Amphetamine-type Stimulants Research Articles

Does illicit amphetamine seizures quantity associated with amphetamine use disorder related admissions in Saudi Arabia?

BackgroundIllicit amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) trafficking activities have increased substantially in Saudi Arabia over the last 10 years. In the period 2013–2017 Saudi Arabia seized the largest quantities of amphetamine at the global level. The current study examines whether the increased quantity of ATS seizures has an impact on amphetamine use disorder admissions.MethodThis is an ecological study combining two datasets, the first dataset was obtained from United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Al-Amal Hospital Electronic Health Record System in the city of Dammam, Eastern region of Saudi Arabia from 2005 to 2018. The annual incidence of patients diagnosed with amphetamine use was the dependent variable. The independent variable was the annual reported count of seized quantities of ATS in Saudi Arabia. We used a random intercept Negative Binomial model to predict the yearly count of amphetamine use disorder admission rates.ResultsA total of 910 amphetamine disorder admission patients in Al-Amal rehabilitation and addiction center, and the quantity equivalent to 200 tons of ATS was seized from 2005 to 2018. The amphetamine disorder admission rate has increased from 1.33% in 2005 to 18.27% in 2018. For each one-unit increase in the amphetamine confiscated quantities, the amphetamine use disorder admission rate increased by 49 to 88%.ConclusionThe current study found that reported amphetamine seized quantities were significantly and positively associated with the increase of amphetamine use disorder-related admission rates. In 2018, both ATS seized quantities and admission rates significantly increased, nearly doubling from the previous year. Rigorous, and multidisciplinary interventional studies to evaluate factors associated with increasing abuse of ATS should be a priority for policymakers and researchers in Saudi.

Detection and identification of amphetamine-type stimulants and analogs via recognition-enabled “chromatographic” 19F NMR

The abuse of amphetamine (AMPH)-type stimulants (ATS) is a worldwide problem, and there is a need for reliable analytical methods to detect amphetamines and related designer drugs in unknown samples. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an indispensable tool for structural elucidation and noninvasive analysis. Herein, we applied recognition-enabled “chromatographic” (REC) 19F NMR for the detection and quantitative analysis of ATS. This method allows for the detection and differentiation of up to 20 ATS and structurally similar analogs in complex mixtures, where the 19F NMR signals are precisely matched with those obtained in the analysis of each component independently. Selecting AMPH as a model analyte, we also illustrate the capability of our approach to quantitatively detect ATS. Further experiments showed that AMPH can be detected at a concentration of 1 μM in artificial urine. These results demonstrate that REC 19F NMR is an efficient and robust strategy for the determination of ATS and related derivatives.

Association between childhood trauma, intimate partner violence, and perceived parental competence among women abusing amphetamine-type stimulant.

This cross-sectional study examines the correlation between childhood trauma, intimate partner violence (IPV), and parenting self-efficacy among women who reported using amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in an institutional drug rehabilitation center. A total of 106 participants were recruited by purposive sampling, of which 88 were mothers. Questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic data and study variables. Most of these women had experienced emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and physical neglect in their childhood. IPV assessments revealed that 70.5% (n = 74) and 30.5% (n = 32) had experienced physical and sexual violence, respectively. In terms of parenting competency, they scored 79.5% for self-efficacy and 54.4% for parenting satisfaction. Childhood emotional abuse significantly increases the odds of individuals experiencing sexual violence by 20.9%. We found that childhood trauma and IPV did not have a significant relationship with parenting efficacy. Conversely, childhood emotional abuse and physical abuse were negatively correlated to parenting satisfaction. It is imperative that any form of childhood abuse be recognized and stopped early to reduce the harm it brings to women later in life.

