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MD Anderson Research Highlights for December 18, 2024

Newswise — HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. 

Smoking cessation medications are safe and effective for people with depression
Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) are more likely to smoke, leading to higher risks of nicotine addiction and early death from tobacco-related illnesses. To identify the best treatments for quitting, researchers led by George Kypriotakis, Ph.D., and Paul Cinciripini, Ph.D., evaluated the safety and efficacy of three smoking cessation monotherapies previously approved by the Food and Drug Administration – varenicline, bupropion and nicotine patches – on 6,553 participants with current or past MDD. There were no differences in risk of neuro-psychiatric adverse events based on medication among all participants. According to the study, varenicline plus counseling had greater efficacy – continuous abstinence during the nine to 12-week period – and may be the best treatment for individuals with past or current MDD. Participants with current MDD also had reduced anxiety and depression while trying to quit. The study highlights the safety and efficacy of these medications for MDD and emphasizes the continued need for more research to address both untreated depression and nicotine addiction to improve outcomes. Learn more in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Definitive radiotherapy demonstrates effectiveness in metastatic thyroid cancers
Definitive radiotherapy (dRT), intended for long-term disease control, is an effective option for several solid tumors that are oligometastatic, meaning they have limited metastatic lesions, or oligoprogressive, meaning few metastases are progressing. However, the benefit of dRT for metastatic thyroid cancers is largely unknown. Researchers led by Matthew Ning, M.D., examined the use of targeted dRT using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in 119 patients with oligometastatic/oligoprogressive thyroid cancer. Treatment with dRT showed a 91% local control rate for treated sites at three years and was associated with significant delays in the need for systemic therapy, the current standard of care. Only 2.5% of patients experienced grade 3 toxicities, with no higher-grade events. The median time to systemic therapy escalation, which can bring significant adverse effects and impact quality of life, was more than four years. While further studies are needed, this study highlights the potential of dRT in controlling oligometastatic and oligoprogressive thyroid cancers. Learn more in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.  

Targeting signaling pathway may overcome treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer
Many patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer develop resistance to various treatments including first-line chemotherapy, highlighting a need to identify and understand the mechanisms of resistance. To provide insights, researchers led by Yohei Saito, Ph.D., Yi Xiao, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D., examined single-cell transcriptomic data from models of pancreatic cancer and clinical pathological information from patients with pancreatic cancer. They discovered a novel signaling circuit – Yap1 in cancer cells and Cox2 in fibroblasts of tumor microenvironment – that is activated during chemotherapy and helps these cancer cells survive. Co-targeting Yap1 in cancer cells and Cox2 in fibroblasts effectively overcame chemotherapy resistance and significantly extended survival in preclinical models. Interestingly, clinical analyses revealed that patients with pancreatic cancer who received statins, which inhibit Yap1, and aspirin, which targets Cox2, had prolonged survival during chemotherapy. These findings further highlight the therapeutic potential of co-targeting this signaling circuit to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes. Learn more in Cell Discovery. 

ctDNA in appendix cancer reveals new insights for prognosis and treatment 
Appendiceal adenocarcinoma (AA), a rare type of appendix cancer, can be challenging to detect. While it is often treated with surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), better tools are needed to guide patient selection, monitoring and treatment decisions. Researchers led by Michael White, M.D., and John Paul Shen, M.D., analyzed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in AA and identified a unique mutational profile, with TP53 mutations being the most common. They detected ctDNA less frequently in metastatic AA and at lower levels than in colorectal cancer, suggesting that AA sheds less DNA into the bloodstream. Detectable ctDNA was associated with lower survival rates, highlighting ctDNA’s potential as a valuable tool for identifying AA patients with poorer prognoses. This approach could enhance patient selection and monitoring in AA care. Learn more in Clinical Cancer Research.  

TP53 aberrations affect treatment response and survival in myeloid leukemias
TP53 genetic alterations are associated with poor outcomes in myeloid leukemias, but their exact impact on treatment response and survival, considering newer treatment options and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), warrants further evaluation. In a new retrospective study, researchers led by Jayastu Senapati, M.D., D.M., Sanam Loghavi, M.D., and Naval Daver, M.D., analyzed 413 newly diagnosed patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with TP53 mutations. They characterized the relationship between patient outcomes and multiple variables, such as age, disease state, TP53 mutation burden, and therapy received. The study found improved survival outcomes in those with AML and a low-risk TP53 aberration and all patients treated with an HSCT. The overall response rate was 62% and 53% in patients with MDS and AML, respectively. Patients with AML also had higher overall response rates and composite complete response rates when treated with venetoclax, although this did not translate to higher rates of allogeneic HSCT or survival. The comprehensive analysis highlights the importance of knowing a patient’s burden of TP53 aberrations to predict outcomes and determine better therapeutic strategies. Learn more in Haematologica. 

