The Lancet infectious diseases
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Review Meta Analysis
HIV status in discordant couples in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Most couples affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa live in discordant relationships. Men are thought to be the index case in most relationships, and most social marketing and awareness campaigns are focused on men. We investigated serodiscordance in stable relationships to establish the gender balance of index-case infections. ⋯ None.
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Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis are generally thought to have high mortality rates. However, many cases can be treated with the right combination and rational use of available antituberculosis drugs. This Review describes the evidence available for each drug and discusses the basis for recommendations for the treatment of patients with MDR and XDR tuberculosis. ⋯ The fourth group are called the second-line drugs and should be used in the following order: thioamides, cycloserine, then aminosalicylic acid. The fifth group includes drugs that are not very effective or for which there are sparse clinical data. Drugs in group five should be used in the following order: clofazimine, amoxicillin with clavulanate, linezolid, carbapenems, thioacetazone, then clarithromycin.
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Review Meta Analysis
Community-acquired bloodstream infections in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data on the prevalence and causes of community-acquired bloodstream infections in Africa are scarce. We searched three databases for studies that prospectively studied patients admitted to hospital with at least a blood culture, and found 22 eligible studies describing 58 296 patients, of whom 2051 (13.5%) of 15 166 adults and 3527 (8.2%) of 43 130 children had bloodstream infections. 1643 (29.1%) non-malaria bloodstream infections were due to Salmonella enterica (58.4% of these non-typhoidal Salmonella), the most prevalent isolate overall and in adults, and 1031 (18.3% overall) were due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common isolate in children. Other common isolates included Staphylococcus aureus (531 infections; 9.5%) and Escherichia coli (412; 7.3%). ⋯ Where recorded, patients with bloodstream infections had an in-hospital case fatality of 18.1%. Our results show that bloodstream infections are common and associated with high mortality. Improved clinical microbiology services and reassessment of empirical treatment guidelines that account for the epidemiology of bloodstream infections might contribute to better outcomes.
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Review Meta Analysis
Community-acquired bloodstream infections in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data on the prevalence and causes of community-acquired bloodstream infections in Africa are scarce. We searched three databases for studies that prospectively studied patients admitted to hospital with at least a blood culture, and found 22 eligible studies describing 58 296 patients, of whom 2051 (13.5%) of 15 166 adults and 3527 (8.2%) of 43 130 children had bloodstream infections. 1643 (29.1%) non-malaria bloodstream infections were due to Salmonella enterica (58.4% of these non-typhoidal Salmonella), the most prevalent isolate overall and in adults, and 1031 (18.3% overall) were due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common isolate in children. Other common isolates included Staphylococcus aureus (531 infections; 9.5%) and Escherichia coli (412; 7.3%). ⋯ Where recorded, patients with bloodstream infections had an in-hospital case fatality of 18.1%. Our results show that bloodstream infections are common and associated with high mortality. Improved clinical microbiology services and reassessment of empirical treatment guidelines that account for the epidemiology of bloodstream infections might contribute to better outcomes.
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Review Meta Analysis
Influenza as a trigger for acute myocardial infarction or death from cardiovascular disease: a systematic review.
Cardiac complications of influenza infection, such as myocarditis, are well recognised, but the role of influenza as a trigger of acute myocardial infarction is less clear. We did a systematic review of the evidence that influenza (including influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infection) triggers acute myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death. We examined the effectiveness of influenza vaccines at protecting against cardiac events and did a meta-analysis of data from randomised controlled trials. 42 publications describing 39 studies were identified. ⋯ A pooled estimate from a random-effects model suggests a protective, though non-significant, effect (relative risk 0.51, 95% CI 0.15-1.76). We believe influenza vaccination should be encouraged wherever indicated, especially in people with existing cardiovascular disease, among whom there is often suboptimum vaccine uptake. Further evidence is needed on the effectiveness of influenza vaccines to reduce the risk of cardiac events in people without established vascular disease.