Factors associated with tuberculosis treatment initiation among bacteriologically negative individuals evaluated for tuberculosis: An individual patient data meta-analysis.

Background: Globally, over one-third of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) disease diagnoses are made based on clinical criteria after a negative bacteriological test result. There is limited information on the factors that determine clinicians' decisions to initiate TB treatment when initial bacteriological test results are negative.

Methods And Findings: We performed a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis using studies conducted between January 2010 and December 2022 (PROSPERO: CRD42022287613).

The Effects of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Arrhythmias: A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial in Patients with Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.

This double-blind randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on cardiac arrhythmias in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Participants (n = 41) with CIEDs were randomly assigned to either the OMT group or the control group (light touch/sham) and received a one-time intervention. No significant change in arrhythmia burden was found in the 1 month following intervention ( = .

Tiled Amplicon Sequencing Enables Culture-free Whole-Genome Sequencing of Pathogenic Bacteria From Clinical Specimens.

Pathogen sequencing is an important tool for disease surveillance and demonstrated its high value during the COVID-19 pandemic. Viral sequencing during the pandemic allowed us to track disease spread, quickly identify new variants, and guide the development of vaccines. Tiled amplicon sequencing, in which a panel of primers is used for multiplex amplification of fragments across an entire genome, was the cornerstone of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing.

Photocatalytic Semiconductor-Metal Hybrid Nanoparticles: Single-Atom Catalyst Regime Surpasses Metal Tips.

Semiconductor-metal hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) are promising materials for photocatalytic applications, such as water splitting for green hydrogen generation. While most studies have focused on Cd containing HNPs, the realization of actual applications will require environmentally compatible systems. Using heavy-metal free ZnSe-Au HNPs as a model, we investigate the dependence of their functionality and efficiency on the cocatalyst metal domain characteristics ranging from the single-atom catalyst (SAC) regime to metal-tipped systems.