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Marijuana Allergies on the Rise

"Cannabis sativa is a weed and it causes reactions just like any other pollen allergy," said William Silvers, MD, from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.

Silvers' clinic began to see people with allergic reactions to the plant after the increase in direct exposure that accompanied the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado. For people with allergic tendencies, first- and second-hand exposure to C. sativa will increase "classic responses," such as allergic rhinitis, sneezing, wheezing, itching, and asthma, he told Medscape Medical News. (Medscape, 06.03.2020)

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/926358

Long-term Opioid Use in Men Linked to Hypogonadism

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland ― Long-term opioid use in men is linked to a significantly increased risk for hypogonadism, new research suggests.

Findings from a retrospective case-control study show that men who used long-acting opioids on a long-term basis had close to a 1.5-fold increased risk of developing the condition. Moreover, for every increase in 100 maximum morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD), there was a 44% increase in risk. (Medscape Medical News, USA, 09.03.2020)

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/926423

Connections between Sleep and Substance Use Disorders.

NIDA. (2020, March 9). 

https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2020/03/connections-between-sleep-substance-use-disorders

Fallberichte von drei Patienten mit akuter Lungenschädigung nach Gebrauch von E-Zigaretten

Three patients with acute pulmonary damage following the use of e-cigarettes—a case series

Dtsch Arztebl Int 2020; 117: 177-82; DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2020.0177

Suhling, Hendrik; Welte, Tobias; Fuehner, Thomas

https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/212897

Clinical profile and outcomes of opioid abuse gastroenteropathy: an underdiagnosed disease entity.

Mahajan R, Gupta Y, Singh A, Dhiman P, Midha V, Kakkar C, Narang V, Mehta V, Saggar K, Sood A.

Intest Res. 2020 Feb 25. doi: 10.5217/ir.2019.00104. 

https://irjournal.org/journal/view.php?doi=10.5217/ir.2019.00104

Dental caries and periodontal disease among people who use drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Yazdanian M, Armoon B, Noroozi A, Mohammadi R, Bayat AH, Ahounbar E, Higgs P, Nasab HS, Bayani A, Hemmat M.

BMC Oral Health. 2020 Feb 10;20(1):44. doi: 10.1186/s12903-020-1010-3.

https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-020-1010-3

Increased risk of HIV and other drug-related harms associated with injecting in public places: national bio-behavioural survey of people who inject drugs.

Trayner KMA, McAuley A, Palmateer NE, Goldberg DJ, Shepherd SJ, Gunson RN, Tweed EJ, Priyadarshi S, Milosevic C, Hutchinson SJ.

Int J Drug Policy. 2020 Jan 22;77:102663. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102663.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395920300049

Substance Use + Mental Health in Teens and Young Adults 

Your Guide to Recognizing and Addressing Co-occurring Disorders 

Center on Addiction and  Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, USA, 2020 

https://drugfree.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Substance-Use-Mental-Health-in-Teens-and-Young-Adults.pdf

EMCDDA. Drug-related hospital emergency presentations in Europe: update from the Euro-DEN Plus expert network

Summary

This report presents the latest findings on drug-related hospital emergencies from a network of sentinel hospitals across Europe. Almost 24 000 emergency presentations were recorded at 32 sentinel hospitals over the first 4 years of the project. The data reveal that the substances most commonly involved in acute drug toxicity presentations include heroin, cocaine and cannabis. Prescription medicines are frequently reported. The report also sheds light on other aspects of drug-related emergencies such as clinical features, geographical variation, outcomes, demographics and time patterns. (EMCDDA, Lissabon, EMCDDA, Februar 2020 

http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/technical-reports/drug-related-hospital-emergency-presentations-in-europe_en

Infective endocarditis: trends, surgical outcomes, and controversies.

Jamil M, Sultan I, Gleason TG, Navid F, Fallert MA, Suffoletto MS, Kilic A.

