Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.

Research centering on blood flow in the heart continues to hold an important position, especially since a better understanding of the subject may help reduce the incidence of coronary arterial disease and heart attacks. This book summarizes recent advances in the field; it is the product of fruitful cooperation among international scientists who met in Japan in May, 1990 to discuss the regulation of coronary blood flow.

The Government is putting in place policies aimed at driving down energy bills for consumers, reducing input costs for industry, cutting carbon emissions and contributing to a more competitive economy. Electricity demand reduction (EDR) measures are a crucial part of delivering potential. Already developed policies include the flagship Green Deal and new domestic Energy Company Obligation. These, together with the deployment of smart meters, are expected to reduce electricity consumption by nearly 6.5TWh by 2030. In addition, the Green Investment Bank will support access to finance and, in time, audits required under the new EU energy efficiency directive will further reduce demand. However, the Department believes that above and beyond existing policies, it should be possible to reduce demand even further. If a 10% electricity demand reduction could be achieved, this could result in electricity system costs savings in the region of £4 billion in 2030. This consultation opens up a range of options to unlock the energy savings that are currently embedded in the system and seeks views on a number of market-wide financial incentives. Publishing simultaneously to the consultation are a consultation summary document (Cm. 8492, ISBN 9780101849227); Electricity market reform policy overview (Cm. 8498, ISBN 9780101849821); Energy security strategy (Cm 8466, ISBN 9780101846622); Annual energy statement 2012 (Cm. 8456, ISBN 9780101845625); and Statutory security of supply report (HC 688, session 2012-13 ISBN 9780102980691)

Dated November 2012

Drug abuse persists as one of the most costly and contentious problems on the nation's agenda. Pathways of Addiction meets the need for a clear and thoughtful national research agenda that will yield the greatest benefit from today's limited resources. The committee makes its recommendations within the public health framework and incorporates diverse fields of inquiry and a range of policy positions. It examines both the demand and supply aspects of drug abuse. Pathways of Addiction offers a fact-filled, highly readable examination of drug abuse issues in the United States, describing findings and outlining research needs in the areas of behavioral and neurobiological foundations of drug abuse. The book covers the epidemiology and etiology of drug abuse and discusses several of its most troubling health and social consequences, including HIV, violence, and harm to children. Pathways of Addiction looks at the efficacy of different prevention interventions and the many advances that have been made in treatment research in the past 20 years. The book also examines drug treatment in the criminal justice setting and the effectiveness of drug treatment under managed care. The committee advocates systematic study of the laws by which the nation attempts to control drug use and identifies the research questions most germane to public policy. Pathways of Addiction provides a strategic outline for wise investment of the nation's research resources in drug abuse. This comprehensive and accessible volume will have widespread relevanceâ€"to policymakers, researchers, research administrators, foundation decisionmakers, healthcare professionals, faculty and students, and concerned individuals.