Objectives: The prevalence of active tuberculosis (TB) is low in Finland, but outbreaks do occur. Following exposure national guidelines recommend either tuberculosis skin test or interferon-γ-release assay-testing of asymptomatic children. The aim of this study was to compare QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT) and interferon-γ-inducible protein (IP-10) release assay for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection following exposure to TB in a primary school.
Design: A prospective cohort study.
Setting: School children in Helsinki, Finland.
Participants: Two siblings of the index case and 58 classmates exposed to M tuberculosis.
Intervention: All the children were screened using the QFT, which was used to guide preventive treatment. All those exposed were followed up through the national TB registry.
Outcome Measures: IP-10 was measured in plasma supernatants from the QFT test supernatants and in plasma dried and stored for 1 year on filter paper. IP-10 test results were calculated using preset algorithms for positive and indeterminate tests. The negative predictive values of the tests were assessed.
Results: At an initial screening 2 months after the debut of symptoms in the index case, QFT was positive in two children; 56 tests were negative; one was indeterminate and one was borderline. IP-10 showed a perfect concordance between the dried plasma spot and plasma method; two children were IP-10 positive and two were IP-10 indeterminate. There were two (3%) discordant results between the QFT and IP-10 tests. Four children converted to positive QFT at a 1-3 month follow-up. None of the QFT negative/borderline children developed TB in the 4-year period since exposure.
Conclusions: We demonstrated that IP-10 and QFT perform comparably as screening tools for infection with M tuberculosis in a contact investigation. IP-10 determined in dried plasma spots was at par with IP-10 determined in plasma, which further supports the usefulness of this alternative approach.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3533036 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001751 | DOI Listing |
Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology and Micro-Technology, Yokohama City University, 4-57 Urafunecho, Minami-ku, Yokohama, 232-0024, Kanagawa, Japan.
Purpose: To investigate whether sub-Tenon injection of triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) combined with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) prolongs the recurrence intervals of macular edema (ME) for chronic retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and to investigate the differences in intraocular inflammatory cytokines between good responders (GRs) and non-responders (NRs).
Methods: This retrospective, observational study involved 42 eyes of 42 patients with ME due to chronic RVO who had received only anti-VEGF for ≥ 1 year and were transitioned to combination therapy. GRs were defined as patients whose recurrence intervals were prolonged by ≥ 2 weeks compared with patients receiving anti-VEGF alone.
Ann Transl Med
December 2024
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is increasingly thought to be a multifactorial disease in which sustained gut inflammation serves as a continued source of inflammatory mediators driving degenerative processes at distant sites such as joints. The objective of this study was to use the equine model of naturally occurring obesity associated OA to compare the fecal microbiome in OA and health and correlate those findings to differential gene expression synovial fluid (SF) cells, circulating leukocytes and cytokine levels (plasma, SF) towards improved understanding of the interplay between microbiome and immune transcriptome in OA pathophysiology.
Methods: Feces, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and SF cells were isolated from healthy skeletally mature horses (n=12; 6 males, 6 females) and those with OA (n=6, 2 females, 4 males).
Int J Exerc Sci
December 2024
Exercise Science, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL, USA.
The purpose of the study was to compare heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) following high load resistance exercise (HLRE) and blood flow restriction exercise (BFRE) with a knee wrap (kBFRE) and pneumatic cuff (pBFRE). Eleven men (N = 9) and women (N = 2) participated. HR, SBP, and DBP were collected at Rest, immediately post exercise (IP), 10-, 30-, and 45-minutes post exercise.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza Other Respir Viruses
January 2025
Virology and Pathogenesis, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain.
Background: The global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in millions of people experiencing long COVID condition, a range of persistent symptoms following the acute phase, with an estimated prevalence of 27%-64%.
Materials And Methods: To understand its pathophysiology, we conducted a longitudinal study on viral load and cytokine dynamics in individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. We used reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR to quantify viral RNA from nasopharyngeal swabs and employed multiplex technology to measure plasma cytokine levels in a cohort of people with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
J Immunother Cancer
January 2025
Medical Oncology, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Background: SL-172154 is a hexameric fusion protein adjoining the extracellular domain of SIRPα to the extracellular domain of CD40L via an inert IgG-derived Fc domain. In preclinical studies, a murine equivalent SIRPα-Fc-CD40L fusion protein provided superior antitumor immunity in comparison to CD47- and CD40-targeted antibodies. A first-in-human phase I trial of SL-172154 was conducted in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!