Anatomical variations of recurrent laryngeal nerve: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

PURPOSE: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to systematically review and perform a meta-analysis on the anatomical variations of the RLN. METHODS: We performed online research for studies that addressed anatomical variations of the RLN and laterality, published between 2015 and 2021. We found 230 articles, and nine were included. RESULTS: Eight variations were found, with Type I prevailing (41.17%; 95% CI 19.44-64.88), extra laryngeal divergence of the RLN. The other types were: II-fan shape; III-distance greater than 5 mm to the cricothyroid joint; IV-thickening and adipopexy in the elderly; V-non-recurrent laryngeal nerve; VI-intracranial branch; VII-tortuous ascending RLN; and VIII-combination between the inferior branch of the NV and the ascending trunk of the RLN. Types I (p = 0) and III (p < 0.01) prevailed on the left and types II (p < 0.01) and V (p < 0.01) on the right. CONCLUSIONS: It was observed that variations occurred due to the path of the RLN to the entrance to the larynx, its shape, and the age of the evaluated individual. The most frequent variation and side were, respectively, Type I, extra laryngeal divergence and left.

Weed spatial distribution as a function of soil properties in two distinct environments of the Brazilian semi-arid region.

The present study aimed was to evaluate the spatial variability of weed species by means of phytosociological parameters and their correlations with the physical-chemical soil properties, under semiarid climate conditions. Weed phytosociology and soil characterization were carried out in two areas one newly deforested area covering 8.86 ha, and one experimental agricultural area covering 24.7 ha; both in the semi-arid region of Brazil. Weed and soil were sampled by following georeferenced grids in each area. Biomass and the total number of weed individuals, as well as soil properties, were mapped by the ordinary Kriging method. The predominant herbaceous plants in the newly deforested area were Hexasepalum teres and Digitaria insularis. The weed species that predominated in the agricultural area were Cyperus rotundus L., Euphorbia heterophylla L. and Herissantia Crispa (L.) Brizicky; the latter species outstanding for dry biomass (873.5g). Spatial dependence was observed for the predominant species, except for Digitaria insularis. The spatial distribution of these weeds was conditioned by soil K+ contents in both areas, and by sand content for the experimental agricultural area. Therefore, these two soil attributes resulted key factors for weed infestation in this semi-arid region.

Predicting COVID-19 cases in various scenarios using RNN-LSTM models aided by adaptive linear regression to identify data anomalies.

The evolution of the Sars-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus pandemic has revealed that the problems of social inequality, poverty, public and private health systems guided by controversial public policies are much more complex than was conceived before the pandemic. Therefore, understanding how COVID-19 evolves in society and looking at the infection spread is a critical task to support efficient epidemiological actions capable of suppressing the rates of infections and deaths. In this article, we analyze daily COVID-19 infection data with two objectives: (i) to test the predictive power of a Recurrent Neural Network - Long Short Term Memory (RNN-LSTM) on the daily stochastic fluctuation in different scenarios, and (ii) analyze, through adaptive linear regression, possible anomalies in the reported data to provide a more realistic and reliable scenario to support epidemic control actions. Our results show that the approach is even more suitable for countries, states or cities where the rate of testing, diagnosis and prevention were low during the virus dissemination. In this sense, we focused on investigating countries and regions where the disease evolved in a severe and poorly controlled way, as in Brazil, highlighting the favelas in Rio de Janeiro as a regional scenario.

CSN1S1 and CSN3 gene variants in female Murrah buffaloes in the Brazilian Amazon.

The characteristics of milk are controlled by several genes, with emphasis on the four genes from casein, CSN1S1; CSN1S2; CSN2 and CSN3, which are responsible encoding of fractions the milk protein. The study of genetic variants in these genes, seek to investigate alleles, insertions or deletions, that can directly reflect on productive characteristics, indicating differences in milk quality, composition and yield. The CSN1S1 and CSN3 genes were analyzed in lactating Murrah buffaloes using nucleotide sequencing. An SNP was found in the amplified fragment of the CSN1S1 gene, located in nucleotide number 2,123 of the promoter region in position nt-258 (A/G). As for the CSN3 gene, two SNPs of exon number 4 were identified in codons 33 (ACC/ATC) and 34 (ACC/ACT) of the analyzed fragment. This study contributes to important associations between genetic variants and the desired characteristics of milk and its derivatives in future studies, because the variants found may be associated with the quality of milk, enabling genetic selection to be assisted by molecular markers, indicating a major advance that makes it possible to select animals early.

