Addiction & Health
Volume:15 Issue: 4, Autumn 2023

Eating disorders have become increasingly prevalent over the years; the age at which they appear has decreased, and they can lead to serious illness or death. Therefore, the number of studies on the matter has increased. Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are affected by many factors including mental illnesses that can have serious physical and psychological consequences. Accordingly, the present study aimed to compare the clinical and metabolic features of patients with AN and BN and identify potential biomarkers for distinguishing between the two disorders. Clinical data of 41 participants who sought treatment for eating disorders between 2012 and 2022, including 29 AN patients and 12 BN patients, were obtained from NPIstanbul Brain Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. The study included the clinical variables of both outpatient and inpatient treatments. Principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized to gain insights into differentiating AN and BN patients based on clinical characteristics, while machine learning techniques were applied to identify eating disorders. The study found that thyroid hormone levels in patients with AN and BN were influenced by non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS), which could be attributed to various factors, including psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and medicationuse. Lipid profile comparisons revealed higher triglyceride levels in the BN group (P<0.05), indicating increased triglyceride synthesis and storage as an energy source. Liver function tests showed lower levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in BN patients (P<0.05), while higher prolactin levels (P<0.05) suggested an altered hypothalamicpituitary-gonadal axis. Imbalances in minerals such as calcium and magnesium (P<0.05) were observed in individuals with eating disorders. PCA effectively differentiated AN and BN patients based on clinical features, and the Naïve Bayes (NB) model showed promising results in identifying eating disorders.  The findings of the study provide important insights into AN and BN patients’ clinical features and may help guide future research and treatment strategies for these conditions.

This study aimed to assess the association of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) with methadone dose and timing of administration in patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on adult patients receiving MMT who had a nocturnal respiratory polygraphy between November 2015 and December 2021. Data on methadone treatment and polygraph recording, including the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were collected. A total of 40 patients, mostly male (72.5%), with a mean age of 35±6.7 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 25.1±4.5 kg/m² were included. The daily dose of methadone was significantly associated with an AHI≥15 events/h as well as an AHI≥30 events/h, even after adjustment for age, gender, BMI, and benzodiazepine use. However, these associations were not preserved when the time of administration (day vs evening) was considered, while the evening administration was significantly associated with an AHI≥15 events/h. The best sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of AHI≥15 events/h and AHI≥30 events/h were obtained with daily methadone doses of≥72.5 mg and 77.5 mg, respectively. In this sample of MMT patients, methadone doses of 72.5 mg and 77.5 mg were the best cut-off values for predicting AHI≥15 and≥30 events/h, respectively, especially when taken in the evening. These results should draw clinicians’ attention to the importance of SAS screening, and further studies are needed, notably comparisons with buprenorphine.

In this digital era, around the globe, smartphones have become ubiquitous and an indispensable part of everyday life. Despite being a highly productive tool, smartphone is often overused or misused leading to addiction. Studies have been carried out to assess factors influencing smartphone addiction, but very little focus has been placed on psychosocial changes in adults with different personalities, especially among medical students. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the influence ofsmartphone addiction on personality among medical students in South India. A validated extrovert and Introvert Personality Inventory (IPEI) was administered to assess the personality after obtaining the necessary permissions. Using a validated questionnaire, the satisfaction with life, subjective happiness, and loneliness scales were administered via Google Forms. The results showed there was a statistically significant increase in life satisfaction and loneliness scores among the extroverts in the mobile phone addiction group compared with the non-addiction group (P<0.0001). Considering the impact of cell phones on various factors in adults in different areas can complement the nationwide statistics so as to formulate a health policy to address the vulnerable population and thus prevent the deterioration of the psychosocial behavior of the young generation.

The adverse effects of addiction relapse have always been major challenges in addiction treatment. Perceived social support and childhood trauma are determinants of drug addiction and relapse prevention. The current study aimed to predict drug addiction relapse based on perceived social support and childhood trauma in drug addiction treatment centers in Qom, Iran.  The present study examined 320 individuals, who visited drug addiction treatment centers in Qom, Iran and were selected using the purposive sampling method. The data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire, the Social Support Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), and the Addiction Relapse Frequency Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20 and independent t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson test, and multivariate regression. The research results indicated that 49.4% (n=158) of cases used opium. The results of multivariate regression of the factors related to addiction relapse indicated that the childhood trauma score had a significant effect on the relapse of more than 3 times in a way that childhood trauma increased the relapse rate of more than 3 times by 13%, but social support caused a significant reduction in the relapse rate of more than 3 times. The research findings indicated that addiction relapse had a significant relationship with childhood trauma and perceived social support. The results can be a guide for future studies to expand psychological knowledge about the determinants of the treatment and prevention of addiction relapse and help to develop psychological explanations of this disorder.

