Feature Channels: Substance Abuse

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Released: 30-Jul-2021 4:45 PM EDT
Medication Approved for Diabetes Being Tested for Treatment of Cocaine Use Disorder
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

With overdose rates involving cocaine soaring nearly 27% in 2020, researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) hope that a clinical trial combining a medication approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help prevent relapse in cocaine use disorder patients.

Released: 27-Jul-2021 12:50 PM EDT
Wisconsin Bioethics Project Chronicles Pregnancy, Substance Use Disorder and the Law
Morgridge Institute for Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is embarking on a massive research project to shed light on early child development, including the health and developmental implications of opioid use during pregnancy. The very first task is to ensure the study — the HEALthy Brain and Child Development study (HBCD) — is on solid legal and ethical ground.

Released: 26-Jul-2021 4:45 PM EDT
65+ and Lonely? Don't Talk to Your Doctor About Another Prescription
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Lonely, older adults are nearly twice as likely to use opioids to ease pain and two-and-a-half times more likely to use sedatives and anti-anxiety medications, putting themselves at risk for drug dependency, impaired attention, falls and other accidents, and further cognitive impairment, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco.

Released: 26-Jul-2021 10:45 AM EDT
Emergency Department Visits Related to Opioid Overdoses Up Significantly During COVID-19 Pandemic
Mayo Clinic

Emergency department visit rates because of an opioid overdose increased by 28.5% across the U.S. in 2020, compared to 2018 and 2019, recent Mayo Clinic research finds. Emergency visits overall decreased by 14% last year, while visits because of an opioid overdose increased by 10.5%. The result: Opioid overdoses were responsible for 0.32 out of 100 visits, or 1 in every 313 visits, which is up from 0.25, or 1 in every 400 visits, the previous two years.

Released: 23-Jul-2021 12:10 PM EDT
US Clinics Slower to Provide Opioid Treatment Than Canadian Clinics
Yale University

As opioid overdose deaths rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, people seeking treatment for opioid addiction had to wait nearly twice as long to begin methadone treatment in the United States than in Canada, a new Yale study has shown.

22-Jul-2021 2:40 PM EDT
Four Themes Identified as Contributors to Feelings of Despair in Pennsylvania Communities
Penn State Health

Financial instability, lack of infrastructure, a deteriorating sense of community and family fragmentation are key contributors to diseases of despair in Pennsylvania communities, according to Penn State College of Medicine and Highmark Health researchers.

   
Released: 21-Jul-2021 3:45 PM EDT
Statement from Public Health Experts on Announcement of Opioid Settlement
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Members of a coalition of 50+ leading public health groups who issued a set of five guiding principles for spending opioid settlement funds in January are reacting to the announcement of the $26 billion settlement deal between a group of state attorneys general and Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, and Johnson & Johnson.

Released: 20-Jul-2021 11:00 AM EDT
Focusing on Solutions to the Opioid Crisis, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) Announces Family- and Community-Based Initiatives to Prevent Substance Use Disorder and Overdose
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)

Recognizing the urgent need for comprehensive approaches to opioid use disorder that address the needs of the entire family, the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) is today issuing a new Request for Proposals for projects that will engage and empower vulnerable families and communities to prevent opioid use disorder and overdose.

Released: 19-Jul-2021 1:40 PM EDT
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and Seton Hall University Opioid Conference to Feature Addiction Experts Working to Combat National Crisis
Hackensack Meridian Health

The July 30 virtual conference is part of a three-year grant to train clinicians to prescribe medications to treat addiction.

   
Released: 16-Jul-2021 2:30 PM EDT
Food Insufficiency Linked to Lack of Mental Health Services During Pandemic
University of Toronto

A new national study published in Public Health Nutrition on July 15 found that Americans experiencing food insufficiency were three times as likely to lack mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic than those not experiencing food insufficiency.

   
Released: 16-Jul-2021 2:10 PM EDT
Co-locating Contraceptive Services & Opioid Treatment Programs May Help Prevent Unintended Pregnancy
University of Vermont

More than 75% of women with Opioid Use Disorder report having had an unintended pregnancy, but they are less likely to use effective contraception compared to women who do not use drugs. Results from a multi-year trial found that a two-part intervention featuring co-located contraceptive services in opioid treatment programs and financial incentives could offer an effective solution.

