New Psychoactive Substances Constant State of Flux: NBOMe Brazilian Case

The new psychoactive substances (NPS) market is in a constant state of flux, with new substances being synthesized regularly and marketed in many ways and forms. These substances often emerge quickly, just as they disappear, evidencing a clear attempt to circumvent the control trafficking enforcement agencies and the international community. Among the wide variety of NPS, the NBOMe series attracted attention from medical and legal authorities due to the high number of cases of intoxication, followed or not by death in several countries around the world, including Brazil. So, this brief communication aimed to evaluate the number of NBOMe Brazilian Federal Police (BFP) over the past eight years, and highlight the NPS constant state of flux, evidencing by the Brazilian NBOMe case. This is a retrospective study based on information from forensic analysis reports from seizures of BFP. The NBOMe seizures generated 4 forensic analysis requests in 2012, 21 in 2013, 45 in 2014, 61 in 2015, 80 in 2016, 22 in 2017, 19 in 2018 and 2 in 2019, totaling 254 forensic analysis reports analyzed. This NPS emerged quickly in Brazil from the year 2012, and tented to disappear in recent years, from the perspective of the BPF forensic analysis reports, evidencing the NPS constant state of flux, represented here by the Brazilian NBOMe case.

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Prevalence of new psychoactive substances: A retrospective study in hair

Drug Testing and Analysis ◽

10.1002/dta.1338 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 402-408 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Kristina Yasmin Rust ◽

Markus R. Baumgartner ◽

Annika M. Dally ◽

Thomas Kraemer

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

New Psychoactive Substances ◽

Psychoactive Substances

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Організаційно-правове вивчення стану формування, розвитку та розповсюдження полінаркоманії у світі та в Україні

SSP Modern Pharmacy and Medicine ◽

10.53933/sspmpm.v1i2.26 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Аліна Осинцева

Keyword(s):

Substance Abuse ◽

Alcoholic Beverage ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Psychoactive Drugs ◽

Psychoactive Substances ◽

Polydrug Abuse ◽

The Past ◽

Current State ◽

The World ◽

Alcohol Ethyl

Over the past decade, the dynamics of the prevalence of substance abuse with various classification and legal groups, the growth of illegal circulation of psychoactive substances, falsification of psychoactive alcoholic beverages, alcohol, delinquency and polydrug abuse have become almost epidemic, with combined abuse of psychoactive substances registered mainly among young people. The goal or the study was to review scientific sources on the current state of the problem of formation, development and spread of polydrug abuse in the world and in Ukraine on the principles of medical and pharmaceutical law. To achieve this goal, the methods of regulatory, documentary, comparative, graphical and tabular analysis were used. A review of scientific observations of scientists from around the world and Ukraine found that in the initial stages of polydrug addiction begins with the simultaneous use of psychoactive substances such as alcohol (ethyl alcohol), psychoactive alcohol-containing liquids, beer, psychoactive drugs, tobacco. Explained that the simultaneous (combined, consistent) use of psychoactive substances of different classification and legal groups and psychoactive alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages, beer, psychoactive drugs are widespread among different contingents in the early stages of formation and development of polydrug addiction. Established that the most common alcoholic beverage is beer, which contains a combination of several psychoactive substances, so beer addiction is actually a polydrug addiction, it forms and develops faster, and its pharmaceutical correction is more difficult.

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Behavioral disorders and new psychoactive substances abuse, a French case series

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.1050 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (S1) ◽

