Abdominal pain related to adulterated opium:An emerging issue in drug addicts

Lead may contaminate opium,heroin and illicit opiates and is particularly observed in Iran.Lead,a natural heavy metal is able to interfere with several organ functions after ingestion or inhalation.Lead poisoning manifestations are non-specific and thus lead poisoning remains difficult to diagnose.Among the manifestations,abdominal pain is almost the most frequent symptom causing patients to seek medical care.In patients with a history of opium addiction presenting with moderate-to-severe abdominal pain,lack of diagnosis of lead toxicity may thus result in time-consuming and unnecessary medical work-ups that can end up in invasive surgery.This paper aims to briefly review abdominal pain as an emergency issue and the leading symptom of lead poisoning that brings most of the patients to healthcare facilities.All published adult cases and case series of opium addicts admitted with abdominal pain due to leadadulterated opium consumption have been reviewed.A trend of increasing numbers of lead poisoning cases has recently emerged among opium addicts in Iran.Due to the non-specific manifestations and hazardous effects,psychiatrists and emergency physicians should consider lead poisoning in patients with a past or present history of opium addiction referred for acute abdominal pain,particularly in case of colicky abdominal pain.

opium的历史文化解读与中文名

opium一词受到不同的历史文化影响,从而产生了不同的解读。在新的历史时期,正确翻译并解读opium对于全面正确理解马克思"宗教是人民的opium"这一论述,对于中国崛起背景下,包括宗教文化在内的中国文化的国际传播有着重要意义。

Effect of Opium on Lipid Profile and Expression of Liver X Receptor Alpha (LXR<i>α</i>) in Normolipidemic Mouse

Many people believe that opium has beneficial effects on lipid profile which results in reduced atherosclerosis. Opium contains several alkaloids and biological active components, which some of them are used for atherosclerosis treatment. The liver X receptor α (LXRα) is an important regulator of cholesterol and glucose homeostasis that belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily. This study aimed to investigate the effects of opium on glucose, lipid profile and LXRα expression. Sixteen N-mary mice randomly were divided into two groups (control and addict), and were studied for one month. Serum lipid profile, Fasting blood sugar (FBS), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined. Also LXR mRNA and protein levels were determined by Reverse Transcription PCR and western blotting. This study showed that opium significantly reduced total cholesterol (P < 0.05), While the difference in blood glucose, triglyceride (TG), High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c) and Very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(VLDL-c), as well as AST and ALT between addict and control groups were not significant. More importantly, LXR protein and mRNA levels significantly increased (P < 0.05) in intestine of addict group in comparison with control, while the change in LXR protein and mRNA in the liver were not significant compared with control. The results of this study showed that opium addiction reduced total cholesterol and increased LXR expression in intestine. Further researches need to determine effective components.

Opium withdrawal and some blood biochemical factors in addicts' individuals

Objective: One of the common misinterpretation be- liefs in some societies (especially eastern communities) is the using of opium can reduce serum glucose and lipids. Opium is a derivative from a plant family called Papaveracea and contains almost 80 types of alkaloids. Drug addiction causes physiological dependency and its withdrawal lead to some disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of opium consumption and its withdrawal on some blood biochemical factors in addicted people. Methods: We enrolled fifty-six opium addicted people according to the especial criteria to this study. Biochemical blood parameter levels such as fasting blood sugar (FBS), urea, Creatinine (Cr), Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes levels were measured and urine analysis was also performed before and 3 months after withdrawal. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 18 and a P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: our finding showed that opium withdrawal reduces FBS and increases AST but these changes were not significant. Nevertheless opium withdrawal significantly increased blood urea level (P < 0.0001). We didn’t find any significant difference in Cr, ALP, AST and Urea specific gravity (SG). Conclusion: According to the results of the current study we can concluded that opium increases FBS, which is in contrast to the most previous studies and withdrawal has opposite effects.

Preparation and Application of an Immunoaffinity Column for Direct Extraction of Morphine and its Analogs from Opium

A rapid, simple and accurate method using an immunoaffinity column (IAC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the analysis of the major alkaloids in opium is developed. The IAC was synthesized by coupling specific morphine polyclonal antibodies to CNBr-actived Sepharose 4B. The IAC showed high selectivity and obvious enrichment to morphine, codeine, dionin and thebaine. The extraction solution was analyzed by CE with β-cyclodextrin as an additive. Recoveries of the four alkaloids from PBS were between 93%-105% with RSD value less than 5.0%. The result showed that this method was practical for the determination of morphine analogs in opium.

