Results of community-based TB and HIV screening among transgender women and male sex workers in Pakistan.

In Pakistan and globally, a large proportion of people with TB who are not receiving treatment are key populations with poor access to diagnosis and care. Transgender women and male sex workers (MSW) are heavily stigmatized and marginalized groups. While HIV rates are well documented among these key populations, little such data exists for TB.

Proportion of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To determine the proportion of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its association with the severity and worsening of the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: A prospective, questionnaire based, case control, analytical study was conducted in the Department of Pulmonology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi during June 2002 to January 2005. Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms were compared between 100 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and 150 control subjects.

Diagnostic yield of fast plaque TB test for rapid detection of Mycobacterium in tuberculosis suspects.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic yield of FAST Plaque TB test with the conventional methods for detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum of Tuberculosis suspects at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center Karachi Pakistan.

Methods: A comparative study of diagnostic yield of FAST Plaque TB test with the culture and ZN staining, conducted from January to June 2004.

Results: The study was completed on 48 samples, 31 (64.