Xpert MTB/RIF assay in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children in tertiary care setting in South India.

Xpert MTB/RIF is recommended for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children. We determined the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB in children. The characteristics of children influencing Xpert MTB/RIF positivity were explored.

Safety and Efficacy of 25 mg/kg and 35 mg/kg vs 10 mg/kg Rifampicin in Pulmonary TB: A Phase IIb Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Globally, no trial data are available on head-to-head comparison between 10 mg/kg and 25/35 mg/kg rifampicin in treating pulmonary tuberculosis during study initiation.

Methods: A multicentric, phase IIb randomized trial recruited 333 new culture-positive, drug-sensitive adult patients with pulmonary tuberculosis to compare safety and efficacy of high-dose rifampicin (R25/R35), against conventional dose (R10) given daily for 8 weeks followed by standard doses for 16 weeks. Main outcomes were treatment-emergent grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) and time-to-culture conversion in liquid media, assessed by division of AIDS system for grading the severity of adverse events division of AIDS criteria and Kaplan-Meier methods.

Contact Efficacy of Two Amorphous Silica Powders against the Red Flour Beetle, (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

The contact efficacy of two amorphous silica powders 1 and 2 procured from Imery's chemicals, Lompoc, CA, USA, were evaluated against the red flour beetle, (Herbst). The efficacy of the silica two powders was evaluated by exposing 10 adults of to twelve different concentrations of silica powder 1 and 2 for 12, 24, 36, and 48 h. Mortality assessments were made after 14 d, and data on adult progeny production were recorded at 42 d.

Efficacy of Liquid Smoke to Mitigate Infestations of the Storage Mite, , in a Model Semi-Moist Pet Food.

The storage mite infests a wide range of food products including pet food. Control of this mite depends on chemical methods such as fumigation and spraying with insecticides. Methyl bromide was used as a fumigant for high-value stored products, especially to control mite infestation in dry-cured hams and cheeses, but it is now banned for most uses in many countries because of its atmospheric ozone-depleting effects.

Impact of storage technologies and duration on insect pest population, post-harvest losses, and seed quality of stored chickpea in Ethiopia.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the most important winter season food legume in Ethiopia. Despite being a major producer and consumer of chickpeas, Ethiopia experiences lower yields due to biotic and abiotic stresses, particularly insect pest infestations during storage.

Effects of liquid smoke preparations on shelf life and growth of wild type mold and in a model semi moist pet food.

Liquid smoke is a naturally derived flavor component and preservative with known antimicrobial properties. To our knowledge, there is a paucity of information on antifungal potential of liquid smoke against toxigenic fungi like that produce mycotoxins in human and pet foods. Semi-moist pet food with high moisture content (20-30%) is susceptible to mold contamination and requires intervention.

Use of Organic Acid Mixtures Containing 2-Hydroxy-4-(Methylthio) Butanoic Acid (HMTBa) to Mitigate , Shiga Toxin-Producing (STEC) and in Pet Food Kibbles.

Post-processing operations of extruded pet food kibbles involve coating the product with fats and flavorings. These processes increase the risk for cross-contamination with food-borne pathogens such as and Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) and mycotoxin-producing molds such as spp. after the thermal kill step.

Mitigation of on Food Contact Surfaces by Using Organic Acid Mixtures Containing 2-Hydroxy-4-(methylthio) Butanoic Acid (HMTBa).

Contaminated surfaces can transmit pathogens to food in industrial and domestic food-handling environments. Exposure to pathogens on food contact surfaces may take place via the cross-contamination of pathogens during postprocessing activities. Formaldehyde-based commercial sanitizers in recent years are less commonly being used within food manufacturing facilities due to consumer perception and labeling concerns.

Effects of Storage Duration and Structures on Sesame Seed Germination, Mold Growth, and Mycotoxin Accumulation.

Sesame is an important oil crop for the Ethiopian economy. However, the lack of adequate storage facilities results in significant losses of sesame seeds. This study was designed to compare the effects of storage conditions and the subsequent impact on sesame seed germination, mold growth, and mycotoxin accumulation over the storage period.

Post-Harvest Insect Pests and Their Management Practices for Major Food and Export Crops in East Africa: An Ethiopian Case Study.

Ethiopian subsistence farmers traditionally store their grain harvests, leaving them open to storage pests and fungi that can cause contamination of major staple crops. Applying the most effective strategy requires a precise understanding of the insect species, infestation rates, storage losses, and storage conditions in the various types of farmers' grain stores. This study did a complete literature analysis on post-harvest pest and management measures with a focus on Ethiopia.

