RESUMEN
In recent decades, many countries in Southeast Asia such as Thailand reported an increase of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and are faced with double burden of NCDs and communicable diseases such as tuberculosis. Recurrent tuberculosis (TB) has been reported in association with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection (HIV) and diabetes mellitus, however the association between recurrent TB and other NCDs has not been well investigated in this region. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine risk of recurrent TB associated with NCDs in an endemic area of HIV in Thailand. Of 1,444 pulmonary TB patients who are registered and had completed a course of treatment during 2003-2012, 99 were diagnosed for recurrent TB (1.954 per 100 TB cases-year). After adjusting for HIV, age, sex, and previous TB treatment outcome, Poisson regression revealed significant risk of recurrent TB among patient with diabetes mellitus (RR=2.76; 95% CI=1.66-4.59), with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (RR=2.16; 95% CI=1.33-3.49) and with liver cirrhosis (RR=4.45; 95% CI=2.23-8.87). Regular routine screening for TB among patients with liver cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should be established to improve prevention and control of TB in endemic areas of TB and HIV.
RESUMEN
Germination tests on Garcinia intermedia (Clusiaceae) seeds showed the growth of two types of roots: additionally to the primary root, a secondary root crosses the seed lengthwise. To determine its possible role on the survival and growth of this species, 90 seedlings at least six months old (collected in Central Costa Rica) were planted in plastic bags with organic soil, and placed in a greenhouse. The seedlings were treated as follows: treatments in which the primary or secondary root was cut off, and a control group with both roots intact (30 replicates each). After three months 10 seedlings/month/treatment were extracted to measure their height, basal diameter, root length (main and secondary root), and biomass of the stem, roots and seed (without its coat). Control seedlings had the highest growth, followed by those without secondary roots. Nonetheless, more than 90% of the seedlings whose primary roots were cut off, survived after five months of the excision treatment, in part due to the capacity of this species to regenerate its radical system through the seed reserves, sprouting of a primary-like root, and/or the growth stimulus of the secondary root (60% of the total: 20% with sprouts from the primary root stump, 13.3% with a growth stimulus of the secondary root, and 26.7% with both conditions). The length of the sprouted roots was significantly different only on those plants that were extracted during the first two monthly measurements, when compared with the control (F6 = 18.6, F7 = 16.0, p < 0.01).