Feature Channels: Drugs and Drug Abuse

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Newswise: Study: Black Overdose Death Rate Doubles in Kentucky
Released: 1-Jun-2022 9:50 AM EDT
Study: Black Overdose Death Rate Doubles in Kentucky
University of Kentucky

The rate of deadly drug overdoses among Black people in Kentucky more than doubled from 2016 to 2020, according to a new analysis by University of Kentucky researchers. The Black overdose mortality rate increased by nearly 117% — from 21.2 deaths for every 100,000 people in 2016 to 46.0 per 100,000 in 2020, according to the research published in the journal Public Health Reports.

Released: 26-May-2022 3:30 PM EDT
Video does not accurately portray the risk of secondhand exposure to fentanyl
Newswise

A video posted on the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) does not accurately portray the risk of secondhand exposure to fentanyl, according to emergency medicine physician.

   
Released: 24-May-2022 12:40 PM EDT
Medicare Program Spent $1.8 Billion in 2019 on Drugs Without Confirmed Clinical Benefits
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Study found that some drugs were on the market for over five years with no confirmed clinical benefit.

Newswise: Opioid Addiction Crisis in United States Linked to Poor Working Conditions and Unemployment
Released: 24-May-2022 12:20 PM EDT
Opioid Addiction Crisis in United States Linked to Poor Working Conditions and Unemployment
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Two linked studies led by UCLA Fielding School of Public Health researchers have found strong associations between drug misuse generally and opioid misuse specifically among unemployed Americans, who were found to have a 40% higher likelihood to misuse opioids than those working 35-40 hours per week.

   
Newswise: IU Study Explored How People's Beliefs Impact Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution Programs
Released: 17-May-2022 12:50 PM EDT
IU Study Explored How People's Beliefs Impact Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution Programs
Indiana University

A new study by Indiana University researchers, published in the journal BMC Public Health, explored people’s beliefs about overdose and naloxone as a step to understanding why some communities are not using the reversal medication.

Released: 16-May-2022 3:30 PM EDT
IU Study Explored How People's Beliefs Impact Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution Programs
Indiana University

A new study by Indiana University researchers explored people’s beliefs about overdose and naloxone as a step to understanding why some communities are not using the reversal medication.

   
Released: 16-May-2022 10:05 AM EDT
Diverted Buprenorphine May Help Prepare People With Opioid-Use Disorder for Treatment
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

People addicted and dependent on opioids who used buprenorphine not prescribed by a physician at the time they enter a treatment center are more likely to remain in treatment for opioid use disorder, according to a Rutgers study.

   
Released: 16-May-2022 9:00 AM EDT
Diverted Buprenorphine May Help Prepare People With Opioid-Use Disorder for Treatment
Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University

New research finds people who were using buprenorphine obtained without a prescription were more likely to remain in treatment for opioid-use disorder, underscoring need to expand access to this medication.

Newswise: Study: Treatment Minimizes Infants’ Opioid-Related Brain Abnormalities
Released: 12-May-2022 2:05 PM EDT
Study: Treatment Minimizes Infants’ Opioid-Related Brain Abnormalities
Cedars-Sinai

Treating pregnant women with opioid use disorder can help minimize opioid-related brain abnormalities in their newborns. Led by scientists at Cedars-Sinai, this is the first study to report evidence validating the benefits of using medication for opioid use disorder during pregnancy.

Newswise: Medication that lowers risk of overdose underused
9-May-2022 4:30 PM EDT
Medication that lowers risk of overdose underused
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Saint Louis University found that less than half of Americans who received treatment for opioid use disorder over a five-year period were offered a potentially lifesaving medication. The numbers were even lower for those with what’s known as polysubstance use disorder — when opioid users also misuse other substances.

Released: 10-May-2022 8:05 AM EDT
Opioid Industry Archive Releases 1.4 Million Documents from Leading Opioid Maker Implicated in Drug Crisis
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Documents in the archive reveal the many ways opioid litigation defendants sought to increase sales of drugs they knew to be addictive and deadly.

