[The recovery of work capacity within the framework of short-term antitubercular chemotherapy]. / Recuperarea capacitatii de munca în cadrul chimioterapiei antituberculoase de scurta durata.

The authors compare the results of chemotherapy reflected in the proportion of recoveries of work capacity and the number of retired persons in two groups of patients--one including 102 cases treated between 1970 and 1971 by a 3/6 regimen, and another one including 91 patients treated in 1986 by a modern intensive 3 + 3 regimen. The data indicate better results with the 1986 lot as compared with the 1970-1971 lot. In the 1986 group there were no fatalities and the persons that recovered their work capacity represented 90.1% of the total. By contrast, in the group treated between 1970 and 1971 there were two fatalities and only 84.3% of all the patients did recover the work capacity. The number of retired persons decrease from 11.7% in the first group to 7.7% in the second. Temporary incapacity decreased from an average of 321 days to an average of 267 days in the second group. All these results were obtained by shortening the treatment from an average of 9 months to an average of 6 months.

[Clinical and epidemiological significance of isolated cultures of Koch bacillus after conclusion of chemotherapy]. / [Cercetari asupra semnificatiei clinice si epidemiologice a culturilor izolate de b.K. ulterioare încheierii chimioterapiei.

In a group of 33 patients from the Gorj, Dolj and Mehedinti Districts positive cultures of Koch bacilli were found after various intervals following the end of chemotherapy. These positive cultures were found after negative cultures were obtained repeatedly during the usual bacteriological monitoring. The "isolated" positive culture was obtained after an interval of 11,7 +/- 8,1 months after the end of the treatment. The average number of colonies in each tube was of 3,8 +/- 3, in most of the cases (63%) there were 1--2 colonies in each tube, and in only 27% there were more than 4 colonies per tube. The development of the germs was slow and the colonies were noted 32 +/- 14 days after seeding in the Löwenstein medium. All the cases have been followed, bacteriologically as well as radiologically on the average for 16 +/- 10,9 months. Chemotherapy was not taken up again in this period. In 2 cases a new positive culture was found, and these patients were considered to have recidives, and were treated again. Of the 26 contacts under the age of 20 years 5 remained uninfected at the end of the cure and did not display allergy during the period of surveillance. None of the allergic contacts developed the disease. It is concluded that after a correct therapy the development of positive cultures during bacteriological surveillance, especially if only few colonies are noted, does not means that there is a recidive, making mandatory the sustained repetition of the bacteriological investigation without taking up again the chemotherapy.