect of systemic morphine. These results demonstrate the possible existence of two opiate sensitive systems, one with excitatory-epileptogenic effects and the other possessing inhibitory-antiepileptic properties. The possible relationship between these findings and the known heterogeneity of opiate receptors and opiate actions is discussed.

Metabolic rate in different rat brain areas during seizures induced by a specific delta opiate receptor agonist.

Science.gov (United States)

Haffmans, J; De Kloet, R; Dzoljic, M R

1984-06-04

The glucose utilization during specific delta opiate agonist-induced epileptiform phenomena, determined by the [14C]2-deoxyglucose technique (2-DG), was examined in various rat brain areas at different time intervals. The peak in EEG spiking response and the most intensive 2-DG uptake occurred 5 min after intraventricular (i.v.t.) administration of the delta opiate receptor agonist. The most pronounced 2-DG uptake at this time interval can be observed in the subiculum, including the CA1 hippocampal area, frontal cortex and central amygdala. A general decrease of glucose consumption, compared to control values, is observed after 10 min, in all regions, with exception of the subiculum. Since functional activity and 2-DG uptake are correlated, we suggest that the subiculum and/or CA1 area, are probably the brain regions most involved in the enkephalin-induced epileptic phenomena.

Superconducting link bus design for the accelerator project for upgrade of LHC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nobrega, F.; Brandt, J.; Cheban, S.; Feher, S.; Kaducak, M.; Kashikhin, V.; Peterson, T.

2011-01-01

The Accelerator Project for Upgrade of LHC (APUL) is a U.S. project participating in and contributing to CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) upgrade program. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory was developing sub-systems for the upgrade of the LHC final focus magnet systems. Part of the upgrade called for various lengths of superconducting power transmission lines known as SC Links which were up to 100 m long. The SC Link electrically connects the current leads in the Distribution Feed Boxes to the interaction region magnets. The SC Link is an extension of the magnet bus housed within a cryostat. The present concept for the bus consists of 22 power cables, 4 x 13 kA, 2 x 7 kA, 8 x 2.5 kA and 8 x 0.6 kA bundled into one bus. Different cable and strand possibilities were considered for the bus design including Rutherford cable. The Rutherford cable bus design potentially would have required splices at each sharp elbow in the SC Link. The advantage of the round bus design is that splices are only required at each end of the bus during installation at CERN. The round bus is very flexible and is suitable for pulling through the cryostat. Development of the round bus prototype and of 2 splice designs is described in this paper. Magnetic analysis and mechanical test results of the 13 kA cable and splices are presented.

Employment-based reinforcement of adherence to depot naltrexone in unemployed opioid-dependent adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Everly, Jeffrey J; DeFulio, Anthony; Koffarnus, Mikhail N; Leoutsakos, Jeannie-Marie S; Donlin, Wendy D; Aklin, Will M; Umbricht, Annie; Fingerhood, Michael; Bigelow, George E; Silverman, Kenneth

2011-07-01

Naltrexone can be used to treat opioid dependence, but patients refuse to take it. Extended-release depot formulations may improve adherence, but long-term adherence rates to depot naltrexone are not known. This study determined long-term rates of adherence to depot naltrexone and whether employment-based reinforcement can improve adherence. Participants who were inducted onto oral naltrexone were assigned randomly to contingency (n = 18) or prescription (n = 17) groups. Participants were offered six depot naltrexone injections and invited to work at the therapeutic workplace on week days for 26 weeks, where they earned stipends for participating in job skills training. Contingency participants were required to accept naltrexone injections to maintain workplace access and to maintain maximum pay. Prescription participants could work independently of whether they accepted injections. The therapeutic workplace, a model employment-based intervention for drug addiction and unemployment. Opioid-dependent unemployed adults. Depot naltrexone injections accepted and opiate-negative urine samples. Contingency participants accepted significantly more naltrexone injections than prescription participants (81% versus 42%), and were more likely to accept all injections (66% versus 35%). At monthly assessments (with missing urine samples imputed as positive), the groups provided similar percentages of samples negative for opiates (74% versus 62%) and for cocaine (56% versus 54%). Opiate-positive samples were more likely when samples were also positive for cocaine. Employment-based reinforcement can maintain adherence to depot naltrexone. Future research should determine whether persistent cocaine use compromises naltrexone's effect on opiate use. Workplaces may be useful for promoting sustained adherence to depot naltrexone. © 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Effects of naloxone opiate blockade on the immunomodulation induced by exercise in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouix, O; elMezouini, M; Orsetti, A

1995-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible involvement of the endogenous opiate system in the changes in immune competence induced by isolated exercise. Male untrained rats were subjected to a 2.5 hours swimming exercise bout. Animals were killed 15 min after the end of the exercise. The concentration of leukocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes and T4 (T-helper), T8 (T-suppressor/cytotoxic), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) and transferrin receptor (TrfR) positive lymphocytes were determined both in peripheral blood and spleen by flow cytometric analysis. Exercise resulted in a significant decrease in 1) blood lymphocyte and splenic granulocyte number (p exercising rats induced a decrease in the concentration and proportion of T8 positive lymphocytes, thereby restoring a normal T4/T8 ratio both in peripheral blood and spleen. Naloxone had no effect in control animals. The concentration and proportion of IL-2R and TrfR positive lymphocytes were not affected by naloxone. The mechanisms of the immunomodulation induced by isolated intense exercise are unclear. These data suggest that endogenous opiates participate in the alteration of cell-mediated immunity associated with exercise by modulating the T8 (suppressor/cytotoxic)-cell activity.

Endogenous Opioid-Induced Neuroplasticity of Dopaminergic Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area Influences Natural and Opiate Reward

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pitchers, Kyle K.; Coppens, Caroline M.; Beloate, Lauren N.; Fuller, Jonathan; Van, Sandy; Frohmader, Karla S.; Laviolette, Steven R.; Lehman, Michael N.; Coolen, Lique M.

2014-01-01

Natural reward and drugs of abuse converge on the mesolimbic pathway and activate common mechanism of neural plasticity in the nucleus accumbens. Chronic exposure to opiates induces plasticity in dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which regulates morphine reward tolerance.

Linking renewable energy CDM projects and TGC schemes: An analysis of different options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Rio, Pablo

2006-01-01

Renewable energy CDM (RE-CDM) projects encourage cost-effective GHG mitigation and enhanced sustainable development opportunities for the host countries. CERs from CDM projects include the value of the former benefits (i.e., 'climate change benefits'), whereas the second can be given value through the issuing and trading of tradable green certificates (TGCs). Countries could agree to trade these TGCs, leading to additional revenues for the investors in renewable energy projects and, therefore, further encouraging the deployment of CDM projects, currently facing significant barriers. However, the design of a combination of CDM projects and TGC schemes raises several conflicting issues and leads to trade-offs. This paper analyses these issues, identifies the alternatives that may exist to link TGC schemes with RE-CDM projects and analyses the impacts of those options on different variables and actors

Linking renewable energy CDM projects and TGC schemes: An analysis of different options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Del Rio, Pablo [Department of Economics and Business, Facultad de Ciencias Juridicas y Sociales, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, C/ Cobertizo de S. Pedro Martir s/n., Toledo-45071 (Spain)]. E-mail: pablo.rio@uclm.es

2006-11-15

Renewable energy CDM (RE-CDM) projects encourage cost-effective GHG mitigation and enhanced sustainable development opportunities for the host countries. CERs from CDM projects include the value of the former benefits (i.e., 'climate change benefits'), whereas the second can be given value through the issuing and trading of tradable green certificates (TGCs). Countries could agree to trade these TGCs, leading to additional revenues for the investors in renewable energy projects and, therefore, further encouraging the deployment of CDM projects, currently facing significant barriers. However, the design of a combination of CDM projects and TGC schemes raises several conflicting issues and leads to trade-offs. This paper analyses these issues, identifies the alternatives that may exist to link TGC schemes with RE-CDM projects and analyses the impacts of those options on different variables and actors.

Socio-Economical, Environmental Evaluation of Ken-Betwa River Link Project, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pathak Hemant

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The India's ambitious Rs 9,393 crore Ken-Betwa river interlinking project will impact very significantly on Socio-economic life of two million people of Bundelkhand region, India. Water is an important input for survival and sustenance of life. The demand of this natural gift has been increasing exponentially. This ambitious project will help us in irrigation, potable water, cheap transportation, electricity as well as a source of livelihood for our ever increasing population. In Bundelkhand region, there is a severe problem of lack of irrigation in one region and water logging in others. Damage to crops due to drought and pitiable drainage facility could be managed. The objectives of the paper are to study socio-economical issues and environmental challenges in Ken-Betwa River link in India and to study environmental impact of this Project.

Severe, childhood-onset, idiopathic, life-long insomnia responding selectively to opiate therapy: case report with 19 year follow-up.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenck, C H; Mahowald, M W

2001-11-01

Idiopathic (primary) insomnia can be difficult to treat; only two prior cases responsive to opiate therapy have been reported. A case is now presented of severe, idiopathic, childhood-onset, familial insomnia, with increased libido, absence of psychopathology, tardive emergence of restless legs syndrome (RLS), and selective response to opiate therapy. A 39-year-old woman was referred in 1981 by her physician who had discovered 3 years earlier that propoxyphene treatment of migraines also controlled her chronic insomnia. She had experienced severe insomnia since childhood, and during early adulthood the insomnia intensified, as she would sleep 0-3 h nightly and never napped. Daily generalized motor restlessness resulted in her frequently walking around the house while feeling exhausted. The quality of her life was considerably compromised by her insomnia, motor restlessness, and by an increased libido that was present since puberty and that was only partially relieved by having sex repeatedly with her husband. Nightly opiate therapy for 19 years has controlled the insomnia, motor restlessness, and excessive libido without affecting her normal libido. The insomnia had not responded to treatment with >25 agents covering >10 pharmacologic categories. During her first (unmedicated) polysomnographic (PSG) study in 1981, she slept 0 min while spending 436 min in bed. In 1984, four consecutive PSG studies were conducted in a design that confirmed the efficacy of propoxyphene therapy of her insomnia. In 1990, an ambulatory PSG revealed two runs of EEG rhythmic paroxysmal activity arising from sleep and wakefulness, without clinical correlate. Neurologic history was negative for seizures, but positive for complete right carotid artery occlusion and three transient ischemic attacks. At age 55 years, typical RLS emerged that was controlled with levodopa therapy, and a concurrent relapse of insomnia was controlled with oxycodone replacing propoxyphene. Nightly opiate therapy of

Psychometric evaluation of the Dutch version of the Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS).

Science.gov (United States)

Dijkstra, Boukje A G; Krabbe, Paul F M; Riezebos, Truus G M; van der Staak, Cees P F; De Jong, Cor A J

2007-01-01

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the 16-item Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS). The SOWS measures withdrawal symptoms at the time of assessment. The Dutch SOWS was repeatedly administered to a sample of 272 opioid-dependent inpatients of four addiction treatment centers during rapid detoxification with or without general anesthesia. Examination of the psychometric properties of the SOWS included exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity. Exploratory factor analysis of the SOWS revealed a general pattern of four factors with three items not always clustered in the same factors at different points of measurement. After excluding these items from factor analysis four factors were identified during detoxification (temperature dysregulation, tractus locomotorius, tractus gastro-intestinalis and facial disinhibition). The 13-item SOWS shows high internal consistency and test-retest reliability and good validity at different stages of withdrawal. The 13-item SOWS is a reliable and valid instrument to assess opioid withdrawal during rapid detoxification. Three items were deleted because their content does not correspond directly with opioid withdrawal symptoms. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Sex Differences in Objective and Projective Dependency Tests: A Meta-Analytic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bornstein, Robert F.

1995-01-01

A meta-analysis of 97 studies published since 1950 that assessed sex differences in scores on objective and projective dependency tests indicated that women consistently obtained higher dependency scores on objective tests, and men obtained higher scores on projective tests. Findings are discussed in terms of sex role socialization. (SLD)

Rats that binge eat fat-rich food do not show somatic signs or anxiety associated with opiate-like withdrawal: implications for nutrient-specific food addiction behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bocarsly, Miriam E; Berner, Laura A; Hoebel, Bartley G; Avena, Nicole M

2011-10-24

Previous studies suggest that binge eating sugar leads to behavioral and neurochemical changes similar to those seen with drug addiction, including signs of opiate-like withdrawal. Studies are emerging that show multiple neurochemical and behavioral indices of addiction when animals overeat a fat-rich diet. The goal of the present study was to utilize liquid and solid diets high in sugar and fat content to determine whether opiate-like withdrawal is seen after binge consumption of these diets in Sprague-Dawley rats. Control groups were given ad libitum access to the sweet-fat food or standard chow. All rats were then given a battery of tests to measure signs of opiate-like withdrawal, which included somatic signs of distress, elevated plus-maze anxiety, and locomotor hypoactivity. Neither naloxone-precipitated (3 mg/kg) nor deprivation-induced withdrawal was observed in rats that were maintained on a nutritionally complete pelleted sweet-fat diet or a sweet, high-fat diet supplemented with standard rodent chow. Naloxone-precipitated withdrawal was also not seen in rats fed a liquid sweet-fat food. Further, body weight reduction to 85%, which is known to potentiate the reinforcing effects of substances of abuse, did not affect naloxone-precipitated signs of opiate-like withdrawal. Thus, unlike previous findings reported regarding rats with binge access to a sucrose solution, rats that binge eat sweet-fat combinations do not show signs of opiate-like withdrawal under the conditions tested. These data support the idea that excessive consumption of different nutrients can induce behaviors associated with addiction in different ways, and that the behaviors that could characterize "food addiction" may be subtyped based on the nutritional composition of the food consumed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Joint part-of-speech and dependency projection from multiple sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johannsen, Anders Trærup; Agic, Zeljko; Søgaard, Anders

2016-01-01

for multiple tasks from multiple source languages, relying on parallel corpora available for hundreds of languages. When training POS taggers and dependency parsers on jointly projected POS tags and syntactic dependencies using our algorithm, we obtain better performance than a standard approach on 20...

Dependency links can hinder the evolution of cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma game on lattices and networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuwen Wang

Full Text Available Networks with dependency links are more vulnerable when facing the attacks. Recent research also has demonstrated that the interdependent groups support the spreading of cooperation. We study the prisoner's dilemma games on spatial networks with dependency links, in which a fraction of individual pairs is selected to depend on each other. The dependency individuals can gain an extra payoff whose value is between the payoff of mutual cooperation and the value of temptation to defect. Thus, this mechanism reflects that the dependency relation is stronger than the relation of ordinary mutual cooperation, but it is not large enough to cause the defection of the dependency pair. We show that the dependence of individuals hinders, promotes and never affects the cooperation on regular ring networks, square lattice, random and scale-free networks, respectively. The results for the square lattice and regular ring networks are demonstrated by the pair approximation.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of sertraline with naltrexone for alcohol dependence.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Farren, Conor K

2009-01-01

Significant preclinical evidence exists for a synergistic interaction between the opioid and the serotonin systems in determining alcohol consumption. Naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist, is approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence. This double-blind placebo-controlled study examined whether the efficacy of naltrexone would be augmented by concurrent treatment with sertraline, a selective serotonin receptor uptake inhibitor (SSRI).

Temperature-dependent particle-number projected moment of inertia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allal, N. H.; Fellah, M.; Benhamouda, N.; Oudih, M. R.

2008-01-01

Expressions of the parallel and perpendicular temperature-dependent particle-number projected nuclear moment of inertia have been established by means of a discrete projection method. They generalize that of the FTBCS method and are well adapted to numerical computation. The effects of particle-number fluctuations have been numerically studied for some even-even actinide nuclei by using the single-particle energies and eigenstates of a deformed Woods-Saxon mean field. It has been shown that the parallel moment of inertia is practically not modified by the use of the projection method. In contrast, the discrepancy between the projected and FTBCS perpendicular moment of inertia values may reach 5%. Moreover, the particle-number fluctuation effects vary not only as a function of the temperature but also as a function of the deformation for a given temperature. This is not the case for the system energy

Opiate modification of amygdaloid-kindled seizures in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, W S; Eggleton, C E; Berman, R F

1982-05-01

Male Long-Evans rats were stereotaxically implanted bilaterally with bipolar electrodes in the central amygdala. Rats were then kindled once daily for 1 sec until 3 consecutive Stage V [25] kindled seizures were elicited. On the following day, animals were injected (IP) with either saline, naloxone (10 mg/kg), naltrexone (10mg/kg) or morphine sulfate (10 mg/kg) and again stimulated at the kindling stimulation parameters. Saline injected animals continued to show long bilateral AD's and behaviors (i.e., forelimb clonus, rearing, falling) typical of Stage V kindled animals. In contrast, rats injected with naloxone or naltrexone showed reduced behavioral seizures. Potentiation of post-ictal spiking by morphine in amygdaloid-kindled rats was also observed supporting previous reports [7,21]. In a second experiment, the reduction of kindled seizure serverity by naloxone was systematically replicated. It is concluded that opiates can significantly modify amygdaloid-kindled seizures, and that brain endorphins may play a role in the development or maintenance of an amygdaloid-kindled seizure focus.

Health and Environment Linked for Information Exchange (HELIX)-Atlanta: A CDC-NASA Joint Environmental Public Health Tracking Collaborative Project

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Hamdan, Mohammad; Luvall, Jeff; Crosson, Bill; Estes, Maury; Limaye, Ashutosh; Quattrochi, Dale; Rickman, Doug

2008-01-01

HELIX-Atlanta was developed to support current and future state and local EPHT programs to implement data linking demonstration projects which could be part of the CDC EPHT Network. HELIX-Atlanta is a pilot linking project in Atlanta for CDC to learn about the challenges the states will encounter. NASA/MSFC and the CDC are partners in linking environmental and health data to enhance public health surveillance. The use of NASA technology creates value added geospatial products from existing environmental data sources to facilitate public health linkages. Proving the feasibility of the approach is the main objective

Opiate sensitization induces FosB/ΔFosB expression in prefrontal cortical, striatal and amygdala brain regions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary B Kaplan

Full Text Available Sensitization to the effects of drugs of abuse and associated stimuli contributes to drug craving, compulsive drug use, and relapse in addiction. Repeated opiate exposure produces behavioral sensitization that is hypothesized to result from neural plasticity in specific limbic, striatal and cortical systems. ΔFosB and FosB are members of the Fos family of transcription factors that are implicated in neural plasticity in addiction. This study examined the effects of intermittent morphine treatment, associated with motor sensitization, on FosB/ΔFosB levels using quantitative immunohistochemistry. Motor sensitization was tested in C57BL/6 mice that received six intermittent pre-treatments (on days 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 with either subcutaneous morphine (10 mg/kg or saline followed by a challenge injection of morphine or saline on day 16. Mice receiving repeated morphine injections demonstrated significant increases in locomotor activity on days 8, 10, and 12 of treatment (vs. day 1, consistent with development of locomotor sensitization. A morphine challenge on day 16 significantly increased locomotor activity of saline pre-treated mice and produced even larger increases in motor activity in the morphine pre-treated mice, consistent with the expression of opiate sensitization. Intermittent morphine pre-treatment on these six pre-treatment days produced a significant induction of FosB/ΔFosB, measured on day 16, in multiple brain regions including prelimbic (PL and infralimbic (IL cortex, nucleus accumbens (NAc core, dorsomedial caudate-putamen (CPU, basolateral amygdala (BLA and central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA but not in a motor cortex control region. Opiate induced sensitization may develop via Fos/ΔFosB plasticity in motivational pathways (NAc, motor outputs (CPU, and associative learning (PL, IL, BLA and stress pathways (CNA.

Psychosocial interventions in opiate substitution treatment services: does the evidence provide a case for optimism or nihilism?

Science.gov (United States)

Day, Ed; Mitcheson, Luke

2017-08-01

Clinical guidelines from around the world recommend the delivery of psychosocial interventions as part of routine care in opiate substitution treatment (OST) programmes. However, although individual studies demonstrate benefit for structured psychosocial interventions, meta-analytical reviews find no benefit for manual-based treatments beyond 'routine counselling'. We consider the question of whether OST medication alone is sufficient to produce the required outcomes, or whether greater efforts should be made to provide high-quality psychosocial treatment alongside medication. In so doing, we consider the nuances and limitations of the evidence and the organizational barriers to transferring it into routine practice. The evidence base for psychosocial interventions in opiate substitution treatment (OST) services can be interpreted both positively and negatively. Steering a path between overly optimistic or nihilistic interpretations of the value of psychosocial treatment in OST programmes is the most pragmatic approach. Greater attention should be paid to elements common to all psychological treatments (such as therapeutic alliance), but also to the sequencing and packaging of psychosocial elements and their linkage to peer-led interventions. © 2017 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Comparative effects of pulmonary and parenteral Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure on extinction of opiate-induced conditioned aversion in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Manwell, Laurie A; Mallet, Paul E

2015-05-01

Evidence suggesting that the endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) system can be manipulated to facilitate or impair extinction of learned behaviours has important consequences for opiate withdrawal and abstinence. We demonstrated that the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597, which increases eCB levels, facilitates extinction of a naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal-induced conditioned place aversion (CPA). The potential of the exogenous CB1 ligand, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC), to facilitate extinction of this CPA was tested. Effects of both pulmonary and parenteral Δ(9)-THC exposure were evaluated using comparable doses previously determined. Rats trained to associate a naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal with a floor cue were administered Δ(9)-THC-pulmonary (1, 5, 10 mg vapour inhalation) or parenteral (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection)-prior to each of 20 to 28 extinction/testing trials. Vapourized Δ(9)-THC facilitated extinction of the CPA in a dose- and time-dependent manner: 5 and 10 mg facilitated extinction compared to vehicle and 1 mg Δ(9)-THC. Injected Δ(9)-THC significantly impaired extinction only for the 1.0-mg/kg dose: it prolonged the CPA fourfold longer than the vehicle and 0.5- and 1.5-mg/kg doses. These data suggest that both dose and route of Δ(9)-THC administration have important consequences for its pharmacokinetic and behavioural effects; specifically, pulmonary exposure at higher doses facilitates, whereas pulmonary and parenteral exposure at lower doses impairs, rates of extinction learning for CPA. Pulmonary-administered Δ(9)-THC may prove beneficial for potentiation of extinction learning for aversive memories, such as those supporting drug-craving/seeking in opiate withdrawal syndrome, and other causes of conditioned aversions, such as illness and stress.

Energy for climate in Europe. An assessment of energy policies with climate-relevance. The LinkS Project.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruud, Audun; Knudsen, Joergen K.; Jacobsen, Gerd B.

2011-07-01

The LinkS project aims at providing a better linkage between perspectives and projections for global climate policy development and regional energy systems, by linking relevant modelling tools. The present report provides a specific focus on energy policy measures within the EY with climate relevance. The EU has in recent years aimed at reinforcing the linkage between the climate and energy policies, both at strategic and operational levels. The EU has pledged itself to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with 8 percent by 2008-12 as compared to the 1990 level, and by 20 percent by 2020 as compared to the as compared to the 2005 level. The EU-27 reduced it GHG emissions with 11,3 percent in 1990-2008. The 2020-target, however, will require stronger efforts and energy is a key sector: The EU has decided that 20 percent of the energy must be renewable, and that the energy usage in 2020 is to be 20 per sent more efficient than in 2005. A number of policy strategies, measures and legislation are formulated to fulfil these targets. In order to highlight the potential of these measures, this report specifically addresses the drivers and limitations given the existing decision-making structures in the EU. The methodology employed is mainly qualitative, based on document analysis and a review of secondary literature. Climate-change mitigation is in principle based on supra-national decision-making, but unanimity among all Eu Member States is still required in critical issues related to the energy sector. In addition, the national follow-up of the targets constitutes a particular challenge. This is here illustrated by the cases of Denmark and Norway. Energy policy is also substantially characterised by several conflicting interests between the Member States, resulting in diverging policy priorities. It is, therefore, an open question whether the EU will succeed in fulfilling its 20/20/20 percent targets by 2020, and will be the actual role of energy within the climate

Protective role of Delphinium denudatum (Jadwar) against morphine induced tolerance and dependence in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Zafar, S; Ahmad, M A; Siddiqui, T A

2001-11-01

Chronic treatment with Delphinium denudatum (Dd) (Jadwar) (family: Ranunculaceae, 200-1600 mg/kg) suppressed morphine withdrawal jumps in a dose-dependent manner, a sign of the development of dependence to opiate as assessed by naloxone (2 mg/kg) precipitation withdrawal on day 10 of testing in mice. Repeated administration of Dd (200-1600 mg/kg) for 9 days attenuated the development of tolerance to the analgesic effect of morphine (10 mg/kg), also produces significant change in tail-flick latency from the saline pretreated group in a dose-dependent manner.

Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy on Craving, Depression & Anxiety among the Opiate Abusers Under MMT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fereshte Momeni

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on craving, symptoms of depression and anxiety among the patients under MMT. Methods: In this experimental study, 36 opiate addicts under MMT were selected out of all the patients referring to Iranian National Center of Addiction Studies on a judgmental sampling method and were randomly allocated to two experimental and control groups. In experimental group, a total sum of 8 sessions (one session per week of cognitive behavioral group therapy were delivered. The main theme of these sessions were efficient management of craving, negative mood and anxiety. Data were gathered with different questionnaires including the questionnaire of demographic data, RPS for craving assessment, BDI-II for depression and BAI for anxiety. Different methods of statistical analysis were implemented. Results: The results indicated that post test and follow-up scores of craving index were decreased significantly (P<0.05. Depression and Anxiety scores showed significant decrease as well. Discussion: Considering the above mentioned findings, we concluded that cognitive-behavioral group therapy was effective in significantly decreasing craving and symptoms of anxiety and depression in opiate addicts under MMT.

[The development and application of an immunoenzyme assay kit for the detection of compounds of the opiate family in human biological liquids].

Science.gov (United States)

Nikolaeva, T L; Belkina, E V; Bogatyreva, E A; Gribkova, S E; Proskurina, N V; Smirnova, V K; Lapenkov, M I

2008-01-01

Monoclonal antimorphine antibodies both free and conjugated with horse- radish peroxidase have been raised and used to develop an assay kit for the detection of narcotic opiate-based drugs by an immuno-enzyme assay (IEA). The kit contains all ingredients necessary for the enzymatic reaction. A total of 215 urine and blood samples were analysed using the new kit. The results were compared with the data obtained by thin layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. False negative results were absent while false positive (inconclusive) results were recorded in three cases, probably due to the fact that sensitivity of IEA is higher than that of control methods. It is concluded that the kit may be used in laboratory screening studies for detecting opiates in biological fluids.

Reliability of self-reported use of amphetamine, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, cocaine, methadone, and opiates among acutely hospitalized elderly medical patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glintborg, B.; Olsen, L.; Poulsen, H.

2008-01-01

Undisclosed use of illicit drugs and prescription controlled substances is frequent in some settings. The aim of the present study was to estimate the reliability of self-reported use of amphetamine, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, cocaine, methadone, and opiates among acutely...

The Link Class Project: Collaborative virtual teams between Peru and The Netherlands

OpenAIRE

Mariella Olivos Rossini; Sandra Rincón; Anne-Francoise Rutkowski

2015-01-01

The Link Class Project presented in this article provides an example of established collaborative group activities to negotiate and build a report together in virtual teams composed of students at Universidad ESAN, Lima (Peru) and Tilburg University, Tilburg (Netherlands). It further analyzes the effects of a campus based internationalization strategy supported by the use of technology. Based on previous experiences with virtual classrooms, the authors adhere to the ancient Chinese philosophe...

Advances in the ROBLINKS project on long-range shallow-water robust acoustic communciation links

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gijzen, M.B. van; Walree, P.A. van; Cano, D.; Passerieux, J-M.; Waldhorst, A.; Weber, R.

2000-01-01

Within the ROBLINKS project waveforms and algorithms have been developed to establish robust underwater acoustic communication links with high data rates in shallow water. To evaluate the signalling schemes, a wide range of experiments has been performed during a sea trial that has been held in May

Separation of Opiate Isomers Using Electrospray Ionization and Paper Spray Coupled to High-Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Manicke, Nicholas E.; Belford, Michael

2015-05-01

One limitation in the growing field of ambient or direct analysis methods is reduced selectivity caused by the elimination of chromatographic separations prior to mass spectrometric analysis. We explored the use of high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), an ambient pressure ion mobility technique, to separate the closely related opiate isomers of morphine, hydromorphone, and norcodeine. These isomers cannot be distinguished by tandem mass spectrometry. Separation prior to MS analysis is, therefore, required to distinguish these compounds, which are important in clinical chemistry and toxicology. FAIMS was coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, and ionization was performed using either a pneumatically assisted heated electrospray ionization source (H-ESI) or paper spray, a direct analysis method that has been applied to the direct analysis of dried blood spots and other complex samples. We found that FAIMS was capable of separating the three opiate structural isomers using both H-ESI and paper spray as the ionization source.

The Advanced Linked Extended Reconnaissance & Targeting Technology Demonstration project

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Mark

2008-04-01

The Advanced Linked Extended Reconnaissance & Targeting (ALERT) Technology Demonstration (TD) project is addressing many operational needs of the future Canadian Army's Surveillance and Reconnaissance forces. Using the surveillance system of the Coyote reconnaissance vehicle as an experimental platform, the ALERT TD project aims to significantly enhance situational awareness by fusing multi-sensor and tactical data, developing automated processes, and integrating beyond line-of-sight sensing. The project is exploiting important advances made in computer processing capability, displays technology, digital communications, and sensor technology since the design of the original surveillance system. As the major research area within the project, concepts are discussed for displaying and fusing multi-sensor and tactical data within an Enhanced Operator Control Station (EOCS). The sensor data can originate from the Coyote's own visible-band and IR cameras, laser rangefinder, and ground-surveillance radar, as well as from beyond line-of-sight systems such as mini-UAVs and unattended ground sensors. Video-rate image processing has been developed to assist the operator to detect poorly visible targets. As a second major area of research, automatic target cueing capabilities have been added to the system. These include scene change detection, automatic target detection and aided target recognition algorithms processing both IR and visible-band images to draw the operator's attention to possible targets. The merits of incorporating scene change detection algorithms are also discussed. In the area of multi-sensor data fusion, up to Joint Defence Labs level 2 has been demonstrated. The human factors engineering aspects of the user interface in this complex environment are presented, drawing upon multiple user group sessions with military surveillance system operators. The paper concludes with Lessons Learned from the project. The ALERT system has been used in a number of C4ISR

Hippocampal GluA1-containing AMPA receptors mediate context-dependent sensitization to morphine

OpenAIRE

Xia, Yan; Portugal, George S.; Fakira, Amanda K.; Melyan, Zara; Neve, Rachael; Lee, H. Thomas; Russo, Scott J.; Liu, Jie; Morón, Jose A.

2011-01-01

Glutamatergic systems, including α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptors (AMPARs) are involved in opiate-induced neuronal and behavioral plasticity, although the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of repeated morphine administration on AMPAR expression, synaptic plasticity, and context-dependent behavioral sensitization to morphine. We found that morphine treatment produced changes of synaptic...

From PSAs to dependability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desmas, T.; Lagrange, V.

1996-01-01

Dependability is all the concepts (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety) which are used to characterize the capabilities of a product to operate, to be repaired, and to not cause damage to objects or persons. PSAs (Probabilistic Safety Assessments) are a particular means of assessing the level of safety of hazardous installations. The purpose of this communication is to show that although it is still an emerging concept within EDF projects, the introduction of methods for taking account of dependability in design can be very useful at improving the safety of plants by, for example, establishing the link between operating feedback on one hand, and maintenance and operating policy on the other. Finally, we will extend our thinking on the insertion of dependability (and PSA) into design work to consideration of human factors in these projects. All too often kept apart, the technical and human aspects of design projects do have common characteristics: participation in safety and ease of operational of power plants, need for sufficiently early insertion in order to obtain pertinent result, etc. 8 figs

From PSAs to dependability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Desmas, T; Lagrange, V

1997-12-31

Dependability is all the concepts (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety) which are used to characterize the capabilities of a product to operate, to be repaired, and to not cause damage to objects or persons. PSAs (Probabilistic Safety Assessments) are a particular means of assessing the level of safety of hazardous installations. The purpose of this communication is to show that although it is still an emerging concept within EDF projects, the introduction of methods for taking account of dependability in design can be very useful at improving the safety of plants by, for example, establishing the link between operating feedback on one hand, and maintenance and operating policy on the other. Finally, we will extend our thinking on the insertion of dependability (and PSA) into design work to consideration of human factors in these projects. All too often kept apart, the technical and human aspects of design projects do have common characteristics: participation in safety and ease of operational of power plants, need for sufficiently early insertion in order to obtain pertinent result, etc. 8 figs.

a Comparison Between Chemically Dependent Mothers and Drug-Free Mothers: Lifestyle during the Perinatal Period

Science.gov (United States)

Uskokovic, Lila Milica

This study compared maternal lifestyle variables pertinent to the perinatal period in groups of chemically dependent mothers and drug-free mothers. Twenty-nine cocaine -abusing mothers were compared to 29 drug-free mothers carefully matched on age, race, education, and primipara versus multipara status. The drug history of each chemically dependent woman was explicitly documented. The chemically dependent group was subdivided into two groups, mothers who abused cocaine and those who abused cocaine with concomitant opiate use. Each of these two subgroups was compared to its respective matched drug-free control group. Finally, a comparison was made between the two drug subgroups. All subjects were interviewed within 48 hours after delivery using the following measures: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (A-State), Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale, The Self-Esteem Scale, Maternal Adjustment and Maternal Attitude Questionnaire, The Neonatal Perception Inventory, The Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview Life Events Scale, Maternal Social Support Index, and Short Marital Adjustment Test. A t-test analysis revealed significant differences (p abused opiates with cocaine did not differ from their controls on depression and maternal adjustment and attitudes. No significant differences were obtained in the drug subgroup comparisons. These results identify increased life events and specific negative affect states that clinical intervention programs should address to assure the best possible outcome for chemically dependent mothers and their infants.

