Article
Immunology
Yan Shao, Honghuan Song, Guoli Li, Yan Li, Yishu Li, Limei Zhu, Wei Lu, Cheng Chen
Summary: This study analyzed the sources of recurrent tuberculosis in Jiangsu, China and found that relapse and re-infection contributed equally to the current situation of recurrence TB. Drug resistance and multi-drug resistant cases were more common in the re-infection group, highlighting the need for more efficient treatment assessment and specific interventions for MDR-TB patients.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Maureen Odochi Anyanwu, Olufemi O. Ajumobi, Nathanael B. Afolabi, Aishat Usman, Aderemi Kehinde
Summary: The study in Oyo State, South-west Nigeria, revealed a prevalence of comorbidity of tuberculosis and diabetes among patients, with females being more likely to have diabetes. Normal body mass index was independently and significantly associated with diabetes among the studied population.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Carly A. Rodriguez, Tenglong Li, Julie L. Self, Helen E. Jenkins, Charles R. Horsburgh, Laura F. White
Summary: Research estimated the reproductive number of tuberculosis in the United States, finding that a minority of source cases disproportionately contribute to transmission.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Maskit Bar-Meir, Gali Pariente, Ayal Romem, Yonit Wiener-Well
Summary: The acceptance rate of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment was very low among healthcare workers in the study. Focusing on educating healthcare workers is potentially the key step towards increasing the rate of LTBI treatment acceptance.
Article
Microbiology
Robeena Farzand, Richard D. Haigh, Philip Monk, Pranabashis Haldar, Hemu Patel, Manish Pareek, Raman Verma, Michael R. Barer, Gerrit Woltmann, Lauren Ahyow, Heena Jagatia, Jonathan Decker, Galina V. Mukamolova, Andrea M. Cooper, Natalie J. Garton, Helen M. O'Hare
Summary: The genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis plays a role in disease severity and transmissibility. In this study, the phenotyping of M. tuberculosis from a persistent outbreak in the UK revealed higher lipid contents and more hydrophobic cell surfaces compared to nonoutbreak isolates. Deletions in specific genes were also found in the outbreak isolates, potentially altering the interactions between the bacteria and immune cells. Reintroduction of one of these genes led to a phenotype resembling nonoutbreak strains. Understanding the microbiological characteristics and genetic polymorphisms associated with outbreaks can inform tuberculosis control strategies.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Susan Levine, David Fraulino, Philip Krupka, Sruti Velamakanni
Summary: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global infectious disease, with nearly 2 billion people currently infected worldwide. The US, although a high-income country, contributes to the global epidemic and can play a significant role in controlling TB by recognizing and treating latent TB infection (LTBI). This study examines the prevalence of LTBI in a general medicine practice and evaluates the effectiveness of a nurse-run electronic directly observed therapy (eDOT) program. The findings show that the program is successful in ensuring treatment completion and patient satisfaction.
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
J. M. Mangan, J. Burzynski, B. Rey deCastro, M. M. Salerno, C. K. Lam, M. Macaraig, M. Reaves, S. Kiskadden-Bechtel, S. Bowers, C. Sathi, M. P. Dias, N. D. Goswami, A. Vernon
Summary: Electronic directly observed therapy (eDOT) has been proposed as an alternative to traditional in-person DOT (ipDOT) for monitoring adherence to TB treatment. The study found that, in problem situations, eDOT was more likely to successfully observe medication intake compared to ipDOT.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TUBERCULOSIS AND LUNG DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Tsegahun Manyazewal, Yimtubezinash Woldeamanuel, Abebaw Fekadu, David P. Holland, Vincent C. Marconi
Summary: This study aimed to test the cost-effectiveness and effectiveness of digital adherence technologies for patients with tuberculosis. The results showed that patients who received a digital medication event reminder monitor (MERM)-observed therapy had higher health-related quality of life and lower catastrophic costs compared to those who received standard directly observed therapy (DOT). This suggests that patient-centered digital health technologies have the potential to overcome structural barriers in tuberculosis treatment.
