Category: From Newswise – Addiction

Newswise — ROCHESTER, Minnesota — Hace más de 60 años, un pionero investigador mostró cómo un pulso de electricidad en el cerebro de un toro de carga podría ser utilizado para detener al animal en su trayectoria. Hoy en día, la neuroestimulación se usa para tratar una variedad de enfermedades humanas, incluyendo la enfermedad de Parkinson, temblor, trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo y síndrome de Tourette. Un neurocirujano de Mayo Clinic y sus colegas creen que una forma de tratamiento llamada estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP), está lista para resolver uno de los mayores desafíos de la salud pública: la adicción a las drogas.

“La adicción a las drogas es una enorme y urgente demanda médica”, afirma el Dr. y Ph. D. Kendall Lee, que publicó casi 100 artículos científicos acerca a la ECP juntamente con sus compañeros. La clave para tratarla, afirma, es eliminar el placentero “tener un subidón” que viene con la adicción — algo que la ECP eventualmente puede hacer.

“En este momento, tenemos varios estudios iniciales que prometen suministrar el rápido aumento de dopamina que hace que las personas tengan un subidón”, dice el Dr. Lee, neurocirujano de Mayo Clinic en Rochester, Minnesota.

En 2023, un récord de 112.000 personas murieron en los Estados Unidos después de una sobredosis de drogas, lo cual incluye drogas ilegales y opioides recetados. En 2019, a nivel mundial, alrededor de 600.000 muertes se atribuyeron al uso de drogas. A pesar de que varios tratamientos psicológicos y farmacéuticos están disponibles para la addición, alrededor del 75% al 98% de los pacientes presentan reincidencia.

“Lo que es único en la adicción es que se crea un patrón en el cerebro que se perpetúa a sí mismo”, explica el psiquiatra de Mayo Clinic, el Dr. Tyler Oesterle.”Básicamente, este comportamiento se refuerza, haciéndolo mucho más resistente a la intervención.”

El cerebro está listo para hacer del placer una prioridad. El sistema de recompensa del cerebro conecta dos pequeñas regiones: el área tegmental ventral de Tsai, que libera la dopamina química para sentirse bien, y el núcleo accumbens, que controla la memoria y el comportamiento. El primer es la razón por la que se siente un shock de placer después de morder una hamburguesa. Es por eso que su boca saliva cada vez que huele a alguien encendiendo una parrilla. Las drogas pueden abrumar este sistema al inundarlo de dopamina y reforzar los vínculos que sustentan la adicción.

¿Pero qué pasaría si pudiera cortocircuitar el sistema de recompensas? Si las drogas dejaran de provocar el estado de subidón, ¿sería más sencillo dejar de usarlas? Una investigación preliminar realizada en modelos animales y humanos, sugiere que es posible reducir el comportamiento de búsqueda de drogas estimulando eléctricamente las regiones cerebrales asociadas con la recompensa.

“Los resultados son prometedores, pero aún no sabemos cómo funciona”, dice el ingeniero biomédico de Mayo Clinic, Ph.D. Hojin Shin. “Lo que realmente necesitamos es una técnica que nos permita ver cómo funciona el cerebro y cómo cambia el cerebro en respuesta a la estimulación, para que podamos utilizar esa información para mejorar el tratamiento.”

Como parte del Laboratorio de Ingeniería Neuronal de Mayo Clinic, el Dr. Shin y su compañero, el Ph.D. Yoonbae Oh, han estado ocupados desarrollando nuevas técnicas para medir sustancias químicas cerebrales, como la dopamina y la serotonina, en tiempo real. Las versiones más recientes utilizan electrodos compuestos de fibras de carbono flexibles, más delgadas que un cabello humano, conectadas remotamente a un circuito electrónico que puede simultáneamente estimular neuronas y detectar neuroquímicos.

