Differences Between Male, Female Brain With Prenatal Exposure to Meth?
Researchers from the
Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center, a subdivision of
Oregon Health and Science University, report new findings from studies
on mice with prenatal and/or early exposure to Meth. They have
discovered mice experiencing such exposure
show
impairment in object recognition, and spatial learning and memory. And
female mice are more susceptible than male mice to Meth exposure early in
life.
Now the
scientists are setting up a new study to find out if humans are affected
the same way as the mice. They are recruiting children, both those who
were exposed to Meth before birth and others who have never been exposed
to it. They will also try to determine if a specific gene, also
associated with Alzheimer’s disease, helps determine the extent of Meth’s
affects on unborn children.
You can
access the MARC news release concerning the upcoming study
here.
Meth Use
Increases Risk of Heart Disease
Research
suggests a link between a disease of the heart muscle called
cardiomyopathy and Meth use. The research, conducted at a medical center
in Hawaii, reviewed charts of all patients aged 45 and younger discharged
with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy between January 2001 and June 2004.
There were 107 patients. These were compared with 114 controls matched
for age but discharged without evidence of heart trouble.
After adjusting for age, body weight and renal failure, the researchers
found that the odds of cardiomyopathy was 3.7-fold higher in Meth users
compared with non-users.
SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, February 2007.
Access the study’s abstract
Strokes in
Young People May be Tied to Meth Use
A researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center at Dallas examined two women, ages 29 and 36, both of whom used
Meth and then suddenly experienced weakness and difficulty in speaking.
Brain scans revealed both women had suffered severe strokes from tears in
the inner lining of one of the major arteries in the neck, an injury known
as carotid artery dissection.
On the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, a score over 16
suggests a high chance of death or severe disability. The 29-year-old
woman received a score of 17, while the 36-year-old woman received a 21.
Besides Meth abuse, the women did not have any other significant risk
factors for stroke. Both recovered with mild to moderate disabilities
after stroke therapy.
Access Article in
Scientific American
Medical Professionals may be interested in a
more detailed article
Meth Opens
Path for AIDS
in Users’ Bodies
Scientists have long known
that Meth use creates a kind of euphoria that can lead to increased risky
behavior and contribute to the spread of HIV infection.
Now, researchers have
shown a second way that Meth increases the risk of infection and can speed up
the pace of the disease. It is at the level of the virus interacting with the
cells of the body, at the same juncture that is responsible for the pleasurable
effects of Meth.
A
cellular biologist at the
University at Buffalo examined a part of the immune
system (dendritic cells) that the HIV virus initially latches onto when entering
a body. He followed the action of Meth as it attached itself to dopamine
receptors on cells. The drug somehow forces the creation of more of a specific
molecule that HIV grabs on to near the surface of the skin. Then, the cells
with the HIV attached travels deeper into the immune system. The sheer number
of virus molecules attached to the Meth-activated dendritc cells overwhelms the
natural defensive cells (T-cells) of the human body.
The study was published
online on Aug. 4, 2006 in the
Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology.
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