Smoking is more common in patients with schizophrenia than in healthy populations. Some controversial hypotheses connect the disease with the high prevalence of smoking. Moreover, environmental factors affect the severity of the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The current study aimed to assess the effect of enriched environment (EE) and nicotine on the MK-801 animal model of schizophrenia. Male Wistar rat pups randomly received saline or MK-801 (dose:1 mg/kg) for five days from the sixth postnatal day (P) until the tenth. The pups were placed in EE or standard cages (SCs) after weaning (P21). Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess spatial learning and memory. The rats received 0.6 mg/kg nicotine twice for three days at the end of the second month and were examined in an open-field box and three-chamber social interaction test. MK-801 rats’ behaviors were the same as those of the saline rats when they were exposed to nicotine. No positive effects of EE were observed when the animals were exposed to nicotine.  The results suggested that nicotine decreased schizophrenia-like symptoms and covered the positive effects of EE.

The risk of substance use is increasing among university students, especially medical students. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of smoking, alcohol consumption, and substance use and its relationship with general health indicators among the students of Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS) in 2020. The differences in the frequency of substance use were also investigated from 2005.

This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted on 406 students of GUMS, Iran, in 2020. The data were collected through three online questionnaires including a demographic questionnaire, the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The data were entered into SPSS software version 22 and analyzed using Chi-square, Fisher’s Exact tests, and logistic regression at a significance level of 0.05.

In this study, 53.9% of the participants were female, 46.1% were male, and 54.4% of them experienced using substances in their lifetime. The highest prevalence of use was in consumers of tobacco (46.8%), alcoholic beverages (34.7%), and cannabinoid compounds (19%). Besides, 48.5% of the participants were suspected of having some degree of psychiatric disorders, among which depression (11.6%) and anxiety (8.4%) were the most common. Moreover, substance use during students’ lifetime had a statistically significant association with anxiety, depression, and mental health.

The results of this study showed the prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption, and substance use among the students of GUMS is worrying. The relationship between consumption and consumer’s health indicators highlights the necessity ofintervention and purposeful planning by policymakers in this field.

The change in gambling forms, a wide variety of advertising methods, the access to gambling, as well as the increase in participation in online gambling have made it important to know and investigate gambling, particularly as pathological gambling leads to psychological and physical damage. The present study investigated the factor structure of the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS) proposed by Raylu and Oei in addiction. The study sample included 574 participants (40.2% male, 59.8% female) between 18 and 56 years of age. The instruments used in the present study included the GRCS, the South Oaks Gambling Screen Questionnaire (SOGS), the Victorian Gambling Screen (VGS), and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI).  A 5-factor GRCS model provided the best fit to the data, and gambling-related cognitions were a strong predictor of disordered gambling among adults. All subscales presented good internal consistency and scalability. The findings showed that the total score of the GRCS-IR was significantly different among men and women. The findings of this study confirmed that the Iranian version of the GRCS-IR is an effective multidimensional instrument that accurately measures cognitive distortions related to gambling. Consequently, it can be utilized as a valuable tool for assessing GRC (Gambling Related Cognitions) to understand the severity of pathological gambling and has the potential capacity to measure treatment outcomes.

Despite all the positive features of the internet, the risk of addiction threatens users. Sleep disorders and the negative effects on self-efficacy are important risks of this technology. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of modifying the parent-child interaction pattern based on play therapy (filial therapy) on internet addiction, sleep quality, and self-efficacy in 9-12-year-old children. This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of all 3617 boys and girls aged 9-12 years studying in selected schools in Kerman, Iran (12 elementary schools) in the academic year 2020-2021. A total of 72 students were randomly selected from among the children who met the benchmark score of internet addiction and were not under medical and psychological treatment. The participants were divided into two experimental and control groups (36 students each). A demographic information questionnaire, the Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS), the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.  The mean scores of internet addiction in the pre-test and post-test were 86.67 and 86.23 in the control group and 88.14 and 75.14 in the experimental group, respectively, which showed a decrease in internet addiction. The scores of sleep quality in the pre-test and post-test were 1.81 and 1.78 in the control group and 1.75 and 0.5 in the experimental group, respectively.Moreover, the overall scores of self-efficacy in the pre-test and post-test were 63.64 and 63.94 in the control group and 62.08and 81.75 in the experimental group, respectively. The results indicated an improvement in the overall quality of sleep and selfefficacy. The results showed that the severity of internet addiction in children decreased after the treatment based on modifying the parent-child interaction, and this treatment was also effective on self-efficacy and sleep disorders.

Methamphetamine (MA), is a widely abused synthetic psychostimulant that leads to irreversible brain damage manifested as cognitive impairments in humans and animals. The novel object recognition (NOR) task is a commonly used behavioral assay for the investigation of non-spatial memory in rodents. This test is based on the natural tendency of rodents to spend more time exploring a novel object than a familiar one. NOR test has been used in many studies investigating cognitive deficits caused by MA in rodents. The objective of the present study was to review neurobiological mechanisms that might be responsible for MA-induced NOR alterations. 

A PubMed search showed 83 publications using novel object recognition and methamphetamine as keywords in the past 10 years. 

The present study revealed different MA regimens cause recognition memory impairment in rodents. In addition, it was found that the main neurobiological mechanism involved in MA-induced recognition deficits is the dysfunction of monoaminergic systems. 

NOR is a useful test to assess the cognitive functions following MA administration and evaluate the efficacy of new therapeutic agents in MA-addicted individuals.