Targeted nanopore sequencing using clinical specimens for the rapid diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: The clinical presentation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is atypical and it is easily confused with other diseases such as common infections, making prompt diagnosis a great challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of targeted nanopore sequencing (TNS) in the diagnosis of EPTB. The diagnostic accuracy of TNS using different types of extrapulmonary specimens was also evaluated. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data of patients with suspected EPTB for whom TNS was conducted and who were hospitalized at our center. The true positive, false positive, false negative, and true negative values were determined. Indices of diagnostic accuracy were computed, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve (AUC) for TNS and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) culture, and compared with those from clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: 149 patients were included in the analysis. The overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AUC of TNS for the diagnosis of EPTB were 86.4%, 87.5%, 97.3%, 55.3%, and 0.87, respectively. For diagnosis by AFB culture, these values were 25.6%, 100.0%, 100.0%, 20.5%, and 0.63, respectively. The most common specimens used were lymph node tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, pleural effusion, and pleural tissue. The diagnostic accuracy of TNS using all types of extrapulmonary specimens was good. CONCLUSIONS: TNS demonstrates good diagnostic accuracy in the rapid diagnosis of EPTB and this was true across different types of extrapulmonary specimens.

Involvement of CXCL10 in Neuronal Damage under the Condition of Spinal Cord Injury and the Potential Therapeutic Effect of Nrg1.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have reported the direct effect of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) and Neuregulin 1 (Nrg1) on neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI). This study reports the role of CXCL10 in the regulation of neuronal damage after SCI and the potential therapeutic effect of Nrg1. METHODS: The expression level of CXCL10 and Nrg1 in SCI mice was analyzed in the Gene Expression Omnibus DataSets, followed by immunohistochemical confirmation using a mouse SCI model. HT22 cells and NSC34 cells were treated with CXCL10 and Nrg1, individually or in combination, and then assayed for cell viability. The percentage of wound closure was determined through the cell scratch injury model using HT22 and NSC34 cells. Potential molecular mechanisms were also tested in response to either the individual administration of CXCL10 and Nrg1 or a mixture of both molecules. RESULTS: CXCL10 expression was significantly increased in both young and old mice subjected to SCI, while Nrg1 expression was significantly decreased. CXCL10 induced a decrease in cell viability, which was partially reversed by Nrg1. CXCL10 failed to inhibit scratch healing in HT22 and NSC34 cells, while Nrg1 promoted scratch healing. At the molecular level, CXCL10-activated cleaved caspase 9 and cleaved caspase 3 were both inhibited by Nrg1 through pERK1/2 signaling in HT22 and NSC34 cells. CONCLUSIONS: CXCL10 is upregulated in SCI. Despite the negative effect on cell viability, CXCL10 failed to inhibit the scratch healing of HT22 and NSC34 cells. Nrg1 may protect neurons by partially antagonizing the effect of CXCL10.

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Enhances Motoneuron Survival and Inhibits Neuroinflammation After Spinal Cord Transection in Zebrafish.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a neurotrophic factor produced locally in the central nervous system which can promote axonal regeneration, protect motoneurons, and inhibit neuroinflammation. In this study, we used the zebrafish spinal transection model to investigate whether IGF-1 plays an important role in the recovery of motor function. Unlike mammals, zebrafish can regenerate axons and restore mobility in remarkably short period after spinal cord transection. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence showed decreased IGF-1 expression in the lesion site. Double immunostaining for IGF-1 and Islet-1 (motoneuron marker)/GFAP (astrocyte marker)/Iba-1 (microglia marker) showed that IGF-1 was mainly expressed in motoneurons and was surrounded by astrocyte and microglia. Following administration of IGF-1 morpholino at the lesion site of spinal-transected zebrafish, swimming test showed retarded recovery of mobility, the number of motoneurons was reduced, and increased immunofluorescence density of microglia was caused. Our data suggested that IGF-1 enhances motoneuron survival and inhibits neuroinflammation after spinal cord transection in zebrafish, which suggested that IGF-1 might be involved in the motor recovery.

Development of Environmentally Friendly Wool Shrink-Proof Finishing Technology Based on L-Cysteine/Protease Treatment Solution System.