Review
Respiratory System
Victor Vega, Sharon Rodriguez, Patrick Van der Stuyft, Carlos Seas, Larissa Otero
Summary: The study demonstrates that recurrent tuberculosis has a high incidence rate, with relapse accounting for 70% and reinfection for 30%. Genotyping is an important tool for distinguishing between relapse and reinfection. The incidence rate of recurrent tuberculosis is influenced by various factors such as HIV prevalence, treatment drug regimen, etc.
Article
Respiratory System
Zhenzhen Xing, Tieying Sun, Jean-Paul Janssens, Di Chai, Weiming Liu, Yaqi Tong, Yuxia Wang, Yali Ma, Mingming Pan, Jia Cui, Chen Wang, YanFei Guo
Summary: Post-tuberculosis is positively associated with pulmonary function impairment and frequent respiratory symptoms, including airflow obstruction and small airway dysfunction.
Review
Respiratory System
James M. Trauer, Andrew Kawai, Anna K. Coussens, Manjula Datta, Bridget M. Williams, Emma S. McBryde, Romain Ragonnet
Summary: The efficacy of BCG vaccination varies in different settings, with significant protection seen in trials involving neonates and children under 5, but less conclusive protection in high-burden settings with longer follow-up periods.
Review
Respiratory System
Shamanthi Jayasooriya, Francesca Dimambro-Denson, Claire Beecroft, Julie Balen, Babatunde Awokola, Caroline Mitchell, Beate Kampmann, Fiona Campbell, Pete Dodd, Kevin Mortimer
Summary: Nearly half of patients with presumed tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa are not diagnosed with active tuberculosis, and this proportion may be higher with active case-finding strategies. Little is known about the healthcare needs of these patients, and further research is needed to better understand their situation and develop solutions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana Cristina Jimenez-Ruano, Carlos Francisco Madrazo-Moya, Irving Cancino-Munoz, Paulina M. Mejia-Ponce, Cuauhtemoc Licona-Cassani, Inaki Comas, Raquel Muniz-Salazar, Roberto Zenteno-Cuevas
Summary: Whole genome sequencing has been shown to be superior to traditional genotyping methods for tuberculosis, but its application in drug-resistant TB isolates in Mexico has been relatively unknown. This study aimed to identify and characterize the lineages and genomic transmission clusters present in 67 drug-resistant TB isolates in southeastern Mexico. The results revealed the presence of three major lineages, with sublineage 4.1.1.3 (X3) being predominant and exclusive to multidrug-resistant isolates in Mexico for at least 17 years.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Sivakumar Shanmugam, Nathan L. Bachmann, Elena Martinez, Ranjeeta Menon, G. Narendran, Sujatha Narayanan, Srikanth P. Tripathy, Uma Devi Ranganathan, Shailendra Sawleshwarkar, Ben J. Marais, Vitali Sintchenko
Summary: This study compared the efficacy of MIRU typing, spoligotyping, and WGS in differentiating between relapse and reinfection in TB recurrence cases. The majority of TB recurrences in HIV-positive patients were due to reinfection, while in HIV-negative patients, relapse was the main cause. WGS provided higher resolution, but the results were consistent with MIRU and spoligotyping.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Primary Health Care
Gokce Celik Kara, Bektas Murat Yalcin
Summary: This study investigates the impact of video directly observed therapy (VDOT) on stigma levels in tuberculosis patients. The findings indicate that patients receiving VDOT experience lower levels of stigma compared to those receiving homecare directly observed therapy (DOT). The study also identifies VDOT and male gender as independent factors associated with higher total stigma scores.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF FAMILY MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Bronwyn K. Brew, Alison Gibberd, Guy B. Marks, Vanessa E. Murphy, Louisa Jorm, Georgina M. Chambers, Donna Hartz, Sandra Eades, Bridgette McNamara