pp. S307-S307 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Marillier ◽

A. Batisse ◽

C. Chevallier ◽

S. Djezzar

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Disorder ◽

Behavioral Disorders ◽

Stab Wound ◽

Case Series ◽

New Psychoactive Substances ◽

Psychoactive Substances ◽

Sexual Practice ◽

The Past ◽

French Case ◽

Competing Interest

IntroductionRange of drugs has largely increased the past few years, especially with the emergence of the New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) sold online. In front of serious risks they cause on human health, they are more and more regulated by the law.ObjectivesTo describe cases of extreme behavioral disorders and highlight risks of potential forensic complications linked to these consumptions.MethodsWe present a case series of serious auto or hetero-aggressive behavioral disorders related to NPS abuse and notified to the Parisian addictovigilance center.ResultsTwenty cases were identified between 2010 and 2015. Users were exclusively men, with mean age of 35.5 years (min: 20, max: 51). Synthetic cathinones are the predominant class of reported NPS (65%). An association between NPS and sexuality is found in 60% of cases (12); among them cathinones are used by 11 men. We observed 6 deaths among which, 5 were associated to sexual practice. Two cases of consumptions of cathinones induced torture and barbarian acts. Concerning aggressive behavioral disorders, we quote 3 cases of hetero-aggressivity (one by stab wound and 2 others developed an hypersexuality ± exhibitionism) and 9 cases of auto-aggressivity characterized by genital mutilations (1), defenestration (3), suicidal attempt (3), and acute psychiatric disorder with endangering life (2). Only four cases have been confirmed by toxicological analysis.ConclusionBehavioral disorders inducing forensics complications exist with NPS and particularly with cathinones. The problematic is certainly undervalued. A collaboration between addictovigilance and forensic services has to be improved.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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New Psychoactive Substances and Suicidality: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina57060580 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 (6) ◽

pp. 580

Author(s):

Stefania Chiappini ◽

Alessio Mosca ◽

Andrea Miuli ◽

Maria Chiara Santovito ◽

Laura Orsolini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Synthetic Cannabinoids ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

New Psychoactive Substances ◽

Psychoactive Substances ◽

Clinical Issue ◽

The Past ◽

Synthetic Opioids ◽

Online Databases ◽

Health Related

Background and Objectives: Over the past twenty years a large number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have entered and modified the recreational drug scene. Their intake has been associated with health-related risks, especially so for vulnerable populations such as people with severe mental illness, who might be at higher risk of suicidality or self-injurious behavior. This paper aims at providing an overview of NPS abuse and the effects on mental health and suicidality issues, by performing a literature review of the current related knowledge, thereby identifying those substances that, more than others, are linked to suicidal behaviors. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive and updated overview of the literature regarding suicidality and NPS categories has been undertaken. An electronic search was performed, including all papers published up to March 2021, using the following keywords “NPS” OR “new psychoactive substances” OR “novel psychoactive substances” OR “synthetic cannabinoids” OR “phenethylamines” OR “synthetic cathinones” OR “tryptamines” OR “piperazines” OR “new synthetic opioids” OR “designer benzodiazepines” AND (“suicide” OR “suicidality”) NOT review NOT animal on the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science online databases. Results: Suicidality and self-injurious behavior appear to be frequently associated with some NPS such as cathinones, synthetic cannabinoids, and new synthetic opioids. The results are organized according to the substances recorded. Conclusion: The growing use of NPS has become a significant clinical issue, causing increasing concern and challenges for clinicians working in both mental health and emergency departments. Thus, considering the associations between NPS and suicidality or self-injurious behaviors, areas where suicide-prevention efforts and strategies might be focused are the early detection, monitoring, and restriction of NPS.

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Pharmacotherapy of Patients Taking New Psychoactive Substances: A Systematic Review and Analysis of Case Reports

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.669921 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Michal Ordak ◽

Aleksandra Zmysłowska ◽

Miłosz Bielski ◽

Daniel Rybak ◽

Maja Tomaszewska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Case Reports ◽

Synthetic Cannabinoids ◽

Muscle Relaxants ◽

New Psychoactive Substances ◽

Psychoactive Substances ◽

Psychomotor Agitation ◽

Time Period ◽

The World ◽

Research Chemicals ◽

Herbal Highs

Background: In recent years, an increase in the frequency of hospitalizations of patients taking newer and newer psychoactive substances has been observed around the world. Each year, authors publish case reports of patients who consumed previously unknown NPS. Most publications of this type concern the period between 2014 and 2016. However, no publication systematically reviews the pharmacotherapy used in these cases. This study aims to review the case reports of patients taking NPS published between 2010 and 2019, as well as analyzing the pharmacotherapy used.Methods: We searched the Thomson (Web of Knowledge), PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar databases. The search was performed using all possible combinations of the term “case report” describing the use of NPS, also referred to as designer medications, internet medications, research chemicals and herbal highs.Results: We analyzed 51 case reports on the intake of various types of NPS. Most of them (p < 0.001) concerned the use of synthetic cannabinoids (41.2%) and cathinones (31.4%). The pharmacotherapy applied primarily (p < 0.001) consisted of administering benzodiazepines to patients (62.7%), most of whom took only this group of medications (25.5%), followed by groups receiving benzodiazepines combined with neuroleptics (15.7%) and muscle relaxants (11.8%). Opioids were administered primarily to patients taking synthetic opioids (p < 0.001). Of the 5 cases of deaths from NPS reported in the literature, three relate specifically to the synthetic opioid MT-45. The later the time period, the more medications patients were administered (p = 0.02).Conclusion: In the pharmacotherapy for NPS poisoning, one should focus primarily on combating psychomotor agitation.