Los investigadores utilizaron sus innovaciones para obtener información importante sobre la ECP y los mecanismos de adicción. En un estudio, utilizaron la ECP para activar el área tegmental ventral de Tsai productora de dopamina en cerebros de roedores. Luego administraron una dosis de un estimulante altamente adictivo. El tratamiento experimental con la ECP redujo el flujo de dopamina al núcleo accumbens, el centro de recompensa del cerebro, casi a la mitad.

En otro estudio, el equipo probó el enfoque en un modelo de roedor con adicción a los opioides. Cuando les dieron a los modelos un poderoso opioide, notaron un aumento en los niveles de dopamina. Pero cuando trataron a los modelos con la ECP antes de administrar el medicamento, ese pico nunca ocurrió. El tratamiento experimental también pareció inhibir la depresión respiratoria, las dificultades respiratorias responsables de la mayoría de las muertes por sobredosis de opioides. 

Recientemente, el equipo ha recebido una subvención de los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud para obtener la aprobación de una Exención de Dispositivo de Investigación de la Food and Drug Administration (FDA), un paso necesario para futuros estudios preclínicos y ensayos clínicos de este tratamiento experimental.

“Ver la adicción como un problema biológico y abordarlo con tratamientos biológicos como ese, es un cambio de paradigma”, explica el Dr. Oesterle. “Sabemos que las intervenciones conductuales o farmacéuticas estándar no funcionan para todos. Vamos mucho más allá de los límites porque sabemos que necesitamos hacer algo diferente, realmente diferente, para ayudar a la gente a reconstruir su propia vida.”

Los investigadores vinculados a este proyecto tienen un interés financiero en la tecnología mencionada en ese artículo. Revise los estudios para obtener una lista completa de autores, divulgaciones y fondos.

###

Información sobre Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic es una organización sin fines de lucro, dedicada a innovar la práctica clínica, la educación y la investigación, así como a ofrecer pericia, compasión y respuestas a todos los que necesitan recobrar la salud. Visite la Red Informativa de Mayo Clinic para leer más noticias sobre Mayo Clinic.

Newswise — A major international study led by a Canadian psychologist sheds light on a hidden phenomenon: how problematic use of pornography is affecting people in different parts of the world, across various genders and sexual orientations.

Published in the journal Addiction, the  research stands out because, among the 82,000 people in 42 countries studied, it looks at groups that were often overlooked in the past, including women and individuals who don’t fit traditional gender categories. 

In their findings, largely based on surveys and questionnaires, UdeM assistant professor of psychology Beáta Bőthe and her colleagues focus on what experts call ‘problematic pornography use’ or PPU,  where people can’t control their use of pornography.

This misuse starts to have serious negative impacts on their lives, including losing jobs or feeling significant distress. Importantly, the study clarifies that feeling guilty for consuming pornography doesn’t necessarily mean someone is actually a problematic user.

As many as 94% of adults

“A lot of people watch pornography,” said Bőthe, whose 79 co-authors include members of the International Sex Survey consortium in the U.S., China, Europe and other parts of the globe.

“In North America, Europe and Australia, 70 to 94 per cent of adults have used pornography at some point in their lives. Before, we knew that men can often become problematic pornography users, but there was little information about how women and people with diverse gender identities are affected, nor how this issue affects people based on their sexual orientation.”

Hers is one of the first studies on pornography to include a wide range of people and to consider different genders and who they are attracted to. Delving into the data, Bőthe and her co-researchers used special analytical tools designed to measure how serious these people’s problem with pornography might be.

They discovered that just over 3 per cent might have a real problem with pornography. Men seemed to have more issues compared to women, but the study didn’t find big differences based on whether people were straight, gay, or bisexual, or reported other sexual orientations. And comparatively few people who might have a problem with pornography ever look for help.

“Our research shows that the problematic pornography use may be more common than many might think and affects a wide range of people,” said Bőthe. “It highlights that while many are struggling, not many seek help. That’s important because it suggests that more work needs to be done to understand and support those who are affected by it.”