Awards and Honors

MD Anderson at ASH 2024
Read below for highlights from MD Anderson researchers at the 66th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition. More information can be found at MDAnderson.org/ASH.

In case you missed it
Read below to catch up on recent MD Anderson press releases.

Read this press release in the MD Anderson Newsroom.

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Drugmakers Paid PBMs Not to Restrict Opioid Prescriptions

In 2017, the drug industry middleman Express Scripts announced that it was taking decisive steps to curb abuse of the prescription painkillers that had fueled America’s overdose crisis. The company said it was “putting the brakes on the opioid epidemic” by making it harder to get potentially dangerous amounts of the drugs.

The announcement, which came after pressure from federal health regulators, was followed by similar declarations from the other two companies that control access to prescription drugs for most Americans.

The self-congratulatory statements, however, didn’t address an important question: Why hadn’t the middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, acted sooner to address a crisis that had been building for decades?

One reason, a New York Times investigation found: Drugmakers had been paying them not to.

For years, the benefit managers, or P.B.M.s, took payments from opioid manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, in return for not restricting the flow of pills. As tens of thousands of Americans overdosed and died from prescription painkillers, the middlemen collected billions of dollars in payments.

The details of these backroom deals — laid out in hundreds of documents, some previously confidential, reviewed by The Times — expose a mostly untold chapter of the opioid epidemic and provide a rare look at the modus operandi of the companies at the heart of the prescription drug supply chain.

The P.B.M.s exert extraordinary control over what drugs people can receive and at what price. The three dominant companies — Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and Optum Rx — oversee prescriptions for more than 200 million people and are part of health care conglomerates that sit near the top of the Fortune 500 list.

CHLA’s SLAY Program Receives $2 Million Grant to Support Substance Use Prevention and Leadership Training for High School Students

Newswise — Program Manager Alejandra Cortez, LCSW, recognizes that working with high school students is as much about learning as it is about teaching. “When we are working with youth, I see amazing growth both in the students and in my own team,” Cortez explains.

Youth Advocate Dayanara Fonseca agrees. “We have worked with one student since her freshman year,” Fonseca says. “At first, she was really shy. But after a while, she started to become more outgoing, and now she has volunteered for so many outreach events and has spoken publicly about how the program has impacted her.”

Cortez and Fonseca work in the Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Program within Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. For the past five years, Cortez has led what was formerly known as Youth Partnerships for Success and is now called the Student Leaders Advocating for Youth (SLAY) Program. Cortez’s team works with a student leadership group called Youth in Power at two different Alliance charter schools in Northeast Los Angeles to provide substance use and overdose prevention training, as well as mentorship, mental health resources, and career preparation education, to dozens of high school students each year. The program recently received a $2 million grant from the U.S. government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to continue carrying out its work.

 

The SLAY Program involves about 15 to 20 students at Alliance Tennenbaum Family Technology High School each year, and around the same number of students at Alliance Leichtman-Levine Family Foundation Environmental Science High School. “Both schools are in the same area close to Highland Park, but many of the students commute from all over,” Cortez explains. “I’m actually from that neighborhood myself, and that combined with the fact that I previously interned at CHLA while obtaining my Master of Social Work degree is why I was recruited to CHLA.”

Identifying areas of community need

The SLAY Program started out as the Youth Partnerships for Success program in the Fall of 2019, when Cortez’s team applied for and received their first SAMHSA grant supporting the program’s activities. “Our team, which consists of myself, a health educator, and Dayanara, who is a near peer-age youth advocate also from Northeast L.A., would meet with youth at these two schools once a week [and remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic] to determine specific topics on which we would focus our work,” Cortez says.

Selected topics included reducing cannabis and alcohol use, promoting positive mental health and self-care practices, and building resumes. While Fonseca would help to interpret the students’ ideas and concerns, the health educator would offer training sessions to educate students in these areas so that they could then present helpful information to their peers.

