Tuesday, July 22, 2025

 

US adolescents with cannabis use disorder failing to complete rehabilitation


HEY MAN, I FORGOT



Florida Atlantic University
U.S. Teens and Cannabis Use Disorder 

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FAU researchers analyzed data from more than 40,000 teens and found alarmingly low rates (about 35%) of treatment completion. Nearly 60% started using cannabis between ages 12 and 14.

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Credit: Alex Dolce, Florida Atlantic University




Cannabis use disorder in adolescents in the United States remains a growing threat despite declines in cannabis use. Many adolescents begin using cannabis before high school during crucial stages of brain development, which may pose short- and long-term risks for cognitive, academic and social challenges.

Although behavioral therapies show promise, there is still limited understanding of what truly drives recovery in teens. With treatment often sought only after serious problems emerge, identifying who succeeds – and why – is essential to developing more effective and targeted interventions.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine conducted a study to better understand how U.S. adolescents respond to treatment for cannabis use disorder. They analyzed data collected from more than 40,000 adolescents ages 12 to 17 who received treatment between 2018 and 2021. They investigated treatment completion rates and explored possible obstacles that hinder recovery.

Results of the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatric Reports, show that treatment completion rates remain low, ranging from 34.2% in 2018 to 33.8% in 2021. The most common reasons for not completing treatment in all years were dropping out, transferring to another facility and being terminated by the facility.

Nearly 60% of the adolescents started using cannabis between ages 12 and 14. More than one-third reported co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Adolescents who began using cannabis at age 11 or younger had a significantly lower treatment completion rate of 12.9%.

“While gender differences in treatment completion were relatively small, boys were somewhat less likely to complete treatment than girls,” said Panagiota “Yiota” Kitsantas, Ph.D., corresponding author, former chair of the FAU Department of Population Health and currently an affiliate professor in the Schmidt College of Medicine. “These patterns pose new challenges for treatment models.”

Hispanic and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Asian Pacific Islander adolescents were more likely to complete treatment. In contrast, Black and white non-Hispanic adolescents were less likely to complete treatment. Adolescents with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (30.3%) and the use of substances other than cannabis at admission (31.9%) were less likely to complete treatment.

Most adolescents lived in dependent settings (60%). Adolescents in dependent living arrangements had significantly higher completion rates (64.4%) compared to those in independent living (35.3%) or homeless situations (0.2%). In addition, 9.2% had a history of arrests in the past 30 days. These individuals had significantly  lower treatment completion rates.

Adolescents who stayed in treatment for four to six months had higher completion rates (37.8%), while those with stays longer than 12 months showed no marked difference. Adolescents staying for less than one month had the lowest completion rates (9.3% for completed treatment versus 33.6% for not completed). Most adolescents spent two to six months in treatment.

The primary referral sources were the judicial system (38.5%), individual/self-referral (20.3%), and other health care providers (14.8%), while ambulatory, non-intensive outpatient was the most common treatment setting (72.1%).

“These low rates of completion of treatment among U.S. adolescents with cannabis use disorder may portend increasing short- and long-term consequences,” said Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., FACPM, co-author and the first Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine and interim chair of population health, Schmidt College of Medicine.

These data offer vital insights into the challenges and opportunities in addressing cannabis use disorder among youth, aiming to improve care and outcomes for this susceptible population.

“Research like this is essential because it gives us a clearer picture of who is falling through the cracks, and why,” said Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., dean and chief of health affairs of the Schmidt College of Medicine. “Adolescents are not just small adults; their brains, behaviors and environments demand approaches grounded in evidence and tailored to their unique needs. If we want to curb the long-term consequences of cannabis use, we must invest in data-driven strategies that improve access, retention and outcomes – especially for the most vulnerable youth.”

Study co-authors are Helena Miranda, FAU medical student; Jhon Ostanin, medical student, Florida International University; Simon Shugar; FAU medical student; Maria Carmenza Mejia, M.D, professor; and Lea Sacca, Ph.D., assistant professor, both in the Department of Population Health, Schmidt College of Medicine; and Mitchell L. Doucette, Ph.D., senior director of research, Leafwell. 

