Background: In Switzerland, intravenous drug use (IDU) accounts for 80% of newly acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Early HCV treatment has the potential to interrupt the transmission chain and reduce morbidity/mortality due to decompensated liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Nevertheless, patients in drug substitution programs are often insufficiently screened and treated.
Objective/methods: With the aim to improve HCV management in IDUs, we conducted a cross sectional chart review in three opioid substitution programs in St. Gallen (125 methadone and 71 heroin recipients). Results were compared with another heroin substitution program in Bern (202 patients) and SCCS/SHCS data.
Results: Among the methadone/heroin recipients in St. Gallen, diagnostic workup of HCV was better than expected: HCV/HIV-status was unknown in only 1% (2/196), HCV RNA was not performed in 9% (13/146) of anti-HCV-positives and the genotype missing in 15% (12/78) of HCV RNA-positives. In those without spontaneous clearance (two thirds), HCV treatment uptake was 23% (21/91) (HIV-: 29% (20/68), HIV+: 4% (1/23)), which was lower than in methadone/heroin recipients and particularly non-IDUs within the SCCS/SHCS, but higher than in the, mainly psychiatrically focussed, heroin substitution program in Bern (8%). Sustained virological response (SVR) rates were comparable in all settings (overall: 50%, genotype 1: 35-40%, genotype 3: two thirds). In St. Gallen, the median delay from the estimated date of infection (IDU start) to first diagnosis was 10 years and to treatment was another 7.5 years.
Conclusions: Future efforts need to focus on earlier HCV diagnosis and improvement of treatment uptake among patients in drug substitution programs, particularly if patients are HIV-co-infected. New potent drugs might facilitate the decision to initiate treatment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.4414/smw.2011.13193 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
Center for Medical Research and Innovation, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (RU069), Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 201399, China.
Ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes oxidize 5-methylcytosine (mC) in DNA, contributing to the regulation of gene transcription. Diverse mutations of TET2 are frequently found in various blood cancers, yet the full scope of their functional consequences has been unexplored. Here, we report that a subset of TET2 mutations identified in leukemia patients alter the substrate specificity of TET2 from acting on mC to thymine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, P. R. China.
Vanadium-based Na superionic conductor (NASICON) type materials (NaVM(PO), M = transition metals) have attracted extensive attention when used as sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) cathodes due to their stable structures and large Na diffusion channels. However, the materials have poor electrical conductivity and mediocre energy density, which hinder their practical applications. Activating the V/V redox couple (V/V≈4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTob Control
January 2025
Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Objectives: Characterise US residents' exposure to restrictions on sales of flavoured electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), cigars and menthol cigarettes across states and time, and assess correlations between these policies.
Methods: From 2022 to 2024, we compiled flavour policy locations from advocacy groups and online searches, located corresponding legal texts and reviewed these to identify policy details, including effective dates. Using census data, we calculated the proportion of state residents covered by each policy quarterly from 2009 to 2024 and estimated correlations between them and cigarette taxes.
Nutr Rev
January 2025
Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88040-370, Brazil.
The World Health Organization recommended the global elimination of industrial trans fats by 2023, leading to a decrease in their use in packaged foods. Nevertheless, a gap remains in the scientific literature regarding the ingredients adopted as substitutes by the food industry. This study aimed to map evidence on substitutes for industrial trans fats in packaged foods, discussing their possible designation in the ingredients lists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLancet Reg Health Eur
March 2025
Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
Background: Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has been linked with higher risk of mortality. This multi-centre study investigated associations between food intake by degree of processing, using the Nova classification, and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
Methods: This study analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.
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