فهرست مطالب

Addiction & Health - Volume:8 Issue: 4, Autumn 2016

Addiction & Health
Volume:8 Issue: 4, Autumn 2016

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1395/10/10
  • تعداد عناوین: 8
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  • Sedigheh Barzehkar, Mohammad Hossein Gozashti *, Kouros Divsalar, Mahdieh Mashrouteh, Amir Hossein Darvishi Lardi Page 211
    Background
    Iran is one of the major consumers of opium and opiate substances in the world. Addiction has become a very important issue in the 21st century and an urgent one in Iran. The consumption of this substance leaves a variety of impacts on the human body. The goal of this study is to investigate the changes of the biochemical parameters derived from opiate substances in addicts during their treatment.
    Methods
    This is a cross-sectional research that focused on 40 individuals dependent on the consumption of opium. Their blood samples were taken before and during treatment, and their fasting blood sugar (FBS), sodium, calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, urea, uric acid, total protein, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and total cholesterol were measured. Data were analyzed by SPSS using paired t-test.
    Findings: The results showed that serum uric acid, LDL, cholesterol, and the total protein levels significantly decreased during the treatment in comparison with the time before the treatment (P
    Conclusion
    Given the findings of the analysis, opium addiction has a number of destructive impacts on the lipid profile and uric acid. In addition, the level of total protein decreased during the treatment.
    Keywords: Dependence on opium, Blood biochemical parameters, Addiction treatment, Opium
  • Seyyed Amin Ayatollahi Mousavi, Gholamreza Asadikaram, Nouzar Nakhaee, Alireza Izadi *, Nasser Keikha Page 218
    Background
    The use of narcotics such as opium exposes addicts as susceptible targets of different diseases so that they might easily be exposed to different diseases such as fungal infections. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of addiction to opium and fungal infection on plasma levels of certain cytokines including interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-6, IL-17, Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β).
    Methods
    Present study included 72 individuals who were divided into 4 groups: 1) opium-addicted with fungal infection; 2) opium-addicted without fungal infection; 3) non-opium-addicted with fungal infection; and 4) normal individuals (non-opium-addicted and non-fungal infection). The fungal samples, after being detected and confirmed by a physician, were prepared based on clinical symptoms and then analyzed by direct smear and culture method. The measurement of the plasma level of cytokines was done by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.
    Findings: The comparison of the mean of the plasma level of cytokines showed that addiction to opium and fungal infection had significant effect on the plasma levels of IL-17, IFN-γ, TGF-β cytokines in all studied groups. The interaction of addiction to opium and fungal infection was only significant in the case of plasma level of IL-6.
    Conclusion
    Addiction to opium and fungal infection, either separately or simultaneously, poses significant effect on the immune system and causes disorders in the cytokine network and the immune system and also provides a suitable environment for fungal infection.
    Keywords: Opium, Addiction, Fungal infection, Cytokine
  • Ali Khalooei, Mohammadreza Mashayekhi Dowlatabad, Mohammad Reza Rajabalipour, Abedin Iranpour * Page 227
    Background
    Prisoner’s addiction is one of the major problems in many countries which imposes very high medical costs and social harm to communities. This study investigated the pattern of substance use and related factors in male prisoners in one of the prisons in southeastern Iran.
    Methods
    This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2016. The study population was inmates of a prison in southeast Iran. Sampling was carried out randomly according to the list of prisoners. Data were collected using a form and were analyzed with statistics software SPSS.
    Findings: More than four-fifths (75.3%) of the subjects consumed at least one substance (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs), 74.4% were smoking, 73.2% used a narcotic substance, and about one-fifth (19.3%) reported drinking alcohol. With a frequency of 62.0%, opium was the most frequently utilized narcotic substance. Poppy juice (31.6%), cannabis (29.8%), crystal (16.9%) and tramadol (16.9%) were the next frequent substances used. A percentage of 41.5% subjects reported using two or more drugs. A percentage of 80.7% subjects reported substance use among their friends, 39.2% by siblings and 37.2% by father. Regression analysis showed predictor variables of substance use were education, substance use by prisoner before being imprisoned, substance use by father, friends and siblings.
    Conclusion
    This study showed a remarkable prevalence of substance use in prisons, which was more than general population. Therefore, it is necessary to consider alternative penalties of imprisonment due to the factors associated with substance use. Screening of people at high risk for substance use should be considered on admission to prison, and primary prevention measures should be focused on them.
    Keywords: Substance use, Narcotic substances, Alcohol consumption, Prison, Smoking
  • Alireza Nemati, Shima Jafari, Mahdi Afshari, Somayeh Dahmardeh, Kaveh Tabrizian* Page 235
    Background
    Opium is widely used among addicts in the Middle East countries such as Iran. Recent reports suggest that opium sellers cheat their customers by adding lead to the opium. Contaminated opium can threaten the health of consumers. This study was designed to evaluate the lead concentration in blood sample of oral and inhaled opium user’s referring to Amir Al-Momenin Hospital in Zabol, Iran, during spring 2015 in comparison with those of control group.
    Methods
