Cost-effectiveness of latent tuberculosis infection testing and treatment with 6-week regimen among key population in rural communities in China: a decision analysis study.

PURPOSE: Several model studies suggested the implementation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) testing and treatment could greatly reduce the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and achieve the 2035 target of the "End TB" Strategy in China. The present study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of LTBI testing and TB preventive treatment among key population (≥ 50 years old) susceptible to TB at community level in China. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of LTBI testing using interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) and subsequent treatment with 6-month daily isoniazid regimen (6H) (as a standard regimen for comparison) or 6-week twice-weekly rifapentine and isoniazid regimen (6-week H2P2) in a cohort of 10,000 adults with an average initial age of 50 years. RESULTS: In the base-case analysis, LTBI testing and treatment with 6H was dominated (i.e., more expensive with a lower quality-adjusted life year (QALY)) by LTBI testing and treatment with 6-week H2P2. LTBI testing and treatment with 6-week H2P2 was more effective than no intervention at a cost of $20,943.81 per QALY gained, which was below the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $24,211.84 per QALY gained in China. The one-way sensitivity analysis showed the change of LTBI prevalence was the parameter that most influenced the results of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). CONCLUSION: As estimated by a Markov model, LTBI testing and treatment with 6-week H2P2 was cost-saving compared with LTBI testing and treatment with 6H, and it was considered to be a cost-effective option for TB control in rural China.

Can Reflux Symptom Index and Reflux Finding Score Be Used to Guide the Treatment of Secretory Otitis Media in Adults?

BACKGROUND: At present more attention is paid to the treatment of secretory otitis media in children, but there is also a high incidence of adult patients. The etiology of secretory otitis media in adults is complex and related to many factors. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI)/Reflux Finding Score (RFS) and secretory otitis media in adults, and to explore further treatment methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Taking outpatients in the otology department from January 2017 to May 2019 as the object of study, acoustic immittance tests were performed and the results analyzed. Patients with secretory otitis media received tympanocentesis or tympanotomy and the related components were analyzed.The patients were followed up and the curative effects of different treatment schemes were compared. RESULTS: There were 67 patients with secretory otitis media. The prevalence of secretory otitis media in patients with RSI >13 was significantly higher than that in patients with RSI <13. The prevalence of secretory otitis media in patients with RFS >7 was significantly higher than that in patients with RFS <7 (p < 0 05). The RSI/RFS score of B tympanogram was significantly higher than that of A and C maps (p < 0.05). Among the patients with type B, the serous type was higher in those with an RSI score <13, and the mucus was higher in those with an RSI score >13 (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the proportion of glue patients (p > 0.05). In type B patients, the detection rate of pepsin in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05), and the scores of RSI/RFS in the pepsin-positive group were significantly higher than those in the negative group (p < 0.05). Treatment with acid-suppressive drugs in patients with abnormal RSI/RFS achieved better results (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: RSI/RFS may be related to the development of secretory otitis media in adults, and could play a guiding role in its treatment.

Association of Fine Particulate Matter and Residential Greenness With Risk of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Retreatment: Population-Based Retrospective Study.

Background: The evidence on the association of fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5) with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) retreatment is limited. There are no data on whether greenness exposure protects air pollution-related PTB retreatment in patients with prior PTB. Objective: In a population-based retrospective study, we aimed to investigate the influence of PM2.5 and residential greenness on the risk of PTB retreatment. Methods: A total of 26,482 patients with incident PTB, registered in a mandatory web-based reporting system between 2012 and 2019 in Zhengzhou, China, were included in the analysis. The exposure to PM2.5 was assessed based on the China High Air Pollutants dataset, and the level of greenness was estimated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values. The associations of PTB retreatment with exposure to PM2.5 and greenness were evaluated, respectively, considering the local socioeconomic level indicated by the nighttime light index. Results: Among the 26,482 patients (mean age 46.86, SD 19.52 years) with a median follow-up time of 1523 days per patient, 1542 (5.82%) PTB retreatments were observed between 2012 and 2019. Exposure to PM2.5 was observed to be significantly associated with the increased risk of PTB retreatment in fully adjusted models with a hazard ratio of 1.97 (95% CI 1.34-2.83) per 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5. Patients living in the regions with relatively high quartiles of NDVI values had a 45% lower risk of PTB retreatment than those living in the regions with the lowest quartile for the 500 m buffers (hazard ratio 0.55, 95% CI 0.40-0.77). Such a protective effect of residential greenness was more pronounced among patients living in lower nighttime light areas. The strength of the association between PM2.5 exposure and the risk of PTB retreatment was attenuated by greenness. No significant association was observed between NDVI and the incidence of drug resistance. Conclusions: Long-term exposure to PM2.5 might be a risk factor for PTB retreatment, while an increased level of residential greenness was found to be associated with reduced risks of PTB retreatment. Our results suggest strengthening the control of ambient air pollution and improving residential greenness may contribute to the reduction of PTB retreatment.

