The impact of air pollution on the transmission of pulmonary tuberculosis

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the air pollution and tuberculosis cases and its prediction in Jiangsu, China by using the time-series analysis method, and find that the seasonal ARIMA(1, 1, 0)×(0, 1, 1)₁₂ model is the preferred model for predicting the TB cases in Jiangsu, China. Furthermore, we evaluate the relationship between AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and the number of TB cases, and find that the prediction accuracy of the ARIMA model is improved by adding monthly PM2.5 with 0-month lag as an external variable, i.e., ARIMA(1, 1, 0)×(0, 1, 1)₁₂+PM2.5. The results show that ARIMAX model can be a useful tool for predicting TB cases in Jiangsu, China, and it can provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of TB.

High Expression of TLR2 in the serum of patients with tuberculosis and lung cancer, and can promote the progression of lung cancer

Purpose: The present paper investigated the expression of TLR2 in serum of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer, and verifiedthe effect of TLR2 on the biological characteristics of lung cancer cells. Methods: The common differentially expressed genes in tuberculosis and lung cancer samples were analyzed by edgeR. The intersection of genes was taken and the enrichment analysis and string interaction analysis were performed. The expression of TLR2, inflammatory factors IL6, IL17 and IL22 in serum of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis or lung cancer and lung cell were detected by ELISA. The mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR2, caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. CCK-8, colony formation assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry were performed to detect the proliferation, invasion, migration and cells apoptosis of lung cancer cells. Results: Bioinformatics analysis found that high expression of TLR2 is a core regulator in lung cancer and tuberculosis. TLR2 and inflammatory factors IL6, IL17, IL22 are highly expressed in the serum of patients with tuberculosis and lung cancer by ELISA.TLR2 is also highly expressed in lung cancer cells. Silencing TLR2 inhibited the growth, invasion and migration ability of cells, and the expression of IL6, IL17 and IL22. It also promoted the expression of caspase-3 and Baxwith the decreased expression of Bcl-2. Conclusion: TLR2 and inflammatory factors IL6, IL17 and IL22 were highly expressed in the serum of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer. Silencing TLR2 could inhibit the growth, invasion and migration ability of lung cancer cells, and promote apoptosis.

Classification of fever patterns using a single extracted entropy feature: A feasibility study based on Sample Entropy

Fever is a common symptom of many diseases. Fever temporal patterns can be different depending on the specific pathology. Differentiation of diseases based on multiple mathematical features and visual observations has been recently studied in the scientific literature. However, the classification of diseases using a single mathematical feature has not been tried yet. The aim of the present study is to assess the feasibility of classifying diseases based on fever patterns using a single mathematical feature, specifically an entropy measure, Sample Entropy. This was an observational study. Analysis was carried out using 103 patients, 24 hour continuous tympanic temperature data. Sample Entropy feature was extracted from temperature data of patients. Grouping of diseases (infectious, tuberculosis, non-tuberculosis, and dengue fever) was made based on physicians diagnosis and laboratory findings. The quantitative results confirm the feasibility of the approach proposed, with an overall classification accuracy close to 70%, and the capability of finding significant differences for all the classes studied.

TB or not TB? That is the question regarding TB treatment in a remote provincial hospital in Solomon Islands

INTRODUCTION

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health challenge in Solomon Islands. Limited healthcare resources, geography, and sociocultural beliefs, coupled with lack of laboratory diagnostic tools, leads to diagnostic and treatment outcome uncertainty.

METHODS

Kirakira Hospital (KKH) is the main provincial hospital of Makira-Ulawa Province in Solomon Islands. A retrospective clinical audit of hospitalised TB patients in KKH over a 2-year period between July 2015 and July 2017 was conducted. The cost of TB treatment was estimated by calculating the total number of inpatient bed days of treatment.

RESULTS

Data were available for 42 of 78 listed TB patients including 23 males and 19 females, and 9 children aged less than 16 years. The average age was 35 years (range 9 months - 74 years). Thirty-five of these received a chest X-ray. All patients had at least one of the following: fever, night sweats, chronic cough and haemoptysis as part of their clinical TB presentation. Thirty-six completed the full 8-week duration of intensive HRZE treatment as inpatients of KKH. The audit shows the treatment of TB consumes 15% of the current healthcare budget of Makira-Ulawa Province.

CONCLUSION

TB remains a common clinical diagnosis in KKH. TB consumes 15% of the current healthcare budget of Makira-Ulawa Province. The limited capacity and data about the management of TB in Makira province mean that it is not currently possible to measure if there has been any progress towards eradicating TB in Solomon Islands. Laboratory investigations for TB available in Makira including sputum analysis and the GeneXpert are required to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and identify multidrug resistant strains of TB. This needs to be coupled with robust monitoring and data collection of both inpatients and outpatients to ensure the current treatment protocols for TB are being followed in Makira-Ulawa Province. These steps are essential if TB is to be eradicated from the provinces of Solomon Islands by 2030.

Dynamics of tuberculosis with fast and slow progression and media coverage

A new tuberculosis model with fast and slow progression and media coverage is formulated and analyzed. The basic reproductive number R0 is derived, and the existence and stability of all the equilibria are discussed. The occurrences of forward and backward bifurcation are obtained by using center manifold theory. Numerical simulations are also given to support our theoretical results. Sensitivity analysis on a few parameters is also carried out. Our results show that media coverage can encourage people to take measures to avoid potential infections and control the spread of tuberculosis.