“And then once every year, we have a big summit on each school campus that is open to all youth, parents, and community members,” Cortez explains. “The SLAY Program students lead educational panels to inform their classmates on the issues we’ve been studying and to make a positive impact in their community.”

Other program activities have included the creation of a peer-focused zine on substance-use prevention strategies, as well as a community pet drive. “Our program was also involved during Red Ribbon Week at the schools,” Fonseca explains, referring to the largest drug-abuse prevention campaign in the country. “Our students handed out printed resources with information on substance use prevention and hosted activities for their fellow students.”

Sharing accomplishments and looking ahead

As the initial grant funding period neared its end, Cortez’s team applied for a new SAMHSA grant. They also presented their program’s achievements at the SAMHSA national conference in Washington, D.C.

In August 2024, they were awarded a new $2 million grant. “We’re hoping that with this new grant, we’ll be able to expand on the work that our past students accomplished,” Cortez says. “Our vision is for our students to have the tools and resources needed to become experts who can lead structural change on their campuses.”

One of the SLAY Program’s new goals is to create a resource guide that directs students to therapists and community-based support agencies. Cortez also wants to place more emphasis on addressing mental health challenges and how these issues intersect with substance use. “We want to take a harm reduction approach to our sessions, focusing on what particular substances do to your body and how people who are already using these substances can access resources to reduce their dependence on them,” she explains.

 

This work will also involve education on the use of naloxone, a medicine that can quickly reverse an opioid overdose. “We’re working with the schools to get youth trained to administer naloxone and to have more open conversations about opioid use prevention,” Cortez says. “In the large Latino community in Northeast L.A., many people might not be open to talking about these issues, but we want to change that.”

Fonseca also appreciates the work of the program to open new conversations in Northeast L.A. “Witnessing people in my community who are passionate about substance use prevention is something that I hadn’t seen before,” she says. “It’s really fulfilling to see that youth today are actively working with their schools and with us to enact change.”

The SLAY Program also works collaboratively with another student group led through CHLA, the Collective of Youth Leaders. This group is primarily focused on naloxone training and opioid overdose prevention and advocacy in several areas throughout Los Angeles.

Cortez looks to the future of the SLAY Program with excitement. “It’s such a privilege to get to work in the community where I grew up,” she says. “Our hope is to continue highlighting the value that young folks bring to the table and ensuring that their schools and communities listen to them, which can lead to enormously positive changes.”

 

Rutgers Institute Celebrates 10 Years of Advancing Neuroscience and Brain Health Research

Original post: Newswise - Substance Abuse Rutgers Institute Celebrates 10 Years of Advancing Neuroscience and Brain Health Research

BYLINE: Tongyue Zhang

Members of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI), which brings together one of the world’s highest concentrations of neuroscience labs, celebrated 10 years of advancing brain health through research with an awards ceremony.

The institute includes more than 300 faculty and 900 trainees from 33 departments and 14 schools throughout Rutgers University. 

Over the past 10 years, BHI has established five Centers of Excellence and initiated two new centers focused on pain and neurotechnology.

Researchers at these centers study complex brain disorders:

Since its inception, BHI has expanded neuroscience funding at Rutgers. Institute leaders have recruited more than 40 faculty throughout Rutgers.

Funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for Rutgers neuroscientists has more than doubled since 2015, with BHI-recruited faculty securing more than $80 million in extramural funding through 2024. Notably, Rutgers and Princeton faculty recently received a $16 million Silvio O. Conte Center P50 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health in August.

“In its first decade, the Brain Health Institute has not only strengthened Rutgers Health but also brought real benefits to the people of New Jersey and beyond,” said Rutgers Health Chancellor Brian Strom during the  10th Annual BHI Symposium in mid-November.

Celebrating Faculty Excellence

BHI marked its 10th anniversary with the 2024 Research & Service Awards ceremony held on Dec. 10 at the Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick. The ceremony celebrated BHI faculty for their outstanding research and service contributions. Award recipients included:

  • Early Career Faculty “Rising Star” Research Excellence Award: Anna Konova, assistant professor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) and co-director of the Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computational Cognitive Neuro-Psychiatry.
  • Mid-Career Faculty “Shining Star” Research Excellence Award: Victoria Abraira, assistant professor of cell biology and neuroscience in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers–New Brunswick.
  • Senior Faculty “Super Star” Research Excellence Awards: Dipak Sarkar and Laszlo Zaborszky, Distinguished Professors from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers–New Brunswick and the School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers–Newark, respectively.
  • BHI “Outstanding Service” Award: Chiara Manzini, associate professor of neuroscience and cell biology in RWJMS.

