Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

B S Brown

Publications and source records attributed to B S Brown.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Psychological problems and client engagement in methadone treatment.

Client attendance at individual counseling sessions in community-based methadone treatment programs was more frequent among clients with self-reported psychological problems at intake. These problems included anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and other symptoms suggesting psychopathology (hallucinations, difficulty controlling violence, etc.). The sample consisted of 462 clients in treatment at least 90 days, divided into two groups of no psychological problems reported at intake (no problems group, N = 341) and two or more problems reported (high problems group, N = 121). The high problems group was twice as likely to attend the treatment program's recommended minimum number of individual counseling sessions (two per month) than was the no problems group, and was more likely to discuss psychological issues in their individual counseling sessions. The high problems group showed significant decreases in drug use and illegal activity in the first 3 months after admission and did not differ significantly from the no problems group on drug-positive urines or illicit activity at month 3. Within the high problems group, clients who attended at least two individual sessions per month reported less cocaine and speedball use during treatment than those who attended fewer sessions.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Reduction of spike frequency adaptation and blockade of M-current in rat CA1 pyramidal neurones by linopirdine (DuP 996), a neurotransmitter release enhancer.

1. Linopirdine (DuP 996) has been shown to enhance depolarization-induced release of several neurotransmitters in the CNS through a mechanism which may involve K+ channel blockade. The electrophysiological effects of linopirdine were therefore investigated directly, by use of conventional voltage recording and single electrode voltage-clamp. 2. Linopirdine (10 microM) reduced spike frequency adaptation (SFA) in rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurones in vitro. The reduction of SFA comprised an increase in number of spikes and a reduction in inter-spike intervals after the first, but with no effect on time to first spike. Linopirdine also caused a voltage-dependent depolarization of resting membrane potential (RMP). 3. M-current (IM), a current known to underlie SFA and to set RMP, was blocked by linopirdine in a reversible, concentration-dependent manner (IC50 = 8.5 microM). This block was not reversed by atropine (10 microM). 4. Linopirdine did not affect IQ, the slow after-hyperpolarization following a spike train, or spike duration. 5. Linopirdine may represent a novel class of K+ blocker with relative selectivity for the M-current. This block of IM is consistent with the suggestion from a previous study that linopirdine may affect a tetraethylammonium-sensitive channel, and it could be speculated that IM blockade may be involved with the enhancement of neurotransmitter release by linopirdine.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1995

Heavy drinking in a population of methadone-maintained clients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between heavy use of alcohol and response to methadone treatment. METHOD: A sample of clients showing three or more DSM-III-R symptoms (n = 79) were identified and compared with a sample of heavy-drinking clients (n = 108) with less than three alcohol dependency symptoms on admitting characteristics and on tenure in treatment. RESULTS: As expected, clients meeting DSM-III-R dependency criteria were significantly more likely to show evidence of psychological problems and dysfunction of family and peer relations at admission. An unexpected finding was that they were also more likely to remain in treatment longer than drinking clients who did not report dependency. Alcohol dependent clients were significantly more likely to have prior experience with self-help groups, which may reflect less denial and therefore relatively better ability to focus on opiate dependency problems. CONCLUSIONS: Failure to differentiate between alcohol dependent and nondependent groups of drinkers enrolled in methadone treatment may help account for reported differences in treatment outcome studies. Recognizing these different types of drinkers also may help clinicians plan more effective treatments.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Relationship between drug preference and indicators of psychiatric impairment.

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the indicators of psychiatric disorders of individuals and their choice of either cocaine or heroin, drugs that differ markedly in their pharmacological effects. Cocaine acts as an intense stimulant, and heroin has profound sedative effects. This investigation examined the relationship between preference for heroin or cocaine and indicators of psychiatric impairment. Data from 282 subjects were grouped according to drug of choice and analyzed. Ninety-three percent of these subjects were African-American, 32% were female, and the average age was 34. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, such as discriminant analyses, were used to determine group differences. The results are evaluated and interpreted in relation to both the current empirical findings and to the hypotheses and theories postulated as a result of earlier clinical observations on drug of choice and psychopathology. Discriminant analysis yielded an overall correct classification rate of 75%. The discriminant function suggests that members in the cocaine drug of choice group as contrasted with members in the heroin preference group can be characterized as more socially inhibited and more self-defeating after adjusting for differences in age, duration of use of illicit substances, and marital status. Those who favored cocaine as contrasted with those who favored heroin were more likely to have never married, be younger, and have used illicit substances for a shorter period of time.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Children of substance abusers: the life experiences of children of opiate addicts in methadone maintenance.