The rising threat of illicit amphetamine-type stimulant use among methadone maintenance treatment patients in East Coast Malaysia: a retrospective observational study

ABSTRACT Background: In recent years, amphetamine-type-stimulants (ATS) have been extensively misused in South-East Asia, inducing major problems among methadone-maintenance-treatment (MMT) patients. Objective: We examine ATS-misuse prevalence and its determinants among MMT patients in East-Coast-Malaysia. Methods: A retrospective–observational study was conducted on government-subsidized medication for opioid-use-disorder (MOUD) treatment clinics involving 292 MMT-patients (98% males) who were selected using a multilevel-proportional-stratified random sampling technique. Information obtained during the mandatory monitoring procedure from January 1 to December 31 2019, was utilized to determine ATS misuse prevalence from consecutive random urine drug screening. The determinants associated with its use, namely sociodemographics, social networks, comorbidities, and pharmacological assessments were analyzed via a logistic model. Results: Overall, 52.2% of the MMT-patients (95% CI: 0.42–0.54) had misused ATS at least once during their methadone treatment. These misusing patients were active smokers, hepatitis B and C seronegative, concurrently misused opioids, and had received suboptimum prescribed doses of methadone. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the odds of misusing ATS during methadone treatment were 37 times higher among those who concurrently misused opioids (AOR: 37.60, 95% CI: 14.03–100.74) and 12 times higher among those who received suboptimal methadone doses (<60 mg/day) (AOR: 12.24, 95% CI: 5.58–25.43). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the significant prevalence of ATS misuse among MMT-patients in East-Coast-Malaysia, especially among patients who were prescribed suboptimal doses of methadone and/or demonstrated concomitant opioid-misuse. Stringent urine-monitoring is crucial to prevent diversion to ATS misuse. Nonetheless, to avoid negligence and improve physician engagement, the relevant authorities should immediately plan a comprehensive national-standard training module comprising support activities for professional methadone-prescribers.

Cross-border Activities Associated With Pattern of Amphetamine-type Stimulants Usage Among Drug Users in Southwest of China.

Cross-border activities are possibly associated with the use of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), this study was to explore poly-substance of ATS use and influencing factors among ATS use populations in southwest China. A cross-sectional study was conducted by response driven and continuous samplings from January to July 2021. Descriptive, univariate and logistic regression were carried out. ATS users accounted for 95.6% of the target population, of whom one-third had cross-border experiences with 4.1% of the cross-border purchase of drugs. ATS users were mainly over 31 years old (53.9%), male (98.7%), minority (79.1%), and unmarried (72.7%). Cross-border users consumed more ketamine (8%) and methamphetamine (40%) (P < .05). After adjusting for socioeconomic-demographic factors, cross-border activity [OR: 0.336 (0.141, 0.799)], occupation [OR: 0.273 (0.080, 0.929)], injecting drug behavior [OR: 6.239 (1. 087, 35.811)], frequency [OR: 0.251 (0.073, 0.859)], and ATS use location [OR: 2.915 (1.040, 8.168)] were possible factors influencing ATS use patterns (P < .05). Cross-border activity may be associated with polydrug use, especially predominantly methamphetamine use, among ATS users along the Southwest border. It implied that the focus of drug prevention and control in border areas should be on cross-border populations.

CHURCH'S RESPONSE TO METHAMPHETAMINE (MKPURU-MMIRI) ABUSE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA

This study aimed at the Catholic Church's response to methamphetamine abuse by young people in Southeast Nigeria. Methamphetamine is an amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS). This class of drugs excites or speeds up the nervous system and produces effects similar to adrenaline. The Igbo Language renders it as mkpurumiri (seed of water). Presently methamphetamine is a drug primarily abused in the Southeast zone. There is not yet a definite effort to study the phenomenon in-depth to know its remedial measures. Such is the reason for this investigation. It employs a selfconstructed questionnaire as a data-collecting instrument, and the theoretical framework is the integrative model. The study population is 21,955,414, and the sample size is 386. The finding showed that Catholic Church responds to methamphetamine abuse among young people through Christian counselling, prayers, awareness campaign, conferences, seminars, rehabilitation, care, and collaboration with the government. The study recommends the establishment of more clinics for the victims and synergising with others concerned the drug abuse in the zone.