“These awards and our 10th anniversary highlight the transformative impact of BHI’s faculty and programs,” said Gary Aston-Jones, director of BHI and the Murray and Charlotte Strongwater Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and Brain Health. “Our faculty’s research continues to address critical challenges in brain health, and our interdisciplinary approach fosters collaboration across Rutgers and beyond.”

The Global Divide Between Longer Life and Good Health

Original post: Newswise - Substance Abuse The Global Divide Between Longer Life and Good Health

Rochester, Minn. — People around the globe are living longer — but not necessarily healthier — lives, according to Mayo Clinic research. A study of 183 World Health Organization (WHO) member countries found those additional years of life are increasingly fraught with disease. This research by Andre Terzic, M.D., Ph.D., and Armin Garmany documents a widening gap between lifespan and healthspan. Their paper is published in JAMA Network Open.

“The data show that gains in longevity are not matched with equivalent advances in healthy longevity. Growing older often means more years of life burdened with disease,” says Dr. Terzic, senior author. “This research has important practice and policy implications by bringing attention to a growing threat to the quality of longevity and the need to close the healthspan-lifespan gap.”

Dr. Terzic is the Marriott Family Director, Comprehensive Cardiac Regenerative Medicine for the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics and Marriott Family Professor of Cardiovascular Research at Mayo Clinic.

Lifespan-healthspan gap largest in the U.S.

Life expectancy, or lifespan, increased from 79.2 to 80.7 years in women and from 74.1 to 76.3 years in men between 2000 and 2019, according to WHO estimates. Healthspan describes the number of years a person has lived a healthy, active, disease-free life. However, the number of years those people were living in good health did not correspondingly increase. The average global gap in lifespan versus healthspan was 9.6 years in 2019, the last year of available statistics. That represents a 13% increase since 2000.

The U.S. recorded the world’s highest average lifespan-health span divide, with Americans living 12.4 years on average with disability and sickness. This increase from 10.9 years in 2000 comes as the U.S. also reported the highest burden of chronic disease. Mental health, substance use disorders and musculoskeletal conditions were the key contributors to illness nationally.

In addition, the study found a 25% gender disparity worldwide. Across 183 surveyed countries, women experienced a 2.4-year larger gap in lifespan versus healthspan than men. Neurological, musculoskeletal, urinary and genital tract disorders contributed to extended years of poor health among women.

“The widening healthspan-lifespan gap globally points to the need for an accelerated pivot to proactive wellness-centric care systems,” says Armin Garmany, first author and an M.D./Ph.D. student in Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “Identifying contributors to the gap unique to each geography can help inform healthcare interventions specific to each country and region.”

Healthspan research

The Mayo Clinic research team studied statistics from the WHO Global Health Observatory. This cross-sectional study provided data on life expectancy, health-adjusted life expectancy, years lived with disease and years of life lost among member states. The healthspan-lifespan gap for each member state was calculated by subtracting health-adjusted life expectancy from life expectancy.

The research team recommends additional exploration of demographic, health and economic characteristics to better define the disease patterns that are shaping the lifespan-healthspan disparities. Funding for the paper was provided by the Marriott Family Foundation, National Institutes of Health and National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. 

New Study: Peer-Brokered Sales Central to Illegal Drug Trade

Newswise — The thought of illegal drug sales evokes images of deals done on shady street corners. But a new study from Case Western Reserve University exposes a critical but underreported element of the illegal drug market: so-called “peer-brokered” sales.

Peer-brokered sales, in which people buy drugs for others within their social circles and take a cut—either as a share of the drugs or money by inflating the price—play a widespread and vital role in the distribution of illegal substances, according to the new study.

The research, recently published in the journal Contemporary Drug Problems, was based on a survey of 241 active drug users in Ohio. Instead of buying drugs directly from dealers, many users rely on friends or peers—often referred to as brokers—to buy drugs for them.

The study found that 71% of respondents had brokered a drug transaction in the past month, and 90% had done so at some point. On average, brokers bought drugs from four different sellers and acted as intermediaries for seven buyers.

The findings challenge the conventional view of drug markets as isolated transactions, highlighting the importance of social networks in facilitating access to illegal substances, said Lee Hoffer, associate professor of anthropology at Case Western Reserve University’s College of Arts and Sciences and the study’s co-author.

