Drug Abuse News and Research

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Meth’s resurgence spotlights lack of meds to combat the addiction

In 2016, news reports warned the public of an opioid epidemic gripping the nation. But Madeline Vaughn, then a lead clinical intake coordinator at the Houston-based addiction treatment organization Council on Recovery, sensed something different was going on with the patients she checked in from the street.

14 Jan 2019

Opiod prescriptions for pet dogs misused by their masters

A new study has shown that Americans are probably increasingly consuming the opioid analgesics that are prescribed for their pet dogs. The research shows that one of the reasons behind rise in the opioid epidemic could be the rise in prescription opioids for dogs.

14 Jan 2019

New path for treating Latino immigrants with mental health and substance misuse symptoms

A team of researchers at the Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) - in collaboration with two teams in Spain and collaborators in the U.S. and Puerto Rico - has tested a novel preventive intervention designed to provide tailored treatment for Latino immigrants with both mental health and substance misuse symptoms.

11 Jan 2019

Therapeutic implications of caffeine in neuropsychiatric disorders

An important new article reviews recently discovered properties of adenosine A2A receptor-dopamine D2 receptor and adenosine A1 receptor-dopamine D1 receptor heteromers--both of which are main targets for caffeine--and discusses the therapeutic implications of these findings.

7 Jan 2019

New study traces development of physical aggression problems from infancy to adolescence

Children can exhibit physical aggression when they are very young but that behavior typically declines before and during elementary school.

31 Dec 2018

Urine drug testing can be useful tool for addiction treatment in primary care setting

A new study performed by Boston Medical Center and faculty at the Boston University School of Medicine shows that urine drug testing can be a useful tool to treat patients with opioid use disorder in a primary care setting.

20 Dec 2018

Vaping surges among American teenagers says new report

A latest report finds that United States teenagers are increasingly using e-cigarettes also known as vapes. These electronic cigarettes were initially targeted towards adults who were willing to quit smoking.

19 Dec 2018

Hep C and drug abuse often go hand in hand, but screening for infection lags

When people seek help at a drug treatment center for an opioid addiction, concerns about having contracted hepatitis C are generally low on their list.

19 Dec 2018

Young children in low-income, rural areas at higher risk for second- and third-hand smoke exposure

Infants and toddlers in low-income, rural areas may be at higher risk for second- and third-hand smoke than previously reported, according to new Penn State-led research.

18 Dec 2018

Study finds misuse of benzodiazepines to be highest among young adults

More than one in eight U.S. adults used benzodiazepines in the past year, up from previous reports. Misuse of the prescription drugs accounted for more than 17 percent of overall use, according to a study published online today in Psychiatric Services in Advance.

17 Dec 2018

America's teens report dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just one year

America's teens report a dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just a single year, with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting "any vaping" in the past 12 months, compared to just 27.8 percent in 2017.

17 Dec 2018

Telemedicine for treating substance use disorders remains underused, study shows

Despite the enormous unmet need for treatment of substance use disorders and the promise of telemedicine to fill some of the gaps in care, the tool remains woefully underused, according to research led by investigators from the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School.

5 Dec 2018

Young black gay men are more likely to have HIV infection than their white peers

Young black men who have sex with men are 16 times more likely to have an HIV infection than their white peers despite more frequent testing for HIV and being less likely to have unsafe sex, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

5 Dec 2018

UB research provides new information on alcohol misuse among never-deployed reservists

U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers who experience greater feelings of guilt and other negative emotions about never having been deployed are more likely to misuse alcohol, according to new research from the University at Buffalo.

30 Nov 2018

Liver immune cells contain inert HIV and are unlikely to reproduce infection, study reveals

In a proof-of-principle study, researchers at Johns Hopkins revealed that certain immune system cells found in the human liver, called liver macrophages, contain only inert HIV and aren't likely to reproduce infection on their own in HIV-infected people on long-term antiretroviral therapy.

30 Nov 2018

Cannabis use among teens does not appear to lead to greater conduct problems, study finds

More youth use cannabis than smoke cigarettes in the United States. In other parts of the world, cannabis use has become almost as regular as tobacco use among adolescents and young adults.

27 Nov 2018

Penn State researchers discover five types of problem drinking

Alcohol abuse is more complicated than simply drinking too much. There may be five separate types of problem drinkers, according to Penn State researchers, and each one may be more common at different stages of life.

27 Nov 2018

Study finds genetic links between alcohol dependence and psychiatric disorders

In the largest study of genetic factors linked to alcohol dependence, an international team of researchers identified a gene known to affect risk, and they determined that many other genes also contribute to risk for alcohol dependence to a lesser degree.

26 Nov 2018

Routine HCV testing in correctional facilities can best identify and treat disease, say researchers

Results from a new study led by Boston Medical Center (BMC) found routine Hepatitis C testing identified a significant number of cases that would have been missed by targeted testing among a population of individuals in Washington State prisons.

20 Nov 2018

Research explores how exercise may help fight drug addiction

The siren call of addictive drugs can be hard to resist, and returning to the environment where drugs were previously taken can make resistance that much harder.

14 Nov 2018