The particular scale structure and mechanical properties of wool fiber make its associated fabrics prone to felting, seriously affecting the service life of wool products. Although the existing Chlorine-Hercosett treatment has a remarkable effect, it can lead to environmental pollution. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop an environmentally friendly and effective shrink-proof finishing technology. For this study, L-cysteine was mixed with protease to form a treatment solution system for shrink-proof finishing of wool fibers. The reduction performance of L-cysteine and its effect on wool were compared with those of other reagents, demonstrating that L-cysteine has an obvious reduction and destruction effect on the wool scale layer. Based on this, L-cysteine and protease 16L were mixed in a certain proportion to prepare an L-cysteine/protease treatment solution system (L/PTSS). The shrink-proof finishing of a wool top was carried out by the continuous multiple-padding method, and the processing parameters were optimized using the response surface method. The results indicated that when the concentrations of L-cysteine and protease 16L were 9 g/L and 1 g/L, respectively, the wool was padded five times at 50 °C, and each immersion time was 30 s, the felt ball density of the treated wool reduced from 135.86 kg/m3 to 48.65 kg/m3. The structure and properties of the treated wool were also characterized using SEM, TG, and tensile strength tests, which indicated that the fiber scale structure was stripped evenly. Meanwhile, the treated fibers still retained adequate thermal and mechanical properties, indicating suitable application value. XPS, FT-IR, Raman, UV absorbance, and other test results revealed the reaction mechanism of L/PTSS with the wool fibers. After L-cysteine rapidly reduced the disulfide bonds in wool, protease can hydrolyze peptide chains more effectively, causing the scale layer to gradually peel off. Compared with the chlorination method and other protease shrink-proof technologies, L/PTSS can achieve the finishing effect on wool rapidly and effectively, without causing excessive pollution to the environment. The conclusions of this study provide a foundation for the development and industrial application of biological enzyme shrink-proof finishing technology.

Protective effects of prucalopride in MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mice: Neurochemistry, motor function and gut barrier.

Evidence suggests constipation precedes motor dysfunction and is the most common gastrointestinal symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). 5-HT4 receptor (5-HT4R) agonist prucalopride has been approved to treat chronic constipation. Here, we reported intraperitoneal injection of prucalopride for 7 days increased dopamine and decreased dopamine turnover. Prucalopride administration improved motor deficits in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrathydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse models. Prucalopride treatment also ameliorated intestinal barrier impairment and increased IL-6 release in PD model mice. However, prucalopride treatment exerted no impact on JAK2/STAT3 pathway, suggesting that prucalopride may stimulate IL-6 via JAK2/STAT3-independent pathway. In conclusion, prucalopride exerted beneficial effects in MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mice by attenuating the loss of dopamine, improving motor dysfunction and intestinal barrier.

Comparison of the diagnostic efficacy of the CapitalBio Mycobacterium real-time polymerase chain reaction detection test and Xpert MTB/RIF in smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis.

To compare the diagnostic efficacy of CapitalBio Mycobacterium real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection test and the first-generation Xpert MTB/RIF in smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). In this retrospective study of smear-negative PTB, we reviewed patient medical records to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve (AUC) of Xpert MTB/RIF, CapitalBio Mycobacterium detection test, and the parallel test (positive result for either of the Xpert MTB/RIF and CapitalBio Mycobacterium detection tests) to evaluate their diagnostic accuracy against a composite reference standard. In total, 1553 patients were evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AUC of Xpert MTB/RIF, CapitalBio Mycobacterium detection test, and the parallel test were 57.1%, 92.9%, 81.1%, 95.9%, and 0.75; 53.4%, 97.7%, 98.6%, 41.5%, and 0.76; and 66.2%, 90.8%, 95.5%, 47.7%, and 0.79, respectively. For the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimens, these values for Xpert MTB/RIF, CapitalBio Mycobacterium detection test, and the parallel test were 68.8%, 97.7%, 99.2%, 43.9%, and 0.83; 61.7%, 97.7%, 99.1%, 38.9%, and 0.80; and 77.0%, 95.5%, 98.6%, 50.9%, and 0.86, respectively. CapitalBio Mycobacterium detection test had moderate accuracy for smear-negative PTB, similar to Xpert MTB/RIF. The parallel test improved the sensitivity. BALF significantly improved the sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of the test. The maximum diagnostic accuracy for smear-negative PTB was obtained with the parallel test and BALF specimens. BALF was the most effective specimen for diagnosing smear-negative PTB.

