Bmc Infect Dis
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Observational Study
Slow radiological improvement and persistent low-grade inflammation after chemotherapy in tuberculosis patients with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM) may impede immune responses in tuberculosis (TB) and thus contribute to enhanced disease severity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate DM-mediated alterations in clinical, radiological and immunological outcomes in TB disease. ⋯ Insufficient up-regulation of IL-10 in the lung may fuel persistent local inflammation thereby promoting lung pathology in TB-DM patients with poorly controlled DM.
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Molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 clusters caused by asymptomatic cases in Anhui Province, China.
COVID-19 is a newly emerging disease caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which spread globally in early 2020. Asymptomatic carriers of the virus contribute to the propagation of this disease, and the existence of asymptomatic infection has caused widespread fear and concern in the control of this pandemic. ⋯ Both clusters may have resulted from close contact and droplet-spreading and asymptomatic infections were identified as the initial cause. We also analyzed the infectiousness of asymptomatic cases and the challenges to the current epidemic to provided information for the development of control strategies.
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Brazil became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America since May 2020, reporting the highest number of cases and deaths in the region. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, experiencing a significant burden from COVID-19. Identifying and understanding the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with infection are of paramount importance to inform screening strategies and infection control practices in this scenario. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of HCWs with COVID-19 symptoms. ⋯ The findings of this study confirmed the high burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers in the hardest hit city by the pandemic in Latin America. Anosmia and ocular pain were symptoms independently associated with COVID-19 diagnosis. In low and middle-income countries, where limited availability of tests is frequent, these findings may contribute to optimize a targeted symptom-oriented screening strategy.
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Observational Study
Specific dynamic variations in the peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 and severe influenza A patients: a retrospective observational study.
Both COVID-19 and influenza A contribute to increased mortality among the elderly and those with existing comorbidities. Changes in the underlying immune mechanisms determine patient prognosis. This study aimed to analyze the role of lymphocyte subsets in the immunopathogenesisof COVID-19 and severe influenza A, and examined the clinical significance of their alterations in the prognosis and recovery duration. ⋯ Our study suggests the plausible role of lymphocyte subsets in disease progression, which in turn affects prognosis and recovery duration in patients with severe COVID-19 and influenza A.