Interferon-Gamma Release Assay is Not Appropriate for the Diagnosis of Active Tuberculosis in High-Burden Tuberculosis Settings: A Retrospective Multicenter Investigation.

Background: Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) has been used in latent tuberculosis (TB) infection and TB diagnosis, but the results from different high TB-endemic countries are different. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of IGRA in the diagnosis of active pulmonary TB (PTB) in China.

Methods: We conducted a large-scale retrospective multicenter investigation to further evaluate the role of IGRA in the diagnosis of active PTB in high TB-epidemic populations and the factors affecting the performance of the assay.

Bedaquiline in the treatment of multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Bedaquiline, a diarylquinoline, improved cure rates when added to a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment regimen in a previous placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial (TMC207-C208; NCT00449644). The current phase 2, multicenter, open-label, single-arm trial (TMC207-C209; NCT00910871) reported here was conducted to confirm the safety and efficacy of bedaquiline.Newly diagnosed or previously treated patients with MDR-TB (including pre-extensively drug-resistant (pre-XDR)-TB or extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-TB) received bedaquiline for 24 weeks with a background regimen of anti-TB drugs continued according to National TB Programme treatment guidelines.

An open-label, randomized and multi-center clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of Silibinin in preventing drug-induced liver injury.

Unlabelled: To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of Silibinin in preventing drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in the general population (high-risk patients with non-drug induced liver injury).

Method: A prospective, multi-center, randomized, open-label and controlled trial was conducted with 568 patients undergoing primary treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. The study included 277 patients in experimental group and 291 patients in control group.

[The correlation between polymorphisms of genes with susceptibility to tuberculosis and the clinical characteristics of tuberculosis in 459 Han patients].

Objective: To study the correlation between polymorphisms of genes with susceptibility to tuberculosis and the clinical characteristics of tuberculosis in Han population.

Methods: Four hundred and fifty-nine tuberculosis inpatients of Han population in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from Jan 2007 to Dec 2008 were recruited. The clinical characteristics of tuberculosis (gender, fever, extent of lesions, cavity formation, hemoptysis, initial treatment and retreatment) were observed.

[Study on the correlation between polymorphisms of genes with susceptibility to tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis in Chinese Han population].

Objective: To investigate the distribution of polymorphisms of SLC11A1 gene, VDR gene, MBL gene and IFNG gene with susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) in Chinese Han population suffering from drug-sensitive TB and drug-resistant TB so as to identify the correlation between gene polymorphisms and the development of drug-resistant TB.

Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of VDR gene, SLC11A1 gene, MBL gene, IFNG gene were typed and analyzed by pyrosequencing, Real-time Probe and SNaPshot among 229 patients with drug-sensitive TB and 230 patients with drug-resistant TB.

Results: The polymorphic foci of VDR gene from the drug-sensitive TB group and the drug-resistant TB group showed no significant difference (P > 0.

[The changes and the significance of cellular immune function in peripheral blood of patients with multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis].

Objective: To explore the expressions and the significance of CD(3)(+)CD(16)(+)CD(56)(+) NKT cells, CD(3)(-)CD(16)(+)CD(56)(+) NK cells and T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of patients with multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB) pulmonary tuberculosis.

Methods: The data of 316 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis hospitalized in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from January 2008 to June 2009 were retrospectively analyzed, of whom 119 were newly diagnosed, and 197 were retreated patients. There were 204 males and 112 females, aged from 17 - 88 years, mean (44 ± 16) years.

[Clinical, pathological and radiological characteristics of 83 cases of pleural tuberculoma].

Objective: To investigate the clinical, pathological and radiological characteristics of pleural tuberculoma, so as to improve the understanding of this disease.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, laboratory, pathological and radiological data of 83 cases of pleural tuberculoma diagnosed by pathology and(or) bacteriology in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University.

Results: In the recruited 83 cases, there were 50 males and 33 females, aged from 7 to 85 years old, with a mean age of 37.