A seven-year project monitoring illicit drug use in 37 countries via wastewater samples shows that cocaine use was skyrocketing in Europe in 2017 and Australia had a serious problem with methamphetamine.
Read moreDrug addiction is a vicious cycle of reward and withdrawal. Chronic users often relapse because of the unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms they experience when they stop taking the drug. Now, researchers report metabolic changes in the brains of rats during methamphetamine self-administration and withdrawal that could help identify biomarkers and treatments for addiction.
Read moreA new study using a preclinical animal model suggests that prenatal exposure to THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, makes the brain's dopamine neurons (an integral component of the reward system) hyperactive and increases sensitivity to the behavioral effects of THC during pre-adolescence.
Read moreConcerns over the opioid epidemic have sparked a strong scientific interest in why some people become addicted while others don't. Now, researchers are proposing novel treatment strategies that could help prevent abuse of opioids and other substances.
Read moreAnalysis of corruption cases among customs officers and Border Patrol agents reveals alarming trends depending on their years of service.
Read moreResearchers have shown for the first time the molecular mechanisms at work that cause cannabidiol, or CBD, to block the psychiatric side-effects caused by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis.
Read moreInfections that are treatable in healthy people can often be fatal in immunocompromised individuals (people with a weak immune system), and hence, they require specialized treatment. Eushearilide is already known to be active against a wide range of pathogenic fungi and yeasts, but its antibacterial properties have not been explored. Now, scientists have derived a new compound from eushearilide and demonstrated its antibacterial and antifungal properties. It can be used to treat lung infections, meningitis, and encephalitis.
Read moreAs the nationwide opioid epidemic continues, more young people are developing a life-threatening heart infection that can result from drug abuse. It predominantly affects young, white, poor men who also have higher rates of HIV, hepatitis C and alcohol abuse.
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