The purpose of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic value of T cells spot test (T-Spot TB) combined with interferon-γ (INF-γ) and interleukin-27 (IL-27) in tuberculous pleurisy. Sixty patients with tuberculous pleurisy (observation group) and 60 patients with non-tuberculous pleurisy (control group) were enrolled in this study. T-Spot TB was performed to detect the pleural effusi...

Tuberculous pleurisy is a severe inflammatory response induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms that have escaped from lung granulomata into the pleural space during pulmonary infection. We have used the guinea pig model of tuberculous pleurisy to examine several aspects of the immune response to this antigen-specific inflammatory event. Pleurisy was induced by injection of heat-killed M...

Sporadic reports of similar pathology of pleura and pericardium have appeared in the literature, but have received little attention in review articles (Bevans, Nadell, Demartini, and Ragan, 1954; Heller, Kellow, and Chomet, 1956; Horler and Thompson, 1959; Schools and Mikkelsen, 1962; Lassiter and Tassy, 1965; Portner and Gracie, 1966; Sutton, 1967). Three further cases with serous membrane inv...

BACKGROUND Corticosteroids used in addition to antituberculous therapy have been reported to benefit people with tuberculous pleurisy. However, research findings are inconsistent and raise doubt as to whether such treatment is worthwhile. There is also concern regarding the potential adverse effects of corticosteroids, especially in HIV-positive people. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of a...

4 42-year-old heroin addict was hospitalized complaining of severe right-sided pleuritic chest pain, a 12 lb weight loss, and low grade fever. Mild right-sided pleurisy had occurred intermittently during the preceding two years. She was a heavy cigarette smoker, and had a chronic nonproductive cough. Initial workup revealed an exudative right pleural effusion containing 6,000 WBC/cu mm with 40 ...