Might the Rorschach be a projective test after all? Social projection of an undesired trait alters Rorschach Oral Dependency scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Bornstein, Robert F

2007-06-01

The degree to which projection plays a role in Rorschach (Rorschach, 1921/1942) responding remains controversial, in part because extant data have yielded inconclusive results. In this investigation, I examined the impact of social projection on Rorschach Oral Dependency (ROD) scores using methods adapted from social cognition research. In Study 1, I prescreened 85 college students (40 women and 45 men) with the ROD scale and a widely used self-report measure of dependency, the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (IDI; Hirschfeld et al., 1977). Results show that informing participants who scored low on the IDI that they were in fact highly dependent led to significant increases in ROD scores; I did not obtain parallel ROD increases for participants who scored high on the IDI or for participants who received low-dependent feedback. In Study 2, I examined a separate sample of 80 prescreened college students (40 women and 40 men) and showed that providing low self-report participants an opportunity to attribute dependency to a fictional target person prior to Rorschach responding attenuated the impact of high-dependent feedback on ROD scores. These results suggest that projection played a role in at least one domain of Rorschach responding. I discuss theoretical, clinical, and empirical implications of these results.

A national study of the retention of Irish opiate users in methadone substitution treatment

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Mullen, Louise

2012-07-02

Background: Retention in treatment is a key indicator of methadone treatment success. The study aims to identify factors that are associated with retention. Objectives: To determine retention in treatment at 12 months for Irish opiate users in methadone substitution treatment and to indicate factors that increase the likelihood of retention. Methods: National cohort study of randomly selected opiate users commencing methadone treatment in 1999, 2001, and 2003 (n = 1269). Results: Sixty-one percent of patients attending methadone treatment remained in continuous treatment for more than 1 year. Retention in treatment at 12 months was associated with age, gender, facility type, and methadone dose. Age and gender were no longer significant when adjusted for other variables in the model. Those who attended a specialist site were twice as likely to leave methadone treatment within 12 months compared with those who attended a primary care physician. The most important predictor of retention in treatment was methadone dose. Those who received <60 mg of methadone were three times more likely to leave treatment. Conclusion: Retention in methadone treatment is high in Ireland in a variety of settings. The main factors influencing retention in methadone treatment was an adequate methadone dose and access to a range of treatment settings including from primary care physicians. Scientific Significance: Providing an adequate dose of methadone during treatment will increase the likelihood of treatment retention. Methadone treatment by the primary care physician is a successful method of retaining opioid users in treatment.

Hippocampal GluA1-containing AMPA receptors mediate context-dependent sensitization to morphine.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Yan; Portugal, George S; Fakira, Amanda K; Melyan, Zara; Neve, Rachael; Lee, H Thomas; Russo, Scott J; Liu, Jie; Morón, Jose A

2011-11-09

Glutamatergic systems, including AMPA receptors (AMPARs), are involved in opiate-induced neuronal and behavioral plasticity, although the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of repeated morphine administration on AMPAR expression, synaptic plasticity, and context-dependent behavioral sensitization to morphine. We found that morphine treatment produced changes of synaptic AMPAR expression in the hippocampus, a brain area that is critically involved in learning and memory. These changes could be observed 1 week after the treatment, but only when mice developed context-dependent behavioral sensitization to morphine in which morphine treatment was associated with drug administration environment. Context-dependent behavioral sensitization to morphine was also associated with increased basal synaptic transmission and disrupted hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), whereas these effects were less robust when morphine administration was not paired with the drug administration environment. Interestingly, some effects may be related to the prior history of morphine exposure in the drug-associated environment, since alterations of AMPAR expression, basal synaptic transmission, and LTP were observed in mice that received a saline challenge 1 week after discontinuation of morphine treatment. Furthermore, we demonstrated that phosphorylation of GluA1 AMPAR subunit plays a critical role in the acquisition and expression of context-dependent behavioral sensitization, as this behavior is blocked by a viral vector that disrupts GluA1 phosphorylation. These data provide evidence that glutamatergic signaling in the hippocampus plays an important role in context-dependent sensitization to morphine and supports further investigation of glutamate-based strategies for treating opiate addiction.

Involvement of endogenous opiates in regulation of gastric emptying of fat test meals in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fioramonti, J.; Fargeas, M.J.; Bueno, L.

1988-01-01

The role of endogenous opioids and cholecystokinin (CCK) in gastric emptying was investigated in mice killed 30 min after gavage with 51 Cr-radiolabeled liquid meals. The meals consisted of 0.5 ml of milk or one of five synthetic meals containing arabic gum, glucose and/or arachis oil and/or casein. Naloxone (0.1 mg/kg sc) significantly (P less than 0.01) accelerated gastric emptying of milk and meals containing fat but did not modify gastric emptying of nonfat meals. The CCK antagonist asperlicin (0.1 mg/kg ip) increased by 25% gastric emptying of milk. The gastric emptying of meals containing glucose and casein but not fat was reduced after administration of the COOH-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin (CCK-8, 4 micrograms/kg ip). This decrease was antagonized by both asperlicin (10 mg/kg ip) and naloxone (0.1 mg/kg sc). Intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of an opiate antagonist that poorly crosses the blood-brain barrier, methyl levallorphan (10 micrograms/kg), did not modify gastric emptying of milk but accelerated it when peripherally administered (0.1 mg/kg sc). Similarly, asperlicin (icv) administered at a dose of 1 mg/kg did not affect milk emptying. These results indicate that endogenous opiates are involved at peripheral levels in the regulation of gastric emptying of fat meals only and that such regulation involves release of CCK

Opiates Modulate Thermosensation by Internalizing Cold Receptor TRPM8

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George Shapovalov

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Stimulation of μ-opioid receptors (OPRMs brings powerful pain relief, but it also leads to the development of tolerance and addiction. Ensuing withdrawal in abstinent patients manifests itself with severe symptoms, including cold hyperalgesia, often preventing addicted patients from successfully completing the rehabilitation. Unsurprisingly, OPRMs have been a central point of many studies. Nonetheless, a satisfactory understanding of the pathways leading to distorted sensory responses during opiate administration and abstinence is far from complete. Here, we present a mechanism that leads to modulation by OPRMs of one of the sensory responses, thermosensation. Activation of OPRM1 leads to internalization of a cold-sensor TRPM8, which can be reversed by a follow-up treatment with the inverse OPRM agonist naloxone. Knockout of TRPM8 protein leads to a decrease in morphine-induced cold analgesia. The proposed pathway represents a universal mechanism that is probably shared by regulatory pathways modulating general pain sensation in response to opioid treatment.

Alcohol consumption moderates the link between cannabis use and cannabis dependence in an internet survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Smucker Barnwell, Sara; Earleywine, Mitch; Gordis, Elana B

2005-06-01

The link between cannabis use and cannabis dependence remains poorly understood. Some people use cannabis regularly without signs of dependence; others show dependence despite using less. This study examined alcohol consumption as a moderator of this association. A sample of 476 people (primarily Caucasian men) who used cannabis at least once per week reported their alcohol consumption, cannabis use, and cannabis dependence symptoms in an Internet survey. Regressions revealed significant interactions between measures of cannabis use and alcohol consumption when predicting cannabis dependence. Cannabis use covaried with cannabis dependence, particularly in people who consumed alcohol frequently or in large amounts per week. Despite limitations, these data suggest that alcohol may decrease the safety of cannabis consumption. Copyright 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

The Comparison of Attention Biases to Opiates in Substance Dependent and Treated Clients of Therapeutic Clinics and Narcotics Anonymous Memberships

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javad Enayat

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the attention bias about tempting incentives related to opium materials in treated, addicted and normal people. Duration of consumption and treating were also considered. Method: In this causal-comparative study population was all addicted people who were referred to the rehabilitation offices, addiction treatment clinic, rebirthing centers and Narcotics Anonymous of East Azerbaijan. This study consisted of five groups of men, including addicted to opium materials which are divided into two groups namely: long consumption period and people with short consumption period, also, treated people including long term treated and short term treated, and a normal control group. Altogether, 103 selected people were studied. Sample groups were similar in terms of age, education, and sex. For measuring attention bias towards tempting stimuli related opiates, a words recognition test was used. This test included three subtests and one recognition test. The recognition scores for the three categories of words were measured. Results: The findings indicated that there was a difference in attention against opium material incentives between control group and the mild and severe consumers groups. Also there were significant differences between treated people with the short time distance and control group, and control group had less temptation and biases in comparison to the other groups. Finally, those who have mild consumption are threatened more in comparison with the control group. Conclusion: The findings have applied implications.

Enhanced bioavailability of opiates after intratracheal administration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Findlay, J.W.A.; Jones, E.C.; McNulty, M.J.

1986-01-01

Several opiate analgesics have low oral bioavailabilities in the dog because of presystemic metabolism. Intratracheal administration may circumvent this first-pass effect. Three anesthetized beagles received 5-mg/kg doses of codeine phosphate intratracheally (i.t.), orally (p.o.) and intravenously (i.v.) in a crossover study. The following drugs were also studied in similar experiments: ethylmorphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg), pholcodine bitartrate (10 mg/kg, hydrocodone bitartrate (4 mg/kg) and morphine sulfate (2.5 mg/kg). Plasma drug concentrations over the 24- to 48-hr periods after drug administrations were determined by radioimmunoassays. I.t. bioavailabilities [codeine (84%), ethylmorphine (100%), and morphine (87%)] of drugs with poor oral availabilities were all markedly higher than the corresponding oral values (14, 26, and 23%, respectively). I.t. bioavailabilities of pholcodine (93%) and hydrocodone (92%), which have good oral availabilities (74 and 79%, respectively), were also enhanced. In all cases, peak plasma concentrations occurred more rapidly after i.t. (0.08-0.17 hr) than after oral (0.5-2 hr) dosing and i.t. disposition often resembled i.v. kinetics. I.t. administration may be a valuable alternative dosing route, providing rapid onset of pharmacological activity for potent drugs with poor oral bioavailability

Exploiting Open Environmental Data using Linked Data and Cloud Computing: the MELODIES project

Science.gov (United States)

Blower, Jon; Gonçalves, Pedro; Caumont, Hervé; Koubarakis, Manolis; Perkins, Bethan

2015-04-01

The European Open Data Strategy establishes important new principles that ensure that European public sector data will be released at no cost (or marginal cost), in machine-readable, commonly-understood formats, and with liberal licences enabling wide reuse. These data encompass both scientific data about the environment (from Earth Observation and other fields) and other public sector information, including diverse topics such as demographics, health and crime. Many open geospatial datasets (e.g. land use) are already available through the INSPIRE directive and made available through infrastructures such as the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The intention of the Open Data Strategy is to stimulate the growth of research and value-adding services that build upon these data streams; however, the potential value inherent in open data, and the benefits that can be gained by combining previously-disparate sources of information are only just starting to become understood. The MELODIES project (Maximising the Exploitation of Linked Open Data In Enterprise and Science) is developing eight innovative and sustainable services, based upon Open Data, for users in research, government, industry and the general public in a broad range of societal and environmental benefit areas. MELODIES (http://melodiesproject.eu) is a European FP7 project that is coordinated by the University of Reading and has sixteen partners (including nine SMEs) from eight European countries. It started in November 2013 and will run for three years. The project is therefore in its early stages and therefore we will value the opportunity that this workshop affords to present our plans and interact with the wider Linked Geospatial Data community. The project is developing eight new services[1] covering a range of domains including agriculture, urban ecosystems, land use management, marine information, desertification, crisis management and hydrology. These services will combine Earth

Concurrent Validation of the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) and Single-Item Indices against the Clinical Institute Narcotic Assessment (CINA) Opioid Withdrawal Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Tompkins, D. Andrew; Bigelow, George E.; Harrison, Joseph A.; Johnson, Rolley E.; Fudala, Paul J.; Strain, Eric C.

2009-01-01

Introduction The Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) is an 11-item clinician-administered scale assessing opioid withdrawal. Though commonly used in clinical practice, it has not been systematically validated. The present study validated the COWS in comparison to the validated Clinical Institute Narcotic Assessment (CINA) scale. Method Opioid-dependent volunteers were enrolled in a residential trial and stabilized on morphine 30 mg given subcutaneously four times daily. Subjects then underwent double-blind, randomized challenges of intramuscularly administered placebo and naloxone (0.4 mg) on separate days, during which the COWS, CINA, and visual analog scale (VAS) assessments were concurrently obtained. Subjects completing both challenges were included (N=46). Correlations between mean peak COWS and CINA scores as well as self-report VAS questions were calculated. Results Mean peak COWS and CINA scores of 7.6 and 24.4, respectively, occurred on average 30 minutes post-injection of naloxone. Mean COWS and CINA scores 30 minutes after placebo injection were 1.3 and 18.9, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient for peak COWS and CINA scores during the naloxone challenge session was 0.85 (p<0.001). Peak COWS scores also correlated well with peak VAS self-report scores of bad drug effect (r=0.57, p<0.001) and feeling sick (r=0.57, p<0.001), providing additional evidence of concurrent validity. Placebo was not associated with any significant elevation of COWS, CINA, or VAS scores, indicating discriminant validity. Cronbach’s alpha for the COWS was 0.78, indicating good internal consistency (reliability). Discussion COWS, CINA, and certain VAS items are all valid measurement tools for acute opiate withdrawal. PMID:19647958

Baclofen for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN32121581

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmadi-Abhari Seyed Ali

2003-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Results of preclinical studies suggest that the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen may be useful in treatment of opioid dependence. This study was aimed at assessing the possible efficacy of baclofen for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. Methods A total of 40 opioid-dependent patients were detoxified and randomly assigned to receive baclofen (60 mg/day or placebo in a 12-week, double blind, parallel-group trial. Primary outcome measure was retention in treatment. Secondary outcome measures included opioids and alcohol use according to urinalysis and self-report ratings, intensity of opioid craving assessed with a visual analogue scale, opioid withdrawal symptoms as measured by the Short Opiate Withdrawal Scale and depression scores on the Hamilton inventory. Results Treatment retention was significantly higher in the baclofen group. Baclofen also showed a significant superiority over placebo in terms of opiate withdrawal syndrome and depressive symptoms. Non-significant, but generally favorable responses were seen in the baclofen group with other outcome measures including intensity of opioid craving and self-reported opioid and alcohol use. However, no significant difference was seen in the rates of opioid-positive urine tests. Additionally, the drug side effects of the two groups were not significantly different. Conclusion The results support further study of baclofen in the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence.

Opiate-like excitatory effects of steroid sulfates and calcium-complexing agents given cerebroventricularly.

Science.gov (United States)

LaBella, F S; Havlicek, V; Pinsky, C

1979-01-12

Intracerebroventricular administration of 10--20 microgram of steroid-O-sulfates induced hypermotility, agitation, salivation, EEG abnormalities, stereotypies, wet dog shakes and seizures. Equivalent effects resulted from 30--200 microgram morphine sulfate (H2SO4 salt), 50 microgram EGTA or 300--400 microgram of sodium sulfate or phosphate, but not chloride, nitrate or acetate. Non-steroid sulfates, steroid glucuronides and steroid phosphates were inactive. Naloxone, previously found to antagonize the excitatory effects of androsterone sulfate, failed to antagonize those of cortisol sulfate, sodium sulfate or EGTA. These findings suggest a role for extracellular calcium ions and for sulfate derived from circulating steroids in central responses to opiates.

Model dependence and its effect on ensemble projections in CMIP5

Science.gov (United States)

Abramowitz, G.; Bishop, C.

2013-12-01

Conceptually, the notion of model dependence within climate model ensembles is relatively simple - modelling groups share a literature base, parametrisations, data sets and even model code - the potential for dependence in sampling different climate futures is clear. How though can this conceptual problem inform a practical solution that demonstrably improves the ensemble mean and ensemble variance as an estimate of system uncertainty? While some research has already focused on error correlation or error covariance as a candidate to improve ensemble mean estimates, a complete definition of independence must at least implicitly subscribe to an ensemble interpretation paradigm, such as the 'truth-plus-error', 'indistinguishable', or more recently 'replicate Earth' paradigm. Using a definition of model dependence based on error covariance within the replicate Earth paradigm, this presentation will show that accounting for dependence in surface air temperature gives cooler projections in CMIP5 - by as much as 20% globally in some RCPs - although results differ significantly for each RCP, especially regionally. The fact that the change afforded by accounting for dependence across different RCPs is different is not an inconsistent result. Different numbers of submissions to each RCP by different modelling groups mean that differences in projections from different RCPs are not entirely about RCP forcing conditions - they also reflect different sampling strategies.

Linking the influence and dependence of people on biodiversity across scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Isbell, Forest; Gonzalez, Andrew; Loreau, Michel; Cowles, Jane; Díaz, Sandra; Hector, Andy; Mace, Georgina M; Wardle, David A; O'Connor, Mary I; Duffy, J Emmett; Turnbull, Lindsay A; Thompson, Patrick L; Larigauderie, Anne

2017-05-31

Biodiversity enhances many of nature's benefits to people, including the regulation of climate and the production of wood in forests, livestock forage in grasslands and fish in aquatic ecosystems. Yet people are now driving the sixth mass extinction event in Earth's history. Human dependence and influence on biodiversity have mainly been studied separately and at contrasting scales of space and time, but new multiscale knowledge is beginning to link these relationships. Biodiversity loss substantially diminishes several ecosystem services by altering ecosystem functioning and stability, especially at the large temporal and spatial scales that are most relevant for policy and conservation.

Problem Drug Use, Marijuana, and European Projects: How Epidemiology Helped Czech Policy Reformers

OpenAIRE

Jan Morávek

2008-01-01

I examine the transfer of the Problem Drug Use (PDU) concept into Czech scientific discourse through European institutions’ projects, and view PDU’s utilization by Czech researchers in relation to marijuana decriminalization efforts.PDU is defined as intravenous and/or long-term and regular use of opiates, cocaine, or amphetamines. Out of a vast array of illicit drug use patterns, this concept isolates a relatively small population with the riskiest use patterns to become the focus of public ...

Opiates in poppy seed: effect on urinalysis results after consumption of poppy seed cake-filling.

Science.gov (United States)

Pettitt, B C; Dyszel, S M; Hood, L V

1987-07-01

We report the analysis of poppy seed filling for morphine and codeine content. Concentrations in the range 17.4 to 18.6 micrograms/g (morphine) and 2.3 to 2.5 micrograms/g (codeine) were found in different lots of the filling, which is widely used in baking. The effect of consumption of poppy seed filling on opiate urinalysis results is discussed. Morphine concentrations as high as 4.5 mg/L are reported, with persistence of concentrations greater than 0.3 mg/L as long as 35 h after consumption.

Cannabis use and dependence among French schizophrenic inpatients

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Michel eLejoyeux

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background: To assess the prevalence of cannabis use and dependence in a population of schizophrenic inpatients and to compare schizophrenics with and without cannabis consumption. Methods: 101 schizophrenic patients were examined during their first week of hospitalization. They answered the PANNS scale of schizophrenia, the CAGE and the Fagerström questionnaire and the DSM-IV-TR criteria for cannabis, alcohol, opiates and nicotine use dependence were checked. We also assessed socio-demographic characteristics, the motive of cannabis consumption and the number of cannabis joints and alcoholic drinks taken.Results: The prevalence of cannabis consumption was 33.6% among schizophrenic inpatients. Schizophrenics consuming cannabis were younger than non-schizophrenics (33.3 vs 44.7 years pConclusion: 33.6 % of the schizophrenic patients hospitalized in psychiatry consume cannabis and most of them are dependent on cannabis and alcohol. Hospitalization in psychiatry may provide an opportunity to systematically identify a dependence disorder and to offer appropriate information and treatment

Employment-based abstinence reinforcement following inpatient detoxification in HIV-positive opioid and/or cocaine-dependent patients

OpenAIRE

Dunn, Kelly; Fingerhood, Michael; Wong, Conrad J.; Svikis, Dace S.; Nuzzo, Paul; Silverman, Kenneth

2014-01-01

Employment-based reinforcement interventions have been used to promote abstinence from drugs among chronically unemployed injection drug users. The current study utilized an employment-based reinforcement intervention to promote opiate and cocaine abstinence among opioid-dependent, HIV-positive participants who had recently completed a brief inpatient detoxification. Participants (n=46) were randomly assigned to an Abstinence & Work group that was required to provide negative urine samples in...

Sex-linked dominant

Science.gov (United States)

Inheritance - sex-linked dominant; Genetics - sex-linked dominant; X-linked dominant; Y-linked dominant ... can be either an autosomal chromosome or a sex chromosome. It also depends on whether the trait ...

[Links between depressive disorders and dependent personality disorders: The important effect of locus of control].

Science.gov (United States)

Versaevel, C; Martin, J-B; Lajugie, C

2017-05-01

Empirical researches have proved that there are powerful correlations between dependent personality and depression. Different hypotheses were described to conceptualize links between these two entities. The dysfunction of attributive style seems to be linked to dependency and to depression. Interpersonal dependency can be considered to be a mode of adaptation to the external direction of the locus of control. The self-esteem so subjected to the climate of social interactions can lead, by the discontinuity of its protective relations, to the depression. In a coordinated model, this study explores psychopathological aspects between depressive cognition, self-esteem and interpersonal dependency. This study tries to support the hypothesis that depression and dependency are consequences of an external locus of control, secondary in deterioration of the self-esteem and the main objective is to highlight correlations between external locus of control, interpersonal dependency, hopelessness and depressive affect. The regrouping of 42 patients in a protocol of psychotherapeutic practices allowed the realization of this retrospective study, multicentric within different hospitals or ambulant psychiatric structures of the agglomeration of Lille, during a period of 6 months. The administration of questionnaires (Beck Depression Inventory/Dependent Personality Questionnaire by Tyrer, translated by Loas/Hopelessness Scale by Beck/Powerful others and Chance Scale [IPC] of Levenson, translated by Loas) was included into clinical practice. The main results indicate that external locus of control "powerful others" is significantly correlated with pathological dependency (Pcognitive aspect manifests vulnerability in the depression of the patients suffering from pathological dependency. Also, the place of external locus of control ("powerful others" and "chance") seems to be a cognitive dimension more pathogenic than the internal locus of control. It will be necessary to investigate

Cause and motivation in cases of non-fatal drug overdoses in opiate addicts.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfab, R; Eyer, F; Jetzinger, E; Zilker, Thomas

2006-01-01

Drug overdose (OD) is a frequent incident among opiate addicts. Survivors of ODs are at risk for additional and eventually fatal ODs. ODs may be classified as accidental (aOD) or deliberate (dOD). Investigations into the connection between OD and suicide attempts have led to insconsistent results. (1) to determine how many non-fatal ODs were dODs and how many were aODs; (2) to determine how many cases of dODs were motivated by explicit or by ambivalent suicidal intentions; (3) to determine how many cases of aODs had causes that might respond to preventative measures; (4) to compare the addiction histories of dODs and aODs; (5) to compare the drugs causing the ODs; and (6) to compare the severity of the ODs in both groups. Prospective study utilizing a standardized questionnaire to evaluate opiate-addicted patients admitted to our treatment unit for OD. All cases underwent standardized drug testing to identify drug use patterns. Seventy-four cases of OD underwent standardized interviews after awakening. Forty-three percent of the cases were dOD. Cases of dOD had significantly more OA in substitution programs, more previous ODs, and more often consumed methadone and cocaine. Among dODs, 22.5% had suicidal intention and 9.6% were ambivalent about committing suicide; background motivations were most often conflicts with spouses. Fifty-seven percent of the cases were aOD. Cases of aODs had significantly more potential lethal intoxications and had heroin detected more frequently. aODs happened with unexpected pure heroin (46%), in combination with alcohol (36%), as relapse after abstinence (40%) or after institutionalized treatment (19%). This group should be accessible for targeted education.

Global asymptotic stability of density dependent integral population projection models.

Science.gov (United States)

Rebarber, Richard; Tenhumberg, Brigitte; Townley, Stuart

2012-02-01

Many stage-structured density dependent populations with a continuum of stages can be naturally modeled using nonlinear integral projection models. In this paper, we study a trichotomy of global stability result for a class of density dependent systems which include a Platte thistle model. Specifically, we identify those systems parameters for which zero is globally asymptotically stable, parameters for which there is a positive asymptotically stable equilibrium, and parameters for which there is no asymptotically stable equilibrium. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Linking the influence and dependence of people on biodiversity across scales

Science.gov (United States)

Isbell, Forest; Gonzalez, Andrew; Loreau, Michel; Cowles, Jane; Díaz, Sandra; Hector, Andy; Mace, Georgina M.; Wardle, David A.; O’Connor, Mary I.; Duffy, J. Emmett; Turnbull, Lindsay A.; Thompson, Patrick L.; Larigauderie, Anne

2017-01-01

Biodiversity enhances many of nature’s benefits to people, including the regulation of climate and the production of wood in forests, livestock forage in grasslands and fish in aquatic ecosystems. Yet people are now driving the sixth mass extinction event in Earth’s history. Human dependence and influence on biodiversity have mainly been studied separately and at contrasting scales of space and time, but new multiscale knowledge is beginning to link these relationships. Biodiversity loss substantially diminishes several ecosystem services by altering ecosystem functioning and stability, especially at the large temporal and spatial scales that are most relevant for policy and conservation. PMID:28569811

Problem Drug Use, Marijuana, and European Projects: How Epidemiology Helped Czech Policy Reformers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Morávek

2008-12-01

Full Text Available I examine the transfer of the Problem Drug Use (PDU concept into Czech scientific discourse through European institutions’ projects, and view PDU’s utilization by Czech researchers in relation to marijuana decriminalization efforts.PDU is defined as intravenous and/or long-term and regular use of opiates, cocaine, or amphetamines. Out of a vast array of illicit drug use patterns, this concept isolates a relatively small population with the riskiest use patterns to become the focus of public policies. A series of European Union and Council of Europe projects in 1990’s helped bring PDU into European research mainstream. The new common standard, promoted by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, was utilized by Czech authors in a 2001 policy analysis entitled “Impact Analysis Project of the New Drug Legislation in the Czech Republic” (PAD. PDU played a crucial role in PAD’s drug problem modeling, focusing on a “hard core” of opiate and methamphetamine users, while diverting attention from a large group of cannabis users.By using the new European methodological standard, PAD’s authors constructed marijuana as a non-problem. This helped drug policy reformers in the Czech Government legitimize their focus on “harder” drugs, and subsequently propose more lenient sanctions for the possession and cultivation of marijuana. I argue that continued ignorance of marijuana problems might jeopardize the tolerant expert-driven drug policy in the Czech Republic. Measurement of problem cannabis use should be introduced.

Opiate-induced suppression of rat hypoglossal motoneuron activity and its reversal by ampakine therapy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda R Lorier

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Hypoglossal (XII motoneurons innervate tongue muscles and are vital for maintaining upper-airway patency during inspiration. Depression of XII nerve activity by opioid analgesics is a significant clinical problem, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Currently there are no suitable pharmacological approaches to counter opiate-induced suppression of XII nerve activity while maintaining analgesia. Ampakines accentuate alpha-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate (AMPA receptor responses. The AMPA family of glutamate receptors mediate excitatory transmission to XII motoneurons. Therefore the objectives were to determine whether the depressant actions of mu-opioid receptor activation on inspiratory activity includes a direct inhibitory action at the inspiratory premotoneuron to XII motoneuron synapse, and to identify underlying mechanism(s. We then examined whether ampakines counteract opioid-induced depression of XII motoneuron activity.A medullary slice preparation from neonatal rat that produces inspiratory-related output in vitro was used. Measurements of inspiratory burst amplitude and frequency were made from XII nerve roots. Whole-cell patch recordings from XII motoneurons were used to measure membrane currents and synaptic events. Application of the mu-opioid receptor agonist, DAMGO, to the XII nucleus depressed the output of inspiratory XII motoneurons via presynaptic inhibition of excitatory glutamatergic transmission. Ampakines (CX614 and CX717 alleviated DAMGO-induced depression of XII MN activity through postsynaptic actions on XII motoneurons.The inspiratory-depressant actions of opioid analgesics include presynaptic inhibition of XII motoneuron output. Ampakines counteract mu-opioid receptor-mediated depression of XII motoneuron inspiratory activity. These results suggest that ampakines may be beneficial in countering opiate-induced suppression of XII motoneuron activity and resultant impairment of airway patency.

Front end data link processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallace, J.J.

1988-01-01

It is possible to expand the data acquisition capabilities of an existing process computer to include other dedicated computer based systems, provided each system has at least minimal data link capabilities. The following paper discusses the addition of three computer based acquisition systems to a Honeywell 4500C (also designated the 45000) running the SEER system. Only one data link port was required to support the link. Each of the three specialized systems implemented data link protocols used by their suppliers in previous projects: none of the three were compatible with Honeywell's protocol. Part one of the following provides a generic overview of the project and would be relevent to the operator of any process system interested in expansion. Part two provides specific details of this project and may serve to provide performance benchmarks to those who wish to consider a similar project

The advanced linked extended reconnaissance and targeting technology demonstration project

Science.gov (United States)

Cruickshank, James; de Villers, Yves; Maheux, Jean; Edwards, Mark; Gains, David; Rea, Terry; Banbury, Simon; Gauthier, Michelle

2007-06-01

The Advanced Linked Extended Reconnaissance & Targeting (ALERT) Technology Demonstration (TD) project is addressing key operational needs of the future Canadian Army's Surveillance and Reconnaissance forces by fusing multi-sensor and tactical data, developing automated processes, and integrating beyond line-of-sight sensing. We discuss concepts for displaying and fusing multi-sensor and tactical data within an Enhanced Operator Control Station (EOCS). The sensor data can originate from the Coyote's own visible-band and IR cameras, laser rangefinder, and ground-surveillance radar, as well as beyond line-of-sight systems such as a mini-UAV and unattended ground sensors. The authors address technical issues associated with the use of fully digital IR and day video cameras and discuss video-rate image processing developed to assist the operator to recognize poorly visible targets. Automatic target detection and recognition algorithms processing both IR and visible-band images have been investigated to draw the operator's attention to possible targets. The machine generated information display requirements are presented with the human factors engineering aspects of the user interface in this complex environment, with a view to establishing user trust in the automation. The paper concludes with a summary of achievements to date and steps to project completion.

Non-opiate [beta]-endorphin fragments and dopamine--II [beta]-endorphin 2-9 enhances apomorphine-induced stereotypy following subcutaneous and intra-striatal injection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ree, J.M. van

1982-01-01

The non-opiate β-endorphin (βE) fragment 2–16 (des Tyr1-α-endorphin) enhanced apomorphine-induced stereotyped sniffing in rats, but did not interfere with the hypoactivity elicited by small doses of apomorphine. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed that the active moiety of α-endorphin

Attitudes and practices regarding the use of methadone in US state and federal prisons.

Science.gov (United States)

Rich, Josiah D; Boutwell, Amy E; Shield, David C; Key, R Garrett; McKenzie, Michelle; Clarke, Jennifer G; Friedmann, Peter D

2005-09-01

In the United States, vigorous enforcement of drug laws and stricter sentencing guidelines over the past 20 years have contributed to an expanded incarcerated population with a high rate of drug use. One in five state prisoners reports a history of injection drug use, and many are opiate dependent. For over 35 years, methadone maintenance therapy has been an effective treatment for opiate dependence; however, its use among opiate-dependent inmates in the United States is limited. In June 2003, we conducted a survey of the medical directors of all 50 US states and the federal prison system to describe their attitudes and practices regarding methadone. Of the 40 respondents, having jurisdiction over 88% (n =1,266,759) of US prisoners, 48% use methadone, predominately for pregnant inmates or for short-term detoxification. Only 8% of respondents refer opiate-dependent inmates to methadone programs upon release. The results highlight the need to destigmatize the use of methadone in the incarcerated setting, expand access to methadone during incarceration, and to improve linkage to methadone treatment for opiate-dependent offenders who return to the community.

Opiate-prostaglandin interactions in the regulation of insulin secretion from rat islets of Langerhans in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, I.C.; Tadayyon, M.

1988-01-01

The inadequate insulin secretory response to glucose stimulation in non-insulin dependent diabetes has been attributed to many factors including high PGE 2 levels blunting the secretory response, and to the existence of inhibitory opiate activity in vivo. The purpose of the present work was to see if there was a connection between these two independent theories. Radioimmunoassayable PGE 2 in islets of Langerhans was found to be proportional to islet number and protein content and was typically 4 to 5pg/μg islet protein. Indomethacin sodium salicylate and chlorpropamide all lowered islet PGE 2 levels and stimulated insulin release in vitro. Dynorphin stimulated insulin release at a concentration of 6 x 10 -9 M, while lowering islet PGE 2 . Conversely, at a higher concentration, dynorphin had no stimulatory effect on insulin secretion and did not lower PGE 2 levels in islets or in the incubation media. The stimulatory effects of dynorphin and sodium salicylate on insulin secretion were blocked by exogenous PGE 2 . PGE 2 at a lower concentration did not exert any inhibitory effect on dynorphin- or sodium salicylate-induced insulin release. This concentration of exogenous PGE 2 stimulated insulin release in the presence of 6mM glucose

[Investigation of the medical and social situation of patients managed by opiate replacement regimens for over 10 years by their GP].

