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Background: About 8% of TB cases worldwide are estimated to have rifampicin-susceptible, isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis (Hr-TB), ranging from 5 to 11% regions. However, Hr-TB has not received much attention while comparing to be given high priority to the management of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB). This study aimed to compare the differences of treatment effects for Hr-TB and RR-TB, so as to intensify the treatment and management of Hr-TB. Methods: A retrospective study was used to collect bacteriologically positive retreated patients with isoniazid/rifampicin resistant pulmonary tuberculosis, who were conducted at 29 tuberculosis control institutions in China from July 2009 to June 2021. We assessed effectiveness and safety of retreated patients with isoniazid/ rifampicin resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. Results: A total of 147 with either positive smear or cultures were enrolled, and 80 cases were in Hr-TB group and 67 cases were in RR-TB group. There was no significant difference in terms of age, sex, body mass, type of retreatment and comorbid diabetes between the two groups (P > 0.05). The rate of number of lesions involving lung fields ≥ 3 in Hr-TB group 75.9% (60/79) was significantly higher than RR-TB group 56.7% (38/67) (χ2 = 6.077, P = 0.014). There was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.166) with regard to the treatment outcomes of the two groups, the cure rates were 54.7% (41/75) and 53.6% (30/56), respectively, and the failure rate in Hr-TB group 22.7% (17/75) was 10% higher than RR-TB group 10.7% (6/56). The rate of negative sputum smear at the end of the second month (65.7%) in the Hr-TB group was significantly lower than that in the RR-TB group (85.7%) (P = 0.025). There were no significant differences in the incidences of serious adverse reactions and chest X-ray changes between the two groups (P > 0.05). During the 5-year follow-up, recurrence in the Hr-TB group (7 cases, 14.9%) was no significantly lower than that in the RR-TB group (4 cases, 11.8%) (P = 0.754). Conclusion: The treatment of retreated Hr-TB patients was difficult and could be statistically similar or considerably worse than RR-TB. It's urgent to conduct further evaluation of the treatment status quo to guide the guideline development and clinical practice of Hr-TB patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Screening for Tuberculosis (TB) is a critical tactic for minimizing the prevalence of illness within schools. Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy (TPT), in turn, effectively staves off the development of TB from latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Unfortunately, there is limited research on LTBI and TPT among students. This study aimed to assess LTBI among freshmen in Changping District and advocate for the implementation of TPT. Methods: The prospective study collected data from 12 educational institutions within the Changping District of Beijing. The Kolmogorov − Smirnov test and other statistical methods were used for statistical analysis, x 2 was obtained using the formula x 2 = nΣA2/nRnC-1, df = (C-1) (R-1). We analyzed potential factors impacting the LTBI rate, and scrutinized the possible causes behind the low application of TPT and its efficacy for LTBI treatment, China. Results: Among 19,872 freshmen included in this study, 18 active TB cases (91 per 10,0000) and 2236 LTBI cases (11.6% of 19,223) were identified, respectively. Furthermore, of those with LTBI, 1045 (5.4% of 19,223) showed a strong positive for purified protein derivative (PPD), but only 312 opted for TB preventive treatment. There appeared to be no significant difference in the prevalence of LTBI and TPT rate between male and female students. Concurrently, 11 (71 per 100,000) and 7 (158 per 100,000) cases of active tuberculosis were identified in 6 universities and 6 higher vocational colleges, respectively. Interestingly, almost all freshmen who underwent TPT came from universities, suggesting a statistically significant disparity in TPT rate (χ2 = 139.829, P < 0.001) between these two types of educational institutions. Meanwhile, as for the age-wise distribution of latent infection among 17–20 years old freshmen, the LTBI rate exhibited 10.5%, 11.6%, 12.1% and 13.5%, respectively. Correlation between LTBI rate, the strong positive rate was statistically significant among different ages (χ2 = 34.559, P < 0.001). Over a follow-up period of 2 years, three students were diagnosed with active tuberculosis, one of which was resistant to rifampicin. All three students manifested a strong positive for PPD and declined preventive treatment during TB screening. Conclusions: The data indicates a high rate of LTBI amongst students in areas with a heavy TB burden, potentially leading to cross-regional TB transmission due to the migration of students. Education level might contribute to the limited uptake of TPT. Therefore, improving the implementation of TB preventive treatments is crucial in controlling and preventing TB across schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary Tuberculosis is a major public health problem endangering people's health, a scientifically accurate predictive model is of great practical significance for the prevention and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: The reported incidence data of pulmonary tuberculosis were from the National Public Health Science Data Center (https://www.phsciencedata.cn/). The ARIMA, LSTM, EMD-SARIMA, EMD-LSTM, EMD-ARMA-LSTM models were established using the reported monthly incidence of tuberculosis reported in China from January 2008 to December 2018. The MSE, MAE, RMSE and MAPE were used to evaluate the performance of the models to determine the best model. Results: Comparing decomposition-based single model with undecomposed single model, it was found that: when predicting the incidence trend in the next year, compared with SARIMA model, the MSE, MAE, RMSE and MAPE of EMD-SARIMA decreased by 39.3%, 19.0%, 22.1% and 19.8%, respectively. The MSE, MAE, RMSE and MAPE of EMD-LSTM were reduced by 40.5%, 12.8%, 22.9% and 12.7%, respectively, compared with the LSTM model; Comparing the decomposition-based hybrid model with the decomposition-based single model, it was found that: when predicting the incidence trend in the next year, compared with EMD-SARIMA model, the MSE, MAE, RMSE and MAPE of EMD-ARMA-LSTM model decreased by 21.7%, 10.6%, 11.5% and 11.2%, respectively. The MSE, MAE, RMSE and MAPE of EMD-ARMA-LSTM were reduced by 16.7%, 9.6%, 8.7% and 12.3%, respectively, compared with EMD-LSTM model. Furthermore, the performance of the model were consistent when predicting the incidence trend in the next 3 months, 6 months and 9 months. Conclusion: The prediction performance of the decomposition-based single model is better than that of the undecomposed single model, and the prediction performance of the combined model using the advantages of different models is better than that of the decomposition-based single model, so the EMD-ARMA-LSTM combination model can improve the prediction accuracy better than other models, which can provide a theoretical basis for predicting the epidemic trend of pulmonary tuberculosis and formulating prevention and control policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This paper reports findings from the prevalence survey conducted in Shandong China in 2010, a province with a population of 94 million. This study aimed to estimate TB prevalence of the province in 2010 in comparison with the 2000 survey; and to compare yields of TB cases from different case finding approaches. Methods A population based, cross-sectional survey was conducted using multi-stage random cluster sampling. 54,279 adults participated in the survey with a response rate of 96%. Doctors interviewed and classified participants as suspected TB cases if they presented with persistent cough, abnormal chest X-ray (CXRAY), or both. Three sputum specimens of all suspected cases were collected and sent for smear microscopy and culture. Results Adjusted prevalence rate of bacteriologically confirmed cases was 34 per 100,000 for adults in Shandong in 2010. Compared to the 2000 survey, TB prevalence has declined by 80%. 53% of bacteriologically confirmed cases did not present persistent cough. The yield of bacteriologically confirmed cases was 47% by symptom screening and 95% by CXRAY. Over 50% of TB cases were among over 65's. Conclusions The prevalence rate of bacteriologically confirmed cases was significantly reduced compared with 2000. The survey raised challenges to identify TB cases without clear symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has driven public health intervention strategies, including keeping social distance, wearing masks in crowded places, and having good health habits, to prevent the transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). However, it is unknown whether the use of these intervention strategies influences morbidity in other human infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.Methods: In this study, three prediction models were constructed to compare variations in PTB incidences after January 2020 without or with intervention includes strict and regular interventions, when the COVID-19 outbreak began in China. The non-interventional model was developed with an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model that was trained with the monthly incidence of PTB in China from January 2005 to December 2019. The interventional model was established using an ARIMA model with a continuing intervention function that was trained with the monthly PTB incidence in China from January 2020 to December 2020.Results: Starting with the assumption that no COVID-19 outbreak had occurred in China, PTB incidence was predicted, and then the actual incidence was compared with the predicted incidence. A remarkable overall decline in PTB incidence from January 2020 to December 2020 was observed, which was likely due to the potential influence of intervention policies for COVID-19. If the same intervention strategy is applied for the next 2 years, the monthly PTB incidence would reduce on average by about 1.03 per 100,000 