Fentanyl is used in Mexico’s northern border. Current challenges for drug health policies.
Results from a recent study among 750 heroin users in three Mexico's northern border cities revealed an increase in white powder availability (also known as China white) and preference for this product among heroin users, as well as a general perception of increased overdose cases among this population. Here, we questioned whether those findings reflect an increased presence of heroin laced with fentanyl, which is associated with greater risks of overdose but that, until now, has not been described in Mexico.
COVID- 19 and alcohol in Mexico: A serious health crisis, strong actions on alcohol in response
The present text comments on Stockwell and colleagues' paper documenting the high burden of alcohol use in COVID-19 related mortality in the USA and Canada in North America and the absence of a control policy in several countries of the world. This comment adds information about the third country in North America, Mexico. It describes alcohol use during the COVID lockdown and its consequences, highlighting the control efforts through public health policies and ponders the weaknesses of the current response to the health crisis and opportunities in the aftermath.
The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders cross-nationally: Findings from the World Mental Health Surveys
Prevalences of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) and Mental Health Disorders (MHDs) in many individual countries have been reported but there are few cross-national studies. The WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative standardizes methodological factors facilitating comparison of the prevalences and associated factors of AUDs in a large number of countries to identify differences and commonalities.
The role of drug treatment and recovery services: an opportunity to address injection initiation assistance in Tijuana, Mexico
In the U.S. and Canada, people who inject drugs' (PWID) enrollment in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) has been associated with a reduced likelihood that they will assist others in injection initiation events. We aimed to qualitatively explore PWID's experiences with MAT and other drug treatment and related recovery services in Tijuana Mexico, a resource-limited setting disproportionately impacted by injection drug use.
Self-perception of assisting with future injection drug initiation: The influence of relationships in the process of drug injecting initiation
People who inject drugs (PWID) play critical roles in assisting others into injection drug use (IDU) initiation. Understanding perceptions of PWID's risk of initiating others is needed to inform interventions for prevention. The objective was to examine factors associated with self-perception of assisting with future IDU initiation events. The primary variables of interest are the relationships of PWID with the person(s) they assisted and their reasons for previously providing initiation assistance.
Is hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination achievable among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico? A modeling analysis
In 2019, Mexico became the first Latin American country committed to hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination, but the amount of intervention scale-up required is unclear. In Tijuana, HCV among people who inject drugs (PWID) is high; yet there is minimal and intermittent harm reduction, and involuntary exposure to compulsory abstinence programs (CAP) occurs which is associated with increased HCV risk. We determined what combination intervention scale-up can achieve HCV elimination among current and former PWID in Tijuana.
The role of gender and power dynamics in injection initiation events within intimate partnerships in the US-Mexico border region
Women's initiation into injection drug use often establishes a pattern of risk following first injection. This study explored sources of gendered power dynamics in injection initiation experiences for people who inject drugs. A qualitative subsample from two prospective community-recruited cohorts of people who inject drugs in San Diego and Tijuana provided data on the contexts surrounding injection initiation processes. Intimate partnerships were identified in initiation; sub-themes were identified drawing on three concepts within the theory of gender and power. With reference to sexual division of labour, men were often responsible for access to resources in partnerships across both contexts, although there were limited accounts of women obtaining those resources. Extending the structure of power, women in San Diego reported that initiation events involving an intimate partner occurred from a position of vulnerability but expressed greater agency when providing initiation assistance.
Modeling integrated antiretroviral treatment and harm reduction services on HIV and overdose among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico
The HIV epidemic in Tijuana, Mexico is concentrated in key populations, including people who inject drugs (PWID). However, HIV interventions among PWID are minimal, and federal funding was provided for compulsory abstinence programmes associated with HIV and overdose. Alternatively, opioid agonist therapy reduces overdose, reincarceration, HIV, while improving antiretroviral therapy (ART) outcomes. We assessed potential impact and synergies of scaled-up integrated ART and opioid agonist therapy, compared to scale-up of each separately, and potential harms of compulsory abstinence programmes on HIV and fatal overdose among PWID in Tijuana.
