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Addition of menthol to cigarettes increases smoking frequency and nicotine dependency among youth

Currently in the public comment phase, the United States Food and Drug Administration is set to finalize rules prohibiting menthol in tobacco products, citing an effort to reduce addiction and youth experimentation, improve quitting among current smokers and address health disparities.

6 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

Hennepin Healthcare researchers test an innovative way to help people quit smoking

Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute is testing an innovative way to help people quit smoking – by letting them bet on themselves and win real money.

27 May 2022

Survey highlights the need for urgent action as burnout in emergency medicine workers hits a new high

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a prolonged increase in workload and stress among specialists in many healthcare sectors, but this has been particularly noticeable in emergency medicine (EM).

26 May 2022

Inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for children associated with excess health-care costs

Antibiotics inappropriately prescribed to nonhospitalized children resulted in at least $74 million in excess health-care costs in the U.S. in 2017, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

26 May 2022

Community-focused model improves equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination

New research from Boston Medical Center (BMC) shows how intentionality and partnership between community leaders and medical health centers can improve COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Black and Latino communities.

17 May 2022

Exercise increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor which bolsters dopamine release

Exercise increases levels of a chemical involved in brain cell growth, which bolsters the release of the "feel good" hormone dopamine, a new study shows. Dopamine is known to play a key role in movement, motivation, and learning.

16 May 2022

Perceived stigmatization is common among patients with NAFLD, study finds

About seven out of ten patients (69%) who suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) perceive some stigmatization in their daily life, according to a study led by a team of the University of Barcelona, the Liver and Digestive Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre, the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute.

12 May 2022

Maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy does not increase epilepsy risk in babies

A new study suggests that antidepressant use by mothers during the first trimester of pregnancy does not increase the chances of epilepsy and seizures in babies.

11 May 2022

New smoking-cessation program helps more cancer patients to quit successfully

Researchers at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a way to help more patients who want to stop smoking.

11 May 2022

Effective anti-vaping advertisements can have the greatest impact on teens

Effective anti-vaping advertisements geared to teens have the greatest impact when they emphasize the adverse consequences and harms of vaping e-cigarettes, use negative imagery, and avoid memes, hashtags and other "teen-centric" communication styles, according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

10 May 2022

Lifesaving drug for opioid use disorder underutilized

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Saint Louis University found that less than half of Americans who received treatment for opioid use disorder over a five-year period were offered a potentially lifesaving medication.

10 May 2022

Study finds brain circuit controlling drug withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement

New research from the University of California, Irvine, finds that drug withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement of drug seeking behaviors are controlled by a single pathway in the brain and centered around dopamine cells.

4 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

Disasters can disrupt access to medications for opioid use disorder in vulnerable communities

The COVID-19 pandemic has spiked the overdose death rate from opioid use. For people who rely on medications (buprenorphine, methadone, and extended-release naltrexone) to treat opioid use disorders, the pandemic and such natural disasters as tornados, hurricanes, and wildfires can disrupt access to medications.

20 Apr 2022

Copycat cannabis edibles could be attractive to children and increase risk for accidental ingestion

Some cannabis edibles look remarkably like popular snack foods and may be easily confused for them, finds a new study led by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

19 Apr 2022

UK experts share their work in the field of opioid use disorder research at 2022 Rx Summit

University of Kentucky experts on the front lines of the nation's opioid and addiction crises will share their work in the field of opioid use disorder research, treatment and prevention this week at the 2022 Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in Atlanta April 18-22.

19 Apr 2022

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may help people in opioid addiction treatment

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may help people being treated for opioid addiction reduce their methadone dose and better manage pain and withdrawal symptoms, according to a pair of studies led by Washington State University scientists.

11 Apr 2022

Study finds decline in routine opioid dispensing after common pediatric surgeries

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that opioid prescriptions for children who underwent one of eight common outpatient surgeries declined over a period of five years.

4 Apr 2022