BACKGROUND Opiates are the main drugs of abuse, and Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is the most widely administered drug addiction treatment program in Iran. Our study aimed to investigate patterns of pre-treatment drug abuse, addiction treatment history and characteristics of patients in MMT in Tehran. METHODS We applied a stratified cluster random sampling technique and conducted a cr...

BACKGROUND Bladder cancer is a major health problem, especially among men. Opium addiction can be an important risk factor. One important question is whether it can affect the age of onset of bladder cancer .We performed this study to evaluate this question. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a cross-section study, records of patients diagnosed with bladder carcinoma in Shahid Labbafinejad Medical Cent...

BACKGROUND Opium addiction alters immune responses to stresses such as an injury due to changing the secretion of cytokines. The present study assessed the effect of opium addiction on the cytokines [tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and IL-10] before and after laparotomy. METHODS Male rats were randomly divided into control and opium addicted (n = 20...

For centuries, the word "addiction" meant being "given over" or devoted to something. However, the 19th century temperance and anti-opium movements used it in a more restrictive way, linking "addiction" to drugs, to illness or vice, and to withdrawal symptoms and tolerance. Both the traditional and restrictive meanings survived into the present. In the ensuing uncertainty about its meaning, som...

OBJECTIVE One of the best known side effects of using opium is spasm of the sphincter of Oddi, which may increase the diameter of the extrahepatic bile ducts. Ultrasound is the first imaging modality used for evaluating the biliary system because it is commonly available and noninvasive. The principal objective of this study was to measure the common bile duct (CBD) diameter via ultrasonography...

Opium was known and frequently used in Roman society. Medical practice recognized its usefulness as an analgesic, soporific, anti-tussic or anti-diarrheic agent, as well as other currently unsupported uses with quasi-magical properties. It was additionally used as an ingredient in antidotes, panaceas and poisons. The authors present a non-exhaustive compilation of opium use according to medical...

BACKGROUND In clinical practice, the level of sensory block in spinal anesthesia in opium abusers is lower than that in non-abusers because of adaptive changes caused by opium use. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the level of sensory block resulting from the intrathecal administration of 0.5% bupivacaine in opium abuser patients undergoing lower extremity and lower abdomin...

background in clinical practice, the level of sensory block in spinal anesthesia in opium abusers is lower than that in non-abusers because of adaptive changes caused by opium use. objectives the aim of this study was to investigate the level of sensory block resulting from the intrathecal administration of 0.5% bupivacaine in opium abuser patients undergoing lower extremity and lower abdominal...

BACKGROUND Drug abuse is one of the most important public health problems worldwide as in Iran. The aim of present study was to determine whether opium addiction can affect bone mineral density or not. METHODS Fifty opium addicted and 50 non-addicted volunteer men aged between 25-45 were enrolled. The subjects with positive history of other osteoporosis risk factors were excluded. The vertebr...

there is a misconception among our people that opioids may prevent or have ameliorating effects in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. in this study we evaluated 556 consecutive male patients hospitalized due to acute myocardial infarction (mi) in city of yazd, from may 2000 to october 2001 and compared the characteristics of opium addicts to non opium users. prevalence of opium addictio...