PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Estimates of illicit opioid use in the U.S.

JAMA Health Forum

2025-05-09
(Press-News.org) About The Study: In this national survey of 1,515 adults conducted in June 2024, 166 respondents (11.0%) reported illicit opioid use and 114 (7.5%) reported illicitly manufactured fentanyl use within the past 12 months. These rates are much higher than previously reported estimates. The findings highlight the need for more timely and accurate data to inform policy and intervention strategies. Enhanced data collection efforts are essential for understanding and mitigating the opioid crisis.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, David Powell, PhD, email dpowell@rand.org.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.0809)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

#  #  #

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article This link will be live at the embargo time https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.0809?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=050925

About JAMA Health Forum: JAMA Health Forum is an international, peer-reviewed, online, open access journal that addresses health policy and strategies affecting medicine, health and health care. The journal publishes original research, evidence-based reports and opinion about national and global health policy; innovative approaches to health care delivery; and health care economics, access, quality, safety, equity and reform. Its distribution will be solely digital and all content will be freely available for anyone to read.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Effectiveness and safety of RSV vaccine for U.S. adults age 60 or older

2025-05-09
About The Study: Vaccine effectiveness (VE) for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protein subunit vaccine in this case-control study was similar to the VE in clinical trials. The VE for immunocompromised patients was mildly (overall) to moderately (for stem cell transplant recipients) diminished. Risk of immune thrombocytopenic purpura after vaccination was not elevated, but the risk of Guilain-Barré syndrome was statistically significantly elevated in patients who received the RSVPreF vaccine but not in those who received RSVPreF+AS01 vaccine, although the risk was small. These observations should inform clinicians’ choices ...

Mass General Brigham researchers share tool to improve newborn genetic screening

2025-05-09
More than a decade ago, researchers launched the BabySeq Project, a pilot program to return newborn genomic sequencing results to parents and measure the effects on newborn care. Today, over 30 international initiatives are exploring the expansion of newborn screening using genomic sequencing (NBSeq), but a new study by researchers from Mass General Brigham highlights the substantial variability in gene selection among those programs. In a paper published in Genetics in Medicine, an official journal ...

Can frisky flies save human lives?

2025-05-09
When fruit flies are infected with the Wolbachia bacteria, their sex lives — and ability to reproduce — change dramatically. Arizona State University scientist Timothy Karr decided to find out why. What he discovered could help curb mosquito-borne diseases and manage crop pests. And that’s just the “tip of the iceberg,” he says. Promiscuous flies Wolbachia is a parasitic bacteria that lives inside insect cells. It infects at least two out of every five insect species. Since insects outnumber all other life on Earth, understanding how this bacteria affects them could have wide-ranging impacts. “Insects rule this planet. Malaria, ...

Heart rhythm disorder traced to bacterium lurking in our gums

2025-05-09
Tempted to skip the floss? Your heart might thank you if you don’t. A new study from Hiroshima University (HU) finds that the gum disease bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) can slip into the bloodstream and infiltrate the heart. There, it quietly drives scar tissue buildup—known as fibrosis—distorting the heart’s architecture, interfering with electrical signals, and raising the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Clinicians have long noticed that people with periodontitis, a common form of gum disease, seem more prone to cardiovascular problems. One recent meta-analysis has linked it to a 30% higher risk of ...

American Society of Plant Biologists names 2025 award recipients

2025-05-09
The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2025 awards, which honor distinction in service, outreach, education, and research. Adolph E. Gude Jr. Award Brian Larkins, University of Arizona, Tucson ASPB Innovation Prize for Agricultural Technology Marc Albertsen, Manjit Singh, Mark Williams, Corteva Agriscience, Johnston, Iowa Charles Albert Shull Award Patrick Shih, University of California, Berkeley Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award Sarah (Sally) Assmann, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Mary Lou Guerinot, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire Enid MacRobbie Corresponding ...

