PROBLEM China's National Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programme (MMT) has expanded from eight clinics serving approximately 1000 clients to 738 clinics that have served more than 340 000 clients cumulatively in only 8 years. This has created an enormous demand for trained providers. APPROACH Human resource development and capacity building efforts have been conducted in China's National MM...

Starting in 2007, a 2-year study based on ethnographic methodology was carried out downtown Montréal, Canada. A thematic analysis of observational and interview-based notes was conducted. Illicit prescription opioid (PO) use was widespread among street-based participants. Injection was the main mode of PO administration observed among users. Some injection practices such as "doing a wash" could...

Although there is evidence that opioid dependence (OD) is heritable, efforts to identify genes contributing to risk for the disorder have been hampered by its complex etiology and variable clinical manifestations. Decomposition of a complex set of opioid users into homogeneous subgroups could enhance genetic analysis. We applied a series of data mining techniques, including multiple corresponde...

BACKGROUND Buprenorphine is used in the treatment of opioid dependence. Due to its pharmacology, the transfer from methadone to buprenorphine may precipitate withdrawal symptoms. METHODS Methadone maintained patients with clinical indicators of stability who were seeking withdrawal from methadone were recruited from three Australian states. Patients on methadone doses between 30 and 40 mg wer...

Opiate addiction is an increasing social problem, and there has been a change from taking opiates intravenously to inhaling them in many areas of Britain. Three patients with asthma who required mechanical ventilation soon after heroin inhalation were described. Two subsequently died of acute severe asthma. The patients were reluctant to admit to their addiction and persisted inhaling heroin de...

INTRODUCTION The recent discoveries of the existence of opiate receptors and of endogenous opioid peptides in the central nervous system of animals and man have raised hopes that an understanding of the molecular mechanism of drug addiction may soon be achieved. It is clear from the title of this chapter that that day is not yet here. I will give a brief chronological review of the significant ...

0

Untreated opiate addiction remains a major health care crisis in New York and in most other urban centers in America. Optimism for closing the gap between need and demand for treatment and its availability has greeted the recent approval of a new opiate medication for addiction, buprenorphine--which unlike methadone may be prescribed by independent, office-based practitioners. The likelihood of...

Article history: Received 8 June 2015 Accepted 4 February 2016 Available online 11 February 2016 The importance of the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex and its subtypes are increasingly recognised in addiction. Using theα1/α5 benzodiazepine receptor PET radioligand [C]Ro15 4513, we previously showed reduced binding in the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus in abstinent alcohol dependence. We...

In his article "Theories of Opiate Addiction in the Early Works of Burroughs and Trocchi" Richard English discusses William S. Burroughs's and Alexander Trocchi's representations of opiate addiction with special reference to their early writings. English examines the concept of homo heroin that can be attributed to Burroughs and lists and expounds the qualities he adduces. Among these are: immo...