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Introduction: Females of childbearing age with hepatitis C virus (HCV) face increased marginalisation with intersecting, sex-specific barriers to direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. We assessed the factors associated with uptake of DAA therapy among females of childbearing age, including those with evidence of recent drug dependence., Methods: HCV notifications in New South Wales, Australia (1995-2017) were linked to opioid agonist therapy (OAT), hospitalisations, incarcerations, perinatal, HIV notifications, deaths and prescription databases. Recent drug dependence was defined as hospitalisation due to injectable drugs or receipt of OAT occurring in the DAA era (2016-2018). Logistic regression was used to analyse factors associated with DAA uptake among females of childbearing age (18-44), including those with recent drug dependence., Results: Among 57,467 people with evidence of chronic HCV in the DAA era (2016-2018), 20,161 (35%) were female, including 33% (n = 6563/20,161) of childbearing age (18-44). Among all females of childbearing age (n = 6563) and those with evidence of recent drug dependence (n = 2278/6563, 35%), DAA uptake was lower among those who had given birth in the DAA era (vs. no birth record, all females of childbearing age; aOR: 0.74, 95% CI 0.61, 0.89; those with recent drug dependence; aOR 0.69, 95% CI 0.51, 0.93) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (all females of childbearing age; aOR 0.81, 95% CI 0.71, 0.93; those with recent drug dependence aOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.62, 0.90)., Conclusion: Females of childbearing age should be considered a key population for DAA therapy. Enhancing antenatal and postnatal HCV care may be critical in the pursuit towards elimination., (© 2023 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa faces the highest relative need for health care workers in the world and the emigration of physicians significantly contributes to this deficit. Few studies have explored development of these patterns during medical education. This study investigates career aspirations of medical students in two African nations with similar Human Development Indices, but distinct differences in training structure to better inform retention strategies., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered in 2018 to medical students in Madagascar (University of Antananarivo, University of Mahajanga) and Tanzania (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College, KCMC). Outcomes included emigration/career intentions, and factors influencing these decisions. Analysis utilised chi-square and Fisher's exact tests (α < 0.05, two-tailed) for statistical differences, logistic regression and qualitative content analysis of free text data., Results: A total of 439 students responded to the survey with a response rate of 12.9% from Antananarivo (n = 142/1097), 11.6% from Mahajanga (n = 43/370), and 60.0% from KCMC (n = 254/423). Significantly more Malagasy (49.7%, n = 90/181) than Tanzanian (25.2%, n = 54/214) students expressed emigration intent (P < .001). Malagasy students indicating research, possibility of working abroad, or work intensity as influencing career choice more frequently expressed a desire to emigrate. Satisfaction with computer/internet access was inversely correlated with a desire to work abroad. In comparison, Tanzanian students reporting income potential as influential in their career choice or attending a private high school were more likely to express a desire to work abroad. Qualitative content analysis of free text data demonstrated deficits in faculty availability, diversity of training locations and a particular emphasis on infrastructure challenges within Madagascar., Interpretation: A significant number of students desire to work abroad. Emigration interests are influenced by access to postgraduate training, infrastructure and opportunities in academia, which differ across countries. Efforts to retain physicians should consider these country and institution-specific factors that influence medical student desire to emigrate., (© 2021 Association for the Study of Medical Education and John Wiley & Sons.)

Background: Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly curative and tolerable. Among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), optimal timing of DAA therapy remains unclear. Data on efficacy of DAA therapy in patients with HCC would inform this decision-making., Aim: To evaluate response to DAA therapy among patients diagnosed with HCV infection and HCC., Methods: Bibliographic databases and conference abstracts were searched. Meta-analysis was conducted to pool sustained virologic response (SVR) estimates., Results: Fifty-six studies with 5522 patients with HCV and HCC were included. Overall SVR was 88.3% (95% CI 86.1-90.4). Twenty-seven studies included patients with prior or present HCC (n = 3126) and patients without HCC (n = 49 138), in which SVR was 88.2% (95% CI 85.0-91.4) and 92.4% (95% CI 91.1-93.7) among patients with and without HCC, respectively (odds ratio: 0.54, 95% CI 0.43-0.68, P < .001). In the subgroup analyses, higher SVR was seen in patients who received curative HCC management (SVR 90.4%, 95% CI 88.3-92.4), or treated with sofosbuvir + NS5A inhibitor DAAs (SVR 96.9%, 95% CI 94.3-99.4), or in patients with HCV genotype 1 infection (SVR 92.0%, 95% CI 88.1-95.6)., Conclusion: Response to DAA therapy was lower in patients with HCC compared to those without HCC, regardless of cirrhosis status. Among HCC patients, there was an impact of proportion with curative HCC management on DAA therapy response., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background & Aims: To describe the burden on inpatient hospital resources over time from patients diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and who have reached the decompensated stage of cirrhosis (DC), as existing estimates of hospital stay in these patients are limited., Methods: A retrospective longitudinal dataset was formed via record-linkage between the national HCV diagnosis database and