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Biomedical subjects

M D Gaughwin

Publications and source records attributed to M D Gaughwin.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

HIV infection among injecting drug users in the South Australian methadone program.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate risk factors for infection with HIV among injecting drug users (IDUs) in South Australia. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study comparing HIV-infected and uninfected IDUs who had received methadone at any time between January 1981 and June 1991. RESULTS: Most HIV-infected clients were diagnosed between 1985 and 1987. Men were more likely to be infected than women. A history of imprisonment was associated with a higher risk of infection on univariate but not multivariate analysis. Infected IDUs on average were three years younger than noninfected IDUs when they first injected drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention programs should target young drug injectors. Prisons are important places to institute prevention programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Injecting behaviour and risky needle use amongst methadone maintenance clients.

The injecting behaviour and risky needle use of a sample of 193 methadone maintenance clients was investigated. The majority of the sample (n = 116) reported injecting one or more drugs in the month prior to data collection. Compared with non-injectors, the injectors were slightly younger, had been on the methadone program for a shorter period of time, had lower methadone doses and more severe drug and legal problems. The injecting sub-group was examined in more detail by comparing those subjects whose injecting practices conformed to guidelines on minimizing risk of HIV transmission with those who, in the preceding month, made at least one injection contravening these guidelines and thus placed themselves at risk of contracting HIV. A greater proportion of these risky injectors were unemployed. Importantly, risky injectors had lesser knowledge of means of preventing the spread of HIV than safe injectors. It is concluded that the reduction of HIV transmission could be enhanced by improvements in methadone programs, particularly ensuring adequate dosing and high retention rates. Further, there is a need to improve knowledge with regard to what are safe and what are risky injecting practices and needle/syringe cleaning methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

HIV prevalence and risk behaviours for HIV transmission in South Australian prisons.

During the latter half of 1989, HIV prevalence in South Australian prisoners was 1.4%. The prevalence of HIV infection across the prison system did not change significantly during 1989 but there was clustering of HIV-infected prisoners in some prisons. Almost half the prisoners from all of the South Australian prisons agreed to participate in our studies, from which we estimate that about 42% of prisoners engage in risk behaviours at least once while incarcerated. Prisoners estimated that 36% of all prisoners inject drugs intravenously at some stage during their stay and that 12% engage in anal intercourse at least once. Interviews with former prisoners who had a history of intravenous drug use revealed that about half had injected themselves while in prison, 60% shared needles and most did not clean shared needles adequately. Most of these prisoners injected themselves once a month or less frequently. The conditions for spread of HIV within the prison system exist but at the current prevalence of infection, transmission can be expected to be infrequent. The opportunity exists now to improve and expand preventive measures.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Bloody needles: the volumes of blood transferred in simulations of needlestick injuries and shared use of syringes for injection of intravenous drugs.

Residual HIV-infected blood in needles and syringes is a source of HIV infection. Using radiolabelled blood we have stimulated needlestick injuries and sharing of syringes by intravenous drug users and quantified the volumes of blood which could be transferred to recipients in these situations. Up to 0.75 microliters of blood was transferred in needlestick simulations, but there was a large variation. In simulations of needlesharing, seven to ten times more blood was transferred from the index user to the first sharer when 2 ml syringes were used compared with 1 ml syringes. Washing with water was not effective in removing 'infected' blood from a syringe.

HIV Infections↗
PubMed1981

Biochemistry of male accessory organs of conilurine rodents.

The plains mouse has large seminal vesicles, coagulating glands, and dorsal and ventral prostates, whereas in the hopping mouse the only large accessory sex gland is the ventral prostate. Fructose concentration was found to be high in the coagulating glands and dorsal prostate of the plains mouse, but low in all other glands of both species; low concentrations of glucose were found in all glands. Citric acid concentration was high in the dorsal prostate of the plains mouse and ventral prostate of the hopping mouse. Acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were low in all glands of both species. In castrated hopping mice, enlargement of vestigial glands could not be induced with high doses of exogenous testosterone, although there was increased secretory activity of the seminal vesicle epithelial cells.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1980

Haematology and clinical chemistry of hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons).

The report summarises an investigation into the health of wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in the field during the breeding season of a drought year. Health was assessed by morphometry, haematology and clinical chemistry and the findings were compared with those obtained for apparently healthy captaive wombats. The erythrocyte count was lower and the erythrocyte size greater in free-ranging wombats than in captaive wombats. Plasma values for potassium, urea, lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate transaminase were greater in free-ranging wombats than captive wombats. Plasma values for creatine, total bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase were lower in the free-ranging group.

Animals↗