Lucia Pereira Barroso

Comparative study of drug use among undergraduate students at the University of São Paulo--São Paulo campus in 1996 and 2001.

OBJECTIVE To compare the rate of drug use prevalence and to investigate opinions regarding such use among undergraduate students at the University of São Paulo--São Paulo campus in 1996 and again in 2001. METHODS Both studies followed the same procedures of sampling and data collection. A random sample of undergraduate students, divided into the areas Humanities, Exact Sciences and Biologic Sciences, responded to an anonymous and self-report survey regarding the use of licit and illicit drugs within the last 30 days, within the last 12 months and over the lifetime of the subject. The two surveys were compared through the construction of (95%) confidence intervals for the prevalence differences for each substance by area and by total number of students. The Wald test for homogeneity was applied in order to compare the prevalences. RESULTS High approval of regularly trying and using cocaine, crack, amphetamines and inhalants was observed. The drugs that showed statistic significant increasing were:lifetime use: alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, hallucinogens, amphetamines, anti cholines, barbiturics and any illicit drug;last-12-month use: marijuana, inhalants, amphetamines, hallucinogens and any illicit drug;last-30-day use: marijuana, inhalants, amphetamines and any illicit drug. DISCUSSION The observed difference in the use of some drugs between the two surveys appears to be a consequence of the higher rates of favorable opinions regarding trying and regularly using some psychoactive substances, a finding that mirrors global trends in drug use.

Alcohol and drug use among university students: gender differences

OBJECTIVE This study compared the pattern of alcohol, legal and illegal drugs use among students of the Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil) in 1996 and 2001. METHOD Samples of 2.564 (1996) and 2.837 (2001) students answered a questionnaire proposed by the World Health Organization, which characterizes the consumption of alcohol, legal and illegal drugs in lifetime, in the last 12 months and in the last 30 days. RESULTS Men showed a significant increase in lifetime use of tobacco (44.8% to 50.9%), marijuana (33.7% to 39.5%) and hallucinogens (6.6% to 14.1%) between 1996 and 2001. No significant change was observed among women between 1996 and 2001 in tranquilizer use. Concerning the consumption reported in the last 12 months, both genders displayed significant increases in the consumption of marijuana (22.3% to 27.1% for men and 12.9% to 16.9% for women), amphetamines (1.9% to 5.0% for men and 3.4% to 5.6% for women), and inhalants (9.8% to 15.7% for men and 5.4% to 10.6% for women). The greatest gender difference was observed in consumption reported in the last 30 days with significant increases in male use of tobacco (19.6% to 23.5%), marijuana (15.8% to 20.5%), amphetamines (1.1% to 3.2%), and inhalants (4.0% to 7.9%). Substance use reported in the last 30 days remained stable among women between the 2 surveys. CONCLUSION Rates of substance use among university students increased. These gender differences in substance consumption should be taken into account in the development of preventive and treatment strategies for undergraduate university students.

Neuropsychological Assessment of Current and Past Crack Cocaine Users

Background: Cognitive changes due to crack cocaine consumption remain unclear. Methods: For clarification, 55 subjects were assigned to three groups: control group, crack cocaine current users, and ex-users. Participants were submitted to Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and tasks evaluating executive functioning and verbal memory. Mood state was also measured. Intergroup comparisons were carried out. Results: Control group performance on the MMSE was better than that of users and ex-users. Verbal memory performance for logical memory of users was impaired. Ex-users scored lower on DSST and Trail Making Test (Part B). Conclusion: Chronic crack cocaine use seems to disrupt general cognitive functioning (MMSE), verbal memory, and attentional resources, but findings suggest that some of these effects could be reversed by abstinence.

Drug consumption among medical students in São Paulo, Brazil: influences of gender and academic year.

