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Monthly Archives: June 2009

Prospective study of the association between neurobehavior disinhibition and peer environment on illegal drug use in boys and girls.

CONCLUSIONS: Individual and contextual risk factors promoting substance abuse are more salient at a younger age in boys compared to girls. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: These results point to the need for earlier screening and intervention for boys.

Personality disorder factors predict recovery of employment functioning among treated cocaine abusers.

CONCLUSIONS: Current findings appear consistent with those of McLellan and colleagues who found that greater psychiatric severity predicts poor response to treatment across multiple psychosocial outcomes including employment status.

Alcohol use post AUD treatment initiation as a predictor of later functioning.

CONCLUSIONS: Study findings are consistent with the prior work of Maisto and colleagues. In addition, it appears that alcohol use, particularly heavy alcohol consumption, during the early post-treatment initiation period may serve as a marker for later alcohol related problems and poorer overall psychosocial functioning. PMID: 19462295 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse)

Performance monitoring of substance use disorder interventions in the Veterans Health Administration.

CONCLUSIONS: Further work remains to be done to strengthen the connection between process-based measures and longer-term patient outcomes.

Depressive symptoms, drinking consequences, and motivation to change in first time DWI offenders.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that offenders with depressive symptoms have more severe symptomatology than nondepressed offenders but may be more amenable to changing their drinking. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: The BDI may be a useful screening tool for determining which offenders are in need of an intervention following a DWI arrest. PMID: 19462293 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse)

Morphine-induced changes of adenylate and guanylate cyclase in locus ceruleus, periaqueductal gray, and substantia nigra in rats.

CONCLUSIONS: Results found that the content of AC and GC increased in these cerebral regions in rats that demonstrated morphine dependence and appeared to be closely linked to increases in AC and GC activity. PMID: 19353384 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse)

Regulating khat—Dilemmas and opportunities for the international drug control system

Conclusion: The empirical work from Africa provides a strong argument for promoting evidence-based approaches to khat regulation, harnessing the positive aspects of the khat economy to develop a control model that incorporates the voices and respects the needs of rural producers. Ultimately, the framework for khat may provide both a model and an opportunity for revising the international treaties governing the control of other plant psychoactive-based substances. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)

Regulating khat—Dilemmas and opportunities for the international drug control system

Conclusion: The empirical work from Africa provides a strong argument for promoting evidence-based approaches to khat regulation, harnessing the positive aspects of the khat economy to develop a control model that incorporates the voices and respects the needs of rural producers. Ultimately, the framework for khat may provide both a model and an opportunity for revising the international treaties governing the control of other plant psychoactive-based substances. (Source: International Journal of Drug Policy)

Compulsory detoxification is a major challenge to harm reduction in China

are right to applaud the increasing acceptance and implementation of harm reduction in China. They have provided a useful analysis of challenges that have to be overcome to strengthen harm reduction in that country. However, greater attention must be given to the effect of China’s policy of compulsory detoxification on harm reduction.