Science.gov (United States)

Messaadi, Nassir; Favre, Jonathan; Rolland, Benjamin; Cottencin, Olivier; Calafiore, Matthieu; Stalnikiewicz, Bertrand; Berkhout, Christophe

2016-10-01

Management with opiate replacement regimens (ORRs) of patients presenting to primary care settings with opiate addiction has become a long-term follow-up. The aim of this survey study was to describe patients who had been prescribed ORRs for at least 10 years by their general practitioner (GP). In 2011, two questionnaires were sent to a sample of 38 GPs prescribing ORRs in Northern France. Doctors' questionnaires collected their typology and opinions on their patients receiving opiate substitution treatments for over 10 years. Patients' questionnaires were completed in the presence of the patient. Twenty-three doctors' and 83 patients' questionnaires were suitable for analysis. The average number of listed ORR patients was 14.2 and 3.6 had been managed for 10 years or more. Misuse persisted: 30.5% of GPs considered that it was carried out by at least by 15% of patients. Average dosages were 60.3 mg for methadone and 7.0 mg for buprenorphine. Employment (46.3% of patients had a salary), dwelling and family live (46.3% of patients were in charge of children) were favored. Nevertheless, precariousness persisted: 32% of patients were indebted and help of social workers was not systematically searched. One third of the patients were alcohol and cannabis misusers, 70% were smoking and 34.5% multiple drug misusers. An important number of patients were taking anxiolytics (37.8%) and hypnotics (30.5%). After 10 years of follow-up for an ORR by a GP, the social situation of patients seems to have stabilized, but psychoactive drugs consumption remains important. Copyright © 2016 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Linking Project-Based Interdisciplinary Learning and Recommended Professional Competencies with Business Management, Digital Media, Distance Learning, Engineering Technology, and English

Science.gov (United States)

Bender, Melinda; Fulwider, Miles; Stemkoski, Michael J.

2008-01-01

This paper encourages the investigation of real world problems by students and faculty and links recommended student competencies with project based learning. In addition to the traditional course objectives, project-based learning (PBL) uses real world problems for classroom instruction and fieldwork to connect students, instructors, and industry…

Local Use-Dependent Sleep in Wakefulness Links Performance Errors to Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Quercia, Angelica; Zappasodi, Filippo; Committeri, Giorgia; Ferrara, Michele

2018-01-01

Sleep and wakefulness are no longer to be considered as discrete states. During wakefulness brain regions can enter a sleep-like state (off-periods) in response to a prolonged period of activity (local use-dependent sleep). Similarly, during nonREM sleep the slow-wave activity, the hallmark of sleep plasticity, increases locally in brain regions previously involved in a learning task. Recent studies have demonstrated that behavioral performance may be impaired by off-periods in wake in task-related regions. However, the relation between off-periods in wake, related performance errors and learning is still untested in humans. Here, by employing high density electroencephalographic (hd-EEG) recordings, we investigated local use-dependent sleep in wake, asking participants to repeat continuously two intensive spatial navigation tasks. Critically, one task relied on previous map learning (Wayfinding) while the other did not (Control). Behaviorally awake participants, who were not sleep deprived, showed progressive increments of delta activity only during the learning-based spatial navigation task. As shown by source localization, delta activity was mainly localized in the left parietal and bilateral frontal cortices, all regions known to be engaged in spatial navigation tasks. Moreover, during the Wayfinding task, these increments of delta power were specifically associated with errors, whose probability of occurrence was significantly higher compared to the Control task. Unlike the Wayfinding task, during the Control task neither delta activity nor the number of errors increased progressively. Furthermore, during the Wayfinding task, both the number and the amplitude of individual delta waves, as indexes of neuronal silence in wake (off-periods), were significantly higher during errors than hits. Finally, a path analysis linked the use of the spatial navigation circuits undergone to learning plasticity to off periods in wake. In conclusion, local sleep regulation in

Wavelength dependence for the photoreactions of DNA-psoralen monoadducts. 2. Photo-cross-linking of monoadducts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Y.; Hearst, J.E.

1987-01-01

The photoreactions of HMT [4'-(hydroxymethyl)-4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen] monoadducts in double-stranded DNA have been studied with complementary oligonucleotides. The HMT was first attached to the thymidine residue in the oligonucleotide 5'-GAAGCTACGAGC-3' as either a furan-side monoadduct or a pyrone-side monoadduct. The HMT-monoadducted oligonucleotide was then hybridized to the complementary oligonucleotide 5'-GCTCGTAGCTTC-3' and irradiated with monochromatic light. In the case of the pyrone-side monoadducted oligonucleotide, photoreversal was the predominant reaction, and very little cross-link was formed at all wavelengths. The course of the photoreaction of the double-stranded furan-side monoadducted oligonucleotide was dependent on the irradiation wavelength. At wavelengths below 313 nm, both photoreversal and photo-cross-linking occurred. At wavelengths above 313 nm, photoreversal of the monoadduct could not be detected, and photo-cross-linking occurred efficiently with a quantum yield of 2,4 x 10 -2

In the face of threat: neural and endocrine correlates of impaired facial emotion recognition in cocaine dependence.

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Ersche, K D; Hagan, C C; Smith, D G; Jones, P S; Calder, A J; Williams, G B

2015-05-26

The ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion in others is a cornerstone of human interaction. Selective impairments in the recognition of facial expressions of fear have frequently been reported in chronic cocaine users, but the nature of these impairments remains poorly understood. We used the multivariate method of partial least squares and structural magnetic resonance imaging to identify gray matter brain networks that underlie facial affect processing in both cocaine-dependent (n = 29) and healthy male volunteers (n = 29). We hypothesized that disruptions in neuroendocrine function in cocaine-dependent individuals would explain their impairments in fear recognition by modulating the relationship with the underlying gray matter networks. We found that cocaine-dependent individuals not only exhibited significant impairments in the recognition of fear, but also for facial expressions of anger. Although recognition accuracy of threatening expressions co-varied in all participants with distinctive gray matter networks implicated in fear and anger processing, in cocaine users it was less well predicted by these networks than in controls. The weaker brain-behavior relationships for threat processing were also mediated by distinctly different factors. Fear recognition impairments were influenced by variations in intelligence levels, whereas anger recognition impairments were associated with comorbid opiate dependence and related reduction in testosterone levels. We also observed an inverse relationship between testosterone levels and the duration of crack and opiate use. Our data provide novel insight into the neurobiological basis of abnormal threat processing in cocaine dependence, which may shed light on new opportunities facilitating the psychosocial integration of these patients.

Building a partnership to evaluate school-linked health services: the Cincinnati School Health Demonstration Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Rose, Barbara L; Mansour, Mona; Kohake, Kelli

2005-12-01

The Cincinnati School Health Demonstration Project was a 3-year collaboration that evaluated school-linked health services in 6 urban elementary (kindergarten to eighth grade) schools. Partners from the Cincinnati Health Department, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati wanted to determine if levels of school-linked care made a difference in student quality of life, school connectedness, attendance, emergency department use, and volume of referrals to health care specialists. School nurses, principals and school staff, parents and students, upper-level managers, and health service researchers worked together over a 2.5-year period to learn about and use new technology to collect information on student health, well-being, and outcome measures. Varying levels of school health care intervention models were instituted and evaluated. A standard model of care was compared with 2 models of enhanced care and service. The information collected from students, parents, nurses, and the school system provided a rich database on the health of urban children. School facilities, staffing, and computer technology, relationship building among stakeholders, extensive communication, and high student mobility were factors that influenced success and findings of the project. Funding for district-wide computerization and addition of school health staff was not secured by the end of the demonstration project; however, relationships among the partners endured and paved the way for future collaborations designed to better serve urban school children in Cincinnati.

Directed networks' different link formation mechanisms causing degree distribution distinction

Science.gov (United States)

Behfar, Stefan Kambiz; Turkina, Ekaterina; Cohendet, Patrick; Burger-Helmchen, Thierry

2016-11-01

Within undirected networks, scientists have shown much interest in presenting power-law features. For instance, Barabási and Albert (1999) claimed that a common property of many large networks is that vertex connectivity follows scale-free power-law distribution, and in another study Barabási et al. (2002) showed power law evolution in the social network of scientific collaboration. At the same time, Jiang et al. (2011) discussed deviation from power-law distribution; others indicated that size effect (Bagrow et al., 2008), information filtering mechanism (Mossa et al., 2002), and birth and death process (Shi et al., 2005) could account for this deviation. Within directed networks, many authors have considered that outlinks follow a similar mechanism of creation as inlinks' (Faloutsos et al., 1999; Krapivsky et al., 2001; Tanimoto, 2009) with link creation rate being the linear function of node degree, resulting in a power-law shape for both indegree and outdegree distribution. Some other authors have made an assumption that directed networks, such as scientific collaboration or citation, behave as undirected, resulting in a power-law degree distribution accordingly (Barabási et al., 2002). At the same time, we claim (1) Outlinks feature different degree distributions than inlinks; where different link formation mechanisms cause the distribution distinctions, (2) in/outdegree distribution distinction holds for different levels of system decomposition; therefore this distribution distinction is a property of directed networks. First, we emphasize in/outlink formation mechanisms as causal factors for distinction between indegree and outdegree distributions (where this distinction has already been noticed in Barker et al. (2010) and Baxter et al. (2006)) within a sample network of OSS projects as well as Java software corpus as a network. Second, we analyze whether this distribution distinction holds for different levels of system decomposition: open

Intermittent Marijuana Use Is Associated with Improved Retention in Naltrexone Treatment for Opiate-Dependence

OpenAIRE

Raby, Wilfrid Noel; Carpenter, Kenneth M.; Rothenberg, Jami; Brooks, Adam C.; Jiang, Huiping; Sullivan, Maria; Bisaga, Adam; Comer, Sandra; Nunes, Edward V.

2009-01-01

Naltrexone is a theoretically promising alternative to agonist substitution treatment for opioid dependence, but its effectiveness has been severely limited by poor adherence. This study examined, in an independent sample, a previously observed association between moderate cannabis use and improved retention in naltrexone treatment. Opioid dependent patients (N = 63), admitted for inpatient detoxification and induction onto oral naltrexone, and randomized into a six-month trial of intensive b...

Decision-making in stimulant and opiate addicts in protracted abstinence: evidence from computational modeling with pure users.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Woo-Young; Vasilev, Georgi; Lee, Sung-Ha; Busemeyer, Jerome R; Kruschke, John K; Bechara, Antoine; Vassileva, Jasmin

2014-01-01

Substance dependent individuals (SDI) often exhibit decision-making deficits; however, it remains unclear whether the nature of the underlying decision-making processes is the same in users of different classes of drugs and whether these deficits persist after discontinuation of drug use. We used computational modeling to address these questions in a unique sample of relatively "pure" amphetamine-dependent (N = 38) and heroin-dependent individuals (N = 43) who were currently in protracted abstinence, and in 48 healthy controls (HC). A Bayesian model comparison technique, a simulation method, and parameter recovery tests were used to compare three cognitive models: (1) Prospect Valence Learning with decay reinforcement learning rule (PVL-DecayRI), (2) PVL with delta learning rule (PVL-Delta), and (3) Value-Plus-Perseverance (VPP) model based on Win-Stay-Lose-Switch (WSLS) strategy. The model comparison results indicated that the VPP model, a hybrid model of reinforcement learning (RL) and a heuristic strategy of perseverance had the best post-hoc model fit, but the two PVL models showed better simulation and parameter recovery performance. Computational modeling results suggested that overall all three groups relied more on RL than on a WSLS strategy. Heroin users displayed reduced loss aversion relative to HC across all three models, which suggests that their decision-making deficits are longstanding (or pre-existing) and may be driven by reduced sensitivity to loss. In contrast, amphetamine users showed comparable cognitive functions to HC with the VPP model, whereas the second best-fitting model with relatively good simulation performance (PVL-DecayRI) revealed increased reward sensitivity relative to HC. These results suggest that some decision-making deficits persist in protracted abstinence and may be mediated by different mechanisms in opiate and stimulant users.

Decision-making in stimulant and opiate addicts in protracted abstinence: evidence from computational modeling with pure users

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woo-Young eAhn

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Substance dependent individuals (SDI often exhibit decision-making deficits; however, it remains unclear whether the nature of the underlying decision-making processes is the same in users of different classes of drugs and whether these deficits persist after discontinuation of drug use. We used computational modeling to address these questions in a unique sample of relatively pure amphetamine-dependent (N=38 and heroin-dependent individuals (N=43 who were currently in protracted abstinence, and in 48 healthy controls. A Bayesian model comparison technique, a simulation method, and parameter recovery tests were used to compare three cognitive models: (1 Prospect Valence Learning with decay reinforcement learning rule (PVL-DecayRI, (2 PVL with delta learning rule (PVL-Delta, and (3 Value-Plus-Perseverance (VPP models based on Win-Stay-Lose-Switch (WSLS strategy. The model comparison results indicated that the VPP model, a hybrid model of reinforcement learning (RL and a heuristic strategy of perseverance had the best post hoc model fit, but the two PVL models showed better simulation performance. Computational modeling results suggested that overall all three groups relied more on RL than on a WSLS strategy. Heroin users displayed reduced loss aversion relative to healthy controls across all three models, which suggests that their decision-making deficits are longstanding (or pre-existing and may be driven by reduced sensitivity to loss. In contrast, amphetamine users showed comparable cognitive functions to healthy controls with the VPP model, whereas the second best-fitting model with relatively good simulation performance (PVL-DecayRI revealed increased reward sensitivity relative to healthy controls. These results suggest that some decision-making deficits persist in protracted abstinence and may be mediated by different mechanisms in opiate and stimulant users.

Safeguarding public values in gas infrastructure expansion. A comparison of two investment projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Joode, J.

2007-02-01

The realisation of new gas infrastructure projects affects overall gas market performance with respect to the public values of affordability and security of supply. However, the actual contribution of a gas infrastructure expansion project to system affordability and security of supply depends upon the institutional design of the market (legislation, regulatory codes and arrangements, market rules, etc.). In this paper we link the institutional design applicable to two specific gas infrastructure projects with the safeguarding of the aforementioned public values. We conclude that path dependencies can cause large differences in the contribution of the projects to the safeguarding of public values

Quantification of human opiate receptor concentration and affinity using high and low specific activity ( sup 11 C)diprenorphine and positron emission tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadzot, B.; Price, J.C.; Mayberg, H.S.; Douglass, K.H.; Dannals, R.F.; Lever, J.R.; Ravert, H.T.; Wilson, A.A.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.; Feldman, M.A. (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD (USA))

1991-03-01

(11C)Diprenorphine, a weak partial opiate agonist, and positron emission tomography were used to obtain noninvasive regional estimates of opiate receptor concentration (Bmax) and affinity (Kd) in human brain. Different compartmental models and fitting strategies were compared statistically to establish the most reliable method of parameter estimation. Paired studies were performed in six normal subjects using high (769-5,920 Ci/mmol) and low (27-80 Ci/mmol) specific activity (SA) (11C)diprenorphine. Two subjects were studied a third time using high SA (11C)diprenorphine after a pretreatment with 1-1.5 mg/kg of the opiate antagonist naloxone. After the plasma radioactivity was corrected for metabolites, the brain data were analyzed using a three-compartment model and nonlinear least-squares curve fitting. Linear differential equations were used to describe the high SA (low receptor occupancy) kinetics. The k3/k4 ratio varied from 1.0 +/- 0.2 (occipital cortex) to 8.6 +/- 1.6 (thalamus). Nonlinear differential equations were used to describe the low SA (high receptor occupancy) kinetics and the curve fits provided the konf2 product. The measured free fraction of (11C)diprenorphine in plasma (f1) was 0.30 +/- 0.03, the average K1/k2 ratio from the two naloxone studies was 1.1 +/- 0.2, and the calculated free fraction of (11C)diprenorphine in the brain (f2) was 0.3. Using the paired SA studies, the estimated kinetic parameters, and f2, separate estimates of Bmax and Kd were obtained. Bmax varied from 2.3 +/- 0.5 (occipital cortex) to 20.6 +/- 7.3 (cingulate cortex) nM. The average Kd (eight brain regions) was 0.85 +/- 0.17 nM.

Non-dipolar gauge links for transverse-momentum-dependent pion wave functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.M.

2016-01-01

I discuss the factorization-compatible definitions of transverse-momentum-dependent (TMD) pion wave functions which are fundamental theory inputs entering QCD factorization formulae for many hard exclusive processes. I will first demonstrate that the soft subtraction factor introduced to remove both rapidity and pinch singularities can be greatly reduced by making the maximal use of the freedom to construct the Wilson-line paths when defining the TMD wave functions. I will then turn to show that the newly proposed TMD definition with non-dipolar Wilson lines is equivalent to the one with dipolar gauge links and with a complicated soft function, to all orders of the perturbative expansion in the strong coupling, as far as the infrared behavior is concerned. (author)

Development and validation of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry assay for opiates and cocaine in human teeth.

Science.gov (United States)

Pellegrini, Manuela; Casá, Adriana; Marchei, Emilia; Pacifici, Roberta; Mayné, Ruth; Barbero, Vanessa; Garcia-Algar, Oscar; Pichini, Simona

2006-02-24

A procedure based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is described for determination of opiates (6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine and codeine) and cocaine and metabolites (cocaine, benzoylecgonine and cocaethylene) in human teeth. After addition of nalorphine as internal standard, pulverized samples were incubated in HCl at 37 degrees C for 18 h. Then, after pH adjustment to 6, and the analytes were extracted with two volumes of 3 ml of chloroform/isopropanol (9:1). Chromatography was performed on a fused silica capillary column and analytes were determined in the selected-ion-monitoring (SIM) mode. The assay was validated in the range 7.5 (6.0 in case of codeine) to 500 ng/g with mean absolute recoveries ranged between 74.1 and 92.1% for the different analytes and precision and accuracy always better than 15%. The method was applied to the analysis of teeth from drug-addicts to assess past chronic consumption and verify self-reported declarations. In case of opiates, concentration range was 36.5-570.0 ng/g for 6-monoacetylmorphine, 8.7-154.8 ng/g for morphine and 7.9-127.9 ng/g for codeine. Cocaine concentration ranged between 5.6 and 57.2 ng/g with its principal metabolite benzoylecgonine varying from 12.6 to 81.7 ng/g and cocaethylene present in only one sample at 10 ng/g value. Teeth can be a promising non-invasive biological matrix in biomedical analysis for both clinical and forensic purposes.

The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy on Reduction of Craving, Depression and Anxiety Symptoms among the Opiate Abusers Under MMT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fereshtwh Momeni

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavior group therapy on reduction of craving, depression and anxiety symptoms among the Opiate abusers under MMT. Method: In this experimental research, 36 addicts on MMT were selected between the entire opiate addicts referred to Iranian national center for addiction studies (INCAS by convenience sampling and were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. In experimental group, cognitive behavior group therapy was performed in 8 sessions, one each week. Sessions were performed for craving, depression and anxiety management. Data was gathered by demographic questionnaire, scale of relapse predicts craving assessment, BDI-II and BAI for depression and anxiety symptoms assessment. The data was analyzed, independent and paired samples t test. Results: Data analysis revealed that craving index was decreased in post- test and follow-up and it was statistically significant. Also beck depression and anxiety symptoms were decreased significantly in post-test and follow-up. Conclusion: The results show that cognitive-behavior group therapy was efficient on reduction of drug craving, depression, and anxiety symptoms in post-test and follow-up, and it can apply as a method of treatment.

EarthCube GeoLink: Semantics and Linked Data for the Geosciences

Science.gov (United States)

Arko, R. A.; Carbotte, S. M.; Chandler, C. L.; Cheatham, M.; Fils, D.; Hitzler, P.; Janowicz, K.; Ji, P.; Jones, M. B.; Krisnadhi, A.; Lehnert, K. A.; Mickle, A.; Narock, T.; O'Brien, M.; Raymond, L. M.; Schildhauer, M.; Shepherd, A.; Wiebe, P. H.

2015-12-01

The NSF EarthCube initiative is building next-generation cyberinfrastructure to aid geoscientists in collecting, accessing, analyzing, sharing, and visualizing their data and knowledge. The EarthCube GeoLink Building Block project focuses on a specific set of software protocols and vocabularies, often characterized as the Semantic Web and "Linked Data", to publish data online in a way that is easily discoverable, accessible, and interoperable. GeoLink brings together specialists from the computer science, geoscience, and library science domains, and includes data from a network of NSF-funded repositories that support scientific studies in marine geology, marine ecosystems, biogeochemistry, and paleoclimatology. We are working collaboratively with closely-related Building Block projects including EarthCollab and CINERGI, and solicit feedback from RCN projects including Cyberinfrastructure for Paleogeosciences (C4P) and iSamples. GeoLink has developed a modular ontology that describes essential geoscience research concepts; published data from seven collections (to date) on the Web as geospatially-enabled Linked Data using this ontology; matched and mapped data between collections using shared identifiers for investigators, repositories, datasets, funding awards, platforms, research cruises, physical specimens, and gazetteer features; and aggregated the results in a shared knowledgebase that can be queried via a standard SPARQL endpoint. Client applications have been built around the knowledgebase, including a Web/map-based data browser using the Leaflet JavaScript library and a simple query service using the OpenSearch format. Future development will include extending and refining the GeoLink ontology, adding content from additional repositories, developing semi-automated algorithms to enhance metadata, and further work on client applications.

Cost-effectiveness of buprenorphine and naltrexone treatments for heroin dependence in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruger, Jennifer Prah; Chawarski, Marek; Mazlan, Mahmud; Ng, Nora; Schottenfeld, Richard

2012-01-01

To aid public health policymaking, we studied the cost-effectiveness of buprenorphine, naltrexone, and placebo interventions for heroin dependence in Malaysia. We estimated the cost-effectiveness ratios of three treatments for heroin dependence. We used a microcosting methodology to determine fixed, variable, and societal costs of each intervention. Cost data were collected from investigators, staff, and project records on the number and type of resources used and unit costs; societal costs for participants' time were estimated using Malaysia's minimum wage. Costs were estimated from a provider and societal perspective and reported in 2004 US dollars. Muar, Malaysia. 126 patients enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Malaysia (2003-2005) receiving counseling and buprenorphine, naltrexone, or placebo for treatment of heroin dependence. Primary outcome measures included days in treatment, maximum consecutive days of heroin abstinence, days to first heroin use, and days to heroin relapse. Secondary outcome measures included treatment retention, injection drug use, illicit opiate use, AIDS Risk Inventory total score, and drug risk and sex risk subscores. Buprenorphine was more effective and more costly than naltrexone for all primary and most secondary outcomes. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were below $50 for primary outcomes, mostly below $350 for secondary outcomes. Naltrexone was dominated by placebo for all secondary outcomes at almost all endpoints. Incremental treatment costs were driven mainly by medication costs, especially the price of buprenorphine. Buprenorphine appears to be a cost-effective alternative to naltrexone that might enhance economic productivity and reduce drug use over a longer term.

Cost-effectiveness of buprenorphine and naltrexone treatments for heroin dependence in Malaysia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Prah Ruger

Full Text Available To aid public health policymaking, we studied the cost-effectiveness of buprenorphine, naltrexone, and placebo interventions for heroin dependence in Malaysia.We estimated the cost-effectiveness ratios of three treatments for heroin dependence. We used a microcosting methodology to determine fixed, variable, and societal costs of each intervention. Cost data were collected from investigators, staff, and project records on the number and type of resources used and unit costs; societal costs for participants' time were estimated using Malaysia's minimum wage. Costs were estimated from a provider and societal perspective and reported in 2004 US dollars.Muar, Malaysia.126 patients enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Malaysia (2003-2005 receiving counseling and buprenorphine, naltrexone, or placebo for treatment of heroin dependence.Primary outcome measures included days in treatment, maximum consecutive days of heroin abstinence, days to first heroin use, and days to heroin relapse. Secondary outcome measures included treatment retention, injection drug use, illicit opiate use, AIDS Risk Inventory total score, and drug risk and sex risk subscores.Buprenorphine was more effective and more costly than naltrexone for all primary and most secondary outcomes. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were below $50 for primary outcomes, mostly below $350 for secondary outcomes. Naltrexone was dominated by placebo for all secondary outcomes at almost all endpoints. Incremental treatment costs were driven mainly by medication costs, especially the price of buprenorphine.Buprenorphine appears to be a cost-effective alternative to naltrexone that might enhance economic productivity and reduce drug use over a longer term.

Six-month trial of bupropion with contingency management for cocaine dependence in a methadone-maintained population.

Science.gov (United States)

Poling, James; Oliveto, Alison; Petry, Nancy; Sofuoglu, Mehmet; Gonsai, Kishorchandra; Gonzalez, Gerardo; Martell, Bridget; Kosten, Thomas R

2006-02-01

No effective pharmacotherapies exist for cocaine dependence, although contingency management (CM) has demonstrated efficacy. To compare the efficacy of bupropion hydrochloride and CM for reducing cocaine use in methadone hydrochloride-maintained individuals. This 25-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial randomly assigned participants to 1 of 4 treatment conditions: CM and placebo (CMP), CM and 300 mg/d of bupropion hydrochloride (CMB), voucher control and placebo (VCP), or voucher control and bupropion (VCB). Outpatient clinic at the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System. A total of 106 opiate-dependent, cocaine-abusing individuals. All study participants received methadone hydrochloride (range, 60-120 mg). Participants receiving bupropion hydrochloride were given 300 mg/d beginning at week 3. In the CM conditions, each urine sample negative for both opioids and cocaine resulted in a monetary-based voucher that increased for consecutively drug-free urine samples during weeks 1 to 13. Completion of abstinence-related activities also resulted in a voucher. During weeks 14 to 25, only completion of activities was reinforced in the CM group, regardless of sample results. The voucher control groups received vouchers for submitting urine samples, regardless of results, throughout the study. Thrice-weekly urine toxicologic test results for cocaine and heroin. Groups did not differ in baseline characteristics or retention rates. Opiate use decreased significantly, with all treatment groups attaining equivalent amounts of opiate use at the end of the study. In the CMB group, the proportion of cocaine-positive samples significantly decreased during weeks 3 to 13 (P<.001) relative to week 3 and remained low during weeks 14 to 25. In the CMP group, cocaine use significantly increased during weeks 3 to 13 (P<.001) relative to week 3, but then cocaine use significantly decreased relative to the initial slope during weeks 14 to 25 (P<.001). In contrast, by

Research on software systems dependability at the OECD Halden Reactor Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivertsen, Terje; Owre, Fridtjov

2011-01-01

Two central issues related to software systems dependability are those of safety integrity and safety demonstration. A proper understanding of these two issues are important for the selection of process, methods, techniques and tools to be used in the different life cycle phases of the software. Following a brief discussion on the concept of software safety integrity and its relationship to software systems dependability, this paper gives an introduction to research problems addressed by the OECD Halden Reactor Project within this area. The paper concludes with a discussion on the important role of safety demonstration in this context. (author)

Different patterns of sexual dysfunctions associated with psychiatric disorders and psychopharmacological treatment. Results of an investigation by semistructured interview of schizophrenic and neurotic patients and methadone-substituted opiate addicts.

Science.gov (United States)

Teusch, L; Scherbaum, N; Böhme, H; Bender, S; Eschmann-Mehl, G; Gastpar, M

1995-05-01

Little is known about sexual dysfunctions associated with psychiatric disorders and psychopharmacological treatment. In the present study schizophrenic patients (n = 45, mostly under neuroleptic treatment), neurotic patients (n = 50, mostly treated without medication), methadone-substituted opiate addicts (n = 37), and normal controls (n = 41) were included. They were interviewed with the aid of a sex-differentiated semistructured questionnaire on sexual function. All the methadone-substituted opiate addicts and nearly all the schizophrenic patients suffered from dysfunctions in at least one criterion. The three clinical groups differed significantly from the controls in sexual interest, emotional arousal, physiological arousal (erectile function/vaginal lubrication), performance (ejaculatory function/vaginism, dyspareunia), and orgasm satisfaction. Characteristic patterns of dysfunction were found in the male patients. The schizophrenic patients had significantly more dysfunctions of interest, physiological arousal, performance, and orgasm than the controls. Emotional arousal, erectile and ejaculatory functions, and orgasm satisfaction were impaired more frequently in the male schizophrenics than in the neurotic patients. Reduced sexual interest, emotional arousal, and orgasm satisfaction were reported more frequently by the methadone-substituted opiate addicts than by the neurotic men. Emotional arousal was even more frequently reduced than in the schizophrenic men. There was no correlation between sexual dysfunction and particular neuroleptics or neuroleptic or methadone dosage. The results are compared with the literature and suggestions made for further investigations.

Multi-model-based Access Control in Construction Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Hilbert

2012-04-01

Full Text Available During the execution of large scale construction projects performed by Virtual Organizations (VO, relatively complex technical models have to be exchanged between the VO members. For linking the trade and transfer of these models, a so-called multi-model container format was developed. Considering the different skills and tasks of the involved partners, it is not necessary for them to know all the models in every technical detailing. Furthermore, the model size can lead to a delay in communication. In this paper an approach is presented for defining model cut-outs according to the current project context. Dynamic dependencies to the project context as well as static dependencies on the organizational structure are mapped in a context-sensitive rule. As a result, an approach for dynamic filtering of multi-models is obtained which ensures, together with a filtering service, that the involved VO members get a simplified view of complex multi-models as well as sufficient permissions depending on their tasks.

Buprenorphine Sublingual and Buccal (opioid dependence)

Science.gov (United States)

... Treximet), and zolmitriptan (Zomig); mirtazapine (Remeron); muscle relaxants; opiate (narcotic) medications for pain control and cough; rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, in Rifater, in Rifamate); medications for seizures such as carbamazepine (Epitol, Tegretol, Teril, others), phenobarbital, ...

Ontario: linking nursing outcomes, workload and staffing decisions in the workplace: the Dashboard Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Fram, Nancy; Morgan, Beverley

2012-03-01

Research shows that nurses want to provide more input into assessing patient acuity, changes in patient needs and staffing requirements. The Dashboard Project involved the further development and application of an electronic monitoring tool that offers a single source of nursing, patient and organizational information. It is designed to help inform nurse staffing decisions within a hospital setting. The Dashboard access link was installed in computers in eight nursing units within the Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) network. The Dashboard indicators are populated from existing information/patient databases within the Decision Support Department at HHS. Committees composed of the unit manager, staff nurses, project coordinator, financial controller and an information controller met regularly to review the Dashboard indicators. Participants discussed the ability of the indicators to reflect their patients' needs and the feasibility of using the indicators to inform their clinical staffing plans. Project findings suggest that the Dashboard is a work in progress. Many of the indicators that had originally been incorporated were refined and will continue to be revised based on suggestions from project participants and further testing across HHS. Participants suggested the need for additional data, such as the time that nurses are off the unit (for code blue response, patient transfers and accompanying patients for tests); internal transfers/bed moves to accommodate patient-specific issues and particularly to address infection control issues; deaths and specific unit-centred data in addition to the generic indicators. The collaborative nature of the project enabled staff nurses and management to work together on a matter of high importance to both, providing valuable recommendations for shared nursing and interprofessional planning, further Dashboard development and project management.

Opiates, overeating and obesity: a psychogenetic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, C; Zai, C; Levitan, R D; Kaplan, A S; Carter, J C; Reid-Westoby, C; Curtis, C; Wight, K; Kennedy, J L

2011-10-01

This study provides an original perspective on the associations among endogenous opiates, overeating and obesity. The aim was to assess whether variability in the OPRM1 gene, as assessed by seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms, relates to individual differences in the preference for sweet and fatty foods. We also anticipated that these food preferences would be positively associated with binge eating, hedonic eating and emotionally driven eating-patterns of overeating that would, in turn, predict higher body mass index (BMI). Analysis of variance procedures examined genotype differences in food preferences; bivariate correlation coefficients examined the relationships among food preferences and the overeating variables; and a regression analysis tested the combined influences of the overeating variables on BMI. DNA was extracted from whole blood for the genotyping, and measures of food preferences and eating behaviours were obtained from well-validated self-report questionnaires. Participants were 300 healthy adult men and women recruited from the community. All the predicted associations were supported by statistically significant results. In particular, the G/G genotype group of the functional A118G marker of the OPRM1 gene reported higher preferences for sweet and fatty foods compared with the other two groups. Food preferences were also related to all overeating measures, which in turn accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in BMI. Our findings suggest that some of the diversity in the preference for highly palatable foods can be explained by genotypic differences in the regulation of mu opioid receptors. The associations reported in this paper are important from a public-health perspective because of the abuse potential of sweet-fat foods and their strong relationship with obesity.

