IntroductionThe aim of this study was to report an HIV outbreak related to propofol-injection and the impact of regulating propofol on the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs (PWID).MethodsA retrospective cohort study of 252 PWID who were diagnosed with an HIV infection between 2014 and 2017 in Taiwan. The propofol information was collected by routine epidemic surveillance and interviews. We linked several national databases to collect other related factors, including methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) attendance and incarceration. The serums were tested for recent infection by the LAg‐avidity EIA assay and relationship of the trains by the Phylogenetic tree analysis. Analyses were conducted using the R Surveillance package for retrospective modeling for outbreak detection. A multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between propofol-injection and other related factors.ResultsThere were 28 cases reported with propofol-injection, all of which were reported in Central Taiwan. A total of 11 (50%) cases among 22 propofol-injectors with serums were recent infections, which were higher than that 33 (23.4%) of non-propofol group. The phylogenetic tree indicated that 6 propofol-injectors were grouped together with the same cluster in circular. The HIV epidemic curve among PWID revealed an outbreak of 82 in 2015, which then decreased to 43 in 2016 after propofol began to be regulated as a Schedule 4 controlled drug in August 2015. In a multiple logistic regression, attendance at methadone clinics was associated with a significantly higher risk for propofol-injection (adjusted OR = 2.43, 95% CI = 0.98–5.98), and HIV reported in the year 2015 was associated with an increased risk of propofol-injection (adjusted OR = 4, 95% CI = 1.08–14.86).ConclusionsOur data indicate that the government regulation of propofol as a controlled drug strategy was associated with significant reduction in the spread of HIV among PWID.

Although non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is widely used to detect fetal abnormalities, the results of NIPT vary by population, and data for the screening efficiency of NIPT positive predictive value (PPV) from different populations is limited. Herein, we retrospectively analyzed the NIPT results in a large multicenter study involving 52,855 pregnant women. Depending on gestational age, amniotic fluid or umbilical cord blood was extracted for karyotype and/or chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) in NIPT-positive patients, and the PPV and follow-up data were evaluated to determine its clinical value. Among the 52,855 cases, 754 were NIPT-positive, with a positivity rate of 1.4%. Karyotype analysis and/or CMA confirmed 323 chromosomal abnormalities, with a PPV of 45.1%. PPV for trisomy 21 (T21), trisomy 18 (T18), trisomy 13 (T13), sex chromosomal aneuploidies (SCAs), and copy number variations (CNVs) were 78.9, 35.3, 22.2, 36.9, and 32.9%, respectively. The PPVs for T21, T18, and T13 increased with age, whereas the PPVs for SCAs and CNVs had little correlation with age. The PPV was significantly higher in patients with advanced age and abnormal ultrasound. The NIPT results are affected by population characteristics. NIPT had a high PPV for T21 and a low PPV for T13 and T18, and screening for SCAs and CNVs showed clinical significance in southern China.

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is a fast, safe, and non-disruptive diagnostic method. At present, few studies have evaluated the screening efficiency of NIPT positive predictive value (PPV) in study subjects. Here, the results of NIPT in pregnant women were retrospectively analysed, and the detection rate, PPV and follow-up data were evaluated to determine its clinical value. A large multicentre study was conducted involving 52,855 pregnant women who received NIPT. Based on gestational age, amniotic fluid or umbilical cord blood were extracted for simultaneous karyotype and chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) in NIPT-positive patients. Among the 52,855 cases, 754 were NIPT-positive, with a positivity rate of 1.4%. Karyotype analysis and/or CMA confirmed 323 cases of chromosomal abnormalities, with a PPV of 45.1%. PPV of Trisomy 21 (T21), Trisomy 18 (T18), Trisomy 13 (T13), sex chromosomal aneuploidies (SCA) and copy number variations (CNV) were 78.9%, 35.3%, 22.2%, 36.9% and 32.9%, respectively. The PPV of T21, T18, and T13 increased with age whereas, the PPV of SCA and CNVs had little correlation with age. The PPV was significantly high in patients with advanced age along with an abnormal ultrasound.NIPT had a high PPV for T21, and a low PPV for T13 and T18, while screening for SCA and CNVs showed clinical significance. However, in case of NIPT screening for SCA and CNVs, simultaneous karyotype and CMA should be performed to increase the detection rates. Interventional prenatal diagnosis is still required in NIPT-positive cases to avoid false positives or unnecessary termination of pregnancy.