Stimulating Substance Research Articles

Development and application of a dual isotopic labeling method for enhanced detection and quantification of stimulants in urine samples using high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Given the critical nature of anti-doping efforts, the detection of stimulant substances is shifting from accurate qualitative analysis to precise quantitative analysis. Additionally, the use of liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) in detecting stimulants is becoming more widespread. However, the lack of isotope-labeled internal standards is causing increasing issues with quantitative accuracy. Furthermore, challenges such as the mass spectrometric response of small molecules and the separation of isomers present additional difficulties. We have developed a quantitative method for stimulant substances containing amine or phenol hydroxyl groups, using a dual-label derivatization system. This method offers a new perspective for analyzing and detecting low molecular weight substances, isomers, or those with poor LC-MS response, and proposes a solution to the problem of missing isotope-labeled internal standards. Methodological validation has shown that this approach has promising application potential.

Characteristics Associated with Adult Non-Fatal Opioid and Stimulant Overdose and Substance Use Disorder Emergency Department Visits in Michigan

Characteristics Associated with Adult Non-Fatal Opioid and Stimulant Overdose and Substance Use Disorder Emergency Department Visits in Michigan

Previous exercise training history reduces drug addiction through brain orexinergic pathway in rodents: Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) model

Methamphetamine, commonly known as METH, is a potent and highly addict-forming stimulant substance that has a significant impact on the brain and poses a substantial health challenge in certain areas. Previous studies have pointed to the involvement of orexinergic pathway in reward-related behavior which is directly involved in acquisition phase of METH induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Besides, while numerous studies have explored the impact of exercise training on METH addiction, there is a limited body of research investigating as a form of preconditioning to prevent drug dependence. In this study, 48 male Wistar rats were assigned into six groups: Saline control, METH1 control, METH2 control, METH1 exercise, METH2 exercise. The exercise groups underwent eight weeks of forced running wheel training, five days a week, at 65% of their maximum running speed (Vmax). Following preconditioning with exercise training, METH groups received intraperitoneal (IP) methamphetamine injections at doses of 1 mg/kg (METH1 control, METH1 exercise) and 2 mg/kg (METH2 control, METH2 exercise) for five days to induce addiction (acquisition phase) according to the CPP model. Immediately following conditioning, hippocampus tissues were extracted to measure OX1R levels using western blotting. The results of the study indicated the conditioning of rats in both METH1 and METH2 control groups while preconditioning with exercise training prevent the addiction with low does of METH and only induced acquisition with double does in METH2 exercise group represented with reduced CPP scores in compare with METH2 control group (p<0.05). Molecular analysis revealed a significant increased in OX1R levels according to METH administration in hippocampus, although exercise training appeared to inhibit OX1R expression. Only conditioning with a high dose of METH was able to increase OX1R levels significantly. As these molecular results are in line with CPP scores it could further support the role of orexinergic pathway in addiction behavior in hippocampus. Furthermore, previous exercise training seems to affect this pathway and prevent conditioning with METH in an effective manner which suggests adaptation in the mesolimbic reward pathway protecting against methamphetamine addiction. Further investigation is warranted to find out the effectiveness of different training interventions in orexinergic pathway to inhibit dependance to METH. In this study, there was no external funding or financial support provided. This work was entirely self-funded by the authors. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Implication of Some Energy Drink Mixture with Flunitrazepam on Endurance Pattern and Cognitive/Motor Functions in Wistar Rats

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of some energy drinks mixture with Flunitrazepam on endurance pattern and cognitomotor activities in male Wistar rats. 45 Wistar rats were divided into 8 groups. Group 1 received distilled water; Group 2 received energy drink (A) (3.75 mg/kg). Group 3 energy drink (A) (7.5 mg/kg) Group 4 received energy drink (B) (3.75 mg/kg). Group 5 energy drink (B) (7.5 mg/kg) Group 6 received flunitrazepam (0.03 ml/kg), Group 7 received 3.75 ml/kg of energy drink (A) and 0.03 ml/kg of flunitrazepam, and Group 8 received 3.75 ml/kg of energy drink (B) and 0.03 ml/kg of flunitrazepam. Administration of the mixture lasted for 28 days while endurance test/Cognitive and motor functions test were conducted weekly using Handgrip test, beam walk test and navigational maze test. The result reveals significant improvement in endurance pattern and cognitomotor functions in groups administered with energy drinks alone at week one, however the mixture of energy drink with various doses of Flunitrazepam showed significant impairment in both endurance pattern, and cognitomotor activities. It was therefore concluded that while the combination of energy drinks and flunitrazepam may offer short-term benefits in terms of endurance, and alertness, there is a dose and time dependent significant decline in cognitive and motor functions functions in wistar rats. The findings suggest significant variations in endurance and cognitive-motor performance across different groups, highlighting the complex interactions between stimulant and sedative substances and their implications for health and behavior.

