Feature Channels: Drugs and Drug Abuse

Filters close
Released: 13-May-2020 1:45 PM EDT
Job skills training leads to long-term reduction in drug abuse
Ohio State University

Job skills training for low-income youth does more than just help them get better jobs – it makes them significantly less likely than others to use some illicit drugs, even 16 years later.

11-May-2020 10:50 AM EDT
Researchers to track impact of lockdown on alcohol, gambling and pornography use
University of Cambridge

Is the lockdown leading us to drink more alcohol or spend more time gambling online or watching pornography? Researchers today launch a survey aimed at tracking how our habits have changed in response to our forced isolation.

   
Released: 11-May-2020 11:35 AM EDT
Planting seeds for a safe and healthy society
West Virginia University - Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

A new West Virginia University research collaborative is working to address the many challenging conditions facing the state and Appalachia.

Released: 6-May-2020 11:55 AM EDT
Grant will fund pilot program to expand opioid use disorder treatment in Alabama
University of Alabama at Birmingham

UAB is launching a pilot program aimed at getting more opioid users into treatment, using telemedicine in three rural counties and emploing the Alabama One Health Record®, a statewide health information exchange, to track outcomes in these patients.

Released: 5-May-2020 2:45 PM EDT
Financial Incentives Boost Doctor Training in Opioid Treatment Medication
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Offering $750 to emergency medicine physicians exponentially increased those trained to prescribe buprenorphine.

30-Apr-2020 4:15 PM EDT
Drug Overdose Epidemic is Transmitted from Old to Young, Study Shows
Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh

The generation a person was born into – Silent Generation, Baby Boomer, Generation X or Millennial – strongly predicts how likely they are to die from a drug overdose, and at what age. Within each generation, there was a steady march toward greater overdose risk at younger ages.

Released: 30-Apr-2020 8:00 AM EDT
Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins Medicine

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every Tuesday throughout the duration of the outbreak.

Released: 29-Apr-2020 12:20 PM EDT
Nearly One-Third of Primary Care Providers Do Not View Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder as Effective
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

A new survey of U.S. primary care physicians from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that nearly one-third, 32.9 percent, do not think treating opioid use disorder with medication is any more effective than treatment without medication.

Released: 28-Apr-2020 5:35 PM EDT
Researchers launch confidential helpline, 833-EMS-INTX, for Texas first responders to find help for substance use disorder
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

First responders in Texas can now call a confidential helpline to seek treatment for substance use and mental health disorders through a new clinical research program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The Heroes Helpline comes at a time when first responders are serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Released: 28-Apr-2020 11:20 AM EDT
Study Reveals Pharmacy-level Barriers to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Appalachian Kentucky
University of Kentucky

A new study led by University of Kentucky researcher April Young and Emory University researcher Hannah Cooper shows that a number of pharmacies in the Appalachian region of Kentucky are limiting the dispensing of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD).

Released: 27-Apr-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Less Addictive Form of Buprenorphine May Help Curb Cocaine Relapse
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

New research performed in mice suggests that chemical modifications to buprenorphine can improve its effectiveness to treat cocaine addiction while minimizing abuse potential.

Released: 22-Apr-2020 3:05 PM EDT
New study could lead to therapeutic interventions to treat cocaine addiction
University of California, Irvine

A new study explains how cocaine modifies functions in the brain revealing a potential target for therapies aimed at treating cocaine addiction. The study was published this week in Cell Reports.

Released: 21-Apr-2020 12:50 PM EDT
COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins Medicine

For more information about coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from Johns Hopkins Medicine, visit hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus. For information on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from around the Johns Hopkins enterprise, including from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Johns Hopkins University, visit coronavirus.jhu.edu.

Released: 21-Apr-2020 10:15 AM EDT
How Tweets May Influence Substance Abuse in Youth
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Substance use by youth remains a significant public health concern. While social media provides youth the opportunity to discuss and display substance use-related beliefs and behaviors, little is known about how posting drug-related content, or viewing posted content influences the beliefs and behaviors of youth relative to substance use.

Released: 20-Apr-2020 11:45 AM EDT
Rutgers Expert Discusses How to Manage Chronic Pain, Opioid Addiction During COVID-19
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Many people trying to manage their pain and addiction have lost their support programs due to COVID-19. A Rutgers expert in Emergency Medicine discusses how patients can manage the disease during the coronavirus crisis.

   
Released: 20-Apr-2020 8:00 AM EDT
Extra Payments Motivate Sobriety and Employment among People Recovering from Addiction
Johns Hopkins Medicine

After a yearlong study of people with opioid dependence, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report evidence that adding $8 an hour to their paychecks may help those in recovery stay drug free longer, as well as encourage them to get and hold regular jobs.