OBJECTIVE To analyze alcohol, tobacco and other drug use among medical students. METHOD Over a five-year period (1996-2001), we evaluated 457 students at the Universidade de São Paulo School of Medicine, located in São Paulo, Brazil. The students participated by filling out an anonymous questionnaire on drug use (lifetime, previous 12 months and previous 30 days). The influence that gender and academic year have on drug use was also analyzed. RESULTS During the study period, there was an increase in the use of illicit drugs, especially inhalants and amphetamines, among the medical students evaluated. Drug use (except that of marijuana and inhalants) was comparable between the genders, and academic year was an important influencing factor. DISCUSSION Increased inhalant use was observed among the medical students, especially among males and students in the early undergraduate years. This is suggestive of a specific behavioral pattern among medical students. Our findings corroborate those of previous studies. CONCLUSION Inhalant use is on the rise among medical students at the Universidade de São Paulo School of Medicine. Because of the negative health effects of illicit drug use, further studies are needed in order to deepen the understanding of this phenomenon and to facilitate the development of preventive measures.

Structure-Activity Relationship of Compounds which are Anti-Schistosomiasis Active

O metodo do orbital molecular AM1 foi empregado para calcular um conjunto de descritores moleculares para vinte neolignanas sinteticas com atividade anti-esquistossomose. O metodo de reconhecimento de padrao (analise de componentes principais ACP, analise de conglomerados AC e analise de discriminante) foi utilizado para obter a relacao entre a estrutura molecular e a atividade biologica. O conjunto de moleculas foi classificado em dois grupos de acordo com seus graus de atividade biologica. Estes resultados permitem que, projete-se racionalmente novos compostos, potenciais candidatos a sintese e a avaliacao biologica.

Drug use in college students: a 13-year trend

OBJETIVO: Analizar la tendencia del uso de drogas entre universitarios en 1996, 2001 y 2009. METODOS: estudio epidemiologico transversal con 9.974 universitarios del municipio de Sao Paulo, Sureste de Brasil, cuya muestra fue seleccionada por estratificacion y conglomerados. Se adopto instrumento de investigacion de auto llenado, anonimo, que caracterizo el uso de drogas por tres medidas: uso en la vida, en los ultimos 12 meses y en los ultimos 30 dias. Para comparar las frecuencias de uso de drogas entre las investigaciones, se utilizo la metodologia de comparaciones multiples con correccion de Bonferroni. RESULTADOS: Hubo reduccion de la frecuencia de estudiantes que relataron consumo de drogas entre 1996 y 2009. Hubo disminucion del uso de inhalantes y aumento en el uso de anfetaminicos en todas las medidas evaluadas [4,6% para 8,7% en la vida, de 2,4% para 4,5% en los ultimos 12 meses y de 1,9% a 3,3% en los ultimos 30 dias]. Los alumnos de las Ciencias Humanas relataron uso de drogas con mayor frecuencia [48,6% en la vida, 29,0% en los ultimos 12 meses y 20,9% en los ultimos 30 dias]. CONCLUSIONES: Entre los 13 anos de estudio, hubo aumento de uso en la vida de cigarro, alucinogenos, anfetaminas y tranquilizantes; asi como aumento en el uso de anfetaminas en los ultimos 12 meses y disminucion en el uso de alcohol. Con relacion a los ultimos 30 dias, hubo aumento en el uso de anfetaminas.OBJECTIVE To analyze drug use trends among college students in 1996, 2001 and 2009. METHODS A cross-sectional epidemiological study with a multistage stratified cluster sample with 9,974 college students was conducted in the city of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on drug use assessed in lifetime, the preceding 12 months and the preceding 30 days. The Bonferroni correction was used for multiple comparisons of drug use rates between surveys. RESULTS There were changes in the lifetime use of tobacco and some other drugs (hallucinogens [6.1% to 8.8%], amphetamines [4.6% to 8.7%], and tranquilizers [5.7% to 8.2%]) from 1996 to 2009. Differences in the use of other drugs over the 12 months preceding the survey were also seen: reduced use of inhalants [9.0% to 4.8%] and increased use of amphetamines [2.4% to 4.8%]. There was a reduction in alcohol [72.9% to 62.1%], tobacco [21.3% to 17.2%] and marijuana [15.0% to 11.5%] use and an increase in amphetamine use [1.9% to 3.3%] in the preceeding 30 days. CONCLUSIONS Over the 13-year study period, there was an increase in lifetime use of tobacco, hallucinogens, amphetamines, and tranquilizers. There was an increase in amphetamine use and a reduction in alcohol use during the preceding 12 months. There was an increase in amphetamine use during the preceding 30 days.

