Opioids News and Research

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An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids.

$1.5 million grant to develop opioid treatment program for jail detainees

In what could serve as a model for tackling one of the nation's top public health crises, a University of Massachusetts Amherst epidemiology researcher is teaming up with two Western Massachusetts sheriff's offices to design, implement and study an opioid treatment program for jail detainees in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

22 Feb 2019

More states say doctors must offer overdose reversal drug along with opioids

In a growing number of states, patients who get opioids for serious pain may leave their doctors' offices with a second prescription — for naloxone, a drug that can save their lives if they overdose on the powerful painkillers.

21 Feb 2019

The United States records highest drug overdose death rates

In the most comprehensive international comparison of its kind, a USC study found that the United States has the highest drug overdose death rates among a set of high-income countries.

21 Feb 2019

Discharged, dismissed: ERs often miss chance to set overdose survivors on ‘better path’

The last time heroin landed Marissa Angerer in a Midland, Texas, emergency room — naked and unconscious — was May 2016. But that wasn't her first drug-related interaction with the health system.

15 Feb 2019

Breakthrough test developed to measure pain

A breakthrough test developed by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers to measure pain in patients could help stem the tide of the opioid crisis in Indiana, and throughout the rest of the nation.

14 Feb 2019

Researchers to investigate light therapy as relief from painful side effect of cancer treatment

University at Buffalo researchers have received part of a $1.5 million grant to investigate light therapy as a replacement for prescription opioids in treating oral mucositis, painful ulcers and swelling in the mouth that result from chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer.

12 Feb 2019

Novel protein sensor allows researchers to observe nicotine's movements in cells

When a person takes a puff on a cigarette, nicotine floods into the brain, latching onto receptors on the surface of neurons and producing feelings of happiness. But nicotine does not simply stay on the surface of cells--the drug actually permeates into neural cells and alters them from the inside out.

8 Feb 2019

Changing nature of opioid epidemic could be responsible for increase in overdose deaths

The opioid epidemic in the United States could be responsible for 700,000 overdose deaths between 2016 and 2025, according to a new study published today in JAMA Network Open.

8 Feb 2019

What ‘dope sick’ really feels like

Detoxing off heroin or opioids without medication is sheer hell. I should know. For many users, full-blown withdrawal is often foreshadowed by a yawn, or perhaps a runny nose, a sore back, sensitive skin or a restless leg. For me, the telltale sign that the heroin was wearing off was a slight tingling sensation when I urinated.

8 Feb 2019

New study estimates prevalence and risk factors for misuse of prescribed opioids

A new Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety study estimates the prevalence and risk factors for self-reported misuse of prescribed opioids in the general adult population.

6 Feb 2019

Opioid-related auto fatalities in Maryland remain stable from 2006 to 2017

A new approach to defining opioid-related auto fatalities provides insight into the nature and distribution of opioid-involved deaths in the state of Maryland, say the authors of a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

5 Feb 2019

Rutgers study uncovers new threat in the opiate epidemic

A Rutgers study has uncovered a new threat in the opiate epidemic: Overdoses of loperamide, an over-the-counter diarrhea medication, have been steadily increasing in number and severity nationwide over five years.

4 Feb 2019

Lawsuit details how the Sackler family allegedly built an Oxycontin fortune

The first nine months of 2013 started off as a banner year for the Sackler family, owners of the pharmaceutical company that produces OxyContin, the addictive opioid pain medication. Purdue Pharma paid the family $400 million from its profits during that time, claims a lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts attorney general.

4 Feb 2019

Opioid overdose epidemic likely to increase in the U.S in coming years

A study from investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Technology Assessment projects that the opioid overdose epidemic in the U.S. is likely to increase in coming years, and that measures based on restricting access to prescription opioids will have a minimal impact in reducing overdose deaths.

3 Feb 2019

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Live from D.C.: A look ahead at health policy in 2019

The 2020 presidential campaign has begun and health is a big part of it, with Democratic candidates pledging their support for "Medicare-for-all" and many of its variations.

31 Jan 2019

Research finds steep rise in infection-related stroke due to opioid epidemic

The opioid epidemic is fueling a steep rise in infection-related stroke hospitalizations, according to preliminary research to be presented in Honolulu at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2019, a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

30 Jan 2019

AMETEK SMP adds new Titanium strip grades to product portfolio for medical applications

Hamilton Precision Metals and SMP Wallingford are delighted to announce that they have added two new Titanium strip grades – grade 9 and 23 – to their product portfolio for medical applications.

From AMETEK Specialty Metal Products (SMP) 30 Jan 2019

Forensic anthropologist to study impact of opioid addiction on bones

Bones are a living record that constantly change over a person's life. Forensic anthropologists are tasked with deciphering clues from bones, and their study of skeletal remains aids in the identification of unknown individuals.

30 Jan 2019

CHOP physician-researchers analyze opioid prescription patterns in children

As the opioid epidemic continues to plague the United States, physician-researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia analyzed prescription patterns in children.

29 Jan 2019

Study highlights the detrimental effect of prescription opioids on labor markets

Prescription opioids may be negatively affecting labor force participation and unemployment nationwide, according to findings in a new study co-authored by economists at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and published in The Journal of Human Resources.

29 Jan 2019

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

$1.5 million grant to develop opioid treatment program for jail detainees

More states say doctors must offer overdose reversal drug along with opioids

The United States records highest drug overdose death rates

Discharged, dismissed: ERs often miss chance to set overdose survivors on ‘better path’

Breakthrough test developed to measure pain

Researchers to investigate light therapy as relief from painful side effect of cancer treatment

Novel protein sensor allows researchers to observe nicotine's movements in cells

Changing nature of opioid epidemic could be responsible for increase in overdose deaths

What ‘dope sick’ really feels like

New study estimates prevalence and risk factors for misuse of prescribed opioids

Opioid-related auto fatalities in Maryland remain stable from 2006 to 2017

Rutgers study uncovers new threat in the opiate epidemic

Lawsuit details how the Sackler family allegedly built an Oxycontin fortune

Opioid overdose epidemic likely to increase in the U.S in coming years

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Live from D.C.: A look ahead at health policy in 2019

Research finds steep rise in infection-related stroke due to opioid epidemic

AMETEK SMP adds new Titanium strip grades to product portfolio for medical applications

Forensic anthropologist to study impact of opioid addiction on bones

CHOP physician-researchers analyze opioid prescription patterns in children

Study highlights the detrimental effect of prescription opioids on labor markets

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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