Publications by authors named "R E Howe"
, a leading non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) pathogen, causes chronic pulmonary infections, particularly in individuals with underlying lung conditions or immunosuppression. Current treatments involve prolonged multi-drug regimens with poor outcomes and significant side effects, highlighting the urgent need for improved therapies. Using a BALB/c mouse model of chronic pulmonary disease, we evaluated the efficacy of individual antibiotics-clarithromycin, clofazimine, and rifabutin-and combination regimens including clarithromycin+bedaquiline and clarithromycin+clofazimine+bedaquiline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Clinically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) (CDPTB) patients account for a huge proportion of TB. However, little is known about the genetic diversity and drug resistance profile of Complex (MTBC) strains in this group of patients.
Method: Unmatched case-control study was conducted among 313 PTB patients to compare the genetic diversity of MTBC and their drug resistance profiles among CDPTB ( = 173) and bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB (BCPTB) ( = 140) patients.
Article Synopsis
- Podoconiosis is a non-infectious tropical lymphoedema affecting around 4 million people, linked to HLA class II and triggered by unknown factors in volcanic red clay soils.
- The study measured immune responses in podoconiosis patients by analyzing cytokine levels and gene expressions after exposure to specific minerals, finding that patients had higher baseline cytokine levels but lower responses to mineral stimulation.
- The findings indicate ongoing immune activation in podoconiosis patients, highlighting the need for further research to understand immune dysfunction and potentially develop early detection methods for this preventable disease.
Populations of forest trees exhibit large temporal fluctuations, but little is known about the synchrony of these fluctuations across space, including their sign, magnitude, causes and characteristic scales. These have important implications for metapopulation persistence and theoretical community ecology. Using data from permanent forest plots spanning local, regional and global spatial scales, we measured spatial synchrony in tree population growth rates over sub-decadal and decadal timescales and explored the relationship of synchrony to geographical distance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Co-inhibitory receptors (immune checkpoints) regulate activated immune cells. Their expression on T cells can limit host defense. We hypothesized that chronic infection in patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) leads to expression of co-inhibitory receptors that could be markers of treatment response and clinical outcome.
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