The effect of convalescent plasma therapy on the rate of nucleic acid negative conversion in patients with persistent COVID-19 test positivity.

Objective: This study investigates the association between convalescent plasma therapy and the negative conversion rate in patients with persistent COVID-19 test positivity. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with severe or mild to moderate COVID-19 whose viral nucleic acid tests remained positive for over 30 days. Patients were categorized into two groups: those who administered convalescent plasma therapy and those who were not. Data collected included information on therapy strategies used (convalescent plasma, corticosteroids, interferons, etc.), patients' demographic characteristics, comorbidities, therapeutic medications, and nucleic acid testing results. Patients in the convalescent plasma therapy group were matched 1:2 ratio with those in the non-convalescent plasma therapy group. Cumulative negative conversion rates on the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth days post-therapy initiation were analyzed as dependent variables. Independent variables included therapy strategies, demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and therapeutic medication usage. Univariate analysis was conducted, and factors with a p-value (P) less than 0.2 were included in a paired Cox proportional hazards model. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the cumulative negative conversion rate between the convalescent plasma therapy group and the non-convalescent plasma therapy group on the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth days. Specifically, on day the fifth, the negative conversion rate was 41.46% in the convalescent plasma therapy group compared to 34.15% in the non-convalescent plasma therapy group (HR: 1.72, 95% CI: 0.82-3.61, P = 0.15). On the tenth day, it was 63.41% in the convalescent plasma therapy group and 63.41% in the non-convalescent plasma therapy group (HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 0.69∼2.26, P = 0.46). On the fifteenth day, the negative conversion rate was 85.37% in the convalescent plasma therapy group and 75.61% in the non-convalescent plasma therapy group (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 0.71-1.97, P = 0.51). Conclusion: Our finding does not support the hypothesis that convalescent plasma therapy could accelerate the time to negative conversion in patients who consistently test positive for COVID-19.

Association of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Treatment on Upper Respiratory Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (SARS-Cov-2 RT-PCR) Negative Conversion Rates Among High-Risk Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

BACKGROUND: Acceleration of negative respiratory conversion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) might reduce viral transmission. Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir is a new antiviral agent recently approved for treatment of COVID-19 that has the potential to facilitate negative conversion. METHODS: A cohort of hospitalized adult patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who had a high risk for progression to severe disease were studied. These patients presented with COVID-19 symptoms between 5 March and 5 April 2022. The time from positive to negative upper respiratory reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) conversion was assessed by Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox proportional hazards regression with the adjustment for patients' baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: There were 258 patients treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and 224 nontreated patients who had mild-to-moderate COVID-19. The median (interquartile range) time for patients who converted from positive to negative RT-PCR was 10 days (7-12 days) in patients treated ≤5 days after symptom onset and 17 days (12-21 days) in nontreated patients. The proportions of patients with a negative conversion at day 15 were 89.7% and 42.0% in treated patients and nontreated patients, corresponding to a hazard ratio of 4.33 (95% confidence interval, 3.31-5.65). Adjustment for baseline differences between the groups had little effect on the association. Subgroup analysis on treated patients suggests that time to negative conversion did not vary with the patients' baseline characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: This cohort study of high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 found an association between nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment and accelerated negative RT-PCR respiratory SARS-CoV-2 conversion that might reduce the risk of viral shedding and disease transmission.

Clinical efficacy of Jingyin granules, a Chinese patent medicine, in treating patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: Jingyin granules (JY), one patented Chinese herbal formula, have been advised for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. As of now, the safety and effectiveness of JY in treating COVID-19 patients were still to be evaluated. PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and clinical effectiveness of JY in treating mild COVID-19 patients. STUDY DESIGN: We carried out a prospective cohort study, as the highly infectious COVID-19 omicron variant ranged in Shanghai (ClinicalTrial.gov registration number: ChiCTR2200058692). METHODS: Participants infected with COVID-19, who were diagnosed as mild cases, were assigned to receive either JY (JY group) or traditional Chinese medicine placebo (placebo group) orally for 7 days. The primary clinical indicators were the RNA negative conversion rate (NCR) and the incidence of severe cases. The secondary clinical indicators were the negative conversion time (NCT), inpatient length of stay (ILOS), and the disappearance rates of clinical symptoms. RESULTS: Nine hundred participants were recruited in this clinical trial study, and 830 patients met the eligibility criteria. Seven hundred and ninety-one patients, accomplished the following-up assessment, including 423 cases of JY group and 368 cases of placebo group. NCR in JY group at 7-day posttreatment was considerably greater compared with placebo group (89.8% [380/423] vs 82.6% [304/368], P = 0.003). None of the patients with mild COVID-19 developed into severe cases. The median NCT of SARS-CoV-2 and ILOS in JY group were lesser than that in placebo group (4.0 [3.0,6.0]vs 5.0 [4.0,7.0] days, P < 0.001; 6.0 [4.0, 8.0] vs 7.0 [5.0, 9.0] days, P < 0.001). In both groups, the obvious improvement in clinical symptoms was observed, but the difference was not significant. In the subgroup of age ≤ 60 years, JY promoted SARS-CoV-2 RNA negative conversion (HR=1.242; 95% CI: 1.069-1.444, P < 0.001). No patients in both groups were reported as the case of serious adverse event. CONCLUSION: JY maybe the potential medicine for treating mild COVID-19 patients, which had beneficial effects on increasing NCR, and shortening NCT and ILOS.

