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‘They see a cash cow’: Corporations could consume $50 billion of opioid settlements

The marketing pitches are bold and arriving fast: Invest opioid settlement dollars in a lasso-like device to help police detain people without Tasers or pepper spray.

18 Dec 2023

Addiction stigma discourages many people from seeking treatment

Addiction is one of society's most misunderstood and rebuked health conditions. That stigma discourages many people from seeking treatment for substance dependence, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

15 Dec 2023

Science’s Breakthrough of the Year: GLP-1 agonists can blunt obesity-associated health problems

Science has named the development of glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists and this year's discovery that these drugs can blunt obesity-associated health problems as its 2023 Breakthrough of The Year.

15 Dec 2023

Infective endocarditis deaths spike among young adults, research shows

Death rates related to infective endocarditis declined in most adults across the U.S. within the last two decades, yet accelerated among young adults ages 25 to 44 years old, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

13 Dec 2023

Millions in opioid settlement funds sit untouched as overdose deaths rise

Nearly a year after Montana began receiving millions of dollars to invest in efforts to combat the opioid crisis, much of that money remains untouched. Meanwhile, the state's opioid overdose and death counts continue to rise.

13 Dec 2023

UK Biobank data shows dose-dependent link between smoking and brain shrinkage

Smoking shrinks the brain, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

12 Dec 2023

Vegetarian diet linked to lower risk of insomnia, study suggests

Study reveals that following a vegetarian diet may reduce the risk of insomnia, particularly in men, potentially due to higher intakes of healthful plant-based foods and lower consumption of animal products.

12 Dec 2023

UMSOM receives $29 million research award to improve health outcomes in people who inject opioid drugs

University of Maryland School of Medicine Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, announced today that the school will receive a $29 million research award over four years from the National Institutes of Health to lead a multicenter trial that aims to improve health outcomes in people who inject opioid drugs and are hospitalized with infectious complications of their drug use.

11 Dec 2023

What level of smartphone use affects adolescent health?

A higher rate of multiple conditions associated with poor health among young people with high mean daily smartphone usage.

11 Dec 2023

Increased internet use linked to higher anxiety in teens, research shows

The prevalence of anxiety and internet addiction among adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019.

11 Dec 2023

Heart Foundation congratulates the Australian Government for passing of new tobacco control legislation

The Heart Foundation welcomes the passing of the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Bill 2023 in Parliament today as a critical action to prevent and further reduce the heart health harm caused to people by tobacco products and nicotine addiction.

11 Dec 2023

Small molecule drug shows promise as potential new treatment for multiple sclerosis

CAMH-led pre-clinical studies using a small molecule drug have shown promise as a potential new treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). The results have been published today in the journal Science Advances.

8 Dec 2023

American Heart Association’s professional certification aims to advance tobacco cessation treatment

The Tobacco Endgame -; the path to ending tobacco use and nicotine addiction in the U.S. -; is within sight, but there has been a sharp increase in electronic cigarette use among high school students, from 1.5% in 2011 to about 27.4% in 2019.

7 Dec 2023

Organoid model unveils secrets of the brain's dopaminergic system

A new organoid model of the dopaminergic system sheds lights on its intricate functionality and potential implications for Parkinson's disease.

5 Dec 2023

California’s ambitious Medicaid experiment gets tripped up in implementation

Nearly two years into Gov. Gavin Newsom's $12 billion experiment to transform California’s Medicaid program into a social services provider for the state's most vulnerable residents, the institutions tasked with providing the new services aren't effectively doing so, according to a survey released Tuesday.

5 Dec 2023

Weight loss leads to dynamical changes in brain function and gut microbiome

Worldwide, more than one billion people are obese. Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers. But permanently losing weight isn’t easy: complex interactions between body systems such as gut physiology, hormones, and the brain are known to work against it. One method for weight loss is intermittent energy restriction (IER), where days of relative fasting alternate with days of eating normally.

4 Dec 2023

Scientists uncover dopamine's role in learning from rewards and punishments

What happens in the human brain when we learn from positive and negative experiences? To help answer that question and better understand decision-making and human behavior, scientists are studying dopamine.

1 Dec 2023

Study suggests the need for more education and screening of older adults for cannabis-related risks

More older Americans use cannabis now than before the pandemic, with 12% saying they've consumed a THC-containing substance in the past year and 4% saying they do so multiple times a week, according to a new study of people aged 50 to 80.

1 Dec 2023

Brain peptide identified as key player in heavy alcohol drinking

Alcohol is the most common addictive substance in the world. Every year in the U.S. excessive alcohol use costs $249 billion and causes approximately 88,000 deaths, as well as various chronic diseases and social issues.

1 Dec 2023

Explosive Desantis-Newsom debate reflects nation’s culture wars

Fox News officially titled it "The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate." But the faceoff quickly turned into a full-out political brawl between Gavin Newsom, California's Democratic governor who isn't running for president; and Ron DeSantis, the Florida Republican governor who is, and is not gaining ground against former President Donald Trump in voter polls.

1 Dec 2023