Juliana Scherer

Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos | UNISINOS · Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva

Driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) is increasing worldwide, and cannabis is the most prevalent drug after alcohol in impaired driving cases, emphasizing the need for a reliable traffic enforcement strategy. ∆ ⁹ ‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) detection in oral fluid has great potential for identifying recent cannabis use; however, additiona...

Background: Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelets-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are biomarkers easy-to-obtain and could be used in clinical practice to verify an inflammatory status and are associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cocaine use disorder (CUD). Our aim was to compare NLR, MLR and PLR amon...

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in several drug-induced brain neuroadaptations. The impact of withdrawal from substances that have different neurological mechanisms on BDNF levels is unclear. Our goal was to compare serum BDNF levels in inpatients with alcohol or crack cocaine use disorders during the early withdrawal period, a...

There have been no studies reporting on the use of biological specimens in Mexico to analyze the prevalence of alcohol and drug use among Emergency Department (ED) patients with a road traffic injury (RTI). We report here on a sample of 304 adult patients, admitted to the ED of a public hospital in Mexico City from January to April 2022, after bein...

O combate a disseminação de notícias falsas e a desinformação em saúde tem sido apontado como um dos maiores desafios atuais dentro da saúde coletiva mundial. A psiquiatria e as áreas relacionadas à saúde mental são especialmente impactadas pela falta de educação em saúde, uma vez que estas ainda são fortemente relacionadas a estigmas e a marginali...

Aim: To compare the suicide rates observed in Brazil after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with the estimated number based on suicide deaths between 2010 and 2020, and to identify sociodemographic variables associated with this outcome. Methods: An ecological time-series study. Data were obtained from DATASUS, with the structural break of the...

Introduction: High rates of early hospital discharge are often observed in crack cocaine users, being related to adverse outcomes, and increased public spending. This study evaluated clinic and sociodemographic factors associated with early treatment discharge among crack users. Methods: The sample included 308 men diagnosed with crack cocaine u...

Objective: To assess differences in blood inflammatory cytokines between people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and healthy controls (HC). Methods: Searches were performed from inception through April 14, 2021. Meta-analyses with random-effects models were used to calculate the standardized mean difference ([SMD], 95%CI), and potential sources o...

Objective: To assess differences in blood inflammatory cytokines between people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and healthy controls (HC). Methods: Searches were performed from inception through April 14, 2021. Meta-analyses with random-effects models were used to calculate the standardized mean difference ([SMD], 95%CI), and potential sources of...

Objective: To assess differences in blood inflammatory cytokines between people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and healthy controls (HC). Methods: Searches were performed from inception through April 14, 2021. Meta-analyses with random-effects models were used to calculate the standardized mean difference ([SMD], 95%CI), and potential sources o...

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly spread around the world. The rapid transmission of the virus is a threat that hinders the ability to contain the disease propagation. The pandemic forced widespread conversion of in-person to virtual care delivery through telemedicine. Given this gap, this article aims at providing a literature review of machine le...

Background The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was more aggressive in Brazil compared to other countries around the globe. Considering the Brazilian peculiarities, we analyze the in-hospital mortality concerning socio-epidemiological characteristics of patients and the health system of all states during the first and second waves of COVID-19....

Introduction: High rates of early hospital discharge are often observed in crack cocaine users,

Background: Studies have reported the worsening of psychiatric symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have evaluated the impact on the access to mental health services during COVID-19. Our aim was to analyze temporal trends and prediction of appointments held in Brazil's public health system, to compare the observed and expecte...

Background: The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was more aggressive in Brazil compared to other countries around the globe. Considering the Brazilian peculiarities, we analyze the in-hospital mortality concerning socio-epidemiological characteristics of patients and the health system of all states during the first and second waves of COVID-19....

