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Li Y, Wang Y, Mei R, Lv B, Zhao X, Bi L, Xu H, Chen L. Hydrogel-Coated SERS Microneedles for Drug Monitoring in Dermal Interstitial Fluid. ACS Sens 2024. [PMID: 38696667 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
In vivo drug monitoring is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness and safety of drug treatment. Blood sampling and analysis is the current gold standard but needs professional skills and cannot meet the requirements of point-of-care testing. Dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) showed great potential to replace blood for in vivo drug monitoring; however, the detection was challenging, and the drug distribution behavior in ISF was still unclear until now. In this study, we proposed surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) microneedles (MNs) for the painless and real-time analysis of drugs in ISF after intravenous injection. Using methylene blue (MB) and mitoxantrone (MTO) as model drugs, the innovative core-satellite structured Au@Ag SERS substrate, hydrogel coating over the MNs, rendered sensitive and quantitative drug detection in ISF of mice within 10 min. Based on this technique, the pharmacokinetics of the two drugs in ISF was investigated and compared with those in blood, where the drugs were analyzed via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. It was found that the MB concentration in ISF and blood was comparable, whereas the concentration of MTO in ISF was 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than in blood. This work proposed an efficient tool for ISF drug monitoring. More importantly, it experimentally proved that the penetration ratio of blood to ISF was drug-dependent, providing insightful information into the potential of ISF as a blood alternative for in vivo drug detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- School of pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular pharmacology and Drug Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Yunqing Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Rongchao Mei
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Bingqian Lv
- School of pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular pharmacology and Drug Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Xizhen Zhao
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Liyan Bi
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Hui Xu
- School of pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular pharmacology and Drug Evaluation, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Lingxin Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
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Friedman JR, Nguemeni Tiako MJ, Hansen H. Understanding and Addressing Widening Racial Inequalities in Drug Overdose. Am J Psychiatry 2024; 181:381-390. [PMID: 38706336 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
The fourth wave of the United States overdose crisis-driven by the polysubstance use of fentanyl with stimulants and other synthetic substances-has driven sharply escalating racial/ethnic inequalities in drug overdose death rates. Here the authors present a detailed portrait of the latest overdose trends and synthesize the literature to describe where, how, and why these inequalities are worsening. By 2022 overdose deaths among Native and Black Americans rose to 1.8 and 1.4 times the rate seen among White Americans, respectively. This reflects that Black and Native Americans have been disproportionately affected by fentanyl and the combination of fentanyl and stimulants at the national level and in virtually every state. The highest overdose deaths rates are currently seen among Black Americans 55-64 years of age as well as younger cohorts of Native Americans 25-44 years of age. In 2022-the latest year of data available-deaths among White Americans decreased relative to 2021, whereas rates among all other groups assessed continued to rise. Moving forward, Fundamental Cause Theory shows us a relevant universal truth of implementation science: in socially unequal societies, new technologies typically end up favoring more privileged groups first, thereby widening inequalities unless underlying social inequalities are addressed. Therefore, interventions designed to reduce addiction and overdose death rates that are not explicitly designed to also improve racial/ethnic inequalities will often unintentionally end up worsening them. Well-funded community-based programs, with Black and Native leadership, providing harm reduction resources, naloxone, and medications for opioid use disorder in the context of comprehensive, culturally appropriate healthcare and other services, represent the highest priority interventions to decrease inequalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Friedman
- UCLA Center for Social Medicine and Humanities (Friedman, Hansen); Department of Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Nguemeni Tiako); UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (Hansen)
| | - Max Jordan Nguemeni Tiako
- UCLA Center for Social Medicine and Humanities (Friedman, Hansen); Department of Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Nguemeni Tiako); UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (Hansen)
| | - Helena Hansen
- UCLA Center for Social Medicine and Humanities (Friedman, Hansen); Department of Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Nguemeni Tiako); UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (Hansen)
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3
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Kim D, Natu R, Malinauskas R, Baek JH, Buehler PW, Feng X, Qu H, Pinto J, Xu X, Herbertson L. In vitro test methods for evaluating high molecular weight polyethylene oxide polymer induced hemolytic and thrombotic potential. Toxicol In Vitro 2024; 97:105793. [PMID: 38401745 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2024.105793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
To combat opioid abuse, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a comprehensive action plan to address opioid addiction, abuse, and overdose that included increasing the prevalence of abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) in opioid tablets. Polyethylene oxide (PEO) has been widely used as an excipient to deter abuse via nasal insufflation. However, changes in abuse patterns have led to unexpected shifts in abuse from the nasal route to intravenous injection. Case reports identify adverse effects similar to thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) syndrome following the intravenous (IV) abuse of opioids containing PEO excipient. Increased risk of IV opioid ADF abuse compared to clinical benefit of the drug led to the removal of one opioid product from the market in 2017. Because many generic drugs containing PEO are still in development, there is interest in assessing safety consistent with generic drug regulation and unintended uses. Currently, there are no guidelines or in vitro assessment tools to characterize the safety of PEO excipients taken via intravenous injection. To create a more robust excipient safety evaluation tool and to study the mechanistic basis of HMW PEO-induced TMA, a dynamic in vitro test system involving blood flow through a needle model has been developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongjune Kim
- US FDA, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America; US FDA, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, Office of Testing and Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Rucha Natu
- US FDA, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Richard Malinauskas
- US FDA, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Jin Hyen Baek
- US FDA, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Division of Blood Components and Devices, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Vascular Biology, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Paul W Buehler
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis and the Department of Pathology, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Xin Feng
- US FDA, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, Office of Testing and Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Haiou Qu
- US FDA, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, Office of Testing and Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Julia Pinto
- US FDA, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, Office of New Drug Products, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Xiaoming Xu
- US FDA, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, Office of Testing and Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Luke Herbertson
- US FDA, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America.
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Humphreys K, Andrews C, Frank RG. Progress and Challenges in Medicaid-Financed Care of Substance Use Disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2024; 181:359-361. [PMID: 38706337 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Keith Humphreys
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif.; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Humphreys); Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S,C, (Andrews); Schaeffer Initiative on Health Policy, Economics Studies, The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (Frank)
| | - Christina Andrews
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif.; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Humphreys); Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S,C, (Andrews); Schaeffer Initiative on Health Policy, Economics Studies, The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (Frank)
| | - Richard G Frank
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif.; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (Humphreys); Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S,C, (Andrews); Schaeffer Initiative on Health Policy, Economics Studies, The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (Frank)
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Borgemenke S, Durstock N, DeShetler L, Matus C, Beverly EA. Perception of opioids among medical students: unveiling the complexities and implications. J Osteopath Med 2024; 124:195-203. [PMID: 38294183 DOI: 10.1515/jom-2023-0176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT From 2000 to 2019, drug overdoses, combined intentional and unintentional, were the number one cause of death for Americans under 50 years old,with the number of overdoses increasing every year. Between 2012 and 2018, approximately 85 % of all opioid users obtained their opioids through prescriptions from healthcare providers, predominantly physicians. Increased education about the severity of this issue may increase the likelihood of physicians integrating alternative forms of care such as cognitive behavioral approaches, nonopioid therapies, and nonpharmacologic therapies into treatment plans for chronic pain. OBJECTIVES This study investigates medical students' beliefs, experiences, and perceived impact of opioids at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) and University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences (UT). METHODS A total of 377 students from OU-HCOM (years 1-4, n=312) and UT (years 1-2, n=65) were surveyed on their beliefs, experiences, and perceived impact of opioids. Multiple t tests were conducted to compare the difference in perceived severity and stigma between participants who were impacted by the epidemic and those who were not. A Kendall rank test was performed to analyze the relationship between the county drug overdose rate and perceived severity for medical students. p <0.05 defined statistical significance for all statistical tests performed in this study. RESULTS In comparing medical students' personal experiences with the opioid crisis, it was found that many more participants had experiences with an affected classmate or patient (4.1; 95 % CI, 4.0-4.2), as opposed to direct experiences within their family or group of friends (1.9; 95 % CI, 1.8-2.0). However, this group of participants who directly experienced the opioid crisis were found to be more likely to view the crisis as more severe in Ohio's adult population than those without that direct experience (p=0.03, α=0.05). The difference in experience and severity outlook did not make one group of medical students more likely to hold a stigma toward those struggling with opioid addiction (p=0.3, α=0.05). The study did not find a significant relationship between the county drug overdose rate and the perceived severity among medical students (R=0.05, p=0.6, α=0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study gave an insight into the beliefs, experiences, and perceived impact of opioids within a group of 377 medical students. It was shown that differences in background can lead to differences in perception of the crisis. Knowing these differences can lead to beneficial changes in education and curriculum design in medical education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Borgemenke
- Department of Primary Care, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, The Ohio University Diabetes Institute, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Nicholas Durstock
- Department of Primary Care, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, The Ohio University Diabetes Institute, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Lori DeShetler
- Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Coral Matus
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Beverly
- Department of Primary Care, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, The Ohio University Diabetes Institute, Athens, OH, USA
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Hansgen JP, Robertson ML, Verzino EM, Manning LM. Increasing Naloxone Access and Prescribing for Patients on High-Dose Opioids From a Managed Care Pharmacy Health Plan Perspective. J Pharm Pract 2024:8971900241247598. [PMID: 38685768 DOI: 10.1177/08971900241247598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Background: Opioid overdoses decrease when communities have access to naloxone. Clinicians play a key role in offering naloxone to high-risk chronic opioid patients. Managed care pharmacists within our health plan noted disproportionate processing for claims of opioid utilizers compared to claims of naloxone prescriptions. Objective: To increase naloxone access and prescribing to members who classify at a dosage with a higher risk for opioid overdose, defined as over 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME). Methods: Multiple system-wide initiatives were implemented to improve naloxone access. A claims file was pulled monthly to identify members on opioids meeting MME criteria >90 MME per day excluding members with cancer, sickle cell disease, or on hospice. A separate report was then matched to naloxone claims and prescribing percentages calculated. Results: 12 444 utilizing members on opioids were identified from June 2019 prescription claims data. Of these, 131 were on opioids exceeding 90 MME per day, or 1.05% of utilizers, and the percentage of members exceeding 90 MME per day prescribed naloxone was 6.87%. By May 2023, the percentage of opioid utilizers exceeding 90 MME per day decreased to 0.58%. Naloxone prescribing increased to 41.18%. Conclusion: A multi-pronged approach to improve access to naloxone and continued educational efforts by our health plan increased naloxone prescribing in members on opioids exceeding 90 MME per day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi P Hansgen
- Pharmacy Services, Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Temple, TX, USA
| | - Megan L Robertson
- Pharmacy Services, Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Temple, TX, USA
| | - Ellen M Verzino
- Pharmacy Services, Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Temple, TX, USA
| | - Lindsay M Manning
- Pharmacy Services, Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Temple, TX, USA
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Le K, Le KDR, Nguyen J, Hua J, Munday S. The Role of Medicinal Cannabis as an Emerging Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder. Pain Ther 2024:10.1007/s40122-024-00599-1. [PMID: 38676910 DOI: 10.1007/s40122-024-00599-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
This narrative review explores current insights into the potential use of medicinal cannabis-related products as an emerging therapy for opioid use disorder in the landscape of increasing knowledge about medicinal cannabis-based products, commercialisation and global legalisation. Preclinical studies have provided preliminary insight into the putative neurobiological mechanisms that underpin the potential for medicinal cannabis to be considered a therapeutic in opioid use disorder and addiction. With the progressive legalisation of cannabis in many jurisdictions worldwide, contemporary research has highlighted further evidence that medicinal cannabis may have efficacy in reducing cravings and withdrawal effects, and therefore may be considered as an adjunct or standalone to current medications for opioid use disorder. Despite this potential, the landscape of research in this space draws from a large number of observational studies, with a paucity of rigorous randomised controlled trials to ascertain a true understanding of effect size and safety profile. With current challenges in implementation that arise from political and legal qualms about adopting medicinal cannabis on the background of associated social stigma, significant hurdles remain to be addressed by government, policy-makers, healthcare providers and researchers before medical cannabis can be introduced globally for the treatment of opioid use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin Le
- Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Khang Duy Ricky Le
- Department of General Surgical Specialties, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan St., Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3050, Australia.
