Treatment Outcomes and Adverse Drug Effects of Ethambutol, Cycloserine, and Terizidone for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in South Africa.

Treatment outcomes among multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients receiving ethambutol, cycloserine, or terizidone as part of a standardized regimen were compared, determining occurrence of serious adverse drug events (SADEs). Newly diagnosed adult MDR-TB patients were enrolled between 2000 and 2004, receiving a standardized multidrug regimen for 18 to 24 months, including ethambutol, cycloserine, or terizidone. Cycloserine and terizidone were recorded individually.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment failure detection depends on monitoring interval and microbiological method.

Debate persists about monitoring method (culture or smear) and interval (monthly or less frequently) during treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). We analysed existing data and estimated the effect of monitoring strategies on timing of failure detection.We identified studies reporting microbiological response to MDR-TB treatment and solicited individual patient data from authors.

Serious treatment related adverse drug reactions amongst anti-retroviral naïve MDR-TB patients.

Background: Globally treatment outcomes for multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remain poor and this is compounded by high drug toxicity. Little is known about the influence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) on treatment outcomes in South Africa.

Methods: We evaluated the impact of severe ADRs among a prospective cohort of MDR-TB patients in South Africa (2000-2004).

Antimycobacterial flavonoids from the leaf extract of Galenia africana.

The bioassay-guided fractionation of the EtOH extract of the leaves of Galenia africana led to the isolation of three known flavonoids, (2S)-5,7,2'-trihydroxyflavanone (1), (E)-3,2',4'-trihydroxychalcone (2), and (E)-2',4'-dihydroxychalcone (3), and the new (E)-3,2',4'-trihydroxy-3'-methoxychalcone (4). Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited moderate antituberculosis activity. During synergistic studies, a combination of compound 4 and an existing antituberculosis drug, isoniazid, reduced their original MICs 4-fold, resulting in a fractional inhibitory concentration of 0.

Developing a Study Orientation Questionnaire in Mathematics for primary school students.

The Study Orientation Questionnaire in Mathematics (Primary) is being developed as a diagnostic measure for South African teachers and counsellors to help primary school students improve their orientation towards the study of mathematics. In this study, participants were primary school students in the North-West Province of South Africa. During the standardisation in 2007, 1,013 students (538 boys: M age = 12.

A molecular epidemiologic investigation of Salmonella from a meat source to the feces of captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

Low cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) birth rates were observed for a long time in a captive breeding facility in which Salmonella, which was possibly present in contaminated beef, was isolated from still-born lion (Panthera leo) cubs. Salmonella, including 14 isolates of Salmonella serovar typhimurium and 19 isolates of Salmonella serovar muenchen, was subsequently isolated 47 times from 378 meat samples at the facility during a 13-mo period. Salmonella, including 26 isolates of S.