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.
Several health organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, have recommended dose reduction and risk mitigation strategies to reduce adverse events for patients on chronic opioid therapy. A new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that patients with chronic pain treated in centers with opioid-dose reduction policies show no clinically meaningful differences in pain intensity, interference with daily activities, enjoyment of life, or depressive symptoms. The Journal of Pain is published by the American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org.
Michael A. Kelly, M.D., chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine and chair, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center, was a featured presenter at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Diversion Control Division, 23rd National Conference on Pharmaceutical and Chemical Diversion
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate in the United States increased by 34 percent between 2000 and 2016. While that rate seems high, a team of researchers led by a West Virginia University faculty member believes it is seriously underestimated.
From 2000 to 2015, more than a half million people died from drug overdoses. Many of these individuals tried to recover from their addiction by seeking treatment at specialty addiction programs.
For non-elderly Americans on disability, local prescribing of opioid pain medications is significantly related to county-level economic factors like unemployment and income level, reports a study in the January issue of Medical Care, published by Wolters Kluwer.
From 2005 to 2015 the number of infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in the Granite State increased fivefold, from 52 to 269, according to new research by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.
Increased scrutiny of opioid prescribing for patients with chronic pain has led providers and healthcare organizations to consider opioid-dose reductions, known as tapering. Such actions can precipitate communication challenges for primary-care physicians. A new study, published in The Journal of Pain, examined patient-doctor conversations and explored best practices associated with opioid tapering. The Journal of Pain is the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org.
What if you could look into the brains of potential drug abusers and see what messages would be most likely to persuade them to “just say no?” That’s the ultimate goal of researchers whose new study scanned the brains of people while they watched anti-drug public service announcements (PSAs).
A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that under 5 percent of those referred for opioid treatment from the criminal justice system were directed to medication-assisted programs to treat their disorder.
New study finds that death rates for those hospitalized for opioid-related conditions in the U.S. have quadrupled since 2000. Worst toll seen among patients who were low-income, white, under age 65 and on Medicare, and the severity of opioid misuse leading to hospitalization has increased.
A multi-disciplinary team of researchers with expertise in biology, anesthesiology, pharmacology, and medicinal chemistry at U of U Health received a $10 million grant from the Department of Defense to identify new, natural compounds to develop non-opioid drugs for pain management
West Virginia University’s chief economist said the opioid epidemic in West Virginia and across the U.S. has come with a hefty price tag, causing a void in this state’s economy of nearly $1 billion.
a new study concludes that two of the top medications available for outpatient, office-based treatment, once initiated, are equally safe and effective in curtailing opioid use, relapse, treatment drop-out and overdose.
Rural counties continue to rank lowest among counties across the U.S., in terms of health outcomes. A group of national organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National 4-H Council are leading the way to close the rural health gap.
Heavy drinking impairs balance and motor coordination, which is why increased body sway is a useful indicator to both police and bartenders that a person may be intoxicated. People often drink alcohol at the same time that they ingest stimulant drugs such as caffeine or nicotine, yet it is unclear how these stimulants affect alcohol-induced balance impairment. This study examined whether combining a high-caffeine energy drink with alcohol can influence expected alcohol-induced increases in body sway.
Opioids and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a widely used group of antidepressants, are both associated with higher risk of osteoporotic fractures for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research findings presented at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego.
A $2.5 million federal grant will allow a multidisciplinary team at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston to provide prevention and treatment information about HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases to underserved individuals with substance abuse or mental disorders.
The report, “The Opioid Epidemic: From Evidence to Impact,” maps out a blueprint for national action on the epidemic and details dozens of concrete, evidence-based steps for everyone working to fight the opioid crisis in America – from the health care, advocacy, nonprofit, government, academic, and business sectors.
Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s most comprehensive health care network, hosted a symposium to update providers and the community on the network’s strategies to help those suffering from substance use disorders, an event that drew 450 people and featured a compelling personal story of recovery and call to action from former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy.
ASA today announced its support of President Donald J. Trump’s announcement officially declaring the opioid crisis a public health emergency. The ASA applauds the president’s administration for taking this important step toward addressing drug addiction and opioid overuse and abuse.
President Donald Trump’s Oct. 26 announcement that the opioid epidemic is a “public health emergency” rather than a “national emergency” goes against the understanding of most authorities, said an expert on substance use disorder treatment at Washington University in St. Louis.“Recall that the commission President Trump formed, led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, indicated that the opioid epidemic was the equivalent of the September 11 attacks happening every three weeks,” said David Patterson Silver Wolf, associate professor at the Brown School and director of the Community-Academic Partnership on Addiction.
Survey data indicate that in recent years, teens have become far less likely to abuse alcohol, nicotine and illicit drugs, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Teens also are less likely to engage in behaviors like fighting and stealing, and the researchers believe the declines in substance use and delinquency are connected.
Having a parent with an alcohol use disorder increases the risk for dating violence among teenagers, according to a study from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions.
For many of the 2 million Americans addicted to opioids, getting good treatment and getting off prescription painkillers or heroin may seem like a far-off dream. But a new study suggests the answer could lie much closer to home, in the primary care clinics where they go for basic medical care.
The book, titled “Drinking, Drug Use and Addiction in the Autism Community,” explores why addiction is more common among individuals with ASD than it is within the general population and investigates how addiction and autism affect one another.
Youth show lower rates of substance misuse, including prescription opioid misuse, well after high school graduation if they have participated in prevention programs that follow the PROSPER model developed at Iowa State University.
A new study on cannabis use that involved 1,136 patients (from 18 to 40 years of age) with mental illnesses who had been seen five times during the year after discharge from a psychiatric hospital demonstrates that sustained used of cannabis is associated with an increase in violent behaviour in young people. Moreover, the association between persistent cannabis use and violence is stronger than that associated with alcohol or cocaine.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has awarded $5 million to researchers at UCLA to develop a resource and data center for millions of pieces of research, lab samples, statistics and other data aimed at boosting research into the effects of substance abuse on HIV/AIDS.
Opioid prescriptions from the emergency department (ED) are written for a shorter duration and smaller dose than those written elsewhere, shows new research led by Mayo Clinic. The study, published today in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, also demonstrates that patients who receive an opioid prescription in the ED are less likely to progress to long-term use.
Mount Sinai researchers have identified unique structural, biological and chemical insights in the way different opioid drugs activate the receptors and specific signaling pathways responsible for the drug’s beneficial and adverse effects, according to a study to be published in Nature’s Scientific Reports.
The Department of Psychiatry at Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center will present Substance Use Disorders in 2017: Tackling the Opioid Epidemic & More on Wednesday, October 25, from 7:45 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel. Special guest, The Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy, Former Rhode Island Congressman and international advocate for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders will deliver the keynote address.