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
- Geelong Clinical School, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
- Department of Medical Education, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Johnny Nguyen
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Pharmacy, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jean Hua
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Pharmacy, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah Munday
- The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Monash Bioethics Centre, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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Coulaud PJ, Chayama KL, Schwartz C, Purdie A, Lysyshyn M, Ti L, Knight R. Implementation opportunities and challenges to piloting a community-based drug-checking intervention for sexual and gender minority men in Vancouver, Canada: a qualitative study. Harm Reduct J 2024; 21:87. [PMID: 38678256 PMCID: PMC11055362 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-024-01004-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In response to the overdose crisis, a collaborative group of two community-based organizations, a health authority and a research institute in Vancouver, Canada, implemented a pilot community-based drug checking (CBDC) intervention for sexual and gender minority (SGM) men. This study identified key factors that influenced the implementation of the CBDC intervention, including opportunities and challenges. METHODS We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven pertinent parties involved in the CBDC, including policymakers, researchers and representatives from community-based organizations. These interviews were coded and analyzed using domains and constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. RESULTS While drug-related stigma was identified as a challenge to deliver drug checking services, participants described the context of the overdose crisis as a key facilitator to engage collaboration between relevant organizations (e.g., health authorities, medical health officers, community organizations) to design, resource and implement the CBDC intervention. The implementation of the CBDC intervention was also influenced by SGM-specific needs and resources (e.g., lack of information about the drug supply). The high level of interest of SGM organizations in providing harm reduction services combined with the need to expand drug checking into community spaces represented two key opportunities for the CBDC intervention. Here, SGM organizations were recognized as valued partners that fostered a broader culture of harm reduction. Participants' emphasis that knowing the composition of one's drugs is a "right to know", particularly in the context of a highly contaminated illicit drug market, emerged as a key implementation factor. Lastly, participants emphasized the importance of involving SGM community groups at all stages of the implementation process to ensure that the CBDC intervention is appropriately tailored to SGM men. CONCLUSIONS The context of the overdose crisis and the involvement of SGM organizations were key facilitators to the implementation of a drug checking intervention in SGM community spaces. This study offers contextualized understandings about how SGM knowledge and experiences can contribute to implement tailored drug checking interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Julien Coulaud
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Koharu Loulou Chayama
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cameron Schwartz
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Community-Based Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Aaron Purdie
- Health Initiative for Men, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mark Lysyshyn
- Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Lianping Ti
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Rod Knight
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Centre de recherche en santé publique (CReSP), Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Liu J, Wu W, Peng F, Gong D, Kang Y, Zhang Y, Liu C, Li Y, Zhao G, Qiu F, Zhang W. Size control of ropivacaine nano/micro-particles by soft-coating with peptide nanosheets for long-acting analgesia. Theranostics 2024; 14:2637-2655. [PMID: 38646642 PMCID: PMC11024846 DOI: 10.7150/thno.93322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Rationale: To meet the need of long-acting analgesia in postoperative pain management, slow-releasing formulations of local anesthetics (LAs) have been extensively investigated. However, challenges still remain in obtaining such formulations in a facile and cost-effective way, and a mechanism for controlling the release rate to achieve an optimal duration is still missing. Methods: In this study, nanosheets formed by a self-assembling peptide were used to encapsulate ropivacaine in a soft-coating manner. By adjusting the ratio between the peptide and ropivacaine, ropivacaine particles with different size were prepared. Releasing profile of particles with different size were studied in vitro and in vivo. The influence of particle size and ropivacaine concentration on effective duration and toxicity were evaluated in rat models. Results: Our results showed that drug release rate became slower as the particle size increased, with particles of medium size (2.96 ± 0.04 μm) exhibiting a moderate release rate and generating an optimal anesthetic duration. Based on this size, formulations at different ropivacaine concentrations generated anesthetic effect with different durations in rat sciatic nerve block model, with the 6% formulation generated anesthetic duration of over 35 h. Long-acting analgesia up to 48 h of this formulation was also confirmed in a rat total knee arthroplasty model. Conclusion: This study provided a facile strategy to prepare LA particles of different size and revealed the relationship between particle size, release rate and anesthetic duration, which provided both technical and theoretical supports for developing long-acting LA formulations with promising clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Weiwei Wu
- Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Fei Peng
- Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Deying Gong
- Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Yi Kang
- Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Yujun Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Congyan Liu
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Yuncheng Li
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Guoyan Zhao
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Feng Qiu
- Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Wensheng Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
- Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China
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10
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Bavarian R, Ngo TG, Schatman ME, Kulich RJ. The Lyceum for Pain Education: Providing Accessible Education on Chronic Pain and Headaches to a Global Audience. J Pain Res 2024; 17:1503-1507. [PMID: 38623277 PMCID: PMC11017117 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s470973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne Bavarian
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Michael E Schatman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, & Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Population Health – Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ronald J Kulich
- Orofacial Pain Center, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine/Department of Psychiatry Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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Jones BLH, Geier M, Neuhaus J, Coffin PO, Snyder HR, Soran CS, Knight KR, Suen LW. Withdrawal during outpatient low dose buprenorphine initiation in people who use fentanyl: a retrospective cohort study. Harm Reduct J 2024; 21:80. [PMID: 38594721 PMCID: PMC11005253 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-024-00998-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Buprenorphine is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD); however, buprenorphine initiation can be complicated by withdrawal symptoms including precipitated withdrawal. There has been increasing interest in using low dose initiation (LDI) strategies to reduce this withdrawal risk. As there are limited data on withdrawal symptoms during LDI, we characterize withdrawal symptoms in people with daily fentanyl use who underwent initiation using these strategies as outpatients. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with OUD using daily fentanyl who were prescribed 7-day or 4-day LDI at 2 substance use disorder treatment clinics in San Francisco. Two addiction medicine experts assessed extracted chart documentation for withdrawal severity and precipitated withdrawal, defined as acute worsening of withdrawal symptoms immediately after taking buprenorphine. A third expert adjudicated disagreements. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS There were 175 initiations in 126 patients. The mean age was 37 (SD 10 years). 71% were men, 26% women, and 2% non-binary. 21% identified as Black, 16% Latine, and 52% white. 60% were unstably housed and 75% had Medicaid insurance. Substance co-use included 74% who used amphetamines, 29% cocaine, 22% benzodiazepines, and 19% alcohol. Follow up was available for 118 (67%) initiations. There was deviation from protocol instructions in 22% of these initiations with follow up. 31% had any withdrawal, including 21% with mild symptoms, 8% moderate and 2% severe. Precipitated withdrawal occurred in 10 cases, or 8% of initiations with follow up. Of these, 7 had deviation from protocol instructions; thus, there were 3 cases with follow up (3%) in which precipitated withdrawal occurred without protocol deviation. CONCLUSIONS Withdrawal was relatively common in our cohort but was mostly mild, and precipitated withdrawal was rare. Deviation from instructions, structural barriers, and varying fentanyl use characteristics may contribute to withdrawal. Clinicians should counsel patients who use fentanyl that mild withdrawal symptoms are likely during LDI, and there is still a low risk for precipitated withdrawal. Future studies should compare withdrawal across initiation types, seek ways to support patients in initiating buprenorphine, and qualitatively elicit patients' withdrawal experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L H Jones
- Medical Student Center, UCSF School of Medicine, 533 Parnassus Avenue, S-245, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
| | - Michelle Geier
- San Francisco Department of Public Health, 101 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102, USA
| | - John Neuhaus
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Phillip O Coffin
- San Francisco Department of Public Health, 101 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Hannah R Snyder
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 995 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA
| | - Christine S Soran
- Division of General Internal Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA
- Division of Substance Abuse and Addiction Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA
| | - Kelly R Knight
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of California San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Leslie W Suen
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
- Division of General Internal Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA
- Division of Substance Abuse and Addiction Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94110, USA
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12
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Martinez M, Kirkegaard A, Bouskill K, Yan XS, Wagner Z, Watkins KE. Surgeons' views of peer comparison and guideline-based feedback on postsurgery opioid prescriptions: a qualitative investigation. BMJ Open Qual 2024; 13:e002750. [PMID: 38580444 PMCID: PMC11002351 DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2024-002750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Excess opioid prescribing after surgery can lead to prolonged opioid use and diversion. We interviewed surgeons who were part of a three-group cluster-randomised controlled trial aimed at reducing prescribed opioid quantities after surgery via two versions of a monthly emailed behavioural 'nudge' (messages encouraging but not mandating compliance with social norms and clinical guidelines around prescribing) at the end of the implementation year in order to understand surgeons' reasoning for changing or continuing their prescribing behaviour as a result of the intervention and the context for their rationale. METHODS The study took place at a large healthcare system in northern California with surgeons from three surgical specialties-orthopaedics, obstetrics/gynaecology and general surgery. Following the intervention period, we conducted semistructured interviews with 36 surgeons who had participated in the trial, ensuring representation across trial arm, specialty and changes in prescribing quantities over the year. Interviews focused on reactions to the nudges, impacts of the nudges on prescribing behaviours and other factors impacting prescribing. Three study team members coded and analysed the transcribed interviews. RESULTS Nudges were equally effective in reducing postsurgical opioid prescribing across surgical specialties and between intervention arms. Surgeons were generally receptive to the nudge intervention, noting that it reduced the size of their discharge opioid prescriptions by improving their awareness and intentionality around prescribing. Most were unaware that clinical guidelines around opioid prescribing existed. Some had reservations regarding the accuracy and context of information provided in the nudges, the prescription quantities encouraged by the nudges and feelings of being watched or admonished. A few described discussing the nudges with colleagues. Respondents emphasised that the prescribing behaviours are informed by individual clinical experience and patient-related and procedure-related factors. CONCLUSIONS Surgeons were open to learning about their prescribing behaviour through comparisons to guidelines or peer behaviour and incorporating this feedback as one of several factors that guide discharge opioid prescribing. Increasing awareness of clinical guidelines around opioid prescribing is important for curbing postsurgical opioid overprescribing. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT05070338.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan Martinez
- Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute and Center for Health Systems Research, Sutter Health, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | | | | | - Xiaowei Sherry Yan
- Center for Health Systems Research, Sutter Health, Walnut Creek, California, USA
| | | | - Katherine E Watkins
- Behavioral and Policy Sciences, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA
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Dankwah AB, Siegrist RB, Wilson IB, McKenzie M, Rich JD. Attitudes of Black American Christian church leaders toward Opioid Use Disorder, overdoses, and harm reduction: a qualitative study. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1359826. [PMID: 38633031 PMCID: PMC11021723 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1359826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Black American Christian church leaders are trusted community members and can be invaluable leaders and planners, listeners, and counselors for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) sufferers in the opioid overdose crisis disproportionately affecting the Black community. This qualitative study examines the extent to which the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and beliefs of Black American church leaders support medical and harm reduction interventions for people with OUD. Methods A semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews of 30 Black Rhode Island church leaders recruited by convenience and snowball sampling. Results Thematic analysis of the interviews identified four themes: Church leaders are empathetic and knowledgeable, believe that hopelessness and inequity are OUD risk factors, are committed to helping people flourish beyond staying alive, and welcome collaborations between church and state. Conclusion Black American Christian church leaders are a critical resource in providing innovative and culturally sensitive strategies in the opioid overdose crisis affecting the Black American communities. As such, their views should be carefully considered in OUD policies, collaborations, and interventions in the Black American community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akosua B. Dankwah
- Department of Psychiatry, Recovery Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Richard B. Siegrist
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ira B. Wilson
- Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, United States
- Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Michelle McKenzie
- Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
- Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Josiah D. Rich
- Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
- Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, United States
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14
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Ikkos G. Blame or discovery? Walter Benjamin's Jetztzeit, Purdue Pharma LP and 'our values and our historical understanding of psychiatrists'. BJPsych Bull 2024; 48:121-122. [PMID: 37282592 PMCID: PMC10985722 DOI: 10.1192/bjb.2023.39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
This commentary explores issues of professional identity, fairness and discovery in the history of psychiatry in the light of Walter Benjamin's (1892-1940) philosophy of history, especially his concept of Jetztzeit (now-time) and the profession's relationship with the founder and owners of Purdue Pharma LP.
