Scaling up collaborative TB-HIV activities in Latin America.

TB-HIV collaborative activities are one of the cornerstones of TB control in the Stop TB strategy. Since 2003, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have been gradually implementing TB-HIV collaborative activities; however, limited information is currently available on the degree of implementation. This study is therefore aimed at describing to what degree TB-HIV collaborative activities are being implemented in 17 countries selected for the study. These countries were asked to complete a semi-structured questionnaire. An analysis of this questionnaire revealed that the challenges for TB-HIV collaboration lie in the fields of human resources, surveillance and HIV testing of TB patients.

[Acute interstitial nephritis and uveitis in the adult: apropos of 3 cases]. / Néphrite interstitielle aiguë avec uvéite chez l'adulte: à propos de trois observations.

Acute renal failure due to tubulo-interstitial nephritis accompanied by uveitis has been observed in 3 young women (TINU syndrome). In these 3 cases, the nephropathy was preceded (1-3 months) by asthenia, anorexia, weight loss and a major inflammatory syndrome. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) administration was noted. In 2 cases, uveitis appeared after the nephropathy had subsided. Renal biopsies performed in the 3 patients revealed mainly interstitial changes with mononuclear cell infiltration; immunofluorescence studies were negative. Although the severity of renal failure varied among patients, renal function recovered completely, returning to normal within 2, 3 and 24 months respectively, on corticosteroid therapy. The TINU syndrome is a rare situation compared to drug-induced acute interstitial nephritis, including NSAID related-nephritis. However, the real incidence of this syndrome might be underestimated since the uveitis can appear a few weeks later and its origin may not be related to the renal episode.