Characteristics of the tuberculosis epidemic in schools in Qingdao in 2010—2019

作者通过《中国疾病预防控制信息系统》的子系统《结核病信息管理系统》,收集2010—2019年青岛市登记职业为“学生”的患者资料、肺结核登记例数(不包括结核性胸膜炎),以及收集《青岛统计年鉴》学生人口数资料,分析学生肺结核登记情况及流行病学特征。结果显示,2019年学生肺结核登记发病率为11.91/10万(175/1468777),较2010年(16.53/10万,212/1282589)降低27.95%,呈下降趋势,差异有统计学意义(Z_趋势=-6.567,P<0.001);2010—2019年每年3、4月份为登记发病例数的高峰,在全年中占比为24.42%(443/1814);19~<22岁患者(大学阶段)在报告患者总例数中的占比最高(43.16%,783/1814);被动方式发现1650例,占90.96%(1650/1814);2010—2019年学生患者就诊延迟占比为62.24%(1129/1814)。研究认为,青岛市学生肺结核登记发病率整体处于较低水平,但仍需要继续重视学生肺结核的防控工作,并加强开展健康教育,提高学生的防病意识。     

A longitudinal analysis of the distribution of residual snails in Shanghai.

During the years of 1980-1982, a total of 329 residual Oncomelania snail siteswith an area of 95,760 m~2 were found after repeated over-all investigation of the knownendemic areas in Shanghai. In 1982, however, there were only 130 snail sites withan area of 25,410 m~2. The reduction rate was 99.9% as compared to the 160 million     

Why are people dying due to tuberculosis? A study from Alappuzha District,Kerala, India

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB)is a major killer disease worldwide. It is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause from a single infectious agent. In India also, TB kills about 480,000 persons every year and more than 1400 every day. Vision of the National TB Control Programme is TB-Free India with zero deaths, disease and poverty due to TB. Specific targets set in the End TB strategy include a 90% reduction in TB deaths and an 80% reduction in TB incidence by 2030, compared with 2015. Understanding about real cause of death is important to plan strategies to further prevent TB deaths. In the above circumstances we conducted a study, the objective of which was to find out the cause of deaths among patients registered in RNTCP unit of Alappuzha district of Kerala, India.MethodsIn RNTCP a patient who died during the course of treatment regardless of cause is declared as ‘Died’ due to TB. During the year 2015, 1618 cases were registered in RNTCP of Alappuzha district of which 90 patients died, showing a case fatality rate of 5.56%. Verbal autopsy can be considered as an essential public health tool for studying reasonable estimate of the cause of death at a community level even though not an accurate method at individual level. As part of the study, we visited the 4 RNTCP units of the district and collected the address of the TB patients who died in the area. With the help of the field staff we visited their houses and filled the death audit form of RNTCP along with the additional details. Verbal autopsy was conducted using WHO verbal autopsy format 2012 with immediate house hold contacts.ResultsOut of 90 deaths which occurred, three addresses could not be traced and another 15 patient relatives could not be contacted as they migrated out or were not available at their homes on two visits. Among them, mean age was found to be 62.6 years (SD + 12.9). Males were 67 (77%) and rest 20 (23%)were females. Cause of death was analysed after Verbal autopsy for 72 deaths. Among 72 deaths, it was found that 29 (40.3%) had nothing other than TB, where as cause of death for 13 (18.1%) patients was myocardial infarction, 11 (15.3%) had cancer, 2 (2.8%) stroke and 17 (23.7%) other causes which include bronchiectasis, COPD, chicken pox, hepatitis, renal failure, and suicide. Only in 35 cases nothing other than TB could be suggested as a cause of death. Thus in 52 out of 87 (60%) cases, the causes of death were diseases other than TB.ConclusionAmong the TB deaths in Alappuzha district, 60% of deaths were due to diseases other than TB. Along with early diagnosis of all TB cases, screening for co-morbidity, appropriate management of co-morbidity and periodic clinical review of TB patients should also be part of the major strategies to prevent TB related deaths.     

