Diagnostic Accuracy of Lung and Abdominal Ultrasound for Tuberculosis in a German Multicenter Cohort of Patients With Presumed Tuberculosis Disease.

Background: There is limited evidence on point-of-care ultrasound for tuberculosis (TB), but studies suggest high sensitivity, especially for lung ultrasound (LUS). However, insufficient data are available on specificity of the examination and its generalizability to a broader patient population.

Aims: Our study aimed to establish accuracy for lung, chest, and abdominal ultrasound, individually and in combination, for TB diagnosis.

C-reactive Protein-based Screening of People with Tuberculosis Symptoms: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

: C-reactive protein (CRP)-based tuberculosis (TB) screening is recommended for people with HIV (PWH). However, its performance among people without HIV and in diverse settings is unknown. : In a multi-country study, we aimed to determine whether CRP meets the minimum accuracy targets (sensitivity ≥90%, specificity ≥70%) for an effective TB screening test.

A dataset of Solicited Cough Sound for Tuberculosis Triage Testing.

Cough is a common and commonly ignored symptom of lung disease. Cough is often perceived as difficult to quantify, frequently self-limiting, and non-specific. However, cough has a central role in the clinical detection of many lung diseases including tuberculosis (TB), which remains the leading infectious disease killer worldwide.

Factors Affecting Survival in Severe and Very Severe COPD after Admission in ICUs of Tertiary Care Centers of India (FAST COPD): Study Protocol for a Multicentric Cohort Study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, there is a lack of comprehensive data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) regarding factors influencing COPD outcomes, particularly in regions where biomass exposure is prevalent.

Objective: The Factors Affecting Survival in Severe and Very Severe COPD Patients Admitted to Tertiary Centers of India (FAST) study aims to address this gap by evaluating factors impacting survival and exacerbation rates among COPD patients in LMICs like India, with a specific focus on biomass exposure, clinical phenotypes, and nutritional status in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Factors Associated With Unfavorable Treatment Outcomes Among Persons With Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Multicentric Prospective Cohort Study From India.

In this prospective cohort of 2006 individuals with drug-susceptible tuberculosis in India, 18% had unfavorable treatment outcomes (4.7% treatment failure, 2.5% recurrent infection, 4.

Multi-centric evaluation of Truenat MTB and MTB-RIF Dx assays for diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

Extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) is difficult to diagnose due to paucibacillary nature of disease. Current study evaluated accuracy of Truenat MTB and MTB-Rif Dx (TN), for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistance to rifampicin. Samples were collected from 2103 treatment naive adults with presumptive EPTB, and tested by smear microscopy, liquid culture (LC) (MGIT-960) and GeneXpert MTB/RIF (GX) (Microbiological Reference Standards, MRS).

Head-to-head comparison of diagnostic accuracy of TB screening tests: Chest-X-ray, Xpert TB host response, and C-reactive protein.

Background: Accessible, accurate screening tests are necessary to advance tuberculosis (TB) case finding and early detection in high-burden countries. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of available TB triage tests.

Methods: We prospectively screened consecutive adults with ≥2 weeks of cough presenting to primary health centers in the Philippines, Vietnam, South Africa, Uganda, and India.

An independent, multi-country head-to-head accuracy comparison of automated chest x-ray algorithms for the triage of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Background: Computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithms for automated chest X-ray (CXR) reading have been endorsed by the World Health Organization for tuberculosis (TB) triage, but independent, multi-country assessment and comparison of current products are needed to guide implementation.

Methods: We conducted a head-to-head evaluation of five CAD algorithms for TB triage across seven countries. We included CXRs from adults who presented to outpatient facilities with at least two weeks of cough in India, Madagascar, the Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam.

Expert opinion on diagnosis and management of Severe Asthma in low and middle income countries (LMIC) with focus on India.

Objective: In this document, 9 Indian experts have evaluated the factors specific to LMICs when it came to Severe Asthma (SA) diagnosis, evaluation, biologic selection, non-biologic treatment options, and follow-up.

Data Sources: A search was performed using 50 keywords, focusing on the Indian/LMICs perspective, in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. The key areas of the search were focused on diagnosis, phenoendotyping, non-biological therapies, selecting a biologic, assessment of treatment response, and management of exacerbation.

