Substance Use Disorder News and Research

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Kratom: A dangerous or beneficial plant?

A new study summarizes the traditional and modern uses of kratom, as well as its pharmacology, benefits, and adverse health impacts.

23 Jun 2022

New pain medications with high abuse potential more likely to be successfully developed

Despite the prevalence and societal costs of pain in the United States, investment in pain medication development is low, due in part to poor understanding of the probability of successful development of such medications

21 Jun 2022

States extend Medicaid for new mothers — even as they reject broader expansion

Until last year, Georgia's Medicaid coverage for new moms with low incomes lasted 60 days.

17 Jun 2022

Temple researcher receives NIH award to study the link between HIV, substance use and heart disease

With prompt diagnosis and the right treatment, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives. In recent years, however, gains in survival among people with HIV have exposed a new concern – an increase in the incidence of early-onset cardiovascular disease associated with long-term HIV.

14 Jun 2022

Pandemic-era changes to prescribing opioid use disorder treatment improved treatment outcomes

Pandemic-era changes to prescribing guidelines for the lifesaving drug buprenorphine led to improved treatment outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder in Philadelphia, according to a recently published study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports from researchers at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health.

3 Jun 2022

Molecular 'connector' may underlie gender differences in cocaine’s effects, mice study shows

Scientists have long known that cocaine works by latching on to molecular connectors on the surface of brain cells, allowing dopamine, a chemical that promotes feelings of pleasure and reward, to accumulate in the space between brain cells.

3 Jun 2022

Treating pediatric psychiatric disorders with psychotropic drugs reduces later substance use disorder risk

One half of psychiatric and substance use disorders start by the age of 18; three-quarters by age 24. While these are concerning statistics, a new study from Massachusetts General Hospital finds that treating psychiatric disorders with psychotropic medications in children and adolescents does not increase the risk of developing substance use, misuse, or substance use disorder (SUD).

19 May 2022

University of Arizona, Oklahoma State University join forces to combat opioid crisis and chronic pain

Robert C. Robbins, MD, president of the University of Arizona, and Kayse Shrum, DO, president of Oklahoma State University, today announced the two institutions’ academic medical centers have joined forces to combat the opioid crisis and chronic pain through research, treatment and education.

30 Apr 2022

Analysis finds reductions in cigarette use among people with major depression, substance use disorder

Significant reductions in cigarette use were found among U.S. adults with major depression, substance use disorder, or both from 2006 to 2019, according to a new analysis of nationally representative survey data published today in JAMA.

26 Apr 2022

Nationwide collaborative effort launched to eliminate mental health and substance use disorder stigma

Together, with national experts across the country, Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah launched a nationwide collaborative effort to eliminate mental health and substance use disorder stigma.

25 Apr 2022

Study describes the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric primary care mental health visits

A new study describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric primary care mental health visits.

22 Apr 2022

Profit strategy: Psychiatric facilities prioritize out-of-state kids

South Carolina children who need immediate, around-the-clock psychiatric care risk being stranded for days — even weeks — waiting for help, only to be sent hundreds of miles away from home for treatment.

11 Apr 2022

Adolescents with severe substance use disorder more likely to report prescription drug misuse in adulthood

While it’s estimated that 1 in 3 Americans will develop a substance use disorder in their lifetime, experts know little about the long-term outcomes for people with substance use disorder symptoms from adolescence through adulthood.

1 Apr 2022

Adolescents with higher drug use severity do not transition out of symptomatic substance use

People who reported multiple symptoms consistent with severe substance use disorder at age 18 exhibited two or more of these symptoms in adulthood, according to a new analysis of a nationwide survey in the United States.

1 Apr 2022

UNC researchers offer solution to detect, issue warnings about tainted street drugs

With new grant funding, Nabarun Dasgupta '13 (Ph.D.), Gillings Innovation Fellow at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health and senior scientist at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, will work with colleagues across Carolina to develop systems to detect and issue public warnings about dangerous adulterants in street drugs.

14 Mar 2022

15 medical societies establish seven guiding principles for perioperative treatment of acute pain

The American Society of Anesthesiologists and 14 leading medical specialty organizations established seven guiding principles to better address the perioperative treatment of acute pain in complex surgical patients.

8 Mar 2022

Study finds rising racial disparities in opioid and stimulant deaths

Between 2009 and 2019, overdose deaths in the United States involving opioids and stimulant drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, surged compared to deaths from stimulants alone.

8 Feb 2022

Study shows chronic alcohol consumption as a potential risk factor for SARS-CoV-2-infection

In a study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers from Germany studied the expression data of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection-relevant genes such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), and the G-protein coupled receptor Mas in an alcohol-exposed rodent model infected with SARS-CoV-2.

7 Feb 2022

Addiction medicine consults can reduce deaths in high-risk patients with substance use disorder

In-hospital addiction medicine consultations can reduce deaths in high-risk patients with substance use disorder, according to a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine by University of Pittsburgh physicians.

25 Jan 2022

One in five young sexual minority men and transgender women may engage in transactional sex

About a fifth of young sexual minority males and transgender females are estimated to be engaging in transactional, or survival sex, according to results of a new survey study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.