Background & Objectives: Opium addiction is a major social, psychological and health problem in the world. In past decades addiction to legal and illegal drugs has been widespread and over 1000 kinds of narcotics have been recognized, which are used in different ways including eating, smoking, injection and inhaling. Statistics published by international organizations such as UNDCP, WHO and UNSCO indicated an increasing trend in drug abuse worldwide. The countries are different only in the pattern of drug abuse. This study investigates the pattern of drug abuse in last 5 years in Ardabil.

  Methods : This is a descriptive, analytical and prospective study. To obtain the trend of substance abuse the records of all addicts in 1998 (684 cases) and 2002-2003 (341 cases) were studied. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software (rel.11) using descriptive statistics.

  Results: The findings indicated that in the last five years the use of hashish, opium extract and other substances has decreased whereas the trend of heroin and opium use has increased. The use of opium has increased from 48.07% in 1998 to 67.4% in 2002-2003. Also the heroin use has increased from 8.5% in 1998 to 27.5% in 2002-2003. Moreover, the use of hashish, opium extract and other narcotics has decreased. The highest decrease (23.5%) belonged to opium extract and the highest increase (19%) to heroin.

  Conclusion : According to the results we could say that the pattern of substance abuse in Ardabil in the last five years has changed and heroin and opium consumption has increased.

  Background & Objectives: Uremia polyneuropathies especially peripheral neuropathy in chronic hemodialysis patients are very common and its orevalance different and reported between 18-80%. This study was designed to investigate prevalence of neuropathy and its relation ship with duration and adequacy of dialysis in Booali Hospital.

  Methods: This study was an analytic-descriotive study that has been done on 30 patients under hemodialysis and the examinations of which was done by neurologists. To analyze the KT/V for dialysis adequacy, a software from HDCN site was used EMG and NCV to the lower and upper parts were performed to all patients by a neurologist.

 The required tests were extancted from patients' serial tests. In this study patients with hepatitis C, D, diabetes and Amiloid were excuded from the study. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical method in SPSS program.

  Results: EMG showed that 40% of patients had carpal tunnel syndrome (65.7% Mild, 13.3% Moderate, and 13.3% Sever in which then was no significant relationship between efficacy and time length. In 56.7% of patients KT/V had higher than 1.2 (Normal), 16.7% had KT/V between 1-1.2 (Acceptable) and 16.7% have KT/V less than 1 (Non Acceptable).

  Conclusion: Inspite of the new and improved method of hemodialysis, in comparson with the past the prevalence of neuropathy was higher in hemodialysis patients and there was no change in the prevalence of neuropathy. There is no significant relationship between dialysis efficacy and neuropathy. It seems that caulative factors neuropathy like urea were not prevent and they are made within the body.