PLoS medicine
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Theo Vos discusses how surgery is beginning to be considered an essential component of primary health care in low-income countries, and how we need to improve our understanding of the burden of surgical conditions in these settings.
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Review Meta Analysis
Effect of duration and intermittency of rifampin on tuberculosis treatment outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Treatment regimens for active tuberculosis (TB) that are intermittent, or use rifampin during only the initial phase, offer practical advantages, but their efficacy has been questioned. We conducted a systematic review of treatment regimens for active TB, to assess the effect of duration and intermittency of rifampin use on TB treatment outcomes. ⋯ TB treatment outcomes were significantly worse with shorter duration of rifampin, or with initial drug resistance to isoniazid and/or streptomycin. Treatment outcomes were similar with all intermittent schedules evaluated, but there is insufficient evidence to support administration of treatment twice weekly throughout therapy.
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Experts from UNAIDS, WHO, and the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling report their review of mathematical models estimating the impact of male circumcision on HIV incidence in high HIV prevalence settings.
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Louise Degenhardt and colleagues discuss the evidence and the debate about whether Global Burden of Disease estimates should include cannabis use as a risk factor for psychosis.