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Biomedical subjects

L Gruer

Publications and source records attributed to L Gruer.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Building a city wide service for exchanging needles and syringes.

How best can injecting drug misusers obtain clean injecting equipment in a city where drug injecting is widespread? An exchange service for needles and syringes throughout Glasgow has been established in health centres and clinics in the evening. Over the past four years seven new exchanges have been opened and over 2700 injecting drug misusers have attended. Attendances rose from under 1000 in 1988 to 28,000 in 1992. The exchanges also provide a wide range of other health and social services. Public hostility to the exchanges has abated. During the same period equipment sharing in the city diminished and the observed prevalence of HIV among injecting drug misusers stabilised at around 1%.

Community Health Services↗
PubMed1992

Differences in HIV-related knowledge and attitudes between Caucasian and 'Asian' men in Glasgow.

There is little available information about the possible differences in HIV-related knowledge and attitudes between ethnic majority and minority groups. Questionnaires were completed by 490 Caucasian males and 243 males with origins in the Indian subcontinent ('Asian') living in Glasgow. There were small differences between the samples regarding knowledge of modes of transmission of HIV or perceived adequacy of personal knowledge. The 'Asian' men, however, were much more likely to indicate reluctance to use services also used by people with HIV and to feel that people with AIDS only had themselves to blame. They were also much less likely to feel at risk of becoming infected with HIV. The differences were not related to age. These marked differences, apparently unrelated to knowledge are important and require further exploration.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Heterogeneity of peripheral blood monocyte populations in human immunodeficiency virus-1 seropositive patients.

Monocytes from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients have an increased heterogeneity of phenotype and function. In a study of 120 HIV patients we have demonstrated that they have normal monocyte differential counts but that with progression of the disease an increasing proportion of monocytes show phenotypic and functional evidence for activation or maturation. A proportion of the monocytes are larger, with increased expression of CD11b, HLA-DR, CD45 and CD16. Concomitantly there was increased expression of TNF-alpha, high constitutive synthesis of PGE2 and high plasma IL-6 levels. This suggested that there exists a more dynamic situation of recruitment, activation and maturation of peripheral blood monocytes driven by HIV infection which results in a broader phenotypic profile.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Low and stable prevalence of HIV among drug injectors in Glasgow.

The first HIV-positive diagnosis among injecting drug users (IDU) in Glasgow was made in 1985. By the end of 1987 prevalence among IDU receiving voluntary attributable tests was 4.8%. Since 1990, an annual cross-sectional survey of HIV prevalence and risk behaviours among 500 current Glasgow IDU has provided a more representative sample. Anonymously-tested saliva samples obtained from respondents revealed prevalence rates of 1.8%, 1.2% and 1.0% in 1990, 1991 and 1992 respectively. Since 1987 a wide range of measures aimed at reducing HIV-related risk behaviour among IDU has been introduced and maintained in Glasgow. Against this background, there is evidence that IDU in the city have reduced their risk behaviours. The findings reported here suggest that implementing harm-reduction measures when prevalence is low may inhibit the rapid dissemination of HIV.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