Significantly less addictive opioid may slow progression of osteoarthritis while easing pain
A Keck Medicine of USC study reveals that kappa opioids, a significantly less addictive opioid, may preserve cartilage in joints and ease pain
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Managing Pain After Sports Medicine Surgery
A Henry Ford Hospital study published in the Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery has found that patients who underwent knee surgery and other types of sports medicine procedures could manage their pain without opioids or a minimal dosage. “This is a large prospective study and our hope is that non-opioid use will gain momentum and that others may tweak our protocol and use it throughout orthopedics, from joint surgery to spine surgery and other surgeries” says Vasilios (Bill) Moutzouros, M.D., chief of Sports Medicine, a division of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the study’s lead author.
Read more10 Percent of Patients Continue to Use Opioids Three to Six Months After Heart Surgery
Nearly 10 percent of patients who are prescribed opioid medications following heart surgery will continue to use opioids more than 90 days after the procedure, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Read moreDelta Opioid Receptor Identified as Promising Therapeutic Target for Inflammatory Pain Relief
Delta opioid receptors have a built-in mechanism for pain relief and can be precisely targeted with drug-delivering nanoparticles—making them a promising target for treating chronic inflammatory pain with fewer side effects, according to a new study from an international team of researchers. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was conducted using cells from humans and mice with inflammatory bowel disease, which can cause chronic pain.
Read moreLesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Older Adults at Higher Risk for Substance Use
Middle-aged and older adults who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual have higher rates of using certain substances in the past year than those who identify as heterosexual, according to a new study led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at NYU School of Global Public Health.
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Pain doesn’t take a holiday: Dental opioids study points to need for better prescribing
As dentists and their teams across America get back to their regular schedules after a sharp COVID-19-related reduction, a new study shows a key opportunity to reduce the use of opioid painkillers by their patients.
The analysis shows that those who had dental procedures on a Friday or a day before a holiday were much more likely to fill a prescription for an opioid than other patients.
HEALing Communities Strategy Fast-Tracked Due to COVID-19
When Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced the early release of some Kentucky inmates due to COVID-19 concerns, the team behind the HEALing Communities Study worked quickly to fast-track one of the evidence-based practices for preventing opioid deaths that was due to launch later this year: the distribution of naloxone to individuals at highest risk for overdose, particularly those being released from local jails.
Read moreFinancial Incentives Boost Doctor Training in Opioid Treatment Medication
Offering $750 to emergency medicine physicians exponentially increased those trained to prescribe buprenorphine.
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Study Reveals Pharmacy-level Barriers to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Appalachian Kentucky
A new study led by University of Kentucky researcher April Young and Emory University researcher Hannah Cooper shows that a number of pharmacies in the Appalachian region of Kentucky are limiting the dispensing of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD).
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Gut Microbes Influence How Rat Brains React to Opioids
Antibiotic treatment — which depletes gut microbes — drastically changes the parts of a rat’s brain that are activated during opioid addiction and withdrawal.
Read moreWhen Mothers Receive Fentanyl Epidurals During Labor, the Fentanyl Gets Passed on to Their Babies
Breaking research in AACC’s The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine shows that the fentanyl in epidurals can pass on to babies during labor. While the infants in this study did not experience adverse effects from this fentanyl transfer, this information is crucial to ensuring that new mothers don’t get falsely accused of fentanyl abuse, which can have dire social repercussions for mother and child.
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Researcher receives $3.9 million grant to study how cannabis chemicals can help with pain
Ziva Cooper, research director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, has been awarded a $3.9 million grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the NIH to study whether cannabis chemicals called terpenes can reduce the amount of opioid medication a person needs to reduce pain.
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