Summary: The study demonstrates that maternal asthma in Indigenous women is associated with an increased risk of emergency cesarean sections, placental abruption, and threatened preterm labor. These risks may be mitigated by improved management of asthma exacerbations during pregnancy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGY & OBSTETRICS
(2023)
Article
Respiratory System
Jate Ratanachina, Andre F. S. Amaral, Sara De Matteis, Herve Lawin, Kevin Mortimer, Daniel O. Obaseki, Imed Harrabi, Meriam Denguezli, Emiel F. M. Wouters, Christer Janson, Rune Nielsen, Amund Gulsvik, Hamid Hacene Cherkaski, Filip Mejza, Padukudru Anand Mahesh, Asma Elsony, Rana Ahmed, Wan Tan, Li Cher Loh, Abdul Rashid, Michael Studnicka, Asaad A. Nafees, Terence Seemungal, Althea Aquart-Stewart, Mohammed Al Ghobain, Jinping Zheng, Sanjay Juvekar, Sundeep Salvi, Rain Jogi, David Mannino, Thorarinn Gislason, A. Sonia Buist, Paul Cullinan, Peter Burney
Summary: This study aimed to assess the association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and occupation. Through cross-sectional data analysis of 28,823 adults aged 40 and above in 34 countries, it was found that working in environments with potential exposure to dusts or fumes was associated with respiratory symptoms but not lung function differences. Therefore, respiratory surveillance should be encouraged among high-risk dusty and fume job workers, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Respiratory System
Yewon Chung, Frances L. Garden, Guy B. Marks, Hima Vedam
Summary: The study aimed to determine the causes and their effect on in-hospital mortality of hypercapnic respiratory failure (HRF). The results showed that HRF is associated with a range of potentially causative conditions, and some of them significantly impact hospital survival. Therefore, systematic evaluation of HRF patients may help to detect treatable comorbidities.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Igor Popovic, Ricardo J. Soares Magalhaes, Yurong Yang, Shukun Yang, Boyi Yang, Guanghui Dong, Xiaolin Wei, Greg J. Fox, Melanie S. Hammer, Randall Martin, Aaron van Donkelaar, Erjia Ge, Guy B. Marks, Luke D. Knibbs
Summary: This study conducted in a rural area in China with a high burden of tuberculosis found that there is a correlation between levels of air pollution, particularly PM2.5 and NO2, and tuberculosis incidence. These findings suggest that improving air quality in endemic regions may have beneficial effects on reducing tuberculosis incidence.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Respiratory System
Yue Leon Guo, Maria R. Ampon, Leanne M. Poulos, Sharon R. Davis, Brett G. Toelle, Guy B. Marks, Helen K. Reddel
Summary: This study estimated the contribution of obesity to breathlessness in Australian adults using the population attributable fraction (PAF). The results showed that obesity accounted for approximately a quarter of breathlessness symptoms and had a higher proportion in women.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Magnolia Cardona, Adem Sav, Zoe A. Michaleff, Sarah T. Thomas, Claudia C. Dobler
Summary: The purpose of this study was to identify and rank areas of treatment burden in chronic heart failure from the perspective of patients and doctors. The top treatment burden priorities for patients were related to doctor-patient communication, inefficiencies of the healthcare system, healthcare access issues, cost implications of treatment, psychosocial impacts, and treatment work. Doctors were generally aware of patients' treatment burden but tended to focus on the complexity of the direct treatment work. It is important for clinicians to be aware of these issues and discuss feasible solutions during clinical encounters.
