Lysergic Acid Amide (LSA), an LSD Analog: Systematic Review of Pharmacological Effects, Adverse Outcomes, and Therapeutic Potentials.

: To systematically review the scientific literature on lysergic acid amide (LSA), focusing on its physical, neurobiological, and social effects, as well as its potential risks and therapeutic uses. : A systematic review was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science up to December 2023, using keywords such as "ergine," "lysergic acid amide," and "legal high." Studies were included if they reported original human data on the physical, neurobiological, psychological, or social effects of LSA; seventeen studies were included.

Efficacy and Safety of LSD in the treatment of mental and substance use disorders: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

LSD (lysergic Acid Diethylamide), a psychedelic compound, has been investigated in recent studies for the treatment of mental disorders. We analyzed the efficacy and safety of LSD in the treatment of mental disorders and substance use disorders in adult patients. We searched Embase, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, CENTRAL, BVS, EBSCO, Epistemonikos, and the grey literature for double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Epidemiological Profile of an Opioid Use Disorder Outpatient Clinic in Brazil.

Introduction: This study represents the first clinical descriptive study on opioid use disorder (OUD) in Brazil.

Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study involved 314 adult patients at the Addiction Outpatient Clinic of Instituto Perdizes, São Paulo, from April 2023 to August 2024. Data were collected through interviews, using the validated Brazilian Portuguese version of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID).

Artificial Intelligence-driven and technological innovations in the diagnosis and management of substance use disorders.

Substance Use Disorders (SUD) lead to a collection of health challenges such as overdoses and clinical diseases. Populations that are vulnerable and lack straightforward treatment access are vulnerable to significant economic and social effects linked to SUD. The ongoing advances in technology, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), promise new ways to reduce the effects of SUD, refine treatment standards, and minimize the risk of relapse through tailored treatment plans.

Bariatric surgery and its influence on alcohol consumption: Differences before and after surgery - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Through new publications on the subject, the main goal of this article is to seek a change in the pattern of alcohol use before and after bariatric surgery.

Methods: We searched the National Library of Medicine, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases. We included original articles regarding alcohol consumption before and after bariatric surgery to conduct the systematic review.

Three Decades of Research on the Development of Ibogaine Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: A Scientometric Analysis.

Ibogaine is a natural psychoactive drug that has been investigated for its potential role in the treatment of substance use disorders since the mid-1960s. To evaluate the interest in ibogaine's use as a therapeutic agent, we performed a scientometric analysis covering the last three decades (1993-2002, 2003-2012, and 2013-2022). A complementary analysis was performed to select and describe published clinical trials and meta-analyses.

Pharmacological Treatment of Alcohol Cravings.

(1) Background: The treatment of substance addiction is challenging and has persisted for decades, with only a few therapeutic options. Although there are some recommendations for specific treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), there is no specific medication used to treat alcohol cravings, which could benefit millions of patients that are suffering from alcoholism. Cravings, or the urge to use drugs, refer to the desire to experience the effects of a previously experienced psychoactive substance.

Toxicity of Synthetic Cannabinoids in K2/Spice: A Systematic Review.

(1) Background: Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are emerging drugs of abuse sold as 'K2', 'K9' or 'Spice'. Evidence shows that using SCs products leads to greater health risks than cannabis. They have been associated with greater toxicity and higher addiction potential unrelated to the primary psychoactive component of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC).

Pharmacological Treatments for Cocaine Craving: What Is the Way Forward? A Systematic Review.

Background: cocaine craving is a core feature of cocaine use disorder and remains a critical challenge for abstinence and relapse prevention. This review summarizes the anti-craving efficacy of pharmacotherapies tested for cocaine use disorder, in the context of randomized-controlled clinical trials.

Objectives: we assessed the databases of the U.

Exploring the Role of Alcohol Metabolizing Genotypes in a 12-Week Clinical Trial of Naltrexone for Alcohol Use Disorder.

The efficacy of naltrexone in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been associated with a set of variables not directly related with the expression of opioid receptors. All the variables have been found to be highly associated with AUD itself or more severe clinical levels of AUD. Given the high association between alcohol metabolizing enzymes (AME) and the outcome of AUD, the present study aims to investigate the role of AME genotype variants in the treatment of AUD with naltrexone.

