Uso de substâncias psicoativas entre estudantes universitários / Use of psychoactive substances among university students / Uso de sustancias psicoactivas entre estudiantes universitários

O objetivo do estudo foi identificar o perfil do uso de substâncias psicoativas entre estudantes dos cursos de Ciências Biológicas, Educação Física, Enfermagem, Fisioterapia, Farmácia, Odontologia e Nutrição. Trata-se de estudo transversal, quantitativo, exploratório e descritivo, com 567 estudantes. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um questionário e analisados através da estatística descritiva. Nos resultados, verificou-se que 11,6% dos estudantes nunca experimentaram substâncias psicoativas na vida. As drogas mais prevalentes entre os universitários foram o álcool (n=501), tabaco (n=161), maconha (n=115) e cocaína (n=26). Conclui-se que o consumo de substâncias psicoativas entre os estudantes é problema que deve ser enfrentado através da implantação de ações preventivas e de redução de danos.

The objective of this study was to identify the profile of use of psychoactive substances among students of Biological Sciences, Physical Education, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nutrition courses. It was a cross - sectional, quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study with 567 students. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics. In the results, it was found that 11.6% of students had never tried psychoactive substances in their lives. The most prevalent drugs among university students were alcohol (n = 501), tobacco (n = 161), marijuana (n = 115), and cocaine (n = 26). The result led to the conclusion that consumption of psychoactive substances among students is a problem that must be faced through the implementation of preventive and harm reduction actions.

El objetivo del estudio fue identificar el perfil del uso de sustancias psicoactivas entre estudiantes de Ciencias Biológicas, Educación Física, Enfermería, Fisioterapia, Farmacia, Odontología y Nutrición. Se trata de un estudio transversal, cuantitativo, exploratorio y descriptivo, con 567 estudiantes. Los datos fueron recolectados por medio de un cuestionario y analizados a través de la estadística descriptiva. En los resultados, se constató que el 11,6% de los estudiantes nunca experimentó el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas. Las drogas prevalentemente consumidas fueron: alcohol (n = 501), tabaco (n = 161), marihuana (n = 115) y cocaína (n = 26). Se concluye que el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas entre los estudiantes es un problema y que debe ser enfrentado a través de acciones preventivas y de reducción de daños.

Disease-specific expression of the serotonin-receptor 5-HT(2C) in natural killer cells in Alzheimer's dementia.

Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is a degenerative brain disorder characterized mainly by cholinergic failure, but other neuro-transmitters are also deficient especially at late stages of the disease. Misfolded ß-amyloid peptide has been identified as a causative agent, however inflammatory changes also play a pivotal role. Even though the most prominent pathology is seen in the cognitive functions, specific abnormalities of the central nervous system (CNS) are also reflected in the periphery, particularly in the immune responses of the body. The aim of this study was to characterize the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in AD, which are also markedly disrupted along with the hallmark acetyl-choline dysfunction. Peripheral blood mono-nuclear cells (PBMCs) from demented patients were judged against comparison groups including individuals with late-onset depression (LOD), as well as non-demented and non-depressed subjects. Cellular sub-populations were evaluated by mono-clonal antibodies against various cell surface receptors: CD4/CD8 (T-lymphocytes), CD19 (B-lymphocytes), CD14 (monocytes), and CD56 (natural-killer (NK)-cells). The expressions of dopamine D(3) and D(4), as well as serotonin 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2B) and 5-HT(2C) were also assessed. There were no significant differences among the study groups with respect to the frequency of the cellular sub-types, however a unique profound increase in 5-HT(2C) receptor exclusively in NK-cells was observed in AD. The disease-specific expression of 5-HT(2C), as well as the NK-cell cyto-toxicity, has been linked with cognitive derangement in dementia. These changes not only corroborate the existence of bi-directional communication between the immune system and the CNS, but also elucidate the role of inflammatory activity in AD pathology, and may serve as potential biomarkers for less invasive and early diagnostic purposes as well.