BACKGROUND Performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and tuberculin skin test (TST) has not been compared in a US college population with varying risk of tuberculosis exposure. METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review of students tested for tuberculosis at the University of Pennsylvania Student Health Service between 2009 and 2011. We stratified students into high-, low-, ...

BACKGROUND Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) may improve diagnostic accuracy for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). This study compared the performance of the tuberculin skin test (TST) with that of IGRA for the diagnosis of LTBI in immunocompromised patients in an intermediate TB burden country where BCG vaccination is mandatory. METHODS We conducted a retrospective observational stud...

BACKGROUND The mass influx of immigrants from tuberculosis-endemic countries into Israel was followed by a considerable increase in the incidence of tuberculosis (TB). All contacts of active TB patients are obliged to be screened by tuberculin skin tests (TST) and, if found positive, prophylactic treatment is considered. OBJECTIVES To assess the utility of interferon-gamma (IFNγ)-release assa...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) in patients with relapsing-remitting (RR-MS), secondary progressive (SP-MS), and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PP-MS). METHODS Clinical and neurophysiological follow up was undertaken in 24 RR-MS, eight SP-MS, and nine PP-MS patients receiving Solu-Medrol 500 mg/d over five days for exacerbations involving the...

BACKGROUND Reliable identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection or tuberculosis (TB) disease in young children is vital to assure adequate preventive and curative treatment. The tuberculin skin test (TST) and IFNγ-release assays may supplement the diagnosis of pediatric TB as cases are typically bacteriologically unconfirmed. However, it is unclear to what extent the performance of T...

Cytochrome P450's (P450's) catalyze the oxidative metabolism of most drugs and toxins. Although extensive studies have proven that some P450's demonstrate both homotropic and heterotropic cooperativity toward a number of substrates, the mechanistic and molecular details of P450 allostery are still not well-established. Here, we use UV/vis and heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spect...

BACKGROUND When determining eligibility for isoniazid preventive therapy of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, the cutoff value of the tuberculin skin test (TST) is often reduced from an induration of 10 mm in diameter to one of 5 mm in diameter to compensate for loss of sensitivity. The effectiveness of this reduction depends on the underlying mechanism: a gradual decrease i...

OBJECTIVE The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of QuantiFERON TB Gold test (QFTG; Cellestis) in all situations where the tuberculin skin test (TST) is used. In November 2007, our institution replaced its screening-tool TST with the QFTG in-tube assay (QFT-GIT) for annual screening of latent tuberculosis infection among healthcare workers (HCWs). This study evaluated ...

BACKGROUND There is limited data on the effect of HIV status and CD4 counts on performance of Interferon-g Release assays (IGRAs) for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). METHODS A cross sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for a positive diagnostic test for LTBI, using tuberculin skin test (TST) and IGRAs among HIV-discordant couples in Zam...

OBJECTIVE This is the first paper to evaluate the potency of the tuberculin skin test (TST) results in confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis in the developing country. METHOD Data was collected retrospectively from the tuberculosis (TB) treatment unit during the period from 1998 to 2004. All charts diagnosed as active tuberculosis based on positive sputum smear or culture with documented TST were ...