RNA Sequencing Analysis of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Treated Using PEGylated Interferon.

Purpose: Worldwide, chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection is a public health concern, ultimately leading to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, patients with CHB can be treated using polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated interferon (PEG-IFN) antiviral therapy, which has both immune modulatory and antiviral properties. This study aimed to reveal the mechanism underlying the effect of PEG-IFN therapy, to rationally optimize this therapeutic option.

CircularRNA Hsa_circ_0093335 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via sponging miR-338-5p.

Circular RNAs play an important role in the development of various malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, the role of Hsa_circ_0093335 (circ0093335) in HCC has not yet been explored. To investigate the biological effects and molecular mechanisms of circ0093335 on HCC.

Expression Pattern of Cytokines in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Receiving PEGinterferon Therapy.

Purpose: Chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection is a worldwide health problem. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated interferon (PEG-IFN) is an available therapy for CHB that has antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. However, PEG-IFN therapy is limited by the fact that only a subset of patients show a sustained response, its severe side effects, and high cost.

Effect of adjusted cut-offs of interferon-γ release assays on diagnosis of tuberculosis in patients with fever of unknown origin.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO). In recent years, interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) have been widely utilized and the cut-off values given by the manufacturers are set in countries where rates of TB are not as high.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a Chinese general hospital to evaluate the diagnostic performance of T-SPOT.

Recurrent pulmonary tuberculosis after treatment success: a population-based retrospective study in China.

Objectives: Post-treatment recurrence remains a challenge for the global control of tuberculosis (TB). This study investigated longitudinal data on pulmonary TB recurrence rates and risk factors for recurrence among successfully treated smear-positive tuberculosis cases in China.

Methods: Between 1st January 2009 and 31st December 2016 we evaluated 33 441 treatment-naïve patients diagnosed with sputum-smear-positive, non-multidrug-resistant TB in Hangzhou, China.

Efficacy and safety of weekly rifapentine and isoniazid for tuberculosis prevention in Chinese silicosis patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the efficacy, safety and completion rate of 3-month, once-weekly rifapentine and isoniazid for tuberculosis (TB) prevention among Chinese silicosis patients.

Methods: Male silicosis patients without human immunodeficiency virus infection, aged 18 years to 65 years, with or without latent TB infection, were randomized 1:1 to receive rifapentine/isoniazid under direct observation (3RPT/INH group) or were untreated (observation group). Active TB incidence was compared between the two groups with 37 months of follow-up.

Accumulation mechanism of biofilm under different water shear forces along the networked pipelines in a drip irrigation system.

The behavior of clogging has a close relationship with the biofilm attached on inner surface of the pipeline in a drip irrigation system using reclaimed water. Therefore, inhibiting biofilm growth is the key to completely addressing the clogging problem. Water shear forces play a vital role in the formation, development and detachment of biofilm.

Preventive tuberculosis treatment effect on QuantiFERON TB-Gold in-tube testing in a high tuberculosis-endemic country: A clinical trial.

Background: Whether T-cell interferon-γ responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens can be influenced by tuberculosis preventive treatment in a high-endemic country is uncertain.

Methods: In this prospective, open-label, controlled study, 513 individuals with silicosis were randomly selected for TB preventive treatment with rifapentine and isoniazid or for observation. QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-tube (QFT-GIT) assay was used to measure IFN-γ response to M.

Clinical Evaluation of Diagnosis Efficacy of Active Complex Infection via Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing of Direct Clinical Samples.

Tuberculosis (TB) is now the leading cause of death from infectious disease. Rapid screening and diagnostic methods for TB are urgently required. Rapid development of metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in recent years showed promising and satisfying application of mNGS in several kinds of infectious diseases.

Susceptibility of and Isolates to 30 Antibiotics.

Objective: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cause various diseases in humans and animals. Recently, the prevalence of NTM-related disease has been on the rise, becoming an emerging public health problem. The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of clinical isolates of .

Assessing and screening for T-cell epitopes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis RD2 proteins for the diagnosis of active tuberculosis.

