which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Viral infections such as HIV and HCV have a serious negative effect on the health of injecting drug users (IDUs) in Iran (1-4). Two recent studies in Tehran, Iran have shown that HCV prevalence was between 52%-80% among IDUs (5, 6). Furthermore, many IDUs might be infected...

During a cross-sectional study, patients who were admitted to the orthopedic department of the Urmia University of Medical Sciences were asked about opium/opioid abuse. Demographic characteristics, the pattern of consumption, the substance, the duration of the use, the duration of hospital stay and the cause of their injuries were recorded. Among 2,867 patients, 74 (2.5%) patients (71 men and 3...

Opium is one of the oldest herbal medicines currently used as an analgesic, sedative and antidiarrheal treatment. The effects of opium are principally mediated by the μ-, κ- and δ-opioid receptors. Opioid substances consist of all natural and synthetic alkaloids that are derived from opium. Most of their effects on gastrointestinal motility and secretion result from suppression of neural activi...

The therapeutic entities which have been derived from the constituents of opium, the dried exudate of the incised capsule of the opium poppy, have probably spawned more scientific publications than any other drug group. The observations that only the laevorotatory isomer of morphine, the active constituent of opium, was active and that most opioid analgesic drugs had similarities in structure, ...

opium is one of the oldest herbal medicines currently used as an analgesic, sedative and antidiarrheal treatment. the effects of opium are principally mediated by the μ -,κ- and δ-opioid receptors. opioid substances consist of all natural and synthetic alkaloids that are derived from opium. most of their effects on gastrointestinal motility and secretion result from suppression of neural activi...

BACKGROUND The risk of infectious, autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases and cancers rise in opioid addicts due to changes in innate and acquired immune responses. Three types of opioid receptors (К-δ-μ) are expressed on the surface of lymphocytes and mononuclear phagocytes. The present study was designed to examine the effects of different concentrations of opium on the secretion of some cy...

Novel drug delivery systems for controlled-release of opioid agonists as a long time painkillers or opioid antagonists for opium, heroin, and alcohol addiction are under development or in clinical use today. In this article, the field of "new drug delivery systems" is momentarily reviewed from the viewpoint of the marketed opioid agonists/antagonists dosage forms today.

The effect of the endogenous opioid system as analgesics was not identified until the early 1970’s [1]. Since the 3rd century BC, however, it has been known that opium as the main compound of opiates, harvested from the juice of the opium poppy was of use in managing pain, as well being addictive [1,2]. The introduction in 1680 of Sydenham’s Laudanum, a mixture of opium with sherry wine and her...

background: opium is one of the most commonly abused opiates in developing countries including iran. considering the importance of maternal health on the newborn, we aimed to assess the effect of opium abuse on fetal heart rate (fhr) characteristics in a sample of pregnant women in zahedan, southeast iran. methods: this cross-sectional study was done on 100 pregnant women referring to ali-ibn-a...

BACKGROUND Bladder cancer is a major health problem, especially among men. Opium addiction can be an important risk factor. One important question is whether it can affect the age of onset of bladder cancer .We performed this study to evaluate this question. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a cross-section study, records of patients diagnosed with bladder carcinoma in Shahid Labbafinejad Medical Cent...