BACKGROUND Patterns of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and flow-volume loops among patients with clinically important tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) are not well described. Small studies suggest 4 main flow-volume loop morphologies: low maximum forced expiratory flow, biphasic expiratory curve, flow oscillations, and notching. We studied common PFT and flow-volume loop patterns among the largest p...

Background: Evidence suggests that T cell-based interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) may be useful for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The present study aims to investigate the clinical significance of blood T-SPOT.TB assay, a commercially available IGRAs, in tuberculous meningitis (TBM) patients. Methods: Records of consecutive TBM and non-TBM meningitis patients admitted from July 2011 to March...

BACKGROUND Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is an important and serious complication of tuberculosis (TB) related to high morbidity and mortality. Childhood TBM is a diagnostic dilemma as the clinical features are non-specific and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) mycobacterial count is low. The diagnosis is made mostly on clinical grounds, CSF analysis and radiological findings and treatment is initiated ...

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most common form of chronic infection of the central nervous system. Despite the magnitude of the problem, the general diagnostic outlook is discouraging. Specifically, there is no generally accepted early confirmative diagnosis protocol available for TBM. Various Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens are now recognized as potential markers for diagnosis of TBM...

Objective The aim of our study was to retrospectively validate a previously described rapid clinical score (RCS) in distinguishing tuberculous meningitis (TBM) from viral meningitis (VM) in people who are at increased risk of tuberculosis, as well as from cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in HIV-infected patients. Methods We performed a retrospective study of patients admitted with a diagnosis of ...

Antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples obtained from 442 patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and 102 control patients. Antibodies were found in the CSF of 87% of patients with clinical (culture-negative) TBM, 72% of patients with culture-positive TBM, and 65% of patients with autopsy-p...

Tunnel construction method using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) is commonly adopted for building underground infrastructure, such as railways, roads, sewers, or utility pipelines. TBM tunnelling entails precise guidance of the machine in the underground space, as well as effective construction management and project control. The research aims to address critical engineering and management proble...

The marginal band (MB) of nucleated erythrocytes (thos of nonmammalian vertebrates) is a continuous peripheral bundle of microtubules normally obscured by hemoglobin. Treatment of these elliptical cells with modified microtubule polymerization media containing Triton X-100 yields a semilysed system in which MB, nucleus, and trans-MB material (TBM) are visible under phase contrast. The TBM appar...