- FAU -

About the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine:

Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is one of approximately 159 accredited medical schools in the U.S. The college was launched in 2010, when the Florida Board of Governors made a landmark decision authorizing FAU to award the M.D. degree. After receiving approval from the Florida legislature and the governor, it became the 134th allopathic medical school in North America. With more than 170 full and part-time faculty and more than 1,300 affiliate faculty, the college matriculates 80 medical students each year and has been nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum. The college offers M.S. (thesis and non-thesis) and Ph.D. programs in biomedical science, along with a certificate in genomics and precision medicine. Taught by top researchers, the curriculum combines cutting-edge coursework with hands-on learning, preparing graduates for careers in medicine, research, industry, and academia. To further Florida Atlantic’s commitment to increase much needed medical residency positions in Palm Beach County and to ensure that the region will continue to have an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Consortium for Graduate Medical Education (GME) was formed in fall 2011 with five leading hospitals in Palm Beach County. The consortium currently has five Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residencies including internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and neurology, and five fellowships in cardiology, hospice and palliative care, geriatrics, vascular surgery, and pulmonary disease and critical care medicine. The college also manages the Florida Atlantic University Medical Group, offering comprehensive primary care, and the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health specializes in integrative pain management, precision therapies, and mental health. A 2023 partnership with Broward Health expands academic medicine, clinical training, and research opportunities.

 

About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, Florida Atlantic serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the Southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, Florida Atlantic embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. Florida Atlantic is designated as a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report, and holds the designation of “R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Florida Atlantic shares this status with less than 5% of the nearly 4,000 universities in the United States. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

 

LAHB: A bioplastic that may solve marine plastic pollution problem



An environment-friendly plastic lost over 80% of its mass after 13 months underwater real-time deep-sea conditions





Shinshu University

The LAHB samples deployed in the deep-sea using Shinkai 6500 

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Researchers submerged LAHB films at a depth of 855 m near Hatsushima Island to test real-world deep-sea biodegradation. After 13 months, the LAHB plastic lost over 80% of its mass, showing its potential as a safer alternative to conventional plastics that persist in marine ecosystems.

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Credit: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)





Researchers have demonstrated a new eco-friendly plastic that decomposes in deep ocean conditions. In a deep-sea experiment, the microbially synthesized poly(d-lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate) (LAHB) biodegraded, while conventional plastics such as a representative bio-based polylactide (PLA) persisted. Submerged 855 meters underwater, LAHB films lost over 80% of their mass after 13 months as microbial biofilms actively broke down the material. This real-world test establishes LAHB as a safer biodegradable plastic, supporting global efforts to reduce marine plastic waste.

Despite the growing popularity of bio-based plastics, plastic pollution remains one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. According to the OECD’s Global Plastics Outlook (2022), about 353 million metric tons of plastic waste were produced globally in 2019, with nearly 1.7 million metric tons flowing directly into aquatic ecosystems. Much of this waste becomes trapped in large rotating ocean currents, known as gyres, forming the infamous “garbage patches” found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

To tackle this, researchers have been searching for plastics that can be degraded more reliably in deep-sea environments. One promising candidate is poly(d-lactate-co-3-hydroxybutyrate) or LAHB, a lactate-based polyester biosynthesized using engineered Escherichia coli. So far, LAHB has shown strong potential as a biodegradable polymer that breaks down in river water and shallow seawater.

Now, in a study made available online on July 1, 2025, and published in Volume 240 of the journal Polymer Degradation and Stability on October 1, 2025, researchers from Japan have shown for the first time that LAHB can also get biodegraded under deep-sea conditions, where low temperatures, high pressure, and too limited nutrients make breakdown of plastic extremely difficult. The study was led by Professor Seiichi Taguchi at the Institute for Aqua Regeneration, Shinshu University, Japan, together with Dr. Shun'ichi Ishii from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Japan and Professor Ken-ichi Kasuya from Gunma University Center for Food Science and Wellness, Japan.

“Our study demonstrates for the first time that LAHB, a microbial lactate-based polyester, undergoes active biodegradation and complete mineralization even on the deep-sea floor, where conventional PLA remains completely non-degradable,” explains Prof. Taguchi.

The research team submerged two types of LAHB films—one containing about 6% lactic acid (P6LAHB) and another with 13% lactic acid (P13LAHB)—alongside a conventional PLA film for comparison. The samples were submerged at a depth of 855 meters near Hatsushima Island, where deep-sea conditions, cold temperatures (3.6 °C), high salinity, and low dissolved oxygen levels make it hard for microbes to degrade plastic.

