Methods/Findings:

Consecutively recruited adult outpatients initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa were selleck inhibitor investigated for TB regardless of clinical symptoms using sputum smear microscopy and liquid culture (reference standard). Urine samples were tested using the Clearview TB-ELISA for LAM and the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. The ELISA optical densities (OD) were used as a quantitative assessment of urine LAM. Among 514 patients with complete sputum and urine LAM OD results, culture-confirmed TB was diagnosed in 84 patients. Twenty-three (27.3%) were LAM-positive with a median LAM OD of 0.68 (IQR 0.16-2.43; range, 0.10-3.29) and 61 (72.6%) were LAM negative (LAM OD smaller than 0.1 above background). Higher LAM ODs were associated with a range of prognostic indices, including lower CD4 cell counts, lower haemoglobin levels, higher blood neutrophil counts

and higher mycobacterial load as assessed using both sputum and urine samples. The median LAM OD among patients who died was more than 6.8-fold higher than that of patients who remained alive at 3 months (P smaller than 0.001). The small number of deaths, however, precluded adequate assessment selleck of mortality risk stratified according to urine LAM OD. Conclusions: In patients with HIV-associated TB, concentrations of LAM in urine were strongly associated with a range of poor prognostic characteristics known to be associated with

mortality risk. Urine LAM assays with a semi-quantitative (negative vs. low-positive vs. high-positive) read-out may have improved clinical utility over assays with a simple binary result.”
“Purpose of review Oral anticoagulation (OAC) remains the mainstay for prevention of ischaemic stroke in atrial fibrillation. This article reviews the latest evidence and development of new oral anticoagulants for the prevention of ischaemic stroke, as well as bleeding risk assessment, mitigation and management. Recent findings Decision-making for stroke prevention has evolved towards the initial identification of ‘low-risk’ patients who do not need any antithrombotic therapy. Subsequent to this step, patients with at least 1 stroke risk factor can be offered effective stroke prevention, MK-8776 which is OAC. There is increased morbidity and mortality amongst warfarin users, if time in therapeutic range is poor. New oral anticoagulants (such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban) offer relative efficacy, safety and convenience compared to warfarin, in relation to stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Bleeding risk can be assessed by HAS-BLED score, whereas the new SAMe-TT2R2 score can predict the patient’s suitability for vitamin K antagonists. Summary The landscape for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation has greatly changed.