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Toikumo S, Vickers-Smith R, Jinwala Z, Xu H, Saini D, Hartwell EE, Pavicic M, Sullivan KA, Xu K, Jacobson DA, Gelernter J, Rentsch CT, Stahl E, Cheatle M, Zhou H, Waxman SG, Justice AC, Kember RL, Kranzler HR. A multi-ancestry genetic study of pain intensity in 598,339 veterans. Nat Med 2024; 30:1075-1084. [PMID: 38429522 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02839-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Chronic pain is a common problem, with more than one-fifth of adult Americans reporting pain daily or on most days. It adversely affects the quality of life and imposes substantial personal and economic costs. Efforts to treat chronic pain using opioids had a central role in precipitating the opioid crisis. Despite an estimated heritability of 25-50%, the genetic architecture of chronic pain is not well-characterized, in part because studies have largely been limited to samples of European ancestry. To help address this knowledge gap, we conducted a cross-ancestry meta-analysis of pain intensity in 598,339 participants in the Million Veteran Program, which identified 126 independent genetic loci, 69 of which are new. Pain intensity was genetically correlated with other pain phenotypes, level of substance use and substance use disorders, other psychiatric traits, education level and cognitive traits. Integration of the genome-wide association studies findings with functional genomics data shows enrichment for putatively causal genes (n = 142) and proteins (n = 14) expressed in brain tissues, specifically in GABAergic neurons. Drug repurposing analysis identified anticonvulsants, β-blockers and calcium-channel blockers, among other drug groups, as having potential analgesic effects. Our results provide insights into key molecular contributors to the experience of pain and highlight attractive drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvanus Toikumo
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rachel Vickers-Smith
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Zeal Jinwala
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Heng Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Divya Saini
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Emily E Hartwell
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mirko Pavicic
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Kyle A Sullivan
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Ke Xu
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Daniel A Jacobson
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Christopher T Rentsch
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Eli Stahl
- Regeneron Genetics Center, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Martin Cheatle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hang Zhou
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Section of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Stephen G Waxman
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Amy C Justice
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rachel L Kember
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Henry R Kranzler
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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16
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Moss ME, Wright W, Luo H. Decline in nontraumatic dental conditions at emergency departments in North Carolina, 2010-2020. Acad Emerg Med 2024; 31:398-400. [PMID: 37739802 DOI: 10.1111/acem.14807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Moss
- ECU School of Dental Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Caroina, USA
| | - Wanda Wright
- ECU School of Dental Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Caroina, USA
| | - Huabin Luo
- Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
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17
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Cascella M, Laudani A, Scarpati G, Piazza O. Ethical issues in pain and palliation. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol 2024; 37:199-204. [PMID: 38288778 PMCID: PMC10911254 DOI: 10.1097/aco.0000000000001345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Increased public awareness of ethical issues in pain and palliative care, along with patient advocacy groups, put pressure on healthcare systems and professionals to address these concerns.Our aim is to review the ethics dilemmas concerning palliative care in ICU, artificial intelligence applications in pain therapy and palliative care, and the opioids epidemics. RECENT FINDINGS In this focus review, we highlighted state of the art papers that were published in the last 18 months, on ethical issues in palliative care within the ICU, artificial intelligence trajectories, and how opioids epidemics has impacted pain management practices (see Visual Abstract). SUMMARY Palliative care in the ICU should involve a multidisciplinary team, to mitigate patients suffering and futility. Providing spiritual support in the ICU is an important aspect of holistic patient care too.Increasingly sophisticated tools for diagnosing and treating pain, as those involving artificial intelligence, might favour disparities in access, cause informed consent problems, and surely, they need prudence and reproducibility.Pain clinicians worldwide continue to face the ethical dilemma of prescribing opioids for patients with chronic noncancer pain. Balancing the need for effective pain relief with the risk of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose is a very controversial task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Cascella
- Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia, Odontoiatria ‘Scuola Medica Salernitana’, Università di Salerno
| | | | - Giuliana Scarpati
- Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia, Odontoiatria ‘Scuola Medica Salernitana’, Università di Salerno
- AOU San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona, Salerno, Italia
| | - Ornella Piazza
- Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia, Odontoiatria ‘Scuola Medica Salernitana’, Università di Salerno
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18
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Deciphering the genetic architecture of pain intensity. Nat Med 2024; 30:948-9. [PMID: 38486076 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02881-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
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Bublitz JC. What an International Declaration on Neurotechnologies and Human Rights Could Look like: Ideas, Suggestions, Desiderata. AJOB Neurosci 2024; 15:96-112. [PMID: 37921859 DOI: 10.1080/21507740.2023.2270512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
International institutions such as UNESCO are deliberating on a new standard setting instrument for neurotechnologies. This will likely lead to the adoption of a soft law document which will be the first global document specifically tailored to neurotechnologies, setting the tone for further international or domestic regulations. While some stakeholders have been consulted, these developments have so far evaded the broader attention of the neuroscience, neurotech, and neuroethics communities. To initiate a broader debate, this target article puts to discussion twenty-five considerations and desiderata for recognition by a future instrument. They are formulated at different levels of abstraction, from the big picture to technical details, seek to widen the perspective of preparatory reports and transcend the narrow debate about "neurorights" which overshadows many richer and more relevant aspects. These desiderata are not an exhaustive enumeration but a starting point for discussions about what deserves and what requires protection by an international instrument.
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Koch FC, Olivier J, Brett J, Buckley NA, Gisev N, Pearson S, Daniels B. The impact of tightened prescribing restrictions for PBS-subsidised opioid medicines and the introduction of half-pack sizes, Australia, 2020-21: an interrupted time series analysis. Med J Aust 2024; 220:315-322. [PMID: 38522006 DOI: 10.5694/mja2.52257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of the tightened Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescribing rules for immediate release (IR) and controlled release (CR) opioid medicines (1 June 2020), which also eliminated repeat dispensing without authorisation for codeine/paracetamol and tramadol IR and introduced half-pack size item codes for IR formulations. DESIGN, SETTING Population-based interrupted time series analysis of PBS dispensing data claims for a 10% sample of PBS-eligible residents and IQVIA national opioid medicine sales data (PBS-subsidised and private prescriptions), 28 May 2018 - 6 June 2021. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mean amount of PBS-subsidised opioid medicines dispensed per day and mean overall amount sold per day - each expressed as oral morphine equivalent milligrams (OME) - overall, by formulation type (IR, CR), and by specific formulation. RESULTS During the twelve months following the PBS changes, daily PBS-subsidised opioid medicine dispensing was 81 565 OME lower (95% CI, -106 146 to -56 984 OME) than the mean daily level for 2018-20, a decline of 3.8% after adjusting for the pre-intervention trend; the relative reduction was greater for IR (8.4%) than CR formulations (2.6%). Total daily sales of all, IR formulation, and CR formulation opioid medicines did not change significantly after the PBS changes. Repeat dispensing of prescriptions comprised 7.4% of PBS-subsidised opioid dispensing before 1 June 2020, and 1.3% after the changes. Half-pack sizes comprised 8.4% of PBS-subsidised IR opioid medicine dispensing and 2.8% of all opioid medicines sold in the twelve months after the PBS changes. CONCLUSIONS The introduction of new PBS rules for subsidised opioid medicines was followed by a decline in PBS-subsidised dispensing. Some people may have bypassed the new restrictions by switching to private prescriptions, but our findings suggest that opioid medicine use in Australia declined as a result of the new restrictions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jake Olivier
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW
- Transport and Road Safety Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW
| | | | | | - Natasa Gisev
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW
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Kyzar EJ, Arbuckle MR, Abba-Aji A, Balachandra K, Cooper J, Dela Cruz A, Edens E, Heward B, Jibson M, Jordan A, Moreno-De-Luca D, Pazderka H, Singh M, Weleff JJ, Yau B, Young J, Ross DA. Leveraging neuroscience education to address stigma related to opioid use disorder in the community: a pilot study. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1360356. [PMID: 38563031 PMCID: PMC10982477 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1360356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose deaths are a public health crisis. One contributing factor is stigma towards people who use opioids. We developed and conducted a public-facing, half-day educational event designed to challenge misperceptions about OUD from a contemporary neuroscience perspective. Participants engaged with three different resources on the neurobiology of addiction, and, at the end of the event, they rated its effectiveness. We also collected and compared pre- and post-event composite OUD stigma scales. Participants rated our approach and the overall event as highly effective. Additionally, OUD stigma scores were lower immediately following the event, and this decrease was primarily driven by decreased internalized stigma. Here, we demonstrate an effective proof-of-concept that an accessible, public-facing, neuroscience education event may reduce OUD stigma in the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan J Kyzar
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Melissa R Arbuckle
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Adam Abba-Aji
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Krishna Balachandra
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Joseph Cooper
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Adriane Dela Cruz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Ellen Edens
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Brady Heward
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Michael Jibson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan MI, United States
| | - Ayana Jordan
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Daniel Moreno-De-Luca
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- CASA Mental Health, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Hannah Pazderka
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Mohit Singh
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeremy J Weleff
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Center for Behavioral Health, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Bernice Yau
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Justin Young
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - David A Ross
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Zhou Y, Sun W, Fu Y, Wang J, Fan J, Liang Y, Jia W, Han R. Effect of esketamine combined with pregabalin on acute postsurgical pain in patients who underwent resection of spinal neoplasms: a randomized controlled trial. Pain 2024:00006396-990000000-00553. [PMID: 38501980 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Moderate-to-severe acute postsurgical pain (APSP) can prolong the recovery and worsen the prognosis of patients who undergo spinal surgery. Esketamine and pregabalin may resolve APSP without causing hyperpathia or respiratory depression after surgery. However, there are other risks, such as dissociative symptoms. We designed a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of the combination of these 2 drugs on the incidence of APSP in patients who underwent resection of spinal neoplasms. Patients aged 18 to 65 years were randomized to receive esketamine (a bolus dose of 0.5 mg·kg-1 and an infusion dose of 0.12 mg·kg-1·h-1 for 48 hours after surgery) combined with oral pregabalin (75-150 mg/day, starting 2 hours before surgery and ending at 2 weeks after surgery) or an identical volume of normal saline and placebo capsules. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with moderate-to-severe APSP (visual analog scale score ≥ 40) during the first 48 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of drug-related adverse events. A total of 90 patients were randomized. The incidence of moderate-to-severe APSP in the combined group (27.3%) was lower than that in the control group (60.5%) during the first 48 hours after surgery (odds ratio = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.10-0.61; P = 0.002). The occurrence of mild dissociative symptoms was higher in the combined group than in the control group (18.2% vs 0%). In conclusion, esketamine combined with pregabalin could effectively alleviate APSP after spinal surgery, but an analgesic strategy might increase the risk of mild dissociative symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Yuchao Liang
- Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Wenqing Jia
- Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China
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Saraiya TC, Helpinstill S, Gray D, Hien DA, Brady KT, Hood CO, Back SE. The lived experiences and treatment needs of women with opioid use disorder and posttraumatic stress symptoms: A mixed methods study. J Subst Use Addict Treat 2024; 161:209344. [PMID: 38492805 DOI: 10.1016/j.josat.2024.209344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Women show a gender-specific risk for co-occurring opioid use disorder (OUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Expert groups have called for the development of integrated treatments for women with OUD/PTSD, but there remains limited information on such interventions. METHODS This mixed-methods study interviewed and surveyed 10 women with current or past OUD and co-occurring posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and 16 providers who work with these women. Interviews and surveys queried patient participants' and providers' experiences of OUD/PTSS and how to best design an integrated, trauma-focused treatment for OUD/PTSD. RESULTS Patient participants (90 % white, 90 % mothers, Mage = 45.70) met criteria for severe, lifetime OUD and 40 % met a provisional diagnosis for PTSD. Four themes emerged for participants' experiences of OUD/PTSS: 1) numerous stressors; 2) shame; 3) multiple motivations to use opioids; and 4) a cycle of trauma and opioid use. Four themes emerged regarding patient participants' perceptions on the development of an OUD/PTSD treatment: 1) mixed attitudes towards medications for OUD; 2) barriers to treatment (e.g., insufficient treatments and contextual factors); 3) treatment facilitators (e.g., social support); and 4) preferences in treatment (e.g., trauma-focused, gender-focused, family content, ambivalence around group therapy). Providers (Mage = 38.94) were primarily white women (76.5 %). Two themes emerged from their experiences working with women with OUD/PTSS: 1) perceiving women to use opioids to regulate emotions and 2) gender differences in trauma types. Three themes emerged for providers' perceptions on the development of an OUD/PTSD treatment: 1) barriers to treatment (e.g., chaotic lives, contextual factors, family); 2) treatment facilitators (e.g., trust and external motivations); and 3) desired treatment modifications (e.g., stabilization, early skills in therapy, flexibility in therapy, social supports, safety guidelines, and assistance in identifying an index trauma). Most participants (90.0 %) and providers (93.5 %) preferred working on OUD/PTSD symptoms simultaneously rather than separately. CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrate the need to modify integrated treatments to meet the preferences of providers and women with OUD/PTSS and OUD/PTSD. Treatments should consider therapeutic content, structure, contextual factors, social support, and PTSD severity to enhance uptake and reach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya C Saraiya
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America.
