Quantification of modal mineralogy in molybdenite-bearing drill-core samples by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Quantification of modal mineralogy in drill-core samples is crucial for understanding the geology and metal deportment in a mining operation. This study assesses conventional procedures to quantify modal mineralogy, that includes an initial drill-core logging, followed by petrographic descriptions and SEM-based automated mineralogy analyses performed in selected regions of interest, against a novel approach using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Our proposed methodology aims to quantify the modal mineralogy directly in a drill-core sample, avoiding previous stages of selection and preparation of samples.

Risk-stratified treatment for drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis.

The Phase 3 randomized controlled trial, TBTC Study 31/ACTG A5349 (NCT02410772) demonstrated that a 4-month rifapentine-moxifloxacin regimen for drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis was safe and effective. The primary efficacy outcome was 12-month tuberculosis disease free survival, while the primary safety outcome was the proportion of grade 3 or higher adverse events during the treatment period. We conducted an analysis of demographic, clinical, microbiologic, radiographic, and pharmacokinetic data and identified risk factors for unfavorable outcomes and adverse events.

Percent of lung involved in disease on chest X-ray predicts unfavorable treatment outcome in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Unlabelled: Radiology may better define tuberculosis (TB) severity and guide duration of treatment. We aimed to systematically study baseline chest X-rays (CXR) and their association with TB treatment outcome using real-world data. We used logistic regression to associate TB treatment outcomes with CXR findings, including percent of lung involved in disease (PLI), cavitation, and Timika score, alone or in combination with other clinical characteristics, stratifying by drug resistance status and HIV (n = 2,809).