Spatial Dynamics of a Competitive and Cooperative Model with Multiple Delay Effects: Turing Patterns and Hopf Bifurcation

Competing populations within an ecosystem often release chemicals during the interactions and diffusion processes. These chemicals can have diverse effects on competitors, ranging from inhibition to stimulation of species’ growth. This work constructs a competition model that incorporates stimulatory substances, spatial effects, and multiple time lags to investigate the combined impact of these phenomena on competitors’ growth. When the stimulation rate from the produced chemicals falls within a suitable threshold interval, all species within the system can coexist. Under the species’ coexistence, their diffusive phenomenon leads to a spatially heterogeneous distribution, resulting in patchy structures (Turing patterns) within their habitat. As the parameter values exceed their thresholds, species begin to exhibit spatially periodic oscillations (spatial Hopf bifurcation). The presence of multiple delays and competitors’ diffusion contributes to spatially complex and heterogeneous behaviors (Turing–Hopf bifurcation). The results help us understand the underlying mechanisms behind these heterogeneous behaviors and enable us to mitigate their negative impact on species’ growth and harvest. Numerical simulations are used to measure the dynamics of competitors under different parameter conditions.

Sacred Plants and Their Miraculous or Healing Properties

The purpose of this article is to study the 'sacred' plants’, diverse from those exclusively medicinal but with an unquestionable ethnobotanical value because, added to their healing properties, they develop mystical experiences and altered states of consciousness analogous to the ecstatic trance. _Psychoactive_ plants have played an important role in medicine, religion, _ritual_ life and recreation since ancient times and_ have been_ consumed by many cultures, cults and groups during religious rituals and ceremonies for centuries. Used in indigenous contexts and acting as divine intermediaries, they provide treatment for physical, psychological, spiritual and social symptoms, diagnosis and cure of diseases as well as supernatural experiences focused in religious rituals. First of all it will be interesting to analyze its perspectives on ritual, shamanism and ecstasy techniques, to reexamine the distinction between psychotropic, analgesic, stimulant and visionary substances, its distinguishing characteristics, the latest research on symbolic beliefs and the men's bodily reactions and effects produced by the ingestion. The altered states of consciousness (ASCs), induced by the badly called 'hallucinogenic' plants, include bodily sensations, intuitions, visions, dreams or cognitive impacts with perception of strange sounds that allow to get in touch with the deep psyche. People in this condition could activate emotionally arousing experiences that digging _deep_ to _unearth_ a well of _memories_, to face limitations, response to the basic emotion of fear, and even intensify physical pain to definitively cure it. Altered states of consciousness differ energetically on the dimensions of (a) arousal versus sedation, (b) pleasure versus pain, and (c) expansion versus contraction [1]. We will later provide some background on the different 'entheogenic' plants distinguishing their regional use and finally, by selecting two most ecologically representative species, mandrake and peyote, we will identify both basic characteristics and their long and very complex history. The similarities and differences between the mandrake, an ancestral toxic plant in force since ancient times, usually used in Western culture, and peyote, characteristic of the New World, will show us the strong biological effects produced by their powerful alkaloids in human organisms. The two have a long history of medicinal purposes, while peyote widely used both by drug abusers and by peoples of traditional cultures, stands out as a current psychedelic drug much sought after and consumed by Western intellectuals around 1960. It will be interesting to analyze their true characteristics and the symbolic beliefs that they aroused due to the strange effects that their ingestion produced.