C-reactive protein-based tuberculosis triage testing: a multi-country diagnostic accuracy study.

Rationale: C-reactive protein (CRP)-based tuberculosis (TB) screening is recommended for people with HIV (PWH). However, its performance among people without HIV and in diverse settings is unknown.

Objectives: In a multi-country study, we aimed to determine whether CRP meets the minimum accuracy targets (sensitivity ≥90%, specificity ≥70%) for an effective TB triage test.

Pleural effusion guidelines from ICS and NCCP Section 1: Basic principles, laboratory tests and pleural procedures.

Pleural effusion is a common problem in our country, and most of these patients need invasive tests as they can't be evaluated by blood tests alone. The simplest of them is diagnostic pleural aspiration, and diagnostic techniques such as medical thoracoscopy are being performed more frequently than ever before. However, most physicians in India treat pleural effusion empirically, leading to delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis and complications from wrong treatments.

NCCP-ICS joint consensus-based clinical practice guidelines on medical thoracoscopy.

Medical Thoracoscopy (MT) is commonly performed by respiratory physicians for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. The aim of the study was to provide evidence-based information regarding all aspects of MT, both as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic aid for pulmonologists across India. The consensus-based guidelines were formulated based on a multistep process using a set of 31 questions.

Solicited Cough Sound Analysis for Tuberculosis Triage Testing: The CODA TB DREAM Challenge Dataset.

Cough is a common and commonly ignored symptom of lung disease. Cough is often perceived as difficult to quantify, frequently self-limiting, and non-specific. However, cough has a central role in the clinical detection of many lung diseases including tuberculosis (TB), which remains the leading infectious disease killer worldwide.

Anticoagulation Strategies in Non-Critically Ill Patients with Covid-19.

BACKGROUND: Optimal thromboprophylaxis for hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is uncertain. METHODS: In an open-label, adaptive platform trial, we randomly assigned hospitalized adults with Covid-19 to low-dose low-molecular-weight heparin thromboprophylaxis or intermediate-dose or low-dose plus aspirin. In response to external evidence, the aspirin intervention was discontinued and a therapeutic-dose arm added.

Impact of post-COVID-19 lung damage on pulmonary function, exercise tolerance and quality of life in Indian subjects.

After recovery from COVID-19, there is data to suggest potential long-term pulmonary sequelae and associated impairment of functional capacity. This cross-sectional study was designed to assess the impact on respiratory function in a cohort of Indian subjects. Subjects who had recovered from COVID-19 were recruited.

Evaluation of the Xpert MTB Host Response assay for the triage of patients with presumed pulmonary tuberculosis: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study in Viet Nam, India, the Philippines, Uganda, and South Africa.

Background: Non-sputum-based triage tests for tuberculosis are a priority for ending tuberculosis. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the late-prototype Xpert MTB Host Response (Xpert HR) blood-based assay.

Methods: We conducted a prospective diagnostic accuracy study among outpatients with presumed tuberculosis in outpatient clinics in Viet Nam, India, the Philippines, Uganda, and South Africa.

Tuberculin test using Indian indigenous purified-protein derivative (PPD) shows only moderate agreement with international standard PPD.

Background: In India, the prevalence of Latent TB infection (LTBI) is estimated to be around 40%. Various formulations of PPD(Purified protein derivative) are available, for diagnosis of LTBI, which may give variable responses. The commercially available PPD in India is by Arkray Healthcare (TST-Arkray).

Expert Recommendations on Optimizing the Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Associated with Comorbidities in the Indian Population.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is among the most prevalent gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. It is known to often coexist with other chronic diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM), and hypertension. Upper endoscopy, esophageal manometry, and impedance-pH monitoring are a few invasive diagnostic options that are reserved for selected GERD patients.

Guidelines for endobronchial ultrasound-transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA): Joint Indian Chest Society (ICS)/Indian Association for Bronchology (IAB) recommendations.

Over the past decade, endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has become an indispensable tool in the diagnostic armamentarium of the pulmonologist. As the expertise with EBUS-TBNA has evolved and several innovations have occurred, the indications for its use have expanded. However, several aspects of EBUS-TBNA are still not standardized.