After 7 and 13 months of immersion, the LAHB films revealed clear signs of biodegradation under deep-sea conditions. The P13LAHB film lost 30.9% of its weight after 7 months and over 82% after 13 months. The P6LAHB film showed similar trends. By contrast, the PLA film showed no measurable weight loss or visible degradation during the same period, underscoring its resistance to microbial degradation. The surfaces of the LAHB films had developed cracks and were covered by biofilms made up of oval- and rod-shaped microbes, indicating that deep-sea microorganisms were colonizing and decomposing the LAHB plastic. The PLA film, however, remained completely free of biofilm.

To understand how the plastic decomposes, the researchers analyzed the plastisphere, the microbial community that formed on the plastic’s surface. They found that different microbial groups played distinct roles. Dominant Gammaproteobacterial genera, including ColwelliaPseudoteredinibacterAgarilytica, and UBA7957, produced specialized enzymes known as extracellular poly[3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB)] depolymerases. These enzymes break down long polymer chains into smaller fragments like dimers and trimers. Certain species, such as UBA7959, also produce oligomer hydrolases (like PhaZ2) that further cleave these fragments, splitting 3HB–3HB or 3HB–LA dimers into their monomers.

Once the polymers are broken down into these simpler building blocks, other microbes, including various Alpha-proteobacteria and Desulfobacterota, continue the process by consuming the monomers like 3HB and lactate. Working together, these microbial communities ultimately convert the plastic into carbon dioxide, water, and other harmless compounds that ideally return to the marine ecosystem.

The findings of this study fill a critical gap in our understanding of how bio-based plastics degrade in remote marine environments. Its proven biodegradability makes it a promising option for creating safer, more biodegradable materials.

“This research addresses one of the most critical limitations of current bioplastics—their lack of biodegradability in marine environments. By showing that LAHB can decompose and mineralize even in deep-sea conditions, the study provides a pathway for safer alternatives to conventional plastics and supports the transition to a circular bioeconomy,” says Prof. Taguchi.

 

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About Shinshu University

Shinshu University is a national university founded in 1949 and located nestling under the Japanese Alps in Nagano known for its stunning natural landscapes.

Shinshu University was selected for the Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities (J-PEAKS) Program by the Japanese government. This initiative seeks to promote the formation of university consortia that will enhance research capabilities across Japan.

Our motto, "Powered by Nature - strengthening our network with society and applying nature to create innovative solutions for a better tomorrow" reflects the mission of fostering promising creative professionals and deepening the collaborative relationship with local communities, which leads to our contribution to regional development by innovation in various fields. We’re working on providing solutions for building a sustainable society through interdisciplinary research fields: material science (carbon, fiber and composites), biomedical science (for intractable diseases and preventive medicine) and mountain science, and aiming to boost research and innovation capability through collaborative projects with distinguished researchers from the world. For more information visit https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/english/ or follow us on X (Twitter) @ShinshuUni for our latest news.

 

The Holobiont Revolution: How wheat is becoming more climate-resilient through nature-based plant breeding and machine learning



Focus on the interaction between the microbiome and plants




University of Vienna

Fig. 1: Wheat field. 

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Fig. 1: Wheat field.

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Credit: Weckwerth





Nitrogen fertilizers used in agriculture contribute significantly to global warming. A new breeding concept, specifically for wheat, could help reduce nitrogen fertilization. This holobiont principle places the complex interactions between plants and soil microbiomes at the center of plant breeding. In combination with machine learning, this could lead to the use of new wheat varieties, as well as other crops, that are more resilient to climate change and contribute to soil health. Two recent studies led by Wolfram Weckwerth from the University of Vienna have been published in the journals Plant Biotechnology and Trends in Plant Science.

To increase the supply of food and feed, intensified agriculture has increasingly relied on nitrogen (N) fertilizers. However, more than half of the nitrogen applied to croplands annually ends up lost to air and water. Such losses lead to serious issues, including air and water pollution, soil acidification, climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and biodiversity loss. Consequently, reducing nitrogen loss from croplands could enhance economic returns by lowering fertilizer requirements, improve human health and ecosystem services, and contribute to mitigating climate change.

The holobiont concept: considering plants and microbes as a unit

Wolfram Weckwerth emphasizes that improving crop resilience and yield sustainably should not focus solely on plants but also on the microbiome surrounding their roots and leaves. Soil microbiomes also offer opportunities for enhancing soil fertility and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers. He notes: "Plant evolution is largely driven by plant-microbe interactions, yet the ecology of the plant holobiont is not well understood at a molecular level. However, these relationships hold enormous benefits for sustainable agriculture. Therefore, it is crucial to identify plant varieties that produce natural nitrification inhibitors, also known as biological nitrification inhibitors (BNIs) which are exudates by the roots in the soil".

