Computed tomography imaging and clinical significance of bacterium-positive pulmonary tuberculosis complicated with diabetes

BACKGROUND The increasing prevalence of tuberculosis(TB)and diabetes on a global scale poses a significant health challenge,particularly due to their co-occurrence,which amplifies the severity,recurrence and mortality rates associated with both conditions.This highlights the need for further investigation into their interrelationship.AIM To explore the computed tomography(CT)imaging and clinical significance of bacterium-positive pulmonary TB(PTB)combined with diabetes.METHODS There were 50 patients with bacterium-positive PTB and diabetes,and 50 with only bacterium-positive PTB.The latter were designated as the control group.The CT imaging of the two groups of patients was compared,including lesion range,shape,density and calcification.RESULTS No significant differences were observed in age,gender,smoking and drinking history,high blood pressure,hyperlipidemia and family genetic factors between the groups.However,compared to the patients diagnosed solely with simple bacterium-positive PTB,those with concurrent diabetes showed a wider range of lesions and more complex and diverse morphology on CT images.Among them,intrapulmonary tuberculosis lesions were often accompanied by manifestations of pulmonary infection,such as cavity formation and bronchiectasis.At the same time,diabetes-related signs were often seen on CT images,such as pulmonary infection combined with diabetic pulmonary lesions.Logistic regression analysis identified age and medical history as significant factors influencing the degree of pulmonary infection and CT imaging outcomes in patients with both TB and diabetes.This suggests that older age and specific medical histories may increase the risk or severity of pulmonary damage in these patients.CONCLUSION CT imaging reveals more complex lesions in PTB patients with diabetes,emphasizing the need for careful evaluation and comprehensive analysis to enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Investigation of the Clinical Diagnostic Significance of the T-Cell Test for Tuberculosis combined with Erythrocyte Sedimentation Test in Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Objective:To investigate the clinical diagnostic significance of peripheral blood T-cell test(T-spot test)for tuberculosis(TB)infection combined with erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR)in pulmonary TB.Methods:41 patients with a clinical diagnosis of TB during hospitalization from January 2020 to April 2023 in our hospital were selected as the experimental group,and 45 patients without TB(bronchopneumonia patients)were selected as the control group.The diagnostic specificity,sensitivity,and accuracy of the T-spot TB test,ESR test,and the combined test of the two were calculated respectively.Results:The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of the T-spot TB test combined with ESR for the diagnosis of TB in the experimental group were significantly higher than the individual results of the T-spot TB test and ESR test alone(P<0.05).Conclusion:The T-spot TB test combined with the ESR test for TB diagnosis has greater clinical value than carrying out the tests individually.

Analysis of the influencing factors and clinical related characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND In China,the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)among diabetic patients is estimated to be between 90%-95%.Additionally,China is among the 22 countries burdened by a high number of tuberculosis cases,with approximately 4.5 million individuals affected by active tuberculosis.Notably,T2DM poses a significant risk factor for the development of tuberculosis,as evidenced by the increased incidence of T2DM coexisting with pulmonary tuberculosis(T2DMPTB),which has risen from 19.3%to 24.1%.It is evident that these two diseases are intricately interconnected and mutually reinforcing in nature.AIM To elucidate the clinical features of individuals diagnosed with both T2DM and tuberculosis(T2DM-PTB),as well as to investigate the potential risk factors associated with active tuberculosis in patients with T2DM.METHODS T2DM-PTB patients who visited our hospital between January 2020 and January 2023 were selected as the observation group,Simple DM patients presenting to our hospital in the same period were the control group,Controls and case groups were matched 1:2 according to the principle of the same sex,age difference(±3)years and disease duration difference(±5)years,patients were investigated for general demographic characteristics,diabetes-related characteristics,body immune status,lifestyle and behavioral habits,univariate and multivariate analysis of the data using conditional logistic regression,calculate the odds ratio(OR)values and 95%CI of OR values.RESULTS A total of 315 study subjects were included in this study,including 105 subjects in the observation group and 210 subjects in the control group.Comparison of the results of both anthropometric and biochemical measures showed that the constitution index,systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure and lymphocyte count were significantly lower in the case group,while fasting blood glucose and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly higher than those in the control group.The results of univariate analysis showed that poor glucose control,hypoproteinemia,lymphopenia,TB contact history,high infection,smoking and alcohol consumption were positively associated with PTB in T2DM patients;married,history of hypertension,treatment of oral hypoglycemic drugs plus insulin,overweight,obesity and regular exercise were negatively associated with PTB in T2DM patients.Results of multivariate stepwise regression analysis found lymphopenia(OR=17.75,95%CI:3.40-92.74),smoking(OR=12.25,95%CI:2.53-59.37),history of TB contact(OR=6.56,95%CI:1.23-35.03)and poor glycemic control(OR=3.37,95%CI:1.11-10.25)was associated with an increased risk of developing PTB in patients with T2DM,While being overweight(OR=0.23,95%CI:0.08-0.72)and obesity(OR=0.11,95%CI:0.02-0.72)was associated with a reduced risk of developing PTB in patients with T2DM.CONCLUSION T2DM-PTB patients are prone to worse glycemic control,higher infection frequency,and a higher proportion of people smoking,drinking alcohol,and lack of exercise.Lymphopenia,smoking,history of TB exposure,poor glycemic control were independent risk factors for T2DM-PTB,and overweight and obesity were associated with reduced risk of concurrent PTB in patients with T2DM.

