From NIH NIH study of brain energy patterns provides new insights into alcohol effects Assessing the patterns of energy use and neuronal activity simultaneously in the human brain improves our understanding of how alcohol affects the brain, according to new research by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. The new approach for characterizing brain […]
Research
Two decades of data reveal overall increase in pain, opioid use among U.S. adults
From NIH. Researchers measured pain’s impact on normal work activities, people’s health status, and health care use. Prompted by a call from the National Academy of Medicine, then the Institute of Medicine, for improved national data on pain, a recent study provides new insights concerning pain trends and opioid use for pain management. Researchers used […]
Women’s hormones play role in drug addiction, higher relapse rates
ScienceDaily Attention drawn to lack of female-specific research Date: February 8, 2019 Source: Vanderbilt University Summary: Female-specific interventions are needed, but in the meantime, treatment centers could use this study to educate women about their stronger mental connections to places and objects. Women’s hormonal cycles may not […]
Mental health disorders common following mild head injury
From NIH. NIH-funded study identifies risk factors for neuropsychiatric conditions after a concussion. A new study reveals that approximately 1 in 5 individuals may experience mental health symptoms up to six months after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), suggesting the importance of follow-up care for these patients. Scientists also identified factors that may increase the […]
Opioid Crisis Linked to Spike in Infective Endocarditis
From MedPageToday. by Nicole Lou — Ten-fold rise in one state prompts urgent call for action Drug-associated infective endocarditis increased more than 10-fold from 2007 to 2017 in step with the opioid crisis in one state, researchers reported. Annual hospitalizations related to the infection went from 0.92 to 10.95 per 100,000 persons during this time […]
Pain meds from the dentist may put our youth at risk
From the Washington Post. by Ronnie Cohen Dentists who prescribe opioid painkillers such as OxyContin to teenagers and young adults after pulling their wisdom teeth may be putting their patients at risk of addiction, a new study finds. (Toby Talbot/AP) Dentists who prescribe opioid painkillers to teenagers and young adults after pulling their wisdom teeth […]
Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Any Tobacco Product Among Middle and High School Students—U.S., 2011–2018
HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis, by Race and Ethnicity — United States, 2014–2016
From the CDC. Huang YA, Zhu W, Smith DK, Harris N, Hoover KW. HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis, by Race and Ethnicity — United States, 2014–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:1147–1150. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6741a3 Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with a daily, oral pill containing antiretroviral drugs is highly effective in preventing acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (1–4). […]
U.S. Needs More Tx for Addiction & Pain
From USA Today NIH director: US needs more treatments for opioid addiction, chronic pain by Ken Alltucker The head of the National Institutes of Health said Wednesday that science can help the nation find newer and smarter ways out of an epidemic that resulted in more than 49,000 opioid overdose deaths last year. NIH Director Francis […]
2018 Annual Surveillance Report of Drug-Related Risks and Outcomes
From the CDC. This report brings together the latest data available on the drug overdose epidemic in America, including opioid prescribing patterns, and various health behaviors and outcomes such as drug use and nonfatal overdoses and deaths. Prescription drug misuse, illicit drug use, substance use disorder, and overdose remain critical issues in the United States, […]