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Vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk for addiction to opioids and ultraviolet rays.

Lab animals deficient in vitamin D crave and become dependent on opioids, which is curbed when normal levels of the vitamin are restored. Human health records indicate that people with low vitamin D are more likely to use and misuse opioids. Study results suggest a potential role for vitamin D supplementation in fighting opioid addiction.

Studies in Mice Help to Explain Why Redheads Have Different Pain Thresholds April 6, 2021 Source: Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has offered up new insights into why people with red hair exhibit altered sensitivity to certain kinds of pain. The results of studies in mice with loss of melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) function could help point to new ways to manipulate the body’s natural mechanisms for controlling pain perception, for example, by designing new medications that inhibit receptors that are involved in...

A new study published in the journal Science Advances explains why individuals with red hair (the rarest of the natural hair colors in humans) might exhibit altered pain tolerance. The work, led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has validated a known phenomenon that links the pigmentation of one's hair to altered sensitivity to certain types of pain.  "These findings describe the mechanistic basis behind earlier evidence suggesting varied pain thresholds in different pigmentation backgrounds," says David Fisher, MD, PhD, director of the Mass General Cancer Center'...

 E-Mail BOSTON - Use of a cosmetic laser invented at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) may improve the effectiveness of certain anti-tumor therapies and extend their use to more diverse forms of cancer. The strategy was tested and validated in mice, as described in a study published in Immune checkpoint inhibitors are important medications that boost the immune system's response against various cancers, but only certain patients seem to benefit from the drugs. The cancer cells of these patients often have multiple mutations that can be recognized as foreign by the immune system, thereby ...