Social learning and peer education in responding to opiate overdose among injection drug users in Ukraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Tokar

2014-06-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Opiate overdoses (OD constitute one of the leading causes of avoidable deaths among people aged 20-40 years old. As peer-administered help in cases of overdose was found to be effective, we aimed to explore how much the subjects of the intervention are able to learn from one another and from their own experience. METHODS: Secondary data analysis was performed with the 2008 dataset of peer-driven intervention among IDUs who were not involved in harm reduction programs earlier; recruiting was performed with respondent driven sampling methodology combined with peer education covering overdose response. Subsample of 6667 opiate users was considered. Data on overdose response strategies experienced by respondents were considered predictors and data on intended response strategies as outcomes. To reveal relationships between the experienced and intended responses, binary logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: With recommended strategies including calling ambulance, putting a person in recovery position, fixing the tongue, applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and cardiac massage, percentages of those planning to apply them was considerably higher (on average, 2.3 times higher than the percentage of those having experienced them. With other strategies including applying cold, pain, ammonia, percentages of those who experienced the strategy and those who planned to practice it were rather close and on average differed just by 1.1. With all the strategies, the intention to apply a particular response in future was strongly associated with personal experience of having had this applied when having an overdose episode. Peer-education to larger extent determines the intentions of those who have not experienced particular overdose responses themselves. On the other hand, social learning contributes to persisting of those experienced strategies which cannot be recommended. CONCLUSIONS: Social learning can impact intended overdose

Change in the properties of the opiate receptors of the brain under conditions of habituation of rats to morphine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaitsev, S.V.; Sergeeva, M.G.; Chichenkov, O.N.; Petrov, V.E.; Varfolomeev, S.D.

1987-01-01

The influence of prolonged administration of morphine on the properties of the opiate receptors of the rat brain was investigated. For this purpose they conducted an analysis of the isotherms of binding of labeled μ-, σ-, and chi-ligands: morphine, D-Ala 2 , D-Leu 5 -enkephalin, and ethylketocyclazocin, with membrane preparations of the brains of rats tolerant to morphine, as well as the control animals. For a quantitative determination of the dissociation constants of the ligand-receptor complexes (K) and the concentration of the reagents ([Q]), they used differential method and the method of simulation modeling. It was shown that the values of K and [Q] for individual animals are subjected to substantial dispersion, whereas the ratios [Q]/K undergo minor individual fluctuations, both in the control group and in the group of rats tolerant to morphine. This permits the ratio [Q]/K to be singled out as one of the main parameters for comparing the properties of opiate receptors of various groups of animals. Using this criterion, as well as the method of simulated modeling, it was shown that the development of tolerance is accompanied by a change in the properties of the δ-receptors (the ratio [Q]/K decreases by a factor of more than two). In contrast to the δ-receptors, no significant influence of the tolerance on the properties of the μ- and chi-receptors, as well as the ultrahigh-affinity ligand binding sites, was detected

Change in the properties of the opiate receptors of the brain under conditions of habituation of rats to morphine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zaitsev, S.V.; Sergeeva, M.G.; Chichenkov, O.N.; Petrov, V.E.; Varfolomeev, S.D.

1987-02-20

The influence of prolonged administration of morphine on the properties of the opiate receptors of the rat brain was investigated. For this purpose they conducted an analysis of the isotherms of binding of labeled ..mu..-, sigma-, and chi-ligands: morphine, D-Ala/sup 2/, D-Leu/sup 5/-enkephalin, and ethylketocyclazocin, with membrane preparations of the brains of rats tolerant to morphine, as well as the control animals. For a quantitative determination of the dissociation constants of the ligand-receptor complexes (K) and the concentration of the reagents ((Q)), they used differential method and the method of simulation modeling. It was shown that the values of K and (Q) for individual animals are subjected to substantial dispersion, whereas the ratios (Q)/K undergo minor individual fluctuations, both in the control group and in the group of rats tolerant to morphine. This permits the ratio (Q)/K to be singled out as one of the main parameters for comparing the properties of opiate receptors of various groups of animals. Using this criterion, as well as the method of simulated modeling, it was shown that the development of tolerance is accompanied by a change in the properties of the delta-receptors (the ratio (Q)/K decreases by a factor of more than two). In contrast to the delta-receptors, no significant influence of the tolerance on the properties of the ..mu..- and chi-receptors, as well as the ultrahigh-affinity ligand binding sites, was detected.

The Implementation of Buprenorphine/Naloxone in College Health Practice

Science.gov (United States)

DeMaria, Peter A., Jr.; Patkar, Ashwin A.

2008-01-01

Opiate abuse and dependence have become important concerns for college healthcare providers. The passage of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 and the approval of the combination buprenorphine/naloxone for office-based treatment of opiate dependence have increased the options available for college students and their healthcare providers. The…

Psychosocial and treatment correlates of opiate free success in a clinical review of a naltrexone implant program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reece AS

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is on-going controversy in relation to the efficacy of naltrexone used for the treatment of heroin addiction, and the important covariates of that success. We were also interested to review our experience with two depot forms of implantable naltrexone. Methods A retrospective review of patients' charts was undertaken, patients were recalled by telephone and by letter, and urine drug screen samples were collected. Opiate free success (OFS was the parameter of interest. Three groups were defined. The first two were treated in the previous 12 months and comprised "implant" and "tablet" patients. A third group was "historical" comprising those treated orally in the preceding 12 months. Results There were 102, 113 and 161 patients in each group respectively. Groups were matched for age, sex, and dose of heroin used, but not financial status or social support. The overall follow-up rate was 82%. The Kaplan Meier 12 month OFS were 82%, 58% and 52% respectively. 12 post-treatment variables were independently associated with treatment retention. In a Cox proportional hazard multivariate model social support, the number of detoxification episodes, post-treatment employment, the use of multiple implant episodes and spiritual belief were significantly related to OFS. Conclusion Consistent with the voluminous international literature clinically useful retention rates can be achieved with naltrexone, which may be improved by implants and particularly serial implants, repeat detoxification, meticulous clinical follow-up, and social support. As depot formulations of naltrexone become increasingly available such results can guide their clinical deployment, improve treatment outcomes, and enlarge the policy options for an exciting non-addictive pharmacotherapy for opiate addiction.

Using In Vitro Electrophysiology to Screen Medications: Accumbal Plasticity as an Engram of Alcohol Dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Renteria, R; Jeanes, Z M; Mangieri, R A; Maier, E Y; Kircher, D M; Buske, T R; Morrisett, R A

2016-01-01

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a central component of the mesocorticolimbic reward system. Increasing evidence strongly implicates long-term synaptic neuroadaptations in glutamatergic excitatory activity of the NAc shell and/or core medium spiny neurons in response to chronic drug and alcohol exposure. Such neuroadaptations likely play a critical role in the development and expression of drug-seeking behaviors. We have observed unique cell-type-specific bidirectional changes in NAc synaptic plasticity (metaplasticity) following acute and chronic intermittent ethanol exposure. Other investigators have also previously observed similar metaplasticity in the NAc following exposure to psychostimulants, opiates, and amazingly, even following an anhedonia-inducing experience. Considering that the proteome of the postsynaptic density likely contains hundreds of biochemicals, proteins and other components and regulators, we believe that there is a large number of potential molecular sites through which accumbal metaplasticity may be involved in chronic alcohol abuse. Many of our companion laboratories are now engaged in identifying and screening medications targeting candidate genes and its products previously linked to maladaptive alcohol phenotypes. We hypothesize that if manipulation of such target genes and their products change NAc plasticity, then that observation constitutes an important validation step for the development of novel therapeutics to treat alcohol dependence. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Linking models of human behaviour and climate alters projected climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Beckage, Brian; Gross, Louis J.; Lacasse, Katherine; Carr, Eric; Metcalf, Sara S.; Winter, Jonathan M.; Howe, Peter D.; Fefferman, Nina; Franck, Travis; Zia, Asim; Kinzig, Ann; Hoffman, Forrest M.

2018-01-01

Although not considered in climate models, perceived risk stemming from extreme climate events may induce behavioural changes that alter greenhouse gas emissions. Here, we link the C-ROADS climate model to a social model of behavioural change to examine how interactions between perceived risk and emissions behaviour influence projected climate change. Our coupled climate and social model resulted in a global temperature change ranging from 3.4-6.2 °C by 2100 compared with 4.9 °C for the C-ROADS model alone, and led to behavioural uncertainty that was of a similar magnitude to physical uncertainty (2.8 °C versus 3.5 °C). Model components with the largest influence on temperature were the functional form of response to extreme events, interaction of perceived behavioural control with perceived social norms, and behaviours leading to sustained emissions reductions. Our results suggest that policies emphasizing the appropriate attribution of extreme events to climate change and infrastructural mitigation may reduce climate change the most.

Naltrexone ameliorates functional network abnormalities in alcohol‐dependent individuals

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, Kwangyeol; Tait, Roger; Elliott, Rebecca; Ersche, Karen D.; Flechais, Remy; McGonigle, John; Murphy, Anna; Nestor, Liam J.; Orban, Csaba; Passetti, Filippo; Paterson, Louise M.; Rabiner, Ilan; Reed, Laurence; Smith, Dana; Suckling, John; Taylor, Eleanor M.; Bullmore, Edward T.; Lingford‐Hughes, Anne R.; Deakin, Bill; Nutt, David J.; Sahakian, Barbara J.; Robbins, Trevor W.; Voon, Valerie

2017-01-01

Abstract Naltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist, is commonly used as a relapse prevention medication in alcohol and opiate addiction, but its efficacy and the mechanisms underpinning its clinical usefulness are not well characterized. In the current study, we examined the effects of 50‐mg naltrexone compared with placebo on neural network changes associated with substance dependence in 21 alcohol and 36 poly‐drug‐dependent individuals compared with 36 healthy volunteers. Graph theoretic and network‐based statistical analysis of resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data revealed that alcohol‐dependent subjects had reduced functional connectivity of a dispersed network compared with both poly‐drug‐dependent and healthy subjects. Higher local efficiency was observed in both patient groups, indicating clustered and segregated network topology and information processing. Naltrexone normalized heightened local efficiency of the neural network in alcohol‐dependent individuals, to the same levels as healthy volunteers. Naltrexone failed to have an effect on the local efficiency in abstinent poly‐substance‐dependent individuals. Across groups, local efficiency was associated with substance, but no alcohol exposure implicating local efficiency as a potential premorbid risk factor in alcohol use disorders that can be ameliorated by naltrexone. These findings suggest one possible mechanism for the clinical effects of naltrexone, namely, the amelioration of disrupted network topology. PMID:28247526

Phase-dependent outbreak dynamics of geometrid moth linked to host plant phenology.

Science.gov (United States)

Jepsen, Jane U; Hagen, Snorre B; Karlsen, Stein-Rune; Ims, Rolf A

2009-12-07

Climatically driven Moran effects have often been invoked as the most likely cause of regionally synchronized outbreaks of insect herbivores without identifying the exact mechanism. However, the degree of match between host plant and larval phenology is crucial for the growth and survival of many spring-feeding pest insects, suggesting that a phenological match/mismatch-driven Moran effect may act as a synchronizing agent. We analyse the phase-dependent spatial dynamics of defoliation caused by cyclically outbreaking geometrid moths in northern boreal birch forest in Fennoscandia through the most recent massive outbreak (2000-2008). We use satellite-derived time series of the prevalence of moth defoliation and the onset of the growing season for the entire region to investigate the link between the patterns of defoliation and outbreak spread. In addition, we examine whether a phase-dependent coherence in the pattern of spatial synchrony exists between defoliation and onset of the growing season, in order to evaluate if the degree of matching phenology between the moth and their host plant could be the mechanism behind a Moran effect. The strength of regional spatial synchrony in defoliation and the pattern of defoliation spread were both highly phase-dependent. The incipient phase of the outbreak was characterized by high regional synchrony in defoliation and long spread distances, compared with the epidemic and crash phase. Defoliation spread was best described using a two-scale stratified spread model, suggesting that defoliation spread is governed by two processes operating at different spatial scale. The pattern of phase-dependent spatial synchrony was coherent in both defoliation and onset of the growing season. This suggests that the timing of spring phenology plays a role in the large-scale synchronization of birch forest moth outbreaks.

Pilot study of a social network intervention for heroin users in opiate substitution treatment: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

OpenAIRE

Day, E.; Copello, A.; Seddon, J. L.; Christie, M.; Bamber, D.; Powell, C.; George, S.; Ball, A.; Frew, E.; Freemantle, N.

2013-01-01

Background Research indicates that 3% of people receiving opiate substitution treatment (OST) in the UK manage to achieve abstinence from all prescribed and illicit drugs within 3 years of commencing treatment, and there is concern that treatment services have become skilled at engaging people but not at helping them to enter a stage of recovery and drug abstinence. The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse recommends the involvement of families and wider social networks in suppo...

Perturbative improvement of staggered fermions using fat links

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Weonjong

2002-01-01

We study the possibility of improving staggered fermions using various fat links in order to reduce perturbative corrections to the gauge-invariant staggered fermion operators. We prove five theorems on SU(3) projection, triviality in renormalization, multiple SU(3) projections, uniqueness, and equivalence. As a result of these theorems, we show that, at the one-loop level, the renormalization of staggered fermion operators is identical between SU(3) projected Fat7 links and hypercubic links, as long as the action and operators are constructed by imposing the same perturbative improvement condition. In addition, we propose a new view of SU(3) projection as a tool of tadpole improvement for the staggered fermion doublers. As a conclusion, we present alternative choices of constructing fat links to improve the staggered fermion action and operators, which deserve further investigation

Cocaine and opiates use in pregnancy: detection of drugs in neonatal meconium and urine.

Science.gov (United States)

López, P; Bermejo, A M; Tabernero, M J; Cabarcos, P; Alvarez, I; Fernández, P

2009-09-01

In this study, the case of a newborn with symptoms of hyperexcitability was analyzed. After it was confirmed in the hospital that the mother had consumed drugs during pregnancy using an enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique, samples of the newborn's urine and meconium were sent to our laboratory to observe the evolution in the distribution of cocaine and opiates during the days following birth. For urine analysis, screening was done with an immunoassay technique, and the confirmation was done by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) according to a published method. A GC-MS method for simultaneous analysis of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, codeine, morphine, and 6-acetylmorphine in meconium is described. GC-MS confirmation of urine and meconium results showed consumption of cocaine and codeine during pregnancy and also showed the levels of drugs gradually declined, totally disappearing by the third day.

Digital coach supporting the creation of a project plan (A.K.A. pid or plan of approach)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steven Nijhuis

2012-01-01

full text via link. A lot of curricula in higher education depend on Project Based Learning. This provides students with a setting which (slightly) resembles their future way of working: in teams, in projects. The rojects have increasingly a real problem-owner, so students are highly motivated to

Modification of kindled amygdaloid seizures by opiate agonists and antagonists.

Science.gov (United States)

Albertson, T E; Joy, R M; Stark, L G

1984-03-01

The effects of 19 opiate agonists and antagonists on kindled amygdaloid seizures in the rat were studied. The mu agonists tended to reduce the length of elicited afterdischarges and behavioral ranks, while markedly increasing postictal electroencephalogram spikes and behavioral arrest time. These effects were reversed by naloxone. The kappa agonists reduced behavioral rank and variably reduced afterdischarge length with a concomitant lengthening of postictal behavioral arrest time and number of electroencephalogram spikes. The putative sigma agonist, SKF 10,047, reduced afterdischarge durations only at the higher doses tested. The decreases found after the sigma agonists in postictal electroencephalogram spiking and time of behavioral arrest were not reversed by naloxone. Only the lower doses of normeperidine were found to decrease seizure thresholds. The mixed agonist/antagonists (MAA) cyclazocine and cyclorphan markedly increased seizure threshold and reduced afterdischarge duration and behavioral rank. Only the MAA pentazocine tended to increase threshold but not suprathreshold afterdischarge durations. The order of ability to modify the ictal events was MAA (selected) greater than kappa agonists greater than mu agonists greater than sigma agonists. The increase in postictal events (behavior arrest and spikes) was caused most effectively by pretreatment with mu agonist greater than kappa agonist greater than selected MAA greater than sigma agonists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Projected impacts of climate change on marine fish and fisheries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hollowed, Anne B.; Barange, Manuel; Beamish, Richard J.

2013-01-01

This paper reviews current literature on the projected effects of climate change on marine fish and shellfish, their fisheries, and fishery-dependent communities throughout the northern hemisphere. The review addresses the following issues: (i) expected impacts on ecosystem productivity and habitat......) implications for food security and associated changes; and (v) uncertainty and modelling skill assessment. Climate change will impact fish and shellfish, their fisheries, and fishery-dependent communities through a complex suite of linked processes. Integrated interdisciplinary research teams are forming...... in many regions to project these complex responses. National and international marine research organizations serve a key role in the coordination and integration of research to accelerate the production of projections of the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and to move towards a future where...

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Full Text Available ... for young people, parents and teachers, and the media with links to our latest research findings and news updates. Read on to Learn the Link between ... to this site at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/public-education-projects/learn-link-drugs-hiv . ... Social Media Send the message to young people and to ...

Cholecystokinin-8 suppressed /sup 3/H-etorphine binding to rat brain opiate receptors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, X.J.; Fan, S.G.; Ren, M.F.; Han, J.S.

1989-01-01

Radioreceptor assay (RRA) was adopted to analyze the influence of CCK-8 on /sup 3/H-etorphine binding to opiate receptors in rat brain synaptosomal membranes (P2). In the competition experiment CCK-8 suppressed the binding of /sup 3/H-etorphine. This effect was completely reversed by proglumide at 1/mu/M. Rosenthal analysis for saturation revealed two populations of /sup 3/H-etorphine binding sites. CCK-8 inhibited /sup 3/H-etorphine binding to the high affinity sites by an increase in Kd and decrease in Bmax without significant changes in the Kd and Bmax of the low affinity sites. This effect of CCK-8 was also completely reversed by proglumide at 1/mu/M. Unsulfated CCK-8 produced only a slight increase in Kd of the high affinity sites without affecting Bmax. The results suggest that CCK-8 might be capable of suppressing the high affinity opioid binding sites via the activation of CCK receptor.

PC-Link historical data base system MODCOMP/IBM at link for neutral particle beam operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thurgood, P.

1989-01-01

PC-Link is a combination of hardware and software that connects an IBM PC/AT to a MODCOMP minicomputer. It is designed as an aid to the Neutral Beam operations coordinator during injection into the DIII-D tokamak project. An IBM PC/AT is linked to 4 MODCOMP realtime acquisition systems, each of which controls 2 neutral particle beam sources. At various points in the shot sequence, data is sent to the IBM PC/AT. This data can then be integrated with the data from the other sources into tables or graphics displays for use by the Beam Coordinator. In this way, the coordinator gets realtime feedback on the relative settings and performance of the sources and can observe trends within a particular source at one location. The PC-Link is used for observing relative timing information and for post shot historical archiving. The concept of the PC-Link was originally proposed several years ago. In April 1988, in-house implementation of the link software was begun. The PC-Link receives approximately 2 Kbytes of data per source per shot. This data is converted from MODCOMP format to IBM PC format and archived to disk. The last 280 shots per source are stored to disk to observe trends. The data can be displayed in a number of formats depending upon the situation. For example, prior to a shot, the beam MODCOMPs are sent timing information from the DIII-D tokamak control system. This data is echoed on the PC in a graphical representation displaying all 8 sources. At the end of the shot, the actual running times are displayed along with the requested settings. Any subset of the Historical data may be displayed either graphically or in tables for realtime comparisons between sources. 4 figs

A Dynamic Intelligent Decision Approach to Dependency Modeling of Project Tasks in Complex Engineering System Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tinggui Chen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Complex engineering system optimization usually involves multiple projects or tasks. On the one hand, dependency modeling among projects or tasks highlights structures in systems and their environments which can help to understand the implications of connectivity on different aspects of system performance and also assist in designing, optimizing, and maintaining complex systems. On the other hand, multiple projects or tasks are either happening at the same time or scheduled into a sequence in order to use common resources. In this paper, we propose a dynamic intelligent decision approach to dependency modeling of project tasks in complex engineering system optimization. The approach takes this decision process as a two-stage decision-making problem. In the first stage, a task clustering approach based on modularization is proposed so as to find out a suitable decomposition scheme for a large-scale project. In the second stage, according to the decomposition result, a discrete artificial bee colony (ABC algorithm inspired by the intelligent foraging behavior of honeybees is developed for the resource constrained multiproject scheduling problem. Finally, a certain case from an engineering design of a chemical processing system is utilized to help to understand the proposed approach.

Operative Links

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wistoft, Karen; Højlund, Holger

2012-01-01

and have been the object of great expectations concerning the ability to incorporate health concerns into every welfare area through health promotion strategies. The paper draws on results and analyses of a collective research project funded by the Danish National Research Council and carried out...... links' that indicate cooperative levels which facilitate a creative and innovative effort in disease prevention and health promotion targeted at children and adolescents - across traditional professional boundaries. It is proposed that such links are supported by network structures, shared semantics...

Psychometric evaluation of the 10-item Short Opiate Withdrawal Scale-Gossop (SOWS-Gossop) in patients undergoing opioid detoxification.

Science.gov (United States)

Vernon, Margaret K; Reinders, Stefan; Mannix, Sally; Gullo, Kristen; Gorodetzky, Charles W; Clinch, Thomas

2016-09-01

The Short Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS)-Gossop is a 10-item questionnaire developed to evaluate opioid withdrawal symptom severity. The scale was derived from the original 32-item Opiate Withdrawal Scale in order to reduce redundancy while providing an equally sensitive measure of opioid withdrawal symptom severity appropriate for research and clinical practice. The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and provide score interpretation guidelines for the SOWS-Gossop 10-item version. Blinded, pooled data from two trials assessing the efficacy of lofexidine hydrochloride in reducing withdrawal symptoms in patients undergoing opioid detoxification were used to evaluate the quantitative psychometric properties and score interpretation of the SOWS-Gossop. Five hundred fifty-five (N=555) observations were available at baseline with numbers decreasing to n=213 at day 7. Mean (standard deviation) SOWS-Gossop scores were 10.4 (6.86) at baseline, 8.7 (6.49) on day 1, 10.5 (7.21) on day 2, and 3.1 (3.95) on day 7. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the SOWS-Gossop items loaded on a single factor consistent with a single total score. Intra-class correlations (95% confidence interval) were 0.78 (0.70-0.85) between baseline and day 1, 0.84 (0.79-0.89) between days 4 and 5, and 0.88 (0.83-0.91) between days 6 and 7, demonstrating good test-retest reliability. Mean SOWS-Gossop scores varied significantly (popioid withdrawal and has excellent psychometric properties. The SOWS-Gossop is an appropriate, precise, and sensitive measure to evaluate the symptoms of acute opioid withdrawal in research or clinical settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Full Text Available ... projects/learn-link-drugs-hiv . 120x90 460x80 486x60 Social Media Send the message to young people and ... HIV/AIDS and the discovery of promising treatment interventions for breaking the harmful links between them, we ...

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Full Text Available ... NIDA : Facebook LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Flickr RSS Menu Home Drugs of Abuse Commonly Abused Drugs Charts Emerging ... Badges Other Resources Strategic Plan Search Share Print Home » News & Events » Public Education Projects » Learn the Link - ...

Evaluation of the Counter-regulatory Responses to Hypoglycemia in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes during Opiate Receptor Blockade with Naltrexone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naik, Sarita; Belfort-DeAguiar, Renata; Sejling, Anne-Sophie

2017-01-01

AIMS: Hypoglycemia is the major limiting factor in achieving optimal glycemic control in people with type 1 diabetes (T1DM), especially intensively treated patients with impaired glucose counterregulation during hypoglycemia. Naloxone, an opiate receptor blocker, has been reported to enhance...... with a high risk for hypoglycemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over study in which 9 intensively treated subjects with T1DM underwent a 2-step euglycemic-hypoglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp on two separate occasions. Twelve hours and 1 hour...

Predictors of long term opioid withdrawal outcome after short-term stabilization with buprenorphine.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleh, M I

2014-01-01

We aim to examine predictors of opiate abstinence status 3 months after the end of buprenorphine/naloxone treatment for opioid-dependent participants. Participants (n= 516, age > 15 years) received buprenorphine/ naloxone treatment for 4 weeks and then randomly assigned to undergo dose tapering over either 7 days or 28 days. Bivariate analysis was performed to identify possible predictors of successful opiate abstinence outome (p-value opioid and drug urine tests result at the end taper; employment status, family problems, and alcohol use domains of addiction severity index (ASI) score; and clinical opiate withdrawal scale (COWS) at the end of stabilization. Final predictor list identified by logistic regression include: ASI score for family and alcohol problems, COWS at the end of stabilization and opiate urine test at the end of taper. Participants presenting with a negative urine test for opiate, more severe alcohol, more severe family problems, or more symptoms of opiate withdrawal at the end of stabilization were more likely to have a successful opiate abstinence.

Psychological and neuropsychological correlates of dependence-related behaviour in medication overuse headaches: a one year follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Radat, Françoise; Chanraud, Sandra; Di Scala, Georges; Dousset, Virginie; Allard, Michèle

2013-07-04

Medication Overuse Headache (MOH) can be related in some patients to dependence-related behaviour characterised by craving, a deficit in controlling substance intake, which is associated to orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) dysfunction. The aim of this study was to explore the psychological correlates in MOH patients and the functioning of the OFC through neuropsychological assessment (Iowa Gambling Task: IGT) and to relate it to prognosis at a one year follow-up point. Seventeen subjects suffering from probable MOH were included and compared to 19 migraineurs and to 17 controls. The results show significant between group differences for behavioural dependence, depression, anxiety, catastrophizing. There were no between group differences for impulsivity. Mean IGT score did not allow differentiation of MOH patients from the other groups, whereas the score was significantly different between opiate abusers and other medication abusers (45 +/-5.7 versus 57.1 +/-8.2, p = 0.019). Among the clinical variables rated at inclusion, the amount of acute headache medication taken per month was the only one predicting the prognosis (RR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1-1.06, p = 0.04). A slight increase in risk of relapse at 1 year was observed in patients with poorer IGT scores (RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.85-1, p = 0.05) and higher behavioural-dependence scores (RR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1-1.14, p = 0.05). None of the other psychological variables predicted relapse risk. These results must be interpreted with caution due to the low number of subjects. They showed a deficit in decision making processes in MOH patients who overuse medications containing psychoactive substances like opiates. Moreover dependence-related variables are related to the prognosis.

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

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Full Text Available ... site. Please link these banners back to this site at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/public-education-projects/learn-link-drugs-hiv . 120x90 460x80 486x60 Social Media Send the message to young people and to ...

Applications of Emerging Parallel Optical Link Technology to High Energy Physics Experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chramowicz, J.; Kwan, S.; Prosser, A.; Winchell, M.

2011-01-01

Modern particle detectors depend upon optical fiber links to deliver event data to upstream trigger and data processing systems. Future detector systems can benefit from the development of dense arrangements of high speed optical links emerging from the telecommunications and storage area network market segments. These links support data transfers in each direction at rates up to 120 Gbps in packages that minimize or even eliminate edge connector requirements. Emerging products include a class of devices known as optical engines which permit assembly of the optical transceivers in close proximity to the electrical interfaces of ASICs and FPGAs which handle the data in parallel electrical format. Such assemblies will reduce required printed circuit board area and minimize electromagnetic interference and susceptibility. We will present test results of some of these parallel components and report on the development of pluggable FPGA Mezzanine Cards equipped with optical engines to provide to collaborators on the Versatile Link Common Project for the HI-LHC at CERN.

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

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Full Text Available ... Notes Podcasts E-Newsletters Public Education Projects National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week NIDA TV PEERx Drugs & Health Blog ... Award for Addiction Science USA Science & Engineering Festival Drug & Alcohol Chat Day HBO Addiction Project Learn the Link ...

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

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Full Text Available ... the News NIDA Notes Podcasts E-Newsletters Public Education Projects Contact the Press Office Meetings & Events Media ... Plan Search Share Print Home » News & Events » Public Education Projects » Learn the Link - Drugs and HIV Learn ...

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

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77 FR 21983 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-12

... approved narcotic treatment drugs for the treatment of opiate addiction. The legislation sets eligibility.... Project: Notification of Intent To Use Schedule III, IV, or V Opioid Drugs for the Maintenance and Detoxification Treatment of Opiate Addiction Under 21 U.S.C. 823(g)(2) (OMB No. 0930-0234)--Extension The Drug...

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

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Full Text Available ... at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/public-education-projects/learn-link-drugs-hiv . 120x90 460x80 486x60 Social Media Send the message to young people and to parents, teachers, and the media about the link between drug ...

Allostatic Load Is Linked to Cortical Thickness Changes Depending on Body-Weight Status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonatan Ottino-González

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: Overweight (body mass index or BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and stress interact with each other in complex ways. Overweight promotes chronic low-inflammation states, while stress is known to mediate caloric intake. Both conditions are linked to several avoidable health problems and to cognitive decline, brain atrophy, and dementia. Since it was proposed as a framework for the onset of mental illness, the allostatic load model has received increasing attention. Although changes in health and cognition related to overweight and stress are well-documented separately, the association between allostatic load and brain integrity has not been addressed in depth, especially among overweight subjects.Method: Thirty-four healthy overweight-to-obese and 29 lean adults underwent blood testing, neuropsychological examination, and magnetic resonance imaging to assess the relationship between cortical thickness and allostatic load, represented as an index of 15 biomarkers (this is, systolic and diastolic arterial tension, glycated hemoglobin, glucose, creatinine, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, c-reactive protein, interleukin-6, insulin, cortisol, fibrinogen, and leptin.Results: Allostatic load indexes showed widespread positive and negative significant correlations (p < 0.01 with cortical thickness values depending on body-weight status.Conclusion: The increase of allostatic load is linked to changes in the gray matter composition of regions monitoring behavior, sensory-reward processing, and general cognitive function.

Allostatic Load Is Linked to Cortical Thickness Changes Depending on Body-Weight Status

Science.gov (United States)

Ottino-González, Jonatan; Jurado, María A.; García-García, Isabel; Segura, Bàrbara; Marqués-Iturria, Idoia; Sender-Palacios, María J.; Tor, Encarnació; Prats-Soteras, Xavier; Caldú, Xavier; Junqué, Carme; Garolera, Maite

2017-01-01

Objective: Overweight (body mass index or BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) and stress interact with each other in complex ways. Overweight promotes chronic low-inflammation states, while stress is known to mediate caloric intake. Both conditions are linked to several avoidable health problems and to cognitive decline, brain atrophy, and dementia. Since it was proposed as a framework for the onset of mental illness, the allostatic load model has received increasing attention. Although changes in health and cognition related to overweight and stress are well-documented separately, the association between allostatic load and brain integrity has not been addressed in depth, especially among overweight subjects. Method: Thirty-four healthy overweight-to-obese and 29 lean adults underwent blood testing, neuropsychological examination, and magnetic resonance imaging to assess the relationship between cortical thickness and allostatic load, represented as an index of 15 biomarkers (this is, systolic and diastolic arterial tension, glycated hemoglobin, glucose, creatinine, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, c-reactive protein, interleukin-6, insulin, cortisol, fibrinogen, and leptin). Results: Allostatic load indexes showed widespread positive and negative significant correlations (p < 0.01) with cortical thickness values depending on body-weight status. Conclusion: The increase of allostatic load is linked to changes in the gray matter composition of regions monitoring behavior, sensory-reward processing, and general cognitive function. PMID:29375342

Dose-dependent utilisation of casein-linked lysinoalanine, N(epsilon)-fructoselysine and N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Somoza, Veronika; Wenzel, Elisabeth; Weiss, Carola; Clawin-Rädecker, Ingrid; Grübel, Nadine; Erbersdobler, Helmut F

2006-09-01

During the heat treatment of protein-containing foods, the amino acid lysine is most prone to undergo chemical reactions in the course of amino acid cross-linking or Maillard reactions. Among the reaction products formed, lysinoalanine (LAL), N(epsilon)-fructoselysine (FL) and N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine (CML) are those which serve as sensitive markers for the heat treatment applied. From a nutritional perspective, these compounds are ingested with the diet in considerable amounts but information about their metabolic transit and putative in vivo effects is scarce. In the present study, casein-linked LAL, FL and CML were administered to rats in two different doses for 10 days. Quantitation of LAL, FL and CML in plasma, tissue and faeces samples revealed that the kidneys are the predominant sites of accumulation and excretion. The maximum percent of dietary LAL, FL and CML excreted in the urine was 5.6, 5.2 and 29%, whereas the respective recoveries in the kidneys were 0.02, 26 and 1.4%. The plasma and tissue analyses revealed that the endogenous load of either compound is increased by its dietary intake. But the dose-dependent utilisation of dietary protein-linked LAL, FL and CML in rats has been demonstrated for the first time to vary substantially from each other.

Comparison of craving for opioid in opioid-dependent individuals and people under methadone maintenance treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azita Chehri

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT is the most important treatment for opioid -dependency recurrence. The aim of this study was to compare the craving level in opioid-dependent individuals and people under methadone maintenance therapy. Methods: In this case – control study, 120 men with opioid dependency were selected through cluster sampling method. They were divided into two groups, 60 people in opioid-dependent group and 60 people in MMT group. Both groups were matched for age, sex, marital status, education, duration of opioid dependency and method of consumption. Then, they completed INCAS Substance Abuse Profile (ISAP, opiate withdrawal symptoms checklist, self–report of craving, Desire for Drug Questionnaire (DDQ, Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS and visual cue-induced craving questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS 15 using t-test and ANOVA. Results: Mean craving for drug significantly was lower in MMT group comparing opioid-dependent group (P<0.01. Conclusion: Methadone Maintenance Therapy decreased the craving for drugs and substances This can have an important role in relapse prevention.