people each month compared with the incidence predicted by the non-interventional model. The annual incidence estimated 59.15 under regular intervention per 100,000 in 2021, and the value would decline to 50.65 with strict interventions.Conclusions: Our models quantified the potential knock-on effect on PTB incidence of the intervention strategy used to control the transmission of COVID-19 in China. Combined with the feasibility of the strategies, these results suggested that continuous regular interventions would play important roles in the future prevention and control of PTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global public health problem. China has the second highest TB burden in the world. With a growing TB population with diabetes mellitus (DM), the TB control system faces mounting challenges. To date, evidence remains inconclusive regarding the association between TB-DM co-morbidity and delayed diagnosis of TB patients. This study aims to assess the diagnostic delay of TB patients with known DM and identify the factors associated with this delay.Methods: Data was collected from China's Tuberculosis information management system in two counties of Zhejiang province, China. Patient delay, health system delay and total diagnostic delay are defined as follows: 1) the interval between the onset of TB symptoms and first visit to any health facility; 2) from the first visit to the health facility to the confirmed TB diagnosis in the designated hospital; 3) the sum of patient and health system's respective delays. Comparison of these delays was made between TB patients with and without DM using Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing delays among TB patients with DM.Results: Of 969 TB patients, 67 (7%) TB patients had DM co-morbidity. Compared with TB patients without DM, TB patients with DM experienced significantly shorter health system delays (p < 0.05), and there was a significantly lower proportion of patients whose health system delayed> 14 days (7.0% vs. 18%, p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed between both patient categories regarding patient delay and total diagnostic delay. The multivariate regression analysis suggested that TB patients with DM who were aged < 60 years (AOR = 3.424, 95%CI: 1.008-11.627, p < 0.05) and non-severe cases (AOR = 9.725, 95%CI: 2.582-36.626, p < 0.05) were more likely to have a total diagnostic delay of> 14 days.Conclusions: Our study suggests that DM does not contribute to further diagnostic delay as expected. Instead, we observed significantly improved health system delay among TB patients with DM. The findings indicate the importance of early screening and diagnosis for TB among diabetic patients and of strengthening the integrated control and management of TB and diabetic programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Delay in diagnosis and treatment worsens the disease and clinical outcomes, which further enhances the transmission of tuberculosis (TB) in the community. Therefore, this study aims to assess treatment delay and its associated factors among childhood pleural TB patients in China.Methods: Between January 2006 and December 2019, consecutive patients aged ≤15 years with definite or possible pleural TB were included for analysis. Treatment delay duration was defined as the time interval from the onset of symptoms to treatment initiation and was stratified into two categories: < 30 days, ≥30 days (median delay day is 30 days). The electronic medical records of children were reviewed to obtain demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, laboratory examinations, and radiographic findings. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to explore the factors associated with treatment delay in patients.Results: A total of 154 children with pleural TB were included, with a mean age of 12.4 ± 3.3 years. The median treatment delay was 30 days (interquartile range, 10-60 days) and 51.3% (n = 79) of patients underwent a treatment delay. Multivariate analysis revealed that heart rate (≤92 beats/min, age-adjusted OR = 2.503, 95% CI: 1.215, 5.155) and coefficient of variation of red cell distribution width (RDW-CV, ≥12.9%, age-adjusted OR = 4.705, 95% CI: 2.048, 10.811) were significant risk factors for treatment delays in childhood pleural TB.Conclusion: Our findings suggested that a significant treatment delay occurs among children with pleural TB in China. Patients with a low heart rate or a high RDW-CV experienced delays in the initiation of anti-TB therapy. Therefore, well awareness of the associations between clinical characteristics and treatment delay may improve the management of children with pleural TB and enable us to develop preventive strategies to reduce the treatment delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we aimed to describe the prevalence, clinical presentation and risk factors of paradoxical tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) cases in China.Methods: We performed a descriptive analysis of demographic and clinical data of HIV/TB coinfected patients receiving ART at Beijing Ditan Hospital between January 2014 and October 