Traditional Chinese Medicine JingYinGuBiao Formula Therapy Improves the Negative Conversion Rate of SARS-CoV2 in Patients with Mild COVID-19.

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) JingYinGuBiao formula (JYGB) was recommended by the Expert consensus on Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 infection in Shanghai. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of JYGB in treating mild COVID-19 patients. Methods: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted (ClinicalTrial.gov registration number: ChiCTR2200058695). A total of 885 patients were randomized into the treatment group (administration of JYGB,n=508) or the control group (administration of TCM placebo, n=377) with 7-day treatment. The primary outcomes were the negative conversion rate and negative conversion time of SARS-CoV2 RNA. Secondary outcomes included the hospitalized days and symptom improvement. Results: A total of 490 and 368 patients in the treatment and control groups completed the study. The cumulative negative conversion rates at 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, and 6 days post randomization in the treatment group were all markedly higher than those in the control group (13.88% vs. 9.24%, P=0.04; 32.24% vs. 16.58%, P<0.001; 51.43% vs. 36.14%, P <0.001; 77.76% vs. 69.84%, P=0.008). Compared with the control group, after JYGB treatment, the median negative conversion time (4.0 [3.0-6.0] vs. 5.0 [4.0-7.0] days, P<0.001) and hospitalized days (6.0 [4.0-8.0] vs. 7.0 [5.0-9.0] days, P<0.001) were reduced. While the symptoms were improved, there were no significant differences in symptom disappearance rates between both groups. In addition, further sub-group analysis showed that for patients with interval time ≤4 days or patients≤ 60 years, the clinical effects of JYGB were more remarkable with an increase in cumulative negative conversion rates, a decrease in negative conversion time and hospitalized days. JYGB was well tolerated without any severe side effects. Conclusion: JYGB, a TCM prescription, improves the negative conversion rate of SARS-CoV2 in mild COVID-19 patients.

The Association Between the Albumin and Viral Negative Conversion Rate in Patients Infected with Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Purpose: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic is the severe global pandemic with large numbers of infected cases and deaths in recent decades. The previous studies were all about the influence of albumin (ALB) for the severity and mortality of in-patients infected with COVID-19. But few studies exist about the influence factors to achieve viral negative conversion. Therefore, this study conducted an exploratory study to investigate the effect of albumin on negative conversion rate. Methods: Among the 190 hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 who had a course of disease longer than 30 days, 102 achieved viral negative conversion in 30-45 days and 88 not after 45 days. Taking other variables as concomitant variable, Cox proportional hazard regression model was applied to explore the influence of albumin to negative conversion rate under various factors. Results: By comparing patients who could and could not achieve the finally viral negative conversion, a possible nonlinear relationship between the continuous variables and clinical outcomes was examined by a restricted cubic spline regression model. An association was found between albumin levels and hazard ratio of viral negative conversion rate (P = 0.027). The increase of albumin was accompanied with decreases of hazard ratio of viral negative conversion rate (the value of albumin <38 g/L). But when the value of albumin was higher than 38 g/L, the hazard ratio of viral negative conversion rate approached 1, it means that albumin is not a risk factor for the viral negative conversion rate of COVID-19 disease. Conclusion: For patients with COVID-19, albumin is a common and observed laboratory parameter. It is associated with final viral negative conversion rate although its underlying mechanism and relationship with the viral negative conversion rate still need to be clarified.