Linking GHG Emission Trading Systems and Markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

Several different types of links are possible between different GHG-mitigation systems. These include: Linking two or more emission trading schemes so that emissions trading can occur both within and between different schemes ('direct links'); and Linking emission trading systems to registries/mechanisms and systems that generate offsets from project based mechanisms or from direct purchases/transfers of AAUs ('indirect links').

Capability and dependency in the Newcastle 85+ cohort study. Projections of future care needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Jagger, Carol; Collerton, Joanna C; Davies, Karen; Kingston, Andrew; Robinson, Louise A; Eccles, Martin P; von Zglinicki, Thomas; Martin-Ruiz, Carmen; James, Oliver F W; Kirkwood, Tom B L; Bond, John

2011-05-04

Little is known of the capabilities of the oldest old, the fastest growing age group in the population. We aimed to estimate capability and dependency in a cohort of 85 year olds and to project future demand for care. Structured interviews at age 85 with 841 people born in 1921 and living in Newcastle and North Tyneside, UK who were permanently registered with participating general practices. Measures of capability included were self-reported activities of daily living (ADL), timed up and go test (TUG), standardised mini-mental state examination (SMMSE), and assessment of urinary continence in order to classify interval-need dependency. To project future demand for care the proportion needing 24-hour care was applied to the 2008 England and Wales population projections of those aged 80 years and over by gender. Of participants, 62% (522/841) were women, 77% (651/841) lived in standard housing, 13% (106/841) in sheltered housing and 10% (84/841) in a care home. Overall, 20% (165/841) reported no difficulty with any of the ADLs. Men were more capable in performing ADLs and more independent than women. TUG validated self-reported ADLs. When classified by 'interval of need' 41% (332/810) were independent, 39% (317/810) required help less often than daily, 12% (94/810) required help at regular times of the day and 8% (67/810) required 24-hour care. Of care-home residents, 94% (77/82) required daily help or 24-hour care. Future need for 24-hour care for people aged 80 years or over in England and Wales is projected to increase by 82% from 2010 to 2030 with a demand for 630,000 care-home places by 2030. This analysis highlights the diversity of capability and levels of dependency in this cohort. A remarkably high proportion remain independent, particularly men. However a significant proportion of this population require 24-hour care at home or in care homes. Projections for the next 20 years suggest substantial increases in the number requiring 24-hour care due to

Versatile Link PLUS transceiver development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soós, C.; Détraz, S.; Olanterä, L.; Sigaud, C.; Troska, J.; Vasey, F.; Zeiler, M.

2017-01-01

The Versatile Link PLUS project targets the phase II upgrades of the ATLAS and CMS experiments. It will develop a radiation resistant optical link, operating at up to 10 Gb/s in the upstream and up to 5 Gb/s in the downstream directions with a smaller footprint and higher channel count than its predecessor. A low-profile package is being developed that allows volume production at reduced costs, but which nevertheless can be configured to suit the individual channel count needs of different detectors. This paper describes the development strategies and summarizes the status of the feasibility demonstration phase of the project.

Imaging dopamine and opiate receptors in the human brain in health and disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, H.N. Jr.; Dannals, R.F.; Frost, J.J.

1986-01-01

Chemical activity accompanies mental activity, but only recently has it been possible to begin to examine its nature. In 1983 the first imaging of a neuroreceptor in the human brain was accomplished with carbon-11 methyl spipeone, a ligand that binds preferentially to dopamine-2 receptors, 80% of which are located in the caudate nucleus and putamen. Quantitative imaging of serotonin-2, opiate, benzodiazapine and muscarinic cholinergic receptors has subsequently been accomplished. In studies of normal men and women, it has been found that dopamine and serotonin receptor activity decreases dramatically with age, such a decrease being more pronounced in men than in women and greater in the case of dopamine receptors than serotonin-2 receptors. Preliminary studies in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders suggests that dopamine-2 receptor activity is diminished in the caudate nucleus of patients with Huntington's disease. Positron tomography permits quantitative assay of picomolar quantities of neuroreceptors within the living human brain. Studies of patients with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, acute and chronic pain states and drug addiction are now in progress

Cytogenetic risks and possible adverse health effects by narcotic substances dependent.

Science.gov (United States)

Movafagh, Abolfazl; Haeri, Ali; Kolahi, Ali Asghar; Hassani-Moghadam, Hossein

2012-09-01

Illicit drug abuse has crossed social, economic, and geographical borders, and remains one of the major health problems that modern society is facing worldwide. The role of multiple drug abuse as a basic for chromosome damage has been overlooked and it is important to determine its possible adverse health effects. This study aimed to compare the frequency of chromosomal damages between drug addicts and free drug controls. Cytogenetic study was obtained from 146 illicit drug-users and 200 free drug controls. Subjects were grouped into three categories depending on main drug of dependence. Cytogenetic studies on cultured lymphocytes showed an increase the frequency of chromosomal damages among addicts including opiate (5.89%), heroin (7.65%), and crystal (4.9%) when compared with drug free controls (1.45%). The frequency of chromosomal abnormalities was breaks, gaps, marker, and acentric, respectively. Our findings are also important as they are among the first to suggest here, illicit drug addiction continue to be significant public health problems in Iran.

BioProject

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The BioProject database provides an organizational framework to access information about research projects with links to data that have been or will be deposited...

HTLV-1 tax stabilizes MCL-1 via TRAF6-dependent K63-linked polyubiquitination to promote cell survival and transformation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young Bong Choi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1 Tax protein hijacks the host ubiquitin machinery to activate IκB kinases (IKKs and NF-κB and promote cell survival; however, the key ubiquitinated factors downstream of Tax involved in cell transformation are unknown. Using mass spectrometry, we undertook an unbiased proteome-wide quantitative survey of cellular proteins modified by ubiquitin in the presence of Tax or a Tax mutant impaired in IKK activation. Tax induced the ubiquitination of 22 cellular proteins, including the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family member MCL-1, in an IKK-dependent manner. Tax was found to promote the nondegradative lysine 63 (K63-linked polyubiquitination of MCL-1 that was dependent on the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF6 and the IKK complex. Tax interacted with and activated TRAF6, and triggered its mitochondrial localization, where it conjugated four carboxyl-terminal lysine residues of MCL-1 with K63-linked polyubiquitin chains, which stabilized and protected MCL-1 from genotoxic stress-induced degradation. TRAF6 and MCL-1 played essential roles in the survival of HTLV-1 transformed cells and the immortalization of primary T cells by HTLV-1. Therefore, K63-linked polyubiquitination represents a novel regulatory mechanism controlling MCL-1 stability that has been usurped by a viral oncogene to precipitate cell survival and transformation.

HTLV-1 Tax Stabilizes MCL-1 via TRAF6-Dependent K63-Linked Polyubiquitination to Promote Cell Survival and Transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Young Bong; Harhaj, Edward William

2014-01-01

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax protein hijacks the host ubiquitin machinery to activate IκB kinases (IKKs) and NF-κB and promote cell survival; however, the key ubiquitinated factors downstream of Tax involved in cell transformation are unknown. Using mass spectrometry, we undertook an unbiased proteome-wide quantitative survey of cellular proteins modified by ubiquitin in the presence of Tax or a Tax mutant impaired in IKK activation. Tax induced the ubiquitination of 22 cellular proteins, including the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family member MCL-1, in an IKK-dependent manner. Tax was found to promote the nondegradative lysine 63 (K63)-linked polyubiquitination of MCL-1 that was dependent on the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF6 and the IKK complex. Tax interacted with and activated TRAF6, and triggered its mitochondrial localization, where it conjugated four carboxyl-terminal lysine residues of MCL-1 with K63-linked polyubiquitin chains, which stabilized and protected MCL-1 from genotoxic stress-induced degradation. TRAF6 and MCL-1 played essential roles in the survival of HTLV-1 transformed cells and the immortalization of primary T cells by HTLV-1. Therefore, K63-linked polyubiquitination represents a novel regulatory mechanism controlling MCL-1 stability that has been usurped by a viral oncogene to precipitate cell survival and transformation. PMID:25340740

Analysis of connectivity in NeuCube spiking neural network models trained on EEG data for the understanding of functional changes in the brain: A case study on opiate dependence treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Capecci, Elisa; Kasabov, Nikola; Wang, Grace Y

2015-08-01

The paper presents a methodology for the analysis of functional changes in brain activity across different conditions and different groups of subjects. This analysis is based on the recently proposed NeuCube spiking neural network (SNN) framework and more specifically on the analysis of the connectivity of a NeuCube model trained with electroencephalography (EEG) data. The case study data used to illustrate this method is EEG data collected from three groups-subjects with opiate addiction, patients undertaking methadone maintenance treatment, and non-drug users/healthy control group. The proposed method classifies more accurately the EEG data than traditional statistical and artificial intelligence (AI) methods and can be used to predict response to treatment and dose-related drug effect. But more importantly, the method can be used to compare functional brain activities of different subjects and the changes of these activities as a result of treatment, which is a step towards a better understanding of both the EEG data and the brain processes that generated it. The method can also be used for a wide range of applications, such as a better understanding of disease progression or aging. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PC-Link historical data base system MODCOMP/IBM at link for neutral particle beam operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thurgood, P.

1989-12-01

''PC-Link'' is a combination of hardware and software that connects an IBM PC/AT to a MODCOMP minicomputer. It is designed as an aid to the Neutral Beam operations coordinator during injection into the DIII-D tokamak project. An IBM PC/AT is linked to 4 MODCOMP ''realtime'' acquisition systems, each of which controls 2 neutral particle beam sources. At various points in the shot sequence, data is sent to the IBM PC/AT. This data can then be integrated with the data from the other sources into tables or graphics displays for use by the Beam Coordinator. In this way, the coordinator gets realtime feedback on the relative settings and performance of the sources and can observe trends within a particular source at one location. The PC- Link is used for observing relative timing information and for post shot historical archiving. The concept of the PC-Link was originally proposed several years ago. In April 1988, in-house implementation of the link software was begun. The PC-Link receives approximately 2 Kbytes of data per source per shot. This data is converted from MODCOMP format to IBM PC format and archived to disk. The last 280 shots per source are stored to disk to observe trends. The data can be displayed in a number of formats depending upon the situation. For example, prior to a shot, the beam MODCOMPs are sent timing information from the DIII-D tokamak control system. This data is echoed on the PC in a graphical representation displaying all 8 sources. At the end of the shot, the actual running times are displayed along with the requested settings. Any subset of the Historical data may be displayed either graphically or in tables for realtime comparisons between sources. This system is designed for realtime use, not for complete archiving purposes. This same data is also sent to a VAX computer for full integration into the archive database. This system is easily upgradable and extremely versatile. 4 figs

The effect of stimulant and sedative use on treatment outcome of patients admitted to methadone maintenance treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

DeMaria, P A; Sterling, R; Weinstein, S P

2000-01-01

While methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for opiate dependence, its impact on the treatment outcome of other illicit drug abuse is not as clear. Using the initial urine drug screen (UDS) and follow-up UDS at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months, 167 patients consecutively admitted to MMT were evaluated for opiate, sedative (predominantly benzodiazepine), and stimulant (predominantly cocaine) use. Retention for the opiate only group was 97.32 days longer on average than for patients using opiates along with stimulants, sedatives, or both stimulants and sedatives. Patients abusing opiates only had the greatest decrease in drug use; however, MMT was also associated with decreases in cocaine and sedative use over the 24 month follow-up period. There was no evidence that patients "switched" their drugs of abuse with time in treatment. The negative impact of non-opiate drug use on outcome in MMT and its implications for treatment planning are discussed.

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/public-education-projects/learn-link-drugs-hiv . 120x90 460x80 486x60 Social Media Send the message to young people and to parents, teachers, and the media about the link between drug misuse and HIV. Post on Facebook or Twitter ; add photos to your Flickr , ...

The cross linking of EPDM and NBR rubber

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samardžija-Jovanović Suzana

2005-01-01

Full Text Available In the process of macromolecule cross linking, the choice of type and quantity of the components and the experimental conditions are important to obtain the new cross linked materials with better mechanical and chemical characteristics. The cross linking method depends on the rubber type and structure. Intermolecular cross linking results in the formation elastomer network. The basis of the cross linking process, between ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR, is a chemical reaction. Fillers and other additives are present in different mass ratios in the material. The exploitation properties of the cross linked materials depend on the quantity of additive in the cross linked systems.

Multicompartmental analysis of [11C]-carfentanil binding to opiate receptors in humans measured by positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frost, J.J.; Douglass, K.H.; Mayberg, H.S.; Dannals, R.F.; Links, J.M.; Wilson, A.A.; Ravert, H.T.; Crozier, W.C.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.

1989-01-01

[11C]-Carfentanil is a high affinity opiate agonist that can be used to localize mu opiate receptors in humans by positron emission tomography (PET). A four-compartment model was used to obtain quantitative estimates of rate constants for receptor association and dissociation. PET studies were performed in five normal subjects in the absence and presence of 1 mg/kg naloxone. Arterial plasma concentration of [11C]-carfentanil and its labeled metabolites were determined during each PET study. The value of k3/k4 = Bmax/kD was determined for each subject in the presence and absence of naloxone. There was a significant reduction in the value of k3/k4 from 3.4 +/- 0.92 to 0.26 +/- 0.13 in the thalamus (p less than 0.01) and from 1.8 +/- 0.33 to 0.16 +/- 0.065 in the frontal cortex (p less than 0.001). Mean values of frontal cortex/occipital cortex and thalamus/occipital cortex ratios were determined for the interval 35-70 min after injection when receptor binding is high relative to nonspecific binding. The relationship between the measured region/occipital cortex values and the corresponding values of k3/k4 in the presence and absence of naloxone was: regions/occipital cortex = 0.95 + 0.74 (k3/k4) with r = 0.98 (n = 20). Simulation studies also demonstrated a linear relationship between the thalamus/occipital cortex or frontal cortex/occipital cortex ratio and k3/k4 for less than twofold increases or decreases in k3/k4. Simulation studies in which thalamic blood flow was varied demonstrated no significant effect on the region/occipital cortex ratio at 35-70 min for a twofold increase or fourfold decrease in blood flow. Therefore, the region/occipital cortex ratio can be used to quantitate changes in k3/k4 when tracer kinetic modeling is not feasible

Employment-based reinforcement of adherence to oral naltrexone treatment in unemployed injection drug users.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Kelly E; Defulio, Anthony; Everly, Jeffrey J; Donlin, Wendy D; Aklin, Will M; Nuzzo, Paul A; Leoutsakos, Jeannie-Marie S; Umbricht, Annie; Fingerhood, Michael; Bigelow, George E; Silverman, Kenneth

2013-02-01

Oral naltrexone has high potential for use as a relapse prevention pharmacotherapy for opiate dependence yet suffers from notoriously poor adherence. This study evaluated whether entry to a therapeutic workplace could reinforce adherence with oral naltrexone. Opiate-dependent and cocaine-using injection drug users were detoxified, inducted onto oral naltrexone, and randomly assigned to a contingency (n = 35) or prescription (n = 32) group for a 26-week period. Contingency participants were required to ingest naltrexone under staff observation to gain access to the therapeutic workplace. Prescription participants received a take-home supply of naltrexone and could access the workplace independent of naltrexone ingestion. Primary outcome measures were percent of urine samples positive for naltrexone at 30-day assessments and negative for opiates and cocaine at 30-day assessments. Contingency participants provided significantly more urine samples that were positive for naltrexone compared with prescription participants (72% vs. 21%, p workplace significantly promoted adherence to oral naltrexone, and that the majority of opiate use occurred in conjunction with cocaine use, suggesting that untreated cocaine use may limit the effectiveness of oral naltrexone in promoting opiate abstinence. (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Precise Aperture-Dependent Motion Compensation with Frequency Domain Fast Back-Projection Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Man Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Precise azimuth-variant motion compensation (MOCO is an essential and difficult task for high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR imagery. In conventional post-filtering approaches, residual azimuth-variant motion errors are generally compensated through a set of spatial post-filters, where the coarse-focused image is segmented into overlapped blocks concerning the azimuth-dependent residual errors. However, image domain post-filtering approaches, such as precise topography- and aperture-dependent motion compensation algorithm (PTA, have difficulty of robustness in declining, when strong motion errors are involved in the coarse-focused image. In this case, in order to capture the complete motion blurring function within each image block, both the block size and the overlapped part need necessary extension leading to degeneration of efficiency and robustness inevitably. Herein, a frequency domain fast back-projection algorithm (FDFBPA is introduced to deal with strong azimuth-variant motion errors. FDFBPA disposes of the azimuth-variant motion errors based on a precise azimuth spectrum expression in the azimuth wavenumber domain. First, a wavenumber domain sub-aperture processing strategy is introduced to accelerate computation. After that, the azimuth wavenumber spectrum is partitioned into a set of wavenumber blocks, and each block is formed into a sub-aperture coarse resolution image via the back-projection integral. Then, the sub-aperture images are straightforwardly fused together in azimuth wavenumber domain to obtain a full resolution image. Moreover, chirp-Z transform (CZT is also introduced to implement the sub-aperture back-projection integral, increasing the efficiency of the algorithm. By disusing the image domain post-filtering strategy, robustness of the proposed algorithm is improved. Both simulation and real-measured data experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposal.

Links of gut microbiota composition with alcohol dependence syndrome and alcoholic liver disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubinkina, Veronika B; Tyakht, Alexander V; Odintsova, Vera Y; Yarygin, Konstantin S; Kovarsky, Boris A; Pavlenko, Alexander V; Ischenko, Dmitry S; Popenko, Anna S; Alexeev, Dmitry G; Taraskina, Anastasiya Y; Nasyrova, Regina F; Krupitsky, Evgeny M; Shalikiani, Nino V; Bakulin, Igor G; Shcherbakov, Petr L; Skorodumova, Lyubov O; Larin, Andrei K; Kostryukova, Elena S; Abdulkhakov, Rustam A; Abdulkhakov, Sayar R; Malanin, Sergey Y; Ismagilova, Ruzilya K; Grigoryeva, Tatiana V; Ilina, Elena N; Govorun, Vadim M

2017-10-17

Alcohol abuse has deleterious effects on human health by disrupting the functions of many organs and systems. Gut microbiota has been implicated in the pathogenesis of alcohol-related liver diseases, with its composition manifesting expressed dysbiosis in patients suffering from alcoholic dependence. Due to its inherent plasticity, gut microbiota is an important target for prevention and treatment of these diseases. Identification of the impact of alcohol abuse with associated psychiatric symptoms on the gut community structure is confounded by the liver dysfunction. In order to differentiate the effects of these two factors, we conducted a comparative "shotgun" metagenomic survey of 99 patients with the alcohol dependence syndrome represented by two cohorts-with and without liver cirrhosis. The taxonomic and functional composition of the gut microbiota was subjected to a multifactor analysis including comparison with the external control group. Alcoholic dependence and liver cirrhosis were associated with profound shifts in gut community structures and metabolic potential across the patients. The specific effects on species-level community composition were remarkably different between cohorts with and without liver cirrhosis. In both cases, the commensal microbiota was found to be depleted. Alcoholic dependence was inversely associated with the levels of butyrate-producing species from the Clostridiales order, while the cirrhosis-with multiple members of the Bacteroidales order. The opportunist pathogens linked to alcoholic dependence included pro-inflammatory Enterobacteriaceae, while the hallmarks of cirrhosis included an increase of oral microbes in the gut and more frequent occurrence of abnormal community structures. Interestingly, each of the two factors was associated with the expressed enrichment in many Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus-but the exact set of the species was different between alcoholic dependence and liver cirrhosis. At the level of

Richland Environmental Restoration Project Baseline Multi Year Work Plan Volume 1 Richland Environmental Restoration Project Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wintczak, T.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of this project specification is to provide an overall scoping and document for the Environmental Restoration project, and to provide a link between the overall Hanford Site scope and the ER project. The purpose of this project specification is to provide an overall scoping document for the ER Project, and to provide a link between the overall Hanford Site scope and the ER Project. Additionally, this specification provides an integrated and consolidated source of information for the Richland ER Project. It identifies the ER Project vision, mission, and goals, as well as the operational history of the Hanford Site, along with environmental setting and hazards. This ER Project Specification is part of the overall ER Project baseline

CYLD, a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins, accumulates at the postsynaptic density in an activity-dependent manner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dosemeci, Ayse; Thein, Soe; Yang, Yijung; Reese, Thomas S.; Tao-Cheng, Jung-Hwa

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► CYLD is a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. ► Presence of CYLD in PSDs is established by biochemistry and immunoEM. ► CYLD accumulates on PSDs upon depolarization of neurons. ► Accumulation of CYLD at PSDs may regulate trafficking/degradation of synaptic proteins. -- Abstract: Polyubiquitin chains on proteins flag them for distinct fates depending on the type of polyubiquitin linkage. While lysine48-linked polyubiquitination directs proteins to proteasomal degradation, lysine63-linked polyubiquitination promotes different protein trafficking and is involved in autophagy. Here we show that postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions from adult rat brain contain deubiquitinase activity that targets both lysine48 and lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. Comparison of PSD fractions with parent subcellular fractions by Western immunoblotting reveals that CYLD, a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins, is highly enriched in the PSD fraction. Electron microscopic examination of hippocampal neurons in culture under basal conditions shows immunogold label for CYLD at the PSD complex in approximately one in four synapses. Following depolarization by exposure to high K+, the proportion of CYLD-labeled PSDs as well as the labeling intensity of CYLD at the PSD increased by more than eighty percent, indicating that neuronal activity promotes accumulation of CYLD at the PSD. An increase in postsynaptic CYLD following activity would promote removal of lysine63-polyubiquitins from PSD proteins and thus could regulate their trafficking and prevent their autophagic degradation.

Dynamic link: user's manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harada, Hiroo; Asai, Kiyoshi; Kihara, Kazuhisa.

1981-09-01

The purpose of dynamic link facility is to link a load module dynamically only when it is used in execution time. The facility is very useful for development, execution and maintenance of a large scale computer program which is too big to be saved as one load module in main memory, or it is poor economy to save it due to many unused subroutines depending on an input. It is also useful for standardization and common utilization of programs. Standard usage of dynamic link facility of FACOM M-200 computer system, a software tool which analyzes the effect of dynamic link facility and application of dynamic link to nuclear codes are described. (author)

Experiences with an outpatient relapse program (CRA) combined with naltrexone in the treatment of opioid dependence: effect on addictive behaviours and the predictive value of psychiatric comorbidity.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roozen, H.G.; Kerkhof, A.J.F.M.; van den Brink, W.

2003-01-01

Background: There is increasing interest in naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, in the treatment of opiate addicts. The effects of naltrexone are often compromised by a lack of compliance and drop-out. The effects of this compound are probably more favorable when combined with a psychosocial

A new resource for characterizing X-linked genes in Drosophila melanogaster: systematic coverage and subdivision of the X chromosome with nested, Y-linked duplications.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, R Kimberley; Deal, Megan E; Deal, Jennifer A; Garton, Russell D; Brown, C Adam; Ward, Megan E; Andrade, Rachel S; Spana, Eric P; Kaufman, Thomas C; Cook, Kevin R

2010-12-01

Interchromosomal duplications are especially important for the study of X-linked genes. Males inheriting a mutation in a vital X-linked gene cannot survive unless there is a wild-type copy of the gene duplicated elsewhere in the genome. Rescuing the lethality of an X-linked mutation with a duplication allows the mutation to be used experimentally in complementation tests and other genetic crosses and it maps the mutated gene to a defined chromosomal region. Duplications can also be used to screen for dosage-dependent enhancers and suppressors of mutant phenotypes as a way to identify genes involved in the same biological process. We describe an ongoing project in Drosophila melanogaster to generate comprehensive coverage and extensive breakpoint subdivision of the X chromosome with megabase-scale X segments borne on Y chromosomes. The in vivo method involves the creation of X inversions on attached-XY chromosomes by FLP-FRT site-specific recombination technology followed by irradiation to induce large internal X deletions. The resulting chromosomes consist of the X tip, a medial X segment placed near the tip by an inversion, and a full Y. A nested set of medial duplicated segments is derived from each inversion precursor. We have constructed a set of inversions on attached-XY chromosomes that enable us to isolate nested duplicated segments from all X regions. To date, our screens have provided a minimum of 78% X coverage with duplication breakpoints spaced a median of nine genes apart. These duplication chromosomes will be valuable resources for rescuing and mapping X-linked mutations and identifying dosage-dependent modifiers of mutant phenotypes.

Servant leadership behaviors of aerospace and defense project managers and their relation to project success

Science.gov (United States)

Dominik, Michael T.

The success of a project is dependent in part on the skills, knowledge, and behavior of its leader, the project manager. Despite advances in project manager certifications and professional development, the aerospace and defense industry has continued to see highly visible and expensive project failures partially attributable to failures in leadership. Servant leadership is an emerging leadership theory whose practitioners embrace empowerment, authenticity, humility, accountability, forgiveness, courage, standing back, and stewardship, but has not yet been fully examined in the context of the project manager as leader. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between servant leadership behaviors demonstrated by aerospace and defense project managers and the resulting success of their projects. Study participants were drawn from aerospace and defense oriented affinity groups from the LinkedInRTM social media web system. The participants rated their project managers using a 30-item servant leadership scale, and rated the success of their project using a 12-item project success scale. One hundred and fifteen valid responses were analyzed from 231 collected samples from persons who had worked for a project manager on an aerospace and defense project within the past year. The results of the study demonstrated statistically significant levels of positive correlation to project success for all eight servant leadership factors independently evaluated. Using multiple linear regression methods, the servant leadership factors of empowerment and authenticity were determined to be substantial and statistically significant predictors of project success. The study results established the potential application of servant leadership as a valid approach for improving outcomes of projects.

EpiCollect+: linking smartphones to web applications for complex data collection projects [v1; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/3vk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David M. Aanensen

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Previously, we have described the development of the generic mobile phone data gathering tool, EpiCollect, and an associated web application, providing two-way communication between multiple data gatherers and a project database. This software only allows data collection on the phone using a single questionnaire form that is tailored to the needs of the user (including a single GPS point and photo per entry, whereas many applications require a more complex structure, allowing users to link a series of forms in a linear or branching hierarchy, along with the addition of any number of media types accessible from smartphones and/or tablet devices (e.g., GPS, photos, videos, sound clips and barcode scanning. A much enhanced version of EpiCollect has been developed (EpiCollect+. The individual data collection forms in EpiCollect+ provide more design complexity than the single form used in EpiCollect, and the software allows the generation of complex data collection projects through the ability to link many forms together in a linear (or branching hierarchy. Furthermore, EpiCollect+ allows the collection of multiple media types as well as standard text fields, increased data validation and form logic. The entire process of setting up a complex mobile phone data collection project to the specification of a user (project and form definitions can be undertaken at the EpiCollect+ website using a simple ‘drag and drop’ procedure, with visualisation of the data gathered using Google Maps and charts at the project website. EpiCollect+ is suitable for situations where multiple users transmit complex data by mobile phone (or other Android devices to a single project web database and is already being used for a range of field projects, particularly public health projects in sub-Saharan Africa. However, many uses can be envisaged from education, ecology and epidemiology to citizen science.

Employment-Based Reinforcement of Adherence to Oral Naltrexone Treatment in Unemployed Injection Drug Users

OpenAIRE

Dunn, Kelly; Defulio, Anthony; Everly, Jeffrey J.; Donlin, Wendy D.; Aklin, Will M.; Nuzzo, Paul A.; Leoutsakos, Jeannie-Marie S.; Umbricht, Annie; Fingerhood, Michael; Bigelow, George E.; Silverman, Kenneth

2012-01-01

Naltrexone has high potential for use as a relapse prevention pharmacotherapy for opiate dependence; however suffers from notoriously poor adherence when prescribed for oral self-administration. This study evaluated whether entry to a therapeutic workplace could be used to reinforce adherence with oral naltrexone. Opiate-dependent and cocaine-using injection drug users were detoxified, inducted onto oral naltrexone, and randomly assigned to a Contingency (n=35) or Prescription (n=32) group fo...

An Emerging New Paradigm in Opioid Withdrawal: A Critical Role for Glia-Neuron Signaling in the Periaqueductal Gray

OpenAIRE

Ouyang, Handong; Liu, Shue; Zeng, Weian; Levitt, Roy C.; Candiotti, Keith A.; Hao, Shuanglin

2012-01-01

The chronic use of opiates (i.e., narcotics such as the natural derivatives of opium including morphine or codeine) or opioids (i.e., semisynthetic derivatives of opium and other molecules that activate opioid receptors) induces dependence, which is associated with various specific behavioral and somatic signs after their withdrawal or after the administration of an opioid antagonist. Among the brain regions implicated in opiate dependence and withdrawal, the periaqueductal gray area (PAG) ap...

A first formal link between the price equation and an optimization program.

Science.gov (United States)

Grafen, Alan

2002-07-07

The Darwin unification project is pursued. A meta-model encompassing an important class of population genetic models is formed by adding an abstract model of the number of successful gametes to the Price equation under uncertainty. A class of optimization programs are defined to represent the "individual-as-maximizing-agent analogy" in a general way. It is then shown that for each population genetic model there is a corresponding optimization program with which formal links can be established. These links provide a secure logical foundation for the commonplace biological principle that natural selection leads organisms to act as if maximizing their "fitness", provides a definition of "fitness", and clarifies the limitations of that principle. The situations covered do not include frequency dependence or social behaviour, but the approach is capable of extension.

Elevational dependence of projected hydrologic changes in the San Francisco Estuary and watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Knowles, N.; Cayan, D.R.

2004-01-01

California's primary hydrologic system, the San Francisco Estuary and its upstream watershed, is vulnerable to the regional hydrologic consequences of projected global climate change. Previous work has shown that a projected warming would result in a reduction of snowpack storage leading to higher winter and lower spring-summer streamflows and increased spring-summer salinities in the estuary. The present work shows that these hydrologic changes exhibit a strong dependence on elevation, with the greatest loss of snowpack volume in the 1300-2700 m elevation range. Exploiting hydrologic and estuarine modeling capabilities to trace water as it moves through the system reveals that the shift of water in mid-elevations of the Sacramento river basin from snowmelt to rainfall runoff is the dominant cause of projected changes in estuarine inflows and salinity. Additionally, although spring-summer losses of estuarine inflows are balanced by winter gains, the losses have a stronger influence on salinity since longer spring-summer residence times allow the inflow changes to accumulate in the estuary. The changes in inflows sourced in the Sacramento River basin in approximately the 1300-2200 m elevation range thereby lead to a net increase in estuarine salinity under the projected warming. Such changes would impact ecosystems throughout the watershed and threaten to contaminate much of California's freshwater supply.

Linked Ocean Data

Science.gov (United States)

Leadbetter, Adam; Arko, Robert; Chandler, Cynthia; Shepherd, Adam

2014-05-01

"Linked Data" is a term used in Computer Science to encapsulate a methodology for publishing data and metadata in a structured format so that links may be created and exploited between objects. Berners-Lee (2006) outlines the following four design principles of a Linked Data system: Use Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) as names for things. Use HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) URIs so that people can look up those names. When someone looks up a URI, provide useful information, using the standards (Resource Description Framework [RDF] and the RDF query language [SPARQL]). Include links to other URIs so that they can discover more things. In 2010, Berners-Lee revisited his original design plan for Linked Data to encourage data owners along a path to "good Linked Data". This revision involved the creation of a five star rating system for Linked Data outlined below. One star: Available on the web (in any format). Two stars: Available as machine-readable structured data (e.g. An Excel spreadsheet instead of an image scan of a table). Three stars: As two stars plus the use of a non-proprietary format (e.g. Comma Separated Values instead of Excel). Four stars: As three stars plus the use of open standards from the World Wide Web Commission (W3C) (i.e. RDF and SPARQL) to identify things, so that people can point to your data and metadata. Five stars: All the above plus link your data to other people's data to provide context Here we present work building on the SeaDataNet common vocabularies served by the NERC Vocabulary Server, connecting projects such as the Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R) and the Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO) and other vocabularies such as the Marine Metadata Interoperability Ontology Register and Repository and the NASA Global Change Master Directory to create a Linked Ocean Data cloud. Publishing the vocabularies and metadata in standard RDF XML and exposing SPARQL endpoints renders them five-star Linked

Gradle dependency management

CERN Document Server

Ikkink, Hubert Klein

2015-01-01

If you work on Java projects, use Gradle as a build automation tool, and you use dependencies in your project, this is the book for you. Additionally, if you want to deploy your project artifacts as dependencies for other developers using Gradle, you've found the right book.

Multicompartmental analysis of (/sup 11/C)-carfentanil binding to opiate receptors in humans measured by positron emission tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frost, J.J.; Douglass, K.H.; Mayberg, H.S.; Dannals, R.F.; Links, J.M.; Wilson, A.A.; Ravert, H.T.; Crozier, W.C.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.

