Narcotics News and Research

RSS

SLU scientist examines potential biomarkers for pain linked to debilitating health conditions

With new funding from The Mayday Fund, a Saint Louis University researcher will leverage her discovery of a pain pathway to determine if either of two key molecules can be used as biomarkers for pain associated with four debilitating health conditions: chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis and vulvodynia.

16 Feb 2017

New position statement offers recommendations for physicians on prevention of diabetic neuropathy

An estimated 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes develop some form of diabetic neuropathy, or the chronic nerve damage diabetes causes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

31 Jan 2017

Geisinger physicians report opioid therapy to be ineffective in treating chronic pain

A new study by a pair of Geisinger Health System physicians reports that the use of opioid therapy to treat chronic pain is not only ineffective, it can actually increase the likelihood of more harmful consequences, including death.

8 Dec 2016

PinnacleHealth’s initiative helps reduce opioid prescriptions in primary care setting

PinnacleHealth Medical Group, a network of more than 200 primary care providers and specialists, singled out opioid abuse epidemic and initiated a formal opioid reduction program in 2014.

8 Dec 2016

TSRI scientists discover potential drug candidate to suppress pain and itch

In a new study, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a possible drug candidate that suppresses pain and itch in animal models.

1 Dec 2016

$Vertebroplasty helps decrease acute pain in patients with osteoporotic fractures$

Vertebroplasty helps decrease acute pain in patients with osteoporotic fractures

Vertebroplasty is a safe and effective procedure to reduce acute pain and disability in patients who have experienced spinal fractures within a 6-week period, according to a new study published this week in The Lancet.

19 Aug 2016

New opioid use among older adults with COPD linked to increased risk for respiratory-related death

Older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who start using opioids have a more than two-fold higher risk of dying from a respiratory-related complication compared to non-opioid users, St. Michael's Hospital researchers have found.

14 Jul 2016

Immunotherapy with experimental monoclonal antibody could reduce neuroblastoma tumors

Neuroblastoma tumors shrank, some dramatically, in 80 percent of newly diagnosed, young, high-risk patients enrolled in a Phase II clinical trial that included an experimental monoclonal antibody. The immunotherapy agent was produced on the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital campus where the study is still underway.

3 Jun 2016

Understanding how opiates affect brain pathways to drive addiction cycle

New research by Steven Laviolette's research team at Western University is contributing to a better understanding of the ways opiate-class drugs modify brain circuits to drive the addiction cycle.

1 Jun 2016

Short-term use of opioids implicated in protracted pain, new study finds

Painkillers such as morphine, oxycodone and methadone could actually prolong and increase pain even after only a few days’ use, according to research conducted on rats by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder in the US.

31 May 2016

Effective ways to ensure a long, healthy life

More people may be living to 100 and beyond than ever before, but the real challenge is how to become one of them yourself, and how to care for an aging population.

11 Mar 2016

Crackdown on Florida's 'pill mills' reduces painkiller overdose deaths

A crackdown on Florida's "pill mills" - clinics dispensing large quantities of prescription painkillers often for cash-only and without proper medical examinations - appears to have dramatically reduced the number of overdose deaths in the state from these drugs and may have also led to a drop in heroin overdose deaths, new research suggests.

22 Dec 2015

Protective effects of high fitness against early death reduced in obese people, study finds

A new study, published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, has dismissed the concept of 'fat but fit'. In contrast, the results from the new study suggest that the protective effects of high fitness against early death are reduced in obese people.

20 Dec 2015

Kitov announces more data from Phase III trial on the favorable blood pressure effects of KIT-302

Kitov Pharmaceuticals, an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on late-stage drug development, today announced more data from its successfully concluded Phase III trial for its lead drug candidate, KIT-302. Data showed the favorable blood pressure effects of KIT-302 were present in all blood pressure variables measured in the study.

18 Dec 2015

WHO launches new comprehensive analysis of global health trends

The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a new comprehensive analysis of global health trends since 2000 and an assessment of the challenges for the next 15 years.

10 Dec 2015

Medical researchers use social media to study harmful side effects of narcotics medication

Harnessing the power of social media, medical researchers have sifted through more than two billion tweets and online posts to study the harmful side effects of narcotics medication taken for chronic pain.

19 Nov 2015

Innovative technologies offer hope to people living with chronic pain

More than 100 million people in this country have pain that won't go away. Many of these chronic pain sufferers fail to get relief from pills, shots and even surgery, while others temporarily trade the pain for side effects such as drowsiness or digestive problems.

11 Sep 2015

Tips to prevent, treat black widow and brown recluse spider bites

Most spiders are non-venomous and most spider bites are harmless. They may cause some local redness and pain, but can usually be managed at home by washing, applying ice and keeping the area clean.

22 Jul 2015

New U of M study explains genetic differences among Cannabis varieties

Genetic differences between hemp and marijuana determine whether Cannabis plants have the potential for psychoactivity, a new study by University of Minnesota scientists shows.

21 Jul 2015

Fixing up abandoned buildings in inner city can reduce crime, violence

Fixing up abandoned buildings in the inner city doesn't just eliminate eyesores, it can also significantly reduce crime and violence, including gun assaults, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Penn's Perelman School of Medicine report in the first study to demonstrate the direct impact of building remediation efforts on crime. T

9 Jul 2015