Drug Facts in Media

Potentially life-saving steroids commonly given to preterm babies also increase the risk of long-term cardiovascular problems, but a new study in rats has found that if given in conjunction with statins, their positive effects remain while the potential negative side-effects are 'weeded out'.

Craving is known to be a key factor in substance use disorders and can increase the likelihood of future drug use or relapse. Yet its neural basis -- or, how the brain gives rise to craving -- is not well understood. In a new study, researchers from have identified a stable brain pattern, or neuromarker, for drug and food craving.

In an effort to identify a more universal treatment for drug overdose, a team of scientists tested a chemical compound -- Pillar[6]MaxQ (P6AS) -- as an antidote for methamphetamine and fentanyl. Their findings were highly promising.

Simultaneous cannabis and alcohol use, defined as using both substances at the same time so their effects overlap, increased in adults from 2008 to 2019, according to new research. Shifts in cannabis legislation have raised questions about unintended effects on cannabis and alcohol use patterns, whereby policy changes might lead people to use both substances. Until now, the relationships between recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) and changes in simultaneous cannabis/alcohol use prevalence had remain untested.

Researchers have modified a yeast cell to sense the active substances in cannabis and get it to turn red when it does. The result paves the way for more actors to discover new medicinal substances and for a new type of drug test that can be done with a smartphone.

A collaboration of scientists found a novel way to render benign the worst side effects of fentanyl.

Scientists have successfully identified the urinary biomarkers of an emerging subclass of synthetic cannabinoids, called OXIZID, to monitor potential abuse.

Pregnant women living in U.S. states where cannabis is legal must be screened for the drug, for the health of both mother and baby, claim scientists who in a new national study have found that they are far more likely to use the substance.

States that legalized recreational cannabis saw a slight population-level uptick in alcohol consumption that was largely driven by young adults and men, according to new research.

The use of cannabis may have a negative impact on outcomes for a common bypass surgery, a study suggests. Patients who used cannabis prior to lower extremity bypass had decreased patency, meaning the graft had a higher chance of becoming blocked or occluded, higher rate of amputation and opioid use after discharge.

New research has found no evidence that cannabidiol (CBD) reduces the negative effects of cannabis.

Currently, various classes of drugs are available for the treatment of mental illnesses -- such as depression and anxiety disorders. However, although these drugs confer benefits, they are also associated with adverse side-effects. Conseqeuntly, medical researchers continuously thrive to improve the pharmacological properties of therapeutic agents to optimize the benefit-to-side-effect ratio.

Airway inflammation and emphysema are more common in marijuana smokers than cigarette smokers, according to a new study. Researchers said the difference may be due to the way that marijuana is smoked and the fact that marijuana smoke enters the lungs unfiltered.

A breakthrough discovery could have major implications for the nation's opioid epidemic by becoming a relapse prevention vaccine for people trying to quit using opioids.

Common gut bacteria can enhance the effects of cocaine in mice, researchers report. Their study demonstrates how cocaine use supports the growth of the bacteria, which in turn eat up a chemical, glycine, that contributes to normal brain function. As levels of glycine become depleted, mice exhibit a higher response to the drug with behavior abnormalities, such as significantly increasing drug-induced locomotion and seeking behaviors.

Public health researchers have found that the prevalence of school discipline and school policing -- core elements of the school-to-prison pipeline -- predict subsequent school-average levels of substance use and developmental risk.