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Drug that stimulates neuron pruning promotes goal-directed behavior in mice

A drug that stimulates neuron pruning can nudge mice away from habit-driven behaviors when combined with retraining, neuroscientists have found.

30 Nov 2017

Study reveals patients at high risk for opioid overdose deaths

Just over 60 percent of individuals who died from an opioid overdose had been diagnosed with a chronic pain condition, and many had been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, a study of more than 13,000 overdose deaths has found.

28 Nov 2017

Researchers find link between negative emotions and higher opioid use in people with sickle cell disease

In a small study using data from daily electronic patient diaries, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have found a link between negative emotions, such as sadness and anxiety, and higher opioid use in people with sickle cell disease whose pain levels were self-reported as relatively low.

27 Nov 2017

Radiology images can reveal critical clues about injury patterns of intimate partner violence

Radiology images can reveal critical clues not only about a patient's current injuries, but also about patterns of violence a person may be experiencing. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital present data today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America from a study that reveals new ways that radiologists can be involved in the care of victims of intimate partner violence (IPV)

27 Nov 2017

Harnessing social media big data to fight against prescription drug crisis

Researchers at Dartmouth, Stanford University, and IBM Research, conducted a critical review of existing literature to determine whether social media big data can be used to understand communication and behavioral patterns related to prescription drug abuse.

17 Nov 2017

Despite ACA cost protections, most adolescents skip regular checkups

As children move through adolescence, some face health hurdles like obesity, sexually transmitted infections, depression and drug abuse. Regular checkups could help families address such problems, and the Affordable Care Act paved the way by requiring insurers to fully cover well-child visits, at no charge to patients.

17 Nov 2017

New pain relievers reduce opiate overdose risk

Scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed new opioid pain relievers that reduce pain on par with morphine but do not slow or stop breathing - the cause of opiate overdose.

16 Nov 2017

Separating side effects could pave way for safe, effective pain medications

Opioid pain relievers can be extremely effective in relieving pain, but can carry a high risk of addiction and ultimately overdose when breathing is suppressed and stops.

16 Nov 2017

Study finds rising rates of marijuana use in states where it is legal

Daily use of marijuana as well as past month rates rose for both men and women aged 26 and older in states with medical marijuana laws in effect, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

13 Nov 2017

Rutgers University-Camden study shows link between insomnia and alcohol use among adolescents

Insomnia is linked to frequency of alcohol use among early adolescents, according to new Rutgers University-Camden research.

10 Nov 2017

Nurses join hands with families for improving community health care

The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing has received more than $1.7 million in philanthropic grants from a number of community partners to bring a Nurse-Family Partnership® program to Jefferson County.

8 Nov 2017

New model could provide understanding of how HIV infection damages the brain

HIV infects certain cells in the brain called microglia, and infected microglia release toxic and inflammatory molecules that can impair or kill surrounding neurons.

8 Nov 2017

Scientists develop potential new antidepressant with unique mechanism of action

A potential new antidepressant and antianxiety treatment with a unique mechanism of action has been developed by scientists at the University of Bath.

6 Nov 2017

Researchers develop new drug screening method for rapid, accurate identification of fentanyl

Researchers at McMaster University have developed a new drug screening technique that could lead to the rapid and accurate identification of fentanyl, as well as a vast number of other drugs of abuse, which up until now have been difficult to detect by traditional urine tests.

3 Nov 2017

Molecular method reveals brain circuitry essential for alertness

Using a molecular method likely to become widely adopted by the field, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health have discovered brain circuitry essential for alertness, or vigilance - and for brain states more generally.

3 Nov 2017

Bioengineers develop brain sensor technique to understand cocaine addiction in adolescent mind

Several studies have provided strong evidence that adolescents--people in their teens to early twenties--have a higher vulnerability than adults to addictive substances like cocaine.

1 Nov 2017

Breast cancer adjuvant treatment discordance linked to general distrust in healthcare system

Nearly one-third of women with breast cancer went against their doctor's advice and chose not to begin or complete the recommended adjuvant anti-cancer therapy to kill residual tumor cells following surgery, according to a study led by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researcher.

1 Nov 2017

Study finds rising trend in depression, especially among young people

Depression is on the rise in the United States, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. From 2005 to 2015, depression rose significantly among Americans age 12 and older with the most rapid increases seen in young people. The findings appear online in the journal Psychological Medicine.

30 Oct 2017

Could marijuana be an aphrodisiac?

A new study is the first to show that regular use of marijuana or cannabis is linked to having more sex. The study by the Stanford researchers assessed the use of marijuana and frequency of sexual intercourse among participants in the United States. Results were unprecedented.

29 Oct 2017

New survey finds huge decline in substance abuse, delinquency among teens

More than a decade of data indicates teens have become far less likely to abuse alcohol, nicotine and illicit drugs, and they also are less likely to engage in delinquent behaviors, such as fighting and stealing, according to results of a national survey analyzed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

25 Oct 2017