Markus Backmund

..Opiates have a cardioprotective effect and are used in acute heart attacks. We described a 22-year-old opioid addicted male patient who suffered a myocardial infarction following the consumption of methadone and dihydrocodeine...

..Substitution treatment is the most effective prevention of HIV and HCV infection. Both HIV infection and chronic hepatitis C can be treated most successfully during substitution treatment...

..Contacts to the criminal justice system are to be used for HBV prevention programs, including vaccination when indicated. Prevention programs should be implemented early in or even before the begin of a drug career...

..05) were associated with concomitant daily consumption of BZDs in opioid dependent subjects. These finding underline the need to further explore the causes, interactions and consequences of concomitant BZD and opiate use...

..This retrospective study has the aim to determine the risk factors for acquisition of HIV infection other than sharing of needles/syringes...

..All studies dealing with treatment for HCV infection in IDUs have stressed the necessity of collaboration among hepatologists and specialists in addiction medicine, social workers, and psychotherapists...

..All patients with eating disorders should be evaluated and treated for medical complications of the disease at the same time that psychotherapy and nutritional counselling are undertaken...

..More psychosocial/psychotherapeutic support leads to better detoxification treatment response...

..Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is the most common disease among intravenous drug users (IDUs)...

..In conclusion, HCV-infected drug addicts with chronic HCV infection can be treated successfully with interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin if they are closely supervised by physicians specialized in both hepatology and addiction medicine...

..Alcohol consumption by opioid-addicted patients treated with methadone or DHC presents a serious medical problem. Co-abuse of alcohol will receive more attention...

..Emergency rooms should be seen as important places for offering further assistance (e.g., counselling) or referral to an addiction unit to drug users...

..A recently developed polyethylene glycol marker system allows reliable identification of urine samples. In this study, we aimed to compare the rates of drug detection in conventional and marker urine samples...

..Regular screening for suicidal behavior in IDUs should be undertaken with a special focus to mention risk factors. The study's limitations are noted. This study was partially sponsored by the German Ministry of Health...

..1 cases per 100 person-years (cumulative incidence, 0%-12.6% at 48 months after completion of treatment). Of 50 patients originally treated, 15 (30%) were HCV RNA-negative 3 years later...

..In cHC there is incomplete recovery of pDC function, which, however, could be solely due to the chronic inflammatory state...

....

..The COBRA study provides a unique comprehensive database, informing about the natural allocation and intervention processes in routine care and about the course and outcome of patients treated with buprenorphine or methadone...

....

....

..Despite many short-term studies, little is known about the long-term (12-month) effects of these treatments in different settings, i.e. primary care-based (PMC) and specialized substitution centers (SSCs)...

..Low-threshold culture-sensitive drug user treatment programs should be implemented and evaluated. The study's limitations are noted...

..Recent guidelines that apply qualified process procedures that include literature research tend to be more permissive. Qualified guideline processes in each EU country and subsequently renewed pan-European guidelines are needed...

..g. the induction of non-specific defense mechanisms against HCV...