BACKGROUND: Postsurgical pain is a key component of surgical recovery. However, the genetic drivers of postsurgical pain remain unclear. A broad review and meta-analyses of variants of interest will help investigators understand the potential effects of genetic variation. METHODS: This article is a systematic review of genetic variants associated with postsurgical pain in humans, assessing … Read more
Document Type: Journal Article
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the risk of persistent opioid use after surgery varies by payer type. BACKGROUND: Persistent opioid use is associated with increased health care utilization and risk of opioid use disorder, opioid overdose, and mortality. Most research assessing the risk of persistent opioid use has focused on privately insured patients. Whether this risk … Read more
OBJECTIVE: Among those on chronic opioids, to determine whether patients with Medicaid coverage have higher rates of high-risk opioid prescribing following surgery compared with patients on private insurance. BACKGROUND: Following surgery, patients on chronic opioids experience gaps in transitions of care back to their usual opioid prescriber, but differences by payer type are not well … Read more
OBJECTIVE: To characterize guideline-concordant use of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia vs. sleep medications among Veterans Health Administration patients. METHODS: Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia was identified from the text of psychotherapy notes within the Veterans Health Administration’s electronic medical record. Patients that received first-line cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (ie, no prior insomnia treatment) … Read more
Varying coefficient models have been used to explore dynamic effects in many scientific areas, such as in medicine, finance, and epidemiology. As most existing models ignore the existence of zero regions, we propose a new soft-thresholded varying coefficient model, where the coefficient functions are piecewise smooth with zero regions. Our new modeling approach enables us … Read more
IMPORTANCE: There is interest in reducing long-term benzodiazepine prescribing given harms associated with use, but the cumulative risks or benefits of discontinuation are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To identify the association of benzodiazepine discontinuation with mortality and other adverse events among patients prescribed stable long-term benzodiazepine therapy, stratified by baseline opioid exposure. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This … Read more
BACKGROUND: Training law enforcement officers (LEOs) to administer naloxone is a recommended strategy to reduce overdose deaths in the United States. To achieve this, an evidence-based and scalable naloxone training curriculum that is easy to use and readily scalable is needed. Convenient web-based training is a flexible method for delivering educational interventions particularly for LEOs … Read more
PURPOSE: To examine if the record declines in adolescent substance use after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from reduced levels of initiation, defined as any lifetime use. METHODS: We analyzed data from the nationally representative, cross-sectional, annual Monitoring the Future surveys of eighth, 10th, and 12th grade students from 2019 to 2022. Measures … Read more
OBJECTIVE: Prescription benzodiazepines are among the most commonly used and misused controlled medications. The authors aimed to examine transitions from medical use of prescription benzodiazepines to prescription benzodiazepine misuse, prescription opioid misuse, and substance use disorder symptoms during adulthood. METHODS: Eleven national cohorts of U.S. 12th graders (N=26,575) were followed up from ages 18 (1976-1986) … Read more
Cancer pain remains a significant problem worldwide, affecting more than half of patients receiving anti-cancer treatment and most patients with advanced disease. Opioids remain the cornerstone of therapy, and morphine, given its availability, multiple formulations, price, and evidence base, is typically considered the first-line treatment for moderate to severe cancer pain. Buprenorphine has emerged in … Read more
OBJECTIVE: The U.S. population is aging and increasing numbers of older adults are using cannabis. Cognitive decline is common in older age and subjective memory complaints (SMC) have been associated with increased risk for dementia. While residual cognitive effects of cannabis use at younger ages are well understood, the links between cannabis use and cognition … Read more