Alessandro Vento - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Alessandro Vento

Frontiers in Neuroscience, Mar 18, 2020

Background: A wide range of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) are regularly searched and discu... more Background: A wide range of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) are regularly searched and discussed online by e-psychonauts. Among NPSs, the range of prescription/non-prescription opioids (fentanyl and non-fentanyl analogs) and herbal derivatives currently represents a challenge for governments and clinicians. Methods: Using a web crawler (i.e., NPS.Finder R), the present study aimed at assessing psychonaut fora/platforms to better understand the online situation regarding opioids. Results: The open-web crawling/navigating software identified some 426 opioids, including 234 fentanyl analogs. Of these, 176 substances (162 were very potent fentanyls, including two ohmefentanyl and seven carfentanyl analogs) were not listed in either international or European NPS databases. Conclusion: A web crawling approach helped in identifying a large number, indeed higher than that listed by European/international agencies, of unknown opioids likely to possess a significant misuse potential. Most of these novel/emerging substances are still relatively unknown. This is a reason of concern; each of these analogs potentially presents with different toxicodynamic profiles, and there is a lack of docking, preclinical, and clinical observations. Strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration between clinicians and bioinformatics may prove useful in better assessing public health risks associated with opioids.

Rivista Di Psichiatria, Sep 1, 2002

Chemical Biology & Drug Design, Sep 5, 2022

Currently, increasing availability and popularity of designer benzodiazepines (DBZDs) constitutes... more Currently, increasing availability and popularity of designer benzodiazepines (DBZDs) constitutes a primary threat to public health. To assess this threat, the biological activity/potency of DBZDs was investigated using in silico studies. Specific Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) models were developed in Forge™ for the prediction of biological activity (IC50) on the γ‐aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABA‐AR) of previously identified classified and unclassified DBDZs. A set of new potential ligands resulting from scaffold hopping studies conducted with MOE® was also evaluated. Two generated QSAR models (i.e. 3D‐field QSAR and RVM) returned very good performance statistics (r2 = 0.98 [both] and q2 = 0.75 and 0.72, respectively). The DBZDs predicted to be the most active were flubrotizolam, clonazolam, pynazolam and flucotizolam, consistently with what reported in literature and/or drug discussion fora. The scaffold hopping studies strongly suggest that replacement of the pendant phenyl moiety with a five‐membered ring could increase biological activity and highlight the existence of a still unexplored chemical space for DBZDs. QSAR could be of use as a preliminary risk assessment model for (newly) identified DBZDs, as well as scaffold hopping for the creation of computational libraries that could be used by regulatory bodies as support tools for scheduling procedures.

Drugs, Apr 27, 2022

The third author's name, which is currently presented as Sophia Sharif, should be presented as Sa... more The third author's name, which is currently presented as Sophia Sharif, should be presented as Safia Sharif. The original article has been corrected.

Frontiers in Psychiatry, Feb 9, 2021

COVID-19-related disruptions of people and goods' circulation can affect drug markets, especially... more COVID-19-related disruptions of people and goods' circulation can affect drug markets, especially for new psychoactive substances (NPSs). Drug shortages could cause a change in available NPS, with the introduction of new, unknown, substances. The aims of the current research were to use a web crawler, NPSfinder ® , to identify and categorize emerging NPS discussed on a range of drug enthusiasts/psychonauts' websites/fora at the time of the pandemic; social media for these identified NPS were screened as well. The NPSfinder ® was used here to automatically scan 24/7 a list of psychonaut websites and NPS online resources. The NPSs identified in the time frame between January and August 2020 were searched in both the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addictions (EMCDDA)/United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) databases and on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube) as well, with a content qualitative analysis having been carried out on reddit.com. Of a total of 229 NPSs being discussed at the time of the pandemic, some 18 NPSs were identified for the first time by the NPSfinder ®. These included six cathinones, six opioids, two synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs), two phenylcyclohexylpiperidine (PCP)-like molecules, and two psychedelics. Of these NPSs, 10 were found to be previously unreported to either the UNODC or the EMCDDA. Of these 18 NPSs, opioids and cathinones were the most discussed on social media/reddit, with the highest number of threads associated. Current findings may support the use of both automated web crawlers and social listening approaches to identify emerging NPSs; the pandemic-related imposed restrictions may somehow influence the demand for specific NPS classes.

