A 'silent epidemic' of stimulant use is shadowing the most recent opioid epidemic, study shows

Published Date: 17 Jul 2025

Many people might be aware of an ongoing opioid epidemic, with thousands of people dying every year from overdoses. But many who are misusing opioids are also using—and dying from—stimulant drugs as well, according to ...

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Behavioral Economics May Aid Obesity Results in Primary Care

From financial incentives to ‘gamification’ of weight loss, researchers are testing ways to help patients lose weight and keep it off.

WHO chief urges clampdown on nicotine products aimed at kids

Sleek-looking disposable e-cigarettes and candy-flavored nicotine pouches are among a range of new products targeting young people and fueling a new wave of tobacco and nicotine addiction, the WHO warned Monday.

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In a commentary published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at Rutgers Health, Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh discuss the impact of unregulated mobile health and generative ...

Detection is not prevention: Will drug testing drivers really make NZ roads safer?

The government's new mandate to carry out random oral-fluid roadside drug testing marks a milestone in New Zealand's road safety policy.

The shocking cost of inaction on alcohol in Australia

Alcohol-related diseases and injuries have the potential to cost the Australian health care system a staggering $68 billion over 60 years if nothing is done to stop the impact.

Opinion: How e-cigarettes compromise children's human rights

Exposing children to e-cigarettes compromises their human rights. These products should be regulated in a way that puts children's best interests first and protects them from the harms associated with nicotine consumption ...

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Belgian Algorithm Reshapes Endometrial Cancer Care

A new Belgian algorithm may help clinicians choose adjuvant therapy more precisely in early endometrial cancer, moving beyond TNM staging alone.

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Belgian Algorithm Reshapes Endometrial Cancer Care

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From financial incentives to ‘gamification’ of weight loss, researchers are testing ways to help patients lose weight and keep it off.

Sleek-looking disposable e-cigarettes and candy-flavored nicotine pouches are among a range of new products targeting young people and fueling a new wave of tobacco and nicotine addiction, the WHO warned Monday.

In a commentary published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at Rutgers Health, Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh discuss the impact of unregulated mobile health and generative ...

The government's new mandate to carry out random oral-fluid roadside drug testing marks a milestone in New Zealand's road safety policy.

Alcohol-related diseases and injuries have the potential to cost the Australian health care system a staggering $68 billion over 60 years if nothing is done to stop the impact.

Exposing children to e-cigarettes compromises their human rights. These products should be regulated in a way that puts children's best interests first and protects them from the harms associated with nicotine consumption ...

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Vaping might seem safer than smoking but your heart could tell a different story

You may have heard that vaping is the "safer" choice than smoking. But what if the very thing designed to protect your health also puts your heart at risk?

Proposed policy calls for reduced nicotine levels in cigarettes

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has endorsed a federal policy that would make cigarettes far less addictive. The proposed policy by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets a maximum nicotine product ...

The 'hard, slow work' of reducing overdose deaths is having an effect

Illicit drug overdoses and the deaths they cause are trending down this year, despite spikes in a handful of states, according to a Stateline analysis of data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaping has slowed progress in cutting teen smoking in NZ—new study

Smoking rates among adults have declined in Aotearoa New Zealand over recent decades, from 18% smoking regularly in 2011/12 to 8% in 2023/24.

More than half of young adults in Australia admit to driving drunk the morning after a night out

The belief that "friends do it too" is a major factor in young adults drink-driving (driving drunk) the morning after a night out, according to a study of almost 300 Queenslanders.

A path to safer painkillers: Using cryo-electron microscopy, scientists visualize how opioids engage key brain receptor

Scientists have known for decades that opioids relieve pain by binding to molecular switches in the brain called mu-opioid receptors. What they didn't know—until now—was exactly what happens next.

People with a gambling disorder are more likely to die by suicide, research finds

Published in BJPsych Open, this is the first UK study to use routinely collected NHS data to identify factors that may predict suicide among people with gambling problems. Using anonymous health care records from Wales covering ...

Closer proximity to cannabis retail stores linked with more cannabis use but less drinking

A statewide study of more than 60,000 adult Oregonians shows that living near cannabis retail stores is associated with a greater tendency toward frequent cannabis use but a lower likelihood of heavy alcohol consumption.

Declining union membership could be making US working-classes less happy, more susceptible to drug overdoses

When fewer people belong to unions and unions have less power, the impact goes beyond wages and job security. Those changes can hurt public health and make people more unhappy.

Tobacco still top cancer killer, despite falling smoking rates

Tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of cancer death in the U.S., despite a dramatic decline in smoking, a new American Cancer Society report says.

Reward-related neurons drive risky decision-making differently in male and female rats

Some people with psychiatric conditions, including addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, struggle to control their urges or make decisions under uncertainty. In a collaboration between the University of ...

More states eliminating insurance hurdles for opioid use disorder medications

A new study from Tulane University found that, over the past decade, more states have moved to make it easier for people with opioid use disorder to get potentially life-saving medication.

Heterosexist discrimination linked to alcohol use among LGBQ+ students of immigrant origin

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer college students distressed by harassment targeting their sexuality are at a higher risk for alcohol use, especially if they are of immigrant origin. This is among the findings of a new study ...

Among youth who vape, study finds rise in daily use and difficulty quitting

Since 2019, overall rates of nicotine vaping have declined among U.S. youth, but those who continue to vape are showing signs of worsening addiction, according to new USC research.

Maldives begins 'generational ban' on smoking

The Maldives began implementing a smoking ban Saturday on anyone born after January 2007, becoming the only nation with a generational prohibition on tobacco, the Health Ministry said.

The hidden dangers of vapes: Study reveals chemicals, risks and teen use

Recent testing by a Virginia Commonwealth University forensic toxicology research lab is uncovering the hidden dangers of vapes and cannabis products used by more than a million school-age children across the country each ...