1989-06-01

(11C)-Carfentanil is a high affinity opiate agonist that can be used to localize mu opiate receptors in humans by positron emission tomography (PET). A four-compartment model was used to obtain quantitative estimates of rate constants for receptor association and dissociation. PET studies were performed in five normal subjects in the absence and presence of 1 mg/kg naloxone. Arterial plasma concentration of (11C)-carfentanil and its labeled metabolites were determined during each PET study. The value of k3/k4 = Bmax/kD was determined for each subject in the presence and absence of naloxone. There was a significant reduction in the value of k3/k4 from 3.4 +/- 0.92 to 0.26 +/- 0.13 in the thalamus (p less than 0.01) and from 1.8 +/- 0.33 to 0.16 +/- 0.065 in the frontal cortex (p less than 0.001). Mean values of frontal cortex/occipital cortex and thalamus/occipital cortex ratios were determined for the interval 35-70 min after injection when receptor binding is high relative to nonspecific binding. The relationship between the measured region/occipital cortex values and the corresponding values of k3/k4 in the presence and absence of naloxone was: regions/occipital cortex = 0.95 + 0.74 (k3/k4) with r = 0.98 (n = 20). Simulation studies also demonstrated a linear relationship between the thalamus/occipital cortex or frontal cortex/occipital cortex ratio and k3/k4 for less than twofold increases or decreases in k3/k4. Simulation studies in which thalamic blood flow was varied demonstrated no significant effect on the region/occipital cortex ratio at 35-70 min for a twofold increase or fourfold decrease in blood flow. Therefore, the region/occipital cortex ratio can be used to quantitate changes in k3/k4 when tracer kinetic modeling is not feasible.

Repeatable aversion across threat types is linked with life-history traits but is dependent on how aversion is measured.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Gabrielle L; Reichert, Michael S; Crane, Jodie M S; O'Shea, William; Quinn, John L

2018-02-01

Personality research suggests that individual differences in risk aversion may be explained by links with life-history variation. However, few empirical studies examine whether repeatable differences in risk avoidance behaviour covary with life-history traits among individuals in natural populations, or how these links vary depending on the context and the way risk aversion is measured. We measured two different risk avoidance behaviours (latency to enter the nest and inspection time) in wild great tits ( Parus major ) in two different contexts-response to a novel object and to a predator cue placed at the nest-box during incubation---and related these behaviours to female reproductive success and condition. Females responded equally strongly to both stimuli, and although both behaviours were repeatable, they did not correlate. Latency to enter was negatively related to body condition and the number of offspring fledged. By contrast, inspection time was directly explained by whether incubating females had been flushed from the nest before the trial began. Thus, our inferences on the relationship between risk aversion and fitness depend on how risk aversion was measured. Our results highlight the limitations of drawing conclusions about the relevance of single measures of a personality trait such as risk aversion.

CYLD, a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins, accumulates at the postsynaptic density in an activity-dependent manner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dosemeci, Ayse, E-mail: dosemeca@mail.nih.gov [Laboratory of Neurobiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Thein, Soe; Yang, Yijung; Reese, Thomas S. [Laboratory of Neurobiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Tao-Cheng, Jung-Hwa [EM Facility, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States)

2013-01-04

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CYLD is a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Presence of CYLD in PSDs is established by biochemistry and immunoEM. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CYLD accumulates on PSDs upon depolarization of neurons. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Accumulation of CYLD at PSDs may regulate trafficking/degradation of synaptic proteins. -- Abstract: Polyubiquitin chains on proteins flag them for distinct fates depending on the type of polyubiquitin linkage. While lysine48-linked polyubiquitination directs proteins to proteasomal degradation, lysine63-linked polyubiquitination promotes different protein trafficking and is involved in autophagy. Here we show that postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions from adult rat brain contain deubiquitinase activity that targets both lysine48 and lysine63-linked polyubiquitins. Comparison of PSD fractions with parent subcellular fractions by Western immunoblotting reveals that CYLD, a deubiquitinase specific for lysine63-linked polyubiquitins, is highly enriched in the PSD fraction. Electron microscopic examination of hippocampal neurons in culture under basal conditions shows immunogold label for CYLD at the PSD complex in approximately one in four synapses. Following depolarization by exposure to high K+, the proportion of CYLD-labeled PSDs as well as the labeling intensity of CYLD at the PSD increased by more than eighty percent, indicating that neuronal activity promotes accumulation of CYLD at the PSD. An increase in postsynaptic CYLD following activity would promote removal of lysine63-polyubiquitins from PSD proteins and thus could regulate their trafficking and prevent their autophagic degradation.

The involvement of CRF1 receptor within the basolateral amygdala and dentate gyrus in the naloxone-induced conditioned place aversion in morphine-dependent mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Valero, E; Gómez-Milanés, I; Almela, P; Ribeiro Do Couto, B; Laorden, M L; Milanés, M V; Núñez, C

2018-06-08

Drug withdrawal-associated aversive memories trigger relapse to drug-seeking behavior. Corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) is an important mediator of the reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse. However, the involvement of CRF1 receptor (CRF1R) in aversive memory induced by opiate withdrawal has yet to be elucidated. We used the conditioned-place aversion (CPA) paradigm to evaluate the role of CRF1R on opiate withdrawal memory acquisition, along with plasticity-related processes that occur after CPA within the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and dentate gyrus (DG). Male mice were rendered dependent on morphine and injected acutely with naloxone before paired to confinement in a naloxone-associated compartment. The CPA scores as well as the number of TH-positive neurons (in the NTS-A2 noradrenergic cell group), and the expression of the transcription factors Arc and pCREB (in the BLA and DG) were measured with and without CRF1R blockade. Mice subjected to conditioned naloxone-induced morphine withdrawal robustly expressed CPA. Pre-treatment with the selective CRF1R antagonist CP-154,526 before naloxone conditioning session impaired morphine withdrawal-induced aversive memory acquisition. CP-154,526 also antagonized the enhanced number of TH-positive neurons in the NTS-A2 that was seen after CPA. Increased Arc expression and Arc-pCREB co-localization were seen in the BLA after CPA, which was not modified by CP-154,526. In the DG, CPA was accompanied by a decrease of Arc expression and no changes in Arc-pCREB co-localization, whereas pre-treatment with CP-154,526 induced an increase in both parameters. These results indicate that CRF-CRF1R pathway could be a critical factor governing opiate withdrawal memory storage and retrieval and might suggest a role for TH-NA pathway in the effects of withdrawal on memory. Our results might indicate that the blockade of CRF1R could represent a promising pharmacological treatment strategy approach for the attenuation of the relapse

Experiences with an outpatient relapse program (community reinforcement approach) combined with naltrexone in teh treament of opioid-dependence: effect on addictive behaviors and the predictive value of Psychiatric comorbidity.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roozen, H.G.; Kerkhof, A.J.F.M.; Brink, van den W.

2003-01-01

Background: There is increasing interest in naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, in the treatment of opiate addicts. The effects of naltrexone are often compromised by a lack of compliance and drop-out. The effects of this compound are probably more favorable when combined with a psychosocial

Experiences with an outpatient relapse program (community reinforcement approach) combined with naltrexone in the treatment of opioid-dependence: Effect on addictive behaviors and the predictive value of psychiatric comorbidity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roozen, H. G.; Kerkhof, A. J. F. M.; van den Brink, W.

2003-01-01

BACKGROUND: There is increasing interest in naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, in the treatment of opiate addicts. The effects of naltrexone are often compromised by a lack of compliance and drop-out. The effects of this compound are probably more favorable when combined with a psychosocial

Pathology-Dependent Effects Linked to Small Heat Shock Proteins Expression: An Update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.-P. Arrigo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Small heat shock proteins (small Hsps are stress-induced molecular chaperones that act as holdases towards polypeptides that have lost their folding in stress conditions or consequently of mutations in their coding sequence. A cellular protection against the deleterious effects mediated by damaged proteins is thus provided to cells. These chaperones are also highly expressed in response to protein conformational and inflammatory diseases and cancer pathologies. Through specific and reversible modifications in their phospho-oligomeric organization, small Hsps can chaperone appropriate client proteins in order to provide cells with resistance to different types of injuries or pathological conditions. By helping cells to better cope with their pathological status, their expression can be either beneficial, such as in diseases characterized by pathological cell degeneration, or deleterious when they are required for tumor cell survival. Moreover, small Hsps are actively released by cells and can act as immunogenic molecules that have dual effects depending on the pathology. The cellular consequences linked to their expression levels and relationships with other Hsps as well as therapeutic strategies are discussed in view of their dynamic structural organization required to interact with specific client polypeptides.

Does the Magnitude of the Link between Unemployment and Crime Depend on the Crime Level? A Quantile Regression Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horst Entorf

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Two alternative hypotheses – referred to as opportunity- and stigma-based behavior – suggest that the magnitude of the link between unemployment and crime also depends on preexisting local crime levels. In order to analyze conjectured nonlinearities between both variables, we use quantile regressions applied to German district panel data. While both conventional OLS and quantile regressions confirm the positive link between unemployment and crime for property crimes, results for assault differ with respect to the method of estimation. Whereas conventional mean regressions do not show any significant effect (which would confirm the usual result found for violent crimes in the literature, quantile regression reveals that size and importance of the relationship are conditional on the crime rate. The partial effect is significantly positive for moderately low and median quantiles of local assault rates.

The Øresund Link

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Jacob Steen

"Øresundsbron" is the combined bridge and tunnel connecting Denmark and Sweden adjacent to Copenhagen. Øresundsbron was built and is operated by a consortium owned jointly by the Danish and Swedish states. The Link was inaugurated 1 July 2000 by the Queen of Denmark and the King of Sweden. The 16......-km link across the Sound could potentially impact the water exchange between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and the dredging activities during construction were a threat to the local marine environment. The public interest in the environmental issues together with a pro-active environmental policy...... of hydrodynamic modelling, on line monitoring and access to all environmental information through a GIS based information system. The public attitude towards the project in general and the environmental impact in particular shifted from a very sceptical one at the beginning of the project to a very positive one...

Clinical differences between cocaine-dependent patients with and without antisocial personality disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Comín, Marina; Redondo, Santiago; Daigre, Constanza; Grau-López, Lara; Casas, Miguel; Roncero, Carlos

2016-12-30

The aim of this study is to compare the features of two groups of cocaine dependent patients in treatment, one of them with co-morbid diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder and the other not. Cross-sectional design, with 143 cocaine-dependent patients attending a drug unit, distributed in two groups: patients with and without Antisocial Personality Disorder. As results, we found that the 15.38% of the sample were diagnosed with an Antisocial Personality Disorder. In relation to socio-demographic variables, Antisocial Personality Disorder patients have less probability of being working or studying (9.1% vs. 47.9%). After multivariate analysis it was found that significantly Antisocial Personality Disorder patients have more opiates dependence (OR: 0.219; 95% IC 0.072-0.660), sedative dependence (OR: 0.203; 95% IC 0.062-0.644) and in more cases show Borderline Personality Disorder (OR: 0.239; 95% IC 0.077-0.746). This study highlights significant differences between cocaine addicts with or without an Antisocial Personality Disorder. All these differences are good indicators of the complexity of the patients with this personality disorder. Better knowledge of their profile will help us to improve the design of specific treatment programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigations of Polarization Dependent Loss in Polarization Modulated Analog Optical Links

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-29

performance analog optical links for military applications primarily rely on the most common link architecture employing intensity modulation with...axis as bisector of DD and Ss•) PP = fl i p ( rr, PPO] ; (• flip the P vector imaqe on the PA •) PPh a t = unit[PP ) ; PHI = ArcCos [ PPha t .unit...DD ) ); AA = ((Cos ( PHI / 2])𔃼 • t p (Sin [ PHI / 2 ])𔃼 ) PP • tpDDhat / 2 ; CC2 =- ( MM · AA . SS • (AA . I!M) (I!M. SS)) ; CC3 = AA . SS; ln

The Role of Gluococorticoids and Neuroinflammation in Mediating the Effects of Stress on Drug Abuse

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-01

exposed to a drug of abuse do not develop addiction, or abuse the drug . For example, the overwhelming majority of patients that receive opiates for...addiction, nor abuse the drug . For example, the overwhelming majority of patients that receive opiates for pain relief while hospitalized do not develop... drugs of abuse. Though this project has been completed, our future plans are clearly centered around understanding how HMGB1 mediates stress-induced

Myoelectric activity of the small intestine during morphine dependence and withdrawal in rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuperman, D.A.; Sninsky, C.A.; Lynch, D.F.

1987-01-01

The authors investigated (1) the effect of morphine dependence on the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) of the small intestine, (2) whether bacterial overgrowth developed in morphine-dependent rats, and (3) the effect of naloxone and methylbromide naltrexone, a peripheral opioid antagonist, on the MMC in morphine-naive and morphine-dependent rats. They also evaluated intestinal motility during naloxone-induced withdrawal in animals pretreated with clonidine. Intestinal myoelectric activity was monitored by four indwelling electrodes in unanesthetized, fasted rats. D-[ 14 C]xylose breath tests were performed before and after morphine-pellet implantation to evaluate the presence of bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. Naloxone had no effect on myoelectric activity of the small intestine in morphine-naive rats. Cycling activity fronts were present in morphine-dependent animals, but there was a significant prolongation of activity front periodicity and slowing of the propagation velocity. No significant increase in 14 CO 2 excretion was noted in the morphine-dependent rats. They conclude from their studies that (1) myoelectric activity of the small intestine develops incomplete tolerance to morphine; (2) bacterial overgrowth is not a feature of morphine dependence in the rat; (3) alterations of intestinal myoelectric activity are a component of the opiate withdrawal syndrome, and they appear at least partially mediated by a peripheral mechanism that can be suppressed by an α 2 -adrenergic agonist

Myoelectric activity of the small intestine during morphine dependence and withdrawal in rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuperman, D.A.; Sninsky, C.A.; Lynch, D.F.

1987-04-01

The authors investigated (1) the effect of morphine dependence on the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) of the small intestine, (2) whether bacterial overgrowth developed in morphine-dependent rats, and (3) the effect of naloxone and methylbromide naltrexone, a peripheral opioid antagonist, on the MMC in morphine-naive and morphine-dependent rats. They also evaluated intestinal motility during naloxone-induced withdrawal in animals pretreated with clonidine. Intestinal myoelectric activity was monitored by four indwelling electrodes in unanesthetized, fasted rats. D-(/sup 14/C)xylose breath tests were performed before and after morphine-pellet implantation to evaluate the presence of bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. Naloxone had no effect on myoelectric activity of the small intestine in morphine-naive rats. Cycling activity fronts were present in morphine-dependent animals, but there was a significant prolongation of activity front periodicity and slowing of the propagation velocity. No significant increase in /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ excretion was noted in the morphine-dependent rats. They conclude from their studies that (1) myoelectric activity of the small intestine develops incomplete tolerance to morphine; (2) bacterial overgrowth is not a feature of morphine dependence in the rat; (3) alterations of intestinal myoelectric activity are a component of the opiate withdrawal syndrome, and they appear at least partially mediated by a peripheral mechanism that can be suppressed by an ..cap alpha../sub 2/-adrenergic agonist.

Practice implications and recommendations for managing codeine misuse and dependence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bergin Michael

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Codeine, a weak opiate, requires increased pharmacovigilance relating to availability, heterogeneous nature of misuse, dependence and associated harm. A scoping review of literature on codeine was conducted using Arksey & O’Malley’s framework (1. Databases searched included PubMed, EBSCO Host, Science Direct, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane library and Medline from 1994 to 2014. Follow-up search strategies involved hand searching and searching of pharmaceutical, health, medical and drug related websites. Initial zscreening identified 3,105 articles with 475 meeting the inclusion criteria. Eight broad categories organised the literature, data charting and qualitative synthesis. This paper presents implications for practice and makes recommendations to address these issues. Themes identified relate to raising public and practitioner awareness, risk management, dispensing practices and monitoring and surveillance of codeine. Evidence to inform law enforcement, drug surveillance, public health initiatives, harm reduction approaches, pharmacy, clinical and treatment practices is warranted.

Temperament and character modify risk of drug addiction and influence choice of drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Milivojevic, Dragan; Milovanovic, Srdjan D; Jovanovic, Minja; Svrakic, Dragan M; Svrakic, Nenad M; Svrakic, Slobodan M; Cloninger, C Robert

2012-01-01

Drug addiction and alcoholism involve a complex etiopathogenesis with a variable degree of risk contributions from the host (person), environment, and addictive substances. In this work, temperament and character features of individuals addicted to opiates or alcohol are compared with normal controls to study personality factors in the overall risk for drug addiction. The study was done in a permissive environment, with easy access to alcohol and heroin, which facilitated analyses of personality factors in drug choice. Participants included 412 consecutive patients (312 opiate addicts, 100 alcohol addicts) treated at the Specialized Hospital for Chemical Dependency in Belgrade, Serbia, and a community sample of 346 controls. Opiate addicts manifested antisocial temperament configuration (high Novelty Seeking, low Reward Dependence) coupled with high Self-transcendence (ie, susceptibility to fantasy and imagination). Alcohol addicts manifested sensitive temperament configuration (high Novelty Seeking coexisting with high Harm Avoidance). Immature personality was observed far more frequently in opiate addicts than in alcoholics or normals. Novelty Seeking appears to be a general risk factor for drug addiction. High Harm Avoidance appears to channel individuals with high Novelty Seeking towards alcoholism. Immature character traits and probable Personality Disorder increase the risk of illegal drugs. Based on equivalent research in nonpermissive environments, at least a portion of our opiate addicts could have developed alcoholism instead in environments with more limited access to opiates. Personality factors provide useful guidelines for preventive work with young individuals with personality risk factors for drug addiction. Copyright © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

A review of perioperative anesthesia and analgesia for infants: updates and trends to watch [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lizabeth D Martin

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This review focuses on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of opioid and non-opioid analgesics in neonates and infants. The unique physiology of this population differs from that of adults and impacts drug handling. Morphine and remifentanil are described as examples of older versus recently developed opiates to compare and contrast pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in infants. Exploration of genetics affecting both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of opiates is an area of active research, as is the investigation of a new class of mu-opiate-binding agents which seem selective for analgesic pathways while having less activity in pathways linked to side effects. The kinetics of acetaminophen and of ketorolac as examples of parenteral non-steroidal analgesics in infants are also discussed. The growth in regional anesthesia for peri-operative analgesia in infants can fill an important role minimizing intra-operative anesthetic exposure to opioids and transitioning to post-operative care. Use of multi-modal techniques is recommended to decrease undesirable opiate-related side effects in this vulnerable population.

Hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm with fat link fermion actions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamleh, Waseem; Leinweber, Derek B.; Williams, Anthony G.

2004-01-01

The use of APE smearing or other blocking techniques in lattice fermion actions can provide many advantages. There are many variants of these fat link actions in lattice QCD currently, such as flat link irrelevant clover (FLIC) fermions. The FLIC fermion formalism makes use of the APE blocking technique in combination with a projection of the blocked links back into the special unitary group. This reunitarization is often performed using an iterative maximization of a gauge invariant measure. This technique is not differentiable with respect to the gauge field and thus prevents the use of standard Hybrid Monte Carlo simulation algorithms. The use of an alternative projection technique circumvents this difficulty and allows the simulation of dynamical fat link fermions with standard HMC and its variants. The necessary equations of motion for FLIC fermions are derived, and some initial simulation results are presented. The technique is more general however, and is straightforwardly applicable to other smearing techniques or fat link actions

Concentration- and time-dependent genotoxicity profiles of isoprene monoepoxides and diepoxide, and the cross-linking potential of isoprene diepoxide in cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Isoprene, a possible carcinogen, is a petrochemical and a natural product being primarily produced by plants. It is biotransformed to 2-ethenyl-2-methyloxirane (IP-1,2-O and 2-(1-methylethenyloxirane (IP-3,4-O, both of which can be further metabolized to 2-methyl-2,2′-bioxirane (MBO. MBO is mutagenic, but IP-1,2-O and IP-3,4-O are not. While IP-1,2-O has been reported being genotoxic, the genotoxicity of IP-3,4-O and MBO, and the cross-linking potential of MBO have not been examined. In the present study, we used the comet assay to investigate the concentration- and time-dependent genotoxicity profiles of the three metabolites and the cross-linking potential of MBO in human hepatocyte L02 cells. For the incubation time of 1 h, all metabolites showed positive concentration-dependent profiles with a potency rank order of IP-3,4-O > MBO > IP-1,2-O. In human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2 and human leukemia (HL60 cells, IP-3,4-O was still more potent in inducing DNA breaks than MBO at high concentrations (>200 μM, although at low concentrations (≤200 μM IP-3,4-O exhibited slightly lower or similar potency to MBO. Interestingly, their time-dependent genotoxicity profiles (0.5–4 h in L02 cells were different from each other: IP-1,2-O and MBO (200 μM exhibited negative and positive profiles, respectively, with IP-3,4-O lying in between, namely, IP-3,4-O-caused DNA breaks did not change over the exposure time. Further experiments demonstrated that hydrolysis of IP-1,2-O contributed to the negative profile and MBO induced cross-links at high concentrations and long incubation times. Collectively, the results suggested that IP-3,4-O might play a significant role in the toxicity of isoprene.

Influence of Antenna Characteristics on Elevation Dependence of Building Penetration Loss for High Elevation Links

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Kvicera

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Building penetration loss models presented in our previous paper [1] were valid for various scenarios, propagation conditions, frequency bands and hemispherical receiving antenna pointing towards zenith. These models had a significantly rising trend of penetration loss with increasing elevation angle of the link in common. In this paper we show that when working with non-isotropic terminal antennas, this trend relates primarily to the elevation trend of the corresponding reference level dependent on the receiving antenna radiation pattern. This is demonstrated by the results of single-input multiple-output (SIMO measurement trials performed at L-band in an office building and a brick building in the city of Prague. Further, based on the detailed analysis, a method to modify the elevation trend of a particular penetration loss model for different receiving antenna radiation patterns is derived and experimentally validated.

Linking Effective Project Management to Business Strategy in Oil and Gas Industry through Decision-making Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Adeleke, Adeyinka

The construction project in the oil and gas industry covers the entire spectrum of hydrocarbon production from the wellhead (upstream) to downstream facilities. In each of these establishments, the activities in a construction project include: consulting, studies, front-end engineering, detail engineering, procurement, program management, construction, installation, commissioning and start-up. Efficient management of each of the activities involved in construction projects is one of the driving forces for the successful completion of the project. Optimizing the crucial factors in project management during each phase of a project in an oil and gas industry can assist managers to maximize the use of available resources and drive the project to successful conclusions. One of these factors is the decision-making process in the construction project. Current research effort investigated the relationship between decision-making processes and business strategy in oil and gas industry using employee surveys. I recruited employees of different races, age group, genders, and years of experience in order understand their influence on the implementation of the decision-making process in oil and gas industry through a quantitative survey. Decision-making was assessed using five decision measures: (a) rational, (b) intuitive, (c) dependent, (d) avoidant, and (e) spontaneous. The findings indicated gender, age, years of work experience and job titles as primary variables with a negative relationship with decision-making approach for employees working in a major oil and gas industry. The study results revealed that the two most likely decision-making methods in oil and gas industry include: making a decision in a logical and systematic way and seek assistance from others when making a decision. Additionally, the two leading management approaches to decision-making in the oil and gas industry include: decision analysis is part of organization culture and management is committed to

Demonstration of free-space optical communication for long-range data links between balloons on Project Loon

Science.gov (United States)

Moision, Bruce; Erkmen, Baris; Keyes, Edward; Belt, Todd; Bowen, Oliver; Brinkley, Devin; Csonka, Paul; Eglington, Michael; Kazmierski, Andrei; Kim, Nam-hyong; Moody, John; Tu, Thanh; Vermeer, William

2017-02-01

Internet connectivity is limited and in some cases non-existent for a significant part of the world's population. Project Loon aims to address this with a network of high-altitude balloons traveling in the stratosphere, at an altitude of approximately 20 km. The balloons navigate by using the stratified wind layers at different altitudes, adjusting the balloon's altitude to catch winds in a desired direction. Data transfer is achieved by 1) uplinking a signal from an Internet-connected ground station to a balloon terminal, 2) crosslinking the signal through the balloon network to reach the geographic area of the users, and 3) downlinking the signal directly to the end-users' phones or other LTE-enabled devices. We describe Loon's progress on utilizing free-space optical communications (FSOC) for the inter-balloon crosslinks. FSOC, offering high data rates and long communication ranges, is well-suited for communication between high-altitude platforms. A stratospheric link is sufficiently high to be above weather events (clouds, fog, rain, etc.), and the impact of atmospheric turbulence is significantly weaker than at ground level. In addition, being in the stratosphere as opposed to space helps avoid the typical challenges faced by space-based systems, namely operation in a vacuum environment with significant radiation. Finally, the angular pointing disturbances introduced by a floating balloon-based platform are notably less than any propelled platform, which simplifies the disturbance rejection requirements on the FSOC system. We summarize results from Project Loon's early-phase experimental inter-balloon links at 20 km altitude, demonstrating full duplex 130 Mbps throughput at distances in excess of 100 km over the course of several-day flights. The terminals utilize a monostatic design, with dual wavelengths for communication and a dedicated wide-angle beacon for pointing, acquisition, and tracking. We summarize the constraints on the terminal design, and the

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

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The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx Project: Linking Clinical Data with Molecular Analysis to Advance Personalized Medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judy C. Keen

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Evaluation of how genetic mutations or variability can directly affect phenotypic outcomes, the development of disease, or determination of a tailored treatment protocol is fundamental to advancing personalized medicine. To understand how a genotype affects gene expression and specific phenotypic traits, as well as the correlative and causative associations between such, the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx Project was initiated The GTEx collection of biospecimens and associated clinical data links extensive clinical data with genotype and gene expression data to provide a wealth of data and resources to study the underlying genetics of normal physiology. These data will help inform personalized medicine through the identification of normal variation that does not contribute to disease. Additionally, these data can lead to insights into how gene variation affects pharmacodynamics and individualized responses to therapy.

cAMP-dependent proteolysis of GATA-6 is linked to JNK-signaling pathway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ushijima, Hironori [Department of Molecular Biology, School of Pharmacy, Iwate Medical University, 2-1-1, Nishitokuta, Yahaba, Shiwagun, Iwate 028-3694 (Japan); Maeda, Masatomo, E-mail: mmaeda@iwate-med.ac.jp [Department of Molecular Biology, School of Pharmacy, Iwate Medical University, 2-1-1, Nishitokuta, Yahaba, Shiwagun, Iwate 028-3694 (Japan)

2012-07-13

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A JNK inhibitor SP600125 inhibited cAMP-dependent proteolysis of GATA-6. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Effect of a JNK activator anisomycin on the proteolysis was examined. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Anisomycin stimulated the export of nuclear GATA-6 into the cytoplasm. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer JNK activated the CRM1 mediated nuclear export of GATA-6. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer JNK further stimulated slowly the degradation of GATA-6 by cytoplasmic proteasomes. -- Abstract: A JNK inhibitor SP600125 inhibited cAMP-dependent proteolysis of GATA-6 by proteasomes around its IC50. We further examined the effects of SP600125 on the degradation of GATA-6 in detail, since an activator of JNK (anisomycin) is available. Interestingly, anisomycin immediately stimulated the export of nuclear GATA-6 into the cytoplasm, and then the cytoplasmic content of GATA-6 decreased slowly through degradation by proteasomes. Such an effect of anisomycin was inhibited by SP600125, indicating that the observed phenomenon might be linked to the JNK signaling pathway. The inhibitory effect of SP600125 could not be ascribed to the inhibition of PKA, since phosphorylation of CREB occurred in the presence of dbcAMP and SP600125. The nuclear export of GATA-6 was inhibited by leptomycin B, suggesting that CRM1-mediated export could be activated by anisomycin. Furthermore, it seems likely that the JNK activated by anisomycin may stimulate not only the nuclear export of GATA-6 through CRM1 but also the degradation of GATA-6 by cytoplasmic proteasomes. In contrast, A-kinase might activate only the latter process through JNK.

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Gauge links for transverse momentum dependent correlators at tree-level

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buffing, M.G.A.; Mulders, P.J.G.

2011-01-01

In this paper we discuss the incorporation of gauge links in hadronic matrix elements that describe the soft hadronic physics in high energy scattering processes. In this description the matrix elements appear in soft correlators and they contain non-local combinations of quark and gluon fields. In

Context-dependent preferences in starlings: linking ecology, foraging and choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasconcelos, Marco; Monteiro, Tiago; Kacelnik, Alex

2013-01-01

Foraging animals typically encounter opportunities that they either pursue or skip, but occasionally meet several alternatives simultaneously. Behavioural ecologists predict preferences using absolute properties of each option, while decision theorists focus on relative evaluations at the time of choice. We use European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to integrate ecological reasoning with decision models, linking and testing hypotheses for value acquisition and choice mechanism. We hypothesise that options' values depend jointly on absolute attributes, learning context, and subject's state. In simultaneous choices, preference could result either from comparing subjective values using deliberation time, or from processing each alternative independently, without relative comparisons. The combination of the value acquisition hypothesis and independent processing at choice time has been called the Sequential Choice Model. We test this model with options equated in absolute properties to exclude the possibility of preference being built at the time of choice. Starlings learned to obtain food by responding to four stimuli in two contexts. In context [AB], they encountered options A5 or B10 in random alternation; in context [CD], they met C10 or D20. Delay to food is denoted, in seconds, by the suffixes. Observed latency to respond (Li) to each option alone (our measure of value) ranked thus: LA≈LCchoice tests to predict sign and strength of preference in pairings. Starlings preferred A5 over C10 and C10 over B10. There was no detectable evaluation time, and preference magnitude was predictable from latency differentials. This implies that value reflects learning rather than choice context, that preferences are not constructed by relative judgements at the time of choice, and that mechanisms adapted for sequential decisions are effective to predict choice behaviour.

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Full Text Available ... women can pass HIV to their babies during pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding. HIV destroys a certain kind ... at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/public-education-projects/learn-link-drugs-hiv . 120x90 460x80 486x60 ...

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link

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Full Text Available ... projects/learn-link-drugs-hiv . 120x90 460x80 486x60 Social Media Send the message to young people and ... available for your use to share on your social media accounts. About the Campaign Overview The Learn ...

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A comprehensive comparison of network similarities for link prediction and spurious link elimination

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Peng; Qiu, Dan; Zeng, An; Xiao, Jinghua

2018-06-01

Identifying missing interactions in complex networks, known as link prediction, is realized by estimating the likelihood of the existence of a link between two nodes according to the observed links and nodes' attributes. Similar approaches have also been employed to identify and remove spurious links in networks which is crucial for improving the reliability of network data. In network science, the likelihood for two nodes having a connection strongly depends on their structural similarity. The key to address these two problems thus becomes how to objectively measure the similarity between nodes in networks. In the literature, numerous network similarity metrics have been proposed and their accuracy has been discussed independently in previous works. In this paper, we systematically compare the accuracy of 18 similarity metrics in both link prediction and spurious link elimination when the observed networks are very sparse or consist of inaccurate linking information. Interestingly, some methods have high prediction accuracy, they tend to perform low accuracy in identification spurious interaction. We further find that methods can be classified into several cluster according to their behaviors. This work is useful for guiding future use of these similarity metrics for different purposes.

Student Learning Projects in Electric Vehicle Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ritchie, Ewen; Leban, Krisztina Monika

2012-01-01

This paper presents the didactic problem based learning method in general use at Aalborg University as applied to Electric Mobility. Advantage is taken of this method to link student learning to current research projects. This offers advantages to the students and the researchers. The paper...... introduces the subject, presents the research of the Department of Energy Technology and describes the relevant syllabus. It continues to present a range of titles of previous research linked student project projects, and to fill in some of the detail, an example of such a student project. The paper...

Skin conductance at baseline and postheel lance reflects sympathetic activation in neonatal opiate withdrawal.

Science.gov (United States)

Oji-Mmuo, Christiana N; Michael, Eric J; McLatchy, Jacqueline; Lewis, Mary M; Becker, Julie E; Doheny, Kim Kopenhaver

2016-03-01

Skin conductance (SC) provides an objective measure of autonomic system regulation through sympathetic-mediated filling of sweat glands. This study aimed to test the utility of SC to detect sympathetic activation in neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Fourteen term (mean, SE: 38.8 ± 0.35 weeks gestational age) neonates with chronic prenatal opiate exposure were enrolled. SC (peaks/seconds and mean of peaks) was measured at baseline, during heel lance/squeeze (HLS) and recovery from HLS at 24-48 (mean 38) hours of life prior to treatment for NAS. Blinded coders with established reliability assessed neonates using the Modified Finnegan Neonatal Scoring System (MFNSS). Nonparametric tests were used to determine group differences, phase differences from baseline to HLS and HLS to recovery, and associations between MFNSS and SC measures. Neonates that would later require morphine treatment for NAS (n = 6) had higher baseline SC mean of peaks than those that did not require treatment (n = 8) (p < 0.05). Moreover, there were unique phase differences between groups and SC positively correlated with MFNSS (p < 0.05). SC provides early identification of NAS severity. However, a larger sample is needed to determine sensitivity and specificity of SC for early identification of NAS and treatment effectiveness. ©2015 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Diffusion and diversion of suboxone: an exploration of illicit street opioid selling.

Science.gov (United States)

Furst, R Terry

2014-01-01

Interviews with fourteen opioid retail pill sellers provides an exploration into the diversion and diffusion of Suboxone to recreational ("week-end warriors") drug users. The use of social media and electronic devices enables the diffusion of Suboxone to dependent and non-dependent opiate/opioid drug abusers. Overprescribing by physicians and prescribing in drug treatment settings fuels the diversion of Suboxone. The diversion and the diffusion of Suboxone have the potential to delay entrance into drug treatment and promote the misuse of the drug by both dependent opiate/opioid drug abusers and recreational users. The dilemma posed by Suboxone maintenance treatment will not be easily addressed or mitigated in the near future.

