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. · May 2012
Triaging pandemic flu: pneumonia severity scores are not the answer.
The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic caused significant strain on health systems worldwide. A tool to triage patients at low risk of requiring intensive care services would assist practitioners in safely reducing hospital admission rates during pandemic influenza outbreaks. Community-acquired pneumonia severity scores have not been validated for use in pandemic influenza. ⋯ Current pneumonia severity scores have insufficient predictive ability to safely identify low-risk patients with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · May 2012
Comparative StudyPeak expiratory flow as a screening tool to detect airflow obstruction in a primary health care setting.
Peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurement is less expensive and requires fewer skills than spirometry testing. It is thus expected to be a reasonable substitute for spirometry in airflow obstruction screening when spirometry is unavailable. ⋯ Mechanical PEF may be a reasonable method of screening for airflow obstruction in settings where spirometry is unavailable.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · May 2012
Tuberculosis seasonality in the Netherlands differs between natives and non-natives: a role for vitamin D deficiency?
The seasonality of tuberculosis (TB) incidence suggests that the risk of infection or development of disease has a seasonal component. ⋯ A seasonal peak in TB notifications (March-June) is apparent in non-natives, but is absent in natives. This peak is driven by the seasonality of EPTB notifications, which are highest in June-July. The contribution of winter crowding is discussed. Vitamin D deficiency, enhancing disease development at the end of winter-early spring, seems the most likely factor explaining the yearly peak in EPTB.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · May 2012
Interleukin-10 and interferon-gamma patterns during tuberculosis treatment: possible association with recurrence.
Interleukin (IL) 10 and interferon-gamma (IFN-) levels in induced sputum supernatants of 21 tuberculosis (TB) patients at diagnosis and during chemotherapy were correlated to recurrence rates. IL-10 decreased until day 60 of treatment (T60), and between T60 and T180 it increased again in 7 cases (Pattern 1) and further decreased in 14 cases (Pattern 2). ⋯ This was not observed for IFN-. High IL-10 levels at the end of treatment may function as a risk factor for TB recurrence.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · May 2012
Comparative StudyFEV3, FEV6 and their derivatives for detecting airflow obstruction in adult Chinese.
Forced expiratory volume in 3 seconds (FEV(3)) and 6 seconds (FEV(6)) could complement FEV(1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) for detecting airflow obstruction. ⋯ FEV(3)/FVC < LLN and FEV(1)/ FEV(6) < LLN are comparable to FEV(1)/FVC < LLN for detecting airflow obstruction. FEV(3)/FVC < LLN could be useful in screening for airflow obstruction, while FEV(1)/ FEV(6) < LLN is useful in detecting airflow limitation in the elderly or in subjects with severe airflow obstruction.