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Study develops correction methods to provide more accurate estimates of opioid, heroin deaths

Although opioid and heroin deaths have been rising dramatically in the U.S., the magnitude of the epidemic varies from state to state, as does the relative proportion of opioid vs heroin poisonings.

7 Aug 2017

Opioid prescription use found to be more common among cancer survivors

A new study found that opioid prescription use is more common in cancer survivors than in individuals without a history of cancer.

7 Aug 2017

U-M Injury Center receives CDC funding to find solutions for preventing injuries

An opioid overdose. A concussion on the football field. A fall by an aging parent. A motor vehicle crash by a distracted driver texting.

4 Aug 2017

Survey explores how Ohio's ED administrators perceive role of state opioid prescribing guidelines

A survey led by a team of researchers at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center reports that the majority of Ohio's emergency department administrators and physicians are in support of the most recent state guidelines for prescribing opioids, but challenges still exist in implementation.

1 Aug 2017

Undocumented immigrants do not increase prevalence of drug, alcohol crimes and deaths in the U.S.

Despite being saddled with many factors associated with drug and alcohol problems, undocumented immigrants are not increasing the prevalence of drug and alcohol crimes and deaths in the United States, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

1 Aug 2017

Methamphetamine use does not only cause death through overdose, warn researchers

Overdose is not the only cause of death among people who die as a result of using the drug methamphetamine or “ice,” say researchers.

31 Jul 2017

Drug overdose deaths on the rise in Ohio

In light of the Ohio opioid epidemic, Advanced Recovery Systems, an integrated behavioral healthcare management company, recently opened an addiction and co-occurring mental health treatment facility in Groveport: The Recovery Village Columbus. Located 10 miles away from Columbus, this new facility opened on July 11, 2017 and is now accepting patients.

29 Jul 2017

Study finds sevenfold rise in prescription opioid use among fatally injured drivers

The percentage of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for prescription opioids rose sevenfold from 1 percent in 1995 to over 7 percent in 2015, according to a new study at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The findings appear online in the American Journal of Public Health.

26 Jul 2017

Depression among heart attack survivors can be deadly, yet is often ignored

Clyde Boyce has been hospitalized 14 times in the past four years. Boyce, 61, survived two strokes and five operations to unblock arteries around his heart, including three procedures in which doctors propped open his blood vessels with stents. He takes 18 pills a day and gets injections every two weeks with a powerful drug to lower cholesterol.

20 Jul 2017

Fear of being arrested prevents people from calling 911 after opioid overdose

Fear of being arrested still undercuts an Indiana law that shields anyone who administers naloxone from criminal charges, according to a survey conducted by two researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

19 Jul 2017

Research shows that opioid prescription practices at Mayo Clinic exceed upcoming guidelines

More than 4 in 5 opioid prescriptions given after surgery over a recent two-year period at Mayo Clinic exceeded guidelines now in the works, the clinic's researchers have found.

14 Jul 2017

Opioid prescribing practices update from CDC

According to the latest Vital Signs reports issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of prescriptions containing an opioid was at its highest in 2010 and since then has decreased every year until 2015. The numbers are still high says the report and the variations are also noticeable between counties.

6 Jul 2017

New single probe method provides PCR-free detection of microRNA linked to liver toxicity

Quanterix Corporation, a company digitizing biomarker analysis with the goal of advancing the science of precision health, and DestiNA Genomics Ltd, a manufacturer of patented reagents for nucleic acid detection, today announced that PLOS ONE has published a proof-of-concept single probe method for detecting microRNA biomarkers associated with liver toxicity.

6 Jul 2017

Opioid use disorder rises with little being done to curb the menace says new study

A new study has found that more and more Americans are being diagnosed with opioid addiction and the numbers that receive treatment are still very few. This finding is consistent with earlier findings from Blue Cross Blue Shield when analyzing member data.

29 Jun 2017

Adults with mental health disorders receive more than half of opioid prescriptions, research shows

Fifty-one percent of all opioid medications distributed in the U.S. each year are prescribed to adults with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, according to new research from the University of Michigan and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

28 Jun 2017

Patients with mental disorders get half of all opioid prescriptions

Adults with a mental illness receive more than 50 percent of the 115 million opioid prescriptions in the United States annually, according to a study released Monday.

27 Jun 2017

A ‘safe’ space to shoot up: Worth a try in California?

Tawny Biggs' seemingly happy childhood in the northern Los Angeles County suburb of Santa Clarita, Calif., showed no outward sign that she would one day struggle with drug addiction.

19 Jun 2017

Study highlights critical gap in addiction treatment for young people with OUD

Only one in four young adults and teens with opioid use disorder are receiving potentially life-saving medications for addiction treatment, according to a new Boston Medical Center study published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

19 Jun 2017

Fatal overdose risk increases with daily opioid use among Medicaid patients, study finds

Among Medicaid patients taking opioids for chronic pain, the risk of fatal overdose rises steadily with daily opioid dose, reports a study in the July issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

16 Jun 2017

Opioid abuse and dependence diagnoses found among all age group in urban, rural settings

In rural areas around the country, in the period 2007 to 2016, private insurance claim lines with opioid abuse and dependence diagnoses were found in every age group from 13- 18 years to over 80 years, and in urban areas, in every age group from 13-18 years to 71-80 years.

13 Jun 2017