| | - Sarah Helpinstill
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America; George Washington University, Washington D.C
| | - Daphne Gray
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America; California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, California
| | - Denise A Hien
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Kathleen T Brady
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America; Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Caitlyn O Hood
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Sudie E Back
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America; Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
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24
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Roberts E. Letter from America: A British addiction psychiatrist's experience of opioid agonist treatment in the United States. J Subst Use Addict Treat 2024; 158:209253. [PMID: 38072384 DOI: 10.1016/j.josat.2023.209253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Emmert Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1070 Arastradero Rd., Ste 200, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States of America.
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25
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Müller D, Scholz SM, Thalmann NF, Trippolini MA, Wertli MM. Increased Use and Large Variation in Strong Opioids and Metamizole (Dipyrone) for Minor and Major Musculoskeletal Injuries Between 2008 and 2018: An Analysis of a Representative Sample of Swiss Workers. J Occup Rehabil 2024; 34:157-168. [PMID: 37040000 PMCID: PMC10899285 DOI: 10.1007/s10926-023-10115-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries are a major contributing factor for chronic pain. To date, little is known how pain medication use in MSK injuries has changed over time. We assessed pain medication prescription for MSK injuries in a representative sample of Swiss workers between 2008 and 2018. METHODS Retrospective analysis of the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (Suva) data. We calculated annual pain medication use, treatment days, and costs associated with pain medication use in minor and major MSK injuries. RESULTS In total, 1,921,382 cases with MSK injuries with ≥ 1 pain medication were analyzed. Whereas MSK injuries with ≥ 1 pain medication increased by 9.4%, we observed a larger increase in metamizole (+ 254%), strong opioids (+ 88.4%), coxibs (+ 85.8%), and paracetamol (+ 28.1%). Strong opioids were increasingly used in minor (+ 91.4%) and major (+ 88.3%) injuries. The increase in metamizole (+ 390.6%) and coxibs (+ 115.5%) was larger in minor injuries compared to major injuries (+ 238.7% and + 80.6%, respectively). Medical expenses decreased in all medications except for strong opioids where a substantial increase was observed (+ 192.4% in minor; + 34% in major injuries). CONCLUSIONS We observed a disproportionate increase in metamizole, strong opioids, coxibs, and paracetamol prescriptions even in minor MSK injuries between 2008 and 2018. Whereas treatment costs decreased for all pain medications, there was a substantial increase in strong opioids. A more liberal prescription practice of opioids conflict with current evidence-based practice recommendations and need to be addressed by physicians and policy makers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Müller
- Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Bern, Inselspital, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Stefan M Scholz
- Department of Statistics, Suva (Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund), Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Fabrice Thalmann
- Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Bern, Inselspital, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maurizio Alen Trippolini
- Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Professions, Murtenstrasse 10, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Physiotherapy, University Hospital of Bern, Inselspital, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Evidence-Based Insurance Medicine (EbIM), Division of Clinical Research, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Totengässlein 3, 4051, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maria M Wertli
- Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Bern, Inselspital, Freiburgstrasse 18, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kantonsspital Baden, Im Ergel 1, 5404, Baden, Switzerland
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26
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Qian G, Humphreys K, Goldhaber-Fiebert JD, Brandeau ML. Estimated effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of opioid use disorder treatment under proposed U.S. regulatory relaxations: A model-based analysis. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 256:111112. [PMID: 38335797 PMCID: PMC10940194 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
AIM To assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of buprenorphine and methadone treatment in the U.S. if exemptions expanding coverage for substance use disorder services via telehealth and allowing opioid treatment programs to supply a greater number of take-home doses of medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) continue (Notice of Proposed Rule Making, NPRM). DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Model-based analysis of buprenorphine and methadone treatment for a cohort of 100,000 individuals with OUD, varying treatment retention and overdose risk among individuals receiving and not receiving methadone treatment compared to the status quo (no NPRM). INTERVENTION Buprenorphine and methadone treatment under NPRM. MEASUREMENTS Fatal and nonfatal overdoses and deaths over five years, discounted lifetime per person QALYs and costs. FINDINGS For buprenorphine treatment under the status quo, 1.21 QALYs are gained at a cost of $19,200/QALY gained compared to no treatment; with 20% higher treatment retention, 1.28 QALYs are gained at a cost of $17,900/QALY gained compared to no treatment, and the strategy dominates the status quo. For methadone treatment under the status quo, 1.11 QALYs are gained at a cost of $17,900/QALY gained compared to no treatment. In all scenarios, methadone provision cost less than $20,000/QALY gained compared to no treatment, and less than $50,000/QALY gained compared to status quo methadone treatment. CONCLUSIONS Buprenorphine and methadone OUD treatment under NPRM are likely to be effective and cost-effective. Increases in overdose risk with take-home methadone would reduce health benefits. Clinical and technological strategies could mitigate this risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Qian
- Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Keith Humphreys
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Margaret L Brandeau
- Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Tsai MHM, Chen L, Baumann MH, Canals M, Javitch JA, Lane JR, Shi L. In Vitro Functional Profiling of Fentanyl and Nitazene Analogs at the μ-Opioid Receptor Reveals High Efficacy for Gi Protein Signaling. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:854-867. [PMID: 38345920 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Novel synthetic opioids (NSOs), including both fentanyl and non-fentanyl analogs that act as μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists, are associated with serious intoxication and fatal overdose. Previous studies proposed that G-protein-biased MOR agonists are safer pain medications, while other evidence indicates that low intrinsic efficacy at MOR better explains the reduced opioid side effects. Here, we characterized the in vitro functional profiles of various NSOs at the MOR using adenylate cyclase inhibition and β-arrestin2 recruitment assays, in conjunction with the application of the receptor depletion approach. By fitting the concentration-response data to the operational model of agonism, we deduced the intrinsic efficacy and affinity for each opioid in the Gi protein signaling and β-arrestin2 recruitment pathways. Compared to the reference agonist [d-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly-ol5]enkephalin, we found that several fentanyl analogs were more efficacious at inhibiting cAMP production, whereas all fentanyl analogs were less efficacious at recruiting β-arrestin2. In contrast, the non-fentanyl 2-benzylbenzimidazole (i.e., nitazene) analogs were highly efficacious and potent in both the cAMP and β-arrestin2 assays. Our findings suggest that the high intrinsic efficacy of the NSOs in Gi protein signaling is a common property that may underlie their high risk of intoxication and overdose, highlighting the limitation of using in vitro functional bias to predict the adverse effects of opioids. In addition, the extremely high potency of many NSOs now infiltrating illicit drug markets further contributes to the danger posed to public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Hua M Tsai
- Computational Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
| | - Li Chen
- Computational Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
| | - Michael H Baumann
- Designer Drug Research Unit, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
| | - Meritxell Canals
- Division of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K
- Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors, Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham, Midlands NG7 2UH, U.K
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - J Robert Lane
- Division of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K
- Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors, Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham, Midlands NG7 2UH, U.K
| | - Lei Shi
- Computational Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
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28
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Nyaku AN, Zerbo EA, Chen C, Milano N, Johnston B, Chadwick R, Marcello S, Baston K, Haroz R, Crystal S. A survey of barriers and facilitators to the adoption of buprenorphine prescribing after implementation of a New Jersey-wide incentivized DATA-2000 waiver training program. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:179. [PMID: 38331802 PMCID: PMC10851589 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-10648-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid-involved overdose deaths continue to rise in the US, despite availability of highly effective treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD), in part due to the insufficient number of treatment providers. Barriers include the need for providers to gain expertise and confidence in providing MOUD to their patients who need these treatments. To mitigate this barrier, New Jersey sponsored a buprenorphine training program with financial incentives for participation, which met the then existing requirement for the DATA-2000 waiver. In a 2019 follow-up survey, participants reported on barriers and facilitators to subsequent buprenorphine prescribing. METHODS Participants in the training program completed a 10-min electronic survey distributed via email. The survey addressed demographics, practice characteristics, current buprenorphine prescribing, and barriers and facilitators to adoption and/or scale up of buprenorphine prescribing. RESULTS Of the 440 attendees with a valid email address, 91 individuals completed the survey for a response rate of 20.6%. Of the 91 respondents, 89 were eligible prescribers and included in the final analysis. Respondents were predominantly female (n = 55, 59.6%) and physicians (n = 55, 61.8%); representing a broad range of specialties and practice sites. 65 (73%) of respondents completed the training and DEA-registration, but only 31 (34.8%) were actively prescribing buprenorphine. The most frequently cited barriers to buprenorphine prescribing were lack of access to support services such as specialists in addiction, behavioral health services, and psychiatry. The most frequently reported potential facilitators were integrated systems with direct access to addiction specialists and psychosocial services, easier referral to behavioral health services, more institutional support, and improved guidance on clinical practice standards for OUD treatment. CONCLUSION More than half (52.3%) of those who completed incentivized training and DEA registration failed to actively prescribe buprenorphine. Results highlight provider perceptions of inadequate availability of support for the complex needs of patients with OUD and suggest that broader adoption of buprenorphine prescribing will require scaling up support to clinicians, including increased availability of specialized addiction and mental health services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amesika N Nyaku
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Ave, MSB I689, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.