Identification of pathological characteristics in pulmonary tuberculosis using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

The low detection rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical practice leads to a high rate of missed diagnosis for pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB).As a noninvasive,high-resolution,real-time imaging technology,polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography(PS-OCT)may be feasible for the rapid identification of pathological feature.This study aimed to explore the feasibility of using PS-OCT to identify pathological features of PTB.In the experiments,PTB samples containing some surrounding lung tissues were imaged using PS-OCT.It is demonstrated that PS-OCT images showed good consistency with the corresponding pathological images and were able to identify PTB-related characteristic pathological regions.We think PS-OCT can serve as an effective supplement for the diagnosis of PTB,enabling rapid and accurate diagnosis,and aiding in the understanding of the pathological characteristics and pathophysiological processes of PTB.

Influence of Temperature and Humidity on the Incidence of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Hainan,China,2004-2018

According to the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2023,there were 10.6 million cases of tuberculosis(TB)worldwide in 2022,an increase of 2.8%over 2021,and 1.3 million people had already died of the disease.The report also indicated that approximately 748,000 new cases occurred in China in 2022,accounting for 7.1%of the global total,with an incidence of 52/100,000.

psk1 virulence gene-induced pulmonary and systemic tuberculosis in a young woman with normal immune function:A case report

BACKGROUND Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease and an important public health pro-blem.Despite progress in controlling tuberculosis,the incidence of tuberculosis in China is still very high,with 895000 new cases annually.This case report des-cribes the investigation of a case of severe disseminated tuberculosis in a young adult with normal immune function,conducted to ascertain why a Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tuberculosis)strain caused such severe disease.CASE SUMMARY A previously healthy 28-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a 1-mo-nth history of fever and fatigue.She was diagnosed with severe disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis,spinal tuberculosis with paravertebral abscesses,and tuberculous meningitis.M.tuberculosis was isolated from bronchoal-veolar lavage fluid.She was treated with standard antituberculous therapy and underwent debridement,bone graft,and internal fixation surgery for spinal tuberculosis.She responded to therapy and regained her ability to walk following the surgery.We analysed the whole-genome sequence of the strain and designated it BLM-A21.Additional M.tuberculosis genomes were selected from the Virulence Factor Database(http://www.mgc.ac.cn/cgi-bin/VFs/genus.cgi?Genus=Mycobacterium)for comparison.An evolutionary tree of the BLM-A21 strain was built using PhyML maximum likelihood software.Further gene analysis revealed that,except for the pks1 gene,BLM-A21 had similar virulence genes to the CDC 1551 and H37Rv strains,which have lower dissemination.CONCLUSION We speculate that the pks1 virulence gene in BLM-A21 may be the key virulence gene responsible for the wide-spread dissemination of M.tuberculosis infection in this previously healthy adult with normal immune function.

