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Addiction news

Neuroscience

Prenatal alcohol exposure rewires the brain and fuels compulsive behavior, new study finds

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), a leading cause of neurodevelopmental disorders, may affect as many as 1 in 20 school-aged children in the United States. Despite its prevalence, the exact brain circuit responsible ...

Addiction

Online discrimination fuels drinking by Hispanic college students

Hispanic college students who encounter racial or ethnic discrimination on social media are more likely to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism, according to a study led by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher.

Health

Oral nicotine pouches studied as a tool to quit smoking

In ongoing efforts to pinpoint the best evidence-based ways to quit smoking, a University of Massachusetts Amherst public health researcher has turned her attention to a tobacco-free product gaining in popularity across the ...

Addiction

Is Canada failing the rising numbers of youth who use opioids?

Youth opioid use is increasing in Canada, as are related emergency department visits and deaths, yet governments are not providing adequate support to address this public health crisis, argue the authors of a CMAJ (Canadian ...

Addiction

Can inpatient care help address overdose crisis?

Is expanding hospital inpatient, or bed-based, care a way to help address the overdose crisis? An analysis article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal describes the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, ...

Health

Hidden toxins in e-cigarette fluids may harm lung cells

A study by University of California, Riverside, scientists has found that two toxic chemicals can form when the main ingredient in most e-cigarette fluids is heated, and that these compounds can harm human lung cells.

Psychology & Psychiatry

What makes you more likely to get 'hangxiety?'

People who act in ways that go against their personal values while drunk often feel embarrassed, regretful, or anxious during a hangover. These feelings can lead to overthinking and harsh self-criticism, which worsen their ...

Addiction

How primary care clinics can help curb the opioid epidemic

The U.S. is in the midst of an opioid epidemic; overdose deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl have increased more than 100-fold since 1999. Medications like buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone can all help treat ...

Medications

A forgotten opioid has resurfaced as a lethal street drug

Nitazenes—a class of highly potent synthetic opioids—are rapidly emerging as a major contributor to the overdose crisis, according to a Pain Medicine review published today by authors from Vanderbilt University Medical ...

Health

Opioid-related deaths in past decade 55% higher than recorded

Deaths following opioid use in England and Wales have nearly doubled in the last decade, with 22.9 deaths per million people in 2012, and 43.8 deaths per million people in 2023. But the true number is likely higher because ...

Diabetes

Smoking or vaping may increase risk of diabetes

People who use e-cigarettes, cigarettes or both face an increased risk for developing diabetes, according to University of Georgia research published in AJPM Focus.

Medications

Researchers develop non-opioid alternatives for pain relief

Chronic pain is one of the most common and expensive health problems in the nation, affecting an estimated one in five U.S. adults and costing around $600 billion each year in medical expenses, lost productivity and disability, ...

Addiction

New blood test to aid liver disease treatment

A new study by the Centenary Institute and the Sydney Local Health District has found that a specialized blood test can detect alcohol use in people with liver disease far more accurately than commonly used biomarker tests ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Chronic alcohol use halts liver cell regeneration, new study finds

Excessive alcohol consumption can disrupt the liver's unique regenerative abilities by trapping cells in limbo between their functional and regenerative states, even after a patient stops drinking, researchers at University ...