BACKGROUND Lichen planus is a common skin disorder of unknown etiology. Most cases are idiopathic, but substances such as gold, antimalarials, penicillamine, thiazide diuretics, β-blockers, arsenic and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been implicated as trigger factors. CASE PRESENTATION We report the case of a lichenoid eruption in a male drug addict who administered oral heroin (di...

OBJECTIVE To establish a progression on drug use and its intervening factors among crack users. METHODS A qualitative methodology was applied for an in-depth investigation, taking into consideration the interviewees' viewpoint of the problem. Long interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire were conducted. A purposeful sampling was outlined to create a criterion sampling. For theoretical...

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections among individuals attending an STD clinic in a low endemic region. STUDY DESIGN A total of 1228 women and 1648 men attending the STD clinic at the University Hospital Rotterdam, Netherlands, were examined for HBV infection by determination of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to hepa...

Results The results showed a majority of cases of non-B subtypes: subtype G 42%, subtype B 24%, subtype C 14%, CRF02_AG 12%, subtypes A, D, CRFO3_BG and CRF01_AE 2%. Comparative study of the different subtypes showed epidemiological differences: •Subtype G: 81,6% of women of Portuguese origin, 14,4% of African origin, with 76% of infection acquired by sexual transmission and 23,8% by intravenou...

BACKGROUND Reports of inappropriate medication use are widespread. There is a growing literature detailing abuse of drugs not typically thought to have high abuse liability. Melatonin is considered to be generally safe and is categorized by the Food and Drug Administration as a nutritional supplement. There are no known reports of intravenous melatonin abuse in the medical literature. CASE PR...

Opana ER (oxymorphone) is an opioid drug available throughout the United States, and intravenous abuse of the crushed oral formulation has been associated with drug-induced thrombotic microangiopathy. In this abstract, we describe two young patients who lived together and used Opana ER intravenously. Both presented with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia that mimicked thrombotic thrombocytopenic...

Patients 100 patients (mean age 40 y, 62% men) who had increased aminotransferase concentrations for >6 months, serum antibodies to HCV found by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and a diagnosis of chronic hepatitis on a liver biopsy sample in the previous 12 months. Exclusion criteria included previous treatment with interferon á-2b or ribavirin, decompensated cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, c...

Short amphiphilic oligo(ethylene glycol)–oligolactide fragments were used to chemically modify a hydrophobic and toxic taxane drug, which induced the self-assembly of resultant prodrug entities in aqueous media for intravenous administration.

INTRODUCTION Prisoners are considered to be at high risk for Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) virus infections. This is attributed to intravenous drug use and high-risk sexual behaviour. There are no published studies on HBV and HCV among prison inmates or injecting drug users in Sri Lanka. OBJECTIVES To determine prevalence of HBV and HCV infections, and their relationship to injectab...