Pleural tuberculosis (TB) was employed as a model to study T cell apoptosis at sites of active Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfected (HIV/TB) patients and patients infected with TB alone. Apoptosis in blood and in pleural fluid mononuclear cells and cytokine immunoreactivities in plasma and in pleural fluid were evaluated. T cells were expan...

Interleukin 12 (IL-12), a heterodimeric cytokine composed of p40 and p35 chains, has potent immunologic effects in vitro. We used tuberculous pleuritis as a model to study the immunoregulatory potential of IL-12 in vivo at the site of human infectious disease. Messenger RNAs for p40 and p35 were detected in pleural fluid from six of six patients by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reactio...

OBJECTIVE The present study is designed to evaluate the role of pleural fluid analysis in diagnosing pleural diseases and to study the advantages and disadvantages of thoracocentasis and pleural biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We prospectively included 66 consecutive indoor patients over a duration of 1 year. Pleural fluid was collected and cytological smears were made from the fluid. Plural bi...

Pleural aspergillosis occurs mostly in established cases of pleural empyema with a broncho-pleural fistula. Ten such patients are reported here: in all, Aspergillus fumigatus infection was related to tuberculosis. In three cases with an active, sputum-positive tuberculous process the pleural empyema was a complication of spontaneous pneumothorax in two, and of lung resection in one. In two case...

Pleural tuberculosis (TB) is a form of extra-pulmonary TB observed in patients infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) has been observed in animal models of TB and in human patients but their role remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the role of transmembrane TNF (tmTNF) in the accumulation and function of MDSC in t...

Traditionally, Mycobacterium tuberculosis or granulomas have to be evidenced in the pleural cavity in order to establish a diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis. In recent years, adenosine deaminase has aided tremendously in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion, often obviating the need for microbiologic or histologic verification of the diagnosis. However, the fact that the sensitivity o...

BACKGROUND A statistical audit of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in pleural effusions was undertaken. METHODS ADA analysis, cytological and microbiological examinations, and differential cell counts were performed on 462 pleural fluid samples. RESULTS ADA activity in tuberculous effusions was higher than in any other diagnostic group. At a level of 50 U/l the sensitivity and specificity for the ...

BACKGROUND Current tools for the diagnosis of tuberculosis pleural effusions are sub-optimal. Data about the value of new diagnostic technologies are limited, particularly, in high burden settings. Preliminary case control studies have identified IFN-gamma-inducible-10 kDa protein (IP-10) as a promising diagnostic marker; however, its diagnostic utility in a day-to-day clinical setting is uncle...

We read with interest the recent paper by QUEROL JM, BARBE F, MANRESA F, EsTEBAN L and CANETE [1]. The authors presented some patients with tuberculous pleural effusion and adenosine deaminase activity (ADA) values less than 43 U·I-• We reported previously that ADA values (Guisti method) were statistically significantly higher in tuberculous pleural effusions than in most other diseases [2]. Hi...