Rhabdomyolysis is a potentially life-threatening condition resulting from the release of large quantities of myocyte breakdown products into the circulation, following injury to striated muscles. There are several causes of rhabdomyolysis - traumatic and non-traumatic. We present a 21-year-old male intravenous drug abuser, who was referred to us with fever, altered sensorium and seizures. He de...

We undertook qualitative interviews with 209 injecting drug users (IDUs) (primarily heroin) in three Russian cities: Moscow, Barnaul, and Volgograd. We explored IDU's accounts of HIV and health risk. Policing practices and how these violate health and self, emerged as a primary theme. Findings show that policing practices violate health and rights directly, but also indirectly, through the repr...

Burkholderia cepacia, previously known as Pseudomonas cepacia, has been implicated in vertebral osteomyelitis in patients who are intravenous drug abusers. We report a case of acute vertebral osteomyelitis in a non-intravenous drug user, following an elective rhinoplasty.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is epidemic among intravenous drug users (IVDU), particularly in the northeastern United States. IVDU are playing a critical role in the spread of HIV by infecting their heterosexual partners and children, as well as their needle-sharing partners. The epidemiology of HIV infection among IVDU is reviewed here, including a compilation of seroprevalence...

BACKGROUND High Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence and high risk behaviors have been well documented within United States (US) correctional systems. However, uncertainty remains regarding the extent to which placing people in prison or jail increases their risk of HIV infection, and regarding which inmate populations experience an increased incidence of HIV. Describing these dynamics...

BACKGROUND In Iran, there are an estimated 200,000 injecting drug users (IDUs). Injecting drug use is a relatively new phenomenon for this country, where opium smoking was the predominant form of drug use for hundreds of years. As in many countries experiencing a rise in injecting drug use, HIV/AIDS in Iran is associated with the injection of drugs, accounting for transmission of more than two-...

Right-sided endocarditis accounts for 5–10% of all cases of infective endocarditis.1 Its epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment differ from that of left-sided endocarditis, making it a distinct entity. This article presents a case of tricuspid valve endocarditis in an intravenous drug user, and discusses the presentation, diagnosis, and therapeutic considerations unique to right-sided endocardi...

Recent data suggest that globally, between 5% and 10% of all new HIV cases are the result of unsafe injecting practices, and experts agree that reducing these practices is key to tackling the spread of HIV. And yet, despite the overwhelming evidence that providing sterile syringes to injection drug users (IDU) through syringe exchange programs (SEPs) or other means is an effective way of reduci...

We reviewed the charts of 10 patients who were admitted to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary over a 10-year period with the diagnosis of Bacillus species endophthalmitis. To our knowledge this is the largest single series in the literature and includes the first two reported cases of Bacillus endophthalmitis following glaucoma filtering procedures. Seven cases developed following penetrat...

Nocardia asteroides frequently causes primary lung infection with possible hematogenous dissemination to various organs, especially in patients with altered immune responses. The preponderance of pulmonary infections suggests an airborne route of contamination. We report a case of pulmonary nocardiosis in a previously healthy intravenous heroin abuser. The clinical and epidemiologic data strong...