Routledge eBooks, Dec 29, 2020

Drugs, Apr 1, 2022

‘Smart drugs’ (also known as ‘nootropics’ and ‘cognitive enhancers’ [CEs]) are being used by heal... more ‘Smart drugs’ (also known as ‘nootropics’ and ‘cognitive enhancers’ [CEs]) are being used by healthy subjects (i.e. students and workers) typically to improve memory, attention, learning, executive functions and vigilance, hence the reference to a ‘pharmaceutical cognitive doping behaviour’. While the efficacy of known CEs in individuals with memory or learning deficits is well known, their effect on non-impaired brains is still to be fully assessed. This paper aims to provide an overview on the prevalence of use; putative neuroenhancement benefits and possible harms relating to the intake of the most popular CEs (e.g. amphetamine-type stimulants, methylphenidate, donepezil, selegiline, modafinil, piracetam, benzodiazepine inverse agonists, and unifiram analogues) in healthy individuals. CEs are generally perceived by the users as effective, with related enthusiastic anecdotal reports; however, their efficacy in healthy individuals is uncertain and any reported improvement temporary. Conversely, since most CEs are stimulants, the related modulation of central noradrenaline, glutamate, and dopamine levels may lead to cardiovascular, neurological and psychopathological complications. Furthermore, use of CEs can be associated with paradoxical short- and long-term cognitive decline; decreased potential for plastic learning; and addictive behaviour. Finally, the non-medical use of any potent psychotropic raises serious ethical and legal issues, with nootropics having the potential to become a major public health concern. Further studies investigating CE-associated social, psychological, and biological outcomes are urgently needed to allow firm conclusions to be drawn on the appropriateness of CE use in healthy individuals.

Frontiers in Psychiatry, Sep 11, 2020

Background: There is growing availability of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), including cogni... more Background: There is growing availability of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), including cognitive enhancers (CEs) which can be used in the treatment of certain mental health disorders. While treating cognitive deficit symptoms in neuropsychiatric or neurodegenerative disorders using CEs might have significant benefits for patients, the increasing recreational use of these substances by healthy individuals raises many clinical, medico-legal, and ethical issues. Moreover, it has become very challenging for clinicians to keep up-to-date with CEs currently available as comprehensive official lists do not exist. Methods: Using a web crawler (NPSfinder ®), the present study aimed at assessing psychonaut fora/platforms to better understand the online situation regarding CEs. We compared NPSfinder ® entries with those from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) NPS databases up to spring 2019. Any substance that was identified by NPSfinder ® was considered a CE if it was either described as having nootropic abilities by psychonauts or if it was listed among the known CEs by Froestl and colleagues. Results: A total of 142 unique CEs were identified by NPSfinder ®. They were divided into 10 categories, including plants/herbs/products (29%), prescribed drugs (17%), image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) (15%), psychostimulants (15%), miscellaneous (8%), Phenethylamines (6%), GABAergic drugs (5%), cannabimimetic (4%), tryptamines derivatives (0.5%), and piperazine derivatives (0.5%). A total of 105 chemically different substances were uniquely identified by NPSfinder ®. Only one CE was uniquely identified by the EMCDDA; no CE was uniquely identified by the UNODC. Conclusions: These results show that NPSfinder ® is helpful as part of an Early Warning System, which could update clinicians with the growing numbers and types of nootropics in the increasingly difficult-to-follow internet world. Improving clinicians' knowledge of NPS could promote more effective prevention and harm reduction measures in clinical settings.

Rivista Di Psichiatria, Sep 1, 2005

Viene presentato il caso di un adolescente con disturbo ossessivo-compulsivo. I sintomi nascono s... more Viene presentato il caso di un adolescente con disturbo ossessivo-compulsivo. I sintomi nascono sotto la spinta di una pulsione omosessuale oltre a problematiche di ordine strettamente estetico. I rituali legati al cibo – defecazione, minzione – occupano la maggior parte delle giornate procurandogli ritiro sociale e isolamento, e sono interpretati come: cibo-fertilizzazione, contaminazione-espulsione, morte-annullamento, purificazione, nuova vita. Terminate le scuole superiori, il paziente, in piena crisi, decide di partire per un paese straniero e, quasi subito, l’esposizione alla più elementare quotidianità lo porta a un miglioramento notevole e stabile dei sintomi

La Clinica terapeutica, 2011

Treatment of shared delusional disorder (folie à deux) often involves separation and use of antip... more Treatment of shared delusional disorder (folie à deux) often involves separation and use of antipsychotic medication, with uncertain outcomes and potential risks. We report on two highly interdependent and chronically psychotic sisters with shared systematic delusion, followed by psychiatrists over several years. The dominant patient was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and her non-dominant sister with paranoid schizophrenia. Both received antipsychotics and supportive therapy as outpatients and allowed to continue conjoint therapy with individual psychiatrists-therapists. They returned for follow-up visits for 20 months, when the dominant decided to continue treatment alone, as her sister gradually improved symptomatically and functionally. After separation, the dominant became increasingly anxious. She impulsively ingested an overdose of the non-dominant sister's medicines and died of cardiac arrest, despite her sister's efforts to seek medical assistance. The survi...