ЗМІНА ПРОДУКТИВНОСТІ СОЇ ЗАЛЕЖНО ВІД ВПЛИВУ СИСТЕМИ ОСНОВНОГО ОБРОБІТКУ ҐРУНТУ ТА СТИМУЛЮЮЧИХ РЕЧОВИН

The purpose of the research work is to determine the influence of the tillage system and stimulating substances on the amount and structure of the biological yield of soybeans, to justify the feasibility of using the studied stimulating substances in the technology of growing soybeans for the use of different systems of the main tillage in the conditions of the forest-steppe of Ukraine to overcome the negative impact of climatic factors. Materials and methods. Field experiments were carried out in the five-field research crop rotation of Leonid Pogorilyy UkrNDIPVT (Kyiv agro-soil district of Right Bank Forest Steppe). Factors of the experiment: factor A – stimulating biological drugs (A1 – use of drugs; A2 – control (without the use of drugs); factor B – soil cultivation system (B1 – traditional, B2 – conservation, B3 – mulching, B4 – mini-till). Soy was grown according to the technology traditional for the region, with the exception of the elements included in the experiment scheme. The effectiveness of the researched elements of cultivation technology was established by determining the biological yield of soybeans and their structure. Results. Correlation analysis indicates that the elements of cultivation technology that we studied significantly affect the density of plant stands of agrophytocenoses: the depth of soil cultivation and the density of plant stands, as well as the use of biological preparations and the density of plant stands are connected by average direct correlations expressed by coefficients r = 0.4901 and r = 0.5380, respectively. After conducting a correlation analysis, we established that an increase in the depth of tillage, within the framework of our experiments, contributes to the growth of abortiveness of seeds (r = 0.7215), and the use of biological preparations in the technology of growing soybeans - to a decrease in the rate of abortiveness of seeds (r = –0.6501 ). The level of biological yield significantly depends on the factors included by us in the scheme of experiments. Increasing the depth of tillage had a positive effect on the growth of soybean biological yield, as indicated by the correlation coefficient r = 0.5876. The value of the biological yield of soybeans, within the limits of the schemes of our experiments, was also affected by the use of biological preparations – the presence of a direct average correlation between them was established, which is expressed by the coefficient r = 0.5880. Conclusions. Increasing the depth of tillage had a positive effect on the growth of soybean biological yield, as indicated by the correlation coefficient r = 0.5876. The value of the biological yield of soybeans, within the limits of the schemes of our experiments, was influenced by the use of biological preparations - the presence of a direct average correlation between them was established, which is expressed by the coefficient r = 0.5880. The use of biological preparations in the technology of growing soybeans contributed to the reduction of the abortiveness of its seeds (r = –0.6501) and the improvement of biometric indicators of plants. Keywords: soybean, growing technologies, stimulants, tillage, yield, abortiveness of seeds.

Postmortem toxicology findings from the Camden Opioid Research Initiative.

The United States continues to be impacted by decades of an opioid misuse epidemic, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and by the growing prevalence of highly potent synthetic opioids (HPSO) such as fentanyl. In instances of a toxicity event, first-response administration of reversal medications such as naloxone can be insufficient to fully counteract the effects of HPSO, particularly when there is co-occurring substance use. In an effort to characterize and study this multi-faceted problem, the Camden Opioid Research Initiative (CORI) has been formed. The CORI study has collected and analyzed post-mortem toxicology data from 42 cases of decedents who expired from opioid-related toxicity in the South New Jersey region to characterize substance use profiles. Co-occurring substance use, whether by intent or through possible contamination of the illicit opioid supply, is pervasive among deaths due to opioid toxicity, and evidence of medication-assisted treatment is scarce. Nearly all (98%) of the toxicology cases show the presence of the HPSO, fentanyl, and very few (7%) results detected evidence of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine or methadone, at the time of death. The opioid toxicity reversal drug, naloxone, was detected in 19% of cases, but 100% of cases expressed one or more stimulants, and sedatives including xylazine were detected in 48% of cases. These results showing complex substance use profiles indicate that efforts at mitigating the opioid misuse epidemic must address the complications presented by co-occurring stimulant and other substance use, and reduce barriers to and stigmas of seeking effective medication-assisted treatments.

