http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Since 1977, there has been a 70% increase in caffeine consumption among children and adolescents. Whether it is coffee, tea, soda, or energy drinks, our children are consuming more of it. One well documented effect of caffeine is improved cognitive performance on certain tasks. However, scientists also hypothesize that habitual caffeine use may lead to greater neural rewards if the caffeine drinker were to consume illicit drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-caffeine-effect-cognitive-tasks-food.html Health Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:00:06 EST news285849631 (HealthDay)—College students who use marijuana and other illegal substances, even occasionally, are more likely to leave school than students who don't dabble in drugs, new research finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-pot-ups-college-dropout.html Health Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:55:44 EST news283168531 Cocaine, already a damaging drug for those with healthy immune systems, can be lethal for those living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Mudit Tyagi, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), has received two federally funded grants to study how dangerous this combination is in HIV patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-dangerous-effects-cocaine-hiv-patients.html HIV & AIDS Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:59:09 EST news283082342 The use of banned performance enhancing substances and illicit drugs is widespread in Australian sport and sometimes supported by coaches and scientists, according to a new report released by the Australian Crime Commission today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-australian-crime-commission-reveals-illicit.html Health Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:30:07 EST news279448198 Australian researchers are using social media to encourage young women to contribute towards one of Australia's most significant studies on women's health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-young-women-healthy-social-media.html Health Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:12:46 EST news279367688 People who take cocaine over many years without becoming addicted have a brain structure which is significantly different from those individuals who developed cocaine-dependence, researchers have discovered. New research from the University of Cambridge has found that recreational drug users who have not developed a dependence have an abnormally large frontal lobe, the section of the brain implicated in self-control. Their research was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-people-cocaine-differently-brain-addiction.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:14:16 EST news277650845 Alcohol abuse is responsible for around a quarter of the 30,000 people who die in road accidents across the European Union every year, the bloc's drugs agency said in a report published on Friday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-alcohol-quarter-europe-road-deaths.html Health Sat, 15 Dec 2012 05:10:01 EST news274769150 (HealthDay)—In 2011, nearly one in five adults in the United States reported any mental illness (AMI), and one in twenty suffered from serious mental illness (SMI), according to a Nov. 29 report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-samhsa-prevalence-mental-illness-stable.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:00:06 EST news273946573 A new e-health tool that could help reduce the number of drug-related deaths in Europe will be launched in Brussels today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-software-overdose-drug-users.html Medications Thu, 29 Nov 2012 07:12:02 EST news273395513 An unprecedented crackdown in 16 African countries netted 82 million doses of illegal or counterfeit drugs, including antibiotics, contraceptives and malaria treatments, the World Customs Organisation (WCO) said on Thursday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-illegal-medications-seized-african-countries.html Medications Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:00:01 EST news270384283 Fluoxetine was the first drug approved by the FDA for major depressive disorder (MDD) in children and adolescents, and to this date, it remains one of only two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) registered for treatment of MDD in children and adolescents, despite reports that indicate this class of drugs is associated with side effects, such as agitation, hostility and aggression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-fluoxetine-aggressive-behavior-affects-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:19:44 EST news268327168 The U.S. national campaign to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome has entered a new phase and will now encompass all sleep-related, sudden unexpected infant deaths, officials of the National Institutes of Health announced today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-nih-safe-infant-outreach-effort.html Health Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:25:44 EST news266754332 (Medical Xpress) -- President Obama signed a bill into law this week designating certain chemicals found in designer drugs as FDA-controlled substances. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-tackle-drug-craze.html Addiction Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:22:40 EST news261652952 (Medical Xpress) -- Data from national surveys reveal a disturbing trend for 50- to 59-year-olds: the number of those reporting past-month abuse of illicit drugs — including the nonmedical use of prescription drugs — more than doubled from 2002 to 2010, going from 907,000 to 2,375,000, or from 2.7 to 5.8 percent in this population. Among those 65 and older, 414,000 used illicit drugs in 2010. A new topic, Prescription and Illicit Drug Abuse, available on NIHSeniorHealth.gov, describes this trend and the effects of medication and drug abuse on older adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-prescription-illicit-drug-abuse-topic.html Medications Thu, 07 Jun 2012 05:40:00 EST news258266392 Fat Bastard's revelation "I eat because I'm depressed and I'm depressed because I eat" in the Austin Powers film series may be explained by sophisticated