Opioids News and Research

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An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids.

Opioid overdose treatment: intranasal vs intramuscular naloxone

Opioid addiction and dependency have become a common plague in many countries of the world. Accompanying these conditions, opioid overdose is being increasingly encountered in many emergency settings. The standard and highly effective antidote for this is naloxone hydrochloride, an opioid antagonist which has been in use for over 4 decades.

13 Nov 2019

$Receiving multiple fracture-associated drugs may increase hip fracture risk$

Receiving multiple fracture-associated drugs may increase hip fracture risk

There is a strong association between the number of fracture-associated drugs (FADs) older patients receive and their risk of sustaining a broken bone, according to a new Dartmouth study published in JAMA Network Open.

13 Nov 2019

Kratom may be effective, but not entirely safe to treat alcohol use disorder

Lawmakers across the United States continue to debate the safety of kratom, an opioid-containing plant that has been listed as a "drug of concern" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Kratom is sold over the counter in specialty stores and online.

13 Nov 2019

Groundwork laid for new kind of neural interface system

By electrically stimulating nerves, neuromodulation therapies can reduce epileptic seizures, soothe chronic pain, and treat depression and a host of other health conditions without the use of conventional drugs like opioids.

11 Nov 2019

How Germany averted an opioid crisis

In 2016, 10 times as many Americans as Germans died as a result of drug overdoses, mostly opiates. Three times as many Americans as Germans experienced opioid addiction.

11 Nov 2019

Monash researchers create nanoparticle for improving properties of painkillers

Researchers at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology have created a nanoparticle that could improve the properties of painkillers by delivering them directly to the source of pain.

11 Nov 2019

Opioids do not improve quality of life or depression in OA patients

New research presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting suggests that opioids contribute no measurable benefit to quality of life or depression for patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

11 Nov 2019

Understanding substantial challenges caused by substance use, misuse and dependence

This week sees publication of the first research papers that will form part of PLOS Medicine’s latest Special Issue, which is devoted to understanding the substantial challenges caused by substance use and misuse and seeking to inform responses in the health sector and beyond.

8 Nov 2019

UK military researcher studies ways to prevent chronic pain

Josh Van Wyngaarden grew up in a military family, traveling all over the world during his father's 22 years in the Air Force.

7 Nov 2019

Black, Hispanic women experience disparities in pain management in postpartum setting

Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women were significantly more likely to report pain scores ranging from five to 10 when compared to non-Hispanic white women during the postpartum period.

6 Nov 2019

E-learning educates medical students on safely prescribing opioids for chronic pain

Even in the era of the opioid epidemic and abuse, medical residents report feeling inadequately prepared to prescribe opioids responsibly to patients who medically need them. However, a safe opioid prescribing e-learning program effectively educates graduate students on safely prescribing opioids for chronic pain and is effective regardless of year in training, according to research from the University of California, Irvine.

6 Nov 2019

VA evaluates the effect of opioids, sedatives on veterans

Veterans who simultaneously take opioids for chronic pain and benzodiazepines for anxiety and insomnia are at an increased risk of unintentional overdose and death as well as suicide.

6 Nov 2019

Pioneering brain chip to fight opioid addiction: first US clinical test

Opioid addiction is among the biggest medical conditions troubling the U.S. today, and is far from reaching a solution. In 2017, it claimed almost 50 deaths per 100,000 in the state of West Virginia – the highest drug-overdose-related death rate in the US. Today, however, there is a gleam of hope from a new trial of an old technology to help fight this battle – a brain-embedded chip to counter opioid-induced cravings in treatment-refractory patients.

6 Nov 2019

Study highlights role of mind-body therapies in addressing opioid-treated pain

A new study published Nov. 4, 2019, in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine details the first comprehensive look across the scientific literature at the role of mind-body therapies in addressing opioid-treated pain.

5 Nov 2019

Wake Forest Baptist receives $6 million to study non-pharmaceutical cancer pain management

For many people who've had cancer, severe pain can persist even after treatment ends.

5 Nov 2019

First-in-the-U.S. clinical trial uses deep brain stimulation to tackle opioid addiction

The West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and WVU Medicine, today (Nov. 5) announced the launch of a first-in-the-U.S. clinical trial using deep brain stimulation for patients suffering from treatment-resistant opioid use disorder.

5 Nov 2019

Researchers successfully treat pain using nanoparticles to deliver a non-opioid medication

The use of nanoparticles to deliver a drug into specific nerve cells has resulted in significantly improved pain relief.

5 Nov 2019

Nanoparticle drug delivery enhances and prolongs pain relief in animal models

An international team of researchers has used nanoparticles to deliver a drug- one that previously failed in clinical trials for pain- into specific compartments of nerve cells, dramatically increasing its ability to treat pain in mice and rats.

4 Nov 2019

Study offers better understanding of smoking among urban emergency department patients

A new study from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation offers a more in-depth understanding of smoking among patients in an urban emergency department.

4 Nov 2019

Opioid misuse greatly increases chance of major depressive episode among teen girls

New research by Keith Chan of UAlbany's School of Social Welfare shows that among girls ages 12-17, the misuse of opioids greatly increases the chance of having a major depressive episode. Prescription opioids may include oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl.

1 Nov 2019

Opioids News and Research

Further Reading

Opioid overdose treatment: intranasal vs intramuscular naloxone

Receiving multiple fracture-associated drugs may increase hip fracture risk

Kratom may be effective, but not entirely safe to treat alcohol use disorder

Groundwork laid for new kind of neural interface system

How Germany averted an opioid crisis

Monash researchers create nanoparticle for improving properties of painkillers

Opioids do not improve quality of life or depression in OA patients

Understanding substantial challenges caused by substance use, misuse and dependence

UK military researcher studies ways to prevent chronic pain

Black, Hispanic women experience disparities in pain management in postpartum setting

E-learning educates medical students on safely prescribing opioids for chronic pain

VA evaluates the effect of opioids, sedatives on veterans

Pioneering brain chip to fight opioid addiction: first US clinical test

Study highlights role of mind-body therapies in addressing opioid-treated pain

Wake Forest Baptist receives $6 million to study non-pharmaceutical cancer pain management

First-in-the-U.S. clinical trial uses deep brain stimulation to tackle opioid addiction

Researchers successfully treat pain using nanoparticles to deliver a non-opioid medication

Nanoparticle drug delivery enhances and prolongs pain relief in animal models

Study offers better understanding of smoking among urban emergency department patients

Opioid misuse greatly increases chance of major depressive episode among teen girls

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