Outcomes and long-term survival of coronary artery surgery:The controversial role of opium as risk marker

AIM To study survival in isolated coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) patients and to evaluate the impact of preoperative chronic opium consumption on long-term outcome.METHODS Cohort of 566 isolated CABG patients as Tehran Heart Center cardiac output measurement was conducted. Daily evaluation until discharge as well as 4- and 12-mo and 6.5-year follow-up information for survival status were fulfilled for all patients. Long-term 6.5-year overall and opium-stratified survival, adjusted survival curves based on opium consumption as well as possible predictors of all-cause mortality using multiple cox regression were determined by statistical analysis.RESULTS Six point five-year overall survival was 91.8%; 86.6% in opium consumers and 92.7% in non-opium consumers(P=0.035). Patients with positive history of opium consumption significantly tended to have lower ejection fraction(EF), higher creatinine level and higher prevalence of myocardial infarction. Multiple predictors of all-cause mortality included age, body mass index, EF, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular accident. The hazard ratio(HR) of 2.09 for the risk of mortality in opium addicted patients with a borderline P value(P=0.052) was calculated in this model. Further adjustment with stratification based on smoking and opium addiction reduced the HR to 1.20(P=0.355).CONCLUSION Simultaneous impact of smoking as a confounding variable in most of the patients prevents from definitive judgment on the role of opium as an independent contributing factor in worse long-term survival of CABG patients in addition to advanced age, low EF, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular accident. Meanwhile, our findings do not confirm any cardio protective role for opium to improve outcome in coronary patients with the history of smoking. Further studies are needed to clarify pure effect of opium and warrant the aforementioned findings.

Citizenship, the Nation and the Race： China and the International Opium System, 1912-1931

This article analyzes China＇s attempts to participate in and use the negotiations about reforming the international opium control system in the interwar period. China had a contentious relationship with the international opium control system from its creation in the International Opium Convention of 1912 through the League of Nations opium control system of the 1920s and 1930s. The Chinese government wanted to gain acceptance for China as a modern state no longer in need of tutelage from the international community. They also wanted to portray the Chinese people as a modern race as a way of undermining colonial opium monopolies, which made a disproportionate amount of their profits from sales to Overseas Chinese. While they were not fully successful in either of these efforts, China did manage to win some support, drawing the United States into closer agreement with China＇s positions. Engagement with the international system also had a considerable impact on China＇s domestic opium politics and its broader diplomatic relationship with the major powers.

Mining, Bridges, Opium, and Guns： Chinese Investment and State Power in a Late Qing Frontier

In the last three decades of its rule, the Qing government attempted to establish Chinese-style administration in many of the empire＇s non-Hart territories, and, in conjunction with non-government actors, foster land cultivation, Han migration, Chinese education, and industries such as mining. This paper investigates these processes in Liangshan, in upland Southwest China. Here, attempts to establish Chinese administration came only in 1907, after a period of substantial private and state investment in mining, transport infrastructure, and, to a lesser extent, land cultivation. Government officials often assumed that such things would aid the political integration in China, but as this paper argues, the consequences were more complicated than that. Although better transport simplified the logistics of government military campaigns, increased commercial activity in the region also allowed its indigenes to acquire firearms for the first time.

The medieval Persian manuscript of Afyunieh:the first individual treatise on the opium and addiction in history

According to historical evidence, the abuse of opium has been reported all over the globe-specifically throughout Eastern nations-since the sixteenth century. Before that, opium had mostly been applied as medication. Reference has been made in traditional Persian medical literature to the method of cultivation, properties, side effects and toxicity. In sixteenth century Iran, during the reign of the Safavids, opium abuse began. It was from then that prominent Persian scholars started to think of solutions to this societal problem. One of the most famous scholars was Imad al-Din Mahmud ibn Mas＇ud Shirazi, who composed a book concerning addiction-Afyunieh, a comprehensive book on the topic of opium and all issues of opium. Furthermore, he recommended methods for reducing opium dose as well as substitution with other medications that had a narrower range of side effects, in order to eradicate dependency upon opium and opium-derived materials. This is most likely the first book that comprehensively addressed opium and discussed drug rehabilitation methodology, in traditional Persian medical literature. In this historical review, the authors have introduced the book Afyunieh, which presents methods for treating addiction to and giving up opium; the text comprises a synthesis of the author＇s opinions, professional experience and references to the work of other famous physicians.

