Xpert MTB/RIF is a rapid test to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and rifampicin-resistant TB. Cost and affordability will influence its uptake. We assessed the cost, globally and in 36 high-burden countries, of two strategies for diagnosing TB and multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB: Xpert with follow-on diagnostics, and conventional diagnostics. Costs were compared with funding available for TB care and c...

The outcome and final diagnoses of patients with symptoms and/or signs suggestive of polyneuropathy, but with normal electrophysiological studies, were investigated. All patients who presented at the outpatient clinic between 1993 and 1998 with signs and symptoms suggestive of polyneuropathy, but in whom electrophysiological studies were normal, were included. We retrospectively collected data ...

background brucellosis as a zoonotic infectious disease is endemic in iran and due to the variation in clinical and laboratory findings, its diagnosis is often delayed. objectives the aim of this study was to determine clinical and laboratory aspects of the disease in khuzestan. patients and methods medical records of 81 admitted patients with a diagnosis of brucellosis were reviewed. the study...

introduction:temporomandibular disorders (tmds) are referred to signs and symptoms involving masti catory muscles, temporomandibular joint and rele vant structures. having been prevalent noticeably, we decided to evaluate the frequency of tmd, among patients referred to the dental clinic of guilan university of medical sciences. materials and methods: in this cross-sectional study, a sample of ...

Background & Aims: Ulcerative colitis is one of the inflammatory bowel diseases with unknown etiology. Genetic and environmental factors are thought to be effective in this disease. According to the limited studies in our country, general assessment of demographic features and clinical symptoms seems to be essential. Methods: In this prospective and cross-sectional study, 85 cases of ulcerat...

BACKGROUND Few longitudinal studies describe the relationship between somatic symptoms and family disagreements. We examined changes over time in somatic symptoms, family disagreements, their interrelationships, and whether these patterns differed between individuals treated for depression (depression group) and individuals from the same community (community group). METHODS We followed partic...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week Pilates exercise program on menopausal symptoms and lumbar strength and flexibility in postmenopausal women. In total, 74 postmenopausal women were recruited and randomly allocated to a Pilates exercise group (n=45) and a control group (n=29). Menopausal symptoms were measured through a questionnaire, while lumbar strength was me...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to construct a measurement instrument for climacteric symptoms among Korean and Japanese women. METHODS From Dec. 1st of 2003 to March 30th of 2004, in-depth interviews were made with 26 women (15 in Jinju, Korea and 11 in Nagasaki, Japan) aged from 45 to 59 years who had not taken hormone replacement therapy to relieve the climacteric symptoms. A draft q...

BACKGROUND AND AIM The infection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is acquired in childhood and the prevalence vary greatly in different countries and regions. The study aimed to investigate the characteristics of H. pylori infection among children with gastrointestinal symptoms in Hangzhou, a representative city of eastern China. METHODS A systematic surveillance of H. pylori infection acco...

AIM To investigate how individuals fulfilling the Rome II criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) spontaneously described their symptoms. METHOD From a general population, 1,244 randomly sampled adults were asked to describe their gastrointestinal symptoms (if any) verbally, in their own words, at a semi-structured interview. Their own descriptions were sorted into five symptom clusters. ...