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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

LA mayoral hopefuls agree addressing homelessness is crucial but disagree on how

As encampments multiply from Echo Park to Venice, homelessness has been the top issue in the L.A. mayoral race. And although Angelenos express broad support for building more housing for the homeless, the contenders say that can be only part of the solution.

29 Apr 2022

Physicians are uneasy as Colorado collects providers’ diversity data

Shaunti Meyer, a certified nurse-midwife and medical director at STRIDE Community Health Center in Colorado, doesn't usually disclose her sexual orientation to patients. But at times it feels appropriate.

25 Apr 2022

Monoclonal-antibody combination AZD7442 prevents COVID-19

In a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers examined the monoclonal-antibody combination AZD7442 to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

25 Apr 2022

Study examines changes in postpartum insurance coverage in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic

It's been the case for decades - high numbers of U.S. women who give birth lose or face changes to their health insurance afterward. And those with Medicaid benefits are most likely to lose coverage, because pregnancy-related Medicaid ends after 60 days postpartum, and eligibility for parents is much more restrictive.

22 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

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

Study finds US life expectancy decreased between 2019 and 2020 on a scale not seen in 21 peer countries

Researchers calculated the changes in the life expectancy of United States residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic between 2019 and 2020 stratified by race and sex.

18 Apr 2022

Researchers identify 16 distinct cell populations in a key brain region for substance use disorders

In a work of systematic biology that advances the field, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have identified 16 distinct cell populations in a complex area of the midbrain called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA.

18 Apr 2022

Never-ending costs: When resolved medical bills keep popping up

Every now and then, Suzanne Rybak and her husband, Jim, receive pieces of mail addressed to their deceased son, Jameson. Typically, it's junk mail that requires little thought, Suzanne said.

7 Apr 2022

$11M for North Carolina work-based rehab raises concerns

An addiction treatment facility, highly regarded by North Carolina lawmakers, sits in a residential neighborhood here and operates like a village in itself.

6 Apr 2022

Study: More than two-thirds of the patients recover from knee replacement without opioids

A retrospective case series study led by Dr. Vinod Dasa, Professor of Clinical Orthopaedics at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, reports that more than two-thirds of the patients who underwent total knee replacement did not need opioids for postoperative pain.

25 Mar 2022

Can melatonin gummies solve family bedtime struggles? Experts advise caution

For three exhausting years, Lauren Lockwood tried to get her son Rex to sleep through the night. As an infant, he couldn't sleep without a blanket over his carrier to drown out the world around him.

24 Mar 2022

Money flows into addiction tech, but will it curb soaring opioid overdose deaths?

David Sarabia had already sold two startups by age 26 and was sitting on enough money to never have to work another day in his life.

21 Mar 2022

UNC researchers offer solution to detect, issue warnings about tainted street drugs

With new grant funding, Nabarun Dasgupta '13 (Ph.D.), Gillings Innovation Fellow at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health and senior scientist at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, will work with colleagues across Carolina to develop systems to detect and issue public warnings about dangerous adulterants in street drugs.

14 Mar 2022

Youth with intentional BZD overdoses more likely to have recent doctor-written prescription

A high number of teens and young adults with an overdose involving a benzodiazepine (BZD), like Xanax, or psychostimulant, like Adderall – medications commonly used to treat mental health issues like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders – have a recent medical prescription for a BZD or stimulant, according to Rutgers researchers who say physicians need to weigh the risks and benefits of these medications more closely.

10 Mar 2022

High-fat diet combined with liquid fructose intake accelerates fat accumulation in the liver

A high-fat diet is not enough to cause short-term fatty liver disease. However, if this diet is combined with the intake of beverages sweetened with liquid fructose, the accumulation of fats in the liver accelerates and hypertriglyceridemia —a cardiovascular risk factor— can appear.

4 Mar 2022

Automation linked to increasing mortality rate among America's working-age adults

The automation of U.S. manufacturing — robots replacing people on factory floors — is fueling rising mortality rate among America's working-age adults, according to a new study by researchers at Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.

3 Mar 2022

Calls to overhaul methadone distribution intensify, but clinics resist

Days typically start early for patients undergoing opioid addiction treatment at Denver Recovery Group's six methadone clinics in Colorado.