Antibiotic Resistance
Mary Elizabeth Wilson
in Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What is antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotic resistance describes the survival of bacteria when exposed to a concentration of an antibiotic that would normally kill them or stop their ...
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The Basics of Opioids and Opioid Addiction
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What are opioids?
Opioids are a group of chemical compounds that can reduce pain, cause sensations of pleasure, and induce sleep. To have these and other effects on the human ...
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Consequences of Antibiotic Resistance
Mary Elizabeth Wilson
in Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What are the Most Important Consequences of having Infections Caused by Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria?
Several major consequences stand out. Infections caused by ...
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Consequences of Use: Adverse Events Associated with Use of Antibiotics in Humans
Mary Elizabeth Wilson
in Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What is the difference between an allergic reaction and an adverse reaction? What are the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction?
All allergic reactions to a drug are adverse ...
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Criminal Justice Policy and the Opioid Epidemic
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What is the war on drugs?
The “war on drugs” refers to the primary US approach to addressing drug use since the early 1970s. While its roots can be traced to the anti-drug ...
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Harm Reduction Policy for the Opioid Epidemic
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What is harm reduction?
Harm reduction is “a set of practical strategies aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.” It is also “a movement for social ...
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A Historical Perspective on the Opioid Epidemic
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
When did the opioid epidemic start?
Some point to January 10, 1980, as the first day of America’s opioid epidemic. That’s when the New England Journal of Medicine published a ...
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How might legalization be achieved?
L. W. Sumner
in Physician-Assisted Death: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What kind of legal regime should advocates aim for?
The main business of this book is done. We have explored the nature, history, and ethics of physician-assisted death and the ...
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How should we think about death and dying?
L. W. Sumner
in Physician-Assisted Death: What Everyone Needs to Know®
How do we tell when death has occurred?
The answer to this question might seem straightforward: you are dead when you have stopped breathing and your heart has stopped beating. ...
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Interventions to Reduce Need for Antibiotics and Alternatives to Antibiotics
Mary Elizabeth Wilson
in Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Are there Ways to Reduce the Risks of Infections so that we do not Need Antibiotics?
We have many tools available to reduce the need for antibiotics by reducing infections. It is ...
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Misuse of Opioids
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What is misuse of opioids?
Use of opioids outside of legitimate medical care is illegal in the United States. The medical and public health term for this is misuse. Misuse takes ...
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Opioid Addiction
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What causes opioid addiction?
Just like it is true that not everyone who smokes will develop lung cancer, it is true that not everyone who takes or even misuses an opioid will ...
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Opioid Overdose
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What affects the risk of opioid overdose?
Several factors influence the risk of overdose from opioids, including a person’s level of tolerance; the amount, potency, and type of ...
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Opioids and Families
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What do I do if I suspect my family member is misusing opioids?
Family members are often the first to notice that there is something amiss with their loved ones. Parents might ...
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Opioids and Pregnancy
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What are the risks of opioid exposure during pregnancy?
Opioids cross the placenta. That means when a pregnant woman consumes opioids, some pass through to her developing fetus.
...
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Opioids and Teenagers
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
How has the opioid epidemic in the United States affected teenagers?
From 1991 to 2012, the misuse of opioid prescription medications among teenagers more than doubled.1 So did ...
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Origin and Function
Mary Elizabeth Wilson
in Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What is an Antibiotic?
The word “antibiotic” comes from the terms “anti,” meaning “against” or “opposing,” and “bios,” meaning “life,” and refers to a substance that works against ...
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Other Uses of Antibiotics (Nonhuman Use)
Mary Elizabeth Wilson
in Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
What are the uses of Antibiotics other than to Treat Infections in Humans?
Antibiotics are used widely in human medicine, in many other species—food animals, work and recreational ...
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Preserving Antibiotics and Developing new Antibacterial Treatments
Mary Elizabeth Wilson
in Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know®
How Common is Inappropriate Prescribing of Antibiotics?
Many studies have tried to estimate what percentage of antibiotic use in people is unnecessary or inappropriate. Most ...
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Prevention Policy for the Opioid Epidemic
Yngvild Olsen and Joshua M. Sharfstein
in The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
How can communities prevent opioid addiction?
Addiction involves an interaction between the substance, an individual, and the environment. This means there are three ways to ...
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