Active clinical trials for "Substance-Related Disorders"

A randomized trial of 3-dimensional vs. 2-dimensional ultrasound, comparing scores on the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS), a validated instrument measuring maternal attachment as a marker of maternal bonding. The hypothesis is that 3-dimensional ultrasound is better at eliciting maternal attachment than 2-D To assess changes in maternal confidence to stop using drugs and quit/reduce smoking with 3-D vs. 2-D ultrasound. Again, the hypothesis is that 3-D ultrasound will improve the woman's confidence to stop using substances. To evaluate if 3-D ultrasound improves paternal attachment as measured by pre- and post- scores on the Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (PAAS). The hypothesis is that 3-D ultrasound will have a greater effect on PAAS scores than 2-D.

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) regimen enhances maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), but the effect of micro-doses on maximal and submaximal performance is not clear and detection of micro-doses is difficult with current methods. This study investigated whether micro-doses of rHuEPO enhances maximal and endurance performance in males and females.

As part of their work, emergency first responders, such as paramedics and emergency medical dispatchers are exposed daily to traumatic events. These traumatic events can have many impacts on mental health, such as acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Research has shown that intervening early after exposure to a traumatic event helps to identify people at risk and to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder. The Psychological First Aid approach originally developed for mass traumas, is an intervention advocated by international experts today following a traumatic event. However, this approach is still very little studied, especially when it is part of an organization of emergency first responders. It therefore still lacks scientific validity. The main objective of this research will be to assess whether the Psychological First Aid program provided by peer-support workers helps to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping.

The investigators will enroll 100 participants using a randomized control trial design to implement and evaluate an individualized opioid taper program supporting rural Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) caring for patients with moderate to severe trauma discharged on opioids. This study will link a trauma center Physician Assistant (PA) with rural PCPs to facilitate pain care and the individualized opioid taper. The investigators seek to improve patient's pain and opioid outcomes and support the PCPs who assume care for these complex patients after hospital discharge. Our long term goal is to provide a service that will help trauma patients as they go back into primary care and into pain- and opioid-free living.

Break the Cycle is a two-session, one-on-one, in-person intervention study designed to reduce the role persons who inject drugs (PWID) play initiating non-PWID into injection drug use. Study implementation is at two sites: New York City and Tallinn, Estonia. At baseline, quantitative data are collected via a structured computer-assisted personal interview, after which the intervention is conducted. At the 6-month follow-up, a modified version of the interview is repeated. The study uses a pre- versus post- design to compare the proportion of participants who helped with first injections, and who promoted injecting among non-PWID, in the 6 months prior to baseline with the proportions at the 6-month follow-up. Based on previous research on the intervention and on the underlying theory of motivational interviewing, increases in helping and promoting behaviors between baseline and follow-up would indicate that the intervention was not effective regardless of their effect size. Accordingly, the hypotheses that the intervention will produce reductions in assisting with first injections and engaging in injection promoting behaviors will be evaluated using one-tailed statistical tests. Break the Cycle intervention follows a motivational interviewing approach to enhance current injectors' motivation and skills to avoid helping with and promoting first injections among non-PWID. The intervention's core is a discussion between an interventionist and each participant on the following eight topics: the participant's first time injecting drugs; the participant's exposures to situations where helping with others' first injections is an option, and the extent to which they have helped; PWIDs' behaviors that might encourage non-PWID to inject for the first time; the range of risks associated with injection drug use; role-playing scenarios in which the participant develops behaviors and scripts for avoiding or refusing requests to initiate others into injection drug use; role- playing talking with other PWID about not encouraging non-PWID to start injecting; imparting safer injection practices when helping with a first injection seems like the best option; and receiving training in and using Narcan to reverse overdoses.

Survey experiment to elicit perceived norms about substance use

This project is measuring the effectiveness of an anti-stigma intervention among primary care providers. Both staff and clients will be asked to complete survey data in order to measure the effectiveness. This is a randomized control trial in that three health centres will receive the intervention and three will not. Results will determine if this intervention reduces stigma among staff toward people with a mental health problem and/or substance use problem.

