Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH
-
Trop. Med. Int. Health · Dec 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyRandomized controlled trial of zinc and vitamin A as co-adjuvants for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
To assess the efficacy of weekly zinc or zinc plus retinol as adjuncts for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. ⋯ Supplementation with zinc or zinc plus retinol did not lead to better outcomes than placebos, and caution is warranted regarding routine micronutrient supplementation, particularly in patients co-infected with HIV.
-
Trop. Med. Int. Health · Dec 2010
Aetiology of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized adult patients in New Caledonia.
To describe the aetiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in hospitalized adult patients in New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the South Pacific. ⋯ The aetiology of CAP was determined in 82 of 137 cases (59.8%), of which 31 exhibited two or more pathogens (37.8%). Hundred and seventeen pathogens were detected: Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common one (41.0%), followed by influenza virus A (22.1%) and Haemophilus influenzae (10.2%). The frequency of atypical bacteria was low (6.0%). The most frequent and significant coinfection was S. pneumoniae with influenza A virus (P=0.004). Influenza virus was detected from nasopharyngeal swabs in four patients (15.4% of patients tested for influenza) and by PCR from pulmonary specimens in 15 patients (57.7%). CONCLUSIONS : Pneumoniae is the leading cause of CAP in New Caledonian adults. Viral-bacterial co-infections involving S. pneumoniae and influenza virus are very common during the winter. Such adult patients hospitalized with CAP are a clear sentinel group for surveillance of influenza. Vaccination against influenza and S. pneumoniae should be strengthened when risk factors are identified.
-
Trop. Med. Int. Health · Nov 2010
ReviewBi-directional screening for tuberculosis and diabetes: a systematic review.
To assess the yield of finding additional TB or diabetes mellitus (DM) cases through systematic screening and to determine the effectiveness of preventive TB therapy in people with DM. ⋯ Active screening leads to the detection of more TB and DM with varying yield. This review highlights the need for further research in screening and preventive therapy.
-
Trop. Med. Int. Health · Oct 2010
Utilisation of maternal health care in western rural China under a new rural health insurance system (New Co-operative Medical System).
To investigate factors influencing maternal health care utilisation in western rural China and its relation to income before (2002) and after (2007) introducing a new rural health insurance system (NCMS). ⋯ Facility-based delivery greatly increased between 2002 and 2007, coinciding with the introduction of the NCMS. The rural poor were still facing substantial payment for facility-based delivery, although NCMS participation reduced the out-of-pocket expenditure on average.
-
Trop. Med. Int. Health · Sep 2010
Evaluation of the routine use of amoxicillin as part of the home-based treatment of severe acute malnutrition.
To determine whether the inclusion of amoxicillin correlates with better recovery rates in the home-based treatment of severe acute malnutrition with ready-to-use therapeutic food. ⋯ This review of two therapeutic feeding programmes suggests that children with severe acute malnutrition who were treated without amoxicillin did not have an inferior rate of recovery. Given the limitations of this retrospective analysis, a prospective trial is warranted to determine the effect of antibiotics on recovery from uncomplicated malnutrition with home-based therapy.