C1q and HBHA-specific IL-13 levels as surrogate plasma biomarkers for monitoring tuberculosis treatment efficacy: a cross-sectional cohort study in Paraguay.

Introduction: New diagnostic tools are needed to rapidly assess the efficacy of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate several immune biomarkers in an observational and cross-sectional cohort study conducted in Paraguay.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with clinically and microbiologically confirmed PTB were evaluated before starting treatment (T0), after 2 months of treatment (T1) and at the end of treatment (T2).

In-Depth Immunophenotyping With Mass Cytometry During TB Treatment Reveals New T-Cell Subsets Associated With Culture Conversion.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a difficult-to-treat infection because of multidrug regimen requirements based on drug susceptibility profiles and treatment observance issues. TB cure is defined by mycobacterial sterilization, technically complex to systematically assess. We hypothesized that microbiological outcome was associated with stage-specific immune changes in peripheral whole blood during TB treatment.

Tailored first-line biologic and targeted synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: 2021 updated ITABIO statements.

Introduction: In 2015, the Italian board for the TAilored BIOlogic therapy (ITABIO) proposed evidence-based decisional statements for first-line tailored biologic therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Taking into account the new licensed drugs, the aim of the present review was to update the previous statements.

Areas Covered: A narrative review of the most recent evidence on the efficacy and safety of old and newly licensed drugs for the treatment of articular and extra-articular RA was performed.

Association of COVID-19 case fatality rate with disease burden: an ecological analysis in Italy during the first wave.

Objectives: In Italy, the case fatality rate (CFR) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the first wave of the pandemic showed significant geographic heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to explore the possible association between the CFR and measures of disease burden in the Italian regions using an ecological approach.

Methods: Cumulated regional data for the period February 24 to May 11, 2020 were analysed to assess the association of the CFR with the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 and the ratio between the maximum number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units (ICU) and ICU beds available before the pandemic (ICU load), adjusting for median age of the patients at disease onset, number of nasopharyngeal swabs performed per confirmed case, and prevalence of chronic diseases .

Multi-country evaluation of RISK6, a 6-gene blood transcriptomic signature, for tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

There is a crucial need for non-sputum-based TB tests. Here, we evaluate the performance of RISK6, a human-blood transcriptomic signature, for TB screening, triage and treatment monitoring. RISK6 performance was also compared to that of two IGRAs: one based on RD1 antigens (QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, QFT-P, Qiagen) and one on recombinant M.

TB management in the European Union/European Economic Area: a multi-centre survey.

Essential TB care in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) comprises 21 standards for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of TB that constitute the European Union Standards for Tuberculosis Care (ESTC). In 2017, we conducted an audit on TB management and infection control measures against the ESTC standards. TB reference centres in five EU/EEA countries were purposely selected to represent the heterogeneous European TB burden and examine geographic variability.

Relevance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus and Heparin-Binding Hemagglutinin Interferon-γ Release Assays for Monitoring of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Clearance: A Multicentered Study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading infectious cause of death. To improve treatment efficacy, quicker monitoring methods are needed. The objective of this study was to monitor the response to a heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA) interferon- (IFN-) release assay (IGRA) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-P) and to analyze plasma IFN- levels according to sputum culture conversion and immune cell counts during treatment.

Tuberculosis and COVID-19 interaction: A review of biological, clinical and public health effects.

Evidence is accumulating on the interaction between tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19. The aim of the present review is to report the available evidence on the interaction between these two infections. Differences and similarities of TB and COVID-19, their immunological features, diagnostics, epidemiological and clinical characteristics and public health implications are discussed.

A new health care index predicts short term mortality for TB and HIV co-infected people.

Using 2004-2007 TB:HIV Study data from Europe and Latin America, we previously generated a health care index (HCI) for TB and HIV co-infected people. With improvements in diagnostic and management practices, we have now updated the HCI with new data. We evaluated nine aspects of health care in Cox proportional hazards models on time from TB diagnosis to death.

Management of Tuberculosis: Are the Practices Homogeneous in High-Income Countries?

To evaluate and compare practices regarding the diagnosis, isolation measures, and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in high-income countries and mainly in Europe. A survey was conducted from November 2018 to April 2019 within the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Study Group for Mycobacterial Infections (ESGMYC). The practices observed were compared to the main international guidelines.

Association of baseline white blood cell counts with tuberculosis treatment outcome: a prospective multicentered cohort study.

Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious cause of death in the world. Cheaper and more accessible TB treatment monitoring methods are needed. Here, we evaluated white blood cell (WBC) absolute counts, lymphocyte, and monocyte proportions during TB treatment, and characterized their association with treatment failure.

Beneficial impact of Baricitinib in COVID-19 moderate pneumonia; multicentre study.