European Neuropsychopharmacology, Aug 1, 2021

Psychedelics alter the perception of reality through agonist or partial agonist interaction with ... more Psychedelics alter the perception of reality through agonist or partial agonist interaction with the 2A serotoninergic receptor. They are classified as phenethylamines, tryptamines and lysergamides. These classes, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), account for an important percentage of the new psychoactive substances (NPS) current scenario. The paper aimed at: a) identifying and categorise psychedelic molecules from a list of psychonaut websites and NPS online resources; and b) comparing the NPSfinder® results with those from the European and United Nations databases. A crawling software (i.e. 'NPSfinder®') was created to automatically scan, 24/7, a list of URLs and to extract a range of information (chemical/street names, chemical formulae, etc.) to facilitate NPS identification. Data collected were manually analysed and compared with the EMCDDA and UNODC databases. The overall number of psychedelic NPS detected by NPSfinder® (November 2017-February 2020) was 1344, almost ten-times higher than that reported by the UNODC and EMCDDA combined. Of these, 994 previously unknown molecules were identified as (potential) novel psychedelics, suggesting a strong discrepancy between online and real-world NPS scenarios. The results show the interest of psychonauts, and maybe of the much larger community of 'recreational' drug users, towards psychedelics. Moreover, examining online scenarios may help in assessing the availability in the real world of psychedelic NPS; understanding drug trends; and in possibly predicting future drug scenarios.

Current Psychology

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a psychological disorder involving body manipulation, self-inflicted hun... more Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a psychological disorder involving body manipulation, self-inflicted hunger, and fear of gaining weight.We performed an overview of the existing literature in the field of AN, highlighting the main intrafamilial risk factors for anorexia. We searched the PubMed database by using keywords such as “anorexia” and “risk factors” and “family”. After appropriate selection, 16 scientific articles were identified. The main intrafamilial risk factors for AN identified include: increased family food intake, higher parental demands, emotional reactivity, sexual family taboos, low familial involvement, family discord, negative family history for Eating Disorders (ED), family history of psychiatric disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, having a sibling with AN, relational trauma. Some other risk factors identified relate to the mother: lack of maternal caresses, dysfunctional interaction during feeding (for IA), attachment insecurity, dependence. Further studies are needed,...

Chemical Biology & Drug Design

Current Pharmaceutical Design

Background: Previous studies have reported that benzodiazepines (BZDs) seem to enhance euphoric a... more Background: Previous studies have reported that benzodiazepines (BZDs) seem to enhance euphoric and reinforcing properties of opioids in opioid users so that a direct effect on opioid receptors has been postulated together with possible synergistic induction of severe side-effects due to their co-use. This is particularly worrisome given the appearance on the market of designer benzodiazepines (DBZDs), whose activity/toxicity profiles are scarcely known. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate, through computational studies, the binding affinity (or lack thereof) of 101 DBZDs identified online on the kappa, mu, and delta opioid receptors (K, M, DOR); and to assess whether their mechanism of action could include activity on t of the latter Methods: MOE® was used for the computational studies. Pharmacophore mapping based on strong opioids agonist binder’s 3D chemical features was used to filter the DBZDs. Resultant DBZDs were docked into the crystallised 3D active conformation of KOR...

Psychological Medicine, 2019

BackgroundThe present paper provides an updated review of both the large number of new/novel/emer... more BackgroundThe present paper provides an updated review of both the large number of new/novel/emerging psychoactive substances (NPS) and their associated psychopathological consequences. Focus was here given on identification of those NPS being commented in specialised online sources and the related short-/long-term psychopathological and medical ill-health effects.MethodsNPS have been identified through an innovative crawling/navigating software, called the ‘NPS.Finder®’, created in order to facilitate the process of early recognition of NPS online. A range of information regarding NPS, including chemical and street names; chemical formula; three-dimensional image and anecdotally reported clinical/psychoactive effects, were here made available.ResultsUsing the ‘NPS.Finder®’ approach, a few thousand NPS were here preliminarily identified, a number which is about 4-fold higher than those figures suggested by European and international drug agencies. NPS most commonly associated with t...

Forensic Science International, 2010

Tobacco is one of the most easily accessible and commonly abused drugs worldwide. Nicotine, one o... more Tobacco is one of the most easily accessible and commonly abused drugs worldwide. Nicotine, one of its principal constituents, can cause serious or fatal overdoses. Whilst the deliberate ingestion of this substance appears to be relatively rare, often the important signs of its consumption are not recognised, sometimes with fatal results. Here we describe two cases of intentional fatal ingestion of nicotine. The nicotine was extracted from tobacco using instructions available on the Internet. The first case involved a male aged 19 who died in 2008. The post-mortem blood and urine levels of nicotine were 5.5mg/l and >80mg/l respectively; the blood level is in line with the generally recognised fatal level of >5mg/l. The levels of nicotine"s main metabolite, cotinine, for this case were 2.5mg/l and 7.9mg/l for blood and urine respectively. A comparative case in 1999 involved a 32 year-old male. The level of post-mortem nicotine in his blood was 1.0mg/l. These are believed to be the first UK suicides by nicotine using instructions from the Internet reported in the literature. Information that nicotine was the agent responsible only became apparent some time after death. There may be more deaths due to this cause that go unrecognised because quantification of nicotine and cotinine levels is not often conducted, due to the wide prevalence of smoking. It is important that all evidence at the scene of a sudden and unexplained death is carefully evaluated, including potential clues on PCs and lap-tops.