Breaking the habit: a retrospective analysis of desistance factors among formerly problematic heroin users

Introduction and Aims . The aim of this study was to examine heroin careers among former users to assess desistance factors and explanations for sustained abstinence. Design and Methods . The study surveyed 107 former problematic heroin users who have achieved long‐term abstinence about their experiences of achieving and sustaining abstinence. The cohort was recruited opportunistically from three sources, drawing heavily on former users working in the addictions field. Results . On average, the group had heroin careers lasting for just under 10 years, punctuated by an average of 2.6 treatment episodes and 3.1 periods of abstinence, and had been heroin abstinent for an average of 10 years at the time of completing the survey. The most commonly expressed reason for finally achieving abstinence was ‘tired of the lifestyle followed by reasons relating to psychological health. In contrast, when asked to explain how abstinence was sustained, clients quoted both social network factors (moving away from drug‐using friends and support from non‐using friends) and practical factors (accommodation and employment) as well as religious or spiritual factors. Treatment was not mentioned widely either in achieving or sustaining abstinence, in contrast to 12‐Step, which was endorsed widely. Discussion and Conclusions . The study supports a careers perspective for examining heroin careers and indicates that, while achieving abstinence is possible for chronic opiate users, the path to sustained abstinence is complex and often reliant upon external support systems.     

The oral health of street‐recruited injecting drug users: prevalence and correlates of problems

Aims To examine the effects of a series of injecting drug users' (IDU) characteristics and drug use behaviours upon the self‐reported oral health of a sample of IDU. Design Cross‐sectional survey. Setting Melbourne, Australia. Participants A total of 285 IDU recruited through needle and syringe programmes, snowballing and outreach across six sites. Measurements Structured survey that collected information on current drug use patterns, self‐reported blood‐borne virus status and general health factors, including open‐ended questions on past‐year dental health problems. Findings Sixty‐eight per cent of the sample reported dental problems that were commonly severe and caused dental pain. Despite these reported problems, almost half the sample had not visited the dentist in the 12 months prior to the survey. Participants who were older, and reported homelessness, not eating every day and more common injection of amphetamines rather than heroin in the previous month, were more likely to report having a past‐year dental problem. Conclusions Dental problems in IDUs are common but few receive treatment. Further, those using amphetamines, with poor housing, hygiene and poor nutrition, are most at risk. Programmes designed to improve the oral health of IDU need to be developed and implemented in a manner amenable to the varying social circumstances of this marginalized group in the community.     

海洛因依赖者甲襞微循环检测分析

目的··:了解海洛因依赖者甲襞微循环的变化。方法··:按照甲襞微循环规范化综合定量评价标准 ,对354例海洛因依赖者及280例正常人的甲襞微循环进行定量分析。结果··:海洛因依赖者甲襞微循环形态积分、流态积分、管周状态积分、总积分分别为2.19±s1.33,0.72±s0.80,0.80±s1.00和3.72±s2.15 ,均高于对照组(P<0.01) ,综合判断异常率80.23 % ,与对照组 (40.00 % )比较有显著性差异 (P<0.01)。结论··:海洛因可导致人体微循环障碍 ,在戒毒治疗中应注意患者的微循环改善     

154例海洛因依赖者结核感染检测分析

目的:了解海洛因依赖者结核感染情况,为戒毒治疗和结核防治提供参考。方法:随机抽取海洛因依赖者154例,通过病史、体检、痰菌及X-线检查诊断是否患有结核,对所有患者用免疫斑点法进行血清结核抗体检测,同时抽取100例健康人进行对照。结果:154例海洛因依赖者中,血清结核抗体阳性17例(占11·04%),其中5例确诊患有肺结核(占3·25%);对照组无1例血清结核抗体阳性。结论:海洛因依赖者是结核病的高发人群,是重要的传染源。     

参与美沙酮维持治疗的海洛因成瘾者自我报告的抑郁症状严重程度：一项横断面调查

背景：美沙酮维持治疗(methadone maintenance treatment, MMT)是一种公认的有效降低毒瘾的措施。美沙酮维持治疗可以减少海洛因成瘾戒断症状,并因此可以提供心理和社会支持,对吸毒者的康复至关重要。
　　目标：比较目前正在接受MMT的海洛因成瘾者和没有接受MMT的海洛因成瘾者之间的抑郁症状严重程度。
　　方法：本研究运用了Beck-13(13-item version of the Beck Depression Inventory, BDI-13)抑郁自评量表和人口学历史资料调查表,对中国三个城市9个美沙酮治疗中心的929例正在接受MMT的海洛因成瘾患者（平均已接受9个月MMT治疗）和已经在中心注册参加MMT治疗但尚未开始的238例海洛因成瘾患者进行评估。
　　结果：与正在接受MMT的成瘾者中有68%(628/929)报告抑郁症状相比,79%(188/238)的未治疗成瘾者报告有抑郁症状(X2=11.69,p<0.001)。未经治疗组的BDI评分中位数（四分位区间）是10.4(7.9-11.4),而MMT 组BDI评分中位数是8.0(5.7-11.6),两者有显著差异(Z=2.75, p=0.006)。在MMT组内,自我报告的抑郁症状严重程度与参加MMT时间呈负相关(rs=-0.24,Z=2.88, p=0.004)。多元线性回归分析发现,在控制所有人口学变量后,治疗组的抑郁症状严重程度仍然轻于非治疗组。在控制MMT疗效后,自我报告家庭关系较差(β=0.118,t=6.56, p<0.001)以及离异(β=0.120,t=3.73, p<0.001)的海洛因成瘾患者抑郁症状较严重。
　　结论：中度至重度抑郁症状常见于海洛因成瘾患者。MMT治疗与海洛因成瘾患者抑郁症状较轻相关,但需要采用前瞻性随机对照试验来确定MMT是否确实改善了海洛因成瘾患者的抑郁症状。与家庭成员的关系较差也与海洛因成瘾患者的抑郁症状有关,这表明对海洛因成瘾患者的治疗需要纳入一些方法来帮助海洛因成瘾患者修复由于他们成瘾造成的社会关系割裂。     

