Expression of Microrna-195 Increased Significantly in Patients with Methamphetamine Abuse Disorder

Background: Addiction is one of the most important social and health problems in the world. Development of rapid and inexpensive diagnostic methods for identification of patients with addiction to methamphetamine is still a very important challenge. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been introduced as an accurate and reliable biomarker for diagnosis of human disorders. Objectives: In the present study, the expression of miRNA-186 and miRNA-195 was investigated in blood of patients with methamphetamine abuse disorder. Methods: In this case-control study, 60 patients with methamphetamine abuse disorder (case group) and 60 healthy controls (control group) were enrolled. Total RNA was extracted from whole blood of patients and healthy controls, and then cDNA synthesis was performed using reverse transcriptase. Real-time PCR method was employed to investigate miRNA-186 and miRNA-195 expression. Finally, statistical software was used to analyze the obtained data. Results: The results demonstrated that the expression of miRNA-195 significantly increased in blood samples of patients with methamphetamine abuse disorders (8.75-fold change) compared to healthy controls (P < 0.05). However, the expression of miRNA-185 did not significantly increase (1.61-fold change) in patients compared to healthy controls (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Our study suggested that miR-195 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of drug addiction and can be used as an accurate and reliable marker for the identification of patients with methamphetamine abuse disorder.

Prevalensi Karies dan Erosi pada Narapidana Pengguna Narkotika Jenis Sabu-Sabu di Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Klas II-A Kabupaten Jember

The problem of methamphetamine abuse in Indonesia is still very concerning even though the prohibition on consuming narcotics outside of medical indications has been regulated in law. Methamphetamine users are at high risk for tooth decay, tooth decay that often occurs in methamphetamine users is caries and erosion. This is because the abuse of methamphetamine can affect the oral hygiene and saliva quality of the users. Given the high risk of methamphetamine users being exposed to caries and erosion, researchers need to conduct research that aims to determine the prevalence of caries and erosion, as well as describe the characteristics of inmates who use shabushabu narcotics in the Class II-A Penitentiary Office Jember. There are 58 respondents in this study. Caries measurement was carried out using the DMF-T index, erosion measurement was carried out using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination, while the characteristics of the respondents were obtained through a questionnaire sheet. The result is that the prevalence of caries in methamphetamine users is 89.66% with a mean DMF-T score of 7.21 and the prevalence of erosion is 72.41% with a mean erosion score of 5.29. It can be concluded that most users of methamphetamine have caries and erosion problems in their teeth.

Cardiotoxic effects of methamphetamine associated with electrophysiological and epigenetic aberrations in Zebrafish

Long-term methamphetamine abuse damages functional and molecular changes in the brain that causes chronic and relapsing disease. In this study, we sought to investigate a relationship between cardiotoxicity and arrhythmia with associated methamphetamine abuse in zebrafish to identify and to understand the adverse cardiac symptoms associated with methamphetamine as well as to assess the applicability of zebrafish as an appropriate model for cardiac-related drug screening studies. Over a two-week duration, zebrafish were first treated with various concentrations of methamphetamine, ranging from 0 to 50 μM. Immediately after treatment, zebrafish underwent electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement for electrophysiological analysis. Results show that a higher incidence of increased heart rate over the duration of the experiment, corroborating with results from previous human case studies involving methamphetamine users. However, abnormalities commonly cited in those same case studies, such as prolongation of QTc, were not significantly presented in obtained ECG recordings. We have also conducted genetic, epigenetic, and histochemical analysis in an attempt to understand the cardiotoxic effects of methamphetamine on zebrafish cardiac function. These results suggested myocardial damage and decrease in gene expression associated with normal physiological function. Finally, this manuscript provides an analysis into potential reasons for the apparent discrepancies in our data with prior research as well as a future outlook of zebrafish cardiotoxic drug screening studies.

Postmortem Findings in Two Cases of Chronic Methamphetamine Abuse

We present two cases of death associated with chronic methamphetamine abuse. Several findings were observed in chronic methamphetamine abuse; pathologic changes in the heart and coronary artery, pulmonary embolism by foreign materials (drug materials), small scars on the subcutaneous vein on the arms with skin infection and sepsis, and so on. These complications can be fatal pathological findings that explain sudden death. The toxicological test results should be carefully interpreted; the presence of methamphetamine in the toxicological results should not automatically be interpreted as acute intoxication. A meticulous postmortem examination with review of the scene, circumstances and past history is crucial in identifying these findings and interpreting them appropriately.

