OBJECTIVE: To review the effects of methylphenidate on cognitive enhancement, memory, and performance in medical students. METHODS: A review of four databases (LILACS, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and SciELO), analyzing the title and of all articles published between 1990 and 2012 in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Selected articles were read in entirety, including in the review those that met the established criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence of use among medical students reached 16%, with no gender difference. Most students began using the drug after entering the university, and the reasons cited to justify it are related to enhancing academic performance. CONCLUSION: There is no evidence in the literature that the use of methylphenidate is beneficial in terms of memory or learning. The drug simply increases wakefulness and alertness, reducing the time of sleep.

Use of methylphenidate among medical students: a systematic review

The use of legal and illegal substances by medical students is a phenomenon that is only partially known. The aim of this paper was to review the literature published internationally in the last 25 years about the use of legal and illegal substances by medical students. A systematic search was made of MEDLINE and LILACS. One hundred and six manuscripts were evaluated, which included a population of 88,413 medical students. We validated 74,001 questionnaires, which represented 83.7% of responses. The methodology and the rigor of its application are not the same in all the publications. There are many regional variations, most studies being made in America and Europe. With the exception of alcohol in some areas of the Western world, medical students use substances less than university students in general and the general population. The substances used are mainly alcohol (24%), tobacco (17.2%), and cannabis (11.8%). The use of hypnotic and sedative drugs also is common (9.9%). The rate of use of stimulants is 7.7% and of cocaine, 2.1%; opiate use being very low (0.4%). In some parts of Latin America, up to 14.1% use inhalants. Students in the last years of school have a higher rate of substance use. The use of substances, except for hypnotics and sedatives, is more common among men than women. The use of substances by medical students is a phenomenon that should be evaluated systematically due to its prevalence and potential impact.

Substance Use among Medical Students: A Literature Review 1988- 2013.

RESUMO Introducao Substâncias psicoestimulantes sao aquelas com capacidade de aumentar o estado de alerta e a motivacao, alem de possuirem propriedades antidepressivas, de melhora no humor e no desempenho cognitivo Por esse motivo, muitos estudantes fazem consumo indiscriminado dessas substâncias O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o uso de substâncias estimulantes do sistema nervoso central pelos estudantes de graduacao em Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande – Furg (RS), verificando as substâncias mais utilizadas, os motivos de uso e o perfil dos usuarios Metodos Foi realizado um estudo quantitativo observacional do tipo transversal com 200 estudantes de graduacao em Medicina da Furg, matriculados nessa instituicao no segundo semestre de 2015 Para a coleta de dados, utilizou-se um questionario padronizado e de autopreenchimento, com questoes demograficas, comportamentais e sobre o uso de estimulantes Foram coletadas informacoes acerca do consumo de cafeina, metilfenidato (Ritalina®), modafinil, piracetam, bebidas energeticas, anfetaminas e MDMA (ecstasy) Os dados foram analisados pelo teste exato de Fisher no pacote estatistico Stata 112 Resultados A prevalencia de uso de substâncias estimulantes na vida foi de 57,5% (IC95% 50,9 a 64,4), sendo que 51,3% destes comecaram a usa-las durante a faculdade O uso de psicoestimulantes no momento da pesquisa teve prevalencia de 52,3% (IC95% 45,3 a 59,3), valendo destacar que 16,6% dos estudantes consumiam mais de uma substância psicoestimulante As substâncias mais consumidas foram bebidas energeticas (38,0%) e cafeina mais de cinco vezes por semana (27,0%) O consumo de estimulantes foi maior entre os estudantes das series iniciais do curso Os principais motivos alegados para o consumo de estimulantes foram compensar a privacao de sono (47,4%) e melhorar raciocinio, atencao e/ou memoria (31,6%) Em relacao aos efeitos percebidos com o uso de estimulantes, 81,2% relataram reducao do sono, 70,8% perceberam melhora na concentracao, 58,0%, 56,1% e 54,0% reportaram, respectivamente, reducao da fadiga, melhora no raciocinio e melhora do bem-estar Conclusoes O consumo de estimulantes entre os estudantes de Medicina foi elevado Mais da metade dos estudantes relataram consumir psicoestimulantes, e um em cada tres destes usou para melhorar o desempenho cognitivo O uso dessas substâncias foi considerado eficaz pela maioria dos usuarios, o que pode dificultar o combate a esse consumo