Sodium butyrate causes α-synuclein degradation by an Atg5-dependent and PI3K/Akt/mTOR-related autophagy pathway.

Aggregation of α-Synuclein is central to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, these α-Synuclein inclusions are not only present in brain, but also in gut. Enteroendocrine cells (EECs), which are directly exposed to the gut lumen, can express α-Synuclein and directly connect to α-Synuclein-containing nerves. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota and microbial metabolite short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) has been implicated as a driver for PD. Butyrate is an SCFA produced by the gut microbiota. Our aim was to demonstrate how α-Synuclein expression in EECs responds to butyrate stimulation. Interestingly, we found that sodium butyrate (NaB) increases α-Synuclein mRNA expression, enhances Atg5-mediated autophagy (increased LC3B-II and decreased SQSTM1 (also known as p62) expression) in murine neuroendocrine STC-1 cells. Further, α-Synuclein mRNA was decreased by the inhibition of autophagy by using inhibitor bafilomycin A1 or by silencing Atg5 with siRNA. Moreover, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was significantly inhibited and cell apoptosis was activated by NaB. Conditioned media from NaB-stimulated STC-1 cells induced inflammation in SH-SY5Y cells. Collectively, NaB causes α-Synuclein degradation by an Atg5-dependent and PI3K/Akt/mTOR-related autophagy pathway.

A systematic review of advances in intestinal microflora of fish.

Intestinal flora is closely related to the health of organisms and the occurrence and development of diseases. The study of intestinal flora will provide a reference for the research and treatment of disease pathogenesis. Upon hatching, fish begin to acquire a microbial community in the intestine. In response to the environment and the host itself, the fish gut eventually develops a unique set of microflora, with some microorganisms being common to different fish. The existence of intestinal microorganisms creates an excellent microecological environment for the host, while the fish symbiotically provides conditions for the growth and reproduction of intestinal microflora. The intestinal flora and the host are interdependent and mutually restrictive. This review mainly describes the formation of fish intestinal flora, the function of normal intestinal flora, factors affecting intestinal flora, and a series of fish models.

Sodium Butyrate Exacerbates Parkinson's Disease by Aggravating Neuroinflammation and Colonic Inflammation in MPTP-Induced Mice Model.

The abnormal production of short chain fatty acid (SCFAs) caused by gut microbial dysbiosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study sought to evaluate how butyrate, one of SCFAs, affect the pathology in a subacute 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine hydrochloride (MPTP) treated mouse model of PD. Sodium butyrate (NaB; 165 mg/kg/day i.g., 7 days) was administrated from the day after the last MPTP injection. Interestingly, NaB significantly aggravated MPTP-induced motor dysfunction (P < 0.01), decreased dopamine (P < 0.05) and 5-HT (P < 0.05) levels, exacerbated declines of dopaminergic neurons (34%, P < 0.05) and downregulated expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, 47%, P < 0.05), potentiated glia-mediated neuroinflammation by increasing the number of microglia (17%, P < 0.05) and activating astrocytes (28%, P < 0.01). In vitro study also confirmed that NaB could significantly exacerbate pro-inflammatory cytokines expression (IL-1ß, 4.11-fold, P < 0.01; IL-18, 3.42-fold, P < 0.01 and iNOS, 2.52-fold, P < 0.05) and NO production (1.55-fold, P < 0.001) in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. In addition, NaB upregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, 3.52-fold, P < 0.05; IL-18, 1.72-fold, P < 0.001) and NLRP3 (3.11-fold, P < 0.001) in the colon of PD mice. However, NaB had no effect on NFκB, MyD88 and TNF-α expression in PD mice. Our results indicate that NaB exacerbates MPTP-induced PD by aggravating neuroinflammation and colonic inflammation independently of the NFκB/MyD88/TNF-α signaling pathway.

Neuroprotective effects of fecal microbiota transplantation on MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mice: Gut microbiota, glial reaction and TLR4/TNF-α signaling pathway.

