AMA Urges Safety And Common Sense In Schoolies Week, Australia
AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that Schoolies Week is a traditional celebration for students after a tough year, but it is also a time of high health risk for young people. Dr Hambleton, a Brisbane GP, said the focus has been on preventing the risks of alcohol and binge drinking but students should be equally careful and cautious about their sexual health. ...more
21 Nov 2009
Mathematical Abilities Examined In Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have a number of cognitive deficits, but mathematical ability seems particularly damaged. Little is known about the brain structures related to mathematical deficits in children with FASD. A new study that used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate the relationship between mathematical skills and brain white matter structure in children with FASD supports the importance of the left parietal area for mathematical tasks. ...more
20 Nov 2009
Why Can't Some People Give Up Cocaine?
Drug dependency is a recurrent but treatable kind of addiction. However, not all people who are drug dependent progress in the same way once they stop taking drugs. A new study shows that, in the case of cocaine, a high score on the so-called 'scale of craving', an antisocial personality type and previous heroin abuse are the factors most commonly involved in people falling back into the habit. ...more
20 Nov 2009
Increased Risk Of Seizures Faced By Current Cigarette Smokers
A recent study determined there is a significant risk of seizure for individuals who currently smoke cigarettes. Boston-based researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School also found that long-term, moderate intake of caffeine or alcohol does not increase the chance of having a seizure or developing epilepsy. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Alkermes Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study Of ALKS 33 For The Treatment Of Alcohol Dependence
Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) announced the initiation of a phase 2 clinical study of ALKS 33, an investigational oral opioid modulator for the potential treatment of alcohol dependence and other central nervous system disorders. The study will assess the safety and efficacy of multiple doses of ALKS 33 in patients with alcohol dependence and is designed to further define the clinical profile of ALKS 33. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Coed College Housing Connected To Frequent Binge Drinking
A new study in the Journal of American College Health finds that students placed by their universities in coed housing are 2.5 times more likely to binge drink each week than students placed in all-male or all-female housing. More than 500 students from five college campuses around the country participated in the study: 42 percent of students in coed housing reported binge drinking on a weekly basis. ...more
18 Nov 2009
Studies Suggest Parental Monitoring Can Help Decrease Adolescent Marijuana Use
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug by adolescents, with almost 42% of high school seniors admitting to having experimented with it. Continued marijuana use may result in a number of serious consequences including depression, cognitive impairment, cardiovascular disease, and certain forms of cancer. As such, it is critical to prevent marijuana use by adolescents and numerous behavioral and medical scientists have been trying to establish the best means of prevention. ...more
18 Nov 2009
Research On College Students' Drinking Beliefs And Behavior
Unrealistic optimism about drinking behavior can lead to later alcohol-related problems, according to research published in the current issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (PSPB), the official monthly journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Researchers interviewed 800 college students several times over the course of two years about whether their drinking resulted in hangovers, memory loss or trouble with police. ...more
18 Nov 2009
Publication Of First Ever Large-Scale Study Of Ketamine Users
The first ever large-scale, longitudinal study of ketamine users has been published online in the journal Addiction. With Ketamine (K, Special K) use increasing faster than any other drug in the UK (British Crime Survey, 2008) this research showing the consequences of repeated ketamine use provides valuable information for users and addiction professionals alike. ...more
17 Nov 2009
Impact Fusion International Develops Caffeine Free 2 Ounce Hangover Relief Drink
Impact Fusion International (PINKSHEETS: IFUS) announced it has developed a natural caffeine free "hangover" relief beverage to be sold in a 2 ounce shot. The beverage will contain Impact Fusion International's proprietary blend Nutri-Mastic™. The product has been developed for a U.S.-based multimillion dollar beverage company with distribution in more than half of the United States Market. ...more
17 Nov 2009
Public Health Experts Call On The Scottish Parliament To Do The Right Thing And Introduce Minimum Pricing For Alcohol
At the Faculty of Public Health Scottish conference in Peebles, delegates called on the Scottish and UK governments to introduce new measures to curb binge drinking, anti-social behaviour and to tackle Scotland's increasing alcohol-related health problems. Scotland has one of the fastest growing chronic liver disease rates in the world, and one in three divorces is linked to alcohol problems. 65,000 children under 16 are estimated to be living with parents with alcohol problems. ...more
16 Nov 2009
AMA Takes On Social Issues, Backs Reform, Rebuts 100-Year Trend
After a century of health-reform opposition - with highlights such as coining the term "socialized medicine," - the American Medical Association is now supporting Democrats' overhaul efforts, as well as taking on a few one taboo social issues, NPR's Health Blog reports. ...more
16 Nov 2009
FDA To Look Into Safety Of Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages
The Food and Drug Administration today notified nearly 30 manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages that it intends to look into the safety and legality of their products. "The increasing popularity of consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages by college students and reports of potential health and safety issues necessitates that we look seriously at the scientific evidence as soon as possible," said Dr. ...more
15 Nov 2009
Expert On Risks Of Alcholic Energy Drinks Available
Emergency physician Mary Claire O'Brien, M.D., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, has done extensive research on the risks and dangers of alcoholic energy drinks (AEDs). She is available to comment on her research which has been cited in the ongoing effort by state attorneys general to ban the drinks. On Nov. 13, the FDA asked 30 munaufacturers of AEDs to provide safety data related to adding caffeine and other stimulants to their products. ...more
14 Nov 2009
$17 Million To UC San Diego For Methamphetamine/AIDS Research
Igor Grant, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues have been awarded a $17 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to establish the Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research Center (TMARC) at UC San Diego. Grant is director of the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC), a clinical research center designated and funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. ...more
14 Nov 2009
Shock Figures Highlight Prevalence Of Alcohol-Related Problems, UK
Millions of people across the UK could be putting themselves at risk of alcohol related violence, casual sex or blackouts, according to an ICM poll carried out on behalf of the Priory Group. 61% of people questioned had been adversely affected following a night's heavy drinking. The most common occurrence was not being able to remember what had happened the night before. ...more
13 Nov 2009
Use Of Performance Enhancers By Athletes More Likely To Lead To Abuse Of Alcohol, Other Drugs
College athletes who use performance-enhancing substances may be at heightened risk of misusing alcohol and using recreational drugs as well, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The study, of 234 male athletes at one university, found that those who used performance enhancers -- ranging from steroids to stimulants to weight-loss supplements -- were more likely to admit to heavy drinking and using drugs like marijuana and cocaine. ...more
Dieters Can Experience Neurobiological Similarities Of Drug Addicts And Alcoholics
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that intermittent access to foods rich in fat and sugar induces changes in the brain which are comparable to those observed in drug dependence. The findings, reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may explain how abstinence from these foods contributes to relapse eating among dieters as well as related eating disorders. ...more
11 Nov 2009
Nicotinic Receptor Deletion Could Result In Developmental Delay
The loss of a gene through deletion of genetic material on chromosome 15 is associated with significant abnormalities in learning and behavior, said a consortium of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online in the journal Nature Genetics. "This research goes about 95 percent of the way to pinning these problems in a specific group of individuals to this gene," said Dr. Arthur L. Beaudet, chair of molecular and human genetics at BCM. ...more