Effects of single dose of heroin on the foetal development in mice

The purpose of this study was to test heroin for its teratogenecity in mice and to identify the primordial structures affected. Experimental Study at Post Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore. 60 non pregnant adult female mice and 20 adult male mice were used in this study. Pregnant mice in experimental groups were injected intraperitoneally diacetylmorphine [Heroin] in a dose of 5, 10, 20 mg/kg body weight of the animal on day 7, 9 or 11 of gestation. All the animals were sacrificed on the day 18 of gestation; Foetuses were delivered and studied for the morphological defects. A dose of 5 and 10 mg/kg body weight of the animal had no teratogenic effect on any day of gestation while a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight produced malformations in central nervous system when injected on day 11 of gestation. The establishment of the tertogenic potential of heroin needs further evaluation

comparative study between the analgesic effects of epidural diamorphine and levobupivacaine on established post-amputation stump pain

Pain is-necessary for survival but chronic pain is disabling and causes significant health and economic problems. Chronic stump pain [pain localized in the stump for >3 months] after amputation is a significant problem among amputees [5-10%]. The mechanism of this phenomenon is not very clean yet. In this study we attempted to better understand the role of peripheral and central mechanisms in this condition. 12 patients with established lower limb post-amputation stump pain were given lumbar epidural diamonhpine 5 mg in 20 ml normal saline [NS] and levobupivacaine 0.5% [20 ml] I week apart. Baseline pain, then onset, duration and side effects of analgesia were measured. Epidural diamorphine was found to relive the pain of all patients. Its onset was relatively rapid, median = 5.5min [5-9 min] and took 30 mm for complete analgesia to be achieved and continued for a median duration of 20.5 h [18-24 h]. Pruritis in 6 patients was the only side effect due to epidural diamorphine. Levobupivacaine usually relieved the discomfort but failed to do so in 3 patients only despite adequate neural blockade. Its onset of action was slower, median=11 min [10-20 min] and duration of effect was shorter, median=12 h [8-18 h] than diamorphine. The effects of levobupivacaine were inferior to diamorphine due to the associated sensory and motor paralyses as well as absence of euphoria. Epidural diamonphine provided profound analgesia with normalization of stump sensations and euphoria, probably due to absorption into the spinal cord causing segmental action. While peripheral mechanisms played a role, central mechanisms involving the spinal cord were more important in the modulation of established stump pain in the evaluated patients

Effect of chronic opioid administration on glycosylated haemoglobin levels in heroin addicts.

Levels of stable form of HbA1 in blood were estimated in 20 male heroin addicts, so as to assess the effect of chronic opioid use on glucose metabolism. No significant difference in the levels of stable form of HbA1 was observed in the heroin addicts as compared to controls, indicating absence of any long-term impairment of glucose tolerance in heroin addicts.