Feature Channels: Drugs and Drug Abuse

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For the last decade, people who use drugs in Quebec have been partially sheltered from Canada’s drug overdose epidemics. But since 2020, the picture has changed.

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The invention of a tool capable of unlocking previously impossible organic chemical reactions has opened new pathways in the pharmaceutical industry to create effective drugs more quickly.

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A machine learning algorithm performs well in predicting the risk of persistent opioid use after hand surgery, reports a study in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

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Kabrena Rodda, manager of the Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation Group at PNNL, received the distinction of ACS Fellow.

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When you pick up a prescription or get a vaccination, it’s paramount that you trust the medication is safe. In the U.S., a system of laws, procedures, and personal responsibility combine to ensure drug safety, or pharmacovigilance.

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At a glance: New research explains how herpes simplex virus can develop resistance to antiviral medicines. Study shows that movements in specific parts of a protein that enable viral replication can alter susceptibility to drugs The findings answer long-standing questions about viral drug resistance and can inform new approaches to designing more effective therapies.

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Irvine, Calif., Aug. 20, 2024 — A team of researchers led by the University of California, Irvine has discovered that an antioxidant found in rosemary extract can reduce volitional intakes of cocaine by moderating the brain’s reward response, offering a new therapeutic target for treating addiction. The study, recently published online in the journal Neuron, describes team members’ focus on a region of the brain called the globus pallidus externus, which acts as a gatekeeper that regulates how we react to cocaine.

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University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, announced today the appointment of Kelly Dunn, PhD, MBA, one of the nation’s leading researchers on opioid use disorder, as the inaugural Director of the School’s Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine

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FAU joins the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Combating Opioid Crises. This pilot project, involving more 80 organizations, aims to enhance coordination and address addiction challenges through collaboration among public, private and nonprofit sectors.

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Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen may be a simple way to reduce the risk of postoperative delirium. Combining two common blood tests may help doctors identify pregnant women who are at higher risk for life-threatening preeclampsia.

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A research team – co-led by Penn Nursing – has made a significant breakthrough in understanding the complex neural circuitry underlying reward and addiction by identifying 34 distinct subtypes of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain region involved in pleasure and motivation. The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports by Nature, offer insights into the diversity of these neurons and their potential roles in substance use disorders.

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In a preliminary study with a small number of humans, rabbits and mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center say they have developed four new regimens that have the potential to treat and save the lives of people with multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculous (TB) meningitis.

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In the past two decades, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment, showing promising results against various solid tumors. This study reviews recent developments in ICIs, focusing on new targets like T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM-3), and lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3). These targets aim to overcome resistance mechanisms limiting the effectiveness of current therapies, such as anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4. By identifying and developing these new ICIs, researchers hope to improve treatment outcomes and provide new therapeutic options for cancer patients.