OBJECTIVE To document the development of unique opioid-dependence treatment in remote communities that combines First Nations healing strategies and substitution therapy with buprenorphine-naloxone. DESIGN Quantitative measurements of community wellness and response to community-based opioid-dependence treatment. SETTING Remote First Nations community in northwestern Ontario. PARTICIPANTS...

BACKGROUND Pain is a common and feared problem for those with advanced cancer. The goal of palliative care is to relieve suffering and improve quality of life. A step-by-step approach allows good symptom management and minimisation of drug side effects. OBJECTIVE This article aims to improve the general practitioner's confidence in prescribing in the palliative care setting and to encourage e...

In pursuit of neurological therapies, the opioid system, specifically delta opioid receptors and delta opioid peptides, demonstrates promising therapeutic potential for stroke, Parkinson's disease, and other degenerative neurological conditions. Recent studies offer strong evidence in support of the therapeutic use of delta opioid receptors, and provide insights into the underlying mechanisms o...

Deaths related to the “epidemic” of opioid use disorder are inescapable realities in communities across North America, with tags like “the American Carnage” and “this generations’ AIDS crisis” in the lay press. Prescription opioids, heroin, and, more recently, fentanyl have all contributed to a precipitous rise in deaths related to opioid overdose. The global burden of opioid use disorder also ...

Editorials 83 The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime in its 2012 World drug report estimates that 0.6% of the world's adult population – some 27 million people – are problem users of illicit drugs. 1 This represents about 10% of all people who used illicit drugs in 2011 and suggests that most people can use drugs recreationally without becoming dependent. What makes these 10% different is...

BACKGROUND The consequences of opioid relapse among patients being treated with opioid substitution treatment (OST) are serious and can result in abnormal cardiovascular function, overdose, and mortality. Chronic pain is a major risk factor for opioid relapse within the addiction treatment setting. There exist a number of opioid maintenance therapies including methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexo...

introduction: association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) in mu opioid receptor gene and drug addiction has been shown in various studies. here, we have evaluated the existence of polymorphisms in exon 3 of this gene in iranian population and investigated the possible association between these mutations and opioid addiction.  methods: 79 opioid-dependent subjects (55 males, 24 fe...

AIM KCNJ6 coding for potassium inwardly rectifying channels (Kir3.2, GIRK2) is important for opioid receptor transmission. The KCNJ6 rs2070995 AA genotype has been associated with increased opioid analgesic requirements in Japanese. We analyzed its consequences for other opioid effects. METHODS Genotyping was done in 85 methadone-substituted former heroin addicts, 352 opioid-treated chronic p...