Evaluation of the Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Cytokine Levels and Clinical Course in Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. / Opioid Kullanim BozukluguTedavisinde Yüksek Yogunluklu Aralikli Egzersizin Sitokin Düzeyleri ve Klinik Seyir Üzerine Etkileri.

OBJECTIVE: Opioid use disorder (OpUD) is a biological and psychosocial disorder with limited treatment options. Addition of physical exercise to the pharmacological treatment has been proposed to be effective on reducing substance use and improving the quality of life. In this study we aimed to investigate the effects of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program on the serum levels of cortisol, insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF-1), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 17 (IL-17) and the clinical progress of inpatients with OpUD. METHOD: Our study enrolled 22 male inpatients diagnosed with OpUD on the basis of the DSM-5 criteria. Two groups of 11 individuals were formed as the exercise (EG) and the control (CG) groups. The EG conducted 5 sessions of a HIIT. Participant data were collected with Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Addiction Profile Index (API), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). Also, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and the Substance Craving Scale (SCS) were used before and after the treatment program in order to evaluate the clinical progress. Blood samples were collected on the 5th and the 21st days for estimation of the serum cortisol, IGF-1, IFN-γ and the IL-17 levels. RESULTS: Comparison of the pre- and the post- treatment performances of the two groups on the HAM-D, the HAM-A and the SCS indicated a significant drop in the respective scores of the EG. Also, a significant increase was observed in the post-treatment IGF-1 level of the EG as compared to the CG. No differences were observed between the cortisol, IFN-γ and IL-17 levels of the EG and the CG. CONCLUSION: HIIT resulted in significant reduction in the symptoms of depression, anxiety and substance craving, and increased the serum IGF-1 levels. HIIT did not change serum cortisol, IFN-γ and IL-17 levels. We believe this research will contribute to the literature on the treatment of opioid depencence by emphasising the effects of HIIT on patients treated for OpUD.

Alterations of BDNF and GDNF serum levels in alcohol-addicted patients during alcohol withdrawal

Background and Objectives: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) are neurotrophic neuropeptides that play important roles in the synaptic plasticity, neuronal growth, survival and function. A possible neuroprotective role of neurotrophic factors against alcohol-induced cell damage has been suggested, and dysregulations in neurotrophic factors may be involved in the vulnerability to addiction. The aim of this study was to investigate the alterations of BDNF and GDNF serum levels in alcohol-addicted patients during alcohol withdrawal compared to healthy controls. Methods: BDNF and GDNF serum levels of 34 male inpatients diagnosed with alcohol addiction according to DSM-IV-TR were investigated during alcohol withdrawal (day 1, 7 and 14) in comparison to 32 healthy controls using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Severity of alcohol withdrawal was measured by Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-Ar), and intensity of alcohol craving was measured by Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) during alcohol withdrawal (day 1, 7 and 14). Results: BDNF serum levels increased significantly during alcohol withdrawal (p = 0.020). They were negatively correlated to the severity of alcohol withdrawal, and the correlation was close to being statistically significant (p = 0.058). BDNF and GDNF serum levels did not differ significantly between the patient and control groups. GDNF serum levels did not change significantly during alcohol withdrawal. Conclusions: Our results may provide support for the previously hypothesized role of BDNF in the neuroadaptation during alcohol withdrawal (AU)

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Evaluation of Interoceptive Awareness in Alcohol-Addicted Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Interoceptive awareness (IA) is defined as an ability to accurately perceive interoceptive processes, which comprise receiving, processing, and integrating body-relevant signals together with external stimuli. Interoceptive processes affect the motivated approach or avoidance behavior toward stimuli. Alcohol and other substances have effects on the autonomic system that result in altered interoceptive processes. Individuals who have disturbed IA may be at a higher risk of addiction because they are not able to utilize sufficiently body-relevant signals to guide their decision-making. The hypothesis that IA in alcohol-addicted patients would be affected and that the disturbed IA would be associated with alcohol craving was tested in this study. METHODS: The study was conducted with 55 patients diagnosed with alcohol addiction according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria and who had been sober for at least two weeks and 52 non-addicted healthy controls. IA measurements were performed using the heartbeat perception performance method, which determines participants' awareness of their own heartbeat by comparing the number of subjectively perceived heartbeats with an objective heart rate measure recorded with ECG during four separate intervals. In addition, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS), and Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) were performed on the alcohol-addicted patient group. RESULTS: IA scores were significantly lower in the alcohol-addicted patients than the control subjects. IA scores of alcohol-addicted patients were negatively correlated with the levels of alcohol craving sensations according to the PACS results. CONCLUSION: Our results corroborate the suggestion that IA in alcohol-addicted patients would be affected and that poor IA would be associated with alcohol craving and could be a maintaining factor for drinking behavior.

Alcohol and Psychoactive Substance Use among University Students in Edirne and Related Parameters.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol and psychoactive substance use and their effects are an important issue among adolescents and young adults. Different results have been reported about the frequency of alcohol and psychoactive substance use among university students in studies conducted both in Turkey and in different places worldwide. METHODS: The frequency of alcohol and psychoactive substance use among Trakya University students (n=1385) and the related parameters were studied cross-sectionally using a self-reporting questionnaire. RESULTS: Alcohol was the most common substance used (30%), followed by tobacco (29.9%) and marijuana (3.1%). The frequency of alcohol and psychoactive substance use was found to be higher among males with higher amounts of pocket money, whose parents experienced more conflict in their relationship, and who belong to families with a higher education and income level. CONCLUSION: The frequency of alcohol and psychoactive substance use among Trakya University students was found to be lower than other regions in Turkey and particularly lower than the levels reported in studies conducted in other countries.