Misclassification of Opioid-involvement in Drug-related Overdose Deaths in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Purpose: Most drug-related deaths in the United States (US) in 2022 involved opioids. However, methodological challenges in overdose surveillance may contribute to underestimation of opioid involvement in the overdose crisis. This scoping review aimed to synthesize existing literature to examine the breadth and contributing sources of misclassification of opioid-related overdose deaths.

Social trust and COVID-19 mortality in the United States: lessons in planning for future pandemics using data from the general social survey.

Background: The United States has lost many lives to COVID-19. The role of social capital and collective action has been previously explored in the context of COVID-19. The current study specifically investigates the role of social trust at the county level and COVID-19 mortality in the US, hypothesizing that counties with higher social trust will have lower COVID-19 mortality rates.

Higher unemployment benefits are associated with reduced drug overdose mortality in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: Overdose mortality rates in the United States remain critical to population health. Economic , such as unemployment, are noted risk factors for drug overdoses. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated economic hardship; as a result, the US government enacted income protection programs in conjunction with existing unemployment insurance (UI) to dampen COVID-19-related economic consequences.

Partner incarceration, maternal substance use, and the mediating role of social support: A longitudinal analysis using the future of families and child wellbeing study.

Introduction: The United States is responsible for the highest incarceration rate globally. This study aimed to explore the impact of partner incarceration on maternal substance use and whether social support mediates the relationship between partner incarceration and maternal substance use.

Methods: Using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal cohort following new parents and children, this analysis quantifies the relationship between paternal incarceration and maternal substance use (N = 2823).

Development and design of a mobile application for prescription opioid clinical decision-making: a feasibility study in New York City, USA.

Objectives: Excessive opioid prescribing is a contributing factor to the opioid epidemic in the USA. We aimed to develop, implement and evaluate the usability of a clinical decision-making mobile application (app) for opioid prescription after surgery.

Methods: We developed two clinical decision trees, one for opioid prescription after adult laparoscopic cholecystectomy and one for posterior spinal fusion surgery in adolescents.

Perceptions of peer and parental attitudes toward substance use and actual adolescent substance use: The impact of adolescent-confidant relationships.

While peer influence is a well-documented risk factor for adolescent substance use, it remains unclear whether peer or parental attitudes have greater impact, and if this relationship is moderated by having a confidant and the relationship between adolescents and their confidant. : Pooled (2015-2018) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data on adolescents (12-17 years) were used. Perceived peer and parental disapproval of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use were dichotomized.

The estimated impact of state-level support for expanded delivery of substance use disorder treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background And Aims: To prevent COVID-19 transmission, some United States (US) federal regulations on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment were suspended in March 2020. This study aimed to quantify the extent of state-level policy uptake and the potential number of people with SUD affected by these policy changes across the US, as well as to assess if policy uptake correlated with rates of people with SUD already in treatment or needing treatment.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of policies implemented as of April 13, 2020.

Prescription Opioid Laws and Opioid Dispensing in US Counties: Identifying Salient Law Provisions With Machine Learning.

Background: Hundreds of laws aimed at reducing inappropriate prescription opioid dispensing have been implemented in the United States, yet heterogeneity in provisions and their simultaneous implementation have complicated evaluation of impacts. We apply a hypothesis-generating, multistage, machine-learning approach to identify salient law provisions and combinations associated with dispensing rates to test in future research.

Methods: Using 162 prescription opioid law provisions capturing prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) access, reporting and administration features, pain management clinic provisions, and prescription opioid limits, we used regularization approaches and random forest models to identify laws most predictive of county-level and high-dose dispensing.

Corrigendum: Substance Use in Mild-COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.

Post-infection depressive, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms: A prospective cohort study in patients with mild COVID-19.

Background: It remains unclear whether COVID-19 is associated with psychiatric symptoms during or after the acute illness phase. Being affected by the disease exposes the individual to an uncertain prognosis and a state of quarantine. These factors can predispose individuals to the development of mental symptoms during or after the acute phase of the disease.

Substance Use in Mild-COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study.

There is a need for prospective studies investigating substance use variations in mild COVID-19 patients. These individuals represent the majority of patients affected by the disease and are routinely treated at home, facing periods of quarantine. This was a retrospective cohort study.

Investigating the effect of national government physical distancing measures on depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic through meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Background: COVID-19 physical distancing measures can potentially increase the likelihood of mental disorders. It is unknown whether these measures are associated with depression and anxiety.

Objectives: To investigate meta-analytic global levels of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the implementation of mitigation strategies (i.

Predictors of COVID-19 testing rates: A cross-country comparison.

Objectives: Cross-country comparisons of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have largely been applied to mortality analyses. The goal of this analysis is to explore predictors of COVID-19 testing through cross-country comparisons, to better inform international health policies.

Methods: Testing and case-based data were amassed from Our World in Data, and information regarding predictors was gathered from the World Bank.

Loneliness and self-rated physical health among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Vancouver, Canada.

Background: Due to stigma and discrimination, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) potentially carry a heightened burden of loneliness. This analysis investigates loneliness among gbMSM and its relationship with self-rated physical health, along with the mediating effect of depression.

Methods: Participants were recruited using respondent-driven sampling into the Momentum Health Study (February 2012-February 2015) with follow-up visits occurring every 6 months till February 2018.

Maternal obesity alters uterine NK activity through a functional KIR2DL1/S1 imbalance.

In pregnancy, uterine natural killer cells (uNK) play essential roles in coordinating uterine angiogenesis, blood vessel remodeling and promoting maternal tolerance to fetal tissue. Deviances from a normal uterine microenvironment are thought to modify uNK function(s) by limiting their ability to establish a healthy pregnancy. While maternal obesity has become a major health concern due to associations with adverse effects on fetal and maternal health, our understanding into how obesity contributes to poor pregnancy disorders is unknown.