QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube as a Confirmatory Test for Tuberculin Skin Test in Tuberculosis Contact Tracing: A Noninferiority Clinical Trial.

Background: Screening strategies based on interferon-γ release assays in tuberculosis contact tracing may reduce the need for preventive therapy without increasing subsequent active disease.

Methods: We conducted an open-label, randomized trial to test the noninferiority of a 2-step strategy with the tuberculin skin test (TST) followed by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) as a confirmatory test (the TST/QFT arm) to the standard TST-alone strategy (TST arm) for targeting preventive therapy in household contacts of patients with tuberculosis. Participants were followed for 24 months after randomization.

Nasal versus oronasal mask in home mechanical ventilation: the preference of patients as a strategy for choosing the interface.

Introduction: In home mechanical ventilation (HMV), the mask is a key factor for patient comfort and therapeutic adherence. There is no evidence on the best strategy for choosing the mask in HMV.

Objective: To explore patient preference when prescribing the mask for HMV treatment and assess its relationship with effectiveness.

Nocturnal home pulse oximetry: variability and clinical implications in home mechanical ventilation.

Background: Nocturnal home pulse oximetry (NHPO) provides information by measuring a series of variables: time spent with SaO(2) <90% expressed as percentage (T90) or in minutes (Tm90), mean SaO(2) (MnS), and lowest SaO(2) (LwS.) The presence of significant nocturnal desaturation has been proposed as a parameter in decision making with regard to initiating home mechanical ventilation (HMV) or monitoring HMV effectiveness. However, there is limited information on the possible variability of the test, and this could influence the interpretation of results.