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Background: The prevalence and burden of substance and opium use have increased worldwide over the past decades. In light of rapid population changes in Tehran, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of opium and other substance use among adult residents in Tehran, Iran., Method: From March 2016 to March 2019, we utilized data from 8 296 participants in the Tehran Cohort Study recruitment phase (TeCS). We calculated the age-sex-weighted prevalence of substance use and the geographic distribution of substance use in Tehran. We also used logistic regression analysis to determine possible determinants of opium use., Result: We analyzed data from 8 259 eligible participants with complete substance use data and the average age of participants was 53.7 ± 12.75 years. The prevalence of substance use was 5.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.6- 7.1%). Substance use was more common in males than females (Prevalence: 10.5% [95% CI: 8.6- 12.6%] vs. 0.5% [95% CI: 0.2- 1.2%], respectively). The age-sex weighted prevalence of substance use was 5.4% (95% CI: 4.6-7.1%). Moreover, opium was the most frequently used substance by 95.8% of substance users. Additionally, we found that male gender (Odds ratio [OR]: 12.1, P < 0.001), alcohol intake (OR: 1.3, P = 0.016), and smoking (OR: 8.5, P < 0.001) were independently associated with opium use., Conclusions: We found that the prevalence of substance use in Tehran was 5.6%, and opium was the most frequently used substance. In addition, male gender, lower levels of education, alcohol, and tobacco consumption are the main risk factors for substance use in Tehran. Healthcare providers and policymakers can utilize our results to implement preventive strategies to minimize substance use in Tehran., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: The association between opium use and bladder cancer has been investigated in many studies, with varying reporting results reported. This study aims to estimate the total odds ratio for the association between bladder cancer and opium consumption using meta-analysis., Methods: The study was designed according to PRISMA guidelines. Two independent researchers searched for the relevant studies using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, OVID, Embase, and Google Scholar. After systematic screening of the studies identified during the first step, Cochrane risk of bias tool was determined for the selected studies. The case-control and the cohort studies were investigated to assess risk of bladder cancer due to opium use. In addition, the cross-sectional studies were analysed separately to assess frequency of opium consumption. These estimates were combined using the inverse variance method. Fixed or random effect models were applied to combine the point odds ratios. The heterogeneity between the primary results was assessed using the Cochran test and I-square index. The suspected factors for heterogeneity were investigated using meta-regression models. An Egger test was conducted to identify any probable publication bias. Forest plots illustrated the point and pooled estimates. All analyses were performed using Stata version 14 software and RevMan version 5.3., Results: We included 17 primary studies (11 case-control, one cohort and five cross-sectional) in the final meta-analysis. The total odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for developing bladder cancer by opium use alone, and concurrent use of opium and cigarettes were estimated as 3.85 (3.05-4.87) and 5.7 (1.9-16.3) respectively. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for opium use with or without cigarette smoking was estimated as 5.3 (3.6-7.7)., Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that opium use similar to cigarette smoking and maybe with similar mechanisms can be a risk factor for bladder cancer. It is therefore expected to be a risk factor for other cancers.

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 Center, within 1999-2008 were included. Data were extracted from records regarding age at onset, gender, smoking status, and opioid addiction and analyzed with SPSS 13., Results: Within 10 years, 920 cases were diagnosed with bladder cancer of which 97 percent were transitional cell carcinoma. In 698 cases, opium addiction status was recorded in 21.3% (n=149). Age at diagnosis was 59.7±11.51 (median: 60) among opioid addicts which was significantly lower than non- addicts (63.1±13.65, Median: 65) (P<0.001)., Conclusions: Opium addiction can decrease the age of onset of bladder cancer.

Drug addiction in China began with the importation of Indian opium by the British in the 16th century and brought severe social and health problems. While drug abuse abated following the establishment of People's Republic of China, modernization and Westernization in the 1980s led to the reemergence of this problem. Drug abuse in China became epidemic, facilitating the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Chinese government has made great efforts to address these problems, focusing both on treatments of drug addiction and on harm-reduction programs. Although the new trends of drug addiction in China pose great public health challenges, these government interventions are likely to successfully stem the problem of drug abuse in the future.

Following British importation of opium to China in 1760s, the use and production of the drug in China increased dramatically. This situation was aggravated after the failure of Opium Wars that occurred between the United Kingdom and the Qing Empire in China with the aim of forcing China to import British Opium; this war made China open the door to a free flowing opium trade, with disastrous social and public health consequences. The subsequent rise of the new China created drug-free atmosphere by strict legislation and punishment, in which drug use greatly decreased. However, in the context of governmental reform and the open-door policies of the 1980s, drug abuse has re-emerged as a major public health problem. Today, drug abuse is highly linked to the spread of HIV/AIDS and to drug-related crimes in China. To combat the severe drug problem facing the nation, the Chinese government has adopted the Methadone Maintenance Treatment program, a multi-faceted therapeutic approach that aims to reduce the health and social problem induced by drug epidemics. In addition, traditional Chinese medicine, including herbal therapy and acupuncture, both found to be effective in the prevention of relapse and causes few side effects, making them useful for the treatment of opiate addiction. With continuous application of these therapies and managements that have been proved to be effective in harm reduction in the western countries, we believe that drug abuse and its related problems in China will be brought under control.

2015 subjects were interviewed at musical events and raves in Northern Italy: average age 25.1, 42% female, 67% work, 42% study, 61% have higher certificate of education. 3.8% used drugs for the first time in the last year, and 60% have been using drugs for over 5 years, age of first use 16.3. In the last year, 26% have tried a mix of drugs, 52% alcohol and drugs, 48% have driven after drinking; drug consumption was: marijuana 58%, hashish 55%, cocaine 24%, popper 12%, hallucinogenic mushrooms 13%, ecstasy 13%, amphetamines 13%, Salvia divinorum 11%, LSD 9%, opium 9%, ketamine 7%, heroin 5%. In the last year, 27% subjects had depression, 25.7% anxiety, 23.7% sleep disorders, 15% financial problems, 13% road accidents, 9% addiction, 6% judicial problems. All problems were correlated to CAGE (Cut, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener) test, drug use and mix drug use; psychological problems were higher for females: anxiety for cocaine, memory and psychosomatic for opium, sleeping disorders for crack, anxiety for popper, hallucinations for LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms.

There is an increasing awareness that alcohol and drug abuse and smoking are not only harmful for the consumer but will also, when taken by a pregnant woman, adversely affect her unborn child. The consequence of the abuse will result from a combination of specific toxic effects of abusing substances and a nonspecific effect from the often very unstable environment of an alcohol- or drug-dependent mother. Poor prenatal care is a common finding in alcohol and drug abuse leading to a high incidence of complications during pregnancy and delivery including premature labor and small-for-gestational-age babies. An increased perinatal mortality has been reported following all types of abuse including tobacco use, probably as a consequence of poor prenatal care as well as of a toxic effect on the fetus. Withdrawal symptoms after birth are most prominent in opiate addiction. The already intrauterinely damaged child will if it stays with its parents often continue to be exposed to several abverse environmental factors. However, symptoms such as mental retardation following alcohol abuse and hyperactivity and emotional disturbances following drug exposure during intrauterine life have also been found in children who have been taken from the parents and placed in foster homes immediately after birth. This means that children of abusing parents both in their custody and in foster home will have to be regarded as risk children that should be subjected to careful medical and psychological follow-up.