Primary extrapulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis warrants extraprecautious pulmonary tuberculosis exclusion workup

This editorial article takes an opportunity to apprehend the diagnostic challenges of primary gastrointestinal tuberculosis(an uncommon extrapulmonary tuberculosis condition)utilizing the recently published case report of a young male with prolonged gastrointestinal symptoms and weight loss who received intermittent anti-tubercular treatment and underwent operative interventions to relieve gastric outlet obstruction.The diagnosis chiefly relied on high-end examinations,like computed tomography scans and histopathological evaluation of postoperatively resected bowel tissue,which wasn't preceded by an all-inclusive stepwise primary pulmonary tuberculosis exclusion approach that usually begins with a detailed tuberculosis-pertinent history acquisition.Given the geographic locations where the patient had been(and/or treated),pivotal consideration of tuberculosis-associated endemicities in those regions,like human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)infection,might have improved the case description.The obtainment of HIV-relevant histories,like intravenous drug use and sexual practice,are good places to start.The sputum bacteriology also seems imperative to rule out atypical Mycobacterium species infection because of its clinico-radiohistopathological resemblance with pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Altogether,this editorial aims to underscore that primary extrapulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis should comprise an elaborative,comprehensive,systematic,and stepwise primary pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis exclusion workup.

Diagnosis and management of severe pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in critically ill patients:A mini review for clinicians

Among critically ill patients,severe pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis has high morbidity and mortality.Yet,it is a diagnostic challenge given its nonspecific clinical symptoms and signs in early stages of the disease.In addition,management of severe pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis is complicated given the high risk of drug-drug interactions,drug-disease interactions,and adverse drug reactions.To help clinicians acquire an up-to-date approach to severe tuberculosis,this paper will provide a narrative review of contemporary diagnosis and management of severe pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in critically ill patients.

Risk of Treatment Failure in Patients with Drug-susceptible Pulmonary Tuberculosis in China

The objective of this prospective study of the risks of treatment failure in patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis （PTB） was to provide reference data to help develop a disease control strategy. Participants were recruited in eight provinces of China from October 2008 to December 2010. A total of 1447 patients with drug-susceptible PTB and older than 15 years of age were enrolled.

Association of TNF-α-238G/A and 308 G/A Gene Polymorphisms with Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Patients with Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis

Objectives Tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） may play an important role in host＇s immune response to mycobacterium tuberculosis （M. tuberculosis） infection. This study was to investigate the association of TNF-α gene polymorphism with pulmonary tuberculosis （TB） among patients with coal worker＇s pneumoconiosis （CWP）. Methods A case-control study was conducted in 113 patients with confirmed CWP complicated with pulmonary TB and 113 non-TB controls with CWP. They were matched in gender, age, job, and stage of pneumoconiosis. All participants were interviewed with questionnaires and their blood specimens were collected for genetic determination with informed consent. The TNF-α gene polymorphism was determined with polymerase chain reaction of restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RFLP）. Frequency of genotypes was assessed for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by chi-square test or Fisher＇s exact probability. Factors influencing the association of individual susceptibility with pulmonary TB were evaluated with logistic regression analysis. Gene-environment interaction was evaluated by a multiplieative model with combined OR. All data were analyzed using SAS version 8.2 software. Results No significant difference in frequency of the TNF-α-308 genotype was found between CWP complicated with pulmonary TB and non-TB controls （2,2=5.44, P=-0.07）. But difference in frequency of the TNF-α-308 A allele was identified between them （2,2-5.14, P=0.02）. No significant difference in frequencies of the TNF-α-238 genotype and allele （P=0.23 and P=0.09, respectively） was found between cases and controls either, with combined （GG and AA） OR of 3.96 （95% confidence interval of 1.30-12.09） at the -308 locus of the TNF-α gene, as compared to combination of the TNF-α-238 GG and TNF-α-308 GG genotypes. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of the TNF-α-238 GG and TNF-α-308 GA genotypes was 1.98 （95% CI of 1.06-3.71） for risk for pulmonary TB in patients with CWP. There was a synergic interaction between the TNF-a-308 GG genotype and body mass index （OR=4.92）, as well as an interaction between the TNF-α-308 GG genotype and history of BCG immunization or history of TB exposure. And, the interaction of the TNF-α-238 GG genotype and history of BCG immunization or TB exposure with risk for pulmonary TB in them was also indicated. Conclusions TNF-α-308 A allele is associated with an elevated risk for pulmonary TB, whereas TNF-α-238 A allele was otherwise.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection-Associated Mortality during Pulmonary Tuberculosis Treatment in Six Provinces of China

