A brief literacy-independent screening tool to detect cognitive impairment.

Objectives: The study aimed to develop and assess the performance of the Simplified Cognitive Assessment (SPCog), a cognitive assessment tool designed to detect mild cognitive impairment in the Indian population with minimal education. SPCog was developed to overcome literacy and educational barriers that might confound existing cognitive screening results by incorporating culturally sensitive and literacy-independent tasks.

Methods: Conducted in a tertiary care hospital in suburban India, our study recruited 120 participants, 60 with MCI and 60 controls.

Drug Resistance and Epidemiological Success of Modern Mycobacterium tuberculosis Lineages in Western India.

Background: Drivers of tuberculosis (TB) transmission in India, the country estimated to carry a quarter of the world's burden, are not well studied. We conducted a genomic epidemiology study to compare epidemiological success, host factors, and drug resistance among the 4 major Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) lineages (L1-L4) circulating in Pune, India.

Methods: We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Mtb sputum culture-positive isolates from participants in two prospective cohort studies and predicted genotypic susceptibility using a validated random forest model.

Glycated Hemoglobin Trajectories and Their Association With Treatment Outcomes Among Patients With Pulmonary TB in India: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Transient hyperglycemia is seen commonly during TB treatment, yet its association with unfavorable treatment outcomes is unclear.

Research Question: Does an association exist between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) trajectories and TB treatment outcomes?

Study Design And Methods: Adults with pulmonary TB were evaluated prospectively for 18 months after the second HbA1c measurement. HbA1c trajectories during the initial 3 months of treatment were defined as follows: persistent euglycemia, HbA1c < 6.

Virological failure among people living with HIV receiving second-line antiretroviral therapy in Pune, India.

Background: The number of people receiving second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased as global access to ART has expanded. Data on the burden and factors associated with second-line ART virologic failure (VF) from India remain limited.

Methods: We conducted cross-sectional viral load (VL) testing among adults (≥ 18 years) who were registered at a publicly funded ART center in western India between 2014 and 2015 and had received second-line ART for at least 6 months.

Clinical and Immunological Markers of Pulmonary Impairment Among People With HIV in India.

Background: Despite antiretroviral therapy, chronic lung diseases remain an important source of morbidity and mortality in people with HIV (PWH). We sought to identify clinical and immunological markers of pulmonary impairment among PWH in India.

Methods: Two hundred ten adult PWH receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) were prospectively evaluated for 3 years.

Utility of the Interferon-Gamma Release Assay for Latent Tuberculosis Infection Screening among Indian Health-Care Workers.

Background: The utility of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening among health-care workers (HCWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains unclear.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study among HCW trainees undergoing annual LTBI screening via tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON TB Gold Test-in-tube (QFT-GIT) in Pune, India. TST induration ≥ 10 mm and QFT-GIT ≥ 0.

A Two-Gene Signature for Tuberculosis Diagnosis in Persons With Advanced HIV.

Transcriptomic signatures for tuberculosis (TB) have been proposed and represent a promising diagnostic tool. Data remain limited in persons with advanced HIV. We enrolled 30 patients with advanced HIV (CD4 <100 cells/mm) in India; 16 with active TB and 14 without.

Impact of the Fogarty Training Program on Trainee and Institutional Research Capacity Building at a Government Medical College in India.

Background: Strengthening health research is essential to inform public health policies. However, few research training programs have systematically measured their impact on capacity building and most evaluations have been limited to reporting of individual trainee metrics. Hence, we conducted an evaluation of the impact of a five-year training program focused on building both trainee and institutional research capacity at a public medical college in India.

Correction: Smoking, alcohol use disorder and tuberculosis treatment outcomes: A dual co-morbidity burden that cannot be ignored.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Incidence of tuberculosis in HIV-infected adults on first- and second-line antiretroviral therapy in India.

Background: Programmatic data on the baseline risk of tuberculosis in people living with HIV (PLHIV) are needed to evaluate long-term effectiveness of the ongoing isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) roll-out in India.

Methods: We estimated the incidence rate and risk factors of tuberculosis disease in adult PLHIV initiating first- and second-line anti-retroviral therapy (ART) prior to widespread IPT in a public ART center in Pune, India.

Results: 4067 participants contributing 5205.

