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. · Jun 2012
Multicenter StudyFirst- and second-line anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in Northwest Ethiopia.
Gondar Hospital, Gondar Health Centre, Metemma Hospital, Bahir Dar Hospital and Debre Markos Hospital in Northwest Ethiopia. ⋯ A substantial number of new and previously treated cases harbour MDR-TB. We recommend DST at least for previously treated cases, patients who remain smear-positive at the end of the second month of treatment and patients in close contact with MDR-TB cases. Improved infection control measures need to be implemented in Ethiopia.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Jun 2012
Implementing a public-private mix model for tuberculosis treatment in urban Pakistan: lessons and experiences.
Six towns of Karachi, Pakistan. ⋯ Public-private mix (PPM) DOTS is feasible in the cities of Pakistan. However, the cost, time and effort required to establish the programme is higher than in many other developing countries.
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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
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.