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Many smokers still surprised about tobacco's danger facts

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that many smokers still find accurate and detailed facts about the dangers of tobacco both new and motivating in terms of their desire to quit. This finding proved to be especially marked among members of groups that are most likely to be smokers today.

15 May 2014

Study: Wider use of medications may help reduce substance abuse, related hospital admissions

A comparatively new form of a medication for alcohol and opioid dependence that's injected once a month instead of taken orally once a day appears to be significantly more effective than some other medications - because more patients actually continue the prescribed regimen.

15 May 2014

Patient-centered care associated with improved patient outcomes

Providing patient-centered care consistently in clinical practice requires practitioners who are able to recognize that different clinical situations require different approaches and are skilled enough to adapt.

14 May 2014

Highlights: Mass. death rate drops after universal coverage; Calif. immigrant licensing; Calif. offenders mental health treatment

The mortality rate in Massachusetts declined substantially in the four years after the state enacted a law in 2006 mandating universal health care coverage, providing the model for the Affordable Care Act.

13 May 2014

Research may offer unique pathway for targeting new therapeutics for addiction treatment

A research team from the Friedman Brain Institute of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has published evidence that shows that subtle changes of inhibitory signaling in the reward pathway can change how animals respond to drugs such as cocaine.

13 May 2014

First Edition: May 12, 2014

Today's headlines include news about the inner-workings of some state-based health exchanges. Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with NPR, Richard Knox writes: "Previous drug treatments didn't clear the virus from Bianco's system. But it's almost certain that potent new drugs for hep-C could cure him.

12 May 2014

State highlights: Missouri Medicaid benefits; telepsychiatry in rural states; Conn. for-profit hospital bill

A selection of health policy stories from Missouri, North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Michigan and Alaska.

9 May 2014

Two young neuroscientists win CAN Young Investigator Awards for 2014

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience is proud to announce that Dr. Stephanie Borgland, from the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at University of Calgary, and Dr. Brian Chen, from the Centre for Research in Neuroscience at McGill University, are both winners of CAN Young Investigator Awards for 2014.

8 May 2014

Many young parents believe that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes

Many young parents are using electronic cigarettes, and despite any evidence for safety, the vast majority of young adults who have used the devices believe they are less harmful than regular cigarettes, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

5 May 2014

Alkermes reports financial results for first quarter of 2014

Alkermes plc today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2014. "During the quarter, we continued to generate positive cash flow, reflecting the strength of our commercial business and enabling us to invest in our advancing late-stage pipeline and prepare for the launch of aripiprazole lauroxil," commented James Frates, Chief Financial Officer of Alkermes.

30 Apr 2014

Braeburn announces new clinical trial for Probuphine based on clear guidance from FDA

Braeburn Pharmaceuticals announced today the initiation of a new clinical trial for Probuphine® based on clear guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The study, which was submitted for FDA review in mid-March, is expected to begin enrollment by mid-year and to be completed by the middle of 2015.

30 Apr 2014

Viewpoints: Boehner's 'truthful gaffe' on health law; Larry Kramer's AIDS crusade; costly drugs

Although "repeal and replace" has been the Republican position on Obamacare since 2010, "replace" has been there mainly because it polled well. Republicans were satisfied with the health-care status quo in 2009, and would have been glad to repeal Obamacare to return to it. As Steve Benen points out, Republicans voted for just-plain-repeal many times.

29 Apr 2014

Caring for homeless people: Housing first, treatment later

Providing safe, stable and affordable housing first is the best way to help homeless in Hamilton, Ont., according to new research.

29 Apr 2014

Alcohol and drugs put teens at increased risk for unsafe driving

Teenagers who drink alcohol and smoke marijuana may be at increased risk for unsafe driving, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

28 Apr 2014

HHS calls health care providers to expand use of medications to treat opioid addiction, reduce overdose deaths

A national response to the epidemic of prescription opioid overdose deaths was outlined yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine by leaders of agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

26 Apr 2014

State highlights: Home care workers' pay and Medicaid budgets; Calif. mental health grants; NYU ER reopens

A new rule from the Obama administration designed to provide better pay and working conditions to 2 million home care workers is forcing many states to rethink how they look at Medicaid payments and may result in higher Medicaid costs. Starting Jan. 1, home care workers in 29 states will, for the first time, be eligible for the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and overtime pay, under a new regulation from the U.S. Department of Labor. These workers go to homes of the elderly and the disabled to help with cooking, bathing and other daily tasks, and are paid by the clients or through Medicaid (Prah, 4/25).

26 Apr 2014

UTMB awarded $6.6 million grant to establish Translational Addiction Sciences Center

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has awarded a five-year, $6.6 million grant to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to establish the Translational Addiction Sciences Center. The center will investigate the mechanisms underlying addiction with the goal of discovering and validating novel treatment options.

26 Apr 2014

Methadone safety: New clinical practice guideline from American Pain Society

Improved physician education and patient counseling about methadone safety and ECG monitoring to identify patients at high risk for cardiac problems will lead to safer use of the medication, according to the American Pain Society's Clinical Practice Guideline on Methadone Safety, published this week in The Journal of Pain.

26 Apr 2014

UB research finds novel compound for treating cocaine addiction

A novel compound that targets an important brain receptor has a dramatic effect against a host of cocaine addiction behaviors, including relapse behavior, a University at Buffalo animal study has found.

25 Apr 2014

TSRI scientists identify protein complex that plays critical role in learning and memory formation

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a protein complex that plays a critical but previously unknown role in learning and memory formation.

23 Apr 2014

Addiction News and Research

Many smokers still surprised about tobacco's danger facts

Study: Wider use of medications may help reduce substance abuse, related hospital admissions

Patient-centered care associated with improved patient outcomes

Highlights: Mass. death rate drops after universal coverage; Calif. immigrant licensing; Calif. offenders mental health treatment

Research may offer unique pathway for targeting new therapeutics for addiction treatment

First Edition: May 12, 2014

State highlights: Missouri Medicaid benefits; telepsychiatry in rural states; Conn. for-profit hospital bill

Two young neuroscientists win CAN Young Investigator Awards for 2014

Many young parents believe that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes

Alkermes reports financial results for first quarter of 2014

Braeburn announces new clinical trial for Probuphine based on clear guidance from FDA

Viewpoints: Boehner's 'truthful gaffe' on health law; Larry Kramer's AIDS crusade; costly drugs

Caring for homeless people: Housing first, treatment later

Alcohol and drugs put teens at increased risk for unsafe driving

HHS calls health care providers to expand use of medications to treat opioid addiction, reduce overdose deaths

State highlights: Home care workers' pay and Medicaid budgets; Calif. mental health grants; NYU ER reopens

UTMB awarded $6.6 million grant to establish Translational Addiction Sciences Center

Methadone safety: New clinical practice guideline from American Pain Society

UB research finds novel compound for treating cocaine addiction

TSRI scientists identify protein complex that plays critical role in learning and memory formation

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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