The Region of D eletion 2 (RD2) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes reserved antigens that contribute to bacterial virulence. Among these antigens, Rv1983, Rv1986, Rv1987, and Rv1989c have been shown to be immunodominant in infected cattle; however, their diagnostic utility has not been evaluated in humans. In this study, we screened 87 overlapping synthetic peptides encoded by five RD2 proteins for diagnosing tuberculosis epitopes in 50 active tuberculosis (TB) cases, 31 non-tuberculosis patients and 36 healthy individuals.

Screening and identification of a six-cytokine biosignature for detecting TB infection and discriminating active from latent TB.

Background: The early and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is critical for controlling the global TB epidemic. Although early studies have supported the potential role of cytokine biomarkers in blood for the diagnosis of TB, this method requires further investigation and validation in different populations. A set of biomarkers that can discriminate between active TB (ATB) and latent TB infection (LTBI) remains elusive.

Evaluation of the dynamic pattern of viral evolution in patients with virological breakthrough during treatment with nucleoside/nucleotide analogs by ultra‑deep pyrosequencing.

Virological breakthrough is a clinical manifestation in patients infected with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), who undergo treatment with nucleoside/nucleotide analogs (NUCs). The current understanding of the underlying mechanism of virological breakthrough is limited. Ultra‑deep pyrosequencing (UDPS) is a novel and powerful tool used to investigate minor viral variants and viral evolution.

Fluctuating Behavior and Influential Factors in the Performance of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube Assay in the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis.

Background: The QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) is a newly developed but widely used interferon-γ release assay for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB). However, research has not determined whether age or the use of an immune suppressive or anti-TB treatment influences this assay's ability to detect TB. We assessed the QFT-GIT diagnostic performance for active tuberculosis (ATB) in children and adults in an endemic country and explored the effects of glucocorticoids and anti-TB therapy on the diagnostic value of the QFT-GIT.

Evolution and transmission patterns of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in China.

The emergence and transmission of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) pose an increasing threat to global TB control. This study aimed to identify the patterns of evolution and transmission dynamics of XDR-TB in populations in a region of China where TB is highly endemic. We analyzed a total of 95 XDR-TB isolates collected from 2003 to 2009 in Chongqing, China.

Detection and identification of viral pathogens in patients with hand, foot, and mouth disease by multilocus PCR, reverse-transcription PCR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Background: Rapid detection and identification of viruses are important for early diagnosis and effective surveillance of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). We described a novel assay using multilocus PCR and reverse transcription-PCR coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (RT-PCR/ESI-MS) to simultaneously detect and identify human enterovirus A-D, adenovirus A-F, human herpesvirus 1-8, parvovirus B19 and polyomavirus.

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy and efficacy of the RT-PCR/ESI-MS method, to detect and type enterovirus from specimens of clinical diagnosed HFMD patients.

Sputum microbiota associated with new, recurrent and treatment failure tuberculosis.

Microbiota have recently been shown to be associated with many disease conditions. However, the microbiota associated with tuberculosis (TB) infection, recurrence and treatment outcome have not been systematically characterized. Here, we used high throughput 16S RNA sequencing to analyze the sputum microbiota associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and also to identify the microorganisms associated with different outcomes of TB treatment.

Improved diagnostic power by combined interferon-gamma release assay and nested-PCR in tuberculous pleurisy in high tuberculosis prevalence area.

The conventional acid fast bacilli (AFB) smear and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) culture of pleural effusion and tuberculin skin test (TST) in tuberculous pleurisy are unable to meet clinical needs because of their low sensitivities and specificities. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracies of QuantiFERON TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT) and nested-PCR in tuberculous pleurisy, we conducted a cross-sectional study in regions of China with a high tuberculosis (TB) epidemic.

Underestimation of the resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to second-line drugs by the new GenoType MTBDRsl test.

The GenoType MTBDRsl is a new-generation PCR-based line-probe assay for the detection of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). This study evaluated the performance of MTBDRsl in detecting genotypic resistance to ethambutol, kanamycin, and ofloxacin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains. The drug resistance of 262 unique clinical MTB isolates from China was analyzed with MTBDRsl, traditional TB drug susceptibility testing (DST), and sequencing.