Released: 15-Jul-2021 3:15 PM EDT
Study Shows Strong Association Between Perceived Risk, Availability and Past-Year Cannabis Use
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health

Combined perceptions of the risk and availability of cannabis influence the risk of cannabis use more than perceived risk and perceived availability alone, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Released: 7-Jul-2021 9:00 AM EDT
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) to Release Results from National Survey of Peer Recovery Coaches at Webinar on Understanding and Bolstering the Recovery Workforce
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)

The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) will host a webinar on Understanding and Bolstering the Recovery Workforce and release results from the qualitative portion of its first-ever national surgery of peer recovery coaches. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, from 3pm to 4:30pm EST.

Released: 6-Jul-2021 9:30 AM EDT
High Risk of Divorce After TBI? Not Necessarily, Study Suggests
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a major impact on the lives of affected patients and families. But it doesn't necessarily lead to an increased risk of marital instability, as two-thirds of patients with TBI are still married to the same partner 10 years after their injury, reports a study in the July/August issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR). The official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America, JHTR is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Released: 6-Jul-2021 7:05 AM EDT
UM School Of Medicine Researchers Receive NIH Avant Garde Award For Out-Of-Box, Innovative Concept To Cure HIV And Treat Co-Existing Addiction
University of Maryland School of Medicine

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Professor of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Linda Chang, MD, MS, received the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2021 Avant Garde Award (DP1) for HIV/AIDS and Substance Use Disorder Research — a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award.

Released: 21-Jun-2021 2:05 PM EDT
New Diagnostic Method May Predict Relapse Risk for Those Recovering from Prescription Opioid Addiction
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers scientists have used a diagnostic technique for the first time in the opioid addiction field that they believe has the potential to determine which opioid-addicted patients are more likely to relapse.

Released: 18-Jun-2021 1:00 PM EDT
Does Cannabis Affect Brain Development in Young People with ADHD? Too Soon To Tell, Reports Harvard Review of Psychiatry
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

At least so far, the currently limited research base does not establish that cannabis has additional adverse effects on brain development or functioning in adolescents or young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), concludes a review in the July/August issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Released: 17-Jun-2021 3:15 PM EDT
‘Help Is On The Way’ For People With Psychosis
University of Washington School of Medicine

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently issued a statement calling cognitive behavioral therapy the standard of care for psychosis. “This is being called a 'watershed moment’ for advancing care for people with schizophrenia,” said lead author of the statement, a UW Medicine psychologist.

Released: 16-Jun-2021 1:05 PM EDT
Sexual Violence Raises E-cigarette Use Among Sexual Minority Teens, But Not Heterosexual Peers
University at Buffalo

Experiencing sexual violence is significantly linked to increased e-cigarette use among sexual minority high school students, but not heterosexual students, according to a University at Buffalo study.

Released: 15-Jun-2021 1:55 PM EDT
Young adults' alcohol use increases when casually dating
Washington State University

When young adults are more interested in socializing and casually dating, they tend to drink more alcohol, according to a new paper led by a Washington State University professor.

Released: 10-Jun-2021 4:05 PM EDT
Beyond Remission: From Alcohol Dependence to Optimal Mental Health
University of Toronto

New research published online in the journal Substance Use & Misuse is good news for those struggling with alcohol dependence: the possibility of ending this dependency gets easier with age.

Released: 10-Jun-2021 10:35 AM EDT
Many surgery patients get opioid prescriptions, but many don’t need to, study suggests
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Surgeons can ease their patients’ pain from common operations without prescribing opioids, and avoid the possibility of starting someone on a path to long-term use, a pair of new studies suggests.

Released: 7-Jun-2021 9:30 AM EDT
Loyola Medicine Medication Take Back Day to Provide Safe Disposal of Old Medications for Local Community
Loyola Medicine

Loyola Medicine’s Opioid Task Force, in partnership with the Cook County Sheriff's Department, is organizing a Medication Take Back Day for community members, patients and colleagues to safely dispose of their old medications on Friday, June 11 from 10 am – 2 pm in the Loyola Outpatient Center (2160 S. First Ave., Maywood).