Objective To investigate the risk factors attributable to tuberculosis-related deaths in areas with human immunodeficiency virus（HIV） infection epidemics. Methods A prospective cohort study of newly registered patients in tuberculosis（TB） dispensaries in six representative Chinese provinces was conducted from September 1, 2009 to August 31, 2011. Risk factors for TB-associated death were identified through logistic regression analysis. Results Of 19,103 newly registered pulmonary TB patients, 925（4.8%） were found to be HIV-positive. Miliary TB and acid-fast bacillus smear-negative TB were more common among these patients. Out of a total of 322（1.7%） deaths that occurred during TB treatment, 85（26%） of the patients were co-infected with HIV. Multivariate analysis revealed that HIV infection was the strongest predictor of death [adjusted odds ratio（aO R） 7.86]. Other significant mortality risk factors included presentation with miliary TB（aO R 4.10; 95% confidence interval： 2.14-7.88）, ≥35 years of age（aO R 3.04）, non-Han ethnicity（aO R 1.67）, and farming as an occupation（aO R 1.59）. For patients with TB/HIV co-infection, miliary TB was the strongest risk factor for death（aO R 5.48）. A low CD4 count（≤ 200 cells/μL）（aO R 3.27） at the time of TB treatment initiation and a lack of antiretroviral therapy（ART） administration（aO R 3.78） were also correlated with an increased risk of death. Conclusion Infection with HIV was independently associated with increased mortality during TB treatment. Offering HIV testing at the time of diagnosis with TB, early TB diagnosis among HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients, and the timely provision of ART were identified as the key approaches that could reduce the number of HIV-associated TB deaths.

Sub-acute disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis in a girl diagnosed by CT guided transthoracic needle biopsy: case report and literature review

Primary tuberculosis often occurs in children with the main types of hilar lymphonode tuberculosis or Ghon complex. When pulmonary tuberculosis aggravates and tubercule bacillus invades pulmonary veins, a disseminated disease may occur clinically. One 8-year-old girl presented with hypodynamia and emaciation. CT indicated the disseminated disease and extensive mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy. But she had negative sputum smears and negative PPD test. The bronchi showed inflammatory change in fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) guided by CT was used as a means for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. The case was rapidly diagnosed as sub-acute disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis with the help of combined CT imagine and histology.

Missed Opportunities for Diagnosing Bacilliferous Pulmonary Tuberculosis by Optical Microscopy versus GeneXpert MTB/RIF in Endemic Areas

Objective: To assess the missed opportunities from the diagnosis of bacilliferous pulmonary tuberculosis by optical microscopy compared to GeneXpert MTB/RIF between 2015 and 2019. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of the diagnostic results of bacilliferous pulmonary tuberculosis in patients suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis at their first episode during the period. GeneXpert MTB/RIF (GeneXpert) and optical microscopy (OM) after Ziehl-Neelsen stained smear were performed on each patient’s sputum or gastric tubing fluid sample. Results: Among 341 patients suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis, 229 patients were declared bacilliferous tuberculosis by the two tests (67%), 220 patients by GeneXpert and 95 patients by OM, i.e. 64.5% versus 28% (p i.e. 58.5% of the positive cases detected by the two tests (134/229 patients) and 39.3% of the patients suspected of tuberculosis (134/341 patients). On the other hand, among 95 patients declared positive by OM, the GeneXpert ignored 9 (9.5%), i.e. 4% of all the positive cases detected by the two diagnostic tests (9/229 patients) and 3% of the patients suspected of tuberculosis (9/341 patients). The differences observed between the results of the two tests were statistically significant at the 5% threshold (p Conclusion: This study reveals missed diagnostic opportunities for bacilliferous pulmonary mycobacteriosis, statistically significant with optical microscopy than GeneXpert. The GeneXpert/optical microscopy couple could be a good contribution to the strategies for the elimination of pulmonary tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program on Post-Tuberculosis Bronchiectasis