Many ways to consume 

Online, there are all kinds of sexually explicit content available, most of it for free. These include:

• Videos and movies. These are perhaps the most common forms of pornography, involving various types of sexual activities portrayed in video format. These can range from amateur recordings to professional productions.
• Images and photographs. These include still images, which can be either photographs or digitally created artwork, depicting nudity or sexual acts.
• Erotic stories and literature. These written materials describe sexual scenarios and fantasies and are found on websites and in online forums.
• Live cam shows. These involve live streaming of sexual acts or erotic performances by individuals or groups, often allowing for viewers to interact with the performers.
• Virtual reality (VR) and interactive content. Advanced technologies are now being used to create immersive and interactive pornographic experiences, often using VR headsets.
• Chat rooms and forums. These platforms facilitate sexually explicit conversations and exchanges, sometimes including the sharing of personal sexual content.
• Animated and hentai content. This includes animated pornography, often with fantasy or exaggerated scenarios, including a subgenre known as ‘hentai’ which is a form of Japanese anime and manga pornography. 

“We didn’t measure what kind of porn people watch, so we don’t know if the watched materials align with a person’s sexual orientation,” said Bőthe. “But we can say that there’s no difference in PPU across people with different sexual orientations, and that men report PPU more frequently than women or gender-diverse individuals.” 

In some cultures, though widely consumed, porn is still considered taboo, and this can have the effect that woman shy away from it more than men, she added. 

Young people, particularly those who have grown up with easy internet access, generally consume more online porn than older generations who did not have such ready access in their formative years. And while most people use porn for seek sexual gratification, others do so out of curiosity, for educational purposes, or as a means to explore their sexuality. 

Influenced by other factors 

People who identify as transgender or non-binary might have specific preferences that are different from cisgender individuals, the study notes. For these people, how they consume  porn can be influenced by factors like seeking representation or exploring gender and sexual identity.

“And even though sexual minority individuals may watch porn more frequently than their heterosexual peers – because it may be more challenging for them to find romantic or sexual partners or because they use porn to learn about their sexuality – they don’t report more problems with their porn use than their heterosexual peers, ” Bőthe said. 

Overall, she concluded, “it’s important to acknowledge that these patterns are influenced by a complex interplay of personal, societal, and cultural factors and can vary widely within groups. And the perception and impact of pornography consumption can vary greatly among individuals within these groups.”

Newswise — The Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC) Center for Integrated Care (CIC) has received nearly $2.6 million in federal grants/funding to work with its partners throughout the state to train behavioral health clinicians, nurses and nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in integrated care and integrated substance use disorder treatment.

The grant, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will extend behavioral health training and treatment in partnership with community-based health centers both within Rutgers Health and throughout New Jersey.

This is the third such HRSA-funded grant for the center—in total $6.5 million.

During this five-year project – called the Expanded Rutgers University Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program – the center will widen programming to include training for licensed counselors, registered nurses and prelicensure professionals, in addition to practitioners already being trained in the original program: advanced practice nurses, psychologists, physician assistants and social workers.

This program adds to the workforce of medical and behavioral health professionals trained to provide effective integrated care and integrated substance use disorder services including for individuals and families affected by opioid use disorder.

This project is led by principal investigator Holly Lister, a psychologist and program coordinator for the center; co-investigator Stephanie Marcello, assistant vice president of academics, integration and innovation at UBHC; and Katie Hilton, a licensed professional counselor and training and consultation specialist at UBHC and in the center.

“Through this full-time program, we can train up to 20 more medical and behavioral health professionals to enter back into our health care system and deliver effective integrated care and integrated addiction treatment to people and families across the state,” Lister said.

The Expanded Rutgers University Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program is a collaboration with the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) and NJMS faculty Jared Walsh, associate program director of the NJMS internal medicine residency program, and Ana Natale, general internal medicine division director and assistant dean for primary care and community initiatives. All fellows will be clinically instructed by Walsh at the University Hospital Ambulatory Care Center in Newark.

The program continues the CIC’s collaboration with the Rutgers School of Social Work. Jamey Lister, associate professor, co-director and New Jersey Director of the Northeast and Caribbean Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Center, leads evaluation, quality improvement efforts and research on clinical outcomes at the clinics and within communities served.