Effectiveness of a case management model in newly treated smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the effectiveness of the case management mode on the application of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients. METHODOLOGY: This was a randomized control trial. A total of 70 newly diagnosed smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients were recruited and been randomly divided into experimental group and control group, with 35 participants in each group. In the experimental group, patients received the tuberculosis case management mode based on the conventional management mode. In the control group, patients received the routine management mode. We compared the knowledge, attitude, and practice score; sputum-negative conversion rate, effective imaging rate of the two groups at the time of initial admission, discharge, and one month after discharge. RESULTS: The results showed that there was no significant difference in baseline data between the two groups (p > 0.05); at the time of discharge and one month after discharge, the knowledge, belief, behavior, sputum-negative conversion rate, and imaging examination effective rate of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The case management mode can improve the knowledge, attitude, and practice level; sputum-negative conversion rate; and imaging efficiency of newly treated smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients.

Influence of anti-tuberculosis drugs plus cycloserine on sputum negative conversion rate, adverse reactions and inflammatory factors in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drugs plus cycloserine (CS) on the sputum negative conversion rate, adverse reactions and inflammatory factors in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). METHODS: Seventy patients with MDR-TB who were referred to Nanjing Hospital Affiliated with Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2017 to April 2020 were assigned into the research group (RG; 38 cases) for anti-TB drugs plus CS, and the control group (CG; 32 cases) for conventional anti-TB drugs. The two groups were compared in their sputum negative conversion rate, incidence of adverse reactions, and foci absorption rate after 6, 12 and 24 months of treatment. The levels of inflammatory factors; tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), both pre- and post-treatment were detected. Also, pre- and post-treatment, pulmonary function (PF) indexes (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity, FEV1/FVC; FEV1; peak expiratory flow, PEF), and the scores of anxiety and depression (self-rating anxiety/depression scale, SAS/SDS), as well as Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were compared. RESULTS: After 6, 12 and 24 months of treatment, the sputum negative conversion rate and foci absorption rate were higher in the RG than in the CG (both P<0.05). The RG presented with fewer adverse reactions, lower TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ levels, higher FEV1, FEV1/FVC and PEF, and lower SAS, SDS and PSQI scores than the CG, post treatment (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While helping to raise the sputum negative conversion rate, improve prognosis, and reduce adverse reactions, anti-TB drugs plus CS can also inhibit the release of inflammatory factors, improve PF and alleviate negative emotion and sleep disorders.

Effects of Tanreqing Capsule on the negative conversion time of nucleic acid in patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#Traditional Chinese medicine plays a significant role in the treatment of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Tanreqing Capsule (TRQC) was used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of TRQC in the treatment of COVID-19.@*METHODS@#A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 82 patients who had laboratory-confirmed mild and moderate COVID-19; patients were treated with TRQC in one designated hospital. The treatment and control groups consisted of 25 and 57 cases, respectively. The treatment group was given TRQC orally three times a day, three pills each time, in addition to conventional Western medicine treatments which were also administered to the control group. The clinical efficacy indicators, such as the negative conversion time of pharyngeal swab nucleic acid, the negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid, the duration of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid, and the improvement in the level of immune indicators such as T-cell subsets (CD3, CD4 and CD45) were monitored.@*RESULTS@#COVID-19 patients in the treatment group, compared to the control group, had a shorter negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid (4 vs. 9 days, P = 0.047) and a shorter interval of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid (0 vs. 2 days, P = 0.042). The level of CD3@*CONCLUSION@#Significant reductions in the negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid and the duration of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid were identified in the treatment group as compared to the control group, illustrating the potential therapeutic benefits of using TRQC as a complement to conventional medicine in patients with mild and moderate COVID-19. The underlying mechanism may be related to the improved levels of the immune indicator CD3

Effects of Tanreqing Capsule on the negative conversion time of nucleic acid in patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Traditional Chinese medicine plays a significant role in the treatment of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Tanreqing Capsule (TRQC) was used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of TRQC in the treatment of COVID-19. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 82 patients who had laboratory-confirmed mild and moderate COVID-19; patients were treated with TRQC in one designated hospital. The treatment and control groups consisted of 25 and 57 cases, respectively. The treatment group was given TRQC orally three times a day, three pills each time, in addition to conventional Western medicine treatments which were also administered to the control group. The clinical efficacy indicators, such as the negative conversion time of pharyngeal swab nucleic acid, the negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid, the duration of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid, and the improvement in the level of immune indicators such as T-cell subsets (CD3, CD4 and CD45) were monitored. RESULTS: COVID-19 patients in the treatment group, compared to the control group, had a shorter negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid (4 vs. 9 days, P = 0.047) and a shorter interval of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid (0 vs. 2 days, P = 0.042). The level of CD3+ T cells increased in the treatment group compared to the control group ([317.09 ± 274.39] vs. [175.02 ± 239.95] counts/µL, P = 0.030). No statistically significant differences were detected in the median improvement in levels of CD4+ T cells (173 vs. 107 counts/µL, P = 0.208) and CD45+ T cells (366 vs. 141 counts/µL, P = 0.117) between the treatment and control groups. CONCLUSION: Significant reductions in the negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid and the duration of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid were identified in the treatment group as compared to the control group, illustrating the potential therapeutic benefits of using TRQC as a complement to conventional medicine in patients with mild and moderate COVID-19. The underlying mechanism may be related to the improved levels of the immune indicator CD3+ T cells.

