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. · Jan 2013
COPD mortality rates in Andalusia, Spain, 1975-2010: a joinpoint regression analysis.
To describe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality rates in Andalusia, Spain, between 1975 and 2010 using a joinpoint regression analysis. ⋯ COPD mortality remains higher in male than female inhabitants of Andalusia. These rates have decreased following different sex- and age-dependent patterns.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Dec 2012
Prolonged positivity of sputum smears with negative cultures during treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis.
Acid-fast bacilli (AFB) microscopy of sputum smears is the most widely used tool for both diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and monitoring treatment response. It is not uncommon for patients who show clinical improvement to have prolonged positivity of sputum smears (i.e., ≥60 days after initiation of treatment) with corresponding negative cultures. ⋯ In our population of patients, in the absence of clinical or radiographic evidence of deterioration, late smear positivity usually has no clinical significance and requires no specific action.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Dec 2012
Case Reports Multicenter StudyLinezolid-containing regimens for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis in South African children.
Treatment options for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) are limited. Linezolid has been successfully used to treat DR-TB in adults, but there are few case reports of its use in children for TB. The reported rate of adverse events in adults is high. ⋯ Linezolid-containing regimens can be effective in treating children with DR-TB even after failing second-line treatment. Adverse events should be monitored, especially in combination with medications that have similar adverse effects. Linezolid remains costly, and a reduced dosage and duration may result in fewer adverse events and lower cost.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Dec 2012
An evaluation of 'Ribolola': a household tuberculosis contact tracing programme in North West Province, South Africa.
Rural/peri-urban community, South Africa. ⋯ Household active case finding in this high TB and HIV prevalence setting obtained high yields of TB, particularly in those aged <5 years, and facilitated assessment for TBPT. There was a good yield of new HIV diagnoses, and a gain in efficiency due to integration within one programme.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Dec 2012
Comparative StudyNucleic acid amplification test and bronchoscopy improve the diagnostic accuracy of smear-negative tuberculosis.
To determine whether the nucleic acid amplification (NAA) test on specimens collected by bronchoscopy improves the diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in sputum-negative patients. ⋯ NAA testing on specimens collected using bronchoscopy provides a highly efficient and reliable approach in the diagnosis of PTB in smear-negative PTB suspects.