ABSTRACT
Purpose: HIV-positive people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kazakhstan face many challenges to antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Interventions that leverage social support from an intimate partner, family member, or friend may be effective in improving ART adherence among this population. The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation process of a dyad-based intervention among HIV-positive PWID and their treatment support partners. Method: Sixty-six HIV-positive PWID and 66 of their treatment support partners will be enrolled in this pilot randomized controlled trial in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and randomized as dyads to receive an adapted version of the SMART Couples intervention or standard of care. Results: Several implementation strategies were used to facilitate intervention delivery, including remote delivery, training of staff, supervision, technical assistance, quality assurance, and collection of assessments through diverse sources. Discussion: This trial responds to a need for dyad-based ART adherence interventions adapted specifically for HIV-positive PWID.
ABSTRACT
AIM: To assess and compare the efficacy and safety of two triple regimes: A) metronidazole, amoxicillin and omeprazole, which is still widely used in Russia, and B) azithromycin, amoxicillin and omeprazole in healing active duodenal ulcer and H.pylori eradication. METHODS: 100 patients with active duodenal ulcer were included in the open, multicentre, randomized study with comparative groups. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the following one-week triple regimes: A) metronidazole 500 mg bid, amoxicillin 1 g bid and omeprazole 20 mg bid (OAM, n=50) and B) azithromycin 1 g od for the first 3 days (total dose 3 g), amoxicillin 1 g bid and omeprazole 20 mg bid (OAA, n=50). Omeprazole 20 mg od was given after the eradication course as a monotherapy for three weeks. The control endoscopy was performed 8 weeks after the entry. H.pylori infection was determined in the entry of the study and four weeks after the cessation of treatment by means of histology and CLO-test. RESULTS: 97 patients completed the study according to the protocol (1 patient of the OAM group did not come to the control endoscopy, 2 patients of the OAA group stopped the treatment because of mild allergic urticaria). Duodenal ulcers were healed in 48 patients of the OAM group (96 %; CI 90.5-100 %) and in 46 patients of the OAA group (92 %; CI 89.5-94.5 %) (p=ns). H.pylori infection was eradicated in 15 out of 50 patients with OAM (30 %; CI 17-43 %) and in 36 out of 50 patients treated with OAA (72 %; CI 59-85 %) (P<0.001)- ITT analysis. CONCLUSION: The triple therapy with omeprazole, amoxicillin and metronidazole failed to eradicate H.pylori in the majority of patients, which is an essential argument to withdraw this regimen out of the national recommendations. Macrolide with amoxicillin are preferable to achieve higher eradication rates. Azithromycin (1 g od for the first 3 days) can be considered as a successful component of the triple PPI-based regimen.