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...

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...

BACKGROUND Use of narcotic or "recreational" drugs has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm delivery. However, the associations might be confounded by other factors related to high-risk behaviours. This is the first study to investigate the association between traditional opium use during pregnancy and risk of preterm delivery. METHOD AND FINDINGS We performed a pop...

OBJECTIVE: During recent years, opium consumption has increased among Iranian diabetic men. The belief that opium consumption can control or even eradicate DM is increasing. This study was conducted to compare the blood sugar, HbA1c, lipid profile and the frequency of diabetes complications in male type II diabetic patient with and without opium consumption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred t...

BACKGROUND To determine the effect of opium smoking cessation on the frequency and type of microorganisms in the nasopharynx of opium smokers. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study performed in psychology and ENT department of Moradi Hospital of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2008 (Kerman, Iran). Nasopharyngeal cultures were taken from 50 opium smokers before and 2 to 3 months...

OBJECTIVES Smoking opium/cigarette is a global health concern. The aim of this study was to examine learning and memory of rat male offsprings whose mothers had been exposed to either opium or morphine with nicotine during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Wistar rats were used for the experiments. In the female rats, opium, morphine and nicotine dependencies were induced by daily injections o...

BACKGROUND Along with the established effects of opium on metabolic parameters, stimulatory or inhibitory effects of opium on metabolic syndrome are also predictable. This study aimed to examine the association of opium use with metabolic syndrome and its components. METHODS This study was conducted on 5332 out of 5900 original sample participants enrolled in a population-based cohort entitle...

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 ...

OBJECTIVES Serum adiponectin and leptin levels have been shown to be related to obesity, insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Opium addiction has a positive association with endocrine system disorders. The relationship between adipokines and opium addiction is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to determine serum adiponectin and leptin levels in opium addicted subjects. ...