“Pick up anything that moves”: a qualitative analysis of a police crackdown against people who use drugs in Tijuana, Mexico
Homeless people who use drugs (PWUD) are often displaced, detained, and/or forced into drug treatment during police crackdowns. Such operations follow a zero-tolerance approach to law enforcement and have a deleterious impact on the health of PWUD. In Mexico, municipal police officers (MPOs) conducted the largest crackdown documented at the Tijuana River Canal (Tijuana Mejora) to dismantle an open drug market. We analyzed active-duty MPOs’ attitudes on the rationale, implementation, and outcomes of the crackdown. We also included the involvement of non-governmental allies in the disguised imprisonment as drug treatment referral and potential legal consequences of having illegally detained PWUD.
Conflicting Laws and Priorities as Drug Policy Implementation Barriers: A Qualitative Analysis of Police Perspectives in Tijuana, Mexico
Drug policy reforms typically seek to improve health among people who use drugs (PWUD), but flawed implementation impedes potential benefits. Mexico’s 2009 drug policy reform emphasized public health-oriented measures to address addiction. Implementation has been deficient, however. We explored the role of municipal police officers’ (MPOs) enforcement decision-making and local systems as barriers to reform operationalization.
Perceived barriers to pre-exposure prophylaxis use and the role of syndemic factors among female sex workers in the Mexico-United States border region: a latent class analysis
Female sex workers (FSWs) experience syndemic factors (e.g., polydrug use, hazardous alcohol consumption, client-perpetrated violence, depression, and sexually transmitted infections) that often heighten vulnerability to HIV and limit healthcare utilization. We hypothesized that syndemic factors will limit FSWs' uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). From 2016 to 2017, 295 HIV-negative FSWs were enrolled in a behavioral HIV prevention trial in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, underwent STI testing, and completed surveys on syndemic factors and perceived barriers to PrEP use.
A Mixed Methods Analysis of the Venue-Related Social and Structural Context of Drug Use During Sex Among Male Clients of Female Sex Workers in Tijuana, Mexico
Drug use during sex increases risks for HIV acquisition. Male clients of female sex workers (FSW) represent both a key population at risk for HIV as well as a transmission bridge population. In Tijuana, Mexico, drug use is prevalent and there is a need to understand male clients' drug use during sex with FSW. Characteristics of sex work venues may confer higher risks for drug use, risky sex, and HIV/STI.
El tratamiento del dolor y el uso de opioides.
Los opioides son herramientas invaluables para el tratamiento del dolor oncológico y terminal, pero en México hay poco acceso a estas sustancias. Por otro lado, una persona muere cada nueve minutos por sobredosis de opioides en Estados Unidos de América (EUA). En lo que usted termina de leer este artículo se sumarán dos o tres más. Son muertes prematuras, no intencionales y por causas prevenibles derivadas de la epidemia por sobredosis de opioides. ¿Cómo llegamos a este punto? ¿Existe el riesgo de que la crisis se extienda a México en el futuro cercano? ¿Cómo debe responder la sociedad frente a este reto?
Minocycline prevents neuronal hyperexcitability and neuroinflammation in medial prefrontal cortex, as well as memory impairment caused by repeated toluene inhalation in adolescent rats
Toluene can be intentionally misused by adolescents to experience psychoactive effects. Toluene has a complex mechanism of action and broad behavioral effects, among which memory impairment is reported consistently. We have previously reported that repeated toluene inhalation (8000 ppm) increases layer 5 prelimbic pyramidal cells' excitability in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adolescent rats. Toluene also produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which activate glial cells.
Morphine and Fentanyl Repeated Administration Induces Different Levels of NLRP3-Dependent Pyroptosis in the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus of Male Rats via Cell-Specific Activation of TLR4 and Opioid Receptors
Morphine promotes neuroinflammation after NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) oligomerization in glial cells, but the capacity of other opioids to induce neuroinflammation and its relationship to the development of analgesic tolerance is unknown. We studied the effects of morphine and fentanyl on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in glial and neuronal cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), a region involved in pain regulation.
Innovative Identification of Substance Use Predictors: Machine Learning in a National Sample of Mexican Children
Machine learning provides a method of identifying factors that discriminate between substance users and non-users potentially improving our ability to match need with available prevention services within context with limited resources. Our aim was to utilize machine learning to identify high impact factors that best discriminate between substance users and non-users among a national sample (N = 52,171) of Mexican children (i.e., 5th, 6th grade; Mage = 10.40, SDage = 0.82).
