Substance dependence is a frequently observed comorbid disorder in schizophrenia, but little is known about genetic factors possibly shared between the two psychotic disorders. GABRB2, a schizophrenia candidate gene coding for GABAA receptor β2 subunit, is examined for possible association with heroin dependence in Han Chinese population. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GABRB2, n...

The relation between illicit drug dependence and the likelihood of drug overdose is unclear. We recruited 1,066 habitual drug users for this analysis through street-based outreach in New York City. In this sample, 99.3% of respondents used heroin in the past year and 87.1% of respondents used cocaine; 819 (77.5%) heroin users and 735 (79.2%) cocaine users were severely dependent on either drug ...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare the quality of life (QoL) and family burden in relatives of patients with heroin dependence with that of healthy controls. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 50 heroin dependent patients and 50 of their relatives and 50 healthy subjects and 50 of their relatives were included in the study. The Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statis...

This editorial considers the findings of the systematic review of heroin-assisted treatment, with six different studies from six different countries, published in this issue. The meta-analysis focuses on supervised injected heroin and reports significant crime reduction and an overall cost-effectiveness of treatment. Despite this body of evidence, policy makers remain reluctant to develop this ...

Interviews were conducted with 203 male and 95 female heroin injectors aged 17 to 25 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Nearly one-quarter of participants reported injecting with needles used by someone else. Few reported cleaning needles with bleach. Multiple sexual partnerships, unprotected sex, and trading sex for money were especially present among women, the majority (55%) of whom was HIV seropos...

In Australia, as in other comparable countries, the link between heroin addiction and acquisitive crime has been well documented. Around 40% of males incarcerated in Long Bay Gaol for property offences report having used heroin (Dobinson and Ward, 1985), indicating that heroin use is far more common in this group than in community samples, in which reported rates of ever having used heroin are ...

Neurological complications of heroin addiction have occurred only sporadically in the United Kingdom. We report the case of a young female patient who developed an acute polyradiculoneuropathy when she recommended intravenous heroin after four years abstinence. Another possible aetiological factor was a preceding flu-like illness but, after full investigations, we concluded that heroin abuse wa...

BACKGROUND Studies from Western countries consistently report very high rates of comorbid Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) among individuals with heroin addiction, but the reported proportion of Chinese individuals with heroin addiction who have co-morbid ASPD varies widely, possibly because Chinese clinicians do not consider personality issues when treating substance abuse problems. AI...