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients display alterations in gut microbiota composition. However, mechanism between gut microbial dysbiosis and pathogenesis of PD remains unexplored, and no recognized therapies are available to halt or slow progression of PD. Here we identified that gut microbiota from PD mice induced motor impairment and striatal neurotransmitter decrease on normal mice. Sequencing of 16S rRNA revealed that phylum Firmicutes and order Clostridiales decreased, while phylum Proteobacteria, order Turicibacterales and Enterobacteriales increased in fecal samples of PD mice, along with increased fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Remarkably, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) reduced gut microbial dysbiosis, decreased fecal SCFAs, alleviated physical impairment, and increased striatal DA and 5-HT content of PD mice. Further, FMT reduced the activation of microglia and astrocytes in the substantia nigra, and reduced expression of TLR4/TNF-α signaling pathway components in gut and brain. Our study demonstrates that gut microbial dysbiosis is involved in PD pathogenesis, and FMT can protect PD mice by suppressing neuroinflammation and reducing TLR4/TNF-α signaling.

Unexpected Neuroprotective Effects of Loganin on 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine-Induced Neurotoxicity and Cell Death in Zebrafish.

1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), which induces the pathological characteristics of Parkinson's disease in rodents, also specifically targets dopaminergic neurons in zebrafish embryos and larvae. Loganin, a traditional Chinese drug, was reported to regulate immune function and possess anti-inflammatory and anti-shock effects. Here, we investigate the role of loganin in MPTP-induced Parkinson-like abnormalities in zebrafish. MPTP treatment-induced abnormal development, in larvae, such as pericardium edema, increased yolk color, yolk sac edema, and retarded yolk sac resorption, as well as defects in brain development. Loganin could block MPTP-induced defects, with little toxicity to the eggs. Results of whole mount in situ hybridization showed loganin prevented the loss of both dopaminergic neurons and locomotor activity, exhibited by larvae treated with MPTP. In addition, loganin significantly rescued MPTP-induced neurotoxicity on PC12 cells, possibly through the suppression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis and JNK signaling pathways. In conclusion, loganin blocks MPTP-induced neurotoxicity and abnormal development in zebrafish. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 615-628, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neuroprotective Effects of Loganin on MPTP-Induced Parkinson's Disease Mice: Neurochemistry, Glial Reaction and Autophagy Studies.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, involving resting tremor and bradykinesia, for which no recognized therapies or drugs are available to halt or slow progression. In recent years, natural botanic products have been considered relatively safe, with limited side effects, and are expected to become an important source for clinical mediation of PD in the future. Our study focuses on the ability of loganin, a compound derived from fruits of cornus, to mediate neuroprotection in a mouse model of PD. Mice were administered 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) with a dosage of 30 mg/kg daily for 5 days to establish a subacute PD model and treated with loganin. Locomotor activity was assessed by a pole test, then mice were euthanized at 1 and 3 days after the last treatment, and brain tissue was prepared for subsequent assays. Loganin rescued decrease of dopamine levels and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in the striatum, and shortened total locomotor activity (TLA) time of mice. Furthermore, loganin alleviated microglia and astrocyte activation, and suppressed TNF-α and caspase-3 expression through a c-Abl-p38-NFκB pathway. Loganin also downregulated LC3-II and Drp1 expression, and decreased the level of acidic vesicular organelles (AVOs). Loganin exerts neuroprotective effects on MPTP-induced PD mice by decreasing inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis, suggesting that loganin could serve as a therapeutic drug to ameliorate PD. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3495-3510, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Participation of perforin in mediating dopaminergic neuron loss in MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease in mice.

Both resident innate and peripheral immune aberrations have been demonstrated to influence Parkinson's disease (PD) progression. However, it is still enigmatic how and which immune components are lethal to the dopaminergic neuron in PD. We now show that levels of perforin, a pore-forming protein expressed in cytotoxic immune cells, was significantly increased in the serum of wild-type mice 4 weeks after injection of MPTP, a toxin used to induce PD-like symptoms. We demonstrate that perforin-deficiency attenuated the acute striatal dopamine reduction by 33%, ablated microglia activation 3 days post MPTP-injection; and retarded dopaminergic neuron death 4 weeks post MPTP-injection. Our study suggests that perforin plays a role in dopaminergic neuron loss in PD.

Activating transcription factor 3 promotes spinal cord regeneration of adult zebrafish.

Zebrafish is an excellent model to study the mechanisms underlying successful central nervous system (CNS) regeneration. Previous study shows that activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) promotes neurite outgrowth and is involved in optic nerve regeneration in zebrafish. Here, we used zebrafish model to investigate the role of ATF3 in regeneration following spinal cord injury (SCI). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and in situ hybridization revealed that ATF3 mRNA levels increased at 12 h and 6 d following SCI. Double labeled immunofluorescence showed that ATF3 expressed in motoneurons. Treatment of anti-sense ATF3 morpholino (MO) inhibited locomotor recovery and decreased axon regeneration of spinal cord injured zebrafish. Further, inhibition of ATF3 up-regulated the expression of inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). These data suggest that ATF3 could promote locomotor recovery and axon regrowth in zebrafish SCI model possibly by regulating inflammatory response.