4-May-2022 3:15 PM EDT
Program Issuing Mailed Kits Doubles Rate of Leftover Opioids Disposal
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Study finds that patients of orthopaedic and urologic procedures were more likely to dispose of their extra opioid tablets when they received kits in the mail to do so

Newswise: New UCI study reveals brain circuit responsible for cocaine withdrawal-induced anxiety and relapse-related behavior
Released: 3-May-2022 1:55 PM EDT
New UCI study reveals brain circuit responsible for cocaine withdrawal-induced anxiety and relapse-related behavior
University of California, Irvine

New research from the University of California, Irvine, finds that drug withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement of drug seeking behaviors are controlled by a single pathway in the brain and centered around dopamine cells.

Released: 28-Apr-2022 1:45 PM EDT
Sentiments and emotions in social media associated with substance abuse come to light
Health Data Science

Substantial differences exist between the texts of the posts from Twitter users who self-report nonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU) and those who do not, and between males and females who report NMPDU, according to a recent study from Emory University.

Released: 26-Apr-2022 6:05 AM EDT
Just over half of Michigan pharmacies offer overdose-fighting naloxone without prescription
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Despite the ability of any Michigan pharmacy to dispense medication to combat opioid overdose without writing prescriptions, slightly more than half of pharmacies in the state offer the drug in such a way.

Released: 19-Apr-2022 5:05 PM EDT
Disasters could disrupt care for opioid use disorder in most vulnerable communities
Yale University

he COVID-19 pandemic has spiked the overdose death rate from opioid use. For people who rely on medications (buprenorphine, methadone, and extended-release naltrexone) to treat opioid use disorders, the pandemic and such natural disasters as tornados, hurricanes, and wildfires can disrupt access to medications.

Newswise: Project INTEGRA gives former opioid user purpose on his road to recovery
Released: 18-Apr-2022 4:05 PM EDT
Project INTEGRA gives former opioid user purpose on his road to recovery
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Frank Williams was raised in the church playing the keyboard, but by the age of 13, he was introduced to illegal substances and began selling marijuana by his freshman year of high school. A decade later, Williams was selling heroin and slowly became addicted to the substance through what he called a “shake habit” — which is when the substance seeps into your pores from touching it so much.

Newswise: University of Kentucky Experts Share Their Work Combating Nation’s Opioid Crisis at 2022 Rx Summit
Released: 18-Apr-2022 2:30 PM EDT
University of Kentucky Experts Share Their Work Combating Nation’s Opioid Crisis at 2022 Rx Summit
University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky experts on the front lines of the nation’s opioid and addiction crises will share their work in the field of opioid use disorder research, treatment and prevention this week at the 2022 Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in Atlanta April 18-22.

8-Apr-2022 6:05 PM EDT
Adolescent drug overdose deaths rose exponentially for the first time in history during the COVID pandemic
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

The rate of overdose deaths among U.S. teenagers nearly doubled in 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic, and rose another 20% in the first half of 2021 compared with the 10 years before the pandemic, even as drug use remained generally stable during the same period.

Newswise: Likes, shares and drug deals: WVU researchers create model that detects illicit drug trafficking on social media
4-Apr-2022 10:25 AM EDT
Likes, shares and drug deals: WVU researchers create model that detects illicit drug trafficking on social media
West Virginia University

Researchers at West Virginia University have found that social networking platforms can serve as a direct-to-consumer marketing tool for drug dealers to sell illicit drugs.

Released: 5-Apr-2022 3:55 PM EDT
The latest news on clinical trials is here on Newswise
Newswise

Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Clinical Trials channel on Newswise.

       
25-Mar-2022 9:00 AM EDT
Animal Study Shows Safety of Using CBD and THC with Opioids
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

Findings from a new animal study suggest that cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) might be safe for use with opioid pain relievers. Although more studies are needed, the results suggest that these compounds might be a low-risk way to reduce the dose of opioids needed to relieve pain.

30-Mar-2022 1:45 PM EDT
Majority of adolescents with severe substance use disorder don't grow out of it
University of Michigan

While it's estimated that 1 in 3 Americans will develop a substance use disorder in their lifetime, experts know little about the long-term outcomes for people with substance use disorder symptoms from adolescence through adulthood.

Released: 31-Mar-2022 1:55 PM EDT
Northeastern University and Copernicus Therapeutics, Inc. Awarded $14.7 Million NIDA/NIH Grant to Develop a Gene Therapy Approach for Treating Opioid Use Disorder
Copernicus Therapeutics

Dr. Barbara Waszczak, Professor of Pharmacology at Northeastern University's Bouvé College of Health Sciences, is the Principal Investigator and Project Director for the grant.