4-Jun-2021 9:00 PM EDT
Roswell Park Team Demonstrates Safe Approach for Dramatically Reducing Use of Opioids Following Surgery
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

A pain-management protocol designed by Emese Zsiros, MD, PhD, FACOG, to be reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2021 annual meeting, resulted in a 45% decrease in opioids prescribed to patients undergoing surgery, without significant effect on recovery or satisfaction.

Released: 3-Jun-2021 8:05 AM EDT
Secret Shopper Study Sheds Light on Barriers to Opioid Treatment for Women
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

After a 2020 Vanderbilt University Medical Center study showed women have a difficult time accessing treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), investigators analyzed comments received from the study’s participants to further shed light on barriers to care, which included everything from long on-hold times to difficult interactions with clinic receptionists during phone calls seeking appointments.

Released: 2-Jun-2021 12:10 PM EDT
UM Avenir Award Recipient to Leverage Telehealth to Reach Injection Drug Users
University of Miami Health System, Miller School of Medicine

The $2.3 million, four-year Avenir Award will support his innovative research project, “Tele-Harm Reduction for Rapid Initiation of Antiretrovirals in People Who Inject Drugs: A Randomized Controlled Trial.”

Released: 2-Jun-2021 10:15 AM EDT
Study finds specialty behavioral health establishments have increased, but more needs to be done
Indiana University

The number of specialty behavioral health establishments, their workforce and their wages have increased steadily between 2011 and 2019, according to a new study by Indiana University and University of Michigan researchers.

27-May-2021 6:30 PM EDT
A Technique for Regulating Emotion May be Effective in Disrupting Compulsive Cocaine Addiction, a Mount Sinai Study Has Found
Mount Sinai Health System

An emotion regulation strategy known as cognitive reappraisal helped reduce the typically heightened and habitual attention to drug-related cues and contexts in cocaine-addicted individuals, a study by Mount Sinai researchers has found.

Released: 27-May-2021 12:05 PM EDT
Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins Medicine
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 other Wednesday.

Released: 27-May-2021 11:25 AM EDT
Why is it so hard to withdraw from some antidepressants?
University of Illinois Chicago

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are a step closer to discovering why it is so difficult for people to withdraw from some antidepressant medications.  The paper “Antidepressants produce persistent Gαs associated signaling changes in lipid rafts following drug withdrawal,” published in the journal Molecular Pharmacology, addresses the molecular and cellular mechanisms that cause antidepressant withdrawal syndrome.

Released: 24-May-2021 10:20 AM EDT
AANA Joins Bipartisan Congressional Movement to Expand Use of Non-Opioid Pain Management
American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology

o help increase access to the availability of non-opioid pain management treatments, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) supports the recent introduction of the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act introduced by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), along with Reps. David McKinley (R-WV), Ann Kuster (D-NH), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The Senate version of this legislation (S. 589) was previously introduced.

Released: 21-May-2021 9:55 AM EDT
A treatment barrier falls, but more remain, for people with opioid issues
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Now that a key policy regarding prescription of a medication for opioid use disorder has been changed, experts reflect on the remaining challenges standing in the way of more people getting effective medication-assisted treatment, and discuss efforts to overcome those barriers.

Released: 20-May-2021 11:20 AM EDT
Older Adults with Functional Impairments Linked to Prescription Drug Use/Misuse
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that functional impairments among adults aged 50 and older are associated with a higher risk of medical cannabis use; and prescription opioid and tranquilizer/sedative use and misuse.

Released: 17-May-2021 4:20 PM EDT
New study of how US recreational cannabis legalization could change illegal drug markets
Society for the Study of Addiction

A study published in the scientific journal Addiction provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of the association between recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) in US states and responses in the illegal markets for cannabis, heroin, and other drugs in those states.