Trajectories of wildfire behavior under climate change. Can forest management mitigate the increasing hazard?

Mediterranean forests and fire regimes are closely intertwined. Global change is likely to alter both forest dynamics and wildfire activity, ultimately threatening the provision of ecosystem services and posing greater risks to society. In this paper we evaluate future wildfire behavior by coupling climate projections with simulation models of forest dynamics and wildfire hazard. To do so, we explore different forest management scenarios reflecting different narratives related to EU forestry (promotion of carbon stocks, reduction of water vulnerability, biomass production and business-as-usual) under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate pathways in the period 2020-2100. We used as a study model pure submediterranean Pinus nigra forests of central Catalonia (NE Spain). Forest dynamics were simulated from the 3rd National Forest Inventory (143 stands) using SORTIE-nd software based on climate projections under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. The climate products were also used to estimate fuel moisture conditions (both live and dead) and wind speed. Fuel parameters and fire behavior were then simulated, selecting crown fire initiation potential and rate of spread as key indicators. The results revealed consistent trade-offs between forest dynamics, climate and wildfire. Despite the clear influence exerted by climate, forest management modulates fire behavior, resulting in different trends depending on the climatic pathway. In general, the maintenance of current practices would result in the highest rates of crown fire activity, while management for water vulnerability reduction is postulated as the best alternative to surmount the increasingly hazardous conditions envisaged in RCP 8.5.

Risk factors associated with the bovine subclinical mastitis in an Amazon micro-region.

In this study, we evaluated the main risk factors for the occurrence of bovine mastitis, in the southeastern of Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon. We surveyed 91 dairy farmers to identify management practices and bovine breed characteristics. From each farm, 50 mL of milk sample was collected for microbiological analysis and somatic cell count (SCC). Depending on the management practices and breed, a logit model was used to determine the odds ratio of subclinical mastitis (SCM) occurrence. In irrigated pastures, an SCM-associated risk factor, the occurrence of SCM was 5.03 times higher than that in the non-irrigated pastures. Similarly, in Girolando breed herds, the occurrence of SCM increased by 5.8 times compared to the crossbred herds. Moreover, the occurrence of mastitis was 33 times higher in farms using common cloths for drying teats than in farms using paper towels. Therefore, adoption of better management practices can lead to SCC reduction, milk quality improvement and a guarantee to contain SCC within prescribed Brazilian limits for the Amazon region.

Carcass and commercial cuts yields of caiman (Caiman crocodilus yacare) farmed in a ranching system in the Brazilian Pantanal.

Given the growing use of alternative sources of protein, studies on the commercial viability of amazonians wild species, based on the yield of their carcass, are still scarce in the literature. To evaluate yields of carcass and commercial cuts of caiman meat (Caiman crocodilus yacare), according to sex and weight categories, besides analyzing their revenue. Thirty animals in termination phase were selected, separated by sex and weighed. The cuts analyzed was of 59.7% in relation to total live weight, and of 70.7% in relation to the carcass. Regarding the yields of the cuts, the average weight difference in detriment to the sex of the animals was minimal, however, in the weight categories, animals classified as intermediate and heavy (5.9-9.1 kg) resulted in higher cut weights (p < 0.01) and consequently in revenue for most of the meat cuts (66.7%), especially for tail, back, and sirloin fillets. It can be concluded that the carcass yield of caiman is high, and that heavy animals resulted in higher yields of prime cuts, emphasizing the need to carry out studies that prioritize the cost/benefit ratio taking into account the age and weight of the animals.

Hydrothermally-altered feldspar as an environmentally-friendly technology to promote heavy metals immobilization: Batch studies and application in smelting-affected soils.

