Characterizing the molecular composition and diagnostic potential of Mycobacterium tuberculosis urinary cell-free DNA using next-generation sequencing.

Background: Urine cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is an attractive target for diagnosing pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection, but has not been thoroughly characterized as a biomarker.

Methods: This study was performed to investigate the size and composition of urine cfDNA from tuberculosis (TB) patients with minimal bias using next-generation sequencing (NGS). A combination of DNA extraction and single-stranded sequence library preparation methods demonstrated to recover short, highly degraded cfDNA fragments was employed.

Diagnosing Pulmonary Tuberculosis by Using Sequence-Specific Purification of Urine Cell-Free DNA.

Transrenal urine cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a promising tuberculosis (TB) biomarker, but is challenging to detect because of the short length (<100 bp) and low concentration of TB-specific fragments. We aimed to improve the diagnostic sensitivity of TB urine cfDNA by increasing recovery of short fragments during sample preparation. We developed a highly sensitive sequence-specific purification method that uses hybridization probes immobilized on magnetic beads to capture short TB cfDNA (50 bp) with 91.

Diagnostic outcomes of bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsies performed at a hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Background: Bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy (BMAT) are widely performed in adults to evaluate haematological and malignant conditions. However, the diagnostic yield from the procedure in unselected patients in the South African public sector has not previously been described.

Objectives: We identified the main indications and most common diagnoses encountered for BMAT and described the demographic and blood profiles of patients, including HIV-positive patients, who had undergone the procedure at a tertiary hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.

Impact of chemokine C-C ligand 27, foreskin anatomy and sexually transmitted infections on HIV-1 target cell availability in adolescent South African males.

We compared outer and inner foreskin tissue from adolescent males undergoing medical male circumcision to better understand signals that increase HIV target cell availability in the foreskin. We measured chemokine gene expression and the impact of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on the density and location of T and Langerhans cells. Chemokine C-C ligand 27 (CCL27) was expressed 6.

Adverse Drug Reactions Causing Admission to Medical Wards: A Cross-Sectional Survey at 4 Hospitals in South Africa.

Limited data exist on the burden of serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in sub-Saharan Africa, which has high HIV and tuberculosis prevalence. We determined the proportion of adult admissions attributable to ADRs at 4 hospitals in South Africa. We characterized drugs implicated in, risk factors for, and the preventability of ADR-related admissions.

Mortality from adverse drug reactions in adult medical inpatients at four hospitals in South Africa: a cross-sectional survey.

Aims: Fatal adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are important causes of death, but data from resource-limited settings are scarce. We determined the proportion of deaths in South African medical inpatients attributable to ADRs, and their preventability, stratified by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status.

Methods: We reviewed the folders of all patients who died over a 30 day period in the medical wards of four hospitals.