inpatient/daycase hospitalisation and death registers in Scotland. The study population consisted of HCV-diagnosed patients with a first DC admission in 1996-2013, with follow-up available until 31 May 2014. We investigated and quantified the mean cumulative length of hospital stay, distributions over discharge diagnosis categories, and trends in admission rates., Results: Among our study population (n = 1543), we identified 10 179 admissions with any diagnosis post-first DC admission. Between 1996 and 2013 there was a 16-fold rise in annual total admissions (from 112 to 1791) and an 11-fold rise in hospital stay (719-8045). When restricting minimum possible follow-up to 2 years, DC patients (n = 1312) had an overall admission rate of 7.3 per person-year, and spent on average 43 days (26 days during first 6 months) in hospital; for all liver-related, liver-related other than HCC/DC, and non-liver related only admissions, this was 39, 14, and 5 days respectively., Conclusions: HCV-infected DC patients impose a considerable inpatient hospital burden, mostly from DC- and other liver-related admissions, but also from admissions associated with non-liver comorbidities. Estimates will be useful for monitoring the impact of prevention and treatment, and for computing the cost-effectiveness of new therapies., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: To estimate adherence and response to therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among people with a history of injecting drug use. A secondary aim was to identify predictors of HCV treatment response., Design: Prospective cohort recruited between 2009 and 2012. Participants were treated with peg-interferon alfa-2a/ribavirin for 24 (genotypes 2/3, G2/3) or 48 weeks (genotype 1, G1)., Setting: Six opioid substitution treatment (OST) clinics, two community health centres and one Aboriginal community-controlled health organization providing drug treatment services in New South Wales, Australia., Participants: Among 415 people with a history of injecting drug use and chronic HCV assessed by a nurse, 101 were assessed for treatment outcomes (21% female)., Measurements: Study outcomes were treatment adherence and sustained virological response (SVR, undetectable HCV RNA >24 weeks post-treatment)., Findings: Among 101 treated, 37% (n = 37) had recently injected drugs (past 6 months) and 62% (n = 63) were receiving OST. Adherence ≥ 80% was 86% (n = 87). SVR was 74% (75 of 101), with no difference observed by sex (males: 76%, females: 67%, P = 0.662). In adjusted analysis, age < 35 (versus ≥ 45 years) [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 5.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.47, 17.40] and on-treatment adherence ≥ 80% independently predicted SVR (aOR = 19.41, 95% CI = 3.61, 104.26]. Recent injecting drug use at baseline was not associated with SVR., Conclusions: People with a history of injecting drug use and chronic hepatitis C virus attending opioid substitution treatment and community health clinics can achieve adherence and responses to interferon-based therapy similar to other populations, despite injecting drugs at baseline. Younger age and adherence are predictive of improved response to hepatitis C virus therapy., (© 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.)

Background & Aims: Despite advances in HCV treatment, recent data on treatment uptake is sparse. HCV treatment uptake and associated factors were evaluated in a community-based cohort in Vancouver, Canada., Methods: The CHASE study is a cohort of inner city residents recruited from January 2003-June 2004. HCV status and treatment were retrospectively and prospectively determined through data linkages with provincial virology and pharmacy databases. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with HCV treatment uptake., Results: Among 2913, HCV antibody testing was performed in 2405, 64% were HCV antibody-positive (n = 1533). Individuals with spontaneous clearance (18%, n = 276) were excluded. Among the remaining 1257 HCV antibody-positive participants (mean age 42, 71% male), 29% were Aboriginal. At enrolment, the majority reported recent injecting (60%) and non-injecting drug use (87%). Between January 1998 and March 2010, 6% (77 of 1257) initiated HCV treatment. In adjusted analyses, Aboriginal ethnicity [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.23; 95% CI 0.10, 0.51] and crack cocaine use (AOR 0.61; 95% CI 0.37, 0.99) were associated with a decreased odds of receiving HCV treatment, while methamphetamine injecting (AOR 0.16; 95% CI 0.02, 1.18) trended towards a lower odds of receiving treatment. HCV treatment uptake ranged from 0.2 (95% CI 0.0, 0.7) per 100 person-years (PYs) in 2003 to 1.6 (95% CI 0.9, 2.6) per 100 PYs in 2009., Conclusion: HCV treatment uptake remains low in this large community-based cohort of inner city residents with a high HCV prevalence and access to universal healthcare., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Post-operative pain control is one of the greatest concerns for both physicians and patients. In this study, the effect of magnesium sulfate (MgSO(4)) solution infusion on post-operative pain scores and extubation time in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries was assessed., Methods: In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 218 patients scheduled for elective CABG were selected and randomly assigned to two groups. After matching inclusion and exclusion criteria for the patients, intravenous MgSO(4) was administered intraoperatively for one group and placebo to the second group. Except for this, all the cases were similar regarding anesthesia and surgery., Results: The MgSO(4) patients were extubated sooner compared with the placebo group. Pain scores reported by the group who received MgSO(4) were less at the 6th, 12th, 18th and 24th hours after the operation; also, they needed less morphine sulfate during this period., Conclusion: The results demonstrated a significantly shortened post-operative time for extubation and reduced acute post-operative pain scores by intravenous MgSO(4) infusion during elective CABG surgery.