“Now I Have My Own Key”: The Impact of Housing Stability on Recovery and Recidivism Reduction Using a Recovery Capital Framework

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (2020) reported 85% of the U.S. prison population had a substance use disorder (SUD) or was incarcerated for drug-use crimes. Applying Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, Substance Use Program funds, the Palm Beach County Office of Behavioral Health, and SUDs developed a comprehensive person-centered, recovery-oriented approach. This mixed-methods study (N= 36) examined how social capital, housing stability, and recovery-oriented care impacted personal capital, rearrest, and housing stability in criminal-justice-involved individuals with SUDs. Of the 36 participants, 86% (n= 31) did not have a rearrest, and 70% of participants were then employed shortly after their Comprehensive Opioid Stimulant Substance Use Program enrollment. Three major themes emerged from the interviews (n= 8): beginning recovery, peer navigation, and housing stability. This study demonstrates that housing stability, peer-support specialists, and care coordination are vital to increase recovery capital, aiding recovery, and reducing recidivism.

Updates From the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA): Stimulant Treatment and Substance Use (SU), Driving Infractions and Crashes, and Social Skills

Updates From the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA): Stimulant Treatment and Substance Use (SU), Driving Infractions and Crashes, and Social Skills

Understandings, attitudes, practices and responses to GHB overdose among GHB consumers

BackgroundGamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is used at disproportionately high rates within sexuality and gender diverse communities and carries a high risk of overdose. GHB overdose can result in death. Internationally, recent increases in GHB overdoses have been observed. Coronial reviews of GHB-related death highlight the pivotal roles that bystanders to GHB overdose play in preventing fatality. No research has examined, in detail, how bystanders respond to GHB overdose. This qualitative study was conducted among people who use GHB and explored how they responded upon witnessing a GHB overdose experienced by someone else.MethodsInterviews were conducted with 31 sexuality and gender diverse Australian residents reporting three or more occasions of GHB use in the previous 12 months. Participants were asked questions about witnessed GHB overdose, their actions and decision-making processes throughout overdose. Data were analysed thematically.ResultsParticipants described witnessing GHB overdose, commonly in private settings involving sexualized GHB use. Variable definitions of GHB overdose were reported, ranging from GHB-induced symptoms of distress to comatose intoxication. Drastic actions to keep someone alert and responsive post-GHB ingestion were reported; these included the administration of stimulant substances and citrus. Decisions to call or not call for emergency medical services (EMS) were influenced by many circumstantial variables. In most instances, an EMS call was resisted and response practices deviated from established first aid protocols.ConclusionsGHB overdose prevention and response training programs targeting people who use GHB are urgently required. These education interventions ought to address inaccuracies that inform street remedies for GHB overdose, teach people how to safely check breathing and response, promote basic first aid principles and address barriers to contacting EMS.

Clinical Characteristics and Tear Film Biomarkers in Patients With Chronic Dry Eye Disease After Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Laser in Situ Keratomileusis.

To investigate clinical characteristics and tear film biomarkers of patients with chronic dry eye disease (DED) following femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK). Patients were divided into the chronic DED after FS-LASIK (n = 36), DED without FS-LASIK (n = 39), and normal control (without FS-LASIK; n = 34) groups. Dry eye, pain, and psychological-related symptoms were evaluated using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory Modified for the Eye (NPSI-Eye), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) questionnaires. Ocular surface parameters, tear cytokines, and neuropeptide concentrations were evaluated with specific tests. The DED after FS-LASIK group showed higher corneal fluorescein staining scores, but lower OSDI and NPSI-Eye scores than the DED without FS-LASIK group (all P < .05). Corneal sensitivity and nerve density decreased in the DED after FS-LASIK group (all P < .01). Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-23, alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), oxytocin, and substance P levels were highest in the DED after FS-LASIK group, followed by the DED without FS-LASIK and normal control groups (all P < .05). Interferon-γ and neurotensin levels were only significantly higher in the DED after FS-LASIK group (all P < .05). Patients with chronic DED after FS-LASIK showed milder ocular symptoms, greater epithelial damage, and higher levels of tear inflammatory cytokines and neuropeptides than patients with DED without FS-LASIK, indicating that the nervous and immune systems may play significant roles in FS-LASIK-related chronic DED development. [J Refract Surg. 2023;39(8):556-563.].

