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Health care ‘game-changer’? Feds boost care for homeless Americans

The Biden administration is making it easier for doctors and nurses to treat homeless people wherever they find them, from creekside encampments to freeway underpasses, marking a fundamental shift in how — and where — health care is delivered.

19 Oct 2023

Telehealth may improve access and retention for opioid use disorder treatment

Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non-telehealth setting, according to a new study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019-2020 in Kentucky and Ohio.

18 Oct 2023

Pregnant and addicted: Homeless women see hope in street medicine

Five days after giving birth, Melissa Crespo was already back on the streets, recovering in a damp, litter-strewn water tunnel, when she got the call from the hospital.

18 Oct 2023

For people with sickle cell disease, ERs can mean life-threatening waits

Heather Avant always dresses up when she goes to the emergency room.

17 Oct 2023

Opioid use disorder treatment lowers risk of overdose after surgery, study finds

Although people with opioid use disorder (OUD) are significantly more likely to overdose or have a complication after major surgery than those without the disorder, using medications for the treatment of OUD before surgery may eliminate that extra risk, suggests a large, first-of-its-kind study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2023 annual meeting.

15 Oct 2023

New research calls for shift in thinking about ultra-processed food addiction

Researchers from the United States, Brazil, and Spain, including scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, published an analysis in a special edition of the British Medical Journal with a timely and controversial recommendation: It's time for an international shift in the way we think about ultra-processed food.

9 Oct 2023

Intermittent use of benzodiazepines linked with fewer side effects

More than 60 years after being introduced, doctors have uncovered the first reliable evidence to confirm the belief that taking benzodiazepines such as Valium and Ativan intermittently rather than continuously is associated with fewer side effects and reduced falls, hospitalizations and deaths.

9 Oct 2023

Parental leave reduces alcohol-related hospitalizations in fathers, study finds

Men who have been on parental leave have a significantly reduced risk of being hospitalized due to alcohol consumption.

6 Oct 2023

Is social media derailing our teens? Study unveils the balancing act for adolescent wellbeing

Study delves into the varying impacts of social media on adolescents, distinguishing between healthy, unhealthy, and dependent usage while highlighting a spectrum of personal, interpersonal, and contextual factors influencing their wellbeing. It suggests that a balanced approach to social media, coupled with positive real-world interactions and alternative leisure activities, can mitigate negative effects on adolescents' mental health and overall wellbeing.

4 Oct 2023

More schools stock overdose reversal meds, but others worry about stigma

Last year, a student fell unconscious after walking out of a bathroom at Central High School in Pueblo, Colorado.

3 Oct 2023

Compulsive stress coping behaviors linked to brain's dopamine-dependent habit system

Researchers performed longitudinal studies in rats to measure the sensitivity of early established versus compulsive polydipsic alcohol (or water) drinking in response to bilateral infusion of α-flupentixol, anterior dorsolateral striatum (aDLS)-dopamine (DA) receptor antagonist.

2 Oct 2023

Cannabis use disorder linked to ~60% higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events, Canadian study finds

A recent study published in Addiction evaluated the associations of cannabis use disorder (CUD) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes.

2 Oct 2023

These Appalachia hospitals made big promises to gain a monopoly. They’re failing to deliver.

Five years ago, rival hospital companies in this blue-collar corner of Appalachia made a deal. If state lawmakers let them merge, leaving no competitors, the hospitals promised not to gouge prices or cut corners.

29 Sep 2023

Nicotine e-cigarettes, varenicline, and cytisine most effective for long-term smoking cessation, analysis finds

A comprehensive new analysis has found that nicotine e-cigarettes, varenicline and cytisine are the most effective options currently available for helping smokers quit long-term (going at least six months without smoking).

28 Sep 2023

Canadian adults with cannabis use disorder appear to have 60% higher risk of cardiovascular diseases

A new study has found that Canadian adults with cannabis use disorder appear to have an approximately 60% higher risk of experiencing their first heart attack, stroke, or other major cardiovascular event than those without cannabis use disorder.

28 Sep 2023

Prolonged mismatch between calories eaten and burned may be putting many athletes at risk of REDs

The estimated prevalence of REDs varies by sport, ranging from 15% to 80%. The syndrome often goes unrecognised by athletes themselves, their coaches, and team clinicians, and may unwittingly be exacerbated by the 'sports culture,' because of the perceived short term gains on performance from intentionally or unintentionally limiting calorie intake, warns the Statement.

26 Sep 2023

Officials agree: Use settlement funds to curb youth addiction. But the ‘how’ gets hairy.

When three teenagers died of fentanyl overdoses last year in Larimer County, Colorado, it shocked the community and “flipped families upside down,” said Tom Gonzales, the county’s public health director.

25 Sep 2023

New sensor design could revolutionize rehabilitation for stroke survivors

An interdisciplinary team led by University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers has been awarded $1.14 million over four years by the National Institutes of Health to develop a revolutionary way of tracking body movements, with a primary application in stroke survivors' rehabilitation and huge potential for future applications across a wide range of disciplines, health-related and beyond.

22 Sep 2023

Fruit flies make decisions based on expected rewards, study finds

Like many collectors of L.P. records, James Fitzgerald's brother-in-law has a favorite store where he consistently finds the best vinyl for his collection.