CD8+ T cell response in QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus testing was associated with tuberculosis recurrence: a 2-year prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Recurrence posed an important challenge to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) control in China. The prospective study aimed to identify potential risk factors and to explore the value of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) in identifying at-risk individuals with treated prior PTB history. METHODS: All eligible individuals aged ≥18 years who had been diagnosed with PTB before 2016 in Zhongmu County, where with an average level of TB prevalence in China, were included and received baseline survey including chest radiography, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and QFT-Plus, then PTB recurrence was tracked through a 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: Half of 1068 (52.34%, 559/1068) included eligible participants were QFT-Plus positive at baseline and 21 of them recurred active TB in 2-year follow-up. Individuals aged ≥ 60 years, who had a recent history of TB and smokers were associated with increased risk of TB recurrence with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 3.97 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-12.24), 7.71 (95% CI: 1.74-34.25) and 4.56 (95% CI: 1.62-12.83), respectively. Compared to QFT-Plus negatives, those who were TB2+/TB1- (aOR = 15.34) exhibited stronger association with the risk of TB recurrence than those who were TB1+/TB2+ (aOR = 6.06). A dose response relationship was also found between the risk of TB recurrence with the baseline level of TB2-TB1 (p for trend < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High burden of TB infection and high risk of PTB recurrence were observed in the study population. Those with recent onset of prior TB, elderly smokers and QFT-Plus positives especially with TB2 single positive deserved further attention in active TB surveillance.

Agreement between Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen-based skin test and interferon-gamma release assay in elderly individuals aged ≥ 65 years in China.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the agreement of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) antigen-based skin test (TBST) with interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) in elderly individuals aged ≥ 65 years beyond instruction for use in China. METHODS: Based on the baseline survey of randomized controlled trial with objective to explore suitable regimen for tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment, MTB infection was tested using TBST and IGRA in parallel in rural residents aged 50-70 years by means of a cross-sectional study design. RESULTS: A total of 21219 participants with both TBST and IGRA results were included in this analysis. The concordance between TBST and IGRA was 89.4% (95%CI: 89.0 - 89.8%) with a kappa coefficient of 0.61 (95%CI: 0.60 - 0.62). In those aged ≥ 65 years, the concordance was 86.5% (95%CI: 85.6 - 87.4%) with a kappa coefficient of 0.55 (95%CI: 0.52 - 0.58). 21.2% (35/165) of the participants with indeterminate IGRA results were TBST positive, and 9 of them aged ≥ 65 years. CONCLUSIONS: The consistent agreement between TBST and IGRA in individuals aged ≥ 65 years suggests that TBST has potential to be used in the elderly with age beyond instruction for use in China. The respective diagnostic performance of each test will be analyzed when the longitudinal data on incident TB be obtained in the future.

Impact of fine particulate matter on latent tuberculosis infection and active tuberculosis in older adults: a population-based multicentre cohort study.

Evidence showed that air pollution was associated with an increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). This study aimed to study the impact of long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) on the acquisition of LTBI and on the risk of subsequent active disease development among rural older adults from a multicentre cohort, which have not yet been investigated to date. A total of 4790 older adults were included in a population-based, multicentre, prospective cohort study (LATENTTB-NSTM) from 2013 to 2018. The level of long-term exposure to PM2.5 for each participant was assessed by aggregating satellite-based estimates. Logistic regression and time-varying Cox proportional hazards models with province-level random intercepts were employed to assess associations of long-term exposures to PM2.5 with the risk of LTBI and subsequent development of active TB, respectively. Out of 4790 participants, 3284 were LTBI-free at baseline, among whom 2806 completed the one-year follow-up and 127 developed newly identified LTBI. No significant associations were identified between PM2.5 and the risk of LTBI. And among 1506 participants with LTBI at baseline, 30 active TB cases were recorded during the 5-year follow-up. Particularly, an increment of 5 µg/m3 in 2-year moving averaged PM2.5 was associated with a 50.6% increased risk of active TB (HR = 1.506, 95% CI: 1.161-1.955). Long-term air pollution might be a neglected risk factor for active TB development from LTBI, especially for those living in developing or less-developed areas where the air quality is poor.