Occupied Space, Occupied Time： Food Hawking and the Central Market in Hong Kong＇s Victoria City during the Opium War

This article explains British measures against food hawking in the emergent city of Victoria, Hong Kong during the Opium War. It argues that British interest in the long-term development ofHong Kong can be traced back to the establishment in May 1842 of the Central Market in Victoria specifically to prevent food peddling. It was a time when Hong Kong was still under military occupation and its status as a British colony was uncertain. Although Hong Kong＇s public markets were associated with many of the problems that came with early British rule in the territory, the British administrators of Opium War Hong Kong intended that the Central Market, the first public market in Victoria, benefit both the Western and Chinese communities. This article also argues that the founding of the Central Market to eliminate food hawking exemplifies the overall manner that the British authorifes took in dealing with the urban Chinese population. In addition to strictly prohibiting Chinese peddling, which often obstructed roads and streets, the authorities encouraged Chinese food hawkers to move to the orderly Central Market. While the British authorities exercised some direct control to maintain social order inside the Central Market, the government appointed a better-off Chinese person to oversee its routine operation. The 1842 Central Market was one of the earliest urban Chinese ＂elite organizations＂ in British Hong Kong where Chinese elites managed the affairs of the Chinese community of Victoria city.

Fidelity and Sacrifice: The Gender Discourse of Traders in Pre- and Post-Opium War Canton

This article examines the discourse of two American couples in the China trade regarding fidelity and sacrifice during the period in which the spatial confines of the Canton system gave way to the intensified interactions of the Treaty Port era.Before the Opium War,when the Qing court had mandated that Western husbands conducting business in Canton live apart from their wives,marital tension was accentuated by the separation from absentee husbands.In the subsequent Treaty Port era,enhanced spatial mobility of the couples did not assuage their concerns.Instead,intensified cross-cultural encounters allowed them to project their feelings and expectations on the foreign other,'as racial categories developed and their imperial proclivities began to escalate.Bringing the Western women in contact with elite Chinese and other Western women only aggravated their agitation as they faced their Chinese counterparts,whom they readily construed as competitors.The socio-political and spatial reconfigurations provided new dimensions to the discourse of fidelity and sacrifice.The voices of the American couples recorded here are those of individuals,but the underlying anxiety they articulated represented the growing pains of more intimate Sino-Western encounters.

Spatial risk assessment of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan: integrating environmental and socio-economic drivers

Recently the cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan reached unprecedented levels.It is agreed that the complex and coupled interactions of social,economic and environmental drivers are crucial for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.In this context,we present an integrated risk concept,which considers environmental and socio-economic drivers of opium poppy cultivation.A set of spatially explicit indicators for the environmental suitability and socio-economic vulnerability was established and populated from a variety of databases.Subsequently,novel methods of modelling homogeneous and spatially explicit regions of opium poppy cultivation suitability,socio-economic vulnerability and risk are developed and applied.The risk assessment results demonstrate the complex nature of the illicit crops production in Afghanistan and prompt a more profound examination of the drivers of opium poppy cultivation in a spatial context.The study also confirms what has already been widely discussed in literature:that reasons for cultivation are spatially diverse and often distinct,meaning that any formulation of generalized explanations cannot be drawn without ignoring a more complex reality.Thus,an integrative spatial view of risk,which integrates the social dimension as well as environmental parameters,is required to better identify context-specific intervention measures.

The Genome of Opium Poppy Reveals Evolutionary History of Morphinan Pathway

Plants, as primary producers, have been playing an indispensable role in other organisms’ survival and the balance of whole ecosystem on Earth. Especially, they provide the main source of energy, food, and medicine for human beings, some of which are derived from the primary or secondary metabolites

The Fight to Ban Opium in the Soviet Areas of Sichuan

IN recent years, I visited some old Soviet Areas (established during the Second Revolutionary Civil War, 1927-1937) in Sichuan Province. Recalling the war with local people and singing Red Army and revolutionary songs of those years, I remember the folk songs about giving UP the opium habit. In order to establish and develop the revolutionary base in Sichuan, the Party and Red Army carried out a mass movement to ban opium, saving tens of thousands families from ruin.