• Baricitinib, an anti-JAK1/JAK2, reduces cytokine release and SARS-Co-V2 entry. • In a retrospective multicenter study baricitinib reduces COVID-19 mortality rate. • Baricitinib reduces intensive care unit admissions of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Epidemic and pandemic viral infections: impact on tuberculosis and the lung: A consensus by the World Association for Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders (WAidid), Global Tuberculosis Network (GTN), and members of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Study Group for Mycobacterial Infections (ESGMYC).

Major epidemics, including some that qualify as pandemics, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), HIV, influenza A (H1N1)pdm/09 and most recently COVID-19, affect the lung. Tuberculosis (TB) remains the top infectious disease killer, but apart from syndemic TB/HIV little is known regarding the interaction of viral epidemics and pandemics with TB. The aim of this consensus-based document is to describe the effects of viral infections resulting in epidemics and pandemics that affect the lung (MERS, SARS, HIV, influenza A (H1N1)pdm/09 and COVID-19) and their interactions with TB.

Systematic review on tuberculosis risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving inhibitors of Janus Kinases.

Introduction: Janus kinases inhibitors (anti-JAKs), including tofacitinib, baricitinib, upadacitinib, and filgotinib, represent a new class of synthetic targeted drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this review, the risk of active tuberculosis (TB) occurrence in patients receiving anti-JAKs was assessed. The literature on this topic, updated to 29 February 2020 was reviewed.

Molecular Characterization of HEV Genotype 3 in Italy at Human/Animal Interface.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging public health issue in industrialized countries. In the last decade the number of autochthonous human infections has increased in Europe. Genotype 3 (HEV-3) is typically zoonotic, being foodborne the main route of transmission to humans, and is the most frequently detected in Europe in both humans and animals (mainly pigs and wild boars).

Effect of HIV-infection on QuantiFERON-plus accuracy in patients with active tuberculosis and latent infection.

Objective: HIV-infection increases the risk to progress to active-tuberculosis (TB). Detection of latent TB infection (LTBI) is needed to eventually propose preventive-therapy and reduce TB reservoir. QuantiFERON-TB Plus (QFT-Plus)-test identifies LTBI.

Inhibition of Transglutaminase 2 as a Potential Host-Directed Therapy Against .

Host-directed therapies (HDTs) are emerging as a potential valid support in the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). Following our recent report indicating that genetic and pharmacological inhibition of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) restricts () replication in macrophages, we aimed to investigate the potentials of the TG2 inhibitors cystamine and cysteamine as HDTs against TB. We showed that both cysteamine and cystamine restricted replication in infected macrophages when provided at equimolar concentrations and did not exert any antibacterial activity when administered directly on cultures.

Transcriptional biomarkers for predicting development of tuberculosis: progress and clinical considerations.

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Risk of tuberculosis reactivation associated with traditional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and non-anti-tumor necrosis factor biologics in patients with rheumatic disorders and suggestion for clinical practice.

Introduction: Two classes of biologics, anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and non-anti-TNF targeted, are currently available for the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

Areas Covered: Discussion on the need for LTBI diagnosis in rheumatic patients treated csDMARDs and non-anti-TNFs through a review of the literature. The literature, updated to 15 April 2019, on tuberculosis (TB) reactivation risk in patients exposed to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) and non-anti-TNF biologics was reviewed.

Hepatitis C Virus Genetic Variability, Human Immune Response, and Genome Polymorphisms: Which Is the Interplay?

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the main cause of chronic hepatitis, affecting an estimated 150 million people worldwide. Initial exposure to HCV is most often followed by chronic hepatitis, with only a minority of individuals spontaneously clearing the virus. The induction of sustained and broadly directed HCV-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell responses, together with neutralizing antibodies (nAb), and specific genetic polymorphism have been associated with spontaneous resolution of the infection.

Clinical evaluation of TRCReady M.TB for rapid automated detection of complex in respiratory samples.

Setting: Timely diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is essential for effectively controlling and managing the disease. Although international guidelines recommend acid-fast bacilli staining and culture as the 'gold standard', new molecular methods are available to safely and rapidly identify positive samples.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of the newer and fully automated version of a molecular assay for rRNA amplification (TRCReady M.

Laboratory management of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus infections: perspectives from two European networks.

BackgroundCrimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is considered an emerging infectious disease threat in the European Union. Since 2000, the incidence and geographic range of confirmed CCHF cases have markedly increased, following changes in the distribution of its main vector, ticks.AimsTo review scientific literature and collect experts' opinion to analyse relevant aspects of the laboratory management of human CCHF cases and any exposed contacts, as well as identify areas for advancement of international collaborative preparedness and laboratory response plans.