In
the future, A Simple Blood Test may Accurately Diagnose Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection,
and traditionally the diagnosis is confirmed with the help of sputum analysis.
Emory Health Sciences' researchers have identified blood-based bio-markers in
patients with active tuberculosis that could lead to new blood-based
diagnostics and tools for monitoring treatment response and cure.
The research team sought to identify blood-based bio-markers in patients with active tuberculosis (ATB). The scientists hypothesized that expression of immune activation markers on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)- specific T cells would be associated with the amount of bacteria present within an infected individual and could thus provide a gauge of Mtb, the bacterium that causes TB infection. The researchers reasoned that individuals with ATB disease would harbor higher frequencies of immune markers CD38+/HLA-DR+/Ki-67+ in their blood than those with latent Mtb infection (LTBI) or those who had cleared their infection after successful treatment.
Jyothi Rengarajan, lead researcher of the study, said, "In order to reduce the burden of TB globally, identifying and treating all TB cases is a critical priority, but accurate diagnosis of active TB disease remains challenging and methods for monitoring how well a patient responds to the six-to nine-month long, four-drug regimen of anti-TB treatment, are highly inadequate. In this study, we have identified T cell bio-markers that accurately identify ATB patients. These bio-markers have the potential to lead to new blood-based diagnostics for TB as well as provide a set of tools for monitoring treatment response and cure. The findings show that blood-based bio-markers have the potential to accurately diagnose ATB and discriminate between ATB and LTBI. We are now interested in evaluating these bio-markers in larger studies in TB-endemic areas and across a roader spectrum of Mtb infection, including extra-pulmonary TB and in HIV-infected populations. Blood-based bio-markers will be particularly useful in situations where sputum-based diagnosis of TB is more difficult. Because these bio-markers provide a gauge of Mtb load within individuals, they could also have utility as surrogate markers of treatment response and as predictors of treatment efficacy, cure and relapse in patients undergoing treatment for drug-susceptible as well as drug-resistant TB."
The study appears online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Source: www.medindia.net
01.04.2015
Blood
Sugar Test, a Must for Pregnant Women: Union Health Minister
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent
Charge) of the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER), has said
that it is mandatory for every pregnant woman to undergo a blood sugar test. He
also suggested that women take this test as soon as pregnancy is confirmed and
ideally, even while planning a baby.
Dr. Singh said if India is to get rid of the dubious distinction of a country with an epidemic of diabetes, it is crucial to prevent the occurrence of diabetes in pregnancy, particularly Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. This will not only result in better outcomes for both mother as well as her baby, but will also help in preventing the cycle of generation to generation transmission of diabetes through family preponderance.
Children born to diabetic mother are not only prone to develop diabetes, but are also at the risk of diabetes at a much earlier age, he added. He advocated that any pregnant woman visiting any hospital or clinic at any period of her pregnancy, early or late, should be immediately subjected to a blood sugar test, irrespective of whether she is fasting or non-fasting to identify undetected diabetes.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, in a country like India, where there is already higher phenotype prevalence for diabetes, it is wise to devise easier screening methods of diabetes in pregnancy. Instead of going in for conventional Oral Glucose Tolerance Test, it is advisable to go for a single Glucose Challenge Test (GCT). A single GCT was 100% accurate and was comparatively economical.
01.04.2015
Have faith in your skills, doubt kills more dreams than failure
Suzy Kassem
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