Late-stage disease at presentation to an HIV clinic in eastern Tanzania: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Background Late presentation and delayed treatment initiation is associated with poor outcomes in patients with HIV. Little is known about the stage at which HIV patients present at HIV clinics in Tanzania.Aim: This study aimed at determining the proportion of HIV patients presenting with WHO clinical stages 3 and 4 disease, and the level of immunity at the time of enrollment at the care and treatment center.Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 366 HIVinfected adults attending HIV clinic at Mwananyamala Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Data were obtained from the care and treatment clinic database.Results Late stage disease at the time of presentation was found in 276 (75.4%) of the patients; out of whom 153 (41.8%) presented with CD4 count <200 cells/ul and 229 (62.6%) presented with WHO clinical stage 3 or 4 at the time of clinic enrollment. Strategies to improve early diagnosis and treatment initiation should be improved

Antimicrobial and brine shrimp lethality of extracts of Terminalia mollis laws

Using the disc diffusion method it was demonstrated that extracts of the leaves, stem and roots of Terminalia mollis Laws (Combretaceae) have antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (NCTC 6571), Escherichia coli (NCTC 10418), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NCTC 10662), Klebsiella pneumoniae (NCTC 9633), Salmonella typhi (NCTC 8385), and Bacillus anthracis (NCTC 10073) and antifungal activity against Candida albicans (Strain HG 392), and local strains of Aspergillus flavus and Cryptococcus neoformans. The root extracts were the most active followed by the stem, and leaf extracts. Extracts of the three parts also exhibited cytotoxicity to brine shrimp larvae with LC50 values ranging from 26.3 to 58.1, 10.4 to 69.5, and 42.9-101.3μg/ml, for the root, stem, and leaf extracts, respectively. The results support the traditional uses of extracts of this plant for the management of bacterial and fungal infections. Keywords: Terminalia mollis, antimicrobial activity, traditional medicine African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines Vol. 3(3) 2006: 59-6