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Illicit drug users may face increased risk of microbial infections

Illicit drug users are at increased risk of being exposed to microbial pathogens and are more susceptible to serious infections say physicians writing in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.

10 Mar 2011

New concerns over prescription narcotics use

Over fifty Australian general practitioners have come under the scanner as part of a national crackdown on inappropriate prescribing of narcotics. The three-month campaign is being carried out by the Medicare following high levels of prescriptions for drugs such as OxyContin and OxyNorm. One GP has been found to be writing over 90 per cent of their prescriptions for narcotics. There are further concerns that the painkillers are being resold on the black market.

7 Mar 2011

Nevirapine reduces HIV transmission risk from mother to breastfeeding infants by 75%

Giving breastfeeding infants of HIV-infected mothers a daily dose of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine for six months halved the risk of HIV transmission to the infants at age 6 months compared with giving infants the drug daily for six weeks, according to preliminary clinical trial data presented today.

4 Mar 2011

Few primary care physicians pay adequate attention to patients taking prescription opioid drugs

Few primary care physicians pay adequate attention to patients taking prescription opioid drugs — despite the potential for abuse, addiction and overdose, according to a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

4 Mar 2011

Study demonstrates neuronal loss during initial stages of HIV infection in mouse model

A new mouse model closely resembles how the human body reacts to early HIV infection and is shedding light on nerve cell damage related to the disease, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

3 Mar 2011

Fake pot now illegal in U.S.

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1 Mar 2011

Two genes linked to binge drinking

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have identified two genes associated with binge drinking that may open doors to new, more effective treatments for excessive alcohol drinking. The scientists found that manipulating two receptors in the brain, GABA receptors and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), "caused profound reduction" of binge drinking for two weeks in rodents that had been bred and trained to drink excessively. The study was published online the week of Feb. 28 in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

1 Mar 2011

Researchers discover strong link between victimization experiences and substance abuse

A strong link between victimization experiences and substance abuse has been discovered by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

25 Feb 2011

Special issue of Neuron journal provides new insight into recent advances in addiction research

Addiction is a brain disease that destroys lives, devastates families and tears at the very fabric of society. Effective prevention and treatment of addiction requires a clear understanding of the complex brain mechanisms that underlie addictive behaviors, and research has provided a fascinating view of how substance abuse hijacks neuronal circuits involved in reward and motivation and causes profound and persistent changes in behavior.

24 Feb 2011

Cell phones may lead to stimulation of parts of brain - Speculation on cancer continues

There is still debate as to whether cell phones damage the brain. The cell phone industry, along with nearly all major national and international medical associations have always responded with the same answer that there is no evidence that cell phone radiation can even affect the brain, let alone cause cancer.

23 Feb 2011

Omeros announces license agreement with Daiichi Sankyo for PDE7 inhibitors

Omeros Corporation today announced that its exclusive license to phosphodiesterase 7 inhibitors from Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. has been amended to include addiction and compulsive disorders in the field of use.

23 Feb 2011

ETH scientists warn about impact of cell phone radiation in brain of healthy adults

Expert scientists working with Environmental Health Trust, a nonprofit research and educational group, say that new studies showing that cell phone radiation excites the brain strengthen the need for a major research program on cell phones and health, revamping approaches to setting standards, and putting warnings on cell phones.

23 Feb 2011

Federal anti-drug campaign appears to reduce marijuana use among teenagers

The federal anti-drug campaign "Above the Influence" appears to have effectively reduced marijuana use by teenagers, new research shows.

23 Feb 2011

Cell phone use and the brain: Study

Experts are still grappling with facts and fiction regarding brain damage caused by cell phone use. Dr. Nora Volkow, who is lead author of a new study published in the Feb. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association said, “We don’t know whether this is detrimental or whether it could have some potential beneficial effects.

22 Feb 2011

Boys get greater rush and more energy from caffeine than girls

Results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-response study of the response of youth to caffeine found that, in general, boys get a greater rush and more energy from caffeine than girls.

18 Feb 2011

Ecstasy does not impair cognitive performance: Study

Today the journal Addiction published online the results of a neuroscience study finding no evidence of impaired cognitive performance in users of Ecstasy, the street name for the chemical known as MDMA.

16 Feb 2011

2007 financial crisis linked to increase in patients seeking treatment for prescription drug and painkiller addiction

The 2007 onset of the financial crisis that upended the U.S. economy and impacted global markets correlated closely with unprecedented numbers of patients seeking treatment for prescription drug addiction and painkiller abuse, according to leading rehabilitation center Cliffside Malibu. The Cliffside Index, the percentage of patients admitted for treatment related to those medications, rose over 60 percent between 2007 and 2008, and has continued to increase each year.

15 Feb 2011

Ecstasy users show no signs of cognitive impairment: New study

The drug known as ecstasy has been used by 12 million people in the United States alone and millions more worldwide. Past research has suggested that ecstasy users perform worse than nonusers on some tests of mental ability. But there are concerns that the methods used to conduct that research were flawed, and the experiments overstated the cognitive differences between ecstasy users and nonusers.

15 Feb 2011

NIH awards renewal grant to BMC's CARE unit to expand education of physicians-in-training

The Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit in the Section of General Internal Medicine at BMC was recently awarded a $1,886,087 renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand its education of physicians-in-training to become sophisticated implementers of substance use screening, assessment and treatment research.

14 Feb 2011

ER visits involving drug related suicide attempts reveal considerable fluctuations among adolescent males

A new study examining monthly and seasonal trends in the number of emergency department visits involving drug related suicide attempts reveals considerable fluctuations among adolescent males. The rate for the general population varies little.

14 Feb 2011

Drug Abuse News and Research

Illicit drug users may face increased risk of microbial infections

New concerns over prescription narcotics use

Nevirapine reduces HIV transmission risk from mother to breastfeeding infants by 75%

Few primary care physicians pay adequate attention to patients taking prescription opioid drugs

Study demonstrates neuronal loss during initial stages of HIV infection in mouse model

Fake pot now illegal in U.S.

Two genes linked to binge drinking

Researchers discover strong link between victimization experiences and substance abuse

Special issue of Neuron journal provides new insight into recent advances in addiction research

Cell phones may lead to stimulation of parts of brain - Speculation on cancer continues

Omeros announces license agreement with Daiichi Sankyo for PDE7 inhibitors

ETH scientists warn about impact of cell phone radiation in brain of healthy adults

Federal anti-drug campaign appears to reduce marijuana use among teenagers

Cell phone use and the brain: Study

Boys get greater rush and more energy from caffeine than girls

Ecstasy does not impair cognitive performance: Study

2007 financial crisis linked to increase in patients seeking treatment for prescription drug and painkiller addiction

Ecstasy users show no signs of cognitive impairment: New study

NIH awards renewal grant to BMC's CARE unit to expand education of physicians-in-training

ER visits involving drug related suicide attempts reveal considerable fluctuations among adolescent males

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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