CONTEXT Millions of assays are performed each year to monitor for substance abuse in various settings. When common medications cross-react with frequently used testing assays, false-positive results can lead to invalid conclusions. OBJECTIVE To evaluate cross-reactivity of quinolone antimicrobials in common opiate screening assays and to assess the in vivo implications of this phenomenon. D...

The discovery of the opiate receptors in the central nervous system of man and subsequent identification of endogenous opiate-like ligands (enkephalins and endorphins) has provided a model for the analgesia, euphoria and addiction produced by the narcotics. In this article, the author reviews the background, biosynthesis and degradation, distribution, nociceptive transmission and analgesic effe...

Previous pharmacological studies have implicated serotonergic brain systems in opiate withdrawal. To test the hypothesis that serotonin (5-HT) has a critical role in the development of opiate withdrawal, we have employed a near-total brain 5-HT system lesion technique (90% depletion) using 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine combined with induction of opiate dependence by implantation of morphine pellets o...

BACKGROUND A number of research studies on the genetics of opiate dependence have focused on the μ-opioid receptor (OPRM1), which is a primary target for opiates. This study aims to identify genetic polymorphisms within the OPRM1 gene involved in response to the biopsychosocial treatment in opiate-dependent individuals of Arab descent. METHODS Unrelated Jordanian Nationals of Arab descent (N ...

Detoxification, the initial step in the treatment of opiate dependence (Freedman, 1980) has been facing difficulties in our country as the widely used drug methadone is not available. Earlier practices were either abrupt withdrawal or gradual tapering of the dose of the opiate to which the individual was dependent. Recently clonidine has been used with success for detoxification and treatment o...

Among the various non-neuronal cell types known to express and utilize neuropeptides, those of the immune system have received much attention in recent years. In particular, comparative studies in vertebrates and invertebrates have shown that endogenous opioid peptides are engaged in receptor mediated autoregulatory immune and neuroendocrine processes. The majority of these immune processes are...

OBJECTIVE To prospectively assess if opiate antagonist treatment or the opiate-free status could reverse opiate-related vasculopathy. DESIGN Longitudinal Open Observational, Serial 'N of One', over 6.5 years under various treatment conditions: opiate dependence, naltrexone and opiate-free. SETTING Primary care, Australia. PARTICIPANTS 20 opiate-dependent patients (16 males: 16 cases of bu...

Methadone overdoses are increasing in parallel with the increased frequency of opiate substitution therapy in adults. Although unintentional methadone intoxication in children is rare, it is becoming more frequently recognized. We report 3 cases of unintentional methadone overdose in toddlers who initially displayed central nervous system depression associated with severe nonketotic hyperglycem...

morphine was used as a remedy for the control of diarrhea centuries before it's sedative-analgesic effect was discovered. although several mechanisms have been proposed for the morphine-induced inhibition of gastrointestinal transit (oit), the exact mechanism has not yet been identified. on this basis the possible involvement of the dopaminergic system in morphine-induced inhibition of tra...