/pdf/consumo-de-estimulantes-cerebrais-por-estudantes-de-medicina-4j2d8azmsj.pdf

Consumo de Estimulantes Cerebrais por Estudantes de Medicina de uma Universidade do Extremo Sul do Brasil: Prevalência, Motivação e Efeitos Percebidos

Objective Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease causing intense pruritus, and with typical clinical features. There are few epidemiological studies concerning AD in adults, as well as little information about its prognostic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological course of adults with AD. Methods 80 patients aged above 18 years (mean age = 29 years) were selected (30 males and 50 females) and interviewed about hospitalization, systemic corticoid usage, age of AD onset, and personal and/or familial history of atopy. Disease severity was evaluated through the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) tool. Laboratory examination included IgE serum levels and eosinophil blood count. Results 71 out of 80 patients referred association with respiratory symptoms (18 had asthma, 17 had rhinitis, and 36 had both conditions); nine out of 80 patients denied any respiratory disease. AD patients were divided in mild (n = 25), moderate (n = 30), and severe (n = 25); 56% had one or more hospitalizations due to AD. A positive association was found between IgE serum levels, eosinophil blood count, and disease severity. Conclusion Adult AD represents a clinical challenge that needs to be better characterized, since it can be misdiagnosed and interferes with the patient's social and personal life. The association of skin and respiratory atopic disease is frequent, and laboratory parameters such as circulating IgE levels and eosinophil blood count may be helpful to assess disease severity.

/pdf/atopic-dermatitis-in-adults-clinical-and-epidemiological-3gck1dpkz9.pdf

Atopic dermatitis in adults: clinical and epidemiological considerations.

.Suaheranc¸ageneticafoicomprovadaem2011.Lindhurstetal.realizaram o sequenciamento genetico de 29 pacientes com asindrome,sendoencontradaumamutac¸aosomaticanoonco-gene AKT1 e comprovado o mosaicismo somatico para umamutac¸ao, que e letal no estado nao mosaico. Foi comprovado,ainda, que a disfunc¸ao na via PI3K-AKT esta relacionada aocrescimento excessivo

/pdf/associacao-medica-brasileira-4mh8vpp8kz.pdf

Associação médica brasileira

Objective: Identify the frequency of use of non-medicated amphetamines and other substances to improve academic performance in students of the University of Manizales (Manizales, Colombia). Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was realized. The population was of 3616 students of all the faculties of the University of Manizales, with a representative sample of 309 students. An anonymous sur5vey was made in order to collect information which allowed to identify the consumption of amphetamines and other substances and factors related. Results: The average age was 20,46 years old, middle class. The most numerous samples were of the Medicine faculty (17.5 %) and Laws (16.8 %). 32,8 % informed consuming drugs like, marijuana (68,9 %), popper (26,9 %) and ecstasy (22,6 %). 14,6 % consumed amphetamines to improve academic performance, other substances are marijuana and cocaine which are associated with the period of university exams. These amphetamine consumption was faculty (42,3% Medicine, 16,7% economy) and semester (9° semester 44%, 5° semester 24,1%) dependent. 71% of the amphetamines consumers said to obtain good results. The alcohol and general drugs consumptions were associated factors to amphetamine consumption to improve academic performance. Conclusions: The consumption of amphetamines in this university is alarming, particularly in the Medicine and Economy faculties. To prevent the abuse and consumption of such substances, for improve academic performance, an integral intervention is necessary which contemplates either personal aspects of the student as much as of the institution.

Marcela Acevedo Urrego

Papers

Consumo de anfetaminas, para mejorar rendimiento académico, en estudiantes de la universidad de manizales, 2008