Feature Channels: Drugs and Drug Abuse

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More complex statistical analysis of data used in a 2017 study that drew some criticism confirms the earlier conclusions that Black and Hispanic drivers in Vermont are stopped and searched more frequently than White drivers and are less frequently found with contraband. No Black and Hispanic drivers who were stopped and searched were found with heroin, opioids, or cocaine, compared with 39 White drivers who were found with those substances, suggesting that images of drug traffickers in the state are stereotyped.

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One in 10 electronic dance music (EDM) party attendees have misused opioids in the past year, exceeding the national average, finds a study by the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at NYU Meyers College of Nursing.

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An estimated 2 million people in the U.S. are addicted to prescription opioids—powerful doctor-prescribed medications for chronic or severe pain. The drugs are commonly prescribed to treat gastrointestinal pain caused by conditions such as Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), raising the risk of addiction among this population. A review published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology explores newer, potentially safer therapies for treating chronic abdominal pain with lower risks of addiction and side effects.

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Value in Health, the official journal of ISPOR (the professional society for health economics and outcomes research), announced today the publication of a series of articles centered on affordability in healthcare. The special themed section appears in the March 2018 issue of Value in Health.

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The most frequent and public opioid users may be the best available candidates for naloxone training, according to a new study from scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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In the United States, one infant is born every 15 minutes with withdrawal symptoms after being exposed to opioids before birth, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.

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The minor, open to undergraduate students in all academic disciplines, will provide students with a broad-based view of addiction theories, assessment and treatment to prepare them for employment in substance use disorder treatment and related settings.

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In this issue, find research on NYC smoking age, opioids up 500% in Brazil, Defense Dept. policies and traumatic brain injury, Medicaid expansion and opioids

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.A fingerprint test published today in AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal can tell whether someone has taken heroin or cocaine, and accurately distinguishes between drug users versus individuals who were exposed to drug residue in the environment. This breakthrough study brings fingerprint drug testing one step closer to clinical adoption, which could revolutionize drug testing by making it both simpler and nearly impossible to cheat.

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American Chiropractic Association (ACA) Interim President N. Ray Tuck, Jr. releases a statement in response to The Lancet’s new series of articles on low back pain, published yesterday, which includes a call to action for greater awareness and better approaches to this growing global problem.

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WASHINGTON – The American Psychological Association commended congressional leaders for crafting a budget that puts public health over politics.

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Alcohol use early in the pregnancy by the mother may be a risk factor for a condition in which an infant's intestines develop outside the abdomen, according to a study published in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine.

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The more educated a member of the baby boomer generation, the more likely they are to misuse prescription opioids, according to new research from the University at Buffalo.

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Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting an estimated 540 million people at any one time. Yet, a new Series of papers in The Lancet highlights the extent to which the condition is mistreated, often against best practice treatment guidelines.

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Patients who have been taking opioid pain relievers for several months before spinal fusion surgery are at increased risk of complications after their surgery, reports a study in the journal Spine, published by Wolters Kluwer.

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WASHINGTON -- Following is the statement of Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, CEO of the American Psychological Association, regarding President Trump’s plan to address the opioid epidemic:

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Scientists don’t yet grasp the intricacies of the relationship between sepsis and dementia. Candice Brown, an assistant professor in West Virginia University’s School of Medicine and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, is studying that relationship in order to bring about insights that help prevent or mitigate the neurological impact of sepsis.

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The Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center at Cincinnati Children's is seeing an increasing number of calls regarding drug overdoses as the nation copes with the opioid epidemic.

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Opioid addicts and others battling compulsion around drugs or alcohol are using a new high-tech, low-risk method to practice saying no—through virtual reality.

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Drug overdoses are taking a huge toll on public health, with potent synthetic drugs posing a particular threat. Medical professionals are scrambling to meet the growing demand for emergency room treatment, but they’re hampered by the lack of a quick and easy test to screen patients for these “designer” drugs.

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Two landmark developments in medicine pave the way for quality medical care to address America’s largest and most costly preventable health problem – unhealthy substance use and addiction involving all addictive substances. These changes are designed to increase the number of addiction medicine physician specialists who can provide direct patient care and consultation, teach other providers and thereby drive knowledge across health care, and help policymakers and the public understand and effectively respond to our current health crisis.

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Unique partnership between health system and county in Delaware will help individuals receive addiction treatment and support after they are released from the emergency department following treatment from an opioid overdose.

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As the opioid epidemic continues to spread across the country, Texas is taking some important steps in the battle, from improved monitoring of prescription painkillers to expanded programs to treat addiction.

