Four-Month High-Dose Rifampicin Regimens for Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Shorter but effective tuberculosis treatment regimens would be of value to the tuberculosis treatment community. High-dose rifampicin has been associated with more rapid and secure lung sterilization and may enable shorter tuberculosis treatment regimens. METHODS: We randomly assigned adults who were given a diagnosis of rifampicin-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis to a 6-month control regimen, a similar 4-month regimen of rifampicin at 1200 mg/d (study regimen 1 [SR1]), or a 4-month regimen of rifampicin at 1800 mg/d (study regimen 2 [SR2]).

COVID-19: using chest CT of major trauma patients to monitor and evaluate the second wave in London and the development of routine monitoring in practice.

Aim: To follow-up previous work evaluating incidental findings of COVID-19 signs on computed tomography (CT) images of major trauma patients to include the second wave prior to any major effects from vaccines.

Materials And Methods: The study population included all patients admitted following major trauma between 1 January 2020 and 28 February 2021 with CT including the lungs (n=1776). Major trauma patients admitted pre-COVID-19 from alternate months from January 2019 to November 2019 comprised a control group (n=837).

COVID-19: using chest CT of major trauma patients to monitor and evaluate the effect of lockdown and the importance of household size.

Aim: To use theory and practice to show how disease progression and regression can be described pre- and post-lockdown using an attack-sustain-decline-respite (ASDR) model and investigate how pre-lockdown disease prevalence and household size impacts on the effectiveness of lockdown.

Materials And Methods: Computed tomography (CT) scans from major trauma patients (considered as a random population sample) from the radiology department of St George's University Hospitals NHS Trust, London, have been used to explore COVID-19 disease at the population level.

Results: At lockdown on 23 March 2020 in the catchment area of St George's University Hospitals NHS Trust, an earlier paper showed that there was a high prevalence of disease of >20%.

COVID-19: could CT provide the best population level biomarker? Incidental COVID-19 in major trauma patients suggests higher than predicted rates of infection in London.

Aim: To evaluate incidental findings in major trauma patients, and to explore whether computed tomography (CT) could be used to assess prevalence and estimate disease spread in the general population.

Materials And Methods: The study population included all patients admitted following major trauma between 1 January 2020 and 30 April 2020 with CT including the lungs (n=523). Major trauma patients admitted pre-COVID-19 from 1-31 January and 1-31 March 2019 comprised a control group (n=252).