Clinical efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine sulfate combined with azithromycin in treatment of patients with refractory common coronavirus disease 2019 / 第二军医大学学报

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine sulfate combined with azithromycin in the treatment of refractory common coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Methods The clinical data of 11 refractory common COVID-19 patients, who were admitted to Guanggu Branch of Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital of Hubei Province from Mar. 22 to 25, 2020, were retrospectively collected. The patients all received combined treatment regimens: hydroxychloroquine sulfate orally 200 mg three times daily for 7 days; and azithromycin orally 500 mg once daily on day 1 and then 250 mg once daily from day 2 to day 4. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid test of throat swab was performed once daily from day 4 to day 10 after combined administration, and the blood routine and other laboratory indicators were tested within 3 days before administration and on the 8th days after administration. Results All the 11 patients had common COVID-19, seven of them were consistently positive for SARSCoV- 2 nucleic acid test, and four were positive again after negative results. The average course of disease of 11 patients before combined administration was 50.2 days. The treatment process was uneventful. Zero case of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test result turned negative on day 4 after administration, two cases on day 5, two cases on day 6, two cases on day 7, one case on day 8 and one case on day 9. No patients progressed to severe or critical illness, and no severe side effects were found. Conclusion Hydroxychloroquine sulfate combined with azithromycin is safe and effective in the treatment of refractory common COVID-19 patients who have ailed in other treatments and are consistently positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid.

Therapeutic effect of Xueniaoan Capsule combined with levofloxacin on chronic bacterial prostatitis / 中草药

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of Xueniaoan Capsule combined with levofloxacin in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis. Methods: A total of 126 patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis were randomly divided into control group (n = 60) and observation group (n = 66). The control group was treated with levofloxacin hydrochloride tablets (0.6 g/d, po) and the observation group was treated with Xueniaoan Capsule (4.2 g/d, po) combined with levofloxacin hydrochloride tablets (0.6 g/d, po). Both groups were continuously treated for eight weeks. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated through the NIH-CPSI score, prostatic fluid bacterial culture negative conversion rate, and serological parameters. Results: After treatment, the clinical efficacy in the control and treatment groups were 66.67% and 89.39%, respectively, and there were statistical differences between two groups (P < 0.05); Statistical analysis showed that the pain symptom score (5.45 ± 1.12), urination symptom score (3.31 ± 0.70) and quality of life score (3.08 ± 0.55) of NIH-CPSI scale in the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05); The negative conversion rate of prostatic fluid bacterial culture was 71.67% in the control group and 92.42% in the observation group, and the difference between the two groups had statistical significance (P < 0.05); The serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05), while the levels of inflammatory factors in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Xueniaoan Capsule combined with levofloxacin is effective in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis, and can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms, improve the rate of prostatic fluid bacterial clearance, and reduce the level of serum inflammatory factors, which has a certain clinical application value.

The clinical efficacy of a clarithromycin-based regimen for Mycobacterium avium complex disease: A nationwide post-marketing study.

The revised 2007 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America statement recommend clarithromycin-based combination therapy for treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease and stipulates approximately 1 year of continuous treatment after bacilli negative conversion. However, supporting data are insufficient. Our objective was to obtain data on the clinical outcome of clarithromycin-based daily regimens by conducting a nationwide retrospective post-marketing study of M. avium complex lung disease. In accordance with the Japanese guidelines, patients were enrolled in this survey according to their chest radiographic findings and microbiologic test results. They were treated with a multidrug regimen including clarithromycin, rifampicin, and ethambutol (clarithromycin-based regimen) until bacilli negative conversion, and the treatment was continued for approximately 1 year after the initial conversion. Data were collected before administration, at the time of bacilli negative conversion, at the end of treatment, and at 6 months after the end of treatment. Of the 466 subjects enrolled in the study, 271 patients who received clarithromycin at 800 mg/day underwent evaluation for M. avium complex disease. The final bacilli negative conversion rate in those patients was 94.7%. The bacteriological relapse rate was 5.0% (5/100 patients). Bacteriological relapse was noted in patients treated for less than 15 months after conversion. No life-threatening or serious adverse drug reactions were observed. This study demonstrated that a clarithromycin-based daily regimen can yield a high bacteriological conversion rate in M. avium complex disease. After conversion, treatment for less than 15 months might be insufficient to prevent bacteriological relapse.