2018.Results: Of 199 patients included, 45 (22.6%) developed paradoxical TB-IRIS, and 19 (9.5%) TB-IRIS cases presented miliary TB. The pre-ART CD4 count lower than 50 cells/mm3 was found to be significantly associated with development of TB-IRIS. Similarly, patients with higher than 4-fold increase in CD4 cell count after antiretroviral therapy (ART) had significantly higher odds of having TB-IRIS. When patients aged 25-44 years were utilized as the control group, youths (< 25 years old) were more likely to have miliary TB. No significant difference was observed in the intervals from initiation of ART to IRIS presentation between miliary and non-miliary group.Conclusions: In conclusion, our data demonstrate that approximate one quarter of patients coinfected with TB and HIV develop paradoxical TB-IRIS after initial of ART therapy in China. Lower baseline CD4 count and rapid increase in CD4 count are the major risk factors associated with the occurrence of paradoxical TB-IRIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is an automated molecular test that is designed to simultaneously detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex and rifampin resistance. However, there are relatively few studies on this method in China. Xpert has been routinely used at Peking University People's Hospital (PKUPH) since November 2016. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Xpert, and provide a reference and guidance for the detection and diagnosis of TB in non-TB specialized hospitals.Methods: The medical records of inpatients simultaneously tested with Xpert, acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy, and interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA, by T-SPOT®.TB) at PKUPH from November 2016 to October 2018 were reviewed. Active TB cases were considered according to a composite reference standard (CRS). Then, the three methods were evaluated and compared.Results: In total, 787 patients simultaneously tested with Xpert, AFB, and IGRA were enrolled; among them 11.3% (89/787) were diagnosed and confirmed active pulmonary TB (PTB, 52 cases), extrapulmonary TB (EPTB, 17 cases), and tuberculous pleurisy (TP, 20 cases). The sensitivity of Xpert in detecting PTB, EPTB, and TP was 88.5, 76.5, and 15.0%, respectively, which was slightly lower than IGRA (96.2, 82.4, and 95.0%, respectively), but higher than AFB (36.5, 11.8, and 0%, respectively); IGRA showed the highest sensitivity, but its specificity (55.9, 67.1, and 45.2%, respectively) was significantly lower than Xpert (99.6, 99.4, and 100%, respectively) and AFB (99.0, 99.4, and 100%, respectively) (P < 0.001). The sensitivity of Xpert in detecting lung tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, lymph nodes, and joint fluid was 100%, followed by sputum (88.5%), alveolar lavage (85.7%), and bronchoscopy secretion (81.2%); the pleural fluid sensitivity was the lowest, only 15.0%. For AFB negative patients, the sensitivity of Xpert in detecting PTB, EPTB, and TP was 84.9, 73.3, and 15.0%, respectively.Conclusions: Xpert showed both high sensitivity and high specificity, and suggested its high value in TB diagnosis; however, the application of pleural fluid is still limited, and should be improved. Owing to the high sensitivity of IGRA, it is recommended for use as a supplementary test, especially for assisting in the diagnosis of TP and EPTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious public health problem with substantial financial burden in China. The incidence of TB in Guangxi province is much higher than that in the national level, however, there is no predictive study of TB in recent years in Guangxi, therefore, it is urgent to construct a model to predict the incidence of TB, which could provide help for the prevention and control of TB.Methods: Box-Jenkins model methods have been successfully applied to predict the incidence of infectious disease. In this study, based on the analysis of TB incidence in Guangxi from January 2012 to June 2019, we constructed TB prediction model by Box-Jenkins methods, and used root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) to test the performance and prediction accuracy of model.Results: From January 2012 to June 2019, a total of 587,344 cases of TB were reported and 879 cases died in Guangxi. Based on TB incidence from January 2012 to December 2018, the SARIMA((2),0,(2))(0,1,0)12 model was established, the AIC and SC of this model were 2.87 and 2.98, the fitting accuracy indexes, such as RMSE, MAE and MAPE were 0.98, 0.77 and 5.8 respectively; the prediction accuracy indexes, such as RMSE, MAE and MAPE were 0.62, 0.45 and 3.77, respectively. Based on the SARIMA((2),0,(2))(0,1,0)12 model, we predicted the TB incidence in Guangxi from July 2019 to December 2020.Conclusions: This study filled the gap in the prediction of TB incidence in Guangxi in recent years. The established SARIMA((2),0,(2))(0,1,0)12 model has high prediction accuracy and good prediction performance. The results suggested the change trend of TB incidence predicted by SARIMA((2),0,(2))(0,1,0)12 model from July 2019 to December 2020 was similar to that in the previous two