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Supportive relationships, healthy behaviors may have a positive effect on adolescents' mental health during the pandemic

Longitudinal survey data of more than 3,000 adolescents ages 11-14 recorded before and during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 found that supportive relationships with family and friends and healthy behaviors, like engaging in physical activity and better sleep, appeared to shield against the harmful effects of the pandemic on adolescents' mental health.

24 Jan 2022

Study explores COVID-19 diagnosis and outcomes in HIV patients

In a new study, researchers determined the effect of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis and disease outcomes and compared to those without HIV.

19 Jan 2022

In-jail buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder may reduce rearrest and reconviction

A study conducted in two rural Massachusetts jails found that people with opioid use disorder who were incarcerated and received a medication approved to treat opioid use disorder, known as buprenorphine, were less likely to face rearrest and reconviction after release than those who did not receive the medication.

18 Jan 2022

FQHCs have played a key role in enabling COVID-19 vaccine equity among people of color

Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have persisted throughout the pandemic, and improving vaccine access and uptake among the populations that are disproportionately impacted remains one of the most critical ways to stop the spread of the virus.

10 Jan 2022

Study highlights opioid use disorder treatment access disparities based on Medicaid prevalence

Researchers report that in communities where Medicaid is a more common source of insurance, providers of buprenorphine, an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), are much less likely to discriminate between Medicaid and privately insured prospective patients, but patients with either type of coverage still face many barriers to obtaining an initial appointment for treatment.

5 Jan 2022

Study finds rise in marijuana use among pregnant and postpartum people living with HIV

Marijuana use among individuals who are pregnant or postpartum and living with HIV increased from 2007 to 2019, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in JAMA Network Open.

4 Jan 2022

Daily vaping increases the odds of quitting traditional cigarettes in heavy smokers

Since the introduction of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, to the United States in 2006, intense debate has surrounded the marketing, regulation and use of these nicotine-delivery products. Surprising new research led by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that adult smokers with no plans to quit are more likely to quit smoking traditional combustible cigarettes if they switch to daily vaping.

29 Dec 2021

FDA approval of long-acting injectable drug marks a vital expansion of HIV prevention options

Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its first approval of a long-acting HIV prevention medication. Developed by ViiV Healthcare, the medicine is long-acting cabotegravir injected once every two months.

21 Dec 2021

Researchers study how brain deficits associated with HIV and cocaine addiction might add up

Researchers with the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester are studying how the brain puts the 'brakes' on behavior. That may be different in individuals recovering from cocaine addiction and who are also HIV-positive.

21 Dec 2021

Survey shows significant decrease in percentage of adolescents reporting substance use in 2021

The percentage of adolescents reporting substance use decreased significantly in 2021, according to the latest results from the Monitoring the Future survey of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders in the United States.

15 Dec 2021

Largest declines in adolescent use of illicit drugs reported in 2021

Declines in adolescent use of illicit drugs reported in 2021 were the largest and most sweeping ever recorded in the past 46 years, according to the Monitoring the Future study.

15 Dec 2021

Using cannabis alongside other drugs may lead to harmful drug-drug interactions

Using cannabis alongside other drugs may come with a significant risk of harmful drug-drug interactions, new research by scientists at Washington State University suggests.

13 Dec 2021

UTEP to develop new initiative to reduce HIV in people who use drugs in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border

The University of Texas at El Paso will develop a sustainable public health intervention to suppress human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in people who use drugs in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border region to help slow the spread of HIV.

11 Dec 2021

Study could aid in the development of adaptive DBS treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder

In a small study, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health captured more than 1,000 hours of brain recordings from patients with OCD in the clinic and at home.

9 Dec 2021

Electronic nicotine delivery systems may help some people stop smoking cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes with cigarette-like nicotine delivery may help some people stop smoking cigarettes, according to a new study by Penn State College of Medicine and Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

8 Dec 2021

Meth use and intimate partner violence drive exhaustion of immune cells in HIV patients

A study of HIV-positive black and Latino men who have sex with men finds the use of methamphetamine combined with intimate partner violence boosted the activity of genes that regulate the body's inflammatory and antiviral functions

6 Dec 2021

Higher acute stress associated with stronger alcohol craving for Black individuals

Acute stress elicits stronger alcohol craving among Black individuals compared to white individuals, reported scientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a paper published today in Addiction.

5 Dec 2021

Study uncovers major disparities in preferred HIV medication uptake in low- and middle-income countries

A new study uncovered large and persistent disparities by sex and age in the uptake of a preferred HIV medication in low- and middle-income countries, potentially subjecting some women to worse HIV treatment outcomes if the situation is not corrected quickly.

30 Nov 2021

Study aims to understand how prenatal factors, early life experiences influence child brain development

Cynthia Rogers, MD, visits a baby in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Rogers is helping lead a national study aimed at understanding how prenatal factors and early life experiences influence brain development and behavior in infants and young children.

23 Nov 2021

Boston Children's receives NIH grant to co-lead HEALthy Brain and Child Development study

Boston Children's Hospital has been awarded two five-year grants by the National Institutes of Health to co-lead the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study, an ambitious, comprehensive national study of brain development from birth through early childhood.

17 Nov 2021