Article
Microbiology
Martin Barbosa-Amezcua, Betzaida Cuevas-Cordoba, Cristobal Fresno, Joshua Haase-Hernandez, Karol Carrillo-Sanchez, Minerva Mata-Rocha, Marcela Munoz-Torrico, Claudia Backer, Vanessa Gonzalez-Covarrubias, Carmen Alaez-Verson, Xavier Soberon
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the diagnosis and treatment of Tuberculosis (TB) cases. In this study, a proof-of-concept protocol was developed to detect drug resistance and classify the phylogeny of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (Mtb) from sputum samples. The results showed that the protocol could provide a complete drug resistance profile and phylogeny of Mtb, which could be useful for personalized and effective treatments.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Rafal Lenda, Michal Padjasek, Artur Krezel, Andrzej Ozyhar, Dominika Bystranowska
Summary: This study analyzed the effect of Zn(II) and Ca(II) on the structure of human nesfatin-1, -2, and -1/2. The results revealed that human nesfatin-1 is an intrinsically disordered protein, while nesfatin-2 and nesfatin-1/2 have globular structures with intrinsically disordered regions. Zn(II) treatment led to structurization and compaction of nesfatin-1, as well as destabilization of nesfatin-2 and nesfatin-1/2. Furthermore, nesfatin-1 and -2 seemed to be interdependent when linked together, as the properties of nesfatin-1/2 were not a simple sum of the properties exhibited by the individual peptides.
CELL COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Alexandre Belin, Robert C. Myers, Shan-Ming Ruan, Gabor Sarosi, Antony J. Speranza
Summary: This paper presents a new infinite class of gravitational observables in asymptotically anti-de Sitter space living on codimension-one slices of the geometry, the most famous of which is the volume of the maximal slice. The authors show that these observables display universal features for the thermofield-double state, growing linearly in time at late times and reproducing the switchback effect in shock wave geometries. They argue that any member of this class of observables is an equally viable candidate as the extremal volume for a gravitational dual of complexity.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Theresa S. Ryckman, David W. Dowdy, Emily A. Kendall
Summary: The importance of finding people with undiagnosed tuberculosis (TB) lies in their future disease trajectories. The study shows that individuals with smear-positive subclinical TB have longer undiagnosed disease durations and contribute more to future transmission than symptomatic or smear-negative TB.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Ruvandhi R. Nathavitharana, Alberto L. Garcia-Basteiro, Morten Ruhwald, Frank Cobelens, Grant Theron
Summary: Rapid and accurate sputum-free tests for tuberculosis diagnosis are urgently needed. Mid-to-early-stage technologies like AI-based automated digital chest X-radiography and capillary blood point-of-care assays are promising. Challenges include detecting paucibacillary TB and limitations of current reference standards.