中药治疗海洛因依赖急性戒断症状的Meta分析

目的:系统评价中药治疗海洛因依赖急性戒断症状的有效性与安全性。方法:计算机检索多种中英文数据库,收集中、西药(α2-肾上腺素受体激动剂或阿片受体激动剂)对比研究海洛因脱毒的随机对照实验(RCT)。采用Jadad量表对纳入研究进行质量评价,并采用RevM an软件以固定效应和随机效应模型进行M eta分析。评价指标包括:戒断症状评分、焦虑评分及不良反应发生率。结果:共纳入21个实验(共2949位受试者)。结果显示:对于戒断症状的缓解,在疗程的d4-10(d8除外),中药组优于α2-受体激动剂组,在疗程的前3 d,两者无显著性差异。与阿片受体激动剂相比,在疗程前3 d,中药略显逊色,但在疗程d4-9,两者疗效相当。对于焦虑的缓解,中药组与阿片受体激动剂组相比无显著性差异,但与α2-受体激动剂组相比,中药在疗程后期显示出优越性。另外,在某些不良反应(疲乏、眩晕)发生率上,中药组也显著低于α2-受体激动剂组(阿片受体激动剂组数据不足,未分析)。结论:现有数据表明,中药是海洛因依赖脱毒有效而安全的治疗方法。但对于中药特定方剂的特定疗效还需要有进一步的研究。     

Patients on injectable diacetylmorphine maintenance have low bone mass

Introduction and Aims. Risk factors for osteoporosis are prevalent in chronic heroin users who often start using opiates in their late teens. This study was the first to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) in relatively young heroin‐dependent patients on injectable heroin maintenance. Design and Methods. Using cross‐sectional design, BMD was assessed in a convenience sample of 19 patients (mean age ± SD = 33.9 ± 5.4; 13 men) prescribed injectable diacetylmorphine for heroin dependence. BMD of the lumbar spine and proximal femur was measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Substance use and menstrual history, psychopathology and risk factors for low BMD were assessed by questionnaire‐based interviews. Results. According to World Health Organisation criteria almost three‐quarters (74%) of the sample had osteopenia (n = 11) or osteoporosis (n = 3) at one or more sites of measurement. All patients showed multiple risk factors for bone loss, with pack‐years of tobacco use and years of heroin use reaching marginally significant associations with spine Z‐scores. Moreover, BMD Z‐scores correlated significantly negatively with increasing age at all sites, indicating that the older the patient, the greater the BMD deviation from an age‐controlled population. Discussion and Conclusions. Prolonged heroin dependence appears to be associated with lower‐than‐normal bone mass already at early age and these individuals might be at greater risk for fracture with advancing age. The negative correlation of age‐adjusted Z‐scores with increasing age suggests factors other than age for low BMD in this population (e.g. smoking, heroin use). Prospective studies are warranted to determine the necessity for diagnostic and preventive measures.[Dürsteler‐MacFarland KM, Kowalewski R, Bloch N, Wiesbeck GA, Kraenzlin ME, Stohler R. Patients on injectable diacetylmorphine maintenance have low bone mass. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010;30:577–582]     

A rapid method for profiling samples of illicit heroin

The aim of this investigation was to profile samples of illicit heroin. It involved derivatization and gas chromatographic separation followed by a fully automated data analysis. Six major constituents (acetylcodeine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, papaverine, noscapine, codeine, and morphine) were tested and analyzed. The square cosine function was used to evaluate correlation values. The method proved to be efficient and reliable providing information on links between illicit heroin samples.     

The histopathology of drugs of abuse

The use of drugs for recreational purposes is widespread. The drugs used can be divided into groups including stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines, etc.), opiates and opioids (heroin, oxycodone, methadone, fentanyl, etc.), sedatives (benzodiazepines and related substances) and miscellaneous drugs, including ketamine and cannabis (marijuana). These drugs can have profound effects on all organ systems in the body. The method of administration, whether by injection or inhalation, can cause localized and systemic effects, including the transmission of infection and granulomata at the site of injection and in the lungs. Suppurative abscesses from injection can result in systemic amyloidosis. Stimulants have profound effects on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, with enlarged hearts with fibrosis seen microscopically and cerebral infarction and haemorrhage. Crack cocaine use is also associated with changes in the pulmonary system, including carbon pigmented intra-alveolar macrophages, emphysema and pulmonary arterial changes. Cannabis use is associated with brown pigmented macrophages in the lung as well as changes in the respiratory tract epithelium. Opiates/opioids are associated with inhalational pneumonitis and hypoxic brain damage due to their respiratory depressant effects. Heroin use has been associated with focal segmental glomerulonephritis (heroin-associated nephropathy: HAN). 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) use is associated with changes in the cardiovascular system. Its use can lead to hyperpyrexia, which results in systemic changes. Ketamine abuse has been associated with cystitis. Drugs of abuse may affect testicular function. In analysing the effects of drugs at autopsy a systematic approach to sampling of histology is required.