“Brokering reshapes the way we think about drug markets,” said Hoffer, who was joined in the research by Allison Schlosser, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Nebraska Omaha. “Instead of isolated sellers and buyers, we see interconnected networks of people exchanging drugs in a way that can drive demand and expand access.”

The study also examined the motivation of brokering, with 84% of brokers using drugs themselves. Nearly half admitted to inflating prices or skimming a portion of the drugs. For many brokers, these exchanges allow them to obtain drugs for free, further complicating traditional approaches to drug-market regulation.

The consequence of peer-brokered sales, Hoffer said, is that it challenges conventional approaches to attacking the illegal drug trade.

“Attempts at supply-and-demand reduction, such as law-enforcement crackdowns, have not proven effective,” he said. “We need new strategies that focus on understanding and addressing the social networks that drive the market.”

The study, which also includes input from syringe-service programs in Ohio, identifies the need for a more comprehensive approach to drug-market intervention—one that incorporates the role of peer brokers.

Hoffer said that, as new drugs emerge and drug-use patterns shift, understanding these networks will be crucial for policymakers hoping to disrupt drug-trafficking.

“If we want more effective public-health strategies, we need to gain a more robust idea of how drug-brokering plays a role,” Hoffer said.

For more information, contact Colin McEwen at [email protected].

Curious by Nature: Dr. Deborah Padgett – There Is a Solution to Homelessness

Newswise — Dr. Deborah Padgett, a renowned researcher from New York University, is leading the charge in rethinking the U.S. approach to homelessness. In her groundbreaking research, Dr. Padgett delves into the complex issues facing individuals experiencing homelessness, from mental health challenges to substance addiction. While the debate surrounding homelessness often becomes mired in stigma and politics, Dr. Padgett is determined to separate fact from assumption and find effective solutions based on solid evidence.

Through her studies, Dr. Padgett focuses on practical, evidence-backed approaches to combat homelessness. One key area of her research is examining the impact of housing vouchers and assistance programs in stabilizing lives. Her team works to quantify the effectiveness of these initiatives, providing data that proves housing-first solutions are not just theoretical but highly actionable. Dr. Padgett’s work is pivotal in demonstrating that there is, indeed, a solution to homelessness—and it is not only possible but achievable with the right policies and support systems in place.

The latest episode of the Curious by Nature podcast, titled “There Is a Solution to Homelessness and It’s Doable” featuring Dr. Deborah Padgett is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcast.

Curious by Nature, presented by Newswise, is a podcast for curious people. In each episode, listeners can travel briefly into the fascinating world that comes with years of dedication to one field of study. Be inspired by the many amazing things that are going on right now, some of which may have a major effect on our lives. Enjoy this concentrated knowledge from experts. We hope you can take inspiration from glimpses of innovation, dedication, and discovery.

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Spotify Podcast: https://bit.ly/3ZJ78pO
Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/4g0Fvy6

 

 

CWRU’s Begun Center partners with county Medical Examiner’s Office to launch pilot drug-testing program

In a new collaboration, Case Western Reserve University’s Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education has partnered with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office (CCMEO) to launch a pilot program designed to help curb fatal overdose trends.

This new initiative involves lab testing syringes collected from syringe service programs—also known as “needle exchanges”—at The Centers and MetroHealth System. Researchers hope to gain insights into the drug use behaviors of people participating in harm reduction services.

That’s the key to developing more effective public health interventions, said Daniel Flannery, the Dr. Semi J. and Ruth Begun Professor and director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education, who is part of a team of researchers representing CWRU.

While the CCMEO conducts thorough testing on fatal overdose cases and law enforcement drug seizures, understanding the substances used by individuals in syringe service programs can offer a clearer picture of current drug trends and potential risks, Flannery added.

“The testing of syringes is an important harm reduction tool that helps us better understand the gap between what people think they’re using and what they’re actually using,” he said. “This program will help track changes in the local drug supply and improve how we educate, prevent and treat substance use.”

Since its launch this fall, more than 120 syringes have been tested, and participants have received valuable feedback about the substances in their illicit drugs. This information is critical in reducing harm and preventing overdose deaths, particularly as the local drug supply continues to shift. The initiative is part of a CDC-funded effort to limit overdose fatalities and improve local health outcomes. The ambitious study also includes collaboration with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) and is funded by the CDC’s Overdose Data to Action program.