Released: 16-Apr-2020 12:45 PM EDT
New York Nightlife Venues Recruited in Effort to Prevent Overdoses Due to Fentanyl
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

Bars and nightclubs are a promising site for efforts to increase awareness of the risk of opioid overdose due to fentanyl-laced cocaine, suggests a study in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

13-Apr-2020 5:20 PM EDT
Prescribing an overdose: A chapter in the opioid epidemic
Mayo Clinic

Research indicates that widespread opioid overprescribing contributed to the opioid epidemic. New research shows that this dangerous trend has apparently been coupled with another: inappropriate use of high-potency opioids.

10-Apr-2020 2:10 PM EDT
Large Study Highlights Impact of Drinking in Pregnancy in Four US Communities
Research Society on Alcoholism

The consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure have been highlighted by three new reports on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in a virtual issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. FASD is the umbrella term for the continuum of effects caused by prenatal drinking, encompassing the most severe form, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), and less severe forms including partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS) and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND). Children with FAS have poor growth, atypical facial features, and central nervous system problems, and all three conditions require evidence of neurobehavioral impairment for diagnosis.

     
10-Apr-2020 8:30 AM EDT
Large majority of state’s heroin users want to reduce use; syringe programs helping during COVID-19 crisis
University of Washington

A new survey of people who inject illicit drugs in the state of Washington yields positive and important findings for policy makers as the world struggles to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, said authors of the survey by the University of Washington and Public Health-Seattle & King County.

Released: 9-Apr-2020 3:05 PM EDT
Tulane School of Social Work seeking public input on two COVID-19 surveys
Tulane University

The Tulane School of Social Work hopes the surveys will provide important data on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on mental and behavioral health.

8-Apr-2020 10:35 AM EDT
Mount Sinai Researchers Discover a Novel Role for Dopamine That Impacts Gene Expression Related to Cocaine Abuse
Mount Sinai Health System

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered a new role for the brain chemical dopamine that is independent of classic neurotransmission. The new role appears to be critical to changes in gene expression related to chronic exposure to, or abuse of, cocaine, according to a study published Friday, April 10, in the journal Science.

Released: 9-Apr-2020 1:25 PM EDT
People with substance abuse among the most vulnerable during pandemic
Texas State University

As the COVID-19 pandemic has rattled routines for both urban and rural residents, one group is fighting to gain ground while facing widespread shelter-in-place directives.

Released: 3-Apr-2020 4:50 PM EDT
Anterior insula activation restores prosocial behavior in animal model of opioid addiction
Arizona State University (ASU)

Researchers in the Arizona State University Department of Psychology have shown that chemogenetic activation of the anterior insula restores prosocial behavior in an animal model of opioid addiction and empathy. The findings suggest an important role for the anterior insula in the brain response to addiction.

   
Released: 25-Mar-2020 9:50 AM EDT
Study indicates vaporized cannabis creates drug-seeking behavior
Washington State University

Rats with regular access to cannabis seek more of the substance and tend to show increased drug-seeking behavior when cannabis is absent.

Released: 5-Mar-2020 12:10 PM EST
Saint Louis University Forms Missouri’s First Addiction Medicine Fellowship
Saint Louis University Medical Center

Saint Louis University School of Medicine is tackling the country’s opioid abuse crisis by training community physicians to recognize and treat addictions.

Released: 4-Mar-2020 4:05 AM EST
Electronic Medical Record-Embedded Clinical Decision Support System for Opioid Prescribing Shows Mixed Outcomes
ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research

Value in Health, the official journal of ISPOR—the professional society for health economics and outcomes research, announced today the publication of new research showing mixed clinical results of an electronic medical record-embedded clinical decision support system for opioid prescribing.

Released: 3-Mar-2020 12:50 PM EST
Outreach effective in connecting people who have opioid use disorder with long-term treatment
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Proactive outreach, including knocking on the doors of individuals who recently overdosed on opioids, can be an effective way to engage more people who have opioid use disorder with long-term care, according to researchers at UTHealth.

Released: 3-Mar-2020 6:00 AM EST
Opioid Risk Reduction Program Helps Reduce Suicide Rate at VHA Facility
Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP)

A reduction in suicides among patients at a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility may be due to a multispecialty opioid risk reduction program that included addiction management treatment, according to a new study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Orlando.

Released: 28-Feb-2020 3:35 PM EST
Behavioral treatments vs. opioids: a UAlbany health psychologist surveys chronic pain sufferers
University at Albany, State University of New York

Chronic pain, a disabling health condition that affects 50 million to 116 million Americans, is often treated with opioids, despite little evidence of long-term benefit and risks of addiction and overdose. Do patients know their options beyond opioids? Are doctors telling them?

Released: 26-Feb-2020 2:00 PM EST
Use of Naloxone To Combat the Opioid Overdose Epidemic Explored in New Book
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Naloxone, a life-saving drug that can rapidly reverse the effects of opioid overdose, should be in every first-aid kit and medicine cabinet. That is the conclusion Nancy Campbell reached after years of research and dozens of interviews with scientists, drug users, and activists in the United States and abroad.

   
Released: 25-Feb-2020 4:15 PM EST
Medication Treatments Led to 80 Percent Lower Risk of Fatal Overdose for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder than Medication-free Treatments
NYU Langone Health

Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) receiving treatment with opioid agonists (medications such as methadone or buprenorphine) had an 80 percent lower risk of dying from an opioid overdose compared to patients in treatment without the use of medications.

