High risk behavior for HIV transmission among former injecting drug users: a survey from Indonesia

Contains fulltext : 88347.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Injecting drug use is an increasingly important cause of HIV transmission in most countries worldwide, especially in eastern Europe, South America, and east and southeast Asia. Among people actively injecting drugs, provision of clean needles and opioid substitution reduce HIV-transmission. However, former injecting drug users (fIDUs) are often overlooked as a high risk group for HIV transmission. We compared HIV risk behavior among current and former injecting drug users (IDUs) in Indonesia, which has a rapidly growing HIV-epidemic largely driven by injecting drug use. METHODS: Current and former IDUs were recruited by respondent driven sampling in an urban setting in Java, and interviewed regarding drug use and HIV risk behavior using the European Addiction Severity Index and the Blood Borne Virus Transmission Questionnaire. Drug use and HIV transmission risk behavior were compared between current IDUs and former IDUs, using the Mann-Whitney and Pearson Chi-square test. RESULTS: Ninety-two out of 210 participants (44%) were self reported former IDUs. Risk behavior related to sex, tattooing or piercing was common among current as well as former IDUs, 13% of former IDUs were still exposed to contaminated injecting equipment. HIV-infection was high among former (66%) and current (60%) IDUs. CONCLUSION: Former IDUs may contribute significantly to the HIV-epidemic in Indonesia, and HIV-prevention should therefore also target this group, addressing sexual and other risk behavior

Developing a Sustainable Nutrition Research Agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa-Findings from the SUNRAY Project

<p>Developing a Sustainable Nutrition Research Agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa—Findings from the SUNRAY Project</p

Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole-nesting birds

The increase in size of human populations in urban and agricultural areas has resulted in considerable habitat conversion globally. Such anthropogenic areas have specific environmental characteristics, which influence the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of plants and animals. For example, the date of bud burst is advanced in urban compared to nearby natural areas. In some birds, breeding success is determined by synchrony between timing of breeding and peak food abundance. Pertinently, caterpillars are an important food source for the nestlings of many bird species, and their abundance is influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and date of bud burst. Higher temperatures and advanced date of bud burst in urban areas could advance peak caterpillar abundance and thus affect breeding phenology of birds. In order to test whether laying date advance and clutch sizes decrease with the intensity of urbanization, we analyzed the timing of breeding and clutch size in relation to intensity of urbanization as a measure of human impact in 199 nest box plots across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East (i.e., the Western Palearctic) for four species of hole-nesters: blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), great tits (Parus major), collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis), and pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Meanwhile, we estimated the intensity of urbanization as the density of buildings surrounding study plots measured on orthophotographs. For the four study species, the intensity of urbanization was not correlated with laying date. Clutch size in blue and great tits does not seem affected by the intensity of urbanization, while in collared and pied flycatchers it decreased with increasing intensity of urbanization. This is the first large-scale study showing a species-specific major correlation between intensity of urbanization and the ecology of breeding. The underlying mechanisms for the relationships between life history and urbanization remain to be determined. We propose that effects of food abundance or quality, temperature, noise, pollution, or disturbance by humans may on their own or in combination affect laying date and/or clutch size

Radial optic neurotomy as a treatment for anterior ischemic optic neuropathy secondary to optic disc drusen

Importance: Radial optic neurotomy (RON) was first described by Opremcak as a treatment for patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). The most common cause of visual loss in patients with optic disc drusen is nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). The pathogenesis of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy associated with optic disc drusen is assumed to be similar to the compartment-like syndrome described by Opremcak in the case of central retinal vein occlusion.Observation: An 82-year-old male with bilateral optic disc drusen presented with bilateral visual loss and severe visual field defects consistent with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. A radial optic neurotomy was performed to treat the most affected eye. Postoperatively, significant and persistent improvement of visual acuity and improved automated perimetry were observed in the operated eye. Conclusion: Optic nerve head decompression by radial optic neurotomy could be a treatment option in patients with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy associated with optic disc drusen and severe visual field defects