DREAMWORK AS A COMPONENT OF POST-TRAUMATIC REHABILITATION OF COMBATANTS SYMBOLIZATION OF COMBATANTS’ MARGINALIZATION IN DREAMS

Post-traumatic stress disorder(further – PTSD) is a complex and multi-faceted psychic phenomenon, which is in need of rigorous research. The number of studies done on PTSD is vast, and the number of its treatments – starting with evidence-based exposure therapy and medication and ending with experimental treatments like transcranial magnet stimulation and psychoactive substance use – are very diverse. Such kind of diversity indicates one thing – we don’t have a sufficient answer to the challenges, which PTSD puts forward. The relevance of the subject in Ukraine, where nowadays hundreds of thousands of people endure the extremely traumatic environment of the front lines, whether taking part in combat or not, is hard to overestimate. Our situation puts us in the position of extreme need for PTSD research, but furthermore – into position of researching it while still enduring the traumatic circumstance itself. For there reasons we need to study PTSD from as many angles, as possible. Nightmares belong to the essential symptoms of PTSD. Like other symptoms, they are most often viewed in the context of the traumatic event, the memory of which remains in high affectation and devoid of the spatial and temporal isolation, which is specific to the memories, stored in the amygdala. The goal of treatment is to transcribe, so to say, the memory into the hippocampus and to restore the function of temporal lobes, so that the patient is able to find themselves outside of the place and time of trauma and in here-and-now. But, trauma is more than an experience of a horrible event – it is also a complex relational phenomenon. It is the relational aspect of PTSD, which became the focus of our attention – specifically the experience of alienation and marginalization of the combatant. We analyzed relevant literature and also two nightmares in this article. One dream belongs to Dr. Donald Kalsched’s patient, and the second one – to the combatant patient of the Mental Health Center of the First Territorial Medical Union. The content analysis of these cases demonstrates the experience of the patients’ experience of marginalization and the way of its symbolization in the dreams. This study is a case study, and does not claim finality of its findings. It is an illustration of a tendency, which has been noticed during clinical work with combatants in rehab, which constitutes the study’s scientific interest. Further, larger-scale research is necessary and will be conducted.

Association Between Stimulant Treatment and Substance Use Through Adolescence Into Early Adulthood

Possible associations between stimulant treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and subsequent substance use remain debated and clinically relevant. To assess the association of stimulant treatment of ADHD with subsequent substance use using the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA), which provides a unique opportunity to test this association while addressing methodologic complexities (principally, multiple dynamic confounding variables). MTA was a multisite study initiated at 6 sites in the US and 1 in Canada as a 14-month randomized clinical trial of medication and behavior therapy for ADHD but transitioned to a longitudinal observational study. Participants were recruited between 1994 and 1996. Multi-informant assessments included comprehensively assessed demographic, clinical (including substance use), and treatment (including stimulant treatment) variables. Children aged 7 to 9 years with rigorously diagnosed DSM-IV combined-type ADHD were repeatedly assessed until a mean age of 25 years. Analysis took place between April 2018 and February 2023. Stimulant treatment of ADHD was measured prospectively from baseline for 16 years (10 assessments) initially using parent report followed by young adult report. Frequency of heavy drinking, marijuana use, daily cigarette smoking, and other substance use were confidentially self-reported with a standardized substance use questionnaire. A total of 579 children (mean [SD] age at baseline, 8.5 [0.8] years; 465 [80%] male) were analyzed. Generalized multilevel linear models showed no evidence that current (B [SE] range, -0.62 [0.55] to 0.34 [0.47]) or prior stimulant treatment (B [SE] range, -0.06 [0.26] to 0.70 [0.37]) or their interaction (B [SE] range, -0.49 [0.70] to 0.86 [0.68]) were associated with substance use after adjusting for developmental trends in substance use and age. Marginal structural models adjusting for dynamic confounding by demographic, clinical, and familial factors revealed no evidence that more years of stimulant treatment (B [SE] range, -0.003 [0.01] to 0.04 [0.02]) or continuous, uninterrupted stimulant treatment (B [SE] range, -0.25 [0.33] to -0.03 [0.10]) were associated with adulthood substance use. Findings were the same for substance use disorder as outcome. This study found no evidence that stimulant treatment was associated with increased or decreased risk for later frequent use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarette smoking, or other substances used for adolescents and young adults with childhood ADHD. These findings do not appear to result from other factors that might drive treatment over time and findings held even after considering opposing age-related trends in stimulant treatment and substance use.

Ultrasound-Triggered Cascade Amplification of Nanotherapy.