Development and validation of a GC-MS method for determination of amphetamine-type stimulants and ketamine in human hair

Development and validation of a GC-MS method for determination of amphetamine-type stimulants and ketamine in human hair

Synthesis of molecularly-imprinted polymers towards a group of amphetamine-type stimulants by reflux precipitation polymerization with a pseudo template

Determination of amphetamine-type drugs (ATSs) in urine and wastewater is a simplified approach for the widespread monitoring of ATSs abuse. To improve the sensitivity of the analytical methods, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) based solid-phase extraction (SPE) pretreatment attracted great attention in this field. Generally, smaller particle sizes and more uniform morphology of the MIPs could provide higher detection sensitivity. Our previous works showed reflux precipitation polymerization (RPP) is a method for synthesizing monodispersed MIPs with small particle size. However, synthesis of uniform spherical MIPs towards a group of targets has never been reported. Therefore, in the present work, MIPs towards a group of ATSs were synthesized via RPP with a pseudo template for the first time. After screening potential pseudo-templates, N-methylphenylethylamine (MPEA) was selected as the optimal pseudo-template. MPEA-MIPs were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. Adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics and selectivity were evaluated, and the experimental results indicated that the MPEA-MIPs possessed good selectivity and adsorption property towards ATSs. After optimization of the MIP-SPE procedure, the MIP-SPE cartridges were then coupled with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for determination of ATSs. The evaluation results showed that MIP-SPE-LC-MS/MS displayed good linearity (R2 >0.991) in the linear range (1.0–50.0 µg/L for urine and 0.5–50.0 µg/L for wastewater), and low matrix effect (85–112%). The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.05 -0.29 µg/L, and the accuracy (85–115%) and repeatability (RSD ≤ 15%) were satisfactory at low, medium and high concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that dummy MIPs towards a group of ATSs were synthesized by RPP polymerization, which showed great potential for the detection of ATSs in urine and wastewater.

Voltammetric Responses of a CYP2D6‐Based Biosensor to 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and the Synthetic Cathinone α‐pyrrolidinopentiophenone (α‐PVP).

AbstractThe amphetamine‐type stimulants (ATS) adulteration is currently a common phenomenon that endangers the health of consumers. Among the most common adulterants are new psychoactive substances (NPS), such as synthetic cathinones. This development demands new, low‐cost, and simple detection strategies. In this work, we present, for the first time, the electrochemical detection of two NPSs, the amphetamine 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and the synthetic cathinone α‐pyrrolidinopentiophenone (α‐PVP), using an electrochemical biosensor based on cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). This biosensor was constructed by electrochemical reduction of the 4‐nitrobenzenediazonium salt on a carbon screen‐printed electrode (C‐SPE), with subsequent reduction of the nitro group into amines, and finally covalent binding with the CYP2D6 enzyme. The biosensor voltammetric response of the molecules studied allowed reaching limits of detection (LOD) of 0.0017 and 0.0022 μg/mL, and limits of quantification (LOQ) of 0.0059 and 0.0076 μg/mL for MDMA and α‐PVP, respectively.

Electrochemical sensing of amphetamine-type stimulants (pre)-precursors to fight against the illicit production of synthetic drugs