The CIC serves as a hub for integrated care education, training, consultation and clinical service delivery in New Jersey. Along with two other ongoing HRSA grants under the CIC, the Rutgers program feeds the clinical workforce and improves our ability to manage the complex behavioral and physical health needs of community members that experience high rates of chronic medical diseases, substance use, opioid overdoses and drug-related deaths.

Newswise — A collaborative research endeavor by scientists in the Departments of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychology and Neuroscience at the UNC School of Medicine have demonstrated the deleterious effects of chronic cocaine use on the functional networks in the brain.

Their study titled “Network Connectivity Changes Following Long-Term Cocaine Use and Abstinence”, was highlighted by the editor of Journal of Neuroscience in “This Week in The Journal.” The findings show that continued cocaine use affects how crucial neural networks communicate with one another in the brain, including the default mode network (DMN), the salience network (SN), and the lateral cortical network (LCN).

“The disrupted communication between the DMN and SN can make it harder to focus, control impulses, or feel motivated without the drug,” said Li-Ming Hsu, PhD, assistant professor of radiology and lead author on the study. “Essentially, these changes can impact how well they respond to everyday situations, making recovery and resisting cravings more challenging.”

Hsu led this project during his postdoctoral tenure at the Center for Animal MRI in the Biomedical Research Imaging Center and the Department of Neurology. The work provides new insights into the brain processes that underlie cocaine addiction and creates opportunities for the development of therapeutic approaches and the identification of an imaging marker for cocaine use disorders.

The brain operates like an orchestra, where each instrumentalist has a special role crucial for creating a coherent piece of music. Specific parts of the brain need to work together to complete a task. The DMN is active during daydreams and reflections, the SN is crucial for attentiveness, and the CEN, much like a musical conductor, plays a role in our decision-making and problem-solving.

The research was motivated by observations from human functional brain imaging studies suggesting chronic cocaine use alters connectivity within and between the major brain networks. Researchers needed a longitudinal animal model to understand the relationship between brain connectivity and the development of cocaine dependence, as well as changes during abstinence.

Researchers employed a rat model to mimic human addiction patterns, allowing the models to self-dose by nose poke. Paired with advanced neuroimaging techniques, the behavioral approach enables a deeper understanding of the brain’s adaptation to prolonged drug use and highlights how addictive substances can alter the functioning of critical brain networks.

Hsu’s research team used functional MRI scans to explore the changes in brain network dynamics on models that self-administrated cocaine. Over a period of 10 days followed by abstinence, researchers observed significant alterations in network communication, particularly between the DMN and SN.

These changes were more pronounced with increased cocaine intake over the 10 days of self-administration, suggesting a potential target for reducing cocaine cravings and aiding those in recovery. The changes in these networks’ communication could also serve as useful imaging biomarkers for cocaine addiction.

The study also offered novel insights into the anterior insular cortex (AI) and retrosplenial cortex (RSC). The former is responsible for emotional and social processing; whereas, the latter controls episodic memory, navigation, and imagining future events. Researchers noted that there was a difference in coactivity between these two regions before and after cocaine intake. This circuit could be a potential target for modulating associated behavioral changes in cocaine use disorders.

“Prior studies have demonstrated functional connectivity changes with cocaine exposure; however, the detailed longitudinal analysis of specific brain network changes, especially between the anterior insular cortex (AI) and retrosplenial cortex (RSC), before and after cocaine self-administration, and following extended abstinence, provides new insights,” said Hsu.

BYLINE: Christine Grashorn

Newswise — The weight of the opioid crisis is heavy.

From 2006 to 2019, more than 100 metric tons of prescription opioid pain relievers — roughly the weight of a loaded Boeing 757-200 aircraft — were dispensed to individuals across Indiana. Widespread opioid use is leading to devastating socioeconomic and health challenges, but organizations and policymakers working to fix the problem have not had a clear picture of opioid manufacture and travel.

Now, a first-of-its-kind public database developed by researchers at the University of Notre Dame is filling in those details by enabling public access to more than 10 years of national controlled substance transaction information.