   
Released: 17-May-2021 2:00 PM EDT
Civil commitment for substance use disorder treatment – What do addiction medicine specialists think?
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

Amid the rising toll of opioid overdoses and deaths in the U.S., several states are considering laws enabling civil commitment for involuntary treatment of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Most addiction medicine physicians support civil commitment for SUD treatment – but others strongly oppose this approach, reports a survey study in Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

13-May-2021 6:05 PM EDT
Partners May Influence Pregnant Women’s Alcohol Use and Risk Factors for Infant Development
Research Society on Alcoholism

The partners of mothers-to-be can influence the women’s drinking and depression during pregnancy, affecting their babies’ development, a new study suggests. The findings highlight the importance of partners’ role in reducing risk for expectant mothers. Pregnant women’s behavioral health is known to be influenced by their relationships with their partners. Partners’ higher substance use, and women’s lower relationship satisfaction, are associated with higher maternal substance use. Women who feel supported by their partners, in contrast, report less prenatal anxiety and depression and lower postpartum distress. Drinking and depression during pregnancy are each associated with multiple health problems, such as premature birth and delayed infant development. The study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research explores the role of partners, prenatal alcohol use, and infant outcomes together, aiming for a more comprehensive understanding of how these factors combine.

     
Released: 14-May-2021 11:25 AM EDT
Access to overdose-reversing drugs declined during pandemic, researchers find
Beth Israel Lahey Health

In a new study, clinician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) analyzed naloxone prescription trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and compared them to trends in opioid prescriptions and to overall prescriptions.

10-May-2021 9:20 AM EDT
Researchers Find Link Between ABCB1 Gene and Long-Term Opioid Use
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA)

In a study of hundreds of patients undergoing total knee or hip replacement, researchers identified a gene called ABCB1 that may predict long-term pain and opioid use.

10-May-2021 10:20 AM EDT
Model Pinpoints Predictive Factors for Long-Term Opioid Use
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA)

Researchers have developed a statistical model to predict the use of long-term opioids after total joint replacement.

10-May-2021 12:40 PM EDT
‘Opioid treatment deserts’ abound, study finds
Ohio State University

Neighborhoods without opioid treatment providers likely serve as a widespread barrier to care for those who are ready to seek help, a new study has found. Nearby access, including by public transit, is essential to treatment success, researchers say.

Released: 10-May-2021 9:30 AM EDT
Patient support programs for painful conditions may reduce opioid use
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Programs that provide ongoing support to patients with painful conditions and complex medication regimens may also help them avoid using potentially risky opioid pain medications, or reduce the amount they use, a new study finds.

Released: 28-Apr-2021 12:35 PM EDT
PsychLight Sensor to Enable Discovery of New Psychiatric Drugs
UC Davis Health (Defunct)

UC Davis researchers develop PsychLight, a sensor that could be used in discovering new treatments for mental illness, in neuroscience research and to detect drugs of abuse.

   
Released: 27-Apr-2021 2:15 PM EDT
Impact of COVID-19 on racial-ethnic minorities among persons with opioid use disorder
University of Connecticut

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health disparities for people of color, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

   
Released: 26-Apr-2021 1:05 PM EDT
Two Novel Biobanks Offer Investigatory Targets for Cocaine and Oxycodone Addiction
UC San Diego Health

Researchers have created to novel biobanks of diverse tissues from animals to further explore the biological bases and consequences of addiction to cocaine and oxycodone.

20-Apr-2021 2:20 PM EDT
Cannabis Use Disorder Rate Rose among Pregnant Women between 2001-2012
UC San Diego Health

Babies born to mothers diagnosed with cannabis use disorder are more likely to experience negative health outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birth weight, than babies born to mothers without a cannabis use disorder diagnosis, report UC San Diego researchers.

Released: 12-Apr-2021 11:05 AM EDT
IU study finds efforts to increase nurse practitioners prescribing buprenorphine falls short
Indiana University

Since 2016, a federal regulation has allowed nurse practitioners and physician assistants to obtain a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder as a medication assisted treatment.

Released: 2-Apr-2021 10:25 AM EDT
Cannabis use disorder linked to increased complications after spinal surgery
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

For patients undergoing spinal surgery, the diagnosis of cannabis use disorder is associated with higher complication rates, including substantially increased risks of stroke and respiratory complications, reports a study in Spine. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.



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