Illicit cocaine use patterns in intravenous-naive cocaine users following investigational intravenous cocaine administration

This study evaluated whether cocaine use patterns changed following investigational intravenous cocaine administration to intravenous-naive cocaine users. Subjects were respondents to a follow-up survey who had participated in one to three intravenous double-blind cocaine (0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg) administration studies. The group included healthy men (n = 17) and women (n = 8) with histories of occasional cocaine use (lifetime self-reported use of 12+/-12 (mean +/- S.D.) exposures, primarily via nasal insufflation) who were recontacted an average of 39 weeks (range 7-107 weeks) after study participation. The recontacted group constituted 45% of the total eligible sample of 55 subjects. Baseline demographics for the recontacted and non-recontacted (n = 30) samples were similar, suggesting that the recontacted sample was representative of the group as a whole. Investigational cocaine exposure did not induce adverse health events in any subject. Self-reported cocaine use estimates obtained at follow-up were compared to baseline estimates obtained with identical questionnaires and were highly concordant (Spearman rank correlation p = 0.52 and 0.78, respectively; P < 0.02 and < 0.0002, respectively). This suggests that participants provided stable and reliable reports of cocaine use. No subject reported either illicit intravenous cocaine use or altered frequency of illicit cocaine use by the customary route after investigational intravenous cocaine exposure. These data suggest that illicit cocaine use frequencies and routes of administration are not altered following investigational intravenous cocaine administration to healthy, occasional cocaine users.     

The Asn9 variant of lipoprotein lipase is associated with the — 93G promoter mutation and an increased risk of coronary artery disease

Two mutations in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene, a T to G transition at position −93 of the proximal promoter region and an Asp9Asn substitution in exon 2, were examined in 762 Dutch males with angiographically-diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD) and 296 healthy normolipidemic Dutch males. The two mutations exhibited strong linkage disequilibrium (D'=0.975). A significantly higher proportion of cases (4.86%) than controls (1.37%) carried the −93G/Asn9 allele (p=0.008). In the combined sample of cases and controls, adjusted mean plasma total cholesterol (TC) levels were significantly higher in −93G/Asn9 carriers (6.20±0.13 mmol/l) than in non-carriers (5.93±0.03 mmol/l; p=0.048), while mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were lower in carriers (0.88±0.03 mmol/l) than in non-carriers (0.98±0.01 mmol/l; p=0.002). There was a trend towards higher triglyceride (TG) levels in carriers (1.96±0.14 mmol/l) compared with non-carriers (1.73±0.03 mmol/l) (p=0.08). Additionally, carrier frequencies in tertiles of TC, HDL-C, TG, and LPL activity, suggested an association of the −93G/Asn9 variant with higher TC and TG levels, and with lower HDL-C and LPL activity levels. Logistic regression revealed a significant odds ratio (OR) for the combined −93G/Asn9 genotype in CAD cases relative to controls (OR: 5.36; 95% CI: 1.57–18.24), with age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and plasma total- and HDL-cholesterol levels included in the model. In conclusion, we show that the LPL Asp9Asn mutation is in non-random association with a T→G substitution at position −93 of the proximal promoter region and that the combined −93G/Asn9 genotype predisposes to decreased HDL-C levels and an increased risk of CAD.