13 research outputs found

    A Dose-Dependent Relationship between Exposure to a Street-Based Drug Scene and Health-Related Harms among People Who Use Injection Drugs

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    While the community impacts of drug-related street disorder have been well described, lesser attention has been given to the potential health and social implications of drug scene exposure on street-involved people who use illicit drugs. Therefore, we sought to assess the impacts of exposure to a street-based drug scene among injection drug users (IDU) in a Canadian setting. Data were derived from a prospective cohort study known as the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study. Four categories of drug scene exposure were defined based on the numbers of hours spent on the street each day. Three generalized estimating equation (GEE) logistic regression models were constructed to identify factors associated with varying levels of drug scene exposure (2–6, 6–15, over 15 hours) during the period of December 2005 to March 2009. Among our sample of 1,486 IDU, at baseline, a total of 314 (21%) fit the criteria for high drug scene exposure (>15 hours per day). In multivariate GEE analysis, factors significantly and independently associated with high exposure included: unstable housing (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 9.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.36–14.20); daily crack use (AOR = 2.70; 95% CI, 2.07–3.52); encounters with police (AOR = 2.11; 95% CI, 1.62–2.75); and being a victim of violence (AOR = 1.49; 95 % CI, 1.14–1.95). Regular employment (AOR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.38–0.65), and engagement with addiction treatment (AOR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.45–0.75) were negatively associated with high exposure. Our findings indicate that drug scene exposure is associated with markers of vulnerability and higher intensity addiction. Intensity of drug scene exposure was associated with indicators of vulnerability to harm in a dose-dependent fashion. These findings highlight opportunities for policy interventions to address exposure to street disorder in the areas of employment, housing, and addiction treatment

    Moderater Substanz-Gebrauch: Konzeptioneller Rahmen fĂŒr ein neues Paradigma?

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    Die Verwendung von Substanzen zur VerĂ€nderung der individuellen Befindlichkeit ist, trotz Abstinenzforderung, gebrĂ€uchlich und die Palette der Stoffe wird zunehmend breiter. Nur fĂŒr relativ kleine Teile der Bevölkerung entwickeln sich schwere und anhaltende Probleme. FĂŒr die öffentliche Gesundheit erweisen sich die Unterscheidungen zwischen legalen und illegalen Substanzen, Medikamenten und Drogen usw. als ungeeignet. Das Konzept des moderaten Gebrauchs hat das Potenzial, diesen RealitĂ€ten auf verschiedenen Ebenen besser gerecht zu werden. Insbesondere integriert es die positiven und negativen Aspekte eines jeweiligen Substanz-Gebrauchs: Moderater Gebrauch bestimmt sich im VerhĂ€ltnis der Vor- und Nachteile des Konsums als individuell und situativ festzulegende Kombination aus HĂ€ufigkeit, Dosierung und Konsumform. Despite the widely promoted abstinence paradigm, the use of substances to alter an individual's conditions is common, and the diversity of substances is growing. However, severe and pers­istent problems develop only for relatively small parts of the population. On the other hand, the distinctions between legal and illegal substances, medicines and drugs, etc. do not provide useful guidance from a public health point of view. In this essay we argue that moderate drug use, as a theoretical concept at various levels, has the potential to better meet this requirement. In particular, it integrates the positive and nega­tive aspects of a substance-use: Whether a use is mod­erate or not is determined by the proportion of advantages and disadvantages of consumption as an individual and situational specific combina­tion of frequency, dosage and consumption form

    QualitĂ€t der Hepatitis-C-AbklĂ€rung bei Patienten in Opioid-Substitutionstherapie im Kanton ZĂŒrich

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    Chronische Hepatitis C (HCV) ist unter Drogenkonsumierenden weitverbreitet. Es wird deshalb empfohlen, sie regelmĂ€ssig auf HCV zu testen und abzuklĂ€ren. Wir haben die QualitĂ€t der HCV-AbklĂ€rungen in Opioid-Substitutionsbehandlungen (OST) des Kantons ZĂŒrich sowie einen möglichen Zusammenhang mit den Charakteristika der behandelnden Ärzte und der Patienten untersucht. Daten von 63 Ärzten, die OST anbieten, und 275 ihrer zufĂ€llig ausgesuchten Patienten wurden aus GesprĂ€chen sowie den Krankenakten der Arztpraxen entnommen. FĂŒr jeden Patienten wurde die QualitĂ€t der HCV-AbklĂ€rung kalkuliert (angemessen/unangemessen) und die Angemessenheitsrate der HCV-AbklĂ€rungen (ApA-Rate) des jeweiligen Arztes errechnet. Ärzte mit einer Apa-Rate von weniger als 25 % wurden als „low performers“ eingestuft, jene mit einer ApA-Rate von mehr als 75 % als „high performers“. 137 (49.8 %) aller Patienten erhielten angemessene HCV-AbklĂ€rungen. 17 (27 %) der Ärzte wurden als „low performers“ (Apa-Rate 75 %) eingestuft. Ärzte in Gruppenpraxen schnitten deutlich besser ab als Ärzte in Einzelpraxen oder in ambulanten Substitutionskliniken. Patientencharakteristika liessen auf keine signifikanten Unterschiede in der QualitĂ€t der HCV-AbklĂ€rung schliessen. HĂŒrden, die einer angemessenen HCV-AbklĂ€rung im Wege stehen, stehen oft auf der Seite der Ärzte. Es ist daher wichtig, HCV-AbklĂ€rungen fĂŒr Substitutionspatienten zu verbessern, denn diese stellen die Basis fĂŒr alle weiteren Massnahmen in der BekĂ€mpfung von HCV bei Drogenkonsumierenden dar

    Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of Thymbra capitata, Thymus mastichina and Thymus camphoratus essential oils

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    The essential oils of Thymbra capitata, Thymus mastichina and Thymus camphoratus, collected during the vegetative phase, were predominantly composed of oxygen-containing monoterpenes (61-76%). Carvacrol was the dominant component of T. capitata oil (72%), 1,8-cineole (49%) dominated that of Th. mastichina, and linalool (17%), linalyl acetate (15%) and 1,8-cineole (11%) dominated Th. camphoratus oil. The essential oils and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) showed weakfree radical scavenging ability in peanut oil when compared to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). In sunflower oil, both the essential oils and the synthetic antioxidants exhibited relatively low free radical scavenging ability. Significant differences in the acid value were detected after several days' storage. From day 55 of storage until the end of the experiment, the acid value for both peanut and sunflower oil with added essential oils was similar and significantly lower than that of the control, but significantly higher than those with added BHA and BHT
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