Tuberculosis impacts multiple aspects in quality of life in a Romanian cohort of drug-susceptible and drug resistant patients: A patient-reported outcome measures study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB), and especially its drug resistant forms, is responsible for not only significant mortality, but also considerable morbidity, still under-quantified. This study used four Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) to assess the status of persons affected by drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB during their TB treatment or after treatment completion, in Romania, the highest TB burden country in the EU.

Methods: People affected by TB in two different regions in Romania were included during and after treatment, following a cross-sectional design.

Decoding the Identity of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir Wines: A Comprehensive Chemometric Fusion of Sensory (from Dual Panel) and Chemical Analysis.

Quantitative relations between the sensory overall quality (OQJ) of commercial single grape variety Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir wines, defined using specific sensory attributes, and the most influencing chemical components were investigated in commercial wines from different international origins. Multiple factor analysis (MFA) was applied to achieve a comprehensive map of the quality of the samples while multivariate regression models were applied to each varietal wine to determine the sensory attributes influencing OQJ the most and to understand how the combinations of the volatile compounds influenced the olfactory sensory attributes. For Pinot Gris wine, OQJ was positively correlated with sensory attributes, like "floral" aroma, "stone-fruit" flavor, "yellow" color, "caramelized" aroma, and "tropical fruit" aroma according to an Italian panel.

Estimating the epidemic growth dynamics within the first week.

Information about the early growth of infectious outbreaks is indispensable to estimate the epidemic spreading. A large number of mathematical tools have been developed to this end, facing as much large number of different dynamic evolutions, ranging from sub-linear to super-exponential growth. Of course, the crucial point is that we do not have enough data during the initial outbreak phase to make reliable inferences.

European shortage of purified protein derivative and its impact on tuberculosis screening practices.

Setting: In June 2014, we became aware that shortages of purified protein derivative (PPD), the test substance used for the tuberculin skin test (TST), had occurred in several European health care institutions providing care for children with tuberculosis (TB).

Objective: To establish the extent of the shortage, a survey was performed.

Design: Survey conducted over a 1-month period (June-July 2014) among members of the Paediatric Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group (ptbnet).

Solid-phase de novo synthesis of a (+/-)-2-deoxy-glycoside.

The solid-phase synthesis of methyl 2-deoxy-3-O-benzyl-D,L-arabino-hexopyranoside was achieved in a six-step sequence via a de novo strategy based on the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of a vinyl ether supported on an azalactone-functionalized polystyrene resin, followed by the functional modification of the heteroadduct and the final release of the methyl glycoside by acidic solvolysis.

Italian healthcare workers' views on mandatory vaccination.

Background: Mandatory vaccination has contributed to the success of immunisation programmes but voluntary vaccination allows people to be responsible for their own health. There are benefits from both policies and the arguments between them remain subject to debate within and without the scientific community, both nationally and internationally. The aim of this study is to assess the opinions of those who actually work in the Vaccination Service.

An audit of vaccination coverage among vaccination service workers in Puglia, Italy.

The aim of the study is to assess the determining factors and the level of vaccination coverage for those vaccinations recommended to health care workers. The employees of the Apulian Vaccination Services were given an interview-based standardized anonymous questionnaire. Of the 302 replies from the employees, 54.

High risk of tuberculosis in health care workers in Romania.

Setting: The main university hospital in Iasi, Romania.

Objective: To assess whether health care workers (HCWs) have a higher risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB) than the general population, and if TB incidence varies between departments, to develop adequate infection control measures.

Design: All records of TB cases among HCWs were reviewed by cross-checking laboratory and medical records (retrospectively, 1971--1996; prospectively 1997--2003, following the implementation of the first World Health Organization pilot project in Romania).

[The efficacy of the intensive, short-duration chemotherapy of patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis].

This study was carried out on 100 cases of cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis in patients eliminating tuberculosis bacilli, as noted at microscopic study. The treatment included four drugs (RHSZ) in 95 case, and 3 drugs in the remaining patients. All the treatments were tailored to individual needs.

[Evolution of chronic pulmonary tuberculosis and the possibility of preventing chronicization (in the Iaşi judicial district)].

The instantaneous prevalence of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis has been evaluated; the patients were included in the dispensarization group I between 1974 and 1980. Initially there was a decrease of the prevalence of the patients in Group I B but over the last years this was stable at 11.7-13.

[The value of bacteriological controls in the epidemiological studies of tuberculosis].

The authors make an analysis of bacteriological data concerning patients with tuberculosis from a certain area (the Jassy County) which have been recorded between 1971 and 1980. An analysis is presented of the instantaneous and of the maximal prevalence of tuberculous bacilli carriers in the urban and the rural environments, and the incidence of tuberculosis in children and adults, also in the urban and the rural media. Some other aspects are studied of primary drug resistance, as well as of secondary resistance.

[Evolution of endemic tuberculosis in the Iaşi District: between 1972 and 1980].

Continuing our longitudinal study on the evolution of the tuberculosis endemic in the Iaşi district, the epidemiometric indicators recorded between 1972 and 1980 were estimated. It was noticed that the epidemiological state of tuberculosis has improved considerably. The instantaneous prevalence of the bacillary patients decreased with 72% and the maximum one with 66.

[Informational system in prevention and integrated fight against tuberculosis].

The authors have sent out a special form to a total of 50 specialists and general practitioners, and their answers it appeared that these physicians consider necessary to review and to render more technical the system used for the information in view of the prevention and the integrated fight against tuberculosis. The authors recall the fundamental technical notions in this connection and present the generators and the recipients of information related to the fight against tuberculosis, the informational flow in the anti-tuberculous activity, the standardized informational instruments of the Ministry of Health and the informational channels which are accessible in the practice. In conclusion the authors present the stocking and the transfer of anti-tuberculous information, synthesized on a functional representation of the informational system in the prevention and the integrated fight against tuberculosis.

[Evaluation of initial supervised and integrated treatment of tuberculosis].

The operational and technical efficiencies were evaluated, of the initial, intermittently administered chemotherapy, supervised and integrated by the general medical network. The treatment was applied in 160 patients detected in 53 rural medical districts. It was noted that under the operational aspect the treatment was applied in 100% of the eligible patients, and administration of all the necessary doses was achieved in 91,6% of the patients.