Ultrasound (US)-triggered cascade amplification of nanotherapies has attracted considerable attention as an effective strategy for cancer treatment. With the remarkable advances in materials chemistry and nanotechnology, a large number of well-designed nanosystems have emerged that incorporate presupposed cascade amplification processes and can be activated to trigger therapies such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and ferroptosis, under exogenous US stimulation or specific substances generated by US actuation, to maximize antitumor efficacy and minimize detrimental effects. Therefore, summarizing the corresponding nanotherapies and applications based on US-triggered cascade amplification is essential. This review comprehensively summarizes and highlights the recent advances in the design of intelligent modalities, consisting of unique components, distinctive properties, and specific cascade processes. These ingenious strategies confer unparalleled potential to nanotherapies based on ultrasound-triggered cascade amplification and provide superior controllability, thus overcoming the unmet requirements of precision medicine and personalized treatment. Finally, the challenges and prospects of this emerging strategy are discussed and it is expected to encourage more innovative ideas and promote their further development.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs): Sources, Digestion, Absorption, Application and Their Potential Adjunctive Effects on Visual Fatigue.

When the eyes are exposed to the environment, they are easily affected by strong light stimulation and harmful substances. At the same time, prolonged use of the eyes or incorrect eye habits can cause visual fatigue, which mainly manifests as eye dryness, soreness, blurred vision, and various discomforts. The main reason for this is a decline in the function of the eye, especially the cornea and retina on the surface of the eye, which have the greatest impact on the normal function of the eye. Research has found that supplementation with appropriate foods or nutrients can effectively strengthen the eye against external and internal stimuli, thereby alleviating or avoiding visual fatigue. Among these, supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids has been found to be effective at protecting eye health and relieving visual fatigue. This article summarizes the sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids (including the main dietary sources and internal synthesis), the mechanisms of digestion and absorption of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the body and the safety of polyunsaturated fatty acid applications. It also reviews the mechanism of action of polyunsaturated fatty acids in aiding the relief of visual fatigue based on the mechanism of impaired function or structure of the ocular surface and fundus in the hope of providing some reference and insight into the development and application of polyunsaturated fatty acids in functional foods for the relief of visual fatigue.

Adolescents’ self-reported health status, behaviours and health issues addressed during routine school doctor consultations in Switzerland: an observational study

We aimed to investigate the self-reported health status and behaviours of 7th-grade adolescents, associations with gender and educational track, as well as health issues addressed during routine school doctor consultations in Switzerland. Data on health status and behaviours, specifically general well-being, stimulant and addictive substance use, bullying/violence, exercise, nutrition and health protection, and puberty/sexuality, were drawn from routinely collected self-assessment questionnaires from 1076 (of a total of 1126) students from 14 schools in the Swiss canton of Zug in 2020. Data on health issues addressed in school doctor consultations were collected by nine school doctors (for 595 individual consultations). Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association of gender and educational track with unfavourable health status or behaviours. Although 92% (n = 989) of the students reported being happy or satisfied overall, 21% (n = 215) often or almost always felt sad, and 5-10% had repeatedly been seriously physically hurt (n = 67), sexually harassed with words (n = 88) or experienced uncomfortable physical contact (n = 60). Female gender and a lower educational track were associated with unfavourable health status. In 90% (n = 533) of the school doctor consultations, at least one topic of disease prevention or health promotion was addressed, whereby the topics addressed depended strongly on the individual school doctors. Our findings revealed that unfavourable health status and behaviours were prevalent among adolescents but the health topics addressed in school doctor consultations were not tailored to students' self-reported health issues. A school-based approach that strengthens adolescents' health literacy and provides opportunities for patient-centred counselling has the potential to improve the current and future health of adolescents and, ultimately, adults. To realise this potential, it is essential for school doctors to be sensitised and trained to address students' health concerns. Emphasis should be placed on the importance of patient-centred counselling, the high prevalence of bullying, and gender and educational differences.

The Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation in Medial Prefrontal Cortex on Morphine Dependency and Electrical Recording of the Nucleus Accumbens

Background: Addiction is known as a gradual process leading to the uncontrolled abuse of a substance. The main problem facing the practitioners is the high rate of return among abusers after stopping substance consumption. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is considered as one of the methods for treating stimulant substance abuse, in which an electrical current is passed, typically at frequencies above 100 Hz, through electrodes implanted surgically in the subcortical brain nuclei. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of high-frequency DBS (HF-DBS) applied to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) on the electrical response of the accumbens nucleus as well as on the motor activity and dependency in morphine-addicted male rats. Materials and Methods: Experimental rats (n = 40) were assigned to five groups (n = 8), including saline, sham, morphine, saline+DBS, and morphine+DBS groups. The rats received DBS with a frequency of 130 Hz, amplitude of 0.2 to 0.5 mA, and repeated periods of 15 minutes with an interval of 45 minutes for 3 hours during the conditioning period in the conditioned place preference (CPP) box. Then, they were treated with saline or morphine and were subjected to stereotaxic surgery for insertion of the stimulator electrode in mPFC and the recorder electrode in AC. The electrical response of AC neurons to DBS was determined by adopting the single-unit recording method. Then, the motor activities of different groups were assessed to evaluate the effects of DBS on animal movement activities. Finally, data analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 8.1. Results: The injection of morphine enhanced the CPP score and reduced the average of spikes in the cortical neurons of the AC compared to those obtained in the sham group. These parameters were significantly decreased and increased in the animals receiving morphine+DBS compared to the morphine group, respectively. Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the morphine+DBS group and the morphine group in terms of the total traveled distance. Conclusions: The stimulation of the AC nucleus at high frequency reduced the addiction preference as well as enhanced the locomotor activity and primary neuron activity in the cortex of the AC nucleus.

Efficacious use of potential biosurfactant producing plant growth promoting rhizobacteria to combat petrol toxicity in Zea mays L. plants.

Soil pollution caused by petroleum hydrocarbons is a serious threat for human life, as it affects the groundwater, cause economical losses after decreasing the agricultural production, and create other ecological issues. Here, we are reporting the isolation and screening of rhizosphere bacteria possessing biosurfactant producing potential and capable of enhancing plant growth under petrol stress as well as possessing. Efficient biosurfactant producers having plant growth promoting traits were characterized morphologically, physiologically, and phylogenetically. These selected isolates were identified as Bacillus albus S2i, Paraclostridium benzoelyticum Pb4, and Proteus mirabilis Th1 based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis. These bacteria possessed plant growth promoting attributes as well as exhibited positive activity toward the assays based on hydrophobicity, lipase activity, surface activity, and hydrocarbon degradation that indicated the production of biosurfactants. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of crude biosurfactants extracted from bacterial strains revealed that the biosurfactants from Pb4 and Th1 might belong to glycolipid or glycolipopeptide class whereas the biosurfactants from S2i could be from phospholipid class. Scanning electron micrographs exhibited group of exopolymer matrices interconnecting the cells forming a complex network of mass, while energy dispersive X-ray analysis has shown elemental composition of biosurfactants with dominance of nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and phosphorous. Further, these strains were then used to ascertain their effect on the growth and biochemical parameters including stress metabolites and antioxidant enzymology of Zea mays L. plants grown under petrol (gasoline) stress. Significant increments in all studied parameters were observed in comparison with control treatments that might be due to petrol degradation by bacteria and also by secreting growth stimulating substances released by these bacteria in soil ecosystem. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which Pb4 and Th1 were studied as surfactant producing PGPR and further their role as biofertilizer for the significant improvement in phytochemical constituents of maize plants grown under petrol stress was assessed.

Examination of the Effects of Thoracic Ganglion and Brain Extracts on Vitellogenin Gene Expression in the Ovary of Whiteleg Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, and Possible Vitellogenesis-Stimulating Activity

In order to examine the role of the central nervous system in regulating ovarian maturation in the whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, we incubated ovarian explants taken from adult shrimp with either brain or thoracic ganglion extracts at the level of five tissue equivalents for 6 h. For assessment of the effects of each tissue extract, transcriptional expression of vitellogenin mRNA in incubated ovarian tissue fragments was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Results showed that crude brain extracts and a 90% aqueous acetonitrile eluate upregulated expression levels in a significant manner. These findings suggest that factors originating from brain tissue are involved in ovarian maturation, but that the thoracic ganglia do not likely harbor significant quantities of stimulatory substances. In the future, this knowledge may be useful in developing technology for inducing maturation and spawning in captive female penaeid.