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Our Members – BACKUP

Proud to be members of the Institute for Addiction Science

Below are members of USC’s Institute for Addiction Science. Click on the row of the IAS member to view their bio and other details.

Notable Findings

Association of Electronic Cigarette Use with Subsequent Initiation of Tobacco Cigarettes in US Youths

Authors: Berry KM, Fetterman JL, Benjamin EJ, Bhatnagar A, Barrington-Trimis JL, Leventhal AM, Stokes A

DATA:
  • Cigarette use was higher among prior e-cigarette users (5%) compared with youths with no prior tobacco use (3.8%)
  • Prior e-cigarette use was associated with more than 4 times the odds of ever cigarette use
  • E-cigarette use is associated with increased risk for cigarette initiation and use
Flavors of e-Cigarettes Used by Youths in the United States

Authors: Berry KM, Fetterman JL, Benjamin EJ, Bhatnagar A, Barrington-Trimis JL, Leventhal AM, Stokes A

DATA:
  • Among 8th-grade past 30-day JUUL users, the flavor most often used was mango
  • In 10th grade, mint was most often used
  • In 12th grade, mint was most often used
Do medical marijuana laws reduce addictions and deaths related to pain killers?

Authors: Powell D, Pacula RL, Jacobson M

DATA:
  • Medical marijuana law adoption decreases the opioid mortality rate by 21%
Association Between State Laws Facilitating Pharmacy Distribution of Naloxone and Risk of Fatal Overdose

Authors: Abouk R, Pacula RL, Powell D

DATA:
  •  Naloxone access laws granting direct authority to pharmacists were associated with significant reductions in fatal overdoses
  • These policies were estimated to reduce opioid-rated fatal overdoses by 387 per 100,000 people in 3 or more years after adoption.
Transition from injecting opioids to smoking fentanyl in San Francisco, California

Authors: Authors: Kral AH, Lambdin BH, Browne EN, Wenger LD, Bluthenthal RN, Zibbell JE, Davidson PJ

DATA:
  • Between 2018 and 2020, there was a shift from injecting tar heroin to smoking fentanyl in San Francisco
  • The median number of past-month injections steadily decreased from 92 injections in July to December 2018 to 17 injections in January to June 2020.
Dihydromyricetin Protects the Liver via Changes in Lipid Metabolism and Enhanced Ethanol Metabolism

Authors: Silva J, Yu X, Moradian R, Folk C, Spatz MH, Kim P, Bhatti AA, Davies DL, Liang J

DATA:
  •  DHM reduced liver steatosis, liver triglycerides, and liver injury markers in mice chronically fed EtOH
  • These findings support the utility of DHM as a dietary supplement to reduce EtOH-induced liver injury
Opioid prescribing decreases after learning of a patient's fatal overdose

Authors: Doctor JN, Nguyen A, Lev R, Lucas J, Knight T, Zhao H, Menchine M

DATA:
  • Letter recipients were 7% less likely than control prescribers to start a new patient on opioids
  • Significant reduction in high-dose prescribing in the intervention group compared with the control group: a 3% decrease for 50 MME daily doses and a 5% decrease for 90 MME daily doses dispensed.
Safer Crack Kits and Smoking Practices: Effectiveness of a Harm Reduction Intervention among Active Crack Users in Mexico City

Authors: Frankeberger J, Cepeda A, Natera-Rey G, Valdez A.

DATA:
  • Use of Pyrex pipes significantly increased from 7.0% to 3%
  • The use of copper filters significantly declined, with 8.6% at pretest and 18.2% at post-test
  • These findings identify the potential benefits in reducing risky smoking behaviors of crack kit distribution programs in Mexico City.
Policing space in the overdose crisis: A rapid ethnographic study of the impact of law enforcement practices on the effectiveness of overdose prevention sites

Authors: Collins AB, Boyd J, Mayer S, Fowler A, Kennedy MC, Bluthenthal RN, Kerr T, McNeil R.

DATA:
  • Increased visibility of law enforcement and surveillance discouraged participants from engaging in the street-based drug scene and incited fears of arrest
  • Drug-scene policing practices (e.g. neighborhood sweeps, foot patrol) created barriers to engagement in harm reduction services, increasing risk of drug-related harm
  • Policing around safe consumption sites and other harm reduction services can impede access and reduce ability to engage in risk reduction practices
Cannabis Surveillance With Twitter Data: Emerging Topics and Social Bots

Authors: Allem JP, Escobedo P, Dharmapuri L.

DATA:
  • The most prevalent topic was person tagging at 60% followed by using cannabis at 11.89%
  • 61% of posts were indicative of cannabis initiation including phrases such as “first time.” Health and medical was the next most prevalent topic at 5.61%
Multi-Institutional Quality Improvement Project to Minimize Opioid Prescribing in Children after Appendectomy Using NSQIP-Pediatric

Authors: Kelley-Quon LI, Ourshalimian S, Lee J, Russell KW, Kling K, Shew SB, Mueller C, Jensen AR, Vu L, Padilla B, Ostlie D, Smith C, Inge T, Roach J, Ignacio R, Lofberg K, Radu S, Rohan A, Wang KS

DATA:
  • After the QI intervention, overall opioid prescribing decreased from 18.2% to 0%
  • Opioid prescribing can be minimized in children after appendectomy without increasing emergency room visits or decreasing patient satisfaction
Secondhand nicotine vaping at home and respiratory symptoms in young adults

Authors: Islam T, Braymiller J, Eckel SP, Liu F, Tackett AP, Rebuli ME, Barrington-Trimis J, McConnell R

DATA:
  • Secondhand nicotine vape exposure was associated with increased risk of bronchitic symptoms and shortness of breath among young adults.
  • Prevalence of wheeze ranged from 3% to 14.9%
  • Prevalence of shortness of breath ranged from 4% to 26.0%
  • Prevalence of shortness of breath ranged from 5% to 18.1%