The pattern of drag use was studied in 213 heroin addicts, constituting 80.7% of the patient population attending ABHAY-II Deaddication Cum Rehabilitation Centre. All heroin addicts were male and 98.6% of all had consumed or have been consuming other drugs concurrently. Tobacco, cannabis and alcohol were the drugs commonly used by the addicts. The mean age for begining tobacco consumption was l...

BACKGROUND The direct effect of some opioids on immune cells has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to assess the apoptotic effect of opium on Jurkat T lymphocyte cells. METHODS Different concentrations of opium (2.86 × 10-3 to 2.86 × 10-11 g/ml) were added to 24-well plates containing 5 × 105 Jurkat cells. Apoptotic events were assessed after 6, 24, and 72 hours by flow-cytometric ...

There are a few studies with conflicting results on the effects of opioids on the functioning of immune system. This study was performed to investigate the in vitro production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-10 after antigenic stimulation of cells using whole blood from opioid addicts. Blood samples were taken from 20 chronically opioid-addicted persons, who voluntarily enrolled for detoxif...

BACKGROUND Opium and its derivatives are widely abused throughout the world. Recent case reports and a few limited studies have suggested that opiates cause dilation of the common bile duct of the abusers. MATERIAL/METHODS Our case-control study, lasting 7.5 months, investigated 121 male adult addicts and 142 non-addicted controls for biliary tract diameters, using ultrasonography. The study ...

Sik,?With reference to the article by Colonel Chopra in your March number on ' Drug addiction in India and its treatment the value of lecithin in the treatment of opium addicts does not appear to have been assessed at its proper value. When attending the Ninth Congress of the Far Eastern Association of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at Nanking, one of the things which struck me most was the grea...

The study was carried out in 1998 in two rural desert districts namely, Barmer and Bikanpr of Rajasthan where the consumption of opium or doda is very much prevalent due to social and cultural customs in the area. The median age of the addicts was 41.1 years. The mean age of the opium/ doda addiction, the mean age at marriage, mean age at effective marriage and duration of consumption of opium ...

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...

Thomas De Quincey exploits his rivalry with Samuel Taylor Coleridge to structure many of the key features most famous work, ‘Confessions an English Opium-Eater’ (1821). Quincey's idolization began early and survived anger disappointment he felt after collapse their friendship discovery Coleridge's intellectual duplicity. In ‘Confessions’, accounts himself as a scholar Greek literature, Ricardia...

Background: Despite some evidences about protective or triggering role of opium use in patients with coronary artery disease, the exact role of opium is still under question. The current study aimed to address the relation of opium dependence on the severity and extension of myocardial infarction (MI) and its related mortality. Methods: The study population consisted of 460 consecutive patients...

BACKGROUND Opium is widely used among addicts in the Middle East countries such as Iran. Recent reports suggest that opium sellers cheat their customers by adding lead to the opium. Contaminated opium can threaten the health of consumers. This study was designed to evaluate the lead concentration in blood sample of oral and inhaled opium user's referring to Amir Al-Momenin Hospital in Zabol, Ir...