Polymerase chain reaction test in induced sputum of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

INTRODUCTION: Induced sputum (IS) is an alternative method of obtaining sputum, but IS smears are frequently negative. Culture is more time consuming in its results, and less useful to guide the diagnosis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most common methodology for rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), and few studies evaluated its role in IS samples. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to determine the diagnostic yield of PCR for TB compared with culture in IS samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study. Inpatients and outpatients of >18 years with respiratory symptoms suggestive of PTB were invited to participate. The subjects were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire, and collected IS. Three samples were obtained for AFB smear and culture. A fourth sample was obtained for PCR test. RESULTS: A total of 116 IS samples were evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values of PCR were 95.2%, 48.4%, 29.0% and 97.9%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was .72 for the PCR test (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Although the PCR specificity could be underestimated, if we consider PCR to be more sensitive than the culture method used, we believed that these PCR-positive tests mean false positives. The results of PCR should always be interpreted carefully in conjunction with clinical information.

Latent tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis in patients with rheumatic diseases treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor agents.

The introduction of biological agents, especially the tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (anti-TNF), for the treatment of rheumatic diseases increased the risk of developing tuberculosis (TB). Screening for latent TB infection (LTBI) is strongly recommended before starting therapy with anti-TNF agents. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of LTBI and TB among patients with rheumatic diseases on anti-TNF agents. This is a cross-sectional study. The electronic medical records of all adult patients (≥18 years old) undergoing anti-TNF treatment were reviewed. Every patient underwent tuberculin skin test (TST) before starting anti-TNF treatment. In total, 176 patients were included; the mean age was 51.9 ± 12.4 years, 34.7% were males, and 90.9% were white. The underlying diseases were rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 50.6% (N = 89), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in 27.8% (N = 49), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in 17.6% (N = 31). The prevalence of positive TST was 29.5%. Household contact with TB was significantly associated with a positive TST (p = 0.020). RA patients had lower TST reactions than AS patients (p = 0.022). There were six cases of TB (3.4%) diagnosed during anti-TNF therapy. We demonstrated a high prevalence of positive TST (29.5%) among patients with rheumatic diseases in a region with high TB prevalence. Our data corroborates the ACR's recommendation that patients who live in high TB incidence settings should be tested annually for LTBI.

Evaluation of three different techniques for insertion of totally implantable venous access device: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Although totally implantable venous access devices (TIVAD) are increasingly being used in oncology patients, more robust evidence about the best technique is lacking, especially regarding to ultrasound (US) guided puncture. METHODS: One hundred ten patients with indication of intravenous chemotherapy were randomly assigned to TIVAD implant through US-guided internal jugular vein (USG) puncture (39) or internal jugular vein blindly (IJB) (36) or subclavian vein blindly (SCB) (35). Procedure data and complications were prospectively recorded within 30 days of the procedure. RESULTS: All patients completed the follow up. Immediate complication rate was 5.1%, 13.9%, and 0% in the USG, IJB, and SCB groups, respectively (P = 0.05). First attempt success rate was 79.5% in the USG, 52.8% in the IJB and 47.2% in the SCB group (P = 0.012). Technique failure was observed in 2.6%, 22.2%, and 8.6% of the population in the USG, IJB, and SCB, respectively (P = 0.021). Early complication rate was 5.1% in USG group, 2.8% in the IJB, and 0% in the SCB (P = 0.401). CONCLUSION: The findings of our study suggest superiority of the USG approach in terms of first puncture success rate and technique failure, without increasing the procedure duration. Long-term follow-up results should help to further clarify the current debates.