No abstract available.
Cocaine* ; Levamisole* ; Purpura*

Using albino rabbits, auther studied pupillary response on various drugs after destruction of ciliary ganglion or its post ganglionic fibers. Right eye was used as experimental group and left eye was used as control group. After destruction of ciliary ganglion or its post ganglionic fibers on right eye, right pupil was larger than the left. By cocaine and mydriacyl test, intactness of sympathetic channel was confirmed and by 0.125% and 1% pilocarpine test, supersensitivity of right pupillary sphincter was demonstrated. So, the auther think 0.125% pilocarpine test is a useful method to test supersensitivity of the sphincter after destruction of parasympathetic channel.
Cocaine ; Ganglion Cysts* ; Pilocarpine ; Pupil* ; Rabbits

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is linked to numerous brain functions. In addition, BDNF alterations contribute to neurological, mental, and addictive disorders. Cocaine dependence has received much attention recently due to its prevalence and psychological effects. Symptoms of psychosis are one of the most serious adverse events precipitated by cocaine use. It is particularly important to identify patients at risk of developing cocaine-induced psychosis (CIP). We described two cases of patients with cocaine dependence who presented with CIP and had changes in their BDNF levels during the psychotic episode. BDNF levels were initially low in both patients, and then decreased by more than 50% in association with CIP. The relationship between BDNF and psychosis is described in the literature. These cases revealed that BDNF levels decreased during a CIP episode and, thus, it is necessary to investigate BDNF and its relationship with CIP further.
Biomarkers ; Brain ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Cocaine* ; Cocaine-Related Disorders* ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Psychotic Disorders*

The aim of the research was to explore post-registration training opportunities for NHS hospital pharmacists which contributes to promote structural reform of the professional development and lifelong learning for Korean hospital pharmacists. In UK, all pharmacists are required to complete at least 9 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) entries per each year to maintain their professional registration. Types of accredited postgraduate qualification (part-time) in Pharmacy Practice available for hospital pharmacists are Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert, year 1), Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip, year 2), Master of Science (MSc year 3), and Professional Doctorate in Pharmacy programme (DPharm, 4-5 years or more). Clinical pharmacy diploma is more likely to become a minimum qualification in order to progress whilst working for the NHS. Pharmacy independent prescribers are allowed to prescribe all medications except cocaine, dipipanone, and diamorphine for the purpose of treating addiction within their competencies. NHS pharmacists are also classified by band point system depending on their practical/clinical knowledge and skills which starting from band 5 (Pre-registration pharmacist) up to band 9. Various learning and development options are also offered including teaching sessions, conferences and local forums.
Cocaine ; Congresses as Topic ; Heroin ; Humans ; Learning ; Pharmacists* ; Pharmacy

Drug addiction is a major worldwide medical and social problem.Cocaine,nicotine,methamphetamine,heroin and other psychoactive substances,with small molecular weight,can easily cross the blood-brain barrier and eventually lead to addiction and other serious neuropsychological damage.There is no effective cure for addiction currently.The drug-antibody complex formed on the basis of active or passive immunotherapy could not cross the blood-brain barrier,which reduces the concentration of the free active drug and prevents its distribution in the brain,thereby weakening the drug addiction-related reward effects.It provides a promising way for the treatment of drug addiction.This article reviews the progress of immunotherapy against psychoactive substances such as cocaine,nicotine,methamphetamine and heroin in the past 50 years from the aspects of active immunity,passive immunity,drug metabolism-related enzymes,adjuvants and so on.The goal is to provide some ideas for the development of agents for the treatment of psychoactive substance addiction.
Cocaine ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Methamphetamine ; Nicotine ; Substance-Related Disorders/therapy*

To determine the role of dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core in cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization, D2R antagonist, raclopride was bilaterally microinjected (2.5 or 5 nmol) into the NAc core of WT and D2R-/- mice and the initiation and expression phase of cocaine-mediated locomotor sensitization were analyzed. WT and D2R knockout (D2R-/-) mice received bilateral injections of either saline, or raclopride at the NAc core 30 min before each of five daily repeated injections of saline or cocaine (15 mg/kg i.p.). Following 2 weeks of withdrawal after repeated exposure to cocaine, the animals were pre-treated with an intra-accumbal injection of vehicle or raclopride before receiving a systemic cocaine challenge for the expression of sensitization. Animals which had been microinjected raclopride into NAc core displayed the enhancement of cocaine-induced behavioral response for the initiation but also for the expression of sensitization in WT as well as in D2R-/- mice, which was thus unaltered as compared to vehicle-injected control group. These results suggest that D2R in NAc core is not involved in cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization.
Animals ; Cocaine ; Dopamine ; Mice ; Microinjections ; Nucleus Accumbens ; Raclopride ; Receptors, Dopamine ; Receptors, Dopamine D2