| | - Erin A Zerbo
- Private Practice, Montclair, NJ, 07042, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 183 South Orange Ave, BHSB F-Level, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Clement Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 183 South Orange Ave, BHSB F-Level, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Nicole Milano
- Mental Health Association in New Jersey, 673 Morris Avenue, Suite 100, Springfield, NJ, 07781, USA
| | - Barbara Johnston
- Mental Health Association in New Jersey, 673 Morris Avenue, Suite 100, Springfield, NJ, 07781, USA
| | - Randall Chadwick
- Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, 151 Centennial Avenue, Suite 1140, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Stephanie Marcello
- Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, 151 Centennial Avenue, Suite 1140, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Kaitlan Baston
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Three Cooper Plaza, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA
| | - Rachel Haroz
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, One Cooper Plaza, Camden, NJ, 08103, USA
| | - Stephen Crystal
- Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 112 Paterson St, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
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29
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Haupt MR, Cuomo R, Cui M, Mackey TK. Is This Safe? Examining Safety Assessments of Illicit Drug Purchasing on Social Media Using Conjoint Analysis. Subst Use Misuse 2024; 59:999-1011. [PMID: 38319039 PMCID: PMC11019931 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2024.2310507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Background: Illicit substance sales facilitated by social media platforms are a growing public health issue given recent increases in overdose deaths, including an alarming rise in cases of fentanyl poisoning. However, little is known about how online users evaluate what features of social media posts convey safety, which can influence their intent to source illicit substances. Objectives: This study adapts conjoint analysis which assessed how attributes of social media posts (i.e., features) influence safety evaluations of mock posts selling illicit substances. 440 participants were recruited online for self-reporting use or purchase of controlled substances or prescription medicines recreationally. The following attributes were tested: drug packaging, drug offerings, profile photo of seller, payment info provided, and use of emojis. Results: Packaging was ranked the most important attribute (Average Importance =43.68, Offering=14.94, Profile=13.86, Payment=14.11, Emoji=13.41), with posts that displayed drugs in pill bottles assessed as the most safe. Attribute levels for advertising multiple drugs, having a blank profile photo, including payment information, and including emojis also ranked higher in perceived safety. Rankings were consistent across tested demographic factors (i.e., gender, age, and income). Survey results show that online pharmacies were most likely to be perceived as safe for purchasing drugs and medications. Additionally, those who were younger in age, had higher income, and identified as female were more likely to purchase from a greater number of platforms. Conclusions: These findings can assist in developing more precise content moderation for platforms seeking to address this ongoing threat to public safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Robert Haupt
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Global Health Policy & Data Institute, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Raphael Cuomo
- Global Health Policy & Data Institute, San Diego, CA USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Manying Cui
- Global Health Policy & Data Institute, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Tim K. Mackey
- Global Health Policy & Data Institute, San Diego, CA USA
- Global Health Program, Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, CA USA
- S-3 Research LLC, San Diego, CA USA
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30
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Thompson T, Stathi S, Buckley F, Shin JI, Liang CS. Trends in Racial Inequalities in the Administration of Opioid and Non-opioid Pain Medication in US Emergency Departments Across 1999-2020. J Gen Intern Med 2024; 39:214-221. [PMID: 37698724 PMCID: PMC10853122 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08401-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite initiatives to eradicate racial inequalities in pain treatment, there is no clear picture on whether this has translated to changes in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE To determine whether racial disparities in the receipt of pain medication in the emergency department have diminished over a 22-year period from 1999 to 2020. DESIGN We used data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, an annual, cross-sectional probability sample of visits to emergency departments of non-federal general and short-stay hospitals in the USA. PATIENTS Pain-related visits to the ED by Black or White patients. MAIN MEASURES Prescriptions for opioid and non-opioid analgesics. KEY RESULTS A total of 203,854 of all sampled 625,433 ED visits (35%) by Black or White patients were pain-related, translating to a population-weighted estimate of over 42 million actual visits to US emergency departments for pain annually across 1999-2020. Relative risk regression found visits by White patients were 1.26 (95% CI, 1.22-1.30; p<0.001) times more likely to result in an opioid prescription for pain compared to Black patients (40% vs. 32%). Visits by Black patients were also 1.25 (95% CI, 1.21-1.30; p<0.001) times more likely to result in non-opioid analgesics only being prescribed. Results were not substantively altered after adjusting for insurance status, type and severity of pain, geographical region, and other potential confounders. Spline regression found no evidence of meaningful change in the magnitude of racial disparities in prescribed pain medication over 22 years. CONCLUSIONS Initiatives to create equitable healthcare do not appear to have resulted in meaningful alleviation of racial disparities in pain treatment in the emergency department.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor Thompson
- Centre for Chronic Illness and Ageing, University of Greenwich, London, SE9 2UG, UK.
- Centre for Inequalities, University of Greenwich, London, SE9 2UG, UK.
| | - Sofia Stathi
- Centre for Inequalities, University of Greenwich, London, SE9 2UG, UK
| | - Francesca Buckley
- Centre for Chronic Illness and Ageing, University of Greenwich, London, SE9 2UG, UK
- Centre for Inequalities, University of Greenwich, London, SE9 2UG, UK
| | - Jae Il Shin
- Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chih-Sung Liang
- Department of Psychiatry, Beitou Branch, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
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31
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McCrosson M, Jacob R, Chandler K, Scheinberg M, Baidwan N, Naranje S. Variations in opioid prescribing after total joint arthroplasty: An Observational study. J Clin Orthop Trauma 2024; 49:102353. [PMID: 38361510 PMCID: PMC10865388 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcot.2024.102353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Background This study aimed to analyze the prescribing patterns of opioids by different categories of providers for postoperative pain after primary total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA, TKA) at a single institution. Methods A retrospective review was conducted on 1774 patients who underwent primary THA or TKA between 2014 and 2019 at a single, level one academic trauma center. Patients were excluded for additional procedures within 90 days of the index surgery. Patient demographics, operative variables, and opioid prescriptions were collected and analyzed. Generalized linear models accounting for within-person correlations were used to model the association between patient age, prescriber, etiology, opioid category, and mean morphine milligram equivalent (MME) prescribed. Results The mean MME prescribed per patient up to 90 days postoperatively was 1591. Significant variations were observed in prescribing habits based on patient gender, age, prescriber category, and drug type. Females were prescribed more MMEs than males (CI 8.58, 667.16; p = 0.0443) and patients 65 years or younger received higher MMEs compared to those above 65 (CI 231.11, 926.48; p = 0.0011). Non-orthopedic physicians prescribed higher MMEs than orthopedic surgeons (CI 402.76, 1219.48; p < 0.0001). Hydrocodone and oxycodone prescriptions had significantly higher MMEs than tramadol prescriptions (CI 446.33, 719.52; p < 0.0001 and CI 681.09, 1065.26; p < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusion These findings suggest the need for standardized guidelines and interventions to address variations in opioid prescribing practices for postoperative pain control. Understanding baseline prescription habits can help guide efforts to optimize pain management and reduce opioid overprescribing in the surgical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew McCrosson
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1313 13th Street S, Ste 226, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
| | - Roshan Jacob
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1313 13th Street S, Ste 226, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
| | - Kelly Chandler
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1313 13th Street S, Ste 226, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
| | - Mila Scheinberg
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1313 13th Street S, Ste 226, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
| | - Navneet Baidwan
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1201 11th Avenue South, Suite 410, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
| | - Sameer Naranje
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1313 13th Street S, Ste 226, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA
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32
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Caulkins JP, Tallaksen A, Taylor J, Kilmer B, Reuter P. The Baltic and Nordic responses to the first Taliban poppy ban: Implications for Europe & synthetic opioids today. Int J Drug Policy 2024; 124:104314. [PMID: 38183860 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
The 2000-2001 and the 2022-2023 Taliban opium bans were and could be two of the largest ever disruptions to a major illegal drug market. To help understand potential implications of the current ban for Europe, this paper analyzes how opioid markets in seven Baltic and Nordic countries responded to the earlier ban, using literature review, key informant interviews, and secondary data analysis. The seven nations' markets responded in diverse ways, including rebounding with the same drug (heroin in Norway), substitution to a more potent opioid (fentanyl replacing heroin in Estonia), and substitution to one with lower risk of overdose (buprenorphine replacing heroin in Finland). The responses were not instantaneous, but rather evolved, sometimes over several years. This variety suggests that it can be hard to predict how drug markets will respond to disruptions, but two extreme views can be challenged. It would be naive to imagine that drug markets will not adapt to shocks, but also unduly nihilistic to presume that they will always just bounce back with no lasting effects. Substitution to another way of meeting demand is possible, but that does not always negate fully the benefits of disrupting the original market. Nonetheless, there is historical precedent for a European country's opioid market switching to synthetic opioids when heroin supplies were disrupted. Given how much that switch has increased overdose rates in Canada and the United States, that is a serious concern for Europe at present. A period of reduced opioid supply may be a particularly propitious time to expand treatment services (as Norway did in the early 2000s).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P Caulkins
- Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh PA 15213, USA.