O objetivo geral deste capítulo foi realizar uma revisão narrativa da literatura no que diz respeito a aceitabilidade e as percepções de risco acerca das vacinas, com o foco na vacinação contra a covid-19. Especificamente, este capítulo se propôs a: elucidar, sob uma perspectiva social e antropológica, o surgimento de movimentos antivacina, a incre...

Background: Changes in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been linked to the neuroadaptative consequences of chronic alcohol use and associated with disease severity and prognosis. Few studies have evaluated the influence of drug withdrawal and clinical and sociodemographic data on BDNF levels in severe alcohol users. Aims: Our goa...

UNSTRUCTURED The COVID-19 outbreak exposed a number of problems faced by health systems around the world, especially with regard to generation and sharing health data, in a quickly and safely manner. However, this pandemic scenario also facilitates the rapid implementation and monitoring of technologies in the health field. In view of the occurrenc...

Unstructured: The COVID-19 outbreak exposed several problems faced by health systems worldwide, especially concerning generation and sharing health data quickly and safely. However, this pandemic scenario also facilitates the rapid implementation and monitoring of technologies in the health field. In view of the occurrence of the public calamity s...

Objective: Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate levels of anger among substance users compared to non-user controls and to analyze the possible association between anger and psychoactive substance use (PSU). Methods: The procedures of this review followed the Meta-Analyzes of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) and P...

The COVID-19 pandemic is unquestionably impacting on the mental health of the population worldwide. Fear of contamination can both increase levels of stress in healthy individuals and intensify psychiatric symptoms in patients with pre-existing conditions, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the imminent ri...

Objective: The aim of this study was to systematically review the methodologies used for BE evaluation/identification diagnosis in clinical trials (CT) with adults. Methods: The search was performed on PUBMED until July 2018. The PRISMA statement was used to improve the reporting of results.Results: 93 CTs were included among the 225 studies retrie...

Background: The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a challenging public health problem. The identification of risk groups is essential for the establishment of prevention, screening, containment and treatment strategies. In Brazil, overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in prisons have been a problem for a long time that facilitates...

Identifying the profile of risky behaviors among drivers is central to propose effective interventions. Due to the multidimensional and overlapping aspects of risky driving behaviors, cluster analysis can provide additional insights in order to identify specific subgroups of risk. This study aimed to identify clusters of driving risk behavior (DRB)...

Introduction: Rio Grande do Sul is among the Brazilian states with the highest percentage of elderly people, in addition, high rates of HIV / AIDS have been verified in the general population, however, there are few scientific investigations exploring this subject. Objective: To identify the annual incidence of AIDS diagnoses in the population aged...

Introduction Brazil is one of the countries with the highest rates of alcohol-related traffic infractions, but little is known about the profile of the drivers who commit them. Identifying the characteristics of impaired drivers is essential for planning preventive actions. Objective To compare drug use and driving behavior profiles of drivers wit...

Background Point-of-collection testing (POCT) devices for psychoactive substance detection through oral fluid samples are used in several countries for traffic enforcement. However, the reported reliability of such devices is quite heterogeneous among studies, and evaluating and comparing their analytical performance is of paramount importance to g...

Introduction Drug-related crimes, especially drug trafficking, account for a large part of incarcerations not only in Brazil, but also worldwide. It is not clear whether the change in the drug law has contributed to the increase in the number of drug trafficking prisoners. Few studies have investigated gender differences and the growth of drug traf...

Introduction The dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has a key role in drug addiction susceptibility. In addition to the well-known relationship between cortisol and the HPA axis, other molecules are involved with stress response and could modify the HPA activation, such as the neuropeptide Y (NPY), which has anxiolytic p...

Background Suicide is a severe health problem, with high rates in individuals with addiction. Considering the lack of studies exploring suicide predictors in this population, we aimed to investigate factors associated with attempted suicide in inpatients diagnosed with cocaine use disorder using two analytical approaches. Methods This is a cross-s...

