The Impact of Opium Abuse on Lipid Profile in Patients with Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Unlabelled: There is an increasing prevalence of diabetes worldwide and substance abuse has been observed as a problem among some people with diabetes. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand the association between unhealthy drug use including the abuse of opium and clinical outcomes including its impact on lipid profile in patients with diabetes as the presence of these conditions can increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Aim: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis which evaluated the impact of opium abuse on lipid profile in patients with diabetes.

The Effects of Substance Abuse on Blood Glucose Parameters in Patients with Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

: People who abuse substances are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes resulting partly from increased cell damage and due to the effects of opioids on glucose homeostasis. Therefore, people with diabetes who abuse substances may carry greater health risks than the general population resulting from their effect on glucose metabolism. These substances may be in the form of cannabis, hallucinogens, opioids, and stimulants.

3,4-methylenedioxyamfetamine (ecstasy) use reduces cognition.

3,4-methylenedioxyamfetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) use reduces cognition by reducing levels of dopamine and serotonin in the central nervous system. This results in dose-related cognition impairment, particularly in complex cognitive skills, as well as causing disorders such as mood changes, hallucinations, altered perception amd memory loss. MDMA reduces the level of these neurotransmitters within the neural synapses by reducing the number of intraneural transporters to the synaptic clefts, increasing deactivation with the synapse and/ or increasing degradation with the pre- and postsynaptic neurons.

Devising an e-learning package for vital-signs monitoring.

Nursing and midwifery preregistration students start their placements early in their first semester. Although they quickly become proficient at performing a particular skill, they often have a limited knowledge of the physiological changes and specific applications associated with that skill. An electronic learning package was therefore developed to help students apply their knowledge and to prepare for their skills assessment in vital signs monitoring.