    Blood lead level (BLL) of 188 subjects with a mean age of 52.06 years in three categories - including oral opium addicted (55 patients), inhaled opium addicted (55 patients), and healthy control group (n = 78) - was assessed. The BLL of all the subjects was assessed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.
    Findings: Almost all participants consumed “Tariak” (99.09%). Mean ± standard deviation (SD) duration of opium addiction was 13.21 ± 10.26 years. The average blood lead concentration among oral users, inhaled users, and control group were 34.31 ± 21.54, 41.13 ± 26.40, and 9.86 ± 4.40 µg/dl, respectively (P = 0.001).
    Conclusion
    Our study showed significant differences of BLLs between opium users and control group. We also did not find any association between blood lead concentration and method of opium consumption.
    Keywords: Blood lead level, Opium, Addict
  • Mohammad Hadi Safi, Seyyed Jalal Younesi *, Asghar Dadkhah, Ali Farhoudian, Masoud Fallahi Khoshknab, Manoochehr Azkhosh Page 242
    Background
    The awareness of sexual experiences could be an effective factor in preventing high-risk sexual behavior pertaining to relapse during the recovery period of substances. This research explored the role of sexual behaviors among Iranian methamphetamine (MA) users in relapse process.
    Methods
    The study was conducted with a qualitative approach using content analysis method. 28 participants were selected through purposeful and theoretical sampling. Data were collected based on face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews based on open-ended questions. Interviews continued until the data saturation had occurred. All interviews were examined in four stages of codes, sub-categories, categories and themes according to the content analysis of explanations and descriptions of sexual behaviors.
    Findings: Two main themes were emerged from the analysis of interviews, including extreme pleasure seeking (including the main categories of sexual tunnel vision and sexual totalitarianism) and comprehended threat (including the main categories of internal conflict and external disorganization) as well as 10 subcategories.
    Conclusion
    The results indicated that sexual behaviors played an important role in relapse process among Iranian MA users and needed to be considered and managed properly in the planning of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.
    Keywords: Sexual behaviors, Relapse, Methamphetamine users, Qualitative research
  • Hamideh Rashidian, Kazem Zendehdel, Farin Kamangar, Reza Malekzadeh, Ali Akbar Haghdoost* Page 252
    Background
    Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. In recent years it has been hypothesized that opiate use could be a risk factor for cancer. This study aimed to evaluate a possible association between opiate use and common cancers using ecological statistics from around the world.
    Methods
    To investigate the association we used ordinary linear regression models. The log10-transformed age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) of cancers was used as dependent variables in the models. We adjusted for smoking, alcohol use per capita, human development index (HDI), and body mass index (BMI) as confounding variables. We extracted these variables from different data sources including the GLOBOCAN 2012, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) annual reports, World Health Organization database, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report 2012, and published literature. We estimated two separate models for each cancer, one for males and the other for both sexes.
    Findings: Opiate prevalence ranged from 0.01% to 2.65% and its median was 0.20%. In the multiple regression models for both sexes, opiate use was significantly associated with bladder (β = 0.59), kidney (β = 0.16), oral cavity (β = 0.27), esophagus (β = 0.33), larynx (β = 0.17) and other pharynx (β = 0.36) cancers. In the models based on the male data, the coefficient and the significances were approximately the same for the above cancers but larynx cancer was no longer significantly associated with opiate use.
    Conclusion
    There was a significant association between opiate use and risk of cancers. We suggest that more studies should be conducted, especially in high-risk areas of the world.
    Keywords: Cancer, Ecological study, Opium, Risk factors
  • Fatemeh Delavari, Vahid Sheibani *, Khadijeh Esmaeilpour, Saeid Esmaeili Mahani, Nouzar Nakhaee Page 261
    Background
    Disturbances in maternal care have been associated with increased risk for drug abuse later in life. However, there has been little investigation of the effects of maternal separation (MS), a model of early life stress, on nicotine dependence, specifically during adolescence. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of MS on nicotine-conditioned place preference (CPP) in adolescent male rats. We also examined the impact of nicotine on spatial learning and memory impairments induced by MS.
    Methods
    Rat pups were exposed to daily MS for 15 (MS15) or 180 (MS180) minutes during the first 2 weeks of life or reared under normal animal facility rearing (AFR) conditions. In postnatal day (PND) 28-34, they were conditioned with nicotine [0.6 mg/kg, subcutaneously (SC)] or saline and tested for preference over a period of 6 conditioning trials. Morris water maze (MWM) testing was performed to assess spatial cognitive function.
    Findings: The MS procedure used in our study failed to affect nicotine reward as measured by CPP in the adolescent male rats. Notably, significant spatial learning deficit was seen in the MS180 rats compared to those in the AFR and MS15 groups and nicotine administration modified the MS-induced learning defect in adolescent male rats.
    Conclusion
    In conclusion, although MS revealed no influence on the sensitivity to the nicotine''s reinforcing effects in adolescent male rats, the simultaneous effect of MS on learning performance may be altered by nicotine intake.
    Keywords: Maternal separation, Nicotine, Conditioned place preference, Spatial learning, memory, Adolescent male rat
  • Mahin Eslami-Shahrbabaki, Mohadeseh Iranpour * Page 270