years, and TB incidence will experience slight decrease, the predicted results can provide scientific reference for the prevention and control of TB in Guangxi, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently available injectable agents are inadequate to address the high drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) burden in China. Regimens including the oral agent bedaquiline have been shown to be efficacious and safe, leading to its incorporation into multiple national TB treatment programs. This analysis evaluated the impact of increased adoption of bedaquiline-containing regimens on the DR-TB burden in China.Methods: A state-transition model was developed that permits movement and interaction between susceptible, latent, and active TB disease states, while distinguishing between drug-sensitive (DS) and DR-TB. Model inputs were obtained from the published literature or derived such that model metrics approximated those published by the WHO. Expected improvements in infrastructure were built into the model to forecast the epidemiology of DR-TB in China through 2040 in the absence of bedaquiline (baseline forecast). The impact of higher utilization of bedaquiline-containing regimens (85% peak share) was then assessed in two scenarios that differed with regard to treatment success rates of the regimens: 61% (reflecting findings of clinical trials) and 80% (reflecting data from observational studies), versus the 44% success rate associated with standard-of-care treatment.Results: In the baseline scenario, the model predicted increases in annual incidence of DR-TB by 6-8% during each five-year period between 2020 and 2040, with an increase of 30% over the entire study duration. Adoption of bedaquiline-based regimens limits the incidence increases to only 1-3% in each five-year period and to 8% over the study duration in the 61% success rate scenario. Incidence declines by 1-6% during each five-year period and by 12% over the study duration in the 80% success rate scenario. Similar effects on DR-TB prevalence (4-5% increase in baseline, 0-7% decline in scenario 1, and 4-19% decline in scenario 2) and mortality (5-7% increase in baseline, 0-16% decline in scenario 1, and 6-40% decline in scenario 2) were seen following bedaquiline adoption.Conclusions: Incorporation of bedaquiline into DR-TB treatment regimens will significantly reduce the DR-TB burden in China, helping to counter the expected increase in burden in the absence of bedaquiline. The study will provide valuable information to public health policy planners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cryptococcal prostatitis is a rare clinical disease and has never been reported in China.Case Presentation: We report on a male HIV-infected patient with pulmonary and prostate cryptococcosis that was misdiagnosed (as tuberculosis) and delayed diagnosed. Although the patients accepted anti-fungal treatment and anti-retroviral treatment finally, the physician's mistakes reflect the rarity of this condition in China.Conclusion: Cryptococcal prostatitis is a rare disease that unusually presents in immunodeficient patients. Physicians should have a heightened awareness of this particular infection in the immunodeficient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, tuberculosis outbreaks in schools have occurred more frequently in China than in other parts of the world, and have posed a public health threat to students and their families. This systematic review aimed to understand the epidemiological characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks and analyze the factors associated with TB outbreaks in schools in China.Methods: We conducted this systematic review following the standard procedures of the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement. The meta-analysis was performed with STATA using a random effects model.Results: We included 107 studies involving 1795 student patients with TB in mainland China. The results of the systematic analysis indicated that TB outbreaks were more frequently reported in senior middle schools and in Eastern China. The outbreaks mainly occurred during the winter and spring, and the median outbreak duration was 4 months. The meta-analysis showed that the total attack rate and the class attack rate of tuberculosis outbreaks among students were 4.60% (95% CI 3.80 to 5.70%) and 22.70% (95% CI 19.20 to 27.00%), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that outbreaks that occurred at universities or colleges had a relatively higher attack rate than those occurred in senior middle schools. The prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among close contacts was 23.70% (95% CI 19.50 to 28.90%). The median case-finding interval was 2 months, and 47.40% of the index cases had a case-finding delay.Conclusion: The results of our review indicated that school TB outbreaks were reported most frequently in senior middle schools in China. The attack rates of outbreaks at universities or colleges were higher than those in senior middle schools. The TB outbreaks in schools usually occurred over prolonged periods. The case-finding delay in the index cases