The illicit drug precursor market for the manufacture of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), mainly amphetamine, methamphetamine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), has emerged quickly in the last years. The evidence of a more complex and sophisticated drug market underlines the pressing need for new on-site methods to quickly detect precursors of synthetic drugs, with electrochemical analysis as a promising technique. Herein, the electrochemical fingerprints of ten common ATS precursors-3-oxo-2-phenylbutanenitrile (APAAN), 3-oxo-2-phenylbutanamide (APAA), methyl 3-oxo-2-phenylbutanoate (MAPA), benzyl methyl ketone (BMK), 1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)propan-2-one (PMK), ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, safrole, sassafras oil and piperonal- are reported for the first time. The electrochemical screening disclosed the redox inactivity of BMK, which is an essential starting material for the production of ATS. Therefore, the local derivatization of BMK at an electrode surface by reductive amination is presented as a feasible solution to enrich its electrochemical fingerprint. To prove that, the resulting mixture was analyzed using a set of chromatographic techniques to understand the reaction mechanism and to identify possible electrochemical active products. Two reaction products (i.e. methamphetamine and 1-phenylpropan-2-ol) were found and characterized using mass spectrometry and electrochemical methods. Subsequently, the optimization of the reaction parameters was carefully addressed to set the portable electrochemical sensing strategy. Ultimately, the analysis concept was validated for the qualitative identification of ATS precursors in seizures from a forensic institute. Overall, the electrochemical approach demonstrates to be a useful and affordable analytical tool for the early identification of ATS precursors to prevent trafficking and drug manufacture in clandestine laboratories.

Amphetamine-type stimulants use and socio-economic factors associated with hepatitis C antibody positivity among border drug users in South of China.

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) use has become popular in China. This study explored ATS use status and related risk factors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among ATS users in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. A cross-sectional study was conducted by questionnaires from January to July 2021 in border area in Yunnan. Respondent driving sampling and consecutive sampling was carried out among border drug users, and blood samples were tested for HCV antibodies. HCV infection and related risk factors among ATS users were measured. Descriptive, univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted separately by Software SPSS 26.0. The ATS users accounted for 85.82% (345/402) among drug users, while anti-HCV antibody prevalence was 6.38% (22/345) among ATS users. The combined use of other types of drugs (OR = 7.29, 95%CI: 1.982-26.81, P = 0.003), injection drug use (OR = 6.823, 95%CI: 1.898-24.525, P = 0.003), average monthly income (OR = 4.825, 95%CI: 1.325-17.566, P = 0.017) might increase the risk of HCV infection among ATS users. ATS users with high school or above had higher HCV infection rates than those with primary school or below (OR = 5.718, 95%CI: 1.172-27.908, P = 0.031). Taken together, among drug users using ATS in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, combined use of multiple drugs and intravenous drug use was the high risk factor for HCV infection. Therefore, corresponding education and intervention measures should be taken.

SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICS AND TYPES OF POLYDRUGS USED BY PATIENTS UNDERGOING METHADONE-ASSISTED THERAPY

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC] in 2018 reported that Polydrug are commonly used for both recreation and regular drug use with majority of users being young adults. On the other hand, Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] recommends Methadone-Assisted Therapy [MAT] as a low risk and effective therapy to help persons suffering from polydruguse addiction with the intent to address withdrawal, craving, improve client, good grooming, appetite, and sleep patterns. This paper identifies some of the types of polydrug used by patients undergoing MAT with focus on the socio-demographic profiles of these patients.The study entailed employed use of quasi-experimental research design and mixed method approach that incorporated both quantitative and qualitative data in its findings. The study population consisted of 2121 MAT patients from which a sample of 120 respondents was obtained through random sampling technique. An assessment to determine the types of polydrugused and the patients’ socio-demographic features was done using MAT patients’ clinical records and Timeline Follow back. The findings indicate that Marijuana (90%; n=54) was the most popular used drug followed by Opioids (80%; n=48), Heroin (65%; n=39), Amphetamine-type stimulants (50%; n=30) and benzodiazepines (50%; n=30. MAT patients through a self-report indicated that the combinations of polydrugmostly used daily comprised; two or thrice or more, in both the treatment and control Benzodiazepines+ Heroin+ Cannabis /Marijuana+ Tobacco and Benzodiazepines+ Heroin+ Cannabis/ Marijuana. The mode of administration for heroin was injection, smoking and snorting; for Benzodiazepines was swallowing and smoking; while cannabis/Marijuana was smoked with tobacco through smoking, snorting, and sublingually. In conclusion, Most of the respondents 40% (n = 48) dropped out in primary, 25.83% (n = 31) dropped out in secondary. 35.29% (n=42) have never been married and 32.77% (n=39) were separated. The most used combination of polydrug was benzodiazepines, heroin, cannabis/ marijuana, tobacco and benzodiazepines, heroin and cannabis /marijuana.

