Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research
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Tuberculin skin test (TST) has been used for years as an aid in diagnosing latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) but it suffers from a number of well-documented performance and logistic problems. Quantiferon-TB Gold In Tube test (QFT-GIT) has been reported to have better sensitivity and specifity than TST. In this study, it was aimed to compare the performance of a commercial IFN-gamma release assay (QFT-GIT) with TST in the diagnosis of HCWs at risk for latent TB infection in BCG vaccinated population. ⋯ There was a moderate concordance between QFT-GIT and TST, when TST result was defined as positive with a ≥ 15 mm diameter of induration. We suggest that QFT-GIT can be used as an alternative to TST for detection of LTBI, especially in groups with high risk of LTBI and in population with routine BCG vaccination program.
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Red cell distribution width (RDW) and fragmented QRS (fQRS) complexes have also been reported to be pre-dictors of cardiac events and all-cause mortality in coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to investigate the association of serum red cell distribution width (RDW) levels and fQRS in patients with non-ST elevated acute coronary syndrome (NST-ACS). ⋯ Our results indicate that an elevated RDW values is associated with fQRS in NST-ACS. Elevated RDW values and fQRS together may be useful for identifying NSTEMI patients in NST-ACS.