Opioid overdose risk during and after drug treatment for heroin dependence: An incidence density case-control study nested in the VEdeTTE cohort.

Introduction And Aims: To corroborate protective effects of a range of drug treatment modalities against overdose mortality risk.

Design And Methods: Nested case-control study, with incidence density sampling, selecting controls retrospectively at each case event. Cases and controls came from a sub-cohort of opioid-dependent patients (n = 4444) from two Italian regions (Lazio and Piedmont).

Problematic internet use among high school students: Prevalence, associated factors and gender differences.

This study aimed to measure the prevalence of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) among high school students and to identify factors associated with PIU underlining gender differences. The students filled a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire collecting information on demographic characteristics and patterns of Internet use. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with PIU in the overall sample and by gender.

Psychopathological symptoms of patients with heroin addiction entering opioid agonist or therapeutic community treatment.

Background: The relationship between substance use disorders and psychiatric pathology is still an open question. The main aim of the present study was to verify whether the five psychopathological dimensions identified through the SCL-90 tool in a previous study carried out on patients with heroin addiction entering an outpatient opioid agonist treatment (OAT) were also observable in those entering a residential treatment community (TC). Further aims were to look at differences in the psychopathological profiles of patients entering a TC versus an OAT treatment and at the correlation between gender and the observed psychopathology.

Effectiveness of therapies for heroin addiction in retaining patients in treatment: results from the VEdeTTE study.

Treatment is effective in reducing heroin use and clinical and social problems among heroin addicts. The effectiveness is related to the duration of treatment. "VEdeTTE" is an Italian longitudinal study funded by the Ministry of Health to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments provided by the National Health Services.

Risk of fatal overdose during and after specialist drug treatment: the VEdeTTE study, a national multi-site prospective cohort study.

Background: Specialist drug treatment is critical to overdose prevention; methadone maintenance is effective, but we lack evidence for other modalities. We evaluate the impact of a range of treatments for opiate dependence on overdose mortality.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of 10,454 heroin users entering treatment 1998-2001 in Italy followed-up for 10,208 person-years in treatment and 2,914 person-years out of treatment.

A follow-up study of heroin addicts (VEdeTTE2): study design and protocol.

Background: In Italy, a large cohort study (VEdeTTE1) was conducted between 1998-2001 to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments in reducing mortality and increasing treatment retention among heroin addicts. The follow-up of this cohort (VEdeTTE2) was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments on long-term outcomes, such as rehabilitation and social re-integration. The purpose of this paper is to describe the protocol of the VEdeTTE2 study, and to present the results of the pilot study carried out to assess the feasibility of the study and to improve study procedures.

Methadone treatment in clinical practice in Italy: need for improvement.

Background: Methadone at appropriate doses has been demonstrated to be the most effective means for retaining patients in treatment and suppressing heroin use.

Aim: To describe the modalities of day-to-day provision of methadone maintenance treatments (MMT) in Italian public health centres and to analyze the duration of MMTs by dose and by association with psychosocial treatments.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed 8,378 subjects, 18 years of age or over, enrolled between September 1998 and March 2001 in one of 115 public treatment centres for heroin dependence in Italy.