Association Between Inflammatory Cytokines, Executive Function, and Substance Use in Patients With Opioid Use Disorder and Amphetamine-Type Stimulants Use Disorder.

Long-term opioid and amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) abuse may affect immunological function and impair executive function. We aimed to determine whether biomarkers of inflammation and executive function were associated with substance use in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) and ATS use disorder (ATSUD). The interactions between these biomarkers were also explored. We assessed plasma cytokines [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and executive function in terms of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) in OUD and ATSUD patients and healthy controls (HC). OUD and ATSUD patients were followed for 12 weeks, and their urine morphine and amphetamine tests, cytokine levels, and executive function were repeatedly measured. We enrolled 483 patients and 145 HC. Plasma TNF-α, CRP, IL-8, IL-6, and BDNF levels and most subscale scores on the WCST and CPT significantly differed between OUD and ATSUD patients and HC. Increased TNF-α levels and more perseveration error on the WCST were significantly associated with more urine drug-positive results and less abstinence. Plasma IL-6 and CRP levels were significantly negatively correlated with WCST and CPT performance. OUD and ATSUD patients had more inflammation and worse executive function than HC. Inflammatory markers and WCST performance were associated with their urinary drug results, and higher inflammation was associated with poor executive function. Studies on regulating the inflammatory process and enhancing executive function in OUD and ATSUD are warranted.

4-Fluoroamphetamine (4-FA) intoxication results in exaggerated blood pressure effects compared to MDMA and amphetamine: A retrospective analysis.

Objective4‐Fluoroamphetamine (4‐FA) is an amphetamine‐type stimulant, with effects comparable to amphetamine and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Severe 4‐FA‐related complications, such as cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, and cerebral hemorrhage, have been described. The aim of this study was to explore the cardiovascular symptoms and complications in 4‐FA and compare them to MDMA and amphetamine in intoxicated patients who presented to the emergency department (ED).MethodsBetween November 2015 and March 2020, all self‐reported 4‐FA, MDMA, and amphetamine‐intoxicated adult patients that presented at the ED of an inner‐city hospital in Amsterdam, were retrospectively analyzed for cardiovascular symptoms, vital parameters, cardiovascular complications, interventions, admission rate, and Poisoning Severity Score (PSS).ResultsA total of 582 patients were included, of which 31 (5.3%) with 4‐FA intoxication (10/31 mono‐intoxications, 32.3%), 406 (69.8%) with MDMA (59/406 mono‐intoxications, 14.5%), 100 (17.2%) with amphetamine (10/100 mono‐intoxications, 10.0%), and 45 (7.7%) with a cross intoxication of these drugs. 4‐FA mono‐intoxicated patients experienced more headache (n = 8; 80.0%) compared to MDMA (n = 2; 3.3%; P < 0.001) and amphetamine mono‐intoxicated patients (n = 0; 0.0%; P < 0.001) and their systolic blood pressure was higher (164 mm Hg ± 31 vs 139 mm Hg ± 19; P = 0.031 vs 135 mm Hg ± 22; P = 0.033, respectively). Severe 4‐FA‐related cardiovascular complications included Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (n = 1; 3.2%), subarachnoid hemorrhage (n = 1; 3.2%), and hypertensive urgency (n = 2; 6.5%).Conclusions4‐FA intoxication‐related ED symptoms resemble MDMA and amphetamine complications, although patients presented more often with headache and hypertension. Severe 4‐FA‐related cardiovascular complications occurred in 40% of mono‐intoxications.