The Identification of Admixture Patterns Could Refine Pharmacogenetic Counseling: Analysis of a Population-Based Sample in Mexico
Pharmacogenetic analysis has generated translational data that could be applied to guide treatments according to individual genetic variations. However, pharmacogenetic counseling in some mestizo (admixed) populations may require tailoring to different patterns of admixture. The identification and clustering of individuals with related admixture patterns in such populations could help to refine the practice of pharmacogenetic counseling.
Prevalence of 12-month mental and substance use disorders in sexual minority college students in Mexico
Mental health disparities have been documented among sexual minority college students, but there is a dearth of evidence from developing countries. The aim is to estimate the prevalence of 12-month mental and substance use disorders across a range of sexual identities among first-year college students in Mexican universities, and test whether there is an association between sexual identity and disorders and whether the association is moderated by gender.
Testing the Synergistic Effects of Depression, Anxiety, and Substance Use in Unsafe Sex: a Cross-sectional Study
Condom use is the most affordable method to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Anxiety, depression, and substance use have been used as covariates of condom use, but little is known about the possibility of synergistic effects. The objective of this study was to determine the synergist effect of depression, anxiety, and substance use in unsafe sex. Individuals receiving residential treatment for substance use were recruited in 21 centers in Mexico City. Data on substance use, depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and condom use (number of unsafe sex occasions) was collected.
A Mixed Methods Analysis of the Venue-Related Social and Structural Context of Drug Use During Sex Among Male Clients of Female Sex Workers in Tijuana, Mexico
Drug use during sex increases risks for HIV acquisition. Male clients of female sex workers (FSW) represent both a key population at risk for HIV as well as a transmission bridge population. In Tijuana, Mexico, drug use is prevalent and there is a need to understand male clients' drug use during sex with FSW. Characteristics of sex work venues may confer higher risks for drug use, risky sex, and HIV/STI.
El tratamiento del dolor y el uso de opioides.
Los opioides son herramientas invaluables para el tratamiento del dolor oncológico y terminal, pero en México hay poco acceso a estas sustancias. Por otro lado, una persona muere cada nueve minutos por sobredosis de opioides en Estados Unidos de América (EUA). En lo que usted termina de leer este artículo se sumarán dos o tres más. Son muertes prematuras, no intencionales y por causas prevenibles derivadas de la epidemia por sobredosis de opioides. ¿Cómo llegamos a este punto? ¿Existe el riesgo de que la crisis se extienda a México en el futuro cercano? ¿Cómo debe responder la sociedad frente a este reto?
Minocycline prevents neuronal hyperexcitability and neuroinflammation in medial prefrontal cortex, as well as memory impairment caused by repeated toluene inhalation in adolescent rats
Toluene can be intentionally misused by adolescents to experience psychoactive effects. Toluene has a complex mechanism of action and broad behavioral effects, among which memory impairment is reported consistently. We have previously reported that repeated toluene inhalation (8000 ppm) increases layer 5 prelimbic pyramidal cells' excitability in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adolescent rats. Toluene also produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which activate glial cells.
Morphine and Fentanyl Repeated Administration Induces Different Levels of NLRP3-Dependent Pyroptosis in the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus of Male Rats via Cell-Specific Activation of TLR4 and Opioid Receptors
Morphine promotes neuroinflammation after NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) oligomerization in glial cells, but the capacity of other opioids to induce neuroinflammation and its relationship to the development of analgesic tolerance is unknown. We studied the effects of morphine and fentanyl on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in glial and neuronal cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), a region involved in pain regulation.
Innovative Identification of Substance Use Predictors: Machine Learning in a National Sample of Mexican Children
Machine learning provides a method of identifying factors that discriminate between substance users and non-users potentially improving our ability to match need with available prevention services within context with limited resources. Our aim was to utilize machine learning to identify high impact factors that best discriminate between substance users and non-users among a national sample (N = 52,171) of Mexican children (i.e., 5th, 6th grade; Mage = 10.40, SDage = 0.82).