The Urgent Need to Implement Point-of-Care RNA Testing for Hepatitis C Virus to Support Elimination.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination is an important global public health goal. However, the United States is not on track to meet the World Health Organization's 2030 targets for HCV elimination. Recently, the White House proposed an HCV elimination plan that includes point-of-care (POC) HCV RNA testing, which is currently in use in many countries but is not approved in the United States.

"Treated like a Human Being": perspectives of people who inject drugs attending low-threshold HCV treatment at a syringe service program in New York City.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment can effectively cure HCV among people who inject drugs (PWID). Perspectives of PWID treated in innovative models can reveal program features that address barriers to treatment, and guide implementation of similar models.

Methods: We interviewed 29 participants in the intervention arm of a randomized trial.

Rapid Treatment Initiation for Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Potential Benefits, Current Limitations, and Real-World Examples.

The science for rapid treatment initiation for hepatitis C virus infection is in place. Easy and quick diagnostic tools can provide results within an hour. Necessary assessment before treatment initiation is now minimal and manageable.

Cost of providing co-located hepatitis C treatment at a syringe service program exceeds potential reimbursement: Results from a clinical trial.

Background: Co-located hepatitis C treatment at syringe service programs (SSP) is an emerging model of care for people who inject drugs (PWID). Implementation of these models can be informed by understanding the program costs.

Methods: We conducted an economic evaluation of a hepatitis C treatment intervention at an SSP in New York City implemented as one arm of a randomized trial from 2017 to 2021.

Hepatitis C virus risk among young people who inject drugs.

Background: Injection drug use (IDU) is the leading risk factor for hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission in the U.S. While the general risk factors for HCV transmission are known, there is limited work on how these factors interact and impact young people who inject drugs (YPWID).

Comorbidity and clinical factors associated with COVID-19 critical illness and mortality at a large public hospital in New York City in the early phase of the pandemic (March-April 2020).

Background: Despite evidence of socio-demographic disparities in outcomes of COVID-19, little is known about characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients admitted to public hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Objective: To assess demographics, comorbid conditions, and clinical factors associated with critical illness and mortality among patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at a public hospital in New York City (NYC) during the first month of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Design: Retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 admitted to NYC Health + Hospitals / Bellevue Hospital from March 9th to April 8th, 2020.

Hepatitis C testing and treatment uptake among young people who use opioids in New York City: A cross-sectional study.

Young people who use drugs have a rising hepatitis C (HCV) incidence in the United States, but they may face barriers to testing and treatment adoption due to stigma. We conducted a cross-sectional study of New York City residents aged 18-29 years who reported non-medical prescription opioid and/or heroin use in the past 30 days. Participants were recruited from the community between 2014-2016 via respondent-driven sampling.

Contact tracing for hepatitis C: The case for novel screening strategies as we strive for viral elimination.

Contact tracing has been a key element of the public health response to infectious diseases for decades. These practices have been powerful in slowing the spread of tuberculosis, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections. Despite success in other contexts, contact tracing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) has historically been considered infeasible because of a long asymptomatic period, which often makes it difficult to pinpoint the time of acquisition.

Hepatitis C Treatment Outcomes for People Who Inject Drugs Treated in an Accessible Care Program Located at a Syringe Service Program.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant public health problem that disproportionately afflicts people who inject drugs. We describe outcomes of HCV treatment co-located within a syringe services program (SSP). Fifty-three participants started therapy, and 91% achieved sustained virologic response.

Case Report: A Cluster of Three Leptospirosis Cases in a New York City Abattoir and an Unusual Complication in the Index Case.

We report the case of a 46-year-old male abattoir worker who developed myalgias, shortness of breath, and irritability 2 weeks after sustaining a laceration to the hand with a knife at work. During his hospital evaluation for septic shock he was noted to be febrile, hypotensive, profoundly jaundiced with aseptic meningitis, and renal failure, and was diagnosed with infection confirmed by serum and urine polymerase chain reaction. After standard antibiotic therapy and recovery from severe clinical illness, he developed unilateral orchitis with pyuria secondary to leptospirosis, a well-established complication in the veterinary literature, but of which we offer the first report in humans in the English literature.

Toward a more accurate estimate of the prevalence of hepatitis C in the United States.

Unlabelled: Data from the 2003-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicate that about 3.6 million people in the United States have antibodies to the hepatitis C virus, of whom 2.7 million are currently infected.

Glycated Hemoglobin A(1c) as screening for diabetes mellitus in HIV-infected individuals.

The American Diabetes Association now recommends hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) screening for the diagnosis of diabetes. It has been reported that HbA(1c) levels underestimate glycemic levels in HIV-infected persons. We examined the performance of HbA(1c) as a screening test for diabetes in a group of HIV-infected people without diabetes.

Antiretroviral therapy and cardiovascular risk: are some medications cardioprotective?

Purpose Of Review: This review addresses the associations between coronary heart disease and antiretroviral medications, with a specific focus on medications that appear to have neutral or positive effects on coronary heart disease risk factors.

Recent Findings: Studies have linked combination antiretroviral therapy with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Often implicated are the effects of these medications on the metabolic risk factors for coronary heart disease, specifically lipids and glucose homeostasis.