A comparative analysis of two interferon-γ releasing assays to detect past tuberculosis infections in Japanese rheumatoid arthritis patients

Objectives: To compare the utility of QuantiFERON-TB Gold in tube (QFT-GIT) and T-SPOT.TB assays to detect past tuberculosis infection in Japanese rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving methotrexate.

Methods: We compared the sensitivities and specificities, the rates of indeterminate results, and the rates of positive results in patients with total and CD4-positive lymphocyte counts of both assays simultaneously performed on 68 rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving methotrexate, in whom 33 had evidence of past tuberculosis infection by chest computed tomography and the other had neither history of tuberculosis exposure nor abnormalities in chest computed tomography.

Results: The sensitivities, specificities, and the rates of indeterminate results of QFT-GIT were 21.2%, 100%, and 4.4%, and those of T-SPOT.TB were 21.9%, 100%, and 1.5%, respectively. The overall agreement of both assays was good (κ?=?0.68). In patients with past tuberculosis infection, there are significant positive linear trends in positive rates of both assays across ranges of larger numbers of total and CD4-positive lymphocyte counts.

Conclusions: Both assays were equally useful with high specificities, but may falsely identify past tuberculosis infection owing to low sensitivities. In patients with low total and CD4-positive lymphocyte counts, both assays might give higher rates of false negative results.     

Histopathology and TB-PCR kit analysis in differentiating the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis and Crohn’s disease

AIM: To compare the histopathologic features of intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) and Crohn’s disease (CD) and to identify whether polymerase chain reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB-PCR) would be helpful for differential diagnosis between ITB and CD.METHODS: We selected 97 patients with established diagnoses (55 cases of ITB and 42 cases of CD) who underwent colonoscopic biopsies.Microscopic features of ITB and CD were reviewed,and eight pathologic parameters were evaluated.Nine cases of acid fast bac...     

Hepatocellular carcinoma in extremely elderly patients： An analysis of clinical characteristics, prognosis- and patient survival

AIM:To identify the clinical and prognostic features ofpatients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) aged 80years or more.METHODS:A total of 1310 patients with HCC wereincluded in this study.Ninety-one patients aged 80 yearsor more at the time of diagnosis of HCC were defined asthe extremely elderly group.Two hundred and thirty-fourpatients aged≥50 years but less than 60 years wereregarded as the non-elderly group.RESULTS:The sex ratio (male to female) wassignificantly lower in the extremely elderly group (0.90:1)than in the non-elderly group (3.9:1,P<0.001).The positive rate for HBsAg was significantly lower in theextremely elderly group and the proportion of patientsnegative for HBsAg and HCVAb obviously increased inthe extremely elderly group (P<0.001).There wereno significant differences in the following parameters:diameter and number of tumors,Child-Pugh grading,tumor staging,presence of portal thrombosis or ascites,and positive rate for HCVAb.Extremely elderly patientsdid not often receive surgical treatment (P<0.001) andthey were more likely to receive conservative treatment(P<0.01).There were no significant differences insurvival curves based on the Kaplan-Meier methods incomparison with the overall patients between the twogroups.However,the survival curves were significantlyworse in the extremely elderly patients with stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ,stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ and Child-Pugh grade A cirrhosis in comparisonwith the non-elderly group.The causes of death did notdiffer among the patients,and most cases died of liver-related diseases even in the extremely elderly patients.CONCLUSION:In the patients with good liver functionsand good performance status,aggressive treatment forHCC might improve the survival rate,even in extremelyelderly patients.     

Molecular analysis of isoniazid, rifampin and streptomycin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients with tuberculosis in Düzce, Turkey