must be reduced to prevent transmission in classes and schools. Effective surveillance and screening of presumptive TB cases in schools should be strengthened to reduce outbreaks in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In the context of decreasing tuberculosis prevalence in China, we examined the effectiveness of screening household contacts of tuberculosis patients. Methods A tuberculosis survey was conducted in 2008. All 3,355 household contacts of notified tuberculosis cases were examined with a questionnaire interview, chest X-ray and three sputum smear tests. The effectiveness was examined by comparing the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in household contacts with or without presenting clinical symptoms against the respective notification rates. Regression models were used to evaluate the factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis. Results Of the 3,355household contacts, 92 members (2.7%) had pulmonary tuberculosis, among which 46 cases were asymptomatic. The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis and smear positive cases in household contacts without symptoms were 20 and 7 times higher than the notification rates in 2008, while those in household contacts with symptoms were 247 and 108 times higher than notification rates, respectively. The patients detected were mainly Index Cases' spouses, sisters/brothers and those who were in contact with female Index Cases. Conclusions The present study provides convincing evidence that household contacts of notified tuberculosis cases are at higher risk of developing tuberculosis. Routine screening for household contacts without any symptoms is recommended for sustained tuberculosis control in China as well as in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a study conducted by the authors related to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 4 of the gene nucleotide binding oligomerization domain containing 2 (NOD2) in patients of tuberculosis (TB) and healthy controls of China. It highlights that SNP in the gene was more in Uygur and Kazak population as compared to Han population. It mentions that Arg587Arg SNP in the gene could be a TB risk factor in Han population.

Background: Hospitals with inadequate infection control are risky environments for the emergence and transmission of tuberculosis (TB). We evaluated TB infection control practices, and the prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB disease and risk factors in health care workers (HCW) in TB centers in Henan province in China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2005. To assess TB infection control practices in TB centers, checklists were used. HCW were tuberculin skin tested (TST) to measure LTBI prevalence, and were asked for sputum smears and chest X-rays to detect TB disease, and questionnaires to assess risk factors. Differences between groups for categorical variables were analyzed by binary logistic regression. The clustered design of the study was taken into account by using a multilevel logistic model. Results: The assessment of infection control practices showed that only in a minority of the centers the patient consultation areas and X-ray areas were separated from the waiting areas and administrative areas. Mechanical ventilation was not available in any of the TB centers. N95 respirators were not available for HCW and surgical masks were not available for TB patients and suspects. The LTBI prevalence of HCW with and without BCG scar was 55.6% (432/777) and 49.0% (674/1376), respectively (P = 0.003). Older HCW, HCW with longer duration of employment, and HCW who worked in departments with increased contact with TB patients had a higher prevalence of LTBI. HCW who work in TB centers at the prefecture level, or with an inpatient ward also had a higher prevalence of LTBI. Twenty cases of pulmonary TB were detected among 3746 HCW. The TB prevalence was 6.7/1000 among medical staff and 2.5/1000 among administrative/logistic staff. Conclusion: TB infection control in TB centers in Henan, China, appears to be inadequate and the prevalence of LTBI and TB disease among HCW was high. TB infection control practices in TB centers should be strengthened in China, including administrative measures, renovation of buildings, and use of respirators and masks. Regular screening of HCW for TB disease and LTBI needs to be considered, offering preventive therapy to those with TST conversions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis among college students in Shaanxi is high. Although tuberculosis leaves much psychological and social impact on patients, little is known about its impact on college students. The objective of this study is to explore the experiences and psychological process of college students with pulmonary tuberculosis in Shaanxi, China. Methods: 17 college students with pulmonary tuberculosis were recruited purposively from 9 colleges in Shaanxi. Indepth interviews were conducted to collect data and a thematic framework analysis was used. Results: The participants reported that pulmonary tuberculosis deeply influenced their mental health. They were fearful