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Even low to moderate alcohol usage during pregnancy linked to birth abnormalities

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Data from 281 patients pulled from three prospective cohort studies at the University of New Mexico examined the dose-response effects of mild-to-moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and episodic binge drinking on perinatal outcomes. After adjusting for tobacco co-exposure and socio-demographic characteristics, mild-moderate PAE in periconceptional period and during pregnancy, including consumption of as little as ≤1 drink/week, was associated with reduced duration of gestation. Episodic binge drinking was associated with reduced gestation and birth length percentile. Ludmila N. Bakhireva, Xingya Ma, Alexandria Wiesel, Fiona E. Wohrer, Jared DiDomenico, Sandra W. Jacobson, Melissa H. Roberts.  Dose–response effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on perinatal outcomes .   Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research , 2024; DOI:   10.1111/acer.15284
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Many Patients Don’t Survive End-Stage Poverty

The limits of modern medicine in the face of social determinants of health. 
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No, a Jail Is Not an Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Facility

How local jails ignore medical guidelines and contribute to the overdose crisis Opinion piece in MedPage Today.  What do you think?
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Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN): ED Visits Involving Alcohol Short Report presents the following data from January 2021-September 2023

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There were an estimated 8,566,725 ED visits related to alcohol during this period. Alcohol was the most prevalent substance involved in substance-related ED visits, with twice the number of visits compared to opioids or cannabis.  Among alcohol-related ED visits, the majority (80%) were alcohol only.  Download the report here:   https://store.samhsa.gov/product/dawn-alcohol-related-short-report/pep24-07-019  
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War on Recovery in the US (series of articles)

The War on Recovery   is  a yearlong investigation into how the U.S. denies lifesaving medications to people with opioid addiction.
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Biden-Harris Administration Marks Two Years of Advancements in HHS’ Overdose Prevention Strategy with New Actions to Treat Addiction and Save Lives

Continuing to build on unprecedented action to expand access to substance use disorder treatment, the Biden-Harris Administration finalizes historic updates to decades-old federal regulations for opioid treatment programs. HHS also announces certain grant funds may be used to purchase xylazine test strips to detect dangerous substance in illicit drug supply. Today, (February 1) the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) marked two years of its  Overdose Prevention Strategy  (Strategy) by announcing bold new actions to combat overdoses. These actions include finalizing  a rule  that will dramatically expand access to life-saving medications for opioid use disorder, announcing that certain grant funds may now be used to purchase xylazine test strips (XTS), and releasing the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) updated  Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit . Actions announced today build on President Biden’s  National Drug Control Strategy  
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Effective Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder — Finding Recovery and Staying Safe | NEJM

In this Double Take video from the New England Journal of Medicine and NEJM Knowledge+, Jennifer Foreman (Randolph Health Medical Group) and her son, = Dylan Glover, recount their journey through Dylan’s addiction and recovery. Ms. Foreman, along with Sarah Bagley (Boston Medical Center) and Scott Hadland (Massachusetts General Hospital for Children), reviews available medications for opioid use disorder and their mechanisms. They emphasize that multiple types of health care providers, including those in primary care, can manage and treat opioid use disorder. L.J. Punch (the T St. Louis, a harm-reduction program) also offers suggestions for harm reduction and guidance on how best to respond to an overdose.   https://youtu.be/KCtvjOiRFpU?si=dzX2nTP9DouM6QO1
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