Active clinical trials for "Substance-Related Disorders"

Epo increases red blood cell production and hence the amount of oxygen that can be transported around the body. It is shown that prolonged use of synthetic Epo (rHuEpo) leads to an increase in the period of time a given physical work can be performed, therefore it will continue to be abused by athletes, especially in endurance sports. The existing method for measuring the abuse of rHuEpo approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is based on differences in the sugar groups bound to rHuEpo and Epo produced in the body, respectively. Proteomics is a method by which one can look at all the proteins in blood at the same time. Even proteins that have changed very little can be distinguished. The main objective of this project is to investigate the effect of prolonged treatment with rHuEpo on changes in blood proteins in healthy young men.

The study examined intensive case management for homeless Veterans in addiction treatment by integrating addiction/housing case managers (AHCM), operating from a Life Skills Training perspective, into an addiction specialty program. The primary aim was to determine whether the AHCM intervention increases number of days housed during the year following treatment entry. Secondary aims were to compare costs and cost-effectiveness of AHCM vs. time and attention control, determine if AHCM improves addiction outcomes and functional status, and examine treatment process variables associated with improved outcomes.

The main aim of the study is to investigate the effects of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) on social and emotional processing in healthy humans. Ecstasy is a widely used recreational drug, with over 2 million Americans reporting use of the drug in 2006. With this number of users, and evidence that high doses of MDMA are neurotoxic in laboratory animals, the public health implications of ecstasy use may be substantial. Certain subjective effects of this drug distinguish it from other stimulants, and may contribute to its widespread use: That is, users report that ecstasy produces profound feelings of empathy and closeness to others. These so-called 'empathogenic' effects, which may reflect the distinctive neurochemical profile of action of the drug, have yet to be characterized in controlled laboratory studies. The investigators propose to characterize the effects of MDMA on measures of social and emotional processing that may contribute to this 'empathogenic' profile, including measures of emotion recognition, emotional responsiveness and sociability. The investigators will assess effects of MDMA (0, 0.75 and 1.5 mg/kg up to 125 mg) one active control drug (oxytocin: 20 IU) in 100 volunteers who report some prior ecstasy use. Oxytocin will be used because it appears to produce pro-social behavioral effects resembling those attributed to MDMA.

This research is being done to compare the effectiveness of standard on-site, in-person counseling with Internet web-based videoconferencing (e-therapy) in drug-dependent patients in opioid-agonist treatment programs. The study is looking to see if there are any differences in satisfaction or in treatment outcome if counseling sessions are given by e-therapy compared to standard, in-person counseling given in the clinic. The e-therapy happens in real time- it works very much like standard therapy in the clinic except that the patient is in his or her own home (or other convenient location outside the clinic) and talks to and sees the therapist through an Internet connection on the computer (the therapist will usually be at the clinic).

A major goal for the Department of Veterans Affairs is to end Veteran homelessness by 2015. The VA's largest homelessness initiative is the joint Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing program (HUD-VASH), which has been expanded greatly over recent years via the allocation of 30,000 Housing First vouchers between 2008 and 2010 and increased funding to hire 1,000 new program case managers. However, recent expansion has resulted in a number of implementation challenges including delays in the distribution of housing vouchers and dropout among program participants (25% of those housed in HUD-VASH drop out within a year). Much of this dropout can be attributed to untreated issues facing many Veterans enrolled in HUD-VASH. The most common among these untreated issues are mental health and substance use disorders. The presence of these disorders is due in large part to the fact that much of HUD-VASH case management focuses on housing placement and maintenance, with limited attention to mental health, substance abuse, and other related psychosocial issues, which when left untreated, negatively impacts voucher distribution and housing stability. This project will test an implementation model-Getting To Outcomes (GTO)-designed to assist in the delivery of an intervention for Veterans with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (MISSION-Vet) in the HUD-VASH program. The proposed study will compare implementation of MISSION-Vet currently being planned through VA Office of Patient Care Services to an enhanced approach using the GTO model. Thus, this project can contribute to ending all Veteran homelessness by 2015, a pledge made by President Obama.

The primary purpose of the study is to determine the effects of treatment with varenicline (1 and 2 mg daily), compared to treatment with placebo, on methamphetamine-induced craving and subjective effects in methamphetamine-dependent human volunteers.

The primary goal of the proposed trial is to examine the effect of combining frequent self-monitoring via Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMAs) and automated interventions via Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMIs) provided by smartphone, on days of abstinence from drugs and alcohol and HIV risk behaviors over 6 months following treatment discharge. We will recruit 400 participants at discharge (both planned or unplanned) from Illinois' largest treatment organization and randomly assign them in a 2 x 2 factorial design to receive EMA only, EMI only, combined EMA+EMI, or neither (control). Participants in the 3 EMA and EMI groups will receive a smartphone and training after discharge. To help them self-monitor, individuals in the EMA groups will be randomly signaled 6 times daily for 6 months and asked to record their recent substance use, HIV risk behaviors (e.g., needle use, unprotected sex) and exposure to internal and external protective and risk factors, then to rate the extent to which these factors support their recovery or make them want to use drugs or alcohol. Individuals in the EMI groups will have 24/7 access to a smartphone recovery support system. In the combined EMA+EMI group, participants will receive feedback directly following completion of each 2-3 minute EMA, and EMA responses will be used to encourage EMI utilization. The primary hypotheses are H1 Random assignment to a) EMA (vs. not), b) EMI (vs. not), and c) their interaction will be associated with more days of abstinence from drugs and alcohol over the 6 months post discharge. H2 Random assignment to a) EMA, b) EMI, and c) their interaction will be a associated with fewer HIV risk behaviors over the 6 months post discharge. H3 Days abstinent at 3 months post discharge will mediate the effects of a) EMA, b) EMI and c) their interaction on HIV Risk behavior at 6 months post discharge.

The purpose of this study is to determinate the effect of a pre-treatment with carvedilol, a alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptor blocker, on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy"). The investigators hypothesize that carvedilol will attenuate the cardiovascular and subjective response to MDMA.

Our primary goal is to conduct a pilot study of the effects of a new potential strategy for youth substance abuse prevention - science-based drug education integrated into the high school science curriculum. Through this pilot study we propose to: (1) demonstrate that this new strategy shows promise, and (2) estimate the effect size for the intervention.

This study involves giving psychoactive drugs intramuscularly (injected into the muscle of the upper arm or the hip) and/or orally, and measuring the participant's ability to tell the difference between one drug and another, as well as measuring the effects of the drugs on mood, physiology (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate) and behavior. Each participant will receive 2-4 of the listed interventions.