Feature Channels: Addiction

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Xylazine, often found in street-drug combo with fentanyl, was thought to only bind to the α2-adrenergic receptor, but UNC-Chapel Hill scientists discovered it also binds to opioid receptors, which could have profound impacts on fentanyl overdose treatment.

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UC San Diego researchers found that, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, people experiencing homelessness and people who inject drugs in San Diego and Tijuana often did not have access to drinking water, toilets, handwashing and showers.

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In women of childbearing age, cannabis use may increase the risk of adverse reproductive and perinatal health outcomes. A study in a sample of 20,234 women ages 18 to 49 by disability status showed that about 60% of women with disabilities who used cannabis in the past 12 months perceived no risk of harm from weekly cannabis use.

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For most smokers, quitting on the first attempt is likely to be unsuccessful, but a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found patients were more likely to quit if their cessation regimen was altered and doses were increased. Researchers also found that varenicline, a cessation medication, was more effective than combined nicotine replacement therapy (CNRT), such as patches or lozenges.

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In the first year after the sudden removal of a requirement that prescribers get special permission to prescribe medication for opioid addiction, a study finds more prescribers started providing it, but the number of patients receiving it didn't rise very much.

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UCLA Health researchers will be co-principal investigators in the Untangling Addiction program launched this year by the nonprofit health research organization Wellcome Leap. The three-year, $50 million project includes 13 other partnering universities and organizations and is aimed at developing new ways to quantify addiction risk and progression through biomarkers.

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Opioid dependence in Scotland remains high but largely stable, according to a new University of Bristol-led analysis published in Addiction today [18 April] and by Public Health Scotland. The study is the first to estimate the number of people dependent on opioid drugs (such as heroin), and who are in or could benefit from drug treatment, among Scotland’s population since 2015/2016 estimates were published.

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Researchers at Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah have been selected by Wellcome Leap to research an innovative ultrasound-based treatment for addiction as part of a $50 million commitment.

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Using data from a top video game streaming service, Puneet Manchanda, Isadore and Leon Winkelman Professor of Marketing, and PhD student Bruno Castelo Branco challenge preconceived notions of high addiction rates in the video game-playing community.

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Some people have genes that protect them from alcohol abuse. An examination of databases at 23andMe reveal that those same alcohol-protective variants have associations with conditions and behaviors that may have nothing to do with alcohol.

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A newly discovered feedback loop involving estrogen may explain why women might become dependent on nicotine more quickly and with less nicotine exposure than men. The research could lead to new treatments for women who are having trouble quitting nicotine-containing products such as cigarettes.

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Substance use disorder, particularly involving opioids, is a continuing crisis in the country, impacting not just the person suffering from addiction, but also those closest to them.

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Students who use both tobacco and cannabis (marijuana) have lower grades and miss more school than students who only use one product or don’t use either. Tobacco consumption among high school students, including vaping and e-cigarettes, is a concerning 12.6%.