The use of wastewater analysis in forensic intelligence:drug consumption comparison between Sydney and different European cities

Wastewater analysis offers objective and complementary information to illicit drug agencies by monitoring patterns of illicit drug consumption.In this study,wastewater samples from three different wastewater treatment plants in Sydney,Australia were collected in March 2016.Ten targeted drugs were analysed and temporal and geographical analyses were performed to obtain a better understanding of the type and amount of illicit drugs consumed in Sydney in comparison with similar studies conducted around Australia and in Europe.Among the targeted drugs,methamphetamine was consumed the most,followed by cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine(MDMA).Weekly patterns were observed where a peak during the weekend was present.The geographical analysis showed differences between the regions targeted.This observation may be related to socio-demographic aspects.The comparison of our study to other data sources from Australia showed a high consumption of methamphetamine in Sydney and Western Australia.The comparison between Sydney and different European cities revealed a difference in consumption,which is in line with traditional market indicators.The information obtained through wastewater analysis provides complementary information regarding illicit drug consumption,the size,and the evolution of the illicit drug market.This,ultimately,will assist authorities in making informed decisions.

Trends of consumption and expenditure of antibacterial traditional Chinese medicine in secondary and tertiary hospitals in China:an analysis of pharmaceutical sales data,2011–2015

Traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs)are commonly used in China,and some of them have been proved to be effective against infection caused by certain pathogenic bacteria.In the present study,we aimed to describe the trends of antibacterial-effect traditional Chinese medicine(AeTCM)consumption and expenditure in secondary and tertiary hospitals in China using pharmaceutical sales data from January 2011 to December 2015.Aggregated monthly surveillance data on AeTCM sales in China’s hospitals were retrospectively analyzed.Population weighted daily define doses,which are the recommended daily amounts based on dosage regimen recommended in the manufacturers’instructions,were adopted.The AeTCM consumption was expressed in DDD per 1000 inhabitants per day(DID).The AeTCM expenditure was expressed in US dollars.A compound annual growth rate(CAGR)was used to describe the growth of AeTCM consumption and expenditure.A total of 1293 AeTCMs were matched and analyzed from 468 tertiary hospitals and 114 secondary hospitals from 28 provinces.The total AeTCM consumption and expenditure demonstrated a significant upward trend during the study period from 4.07 DID to 6.82 DID with a CAGR of 13.75%,and 839.75 million US dollars to 1276.82 million US dollars with a CAGR of 11.04%,respectively.Compared with eastern provinces,the consumption of AeTCMs was higher in the central and western provinces.Parenteral AeTCMs accounted for 7.20%of the total Ae TCM consumption,but nearly 45%of the total AeTCM expenditure.The AeTCM use in China demonstrated a rapid growth,which could be the result of the substitutional effect from antimicrobial stewardship and brought a potential risk of overuse.More studies are needed to further explore the potential efficacy of AeTCMs as an alternative approach towards infection treatment and to help confine antimicrobial resistance.

Could wastewater analysis be a useful tool for China?——A review

Analysing wastewater samples is an innovative approach that overcomes many limitations of traditional surveys to identify and measure a range of chemicals that were consumed by or exposed to people living in a sewer catchment area. First conceptualised in 2001, much progress has been made to make wastewater analysis（WWA） a reliable and robust tool for measuring chemical consumption and/or exposure. At the moment, the most popular application of WWA, sometimes referred as sewage epidemiology, is to monitor the consumption of illicit drugs in communities around the globe, including China. The approach has been largely adopted by law enforcement agencies as a device to monitor the temporal and geographical patterns of drug consumption. In the future, the methodology can be extended to other chemicals including biomarkers of population health（e.g. environmental or oxidative stress biomarkers, lifestyle indicators or medications that are taken by different demographic groups） and pollutants that people are exposed to（e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,perfluorinated chemicals, and toxic pesticides）. The extension of WWA to a huge range of chemicals may give rise to a field called sewage chemical-information mining（SCIM） with unexplored potentials. China has many densely populated cities with thousands of sewage treatment plants which are favourable for applying WWA/SCIM in order to help relevant authorities gather information about illicit drug consumption and population health status. However, there are some prerequisites and uncertainties of the methodology that should be addressed for SCIM to reach its full potential in China.

Impact of HIV on the health-related quality of life in youth with perinatally acquired HIV

Background Studies investigating health-related quality of life(HRQoL)in youth with perinatally acquired HIV(PHIV+)are scarce.This study aimed to compare HRQoL of PHIV+to sociodemographic-matched youth not living with HIV(HIV-),Spanish general youth population,and to explore associations between sociodemographic variables,drug consumption,and HRQoL.Methods PHIV+youth were randomly selected from CoRISpe database(Cohort of the Spanish Pediatric HIV Network).HRQoL was evaluated by SF-12v2.Results Thirty-nine PHIV+youth(mean age:23.36 years,SD=3.83)and thirty-nine HIV-youth(mean age:22.97 years,SD=3.80)participated in this study.PHIV+obtained lower scores in SF-12 physical health subscale(PCS)than HIV-(P=0.001)and Spanish general youth population(P=0.006).PHIV+had lower scores on the mental health subscale(MCS)than the Spanish general youth population(P<0.001).PHIV+who were at school obtained better scores than those were not at school.PHIV+youth who had used cocaine and cannabis had lower scores in MCS(P=0.002).Conclusions There is a need for HRQoL management in the associated medical follow-up.