The technological imperative in tuberculosis care and prevention in Vietnam

ABSTRACT

A monocausal bacteriological understanding of infectious disease orients tuberculosis control efforts towards antimicrobial interventions. A bias towards technological solutions can leave multistranded public health and social interventions largely neglected. In the context of globalising biomedical approaches to infectious disease control, this ethnography-inspired review article reflects upon the implementation of rapid diagnostic technology in low- and middle-income countries. Fieldwork observations in Vietnam provided a stimulus for a critical review of the global rollout of tuberculosis diagnostic technology. To address local needs in tuberculosis control, health managers in resource-poor settings are readily cooperating with international donors to deploy novel diagnostic technologies throughout national tuberculosis programme facilities. Increasing investment in new diagnostic technologies is predicated on the supposition that these interventions will ameliorate disease outcomes. However, suboptimal treatment control persists even when accurate diagnostic technologies are available, suggesting that promotion of singular technological solutions can distract from addressing systemic change, without which disease susceptibility, propagation of infection, detection gaps, diagnostic delays, and treatment shortfalls persist.     

Acute total hip arthroplasty for older patients with acetabular fractures: A meta-analysis

ObjectiveMultiple treatment options for acetabular fractures in geriatric patients exist. However, no large-scale studies have reported the outcomes of acute total hip arthroplasty (THA) in this patient population. We systematically evaluated all available evidence to characterize clinical outcomes, complications, and revisions of acute THA for acetabular fractures in geriatric patients.MethodsMeta-analysis of 21 studies of 430 acetabular fractures with mean follow-up of 44 months (range, 17−97 months). Two independent researchers searched and evaluated the databases of Ovid, Embase, and United States National Library of Medicine using a Boolean search string up to December 2019. Population demographics and complications, including presence of heterotopic ossification (HO), dislocation, infection, revision rate, neurological deficits, and venous thromboembolic event (VTE), were recorded and analyzed.ResultsWeighted mean Harris Hip Score was 83.3 points, and 20% of the patients had reported complications. The most common complication was HO, with a rate of 19.5%. Brooker grade III and IV HO rates were lower at 6.8%. Hip dislocation occurred at a rate of 6.1%, 4.1% of patients developed VTE, deep infection occurred in 3.8%, and neurological complications occurred in 1.9%. Although the revision rate was described in most studies, we were unable to perform a survival analysis because the time to each revision was described in only a few studies. The revision rate was 4.3%.ConclusionsAcute THA is a viable option for treatment of acetabular fracture and can result in acceptable clinical outcomes and survivorship rates in older patients but with an associated complication rate of approximately 20%. Considering the limited treatment options, THA might be a viable alternative for appropriately selected patients.     

Some investigations into the nature and cause of massive fibrosis (MF) in the lungs of South African gold, coal, and asbestos mine workers

Samples from fibrotic lung lesions greater than 1 cm in diameter macroscopically (by definition, massive fibrosis; MF) were taken from the lungs of 9 randomly selected post-mortem cases of mine workers all showing a background of a pneumoconiosis. These samples were studied histologically, biochemically, and by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. As controls for the biochemical and X-ray diffraction investigations, nonfibrosed lung tissue was taken from the same specimens. The findings suggest that the higher quartz content may be the primary cause responsible for the MF formation in this series of cases, while other factors such as tuberculosis may play a part according to some relevant literature on MF. Although an area of MF appears macroscopically to be a solid lesion, on microscopy this is not the case and the lesion is composed of dense and sparse collagen bundles and cellular elements.     

对某高校肺结核患者的心理分析与疏导

目的 探讨肺结核患者的心理特征及相应的心理疏导方法.方法 采用追踪访问方法,对56例确诊肺结核患者进行交谈、观察,分析出不同的心理状态及相应的疏导方法.结果 肺结核患者有焦虑紧张心理21例,占37.5 %,为各种心理问题的首位;其次为抑郁孤独心理18例,占32.1 %;其他患者不同程度地存在着怨恨发泄、意志脆弱、轻视疾病心理和乐观心理.对患者采取有针对性的心理疏导措施,保证了短程督导化疗方案的有效落实,全部临床治愈.结论 肺结核患者的心理疏导对促进患者的治愈有重要意义.     

Pulmonary tuberculosis in patients treated with inhaled beclomethasone

Inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) has been used with few side effects in the treatment of bronchial asthma for 2 decades. Until now the manifestation of tuberculosis (TB) in patients on inhaled BDP has not been reported. Eight patients with allergic asthma, of a total of 548 asthmatics (1.46%) seen over a 2-year period, developed active TB following the use of inhaled BDP. All were sputum-positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on smear and/or culture, all responded well to a combination of anti-TB drugs, and none showed evidence of immunological or pituitary-adrenal suppression. Two patients agreed to a repeat administration of BDP; both developed TB again within 2 weeks and are again on anti-TB treatment.     

非手术治疗脊柱结核疗效观察(附5例报告)

本文报道了非手术治疗脊柱结核的5例患者,利用抗痨药物和中药制剂综合治疗,最短9个月,最长18个月,均获痊愈。经过3～5年的追踪观察,未见复发。此种办法,对于不适合手术治疗的脊柱结核患者,提供了一条可行的治疗途径。     

Predictors of mortality in an aging community-based cohort in Korea

Background: Multiple factors related to specific dimensions of health – general, physical and mental – contribute to mortality in the elderly, but their relative contributions to mortality risk is not well‐known. The objectives of this prospective population‐based cohort study were to measure mortality rates and to identify predictors of mortality in community‐dwelling men and women aged 65 years or older in Korea by examining self assessments of general health, objective medical burden, and measurement of cognition, mood and function. Methods: A total of 1245 elderly (529 men; 716 women) were followed up longitudinally for 3.5 years. Fixed predictor variables observed at baseline examined in Cox proportional hazards models were age, sex, education, chronic medical illnesses, self‐rated health, basic activities of daily living, depression measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale, and cognition measured by the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Results: Mortality rates were similar to those of the 2001 Korean population. Older age, male sex, poor self‐rated health and presence of cerebrovascular disease were significant predictors of mortality. Presence of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease at baseline predicted mortality in men, but not in women. Depression predicted mortality only when chronic medical illnesses were excluded from the model. Conclusions: Subjective self‐rated health and objective medical burden are strong independent predictors of mortality in this elderly community population, in addition to age and sex.     

An Unusual Form of Skin Tuberculosis Following B.C.G. Vaccination

A 25-year-old female has had brown to erythematous telangiectatic patches and grouped papules on her face, neck, arm, and trunk since childhood following B.C.G. vaccination. Histopathologically, the lesions consisted of hyperkeratosis, slight acanthosis, tuberculoid granulomas with some Langerhans type giant cells in the mid-dermis. Although various forms of cutaneous tuberculosis after B.C.G. vaccination have been reported, it was difficult for us to assign the patient's skin lesion to any specific disease entity. Remission of her cutaneous lesions occurred clinically and histopathologically after treatment with isoniazid and rifampin.     

成人结核性脑膜炎误诊原因分析

报告了成人结核性脑膜炎11例误诊,并收集国内报告的221例误诊病例,对结核性脑膜炎的误诊原因进行了综合分析。