Smoking, alcohol use disorder and tuberculosis treatment outcomes: A dual co-morbidity burden that cannot be ignored.

Background: More than 20% of tuberculosis (TB) disease worldwide may be attributable to smoking and alcohol abuse. India is the second largest consumer of tobacco products, a major consumer of alcohol particularly among males, and has the highest burden of TB globally. The impact of increasing tobacco dose, relevance of alcohol misuse and past versus current or never smoking status on TB treatment outcomes remain inadequately defined.

High risk for latent tuberculosis infection among medical residents and nursing students in India.

Defining occupational latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) risk among healthcare workers is needed to support implementation of prevention guidelines. Prospective cohort study of 200 medical residents and nursing students in India was conducted May 2016-December 2017. Tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON TB Gold Test-in-tube (QFT-GIT) were performed at study entry and 12 months.

Subtherapeutic Rifampicin Concentration Is Associated With Unfavorable Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes.

Background: The relationships between first-line drug concentrations and clinically important outcomes among patients with tuberculosis (TB) remain poorly understood.

Methods: We enrolled a prospective cohort of patients with new pulmonary TB receiving thrice-weekly treatment in India. The maximum plasma concentration of each drug was determined at months 1 and 5 using blood samples drawn 2 hours postdose.

Elevated highly sensitive C-reactive protein and d-dimer levels are associated with food insecurity among people living with HIV in Pune, India.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and determinants of food insecurity among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Pune, India and its association with biomarkers known to confer increased risks of morbidity and mortality in this population.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis assessing food insecurity using the standardized Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Participants were dichotomized into two groups: food insecure and food secure.

Drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae colonization is associated with healthcare utilization and antimicrobial use among inpatients in Pune, India.

Background: Healthcare exposure may increase drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae colonization risk. Nascent antimicrobial stewardship efforts in low- and middle-income countries require setting-specific data. We aimed to evaluate risk factors for inpatient drug resistant Enterobacteriaceae colonization in a resource-limited setting in India.

Tuberculin skin test and QuantiFERON-Gold In Tube assay for diagnosis of latent TB infection among household contacts of pulmonary TB patients in high TB burden setting.

Background: World Health Organization (WHO) recommends systematic screening of high-risk populations, including household contacts (HHCs) of adult pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients, as a key strategy for elimination of TB. QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay and tuberculin skin test (TST) are two commonly used tools for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) but may yield differential results, affecting eligibility for TB preventive therapy.

Materials And Methods: A prospective cohort study of adult pulmonary TB patients and their HHCs were recruited in 2 cities of India, Pune and Chennai.

Addressing knowledge gaps and prevention for tuberculosis-infected Indian adults: a vital part of elimination.

Background: India plans to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, and has identified screening and prevention as key activities. Household contacts (HHCs) of index TB cases are a high-risk population that would benefit from rapid implementation of these strategies. However, best practices for TB prevention and knowledge gaps among HHCs have not been studied.

Vector-Borne Disease is a Common Cause of Hospitalized Febrile Illness in India.

Acute febrile illness (AFI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in India and other resource-limited settings, yet systematic etiologic characterization of AFI has been limited. We prospectively enrolled adults ( = 970) and children (age 6 months to 12 years, = 755) admitted with fever from the community to Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, India, from July 2013 to December 2015. We systematically obtained a standardized clinical history, basic laboratory testing, and microbiologic diagnostics on enrolled participants.

Cardiovascular risk in an HIV-infected population in India.

Objective: To characterise prevalence of traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, assess CVD risk and examine the effect of simulated interventions on CVD risk among HIV-infected Asian Indians.

Methods: Cross-sectional data between September 2015 and July 2016 wer used to describe the prevalence of CVD risk factors. Five risk scores (Framingham, Data Collection on Adverse Effects of Anti-HIV Drugs Study (D:A:D), Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular, QRISK2 and Ramathibodi-Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand were used to estimate CVD risk.

TB Risk Perceptions among Medical Residents at a Tertiary Care Center in India.

Setting: Government tertiary health care center in India.

Objective: To understand the perceptions of medical residents about their risk of developing TB in the workplace.

Design: Cross-sectional study in which a semistructured questionnaire which included an open-ended question to assess their main concerns regarding TB in workplace was used to collect data.