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Changes in handgun purchaser licensing laws influence suicide rates in Connecticut and Missouri

A new study examining changes in gun policy in two states finds that handgun purchaser licensing requirements influence suicide rates. Researchers estimate that Connecticut's 1995 law requiring individuals to obtain a permit or license to purchase a handgun after passing a background check was associated with a 15.4 percent reduction in firearm suicide rates, while Missouri's repeal of its handgun purchaser licensing law in 2007 was associated with a 16.1 percent increase in firearm suicide rates.

2 Sep 2015

IV drug abusers who undergo infective endocarditis surgery face higher risk of reoperation or death

Injection drug users who undergo surgery for infective endocarditis (IE) have a significantly higher risk of reoperation or death between 3 and 6 months after surgery compared to patients who develop endocarditis who are not IV drug abusers, according to an article in the September 2015 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

1 Sep 2015

New studies evaluate viral suppression rate of HIV-infected pregnant women at delivery

Pregnancy could be a turning point for HIV-infected women, when they have the opportunity to manage their infection, prevent transmission to their new baby and enter a long-term pattern of maintenance of HIV care after giving birth--but most HIV-infected women aren't getting that chance.

26 Aug 2015

NIH funds multicenter study to evaluate impact of medical treatment in transgender youth

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $5.7M for a five-year, multicenter study, which will be the first in the U.S. to evaluate the long-term outcomes of medical treatment for transgender youth.

19 Aug 2015

Ontario nearing ambitious UN targets for ending AIDS epidemics

A new study suggests Ontario is nearing ambitious United Nations targets for ending the AIDS epidemics: By 2020, 90 per cent of all people living with HIV should know their HIV status, 90 per cent of all people diagnosed with HIV are receiving sustained antiretroviral drug therapy and 90 per cent of people on ART have a very low or undetectable levels of the virus.

14 Aug 2015

Pediatricians, mental health providers can improve outcomes in children with mental and behavioral disorders

For the past decade, cutting-edge health care providers and researchers have increasingly pushed to integrate care for mental health and substance use problems within primary medical care for children and adolescents.

11 Aug 2015

Roche establishes strategic alliance with Diagnostic Laboratory Services

Roche announced today the establishment of a strategic alliance with Diagnostic Laboratory Services of Aiea, Hawaii, that designates the company as a Roche Molecular Center of Excellence (MCOE) for the next five years.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 10 Aug 2015

BMC partners with RIH, CVS to support pharmacy-based naloxone rescue kits to help combat opioid addiction, overdose

Boston Medical Center has received a $1.3 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to support a demonstration project of pharmacy-based naloxone rescue kits to help reduce opioid addiction and overdose death in two New England States: Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

7 Aug 2015

Grant program aims to provide oral health care to underserved people facing substance abuse issues

People with drug problems don't often come to mind as an underserved population regarding health care. Yet, because of their substance abuse issues, they often go without essential medical services, particularly when it comes to caring for their teeth and other oral tissues.

7 Aug 2015

New health care program covered by Medicaid improves some aspects of care for disabled adults

UF Health researchers have found that care linked to heart attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, among disabled adults covered by Medicaid has improved with the expansion of a new health care program in Texas over the last decade.

5 Aug 2015

New assessment tool helps identify children and adolescents with bereavement disorder

Everybody grieves the death of a loved one, and the process helps most mourners adjust to their loss. "Charlie Brown was right," said Christopher Layne, a psychologist and researcher at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. "There is good grief." But for some people, bereavement becomes a problem in itself, prolonging suffering and impairing functioning. For grieving children and adolescents persistent complex bereavement disorder can derail social and academic development at a time when children and adolescents need to master skills and form aspirations to succeed later in life.

23 Jul 2015

Study: Cash to stay in school did not reduce HIV risk among young women in South Africa

A Phase III, individually randomized trial has found conditional cash transfers for school attendance did not reduce the risk of HIV among high-school aged women in South Africa, investigators from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) reported today at the 8th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Vancouver, Canada.

22 Jul 2015

Phase II open-label study demonstrates that high-risk populations adhere well to daily regimen of PrEP

Results from HPTN 067, a Phase II, randomized, open-label study, demonstrate most study participants had higher coverage of sex events and better adherence when they were assigned to the daily dosing arm, investigators from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) reported today at the 8th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Vancouver, Canada.

21 Jul 2015

UAB Department of Psychiatry to open new clinic to serve mental health needs of LGBTQ community

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Psychiatry will open a mental health and wellness clinic specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning individuals. The clinic will see patients beginning Monday, July 20.

16 Jul 2015

Research breakthrough opens door to a world of regenerative medicine for treating mitochondrial disease

A study led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov, Ph.D., and Hong Ma, M.D., Ph.D., at the Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center has revealed the first critical step in developing novel gene and stem cell therapy treatments for patients with mitochondrial disease.

16 Jul 2015

New study finds that intellectual pursuits can buffer the brain's reward system against drug dependence

Challenging the idea that addiction is hardwired in the brain, a new UC Berkeley study of mice suggests that even a short time spent in a stimulating learning environment can rewire the brain's reward system and buffer it against drug dependence.

15 Jul 2015

Research findings may help health care providers curb painkiller misuse

People who misuse prescription pain relievers all have one thing in common, University of Georgia researchers have discovered: a history of recent illicit drug use. How they acquire such drugs varies according to age, however.

12 Jul 2015

Cognizin citicoline shows promise in patients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependence

The results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that Cognizin citicoline (Jarrow Formulas) was effective at reducing cocaine use, based on urine drug screens, in patients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependence. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in Advance, included a total of 130 outpatients with bipolar I disorder and cocaine dependence, who received either Cognizin citicoline or placebo add-on therapy for 12 weeks.

7 Jul 2015

Sociologists to explore ideas, scientific research relating to sexuality at ASA's Annual Meeting

More than 5,500 sociologists will convene in Chicago this August to explore ideas and scientific research relating to sexuality and many other topics, as part of the American Sociological Association's 110th Annual Meeting. This year's theme, "Sexualities in the Social World," shows the importance of research by sociologists in illuminating how social norms and social inequalities affect what sexual behavior is acceptable and who partners with whom.