Liver transplant and hepatitis C in methadone maintenance therapy: a case report

Background

Drug-related death (DRD) figures, published by the national performance management framework, are used to monitor the performance of Drug (and Alcohol) Action Teams (D[A]ATs) in England and Wales with respect to reducing DRDs among drug abusers. To date, no investigation has been made into the types of death included in these figures, the demographic and drug profile of those who died, nor the likelihood of individuals included in DRD figures interacting with services designed to assist drug abusers. The aim of this work was to examine the characteristics of deaths classified as drug-related and to explore their applicability to performance-monitor drug-related services. Liverpool was chosen because it was reported by the national DRD monitoring system to have the highest number of DRDs in 2004.

Methods

Information was retrieved from the Liverpool coroner's records and established monitoring systems on individuals reported by the national performance monitoring system as a DRD between 1^st January 2004 and 30^th June 2005 (n = 70). Analyses assessed differences between those categorised by the national performance monitoring system as 'drug abusers/dependents' and 'non-drug abusers/dependents' using χ², Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U.

Results

Non-drug abusers were significantly older (median age 53.59 vs. 38.23), had no recent contact with drug-related agencies (cv. 31.6% of abusers who had treatment contact) and had different post mortem drug profiles than drug abusers. A significantly greater proportion of non-drug abusers died from drug toxicity – predominantly through anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and analgesics.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the national DRD performance monitoring system includes deaths of people who are not drug abusers – individuals who are not the current focus of drug prevention, treatment or harm minimisation services. This raises concerns regarding the applicability of these figures to performance monitor D(A)ATs. Furthermore, using the more compact definitions used to monitor trends in DRDs across England, Wales and Europe fails to include a proportion of deaths attributable to drug misuse – such as those attributable blood-borne viruses. Current definitions used to monitor DRDs locally, nationally and across Europe fail to capture the true burden of drug-related mortality.     

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and hepatitis C virus: a case report

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a renal disease characterized by sclerotic segmentary lesions, involving a few glomeruli. Male-female ratio is >1 and, in the majority of cases, the patients are aged between 25 to 35 years. The clinical picture is similar to a nephrotic syndrome with non-selective proteinuria poorly sensitive to steroids and often associated with microhematuria. The etiology is still unknown, even in a prevalence in drug addicts, patients with AIDS and subjects with recurrent urological infections with vesico-ureteral reflux was observed. Recent reports showed that chronic infection Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)-related may be associate with or responsible for onset of some syndrome involving the kidney but not the liver. We report the case of a young woman with HCV-Ab positive chronic hepatitis that, during the disease, showed clinical findings of renal involvement, histologically related to a FSGS. We administered to her alpha-IFN at doses of 3 Mega Units thrice-a-week for six months. Serum HCV-RNA, proteinuria and hematuria disappeared simultaneously after the treatment. We underline that the lack of finding of HCV antigens or HCV-RNA in glomerular lesions (as occurred in our patient) does not rule out the virus role in pathogenesis of immunological nephritis. The recovery of our patient as well as the disappearance of proteinuria and hematuria during IFNalpha treatment may be further evidence that FSGS and chronic hepatitis HCV-related are not associated by chance. Further observations and perfectioning of diagnostic techniques are required to clarify the pathogenetic relationship between HCV and renal immunological syndromes.     

The content and comprehensiveness of hepatitis C education in methadone maintenance and drug-free treatment units

Although drug users are at elevated risk for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, many are uniformed or misinformed about the virus. Drug treatment programs are uniquely situated to provide comprehensive risk-modifying educational programs for decreasing HCV transmission, a strategy advocated in the most recent National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference Statement on the Management of Hepatitis C. Given the large proportion of patients that inject drugs in methadone maintenance treatment programs and the high prevalence of HCV among drug injectors, we compared a nationwide sample (N=246) of methadone maintenance treatment programs and drug-free programs regarding the content and comprehensiveness of HCV education. All of these programs provide HCV education to at least some of their patients. Results indicated that, compared to drug-free programs, methadone maintenance treatment programs cover a significantly greater number of HCV-related topics, and that a significantly greater proportion of the methadone programs cover specific topics (e.g., how to avoid transmitting HCV, the importance of testing for HCV, treatment options if HCV positive). Of special concern is that fewer than three quarters of the drug-free programs address what to do if co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV and how to maintain health if HCV positive, and only about half of the drug-free and methadone maintenance treatment programs educate HCV-positive patients about the importance of obtaining vaccinations for hepatitis A and B. Drug treatment programs need to educate patients about the proactive steps these individuals can take to deal with HCV, provide critically needed HCV services, and encourage patients to make full use of these services.     

