Effects of One-Day Application of Levodopa/Carbidopa/Entacapone versus Levodopa/Carbidopa/Opicapone in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

The catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors entacapone and opicapone prolong the efficacy of conventional oral levodopa/dopa decarboxylase inhibitor formulations through an increase in levodopa plasma bioavailability. Catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors influence the homocysteine metabolism associated with levodopa/dopa decarboxylase application. The objectives of this study were to compare the impact of additional single-day entacapone or opicapone intake on the pharmacokinetic plasma behaviour of levodopa, 3-O-methyldopa and total homocysteine in 15 Parkinson's disease patients, with concomitant scoring of motor symptoms, under standardized conditions.

Bound, free, and total L-dopa measurement in plasma of Parkinson's disease patients.

Peaks and troughs of levodopa in plasma contribute to pulsatile postsynaptic dopamine receptor stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease. Measurement of levodopa plasma levels mostly only considers the total levodopa plasma concentration. Objectives were to determine bound, free, and total plasma levodopa and to investigate their correlations to each other.

Utilization of buprenorphine and methadone among opioid users who inject drugs.

Background: There has been a rise in opioid abuse and related injection drug use in the United States, and treatment for opioid use disorders may be underutilized. The study aim was to describe utilization of opioid agonist therapy (OAT), and assess factors associated with utilization of OAT, among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in the Seattle metropolitan area.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2015 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) system among PWID in the Seattle area.

HIV Among MSM and Heterosexual Women in the United States: An Ecologic Analysis.

Background: Phylogenetic studies show links between heterosexual women and men who have sex with men (MSM) that are more numerous than from heterosexual men to women suggesting that HIV infections among heterosexual women may stem from MSM. Poor communities have been associated with high rates of HIV among heterosexual women. Our analysis investigates potential transmission of HIV between MSM and female heterosexuals.

Reduction in Needle Sharing Among Seattle-Area Injection Drug Users Across 4 Surveys, 1994-2013.

Objectives: We evaluated time trends in sharing needles and other injection equipment from 1994 to 2013 among injection drug users in the Seattle, Washington area.

Methods: We combined data from 4 sources: the Risk Activity Variables, Epidemiology, and Network (RAVEN) study, recruited from institutional settings; the Kiwi study, recruited from jails; National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system (NHBS) surveys, which used respondent-driven sampling; and surveys at needle-exchange sites.

Results: Levels of needle sharing were higher in the earlier studies: RAVEN, 1994 to 1997 (43%) and Kiwi, 1998 to 2002 (61%).