Supervised Injection Site Ruling: Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss
Rutgers scholar Jamey Lister, an expert in opioid-related issues and barriers to treatment, is available to discuss the ruling that
Read moreOpioid Abuse Epidemic
Taking a scalpel to opioid painkiller risks: New surgery research shows progress and opportunities
A wave of new studies shows what happens when surgical teams work together to reduce the emphasis on, and supply of, opioid painkillers while still seeking to ease surgery patients’ pain.
Read moreReal-time opioid overdose tracking system shows rise in the time of COVID-19
An epidemic that was already raging before COVID-19 arrived has flared up in recent months, according to a real-time tracking system in Michigan. It shows a 15 percent rise in suspected opioid overdose deaths since March, compared with the same time last year, and a 29% rise in first responders’ use of the rescue drug naloxone.
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University of Miami Miller School Researcher Wins NIH Avenir Award to Pursue Innovative Opioid Addiction Research
Luis M. Tuesta, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has been awarded the Avenir Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the epigenetic mechanisms of microglial activation and their role in shaping the behavioral course of opioid use disorder.
Read moreNegative side effects of opioids could be coming from users’ own immune systems (video)
Opioid users can develop chronic inflammation and heightened pain sensitivity. These side effects might stem from the body’s own immune system, which can make antibodies against the drugs. The researchers will present their results at the American Chemical Society Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo.
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Psychologist shares quick relief for parents struggling with child behavior during COVID-19 pandemic
Nonstop family time during the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified challenges for parents caring for young children around the clock. Using research-backed therapies that she helped pioneer, a WVU psychology professor has quick relief strategies for parents struggling with child misbehavior during the lockdown.
Read morePrescribing an overdose: A chapter in the opioid epidemic
Research indicates that widespread opioid overprescribing contributed to the opioid epidemic. New research shows that this dangerous trend has apparently been coupled with another: inappropriate use of high-potency opioids.
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Saint Louis University Forms Missouri’s First Addiction Medicine Fellowship
Saint Louis University School of Medicine is tackling the country’s opioid abuse crisis by training community physicians to recognize and treat addictions.
Read moreOpioid Risk Reduction Program Helps Reduce Suicide Rate at VHA Facility
A reduction in suicides among patients at a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility may be due to a multispecialty opioid risk reduction program that included addiction management treatment, according to a new study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Orlando.
Read moreGaps Remain in Rural Opioid Crisis Research
Rural areas have been hit hard by the opioid crisis, but few studies have been done to understand how to improve access to treatment and reduce the overdose death rate in these communities, according to a new study by Rutgers University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University.
Read moreWhen Automotive Assembly Plants Close, Deaths from Opioid Overdoses Rise
Closing of local automotive assembly plants may lead to increases in deaths from opioid overdose, according to a study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts General Hospital. The findings highlight fading economic opportunity as a driving factor in the ongoing national opioid epidemic, and build on previous research that links declining participation in the labor force to increased opioid use in the U.S. The findings are published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Regional trends in overdose deaths reveal multiple opioid epidemics, according to new study
A recently published study shows the United States in the grip of several simultaneously occurring opioid epidemics, rather than just a single crisis. The epidemics came to light after the researchers analyzed county-level data on drug overdose deaths. The study highlights the importance of different policy responses to the epidemics rather than a single set of policies.
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