We interviewed 70 substance abusers in methadone maintenance treatment regarding the life experiences of their 188 children. Sixty-four percent of the mothers reported using psychoactive drugs during their pregnancies. Eighty percent of parents reported an arrest during the time the child was growing up, 34% reported receiving treatment for an emotional disorder, and 14% were hospitalized. Four percent of the parents reported that their children had been placed in adoptive care, 9% in foster care, and 1% had a child in a group home. Forty-one percent of the parents reported that at least one of their children repeated a grade in school, 19% were involved in truancy, and 30% had been suspended from school. Twenty percent of parents reported their children's involvement with the law, and 17% reported drug or alcohol use. Problems with the law correlated highly with 1) being held back a grade, 2) truancy, 3) suspension from school, 4) expulsion from school, and 5) treatment for alcohol or drug abuse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Modifying the process of treatment to meet the threat of AIDS.

Treatment for drug users is unlikely to receive sufficient resources to expand to the level of treatment need. Moreover, there is indication that a substantial minority of injection drug users have never initiated needed treatment in spite of long histories of injecting drugs. Given the potential for that population to contract and spread AIDS, it is important that we explore street-based treatment alternatives derived from findings regarding the efficacy of outreach/intervention programs. Those programs were found both to reduce drug-taking behaviors of injecting drug users and to prepare those users for clienthood. Additional strategies that need to be explored include: aftercare, behavioral counseling for sex partners of drug treatment clients, and partial (i.e., survival) treatment services for clients who cannot be accommodated within existing treatment capacity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Mono- and bis(aminomethyl)phenylacetic acid esters as short-acting antiarrhythmic agents. 2.

The synthesis, antiarrhythmic activity, and blood hydrolysis properties of a series of mono- and bis(aminomethyl)phenylacetic acid esters related to a previously reported class Ic antiarrhythmic agent (ACC-9358) are described. Of the various oxa-, aza-, thia-, and carbacyclic esters initially prepared in the bis(pyrrolidinomethyl)-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid series, the 1,4-benzodioxanyl-2-methyl(3q) and the thienyl-2-methyl(31) esters were evaluated in vivo for antiarrhythmic efficacy. In addition, a number of monoappended phenylacetic esters of 3q with or without the 4-hydroxy group were also prepared for evaluation of antiarrhythmic, lipophilic, and metabolic properties. Of these compounds, 3q possessed the most desirable pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profile.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Observations on the recent history of drug user counseling.

The drug user counselor role is explored in terms of its changing nature over the course of the past 25 years. Initially, the drug user counselor could be characterized as a professional based on his or her experience, or as an ex-addict paraprofessional in the language of that time. Working very largely with a heroin-using clientele, the counselor was the advisor and role model who could not be conned and, thereby, the essential counterpart to the mental health professionals who were entering the drug misuse field. Over time, these latter professionals based on education have become increasingly evident and the "professionals of experience" have become less so in accord with changes in the demography, drug-using characteristics, and psychological functioning of drug user clients. Nonetheless, studies that support the particular efficacy of counselors of education for all but drug user clients with significant psychopathology are lacking. Moreover, aspects of therapeutic interaction that are more largely engaged in by "professionals of experience" are threatened by the diminution in that group's numbers and the credentialing out of nontraditional job functions. Over the past few years, awareness of the significance of the contributions of "professionals of experience" has been reawakened by the threat of AIDS and the recognition of counselors' contributions to outreach and AIDS prevention counseling.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Risk issues in claims reported by 85 small hospitals.

According to one business adage, 20 percent of one's activity reflects 80 percent of one's success. Although few managers in small hospitals spend more than 20 percent of their time on credentialing and peer review, those activities are likely to have the most impact on preventing claims in small hospitals. Other strategies that may enhance these activities include redefining the types of services offered when professional staff, resources for new services, and staff education are scarce. Help with developing sound peer review and credentialing practices can be found through networking within professional organizations, in documents published by national organizations, and by using professional risk management services available through liability carriers. Devoting time to improving providers' documentation skills, monitoring key technical skills of health care providers, and analyzing patient flows from provider to provider and service to service are also likely to have an impact on losses in small hospitals.

Data Collection↗