Wheat as a natural way to slow down nitrogen loss 

In a recent study, the international team investigated the potential of various wheat cultivars to produce BNIs that help control soil nitrification processes. They found a pronounced natural variation of BNI activity in different elite wheat lines. 

"Our analysis of root exudates, complicated compounds released from the root system, shows substantial variation between the wheat cultivars", explains Arindam Ghatak, first author of the study. "These exudates promote or inhibit specific microbiome compositions and allow the selection of strains with particularly high BNI activity." By cultivating these BNI-active lines, farmers could significantly reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers in the future. This is a significant step to mitigate the disruption of the global nitrogen cycle caused by the overuse of anthropogenic fertilizer. 

Data-driven plant breeding for a sustainable future

To effectively utilize this nature-based solution, an international team of scientists around Wolfram Weckwerth from the Molecular Systems Biology (MOSYS) Lab and the Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Lab at the University of Vienna has developed a novel breeding concept. Supported by partner institutions in Greece, Australia, India, Japan, Canada, the US, and Mexico the team places the holobiont concept at the center of modern plant breeding, focusing on the complex interactions between plants and soil microbiomes. Through an innovative data-driven approach, plant genetics, microbiome studies, and PANOMICS are integrated to generate high-throughput data. 

"In combination with machine learning algorithms, this opens up a promising breeding platform to develop new crop varieties with high BNI potential, greater resilience to climate change, and improved soil health", explains Weckwerth. The holobiont concept thus marks a paradigm shift: it combines ecology, systems biology and breeding technology while highlighting the interconnectedness of ecosystems, and opens up new pathways toward resource-efficient and climate-resilient agriculture.

 

Yellowstone aspen showing signs of recovery following 1995 reintroduction of wolves to park




Oregon State University
Yellowstone aspen 

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Oregon State University researchers have documented the first new generation of overstory aspen trees in Yellowstone’s northern range in 80 years, three decades after wolves were reintroduced to the nation’s oldest national park. Photo provided by Luke Painter, OSU College of Agricultural Sciences.

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Credit: Photo provided by Luke Painter, OSU College of Agricultural Sciences.





CORVALLIS, Ore. – Yellowstone National Park is celebrating an ecological milestone along with a key anniversary this summer, Oregon State University researchers report.

paper published today in Forest Ecology and Management documents the first new generation of overstory aspen trees in Yellowstone’s northern range in 80 years, three decades after wolves were reintroduced to the nation’s oldest national park.

Without predation pressure from wolves, which had been extirpated from the park by 1930, elk populations grew to the point that their browsing was thwarting the growth of young aspen. The ecosystem effects were widespread as aspen stands support a range of species including beavers and cavity-nesting birds.

With wolves back in the mix along with bears and cougars, a nearly extirpated predator whose numbers increased along with wolf reintroduction, elk numbers have been reduced and aspen are once again working toward becoming full-grown trees.

 “The reintroduction of large carnivores has initiated a recovery process that had been shut down for decades,” said the study’s lead author, Luke Painter, who teaches ecology and conservation in the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences. “About a third of the 87 aspen stands we examined had large numbers of tall saplings throughout, a remarkable change from the 1990s when surveys found none at all.”

Another third of the surveyed stands had patches of tall saplings growing into new overstory trees, he added, and the rest remained suppressed by herbivory.

“Increasing numbers of bison may be emerging as a new constraint to aspen in some areas,” Painter said.

The fact that stands with many tall saplings have low rates of browsing, whereas other stands continue to be suppressed, indicates aspen recovery is happening because of a trophic cascade and not other factors such as climate or site productivity, he said.

In a trophic cascade, a change at the top of a food web causes ripple effects throughout an ecosystem, altering its structure and balance. In Yellowstone, top predators have reduced herbivory by elk, allowing aspen to begin to recover.

“This is a remarkable case of ecological restoration,” Painter said. “Wolf reintroduction is yielding long-term ecological changes contributing to increased biodiversity and habitat diversity.”

Collaborating with Painter were Robert Beschta and William Ripple of the OSU College of Forestry. The Ecosystem Restoration Research Fund of the Oregon State University Foundation supported the research.