Changing Conceptions of the Opium War as History and Experience

鸦片战争的学术、流行的报道在焦点，看法，和范围通过了将近二世纪变化。我的学习由通过我们向在研究把政府档案与象自传，个人通讯，和私人杂志那样的个人记录相结合在之中看见了以中国为中心的途径的上升和一个新趋势的开始的各种各样的阶段跟踪我们战争的理解的发展探查这广泛的历史编纂学。基于观察，我将显示尽管有他们的不能否认的成就，大多数存在奖学金几乎没在其生活被战争深深地影响的中国对平常的人给予注意。是高时间我们对中国人民的人的经验给予更多的注意以便理解它帮助了塑造的不仅战争本身而且历史。

From Hai Yao, Yang Yao to Xi Yao: Sinification of Material Medical from the West

In ancient China, Daoist philosophers developed the concepts of qi(energy), Wu Xing(five elements), and yin(feminine, dark, negative) and yang(masculine, bright, positive) opposite forces between 200 and 600 BCE. Based on these philosophies, Zhen Jiu(acupuncture), Ben Cao(materia medica), and the practice of Qi Gong(energy optimization movements) evolved as the three interrelated therapeutic regimens of Chinese medicine(Note 1). Since the time of Zhang Qian, who discovered China's western regions in the 1st century BCE, Hai Yao(the exotic elements of materia medica from the maritime Silk Road countries), had been transmitted from the ancient land and maritime routes of the Silk Road to China in the past two millennia(Note 2). Since the late 17th century, the English East India Company, later called the British East India Company, introduced Yang Yao(opium) to the Manchu Qing Empire to balance a growing trade deficit for tea export from China to the British Empire. After the First Opium War ended in 1842, enterprising expatriate chemists and druggists in the treaty ports imported Xi Yao(modern medicines from the Western world) for sale to the merchant navy and the local market. From the second half of the 19th century onwards, both Hai Yao and Xi Yao have become a fully integrated part of modern China's armamentarium for the Chinese medicine and Western hospitals and retail pharmacy sectors. This paper articulates the journey of adoption of exotic elements of materia medica from the ancient land and sea routes of the Silk Road, including the western regions and the rest of the world in the past two millennia. Opium traders, ship surgeons, medical and pharmaceutical missionaries, enterprising traders, and policymakers together transformed Ben Cao into Xi Yao during the late Manchu Qing dynasty and the early Nationalist Era.

近代温州第一家西医诊所与开埠后鸦片贸易研究

1876年,温州开埠前后与外部世界的联系日益密切。曹雅直、稻惟德开办的近代温州第一家西医诊所标志着西式医疗卫生实践在温州的开始。在仔细研读多种中外文史料的基础上,诊所的戒烟实践,曹雅直夫妇对鸦片的态度以及鸦片在温州的销售、种植和影响等问题得以第一次明晰和详细总结。

民国时期罗运炎的社会改革思想及实践述论

罗运炎对民国社会问题颇为关注,致力于推动中国社会的改革工作。他大力倡导禁烟,对禁烟存在的问题及对策分析较多,组织开展各种禁烟活动;他还分析了当时社会存在的各种问题,对家庭问题进行探讨,并且考察了西方国家在华治外法权等社会热点问题;他对民国的儿童、平民、青年及劳工群体的现状及问题也给予关心,提出了具体的对策,特别是对劳工问题最为用心。罗运炎在民国时期的社会改革思想及实践,一定程度上改变了民国社会的弊病,体现了知识分子忧国忧民的情怀。

军机处满文月折档所见鸦片战争史料研究

军机处满文月折档收录的鸦片战争档案数量有限,缺乏系统性,不具备如清前期般重构战史的史料价值。不过,此项档案囊括大批八旗组织和边疆民族的资料,其中八旗官员所进奏折涉及满营丁口、武备、训练、调动乃至参战情况,还保留着军务档案的最后痕迹,有助于釐清鸦片战争中的个别问题与薄弱环节。

闾里幽芳:鸦片战争时期关于浙江烈女刘七姑的诗歌书写及其内涵

刘七姑投井作为鸦片战争殉难烈女的典型事迹引起了当时文人的广泛题咏。从历史层面来说,题咏充分传递了来自民间的讨论鸦片战争的声音,为重新审视乍浦战役提供了新视角;从文学层面来说,相关诗作作为女性写作的又一次集体尝试,再度诠释了“诗史”内涵,并丰富了“井”意象的诗歌素材;从文化层面来说,题咏行为展现了两浙地区内部深厚的文化驱动力。更为重要的是,咏刘七姑诗歌作为古今历史转型期间的爱国主义作品,具有深刻的精神内涵和时代意蕴。