Addiction Disorders

Vaping causes more inflammation in lungs than regular cigarettes

A study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine found significantly more inflammation in the lungs of people who used e-cigarettes than regular smokers and non-smokers.

As alcohol-related liver disease rises in the U.S., a clinic takes a new approach to treatment

Henry Kranzler of the Perelman School of Medicine says that the message to quit drinking becomes more powerful when accompanied by tangible evidence like liver scans, rather than vague statements.

Healthcare organizations are finding novel uses for virtual health technology

The Perelman School of Medicine’s Care Connect program is spearheading the use of virtual urgent care services and substance abuse professionals to provide treatment to patients, with a quote from Margaret Lowenstein.

Cigarette nicotine levels to make ‘monumental’ shift, and Pa. needs to prepare

In an Op-Ed, postdoc Teresa DeAtley of the Perelman School of Medicine urges Pennsylvania to prepare for the FDA’s new proposal to reduce the maximum level of nicotine in cigarettes.

Promising efforts to mitigate the opioid crisis

Margaret Lowenstein, an LDI senior fellow and assistant professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine discusses the increase in opioid and drug overdoses since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hospitalizations for opioid overdoses are increasing among Black and Hispanic Pennsylvanians, study finds

Jeanmarie Perrone of the Perelman School of Medicine explains why a new study on opioid overdoses likely doesn’t reflect the full picture of hospitalizations for Pennsylvania.

Could these common medications help curb addiction?

In a Q&A, Anna Rose Childress of the Perelman School of Medicine speaks on the cycle of opioid addiction and her current clinical trials on the benefits of “add-on” medications with Kyle Kampman of the Perelman School of Medicine.

Predisposition to alcohol abuse is inherited, needs personalised treatment: Addiction expert

A study by Henry Kranzler of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that treatment for excessive drinking should be tailored according to individual genetic makeup, with predisposition to alcohol abuse partially inherited from relatives.

A put-out cigarette standing on its end, next to half of another crumpled cigarette. In the background are two whole cigarettes.

Q&A

Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children

In research done using rats, Penn Nursing’s Heath Schmidt and colleagues found that males that engaged in voluntary nicotine use had offspring more likely to do so, too. Some offspring also developed impaired memory and anxiety-like behavior.

Many empty prescription pill bottles, some with caps removed.

Program issuing mailed kits doubles rate of leftover opioids disposal

A Penn study finds that patients of orthopaedic and urologic procedures were more likely to dispose of their extra opioid tablets when they received kits in the mail to do so.

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