High SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among Healthcare Workers in Bamako, Mali.

In Mali, a country in West Africa, cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths among healthcare workers (HCWs) remain enigmatically low, despite a series of waves, circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants, the country's weak healthcare system, and a general lack of adherence to public health mitigation measures. The goal of the study was to determine whether exposure is important by assessing the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in HCWs. The study was conducted between November 2020 and June 2021.

Development and clinical evaluation of a new multiplex PCR assay for a simultaneous diagnosis of tuberculous and nontuberculous mycobacteria.

Background: The prevalence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has been increasing worldwide in both developed and developing countries. NTM infection is clinically indistinguishable from tuberculosis and therefore poses significant challenges in patient management, especially in patients chronically treated for pulmonary TB. In this study, we evaluated a new highly sensitive Multiplex MTB/NTM assay that can differentiate M.

Use of sodium dodecyl sulfate to improve tuberculosis sputum smear microscopy.

Sputum smear microscopy (SSM), the most widely available tool for tuberculosis (TB) detection, has limited performance in paucibacillary patients and requires highly experienced technicians. The objective of this study was to determine whether the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a detergent that thins sputum, at 4% and 10%, improves the detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB), the clarity of slides, and the biosafety of the technique. Thirty participants with presumptive TB were enrolled.

Repeatability and Reproducibility of Slit Lamp, Optical Coherence Tomography, and Scheimpflug Measurements of Corneal Scars.

: To determine the repeatability and reproducibility of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and Scheimpflug photography for several measurements of corneal scars, including scar size, scar depth, and corneal thickness. : A series of patients treated for fungal keratitis at a tertiary eye care center in South India were recalled two years after successful treatment. Eyes with corneal scars had a slit lamp examination performed by two ophthalmologists masked to the other's examination.

Simultaneous diagnosis of tuberculous and non-tuberculous mycobacterial diseases: Time for a better patient management.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the deadliest infectious disease in the world which disproportionately affects low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) where diagnostic resources and treatment options are limited. The incidence of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease is also rapidly increasing in these regions traditionally dominated by TB infections. This poses significant diagnostic and treatment challenges, since these two diseases are often indistinguishable clinically or by sputum smear microscopy (SSM), the most commonly used TB diagnostic tool in LMICs.

Immobilization of Growth Factors to Collagen Surfaces Using Pulsed Visible Light.

In the treatment of traumatic injuries, burns, and ulcers of the eye, inadequate epithelial tissue healing remains a major challenge. Wound healing is a complex process involving the temporal and spatial interplay between cells and their extracellular milieu. It can be impaired by a variety of causes including infection, poor circulation, loss of critical cells, and/or proteins, and a deficiency in normal neural signaling (e.

Preventing lower extremity distal embolization using embolic filter protection: results of the PROTECT registry.

Purpose: To report the results from a single-center prospective registry (PROTECT) established to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of embolic filter protection (EFP) in reducing distal embolization during percutaneous lower extremity interventions.

Methods: Patients undergoing angioplasty, stenting, or SilverHawk atherectomy and adjunctive balloon angioplasty for infrainguinal occlusive disease were eligible if the lesion(s) met one or more of these angiographic criteria: (1) moderate or severe calcification of any length, (2) total occlusions of any length, (3) a filling defect, (4) irregular (ulcerated) lesions at least 30 mm in length, and/or (5) smooth, non-ulcerated lesions at least 50 mm in length. The primary angiographic outcome was the ability of the filter to prevent angiographically visible distal embolization, slow flow, and loss of distal tibial runoff with or without capturing macrodebris.

Utilization of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in peripheral percutaneous interventions: current applications and in-hospital outcomes at a tertiary referral center.

The pattern of use of glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors in peripheral percutaneous interventions (PPI) remains unclear. Data on patients who received GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors during PPI were extracted from a prospective registry that tracks demographic, angiographic and in-hospital outcomes of patients at 2 medical centers. Primary success was defined as establishing thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) 3 flow and < 30% residual in vessels treated.