Three Corrected Score Tests for Generalized Linear Models with Dispersion Covariates

We develop three corrected score tests for generalized linear models with dispersion covariates, thus generalizing the results of Cordeiro, Ferrari and Paula (1993) and Cribari-Neto and Ferrari (1995). We present, in matrix notation, general formulae for the coefficients which define the corrected statistics. The formulae only require simple operations on matrices and can be used to obtain analytically closed-form corrections for score test statistics in a variety of special generalized linear models with dispersion covariates. They also have advantages for numerical purposes since our formulae are readily computable using a language supporting numerical linear algebra. Two examples, namely, iid sampling without covariates on the mean or dispersion parameter oand one-way classification models, are given. We also present some simulations where the three corrected tests perform better than the usual score test, the likelihood ratio test and its Bartlett corrected version. Finally, we present a numerical example for a data set discussed by Simonoff and Tsai (1994).

Gender-related associations of genetic polymorphisms of α-adrenergic receptors, endothelial nitric oxide synthase and bradykinin B2 receptor with treadmill exercise test responses

Background Treadmill exercise test responses have been associated with cardiovascular prognosis in individuals without overt heart disease. Neurohumoral and nitric oxide responses may influence cardiovascular performance during exercise testing. Therefore, we evaluated associations between functional genetic polymorphisms of α-adrenergic receptors, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, bradykinin receptor B2 and treadmill exercise test responses in men and women without overt heart disease. Methods We enrolled 766 (417 women; 349 men) individuals without established heart disease from a check-up programme at the Heart Institute, University of São Paulo Medical School. Exercise capacity, chronotropic reserve, maximum heart-rate achieved, heart-rate recovery, exercise systolic blood pressure (SBP), exercise diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and SBP recovery were assessed during exercise testing. Genotypes for the α-adrenergic receptors ADRA1A Arg347Cys (rs1048101), ADRA2A 1780 C>T (rs553668), ADRA2B Del 301–303 (rs28365031), endothelial nitric synthase (eNOS) 786 T>C (rs2070744), eNOS Glu298Asp (rs1799983) and BK2R (rs5810761) polymorphisms were assessed by PCR and high-resolution melting analysis. Results Maximum SBP was associated with ADRA1A rs1048101 (p=0.008) and BK2R rs5810761 (p=0.008) polymorphisms in men and ADRA2A rs553668 (p=0.008) and ADRA2B rs28365031 (p=0.022) in women. Maximum DBP pressure was associated with ADRA2A rs553668 (p=0.002) and eNOS rs1799983 (p=0.015) polymorphisms in women. Exercise capacity was associated with eNOS rs2070744 polymorphisms in women (p=0.01) and with eNOS rs1799983 in men and women (p=0.038 and p=0.024). Conclusions The findings suggest that genetic variants of α-adrenergic receptors and bradykinin B2 receptor may be involved with blood pressure responses during exercise tests. Genetic variants of endothelial nitric oxide synthase may be involved with exercise capacity and blood pressure responses during exercise tests. These responses may be gender-related.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Body Checking Cognitions Scale (BCCS) Portuguese Version

The aim of this study is evaluate the psychometric results and validity of the Brazilian Portuguese language version of the Body Checking Cognitions Scale (BCCS). Factor analysis and concurrent validity were checked on assessments from participants with and without eating disorders. The scale had good internal consistency. Factor analysis confirmed four components. Control and Eating Disorders groups were discriminated, and results correlated well with the Eating Attitudes Test and Body Shape Questionnaire. The results for the Portuguese version of the BCCS were similar to the original version, and its use is recommended for evaluation of body-checking cognitions in the Brazilian population with or without eating disorders.

Asymptotic Skewness in Exponential Family Nonlinear Models

In this article, we give an asymptotic formula of order n −1/2, where n is the sample size, for the skewness of the distributions of the maximum likelihood estimates of the pa-ra-meters in exponencial family nonlinear models. We generalize the result by Cordeiro and Cordeiro (2001). The formula is given in matrix notation and is very suitable for computer implementation and to obtain closed form expressions for a great variety of models. Some special cases and two applications are discussed.