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Background: People with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) are contagious, particularly to their household contacts. Their infectivity has been associated with the bacterial load in sputum samples. This study investigated if the bacterial load in sputum samples as quantified by Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert Ultra is correlated with the extent that latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) occurred in household contacts of people with PTB., Methods: A retrospective study was performed including people with PTB presenting at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, between 2011 and 2021. Their infection ratio, representing the proportion of household members found with LTBI in contact tracing investigation, was compared with the quantitative results of Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert Ultra using ordinal regression analysis., Results: A total of 107 people with PTB were included. Among their 398 household contacts, 126 (31.7%) cases of LTBI and 14 cases with active TB disease (3.5%) were reported. Higher bacterial load in Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert Ultra baseline sputum was significantly associated with increased infection ratios, providing better estimates than conventional acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear grading., Conclusions: Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert Ultra could serve as an alternative to AFB sputum-smear grading in determining contact tracing priorities., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Identifying compounds that are neurotoxic either toward the central or the peripheral nervous systems (CNS or PNS) would greatly benefit early stages of drug development by derisking liabilities and selecting safe compounds. Unfortunately, so far assays mostly rely on histopathology findings often identified after repeated-dose toxicity studies in animals. The European NeuroDeRisk project aimed to provide comprehensive tools to identify compounds likely inducing neurotoxicity. As part of this project, the present work aimed to identify diagnostic non-invasive biomarkers of PNS toxicity in mice. We used two neurotoxic drugs in vivo to correlate functional, histopathological and biological findings. CD1 male mice received repeated injections of oxaliplatin or paclitaxel followed by an assessment of drug exposure in CNS/PNS tissues. Functional signs of PNS toxicity were assessed using electronic von Frey and cold paw immersion tests (oxaliplatin), and functional observational battery, rotarod and cold plate tests (paclitaxel). Plasma concentrations of neurofilament light chain (NF-L) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) were measured, and histopathological evaluations were performed on a comprehensive list of CNS and PNS tissues. Functional PNS toxicity was observed only in oxaliplatin-treated mice. Histopathological findings were observed dose-dependently only in paclitaxel groups. While no changes of VEGF-A concentrations was recorded, NF-L concentrations were increased only in paclitaxel-treated animals as early as 7 days after the onset of drug administration. These results show that plasma NF-L changes correlated with microscopic changes in the PNS, thus strongly suggesting that NF-L could be a sensitive and specific biomarker of PNS toxicity in mice., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests. Some authors (C.B., A.H., S.H., Y.H., W.E.G., O.P. and M.S.) are employees in the companies Sanofi, Merck and Boehringer Ingelheim, and may have access to stock/share options., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The emergence of chemsex has raised several concerns about gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men's (GBMSM) health. In this study we aim to analyze illicit drugs and chemsex use, sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections (STI) in GBMSM who attended to a sexual health clinic and to explore any potential association between drug use and STI., Methods: We conducted an observational study between January and June 2019 among GBMSM population attending to a STI clinic in Barcelona, Spain. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was given consecutively to all participants older than 18 years who accepted to participate., Results: A total of 514 GBMSM (median age of 34 years-old) were included. The median number of sexual partners in the last year was 20. Seventy-one percent did not use condoms consistently for receptive anal intercourse. Drug abuse prevalence in the preceding year was 64.2%, and 26.5% of the individuals practiced chemsex. Gamma-hydroxibutyrate/gammabutyrolactone, poppers and methamphetamine were the most common drugs in chemsex. Chemsex was associated to group sex (OR 9.8 [95 CI: 4-24]), HIV infection (OR 2.5 [95 CI: 1.1-5.8]), taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (OR 3.2 [95 CI: 1.5-7.1]), developing gonorrhea (OR 3.7 [95 CI: 1.5-8.8]) or syphilis (OR 6.7 [95 CI: 2.4-18.7])., Conclusions: The prevalence of drug use and chemsex was high among GBMSM in Barcelona. Chemsex was associated with group sex, taking PrEP, and contracting syphilis, gonorrhea, and HIV., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Health promotion at work (HPW) is an essential component of social and economic policies. Objectives: 1) To determine which regions in Spain have a HPW program and 2) To review these programs according to health promotion and equity models., Methods: Regional HPW programs were identified through occupational health committee. Their webs were reviewed, and we interviewed by videoconference the persons in charge of each program. We used a data collection notebook to collect descriptive as well as quality variables, according to health promotion and equity models., Results: 6 regions have a HPW program: Andalucía, Aragón, Cataluña, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura and Galicia, developed by health administration or work administration, but only in 1 case by both. 4 programs have regulations and 3 have created a network. The participation of occupational risk prevention services is key, while participation of workers and management teams is variable. Only 2 regions have incorporated information and materials related to COVID-19. Measures to promote equality and work-life balance, but not to promote equity., Conclusions: HPW in Spain is a reality in 6 regions, with differences between them related to the requisites and what the administration offers to them.

Understanding market liquidity resilience, i.e. the capacity of liquidity to absorb shocks, of United States Treasuries is crucial from a financial stability standpoint. The conventional resilience measure has limitations due to the use of the liquidity level. We propose a new complementary approach to analyze resilience based on liquidity volatility. For this purpose, we focus on the link between returns volatility and liquidity volatility, which is a relatively unexplored field. We fit a bivariate conditional correlation (CC-) GARCH model for the 10-year bond returns and five liquidity indicators from January 2003 to June 2016 to analyze persistence and spillovers between these variables in a parsimonious way. We find that after the crisis, spillovers between liquidity volatility and returns volatility are higher, feedback loops are more likely and volatility persistence is lower, which is consistent with a lower resilience. Our results help to explain recent episodes of high volatility in this market., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Although rapid screening and treatment programmes have been recently implemented to tackle STIs, testing Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) among asymptomatic populations is not currently recommended due to the lack of scientific evidence and the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The main objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of MG and macrolide resistance among asymptomatic people visiting a point of care service for rapid STI screening and to identify risk factors associated with the acquisition of this infection., Methods: Between October 2017 and January 2018, a total of 890 asymptomatic individuals attending to the STI screening service Drassanes Exprés in Barcelona, Spain, were tested for MG and macrolide resistance using the molecular ResistancePlus MG assay (SpeeDx, Australia). Asymptomatically infected individuals were invited to attend the STI Unit for resistance-guided antimicrobial therapy., Results: Overall, the prevalence of MG was 7.4% (66/890; 95% CI 5.8% to 9.3%), being higher among men who have sex with men (MSM) (46/489) compared with heterosexual men and women (20/401; p=0.012). Macrolide resistance was found in 32/46 (69.6%; 95% CI 54.2% to 82.3%) MSM, while only 2/20 (10.0%; 95% CI 1.2% to 31.7%) infections among heterosexuals presented macrolide resistance-mediated mutations (p<0.001). MSM behaviour, receptive anal intercourse, HIV positive status, syphilis history and high-risk sexual activity (more than five sexual partners in the last 3 months) were significantly associated with MG infection. Furthermore, the resistance-guided therapy approach was implemented in 36/66 (54.6%) individuals., Conclusions: The research provides further data regarding the prevalence of MG and macrolide resistance among asymptomatic individuals. It also identifies higher risk subpopulations which might be targets for MG screening. Nevertheless, there is insufficient data to justify MG testing among asymptomatic individuals and current STI guidelines should be followed until evidence shows the cost and effectiveness of screening., Competing Interests: Competing interests: CFN is a researcher who has received partial salary support from SpeeDx Pty Ltd. MF-H and ME have participated in symposiums organised by SpeeDx Pty Ltd., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)