The database was created to store the Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS), a collection of more than 550 million detailed opioid transactions that were submitted to the Drug Enforcement Administration by manufacturers and distributors of controlled substances from 2006 to 2019.

“Understanding the root of the drug crisis is crucial for medical professionals, researchers and policymakers to mitigate its impact effectively,” said William Evans, the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Economics and co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO). “This is critical as this crisis has been particularly devastating for certain groups such as those who have been left behind in the economy. With this data, we now have unbelievable detail about the origins of this crisis, and we hope that this information can be part of developing solutions.”

The data for ARCOS became available through Paul Farrell Jr., a 1994 Notre Dame alumnus and co-lead attorney in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation. Although Farrell and his team at Farrell & Fuller had made the secured data publicly available on their firm’s site, the data set was very difficult to work with given its size.

Wanting to make this data more accessible to researchers, policymakers and health professionals, Farrell and the case’s expert witness met with researchers from LEO and Notre Dame’s Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society. Together, they created a plan for transferring the data to the University and gained a deeper understanding of the data.

Researchers from across campus collaborated with Farrell to develop a website where the records could be stored for public use. Evans and Ethan Leiber, the Gilbert F. Schaefer Associate Professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Economics, partnered with the Lucy Family Institute’s Applied Analytics and Emerging Technology Lab (AETL) to facilitate the design and development of the new platform, ARCOS.nd.edu.

The website offers customizable queries that trace the journey of individual prescription opioid purchases, from the state and county of manufacture to distribution within communities where they are dispensed.

Michael Kennel, lead software solutions architect with AETL, developed the user-friendly interface for ARCOS. He hopes that access to the data on ARCOS.nd.edu will provide insights into understanding the rise of opioid misuse in America.

“The opioid crisis has claimed millions of lives. To change that, researchers need an easier way to obtain and analyze the data behind the crisis,” Kennel said.

Nitesh Chawla, founding director of the Lucy Family Institute and the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, noted that the project’s goal to provide user-oriented access to substance abuse transaction data aligns with Notre Dame’s goal of pursuing research that provides discoveries to enhance human well-being. He described the opioid epidemic as “one of society’s wicked problems.”

“Addressing this challenge is central to the mission of the Lucy Family Institute and is aligned with the University’s strategic framework,” Chawla said. “The data itself is not going to save a life, but the results from our collective research using the data can provide impactful data innovations that promote the prosperity of humanity. We are grateful for this collaboration with LEO, as it truly is a story of domain-informed, data-driven research for societal impact.”

This effort also informs a larger data platform initiative that AETL is launching this year, which “aims to scale impact by reducing barriers to access data and leverage advanced machine-learning resources,” said Rick Johnson, managing director of AETL.

The ARCOS website will expand as more information is collected to include additional years. In anticipation of this, the AETL team is continuing to optimize the user experience by developing enhanced query tools and file export options. Kennel explained that “at AETL, the apps that we build may not necessarily have an immediate impact on someone’s life, but we’re enabling people to do things that will have that kind of lasting impact.”

To learn more about future AETL project collaborations, visit the Lucy Family Institute website.

Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, [email protected]

Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958, [email protected]

People who tend to act rashly when upset may be more likely to expect alcohol to affect them—both positively and negatively—and may be more likely to want to drink to improve their mood. Mood changes, whether positive, negative, or neutral, did not alter these beliefs, according to a study of college students published in a recent issue of Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. This study helps to inform further research on the relationship between impulsivity and alcohol misuse.

The study examined the influence of ‘negative urgency’ and different moods on the way people think about and value the effects of alcohol use as well as their cravings for those effects. People with negative urgency, an individual’s behavioral tendency to act impulsively in response to negative emotions, have been found in previous studies to be likely to consume more alcohol when they’re experiencing negative moods.

This online study of four hundred college students was conducted from March 2020 to June 2022. Students were assessed for negative urgency traits and answered questions about their emotional state and their beliefs and values about alcohol and craving before and after engaging in activities designed to influence their mood.