太原市美沙酮维持治疗患者HCV感染相关因素及交互作用分析

目的:分析太原市美沙酮维持治疗（MMT）患者HCV感染状况及其感染相关因素与交互作用。方法:2019年4-6月对太原市3所MMT门诊正在接受治疗的MMT患者,采用面对面问卷调查收集其一般人口学特征、吸毒情况、MMT情况、性行为、健康状况等,通过病历资料查阅MMT患者HCV检测结果,使用EpiData 3.1软件双录入数...     

Incidence and prevalence of hepatitis C among clients of a Brisbane methadone clinic: factors influencing hepatitis C serostatus

Abstract: The objective of this study was to describe the incidence and prevalence of hepatitis C infection among clients of a methadone program in Queensland. The clinical notes of clients receiving methadone for treatment of opiate dependence who first registered at the clinic after 1989 were perused for information about their serological status for hepatitis C and hepatitis B infections during a six–week period in 1994. We followed hepatitis C negative clients until August–September 1995. At study entry, 69 per cent of the clients were recorded as being hepatitis C positive. Of those who were negative, the seroconversion rate was 11 per 100 person–years. The high incidence and prevalence of hepatitis C among methadone clients emphasises the need for effective early intervention strategies to prevent the transmission of hepatitis C among injecting drug users.     

武汉市美沙酮门诊治疗者丙型肝炎病毒基因分型

目的 探讨武汉市美沙酮门诊治疗者丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)及不同基因型感染状况.方法 用酶标记免疫(ELISA)法检测抗-HCV抗体,在86份抗-HCV抗体阳性的血清标本中,分别提取HCV RNA,通过逆转录巢式聚合酶链反应(RT-nested PCR)扩增C基因的羧基至E1基因的氨基端长度为474 bp的片段,测定其核苷酸序列,与GenBank中已知的HCV序列进行系谱分析,确定HCV基因型.结果 武汉市美沙酮门诊332名治疗者中抗-HCV IgG阳性率为94.3%;其中86份血清的HCV序列通过系谱显示6a型71例,占82.5%;3b 7例,占8.2%;1a 5例,占5.8%;1b 3例,占3.5%.结论 武汉市美沙酮门诊入组的吸毒者HCV感染以6a型为优势株,其次为3b,吸毒者中HCV感染率较高,且基因亚型呈现多样性.     

Better retention of Malaysian opiate dependents treated with high dose methadone in methadone maintenance therapy

Background  

Methadone is a synthetic opiate mu receptor agonist that is widely used to substitute for illicit opiates in the management of opiate dependence. It helps prevent opiate users from injecting and sharing needles which are vehicles for the spread of HIV and other blood borne viruses. This study has the objective of determining the utility of daily methadone dose to predict retention rates and re-injecting behaviour among opiate dependents.     

Tampering by office-based methadone maintenance patients with methadone take home privileges: a pilot study

Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is among the most widely studied treatments for opiate dependence with proven benefits for patients and society. When misused, however, methadone can also be lethal. The issue of methadone diversion is a major concern for all MMT programs. A potential source for such diversion is from those MMT patients who receive daily take home methadone doses. Using a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography method, seven of the nine patients who were randomly selected to have all of their remaining methadone take home doses (within a 24 hour period) analyzed, returned lower than expected quantities of methadone. This finding suggests the possibility that such patients may have tampered with their daily take home doses. Larger prospective observational studies are clearly needed to test the supposition of this pilot study.     