Pulmonary rehabilitation has emerged as a recommended standard of care for patients with chronic lung disease. As in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), persons with other forms of chronic respiratory disease commonly experience deconditioning and decreased quality of life. The aim of this prospective study is to determine the effect of a 4-week pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) on patients diagnosed with post-pulmonary tuberculosis bronchiectasis in the Philippines. The participants were above 18 years of age, diagnosed to have stable Post-Pulmonary tuberculosis bronchiectasis with chest computerized tomography (CT) scan or chest radiograph showing bronchiectatic changes, consented to attend the PRP sessions and be included in the study. The subjects underwent PRP for 4 weeks with a total of 8 sessions and determination of Forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), quality of life determination using the Saint George Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (SGRQ), and exercise endurance using the 6-minute walking test (6 MWT), before and after the PRP. A total of fourteen patients, six males and eight females, aged from 28 - 72 years old, completed the 4-week pulmonary rehabilitation program. There were four ex-smokers and ten non-smokers with concomitant asthma and COPD in some patients. There was significant improvement in the 6-minute walk test and quality of life after 4 weeks of rehabilitation program among the subjects with p value for 6 MWT at p = 0.0001 and p = 0.008 for SGRQ. Conclusion: Pulmonary rehabilitation program led to a significant improvement in exercise capacity and health related quality of life among patients with post-pulmonary tuberculosis bronchiectasis.

Prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains Isolated from Both Pulmonary and Extra Pulmonary Samples and Their Resistance to Rifampicin: A Study from Kolkata and Surrounding Suburbs

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In India, nearly 1.8 million new cases of TB are reported annually, which accounts for a fifth of new cases in the world—greater than in any other country. Anti-tubercular drugs (ATDs) have been used for decades, and widespread resistance to them is a very serious public health concern in any part of the world. Aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Rifampicin (the first line Anti-TB drug) resistance among both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary samples tested positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and thereby predict the prevalence of Multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis in Kolkata and its Suburban regions. All 331 randomly collected clinical samples (both Pulmonary and Extra Pulmonary) were initially screened by Zeihl-Neelsen AFB staining followed by culture on BacT/Alert 3D system and on Lowenstein-Jensen medium and the positive samples were subjected to detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and simultaneous analysis of Rifampicin resistance by Xpert MTB/RIF assay. Out of the 51 (15.40%) culture positive samples, 13.7% of pulmonary samples and 9.09% of extra-pulmonary samples were Rifampicin resistant. The prevalence of Rifampicin resistant TB in our study is high and the possible reasons can be mixing of new as well as retreatment cases and smaller sample size but, yet it can help Government and public health regulatory bodies to formulate adequate strategies to fight against drug resistant tuberculosis, especially in this part of the world.

Lightweight Classification Network for Pulmonary Tuberculosis Based on CT Images

With the continuous development of medical informatics and digital diagnosis,the classification of tuberculosis(TB)cases from computed tomography(CT)images of the lung based on deep learning is an important guiding aid in clinical diagnosis and treatment.Due to its potential application in medical image classification,this task has received extensive research attention.Existing related neural network techniques are still challenging in terms of feature extraction of global contextual information of images and network complexity in achieving image classification.To address these issues,this paper proposes a lightweight medical image classification network based on a combination of Transformer and convolutional neural network(CNN)for the classification of TB cases from lung CT.The method mainly consists of a fusion of the CNN module and the Transformer module,exploiting the advantages of both in order to accomplish a more accurate classification task.On the one hand,the CNN branch supplements the Transformer branch with basic local feature information in the low level;on the other hand,in the middle and high levels of the model,the CNN branch can also provide the Transformer architecture with different local and global feature information to the Transformer architecture to enhance the ability of the model to obtain feature information and improve the accuracy of image classification.A shortcut is used in each module of the network to solve the problem of poor model results due to gradient divergence and to optimize the effectiveness of TB classification.The proposed lightweight model can well solve the problem of long training time in the process of TB classification of lung CT and improve the speed of classification.The proposed method was validated on a CT image data set provided by the First Hospital of Lanzhou University.The experimental results show that the proposed lightweight classification network for TB based on CT medical images of lungs can fully extract the feature information of the input images and obtain high-accuracy classification results.

Risk of Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Patients with Coal Workers'Pneumoconiosis:A Case-control Study in China

The aim of this study was to estimate the association between occupational, environmental, behavioral risk factors, and active pulmonary tuberculosis（PTB） among coal workers＇ pneumoconiosis（CWP） patients. A matched case-control study was conducted in 86 CWP patients with active PTB and 86 CWP controls without TB. A standardized questionnaire was used for risk factors assessment. Conditioned logistic regression analysis was used to identify associations between the risk factors and active PTB among CWP patients. The results showed that the stage of CWP, poor workplace ventilation, family history of TB, and exposure to TB were independent risk factors for active PTB in patients with CWP with which recommendations for improving work environments, and for case finding activities in patients with CWP could be made.