Contrary to the researchers’ expectations, changes in mood did not influence the beliefs of students with negative urgency about the effects drinking would have or their craving for those effects. Students with negative urgency characteristics were more likely to have increased positive and negative expectations around alcohol use as well as increased craving for positive and negative emotional reinforcement from alcohol use, regardless of mood.

Students with negative urgency were more likely to expect that alcohol use would affect them, both in positive ways and negative ways, but they were no more or less likely to consider those effects as good or bad. Students with negative urgency also reported greater desire for the emotional effects of drinking alcohol, such as to cope or to improve their moods.

The study was limited by a fairly homogenous participant pool of primarily White, non-Hispanic college students who were light to moderate drinkers; findings may not be applicable to a more diverse population. The study authors recommend further research to understand which beliefs and values about alcohol are most influenced by negative urgency and which are most associated with problem drinking to provide effective interventions to prevent high-risk drinking.

The influence of negative urgency and mood-inductions on alcohol cognitions. N. R. Wolkowicz, I. F. Augur, L. Ham.

ACER-23-5780.R1

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University of Granada


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https://www.newswise.com/articles/wristbands-detail-air-pollution-exposure/?sc=c125 Thu, 11 Jan 2024 08:05:17 EST Environmental epidemiologists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Oregon State University, Pacific Northwest National Labs, and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, report on the findings of a new study of air pollution exposures collected using personal wristband monitors worn by pregnant individuals in New York City matched with data from a questionnaire. Factors predictive of exposures to air pollution include income, time spent outdoors, maternal age, country of birth, transportation type, and season.
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health


https://www.newswise.com/articles/hepatitis-linked-to-alcohol-increasingly-drove-emergency-department-visits-especially-among-younger-adults-in-recent-years/?sc=c125
https://www.newswise.com/articles/hepatitis-linked-to-alcohol-increasingly-drove-emergency-department-visits-especially-among-younger-adults-in-recent-years/?sc=c125 Tue, 09 Jan 2024 10:00:00 EST Hepatitis linked to alcohol, the most severe form of alcohol-associated liver disease, is increasingly prevalent, severe, and likely to involve emergency departments, according to a new analysis.
Research Society on Alcoholism


https://www.newswise.com/articles/social-anxiety-depression-linked-to-more-negative-alcohol-related-consequences-from-pre-gaming/?sc=c125
https://www.newswise.com/articles/social-anxiety-depression-linked-to-more-negative-alcohol-related-consequences-from-pre-gaming/?sc=c125 Sun, 07 Jan 2024 10:00:00 EST College students with social anxiety may be driven by social motives to ‘pre-game,’ meaning drink prior to a party or event.
Research Society on Alcoholism


https://www.newswise.com/articles/mount-sinai-study-shows-that-human-beliefs-about-drugs-could-have-dose-dependent-effects-on-the-brain/?sc=c125
https://www.newswise.com/articles/mount-sinai-study-shows-that-human-beliefs-about-drugs-could-have-dose-dependent-effects-on-the-brain/?sc=c125 Wed, 03 Jan 2024 10:45:11 EST <img src=”https://nrdblogs.nationalrehabdirectory.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image-8.php” alt=”Newswise image” />Mount Sinai researchers have shown for the first time that a person’s beliefs related to drugs can influence their own brain activity and behavioral responses in a way comparable to the dose-dependent effects of pharmacology.
Mount Sinai Health System


https://www.newswise.com/articles/less-social-media-makes-you-happier-and-more-efficient-at-work/?sc=c125
https://www.newswise.com/articles/less-social-media-makes-you-happier-and-more-efficient-at-work/?sc=c125 Fri, 15 Dec 2023 14:05:36 EST <img src=”https://www.newswise.com/legacy/image.php?image=/images/uploads/2023/12/15/657cada697641_Low-Res20231213KMSocialMediaArbeit-2.jpg&width=100&height=150″ alt=”Newswise image” />If you feel overworked and stressed, you’ll be less committed to your job and perform less well. Many companies are aware of this problem and, therefore, spend money on professionals to look after the mental health of their employees. And yet there’s a much simpler and more cost-effective way to increase satisfaction and efficiency: In a one-week study, just 30 minutes less social media use per day improved the mental health, job satisfaction and commitment of the participants.
Ruhr-Universitat Bochum


