Culture conversion and six months interim outcomes in retreatment cases of pulmonary MDRTB - a six month interim analysis.

Objective: To estimate the time to culture conversion and factors associated with failure to culture conversion, six-month interim outcomes and associated risk factors with poor interim outcomes in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients previously treated with second-line drugs.

Methods: The prospective clinical case series study was conducted from March 2016 to January 2017 at the Indus Hospital Tuberculosis Clinic and seven other sites that are part of the hospital's Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis initiative. All bacteriologically confirmed multi-drug resistant tuberculosis retreatment patients were enrolled.

Sustained virological response based on rapid virological response in genotype-3 chronic hepatitis C treated with standard interferon in the Pakistani population.

Aim: To document the sustained virological response (SVR) in rapid virological responders (RVR) of genotype-3 chronic hepatitis C with standard interferon (SdIF).

Methods: Hepatitis C genotype-3 patients during the period July 2006 and June 2007 were included. Complete blood counts, prothrombin time, ALT, albumin, qualitative HCV RNA were done.