Cochrane systematic reviews in the field of addiction: what's there and what should be.

The Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group aims to produce, update, and disseminate systematic reviews on the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of problematic drug and alcohol use. The objective of the present paper was to summarize the main characteristics of the published systematic reviews in the field of drug and alcohol dependence, in terms of the topics covered, methods used to produce the reviews, and available evidence. By January 2010, the Group had published 52 reviews with 694 primary studies included out of 2059 studies considered for inclusion.

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity. The Chinese National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University: past, present and future.

In the 25 years since drug abuse re-emerged in China in the 1980s, the National Institute of Drug Dependence (NIDD) has made many contributions to China's antidrug campaign. This present paper offers an account of the history, current status and future of drug dependence research at NIDD. NIDD was originally a research centre at Beijing Medical University, founded by the Chinese Ministry of Health to address the rapid spread of drug abuse in China.

Looking for a solution for drug addiction in China: exploring the challenges and opportunities in the way of China's new Drug Control Law.

In the wake of the deteriorating situation of drug addiction and related infectious diseases among injecting drug users (IDUs) in China in recent years, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China adopted the new Drug Control Law which came into force in June 1, 2008. This law is part of a broad reform movement in China where drug addiction is no longer understood as simply a legal or moral issue but rather, as a complicated medical condition requiring comprehensive therapeutic strategies. Although the Drug Control Law draws a distinct line from previous Drug Control regulations in the country, there have still been dilemmas along the implementation process.

Key findings from the WHO collaborative study on substitution therapy for opioid dependence and HIV/AIDS.

Aims: Opioid substitution treatment has been studied extensively in industrialized countries, but there are relatively few studies in developing/transitional countries. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of opioid substitution treatment (OST) in less resourced countries.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

The effect of methadone maintenance on illicit opioid use, human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus infection, health status, employment, and criminal activity among heroin abusers during 6 months of treatment in china.

Purpose: : This study was designed to evaluate the effects of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) on severity of dependence, depression, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, health status, employment, and criminal activity among heroin abusers after 3 and 6 months of treatment, compared with baseline, in China.

Methods: : A total of 102 methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients (87 men and 15 women; mean age, 36.1 years; standard deviation = 6.

Opiate addiction in China: current situation and treatments.

Background: Historically, China has had extraordinarily high rates of opiate dependence. These rates declined drastically following the 1949 revolution; however, opiate abuse has re-emerged in the late 1980's and has spread quickly since then.

Aims: To describe the current situation of opiate addiction and treatments in China and make some suggestions.

Drug use and HIV/AIDS in China.

This paper on drug use and HIV/AIDS in China follows on from the column's May 2005 article on the description of the first methadone maintenance clinic in Beijing. Methadone maintenance clinics and needle exchange programmes are now being implemented in China as a response to the rapid increase in prevalence of HIV/AIDS over the last 10-15 years. It is worth noting that in prior years methadone was available only as for short-term detoxification from opioids and for research purposes.

Drug abuse in China.

The drug problem in China reappeared in the late 1980s. At that time, most drug abusers used opium only, with heroin accounting for a very small proportion and its use being limited to border areas in the southwest and rural areas in the northwest. Beginning in the early 1990s, drug abuse spread quickly.