Genetically encoded fluorescent sensors have been widely applied to detect cell signaling molecules and events. We previously designed a fluorescent sensor motif suitable for detecting protease activity and opioids. In this manuscript, we demonstrated the motif’s first use for reporting on protease activity in animal models, demonstrating a high signal-to-background ratio of 29. We further … Read more
Document Type: Journal Article
Importance: Guidelines recommend dose reduction or discontinuation of long-term opioid therapy when harm outweighs benefit, but strategies to help patients do so are limited. Objective: To test optionally switching to buprenorphine as a strategy for improving pain and reducing opioids among patients prescribed high-dose, full agonist long-term opioid therapy. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this … Read more
Introduction: The COVID pandemic prompted a significant increase in the utilization of telemedicine (TM) for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. As we transition towards a new normal policy, it is crucial to comprehensively understand the evidence of TM in SUD treatment. This scoping review aims to summarize existing evidence regarding TM’s acceptability, quality, effectiveness, access/utilization, … Read more
BACKGROUND: Naloxone distribution and overdose education are key preventive strategies to reduce opioid overdose deaths. This paper describes the development and evaluation of The Lookout Project (TLP), a 501(c)(3) organization led by college students and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This research aimed to examine the outreach of TLP with hopes of creating a reproducible … Read more
BACKGROUND: Misuse of prescription opioids remains a public health problem. Appropriate short-term use of these medications in opioid-naive patients is indicated in selected settings but can result in unintended prolonged opioid use (UPOU), defined as the continuation of opioid therapy beyond the period by which acute pain would have been expected to resolve. Clinical strategies … Read more
OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation of patient-reported opioid use as compared to fills verified in a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) before and after surgery. BACKGROUND: Correctly determining prescription opioid use before and after surgery is critical to develop effective policies and care pathways for opioid stewardship perioperatively. While many surgical teams, health systems, and … Read more
INTRODUCTION: Endometriosis affects 10-15% of people assigned female at birth and can cause chronic pelvic pain and impair many domains of quality of life, such as fertility, mood and bladder, bowel and sexual function. Current treatments often fail, leading to recurrent pain and the need for reintervention. As endometriosis negatively affects many domains of life, … Read more
INTRODUCTION: While identifying opioid prescriptions in claims data has been instrumental in informing best practises, studies have not evaluated whether certain methods of identifying opioid prescriptions yield better results. We compared three common approaches to identify opioid prescriptions in large, nationally representative databases. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study, analyzing MarketScan, Optum, and Medicare … Read more
OBJECTIVE: Acupuncture has demonstrated efficacy as a treatment for fibromyalgia; however, predictors of short- and long-term analgesic response in this population are not well understood. METHODS: This manuscript describes a secondary analysis of a single-center, blinded, sham-controlled, randomized longitudinal acupuncture clinical trial in fibromyalgia. Baseline characterization included pressure pain threshold and pain interference, while residualized … Read more
Policy makers have temporarily extended COVID-19 pandemic-related flexibilities allowing controlled substance prescribing via telehealth without in-person visits. To inform debates regarding whether these flexibilities should be permanent, we used commercial and Medicaid claims to evaluate the risk for newly diagnosed substance use disorders (SUDs) associated with telehealth versus in-person initiation of stimulant therapy. Analyses included … Read more
OBJECTIVE: To define recent trends in opioid prescribing after surgery and new persistent opioid use in the United States. BACKGROUND: New persistent opioid use after surgery among opioid-naive individuals has emerged as an important postoperative complication. In response, initiatives to promote more appropriate postoperative opioid prescribing have been adopted in recent years. However, current estimates … Read more
BACKGROUND: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pain Common Data Elements (CDEs) provide a standardized framework for pain research, but their implementation and interpretation present challenges. OBJECTIVES: To review the NIH CDE Program’s selected pain domains, provide best practices for implementing required questions, and offer a checklist for appropriate CDE use in clinical trials and … Read more