BACKGROUND Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and half of all incident lung cancers are believed to occur in the developing countries, including Iran. OBJECTIVE We investigated the association of opium with the risk of lung cancer in a case-control study. METHODS We enrolled 242 cases and 484 matched controls in this study. A questionnaire was developed, con...

BACKGROUND Use of narcotic or "recreational" drugs has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm delivery. However, the associations might be confounded by other factors related to high-risk behaviours. This is the first study to investigate the association between traditional opium use during pregnancy and risk of preterm delivery. METHOD AND FINDINGS We performed a pop...

A survey on opium use was earned out in Tinsukia district of upper Assam to assess the present prevalence and pattern of opium abuse and compared with earlier findings of the year 1981 (Baruah et al., 1995). A total of 75 addicts could be detected during the survey and 61 were interviewed using structured questionnaire. The results indicate significant decline in prevalence in opium use over th...

BACKGROUND Opium use in diabetic populations is associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study was designed to investigate the relationship between opium use and severity of depression in Iranian diabetic patients. METHODS In this case-control study, 642 type 2 diabetic patients were recruited from those presenting at two outpatient clinics at the Akhavan Hospital in Kashan, Iran...

BACKGROUND Opium is one of the most common substances used worldwide with variable epidemiologic features in different regions. This study was performed in southern Iran, to find the epidemiology of opium use and its association with different factors and diseases. METHODS This cross-sectional study was performed on baseline data extracted from Pars Cohort Study performed in Valashahr, a rura...

Since the 19th century, opium has been produced and consumed in the areas of Asia, currently referred to as the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle (1). The Golden Crescent lies in South and Southwest Asia, including districts in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, the adjacent Badakhshan area of Afghanistan and the Baluchistan area of Iran. The area has been the scene of tradition...

BACKGROUND Given the paucity of data on possible testis changes in opioid dependents, we sought to compare the testis volumes between a group of opium dependents and a group of healthy controls. OBJECTIVE Comparison of testis volume between opium dependents and healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS This case-control study recruited 100 men with opium dependency (cases) and 100 healthy men...

INTRODUCTION Addiction imposes a large medical, social and economic burden on societies. Currently, there is no effective treatment for addiction. Our struggle to decipher the different mechanisms involved in addiction requires a proper understanding of the brain regions which promote this devastating behavior. Previous studies have shown a pivotal role for insula in cigarette smoking. In this ...

which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Viral infections such as HIV and HCV have a serious negative effect on the health of injecting drug users (IDUs) in Iran (1-4). Two recent studies in Tehran, Iran have shown that HCV prevalence was between 52%-80% among IDUs (5, 6). Furthermore, many IDUs might be infected...

OBJECTIVE The association between opium use and bladder cancer has been investigated in many studies, with varying reporting results reported. This study aims to estimate the total odds ratio for the association between bladder cancer and opium consumption using meta-analysis. METHODS The study was designed according to PRISMA guidelines. Two independent researchers searched for the relevant ...