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Alone, Together

10.4018/978-1-7998-7614-4.ch005 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 77-95

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

International Cooperation ◽

International Community ◽

The Past ◽

The World ◽

Cooperative Institutions ◽

Insight Into

This chapter provides insight into the contemporary problems plaguing the international community, including climate change and terrorism, and examines how international cooperation has worked to combat issues in the past. The chapter will highlight the criticality of cooperative institutions and organizations within the international community and how those organizations may stand up to the rising tide of nationalism around the world.

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The Singapore Convention on Mediation: The Right Instrument at the Right Time

Proceedings of the ASIL Annual Meeting ◽

10.1017/amp.2021.31 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 114 ◽

pp. 120-123

Author(s):

Itai Apter

Keyword(s):

Annual Meeting ◽

International Community ◽

Great Success ◽

Time Zone ◽

The Past ◽

The World ◽

The Right ◽

Short Time

The Singapore Convention on Mediation debuted about a year ago, gaining great success and recognition in a very short time. The past year also presented a major challenge to the international community in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world is finding ways to successfully meet the challenges. This was evidenced by the ASIL online annual meeting, featuring a panel on the Singapore Convention with diverse speakers from around the globe, speaking in their own time zone and from their own office or home. I had the honor to represent Israel on this panel.

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Fentanyl and its derivatives as a group of new psychoactive substances (designer drugs)

Postępy Higieny i Medycyny Doświadczalnej ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0012.1687 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 72 ◽

pp. 547-556

Author(s):

Marcin Zawadzki ◽

Karolina Nowak

Keyword(s):

Forensic Toxicology ◽

Designer Drugs ◽

New Psychoactive Substances ◽

Fatal Intoxication ◽

High Toxicity ◽

Psychoactive Substances ◽

The Past ◽

Strong Action ◽

Addictive Drug ◽

Clinical And Forensic Toxicology

Fentanyl has been known for many years. It has been widely used in emergency medicine and anaesthesiology. Due to its strong action, it gained a reputation of a popular addictive drug. Over the past years, fentanyl derivatives, produced as new psychoactive substances (designer drugs), have become a growing problem in clinical and forensic toxicology due to their non-therapeutic use. Both the variability in the construction of fentanyls and, consequently, the change in toxokinetic properties, as well as their high toxicity, often lead people to take this group of compounds to fatal intoxication. The purpose of this paper is to present various formulations of fentanyl and to discuss the properties of fentanyl and its derivatives, with particular emphasis on the toxicity of this group of compounds. Reviewing the available literature, the authors also focused on presenting the therapeutic concentrations of fentanyl and its most popular analogues, comparing them with the concentrations observed in lethal opioid poisonings.

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The 13th International Conference on Advances in Quantitative Laryngology, Voice and Speech Research (June 2–4, 2019, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app9132665 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (13) ◽

pp. 2665

Author(s):

Mongeau

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Methods ◽

International Community ◽

Scientific Conference ◽

International Conference ◽

The Past ◽

Voice Science ◽

The World ◽

Speech Research ◽

And Training ◽

Voice And Speech

The 13th International Conference on Advances in Quantitative Laryngology, Voice and Speech Research (AQL 2019; http://aql2019.conference.mcgill.ca/index.html) will be held in Montreal, Canada, 3–4 June 2019. Pre-conference workshops will be held on 2 June 2019. The conference and workshops provide a unique opportunity for partnership and collaboration in the advancement of quantitative methods for the measurement and modelling of voice and speech. The AQL accomplishes this mandate by facilitating an interprofessional scientific conference and training intended for an international community of otolaryngologists, speech–language pathologists and voice scientists. With a continued drive toward advancements in translational and clinical voice science, the AQL has rapidly expanded over the past 20 years, from a forum of 15 European member laboratories to a globally recognized symposium, connecting over 100 delegates from across the world.

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