Predictors of unfavorable responses to therapy in rifampicin-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis using an integrated approach of radiological presentation and sputum mycobacterial burden.

Introduction: Despite the exalted status of sputum mycobacterial load for gauging pulmonary tuberculosis treatment and progress, Chest X-rays supplement valuable information for taking instantaneous therapeutic decisions, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though literature on individual parameters is overwhelming, few studies have explored the interaction between radiographic parameters denoting severity with mycobacterial burden signifying infectivity. By using a sophisticated approach of integrating Chest X-ray parameters with sputum mycobacterial characteristics, evaluated at all the three crucial time points of TB treatment namely pre-treatment, end of intensive phase and completion of treatment, utilizing the interactive Cox Proportional Hazards model, we aimed to precisely deduce predictors of unfavorable response to TB treatment.

Reprocessing of Contaminated MGIT 960 Cultures to Improve Availability of Valid Results for Mycobacteria.

Optimal recovery of mycobacteria from the contaminated liquid culture is a challenge. While alternative methods have been suggested to reduce the rate of contamination in the BACTEC MGIT 960 system, reprocessing the contaminated liquid culture improves recovery of . Among 793 MGIT cultures raised from as many sputum specimens after primary decontamination by the standard NaLC-NaOH method, valid results were available for 687 (86.

Characteristics of paradoxical tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome and its influence on tuberculosis treatment outcomes in persons living with HIV.

Objective: The influence of tuberculosis (TB)-immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) on TB treatment outcomes and its risk factors were investigated among people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and co-infected with TB.

Methods: Newly diagnosed, culture-confirmed, pulmonary TB patients with HIV and enrolled in a clinical trial (NCT00933790) were retrospectively analysed for IRIS occurrence. Risk factors and TB outcomes (up to 18 months after initiation of anti-TB treatment [ATT]) were compared between people who experienced IRIS (IRIS group) and those who did not (non-IRIS group).

Validation of bedaquiline drug-susceptibility testing by BACTEC MGIT 960 system for .

Background: Bedaquiline (BDQ) is a new antituberculosis (TB) drug effectively used for the treatment of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB. However, the reports on drug-susceptibility testing (DST) for BDQ are scarce. The study aimed to validate and standardize BDQ DST by BACTEC MGIT 960 system for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Contact Toxicity of Filter Cake and Triplex Powders From Ethiopia Against Adults of Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Filter cake and Triplex are powdered by-products of aluminum sulfate and soap factories in Ethiopia, respectively. This study was aimed at determining contact toxicity of filter cake and Triplex powders against maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky. Lethal concentrations for 99% mortality (LC99) against S.

Toxicity of Chlorine Dioxide Gas to Phosphine-Susceptible and -Resistant Adults of Five Stored-Product Insect Species: Influence of Temperature and Food During Gas Exposure.

Adults of phosphine-susceptible and -resistant strains of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst); lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.); sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.); maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky; and rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.

Evaluating Penetration Ability of (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Larvae into Multilayer Polypropylene Packages.

The larvae of the Indian meal moth, (Hübner), can invade or penetrate packaging materials and infest food products. Energy bars with three polypropylene packaging types were challenged with eggs (first instars), third instars, and fifth instars of to determine package resistance at 28 °C and 65% r.h.

Reversible, orally available ADP receptor (P2Y) antagonists Part I: Hit to lead process.

A hit to lead process to identify reversible, orally available ADP receptor (P2Y) antagonists lead compounds is described. High throughput screening afforded 1. Optimization of 1, using parallel synthesis methods, a methyl scan to identify promising regions for optimization, and exploratory SAR on these regions, provided 22 and 23.

Efficacy of Ozone against Phosphine Susceptible and Resistant Strains of Four Stored-Product Insect Species.

The efficacy of ozone was evaluated against four economically-important stored-product insect species at 27.2 C and 20.4% r.

Studies on the quality of duck meat sausages during refrigeration.

Duck farming is on the raise in the current scenario, but processed products from duck meat are still uncommon to find. Investigating the duck meat qualities during storage will provide information to enhance duck meat utilization. Development of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook duck meat products is expected to increase and improve non-chicken meat-based protein.

Novel Antibody Therapeutics Targeting Mesothelin In Solid Tumors.

Abstract Background: Monoclonal antibodies have become attractive clinical anti-cancer drugs in the last 3 decades due to their targeting specificity and suitable pharmacokinetic properties. Mesothelin is a tumor-associated antigen with limited expression in normal tissues. It is frequently over-expressed on the cell membrane of a number of epithelial malignancies (e.