Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Functions of Nursing Professionals in the Care of Opioid Use Disorder: Systematic Review.

Background: Nursing professionals are vitally involved in the cascade of care for opioid use disorders (OUDs). The global spread of COVID-19 has had complex effects on public health aspects of major diseases, including OUDs. There are limited data on the major ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the functions of nursing professionals in the care of OUDs.

Has the United States Reached a Plateau in Overdoses Caused by Synthetic Opioids After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic? Examination of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data to November 2021.

Background: Overdoses caused by synthetic mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists such as fentanyl are causing increasing mortality in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have complex effects on public health, including opioid use disorders (OUD). It is unclear whether recent increases in mortality caused by synthetic opioids have reached a plateau (i.

Age of onset of heaviest use of cannabis or alcohol in persons with severe opioid or cocaine use disorders.

Background: Persons with severe opioid or cocaine use disorders are particularly vulnerable to morbidity and mortality. Heaviest use of mu-opioid receptor agonists and cocaine typically commences in early adulthood and is preceded by substantial adolescent exposure to cannabis and/or alcohol. Little information exists on the age trajectories of exposure to cannabis or alcohol in persons diagnosed with severe opioid or cocaine use disorders, compared to persons diagnosed with other substance use disorders (unrelated to opioids or cocaine).

Bidirectional influence of heroin and cocaine escalation in persons with dual opioid and cocaine dependence diagnoses.

Persons with dual severe opioid and cocaine use disorders are at risk of considerable morbidity, and the bidirectional relationship of escalation of mu-opioid agonists and cocaine use is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine the bidirectional relationship between escalation of heroin and cocaine use in volunteers dually diagnosed with opioid and cocaine dependence (OD + CD). Volunteers from New York with OD + CD (total = 295; male = 182, female = 113; age ≥ 18 years) were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Axis I Disorders and Kreek-McHugh-Schluger-Kellogg scales for dimensional measures of drug exposure, which also collect ages of 1st use and onset of heaviest use.

Escalation of drug use in persons dually diagnosed with opioid and cocaine dependence: Gender comparison and dimensional predictors.

Background: Persons dually diagnosed with opioid and cocaine dependence (OD + CD) present a clinical challenge and are at risk of morbidity and mortality. The time of escalation of heroin and cocaine exposure in persons with OD + CD remain understudied, and the influence of gender and other variables have not been examined. This observational study focused on the time of escalation of heroin and cocaine in volunteers with OD + CD, examining gender and exposure to other drugs (e.

Are trait impulsivity and exposure to cannabis or alcohol associated with the age of trajectory of cocaine use? A gender-specific dimensional analysis in humans with cocaine dependence diagnosis.

Cocaine use disorders (CUD) cause major morbidity and optimized prevention efforts are critical. It is unclear if trait impulsivity and exposure to cannabis or alcohol are associated with age trajectory of cocaine use (e.g.

Re-evaluation of the KMSK scales, rapid dimensional measures of self-exposure to specific drugs: Gender-specific features.

Background: The Kreek-McHugh-Schluger-Kellogg (KMSK) scales provide a rapid assessment of maximal self-exposure to specific drugs and can be used as a dimensional instrument. This study provides a re-evaluation of the KMSK scales for cannabis, alcohol, cocaine, and heroin in a relatively large multi-ethnic cohort, and also the first systematic comparison of gender-specific profiles of drug exposure with this scale.

Methods: This was an observational study of n = 1,133 consecutively ascertained adult volunteers.

Non-medical Cannabis Self-Exposure as a Dimensional Predictor of Opioid Dependence Diagnosis: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.

The impact of increasing non-medical cannabis use on vulnerability to develop opioid use disorders has received considerable attention, with contrasting findings. A dimensional analysis of self-exposure to cannabis and other drugs, in individuals with and without opioid dependence (OD) diagnoses, may clarify this issue. To examine the age of onset of maximal self-exposure to cannabis, alcohol, cocaine, and heroin, in volunteers diagnosed with OD, using a rapidly administered instrument (the KMSK scales).