Norbert Heinrich

TL;DR: A dose of 35 mg/kg rifampicin was safe, reduced the time to culture conversion in liquid media, and could be a promising component of future, shorter regimens for the treatment of tuberculosis.

TL;DR: There was a nonlinear increase in exposure to rifampin without an apparent ceiling effect and a greater estimated fall in bacterial load in the higher dosing groups, and two weeks of rifampsin up to 35 mg/kg was safe and well tolerated.

TL;DR: The Xpert MTB/RIF Assay is a highly sensitive, specific and rapid method for diagnosing TB which has potential to complement the current reference standard of TB diagnostics and increase its overall sensitivity.

TL;DR: Compared with the combined binary smear and culture results as a reference standard, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay had high sensitivity, but poor specificity, and should not replace standard smear microscopy and culture.

TL;DR: Xpert was easy to perform and displayed similar diagnostic accuracy as culture methods in children with suspected tuberculosis in a high tuberculosis/HIV-burden setting, although sensitivity remains suboptimal and access is dependent on local laboratory infrastructure.