NIH Announces It Will Not Create Single
Institute Devoted to Addiction
The
National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced it will not pursue the
proposed creation of a single institute devoted to substance use, abuse and
addictions. The proposal would have dissolved the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(NIAAA), and replaced it with a single body, according to the Nature News Blog.
NIH Director Francis Collins said in a statement that instead of dissolving the
two institutes, he will seek their “functional integration,” along with related
research in the NIH’s other institutes. NIDA has an annual budget of $1
billion, while NIAAA’s budget is $459 million, the article notes. Citing budget
uncertainties, Collins noted, “The time, energy, and resources required for a
major structural reorganization are not warranted, especially given that
functional integration promises to achieve equivalent scientific and public
health objectives.” In June, Collins told his committee of external advisers
that leaders in the alcoholic beverage industry were concerned about the new
single institute. According to the article, the industry’s opposition suggested
it was not comfortable with a single body that would more closely align the
public’s perception of alcohol consumption and abuse with drug addiction.
FDA Releases Reports on Injuries
Possibly Involving Red Bull Energy Drink
The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday released reports of injuries that
cited the possible involvement of the nation’s top-selling energy drink, Red
Bull. The reports follow the release of similar reports for other energy
drinks, The New York Times reports. Red Bull’s manufacturer said it was unaware
of cases of potential injuries involving their product, the article notes. The
FDA posted 21 reports filed since 2004 that mentioned Red Bull, including ones
that involved hospitalization for heart problems and vomiting. The newspaper
notes the mention of a product in a report of an injury or death does not mean
it caused or contributed to it. The FDA also recently reported filings
involving Monster Energy, 5-Hour Energy and Rockstar. The FDA is investigating
reports that five people have died since 2009 after they consumed Monster
energy drinks. The FDA also received reports of 13 deaths over the last four
years that may have involved the highly caffeinated drink 5-Hour Energy. Last
year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued a
report that found a sharp rise in the number of emergency department visits
linked with the use of non-alcohol energy drinks, from 1,128 visits in 2005, to
13,114 in 2009. The report noted that energy drinks are marketed to appeal to
youth, and are consumed by up to half of children, teenagers and young adults.
U.S. Teens Smoking Less, New Report
Shows
American
teenagers are smoking less, according to a new government report. The report by
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found
current cigarette smoking among teenagers declined significantly between 2002
and 2010 in 41 states. Nationwide, teen cigarette use fell from 12.6 percent to
8.7 percent, UPI reports. “Although this report shows that considerable progress
has been made in lowering adolescent cigarette smoking, the sad, unacceptable
fact remains that in many states about one in 10 adolescents smoked cigarettes
in the past month,” SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a news release.
“The report also shows that we must collectively redouble our efforts to better
educate adolescents about the risks of tobacco, and continue to work with every
state and community to promote effective tobacco use prevention and recovery
programs.” The report found Wyoming had the highest teen smoking rate—13.5
percent—more than double Utah’s rate of 5.9 percent. Teens’ perception of great
risk from smoking a pack a day or more increased overall, from 63.7 percent to
65.4 percent.
Alcohol Reported as Primary Substance
of Abuse in 62% of Veterans’ Treatment Admissions
There
were nearly 58,000 admissions of veterans to substance abuse treatment
facilities in 2010, according to the most recent data from the Treatment
Episode Data Set (TEDS). TEDS, a database of treatment admissions to primarily
publicly-funded substance abuse treatment facilities, excludes admissions to
Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. Therefore, the veteran admissions in TEDS
represent veterans who chose to seek substance abuse treatment in a non-VA
facility.* While alcohol was most likely to be reported as the primary
substance of abuse among veterans and nonveterans alike, veterans were much
more likely than nonveterans to report alcohol as their primary substance of
abuse (62% vs. 42%). Veterans were less likely than nonveterans to report
marijuana (7% vs. 15%) or heroin (8% vs. 16%) as their primary substance of
abuse. No other substance besides alcohol was reported by more than 10% of
veterans as a primary substance of abuse, suggesting that use prevention,
intervention, and treatment programs for military personnel and veterans should
focus their resources on alcohol.