neuroscience research being undertaken by scientists affiliated with the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CR-CHUM) and the university's Faculty of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-scientists-fat-bastard-vicious.html Overweight and Obesity Wed, 23 May 2012 04:25:49 EST news256965917 People with an opioid addiction had the highest risk of death when compared with rates for alcohol and other drugs, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-opioids-highest-death.html Addiction Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:14:48 EST news253876483 Copenhagen, 16 March 2012: Poor dental hygiene behaviours in patients with congenital heart disease are increasing their risk of endocarditis. Teens with congenital heart disease floss, brush and visit the dentist less than their peers. But they have healthier behaviours when it comes to alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs. Adults with single ventricle physiology (a type of congenital heart disease) also have poorer dental hygiene practices than their peers despite having better health behaviours overall. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-poor-dental-hygiene-congenital-heart.html Cardiology Fri, 16 Mar 2012 05:03:57 EST news251093021 Illegal online pharmacies are using social media to attract young customers and sell them illicit drugs and medicines, a UN agency warned Tuesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-social-media-illegal-drugs-youth.html Medications Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:29:37 EST news249661765 A new report from researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health identifies patterns in the misuse of illicit drugs among young adults who also misuse prescription drugs. The report, "Misuse of Prescription and Illicit Drugs among High-Risk Adults" in Los Angeles and New York, was recently published in the first issue of the Journal of Public Health Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-link-prescription-illicit-drug-misuse.html Health Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:27:50 EST news249560863 High-risk sexual behaviors and drug habits that can increase a person's likelihood of getting HIV/AIDS are on the decline in the United States, according to a government survey released Thursday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-risky-sex-drug-decline-survey.html Health Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:40:01 EST news246201340 About 200 million people around the world use illicit drugs, according to a study published on Friday in The Lancet. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-million-illegal-drugs-lancet.html Health Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:50:02 EST news245050850 "Would legal regulation and control of drugs better protect children?" is a question posed by former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso in an editorial to be published in the January issue of Elsevier's International Journal of Drug Policy (IJDP). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-drug-laws-children.html Medications Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:53:10 EST news241181576 A high childhood IQ may be linked to subsequent illegal drug use, particularly among women, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-high-childhood-iq-linked-subsequent.html Health Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:44:52 EST news240551074 A clinical trial to test better treatment options for chronic heroin addiction is expected to begin in Vancouver at the end of this year. Led by researchers from Providence Health Care and the University of British Columbia, it's the only clinical trial of its kind in North America. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-ubc-providence-health-treatments-heroin-addiction.html Medical research Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:50:49 EST news237631842 Over 10 million people age 12 or older are estimated to have driven under the influence of illicit drugs in the prior year, according to a 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. While marijuana is the most commonly detected non-alcohol drug in drivers, its role in causing crashes has remained in question. To examine the link between marijuana use by drivers and risk of a car accident, researchers at Columbia University did a meta-analysis of nine epidemiologic studies and found that drivers who test positive for marijuana or report driving within three hours of marijuana use are more than twice as likely as other drivers to be involved in motor vehicle crashes. The researchers also found evidence that crash risk increases with the concentration of marijuana-produced compounds in the urine and the frequency of self-reported marijuana use. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-marijuana-accidents-drivers.html Health Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:54:27 EST news237138858 People who abused methamphetamine or other amphetamine-like stimulants were more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who did not, in a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-parkinson-disease-methamphetamine-users.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:34:46 EST news230891666 Devices marketed as "electronic cigarettes" are in reality crude drug delivery systems for refined nicotine, posing unknown risks with little new benefits to smokers, according to tobacco control experts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-e-cigarette-drug-delivery-device.html Health Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:46:13 EST news230402724 Quitting cannabis use in your 20s significantly reduces the chance of progressing to other illicit drugs, according to research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-cannabis-link-drugs.html Health Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:15:10 EST news230282078 While it may be years before the health effects of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are known, a new study shows that fetal exposure to a chemical found in crude oil is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease (CHD). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-chemical-crude-oil-linked-congenital.html Cardiology Sat, 30 Apr 2011 06:10:25 EST news223362596