News in brief - Dec. 19, 2011

Ecstasy drug impact lingers in brain

The recreational drug Ecstasy is associated with chronic changes in the brain, says a study published online Dec. 5 in Archives of General Psychiatry.

Researchers used positron emission tomography scans to examine the levels of serotonin 2A receptors in various brain regions of 14 white females, age 18 to 25, who had used Ecstasy. They had not taken the drug in the 90 days before imaging. Serotonin 2A levels also were assessed in 10 women who had never used the drug. The study was limited to females because previous studies showed gender-specific differences in serotonin receptor levels.

Researchers found that women who used Ecstasy had increased levels of serotonin 2A receptors (archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/archgenpsychiatry.2011.156). More research is needed to determine the impact of these changes, the study said.

Back to top

Antibiotic prescribing common, often inappropriate in pediatric ambulatory care

Antibiotics often are inappropriately prescribed during pediatric ambulatory care visits, according to a study in the December issue of Pediatrics.

Researchers assessed data on pediatric patient visits from 2006 through 2008 using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. They found that antibiotics were prescribed in 21% of pediatric ambulatory visits (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22065263). Half of prescriptions were for broad-spectrum drugs, which are more likely to promote antibiotic resistance than narrow-spectrum medications.

Antibiotics were prescribed 72% of the time for respiratory conditions, the study showed. In 23% of these cases, the use of antibiotics was potentially inappropriate for the respiratory illness, researchers said.

Back to top