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We studied prevalence and correlates of injection drug use, awareness of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and risky behaviors among drug users serviced by a nongovernmental organization catering to drug users in three Pakistani cities (Quetta, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify correlates of injection drug use. Of 608 drug users, 99.8% were male; median age was 32 years, and 44% were married. Most (79.8%) were Pakistani; 15.3% were Afghani. The majority used heroin (98.7%), mostly by inhalation; 15.2% injected drugs. Only 41% had heard of HIV/AIDS, and 30% had been paid for donating blood. Injection drug use and needle sharing were highest in Quetta. Injecting drug users (IDUs) were nearly twice as likely to have donated blood and to have heard about HIV/AIDS compared to other drug users. Interventions to discourage transitions to injection, increase HIV testing, and safeguard the blood supply in Pakistan are urgently needed.

A study was conducted to as per national guidelines formulated in 2002 to screen pregnant women for colonization with group B streptococcus that could indicate the development of the disease in infants within a week after birth. Results revealed that universal screening proved to be useful in identifying mothers with group B streptococcus and could help in management of the condition in the newborns.

A study is done to identify prognostic indicators of survival at different CD$+ cell levels, independent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), among injection drug users (IDUs). The results showed that survival among HIV-infected IDUs improved since the introduction of HAART, even though utilization of HAART was incomplete.

The epidemiology of infections and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 are well described (1-4). Non-O157 STEC infection also is associated with severe illness [...]

Background Few data on intracranial group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection in children are available. Here, we describe the demographic, clinical, and diagnostic characteristics of 91 children with intracranial GAS infection. Methods Cases of intracranial GAS infection in persons ≤18 years of age reported between 1997 and 2014 were identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's population- and laboratory-based Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) system. Medical charts were abstracted using a active, standardized case report form. All available isolates were emm typed. US census data were used to calculate rates. Results ABCs identified 2596 children with invasive GAS infection over an 18-year period; 91 (3.5%) had an intracranial infection. Intracranial infections were most frequent during the winter months and among children aged <1 year. The average annual incidence was 0.07 cases per 100000 children. For 83 patients for whom information for further classification was available, the principal clinical presentations included meningitis (35 [42%]), intracranial infection after otitis media, mastoiditis, or sinusitis (34 [41%]), and ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection (14 [17%]). Seven (8%) of these infections progressed to streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. The overall case fatality rate was 15%. GAS emm types 1 (31% of available isolates) and 12 (13% of available isolates) were most common. Conclusions Pediatric intracranial (GAS) infections are uncommon but often severe. Risk factors for intracranial GAS infection include the presence of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and contiguous infections in the middle ear or sinuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic manual search for articles related to consultation-liaison psychiatry was compared to a computerized search of the same journals during the same period that was done with the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLARS). More articles were located with the manual method (94%) than with MEDLARS (65%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]