Biomedical subjects

Maristela Ferigolo

Publications and source records attributed to Maristela Ferigolo.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

[Drug use prevalence at FEBEM, Porto Alegre].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of drug use among institutionalized children and adolescents; to assess the degree of associated use of illicit drugs with alcohol and tobacco; and to determine which is the gateway drug to illicit drug use. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Fundação Estadual do Bem-Estar do Menor, in Porto Alegre (FEBEM) Southern Brazil. A questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization to determine prevalence off drug use was answered anonymously by a population of literate minors who were in FEBEM because of delinquency or due to social risk. The analysis aimed to describe the frequency of use of each drug and relate it to gender, age of beginning, and reason of institutionalization. RESULTS: A total of 382 participants answered the questionnaire. The substances most frequently used on an experimental basis were: alcohol (81,3%), tobacco (76,8%), marijuana (69,2%), cocaine (54,6%), inhalants (49,2%), anxiolytic drugs (13,4%), hallucinogens (8,4%), amphetamines (6,5%) and barbiturates (2,4%). Overall, around 80% of the respondents reported having used some illicit drug at least once in the past. Licit drugs, like alcohol and tobacco, were used mainly by males, while medicines were used mostly by females. Adolescents with delinquency records showed a significantly higher frequency of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and solvent use. The mean age of beginning was under 12 years for alcohol and tobacco use, under 13 years for marijuana and inhalants, and under 14 years for cocaine. Concomitant use of illicit and licit drugs was found to be high in this population. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of precocious drug use was found among institutionalized children and adolescent, with alcohol and tobacco being used earlier than illicit drugs. Delinquent males were more likely to have used illicit drugs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Ecstasy intoxication: the toxicological basis for treatment.

Youngsters are increasingly using 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, known as ecstasy, because it is wrongly believed that it does not induce harm. However, there are many reports of adverse effects, including acute intoxication, abuse potential, and possible neurotoxic effects. Therefore, health care providers need to promptly recognize the symptoms of systemic intoxication in order to initiate early treatment. The drug is used by the oral route for long hours during crowded dance parties. Acutely, ecstasy increases the release of serotonin and decreases its reuptake, leading to hypertension, hyperthermia, trismus, and vomiting. There is debate on whether recreational doses of ecstasy cause permanent damage to human serotonergic neurons. Ecstasy users showed a high risk of developing psychopathological disturbances. The prolonged use of ecstasy might induce dependence, characterized by tolerance and hangover. Acute ecstasy intoxication needs emergency-type treatment to avoid the dose-dependent increase in adverse reactions and in severity of complications. There are no specific antidotes to be used during acute intoxication. Supportive measures and medical treatment for each one of the complications should be implemented, keeping in mind that symptoms originate mainly from the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system.

Central Nervous System Stimulants↗

PubMed2004

Commercially available Hypericum perforatum extracts do not decrease immobility of rats in the forced swimming test.

There are controversial results of clinical trials on the antidepressant effects of Hypericum perforatum, while several preclinical studies describe antidepressant properties for Hypericum extracts. This study evaluates the antidepressant effect of two commercially available hydroalcoholic extracts of H. perforatum standardized to contain 0.3% hypericin in comparison to imipramine (IMI), in the forced swimming test (FST). Wistar rats were treated with different doses of two Hypericum extracts, of hypericin or of IMI and submitted to the FST. The experiments were videotape recorded to detail immobile and active behaviors of rats during the procedures. The imported extract tested and hypericin did not modify rats' behaviors in the test, while IMI, a classical antidepressant, significantly shortened immobility and prolonged climbing behavior during forced swimming. The locally produced Hypericum extract significantly increased immobility duration as compared to the controls at the same time as climbing efforts were decreased. Therefore, the two different commercially available Brazilian hydroalcoholic H. perforatum extracts did not show the expected effects in a screening test for antidepressant agents, on the contrary, one of the extracts promoted a depressant-like effect in rats. Therefore, these extracts available to the population differ from other Hypericum extracts. At which step of the production or commercialization chain these extracts probably lost their therapeutic potential remains to be evaluated.

Animals↗