PATIENT PREFERENCE AND ADHERENCE
(2023)
Article
Allergy
Sinead Maire Langan, Amy R. Mulick, Charlotte E. Rutter, Richard J. Silverwood, Innes Asher, Luis Garcia-Marcos, Eamon Ellwood, Karen Bissell, Chen-Yuan Chiang, Asma El Sony, Philippa Ellwood, Guy B. Marks, Kevin Mortimer, A. Elena Martinez-Torres, Eva Morales, Virginia Perez-Fernandez, Steven Robertson, Hywel C. Williams, David P. Strachan, Neil Pearce
Summary: The prevalence of eczema has increased over the past 27 years, with significant variations in income and region. Understanding the reasons behind these differences can inform prevention strategies.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nathaniel S. Marshall, Garry Cho, Brett G. Toelle, Renzo Tonin, Delwyn J. Bartlett, Angela L. D'Rozario, Carla A. Evans, Christine T. Cowie, Oliver Janev, Christopher R. Whitfeld, Nick Glozier, Bruce E. Walker, Roo Killick, Miriam S. Welgampola, Craig L. Phillips, Guy B. Marks, Ronald R. Grunstein
Summary: This study tested the effects of inaudible infrasound produced by large electricity-generating wind turbines on human physiology and psychology, and found that it did not have negative impacts.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Clinton M. G. Colaco, Matthew O'Sullivan, Hayden Zhang, Danica Huynh, Vitali Sintchenko, Shahin Oftadeh, Gwendolyn L. Gilbert, Ravindra Dotel
Summary: This study retrospectively investigated the clinical and serotype analysis of pneumococcus bacteraemia over a 10-year period, finding that most patients were not vaccinated against pneumococcus, and the coverage rate of vaccines was low.
INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jane H. Williams, Claire Hooker, Gwendolyn L. Gilbert, Suyin Hor, Chris Degeling
Summary: Public health decisions are often polarised due to diverse interpretations of evidence and differing value choices. A definition of polarisation in the context of public health expertise should consider epistemic and social values. Oversimplification of complex issues and dichotomous groupings should be avoided, and the one-size-fits-all approach of independence is insufficient for addressing expert polarisation. The role of value difference should be acknowledged in both polarisation and evidence-based decision making.
Review
Infectious Diseases
R. Dotel, G. L. Gilbert, S. N. Hutabarat, J. S. Davis, M. V. N. O'Sullivan
Summary: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of adding rifampicin to conventional treatment for Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia. The results showed that while adding rifampicin significantly reduced bacteriological failure and recurrences, it did not provide any mortality benefit. Therefore, there is currently no evidence to support the use of rifampicin in the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Seng Hansun, Ahmadreza Argha, Siaw-Teng Liaw, Branko G. Celler, Guy B. Marks
Summary: This systematic literature review confirms the high potential of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) for tuberculosis (TB) detection using chest radiography (CXR). However, future studies need to pay attention to two aspects of risk of bias, namely the reference standard and the flow and timing aspects.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Paula Jops, John Cowan, Martha Kupul, Richard Nake Trumb, Stephen M. Graham, Mathias Bauri, Herolyn Nindil, Stephen Bell, Tess Keam, Suman Majumdar, William Pomat, Ben Marais, Guy B. Marks, John Kaldor, Andrew Vallely, Angela Kelly-Hanku
Summary: Tuberculosis is a major public health issue in the South Fly District of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. Our research shows that structural barriers, rather than patient delay, hinder timely TB diagnosis and care in rural areas. The findings highlight the need for a person-centred and effective decentralized model of TB care to ensure equitable access to essential health services.
GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Luis Garcia-Marcos, Chen-Yuan Chiang, M. Innes Asher, Guy B. Marks, Asma El Sony, Refiloe Masekela, Karen Bissell, Eamon Ellwood, Philippa Ellwood, Neil Pearce, David P. Strachan, Kevin Mortimer, Eva Morales
Summary: This study aimed to assess asthma medicine use, management plan availability, and disease control in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood across different country settings. The study found variations in asthma medicine use, low utilization of management plans, and inadequate disease control. Strategies should be implemented to improve adherence to asthma treatment guidelines worldwide, especially in low-income and middle-income countries, with a focus on access to affordable and quality-assured essential asthma medicines.
LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Respiratory System
Yijun Zhou, Maria R. Ampon, Michael J. Abramson, Alan L. James, Graeme P. Maguire, Richard Wood-Baker, David P. Johns, Guy B. Marks, Helen K. Reddel, Brett G. Toelle
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between health burden, quality of life, and severity of airway obstruction in Australian adults aged 40 years and above. The results showed that greater airflow limitation was associated with higher burden and worse quality of life.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
(2023)