 “The partnership with the Begun Center provides an essential evaluation of this program’s effectiveness,” said Thomas Gilson, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. “By comparing the drug use patterns of those utilizing harm reduction services to overdose victims, we can enhance our public health response to the opioid epidemic.”

For more information, please contact Colin McEwen at [email protected].

Rats on Cocaine: When Aversion is Not Enough

Original post: Newswise - Substance Abuse Rats on Cocaine: When Aversion is Not Enough

EL PASO, Texas (Dec. 3, 2024) – Consuming addictive substances often involves an unpleasant experience, like using a needle, ingesting a bitter substance or inhaling smoke. These distasteful experiences — known as aversive cues — and our initial reactions to them are pivotal to understanding who will become an addict, said University of Texas at El Paso biologist Travis Moschak, Ph.D.

“Aversive cues matter from the very first exposure,” Moschak said. But until now, he said, there hasn’t been a good animal model to study this concept. 

Moschak is the lead author of a new study published this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependencethat describes a novel approach for rats to self-administer cocaine and encounter aversion from that very first “high.” 

The study found widely varying responses in rats, revealing that individual reactions to the unpleasant aspects of drug consumption can be important in determining susceptibility to addiction.

Moschak explained that nearly 30 rats were given the opportunity to self-administer small doses of cocaine by poking their nose into a designated hole. Each dose of cocaine was preceded by a small, bitter-tasting dose of quinine, a substance that is safe for rats and commonly used to impart the bitter flavor in tonic water. The study measured the rats’ response to the mixed positive-negative experience of the cocaine and quinine and gauged whether their dislike of the quinine outweighed the impact of the cocaine.  

After having the opportunity to self-administer the cocaine, Moschak said that three distinct patterns became evident among the rats. One group responded strongly to the quinine and stopped self-administering the cocaine entirely, which can be compared to the experience of a person who tries a drug, has a negative experience, and never does it again. A second group started off consuming the cocaine in low doses but gradually increased their consumption, indicating that the quinine did not deter them enough to stop. A third, unexpected group began the study with heavy cocaine consumption but then gradually leveled off.

“The third group surprised us,” Moschak said. “They seemed to have over-indulged and the combination of too much cocaine and too much aversive stimulus took over.”

While previous studies have explored the relationship between aversive cues and drug use, Moschak’s research is the first to study them as a paired experience from the very first instance of drug use, he said.

“These findings could help explain why some individuals develop substance use disorders while others do not, and future studies may uncover genetic or neural differences that could guide targeted treatments,” Moschak said.

The rats were taken off of the cocaine at the conclusion of the study and were unharmed by the experience, the team said. Future research will examine the brain regions in the rats that are active during drug use with an aversive cue and seek to understand the genetic or biological differences behind the rats’ differing experiences. 

“This is a fascinating study with great potential to help us better understand and address drug abuse in people,” said Robert Kirken, Ph.D., dean of the College of Science. “With further study, this research could lead to better ways to prevent and treat addiction.”

The cocaine used in the study was procured through the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Drug Supply Program, which supplies restricted substances for the purpose of research.

About The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.

New Report: Life Expectancy Years Shorter in the United States Compared to the United Kingdom

Original post: Newswise - Substance Abuse New Report: Life Expectancy Years Shorter in the United States Compared to the United Kingdom

Newswise — A new report from the Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that life expectancy in the United States is, on average, 78.6 years versus 81.3 years in England and Wales, an overall 2.7-year difference.  

The analysis, which reviewed causes of death based on newly released 2023 data, found that preventable causes—heart disease, overdose, firearm violence, and motor vehicle crashes—explain the almost three-year gap in life expectancy.

The report, A Tale of Two Countries: The Life Expectancy Gap Between the United States and the United Kingdom, offers evidence-based solutions from Johns Hopkins public health experts to close this gap and to increase lifespans in the U.S. 

The report is set to be announced by Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, at the seventh annual Bloomberg American Health Summit in Washington, D.C. The Summit convened public health leaders, government officials, community organizations, researchers, and students to discuss the urgent need to uphold evidence-based health policies to improve life expectancy in a politically divided country.

“There is simply no good reason why people in the U.S. can expect to die nearly three years earlier than their counterparts across the Atlantic,” says Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD, director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and vice dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Bloomberg School. “If we choose programmatic and policy solutions based on evidence, we will close this gap.”