The aim of this study was to use DNA sequencing analysis to analyze the mutations in the most commonly targeted genes (katG, inhA, rpoB, rpsL) in isoniazid (INH)-, rifampin (RIF)- and streptomycin (SM)-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains obtained from subjects in Duzce, Turkey. Four isolates were found to be INH-resistant, 3 were RIF-resistant and 5 were SM-resistant, out of a total of 52 M. tuberculosis strains. In 3 of the 4 INH-resistant strains, a mutation in the katG gene in codon 315 appeared as AGC-->ACC (Ser-->Thr), and the other INH-resistant strain showed a mutation in the katG gene in codon 314 as ACC-->CCC (Thr-->Pro). There were no mutations in the inhA gene in INH-resistant isolates. Two of the 3 RIF-resistant strains were found to have mutations in the rpoB gene in codon 516 appearing as GAC-->GTC (Asp-->Val), and the other RIF-resistant strain has a mutation in the rpoB gene in codon 531 as TCG-->TTG (Ser-->Leu). These 3 RIF-resistant strains are also INH-resistant. All 5 SM-resistant strains have mutations in the rpsL gene in codon 43 appearing as AAG-->AGG (Lys-->Arg). Thus, we found common gene mutations that bring about the resistance of M. tuberculosis to antituberculosis drugs in all of our isolates from Duzce. To the best of our knowledge, the ACC-->CCC (Thr-->Pro) mutation in the katG gene in codon 314 has not been previously defined.     

A comparative study of bacterial isolates from the urine samples of AIDS and non—AIDS patients in Benue,Nigeria

ObjectiveTo determine the common bacterial causes of urinary tract infection and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern in AIDS patients versus non-AIDS patients.MethodsOne thousand consecutive AIDS patients with signs and symptoms of AIDS and non-AIDS patients (served as control) each on admission were recruited into the study between January 2005 to January 2008, in Federal Medical Center, Makurdi. Urine samples were collected with sterile universal bottles and analysed with appropriate laboratory methods and antibiotic susceptibility test was carried out by disk diffusion technique in accordance with National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS, now CLSI) criteria. The results were analysed using SPSS 11.0 statistical software.ResultsUrine samples of AIDS patients with urinary infection had a more spectrum of micro-organisms including Candida organisms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Ceftriaxone, Ceftazidime or Ciprofloxacin had a remarkably high anti-bacterial activity across the two study groups. A general resistance was recorded in ampicillin, tetracycline and co-trimoxazole. There was no significant difference in antibiotic susceptibility patterns between AIDS and non-AIDS patients (P>0.05).ConclusionsA reduction in unnecessary use of antibiotics as well as infection control should be encouraged in our health facilities.     

Where is tuberculosis transmission happening? Insights from the literature,new tools to study transmission and implications for the elimination of tuberculosis

More than 10 million new cases of tuberculosis (TB) are diagnosed worldwide each year. The majority of these cases occur in low‐ and middle‐income countries where the TB epidemic is predominantly driven by transmission. Efforts to ‘end TB’ will depend upon our ability to halt ongoing transmission. However, recent studies of new approaches to interrupt transmission have demonstrated inconsistent effects on reducing population‐level TB incidence. TB transmission occurs across a wide range of settings, that include households and hospitals, but also community‐based settings. While home‐based contact investigations and infection control programmes in hospitals and clinics have a successful track record as TB control activities, there is a gap in our knowledge of where, and between whom, community‐based transmission of TB occurs. Novel tools, including molecular epidemiology, geospatial analyses and ventilation studies, provide hope for improving our understanding of transmission in countries where the burden of TB is greatest. By integrating these diverse and innovative tools, we can enhance our ability to identify transmission events by documenting the opportunity for transmission—through either an epidemiologic or geospatial connection—alongside genomic evidence for transmission, based upon genetically similar TB strains. A greater understanding of locations and patterns of transmission will translate into meaningful improvements in our current TB control activities by informing targeted, evidence‐based public health interventions.     

Pneumococcal vaccination for the elderly in The Netherlands? Assessment of the quality and content of available comparative studies

