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HIV might promote aging and disease progression in people with HCV, study results suggest

Infectious disease experts at Johns Hopkins have found that among people infected with the hepatitis C virus, co-infection with HIV, speeds damage and scarring of liver tissue by almost a decade.

5 Mar 2013

Roundup: Mass. health costs may start accelerating again; Review questions Minn. HMO payment rates; Calif. lawmakers approve health care bills

After several years of moderating costs, there are signs the rate of increase in Massachusetts health care prices -- and insurance premiums -- may soon start accelerating again, exceeding a heralded cost cap set by the state last year.

5 Mar 2013

State roundup: Health care industry calls drug testing bill in N.H. 'vague'

Representatives from the health care industry said Tuesday they have a vested interest in stopping employees from stealing controlled substances but a bill being considered by New Hampshire lawmakers to drug test their workers is too vague. The proposal is part of the legislative response to a recent scandal at Exeter Hospital, where an employee allegedly stole drugs and replaced them with Hepatitis C infected syringes later used on patients.

28 Feb 2013

FSMB announces recipients of 2013 medical awards

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) announced the recipients of its 2013 awards recognizing outstanding service and leadership in the field of medical regulation.

28 Feb 2013

Study reveals rare look into success of substance abuse treatment programs for African-Americans

New research out of the University of Cincinnati reveals a relatively rare look into the success of substance abuse treatment programs for African-Americans. Researchers report that self-motivation could be an important consideration into deciding on the most effective treatment strategy.

20 Feb 2013

New study reveals racial disparities in chronic pain management

Opioids are frequently prescribed for pain management in noncancer patients, but recommended clinical guidelines for monitoring effectiveness and signs of drug abuse are often not implemented. Alongside well-documented racial disparities in prescribing opioid medications for pain, researchers report racial differences in the use of recommended opioid monitoring and follow-up treatment practices.

14 Feb 2013

Researchers identify new way to influence the vital serotonin signaling system

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the University of Houston has found a new way to influence the vital serotonin signaling system - possibly leading to more effective medications with fewer side effects.

14 Feb 2013

Substance abuse and cigarette use more prevalent among adolescents with ADHD histories

A new study published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry revealed a significantly higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use by adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) histories than in those without ADHD.

12 Feb 2013

Mental health in young people: an interview with Professor Colum Dunne

Ireland, and many other countries, is witnessing increases in problematic and complex youth mental health challenges. In Ireland, specifically, there has been a rash of high profile cases where young people have unfortunately not been able to deal with stress, bullying and other issues.

1 Feb 2013

Government mistrust and conspiracy fears deter older adults from getting tested for HIV

One out of every four people living with HIV/AIDS is 50 or older, yet these older individuals are far more likely to be diagnosed when they are already in the later stages of infection. Such late diagnoses put their health, and the health of others, at greater risk than would have been the case with earlier detection.

31 Jan 2013

Adolescents, alcohol and influences

Chances are the only thing you remember about your first swig of alcohol is how bad the stuff tasted. What you didn't know is the person who gave you that first drink and when you had it says a lot about your predisposition to imbibe later in life.

29 Jan 2013

Novel experiment illuminates importance of doctor-patient relationship

A patient's relationship with his or her doctor has long been considered an important component of healing. Now, in a novel investigation in which physicians underwent brain scans while they believed they were actually treating patients, researchers have provided the first scientific evidence indicating that doctors truly can feel their patients' pain - and can also experience their relief following treatment.

29 Jan 2013

ED visits involving ADHD stimulant medications are on the rise

A new report shows that the number of emergency department visits involving attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stimulant medications more than doubled from 13,379 visits in 2005 to 31,244 in 2010.

28 Jan 2013

Study sheds new light on learning and memory-making

In experiments on rats outfitted with tiny goggles, scientists say they have learned that the brain's initial vision processing center not only relays visual stimuli, but also can "learn" time intervals and create specifically timed expectations of future rewards.

28 Jan 2013

HSS involving resiniferatoxin receives U.S. patent to alleviate intractable pain

The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issued a patent to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services involving resiniferatoxin, or RTX, an experimental compound that represents a potential new class of drugs to alleviate the intractable pain that can occur in people with advanced cancer, severe arthritis, and other extremely chronic conditions.

28 Jan 2013

Social isolation increases risk of addiction to amphetamine and alcohol

Rats that are socially isolated during a critical period of adolescence are more vulnerable to addiction to amphetamine and alcohol, found researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. Amphetamine addiction is also harder to extinguish in the socially isolated rats.

24 Jan 2013

Substance abuse negatively affects sexual performance in men even after years of abstinence

Researchers at the University of Granada, Spain, and Santo Tomas University in Colombia have found that drug abuse negatively affects sexual performance in men even after years of abstinence. This finding contradicts other studies reporting that men spontaneously recovered their normal sexual performance at three weeks after quitting substance abuse.

19 Jan 2013

State highlights: Calif. governor earmarks money for Medi-Cal expansion; Mental health reforms take shape in Kan., Colo.

Brown earmarked $350 million in his spending plan to help enroll more Californians in Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for the poor. Under the proposal, enrollment rules would be simplified to cover residents who are currently eligible but not enrolled.

15 Jan 2013

Living in caring communities may help curb teenage alcohol use

Living in a caring community may help curb teenage alcohol use, while hanging out with antisocial peers can have the opposite effect, according to Penn State researchers studying substance abuse patterns.

10 Jan 2013

Study shows troubling racial disparities in completion of alcohol and drug abuse programs

Roughly half of all black and Hispanic patients who enter publicly funded alcohol treatment programs do not complete treatment, compared to 62 percent of white patients, according to a new study from a team of researchers including the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Jan 2013

Drug Abuse News and Research

HIV might promote aging and disease progression in people with HCV, study results suggest

Roundup: Mass. health costs may start accelerating again; Review questions Minn. HMO payment rates; Calif. lawmakers approve health care bills

State roundup: Health care industry calls drug testing bill in N.H. 'vague'

FSMB announces recipients of 2013 medical awards

Study reveals rare look into success of substance abuse treatment programs for African-Americans

New study reveals racial disparities in chronic pain management

Researchers identify new way to influence the vital serotonin signaling system

Substance abuse and cigarette use more prevalent among adolescents with ADHD histories

Mental health in young people: an interview with Professor Colum Dunne

Government mistrust and conspiracy fears deter older adults from getting tested for HIV

Adolescents, alcohol and influences

Novel experiment illuminates importance of doctor-patient relationship

ED visits involving ADHD stimulant medications are on the rise

Study sheds new light on learning and memory-making

HSS involving resiniferatoxin receives U.S. patent to alleviate intractable pain

Social isolation increases risk of addiction to amphetamine and alcohol

Substance abuse negatively affects sexual performance in men even after years of abstinence

State highlights: Calif. governor earmarks money for Medi-Cal expansion; Mental health reforms take shape in Kan., Colo.

Living in caring communities may help curb teenage alcohol use

Study shows troubling racial disparities in completion of alcohol and drug abuse programs

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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