https://www.newswise.com/articles/automated-insomnia-intervention-found-to-improve-both-sleep-and-hazardous-alcohol-use/?sc=c125
https://www.newswise.com/articles/automated-insomnia-intervention-found-to-improve-both-sleep-and-hazardous-alcohol-use/?sc=c125 Fri, 15 Dec 2023 10:00:00 EST An online treatment for insomnia may improve both sleep and problem drinking patterns in people who drink heavily, according to a study in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Research Society on Alcoholism


https://www.newswise.com/articles/substance-abuse-stigma-impedes-treatment-in-various-ways-scientists-say/?sc=c125
https://www.newswise.com/articles/substance-abuse-stigma-impedes-treatment-in-various-ways-scientists-say/?sc=c125 Fri, 15 Dec 2023 09:30:07 EST <img src=”https://www.newswise.com/legacy/image.php?image=/images/uploads/2023/12/15/657c69b968da2_Dec23-PSPI-Issue-Featured.jpg&width=100&height=150″ alt=”Newswise image” />Addiction is one of society’s most misunderstood and rebuked health conditions. That stigma discourages many people from seeking treatment for substance dependence, according to a new scientific report.
Association for Psychological Science


https://www.newswise.com/articles/facial-symmetry-doesn-t-explain-beer-goggles/?sc=c125
https://www.newswise.com/articles/facial-symmetry-doesn-t-explain-beer-goggles/?sc=c125 Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:05:00 EST A new study led by the University of Portsmouth in England has tested the hypothesis that people are more likely to find someone attractive while drunk, because their face appears more symmetrical.
University of Portsmouth

According to the CDC, Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) is broadly defined as signs, symptoms, and conditions that continue or develop after acute COVID-19 infection. Long COVID can happen to anyone, whether you’re otherwise healthy or have other health conditions.  Experts don’t know why people get long COVID yet, but we are getting closer.

Stay informed! These are the latest research articles on Long COVID from the Coronavirus News Source on Newswise.

Long COVID-19 is linked to chronic pain conditions

-Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan

Long COVID linked to persistently high levels of inflammatory protein: a potential biomarker and target for treatments

-University of Cambridge

How COVID-19 affects the brain

-Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles RECOVER Study Collaborators Publish Comprehensive Report on Long COVID Symptoms in Children

-Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

BIPOC individuals bear greater post-COVID burdens

-University of Washington School of Medicine

Complement system causes cell damage in Long Covid

-University of Zurich

Study Finds Paxlovid Treatment Does Not Reduce Risk of Long COVID

-University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

‘Long flu’ has emerged as a consequence similar to long COVID

-Washington University in St. Louis

Physical Therapy for Long COVID: Research Shows Patients Benefit

-Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Long COVID happens in nursing homes, too, study finds

-Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan

 

 

Newswise — Buprenorphine, a life-saving medication for opioid use disorder, is far less accessible in geographic areas of the United States with racially and ethnically diverse populations than in predominantly white areas, according to a new study of pre-pandemic data led by health policy scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health published today in Journal of Addiction Medicine. 

The study is among the first to examine buprenorphine access at the local, sub-county level, and the findings point to lack of access to medications for opioid use disorder as a potential contributing reason why overdose deaths are rising most rapidly among Black Americans and Native Americans.

“The degree is rather striking,” said lead author Coleman Drake, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Pitt Public Health. “Access is substantially better in areas that are very white. When you move to areas with even some racial or ethnic diversity, there is a large decline in the geographic availability of buprenorphine prescribers and prescription fills. In areas that are less than 95 % white, for example, there’s a 45 to 50 % drop.” 

The team examined the numbers of buprenorphine prescribers and dispensed buprenorphine prescriptions within geographic regions—ZIP codes and surrounding areas within a 30-minute drive—in 2018.