BACKGROUND: A question that is currently topical in the Netherlands is whether it makes sense to introduce on a national scale vaccination against pneumococcal infections for elderly people who are at present receiving the influenza vaccination. We recently studied the scientific literature on the subject in an attempt to answer this question. METHODS: We searched for systematic reviews (SRs), randomised clinical trials (RCTs) and cohort studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Current Controlled Trials and via Google (period 1966 to June 2002). The SRs and RCTs were assessed with a methodological checklist. RESULTS: We identified four SRs, two trials (of which one was pseudo-random) and one retrospective cohort study. The methodological quality of the SRs was reasonable and in this respect differed little among themselves. The SRs differed strongly with regard to subgroups, outcome measures, valency of vaccines, duration of follow-up and combination with influenza vaccination. The SRs showed that vaccination has more effect in low-risk groups, does not appear to be effective in high-risk patients and the elderly and is more effective in nonindustrialised countries. The outcomes based on the various outcome measures showed major differences. The three studies into the effectiveness of the pneumococcal vaccination in the elderly all showed major methodological shortcomings. For the majority of outcome measures the outcomes were negative. CONCLUSION: There is insufficient convincing evidence in favour of the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccination as a supplement to influenza vaccination for the elderly. It seems as if (international) opinion had already been fully formed before published studies and systematic reviews become available in the last few years. It is perhaps worth considering setting up a prospective trial in the elderly Dutch population.     

Estimated prevalence of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease in Japan in 2014: an analysis of a nationwide survey

Journal of Gastroenterology - Almost a quarter century has passed since the first nationwide survey on ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) was conducted in Japan. In this study,...     

Prevalence of and factors contributing to anxiety,depression and cognitive disorders among urban elderly in Odisha – A study through the health systems’ Lens

IntroductionGrowing geriatric mental health needs of urban population in India pose several programmatic challenges. This study aimed to assess anxiety, depression and cognitive disorders among urban elderly, and explore availability of social support mechanisms and of a responsive health system to implement the national mental health programme.Methods244 respondents were randomly selected from Berhampur city. We administered a semi-structured interview schedule to assess substance abuse, chronic morbidity, anxiety, depression and cognitive abilities. Further, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 key informants including district officials, psychiatrists, and programme managers. We used R software and ‘thematic framework’ approach, respectively, for quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Ethical standards were complied with.ResultsAbout half of the respondents were economically dependent; 57.3% had moderate to severe anxiety; 46.7% had moderate to severe depression; while about 25% had severe cognitive impairments. We found association of chewing tobacco (1.34(0.28–2.40)) and depression (0.52(0.37–0.68)) with anxiety; negative perception about elderly-friendly society (1.64(0.75–2.53)) and physical inactivity (2.88(1.60–4.16)) with depression; and age (-0.11(-0.20 – -0.02)) and physical inactivity (-3.44(-5.13 – -1.74)) with cognitive disorders. Qualitative analysis revealed lack of awareness, social stigma, poor availability of trained human resources, and poor political commitment as important systemic barriers to early detection and treatment of mental ailments among the elderly.ConclusionEstablishing tobacco cessation centres, sensitizing community about mental health needs of elderly, incentivizing physical activity of elderly, integrating mental health with primary care, multi-skilling providers and developing a cadre of community counsellors need urgent attention of policy makers and programme implementers.     

Prevention of heart failure in the elderly: when, where and how to begin?

Significant growth in the elderly population (age?≥?65?years) with heart failure (HF) has taken place in developed countries and is occurring in most developing countries. Projections from population studies in the United States, Europe and other developed countries suggest that this trend will very likely continue and tax healthcare systems worldwide. Prevention of HF in the elderly should be a healthcare priority. Preventive strategies are urgently needed to combat the rising burden of HF and related complications in elderly men and women of tomorrow. The strategies should address the aging continuum and the cumulative impact of lifelong exposure to cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and consider the associated pathobiology and pathophysiology of aging for optimal impact. Besides implementation of conventional primary and secondary prevention measures in young and older adults, more emphasis should be placed on education about the role of exposure to adverse CV risk factors from early childhood in the march to HF. More research is also needed to identify optimal HF therapies for different aging subgroups ranging from young adults to the elderly and very old based on understanding of pathobiology and pathophysiology.     

Do elderly systolic heart failure patients benefit from beta blockers to the same extent as the non-elderly? Meta-analysis of >12,000 patients in large-scale clinical trials

A meta-analysis of all-cause mortality data involving elderly and non-elderly chronic heart failure patients from 5 completed beta-blocker trials revealed that elderly and non-elderly chronic heart failure patients derived considerable prognostic benefit from beta-blocker therapy without a statistically significant difference in mortality reduction between the 2 groups.