Publications by authors named "Peter D O Davies"

Objective: To assess the efficacy of weekly zinc or zinc plus retinol as adjuncts for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Methods:   Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 350 patients >15 years old with smear-positive tuberculosis in Nigeria (ISRCTN36636609). In addition to antituberculous treatment, patients were randomly allocated to weekly supplements of zinc (90 mg), zinc plus retinol (5000 IU) or placebos for 6 months.

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ABSTRACT Although tuberculosis (TB) has its highest burden among young adults, especially since the advent of HIV infection, two other groups with low immunity, the very young (<1 year) with immature immunity and the elderly (>65 years) with waning immunity, are vulnerable groups not to be forgotten. This review describes the epidemiology, clinical aspects, public health aspects and outcome of TB in patients at the extremes of age. The epidemiology differs therein that TB in infants occurs in developing countries with high incidences of TB and HIV, while TB in the elderly occurs in developed countries with ageing populations.

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Objective. To describe the yield of smear-microscopy and radiological findings by male and female patients with symptoms of tuberculosis in Abuja, Nigeria. Methods.

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Tuberculosis (TB) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) carry a significant burden in terms of morbidity and mortality worldwide. This review article focuses on different aspects of Tuberculosis in terms of the relationship with COPD such as in the development of chronic airflow obstruction as a sequel to active TB and reviewing the key role of cigarette smoking in the pathogenesis of both conditions. Patients diagnosed with TB may often have extensive co-morbidity such as COPD and the effect of an underlying diagnosis of COPD on outcomes in TB is also reviewed.

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Our aim was to describe the frequency of HIV infection among patients with tuberculosis and compare their characteristics with patients with TB but not infected with HIV. Patients with cough >3 weeks duration attending 8 hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria were screened with smear microscopy and culture and tested for HIV. Chest X-rays were graded by 2 readers.

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Tuberculosis is responsible for 2 million deaths worldwide and 8 million new cases are reported globally every year. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an emerging and difficult public health problem worldwide. In the presence of resistance to key first-line antituberculous agents, treatment with less effective and more toxic second-line agents must be instituted.

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Directly Observed Therapy Shortcourse (DOTS) is composed of five distinct elements: political commitment; microscopy services; drug supplies; surveillance and monitoring systems and use of highly efficacious regimens; and direct observation of treatment. The difference in the way the term 'DOTS' as defined by WHO and interpreted by many observers has led to some misunderstanding. WHO generally uses the term to mean the five components of DOTS.

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The history of chemotherapy of tuberculosis commenced in 1944 with the discovery of streptomycin. Currently, short-course chemotherapy comprising rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide and ethambutol/streptomycin administered under directly observed settings for 6 months (initially all four drugs followed by the former two drugs), constitutes the cornerstone treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis requires alternative chemotherapy, ideally in the form of individualised regimens, for management.

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