CENTER FOR METABOLIC RESEARCH ON HIV AND DRUG USE

该中心的目的是为研究使用各种非法药物的不同种族的慢性吸毒者(高加索人、西班牙人和非裔美国人)感染艾滋病毒的营养、内分泌和代谢方面的问题提供科学资源。艾滋病毒阳性吸毒者面临一系列独特的问题和挑战，这些问题和挑战可能会加剧他们的疾病，包括营养不良、医疗保健不足、难以坚持复杂的治疗方案，以及使用已知会损害代谢功能的特定药物。然而，对一般HIV阳性人群中HIV感染的总体营养、内分泌和代谢影响的调查很少扩展到吸毒人群，而50%的新HIV感染发生在这一群体中。该中心将由6个核心组成：行政、开发、药物使用者 资源、营养和新陈代谢、内分泌和流行病学/生物统计学。该中心将在东海岸四个机构(马萨诸塞州波士顿的塔夫茨大学医学院、罗德岛普罗维登斯的布朗大学医学院、马里兰州巴尔的摩的约翰·霍普金斯医疗机构和纽约的纽约医学院)现有的吸毒者研究基础上再接再厉。塔夫茨制定了艾滋病毒感染的特定营养和代谢方面的计划，并在感染和不携带艾滋病毒的西班牙裔吸毒者中开展了一项研究计划。布朗大学在专业人群中开展研究方面积累了专业知识，包括注射吸毒者、滥用药物的女性和被监禁的吸毒者。约翰霍普金斯大学研究艾滋病毒携带者的内分泌紊乱，并对非裔美国人注射吸毒者进行积极的纵向研究。纽约医学院的城市流行病学研究中心有几项正在进行的与吸毒人群中艾滋病毒感染有关的研究。拟议的中心将结合每个合作地点现有的互补资源和专业知识，开发一个新的研究计划，重点关注艾滋病毒阳性和艾滋病毒阴性吸毒者的营养、代谢和内分泌异常。

The aim of this Center is to provide scientific resources for studying the nutritional, endocrine, and metabolic aspects of HIV infection in chronic drug users of different ethnicities (Caucasian, Hispanic, and African-Americans) who are using various types of illicit drugs. HIV-positive drug users face a unique set of issues and challenges that may exacerbate their illness, including poor nutrition, inadequate medical care, difficulties adhering to complicated therapeutic regimens, and the use of specific drugs known to impair metabolic function. Investigation of the overall nutrition, endocrine, and metabolic effects of HIV infection in the general HIV-positive population, however, seldom extends to the drug using population, a group in which 50% of new HIV infections occurs. This Center will consist of 6 Cores: Administrative, Developmental, Drug User Resources, Nutrition and Metabolism, Endocrine, and Epidemiology/Biostatistics. The Center will build upon an existing infrastructure of studies in drug users at four East Coast institutions (Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts; Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island; Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland; and the New York Academy of Medicine, in New York City, New York). Tufts has developed programs in specific nutrition and metabolic aspects of HIV infection and has a research program in Hispanic drug users with and without HIV. Brown University has developed expertise in conducting research among specialized populations, including injection drug users, substance abusing women, and incarcerated drug users. Johns Hopkins has research in endocrine disorders among drug users with HIV, and has active longitudinal studies of African-American injection drug users. The New York Academy of Medicine's Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies has several ongoing research studies related to HIV infection in drug using populations. The proposed Center will combine the complementary resources and expertise that exist at each of the collaborating sites to develop a new research program that will focus on the nutritional, metabolic, and endocrine abnormalities in HIV-positive and HIV-negative drug users.