The more ethnically and racially diverse ZIP codes had 45% to 55% fewer buprenorphine prescribers in urban areas and 62% to 79% fewer prescribers in rural areas. Dispensed prescriptions reflected these inequities, as well, with 51% to 76% fewer dispensed in diverse urban areas and 68% to 87% fewer in diverse rural areas. 

Unfortunately, said Drake, efforts leading up to 2018 to increase the number of buprenorphine prescribers have not resulted in equitable access to this treatment. Addressing these disparities will require a two-fold strategy: increasing the number of buprenorphine prescribers in diverse communities and, particularly in urban areas, promoting increased prescribing among those already prescribing the treatment, he said.  Additional studies are also needed to determine how more recent changes in provider requirements for prescribing buprenorphine, as well as an increase in telehealth flexibilities, have impacted these health disparities.

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About the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health 

Founded in 1948, the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health is a top-ranked institution of seven academic departments partnering with stakeholders locally and globally to create, implement and disseminate innovative public health research and practice. With hands-on and high-tech instruction, Pitt Public Health trains a diverse community of students to become public health leaders who counter persistent population health problems and inequities. 

Newswise — Scientists have long thought of the fluid-filled sac around our lungs merely as a cushion from external damage. Turns out, it also houses potent virus-eating cells that rush into the lungs during flu infections.

Not to be confused with phages, which are viruses that infect bacteria, these cells are macrophages, immune cells produced in the body. 

“The name macrophage means ‘big eater.’ They gobble up bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, and dying cells. Really, anything that looks foreign, they take it up and destroy it,” said UC Riverside virologist Juliet Morrison, who led the discovery team. “We were surprised to find them in the lungs because nobody has seen this before, that these cells go into the lung when there’s an infection.”

A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences details how during an influenza infection, macrophages leave the exterior cavity and cross into the lungs where they decrease inflammation and reduce levels of disease. 

“This study shows it’s not just what happens in the lung that matters, but also what’s outside of the lung. Cell types not normally connected to the lung can have outsized impacts on lung disease and health,” Morrison said. 

There are three main cavities in the body: one around the heart, the abdominal cavity, and the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. “Because it contains fluid, it prevents the lungs from collapsing. However, people have not thought much about the pleural cavity being a whole organ within itself. This research may change that perception,” Morrison said.

Initially, the researchers set out to understand the more general question of what types of cells are present in the lungs during flu infections. They took existing data on lung-related genes from studies of mice that either died from the flu or survived. They then mined the data using an algorithm to predict cell types that change in the lungs during infections. 

“We took big data and broke it down to assign which potential immune cells are in the lung tissues. That’s where I got a hint that maybe we had a previously unknown external source of cells in the lung,” Morrison said. 

Next, using a laser-based technique, the team tracked macrophages going into the lungs of mice, and observed what happened if they took these cells out of the equation. “When you take them out of the mouse you see more disease and more lung inflammation,” Morrison said. 

Morrison says she hopes this study will encourage other scientists to reevaluate data sets from older studies. “Our approach was to take information already out there and put it to new use, and we were able to see something new,” she said. 

Moving forward, the research team is hoping to determine which proteins “tell” the macrophages to move into the lungs. Once the protein signals have been identified, it may be possible to create drugs that boost either the number of macrophages, or their activity.

The strategy of boosting human defenses to infection, rather than developing another antiviral, could offer people a flu treatment that would be more effective for much longer. Morrison became interested in host therapeutics because antibiotic and antiviral resistance to drugs is a growing problem.

This problem occurs when germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. Misuse and overuse of the drugs is accelerating the problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2.8 million drug-resistant infections occur each year in the U.S., and more than 35,000 people die as a result. 

“If we can boost what resolves infection in us, we probably have a better shot. We’re less likely to have resistance. The immune system is so complicated, but it’s our best bet in the long run to work with what we have rather than chase viruses that continue to escape our therapeutics,” Morrison said.