drug abuse has high co-morbidity with mental disorders, thus, controlling and treating it requires multimodal treatment intervention. this cross sectional study evaluates personality traits of 67 ïv heroin abusers in kashan prison. the utilized instruments included two parts: a demographic questionnaire and mmpï. the data obtained from the questionnaires were statistically analyzed by using fis...

The accurate analytical measurement of binding affinities of polyclonal antibody in sera to heroin, 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM), and morphine has been a challenging task. A simple nonradioactive method that uses deuterium-labeled drug tracers and equilibrium dialysis (ED) combined with ultra performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) to measure the apparent dissociation...

BACKGROUND Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is widely recognized as an effective method of combatting narcotic addiction. MMT reduces heroin withdrawal symptoms and, thus, makes it possible to provide the psychological and social support that is essential to the rehabilitation of drug users. AIM Compare the severity of depressive symptoms in heroin users who are currently receiving MMT t...

An investigation is currently underway to explore and control an outbreak of Bacillus anthracis among drug users (mainly injecting) in Scotland. Contaminated heroin or a contaminated cutting agent mixed with the heroin is considered to be the most likely source and vehicle of infection. Heroin users have been advised of the risk. The risk to the general public is regarded as very low.

BACKGROUND The UK heroin market is the biggest in Europe and approximately 70% of heroin deaths are due to fatal poisoning. Methadone treatment for heroin addiction in the UK, the 'British system', is unique as it is largely provided by General Practitioners. METHODS The Office for National Statistics provided data on deaths, the Home Office provided law enforcement data on drug seizures and ...

UNLABELLED Pain management in opioid abusers engenders ethical and practical difficulties for clinicians, often resulting in pain mismanagement. Although chronic opioid administration may alter pain states, the presence of pain itself may alter the propensity to self-administer opioids, and previous history of drug abuse comorbid with chronic pain promotes higher rates of opioid misuse. Here, w...

Opiate reinforcement has been hypothesized to be mediated by an inhibition of mesolimbic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release that subsequently disinhibits ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons. In support of this hypothesis, this study demonstrates that when administered directly into the lateral ventricle, the VTA, or the ventral pallidum, but not the nucleus accumbens, gamma-vinyl-...

Inhalation of heroin is known to provoke asthma. We report on the case of a patient who, after repeated inhalation of heroin, presented with decreased lung volume associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid eosinophilia. Rapid remission was obtained after heroin abstinence and initiation of corticosteroid treatment.

AIMS To describe 4-year treatment retention and treatment response among chronic, treatment-resistant heroin-dependent patients offered long-term heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) in the Netherlands. DESIGN Observational cohort study. SETTING AND INTERVENTION Out-patient treatment in specialized heroin treatment centres in six cities in the Netherlands, with methadone plus injectable or inhal...