Retrospective investigation of combination therapy with clarithromycin and levofloxacin for pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex disease.

BACKGROUND: Fluoroquinolones are often used for the treatment of refractory Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease when the clinical efficacy of the recommended regimen, which includes clarithromycin (CAM), rifampicin (RFP), and ethambutol (EB), is insufficient. However, recent in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that fluoroquinolones decreased the antibacterial activity of CAM when they were administered in combination. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the influence of the combination of CAM and levofloxacin (LVFX) on clinical outcomes for pulmonary MAC disease patients. METHODS: Pulmonary MAC disease patients from 2010 to 2012 were divided into two groups, those who received LVFX together with CAM (LVFX group) and those who received CAM without LVFX (control group). The number of patients who showed improvement was evaluated at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the start of therapy based on bacteriological examination (culture and smear examination) and the bacilli negative conversion rate. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the LVFX group (n = 18, 64.5 ± 6.5 years old) and the control group (n = 57, 71.0 ± 7.0 years old) in terms of gender, age, etiologic agent, baseline culture examination score, concomitant medication, and dosage of each drug. The clinical outcomes in the LVFX group were inferior to those in the control group at all endpoints and observational periods, and we found a significant difference in the percent improvement of the smear examination by fluorescence microscopy method (38 % vs. 83 %) and the bacilli negative conversion rate (38 % vs. 79 %) at 3 months. Our study suggests that the combination of CAM and LVFX causes unfavorable clinical outcomes for pulmonary MAC disease treatment. There was no significant difference between both groups in terms of frequency of adverse events. CONCLUSION: The possibility that combined administration of CAM and LVFX causes unfavorable clinical outcomes for pulmonary MAC disease treatment was suggested.

The Influence of Recombinant Human α-2b Interferon Capsule for Vaginal Foams on the Negative Conversion Rate of HPV / 实用妇产科杂志

Objective:To explore the effect and mechanism of Xinfuning( recombinant human α-2b interferon capsule for vaginal foams) on the clearance of human papilloma virus (HPV). Methods: The patients with HPV infection were divided into experimental group (Xinfuning group) and control group (Shurunshuan group, a common recombinant human interferon α-2b in suppository form) .The HPV negative conversion rate was compared between the two groups after action on vaginal posterior fomix. The content of cytokines IL-4, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-a in the cervical region before or after the application was detected by ELISA. Results:The negative conversion rate in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group ( P<0.05). The content of IL-4, IL-10 was decreased and the cont ent of IFN-γ,TNF-α was increased apparently( P < 0.05). Conclusions: Interferon has the effect on clearance of HPV infection by regulating Th1/Th2 balanced state to boost immunization and the unique preparation of Xinfuning can strengthen such function.

A study on results of short-course chemotherapy of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis registered at Seoul city health centers / 예방의학회지

This study was performed for the comparison of the therapeutic efficiency between 6-month (2tHER/4HER) and 9-month (9HER) short-course chemotherapy under the programe conditions for pulmonary tuberculosis in terms of sputum AFB negative conversion rate, remedial interruption rate and cost effectiveness analysis. Two hundreds and ninty three patients treated with 9HER and 641 treated with 2HERZ/4HER had been discharged from 22 health centers in Seoul from May 1, 1993 to April 30, 1994. Seven hundreds and seventeen was subsequently analysed excluding 217 patients due to remedial interruption. The results: 1. Bacteriological negative conversion rate in 9HER regimen and 2HERZ/4HER regimen was 97.8% and 96.4% respectively (p>0.05). But the early treatment period, negative conversion rate in 2HERZ/4HER regimen was very higher than in 9HER regimen(p<0.01). 2. Remedial interruption rate for 9HER regimen and 2HERZ/4HER regimen was 34.1% and 13.6% respectively. The primary reason for the interruption was transfering to other clinics and this interruption was high within 3months. 3. Cost effectiveness for 2HERZ/4HER regimen was higher than 9HER regimen. The difference cost effectiveness ratio was 2.33 at the first sputum test and 1.69 at the last sputum test.