In 1984, life expectancy in the U.S. and the U.K. was the same. But the gap has widened over time, peaking in 2022 during the pandemic with a difference of 4.7 years, as the two countries have taken different directions on health and social policy on issues that include dietary sodium, firearm policy, addiction treatment, injury prevention, COVID-19, and health care. The U.S. health care system is particularly unable to deliver needed preventive services equitably and at scale.

The report found the life expectancy gap is due to the following:

  • Cardiovascular disease: Cardiovascular disease, which is linked to environmental factors, structural conditions, and lifestyle choices, represents the largest contributor to the life expectancy gap. The U.S. death rate due to cardiovascular health issues is 38% greater than that of England and Wales.
  • Overdose deaths: Overdose is the second leading contributor to the gap. The U.S. overdose death rate is more than three times greater than England and Wales—31.6 per 100,000 versus 9.3 per 100,000. 
  • Gun-related deaths: The death rate for firearm-related homicides and suicides is 13.3 deaths per 100,000 in the U.S. compared to 0.1 per 100,000 in England and Wales. Ninety individuals died from firearm-related causes in England and Wales in 2023 compared to more than 45,000 in the United States. 
  • Motor vehicle crashes: The death rate from motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. is six times greater than the rate in England and Wales—13.3 per 100,000 versus 2.2 per 100,000 in England and Wales. 

COVID-19 and cancer offset some of the life expectancy gap between the two countries. The death rate for COVID-19 in the U.S. was 12 per 100,000 compared to 13.8 per 100,000 in England and Wales. For cancer-related deaths, the U.S. had a lower rate of 147.2 per 100,000 compared to 186.1 in England and Wales.

The new report is a follow-up to a 2022 report from the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, which detailed actions the U.S. can take to address declining life expectancy.

The new report draws from preliminary 2023 mortality data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and final 2023 data from the United Kingdom Office for National Statistics. Available U.K. data includes England and Wales, which represent about 90% of the population, but not Scotland or Northern Ireland. While the U.S. has about five times more people than the U.K. and greater per capita income, the age distributions and several other demographic factors are similar.

Younger Americans, Men Die Before U.K. Counterparts

For younger Americans, the researchers found even larger gaps in life expectancy between the U.S. and the U.K. Firearm-related homicide and suicide rates are 485.9 times higher for people under age 25 in the U.S. compared to England and Wales. Drug overdose rates are 4.5 times higher in the U.S. for people under age 25. 

Men overall had the largest age gap in life expectancy, a difference of 3.4 years, and lower life expectancy overall. Men living in the U.S. have a life expectancy of 75.9 years, while those in England and Wales have a life expectancy of 79.3 years. Women have a difference of 1.9 years, with the U.S. having a life expectancy of 81.3 years compared with 83.2 years in England and Wales. 

In the new report, researchers also highlight health policies, some in place in the U.K., that can address the key areas they found to be responsible for the life expectancy gap between the two countries. These include:

  • Reducing cardiovascular disease by prioritizing clinical and population-based solutions including increasing access to treatment for hypertension, increasing access to more nutritious food, reducing sodium through food policy, and providing more opportunities for physical activity.
  • Reducing overdose-related deaths by expanding access to treatment for opioid use disorder, such as methadone, in the U.S. through community pharmacies and correctional facilities.
  • Reducing gun homicides and gun-related suicides by limiting access to gun ownership through Firearm Purchaser Licensing and Extreme Risk Protection Orders, both popular policies that have been shown to reduce violence or self-harm.
  • Reducing teen suicides by building a national community mental health infrastructure that allows for ongoing investment in mental health care services, especially in rural and historically underserved areas.
  • Reducing motor vehicle crashes by incorporating intelligent speed technology that alerts drivers when they are over the speed limit, enforcing penalties for impaired driving, and including a hazard perception test as part of driver licensing requirements.

“This analysis tells a story of how preventable disease is responsible for the U.S. falling behind in life expectancy,” says Alison Gemmill, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Bloomberg School and lead researcher on the analysis of the study. “What we do with this information will determine whether this gap grows or shrinks over time.”

Contributors to A Tale of Two Countries: The Life Expectancy Gap Between the United States and the United Kingdominclude Joshua Sharfstein, Alison Gemmill, Lawrence Appel, Sonia Angell, Brendan Saloner, Josh Horwitz, Silvia Villareal, Kiara Alvarez, and Johnathan Ehsani.

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