Early-Onset Cardiovascular Disease From Cocaine, Amphetamines, Alcohol, and Marijuana.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), a disease typically associated with aging and the definitive leading cause of death worldwide, now threatens young and middle-aged populations. Recreational abuse of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamine-type stimulants has been an escalating public health problem for decades, but now use of these substances has become a significant contributor to early-onset CVD. While this remains a global phenomenon, the epicentre of substance abuse is rooted in North America, where it has been exacerbated by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time in history, the United States crossed 100,000 overdose-related deaths in a calendar year. Sadly, Canada's recreational drug abuse problem closely mirrors that of the US. This is indicative of the larger public health crisis, as we now know that these substances are cardiotoxic and are contributing to the rising levels of premature chronic CVD, including hypertension, arrhythmias, heart failure, stroke, myocardial infarction, arterial dissection, sudden cardiac death, and early mortality.

Improving Amphetamine-type Stimulants drug classification using chaotic-based time-varying binary whale optimization algorithm

A new chaotic time-varying binary whale optimization algorithm (CBWOATV) is introduced in this paper to optimize the feature selection process in Amphetamine-type Stimulants (ATS) and non-ATS drugs classification. Two enhancement methods were introduced in this study to provide a fit balance between exploration and exploitation in standard WOA. Firstly, a non-linear time-varying modified Sigmoid transfer function is used as the binarization method. Second, a hybrid Logistic-Tent chaotic map is employed to substitute the pseudorandom numbers of the probability operator in standard WOA. Specific high-dimensional molecular descriptors of ATS and non-ATS drugs were employed to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Experimental results and statistical analysis indicate that the proposed CBWOATV algorithm can prevent the problem of stagnation and entrapment in local minima in WOA. As a result, optimal descriptors were selected contributing to enhanced classification performance.

Cyclic square-wave voltammetric discrimination of the amphetamine-type stimulants MDA and MDMA in real-world forensic samples by 3D-printed carbon electrodes

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), called as “ecstasy”, are the main seized amphetamine-type stimulants consumed worldwide. Based on the voltammetric profiles of MDMA and MDA on 3D-printed carbon-black integrated polylactide, we propose a cyclic square-wave voltammetric (CSWV) approach to detect and discriminate both molecules in saliva and seized samples. CSWV combines enhanced sensitivity of pulsed techniques and mechanistic insights of cyclic voltammetry and herein we propose cyclic scans from 0.0 to +1.5 V and back to 0.0 V in Britton-Robinson buffer (0.12 mol L−1 pH=6.0). The first scan showed oxidation peaks at around +1.1 V for both MDMA and MDA, however, only MDMA showed a second oxidation peak at +1.35 V (stabilization of a cation radical). The reverse scan displayed a reduction peak only for MDA at around +0.2 V (the oxidation product from MDA is only electroactive in the reverse scan). Thus, MDMA can be selectively detected in the forward scan and MDA in the reverse scan. CSWV provided linear ranges from 5.8 to 35.0 µmol L−1 and 3.1 to 21.8 µmol L−1 (r2>0.99) for MDMA and MDA, respectively. Intra-day precision studies (n=10) showed that potential peaks (RSD<0.8%) and current intensity (RSD<3.8%) for all electrochemical processes are repetitive, with LODs lower than 1.8 µmol L−1. Paracetamol, caffeine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephylone, lysergic acid diethylamide and a phenethylamine drug (found in ecstasy-like tablets) did not interfere in the detection of MDMA and MDA. Analysis of seized tablets showed results similar to GC-MS. Spiked saliva samples were analyzed (recovery of 83-106%) after dilution in electrolyte. The combination of CSWV and 3D-printed electrodes (disposable devices easily produced in large scale at reduced cost) is highly promising for selective, fast, simple, low-cost, and on-site screening forensics analyses.

Polysubstance use in young people accessing residential and day-treatment services for substance use: substance use profiles, psychiatric comorbidity and treatment completion.

