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Background: Nowadays, one of the basic problems of tuberculosis treatment is drug resistance. This study was done to determine the drug resistance of mycobacterium strains isolated from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis to anti-tuberculosis drugs and determine the affecting factors. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, all patients with tuberculosis who were covered by Markazi Province Health Center (917 persons) during 2005 to 2010 were included in this study. For all patients with resistant pulmonary tuberculosis, culture and antibiogram by standard method (proportional) were done. Effective factors in drug resistance were identified by logistic regression model using SPSS software. Results: Overall, the rate of resistance in patients with smear-positive was 7.3% and the rate of MDR-TB was equivalent to 4.3%, and 0.5% of smear positive patients were resistant to all five drugs. The most resistant strains were isoniazid (68.8%), rifampin (62.5%), pyrazinamide (25%), ethambutol (21.9%), and streptomycin (21.9%), respectively. The highest rate of resistance was in the 15-45 years age group. The incidence of resistance was significantly associated with sex, grade of smear positivity, relapse of TB, and HIV infection. Conclusion: The study of drug resistant mycobacterium strains over six years showed a growing trend. Therefore, close attention to prevent the production and dissemination of resistant strains is very essential.

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Background: The importance of maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in (tuberculosis TB) patients is essential. The purpose of this study was to use N - acetylcysteine to improve the quality of life in patients with tuberculosis.

Materials and Methods: This study is a double-blind clinical trial that performed on 88 patients on anti-TB treatment that aged over 50 years in the central province of Iran within 15 months. Data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire and the Short Form Quality of life (SF12). Data were analyzed using SPSS software and t-test, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis were used. p less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: This study showed that the two groups before the intervention in different features were not significantly different, but in quality of life at the end of the first month. The intervention group compared with the control group in physical subscale score (p=0.0068) and psychological subscale scores (p=0.0284) and quality of life score (p=0.0112) were better. Also, our study showed that age of patients (p=0.0331), duration of disease (p=0.0416), and serum CRP mean (p= 0.0234) and type of tuberculosis (p=0.0372) were significantly related to total score of quality of life at the end of the first month in the intervention group.

Conclusion: According to this survey results we hoped to combine the use of adjuvant therapy with N-acetylcysteine and standard tuberculosis treatment improves quality of life and increase life expectancy of patients.

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Background: Treatment failure and relapse is a major problem in the treatment and control of brucellosis. The present study directed to determine risk factors for failure of treatment and relapse in patients treated for brucellosis.

Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive - analytic and prospective study and were conducted in 72 patients with acute brucellosis.Patients were followed up during treatment and for six months after completion of therapy, and patients with treatment failure or relapse were analyzed. All data analyzed using SPSS software and P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The mean value of age in patients was 40.2 ± 16.5 years. Treatment failures was 6.9% and the relapse at the end of the ninth month was 12.5% that recurrence of symptoms were associated with increased titers of serological tests and 80.6 percent had successful treatment. In this study gender of male (P = 0.026), occupational exposure (P = 0.005), delayed treatment in less than two weeks (P = 0.016), hepatosplenomegaly (P = 0.003), thrombocytopenia (P = 0.023), CRP &ge +2 (P = 0.017) and Wright &ge 1/320 and 2-ME &ge 1.160 at the end of the sixth week of treatment (P = 0.004 and P = 0.010) were risk factors of treatment failure and relapse in brucellosis.

Conclusion: The diagnosis and treatment of relapse and treatment failure in acute brucellosis is not clear, therefore, the prediction of relapse may be useful in preventing recurrence and treatment of patients.