The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Nov 2010
Concomitant increases in spectrum and level of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates.
To determine the drug resistance spectrum and resistance levels of extensively drug-resistant (XDR-) and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and TB resistant to either rifampicin (RMP, R) or isoniazid (INH, H; R/H-DR). ⋯ XDR-TB, MDR-TB and R/H-DR TB isolates exhibited both increasingly broader resistance spectra and a higher percentage of strains with high MICs to more frequently resistant drugs, which might be related to patterns of TB chemotherapy.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Nov 2010
ReviewAge-related risk of hepatotoxicity in the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection: a systematic review.
To determine the age-related risk of hepatotoxicity under currently recommended treatment regimens for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI). ⋯ The rates of hepatotoxicity were low. Summary estimates of risks generated in this review can be used for counselling individuals for whom chemoprophylaxis is recommended. The use of INH for the treatment of LTBI is safe in older patients with clinical or biochemical monitoring.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Nov 2010
Oxygen is an essential medicine: a call for international action.
Hypoxaemia is commonly associated with mortality in developing countries, yet feasible and cost-effective ways to address hypoxaemia receive little or no attention in current global health strategies. Oxygen treatment has been used in medicine for almost 100 years, but in developing countries most seriously ill newborns, children and adults do not have access to oxygen or the simple test that can detect hypoxaemia. Improving access to oxygen and pulse oximetry has demonstrated a reduction in mortality from childhood pneumonia by up to 35% in high-burden child pneumonia settings. ⋯ Oxygen concentrators are sustainable in developing country settings if a systematic approach involving nurses, doctors, technicians and administrators is adopted. Improving oxygen systems is an entry point for improving the quality of care. For these broad reasons, and for its vital importance in reducing deaths due to lung disease in 2010: Year of the Lung, oxygen deserves a higher priority on the global health agenda.