Hydrothermally-altered feldspar (HydroPotash, HYP) possesses, among other physicochemical properties, high pH buffering and cation exchange capacity. Therefore, it may potentially remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions and immobilize these metals in contaminated soil. This study aimed to evaluate the capabilities of two types of HydroPotash (HYP-1 and HYP-2) and a zeolite sample (a commercial adsorbent) for immobilizing cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) from both aqueous solution and contaminated soils from a Zn-smelting area (classified as soilhigh, soilintermediate, and soillow based on their level of soluble metal concentration). Sorption studies in natural suspension pH showed that HYPs removed 63.8-99.9% Zn, 20.6-40.7% Cd, and 68.4-99.7% Pb from aqueous solution. In the batch test with controlled pH (at pH 5.5), HYPs sorbed more Cd than zeolite. Analyses of scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy after desorption showed the presence of Pb at HYP-2, indicating that this metal was effectively adsorbed. In soilhigh HYPs immobilized 99.9% of Zn, Cd, and Pb after one week of soil incubation with these products. The HYPs immobilization effect persisted up to 84 days of soil incubation with these products. The increased soil pH promoted by HYPs appears to be the main factor controlling metal sorption. In conclusion, HydroPotash can be used as an adsorbent/amendment to effectively immobilize heavy metals in both water and contaminated soils by precipitation and adsorption. Our findings indicate the high potential of this material for Cd, Zn, and Pb stabilization, which is of great relevance when recovering areas affected by mining/smelting activities with multi-element contamination.

Geospatial Modeling of Containment Probability for Escaped Wildfires in a Mediterranean Region.

Despite escalating expenditures in firefighting, extreme fire events continue to pose a major threat to ecosystem services and human communities in Mediterranean areas. Developing a safe and effective fire response is paramount to efficiently restrict fire spread, reduce negative effects to natural values, prevent residential housing losses, and avoid causalties. Though current fire policies in most countries demand full suppression, few studies have attempted to identify the strategic locations where firefighting efforts would likely contain catastrophic fire events. The success in containing those fires that escape initial attack is determined by diverse structural factors such as ground accessibility, airborne support, barriers to surface fire spread, and vegetation impedance. In this study, we predicted the success in fire containment across Catalonia (northeastern Spain) using a model generated with random forest from detailed geospatial data and a set of 73 fire perimeters for the period 2008-2016. The model attained a high predictive performance (AUC = 0.88), and the results were provided at fine resolution (25 m) for the entire study area (32,108 km2 ). The highest success rates were found in agricultural plains along the nonburnable barriers such as major road corridors and largest rivers. Low levels of containment likelihood were predicted for dense forest lands and steep-relief mountainous areas. The results can assist in suppression resource pre-positioning and extended attack decision making, but also in strategic fuels management oriented at creating defensive locations and fragmenting the landscape in operational firefighting areas. Our modeling workflow and methods may serve as a baseline to generate locally adapted models in fire-prone areas elsewhere.

What Faces Reveal: A Novel Method to Identify Patients at Risk of Deterioration Using Facial Expressions.

OBJECTIVES: To identify facial expressions occurring in patients at risk of deterioration in hospital wards. DESIGN: Prospective observational feasibility study. SETTING: General ward patients in a London Community Hospital, United Kingdom. PATIENTS: Thirty-four patients at risk of clinical deterioration. INTERVENTIONS: A 5-minute video (25 frames/s; 7,500 images) was recorded, encrypted, and subsequently analyzed for action units by a trained facial action coding system psychologist blinded to outcome. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Action units of the upper face, head position, eyes position, lips and jaw position, and lower face were analyzed in conjunction with clinical measures collected within the National Early Warning Score. The most frequently detected action units were action unit 43 (73%) for upper face, action unit 51 (11.7%) for head position, action unit 62 (5.8%) for eyes position, action unit 25 (44.1%) for lips and jaw, and action unit 15 (67.6%) for lower face. The presence of certain combined face displays was increased in patients requiring admission to intensive care, namely, action units 43 + 15 + 25 (face display 1, p < 0.013), action units 43 + 15 + 51/52 (face display 2, p < 0.003), and action units 43 + 15 + 51 + 25 (face display 3, p < 0.002). Having face display 1, face display 2, and face display 3 increased the risk of being admitted to intensive care eight-fold, 18-fold, and as a sure event, respectively. A logistic regression model with face display 1, face display 2, face display 3, and National Early Warning Score as independent covariates described admission to intensive care with an average concordance statistic (C-index) of 0.71 (p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Patterned facial expressions can be identified in deteriorating general ward patients. This tool may potentially augment risk prediction of current scoring systems.

A comprehensive spatial-temporal analysis of driving factors of human-caused wildfires in Spain using Geographically Weighted Logistic Regression.

