N-acetylcysteine modulates markers of oxidation, inflammation and infection in tuberculosis.

Background: Half the global tuberculosis health burden is due to post-tuberculosis lung disease. Host-directed therapies have been proposed to reduce this burden. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) provides the conditionally essential amino acid cysteine required for synthesis of glutathione, an antioxidant thiol.

Optimizing delivery strategies for 3HP TB preventive treatment in Tanzania: A qualitative study on acceptability of family approach in HIV care and treatment centers.

Tanzania rolled-out a 12-dose, weekly regimen of isoniazid plus rifapentine (3HP) TB preventive treatment in January 2024. The 3HP completion rate is generally ≥80%, varying by delivery strategy and programmatic setting. Before the roll-out, a mixed methods study was conducted to assess whether a family approach involving family member support, SMS reminders, and three health education sessions was acceptable and optimized 3HP uptake and completion.

Impact of point-of-care birth test-and-treat on clinical outcomes among infants with HIV: A cluster randomized trial in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Background: We assessed the impact of point-of-care (PoC) test-and-treat at birth on clinical outcomes and viral suppression among HIV-positive infants in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Methods: This cluster-randomized trial allocated health facilities to intervention, providing PoC-testing and antiretroviral treatment (ART) at birth and week 4-8, or control, starting these at week 4-8. The primary outcome was proportions of clinical events (mortality, morbidity, retention, virological failure, toxicity) among HIV-positive infants at month-18.

Spirometric reference equations and lung function testing in adults from Southwestern Tanzania.

Background: The increasing relevance of lung function testing in diagnosing and treating pulmonary diseases globally requires adequate spirometric reference equations. However, locally derived reference standards from African countries are widely missing.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Southwestern Tanzania.

Adjunctive N-Acetylcysteine and Lung Function in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Background: Tuberculosis remains a global health concern, and half of cured patients have permanent lung injury. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has shown beneficial antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects in preclinical tuberculosis models. We examined its effects on tuberculosis treatment outcomes.

Expanding Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra® and LF-LAM testing for diagnosis of tuberculosis among HIV-positive adults admitted to hospitals in Tanzania and Mozambique: a randomized controlled trial (the EXULTANT trial).

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Current WHO-recommended strategies for diagnosing TB among hospitalized PLHIV rely on symptom screening and disease severity to assess eligibility for urine lipoarabinomannan lateral flow (LF-LAM) and molecular testing. Despite these recommendations, autopsy studies show a large burden of undiagnosed TB among admitted PLHIV.

Perceived access to social support during and after TB treatment in Mbeya and Songwe regions, Tanzania: perspectives from TB patients and survivors set against health care providers.

Introduction: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) remains a life-threatening disease in Tanzania, with negative physical, financial, economic and psychosocial consequences to individuals and the society. It mainly lowers the quality of life of patients, survivors and their families, especially those in the poorest and socially deprived categories.

Objectives: To report and discuss a qualitative study that assessed the nature of social support desired and received by PTB patients and survivors.

A pilot cross-sectional study of non-communicable diseases in TB household contacts.

Background: Data on the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in TB household contacts (HHCs) are limited, yet important to inform integrated screening and care for NCD within contact investigations. It is also unclear if screening these contacts reveals more people with NCDs than individuals in the same neighbourhood.

Method: We conducted a pilot cross-sectional study in South Africa and Tanzania, enrolling adult HHCs of TB and individuals in neighbourhood households (controls).

Xpert HIV-1 qual point-of-care testing for HIV early infant diagnosis in Tanzania: experiences and perceptions of health care workers in a 2016 study.

Background: HIV early infant diagnosis (HEID) at the centralized laboratory faces many challenges that impact the cascade of timely HEID. Point of Care (PoC) HEID has shown to reduce test turnaround times, allow for task shifting and has the potential to reduce infant mortality. We aimed at assessing the feasibility of nurse based PoC-HEID in five facilities of Mbeya region.

Study protocol: a pragmatic, cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of implementation of the Truenat platform/MTB assays at primary health care clinics in Mozambique and Tanzania (TB-CAPT CORE).

Background: In 2020, the WHO-approved Molbio Truenat platform and MTB assays to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) and resistance to rifampicin directly on sputum specimens. This primary health care center-based trial in Mozambique and Tanzania investigates the effect of Truenat platform/MTB assays (intervention arm) combined with rapid communication of results compared to standard of care on TB diagnosis and treatment initiation for microbiologically confirmed TB at 7 days from enrolment.

Methods: The Tuberculosis Close the Gap, Increase Access, and Provide Adequate Therapy (TB-CAPT) CORE trial employs a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled design to evaluate the impact of a streamlined strategy for delivery of Truenat platform/MTB assays testing at primary health centers.

Burden and associated phenotypic characteristics of tuberculosis infection in adult Africans with diabetes: a systematic review.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of developing tuberculosis infection (TBI). However, the evidence on the burden and phenotypic characteristics of TBI in African patients with DM is limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and characterisation of TBI in native African patients living with DM.