Mitigating artifacts in back-projection source imaging with implications for frequency-dependent properties of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Lingsen; Ampuero, Jean-Paul; Luo, Yingdi; Wu, Wenbo; Ni, Sidao

2012-12-01

Comparing teleseismic array back-projection source images of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake with results from static and kinematic finite source inversions has revealed little overlap between the regions of high- and low-frequency slip. Motivated by this interesting observation, back-projection studies extended to intermediate frequencies, down to about 0.1 Hz, have suggested that a progressive transition of rupture properties as a function of frequency is observable. Here, by adapting the concept of array response function to non-stationary signals, we demonstrate that the "swimming artifact", a systematic drift resulting from signal non-stationarity, induces significant bias on beamforming back-projection at low frequencies. We introduce a "reference window strategy" into the multitaper-MUSIC back-projection technique and significantly mitigate the "swimming artifact" at high frequencies (1 s to 4 s). At lower frequencies, this modification yields notable, but significantly smaller, artifacts than time-domain stacking. We perform extensive synthetic tests that include a 3D regional velocity model for Japan. We analyze the recordings of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake at the USArray and at the European array at periods from 1 s to 16 s. The migration of the source location as a function of period, regardless of the back-projection methods, has characteristics that are consistent with the expected effect of the "swimming artifact". In particular, the apparent up-dip migration as a function of frequency obtained with the USArray can be explained by the "swimming artifact". This indicates that the most substantial frequency-dependence of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake source occurs at periods longer than 16 s. Thus, low-frequency back-projection needs to be further tested and validated in order to contribute to the characterization of frequency-dependent rupture properties.

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Enabling cross-disciplinary research by linking data to Open Access publications

Science.gov (United States)

Rettberg, N.

2012-04-01

OpenAIREplus focuses on the linking of research data to associated publications. The interlinking of research objects has implications for optimising the research process, allowing the sharing, enrichment and reuse of data, and ultimately serving to make open data an essential part of first class research. The growing call for more concrete data management and sharing plans, apparent at funder and national level, is complemented by the increasing support for a scientific infrastructure that supports the seamless access to a range of research materials. This paper will describe the recently launched OpenAIREplus and will detail how it plans to achieve its goals of developing an Open Access participatory infrastructure for scientific information. OpenAIREplus extends the current collaborative OpenAIRE project, which provides European researchers with a service network for the deposit of peer-reviewed FP7 grant-funded Open Access publications. This new project will focus on opening up the infrastructure to data sources from subject-specific communities to provide metadata about research data and publications, facilitating the linking between these objects. The ability to link within a publication out to a citable database, or other research data material, is fairly innovative and this project will enable users to search, browse, view, and create relationships between different information objects. In this regard, OpenAIREplus will build on prototypes of so-called "Enhanced Publications", originally conceived in the DRIVER-II project. OpenAIREplus recognizes the importance of representing the context of publications and datasets, thus linking to resources about the authors, their affiliation, location, project data and funding. The project will explore how links between text-based publications and research data are managed in different scientific fields. This complements a previous study in OpenAIRE on current disciplinary practices and future needs for infrastructural

Physical Samples Linked Data in Action

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, P.; Arko, R. A.; Lehnert, K.; Bristol, S.

2017-12-01

Most data and metadata related to physical samples currently reside in isolated relational databases driven by diverse data models. How to approach the challenge for sharing, interchanging and integrating data from these difference relational databases motivated us to publish Linked Open Data for collections of physical samples, using Semantic Web technologies including the Resource Description Framework (RDF), RDF Query Language (SPARQL), and Web Ontology Language (OWL). In last few years, we have released four knowledge graphs concentrated on physical samples, including System for Earth Sample Registration (SESAR), USGS National Geochemical Database (NGDC), Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), and Earthchem Database. Currently the four knowledge graphs contain over 12 million facets (triples) about objects of interest to the geoscience domain. Choosing appropriate domain ontologies for representing context of data is the core of the whole work. Geolink ontology developed by Earthcube Geolink project was used as top level to represent common concepts like person, organization, cruise, etc. Physical sample ontology developed by Interdisciplinary Earth Data Alliance (IEDA) and Darwin Core vocabulary were used as second level to describe details about geological samples and biological diversity. We also focused on finding and building best tool chains to support the whole life cycle of publishing linked data we have, including information retrieval, linked data browsing and data visualization. Currently, Morph, Virtuoso Server, LodView, LodLive, and YASGUI were employed for converting, storing, representing, and querying data in a knowledge base (RDF triplestore). Persistent digital identifier is another main point we concentrated on. Open Researcher & Contributor IDs (ORCIDs), International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSNs), Global Research Identifier Database (GRID) and other persistent identifiers were used to link different resources from various graphs with

Shared psychological characteristics that are linked to aggression between patients with Internet addiction and those with alcohol dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Jae Yeon; Choi, Jung-Seok; Gwak, Ah Reum; Jung, Dawn; Choi, Sam-Wook; Lee, Jaewon; Lee, Jun-Young; Jung, Hee Yeon; Kim, Dai Jin

2014-02-21

Internet addiction (IA) is considered as one of behavioral addictions. Although common neurobiological mechanisms have been suggested to underlie behavioral addiction and substance dependence, few studies have directly compared IA with substance dependence, such as alcohol dependence (AD). We compared patients with IA, AD, and healthy controls (HC) in terms of the Five Factor Model of personality and with regard to impulsiveness, anger expression, and mood to explore psychological factors that are linked to aggression. All patients were treatment-seeking and had moderate-to-severe symptoms. The IA and AD groups showed a lower level of agreeableness and higher levels of neuroticism, impulsivity, and anger expression compared with the HC group, which are characteristics related to aggression. The addiction groups showed lower levels of extraversion, openness to experience, and conscientiousness and were more depressive and anxious than the HCs, and the severity of IA and AD symptoms was positively correlated with these types of psychopathology. IA and AD are similar in terms of personality, temperament, and emotion, and they share common characteristics that may lead to aggression. Our findings suggest that strategies to reduce aggression in patients with IA are necessary and that IA and AD are closely related and should be dealt with as having a close nosological relationship.

Blind links, a big challenge in the linked data idea: Analysis of Persian Subject Headings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atefeh Sharif

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In this survey, Linked data concept as exposing, sharing, and connecting pieces of data, information, and knowledge on the Semantic Web and some potential problems in converting Persian subject headings (PSHs Records into linked data were discussed. A data set (11233 records of PSHs was searched in three information retrieval systems including National Library of Iran (NLI online catalog, Library of Congress (LC online catalog and NOSA books. Correct links between Persian and English subject headings in the 9519 common records of two catalogs were recorded. The results indicate that the links between Persian and English subjects in 20% of records were failed. The maximum error was associated with the anonymous databases (6/7 % in NLI online catalog. It is recommended to preprocess the PSHs records before any conversion projects. It seems that, during the preprocessing, the potential errors could be identified and corrected.

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Physician Introduction to Opioids for Pain Among Patients with Opioid Dependence and Depressive Symptoms

Science.gov (United States)

Tsui, Judith I.; Herman, Debra S.; Kettavong, Malyna; Alford, Daniel; Anderson, Bradley J.; Stein, Michael D.

2011-01-01

This study determined the frequency of reporting being introduced to opioids by a physician among opioid dependent patients. Cross-sectional analyses were performed using baseline data from a cohort of opioid addicts seeking treatment with buprenorphine. The primary outcome was response to the question: “Who introduced you to opiates?” Covariates included sociodemographics, depression, pain, current and prior substance use. Of 140 participants, 29% reported that they had been introduced to opioids by a physician. Of those who were introduced to opioids by a physician, all indicated that they had initially used opioids for pain, versus only 11% of those who did not report being introduced to opioids by a physician (p<0.01). There was no difference in current pain (78% vs. 85%, p=0.29), however participants who were introduced to opioids by a physician were more likely to have chronic pain (63% vs. 43%, p=0.04). A substantial proportion of individuals with opioid dependence seeking treatment may have been introduced to opioids by a physician. PMID:20727704

Characterization of the degree of cross-linking in radiation cross-linked low and high density polyethylenes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Posselt, K.; Haedrich, W.

1986-01-01

In practice the cross-linking of irradiated polyethylene is mostly characterized by solubility and thermomechanical data. The irradiation of samples of a LDPE and a HDPE yields very different gel-dose curves. But for a quantitative comparison the complicated connection between the gel values and the corresponding densities of cross-links, especially the dependence on the initial molecular size distribution, has to take into consideration. The analysis of the solubility data according to the statistical theory of cross-linking developed by Inokuti and Saito shows that at equal doses in both investigated PE types in spite of the different gel values nearly the same densities of cross-links are present. That result is confirmed by the densities of cross-links determined from stress-strain measurements at 423 K. (author)

Enzyme II/sup Mtl/ of the Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system: identification of the activity-linked cysteine on the mannitol carrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pas, H.H.; Robillard, G.T.

1988-01-01

The cysteine of the membrane-bound mannitol-specific enzyme II (EII/sup Mtl/) of the Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system have been labeled with 4-vinylpyridine. After proteolytic breakdown and reversed-phase HPLC, the peptides containing cysteines 110, 384, and 571 could be identified. N-Ethylmaleimide (NEM) treatment of the native unphosphorylated enzyme results in incorporation of one NEM label per molecule and loss of enzymatic activity. NEM treatment and inactivation prevented 4-vinylpyridine incorporation into the Cys-384-containing peptide, identifying this residue as the activity-linked cysteine. Both oxidation and phosphorylation of the native enzyme protected the enzyme against NEM labeling of Cys-384. Positive identification of the activity-linked cysteine was accomplished by inactivation with [ 14 C]iodoacetamide, proteolytic fragmentation, isolation of the peptide, and amino acid sequencing

WITHDRAWN: Carbamazepine for cocaine dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima Reisser, Anelise A R L; Silva de Lima, Mauricio; Soares, Bernardo Garcia de Oliveira; Farrell, Michael

2009-01-21

Cocaine dependence has become a public health problem, developing a significant number of medical, psychological and social problems. Although there is no consensus regarding how to treat cocaine dependence, effective pharmacotherapy has a potentially major role to play as part of a broader treatment milieu. The anti-convulsant carbamazepine, a tricyclic medication that is widely used to treat a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders, has been used for treatment of cocaine dependence, although its effectiveness has not been established. To determine whether carbamazepine is effective for the treatment of cocaine dependence. We searched: Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Cochrane Library issue 1, 1999), MEDLINE (f1966 - October 1997), EMBASE (1980 - October 1997), PsycLIT (1974 - July 1997), Biological Abstracts and LILACS (1982 - 1997); scan of reference list of relevant articles; personal communication; conference abstracts; unpublished trials from pharmaceutical industry; book chapters on treatment of cocaine dependence. The specialised register of trials of Cochrane Group on Drugs and Alcohol until February 2003. All randomised controlled trials focused on the use of carbamazepine versus placebo on the treatment of cocaine dependence. Trials including patients with additional diagnosis such as opiate dependence were also eligible. The reviewers extracted the data independently, Odds Ratios, weighted mean difference and number needed to treat were estimated. Qualitative assessments of the methodology of eligible studies were carried out using validated checklists. The reviewers assumed that people who died or dropped out had no improvement and tested the sensitivity of the final results to this assumption. Where possible analysis was carried out according to the "intention to treat" principles. 5 studies were included (455 participants). No differences regarding positive urine sample for cocaine metabolites. Scores on Spielberg State Anxiety

Transforming the Medical Subject Headings into Linked Data: Creating the Authorized Version of MeSH in RDF.

Science.gov (United States)

Bushman, Barbara; Anderson, David; Fu, Gang

In February 2014 the National Library of Medicine formed the Linked Data Infrastructure Working Group to investigate the potential for publishing linked data, determine best practices for publishing linked data, and prioritize linked data projects, beginning with transforming the Medical Subject Headings as a linked data pilot. This article will review the pilot project to convert the Medical Subject Headings from XML to RDF. It will discuss the collaborative process, the technical and organizational issues tackled, and the future of linked data at the library.

Linking Multiple Databases: Term Project Using "Sentences" DBMS.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Ronald S.; Rainwater, Stephen B.

This paper describes a methodology for use in teaching an introductory Database Management System (DBMS) course. Students master basic database concepts through the use of a multiple component project implemented in both relational and associative data models. The associative data model is a new approach for designing multi-user, Web-enabled…

Link-topic model for biomedical abbreviation disambiguation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seonho; Yoon, Juntae

2015-02-01

The ambiguity of biomedical abbreviations is one of the challenges in biomedical text mining systems. In particular, the handling of term variants and abbreviations without nearby definitions is a critical issue. In this study, we adopt the concepts of topic of document and word link to disambiguate biomedical abbreviations. We newly suggest the link topic model inspired by the latent Dirichlet allocation model, in which each document is perceived as a random mixture of topics, where each topic is characterized by a distribution over words. Thus, the most probable expansions with respect to abbreviations of a given abstract are determined by word-topic, document-topic, and word-link distributions estimated from a document collection through the link topic model. The model allows two distinct modes of word generation to incorporate semantic dependencies among words, particularly long form words of abbreviations and their sentential co-occurring words; a word can be generated either dependently on the long form of the abbreviation or independently. The semantic dependency between two words is defined as a link and a new random parameter for the link is assigned to each word as well as a topic parameter. Because the link status indicates whether the word constitutes a link with a given specific long form, it has the effect of determining whether a word forms a unigram or a skipping/consecutive bigram with respect to the long form. Furthermore, we place a constraint on the model so that a word has the same topic as a specific long form if it is generated in reference to the long form. Consequently, documents are generated from the two hidden parameters, i.e. topic and link, and the most probable expansion of a specific abbreviation is estimated from the parameters. Our model relaxes the bag-of-words assumption of the standard topic model in which the word order is neglected, and it captures a richer structure of text than does the standard topic model by considering

Ecstasy (MDMA) dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Jansen, K L

1999-01-07

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is generally described as non-addictive. However, this report describes three cases in which criteria for dependence were met. A wider understanding that MDMA can be addictive in rare cases is important as very heavy use may cause lasting neuronal changes. This risk could be reduced with effective identification and treatment of dependent persons. In one case dependence was linked with self-medication of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Angular momentum projected wave-functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bengtsson, R.; Haakansson, H.B.

1978-01-01

Angular momentum projection has become a vital link between intrinsic model-wavefunctions and the physical states one intends to describe. We discuss in general terms some aspects of angular momentum projection and present results from projection on e.g. cranking wavefunctions. Mass densities and spectroscopic factors are also presented for some cases. (author)

Project Cost Estimation for Planning

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-26

For Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), there are far too many projects that ultimately cost much more than initially planned. Because project nominations are linked to estimates of future funding and the analysis of system needs, the inaccur...

The Leeds Evaluation of Efficacy of Detoxification Study (LEEDS project: An open-label pragmatic randomised control trial comparing the efficacy of differing therapeutic agents for primary care detoxification from either street heroin or methadone [ISRCTN07752728

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheard Laura

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Heroin is a synthetic opioid with an extensive illicit market leading to large numbers of people becoming addicted. Heroin users often present to community treatment services requesting detoxification and in the UK various agents are used to control symptoms of withdrawal. Dissatisfaction with methadone detoxification 8 has lead to the use of clonidine, lofexidine, buprenorphine and dihydrocodeine; however, there remains limited evaluative research. In Leeds, a city of 700,000 people in the North of England, dihydrocodeine is the detoxification agent of choice. Sublingual buprenorphine, however, is being introduced. The comparative value of these two drugs for helping people successfully and comfortably withdraw from heroin has never been compared in a randomised trial. Additionally, there is a paucity of research evaluating interventions among drug users in the primary care setting. This study seeks to address this by randomising drug users presenting in primary care to receive either dihydrocodeine or buprenorphine. Methods/design The Leeds Evaluation of Efficacy of Detoxification Study (LEEDS project is a pragmatic randomised trial which will compare the open use of buprenorphine with dihydrocodeine for illicit opiate detoxification, in the UK primary care setting. The LEEDS project will involve consenting adults and will be run in specialist general practice surgeries throughout Leeds. The primary outcome will be the results of a urine opiate screening at the end of the detoxification regimen. Adverse effects and limited data to three and six months will be acquired.

The phosphorylation-dependent regulation of nuclear SREBP1 during mitosis links lipid metabolism and cell growth

Science.gov (United States)

Bengoechea-Alonso, Maria Teresa; Ericsson, Johan

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The SREBP transcription factors are major regulators of lipid metabolism. Disturbances in lipid metabolism are at the core of several health issues facing modern society, including cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. In addition, the role of lipid metabolism in cancer cell growth is receiving increased attention. Transcriptionally active SREBP molecules are unstable and rapidly degraded in a phosphorylation-dependent manner by Fbw7, a ubiquitin ligase that targets several cell cycle regulatory proteins for degradation. We have previously demonstrated that active SREBP1 is stabilized during mitosis. We have now delineated the mechanisms involved in the stabilization of SREBP1 in mitotic cells. This process is initiated by the phosphorylation of a specific serine residue in nuclear SREBP1 by the mitotic kinase Cdk1. The phosphorylation of this residue creates a docking site for a separate mitotic kinase, Plk1. Plk1 interacts with nuclear SREBP1 in mitotic cells and phosphorylates a number of residues in the C-terminal domain of the protein, including a threonine residue in close proximity of the Fbw7 docking site in SREBP1. The phosphorylation of these residues by Plk1 blocks the interaction between SREBP1 and Fbw7 and attenuates the Fbw7-dependent degradation of nuclear SREBP1 during cell division. Inactivation of SREBP1 results in a mitotic defect, suggesting that SREBP1 could regulate cell division. We propose that the mitotic phosphorylation and stabilization of nuclear SREBP1 during cell division provides a link between lipid metabolism and cell proliferation. Thus, the current study provides additional support for the emerging hypothesis that SREBP-dependent lipid metabolism may be important for cell growth. PMID:27579997

Looking back over the LHC Project

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

Have you always wanted to delve into the history of the phenomenal LHC Project? Well, now you can. A chronological history of the LHC Project is now available on the web. It traces the Project's key milestones, from its first approval in 1994 to the most recent spectacular transport operations for detector components. The photographs used to illustrate these events are linked to the CDS database, allowing visitors who wish to do so the opportunity to download them or to search for photographs associated with subjects that are of interest to them. To explore the history of the LHC Project, go to the CERN Public Welcome page and click on 'LHC Milestones' or simply go directly to the following link: http://cern.ch/LHC-Milestones/

Energy consumption projection of Nepal: An econometric approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parajuli, Ranjan; Østergaard, Poul A.; Dalgaard, Tommy

2014-01-01

In energy dependent economies, energy consumption is often linked with the growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Energy intensity, defined herewith, as the ratio of the total primary energy consumption (TPE) to the GDP, is a useful concept for understanding the relation between energy demand...... and economic development. The scope of this article is to assess the future primary energy consumption of Nepal, and the projection is carried out along with the formulation of simple linear logarithmic energy consumption models. This initiates with a hypothesis that energy consumption is dependent...... with the national macro-economic parameters. To test the hypothesis, nexus between energy consumption and possible determinant variables are examined. Status of energy consumption between the period of 1996 and 2009, and for the same period, growth of economic parameters are assessed. Three scenarios are developed...

Comparison of Experienced Violence in Women with Opiate-Dependent and Stimulant-Dependent Husbands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neda Ahmadpour

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Opium and stimulants are two kinds of illegal substances which are different from each other in chemical structure, psychological and biological effects (material, and their potential adverse effects on consumers. The present study compares the effect of abuse of each of the two (opium and stimulants on violent behavior against wives. Materials & Methods: The present study was a non-experimental and comparative study. The study sample included 100 spouses of men addicted to opium and stimulants (50 opium and 50 stimulant addicts who attended governmental or non-governmental centers or camps in Tehran city (from October 2011 to January 2012, in order to receive professional assistances. (Both groups of subjects were selected by convenient sampling method to ensure the compatibility with input and output data. The “revised conflict tactics scale” was used to assess the rates of violence (psychological, sexual coercion, negotiation, injury and physical assault exerted by men. Results were analyzed using multi-variety analysis of variance and covariance. Results: Results showed that after controlling the age as a covariate, consumers of stimulants (especially methamphetamine were more violent toward their wives than were consumers of opium (P&le0.001. There were also significant differences between the two groups in the psychological, sexual coercion, injury and physical assault subscales, but not in the negotiation subscale (P&le0.05. Conclusion: It seems that the psychopharmacological effect of stimulants leads to more violent behaviors in its consumers (especially by methamphetamine than in consumers of opium.

[Quality of life among people addicted to psychoactive substances participating in the opiate substitution treatment].

Science.gov (United States)

Kotwas, Artur; Karakiewicz, Beata; Sein Anand, Jacek

2014-01-01

Opiate addiction remains a major threat to public health worldwide. It also had a number of negative consequences for the psychosocial and economic functioning of abusers. One of the most common addiction treatment method is maintenance methadone therapy. An important part of evaluating the effectiveness of the participation of a person addicted to methadone treatment is to assess the quality of life determined by participation in substitution therapy. Quality of life of persons addicted to psychoactive substances determined by socio-demographic situation. The study involved 234 outpatient addicts included in the methadone maintenance treatment programs in Szczecin, Warsaw and Lublin. It was based on a diagnostic survey performed using an original questionnaire and the SF-36 v2. In a research of subjective qual- ity of life, respondents obtained results at the level sufficient, higher values were obtained in the domains of physical than mental health. Respondents from Szczecin and Warszawa scored higher, statistically significant, the assessment than patients from Lublin. 1. Variation of respondents quality of life was conditioned by the place of performance of therapy. 2. Respondents had the greatest disparity in the subjective evaluation of physical and mental health. 3. Age was an important factor affecting the marks obtained by the respondents in the SF-36 v2.

Does assessing project work enhance the validity of qualifications? The case of GCSE coursework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victoria Crisp

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This paper begins by describing current views on validity and how certain assessment forms, such as school-based project work, may enhance validity. It then touches on debates about the dependability of assessment by teachers. GCSEs and GCSE coursework are then described along with the reasons for the inclusion of coursework in many GCSEs. Crooks, Kane and Cohen’s (1996 chain model of eight linked stages of validity enquiry is then used as a structure within which to consider the validity of project work assessments, and specifically GCSE coursework assessment, drawing on the available literature. Strengths for validity include the ability to assess objectives that are difficult to test in written examinations, promoting additional skills such as critical thinking, creativity and independent thinking, and improving motivation. Possible threats to validity include the potential for internet and other types of plagiarism, tasks becoming overly structured and formulaic thus reducing the positive impact on learning, and the potentially heavy workload for teachers and students. The paper concludes by describing current policy changes in the UK with regard to GCSE coursework and relates this to strong and weak validity links for project work as a mode of assessment.

The effect of various opiate receptor agonists on the seizure threshold in the rat. Is dynorphin an endogenous anticonvulsant?

Science.gov (United States)

Przewłocka, B; Stala, L; Lasoń, W; Przewłocki, R

1983-01-01

The effects of various opiate receptor agonists on the seizure threshold after an intravenous infusion of pentylenetetrazol were investigated in rats. The mu- and epsilon-receptor agonists, morphine (20-40 micrograms) and beta-endorphin (5-10 micrograms) show proconvulsant properties towards clonic and tonic seizures. The delta-receptor agonist (D-Ala2,D-Leu5-enkephalin, DADL 5-40 micrograms) and alpha-neoendorphin (20-40 micrograms) show pro- and anticonvulsant properties towards clonic and tonic seizures, respectively. Anticonvulsant properties of DADL are possibly due to its action on the spinal cord, since after the intrathecal injection this effect is still observed. Similarities between DADL and alpha-neoendorphin suggest that they may act through the same receptor. The kappa-receptor agonist dynorphin A (5-20 micrograms) and its degradation-resistant analogue D-Arg-dynorphin1-13 (10 micrograms) show significant anticonvulsant properties. Our present results suggest that the kappa-receptor agonist dynorphin may act physiologically as an endogenous anticonvulsant, in contrast to other opioid peptides.

REDEN: Named Entity Linking in Digital Literary Editions Using Linked Data Sets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Brando

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a graph-based Named Entity Linking (NEL algorithm named REDEN for the disambiguation of authors’ names in French literary criticism texts and scientific essays from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The algorithm is described and evaluated according to the two phases of NEL as reported in current state of the art, namely, candidate retrieval and candidate selection. REDEN leverages knowledge from different Linked Data sources in order to select candidates for each author mention, subsequently crawls data from other Linked Data sets using equivalence links (e.g., owl:sameAs, and, finally, fuses graphs of homologous individuals into a non-redundant graph well-suited for graph centrality calculation; the resulting graph is used for choosing the best referent. The REDEN algorithm is distributed in open-source and follows current standards in digital editions (TEI and semantic Web (RDF. Its integration into an editorial workflow of digital editions in Digital humanities and cultural heritage projects is entirely plausible. Experiments are conducted along with the corresponding error analysis in order to test our approach and to help us to study the weaknesses and strengths of our algorithm, thereby to further improvements of REDEN.

How is success or failure in river restoration projects evaluated? Feedback from French restoration projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Morandi, Bertrand; Piégay, Hervé; Lamouroux, Nicolas; Vaudor, Lise

2014-05-01

Since the 1990s, French operational managers and scientists have been involved in the environmental restoration of rivers. The European Water Framework Directive (2000) highlights the need for feedback from restoration projects and for evidence-based evaluation of success. Based on 44 French pilot projects that included such an evaluation, the present study includes: 1) an introduction to restoration projects based on their general characteristics 2) a description of evaluation strategies and authorities in charge of their implementation, and 3) a focus on the evaluation of results and the links between these results and evaluation strategies. The results show that: 1) the quality of an evaluation strategy often remains too poor to understand well the link between a restoration project and ecological changes; 2) in many cases, the conclusions drawn are contradictory, making it difficult to determine the success or failure of a restoration project; and 3) the projects with the poorest evaluation strategies generally have the most positive conclusions about the effects of restoration. Recommendations are that evaluation strategies should be designed early in the project planning process and be based on clearly-defined objectives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PERIPHERAL IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPPRESSION IN EARLY ABSTINENT ALCOHOL DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS: LINKS TO STRESS AND CUE-RELATED CRAVING

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Helen C; Milivojevic, Verica; Angarita, Gustavo A; Stowe, Raymond; Sinha, Rajita

2017-01-01

Background Peripheral immune system cytokines may play an integral role in underlying sensitized stress response and alcohol craving during early withdrawal. To date, the nature of these immune changes during early abstinence have not been examined. Methods Thirty-nine early abstinent, treatment-seeking alcohol dependent individuals and 46 socially drinking controls were exposed to three guided imageries: stress, alcohol cue and neutral. These were presented randomly across consecutive days. Plasma measures of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10), were collected at baseline, immediately after imagery and at various recovery time-points. Ratings of alcohol craving, negative mood and anxiety were also obtained at the same time-points. Results The alcohol group demonstrated decreased basal IL-10 compared with controls particularly following exposure to alcohol cue. They also showed a dampened TNFα and TNFR1 response to stress and cue, respectively, and a generalized suppression of IL-6. In the alcohol group, these immune system adaptations occurred alongside significant elevations in anxiety, negative mood and alcohol craving. Conclusions Findings demonstrate that broad immuno-suppression is still observed in alcohol dependent individuals after three weeks of abstinence and may be linked to motivation for alcohol. PMID:28675117

Linking Theory with Practice: Undergraduate Project Management with School-Age Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Falkenberg, Loren; Russell, Randy; Ricker, Lynne

2000-01-01

Management students taught basic business concepts to sixth graders and managed business projects with them. The management students applied knowledge of marketing, human resources, and operations management and developed reflective learning skills through project reports and coaching sessions. (SK)

Correlation of stable elevations in striatal mu-opioid receptor availability in detoxified alcoholic patients with alcohol craving: a positron emission tomography study using carbon 11-labeled carfentanil.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinz, Andreas; Reimold, Matthias; Wrase, Jana; Hermann, Derik; Croissant, Bernhard; Mundle, Götz; Dohmen, Bernhard M; Braus, Dieter F; Braus, Dieter H; Schumann, Gunter; Machulla, Hans-Jürgen; Bares, Roland; Mann, Karl

2005-01-01

The pleasant effects of food and alcohol intake are partially mediated by mu-opiate receptors in the ventral striatum, a central area of the brain reward system. Blockade of mu-opiate receptors with naltrexone reduces the relapse risk among some but not all alcoholic individuals. To test the hypothesis that alcohol craving is pronounced among alcoholic individuals with a high availability of mu-opiate receptors in the brain reward system. Patients and comparison sample. The availability of central mu-opiate receptors was measured in vivo with positron emission tomography (PET) and the radioligand carbon 11-labeled carfentanil in the ventral striatum and compared with the severity of alcohol craving as assessed by the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). Hospitalized care. Volunteer sample of 25 male alcohol-dependent inpatients assessed after detoxification of whom 12 underwent PET again 5 weeks later. Control group of 10 healthy men. After 1 to 3 weeks of abstinence, the availability of mu-opiate receptors in the ventral striatum, including the nucleus accumbens, was significantly elevated in alcoholic patients compared with healthy controls and remained elevated when 12 alcoholic patients had these levels measured 5 weeks later (P<.05 corrected for multiple testing). Higher availability of mu-opiate receptors in this brain area correlated significantly with the intensity of alcohol craving as assessed by the OCDS. Abstinent alcoholic patients displayed an increase in mu-opiate receptors in the ventral striatum, including the nucleus accumbens, which correlated with the severity of alcohol craving. These findings point to a neuronal correlate of alcohol urges.

Selling and Building Linked Data: Drive Value and Gain Momentum

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Kristen

Data inside enterprises is exploding. Routinely key decision makers state, "one of the most valuable assets of our organization is actionable information." Paradoxically, it is often challenging to gather the necessary metrics to build a business case to justify a Linked Data initiative for improved data quality in the face of the well-documented shortcomings of traditional enterprise approaches to data management. Internet standards have matured considerably in the last decade. The number of linked data sets is growing daily and already exceeds well in excess of ten thousand data sets, over 400 of which are published via the US Government at gov as of April 2010. Many of these linked data sets are high quality. Best practices for linking data within the enterprise are increasingly being published in articles, blogs and technical books. One of the pioneering linked enterprise data projects was undertaken by a Fortune 500 company in the early 2000 timeframe. The lessons learned about how to navigate the management and organizational dynamics are relevant today. This chapter outlines the successful strategies for a linked enterprise data initiative, including a consistent metadata management strategy across lines of business, definition and documentation of data ownership and the value of cross-functional teams in the definition, development and deployment of the project.

Communication, coordination and cooperation in construction projects: business environment and human behaviours

Science.gov (United States)

Salah Alaloul, Wesam; Shahir Liew, Mohd; Zawawi, Noor Amila Wan

2017-12-01

The accomplishment of construction projects is extremely dependent on the integration of several stakeholders; therefore none of them has the control or the ability to accomplish the project alone. Each of them may influence and be influenced by the project management approach. There is no comprehensive theoretical platform for defining Communication, Coordination and Cooperation (3Cs) in the management of construction project. This paper deliberates the function of the 3Cs different theoretical perceptions. Through an analysis of selected articles from reputable academic journals in construction management, the business environment and human behaviour were identified as two main parts. A little has been done so far about the 3Cs, and how they are correlated with construction projects performance. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to explain the definitions and the association between the 3Cs. There is a significant link between communication and coordination. Coordination alternatively, is trust-based a logic of mutual and exchange. Consequently, cooperation is much more sophisticated, which needing more time and attempts.

