Because of its geographic proximity to the major drug production centres, there is easy access to narcotic drugs in the Islamic Republic of Iran despite efforts by governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Using a structured questionnaire as a basis for conversation, local health workers interviewed 310 residents of a rural area in Babol province about opium use. The self-reported rate of...

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 ...

Opium is a drug being used in modern medicine as well as in homeopathy. Despite of the same source, both the pathies have different principles and indications. Opium is an alkaloid having main action on CNS. So in this study, we evaluated the effect of different dilutions of Opium in homeopathic potencies on CNS in mice and compared with that of Pentazocine. We divided forty mice of either sex ...

BACKGROUND A number of abnormalities has been identified among drug addicted users especially heroin addicts. However, there are a few studies to assess the opium effects on thyroid hormones. the aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of opium on the thyroid function tests. METHOD In this case-control, 50 male addicts, aged 20-50 years, with history of addiction to opium lastin...

BACKGROUND Household survey data of Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh, were used in the present study to assess the prevalence of opium use among different tribes, and to examine the association between sociodemographic factors and opium use. METHODS A sample of 3421 individuals (1795 men and 1626 women) aged 15 years and older was analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model t...

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 ...

It is hard to decide when and where the opium poppy was first cultivated. It may have been grown for its seeds before people discovered how to prepare mekonion from the leaves and fruits of the plant or opium (from "opos," the Greek word for juice) from the liquid that appears on the unripe seed capsule when it is notched. The use of written records to decipher the early history of opium use an...

INTRODUCTION Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption have a well-known effect on the development of upper aerodigestive tract carcinomas, but such a role for opium is questionable. This study was designed to assess the correlation between opium inhalation and cancer of the larynx and upper esophagus. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty eight patients with laryngeal cancer, ninety eight patients wit...

BACKGROUND Iran (I.R.) is suffering the growing problem of opiate abuse. In evaluation of the treatment plan for opium dependent patients, a valid and reliable instrument is needed to measure patients' severity of dependence. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the "Substance Dependence Severity Scale" (SDSS). METHODS After translating the English...