Over the last decades, authorities responsible on forest fire have encouraged research on fire triggering factors, recognizing this as a critical point to achieve a greater understanding of fire occurrence patterns and improve preventive measures. The key objectives of this study are to investigate and analyze spatial-temporal changes in the contribution of wildfire drivers in Spain, and provide deeper insights into the influence of fire features: cause, season and size. We explored several subsets of fire occurrence combining cause (negligence/accident and arson), season (summer-spring and winter-fall) and size (<1 Ha, 1-100 Ha and >100 Ha). The analysis is carried out fitting Geographically Weighted Logistic Regression models in two separate time periods (1988-1992, soon after Spain joined the European Union; and 2006-2010, after several decades of forest management). Our results suggest that human factors are losing performance with climate factors taking over, which may be ultimately related to the success in recent prevention policies. In addition, we found strong differences in the performance of occurrence models across subsets, thus models based on long-term historical fire records might led to misleading conclusions. Overall, fire management should move towards differential prevention measurements and recommendations due to the observed variability in drivers' behavior over time and space, paying special attention to winter fires.

Inflammatory sensitization of nociceptors depends on activation of NMDA receptors in DRG satellite cells.

The present study evaluated the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) expressed in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in the inflammatory sensitization of peripheral nociceptor terminals to mechanical stimulation. Injection of NMDA into the fifth lumbar (L5)-DRG induced hyperalgesia in the rat hind paw with a profile similar to that of intraplantar injection of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which was significantly attenuated by injection of the NMDAR antagonist D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (D-AP-5) in the L5-DRG. Moreover, blockade of DRG AMPA receptors by the antagonist 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione had no effect in the PGE2-induced hyperalgesia in the paw, showing specific involvement of NMDARs in this modulatory effect and suggesting that activation of NMDAR in the DRG plays an important role in the peripheral inflammatory hyperalgesia. In following experiments we observed attenuation of PGE2-induced hyperalgesia in the paw by the knockdown of NMDAR subunits NR1, NR2B, NR2D, and NR3A with antisense-oligodeoxynucleotide treatment in the DRG. Also, in vitro experiments showed that the NMDA-induced sensitization of cultured DRG neurons depends on satellite cell activation and on those same NMDAR subunits, suggesting their importance for the PGE2-induced hyperalgesia. In addition, fluorescent calcium imaging experiments in cultures of DRG cells showed induction of calcium transients by glutamate or NMDA only in satellite cells, but not in neurons. Together, the present results suggest that the mechanical inflammatory nociceptor sensitization is dependent on glutamate release at the DRG and subsequent NMDAR activation in satellite glial cells, supporting the idea that the peripheral hyperalgesia is an event modulated by a glutamatergic system in the DRG.

Oral insulin improves metabolic parameters in high fat diet fed rats.

INTRODUCTION/AIM: The gut has shown to have a pivotal role on the pathophysiology of metabolic disease. Food stimulation of distal intestinal segments promotes enterohormones secretion influencing insulin metabolism. In diabetic rats, oral insulin has potential to change intestinal epithelium behavior. This macromolecule promotes positive effects on laboratorial metabolic parameters and decreases diabetic intestinal hypertrophy. This study aims to test if oral insulin can influence metabolic parameters and intestinal weight in obese non-diabetic rats. METHODS: Twelve weeks old Wistar rats were divided in 3 groups: control (CTRL) standard chow group; high fat diet low carbohydrates group (HFD) and HFD plus daily oral 20U insulin gavage (HFD+INS). Weight and food consumption were weekly obtained. After eight weeks, fasting blood samples were collected for laboratorial analysis. After euthanasia gut samples were isolated. RESULTS: Rat oral insulin treatment decreased body weight gain (p<0,001), fasting glucose and triglycerides serum levels (p<0,05) an increased intestinal weight of distal ileum (P<0,05). Animal submitted to high fat diet presented higher levels of HOMA-IR although significant difference to CT was not achieved. HOMA-beta were significantly higher (p<0.05) in HFD+INS. Visceral fat was 10% lower in HFD+INS but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In non-diabetic obese rats, oral insulin improves metabolic malfunction associated to rescue of beta-cell activity.

Does the Finger-to-Nose Test measure upper limb coordination in chronic stroke?

