Evaluation of Needle Exchange Programs

Needle exchange programs exist in every major population area in the United States and in many other countries. Some operate legally under emergency health decrees issued by local departments of health, with the stated intention of risk reduction through the removal of used injection equipment from use by injection drug users. It is theorized that this results in a reduced transmission of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis, and, possibly, other blood-borne diseases. Needle exchange programs also offer access to drug treatment programs for the participants. It is a difficult but necessary task to evaluate these programs. This article examines examples of evaluations attempted in the past and discusses the challenges of such evaluations. Experimental evaluations, economic program analysis, legal aspects, and risk–benefit assessment along with ethical aspects are considered. An outline of program evaluation is proposed. Needle exchange programs offer an opportunity to encourage risk reduction and to offer counseling and access to health care for individuals at high risk. It is essential that such programs demonstrate their effectiveness. Assumptions of efficacy are insufficient for health care in the twenty-first century

Some Alterations of Genetic Expression in two Differently Deviated Hepatomas

SUMMARYSome aspects of the metabolism of proteins and of RNA have been investigated in normal rat liver and in two hepatomas, namely the slowly-growing well differentiated Morris hepatoma 5123, and the rapidly-growing strong anaplastic Yoshida ascites hepatoma A. H. 130. The results presented concern the rate of protein and RNA synthesis, the polysome patterns, the stability of messenger RNA and the changes of nuclear pulse labelled RNA as revealed by DNA/RNA hybridization.On the whole, the results suggest that large qualitative differences in the synthesis of nuclear RNA occur in hepatomas. This finding is discussed briefly in connection with the problem of neoplastic transformation