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Study finds high rate of misuse of seizure and pain drug

With increasing public attention to overdose deaths and misuse of prescription medications in the United States, researchers today presented the results of a new study looking at abuse and misuse of gabapentin, a medication used to treat seizures and relieve nerve pain often associated with shingles.

3 Aug 2016

Study reveals alterations in silent synapses could trigger drug-related memories in addiction

In addiction, cues in the environment can form strong associations with the drug of abuse. A new study in Biological Psychiatry suggests that alterations in silent synapses, inactive connections between neurons, could be the neural mechanism underlying the formation of these drug-related memories.

3 Aug 2016

Study shows link between psychiatric symptoms and substance use among high school students

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health with collaborators at the Federal University of Sao Paulo studied the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and patterns of substance use among high school students in Brazil and found that respondents with clinically significant scores on a behavioral screening questionnaire were more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana in the past month compared to those without symptoms.

2 Aug 2016

Combat exposure may affect post-deployment behavioral health of Army women

In a recent study, combat exposure among Army enlisted women was associated with an increased likelihood of developing behavioral health problems post-deployment, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and at-risk drinking.

2 Aug 2016

NABP report points rogue internet drug outlets serve as dealers to people purchasing controlled substances

Today, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) released its Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators: July 2016.

30 Jul 2016

CVS Health to make opioid overdose-reversing drug more affordable for patients without insurance

CVS Health and Adapt Pharma today announced a new partnership that will make the opioid overdose-reversing drug NARCAN (Naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray more affordable for patients without insurance at CVS Pharmacy locations.

30 Jul 2016

Researchers using internet to find study participants may hamper recruitment of minority, poor people

Recruiting minorities and poor people to participate in medical research always has been challenging, and that may not change as researchers turn to the internet to find study participants and engage with them online, new research suggests.

29 Jul 2016

Majority of American adults use prescription drugs inappropriately and dangerously

The majority of American adults taking opioids and other commonly prescribed medications use them in ways that put their health at risk, including potentially dangerous combinations with other drugs, according to a new study from Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services.

From Quest Diagnostics 29 Jul 2016

New project examines use of mindfulness therapy in preventing drug abuse relapse among young adults

A research project at the University of Illinois is examining the use of mindfulness therapy in preventing drug abuse relapse among marginalized young adults.

28 Jul 2016

New non-drug approach may help manage pain in individuals receiving addiction treatment

It's a Catch-22 with potentially deadly consequences: People trying to overcome addiction can't get treatment for their pain, because the most powerful pain medicines also carry an addiction risk.

27 Jul 2016

Researchers study link between health insurance, tobacco and alcohol use among reproductive age women

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health studied the relationship between health insurance coverage and tobacco and alcohol use among reproductive age women in the United States, and whether there were differences according to pregnancy status.

27 Jul 2016

Menopause and insomnia could make women age faster

Two UCLA studies reveal that menopause--and the insomnia that often accompanies it -- make women age faster.

26 Jul 2016

Adults with pain could be at higher risk of developing prescription opioid use disorders

What do we really know about the relationship between the experience of pain and risk of developing opioid use disorder? Results from a recent study - the first to directly address this question -- show that people with moderate or more severe pain had a 41 percent higher risk of developing prescription opioid use disorders than those without, independent of other demographic and clinical factors.

22 Jul 2016

Scientists develop new optical fiber-based probe for brain temperature measurements

The brain is the most temperature-sensitive organ in the body. Even small deviations in brain temperature are capable of producing profound effects--including behavioral changes, cell toxicity, and neuronal cell death. The problem faced by researchers and clinicians is how to measure and understand the

20 Jul 2016

Researchers identify how sensory nerve receptors work together to transmit itch signals

Researchers have found how sensory nerve cells work together to transmit itch signals from the skin to the spinal cord, where neurons then carry those signals to the brain. Their discovery may help scientists find more effective ways to make itching stop.

20 Jul 2016

Research highlights global burden of HIV and other infectious diseases among prisoners and detainees

Prisoners and detainees worldwide have higher burdens of HIV, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis than the communities from which they come, and the regular cycling of infected people in and out of incarceration is worsening the epidemics both inside and outside of prison, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests.

15 Jul 2016

E-cigarettes likely to provide public health benefits, study finds

A modeling study by top tobacco control experts finds that e-cigarettes are likely to provide public health benefits based on "conservative estimates" of the likely uptake of vaping and smoking by adolescents and young adults.

14 Jul 2016

Genes linked to Alzheimer's disease may show effects on the brain from childhood

A gene associated with Alzheimer's disease and recovery after brain injury may show its effects on the brain and thinking skills as early as childhood, according to a study published in the July 13, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.