Search results for "Deterrent"
showing 10 items of 12 documents
Substance-use disorder in high-functioning autism: clinical and neurocognitive insights from two case reports.
2014
Background Low prevalence of substance-use disorder has been reported in adults with autism. However, on a superficial level, adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) display a ‘normal’ façade when they drink alcohol, which may explain why their alcohol dependency is not better diagnosed. Case presentation Here, we report two cases of HFA adults who use alcohol and psychostimulants to cope with their anxiety and improve their cognitive abilities and social skills. We analyze how neurocognitive traits associated with HFA may be potential triggers for substance-use disorder. Conclusion Better identification of autism and its cognitive impairments, which may be vulnerability traits for develo…
Effects of DA-Phen, a dopamine-aminoacidic conjugate, on alcohol intake and forced abstinence
2016
The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system plays a key role in drug reinforcement and is involved in the development of alcohol addiction. Manipulation of the DAergic system represents a promising strategy to control drug-seeking behavior. Previous studies on 2-amino-N-[2-(3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl)-ethyl]-3-phenyl-propionamide (DA-Phen) showed in vivo effects as a DA-ergic modulator. This study was aimed at investigate DA-Phen effects on operant behavior for alcohol seeking behavior, during reinstatement following subsequent periods of alcohol deprivation. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were tested in an operant paradigm of self-administration; behavioral reactivity and anxiety like-behavior durin…
Improved effect of the combination naltrexone/D-penicillamine in the prevention of alcohol relapse-like drinking in rats
2014
Opioid antagonists are licensed drugs for treating alcohol use disorders; nonetheless, clinical studies have evidenced their limited effectiveness. Preclinical findings indicate that opioid receptor (OR) antagonists, such as naltrexone (NTX), reduce the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE). However, a detailed analysis of published data shows the existence of a delayed increase in ethanol consumption after continuous OR blockade, a phenomenon originally called as ‘delayed ADE’. We have recently reported that D-penicillamine (DP) is able to prevent ADE through a mechanism dependent on the inactivation of acetaldehyde, the main metabolite of ethanol. Hypothetically, OR activation would be trigge…
Results from two pharmacotherapy trials show alcoholic smokers were more severely alcohol dependent but less prone to relapse than alcoholic non-smok…
2007
Aims: To assess the role of smoking on treatment outcome in quitting alcoholics on the background of the priming or coping hypothesis (Rohsenow et al. , [1997][1]). Methods: Data sets of placebo treated patients of the German phase III trial of naltrexone (Gastpar et al. , [2002][2]) and of acamprosate treated patients of a German phase IV trial Soyka et al. , [2002][3]) were reanalyzed. Differences between smoking and non-smoking alcoholics were evaluated using χ2-, t - or ANOVA-tests, relapse rates using survival techniques with Cox regression. Results: Smoking alcoholics differed significantly from non-smoking alcoholics regarding sociodemographic variables (e.g. more males, more often l…
Kinetic study of acamprosate absorption in rat small intestine.
2000
Acamprosate (calcium bis acetyl-homotaurine), a homotaurine derivative, a structural analogue of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and an upper homologue of taurine, is a relatively new drug used to prevent relapse in weaned alcoholics. When administered orally as enteric-coated tablets at relatively high doses, this drug has a bioavailability of about 11%; however, the intestinal absorption mechanism has not been studied in depth. The present study was therefore planned to characterize the intestinal transport of acamprosate in the rat and the effect of chronic alcohol treatment on this process, quantifying its kinetic parameters and investigating possible inhibitors. Using an in vitro techni…
Behaviour-modifying compounds for management of the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliver).
2014
BACKGROUND: Populations of red palm weevil (RPW), a severe pest of palms in Mediterranean countries, might be limited by semiochemical-based behaviour-disrupting methods. We evaluated the effects of electroantennogram (EAG)-active plant volatiles on the behaviour of RPWs from Italy and Israel. In field experiments, α-pinene, citronellol, geraniol, citral and 1-octen-3-ol were tested for their ability to disrupt attraction to pheromone-kairomone and molasses baited traps. Those that were found to be disruptive in the field were evaluated in a laboratory choice bioassay in individual cages for their effect on RPW female feeding and oviposition. RESULTS: Field experiments showed reduced captur…
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Naltrexone and 6β-Naltrexol During Anti-craving Treatment in Alcohol Dependence: Reference Ranges.
2018
Aims Aim of this study was to associate concentration of naltrexone and its major active metabolite 6β-naltrexol in blood with therapeutic outcome during treatment with naltrexone in subjects with alcohol dependence. Treatment with the μ-opiate receptor antagonist naltrexone has been shown to reduce craving for alcohol and alcohol intake in patients suffering from alcohol dependence. Short summary This article shows the use of therapeutic drug monitoring in alcohol dependent patients, who are treated with naltrexone. The plasma concentrations of naltrexone and 6β-naltrexol showed high inter-individual variability. They were predictive for treatment response, as they correlated significantly…
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring for Drugs Used in the Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders: Literature Review Using a Therapeutic Drug Monitoring App…
2011
Background The efficacy of drugs for the treatment of substance-related disorders is moderate at best. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) could be an instrument to improve outcomes. Because TDM for most of those drugs is not established, the authors reviewed the literature and built a rating scale to detect the potential added value of TDM for these pharmacologic agents. Methods A literature search was performed for acamprosate, bupropion, buprenorphine, clomethiazole, disulfiram, methadone, naltrexone, and varenicline. The rating scale included 22 items and was divided in five categories: efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, patient characteristics, and cost-effectiveness. Three reference …
Pharmacology of Acamprosate: An Overview
2003
In the last years important advances have been made in the development of drugs for the treatment of alcohol addiction. Acamprosate (calcium bis‐acetylhomotaurine) is one of the better established drugs in this field on the European market. This review focuses first on the pharmacokinetics of acamprosate. The published data and the recent advances in our knowledge on the mechanisms involved in the intestinal absorption and elimination of this drug are summarized. The importance of pharmacokinetics for the proper clinical use of acamprosate is highlighted. The anti‐relapse as well as the well‐known effects of acamprosate on ethanol intake are discussed. The recent experiments in animal model…
Evidence of a flip-flop phenomenon in acamprosate pharmacokinetics: an in vivo study in rats.
2006
The pharmacokinetics of acamprosate were examined in the rat after oral and intravenous administration in order to detect the possible presence of a flip-flop phenomenon. Rats received 9.3 or 73.3 mg/kg of the drug as an intravenous bolus. The same doses were orally administered via gastric intubation. Plasma samples were taken from the jugular vein for determination of acamprosate concentration by liquid scintillation counting. The drug content was also quantified in urine and faeces. The acamprosate bioavailability was close to 20%, the amount recovered in the faeces being around 80% of the administered dose. The terminal slope of the oral plasma curve was significantly lower than that ob…