to the nature of pulmonary tuberculosis at the stage of diagnosis, anxious about the illness before the period of diagnosis and the early week of the treatment, excessive worry immediately before the first recheck. They expected an early full recovery, bored on tedious treatment life and worried about future heath and prospects during the whole treatment phase. Their daily life was also influenced, namely discontinued studies, isolation and increased financial burden. They also reported that they could get strong supports from family members, while little supports from healthcare workers and their friends. Conclusions: The participants' psychological pressure was significant during the treatment. In addition, there was serious conflict between treatment and study; social support provided for them was insufficient. Healthcare workers should provide psychological support for college students with pulmonary tuberculosis according to the psychological characteristics and offer social support through strengthening communication with them. Colleges should follow governmental policies on TB exactly and provide opportunities for the patients to continue their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Host genetic factors are important determinants in tuberculosis (TB). The SLC11A1 (or NRAMP1) gene has been studied extensively for genetic association with TB, but with inconsistent findings. In addition, no study has yet looked into the effect of sex and age on the relationship between SLC11A1 polymorphisms and TB. Methods: A case-control study was conducted. In total, 278 pulmonary TB patients and 282 sex- and agematched controls without TB were recruited. All subjects were ethnic Chinese. On the basis of linkage disequilibrium pattern, three genetic markers from SLC11A1 and one from the nearby IL8RB locus were selected and examined for association with TB susceptibility. These markers were genotyped using single strand conformation polymorphism analysis or fragment analysis of amplified products. Results: Statistically significant differences in allele (P = 0.0165, OR = 1.51) and genotype (P = 0.0163, OR = 1.59) frequencies of the linked markers SLC6a/b (classically called D543N and 3'UTR) of the SLC11A1 locus were found between patients and controls. With stratification by sex, positive associations were identified in the female group for both allele (P = 0.0049, OR = 2.54) and genotype (P =0.0075, OR = 2.74) frequencies. With stratification by age, positive associations were demonstrated in the young age group (age ⩽65 years) for both allele (P = 0.0047, OR = 2.52) and genotype (P = 0.0031, OR = 2.92) frequencies. All positive findings remained significant even after correction for multiple comparisons. No significant differences were noted in either the male group or the older age group. No significant differences were found for the other markers (one SLC11A1 marker and one IL8RB marker) either. Conclusion: This study confirmed the association between SLC11A1 and TB susceptibility and demonstrated for the first time that the association was restricted to females and the young age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment is the most important cause of poor TB outcomes, and improving support for TB patients is a primary priority for governments, but there has been little research on the effects of family, social and national policy support factors on TB treatment adherence. The current study evaluated treatment adherence among newly diagnosed TB patients in Dalian, north-eastern China, and determined the effects of family, society, and national policy support factors on treatment adherence.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among newly diagnosed TB patients treated at the outpatient department of Dalian Tuberculosis Hospital from September 2019 to January 2020. Data were collected using a questionnaire that measured medication adherence, family support, social support, and national policy support and so on. Differences between groups were assessed using Chi-square tests and Fisher's exact tests. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of adherence.Results: A total of 481 newly diagnosed TB patients were recruited, of whom 45.7% had good adherence, and 27.4 and 26.8% had moderate and low adherence, respectively. Patients who had family members who frequently supervised medication (OR:0.34, 95% CI:0.16-0.70), family members who often provided spiritual encouragement (OR:0.13, 95% CI:0.02-0.72), a good doctor-patient relationship (OR:0.61, 95% CI:0.40-0.93), more TB-related knowledge (OR:0.49, 95% CI:0.33-0.72) and a high need for TB treatment policy support (OR:0.38, 95% CI:0.22-0.66) had satisfactory medication adherence. However, patients who had a college degree or higher (OR:1.69, 95% CI:1.04-2.74) and who suffered adverse drug reactions (OR:1.45, 95% CI:1.00-2.11) were more likely to have lower adherence.Conclusions: Our findings suggested that non-adherence was high in newly diagnosed TB patients. Patients who had family members who frequently supervised medication and provided spiritual encouragement and a good doctor-patient relationship and