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Dr. Michelle Lofwall was among the experts tapped to assist in the development of guidelines regarding the use of medication in the treatment of opioid use disorder.

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The number of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions for opioid overdoses doubled between 2004 and 2015, despite continuing efforts to curb misuse of the addictive painkillers among adults, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine published in the journal Pediatrics.

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Children and adolescents undergoing surgery can be swept up in the ongoing opioid epidemic, according to a review and update in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, official journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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As leaders in pain medicine and patient safety, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has proposed several ways for Congress to address the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) programs. In response to a request by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, ASA put forth several recommendations for combatting opioid abuse, including increased funding for research, coverage for non-opioid alternatives, including interventional therapies for chronic pain, and Congressional support for public-private education initiatives aimed at improving practices in the perioperative setting and encouraging opioid sparing techniques.

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Rutgers trains correction officers to better understand substance use disorder as a treatable disease

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John Gleaves, who conducts research on doping in sports, comments on the Russian Federation's ban from the 2018 Winter Games and the involvement of government officials in doping.

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Officials from five states including Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas gathered at UT Southwestern Medical Center today for a regional summit with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address the nation’s $78 billion opioid crisis.

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Bacteria can produce enzymes that make them resistant to antibiotics; one example is the TEM beta-lactamase enzyme, which enables bacteria to develop a resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin and cephalosporins. Researchers at Stanford University are studying this area -- how an enzyme changes and becomes antibiotic-resistant -- and will present their work during the Biophysical Society’s 62nd Meeting, held Feb. 17-21, 2018.

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Need an expert in a hurry? Need to pitch an expert in a hurry? Find experts and manage your experts in the Newswise Expert Directory. Our database of experts is growing daily. Search by institution, name, subject, keywords, and place.

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The study included completion of an online survey by 27 physicians, who reported working in 15 of 26 provincial correctional facilities for adults in Ontario. This included 10 of the 13 facilities with a population of more than 200. The study identified that about half of the physicians prescribed methadone and half prescribed buprenorphine/naloxone to treat opioid dependence.

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In the setting of acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), opioid administration is standard care for pain management. However, animal models of SCI have shown that opioid use in the early phase of SCI is deleterious to future quality of life (QOL), notably pain and motor function (Woller et al.). This study focuses on opioid use in the first few days to weeks following human SCI as it relates to QOL outcomes 1-year post-treatment.

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A bill introduced last week in the House of Representatives and supported by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) would expand access to chiropractic services to military retirees, dependents and survivors through the Department of Defense TRICARE health program.

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Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have achieved a major milestone toward designing a safe and effective vaccine to both treat heroin addiction and block lethal overdose of the drug.

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McCaskill Report on Pharma Company Financial Support for Pain Organizations

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Opioid users have a significantly increased risk of infections severe enough to require treatment at the hospital, such as pneumonia and meningitis, as compared to people who don’t use opioids.

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Opioid users have a significantly increased risk of infections severe enough to require treatment at the hospital, such as pneumonia and meningitis, as compared to people who don’t use opioids.

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A study to assess the feasibility of checking illicit street drugs for fentanyl found that low-cost test strips detect the presence of fentanyl with a high degree of accuracy, and that the vast majority of people who use street drugs are interested in using drug checking to help prevent overdoses.

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Opioid cessation in non-cancer pain may be more successful when depression is treated to remission, a Saint Louis University study shows

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In just two years, the powerful opioid fentanyl went from nonexistent to detected in more than 1 in 7 stamp bags analyzed by the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner.

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More than 1,900 officers from 30 police departments will soon be equipped to administer Narcan® when they encounter someone overdosing from opioids, thanks to a collaboration between Loyola Medicine and the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

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A case report by a West Virginia University neuropsychologist suggests a new reason fentanyl-alone, or in combination with stimulants-may put substance users at risk, whether they take it knowingly or not. It may cause amnesia.

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While the use of opioids after surgery is intended as a short-term strategy to relieve pain, many patients who weren’t prior opioid users continue to take the medication for several months after their lung operations, becoming dependent and “persistent opioid users."

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An Oscar nomination won't entice Elaine McMillion Sheldon and her husband, Kerrin, away from their passion: telling the stories of their home state of West Virginia in hopes of bringing attention, and solutions, to its problems - especially opioid addiction.

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West Virginia University doctoral candidate Joshua Gross is investigating how a particular protein influences the brain's response to cocaine and psychostimulants with abuse potential, including methamphetamine, Adderall and Ritalin.

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In a six-month study recently concluded, a research unit affiliated with two hospital institutions and a university in Ottawa found that a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked daily also reduced a smoker’s dependence on opioids.