Animals ; Cocaine ; pharmacology ; Habenula ; drug effects ; physiology ; Neurons ; drug effects ; physiology ; Pain Threshold ; drug effects ; Rats

BACKGROUND: The recovery and outcome of intoxicated patients depends on the kind of drugs they took and the total time of their initial management. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of a Triage drug kit for detecting abused drugs. METHODS: From 2003 Feb. to 2003 July, we studied the patients who visited the emergency department with suspicious drug intoxication. In this case, we used a Triage drug kit for 134 patients with drug intoxication or who were clinically suspected of taking illegal drugs, with 30 of the patients initially admitting the substance they had used. The kit is an immunoassay kit for qualitative testing drug metabolites in urine. To compare with those cases of the preceding year, we studied 104 patients with drug intoxication that was detected between February 2002 and July 2002. RESULTS: Overall, 60% of the 30 cases who did not know what substance they abused and tested positive for, and 33% of the 27 cases with suspected intoxication confirmed their substance abuse. The positive rate for benzodiazepine use was the highest (46.7%), and there were no positive results regarding amphetamine, methamphetamine or cocaine. An appropriate antidote was administered significantly more frequently in the group for which we used the kit. CONCLUSIONS: A Triage drug kit is probably useful for diagnosing acute drug intoxication and for identifying the causative substance. However, the time required to decide whether or not a patient should be admitted is not reduced. If the kit can detect the frequently abused drugs in Korea, it will be helpful for treating drug intoxicated patients.
Amphetamine ; Benzodiazepines ; Cocaine ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Korea ; Methamphetamine ; Poisons ; Substance-Related Disorders ; Triage

Caloric diet, such as fat and sugar intake, has rewarding effects, and has been indicated to affect the responses to addictive substances in animal experiments. However, the possible association between sucrose reward and the motivation for addictive drugs remains to be elucidated. Thus, we carried out behavioral tests after sucrose self-administration training to determine the effects of sucrose experience on rats' motivation for cocaine, locomotor sensitivity to cocaine, basal locomotor activity, anxiety level, and associative learning ability. The sucrose-experienced (sucrose) group exhibited higher lever press, cocaine infusion and break point, as well as upshift of cocaine dose-response curve in cocaine self-administration test, as compared with the control (chow) group. Additionally, despite similar locomotor activity in open field test and comparable score in cocaine-induced conditioned place preference, the sucrose group showed higher cocaine-induced locomotor sensitivity as compared with the chow group. The anxiety level and the performance in vocal-cue induced fear memory were similar between these two groups in elevated plus maze and fear conditioning tests, respectively. Taken together, our work indicates that sucrose experience promotes the rats' motivation for cocaine.
Animals ; Cocaine ; Conditioning, Classical ; Conditioning, Operant ; Memory ; Motivation ; Rats ; Reward ; Self Administration ; Sucrose

Cocaine functions as indirect dopamine and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) agonists and induces genomic and behavioral alterations in the striatum. Previously we demonstrated that ritanserin, a 5HT2/1C receptor antagonist, is not responsible for cocaine-induced behavioral alterations and zif268 mRNA gene expression in the striatum (see the previous paper in this issue). In this study, it was hypothesized that dopamine and 5HT2/1C receptors are required for cocaine-induced behavioral alterations and c-fos and zif268 mRNA expression. This hypothesis was addressed by infusing amperozide which antagonizes both 5HT2/1C and dopamine receptors and was analyzed using the quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry in vivo. Systemic injection of amperozide (5 mg/kg, s.c.) significantly blocked increase in behavior, c-fos and zif268 mRNA expression induced by 15 mg/kg cocaine, i.p., in the dorsal striatum. These data suggest that dopamine and 5HT2/1C receptors are necessary for cocaine-induced behavioral alterations and immediate early gene expression in the dorsal striatum.
Cocaine ; Dopamine ; Gene Expression* ; In Situ Hybridization ; Receptors, Dopamine ; Ritanserin ; RNA, Messenger ; Serotonin