| | - Amund Tallaksen
- The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 22 Cortland St., Floor 22, New York, NY 10007, USA
| | - Jirka Taylor
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Beau Kilmer
- RAND Drug Policy Research Center, 1776 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
| | - Peter Reuter
- University of Maryland, 7251 Preinkert Drive, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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Maguire DR, France CP. Daily methocinnamox treatment dose-dependently attenuates fentanyl self-administration in rhesus monkeys. Neuropharmacology 2024; 243:109777. [PMID: 37944894 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Opioid use disorder and opioid overdose continue to be significant public health challenges despite the availability of effective treatments. Methocinnamox (MCAM) is a novel, long-acting opioid receptor antagonist that might be an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (i.e., preventing relapse and overdose). In nonhuman primates, MCAM selectively blocks the positive reinforcing effects of mu opioid receptor agonists, including heroin, fentanyl, and its ultra-potent analogs (e.g., carfentanil) with a single administration of MCAM being effective for up to two weeks. Because treatment of opioid use disorder would involve repeated administration of a medication, MCAM was studied in rhesus monkeys (3 males and 2 females) responding under a fixed-ratio self-administration procedure for a range of doses of fentanyl (0.000032-0.1 mg/kg/infusion). The fentanyl self-administration dose-effect curve was determined before and during treatment with progressively increasing daily doses of MCAM (0.001-0.1 mg/kg) given subcutaneously 1 h before the session. MCAM dose-dependently shifted the fentanyl dose-effect curve rightward and then, at larger doses, downward. The largest treatment dose of MCAM (0.1 mg/kg/day) shifted the curve more than 120-fold rightward with monkeys receiving doses much larger than the likely lethal dose of fentanyl with no adverse effect or observable change in behavior. This study demonstrates that MCAM reliably and dose-dependently decreases fentanyl self-administration and prevents opioid overdose, with no evidence of adverse effects over a broad dose range, further supporting the potential therapeutic utility of this novel antagonist.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Maguire
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA; Addiction Research, Treatment & Training Center of Excellence, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Charles P France
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA; Addiction Research, Treatment & Training Center of Excellence, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
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Booth RG, Shariff SZ, Carter B, Hwang SW, Orkin AM, Forchuk C, Gomes T. Opioid-related overdose deaths among people experiencing homelessness, 2017 to 2021: A population-based analysis using coroner and health administrative data from Ontario, Canada. Addiction 2024; 119:334-344. [PMID: 37845790 DOI: 10.1111/add.16357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To measure the change in proportion of opioid-related overdose deaths attributed to people experiencing homelessness and to compare the opioid-related fatalities between individuals experiencing homelessness and not experiencing homelessness at time of death. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Population-based, time-trend analysis using coroner and health administrative databases from Ontario, Canada from 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2021. MEASUREMENTS Quarterly proportion of opioid-related overdose deaths attributed to people experiencing homelessness. We also obtained socio-demographic and health characteristics of decedents, health-care encounters preceding death, substances directly contributing to death and circumstances surrounding deaths. FINDINGS A total of 6644 individuals (median age = 40 years, interquartile range = 31-51; 74.1% male) experienced an accidental opioid-related overdose death, among whom 884 (13.3%) were identified as experiencing homelessness at the time of death. The quarterly proportion of opioid-related overdose deaths attributed to people experiencing homelessness increased from 7.2% (26/359) in July-September 2017 to 16.8% (97/578) by April-June 2021 (trend test P < 0.01). Compared with housed decedents, those experiencing homelessness were younger (61.3 versus 53.1% aged 25-44), had higher prevalence of mental health or substance use disorders (77.1 versus 67.1%) and more often visited hospitals (32.1 versus 24.5%) and emergency departments (82.6 versus 68.5%) in the year prior to death. Fentanyl and its analogues more often directly contributed to death among people experiencing homelessness (94.0 versus 81.4%), as did stimulants (67.4 versus 51.6%); in contrast, methadone was less often present (7.8 versus 12.4%). Individuals experiencing homelessness were more often in the presence of a bystander during the acute toxicity event that led to death (55.8 versus 49.7%); and where another individual was present, more often had a resuscitation attempted (61.7 versus 55.1%) or naloxone administered (41.2 versus 28.9%). CONCLUSIONS People experiencing homelessness account for an increasing proportion of fatal opioid-related overdoses in Ontario, Canada, reaching nearly one in six such deaths in 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard G Booth
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, Canada
- ICES (formerly the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences), Ontario, Canada
- London Health Sciences Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Canada
| | - Salimah Z Shariff
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, Canada
- ICES (formerly the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences), Ontario, Canada
- London Health Sciences Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Canada
| | - Brooke Carter
- ICES (formerly the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences), Ontario, Canada
- London Health Sciences Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Canada
| | - Stephen W Hwang
- ICES (formerly the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences), Ontario, Canada
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Aaron M Orkin
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Emergency Medicine, St Joseph's Health Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Cheryl Forchuk
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, Canada
- London Health Sciences Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Canada
| | - Tara Gomes
- ICES (formerly the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences), Ontario, Canada
- MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Rammohan I, Gaines T, Scheim A, Bayoumi A, Werb D. Overdose mortality incidence and supervised consumption services in Toronto, Canada: an ecological study and spatial analysis. Lancet Public Health 2024; 9:e79-e87. [PMID: 38307685 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(23)00300-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Supervised consumption services (SCS) prevent overdose deaths onsite; however, less is known about their effect on population-level overdose mortality. We aimed to characterise overdose mortality in Toronto, ON, Canada, and to establish the spatial association between SCS locations and overdose mortality events. METHODS For this ecological study and spatial analysis, we compared crude overdose mortality rates before and after the implementation of nine SCS in Toronto in 2017. Data were obtained from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario on cases of accidental death within the City of Toronto for which the cause of death involved the use of an opiate, synthetic or semi-synthetic opioid, or other psychoactive substance. We assessed overdose incident data for global spatial autocorrelation and local clustering, then used geographically weighted regression to model the association between SCS proximity and overdose mortality incidence in 2018 and 2019. FINDINGS We included 787 overdose mortality events in Toronto between May 1, 2017, and Dec 31, 2019. The overdose mortality rate decreased significantly in neighbourhoods that implemented SCS (8·10 deaths per 100 000 people for May 1-July 31, 2017, vs 2·70 deaths per 100 000 people for May 1-July 31, 2019; p=0·037), but not in other neighbourhoods. In a geographically weighted regression analysis that adjusted for the availability of substance-use-related services and overdose-related sociodemographic factors by neighbourhood, the strongest local regression coefficients of the association between SCS and overdose mortality location ranged from -0·60 to -0·64 per mile in 2018 and from -1·68 to -1·96 per mile in 2019, suggesting an inverse association. INTERPRETATION We found that the period during which SCS were implemented in Toronto was associated with a reduced overdose mortality in surrounding neighbourhoods. The magnitude of this inverse association increased from 2018 to 2019, equalling approximately two overdose fatalities per 100 000 people averted in the square mile surrounding SCS in 2019. Policy makers should consider implementing and sustaining SCS across neighbourhoods where overdose mortality is high. FUNDING The Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indhu Rammohan
- Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Tommi Gaines
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ayden Scheim
- Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ahmed Bayoumi
- MAP Centre on Urban Health Solutions, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Dan Werb
- Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; MAP Centre on Urban Health Solutions, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Di Ianni T, Ewbank SN, Levinstein MR, Azadian MM, Budinich RC, Michaelides M, Airan RD. Sex dependence of opioid-mediated responses to subanesthetic ketamine in rats. Nat Commun 2024; 15:893. [PMID: 38291050 PMCID: PMC10828511 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45157-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Subanesthetic ketamine is increasingly used for the treatment of varied psychiatric conditions, both on- and off-label. While it is commonly classified as an N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, our picture of ketamine's mechanistic underpinnings is incomplete. Recent clinical evidence has indicated, controversially, that a component of the efficacy of subanesthetic ketamine may be opioid dependent. Using pharmacological functional ultrasound imaging in rats, we found that blocking opioid receptors suppressed neurophysiologic changes evoked by ketamine, but not by a more selective NMDAR antagonist, in limbic regions implicated in the pathophysiology of depression and in reward processing. Importantly, this opioid-dependent response was strongly sex-dependent, as it was not evident in female subjects and was fully reversed by surgical removal of the male gonads. We observed similar sex-dependent effects of opioid blockade affecting ketamine-evoked postsynaptic density and behavioral sensitization, as well as in opioid blockade-induced changes in opioid receptor density. Together, these results underscore the potential for ketamine to induce its affective responses via opioid signaling, and indicate that this opioid dependence may be strongly influenced by subject sex. These factors should be more directly assessed in future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Di Ianni
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
| | - Sedona N Ewbank
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Marjorie R Levinstein
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Matine M Azadian
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Reece C Budinich
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Michael Michaelides
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Raag D Airan
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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Burton W, Salsbury SA, Goertz CM. Healthcare provider perspectives on integrating a comprehensive spine care model in an academic health system: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:125. [PMID: 38263013 PMCID: PMC10804504 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-10578-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Healthcare systems (HCS) are challenged in adopting and sustaining comprehensive approaches to spine care that require coordination and collaboration among multiple service units. The integration of clinicians who provide first line, evidence-based, non-pharmacological therapies further complicates adoption of these care pathways. This cross-sectional study explored clinician perceptions about the integration of guideline-concordant care and optimal spine care workforce requirements within an academic HCS. METHODS Spine care clinicians from Duke University Health System (DUHS) completed a 26-item online survey via Qualtrics on barriers and facilitators to delivering guideline concordant care for low back pain patients. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. RESULTS A total of 27 clinicians (57% response) responded to one or more items on the questionnaire, with 23 completing the majority of questions. Respondents reported that guidelines were implementable within DUHS, but no spine care guideline was used consistently across provider types. Guideline access and integration with electronic records were barriers to use. Respondents (81%) agreed most patients would benefit from non-pharmacological therapies such as physical therapy or chiropractic before receiving specialty referrals. Providers perceived spine patients expected diagnostic imaging (81%) and medication (70%) over non-pharmacological therapies. Providers agreed that receiving imaging (63%) and opioids (59%) benchmarks could be helpful but might not change their ordering practice, even if nudged by best practice advisories. Participants felt that an optimal spine care workforce would require more chiropractors and primary care providers and fewer neurosurgeons and orthopedists. In qualitative responses, respondents emphasized the following barriers to guideline-concordant care implementation: patient expectations, provider confidence with referral pathways, timely access, and the appropriate role of spine surgery. CONCLUSIONS Spine care clinicians had positive support for current tenets of guideline-concordant spine care for low back pain patients. However, significant barriers to implementation were identified, including mixed opinions about integration of non-pharmacological therapies, referral pathways, and best practices for imaging and opioid use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wren Burton
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Osher Center for Integrative Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stacie A Salsbury
- Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA, USA
| | - Christine M Goertz
- Implementation of Spine Health Innovations, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, 300 W. Morgan Street, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Musculoskeletal Research, Duke University, 300 W. Morgan Street, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
- Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, Duke University, 300 W. Morgan Street, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
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Lopez I, Fouladvand S, Kollins S, Chen CYA, Bertz J, Hernandez-Boussard T, Lembke A, Humphreys K, Miner AS, Chen JH. Predicting premature discontinuation of medication for opioid use disorder from electronic medical records. AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2024; 2023:1067-1076. [PMID: 38222349 PMCID: PMC10785878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Medications such as buprenorphine-naloxone are among the most effective treatments for opioid use disorder, but limited retention in treatment limits long-term outcomes. In this study, we assess the feasibility of a machine learning model to predict retention vs. attrition in medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment using electronic medical record data including concepts extracted from clinical notes. A logistic regression classifier was trained on 374 MOUD treatments with 68% resulting in potential attrition. On a held-out test set of 157 events, the full model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.64-0.90) and AUROC of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.62-0.87) with a limited model using only structured EMR data. Risk prediction for opioid MOUD retention vs. attrition is feasible given electronic medical record data, even without necessarily incorporating concepts extracted from clinical notes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Lopez
