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Biomedical subjects

M Aquinas

Publications and source records attributed to M Aquinas.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

Melioidosis: a serological survey in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Hong Kong.

A serological survey of 275 Chinese patients with underlying pulmonary diseases in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Hong Kong showed that 39 (14%) had haemagglutinating antibody (HA) against Pseudomonas pseudomallei in a titre of 1: 80 or above. Only 9 of these 39 patients had travelled to endemic areas, suggesting that at least 30 patients (11%) had been exposed to Ps. pseudomallei locally. Females are affected as often as males, and the seropositive rate is the same whether patients are immunosuppressed or not. Because subclinical melioidosis is prevalent and HA may persist for a long time, even at a high titre, after infection, determination of HA alone cannot differentiate between active melioidosis and its masquerade--active tuberculosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Short-course therapy for tuberculosis.

The discovery of rifampicin was the turning point away from the standard long term treatment for tuberculosis of 18 to 24 months and towards a 6-month curative programme. Rifampicin has proven to be highly effective and vital to short-course tuberculosis therapy, but its disadvantage is its cost. This makes it relatively unavailable where it is most needed, i.e. in countries where tuberculosis is still rampant, but which are economically underdeveloped. In such areas other needs take precedence over a chronic and non-spectacular medical condition like tuberculosis. During the past 10 years pyrazinamide has been 'rediscovered' and restudied, and when used in combination with rifampicin has been shown to play an important role in short-course chemotherapy. Its contribution to efficacy does not appear to extend beyond the first 2 months of therapy, and it should be discontinued after 2 months. This relatively short administration period helps to minimise adverse reactions to the drug. The main measure of success in short-course chemotherapy is the relapse rate, and this has been higher, sometimes unacceptably so, in regimens where bacteriostatic drugs were substituted for bactericidal ones. In conclusion, isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide in combination may be deemed essential to an effective short-course regimen of 6 months' duration. Curtailing the duration of treatment to less than 6 months in smear-positive tuberculosis results in high relapse rates and thus is not acceptable. Several studies have been undertaken varying the drug combinations, the dosages and the drug administration routines (i.e. whether daily followed by intermittent or intermittent throughout), in an effort to arrive at the simplest, most effective, least toxic and most economical all-round treatment programme. Such studies are still in progress. When recommended dosage regiments are followed, the incidence of adverse reactions is low with short-course therapy, and in only 5% or less of patients is it necessary to withdraw one or more drugs.

Drug Therapy, Combination↗
PubMed1972

Adverse reactions to daily and intermittent rifampicin regimens for pulmonary tuberculosis in Hong Kong.

This paper reports the nature, incidence, and severity of adverse reactions to regimens of rifampicin and ethambutol given once weekly, twice weekly, or daily and to a standard reserve regimen in a total of 330 Chinese failure patients who completed at least six months' chemotherapy in a therapeutic comparison in Hong Kong.The adverse reactions which occurred on the regimens of intermittent rifampicin were termed cutaneous, abdominal, "flu", and respiratory; in addition, purpura and abnormal liver function tests were encountered. There was an association of adverse reactions with the interval between doses and with the dose size of rifampicin, the highest incidence occurring with once-weekly rifampicin in high dosage. A procedure was developed for managing adverse reactions to intermittent rifampicin. Of 202 patients treated with intermittent rifampicin 60 developed adverse reactions, but in only 7 (3%) was it necessary to terminate the drug, though a further 10 (5%) were changed to daily rifampicin. On daily rifampicin, generalized hypersensitivity, cutaneous reactions, (one with purpura), and impaired liver function were encountered. Adverse reactions on the standard ethionamide, pyrazinamide, and cycloserine regimen were frequent and some were serious.

Alanine Transaminase↗