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.

Medical cannabis used for chronic pain linked with elevated risk of heart rhythm disorders

Cannabis prescribed for chronic pain is associated with an elevated risk of heart rhythm disorders, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2022.

22 Aug 2022

Out-of-pocket costs may prevent uninsured Americans from accessing naloxone

The cost of buying the opioid antidote naloxone is out of reach for many uninsured Americans, a hurdle that may keep the treatment from saving more people who overdose on opioids, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

19 Aug 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

Study determines the impact of withholding nitrous oxide for labor analgesia

Birthing women denied nitrous oxide ('laughing gas') to relieve labor pain during the COVID-19 pandemic have turned to opioids instead, without any adverse outcomes for mother or child, according to a new study by Australian clinicians.

16 Aug 2022

Methamphetamine use is pervasive and drives overdoses in rural communities across the U.S.

Methamphetamine remains a stubbornly prevalent illicit substance in large swaths of rural America, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and other institutions.

15 Aug 2022

Electrical body stimulation combined with sound activates the brain's somatosensory cortex

A University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led team has found that electrical stimulation of the body combined with sound activates the brain's somatosensory or "tactile" cortex, increasing the potential for using the technique to treat chronic pain and other sensory disorders.

11 Aug 2022

They call it ‘tranq’ — and it’s making street drugs even more dangerous

Approaching a van that distributes supplies for safer drug use in Greenfield, Massachusetts, a man named Kyle noticed an alert about xylazine.

11 Aug 2022

Covid sewage surveillance labs join the hunt for monkeypox

The same wastewater surveillance techniques that have emerged as a critical tool in early detection of covid-19 outbreaks are being adapted for use in monitoring the startling spread of monkeypox across the San Francisco Bay Area and some other U.S. communities.

9 Aug 2022

Experts use tools from artificial intelligence to rapidly identify substances that cause overdose deaths

An automated process based on computer algorithms that can read text from medical examiners' death certificates can substantially speed up data collection of overdose deaths – which in turn can ensure a more rapid public health response time than the system currently used, new UCLA research finds.

9 Aug 2022

Researchers unravel a novel molecular target of eicosapentaenoic acid

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an essential nutrient belonging to the omega-3 group of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). As the human body cannot synthesize PUFAs, dietary supplements containing EPA are required for normal physiological functions. Found abundantly in natural sources like fish, hemp oil, and linseed oil, EPA is known to exhibit anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and cardiovascular protective activities.

9 Aug 2022

Tribe embraces recreational marijuana sales on reservation where alcohol is banned

In a growing number of U.S. states, people can both drink alcohol and legally smoke recreational marijuana. In others, they can use alcohol but not pot. But on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the opposite is true: Marijuana is legal, but booze is banned.

8 Aug 2022

Music festivals embrace overdose reversal drugs, but fentanyl testing kits remain taboo

A 26-year-old was found dead at his campsite during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in 2019. The toxicology report linked his death to a grim trend that has only worsened since.

3 Aug 2022

Study suggests an approach for promoting more equitable interpersonal treatment

Coaching patients to voice their concerns about their medical care and advocate for themselves can offset physicians' racial bias so it doesn't lead to inferior experiences for Black patients, a University of Michigan-led analysis found.

3 Aug 2022

Administering low-dose buprenorphine intravenously may be a quick way to treat patients with substance use disorders

Overdose deaths involving opioids continue to be a major public health crisis, killing 1,280 people in Baltimore City in 2020, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have developed a new way to treat patients with substance use disorders intravenously by administering small doses of buprenorphine, a prescription drug used to treat opioid use disorder.

1 Aug 2022

Prenatal opioid exposure may cause long-term neurological or behavioral effects later in a child's life

While infants exposed to opioids during their mother's pregnancy have been linked to adverse health outcomes, a new study at the University of Missouri has found prenatal opioid exposure could trigger long-term neurological or behavioral effects later in a child's life.

29 Jul 2022

Future wave of opioid-involved overdose deaths will spike in rural and urban areas

Over the past 21 years of opioid overdose deaths-;from prescription drugs to heroin to synthetic and semisynthetic opioids such as fentanyl-;geography has played a role in where opioid-involved overdose deaths have occurred, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

28 Jul 2022

Oligomeric molecular structure of the MOR-Gal1R complex revealed

A study published in the journal Pharmacological Research reveals the oligomeric molecular structure of the MOR-Gal1R complex, a component present in the brain which is involved in the analgesic and addictive effects of certain opioids.

22 Jul 2022

Pain control method has revolutionized the experience for bone marrow donors, reduced the need for opioids

Sharing gifts is a favorite way to sustain connection across peoples and cultures worldwide, but with bone marrow donation the gift-giving act is accompanied by uncomfortable side effects to the donor, making it a truly selfless expression of kindness.

19 Jul 2022

Study: Prescribing rate of non-opioid pain medications increased after 2016 CDC guideline

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a guideline for prescribing opioids to patients experiencing chronic pain in 2016, the prescribing rate of non-opioid pain medication increased each year above and beyond what would be expected based on the preexisting trends, a new study finds.

15 Jul 2022

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Medical cannabis used for chronic pain linked with elevated risk of heart rhythm disorders

Out-of-pocket costs may prevent uninsured Americans from accessing naloxone

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

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

Study determines the impact of withholding nitrous oxide for labor analgesia

Methamphetamine use is pervasive and drives overdoses in rural communities across the U.S.

Electrical body stimulation combined with sound activates the brain's somatosensory cortex

They call it ‘tranq’ — and it’s making street drugs even more dangerous

Covid sewage surveillance labs join the hunt for monkeypox

Experts use tools from artificial intelligence to rapidly identify substances that cause overdose deaths

Researchers unravel a novel molecular target of eicosapentaenoic acid

Tribe embraces recreational marijuana sales on reservation where alcohol is banned

Music festivals embrace overdose reversal drugs, but fentanyl testing kits remain taboo

Study suggests an approach for promoting more equitable interpersonal treatment

Administering low-dose buprenorphine intravenously may be a quick way to treat patients with substance use disorders

Prenatal opioid exposure may cause long-term neurological or behavioral effects later in a child's life

Future wave of opioid-involved overdose deaths will spike in rural and urban areas

Oligomeric molecular structure of the MOR-Gal1R complex revealed

Pain control method has revolutionized the experience for bone marrow donors, reduced the need for opioids

Study: Prescribing rate of non-opioid pain medications increased after 2016 CDC guideline

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