BACKGROUND: We aimed to kinematically validate that the time to perform the Finger-to-Nose Test (FNT) assesses coordination by determining its construct, convergent and discriminant validity. METHODS: Experimental, criterion standard study. Both clinical and experimental evaluations were done at a research facility in a rehabilitation hospital. Forty individuals (20 individuals with chronic stroke and 20 healthy, age- and gender-matched individuals) participated.. Both groups performed two blocks of 10 to-and-fro pointing movements (non-dominant/affected arm) between a sagittal target and the nose (ReachIn, ReachOut) at a self-paced speed. Time to perform the test was the main outcome. Kinematics (Optotrak, 100Hz) and clinical impairment/activity levels were evaluated. Spatiotemporal coordination was assessed with slope (IJC) and cross-correlation (LAG) between elbow and shoulder movements. RESULTS: Compared to controls, individuals with stroke (Fugl-Meyer Assessment, FMA-UE: 51.9 ± 13.2; Box & Blocks, BBT: 72.1 ± 26.9%) made more curved endpoint trajectories using less shoulder horizontal-abduction. For construct validity, shoulder range (ß = 0.127), LAG (ß = 0.855) and IJC (ß = -0.191) explained 82% of FNT-time variance for ReachIn and LAG (ß = 0.971) explained 94% for ReachOut in patients with stroke. In contrast, only LAG explained 62% (ß = 0.790) and 79% (ß = 0.889) of variance for ReachIn and ReachOut respectively in controls. For convergent validity, FNT-time correlated with FMA-UE (r = -0.67, p < 0.01), FMA-Arm (r = -0.60, p = 0.005), biceps spasticity (r = 0.39, p < 0.05) and BBT (r = -0.56, p < 0.01). A cut-off time of 10.6 s discriminated between mild and moderate-to-severe impairment (discriminant validity). Each additional second represented 42% odds increase of greater impairment. CONCLUSIONS: For this version of the FNT, the time to perform the test showed construct, convergent and discriminant validity to measure UL coordination in stroke.

Endoscopic Removal of Displaced Sagittal Intracapsular Condylar Fracture.

Fractures involving the mandibular condyle are among the most common fractures of facial bones and still generate great discussion concerning therapeutic issues. Several factors have influence on the decision of treatment management of these fractures. In some patients, even when there is displacement of fractured fragments, the choice for conservative treatment is made. However, the removal of the condyle fragment may be required. In the oral surgery scope, endoscopy is a procedure used in many areas, and can be helpful to improve the visualization of surgical sites with difficult access. The endoscopic surgery brings benefits to patient such as no scar or minimal scar, lower risk to nerve damage, and decreased of surgical trauma and bleeding. In addition, according to surgeon experience, the surgery may become more dynamic. The aim of this study is to present an endoscopic technique associated with a transoral approach to remove a displaced sagittal intracapsular condyle fragment. Furthermore, to expose the advantages and benefits of this technique as well as the satisfactory results achieved.

Correlation between the Friedman Staging System and the upper airway volume in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between computed tomography findings and data from the physical examination and the Friedman Staging System (FSS) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective evaluation by reviewing the medical records of 33 patients (19 male and 14 female patients) with a mean body mass index of 30.38 kg/m(2) and mean age of 49.35 years. Among these patients, 14 presented with severe OSA, 7 had moderate OSA, 7 had mild OSA, and 5 were healthy. RESULTS: The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the FSS: Group A comprised patients with FSS stage I or II, and group B comprised patients with FSS stage III. By use of the Fisher exact test, a positive relationship between the FSS stage and apnea-hypopnea index (P = .011) and between the FSS stage and body mass index (P = .012) was found. There was no correlation between age (P = .55) and gender (P = .53) with the FSS stage. The analysis of variance test comparing the upper airway volume between the 2 groups showed P = .018. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample the FSS and upper airway volume showed an inverse correlation and were useful in analyzing the mechanisms of airway collapse in patients with OSA.

High postprandial triglycerides serum levels: is obesity a good predictor?

The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between triglyceride (TG) serum levels in obese and non-obese patients in a simulated postprandial state. Both groups showed TG levels < 150 mg/dL when fasting. After 12 h fasting, the subjects ingested a lipid overload diet and blood samples were collected. The variation between fasting and the postprandial TG peak levels were analyzed. The peak of postprandial TG levels occurred 4 h after the lipid overload in both groups. When the subjects were not fasting, the majority of non-obese subjects remained within the range of normal TG values, but the values for the obese group remained elevated. There was a significant correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and TG at each time point until 2 h after the meal, but the data did not show a correlation after 3 h. According to the receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve, postprandial TG values were not a good predictor of obesity (based on BMI), but they were a predictor of non-obesity. This study reinforces the importance of measuring non-fasting TG levels in obese and non-obese subjects, because some non-obese patients probably had altered fat metabolism, indicating that this examination could be an indicator of metabolic risk.