Methamphetamine‐Associated Heart Failure Hospitalizations Across the United States: Geographic and Social Disparities

Background Although methamphetamine abuse is associated with the development of heart failure (HF), nationwide data on methamphetamine‐associated HF (MethHF) hospitalizations are limited. This study evaluates nationwide HF hospitalizations associated with substance abuse to better understand MethHF prevalence trends and the clinical characteristics of those patients. Methods and Results This cross‐sectional period‐prevalence study used hospital discharge data from the National Inpatient Sample to identify adult primary HF hospitalizations with a secondary diagnosis of abuse of methamphetamines, cocaine, or alcohol in the United States from 2002 to 2014. All 2014 MethHF admissions were separated by regional census division to evaluate geographical distribution. Demographics, payer information, and clinical characteristics of MethHF hospitalizations were compared with all other HF hospitalizations. Total nationwide MethHF hospitalizations increased from 547 in 2002 to 6625 in 2014 with a predominance on the West Coast. Methamphetamine abuse was slightly more common among primary HF hospitalizations compared with all‐cause hospitalizations (7.4 versus 6.4 per 1000; Cohen h= 0.012; P< 0.001). Among HF hospitalizations, patients with MethHF were younger (mean age, 48.9 versus 72.4 years; Cohen d= 1.93; P< 0.001), more likely to be on Medicaid (59.4% versus 8.8%; Cohen h= 1.16; P< 0.001) or uninsured (12.0% versus 2.6%; Cohen h= 0.36; P< 0.001), and more likely to present to urban hospitals (43.8% versus 28.3%; Cohen h= 0.32 ; P< 0.001) than patients with non‐methamphetamine associated HF. Patients with MethHF had higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities and were more likely to leave the hospital against medical advice. Conclusions MethHF hospitalizations have significantly increased in the United States, particularly on the West Coast. Coordinated public health policies and systems of care are needed to address this rising epidemic.

Maternal and Neonatal Complications of Methamphetamine Use during Pregnancy

Background. Methamphetamine abuse has been a significant problem in Thailand. The methamphetamine abuse problem also affects pregnant women. The study of pregnancy outcomes among methamphetamine users during pregnancy is currently limited. Objective. To determine maternal and neonatal complications among methamphetamine-abusing parturients. Materials and method. This historical cohort study was conducted at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital (BAH), Bangkok, Thailand, between January 2017 and December 2019. The total number of women was 206 who were equally divided into a study and control group. Pregnant women who tested positive for methamphetamine in urine tests during the intrapartum period were compared to the control group with no history of drug abuse. Results. Maternal outcomes: gestational hypertension was found to be significantly increased in the study group compared to the control group at 14.6 vs. 1.0% (OR 17.4, 95%CI 2.5-134.3). Preeclampsia with and without severe features were found at higher rates in the study group without statistical significance. There were no eclamptic cases in this study. Neonatal outcomes: preterm birth rate of pregnant women who have tested positive in their urine methamphetamine test was significantly higher than in the control group (33.3%, 11.7%, OR 3.7, 95%CI 1.8-7.7). Average birth weight in the study and control group was 2779.1 ± 486.7 and 3049.5 ± 510 gm, respectively (p value < 0.001). Low APGAR score rates of both groups also had no significant difference. Conclusion. Methamphetamine use during pregnancy increased both maternal and neonatal complications in terms of gestational hypertension, preterm birth, and average birth weight.

The Potential Regulatory Network of Glutamate Metabolic Pathway Disturbance in Chinese Han Withdrawal Methamphetamine Abusers

ObjectsTo explore the long-term influence of methamphetamine abuse on metabolomics character, with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GS-MS) technology, and the potential regulatory network using the bioinformatics method.MethodsForty withdrawal methamphetamine abusers (WMA) were recruited from Shanghai Gaojing Forced Isolation Detoxification Institute. Forty healthy controls (HC) were recruited from society. GS-MS technology was used to detect metabolic products in serum. A bioinformatics method was used to build a regulatory network. Q-PCR was used to detect the candidate gene expressions, and ELISA was used to detect the regulatory enzyme expressions.ResultsFour pathways were significantly changed in the MA compared to the HC: (1) the arginine synthesis pathway, (2) alanine, aspartic acid and glutamate metabolic pathway, (3) cysteine and methionine metabolic pathway, and (4) the ascorbate and aldarate pathway (enrichment analysis p &lt; 0.05, Impactor factor &gt; 0.2). When focusing on the ‘Alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism’ pathway, a regulatory network was established, and the expression of candidate regulatory genes and enzymes was verified. It was found that the expression of DLG2 (Discs large MAGUK scaffold protein 2), PLA2G4 (Phospholipase A2 group IVE), PDE4D (Phosphodiesterase 4D), PDE4B (Phosphodiesterase 4B), and EPHB2 (Ephrin type-B receptor 2) were significantly different between the two groups (p &lt; 0.05), However, after adjusting for age and BMI, only DLG2, PLA2G4, and EPHB2 remained significant (p &lt; 0.05). The expression of enzymes was not significantly different (p &gt; 0.05).ConclusionMethamphetamine abuse influences the metabolic process in the long term, and DLG2, PLA2G4, and EPHB2 may regulate the glutamate metabolism pathway.