Immunogenic profiling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv1513 reveals its ability to switch on Th1 based immunity.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the infectious diseases caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis that continuously threatens the global human health. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is the only vaccine that has been used clinically to prevent tuberculosis in recent centuries, but its limitations in preventing latent infection and reactivation of tuberculosis do not provide full protection. In this study, we selected the membrane-associated antigen Rv1513 of Mycobacterium.

Case report: Primary pericardial angiosarcoma, a rare cause of cardiac tamponade.

Primary pericardial angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy of the pericardium with variable clinical features and imaging characteristics. Herein, we report a case of histopathologically confirmed pericardial angiosarcoma in a 66-year-old man. The patient developed cardiac tamponade in a short time period.

Construction and expression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein SHR3 and its immunogenicity analysis in combination with various adjuvants.

Tuberculosis (TB) today remains the leading cause of global deaths due to infectious bacterial pathogens. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is the only vaccine clinically used to prevent TB. However, its limitations in preventing latent infection and TB reactivation mean that it does not provide comprehensive protection.

Case Report: Two Myxomas of Different Echodensities on Transthoracic Echocardiography in One Patient.

We report a rare case of coincidental left atrial and right ventricular myxomas manifesting as masses with different echodensities on transthoracic echocardiography. This patient had a history of left atrial myxoma, left intra-left internal carotid artery myxoma, and facial cutaneous myxoma 3 years prior to admission. A Carney complex was suspected, and the patient subsequently tested positive for mutations.

Intermediate occupation numbers for 5f electrons in a Pu and U mixed oxide.

In order to reveal the correlation effect on the electronic properties in particular 5f electron occupation numbers of Pu/U ions in a (Pu,U) mixed oxide-PuUO4, a first principles calculation is performed by using density functional theory (DFT) plus a dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) scheme with the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and on-site Coulomb repulsion for correlation effect due to localized Pu/U 5f orbitals. Results demonstrate that Pu/U 5f electron occupation numbers in the ground state of PuUO4 are mainly composed of 5f4/5f5 and 5f2/5f3 configurations, and exhibiting the intermediate occupation (IO) numbers with average 5f occupation numbers of about nf = 4.879 and 2.

Co-Modification of commercial TiO anode by combining a solid electrolyte with pitch-derived carbon to boost cyclability and rate capabilities.

The bad electrochemical performance circumscribes the application of commercial TiO (c-TiO) anodes in Li-ion batteries. Carbon coating could ameliorate the electronic conductivity of TiO, but the ionic conductivity is still inferior. Herein, a co-modification method was proposed by combining the solid electrolyte of lithium magnesium silicate (LMS) with pitch-derived carbon to concurrently meliorate the electronic and ionic conductivities of c-TiO.

Value of Index Beat in Evaluating Left Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Function in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Dual Pulsed-Wave Doppler Study.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) poses challenges in use of the echocardiogram to assess left ventricular (LV) function. The index beat method has been found to agree well with the average method. We aimed to assess the value of the index beat method in evaluation of LV function using the dual pulsed wave Doppler technique.

Left ventricular end-diastolic strain rate recovered in hypothyroidism following levothyroxine replacement therapy: A strain rate imaging study.

Background: This study aimed to explore the impact of overt hypothyroidism on diastolic left ventricular (LV) deformation and the effect of levothyroxine therapy using 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) strain rate (SR) imaging.

Methods: Forty-seven newly diagnosed hypothyroidic patients and 51 controls were prospectively enrolled. All participants underwent comprehensive 2-dimensional echocardiography.

A Simplified Ultrasound Comet Tail Grading Scoring to Assess Pulmonary Congestion in Patients with Heart Failure.

Ultrasound lung comets (ULCs) are a nonionizing bedside approach to assess extravascular lung water. We evaluated a protocol for grading ULC score to estimate pulmonary congestion in heart failure patients and investigated clinical and echocardiographic correlates of the ULC score. Ninety-three patients with congestive heart failure, admitted to the emergency department, underwent pulmonary ultrasound and echocardiography.

High-Resolution Transthoracic Ultrasonography for Assessment of Pleural Lines in Patients With Dyspnea With CT Comparison: An Observational Study.

Objectives: Detection of B-line in dyspneic patients is often accompanied by abnormal changes of pleural line on transthoracic ultrasonography (TUS). The aim of the study was to evaluate the relevance and diagnostic performance of pleural line abnormalities and B-lines detected on high-resolution TUS against the computed tomography (CT) findings.

Methods: Transthoracic ultrasonography was performed in patients admitted to the emergency department with dyspnea.

Integrative Cardiopulmonary Ultrasound for Interstitial Lung Disease Assessment: Correlation between Lung Ultrasound Performance and Cardiac Involvement.

The aims of this study were to apply integrative cardiopulmonary ultrasound (thoracic ultrasound) to the evaluation of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and to determine the relationship between lung ultrasound signs and echocardiographic parameters such as systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) and various right ventricular parameters. ILD patients and healthy controls underwent lung ultrasound (LUS) and echocardiographic tests. In addition to traditional echocardiographic parameters, right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain (RVLS_FW) was measured using 2-D speckle-tracking echocardiography.