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major challenges to healthcare systems and public health policies globally, as it requires novel treatment and prevention strategies to adapt for the impact of the pandemic. Individuals with substance user disorders (SUD) are at risk population for contamination due to multiple factors – attributable to their clini...

Background: Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis has been associated with craving and early relapse among individuals with substance use disorders. However, no association has been postulated regarding treatment retention and prognosis in crack cocaine users. Objective: Our aim was to investigate the association between...

Background: Club drug users are high risk and vulnerable population for adverse drug-related consequences and sexual risk behaviors. Few investigations have addressed the possible interrelationship between early trauma and PTSD among young club drug using populations. Objective: Exposure to traumatic experiences – especially in childhood, has been...

Objective: Traffic fatalities in Brazil still rank among the highest worldwide, with an overall rate of 23.4 deaths/100,000 inhabitants/year. Although alcohol and drug use play an important role in traffic accidents, national data about their relative influence are scarce. Drug screening is not routinely performed by traffic agents because alcohol...

The incidence of driving under the influence of psychoactive substances (DUI) and its recidivism can be curtailed by the proper identification of specific and predictive characteristics among drug users. In this sense, interpersonal violence (IV), psychiatric comorbidity and impulsivity seem to play an important role in DUI engagement according to...

Background: NBOMes are a new class of potent halluci-nogens widely present in illicit drugs. Little is known about this class of drugs, regarding its detection and clinical manifestations of intoxication. Objective: This study aims to enhance care involving NBOMes by reviewing the literature on their clinical manifestations and laboratory detection...

Crack cocaine users frequently report difficulties regarding having healthy and rewarding relationships. Factors other than the use of crack cocaine itself may be at play when it comes to being able to develop healthier connections with partners, adult relatives and close friends. To verify which factors, including demographics, substance abuse rel...

Background: NBOMes are a new class of potent hallucinogens widely present in illicit drugs. Little is known about this class of drugs, regarding its detection and clinical manifestations of intoxication. Objective: This study aims to enhance care involving NBOMes by reviewing the literature on their clinical manifestations and laboratorydetectio...

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with several neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. It is not clear, however, whether BDNF levels are modified in substance use disorders (SUDs). Methods: We conducted a systematic search of electronic databases to identify studies comparing peripheral plasma or serum BDNF...

This study aimed to investigate the association between exposure to different types of child maltreatment (CM) and the development of substance use disorders (SUDs) later in life. A systematic review was conducted: the PubMed, EMBASE and PsycINFO databases were searched for relevant papers and ten studies were identified for further analysis. Rando...

Objective: To evaluate the nutritional status of crack users and to analyze its correlation with drug use profiles. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 108 crack users. Anthropometric data were assessed through body mass index (BMI) and bioimpedance (BIA) measurements. A blood test to analyze hematocrit, hemoglobin, glucose, and lipid profiles w...

Background: Crack-cocaine is an important public health problem in Brazil and worldwide. It is a potent form of cocaine which results in rapid and damaging stimulating effects on the central nervous system through inhibition of the dopamine transporter. Some studies have suggested that both food and drugs - including crack, can act on the same bra...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin whose modulation may contribute to different types of brain plasticity, including drug addiction and dependence in both rodents and humans. Although modulation of BDNF has been demonstrated to contribute to different features of cocaine addiction, its modulation after short- and long-term w...

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is related with several liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinomas, leading to more than 0.5 million deaths every year and to a great global burden. It is known that injection drug users show a high prevalence of HCV infection, being considered a risk group for this disease. Cocai...

Background: This study examined drug use patterns and psychiatric symptoms of anxiety and depression among young Brazilian sexual minority ecstasy and LSD users and compared findings with those reported for their heterosexual peers. Method: This cross-sectional study employed targeted sampling and ethnographic mapping approaches via face-to-face...

The use of oral fluid (OF) as an alternative specimen for drug analysis has become very popular in forensic toxicology. Many clinical studies have evaluated the correlations between concentrations of cocaine and its metabolites in OF and other matrices, but results have shown high variability. In addition, there are no data available regarding the...