J Thorac Dis. 2019 Nov;11(11):4875-4885. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2019.10.45. Review.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6940216/

Cocaine/amphetamine-induced accelerated atherosclerosis, coronary spasm and thrombosis, and refractory ventricular fibrillation.

den Uil CA, Ligthart JMR, Mandigers L, den Dekker WK.

Eur Heart J Case Rep. 2019 Dec;3(4):1-2. doi: 10.1093/ehjcr/ytz167. Epub 2019 Sep 24.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6939810/

Brugada syndrome, Brugada phenocopy, or simply arrythmia induced by cocaine intoxication?

Cepas-Guillén PL, Pujol-López M, San Antonio R, Arbelo E, Salgado E, Brugada J.

Emergencias. 2020 Feb;32(1):72-74. Spanish, English. 

http://emergencias.portalsemes.org/descargar/sndrome-de-brugada-fenocopia-de-brugada-o-solo-intoxicacin-arritmognica/english/

Opioid withdrawal symptoms, a consequence of chronic opioid use and opioid use disorder: Current understanding and approaches to management.

Pergolizzi JV Jr, Raffa RB, Rosenblatt MH.

J Clin Pharm Ther. 2020 Jan 27. doi: 10.1111/jcpt.13114. 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpt.13114

Cardiovascular Complications of Chronic Opium Consumption: A Narrative Review Article.

Ziaee M, Hajizadeh R, Khorrami A, Sepehrvand N, Momtaz S, Ghaffari S.

Iran J Public Health. 2019 Dec;48(12):2154-2164. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6974854/

Exploring psychological symptoms and associated factors in patients receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid-use disorder.

Rosic T, Worster A, Thabane L, Marsh DC, Samaan Z.

BJPsych Open. 2020 Jan 8;6(1):e8. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2019.99.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/exploring-psychological-symptoms-and-associated-factors-in-patients-receiving-medicationassisted-treatment-for-opioiduse-disorder/32B35973DABF60D7F15C2A7708A17632

The Role of Peripheral Opioid Receptors in Triggering Heroin-induced Brain Hypoxia.

Perekopskiy D, Afzal A, Jackson SN, Muller L, Woods AS, Kiyatkin EA.

Sci Rep. 2020 Jan 21;10(1):833. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-57768-3.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-57768-3

Beyond Antibiotics: A Practical Guide for the Infectious Disease Physician to Treat Opioid Use Disorder in the Setting of Associated Infectious Diseases.

Seval N, Eaton E, Springer SA.

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019 Dec 24;7(1):ofz539. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz539. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6979000/

Methadone-induced encephalopathy: a case series and literature review.

Haghighi-Morad M, Naseri Z, Jamshidi N, Hassanian-Moghaddam H, Zamani N, Ahmad-Molaei L.

BMC Med Imaging. 2020 Jan 17;20(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s12880-020-0410-9.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6969410/

Fournier's Gangrene and Intravenous Drug Abuse: an Unusual Case Report and Review of The Literature.

Zingaro MD, Boni A, Vermandois JAR, Paladini A, Lepri E, Ursi P, Cirocchi R, Turco M, Gaudio G, Nogara A, Mearini E.

Open Med (Wars). 2019 Dec 24;14:694-710. doi: 10.1515/med-2019-0114. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6947763/

COPD and asthma in patients with opioid dependency: a cross-sectional study in primary care.

Mehta S, Parmar N, Kelleher M, Jolley CJ, White P, Durbaba S, Ashworth M.

NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. 2020 Jan 14;30(1):4. doi: 10.1038/s41533-019-0161-7.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41533-019-0161-7

Buprenorphine and Methadone as Opioid Maintenance Treatments for Heroin-Addicted Patients Induce Oxidative Stress in Blood.

Leventelis C, Goutzourelas N, Kortsinidou A, Spanidis Y, Toulia G, Kampitsi A, Tsitsimpikou C, Stagos D, Veskoukis AS, Kouretas D.

Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2019 Apr 9;2019:9417048. doi: 10.1155/2019/9417048. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6481042/

Hydromorphone and the risk of infective endocarditis among people who inject drugs: a population-based, retrospective cohort study.

Silverman M, Slater J, Jandoc R, Koivu S, Garg AX, Weir MA.

Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Jan 22. pii: S1473-3099(19)30705-4. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30705-4. 

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(19)30705-4/fulltext

USA. Most EVALI Patients Used THC-Containing Products as New Cases Continue To Decline

Small percentage of cases reporting non-THC product use needs further study. (CDC – Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 17.01.2020)

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0117-evali-cases-decline.html

Using life course charts to assess and compare trajectories of amphetamine type stimulant consumption in different user groups: a cross-sectional study.

Martens, M., Zurhold, H., Rosenkranz, M. et al. 

Harm Reduct J 17, 8 (2020). doi.org/10.1186/s12954-019-0339-x

https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-019-0339-x

Estimating Mental Health Conditions of Patients with Opioid Use Disorder.

Minnerly C, Bressler SL, Shokry IM, Tao R.

J Addict. 2019 Sep 26;2019:8586153. doi: 10.1155/2019/8586153.

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jad/2019/8586153/

Self-Rated Physical Health and Unmet Healthcare Needs among Swedish Patients in Opioid Substitution Treatment.

Troberg K, Håkansson A, Dahlman D.

J Addict. 2019 Apr 15;2019:7942145. doi: 10.1155/2019/7942145. 

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jad/2019/7942145/

Opportunities to Improve Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Disease Services: Integrating

Responses to a Dual Epidemic.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi.org/10.17226/25626.

https://www.nap.edu/download/25626

Vitamin E acetate in products used by the first cases of EVALI in New York State 

A new study published on 24 January 2020 in the journal Toxics provides important insight into the recent lung intoxication epidemic referred to as "e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury" (EVALI). The study presents, for the first time, a comprehensive analysis of products used by EVALI patients. Vitamin E acetate was the main finding in cannabinoid liquids. No compound that could be linked to EVALI was found in the two nicotine products tested. (EurkAlert, 24.01.2020)

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/mdpi-vea012220.php

US-Kardiologen warnen Herzpatienten vor Marihuana

Boston – Die zunehmende Popularität von Marihuana bereitet US-Kardiologen Sorgen. Im Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2020; 75: 320-332) warnen sie vor den erst ansatzweise erforschten Auswirkungen auf Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen und mögliche Wechselwirkungen der Droge Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) mit Medikamenten. (aerzteblatt.de, 22.01.2020)

https://www.aerzteblatt.de/nachrichten/108801/US-Kardiologen-warnen-Herzpatienten-vor-Marihuana

Drawing attention to a neglected injecting-related harm: a systematic review of AA amyloidosis among people who inject drugs.

Harris M, Brathwaite R, Scott J, Gilchrist G, Ciccarone D, Hope V, McGowan CR.

Addiction. 2018 Oct;113(10):1790-1801. doi: 10.1111/add.14257. Epub 2018 Jun 8.

https://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/id/eprint/4647495/

 

  1. Psychotic disorders hospitalizations associated with cannabis abuse or dependence: A nationwide big data analysis.
  2. Factors Associated With Opiate Use Among Psychiatric Inpatients: A Population-Based Study of Hospital Admissions in Ontario, Canada.
  3. Substance use disorders and risk for treatment resistant depression: a population‐based, nested case–control study.
  4. Characteristics of Patients Experiencing Rehospitalization or Death After Hospital Discharge in a Nationwide Outbreak of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injury — United States, 2019.
  5. Update: Interim Guidance for Health Care Professionals Evaluating and Caring for Patients with Suspected E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injury and for Reducing the Risk for Rehospitalization and Death Following Hospital Discharge — Un