Genome-wide DNA methylation profile in the peripheral blood of cocaine and crack dependents.

Objective: Cocaine use disorders (CUDs) represent a major public health problem in many countries. To better understand the interaction between the environmental modulations and phenotype, the aim of the present study was to investigate the DNA methylation pattern of CUD patients, who had concomitant cocaine and crack dependence, and healthy controls.

Methods: We studied DNA methylation profiles in the peripheral blood of 23 CUD patients and 24 healthy control subjects using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip arrays.

Cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 5 subunit polymorphisms are associated with smoking cessation success in women.

Background: The identification of variants in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit genes associated with smoking phenotypes are increasingly important for prevention and treatment of nicotine dependence. In the context of personalized medicine, the aims of this study were to evaluate whether cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 2 (CHRNA2), cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 3 (CHRNA3), cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 5 (CHRNA5) and cholinergic receptor nicotinic beta 3 (CHRNB3) polymorphisms were associated with nicotine dependence severity, and to investigate possible pharmacogenetics markers of smoking cessation treatment.

Methods: This study cohort enrolled 1049 smoking patients who received pharmacological treatment (varenicline, varenicline plus bupropion, bupropion plus/or nicotine replacement therapy).

Amerindian (but not African or European) ancestry is significantly associated with diurnal preference within an admixed Brazilian population.

Significant questions remain unanswered regarding the genetic versus environmental contributions to racial/ethnic differences in sleep and circadian rhythms. We addressed this question by investigating the association between diurnal preference, using the morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ), and genetic ancestry within the Baependi Heart Study cohort, a highly admixed Brazilian population based in a rural town. Analysis was performed using measures of ancestry, using the Admixture program, and MEQ from 1,453 individuals.

Cohort profile: the Baependi Heart Study-a family-based, highly admixed cohort study in a rural Brazilian town.

Purpose: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major challenge to global health. The same epidemiological transition scenario is replayed as countries develop, but with variations based on environment, culture and ethnic mixture. The Baependi Heart Study was set up in 2005 to develop a longitudinal family-based cohort study that reflects on some of the genetic and lifestyle-related peculiarities of the Brazilian populations, in order to evaluate genetic and environmental influences on CVD risk factor traits.

Shared Genetic Factors of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in a Brazilian Family-Based Cohort, the Baependi Heart Study.

To investigate the phenotypic and genetic overlap between anxiety and depression symptoms in an admixed population from extended family pedigrees. Participants (n = 1,375) were recruited from a cohort of 93 families (mean age±SD 42±16.3, 57% female) in the rural town of Baependi, Brazil.

Distribution and heritability of diurnal preference (chronotype) in a rural Brazilian family-based cohort, the Baependi study.

Diurnal preference (chronotype) is a useful instrument for studying circadian biology in humans. It harbours trait-like dimensions relating to circadian period and sleep homeostasis, but also has ontogenetic components (morningness increases with age). We used the Morningness-Eveningness questionnaire (MEQ) in the Baependi study, a family-based cohort study based in a small town in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Butyrylcholinesterase genetic variants: association with cocaine dependence and related phenotypes.

Objective: The search for genetic vulnerability factors in cocaine dependence has focused on the role that neuroplasticity plays in addiction. However, like many other drugs, the ability of an individual to metabolize cocaine can also influence susceptibility to dependence. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) metabolizes cocaine, and genetic variants of the BChE gene (BCHE) alter its catalytic activity.

Mood changes after maximal exercise testing in subjects with symptoms of exercise dependence.

Considering exercise has positive and negative reinforcing properties, the mood states of sedentary, nonexercise-dependent and exercise-dependent volunteers were compared after maximal exercise testing. Mood status was evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory, Trait-State Anxiety Inventory, and Profile of Mood States (POMS). No differences were detected before the test or after it, indicating little possibility of positive reinforcement.

Emergent oscillations in a mathematical model of the human menstrual cycle.

Background: The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis that would reflect available data in humans.

Methods: A model of hormonal relationships at the early follicular and midluteal phases of the human menstrual cycle is proposed.

Findings: Two distinct temporal patterns of oscillatory behavior have been demonstrated for both pituitary and gonadal steroids in the early follicular phase: first, rapid oscillations in gonadotropin releasing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone (Q approximate to 1 hour) that were an immediate consequence of the programmed equations.