Intention and willingness in understanding Ritalin misuse among Iranian medical college students: a cross-sectional study

Non-medical use of methylphenidate by medical students: prevalence and motivations. Integrative review

Objective: This study performed a literature review evaluating aspects of prevalence and motivations on the non-medical use of methylphenidate by medical students. Methods: We searched the Scopus, PubMed, SciELO, and Web of Science databases and the Google Scholar search tool using the keywords "Methylphenidate" and "Medical Student" and their correlates in Portuguese. A total of 472 articles were recovered, of which 24 were included for full reading and discussion after the application of the pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: It was observed that the prevalence of non-prescribed use of methylphenidate ranged from 0.51% in Lithuania to 35% in Colombia. The main motivations reported for using the drug were academic outcomes improvement and increase in concentration during studies, although research shows no significant improvement in academic performance with the use of medication by healthy individuals. Conclusion: The non-prescribed use of methylphenidate presents a high and worrying frequency. Also, scientific studies questioning the use of psychostimulant medications for cognitive improvement by healthy students make the practice illegal and unfounded.

Random forest model to identify factors associated with anabolic-androgenic steroid use

Background

One of the types of doping that is commonly used by bodybuilders, is androgenic-anabolic steroids (AAS). The use of AAS besides violating sporting ethics would have serious consequences on physical and mental health statuses. This study aimed to determine the most important factors of using AAS among bodybuilders by prototype willingness model (PWM).

Methods

In this analytical cross-sectional study, 280 male bodybuilders were selected from the bodybuilding clubs in Hamadan city using multistage sampling in 2016. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographic information and constructs of the PWM was then used to collect data and random forest model was also applied to analyze the collected data.

Results

Behavioral willingness, attitude, and previous AAS use were found as the most important factors in determining the behavioral intention. Moreover, subjective norms, attitude, BMI, and prototypes were the factors with the greatest effect on predicting behavioral willingness of AAS use. As well, behavioral intention was observed to be more important than behavioral willingness for predicting of AAS use.

Discussion

The obtained results show that the reasoned action path has a greater impact to predict AAS use among bodybuilders compared to social reaction path.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13102-021-00257-5.

Effects of curcumin nanoparticle on the histological changes and apoptotic factors expression in testis tissue after methylphenidate administration in rats

The present article sought to evaluate the impact of curcumin-loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) on the histological variables and apoptotic agents in adult male rats after 3-weeks of methylphenidate (MPH) oral administration (20 mg/kg) versus vehicle therapy on the testis. Twenty-four male rats have been categorized randomly into four groups, in which Group 1 has been chosen as the controls, and Group 2 has been a vehicle and taken the sesame oil as curcumin carrier. Moreover, Group 3 has been taken MPH (20 mg/kg by gavage for 21 consecutive days). Group 4 received MPH plus Curcumin nanoparticles (5.4 mg/100 g) for twenty-one consecutive days. Then, testis histology, apoptosis as well as stereology have been examined. According to the examinations, curcumin nanoparticles are significantly capable of improving the sperms and stereological variables; for example, round spermatid and Leydig cells by enhancing the level of the serum testosterone in comparison with the MPH and vehicle groups. Besides, it was found that the gene expression in inflammation pathways and apoptosis genes largely diminished in the treatment group by curcumin nanoparticles in comparison with the MPH and vehicle groups, also we observed considerable differences for the weight of testes between the examined groups. Therefore, Curcumin effectively inhibited the testis damages and MPH-induced apoptosis, indicating possible protecting features of the Curcumin nanoparticles in opposition to MPH.

Students' stimulant use for cognitive enhancement: A deliberate choice rather than an emotional response to a given situation

BACKGROUND

Prescription stimulants such as methylphenidate are usually prescribed to treat attention deficit (and hyperactivity) disorders (ADHD). Recently, these drugs have gained popularity among college students, because of the belief that they can help improve academic performance.

OBJECTIVES

This study assessed whether engaging in nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for cognitive enhancement is a rational or a more spontaneous decision-making process.

