The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
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A tertiary care academic medical centre. ⋯ CXCR3 ligands may be useful surrogate markers for diagnosing active TB and for assessing TB patients clinically.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Jan 2015
Accelerating progress towards tuberculosis elimination: the need for combination treatment and prevention.
Although estimated tuberculosis (TB) incidence is now falling globally, we are unlikely to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) TB targets without changing the emphasis of the global TB response in high human immunodeficiency virus prevalence settings. Two independent modelling exercises using South African data with different structures and assumptions conclude that, until new drugs, diagnostics and vaccines are available, a fully funded and accessible combination approach to anti-tuberculosis treatment and prevention, based on knowledge of local TB epidemiology and evidence-informed policy, is essential to accelerate progress towards zero new tuberculous infections, zero TB deaths and zero suffering from TB.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Dec 2014
Validation of the Mandarin Chinese version of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in bronchiectasis.
The Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) has been validated for assessing cough-specific health status in bronchiectasis. We translated the LCQ into Mandarin Chinese and investigated its validity, reliability and responsiveness. ⋯ Minor cultural adaptations were made to the wording of LCQ-MC. No other difficulties were found during the translation process, with all items easily adapted to acceptable Mandarin Chinese. The questionnaire was not changed in terms of content layout and the order of the questions. In cognitive debriefing interviews, participants reported that the questionnaire was acceptable, relevant, comprehensive and easy to complete. The LCQ-MC showed good concurrent validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Responsiveness was shown by significant changes in LCQ-MC scores between steady state, the first exacerbation and following 2-week antibiotic treatment (both interval changes, P < 0.01) CONCLUSION: The LCQ-MC is a valid, reliable and responsive instrument for determining cough-specific health status in Chinese bronchiectasis patients.
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Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. · Dec 2014
Multicenter StudyPrognostic severity scores for patients with COPD exacerbations attending emergency departments.
Reported predictors of the adverse evolution of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations (eCOPD) are various and inconsistent in the bibliography. ⋯ Three clinical predictors available in the ED can be used to create a simple score to predict the need for intensive treatment among eCOPD patients. Such a score can be a tool for clinical practice.