Objective:: Many studies correlate characteristics of family functioning and the development of drug addiction. This study sought to evaluate and compare the family environment styles of two groups of psychoactive substance users: 1) alcohol-only users and 2) crack-cocaine users. Methods:: Three hundred and sixty-four users of alcohol, crack-coc...

Resumo: O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a gravidade do uso de substâncias psicoativas, situações de violência, saúde física e emocional de usuários de crack que buscam atendimento em Centros de Atenção Psicossocial para Álcool e Drogas (CAPSad), em relação ao status de moradia. Trata-se de um estudo multicêntrico em seis capitais brasileiras, c...

Point-of-collection testing (POCT) devices for drugs of abuse are used to screen for the presence of psychoactive substances (PAS) in different types of settings and environments. However, these quick and advantageous tools also present disadvantages, including low-reliability measures in comparison to chromatographic assays. Therefore, this articl...

Introduction: A single LC-MS equipment was used to validate three methods for simultaneously analyzing cocaine (COC), benzoylecgonine (BZE), cocaethylene (CE), anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME) and anhydroecgonine (AEC) in oral fluid (OF), urine and plasma. Methods: The methods were carried out using a Kinetex HILIC column for polar compounds...

The use of point-of-collection testing (POCT) devices for drugs of abuse in oral fluid (OF) is an advantageous tool that has been used for different purposes-particularly traffic enforcement. However, even with the widespread report of cocaine consumption, the reliability of POCT devices has been reported in different magnitudes. This study evaluat...

Objective: Many studies correlate characteristics of family functioning and the development of drug addiction. This study sought to evaluate and compare the family environment styles of two groups of psychoactive substance users: 1) alcohol-only users and 2) crack-cocaine users. Methods: Three hundred and sixty-four users of alcohol, crack-cocaine,...

Psychiatric disorders are widely reported in patients seeking aesthetic treatments. Although they are not necessarily a contraindication for procedures, the recognition of these symptoms by the professional tends to strengthen the professional-patient relationship, thus leading to a better prognosis. This reduces the chances of dissatisfaction, com...

Apresentado na 36ª SEMANA CIENTÍFICA DO HOSPITAL DE CLÍNICAS DE PORTO ALEGRE

Background: Substance use disorders are associated with the increased risk of driving under the influence (DUI), but little is known about crack-cocaine and its relationship with road traffic crashes (RTC). Method: A multicenter sample of 765 crack-cocaine users was recruited in six Brazilian capitals in order to estimate the prevalence of DUI a...

Pais abusivos, mães negligentes: estilos parentais entre usuários de crack/cocaína e álcool de uma unidade de internação

Prevalência do consumo de substâncias psicoativas em jovens infratores

Unhealthy prison conditions potentiate the development of diseases, especially infectious diseases and psychiatric disorders. The health integralization in Prison Systems (PS), as public policy, it is a major challenge. Although the health care of the incarcerated population (IP) is guaranteed by the law since the Lei de Execucoes Penais (1984), it...

Due to the complexity of crack cocaine addiction treatment, the identification of biological markers that could help determining the impact or outcome of drug use has become a major subject of study. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the association of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) levels i...

Background When it comes to crack/drug use, relapse is a relatively common event in the first weeks after the end of treatment. However little is known about what happens to patients who relapse after discharge. Objective To report the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Crack Use Relapse Scale (CURS) in an inpatient population. Methods A f...

A 26-year-old Brazilian woman with a history of club drug use, in addition to cannabis and alcohol use, was referred to a clinic for substance abuse treatment after being found unconscious by security guards at a street party. Upon admission, the patient reported that she started using psychoactive substances when she was 16 years old. At that occa...

Crack users with conduct disorder have more association with violence, trauma and psychiatric comorbidities