TIRAP rs8177374 gene polymorphism increased the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis in Zahedan,southeast Iran

Objective:To evaluate the possible association between Toll-interleukin 1 receptor(TIR) domain containing adaptor protein(TIRAP;also known as MAI.) rsl893352 and rs8l77374(S180L) gene polymorphisms and pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB) in a sample of Iranian population.Methods:This case-control study was performed on 174 PTB and 177 healthy subjects.Tetra amplification refractory mutation systetn-polymerase chain reaction(T-AKMS-PCR) was used to detect the polymorphisms.Results:Our finding showed that neither the overall Ckisqaare comparison of PTB and control subjects nor the logistic regression analysis indicated any association between rsl893352 polymorphism and PTB.Regarding rs8l77374 polymorphism,the CT genotype as well as CT+TT increased the risk of PTB in comparison with CC genotype(OR=4.73,95%CI=2.65-8.45,P<0.0001 and OR=6.47,95%C1=3.68-11.38,P<0.0001.respectively).The rs8177374 T allele increased the risk of PTB in comparison with C allele(OR=4.21.95%CI=2.43-7.26,P<0.0001).Conclusions:Our finding indicates that TIRAP rs8177374 polymorphism is associated with PTB in a sample of Iranian population.

-592 and -1082 interleukin-10 polymorphisms in pulmonary tuberculosis with type 2 diabetes

Objective:To determine the polymorphisms of Interleukin-10(IL-10)(-592,-1082) in pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)with and without type 2 diabetes(T2D).Methods:We studied a Mexican mestizo population of 37 patients with TB in remission(TBr) and 40 with active pulmonary TB (PTB),21 patients with TB + T2D.47 blood donors accepted,and 13 healthy health-care workers with tuberculin skin lest positive.Determination of IL-10 polymorphisms was performed by real-lime Polymerase chain reaction.Results:IL-10-592C/A presented in a greater proportion in healthy individuals than in patients with type 2 diabetes and TB in a not quite significant statistically manner.IL-10-1082A/A presented more frequently in the group of patients with both diseases,not being statistically significant in comparison with the group of healthy subjects. Conclusions:This study describes two important new findings.First,it reveals that the IL-10 (-592 A/A and -592 C/C) polymorphisms were found in a greater proportion in a group of patients with T2D and TB than in healthy subjects.Second,the study provides evidence that the(-1082 G/G) polymorphism presented with greater frequency in healthy individuals than in patients with both ol these diseases.

High Incidence of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in ART Naive Remunerated Blood Donors with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 Infection: Possible Role of Iron Overload

Iron overload is reported to be associated with immune alterations and increased susceptibility to infections. HIV infection is characterized by progressive immunodeficiency leading to invasion by opportunistic pathogens. It was of interest to find out if disease course in HIV type-1 infection could have any relation with alteration in body iron status among individuals with history of oral iron intake. A follow-up study of immunologic and virologic markers in relation to disease progression was undertaken on asymptomatic HIV-1 positive blood donors with history of oral iron intake (subgroup I) compared to those without such history (subgroup II). High serum iron was associated with elevated levels of Th2 category of cytokines, heightened immune activation, faster decline in CD4 + T lymphocyte count and higher viral set point. Pulmonary tuberculosis (PT) was the most common AIDS related illness (ARI) (>70%) recorded among subgroup I compared to non-PT category of ARI. Median ARI free duration (months) was shorter among those who developed PT compared to those developing non-PT category of ARI i.e. 30 (95% CI as 26,32) versus 67(95% CI as 60,71) in subgroup I and 47 (95% CI as 42,49) versus 80 (95% CI as 72,87) in subgroup II (P P < 0.001 for PT versus non-PT in both subgroups). The present study indicates that body iron overload resulting from excess intake of iron may be associated with qualitative defects in cell mediated immunity at early stage of HIV-1 infection that may facilitate subsequent acquisition of pulmonary tuberculosis, shorter ARI free duration and reduced survival.