Performance of spirometry assessment at TB diagnosis.

Spirometry is considered relevant for the diagnosis and monitoring of post-TB lung disease. However, spirometry is rarely done in newly diagnosed TB patients. Newly diagnosed, microbiologically confirmed TB patients were recruited for the study.

Qualification of the differential leukocyte count and immunophenotyping in cryopreserved ex vivo whole blood assay.

We developed a flow cytometry-based assay, termed Differential Leukocyte Counting and Immunophenotyping in Cryopreserved Ex vivo whole blood (DLC-ICE), that allows quantification of absolute counts and frequencies of leukocyte subsets and measures expression of activation, phenotypic and functional markers. We evaluated the performance of the DLC-ICE assay by determining inter-operator variability for processing fresh whole blood (WB) from healthy donors collected at multiple clinical sites. In addition, we assessed inter-operator variability for staining of fixed cells and robustness across different anticoagulants.

Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Quality of Life among School Students in the Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey When Returning to School after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Increasing evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) can reduce depression and anxiety in adolescents. At the same time, quality of life (QoL) is sensitive to both mental health and PA, but little is known about the mechanism between these three variables among adolescents. This study aimed to assess the physical activity, mental health, and quality of life of school students when they returned to school after two years of distance learning in the Jazan region.

HIV testing and linkage to care-A case of a mobile diagnostic and counseling service in Mbeya, Tanzania; A quantitative study.

HIV-care programmes are faced with significant challenges in getting newly diagnosed People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV) linked to care despite massive investment in HIV prevention, treatment and care. This study assessed the performance of mobile HIV Testing and Counseling service (mHTC) in provision of HIV-testing and linkage to care of newly diagnosed PLHIV from Key and Vulnerable Populations (KVPs). A retrospective review of the records of 25,248 clients was extracted from the mHTC database from October-2016 to September-2018.

Performance of Tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay Compared to Alere TB-LAM in Urine of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients with HIV Co-Infections.

Alternative tools are needed to improve the detection of () in HIV co-infections. We evaluated the utility of Tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay (TB-MBLA) compared to lipoarabinomannan (LAM) to detect in urine. Sputum Xpert MTB/RIF-positive patients were consented to provide urine at baseline, weeks 2, 8, 16, and 24 of treatment for TB-MBLA, culture, and LAM.

Systematic assessment of clinical and bacteriological markers for tuberculosis reveals discordance and inaccuracy of symptom-based diagnosis for treatment response monitoring.

Background: Clinical symptoms are the benchmark of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and monitoring of treatment response but are not clear how they relate to TB bacteriology, particularly the novel tuberculosis-molecular bacterial load assay (TB-MBLA).

Methods: Presumptive cases were bacteriologically confirmed for TB and assessed for symptoms and bacteriological resolution using smear microscopy (SM), culture, and TB-MBLA over 6-month treatment course. Kaplan-Meier and Kappa statistics were used to test the relationship between symptoms and bacteriological positivity.

Indicators of optimal diabetes care and burden of diabetes complications in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Contemporary data on the attainment of optimal diabetes treatment goals and the burden of diabetes complications in adult populations with type 2 diabetes in Africa are lacking. We aimed to document the current status of attainment of three key indicators of optimal diabetes care and the prevalence of five diabetes complications in adult African populations with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We systematically searched Embase, PubMed and the Cochrane library for published studies from January 2000 to December 2020.

Diagnosis of paediatric TB using Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra on fresh respiratory samples.

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) on fresh respiratory samples for the diagnosis of pulmonary TB (PTB) in children. Between July 2017 and December 2019, children with presumed TB were prospectively enrolled at clinical sites in three African countries. Children were assessed using history, physical examination and chest X-ray.

Rifapentine and isoniazid for prevention of tuberculosis in people with diabetes (PROTID): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of tuberculosis (TB) and will hamper global TB control due to the dramatic rise in type 2 DM in TB-endemic settings. In this trial, we will examine the efficacy and safety of TB preventive therapy against the development of TB disease in people with DM who have latent TB infection (LTBI), with a 12-week course of rifapentine and isoniazid (3HP).

Methods: The 'Prevention of tuberculosis in diabetes mellitus' (PROTID) consortium will randomise 3000 HIV-negative eligible adults with DM and LTBI, as evidenced by a positive tuberculin skin test or interferon gamma release assay, to 12 weeks of 3HP or placebo.

Health-related quality of life and psychological distress among adults in Tanzania: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Little data is available on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health of the general population in Tanzania. We aimed to describe HRQoL and level of psychological distress among adults in Mbeya and Songwe Regions of Tanzania.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study between April and October 2019 in Mbeya and Songwe Regions.

Treatment outcomes of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients with or without human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in Africa and Asia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Treatment outcomes of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) is a challenge, especially in resource limited settings. The aim of this study was to compare whether Human Immune Virus (HIV) has influence on the treatment outcomes of MDRTB among patients in Africa and Asia.

Methods: Studies were searched from PubMed, Google scholar, African Journals online, EBSCOhost and CENTRAL from year 2000 until January 2021.