Background: In Vietnam, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is quickly spreading, almost totally in young people and among injecting drug users.The transition phase from smoking to injecting is very important for the life of injecting drug users because it is a risk factor of disease transmission. Objectives: (1) To analyze the transition phase from smoking/sniffing to injecting of the young male heroin users in Ha Noi. (2) To describe some factors related to the transition phase in these people. Subjects and method: A cross-sectional study carried out from September 2004 to September 2005 at 9 districts in Ha Noi city. The subjects were 1115 young men aged 16 to 29 years, who has been living in Ha Noi for over 6 months and smoked/sniffed heroin within the last 30 days. Results and conclusions: The average time of drug user in the 1115 subjects was 4.7 years. The majority started using drug at the age of 18.4 +/- 3.1 years. In which, 71 % consume the drugs by injection. The average time from smoking to injecting is 2.49 +/- 2.2 years. The main reasons for injecting drugs were for being faster \u2018on the height\u2019 (42%) and cheaper (40%). Some factors related to the transition phase included: age of the first heroin use, year of the first heroin use, situation for migrating into Ha Noi, knowledge level, the kind of drug used for the first time. Young people began using heroin in the year 2000 had a quicker transition phase than those using heroin before 1997 (p< 0.01).
injecting drug user ; drug user ; heroin

Introduction: Hepatitis C is a dangerous disease and if left untreated can have serious consequences to the patients. While hepatitis C is difficult to treat, its vaccine is still unavailable. Previous studies have showed that there is a low rate of drug users having HCV tests. This means HCV infections does not have any great importance attached to it amongst the drug user group.\r\n', u'Objectives: To discover the status of HCV infection among drug users in Hanoi and to analyse the associated factors. \r\n', u'Subjects and methods: This crossover descriptive study was conducted in Hanoi. Research objects consisted of only men within the 16 - 25 years old age group, who used heroin from 09/2005 to 12/2006. These participants were interviewed and tested for HIV, HCV and HBV.\r\n', u'Results: HCV prevalence is 35.1 %. Especially, the research has indicated that 100% of HIV infected cases have also contracted HCV. This co - infectious status can be a challenge to subjects when they experience ARV treatment. The mean age of surveyed participants is 19. 83.6% of them have attended secondary school. 30.1 % have taken part in illegal earning activities. \r\n', u'Conclusion: HCV infection was discovered in the early drug injection stage. The proportion of HIV infection among injecting drug users is 28.24 times compared to the smoking drug users.\r\n', u'
HeV ; HIV ; Injecting drug user

Background: This study was undertaken in response to the lack of contextualized and grounded description of surrendered drug offenders (e.g voluntary surrrenderers) provided to the media and to the public by the law enforcement agencies on the Oplan TokHang campaign of the Duterte administration.

Objective: This paper sought to provide a profile of “voluntary surrenderers†of Oplan TokHang in 4 selected barangays in Marikina City. Specifically, it aimed to describe their socio-demographic characteristics, drug use behaviors, underlying reasons for initial and continued drug use, severity of use, and the nature and reasons behind their participation to the Oplan TokHang campaign, respectively.

Methodology: A total of 56 participants were surveyed and descriptive statistics was used in the presentation and analysis of data. These were triangulated by direct observation, local studies and international studies, data from national agencies and news reports.

Results: Most of the voluntary surrenderers in the study were drug users rather than user-pushers and were predominantly single, male, high school educated and were observed to be in their most productive years yet unemployed. They abused shabu and marijuana and started to take drug in their mid-adolescent years. Although users for 1 to 2 years, more than majority of them were mild users, taking drugs on a weekly basis that were sourced from their friends and from drug pushers. Exposed to drug- using friends and relatives, most were initiated to drugs because of peer influence, personal and family problems. They continued to use drugs because
they were not able to resolve these personal and social relations issues. Being jobless, most sustained their drugtaking behavior by committing petty crimes such as selling household goods, drug-pushing and theft. Afraid to be killed and wanting to be rehabilitated, they participated in the TokHang campaign for safety and for self-change.

Conclusion: Voluntary surrenderers in the study were not as violent and dangerous as generally reported by media and by law enforcers. As mild users, they were not those types that were considered as “beyond redemption†but were rather capable of self-change. These primary data were reflective of national reports that 90 percent of surrenderers were mild users. Policy-wise, the study suggests that government should, through the Oplan TokHang campaign, shift more focus in providing community-based treatment and rehabilitation program that is responsive, sustainable, protective, and rights-respecting of voluntary surrenderers.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Internet has become an important source of medical information not only for medical personnels but also for patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of internet based medical information about 'gastroesophageal reflux' or 'reflux esophagitis' in Korea. METHODS: The first 15 internet sites using the key words 'gastroesophageal reflux' or 'reflux esophagitis' were retrieved from the 7 most frequently used internet search engines. The quality of information from a total of 108 websites was evaluated using a checklist. RESULTS: Among total 108 sites related to 'gastroesophageal reflux' or 'reflux esophagitis', fifty-six sites (51.8%) were made by hospitals or clinics and 94 sites (87.0%) were made for patients. Of the 108 sites, eleven web sites (10.1%) had more than three JAMA benchmarks (authorship, references, currency, and disclosure). Higher quality sites (at least three JAMA benchmarks) were less likely to contain inaccurate information than lower quality sites (fewer than three JAMA benchmarks)-3/11 (27.2%) vs. 60/97 (61.9%) (p<0.01). Despite the fact that articles in the literature emphasized an insufficient evidence to support an association between the lifestyle, dietary behaviors, and GERD, such guidelines continue to be recommended as first-line therapy in most websites. CONCLUSIONS: Informations about gastroesophageal reflux disease were incomplete in the majority of medical web sites. These would bring about confusion to patients seeking for an information about GERD through the internet. There is a need for better sources in evidence based informations about gastroesophaeal reflux diseases on the web.
Gastroesophageal Reflux/diagnosis/drug therapy/*etiology ; Health Education/*standards ; Humans ; Information Services/standards ; *Internet ; Korea ; Quality of Health Care ; User-Computer Interface

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this paper is to assess which wide type monitor configurations are preferred when physicians use an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system in an outpatient clinic setting. METHODS: We selected three kinds of monitor configurations available for adoption at outpatient clinics with reference to monitor market trends. Fifteen attending physicians of the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital used each monitor configuration in their outpatient clinics. After completing the outpatient sessions, they selected the best monitor configuration for criteria described in five questionnaire items. We counted the number of votes and reviewed opinions of participants. RESULTS: The Wide Quad High Definition (WQHD) 27-inch single monitor configuration was most preferred for all questionnaire items. All participants answered that the WQHD 27-inch single monitor configuration was the best for desk space utilization. Eleven out of fifteen participants chose the WQHD 27-inch single monitor configuration as the most suitable monitor for outpatient practice. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that physicians preferred the WQHD 27-inch single monitor configuration in outpatient clinic settings. Healthcare organizations need to consider this finding when they purchase wide type monitors for EMR systems instead of the standard type monitor.
Adenine ; Adoption ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Carbamates ; Computer Terminals ; Delivery of Health Care ; Deoxycytidine ; Drug Combinations ; Electronic Health Records ; Electronics ; Electrons ; Elvitegravir, Cobicistat, Emtricitabine, Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Drug Combination ; Humans ; Organophosphonates ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Outpatients ; Personal Satisfaction ; Quinolones ; Thiazoles ; User-Computer Interface ; Surveys and Questionnaires