Background: Much of the research on injection drug use practices has focused on adult populations and relatively little is known about safer and/or unsafe injection practices among youth who use injection drugs (YWID). Unsafe practices may be risk factors for blood borne illnesses, abscesses or other infections, and overdose. Multiple factors may create barriers to the access of clean supplies and the ability to practice safer injection. It is important to understand how YWID engage in safer and/or unsafe injection practices so that use of safer practices may be supported. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the understandings and practices of safer and/or unsafe injection drug use among YIWD, as well as key social factors influencing these understandings and practices. Methods: Ten semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with YWID aged 18 to 29 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Voluntary informed consent was obtained prior to conducting the interviews. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed, then analyzed using a modified approach to grounded theory for key themes and subthemes. Results: The experiences of the YWID can be categorized into two overarching themes. The first theme relates to the power of the drugs and the control (or, at times, lack of control) YWID have over safer practices. This theme explores how access to clean supplies and understandings of safer use can influence the control YWID have over safer practices. The second theme describes experiences YWID have with “getting clean,” or gaining power over drugs, including experiences with methadone maintenance treatment. Discussion: YWID can and do practice safer use, however multiple factors, such as the perception of cleanliness in injection practices and the availability of clean needles in the community, impact how YWID understand and practice safer injection drug use. Barriers that impede YWID’s ability to practice safer use need to be addressed.

Abstract The study mapped various aspects of buprenorfine (Subutex \regm{}, herein S) abuse among opiate-dependent community. It analyses three sources of data, questionnaires distributed in general problem drug-users community ({\clq}non-substitution sample{\crq}, n = 64), questionnaires distributed among patients of buprenorphine substitution treatment ({\clq}substitution sample{\crq}, n = 42), and semi-structured moderated interviews conducted with S users attending low-threshold contact centre in Ceske Budejovice (n = 15). Prevalence of non-commissioned S abuse was 57% of the non-substitution sample and 21% of the sample claimed S as their primary drug. Illicit market prices range from prescription price to its multiple of eight, are higher in small towns and during weekends, and lower in case of close relationships between the seller and buyer. There are no regular big dealers in the community, and the contracts are rather based on close acquaintance among baseline users. The user view S price and availability as worse/higher than in case of marihuana, comparable with hallucinogens and ecstasy, and better/cheaper than metamphetamine and heroin. The main driver for buying was occasional abuse over the prescription dose, the main incentive to sell was to help a friend. Illicit S users view substitution treatment as a chance how to reduce their drugrelated expenses and stabilise their life, but some are repelled by strict treatment rules. Both licit and illicit users displayed comparably high (over 90%) prevalence of injection use; they typically understand the risks, but explain the injection use by their psychological attachment to the injection ritual. An indisputably positive aspect of substitution treatment is lower total number of drugs abused by individual patients, compared to general drug-abusing population. Illicit S market bears only marginal societal risks and its existence is rather positive with respect to harm reduction philosophy, as it supplies the community of illicit drug users with cheaper and safer alternative to street opiates.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T13:21:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 12264651 bytes, checksum: c1dad0a27d50ddb05acdcc8e21042b61 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / In this work the potential of the Digital Image-Based Flame Emission Spectrometry (DIB-FES) is demonstrated through two completely separate applications. The first one consists in the indirect determination of three drugs in injectable form: sodium dicofenac, sodium dipyrone and clacium gluconate and the second in the combination of DIB-FES with Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) for the simultaneous determination of sodium and calcium in powder milk. Up to the present moment the literature does not report the use of traditional FES in: indirect determination of organic substances, simultaneous determination of analytes using a unique detector and overcoming the problem of spectral interference. In DIB-FES digital images of the flame are captured by webcam in its oxidant region (2,5 cm over the burner of the flame photometer) and are associated with the radiation emitted by metals present in the air-butane flame. Based on Red-Green-Blue (RGB) colour system, univariate and multivariate calibration models were developed, which were validated and then applied to real samples. In each application the results were compared with the results obtained by their respective reference methods. There were no statistically significant differences between the results when the paired t-test at the 95% confidence level. The estimated precision was better than the respective reference methods and accuracy was assessed by high values of bias and recovery rates between 97 and 104% in the two applications. / Neste trabalho a potencialidade da Espectrometria de Emissão em Chama Baseada em Imagens digitais (DIB-FES) é demonstrada por meio de duas aplicações completamente distintas. A primeira consiste na determinação indireta de três fármacos em soluções injetáveis: diclofenaco sódico, dipirona sódica e gluconato de cálcio e a segunda na combinação da DIB-FES com Regressão Linear Múltipla (MLR) para a determinação simultânea de sódio e cálcio em amostras de leite em pó. Até o presente momento a literatura não reporta a utilização da FES tradicional na: determinação indireta de substâncias orgânicas, determinação simultânea de analitos utilizando um único detector e superação do problema de interferência espectral. Na DIB-FES as imagens digitais da chama são capturadas pela webcam na região oxidante da mesma (2,5 cm acima do queimador do fotômetro) e estão associadas às radiações emitidas pelos metais presentes na chama ar-butano. Com base no sistema de cores Vermelho-Verde-Azul (RGB) foram desenvolvidos modelos de calibração univariada e multivariada, os quais foram validados e então aplicados em amostras reais. Em cada aplicação os resultados obtidos foram comparados com os resultados obtidos por seus respectivos métodos de referência. Não houve diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre resultados ao aplicar o teste t emparelhado ao nível de 95% de confiança. A precisão estimada foi melhor do que a de seus respectivos métodos de referência e a exatidão foi verificada por altas taxas de tendência e fatores de recuperação entre 97 e 104% nas duas aplicações.