People with substance use disorders (SUDs) frequently present to treatment with polysubstance use and mental health comorbidities. Different combinations of substance use and mental health problems require different treatment approaches. Our study aimed to: (i) identify the shared substance use classes among young people at treatment admission, (ii) determine which mental health symptoms, quality of life (QoL) and service types were associated with the identified substance use classes, and (iii) prospectively determine which substance use classes and service types were more likely to complete treatment. Cross-sectional and prospective study using service and outcome data. Substance use treatment services in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. De-identified service and outcome measure data were extracted from the files of 744 clients aged 18-35 years (48% male) admitted into seven residential and four day-treatment programmes. Substance use and severity among tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants, opioids, sedatives and inhalants. Other variables included: depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and psychotic symptoms, as well as QoL. Latent class analysis identified three polysubstance use classes: wide-ranging polysubstance users (WRPU; 22.45%), primary amphetamine users (56.45%) and alcohol and cannabis users (21.10%). The WRPU class had higher odds of psychotic symptoms than the alcohol and cannabis use class [odds ratio (OR) = 1.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.11-1.11]; and double the odds of residential programme enrolment than those in the amphetamine use class (OR = 2.35; 95% CI = 1.50-3.68). No other class differences on mental health or QoL variables were found. Clients enrolled in day-programmes had higher odds of completing treatment. There appear to be high levels of polysubstance use among young people entering substance use treatment in Australia. Wide-ranging polysubstance users were more likely to report psychotic symptoms and be enrolled into a residential programme than primary amphetamine users and alcohol and cannabis users.

Toxicological evaluation of alcohol and substance abuse in children and adolescents

Unhealthy behaviors such as use of alcohol and drug usually begin during adolescence. Izmir is on transit route for illicit substance due to geographical situation. Children and adolescents are the most important threatened group in terms of alcohol and substance abuse. In this study, it was aimed to investigate alcohol and substance use profile of children and adolescents in Izmir/Turkey with the toxicological analysis results obtained from Addiction Toxicology Laboratory. Urine and blood samples of 4524 cases at and under the age of 18 years coming from various departments to the laboratory in 2015–2016 were analyzed by enzymatic immunoassay. Information and analysis results of the cases were obtained by retrospective analysis of the hospital system. 83,3% of the cases were male and the mean age was 16,69 ± 1,63. Alcohol and/or substance use was determined in 13,2% of the cases. Among the cases with positive results of analysis, cannabis (33%) was mostly detected and was followed by amphetamine type stimulants (ATS, 15%), polysubstance use (15%) and alcohol (13%). While cannabis, polysubstance use and ATS were the most common in male, ethyl alcohol, ATS and benzodiazepine were mostly detected in female. There was a significant increase in the substance use rate in 2016 compared to the previous year. A substance use profile was obtained through drug testing in adolescents who are in the risk group for substance use. In this context, our data will be indicative for the development of new and more effective preventive strategies targeting children and adolescents.

Novel electrochemical-surface plasmon resonance (EC-SPR) sensor for amphetamine-type stimulants detection based on molecularly imprinted strategy

The abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) has always been a worldwide problem and the law enforcement agencies are tasked and demanded with identifying them on-site rapidly and reliably in unknown samples. In the present study, an efficient electrochemical-surface plasmon resonance (EC-SPR) sensor, coupled with molecularly imprinted strategy, for adsorption and quantitative measurement of ATS in the human urine and serum samples was demonstrated. The molecular imprinted recognition system on SPR chip was synthesized by a convenient one-step electrochemical polymerization with 3,4-methylenedioxyphenethylamine (MDEA) as the template molecule and dopamine (DA) as the functional monomer. In particular, the molecularly imprinted process was regulated and controlled through synchronous measurement of the SPR signals. This proposed method showed lower detection limit with 57 nM and 59 nM for 3,4-methylenedioxeamphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in broad linearity, respectively and could be resistant to the interferences from various illicit drugs and other substances. Moreover, this EC-SPR sensor could be employed for detection the spiked MDMA in real urine and serum samples, significantly exhibiting attractive application prospect in forensic analysis.