Released: 24-Feb-2020 2:30 PM EST
PA School Nurses on the Frontlines of the Opioid Epidemic
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

At the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), researchers conducted an online survey of 362 Pennsylvania school nurses (elementary, middle, and high school) to better understand how they have a supply, administer, and perceive storing naloxone in their schools. The results illustrate that though many nurses have a supply of naloxone in their school, important barriers to access and use of this life-saving medication still exist.

Released: 20-Feb-2020 8:00 AM EST
It’s a crime, but for meth cooks it’s also a job
Iowa State University

The motivation to start cooking meth is often driven by addiction, but a new study takes a closer look at the reasons cooks engage in this criminal behavior and come to see it as a job. Researchers say the work offers insight that can help with the development of prevention and rehabilitation efforts.

   
Released: 19-Feb-2020 2:35 PM EST
Battling treatment resistant opioid use disorder
Washington University in St. Louis

Similar to treatment resistant depression, there is a subpopulation of those addicted to opioids who do not respond to standard opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments. In a new paper, an addiction expert at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis suggests a new category for these types of patients: treatment resistant opioid use disorder (TROUD).

   
Released: 6-Feb-2020 12:20 PM EST
Preventing opioid misuse in the rural America
South Dakota State University

Nearly 2,500 adolescents and adults in rural communities across South Dakota are better prepared to prevent opioid misuse through SDSU Extension’s Strengthening the Heartland Program.

   
Released: 6-Feb-2020 10:25 AM EST
Gaps Remain in Rural Opioid Crisis Research
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rural areas have been hit hard by the opioid crisis, but few studies have been done to understand how to improve access to treatment and reduce the overdose death rate in these communities, according to a new study by Rutgers University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University.

   
Released: 4-Feb-2020 2:30 PM EST
‘Levitating’ proteins could help diagnose opioid abuse, other diseases
Michigan State University

Researchers at Michigan State University’s Precision Health Program have helped develop a fascinating new method called magnetic levitation for detecting the density of proteins in the blood that could vastly improve the rate at which diseases are detected and diagnosed.

Released: 3-Feb-2020 9:00 AM EST
Natural Herb Kratom May Have Therapeutic Effects And Relatively Low Potential For Abuse Or Harm, According To A User Survey
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Using results of a survey of more than 2,700 self-reported users of the herbal supplement kratom, sold online and in smoke shops around the U.S., Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers conclude that the psychoactive compound somewhat similar to opioids likely has a lower rate of harm than prescription opioids for treating pain, anxiety, depression and addiction.

29-Jan-2020 2:15 AM EST
Researchers identify possible new combination treatment for advanced melanoma
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Using an immunotherapy drug in combination with an infusion of anti-tumor immune cells may produce a stronger immune response that could help fight advanced melanoma.

Released: 30-Jan-2020 6:25 PM EST
IU study looks at the effect of Medicaid expansion on hiring attempts in substance use treatment workforce
Indiana University

While Medicaid expansion has led to substantial increases in Medicaid reimbursement for substance use treatment, it has not specifically led to a detectable increase in hiring attempts to increase the substance use disorder and behavioral health treatment workforce, according to a study by Indiana University researchers.

28-Jan-2020 9:05 AM EST
Discovery would allow researchers to fine-tune CAR-T activity
University of North Carolina Health Care System

In a study published in Cancer Cell, researchers reported new findings about the regulation of co-stimulatory molecules that could be used to activate cancer-killing immune cells – chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, or CAR-T – or decrease their activity.

28-Jan-2020 10:40 AM EST
Ketamine Use is Underreported—Likely Due to Unknown Exposure—Among EDM Partygoers
New York University

Nearly 37 percent of electronic dance music (EDM) party attendees test positive for ketamine use when samples of their hair are tested—despite only 14.6 percent disclosing that they have used the drug in the past year.

Released: 29-Jan-2020 1:35 PM EST
American Society of Anesthesiologists Launches New Podcasts
American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today announced the launch of two new monthly podcasts for physician anesthesiologists, the anesthesia care team, residents, medical students and anesthesiology community.

Released: 29-Jan-2020 8:30 AM EST
Study Reveals New Way to Treat Stroke Using an Already FDA-Approved Drug
Florida Atlantic University

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) is currently used to treat neutropenia due to chemotherapy and has been successfully used for patients who require bone marrow transplants. The study is the first to report on the neuroprotective effect of GCSF in vivo and showed that it improved neurological deficits that occur in the first few days following cerebral ischemia. GCSF improved long-term behavioral outcomes while also stimulating a neural progenitor recovery response in a mouse model.

Released: 28-Jan-2020 12:10 PM EST
Research offers promise for treating schizophrenia
University of Georgia

Research by a University of Georgia psychologist shows that targeting one particular symptom of schizophrenia has a positive effect on other symptoms.



close
2.35169