Difficulties in distinguishing silicosis and pulmonary tuberculosis in silica-exposed gold miners: A report of four cases.

Silicosis and tuberculosis (TB) are both global health concerns, with high prevalence among miners from the South African gold mines. Although knowledge has accumulated about these two conditions as distinct diseases since the early 20th century, and despite progress in technology with multiple diagnostic tools and treatment options available for TB, the challenge of distinguishing and therefore efficiently managing these two conditions in this population remains as current as it was 100 years ago. To illustrate the diagnostic and health service problems of distinguishing TB and silicosis clinically and radiologically in former gold miners from the South African mines living in resource-poor areas, we discuss four cases reviewed for this report by a panel of experts.

The Association between the Histological Subtypes of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Characteristics.

Asbestos mining operations have left South Africa with a legacy of asbestos contamination and asbestos-related diseases continue to be a problem. The large-scale mining of three types of asbestos presents a unique opportunity to study malignant mesothelioma of the pleura (mesothelioma) in South Africa. This study aimed to describe the demographics of deceased individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma and explore any associations between the histological morphology of mesothelioma and asbestos characteristics.

Accuracy of Computer-Aided Detection of Occupational Lung Disease: Silicosis and Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Ex-Miners from the South African Gold Mines.

Background: Computer-aided detection (CAD) of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and silicosis among ex-miners from the South African gold mines has the potential to ease the backlog of lung examinations in clinical screening and medical adjudication for miners' compensation. This study aimed to determine whether CAD systems developed to date primarily for TB were able to identify TB (without distinction between prior and active disease) and silicosis (or "other abnormality") in this population.

Methods: A total of 501 chest X-rays (CXRs) from a screening programme were submitted to two commercial CAD systems for detection of "any abnormality", TB (any) and silicosis.

Comparison of digital and film chest radiography for detection and medical surveillance of silicosis in a setting with a high burden of tuberculosis.

Background: Continuing use of analog film and digital chest radiography for screening and surveillance for pneumoconiosis and tuberculosis in lower and middle income countries raises questions of equivalence of disease detection. This study compared analog to digital images for intra-rater agreement across formats and prevalence of changes related to silicosis and tuberculosis among South African gold miners using the International Labour Organization classification system.

Methods: Miners with diverse radiological presentations of silicosis and tuberculosis were recruited.

Asbestos-related diseases in mineworkers: a clinicopathological study.

The accurate diagnosis of asbestos-related diseases is important because of past and current asbestos exposures. This study evaluated the reliability of clinical diagnoses of asbestos-related diseases in former mineworkers using autopsies as the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated.

Meteorologically estimated exposure but not distance predicts asthma symptoms in schoolchildren in the environs of a petrochemical refinery: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Community concern about asthma prompted an epidemiological study of children living near a petrochemical refinery in Cape Town, South Africa. Because of resource constraints and the complexity of refinery emissions, neither direct environmental measurements nor modelling of airborne pollutants was possible. Instead a meteorologically derived exposure metric was calculated with the refinery as the putative point source.

Nervous system effects of occupational manganese exposure on South African manganese mineworkers.

Occupational exposure to airborne manganese dust has been shown to produce adverse effects on the central nervous system. Four hundred and eighty-nine blue and white collar manganese mineworkers from South Africa were studied cross-sectionally to investigate the nervous system effects of medium to low occupational manganese exposures. The different facilities included underground mines, surface processing plants, and office locations.