Comparison between breathing and aerobic exercise on clinical control in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma: protocol of a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterized by reversible obstruction, inflammation and hyperresponsiveness to different stimulus. Aerobic and breathing exercises have been demonstrated to benefit asthmatic patients; however, there is no evidence comparing the effectiveness of these treatments. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a prospective, comparative, blinded, and randomized clinical trial with 2 groups that will receive distinct interventions. Forty-eight asthmatic adults with optimized medical treatment will be randomly divided into either aerobic (AG) or breathing exercises (BG). Patients will perform breathing or aerobic exercise twice a week for 3 months, totalizing 24 sessions of 40 minutes each. Before intervention, both groups will complete an educational program consisting of 2 educational classes. Before and after interventions, the following parameters will be quantified: clinical control (main outcome), health related quality of life, levels of anxiety and depression, daily living physical activity and maximal exercise capacity (secondary outcome). Hyperventilation syndrome symptoms, autonomic nervous imbalance, thoracoabdominal kinematics, inflammatory cells in the sputum, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and systemic inflammatory cytokines will also be evaluated as possible mechanisms to explain the benefits of both interventions. DISCUSSION: Although the benefits of breathing and aerobic exercises have been extensively studied, the comparison between both has never been investigated. Furthermore, the findings of our results will allow us to understand its application and suitability to patients that will have more benefits for every intervention optimizing its effect. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov; Identifier: NCT02065258.

Coastal natural products: a review applied to antimycobacterial activity.

Despite the many advances in drug research, natural products are still being explored as a promising source for discovering new bioactive compounds to treat global diseases such as tuberculosis. However, there is a lack of studies and information about coastal natural products, which thrive in the transitional environment between two different ecosystems and produce unique secondary metabolites. Mangroves, estuaries, and mudflats make up areas for coastal species and have shown promising results in antituberculosis research, some of them are present in hotspot areas. This review focuses on research conducted in coastal environments and explores the reasons why these natural products tend to outperform non-coastal ones against the causative agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Detection of Mtb and NTM: preclinical validation of a new asymmetric PCR-binary deoxyribozyme sensor assay.

Tuberculosis (TB) and infectious diseases caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are global concerns. The development of a rapid and accurate diagnostic method, capable of detecting and identifying different mycobacteria species, is crucial. We propose a molecular approach, the BiDz-TB/NTM, based on the use of binary deoxyribozyme (BiDz) sensors for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and NTM of clinical interest. A panel of DNA samples was used to evaluate Mtb-BiDz, Mycobacterium abscessus/Mycobacterium chelonae-BiDz, Mycobacterium avium-BiDz, Mycobacterium intracellulare/Mycobacterium chimaera-BiDz, and Mycobacterium kansasii-BiDz sensors in terms of specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, and limit of detection. The BiDz sensors were designed to hybridize specifically with the genetic signatures of the target species. To obtain the BiDz sensor targets, amplification of a fragment containing the hypervariable region 2 of the 16S rRNA was performed, under asymmetric PCR conditions using the reverse primer designed based on linear-after-the-exponential principles. The BiDz-TB/NTM was able to correctly identify 99.6% of the samples, with 100% sensitivity and 0.99 accuracy. The individual values of specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy, obtained for each BiDz sensor, satisfied the recommendations for new diagnostic methods, with sensitivity of 100%, specificity and accuracy ranging from 98% to 100% and from 0.98 to 1.0, respectively. The limit of detection of BiDz sensors ranged from 12 genome copies (Mtb-BiDz) to 2,110 genome copies (Mkan-BiDz). The BiDz-TB/NTM platform would be able to generate results rapidly, allowing the implementation of the appropriate therapeutic regimen and, consequently, the reduction of morbidity and mortality of patients.IMPORTANCEThis article describes the development and evaluation of a new molecular platform for accurate, sensitive, and specific detection and identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteria of clinical importance. Based on BiDz sensor technology, this assay prototype is amenable to implementation at the point of care. Our data demonstrate the feasibility of combining the species specificity of BiDz sensors with the sensitivity afforded by asymmetric PCR amplification of target sequences. Preclinical validation of this assay on a large panel of clinical samples supports the further development of this diagnostic tool for the molecular detection of pathogenic mycobacteria.