METHOD

A survey was conducted among 661 students (63.5 % females, n = 420, M_age = 21.40). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

A total of 15.9 % (n = 105) of the students had previously taken stimulants to improve their academic performance. The use of stimulants was significantly higher among males (22.4 %) than females (12.1 %). Positive attitudes toward stimulant use for cognitive enhancement were strongest related to students' intention to take stimulants for increasing their academic performance, followed by the norm of parents. Additionally, the more the students identified themselves with the prototype of a student using stimulants for cognitive enhancement, the more likely they were to be willing to misuse stimulants.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that using stimulants for cognitive enhancement is a rational choice rather than an unplanned one.

Toxicology of long-term and high-dose administration of methylphenidate on the kidney tissue - a histopathology and molecular study

The present study aims to assess the influences of oral methylphenidate on kidney function and structure versus vehicle treatment in adult male rats. In this study, thirty adult male rats equally into two treatment groups divided randomly, and among them, MPH has been administered for 21 days, at doses of 20 mg/kg, and the control group has received salin. In renal, under the effect of MPH applying quantitative real-time PCR, we analyzed nephrotoxicity-related molecular pathways like autophagy, inflammation, and apoptosis. Moreover, the levels of GSH, CAT, and SOD were investigated as antioxidant enzymes. Afterward, stereological analysis in MPH-treated rats has been performed. Analysis of qPCR displayed inflammation, impaired autophagy, and enhanced apoptosis with histological changes in the kidney's tissue, also an important rise in the antioxidant enzymes' level. Besides, 20 mg/kg of MPH led to a decline in the mean of Bowman's space thickness and renal corpuscle's volume in comparison to the control rats. Collectively, our histological and molecular data implicit that in the kidney region, administrating of MPH evoked discriminative expression alterations in nephrotoxicity-associated signaling cascades, specifically autophagy, inflammation, and apoptosis paired with important damage to kidney tissue.

Prevalence of Methylphenidate Misuse in Medical Colleges in Pakistan: A Cross-sectional Study

Objective To determine the prevalence of nontherapeutic use of methylphenidate as well as to ascertain any benefits, side effects, and other factors associated with this use. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in medical colleges in Pakistan using a self-constructed, validated questionnaire. The sample size was calculated using Open Source Statistics for Epidemiological Health software (OpenEpi web-based open-source program, MIT license), and it was determined to be 400. The type of sampling was cluster sampling. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the internal consistency of the questionnaire, and it was found to be 0.80. Results Out of the 400 participants, 197 (49%) were male and 203 (51%) were female. The mean age of the participants was 21.02 (±1.54) years. Most of the participants (84%) reported they usually studied 1-3 hours a day, and 149 participants (37%) reported a score ranging from 70 to 80% in exams. Methylphenidate was admitted to be used by 37 participants. Out of these 37 participants, only 10 participants believed they had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants revealed they used the drug to either cope with the anxiety related to their scores or merely as a personal, recreational choice. Methylphenidate was mostly acquired from peers (68%), and peer pressure was found to be a major factor in its misuse. Conclusions Most of the methylphenidate misuse is linked to student underperformance in examinations and an underlying dissatisfaction. The problem is more aggravated when the social influence exerted by other students is taken into account. The side effects of drug usage are found to outweigh the benefits that have been reported.

Substances as Self-Treatment for Cognitive Test Anxiety among Undergraduate Students

This research investigates associations between cognitive test anxiety (CTA) and use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and medical and non-medical prescription stimulants (MNPS) among undergraduate students in Israel. A structured, self-report, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 814 undergraduate students in Israel. According to the test anxiety questionnaire, 16.6% of participants were found to experience CTA. CTA was higher among users of MNPS than among students who did not use MNPS. Students with CTA were 2.21 times more likely to engage in use of MNPS than students who did not have CTA (OR 2.21, 95% CI: 1.50-3.26; P < 0.001). A significant association was found between CTA and use of MNPS among the entire sample and among non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NPS). In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between CTA and attitudes toward cannabis and MNPS, such that students with higher CTA had more positive attitudes towards MNPS. A logistic regression model was found to be significant, predicting about 24.7% of the variance in MNPS use. Counseling services for students should be focused on consulting and treatment programs for students with CTA. In addition, preventive educational programs should be formed to target substance habits, especially NPS use.