SOURCES: Adapted by CESAR from
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA), online analysis of the
concatenated1992-2010 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), based on data received
through 10/10/11, conducted 11/14/12
Study Links Marijuana Psychosis With Genetic Variation
A
new study suggests a specific genetic variation may increase the risk of
developing marijuana-related psychosis. Researchers found people with the
variation were twice as likely to develop a psychotic disorder when using
marijuana. The risk increased up to sevenfold if they used marijuana daily,
HealthDay reports. The findings could help lead to new treatments for
marijuana-induced psychosis, the researchers say.
In
the journal Biological Psychiatry, they note evidence is increasing that
marijuana use during the teenage years may increase the risk of developing
schizophrenia. Their study of more than 700 people found marijuana-related
psychosis was linked with a variation in the AKT1 gene. The gene is involved in
the regulation of the brain chemical dopamine, which plays an important role in
mental health, the article notes.
“Our
findings help to explain why one cannabis user develops psychosis while his
friends continue smoking without problems,” the researchers from King’s College
London’s Institute of Psychiatry note in a news release.
A
study published last year suggested marijuana may accelerate the onset of
psychotic disorders in some young users. Researchers conducted a review of the
literature examining the effects of marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs on the
onset of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. They found patients with
psychotic disorders who smoked marijuana at an early age developed symptoms
almost three years sooner than those who did not. The link was strongest among
those who started smoking at ages 12 to 15 or younger.
Many Teen Hookah Smokers Don’t
Recognize Health Risk
Many
teenage hookah smokers do not recognize that the practice carries serious
health risks, suggests a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). An estimated 18.5 percent of 12th graders said they used a
hookah in the previous year.
More
needs to be done to decrease the number of teens who smoke flavored tobacco
from hookahs, the CDC states in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease. The
report notes hookah smoke contains many of the same toxins as cigarettes. It
has been associated with lung cancer and respiratory illness, the Los Angeles
Times reports.
The
researchers conclude the same interventions used in reducing cigarette smoking
can be successfully used to reduce hookah smoking. These include raising the
price of flavored tobacco smoked from hookahs, called shisha. They point out
the price for a pound of hookah pipe tobacco is $22 lower than that for
cigarette tobacco.
The
CDC also calls for graphic labels on hookah tobacco products to warn smokers
about health dangers, as well as removing sweet flavorings from shisha. Hookah
bars should no longer be exempt from smoke-free laws, the researchers argue.
Ecstasy May Help Treat Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder
A
new study suggests Ecstasy may help treat post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), according to The New York Times.
Researchers
in South Carolina found Ecstasy combined with psychotherapy helped 15 of 21
patients recover from severe post-traumatic stress. Most of the patients in the
study were rape victims.
It
is unknown whether the treatment is effective in war-related PTSD, the article
notes. The researchers are beginning to test the drug in veterans. “We’ve had
more than 250 vets call us,” researcher Michael Mithoefer told the newspaper.
“There’s a long waiting list, we wish we could enroll them all.” He and his
wife, Ann, will work with other scientists to test the treatment in no more
than 24 veterans, in order to comply with Food and Drug Administration rules
for testing an experimental drug. Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is not approved
for any medical uses. Previous studies of the drug suggest it induces release
of the hormone oxytocin, which increases sensations of trust and affection. The
drug also appears to reduce activity in the brain that increases during
fearful, threatening situations.
The
study appears in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Five Percent of Teens Use Steroids to
Increase Muscle
About
one in 20 teenagers have used steroids to increase their muscle mass, a new
study suggests. In addition, more than one-third of boys and one-fifth of girls
said they had used protein shakes or powders to increase their muscles, while
between five and 10 percent used non-steroid substances to bulk up. The study,
published in the journal Pediatrics, included almost 2,800 students in middle
and high schools in Minnesota. Most of the students had engaged in at least one
muscle-building activity in the previous year. Up to one-third used what
researchers considered unhealthy ways to increase their muscle mass, such as
taking steroids or other muscle-building substances, or drinking too many
protein shakes or engaging in excessive weight-lifting.
The
study found steroid use was equally common among students who were athletes and
those who were not.
“Really
the pressure to start using (steroids) is in high school,” Dr. Linn Goldberg of
the Oregon Health & Science University, who was not involved in the study,
told Reuters. “You get the influence of older teens in high school, so when
you’re a 14-year-old that comes in, you have 17-year-olds who are the seniors,
and they can have great influence as you progress into the next stage of your
athletic career.”
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