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Emerging evidence suggests electronic cigarettes can help smokers quit

New Cochrane review finds emerging evidence that smokers who use electronic cigarettes can stop or reduce their smoking.

17 Dec 2014

New intervention combines social media with behavioral psychology to encourage more HIV testing

Social media such as Twitter and Facebook can be valuable in the fight against HIV in the United States, where research has demonstrated they can prompt high-risk populations to request at-home testing kits for the virus that causes AIDS, suggesting a way to potentially boost testing rates.

17 Dec 2014

Methamphetamine use may increase Parkinson's disease risk

In addition to incurring serious dental problems, memory loss and other physical and mental issues, methamphetamine users are three times more at risk for getting Parkinson's disease than non-illicit drug users, new research from the University of Utah and Intermountain Healthcare shows.

17 Dec 2014

UR researchers on track to solve mystery of weight gain

University of Rochester researchers believe they're on track to solve the mystery of weight gain - and it has nothing to do with indulging in holiday eggnog.

12 Dec 2014

Researchers find that one in six Ontario adults reports a history of TBI

Nearly seventeen per cent of adults surveyed in Ontario said they have suffered a traumatic brain injury that left them unconscious for five minutes or required them to be hospitalized overnight, according to new research. These same adults also reported more substance use, smoking and recent psychiatric distress.

11 Dec 2014

Laws limiting alcohol outlet density may reduce intimate partner violence

Communities with fewer places to buy or drink alcohol also tend to have lower rates of intimate partner violence, new evidence suggests.

11 Dec 2014

Research links increase in sudden cardiovascular death with consumption of cocaine

A joint piece of research conducted by the UPV/EHU, the Basque Institute of Forensic Medicine, and the Biomedical Research Centre Network into Mental Health of the Carlos III Institute of Health links, for the first time, the increase in sudden cardiovascular death with the recent consumption of cocaine. In people in the 19-49 age bracket this risk is quadrupled.

11 Dec 2014

E-cigarettes not as addictive as tobacco cigarettes

E-cigarettes appear to be less addictive than cigarettes in former smokers and this could help improve understanding of how various nicotine delivery devices lead to dependence, according to researchers.

10 Dec 2014

Novel drug target could lead to better antipsychotic medications

Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have identified a novel drug target that could lead to the development of better antipsychotic medications.

10 Dec 2014

Doctors prescribe fewer opioids for pain as prescription drug abuse rises

Nine in 10 primary care physicians say that prescription drug abuse is a moderate or big problem in their communities and nearly half say they are less likely to prescribe opioids to treat pain compared to a year ago, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

9 Dec 2014

Cellular mechanisms of alcohol dependence: an interview with Dr Sanna, TSRI

In the brain there are both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. These are molecules that are released from nerve endings in the brain and in the periphery and either excite or inhibit other nerve cells, also known as neurons.

8 Dec 2014

New study finds that military culture enables use of tobacco for stress relief

Military culture perpetuates the notion that using tobacco provides stress relief, a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion finds. But other stress relievers, such as exercise or taking meditation breaks, could be more valuable and effective than smoking breaks and avoid the health risks of tobacco.

7 Dec 2014

Orexo announces positive results from ISTART/006 study

Orexo US, Inc. announced results from the ISTART/006 study, being presented today at the 25th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry in Aventura, Florida, USA.

7 Dec 2014

University of Utah professor develops MORE intervention program for chronic pain patients

How can people who are dependent on prescription opioids reduce their cravings? Learn to enjoy other aspects of their lives.

6 Dec 2014

Abstinence-induced changes in the brain could help predict relapse in smokers

Quitting smoking sets off a series of changes in the brain that Penn Medicine researchers say may better identify smokers who will start smoking again—a prediction that goes above and beyond today's clinical or behavioral tools for assessing relapse risk.

5 Dec 2014

Blue light can knock circadian rhythms off-kilter, study finds

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health is unraveling the mystery of how blue light from residential and commercial lighting, electronic devices, outdoor lights and billboards can throw off-kilter the natural body clock of humans, plants and animals, leading to disease.

3 Dec 2014

UT Austin researchers identify network of genes that drives alcohol dependence

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have identified a network of genes that appear to work together in determining alcohol dependence. The findings, which could lead to future treatments and therapies for alcoholics and possibly help doctors screen for alcoholism, are being published this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

2 Dec 2014