Released: 24-Mar-2022 12:35 PM EDT
Can a poisonous sea snail replace morphine?
University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Bea Ramiro began to study the sea snail species Conus rolani more or less by chance. Together with two fishermen she was collecting material in the waters off the Philippine island of Cebu in 2018.

22-Mar-2022 6:05 PM EDT
Only 1 in 4 People Needing Treatment Received Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in Past Year
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Despite strong evidence that medication is the most effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), adolescents and most adults who might benefit from OUD treatment report no medication use, according to a study by researchers at the Rutgers School of Public Health and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Released: 17-Mar-2022 2:25 PM EDT
Study: Methadone most effective drug in medication-assisted treatment for opioid-use disorder
Case Western Reserve University

Medications for opioid-use disorder (OUD) are associated with lower death rates and improved quality of life for people in recovery.

Released: 15-Mar-2022 9:55 AM EDT
Study of Non-Cancer Pain Patient Data Finds State Opioid Prescription Laws Don’t Influence Prescribing Practices
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Pain experts and patient advocates had expressed concern that these laws may restrict access to opioid treatment for people with chronic pain without substituting effective non-opioid alternatives.

Released: 11-Mar-2022 10:30 AM EST
Addressing the Need to Train Primary Care Providers to Treat Opioid Use Disorder
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)

With overdoses at a record high, there's an urgent need to expand the capacity for primary care providers to treat people with opioid use disorder. Programs in Alabama and North Carolina have developed effective models for training primary care providers to provide life-saving treatment for OUD. Read about it in an Issue Brief from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE).

Released: 2-Mar-2022 9:05 PM EST
Mindfulness therapy reduces opioid misuse and chronic pain in primary care, according to new research
University of Utah

Results from a new clinical trial demonstrate that an eight-week mindfulness-based therapy—Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE)—decreased opioid use and misuse while reducing chronic pain symptoms, with effects lasting as long as nine months.

Newswise: Black overdose death rate exceeds white rate in U.S. for first time in 20 years
Released: 2-Mar-2022 3:45 PM EST
Black overdose death rate exceeds white rate in U.S. for first time in 20 years
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of drug overdose deaths among Black Americans surpassed that of whites for the first time since 1999 — a sharp reversal of the situation a decade earlier, when rates were twice as high for whites as for Blacks.

Newswise: How opioid use affects offspring in rats
Released: 28-Feb-2022 4:20 PM EST
How opioid use affects offspring in rats
Tufts University

New research from scientists at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University supports and builds on the researchers’ previous findings that opioid use in female rats before pregnancy—even if not used during pregnancy itself—could result in a higher likelihood that male offspring will develop type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

   
Released: 28-Feb-2022 8:05 AM EST
Why are Fentanyl Deaths Rising?
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

A Rutgers expert discusses the rise of fentanyl deaths nationwide—and how they can be averted

17-Feb-2022 3:35 PM EST
The Latest Research News in Cardiovascular Health
Newswise

The Latest Research News in Cardiovascular Health

Released: 15-Feb-2022 5:05 PM EST
Commission on opioid crisis calls for urgent changes in marketing pharmaceuticals, managing care
Carnegie Mellon University

In the last 25 years, the United States and Canada have experienced an increasingly devastating opioid crisis that has cost more lives than World War I and II combined, with the cost to the United States alone estimated at $1 trillion.

Newswise: Complicating the Opioid Epidemic: The Many Faces of Fentanyl
Released: 11-Feb-2022 12:00 AM EST
Complicating the Opioid Epidemic: The Many Faces of Fentanyl
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL scientists are protecting first responders and others by expanding what’s known about fentanyl, the driver of the opioid epidemic. They’re expanding the library of known fentanyl analogs and predicting new forms that might exist someday.

   
4-Feb-2022 10:00 AM EST
Overdose Deaths Caused by Opioids in Combination with Stimulants Hit Black Communities the Hardest
NYU Langone Health

In the first study of its kind, researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Wake Forest University School of Medicine analyzed the trend of rising opioid/stimulant deaths by racial/ethnic groups and by state. Findings indicated that while overdose deaths from opioids and stimulants rose across all racial groups and across the country, opioid/stimulant deaths among Black Americans increased at more than three times the rate as non-Hispanic white people—particularly in eastern states.