- Department of Medicine, Biomedical Informatics Research, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, CA
| | - Sajjad Fouladvand
- Department of Medicine, Biomedical Informatics Research, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, CA
| | | | | | - Jeremiah Bertz
- Center for the Clinical Trials Network, National Institute on Drug Abuse, MD
| | - Tina Hernandez-Boussard
- Department of Medicine, Biomedical Informatics Research, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, CA
| | - Anna Lembke
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, CA
| | - Keith Humphreys
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, CA
- Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Adam S Miner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, CA
| | - Jonathan H Chen
- Department of Medicine, Biomedical Informatics Research, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, CA
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Jeddi HM, Busse JW, Sadeghirad B, Levine M, Zoratti MJ, Wang L, Noori A, Couban RJ, Tarride JE. Cannabis for medical use versus opioids for chronic non-cancer pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e068182. [PMID: 38171632 PMCID: PMC10773353 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-068182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to evaluate the comparative benefits and harms of opioids and cannabis for medical use for chronic non-cancer pain. DESIGN Systematic review and network meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, Cannabis-Med, Epistemonikos and the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL) from inception to March 2021. STUDY SELECTION Randomised trials comparing any type of cannabis for medical use or opioids, against each other or placebo, with patient follow-up ≥4 weeks. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Paired reviewers independently extracted data. We used Bayesian random-effects network meta-analyses to summarise the evidence and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach to evaluate the certainty of evidence and communicate our findings. RESULTS Ninety trials involving 22 028 patients were eligible for review, among which the length of follow-up ranged from 28 to 180 days. Moderate certainty evidence showed that opioids provide small improvements in pain, physical functioning and sleep quality versus placebo; low to moderate certainty evidence supported similar effects for cannabis versus placebo. Neither was more effective than placebo for role, social or emotional functioning (all high to moderate certainty evidence). Moderate certainty evidence showed there is probably little to no difference between cannabis for medical use and opioids for physical functioning (weighted mean difference (WMD) 0.47 on the 100-point 36-item Short Form Survey physical component summary score, 95% credible interval (CrI) -1.97 to 2.99), and cannabis resulted in fewer discontinuations due to adverse events versus opioids (OR 0.55, 95% CrI 0.36 to 0.83). Low certainty evidence suggested little to no difference between cannabis and opioids for pain relief (WMD 0.23 cm on a 10 cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), 95% CrI -0.06 to 0.53) or sleep quality (WMD 0.49 mm on a 100 mm VAS, 95% CrI -4.72 to 5.59). CONCLUSIONS Cannabis for medical use may be similarly effective and result in fewer discontinuations than opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42020185184.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haron M Jeddi
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jason W Busse
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute of Pain Research and Care, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Behnam Sadeghirad
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute of Pain Research and Care, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mitchell Levine
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Center for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Programs for Assessment of Technology in Health (PATH), The Research Institute of St. Joe's Hamilton, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael J Zoratti
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute of Pain Research and Care, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Atefeh Noori
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
- Hand Program, Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rachel J Couban
- Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jean-Eric Tarride
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
- Center for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Programs for Assessment of Technology in Health (PATH), The Research Institute of St. Joe's Hamilton, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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McCormick KA, Stanton MC, Ali SB. A Mixed Methods Analysis of Southern HIV Service Organizations' Implementation of Harm Reduction to Address the HIV and Opioid Syndemic. J Behav Health Serv Res 2024; 51:44-56. [PMID: 37697180 DOI: 10.1007/s11414-023-09859-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Southern HIV Service Organizations (SHSOs) are promising sites for the adoption and implementation of harm reduction as a means for addressing the HIV and opioid syndemic. However, little research to date has examined exactly how harm reduction is operationalized within and among SHSOs. Using program evaluation data (i.e., organizational assessment data and semi-structured qualitative group interview data with SHSO staff), this study aimed to characterize organizational implementation of harm reduction among SHSOs that sought harm reduction capacity-building assistance (i.e., training, coaching, funding) from the SUSTAIN Center. Authors utilized a convergent mixed methods design in which quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed in parallel to gain simultaneous insights into how harm reduction was operationalized in SHSOs and how the local context influenced implementation. Means and proportions of each organizational assessment domain were compared. Thematic analysis of group interview transcripts examined SHSO staff perceptions of harm reduction implementation in their respective communities. Quantitative results revealed that SHSOs most commonly operationalize harm reduction in the Outreach, Advocacy, and Principles domains but struggle to do so in terms of Services and Organizational Infrastructure. Qualitative results revealed that various factors in SHSOs' local context, such as the community's lack of knowledge and understanding of harm reduction, limited harm reduction services, and a challenging socio-political context, influence SHSOs implementation of harm reduction. Taken together, analyses reveal that (1) SHSOs expend significant effort conducting outreach activities because Southern communities are generally unaware of harm reduction, (2) SHSOs continually advocate for harm reduction in the midst of a challenging socio-political context, and (3) SHSOs offer fewer harm reduction services and integrate harm reduction into their organizational infrastructure to a lesser extent due to external, contextual factors. The combination of organizational-level data and SHSO staff insights provided by this mixed methods study have implications for policy advocacy, funding initiatives, and capacity-building efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie A McCormick
- Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, 1925 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Megan C Stanton
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology and Social Work, Eastern Connecticut State University, 83 Windham St, Willimantic, CT, 06226, USA
| | - Samira B Ali
- Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, 3511 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX, 77204, USA
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Roberts E, Humphreys K. Does the advent of depot therapy represent a step change in our understanding of opioid use disorder and its treatment? Drug Alcohol Rev 2024; 43:261-264. [PMID: 37525510 PMCID: PMC10828099 DOI: 10.1111/dar.13732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
After years of minimal innovation in pharmacotherapeutics, impressive outcomes in the treatment of opioid use disorder are being obtained from a new way of delivering an old medication; long-acting injectable formulations of buprenorphine appear to produce compelling reductions in relapse to illicit opioid use not only during use but also following depot discontinuation. This commentary discusses potential mechanisms behind this observation, asks if the removal of the need for daily oral opioid agonist dosing furthers our understanding of addiction treatment and whether we should therefore consider expanding access to depot formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmert Roberts
- National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
| | - Keith Humphreys
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
- Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, USA
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Krausz RM, Westenberg JN, Tai AM, Fadakar H, Seethapathy V, Mathew N, Azar P, Phillips A, Schütz CG, Choi F, Vogel M, Cabanis M, Meyer M, Jang K, Ignaszewski M. A Call for an Evidence-Based Strategy Against the Overdose Crisis. Can J Psychiatry 2024; 69:5-9. [PMID: 37438926 PMCID: PMC10867411 DOI: 10.1177/07067437231188202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Michael Krausz
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jean N Westenberg
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Clinic for Addiction Medicine, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Andy M.Y. Tai
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hasti Fadakar
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
| | - Vijay Seethapathy
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Complex Pain and Addiction Services, Vancouver general Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Nick Mathew
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Complex Pain and Addiction Services, Vancouver general Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Pouya Azar
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Complex Pain and Addiction Services, Vancouver general Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Anthony Phillips
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Christian G Schütz
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Fiona Choi
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Marc Vogel
- Clinic for Addiction Medicine, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maurice Cabanis
- Centre for Mental Health, Klinikum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Maximilian Meyer
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Clinic for Addiction Medicine, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kerry Jang
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Martha Ignaszewski
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Complex Pain and Addiction Services, Vancouver general Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children's hospital, Children's and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Held U, Forzy T, Signorell A, Deforth M, Burgstaller JM, Wertli MM. Development and internal validation of a prediction model for long-term opioid use-an analysis of insurance claims data. Pain 2024; 165:44-53. [PMID: 37782553 PMCID: PMC10723645 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT In the United States, a public-health crisis of opioid overuse has been observed, and in Europe, prescriptions of opioids are strongly increasing over time. The objective was to develop and validate a multivariable prognostic model to be used at the beginning of an opioid prescription episode, aiming to identify individual patients at high risk for long-term opioid use based on routinely collected data. Predictors including demographics, comorbid diseases, comedication, morphine dose at episode initiation, and prescription practice were collected. The primary outcome was long-term opioid use, defined as opioid use of either >90 days duration and ≥10 claims or >120 days, independent of the number of claims. Traditional generalized linear statistical regression models and machine learning approaches were applied. The area under the curve, calibration plots, and the scaled Brier score assessed model performance. More than four hundred thousand opioid episodes were included. The final risk prediction model had an area under the curve of 0.927 (95% confidence interval 0.924-0.931) in the validation set, and this model had a scaled Brier score of 48.5%. Using a threshold of 10% predicted probability to identify patients at high risk, the overall accuracy of this risk prediction model was 81.6% (95% confidence interval 81.2% to 82.0%). Our study demonstrated that long-term opioid use can be predicted at the initiation of an opioid prescription episode, with satisfactory accuracy using data routinely collected at a large health insurance company. Traditional statistical methods resulted in higher discriminative ability and similarly good calibration as compared with machine learning approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Held
- Department of Biostatistics at Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tom Forzy
- Master Program Statistics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andri Signorell
- Department of Health Sciences, Helsana, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Manja Deforth
- Department of Biostatistics at Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jakob M. Burgstaller
- Institute of Primary Care, University and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria M. Wertli
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cantonal Hospital Baden KSB, Baden, Switzerland
- Department of General Internal Medicine University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Switzerland
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Maguire DR. Interactions between lorcaserin and opioids: Ventilation and food-versus-drug choice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 234:173673. [PMID: 37951365 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Lorcaserin, a selective serotonin 2C (5-HT2C) receptor agonist, was approved for treating obesity and has been investigated for treating substance use disorders including those involving opioids. Although lorcaserin was withdrawn from the market, interest in the therapeutic potential of drugs acting at 5-HT2C receptors continues, supporting the need to further characterize potential adverse effects especially when combined with drugs of abuse. This study examined acute effects of lorcaserin on opioid-induced ventilatory depression, which is the primary cause of overdose, and opioid self-administration, which models factors contributing to opioid abuse, in male and female rhesus monkeys. In one group (n = 4), effects of morphine (0.178 to 5.6 mg/kg, s.c.), fentanyl (0.0032 to 0.1 mg/kg, s.c.), and lorcaserin (0.1 to 1.78 mg/kg, s.c.) alone as well as effects of lorcaserin with each opioid on ventilation were determined using head plethysmography. Another group (n = 5) responded under a food versus fentanyl (0.1 to 3.2 μg/kg/infusion, i.v.) choice procedure, and lorcaserin (0.32 to 1.78 mg/kg, i.v.) was given as a pretreatment. Lorcaserin dose-dependently decreased minute volume to below 70 % of baseline when administered alone and increased the potency of morphine and fentanyl. Consistent with previous studies, lorcaserin failed to alter choice of fentanyl over food. This study demonstrates the novel finding that lorcaserin alone decreases ventilation and enhances the ventilatory-depressant effects of opioids. Taken together with previous studies, these results suggest that combining a 5-HT2C receptor agonist such as lorcaserin with an opioid could increase the risk of ventilatory depression without the benefit of decreasing abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Maguire