TB-related knowledge and a high need for policy support contributed to high adherence. It is recommended to strengthen medical staff training and patient and family health education and to increase financial support for improving adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Isoniazid (INH) represents the cornerstone for the treatment of cases infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains. Several molecular mechanisms have been shown to be the major causes for INH resistance, while the dynamic change of mutations conferring INH resistance among MTB strains during the past decade is still unknown in China.Methods: In this study, we carried out a comparative analysis of the INH minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) distribution, and investigate the dynamic change of molecular characteristics among INH-resistant MTB strains between 2005 and 2015.Results: The proportion of INH resistance (39.0%, 105/269) in 2015 was significantly higher than in 2005 (30.0%, 82/273; P = 0.03). Among 269 isolates collected in 2015, 76 (28.3%, 76/269) exhibited high-level INH-resistance (MIC≥32 mg/L), which was significantly higher than that in 2005 (20.5%, 56/273, P = 0.04). In addition, a significantly higher percentage of INH-resistant isolates carried inhA promoter mutations in 2015 (26.7%) versus that in 2005 (14.6%, P = 0.04), while no significant difference was observed in the rates of isolates containing katG mutations between 2005 (76.8%) and 2015 (70.5%, P = 0.33). Notably, the proportion of MTB isolates with inhA mutations (26.7%, 28/105) for patients who had previous exposure to protionamide (PTH) was higher than that for patients who had no previous exposure to PTH (21.4%, 6/28).Conclusions: In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the proportion of INH-resistant MTB isolates significantly increased during the last decade, which was mainly attributed to an increase of high-level INH-resistant MTB. In addition, prior exposure to PTH may be associated with the increased frequency of INH-resistant tuberculosis strains with inhA mutations in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) remains high worldwide. Current strategies will not eradicate TB by 2035; instead, by 2182 is more likely. Therefore, it is urgent that new risk factors be identified.Methods: An ecological study was conducted in 340 prefectures in China from 2005 to 2015. The spatial distribution of TB incidence was shown by clustering and hotspot analysis. The relationship between the distribution patterns and six meteorological factors was evaluated by the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model.Results: During the 11 years of the study period, TB incidence was persistently low in the east and high in the west. Local coefficients from the GWR model showed a positive correlation between TB incidence and yearly average rainfall (AR) but a negative correlation with other meteorological factors. Average relative humidity (ARH) was negatively correlated with the incidence of TB in all prefectures (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Meteorological factors may play an important role in the prevention and control of TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are common in China. Fist-line anti-TB medications often produce drug-induced liver injury (DILI). This study sought to investigate whether TB patients with chronic HBV co-infection are more susceptible to liver failure and poor outcomes during anti-TB treatment.Methods: Eighty-four TB patients developed DILI during anti-TB treatment and were enrolled, including 58 with chronic HBV co-infection (TB-HBV group) and 26 with TB mono-infection (TB group). Clinical data and demographic characteristics were reviewed. The severity of DILI and incidences of liver failure and death were compared. Risk factors of clinical outcomes were defined.Results: The patterns of DILI were similar in both groups. Compared with patients in the TB group, patients in the TB-HBV group who did not receive anti-HBV therapy before anti-TB treatment were more susceptible to Grade-4 severity of DILI (36.2% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.005), liver failure (67.2% vs. 38.5%, P = 0.013) and poor outcomes (37.9% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.005). Age > 50 years (48.1% vs. 22.6%, P = 0.049), cirrhosis (50.0% vs. 15.4%, P = 0.046) and total bilirubin > 20 mg/dl (51.6% vs. 14.8%, P = 0.005) were independent risk factors for the rate of death in the TB-HBV group, and HBV DNA > 20,000 IU/ml had borderline significance (44.1% vs. 20.8%, P = 0.081). In the TB-HBV group, nucleos(t)ide analogues as rescue therapy were not able to reduce short-term death (33.3% vs. 36.8%, P = 0.659) once liver failure had occurred.Conclusions: Patients on anti-TB therapy with chronic HBV co-infection are more susceptible to developing liver failure and having poor outcomes during anti-TB treatment. Regular monitoring of liver function and HBV DNA level is mandatory. Anti-HBV treatment should be considered in those with high viral levels before anti-TB treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]