Article
Infectious Diseases
S. E. Smith-Jeffcoat, K. D. Eisenach, M. Joloba, W. Ssengooba, C. Namaganda, M. Nsereko, B. Okware, J. S. Cavanaugh, J. P. Cegielski
Summary: The study found that there was a slow and uneven decline in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples over 8 weeks of standardized treatment for pulmonary MDR-TB.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TUBERCULOSIS AND LUNG DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Paulo Cesar Pereira dos Santos, Andrea da Silva Santos, Roberto Dias de Oliveira, Bruna Oliveira da Silva, Thiego Ramon Soares, Leonardo Martinez, Jason R. Andrews, Julio Croda
Summary: The study demonstrates that using Xpert Ultra for screening pooled sputum samples is a sensitive strategy for tuberculosis screening. Pooled sputum testing is more efficient than individual testing across various tuberculosis prevalence settings and helps to contain costs in mass screening programs.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Elisabetta Venturini, Barbara Bortone, Gianmaria Cini, Jacopo Venanzi, Roberta Pellegrino, Anna Maria Bartolesi, Guendalina Vaggelli, Sandra Trapani, Giuseppe Indolfi, Leila Bianchi, Carlotta Montagnani, Elena Chiappini, Gian Maria Rossolini, Luisa Galli
Summary: This study aims to investigate the sensitivity of microscopy, culture and polymerase chain reaction on three gastric aspirates in the microbiological confirmation of active pulmonary tuberculosis and to identify possible changes in sensitivity derived from the collection of a different number of aspirates. The results showed that collecting three gastric aspirates can increase the sensitivity of microbiological confirmation of active pulmonary tuberculosis, particularly in children aged 4 years or younger and those with uncomplicated radiological patterns.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
David Patrick Kateete, Monica M. Mbabazi, Faith Nakazzi, Fred A. Katabazi, Edgar Kigozi, Willy Ssengooba, Lydia Nakiyingi, Sharon Namiiro, Alphonse Okwera, Moses L. Joloba, Adrian Muwonge
Summary: Microbiota dynamics in pulmonary tuberculosis in Africa are poorly understood. Sequencing sputa from treatment-naive TB patients in Uganda revealed associations between HIV-status, anti-TB treatment, and microbial composition. Treatment-response showed distinct microbiota signals with potential for monitoring anti-TB treatment response.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Felipe B. D'Andrea, Nicholas C. Poulton, Ruby Froom, Kayan Tam, Elizabeth A. Campbell, Jeremy M. Rock
Summary: The Mtb Clp protease system, with its essential ClpP1 proteolytic subunit, serves as a promising noncanonical drug target against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Review
Immunology
Michael W. W. Shultis, Claire V. V. Mulholland, Michael Berney
Summary: Antibiotic persisters are a sub-population of bacteria that can survive in the presence of antibiotics, but their origin and homogeneity are still debated. Understanding the mechanisms of persisters in Mycobacterium tuberculosis may help improve treatment methods.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Juan Yang, Yanheng Shen, Lei Wang, LiXia Ju, Xiaocui Wu, Peng Wang, Xiaohui Hao, Qin Sun, Fangyou Yu, Wei Sha
Summary: The Xpert MTB/RIF assay demonstrated high sensitivity and moderate specificity in diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), providing valuable microbiological evidence for clinical decisions. Special attention should be paid to re-evaluating very low semi-quantitative positive results to improve specificity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Bing-Qing Zhao, Hui-Ming Wang, Hao Deng
Summary: Device-to-device (D2D) communication can improve spectrum efficiency and coverage of wireless networks, but its transmission secrecy is vulnerable due to resource and power constraints. This article challenges the assumption that D2D transmissions always improve secrecy performance and investigates the performance of a cellular transmission mode assisted by the base station. The results show that neither the D2D mode nor the cellular mode is always superior, and the choice depends on system parameters. An adaptive switching transmission mode is suggested to achieve enhanced secrecy performance.
IEEE INTERNET OF THINGS JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
George Shillcock, Francisco ubeda, Geoff Wild
Summary: Understanding the role of vertical transmission in pathogen-host systems is crucial for human health and biodiversity. Vertical transmission does not always result in less virulent pathogens, as it depends on various factors such as the cost of clearing an infection and the growth rate of the host population. Our game-theory model highlights scenarios where vertical transmission can lead to more virulent pathogens, challenging the widely accepted notion that it always results in less severe diseases. This study offers a new perspective on the evolutionary dynamics between pathogens and hosts.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adam Zdziechowski, Anna Gluba-Sagr, Jacek Rysz, Marta Woldanska-Okonska
Summary: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent disease that causes functional impairment, disability, and socio-economic burden. Rehabilitation with various interventions aims to reduce disability. However, the effectiveness of rehabilitation can be limited, and understanding the molecular mechanisms activated by rehabilitation may lead to more effective procedures. Molecular biology methods can be crucial in rehabilitation as many procedures cannot be assessed using traditional clinical trials. This article explores the role of molecular biology in the development of modern rehabilitation and emphasizes the importance of clinicians in experimental design.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