- Department of Pharmacology and Addiction Research, Treatment & Training Center of Excellence, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
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Kasai S, Ogawa N, Takagi M, Takahashi Y, Makino K, Arita H, Takahashi H, Yoshizawa K. Fentanyl Analogs Exert Antinociceptive Effects via Sodium Channel Blockade in Mice. Biol Pharm Bull 2024; 47:872-877. [PMID: 38658360 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b24-00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The formalin test is one approach to studying acute pain in rodents. Similar to formalin, injection with glutamate and veratrine can also produce a nociceptive response. This study investigated whether opioid-related compounds could suppress glutamate- and veratrine-induced nociceptive responses in mice at the same dose. The administration of morphine (3 mg/kg), hydromorphone (0.4 mg/kg), or fentanyl (0.03 mg/kg) suppressed glutamate-induced nociceptive response, but not veratrine-induced nociceptive response at the same doses. However, high doses of morphine (10 mg/kg), hydromorphone (2 mg/kg), or fentanyl (0.1 mg/kg) produced a significant reduction in the veratrine-induced nociceptive response. These results indicate that high doses are required when using morphine, hydromorphone, or fentanyl for sodium channel-related neuropathic pain, such as ectopic activity. As a result, concerns have arisen about overdose and abuse if the dose of opioids is steadily increased to relieve pain. In contrast, trimebutine (100 mg/kg) and fentanyl analog isobutyrylfentanyl (iBF; 0.1 mg/kg) suppressed both glutamate- and veratrine-induced nociceptive response. Furthermore, nor-isobutyrylfentanyl (nor-iBF; 1 mg/kg), which is a metabolite of iBF, suppressed veratrine-induced nociceptive response. Besides, the optimal antinociceptive dose of iBF, unlike fentanyl, only slightly increased locomotor activity and did not slow gastrointestinal transit. Cancer pain is a complex condition driven by inflammatory, neuropathic, and cancer-specific mechanisms. Thus, iBF may have the potential to be a superior analgesic than fentanyl.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoka Kasai
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
| | - Natsuki Ogawa
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
| | - Miho Takagi
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
| | - Yukino Takahashi
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
| | - Kosho Makino
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Musashino University
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
| | - Hironobu Arita
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
| | - Hideyo Takahashi
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
| | - Kazumi Yoshizawa
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
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Jansen-Groot Koerkamp EAW, de Kleijn L, Fakhry R, Chiarotto A, Heringa M, Rijkels-Otters HJBM, Blom JW, Numans ME, Koes BW, Bouvy ML. Pragmatic Delphi study aimed at determining practical components for a tool designed to assist Dutch primary care-givers in opioid deprescribing for non-cancer pain. Fam Pract 2023; 40:827-843. [PMID: 37237431 PMCID: PMC10745274 DOI: 10.1093/fampra/cmad058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past decades, opioid prescriptions have increased in the Netherlands. The Dutch general practitioners' guideline on pain was recently updated and now aims to reduce opioid prescriptions and high-risk opioid use for non-cancer pain. The guideline, however, lacks practical measures for implementation. OBJECTIVE This study aims to determine practical components for a tool that should assist Dutch primary care prescribers and implements the recently updated guideline to reduce opioid prescriptions and high-risk use. METHODS A modified Delphi approach was used. The practical components for the tool were identified based on systematic reviews, qualitative studies, and Dutch primary care guidelines. Suggested components were divided into Part A, containing components designed to reduce opioid initiation and stimulate short-term use, and Part B, containing components designed to reduce opioid use among patients on long-term opioid treatment. During three rounds, a multidisciplinary panel of 21 experts assessed the content, usability, and feasibility of these components by adding, deleting, and adapting components until consensus was reached on the outlines of an opioid reduction tool. RESULTS The resulting Part A consisted of six components, namely education, opioid decision tree, risk assessment, agreements on dosage and duration of use, guidance and follow-up, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The resulting Part B consisted of five components, namely education, patient identification, risk assessment, motivation, and tapering. CONCLUSIONS In this pragmatic Delphi study, components for an opioid reduction tool for Dutch primary care-givers are identified. These components need further development, and the final tool should be tested in an implementation study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsemiek A W Jansen-Groot Koerkamp
- SIR Institute for Pharmacy Practice and Policy, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Division of Pharmaco-epidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Loes de Kleijn
- Department of General Practice, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Romina Fakhry
- Division of Pharmaco-epidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Alessandro Chiarotto
- Department of General Practice, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mette Heringa
- SIR Institute for Pharmacy Practice and Policy, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jeanet W Blom
- Department Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mattijs E Numans
- Department Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bart W Koes
- Department of General Practice, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health and the Center for Muscle and Joint Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Marcel L Bouvy
- Division of Pharmaco-epidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Kyzar EJ, Arbuckle M, Abba-Aji A, Balachandra K, Cooper J, Dela Cruz A, Edens E, Heward B, Jibson M, Jordan A, Moreno-De-Luca D, Pazderka H, Singh M, Weleff J, Yau B, Young J, Ross DA. Leveraging neuroscience education to address stigma related to opioid use disorder (OUD) in the community: A pilot study. medRxiv 2023:2023.12.11.23299824. [PMID: 38168432 PMCID: PMC10760253 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.11.23299824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose deaths are a public health crisis. One contributing factor is stigma towards people who use opioids. We developed and conducted a public-facing, half-day educational event designed to challenge misperceptions about OUD from a contemporary neuroscience perspective. Participants engaged with three different resources on the neurobiology of addiction; at the end of the event, they rated its effectiveness. We also collected and compared pre- and post-event composite OUD stigma scales. Participants rated our approach and the overall event as highly effective. Additionally, OUD stigma scores were lower immediately following the event, and this decrease was primarily driven by decreased internalized stigma. Here, we demonstrate an effective proof-of-concept that an accessible, public-facing, neuroscience education event may reduce OUD stigma in the community.
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Bates JN, Getsy PM, Coffee GA, Baby SM, MacFarlane PM, Hsieh YH, Knauss ZT, Bubier JA, Mueller D, Lewis SJ. L-cysteine ethyl ester prevents and reverses acquired physical dependence on morphine in male Sprague Dawley rats. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1303207. [PMID: 38111383 PMCID: PMC10726967 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1303207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms underlying the acquisition of addiction/dependence on morphine may result from the ability of the opioid to diminish the transport of L-cysteine into neurons via inhibition of excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAA3). The objective of this study was to determine whether the co-administration of the cell-penetrant L-thiol ester, L-cysteine ethyl ester (L-CYSee), would reduce physical dependence on morphine in male Sprague Dawley rats. Injection of the opioid-receptor antagonist, naloxone HCl (NLX; 1.5 mg/kg, IP), elicited pronounced withdrawal phenomena in rats which received a subcutaneous depot of morphine (150 mg/kg) for 36 h and were receiving a continuous infusion of saline (20 μL/h, IV) via osmotic minipumps for the same 36 h period. The withdrawal phenomena included wet-dog shakes, jumping, rearing, fore-paw licking, 360° circling, writhing, apneas, cardiovascular (pressor and tachycardia) responses, hypothermia, and body weight loss. NLX elicited substantially reduced withdrawal syndrome in rats that received an infusion of L-CYSee (20.8 μmol/kg/h, IV) for 36 h. NLX precipitated a marked withdrawal syndrome in rats that had received subcutaneous depots of morphine (150 mg/kg) for 48 h) and a co-infusion of vehicle. However, the NLX-precipitated withdrawal signs were markedly reduced in morphine (150 mg/kg for 48 h)-treated rats that began receiving an infusion of L-CYSee (20.8 μmol/kg/h, IV) at 36 h. In similar studies to those described previously, neither L-cysteine nor L-serine ethyl ester (both at 20.8 μmol/kg/h, IV) mimicked the effects of L-CYSee. This study demonstrates that 1) L-CYSee attenuates the development of physical dependence on morphine in male rats and 2) prior administration of L-CYSee reverses morphine dependence, most likely by intracellular actions within the brain. The lack of the effect of L-serine ethyl ester (oxygen atom instead of sulfur atom) strongly implicates thiol biochemistry in the efficacy of L-CYSee. Accordingly, L-CYSee and analogs may be a novel class of therapeutics that ameliorate the development of physical dependence on opioids in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- James N. Bates
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Paulina M. Getsy
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Gregory A. Coffee
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Santhosh M. Baby
- Section of Biology, Galleon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Horsham, PA, United States
| | - Peter M. MacFarlane
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Yee-Hsee Hsieh
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Zackery T. Knauss
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
| | | | - Devin Mueller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
| | - Stephen J. Lewis
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Functional Electrical Stimulation Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
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Morrison M, Hai AH, Bandaru YS, Salas-Wright CP, Vaughn MG. Opioid Misuse and Associated Health Risks among Adults on Probation and Parole: Prevalence and Correlates 2015-2020. Subst Use Misuse 2023; 59:20-28. [PMID: 37735916 PMCID: PMC10754470 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2023.2257319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As state legislatures work to reduce prison populations and increase the use of community-based alternatives, limited knowledge exists about the service needs of those under criminal justice supervision in the community. Preliminary research indicates unusually high rates of disease, disability, and death. Health risks for this population include opioid misuse, a form of substance misuse that has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. Evidence indicates this may be one of multiple epidemics this population experiences, complicating intervention. METHODS Our study included 5154 individuals on probation or parole. Using 2015-2020 data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), we conducted a series of logistic regressions examining associations between opioid misuse and a range of health risks, controlling for sociodemographic variables and survey year. RESULTS Approximately 17% of those on probation or parole indicated past-year opioid misuse, a rate 4 times higher than in the general population. Compared to those on probation and parole who did not misuse opioids, it was associated with higher odds of other health risk behaviors and mental health problems. For example, the odds of marijuana and cocaine use were 4-6 times higher and the odds of substance use disorder were 10 times higher. Similarly, the odds of experiencing major depressive episodes and serious psychological distress were 2-3 times higher. CONCLUSIONS Our findings reveal a markedly high risk for opioid misuse within this population along with associated risks for behavioral and mental health problems. The complex treatment needs of this population require greater policy attention and further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Morrison
- Saint Louis University, 1 North Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63103, U.S
| | - Audrey Hang Hai
- Tulane University, 127 Elk Place, New Orleans, LA 70112, U.S
| | | | | | - Michael G. Vaughn
- Saint Louis University, 1 North Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63103, U.S
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50
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Xu KY, Huang V, Williams AR, Martin CE, Bazazi AR, Grucza RA. Co-occurring psychiatric disorders and disparities in buprenorphine utilization in opioid use disorder: An analysis of insurance claims. Drug Alcohol Depend Rep 2023; 9:100195. [PMID: 38023343 PMCID: PMC10630609 DOI: 10.1016/j.dadr.2023.100195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Background As the overdose crisis continues in the U.S. and Canada, opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment outcomes for people with co-occurring psychiatric disorders are not well characterized. Our objective was to examine the influence of co-occurring psychiatric disorders on buprenorphine initiation and discontinuation. Methods This retrospective cohort study used multi-state administrative claims data in the U.S. to evaluate rates of buprenorphine initiation (relative to psychosocial treatment without medication) in a cohort of 236,198 people with OUD entering treatment, both with and without co-occurring psychiatric disorders, grouping by psychiatric disorder subtype (mood, psychotic, and anxiety-and-related disorders). Among people initiating buprenorphine, we assessed the influence of co-occurring psychiatric disorders on buprenorphine retention. We used multivariable Poisson regression to estimate buprenorphine initiation and Cox regression to estimate time to discontinuation, adjusting for all 3 classes of co-occurring disorders simultaneously and adjusting for baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Results Buprenorphine initiation occurred in 29.3 % of those with co-occurring anxiety-and-related disorders, compared to 25.9 % and 17.5 % in people with mood and psychotic disorders. Mood (adjusted-risk-ratio[aRR] = 0.82[95 % CI = 0.82-0.83]) and psychotic disorders (aRR = 0.95[0.94-0.96]) were associated with decreased initiation (versus psychosocial treatment), in contrast to greater initiation in the anxiety disorders cohort (aRR = 1.06[1.05-1.06]). We observed an increase in buprenorphine discontinuation associated with mood (adjusted-hazard-ratio[aHR] = 1.20[1.17-1.24]) and anxiety disorders (aHR = 1.12[1.09-1.14]), in contrast to no association between psychotic disorders and buprenorphine discontinuation. Conclusions We observed underutilization of buprenorphine among people with co-occurring mood and psychotic disorders, as well as high buprenorphine discontinuation across anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Y Xu
- Health and Behavior Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Vivien Huang
- Health and Behavior Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Arthur Robin Williams
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Division of Substance Use Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Caitlin E Martin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Alexander R. Bazazi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Richard A. Grucza
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research, St. Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
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