Protecting Iceland’s towns from lava flows – with dirt

2025-05-09
It had been dormant for 800 years, but in March 2021, the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland came to life. While the eruption was ongoing, large-scale field experiments were conducted to build defensive earthen barriers aimed at slowing down the molten lava flow. Building defensive barriers to slow down the lava flowing from craters and fissures in the Earth’s crust is something of a race against time. The excavator and bulldozer operators had to work around the clock, shovelling dirt and rocks to build dams and barriers as the glowing hot lava from the eruption crept ever closer. Delayed lava flow for 16 days The speed of lava flows is determined by the viscosity of the lava and ...

Noninvasive intracranial source signal localization and decoding with high spatiotemporal resolution

2025-05-09
A research paper by scientists from Tianjin University proposed a noninvasive method for locating and decoding intracranial endogenous signals with high spatiotemporal resolution. The research paper, published on Apr. 9, 2025 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems. High spatiotemporal resolution of noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) signals is an important prerequisite for fine brain–computer manipulation. However, conventional scalp EEG has a low spatial resolution due to the volume conductor effect, making it difficult ...

A smarter way to make sulfones: Using molecular oxygen and a functional catalyst

2025-05-09
Sulfones, a class of sulfur-containing compounds, are chemically derived from the selective oxidation of sulfides. While these compounds form the core of the pharmaceuticals, solvents and polymer industries, their chemical synthesis is often hindered by high reaction temperatures and extreme reaction conditions. Additionally, these also require costly additives and harsh solvents for production. Against this backdrop, a team of researchers from Japan introduced a new catalyst design, capable of overcoming the limitations of conventional synthesis, offering higher selectivity and a better yield for sulfones. The research team, led by Professor ...

Self-assembly of a large metal-peptide capsid nanostructure through geometric control

2025-05-09
Controlling the topology and structure of entangled molecular strands is a key challenge in molecular engineering, particularly when attempting to create large nanostructures that mimic biological systems. Examples found in nature, such as virus capsids and cargo proteins, demonstrate the remarkable potential of such architectures. However, methods for constructing large hollow nanostructures with precise geometric control have remained elusive—until now. In a recent study, a research team led by Associate ...

Fatty liver in pregnancy may increase risk of preterm birth

2025-05-09
Pregnant women with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have an increased risk of giving birth prematurely and the risk increase cannot be explained by obesity, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal eClinicalMedicine. It is estimated that one in five people in Sweden has MASLD, previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and globally it may be as many as three out of ten. Common risk factors are metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity. The disease has become increasingly common, including among women of reproductive age. Researchers have now ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies

ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

The playbook for perfect polaritons

‘Disease in a dish’ study of progressive MS finds critical role for unusual type of brain cell

Solar-powered method lights the way to a ‘de-fossilized’ chemical industry

Screen time linked to lower academic achievement among Ontario elementary students

One-year outcomes after traumatic brain injury and early extracranial surgery in the TRACK-TBI Study

Enduring outcomes of COVID-19 work absences on the US labor market

Affirmative action repeal and racial and ethnic diversity in us medical school admissions

Cancer progression illuminated by new multi-omics tool

Screen time and standardized academic achievement tests in elementary school

GLP-1RA order fills and out-of-pocket costs by race, ethnicity, and indication

Study finds HEPA purifiers alone may not be enough to reduce viral exposure in schools

UVA Health developing way to ID people at risk of dangerous lung scarring even before symptoms appear

How can we know when curing cancer causes myocarditis?

Male infertility in Indian men linked to lifestyle choices and hormonal imbalances

An acoustofluidic device for sample preparation and detection of small extracellular vesicles

The advent of nanotechnology has ushered in a transformative era for oncology, offering unprecedented capabilities for targeted drug delivery and controlled release. This paradigm shift enhances thera

A prototype LED as thin as wallpaper — that glows like the sun

[Press-News.org] Estimates of illicit opioid use in the U.S.
JAMA Health Forum