SLC11A1 genetic variation and low expression may cause immune response impairment in TB patients.

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Host genetic factors are important for the detection of TB susceptibility. SLC11A1 is located in monocyte phagolysosomes that help to limit M. tuberculosis growth by transferring divalent cations across the membrane. Genetic variation in SLC11A1 may alter its expression and increase the susceptibility of individuals to TB. The current study aimed to provide insight into host genetic variations and gene expression in TB patients. A total of 164 TB patients and 85 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. SLC11A1 polymorphisms were detected by PCR-RFLP. Real-time qPCR was used for SLC11A1 gene expression, and ELISA was used for protein estimation. GTEx Portal was used for quantitative trait loci analysis, while the STRING (v.11) web platform was used for gene interactive network construction. Data were analyzed using SPSS, GraphPad Prism, Haploview, and SNPstats. SLC11A1 polymorphisms and combinatorial genotypes were strongly associated with TB susceptibility, which may explain the greater prevalence of tuberculosis in the local population. Polymorphisms in SLC11A1 have also been linked to gene expression variation. Furthermore, the expression of SLC11A1 was downregulated in TB patients, which may influence the function of other associated genes and may impair the immunological response to tuberculosis.

Investigating the Correlation Between Presence and Reaction Time in Mixed Reality.

Measuring presence is critical to improving user involvement and performance in Mixed Reality (MR). Presence, a crucial aspect of MR, is traditionally gauged using subjective questionnaires, leading to a lack of time-varying responses and susceptibility to user bias. Inspired by the existing literature on the relationship between presence and human performance, the proposed methodology systematically measures a user's reaction time to a visual stimulus as they interact within a manipulated MR environment. We explore the user reaction time as a quantity that can be easily measured using the systemic tools available in modern MR devices. We conducted an exploratory study (N=40) with two experiments designed to alter the users' sense of presence by manipulating place illusion and plausibility illusion. We found a significant correlation between presence scores and reaction times with a correlation coefficient -0.65, suggesting that users with a higher sense of presence responded more swiftly to stimuli. We develop a model that estimates a user's presence level using the reaction time values with high accuracy of up to 80%. While our study suggests that reaction time can be used as a measure of presence, further investigation is needed to improve the accuracy of the model.

Decreased classical monocytes and CD163 expression in TB patients: an indicator of drug resistance.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease instigated by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Peripheral blood monocytes represent highly efficient effector cells of innate immunity against TB. Little is known about monocyte subsets and their potential involvement in the development of M. tuberculosis drug resistance in patients with TB. This study was conducted to investigate alterations in monocyte subsets, CD163 expression on monocytes, and its serum level in patients without and with rifampicin resistance TB (RR-TB) and healthy controls. A total of 164 patients with TB (84 without RR-TB and 80 patients with RR-TB) and 85 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The percentages of various monocyte subsets and surface expression of CD163 on monocytes were quantitatively determined using flow cytometry. The serum level of CD163 was determined by commercially available ELISA kits. Decreased frequency of classical monocytes was detected in patients with RR-TB. Non-classical monocytes were decreased in patients without RR-TB; however, intermediate monocytes were raised in patients with RR-TB. The serum level of CD163 was decreased in patients of RR-TB that showsed a positive correlation with the frequency of CD14++CD16-CD163+ and CD14++CD16+CD163+ monocytes. It is concluded that decreased classical monocytes and sCD163 in patients with RR-TB could be an indicator of drug resistance.