Injection drug users (IDU) who share needles are at high risk for contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Social and behavioral influences that promote needle sharing can, therefore, impact HIV transmission. HIV spreads rapidly in IDU communities and interventions that target needle-sharing have had variable results. We constructed a cellular automaton model to study the dynam...

BACKGROUND Non-fatal overdose is a major determinant of morbidity among injection drug users (IDU). We sought to evaluate factors associated with non-fatal overdose among IDU in Vancouver. METHODS We examined non-fatal overdose among participants in the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study. Correlates of non-fatal overdose occurring between 1996 and 2004 were identified using generalized esti...

OBJECTIVES Intravenous drug use accounts for most of the new hepatitis C infections worldwide. Although there is an urgent need for antiviral treatment of infected intravenous drug users (IDUs), several factors compromise their treatment including lack of treatment adherence and high dropout rate. The aim of this study was to compare antiviral treatment-related problems among former IDUs to HCV...

BACKGROUND: This paper examines the differences in demographics, drug use patterns and self reported risk behaviours between regular injecting drug users (IDU) who report engaging in sex work for money or drugs and regular injecting drug users who do not. METHODS: Cross sectional data collected from regular IDU interviewed as part of the New South Wales (NSW) Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS...

AIMS Drug law enforcement remains the dominant response to drug-related harm. However, the impact of incarceration on deterring drug use remains under-evaluated. We sought to explore the relationship between incarceration and patterns of drug use among people who inject drugs (IDU). DESIGN Using generalized estimating equations (GEE), we examined the prevalence and correlates of injection ces...

BACKGROUND Loss to follow-up (LTFU) is viewed as a major challenge in improving retention in HIV treatment. In Vietnam, the reasons for disengagement from clinics and the effect of injection drug use (IDU) on LTFU with unknown outcome (true LTFU) are not well known. METHODS Patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) from two HIV clinics in Hanoi were included in this observational study ...

OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to estimate the cost-effectiveness of a harm reduction intervention among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Odessa, Ukraine; and to explore how the cost-effectiveness changes if the intervention were scaled up to 60% as recommended by WHO/UNAIDS. STUDY DESIGN Economic providers' costs were estimated. A dynamic mathematical model, fitted to epidemiolog...

BACKGROUND Solvent abuse is a particularly serious issue affecting Aboriginal people. Here we examine the association between solvent use and socio-demographic variables, drug-related risk factors, and pathogen prevalence in Aboriginal injection drug users (IDU) in Manitoba, Canada. METHODS Data originated from a cross-sectional survey of IDU from December 2003 to September 2004. Associations...

OBJECTIVE Iran has the highest rate of opiate use worldwide. However, most opiate users are not screened for hepatitis virus infections. This study aimed to provide accurate, detailed data on the size of the opiate user population at risk of developing these infections. METHOD This seroprevalence study was conducted in the city of Shiraz, southern Iran. All participants were screened for HBV,...

A reproducible microbiologic assay of microgram quantities of idoxuridine (IDU) in serum, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid is presented. The antiviral assay is not interfered with by type-specific antibody or interferon. During slow intravenous infusions of idox-uridine (4 mg/min) in patients with suspected diagnoses of Herpesvirus hominis encephalitis, the rate of inactivation and/or removal of d...