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Research shows intergenerational effects of preconception opioids in male offspring rats

New research from scientists at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University suggests opioid use before pregnancy - even if not used during pregnancy itself - could result in a higher likelihood that a mother's male offspring will develop type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

28 Feb 2022

Outpatient antibiotic treatment for infective endocarditis improves outcomes, reduces costs

A new modeling study suggests that when patients who inject opioids continue an antibiotic treatment for infective endocarditis outside of the hospital, they experienced better long-term health outcomes than patients who receive the standard four to six weeks of inpatient, intravenous antibiotic therapy.

28 Feb 2022

‘Injections, injections, injections’: Troubling questions follow closure of sprawling pain clinic chain

On May 13 of last year, the cellphones of thousands of California residents undergoing treatment for chronic pain lit up with a terse text message: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, Lags Medical Centers will be closing effective May 19, 2021."

22 Feb 2022

Study analyzes trends in overdose deaths from use of non-benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids

With an alarming rise in the number of prescriptions filled for non-benzo sleeping/z-drugs and anti-epilepsy gabapentinoids over the last two decades, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health aimed to fill in the gap in knowledge in the proportion of overdose deaths involving those medications and learn more about their co-usage with other substances across U.S. demographics categories.

16 Feb 2022

Study finds rising racial disparities in opioid and stimulant deaths

Between 2009 and 2019, overdose deaths in the United States involving opioids and stimulant drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, surged compared to deaths from stimulants alone.

8 Feb 2022

"Drug checking" programs have unexpected benefits, study finds

A recent study has found that so-called "drug checking" programs have unexpected benefits, allowing public health programs to reach and work with people who use drugs who would otherwise not access services such as HIV testing.

7 Feb 2022

AI systems may one day assist anesthesiologists in the operating room, study suggests

A new study by researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital suggests the day may be approaching when advanced artificial intelligence systems could assist anesthesiologists in the operating room.

6 Feb 2022

Researchers examine unintentional drug overdose mortality in Years of Life Lost among adolescents

In a first-ever study, researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine examined the unintentional drug overdose mortality in Years of Life Lost among adolescents and young people in the United States.

31 Jan 2022

Addiction medicine consults can reduce deaths in high-risk patients with substance use disorder

In-hospital addiction medicine consultations can reduce deaths in high-risk patients with substance use disorder, according to a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine by University of Pittsburgh physicians.

25 Jan 2022

Neighborhoods with more opioid overdoses may be hotspots for child maltreatment

Neighborhoods with more opioid overdoses have higher rates of child welfare investigations and confirmed cases of child maltreatment, a new study in Ohio finds.

24 Jan 2022

Rapid, highly accurate drug detection vital to reducing the adverse impacts of addiction

Rapid, accessible and highly accurate detection of addictive substances such as opiates and cocaine is vital to reducing the adverse personal and societal impacts of addiction, something current drug detection systems can take too long to provide.

22 Jan 2022

Study: Many incarcerated pregnant people with opioid use disorder do not receive standard of care treatment

In a large survey study looking at the availability of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for pregnant and postpartum people in United States jails, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that a substantial number of facilities fail to consistently provide standard MOUD to this group.

20 Jan 2022

Suicidal ideation in adolescents associated with risky driving behaviors

Two of the most common forms of death among adolescents are suicide and motor vehicle traffic accidents. A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that adolescents who reported at least one suicide attempt within the last year, in comparison to those reporting no attempts, were more likely to also report infrequent seat belt use and driving with a drunk driver

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

Study finds an exponential increase in older adult opioid overdose death rates

A common stereotype for an "older adult" might include early-bird specials, dentures and tickets to the matinee show.

11 Jan 2022

Some heart surgery patients may be able to control postoperative pain without opioids

Many patients who undergo heart surgery may be able to safely and effectively control postoperative pain without opioids after hospital discharge, according to research published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

6 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

New program boosts buprenorphine treatment rates for opioid use disorder

A program designed to increase initiation of buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder in the emergency department led to a sixfold increase in its use at three Penn Medicine hospitals, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

23 Dec 2021

Incarcerated Black individuals experience higher mortality rates, study shows

A new study led by researchers at Boston Medical Center shows that Black individuals who were incarcerated experience higher mortality rates post-incarceration compared to non-Hispanic non-Black individuals who were incarcerated.