Pooling sputum samples for the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay: A sensitive and effective screening strategy.

The sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) pooled testing is limited for diagnosing patients with paucibacillary tuberculosis (TB). We assessed whether pooled testing with Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) can be a sensitive and effective approach for mass TB screening. Conserved, frozen sputum samples, previously confirmed as positive or negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis by individual Xpert assays, were mixed in pools of 4, 8, and 16 and then tested using Ultra.

Internal migrants as drivers of long-distance cross-regional transmission of tuberculosis in China.

Objectives: Internal migrants in China frequently travel between their hometowns and the cities where they work, creating ample opportunities for cross-regional transmission of tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to explore the role of internal migrants in transmitting TB across different regions and the contribution of cross-region transmission to China's TB burden.

Methods: The study included a total of 8664 patients with TB and their Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates, collected from two large cities and three rural regions.

Transmission of tuberculosis in rural Henan, China: a prospective population-based genomic spatial epidemiological study.

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) has declined more slowly in rural than urban areas in China, and data on the patterns of transmission and the high-risk populations in rural areas remains scarce. We conducted a population-based study of culture-positive pulmonary TB patients diagnosed in rural Linzhou City, Henan Province from July 2018 to February 2023. Genomic clusters were defined based on whole-genome sequencing and risk factors for clustering were identified by logistic regression.

Mechanistic Investigation into Chemiluminescence from 1,4-Benzoquinone.

Tetrahalogen-1,4-benzoquinone (THBQ) represents a category of HO-dependent substrates for chemiluminescence (CL), including tetrafluoro-, tetrachloro-, tetrabromo-, and tetraiodo-1,4-benzoquinone (TFBQ, TCBQ, TBBQ, and TIBQ). A deep understanding of the CL mechanism of THBQ is essential for all HO-dependent CL and even some bioluminescence. This article systematically investigates the CL process of THBQ by density functional theory and multireference state theory.

Molecular mechanism of the metal-independent production of hydroxyl radicals by thiourea dioxide and HO.

It is well-known that highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (HO) can be produced by the classic Fenton system and our recently discovered haloquinone/HO system, but rarely from thiol-derivatives. Here, we found, unexpectedly, that HO can be generated from HO and thiourea dioxide (TUO), a widely used and environmentally friendly bleaching agent. A carbon-centered radical and sulfite were detected and identified as the transient intermediates, and urea and sulfate as the final products, with the complementary application of electron spin-trapping, oxygen-18 isotope labeling coupled with HPLC/MS analysis.

Performance evaluation of core genome multilocus sequence typing for genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in China: based on multicenter, population-based collection.

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) for genotyping Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tuberculosis) Strains in regions where the lineage 2 strains predominate.

Methods: We compared clustering by whole-genome SNP typing with cgMLST clustering in the analysis of WGS data of 6240 strains from five regions of China.

Study of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in vitro and molecular docking analysis of periplocin inhibits cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis in MDA-MB-231.

Breast cancer mainly affects women and is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Breast cancer affects women aged 15-59. The current study explored periplocin's anticancer activities against breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells by down-regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

The landscape of 6-methyladenosine modification patterns and altered transcript profiles in the cardiac-specific deletion of natriuretic peptide receptor A.

The atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and the brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) are critical biological makers and regulators of cardiac functions. Our previous results show that NPRA (natriuretic peptide receptor A)-deficient mice have distinct metabolic patterns and expression profiles compared with the control. Still, the molecular mechanism that could account for this observation remains to be elucidated.

Mechanistic Investigation of H O -dependent Chemiluminescence from Tetrabromo-1,4-Benzoquinone.

As a H O -dependent bioluminescent substrate, tetrabromo-1,4-benzoquinone (TBBQ) was first isolated from acorn worm. The mechanism of chemiluminescence (CL) corresponding to the bioluminescence (BL) of acorn worm is largely unknown, let alone the mechanism of BL. In this article, we firstly studied the chemical and physical processes, and mechanism of H O -dependent CL from TBBQ by theoretical and experimental methods.