Behavioral problems are part of many of the chronic diseases that cause the majority of illness, disability and death. Tobacco, diet, physical inactivity, alcohol, drug abuse, failure to take treatment, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, and stress are major issues, especially when chronic medical problems such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, or kidney disease are also present. These behavioral problems can often be helped, but the current health care system doesn't do a good job of getting the right care to these patients. Behavioral health includes mental health care, substance abuse care, health behavior change, and attention to family and other psychological and social factors. Many people with behavioral health needs present to primary care and may be referred to mental health or substance abuse specialists, but this method is often unacceptable to patients. Two newer ways have been proposed for helping these patients. In co-location, a behavioral health clinician (such as a Psychologist or Social Worker) is located in or near the primary practice to increase the chance that the patient will make it to treatment. In Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH), a Behavioral Health Clinician is specially trained to work closely with the medical provider as a full member of the primary treatment team. The research question is: Does increased integration of evidence-supported behavioral health and primary care services, compared to simple co-location of providers, improve outcomes? The key decision affected by the research is at the practice level: whether and how to use behavioral health services. The investigators plan to do a randomized, parallel group clustered study of 3,000 subjects in 40 practices with co-located behavioral health services. Practices randomized to the active intervention will convert to IBH using a practice improvement method that has helped in other settings. The investigators will measure the health status of patients in each practice before and after they start using IBH. The investigators will compare the change in those outcomes to health status changes of patients in practices who have not yet started using IBH. The investigators plan to study adults who have both medical and behavioral problems, and get their care in Family Medicine clinics, General Internal Medicine practices, and Community Health Centers.

Justification and aims of the study: The principal aim of use of opiate substitutes such as methadone or high-dose buprenorphine (HDB) is to reduce the need or the desire to consume the opiate to which the patient is addicted. Adjustment of the initial dose and regular re-evaluation of the efficacy of treatment are key elements in the success of such management. While too high a dose can be responsible for side effects leading to abandonment of treatment, too low a dose can induce the reappearance or even the reinforcing of parallel consumption of other psychoactive substances, in particular cocaine, alcohol and cannabis. The principal aim of this project is to determine the course of parallel consumption in patients who have been receiving a maintenance dose of methadone or HDB for at least two months, by analysis of a sample of hair, a biological matrix which is innovative for this type of study. Hair testing establishes a retrospective profile of consumption. The secondary aims of this project are (i) to validate the French versions of Handelsman's subjective and objective opiate withdrawal scales and to seek a possible correlation between high scores on these scales and the presence of parallel consumption, and (ii) to seek an association between polyconsumption and common functional polymorphisms of metabolic enzymes of methadone and HDB. Expected results: Hair testing, which has the particular advantage of a long detection window so that samples need only be taken at intervals, could improve the biological monitoring of patients on substitutive treatment. Validation of the French version of Handelsman's scales of objective and subjective signs of opiate withdrawal and search for any correlation with parallel consumption will enable these scales to be used in daily practice for clinical surveillance of patients on substitutive treatment. If a polymorphism of a metabolic enzyme of one or other of these molecules is detected, rapid genotyping of a simple saliva sample will be valuable in guiding the choice of medication when deciding on a treatment strategy

People who inject drugs (PWID) experience high risk of HIV acquisition. Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an efficacious biomedical HIV prevention strategy for high risk HIV-uninfected individuals including PWID, yet uptake has been low in this population and uptake and adherence interventions have not been developed or tested. Drawing from formative qualitative research, the overall goal of this project is to develop an intervention to promote PrEP uptake and adherence among PWID in the U.S. Northeast. The investigators will: Analyze existing literature and data to identify specific barriers and facilitators to PrEP uptake and adherence among PWID to inform the initial adaptation of existing theory-based interventions; Conduct qualitative interviews with ~30 PWID and ~10 key informants (PrEP and other clinical and social service providers) to identify intervention targets; Develop and iteratively refine and finalize an intervention manual based on feedback from qualitative exit-interviews with an interventionist and ~10 PWID; and Conduct a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) in ~50 HIV-uninfected PWID to compare PrEP uptake and adherence outcomes and assess intervention feasibility and acceptability.