Newswise:Video Embedded study-examines-years-of-life-lost-for-adolescents-young-adults-to-unintentional-drug-overdose
VIDEO
28-Jan-2022 5:00 PM EST
Study Examines Years Of Life Lost For Adolescents, Young Adults To Unintentional Drug Overdose
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

In a first-ever study, researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine examined the unintentional drug overdose mortality in Years of Life Lost among adolescents and young people in the United States. Study findings are published online in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Released: 26-Jan-2022 1:45 PM EST
The latest news in Behavioral Science for media
Newswise

Here are some of the latest articles we've posted in the Behavioral Science channel.

       
Newswise: Online Forums Like Reddit Could Work as Real-time Drug Use Early Warning System
Released: 26-Jan-2022 8:30 AM EST
Online Forums Like Reddit Could Work as Real-time Drug Use Early Warning System
Florida Atlantic University

A study is the first to evaluate the utility of online drug use forums as an early indicator of impending novel psychoactive substances (NPS) intoxications with potentially harmful or lethal outcomes before they happen. Results showed that seven of the eight NPS in the study appeared on Reddit discussions prior to their implication in poisonings or intoxications. These forums in the virtual world can help predict changes in exposures associated with new or re-emerging NPS in the real world, with potential to be used in early warning systems.

Released: 24-Jan-2022 3:40 PM EST
The Latest Research News from the Health Disparities Channel
Newswise

The latest research news from the Health Disparities Channel.

Released: 24-Jan-2022 8:30 AM EST
Opioid overdoses linked to child abuse at neighborhood level
Ohio State University

Neighborhoods with more opioid overdoses have higher rates of child welfare investigations and confirmed cases of child maltreatment, a new study in Ohio finds.

Newswise: Speedy, on-site drug detection key to reducing impacts of addiction crisis
Released: 21-Jan-2022 12:55 PM EST
Speedy, on-site drug detection key to reducing impacts of addiction crisis
Penn State Materials Research Institute

Rapid, accessible and highly accurate detection of addictive substances such as opiates and cocaine is vital to reducing the adverse personal and societal impacts of addiction, something current drug detection systems can take too long to provide. However, on-site, real-time monitoring of abused drugs in a patient’s system could alert clinicians before dangerous levels are reached, and such an approach may not be far away.

   
Released: 19-Jan-2022 3:40 PM EST
Addressing Substance Use and Pain Key to Limiting Self-Directed Hospital Discharge
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

It is not uncommon for people with opioid-related conditions, including opioid dependence and opioid use disorder (OUD), to be regularly hospitalized to treat infections, trauma, or other emergent conditions. Data show that patients with substance use disorders (SUD) are much more likely to self-discharge against medical advice than patients admitted for similar conditions without SUDs. This can lead to poorer health outcomes including worsening illness, readmissions, and death.

Released: 19-Jan-2022 11:15 AM EST
Parkdale Center and American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Partner to Improve Access to Care for Substance Use Disorder
American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology

Parkdale Center and American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) further solidified their partnership with upgrades to the AANA Helpline that offers support and assistance for substance use disorder (SUD) to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and students enrolled in nurse anesthesia programs.

Newswise: Rutgers Names Danielle Dick as Inaugural Director of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center
Released: 17-Jan-2022 9:05 PM EST
Rutgers Names Danielle Dick as Inaugural Director of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

The accomplished researcher in addiction and substance use disorders also will serve as the Greg Brown Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and Cell Biology and as a tenured professor in the department of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Released: 12-Jan-2022 3:05 PM EST
Removing brain cells linked to wakefulness and addiction may lessen symptoms of opioid withdrawal
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A study in mice led by UCLA researchers shows that removing chemical messengers in the brain that are involved in both wakefulness and addiction may make withdrawal from opioids easier and help prevent relapse.

Released: 12-Jan-2022 3:05 PM EST
Self-help recovery homes protect residents from COVID infection, death
DePaul University

Living in an Oxford House recovery home can protect at-risk populations from COVID-19, according to new research from DePaul University.



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