一例疟疾性肝炎病例的追踪报告

目的加强对来自疟疾流行区归国劳务人员的医学排查,以便能够及时发现和有效治疗,减少疟疾传播的风险。方法对1名自乍德归国的劳务人员进行临床检查,实验室疟原虫检测,并同时进行流行病学调查和医学追踪监测。结果该名来自乍德的归国劳务人员是一名恶性疟疾感染者,同时伴有严重的肝功能损害,严重危及生命。结论随着劳务输出的增加会伴有输入性疟疾病例增多的危险,因此需要从每个环节加强管理,保护外派劳务人员的健康及维护社会公共卫生安全。     

Barriers to retention in methadone maintenance therapy among people who inject drugs in Bangkok,Thailand: a mixed-methods study

Background

Methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) is a mainstay for treating opioid use disorder and preventing and managing HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID). While previous research suggested low dosing of methadone and high rates of discontinuation of MMT among PWID in Thailand, little is known about patients’ lived experiences with MMT in this setting. Therefore, we conducted a mixed-methods study to examine barriers to retention in MMT among PWID in Bangkok, Thailand, with particular attention to methadone dosing.

Methods

Bivariate statistics were used to analyze quantitative survey data collected from methadone-treated PWID between July and October 2011. Qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 methadone-treated PWID between July 2011 and June 2012 were analyzed thematically, with a focus on individual-level, social-structural, and environmental barriers to accessing MMT.

Results

Among 158 survey participants, a median dosage of methadone was 30 mg/day (interquartile range 20–50). Of these, 15.8% reported having acquired street methadone due to low prescribed dosages of methadone and 19.0% reported recent syringe sharing. Qualitative interview data indicated some methadone provider-related barriers, including discouraging patients from using methadone due to it being a Western medicine, difficulty negotiating higher doses of methadone, and abrupt dose reductions without patient consultation (involving the provision of non-medicated “syrup” in some cases). Social-structural and environmental barriers to optimal MMT access included intense police surveillance of methadone clinics; and frequent incarceration of PWID and a lack of access to methadone in prisons.

Conclusions

Among our sample of methadone-treated PWID, methadone dosages were suboptimal according to the international guidelines. Poor adherence to international guidelines for opioid agonist therapies, aggressive law enforcement, and a lack of methadone in prisons need to be addressed to optimize MMT and reduce harms associated with untreated opioid use disorder in Thailand.

     

Trans-catheter therapy of Lutembacher syndrome: a case report

Lutembacher syndrome refers to the rare combination of a congenital atrial septal defect and acquired mitral stenosis. Traditionally, Lutembacher syndrome has been corrected by surgical treatment. We describe two patients treated percutaneouly with a combined Inoue balloon valvuloplasty and septal defect closure using the Amplatzer septal occlusion device.     

Hepatitis C transmission through tattooing: a case report

Abstract: We report the case of a prisoner for whom tattooing was the likely source of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Many of the tattoos were carried out within prison using equipment that was multiply shared with other prisoners with limited access to means of disinfection. This case supports previous reports that prison is a risk factor for HCV infection and that HCV can be transmitted through tattooing. Use of unsterilised equipment for tattooing within prison must be a high-risk activity, given the high prevalence of HCV infection among those incarcerated. Harm reduction approaches are required to diminish risk in this environment.     

Case report: effect of antileishmanial treatment on hepatitis C viraemia in a visceral leishmaniasis patient with chronic hepatitis C

We describe a case of Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in a patient with pre-existing chronic hepatitis C, which caused high hepatitis C virus (HCV) plasma concentration and was followed by a rapidly growing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The high HCV load was drastically and persistently reduced soon after treatment with liposomal amphotericin B suggesting a cause-effect interaction. Some data suggest that liposomal amphotericin B may have an immunomodulatory effect. VL may directly affect the liver function, but HCC has never been reported as a consequence of the disease. This case suggests that VL causes an increase in HCV replication, but, although the growth of the HCC can be defined as exceptional, a relationship with VL is not proven.