Dopamine in the Brain: Hypothesizing Surfeit or Deficit Links to Reward and Addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Blum, Kenneth; Thanos, Peter K; Oscar-Berman, Marlene; Febo, Marcelo; Baron, David; Badgaiyan, Rajendra D; Gardner, Eliot; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Fahlke, Claudia; Haberstick, Brett C; Dushaj, Kristina; Gold, Mark S

Recently there has been debate concerning the role of brain dopamine in reward and addiction. David Nutt and associates eloquently proposed that dopamine (DA) may be central to psycho stimulant dependence and some what important for alcohol, but not important for opiates, nicotine or even cannabis. Others have also argued that surfeit theories can explain for example cocaine seeking behavior as well as non-substance-related addictive behaviors. It seems prudent to distinguish between what constitutes "surfeit" compared to" deficit" in terms of short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) brain reward circuitry responsivity. In an attempt to resolve controversy regarding the contributions of mesolimbic DA systems to reward, we review the three main competing explanatory categories: "liking", "learning", and "wanting". They are (a) the hedonic impact -liking reward, (b) the ability to predict rewarding effects-learning and (c) the incentive salience of reward-related stimuli -wanting. In terms of acute effects, most of the evidence seems to favor the "surfeit theory". Due to preferential dopamine release at mesolimbic-VTA-caudate-accumbens loci most drugs of abuse and Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) behaviors have been linked to heightened feelings of well-being and hyperdopaminergic states.The "dopamine hypotheses" originally thought to be simple, is now believed to be quite complex and involves encoding the set point of hedonic tone, encoding attention, reward expectancy, and incentive motivation. Importantly, Willuhn et al. shows that in a self-administration paradigm, (chronic) excessive use of cocaine is caused by decreased phasic dopamine signaling in the striatum. In terms of chronic addictions, others have shown a blunted responsivity at brain reward sites with food, nicotine, and even gambling behavior. Finally, we are cognizant of the differences in dopaminergic function as addiction progresses and argue that relapse may be tied to dopamine deficiency

Linking project-based production and project management temporary systems in multiple contexts: An introduction to the special edition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leon AG Oerlemans

2014-02-01

Full Text Available As organisations in more and more industries look for flexible ways of production in the wake of rapidly changing market environments, project-based organising is becoming an increasingly important mode of organisation (Eisenhardt & Tabrizi, 1995. Whereas project-based organisation was traditionally mainly the domain of industries such as film making (Sorenson & Waguespack, 2006, theatre (Goodman & Goodman, 1976, and construction (Gann & Salter, 2000, a project-based mode of operation has recently pervaded many other sectors in the economy, including software development, advertising, biotechnology, consulting, emergency response, fashion, television and complex products and systems (Grabher, 2004; Hobday, 2000. This increasing prevalence is reflected in an exponentially growing body of research (Bakker, 2010, which has made marked progress in areas such as project-based learning (Prencipe & Tell, 2001, project-based innovation (Eisenhardt & Tabrizi, 1995 and project-based careers (Jones, 1996. As a consequence, research on project organisation has moved from being a narrow specialty domain toward being a broad research paradigm, attending to a broad audience in organisation science and beyond (Sydow et al., 2004. In a fairly recent review paper, Bakker (2010 shows that in the period 1988–2008 scholarly attention, as indicated by publications in books and ISI-indexed journals, grew exponentially (see Figure 1. Comparing the number of publications in the period 1988-1998 with the period 1998–2008, he observed an increase of almost 340%.

Pain, physical dependence and pseudoaddiction: redefining addiction for 'nice' people?

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Kirsten; Salmon, Amy

2009-03-01

The undertreatment of pain has increasingly been framed as both a public health problem and a human rights issue. The application of rights-based discourses to the field of pain management has provided an important means of critiquing "opiophobia" amongst healthcare professionals and challenging current criminal-legal and regulatory sanctions on the distribution of opiate medications. This movement would therefore appear to align with harm reduction advocacy and longstanding criticisms of international drug policies. However, discourses on pain management rest on moral as well as medical assumptions about who has pain and who needs drugs. In this paper, we critically examine discourses on pain management and addiction exemplified in academic and clinical literature produced by and for physicians providing guidance on the provision of opiates for the relief of chronic pain. Our analysis reveals that discourses on pain management and the right to pain relief reify distinctions between the 'deserving pain patient' and the 'undeserving addict', serving both to further stigmatise people labelled as 'addicts' and delegitimise claims to pain they might voice. Present efforts to secure access to pain relief as a human right are likely to undermine, rather than advance, the rights of so-called 'drug addicts'.

Urban rainfall estimation employing commercial microwave links

Science.gov (United States)

Overeem, Aart; Leijnse, Hidde; Uijlenhoet, Remko; ten Veldhuis, Marie-claire

2015-04-01

Urban areas often lack rainfall information. To increase the number of rainfall observations in cities, microwave links from operational cellular telecommunication networks may be employed. Although this new potential source of rainfall information has been shown to be promising, its quality needs to be demonstrated more extensively. In the Rain Sense kickstart project of the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), sensors and citizens are preparing Amsterdam for future weather. Part of this project is rainfall estimation using new measurement techniques. Innovative sensing techniques will be utilized such as rainfall estimation from microwave links, umbrellas for weather sensing, low-cost sensors at lamp posts and in drainage pipes for water level observation. These will be combined with information provided by citizens in an active way through smartphone apps and in a passive way through social media posts (Twitter, Flickr etc.). Sensor information will be integrated, visualized and made accessible to citizens to help raise citizen awareness of urban water management challenges and promote resilience by providing information on how citizens can contribute in addressing these. Moreover, citizens and businesses can benefit from reliable weather information in planning their social and commercial activities. In the end city-wide high-resolution rainfall maps will be derived, blending rainfall information from microwave links and weather radars. This information will be used for urban water management. This presentation focuses on rainfall estimation from commercial microwave links. Received signal levels from tens of microwave links within the Amsterdam region (roughly 1 million inhabitants) in the Netherlands are utilized to estimate rainfall with high spatial and temporal resolution. Rainfall maps will be presented and compared to a gauge-adjusted radar rainfall data set. Rainfall time series from gauge(s), radars and links will be compared.

Persistent Identifiers for Improved Accessibility for Linked Data Querying

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, A.; Chandler, C. L.; Arko, R. A.; Fils, D.; Jones, M. B.; Krisnadhi, A.; Mecum, B.

2016-12-01

The adoption of linked open data principles within the geosciences has increased the amount of accessible information available on the Web. However, this data is difficult to consume for those who are unfamiliar with Semantic Web technologies such as Web Ontology Language (OWL), Resource Description Framework (RDF) and SPARQL - the RDF query language. Consumers would need to understand the structure of the data and how to efficiently query it. Furthermore, understanding how to query doesn't solve problems of poor precision and recall in search results. For consumers unfamiliar with the data, full-text searches are most accessible, but not ideal as they arrest the advantages of data disambiguation and co-reference resolution efforts. Conversely, URI searches across linked data can deliver improved search results, but knowledge of these exact URIs may remain difficult to obtain. The increased adoption of Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) can lead to improved linked data querying by a wide variety of consumers. Because PIDs resolve to a single entity, they are an excellent data point for disambiguating content. At the same time, PIDs are more accessible and prominent than a single data provider's linked data URI. When present in linked open datasets, PIDs provide balance between the technical and social hurdles of linked data querying as evidenced by the NSF EarthCube GeoLink project. The GeoLink project, funded by NSF's EarthCube initiative, have brought together data repositories include content from field expeditions, laboratory analyses, journal publications, conference presentations, theses/reports, and funding awards that span scientific studies from marine geology to marine ecosystems and biogeochemistry to paleoclimatology.

Approximate spin projected spin-unrestricted density functional theory method: Application to diradical character dependences of second hyperpolarizabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakano, Masayoshi, E-mail: mnaka@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp; Minami, Takuya, E-mail: mnaka@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp; Fukui, Hitoshi, E-mail: mnaka@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp; Yoneda, Kyohei, E-mail: mnaka@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp; Shigeta, Yasuteru, E-mail: mnaka@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp; Kishi, Ryohei, E-mail: mnaka@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp [Department of Materials Engineering Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531 (Japan); Champagne, Benoît; Botek, Edith [Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique, Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix (FUNDP), rue de Bruxelles, 61, 5000 Namur (Belgium)

2015-01-22

We develop a novel method for the calculation and the analysis of the one-electron reduced densities in open-shell molecular systems using the natural orbitals and approximate spin projected occupation numbers obtained from broken symmetry (BS), i.e., spin-unrestricted (U), density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The performance of this approximate spin projection (ASP) scheme is examined for the diradical character dependence of the second hyperpolarizability (γ) using several exchange-correlation functionals, i.e., hybrid and long-range corrected UDFT schemes. It is found that the ASP-LC-UBLYP method with a range separating parameter μ = 0.47 reproduces semi-quantitatively the strongly-correlated [UCCSD(T)] result for p-quinodimethane, i.e., the γ variation as a function of the diradical character.

Temperature dependence of creep compliance of highly cross-linked epoxy: A molecular simulation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khabaz, Fardin; Khare, Ketan S.; Khare, Rajesh

2014-01-01

We have used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the effect of temperature on the creep compliance of neat cross-linked epoxy. Experimental studies of mechanical behavior of cross-linked epoxy in literature commonly report creep compliance values, whereas molecular simulations of these systems have primarily focused on the Young’s modulus. In this work, in order to obtain a more direct comparison between experiments and simulations, atomistically detailed models of the cross-linked epoxy are used to study their creep compliance as a function of temperature using MD simulations. The creep tests are performed by applying a constant tensile stress and monitoring the resulting strain in the system. Our results show that simulated values of creep compliance increase with an increase in both time and temperature. We believe that such calculations of the creep compliance, along with the use of time temperature superposition, hold great promise in connecting the molecular insight obtained from molecular simulation at small length- and time-scales with the experimental behavior of such materials. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first reported effort that investigates the creep compliance behavior of cross-linked epoxy using MD simulations

Different types of interactions of links in artificial and natural ecosystems under anthropogenic pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Somova, Lydia; Pisman, Tamara; Mikheeva, Galina; Pechurkin, Nickolay

The life of organisms in an ecosystem depends not only on abiotic factors, but also on the interaction of organisms in which they come with each other. The study of mechanisms of the bioregulation based on ecological - biochemical interactions of ecosystem links is necessary to know the ecosystem development, its stability, survival of ecosystem organisms. It is of high importance as for the creation of artificial ecosystems, and also for the study of natural ecosystems under anthropogenic pressure on them. To create well-functioning ecosystems is necessary to study and consider the basic types of relationships between organisms. The basic types of interactions between organisms have been studied with simple terrestrial and water ecosystems. 1. The interaction of microbiocenoses and plants were studied in experiments with agrocenoses. Microbiocenosis proposed for increase of productivity of plants and for obtaining ecologically pure production of plants has been created taking into account mutual relationships between species of microorganisms. 2. The experimental model of the atmosphere closed «autotroph - heterotroph» system in which heterotrophic link was the mixed population of yeasts (Candida utilis and Candida guilliermondii) was studied. The algae Chlorella vulgaris was used as an autotroph link. It was shown, that the competition result for heterotrophic link depended on strategy of populations of yeast in relation to a substrate and oxygen utilization. 3. As a result of experimental and theoretical modelling of a competition of algae Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus quadricauda at continuous cultivation, the impossibility of their coexistence in the conditions of limitation on nitrogen was shown. 4. Pray-predator interactions between algae (Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus quadricauda) and invertebrates (Paramecium caudatum, Brachionus plicatilis) were studied in experimental closed ecosystem. This work was partly supported by the Russian Foundation for

BID links ferroptosis to mitochondrial cell death pathways

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neitemeier, Sandra; Jelinek, Anja; Laino, Vincenzo; Hoffmann, Lena; Eisenbach, Ina; Eying, Roman; Ganjam, Goutham K; Dolga, Amalia M; Oppermann, Sina; Culmsee, Carsten

2017-01-01

Ferroptosis has been defined as an oxidative and iron-dependent pathway of regulated cell death that is distinct from caspase-dependent apoptosis and established pathways of death receptor-mediated regulated necrosis. While emerging evidence linked features of ferroptosis induced e.g. by

[Stabilizing the social and health status of drug dependent patients with methadone. Long-term maintainance therapy--Vienna results].

Science.gov (United States)

Loimer, N; Werner, E; Hollerer, E; Pfersmann, V; Schmid-Siegel, B; Presslich, O

1991-01-01

On September 25th, 1987 methadone was legalized in Austria for therapeutic use in drug addiction treatment in case of: 1. Long-term drug addiction with intravenous application of the drug, and several unsuccessful withdrawal therapies and/or 2. opiate addiction through intravenous application of the drug along with an existing HIV-1 infection. Since than, 291 patients were treated with methadone at the drug-dependency outpatient clinic of the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Vienna. In 1990, 96 patients treated for more than one year were investigated using a standardized questionnaire. The image in which crime, prostitution, poverty, ill health all merge was broken by this decriminalization. Methadone treatment offers a first step toward social rehabilitation for drug addicts who have been living as criminals on the fringe of society.

Projection-slice theorem based 2D-3D registration

Science.gov (United States)

van der Bom, M. J.; Pluim, J. P. W.; Homan, R.; Timmer, J.; Bartels, L. W.

2007-03-01

In X-ray guided procedures, the surgeon or interventionalist is dependent on his or her knowledge of the patient's specific anatomy and the projection images acquired during the procedure by a rotational X-ray source. Unfortunately, these X-ray projections fail to give information on the patient's anatomy in the dimension along the projection axis. It would be very profitable to provide the surgeon or interventionalist with a 3D insight of the patient's anatomy that is directly linked to the X-ray images acquired during the procedure. In this paper we present a new robust 2D-3D registration method based on the Projection-Slice Theorem. This theorem gives us a relation between the pre-operative 3D data set and the interventional projection images. Registration is performed by minimizing a translation invariant similarity measure that is applied to the Fourier transforms of the images. The method was tested by performing multiple exhaustive searches on phantom data of the Circle of Willis and on a post-mortem human skull. Validation was performed visually by comparing the test projections to the ones that corresponded to the minimal value of the similarity measure. The Projection-Slice Theorem Based method was shown to be very effective and robust, and provides capture ranges up to 62 degrees. Experiments have shown that the method is capable of retrieving similar results when translations are applied to the projection images.

Sub-national mapping of population pyramids and dependency ratios in Africa and Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Pezzulo, Carla; Hornby, Graeme M.; Sorichetta, Alessandro; Gaughan, Andrea E.; Linard, Catherine; Bird, Tomas J.; Kerr, David; Lloyd, Christopher T.; Tatem, Andrew J.

2017-07-01

The age group composition of populations varies substantially across continents and within countries, and is linked to levels of development, health status and poverty. The subnational variability in the shape of the population pyramid as well as the respective dependency ratio are reflective of the different levels of development of a country and are drivers for a country's economic prospects and health burdens. Whether measured as the ratio between those of working age and those young and old who are dependent upon them, or through separate young and old-age metrics, dependency ratios are often highly heterogeneous between and within countries. Assessments of subnational dependency ratio and age structure patterns have been undertaken for specific countries and across high income regions, but to a lesser extent across the low income regions. In the framework of the WorldPop Project, through the assembly of over 100 million records across 6,389 subnational administrative units, subnational dependency ratio and high resolution gridded age/sex group datasets were produced for 87 countries in Africa and Asia.

Employment-based abstinence reinforcement as a maintenance intervention for the treatment of cocaine dependence: post-intervention outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

DeFulio, Anthony; Silverman, Kenneth

2011-01-01

Aims Due to the chronicity of cocaine dependence, practical and effective maintenance interventions are needed to sustain long-term abstinence. We sought to assess the effects of long-term employment-based reinforcement of cocaine abstinence after discontinuation of the intervention. Design Participants who initiated sustained opiate and cocaine abstinence during a 6-month abstinence reinforcement and training program worked as data entry operators and were randomly assigned to a group that could work independent of drug use (Control, n = 24), or an abstinence-contingent employment (n = 27) group that was required to provide cocaine- and opiate-negative urine samples to work and maintain maximum rate of pay. Setting A nonprofit data entry business. Participants Unemployed welfare recipients who persistently used cocaine while in methadone treatment. Measurements Urine samples and self-reports were collected every six months for 30 months. Findings During the employment year, abstinence-contingent employment participants provided significantly more cocaine-negative samples than controls (82.7% and 54.2%; P = .01, OR = 4.61). During the follow-up year, the groups had similar rates of cocaine-negative samples (44.2% and 50.0%; P = .93), and HIV-risk behaviors. Participants’ social, employment, economic, and legal conditions were similar in the two groups across all phases of the study. Conclusions Employment-based reinforcement effectively maintains long-term cocaine abstinence, but many patients relapse to use when the abstinence contingency is discontinued, even after a year of abstinence-contingent employment. Relapse could be prevented in many patients by leaving employment-based abstinence reinforcement in place indefinitely, which could be facilitated by integrating it into typical workplaces. PMID:21226886

The African Proverbs Project and After

African Journals Online (AJOL)

rbr

links to others in Africa, Europe and America, are continuing this work on proverbs. Keywords: AFRICAN PROVERBS PROJECT, AFRICAN PROVERBS SERIES, PROVERB,. PAREMIOGRAPHY, PAREMIOLOGY. Opsomming: Die African Proverbs Project en daarna. Die Pew Charitable Trusts het die African Proverbs ...

The probability distribution of side-chain conformations in [Leu] and [Met]enkephalin determines the potency and selectivity to mu and delta opiate receptors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Bjørn Gilbert; Jensen, Morten Østergaard; Bohr, Henrik

2003-01-01

The structure of enkephalin, a small neuropeptide with five amino acids, has been simulated on computers using molecular dynamics. Such simulations exhibit a few stable conformations, which also have been identified experimentally. The simulations provide the possibility to perform cluster analysis...... in the space defined by potentially pharmacophoric measures such as dihedral angles, side-chain orientation, etc. By analyzing the statistics of the resulting clusters, the probability distribution of the side-chain conformations may be determined. These probabilities allow us to predict the selectivity...... of [Leu]enkephalin and [Met]enkephalin to the known mu- and delta-type opiate receptors to which they bind as agonists. Other plausible consequences of these probability distributions are discussed in relation to the way in which they may influence the dynamics of the synapse....

Implementation of the method of detection of cocaine, opiates and their metabolites in hair by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fallas Monge, Lilliana; Lopez Chacon, Jose Miguel

2009-01-01

A derivatization and optimized chromatographic method was developed to be used in routine analysis of samples. Three derivatizing were tested: propionic anhydride, HFBA and BSTFA. The BSTFA is what has given better results allowing the derivatization of all analytes of interest with a fragmentation pattern suitable for GC-MS analysis. The propyl benzoylecgonine and cocaine-D3 for cocaine and opiates nalorphine have been used as internal standards. A chromatographic method that had resolutions > 1.5 have been optimized between the chromatographic peaks of each analyte in a time of 12 minutes. The repeatability in the optimization of the method developed has been discussed in several variables: the relative standard deviation (RSD) for the areas has been 2 higher than 0.9974 and obtained a minimum LOD of 0.2 ng (6-MAN and BE) and a maximum of 5 ng (HE and ME). (author) [es

The Kreek-McHugh-Schluger-Kellogg scale: a new, rapid method for quantifying substance abuse and its possible applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Kellogg, Scott H; McHugh, Pauline F; Bell, Kathy; Schluger, James H; Schluger, Rosemary P; LaForge, K Steven; Ho, Ann; Kreek, Mary Jeanne

2003-03-01

The new Kreek-McHugh-Schluger-Kellogg scale ('KMSK scale') is designed to quantify self-exposure to opiates, cocaine, alcohol, and/or tobacco. Each section of the KMSK scale assesses the frequency, amount, and duration of use of a particular substance during the individual's period of greatest consumption. The scale also assesses the mode of use, whether the substance use is current or past, and whether each substance is the substance of choice. The administration time is under 5 min. In an initial validation study of this scale, 100 human subjects were administered the KMSK scale concurrently with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I DSM-IV version). The sensitivity and specificity were very good for opiates, cocaine, and alcohol use. In addition, the correlations between KMSK scores and the number of SCID-I criteria items met were excellent for opiates and cocaine and good for alcohol use. Nicotine dependence was not assessed in this study as there is no SCID-I nicotine criteria. These preliminary results show that the KMSK scale may have both construct validity similar to that of other established self-report measures and the potential to be an effective screening instrument for the assessment of a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol, opiate, or cocaine dependence. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.

The hELENa project - I. Stellar populations of early-type galaxies linked with local environment and galaxy mass

OpenAIRE

Sybilska, A.; Lisker, T.; Kuntschner, H.; Vazdekis, A.; van de Ven, G.; Peletier, R.; Falcón-Barroso, J.; Vijayaraghavan, R.; Janz, J.

2017-01-01

We present the first in a series of papers in T$h$e role of $E$nvironment in shaping $L$ow-mass $E$arly-type $N$earby g$a$laxies (hELENa) project. In this paper we combine our sample of 20 low-mass early types (dEs) with 258 massive early types (ETGs) from the ATLAS$^{\\mathrm{3D}}$ survey - all observed with the SAURON integral field unit (IFU) - to investigate early-type galaxies' stellar population scaling relations and the dependence of the population properties on local environment, exten...

Creation of a national resource with linked genealogy and phenotypic data: the Veterans Genealogy Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Cannon-Albright, Lisa A; Dintelman, Sue; Maness, Tim; Backus, Steve; Thomas, Alun; Meyer, Laurence J

2013-07-01

Creation of a genealogy of the United States and its ancestral populations is under way. When complete, this US genealogy will be record linked to the National Veteran's Health Administration medical data representing more than 8 million US veterans. Genealogical data are gathered from public sources, primarily the Internet. Record linking using data from relatives is accomplished to integrate multiple data sources and then to link genealogical data to the veteran's demographic data. This resource currently includes genealogy for more than 22 million individuals representing the Intermountain West and the East Coast. The demographic data for more than 40,000 veteran patients using Veterans Hospital Administration services in Utah and Massachusetts have already been record linked. The resource is only in its second year of creation and already represents the largest such combination of genealogy and medical data in the world. The data sources, the creation of the genealogy, record-linking methods and results, proposed genetic analyses, and future directions are discussed.

Why should we publish Linked Data?

Science.gov (United States)

Blower, Jon; Riechert, Maik; Koubarakis, Manolis; Pace, Nino

2016-04-01

publishing Linked Data will result in tangible user benefits. This presentation will address a number of these issues, using real-world experience gathered from four recent European projects: MELODIES (http://melodiesproject.eu), LEO (http://linkedeodata.eu), CHARMe (http://linkedeodata.eu) and TELEIOS (http://www.earthobservatory.eu). These projects have all applied Linked Data techniques in practical, real-world situations involving the use of diverse data (including earth science data) by both industrial and academic users. Specifically, we will: • Identify a set of practical and valuable uses for Linked Data, focusing on areas where Linked Data fills gaps left by other technologies. These uses include: enabling the discovery of earth science data using mass-market search engines, helping users to understand data and its uses, combining data from multiple sources and enabling the annotation of data by users. • Enumerate some common challenges faced by developers of data-driven services who wish to use Linked Data in their applications. • Describe a new suite of tools for managing, processing and visualising Linked Data in earth science applications (including geospatial Linked Data).

The Relationship between Childhood Maltreatment and Emotional Dysregulation in Self Mutilation: An Investigation among Substance Dependent Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Karagöz, Başak; Dağ, İhsan

2015-03-01

The present study aims to examine the role of emotion dysregulation and childhood maltreatment in self mutilation (SM) of substance dependent patients. Specifically, the present study examined whether emotion dysregulation and its dimensions, and childhood maltreatment and its dimensions were associated with SM. The relationship between emotion dysregulation and childhood maltreatment was also investigated. The sample of study consisted of 55 alcohol dependent and 24 opiate dependent patients (n=79). Substance dependence was diagnosed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID-I), Turkish version. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) were used. Findings indicated that substance dependents with SM and without SM were differentiated in terms of overall emotion dysregulation. Results also suggest the relevance of three specific dimensions of emotion dysregulation to SM: Difficulties engaging in goal-directed behaviors when experiencing negative emotions, difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions, and limited access to effective emotion regulation strategies. These dimensions were predicted from childhood emotional maltreatment and neglect. It is also revealed that substance dependents with SM had higher points than those without SM on emotional childhood maltreatment and neglect, physical childhood maltreatment. Results were supported by the literature suggested that self-mutilation functions as a emotional regulation strategy. Findings also suggested that self- mutilation is related to early relationships take place in family environment in which individuals grow up.

Projecting Timber Inventory at the Product Level

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence Teeter; Xiaoping Zhou

1999-01-01

Current timber inventory projections generally lack information on inventory by product classes. Most models available for inventory projection and linked to supply analyses are limited to projecting aggregate softwood and hardwood. The research presented describes a methodology for distributing the volume on each FIA (USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis...

Evaluation of intervention strategies for a road link in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Adey, B.T.; Lethanh, N.; Hartmann, Andreas; Viti, F.

2014-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of the impact hierarchy and the optimization model to determine the optimal intervention strategy for a road link composed of multiple objects. The paper focusses on the results of a case study of intervention project on A20 road link in

Linking project-based production and project management temporary systems in multiple contexts : An introduction to the special edition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oerlemans, L.A.G.; Pretorius, M.W.

2014-01-01

As organisations in more and more industries look for flexible ways of production in the wake of rapidly changing market environments, project-based organising is becoming an increasingly important mode of organisation (Eisenhardt & Tabrizi, 1995). Whereas project-based organisation was

Thickness dependence of nanofilm elastic modulus

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fedorchenko, Alexander I.; Wang, A. B.; Cheng, H.H.

2009-01-01

Roč. 94, č. 15 (2009), s. 152111-152113 ISSN 0003-6951 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : nanofilm * elastic modulus * thickness dependence Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.554, year: 2009 http://link.aip.org/link/?APPLAB/94/152111/1

Uncovering missing links with cold ends

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yu-Xiao; Lü, Linyuan; Zhang, Qian-Ming; Zhou, Tao

2012-11-01

To evaluate the performance of prediction of missing links, the known data are randomly divided into two parts, the training set and the probe set. We argue that this straightforward and standard method may lead to terrible bias, since in real biological and information networks, missing links are more likely to be links connecting low-degree nodes. We therefore study how to uncover missing links with low-degree nodes, namely links in the probe set are of lower degree products than a random sampling. Experimental analysis on ten local similarity indices and four disparate real networks reveals a surprising result that the Leicht-Holme-Newman index [E.A. Leicht, P. Holme, M.E.J. Newman, Vertex similarity in networks, Phys. Rev. E 73 (2006) 026120] performs the best, although it was known to be one of the worst indices if the probe set is a random sampling of all links. We further propose an parameter-dependent index, which considerably improves the prediction accuracy. Finally, we show the relevance of the proposed index to three real sampling methods: acquaintance sampling, random-walk sampling and path-based sampling.

Projected evolution superoperators and the density operator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, R.E.; Dahler, J.S.; Snider, R.F.

1982-01-01

The projection operator method of Zwanzig and Feshbach is used to construct the time dependent density operator associated with a binary scattering event. The formula developed to describe this time dependence involves time-ordered cosine and sine projected evolution (memory) superoperators. Both Schroedinger and interaction picture results are presented. The former is used to demonstrate the equivalence of the time dependent solution of the von Neumann equation and the more familiar frequency dependent Laplace transform solution. For two particular classes of projection superoperators projected density operators are shown to be equivalent to projected wave functions. Except for these two special cases, no projected wave function analogs of projected density operators exist. Along with the decoupled-motions approximation, projected interaction picture density operators are applied to inelastic scattering events. Simple illustrations are provided of how this formalism is related to previously established results for two-state processes, namely, the theory of resonant transfer events, the first order Magnus approximation, and the Landau-Zener theory

Socio-Economical, Environmental Evaluation of Ken-Betwa River Link Project, India

OpenAIRE

Pathak Hemant

2016-01-01

The India's ambitious Rs 9,393 crore Ken-Betwa river interlinking project will impact very significantly on Socio-economic life of two million people of Bundelkhand region, India. Water is an important input for survival and sustenance of life. The demand of this natural gift has been increasing exponentially. This ambitious project will help us in irrigation, potable water, cheap transportation, electricity as well as a source of livelihood for our ever increasing population. In Bundelkhand ...

Brain Phosphorus Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Imaging of Sleep Homeostasis and Restoration in Drug Dependence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George H. Trksak

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Numerous reports have documented a high occurrence of sleep difficulties in drug-dependent populations, prompting researchers to characterize sleep profiles and physiology in drug abusing populations. This mini-review examines studies indicating that drug-dependent populations exhibit alterations in sleep homeostatic and restoration processes in response to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is a principal sleep research tool that results in marked physiological challenge, which provides a means to examine sleep homeostatic processes in response to extended wakefulness. A report from our laboratory demonstrated that following recovery sleep from sleep deprivation, brain high-energy phosphates particularly beta–nucleoside triphosphate (beta-NTP are markedly increased as measured with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS. A more recent study examined the effects of sleep deprivation in opiate-dependent methadone-maintained (MM subjects. The study demonstrated increases in brain beta-NTP following recovery sleep. Interestingly, these increases were of a markedly greater magnitude in MM subjects compared to control subjects. A similar study examined sleep deprivation in cocaine-dependent subjects demonstrating that cocaine-dependent subjects exhibit greater increases in brain beta-NTP following recovery sleep when compared to control subjects. The studies suggest that sleep deprivation in both MM subjects and cocaine-dependent subjects is characterized by greater changes in brain ATP levels than control subjects. Greater enhancements in brain ATP following recovery sleep may reflect a greater disruption to or impact of sleep deprivation in drug dependent subjects, whereby sleep restoration processes may be unable to properly regulate brain ATP and maintain brain high-energy equilibrium. These studies support the notion of a greater susceptibility to sleep loss in drug dependent populations. Additional sleep studies in drug abusing

Analysis of Azari Language based on Parsing using Link Gram

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam Arabzadeh

2014-09-01

Full Text Available There are different classes of theories for the natural lanuguage syntactic parsing problem and for creating the related grammars .This paper presents a syntactic grammar developed in the link grammar formalism for Turkish which is an agglutinative language. In the link grammar formalism, the words of a sentence are linked with each other depending on their syntactic roles. Turkish has complex derivational and inflectional morphology, and derivational and inflection morphemes play important syntactic roles in the sentences. In order to develop a link grammar for Turkish, the lexical parts in the morphological representations of Turkish words are removed, and the links are created depending on the part of speech tags and inflectional morphemes in words. Furthermore, a derived word is separated at the derivational boundaries in order to treat each derivation morpheme as a special distinct word, and allow it to be linked with the rest of the sentence. The derivational morphemes of a word are also linked with each other with special links to indicate that they are parts of the same word. Finally the adapted unique link grammar formalism for Turkish provides flexibility for the linkage construction, and similar methods can be used for other languages with complex morphology. Finally, using the Delphi programming language, the link grammar related to the Azeri language was developed and implemented and then by selecting 250 random sentences, this grammar is evaluated and then tested. For 84.31% of the sentences, the result set of the parser contains the correct parse.

Linking Design to Business Strategy Through Functional Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Jesper

1997-01-01

The paper discusses how designers, conducting design projects in specific organization's, can assure that the design of IT is appropriately linked to the organizations overall business strategy. A case study is presented in the form of a design project in a small public organization. Functional...... analysis was used as a means to clarify how a specific needed information system could support the organization's new business strategy. Using functional analysis in the design project had a powerful effect: it seriously challenged the organization's business strategy and revealed that the system...... to the relation between an organization's IT-projects and its business strategy and by suggesting that it is the responsibility of the designers, conducting design projects, to assure that this task is taken proper care of. Practical guidelines for this purpose are given....

Network-Centric Operations Case Study: Air-to-Air Combat With and Without Link 16

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gonzales, Daniel; Hollywood, John; Kingston, Gina; Signori, David

2005-01-01

...) Operational Special Project. In this exercise, the capabilities of F-15 air superiority aircraft equipped with voice-only communications were compared with F-15s equipped with voice and JTIDS Link 16 data link communications...

Diaspora and peer support working: benefits of and challenges for the Butabika-East London Link.

Science.gov (United States)

Baillie, Dave; Aligawesa, Mariam; Birabwa-Oketcho, Harriet; Hall, Cerdic; Kyaligonza, David; Mpango, Richard; Mulimira, Moses; Boardman, Jed

2015-02-01

The International Health Partnership ('the Link') between the East London NHS Foundation Trust and Butabika Hospital in Uganda was set up in 2005. It has facilitated staff exchanges and set up many workstreams (e.g. in child and adolescent psychiatry, nursing and psychology) and projects (e.g. a peer support worker project and a violence reduction programme). The Link has been collaborative and mutually beneficial. The authors describe benefits and challenges at individual and organisational levels. Notably, the Link has achieved a commitment to service user involvement and an increasingly central involvement of the Ugandan diaspora working in mental health in the UK.

Project Engage: Snowball Sampling and Direct Recruitment to Identify and Link Hard-to-Reach HIV-Infected Persons Who Are Out of Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Wohl, Amy Rock; Ludwig-Barron, Natasha; Dierst-Davies, Rhodri; Kulkarni, Sonali; Bendetson, Jesse; Jordan, Wilbert; Bolan, Robert; Smith, Terry; Cunningham, William; Pérez, Mario J

2017-06-01

Innovative strategies are needed to identify and link hard-to-find persons living with HIV (PLWH) who are out of care (OOC). Project Engage, a health department-based project in Los Angeles County, used a mixed-methods approach to locate and provide linkage for PLWH who have limited contact with HIV medical and nonmedical services. Incentivized social network recruitment (SNR) and direct recruitment (DR) was used to identify eligible OOC alters for a linkage intervention that included HIV clinic selection, appointment and transportation support, reminder calls/texts, and clinic navigation. Between 2012 and 2015, 112 alters were identified using SNR (n = 74) and DR (n = 38). Most alters were male (80%), African American (38%), and gay (60%). Sizable percentages were homeless (78%), had engaged in sex work (32%) in the previous 6 months, had injected drugs (47%), were incarcerated in the previous 12 months (50%), and had only received HIV care during the previous 5 years while incarcerated (24%). SNR alters were more likely than DR alters to be African American, uninsured, unemployed, homeless, sex workers, injection drug users, recently incarcerated, and have unmet service needs. Alters linked to care within 3 (69%), 4-6 (5%), and 7-12 months (8%), and 72% were retained at 6-12 months. The percent virally suppressed increased (27% vs. 41%) and the median viral load decreased (P = 0.003) between linkage and follow-up at 6-12 months. The alternative approaches presented were effective at locating marginalized HIV-positive persons who are OOC for linkage and retention. The SNR approach was most successful at identifying alters with serious social challenges and gaps in needed medical/ancillary services.