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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

Ingestible capsule can monitor vital signs from within the patient's GI tract

Diagnosing sleep disorders such as sleep apnea usually requires a patient to spend the night in a sleep lab, hooked up to a variety of sensors and monitors.

17 Nov 2023

Xylazine can exacerbate the life-threatening effects of opioids, rat study shows

A new study in rats suggests that xylazine, the active ingredient in a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use, can worsen the life-threatening effects of opioids.

21 Jun 2023

Study reveals sharp increase in hospital encounters for benzodiazepine-related toxicity among youth

The rate of hospital encounters for benzodiazepine-related toxicity rose by 67 per cent for young adults (aged 19 to 24) and 44 per cent for youth (aged 18 or below) in Ontario between 2013 and 2020, according to a new study from ICES and Unity Health Toronto.

15 Jun 2023

UArizona Health Sciences researchers seek to improve opioid therapy while decreasing its side effects

University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers are taking the foot off the brake in their quest to improve opioid therapy while decreasing its side effects.

15 May 2023

Determining the role of the epigenetic enzyme, HDAC5, in an animal model

Substance use disorder (SUD) is an extremely difficult disorder to overcome, and many individuals with SUD return to regular use after repeated attempts to quit.

27 Feb 2023

New approach to pain management can reduce opioid use after urethroplasty

For men undergoing surgery to repair scarring in the urethra (urethroplasty), a new approach to pain management can reduce the need for strong opioid drugs without compromising pain control, reports a study in Urology Practice, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association.

21 Feb 2023

Study shortlists potential drug repurposing candidates to treat symptoms in ASD

Can you teach an old drug new tricks? Although drug treatments for the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not currently available, could an existing drug provide a new treatment, even if it previously had no association with ASD? This was the question asked by a new study in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology. The researchers used a computer model that encompasses proteins involved in ASD and the way they interact.

12 Sep 2022

Key gene sheds light on how people develop tolerance to pain-relievers over time

UF Scripps Biomedical Research scientists have a discovered a key gene that is shedding light on how people develop tolerance to pain-relievers over time, a problem that raises risk of addiction and overdose.

18 Aug 2022

Public health agencies adapt covid lessons to curb overdoses, STDs, and gun violence

Shannan Piccolo walked into a hotel with a tote bag full of Narcan and a speech about how easy it is to use the medicine that can reverse opioid overdoses.

17 Aug 2022

Researchers receive $1.1 million to study the safety, efficacy of drug combination for chronic pancreatitis

Researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine are studying the safety and efficacy of a drug combination for patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP).

2 Jun 2022

Opioid use disorder treatment during pregnancy can minimize adverse impacts on the fetal brain

Treating pregnant women with opioid use disorder can help minimize opioid-related brain abnormalities in their newborns.

12 May 2022

People with childhood trauma feel more euphoric when using morphine

People who experienced childhood trauma get a more pleasurable 'high' from morphine, new research suggests.

25 Aug 2021

People with a history of childhood trauma get a more pleasurable 'high' from morphine

People who have experienced childhood trauma get a more pleasurable "high" from morphine, new research suggests.

22 Jun 2021

Researchers harness the body's own ability to block pain

Fentanyl, oxycodone, morphine--these substances are familiar to many as a source of both pain relief and the cause of a painful epidemic of addiction and death.

26 Apr 2021

Online platforms can increase drug overdose

HSE University researchers together with specialists from the Humanitarian Action Charitable Fund (St. Petersburg) and the University of Michigan School of Public Health (USA) studied the specifics of remote work with Russian people who use drugs to reduce the harm of drug use.

16 Mar 2021

Multimodal pain regimen minimizes opioid exposure, relieves acute pain in trauma patients

A multimodal pain regimen (MMPR) designed to minimize opioid exposure and relieve acute pain associated with traumatic injury kept patient self-reported pain scores low while also reducing the daily and total amount of opioid drugs given to trauma patients.

21 Jan 2021

Polymer patch provides controlled release of drugs for post-operative pain management

A Duke-led team of scientists has developed a bio-compatible surgical patch that releases non-opioid painkillers directly to the site of a wound for days and then dissolves away.

11 Jan 2021

Coronavirus crisis opens access to online opioid addiction treatment

Opioid addiction isn't taking a break during the coronavirus pandemic.

23 Apr 2020

Updated USPSTF recommendations on hepatitis C screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection screening for adults in the age group 18 to 79 years. This update comes against the background of increasing HCV over the last ten years, primarily due to higher injection drug use, and closer monitoring. The recommendation ensures that this screening will be covered by insurance as well without cost-sharing.

2 Mar 2020