Intradiencephalon injection of histamine inhibited the recovery of locomotor function of spinal cord injured zebrafish.

Human spinal cord injury (SCI) usually causes irreversible disability beneath the injured site due to poor neural regeneration. On the contrary, zebrafish show significant regenerative ability after SCI, thus is usually worked as an animal model for studying neuroregeneration. Most of the previous SCI studies focused on the local site of SCI, the supraspinal-derived signals were rarely mentioned. Here we showed that intradiencephalon injection of histamine (HA) inhibited the locomotor recovery in adult zebrafish post-SCI. Immunofluorescence results showed that intradiencephalon HA administration increased the activated microglia 3 days post injury (dpi), promoted the proliferation of radial glial cells at 7 dpi and affected the morphology of radial glial cells at 11 dpi. Furthermore, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results showed that intradiencephalon HA administration also reduced the expression of neurotrophic factors including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF-1) at the lesion site, however, had no effect on the expression of pro-inflammatory factors such as TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta. Hence, our data suggested that exogenous intradiencephalon HA retarded locomotor recovery in spinal cord injured zebrafish via modulating the repair microenvironment.

Densoviruses in oyster Crassostrea ariakensis.

Densoviruses have short ssDNA genomes and mainly infect arthropods. To characterize viral nucleic acid in shellfish, oysters (Crassostrea ariakensis) were analyzed using viral metagenomics. Two large de novo assembled contigs, CaaDV1 and CaaDV2, consisting of nearly complete densovirus genomes (5860 nucleotides (nt) and 4034 nt) with two major ambisense protein coding regions were identified. Several potential non-structural proteins and capsid proteins were encoded by these genomes, but these were divergent from the existing densoviral species. The NS1 protein of the two CaaDVs shared 43.3%~61.5% amino acid identities with the sea star-associated densovirus and cherax quadricarinatus densovirus, with the four species clustering by phylogenetic analysis. This is the first report of densovirus detection in shellfish, increasing the potential host range of densoviruses and the genetic diversity of the genus Ambidensovirus.

Isolation and identification of Acanthamoeba strains from soil and tap water in Yanji, China.

BACKGROUND: Members of the genus Acanthamoeba are widely distributed throughout the world, and some of them are considered pathogenic, as they are capable of causing corneal and central nervous system diseases. In this study, we isolated Acanthamoeba strains from soil and tap water in Yanji, China. METHODS: We identified four strains of Acanthamoeba (CJY/S1, CJY/S2, CJY/S3, and CJY/W1) using mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (mtDNA RFLP) analysis. Nuclear 18S rDNA sequences were used for phylogenetic analysis and species identification. RESULTS: Genotypic characterization of the isolates showed that they belonged to genotypes T4 (CJY/S1 and CJY/S2), T5 (CJY/S3), and T16 (CJY/W1). Sequence differences between CJY/S1 and Acanthamoeba castellanii Neff, CJY/S2 and Acanthamoeba KA/E7, and CJY/S3 and Acanthamoeba lenticulata 68-2 were 0.31, 0.2, and 0.26%, respectively. 18S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) of CJY/W1 had 99% sequence identity to that of Acanthamoeba sp. U/H-C1. Strains CJY/S1 and CJY/S2, isolated from soil, had similar mtDNA RFLP patterns, whereas strain CJY/W1, isolated from tap water, displayed a different pattern. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the identification of genotypes T4, T5, and T16 from environmental sources in Yanji, China.

Beneficial roles of melanoma cell adhesion molecule in spinal cord transection recovery in adult zebrafish.

Melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) is a multifunctional protein involved in miscellaneous processes, including development and tumor angiogenesis. Here, spinal cord transection in adult zebrafish was used to investigate the effects of MCAM on spinal cord injury (SCI) and subsequent recovery. Expression of MCAM mRNA increased and co-localized with motoneurons in the spinal cord after SCI. With MCAM morpholino treatment, inhibition of MCAM retarded both axon regrowth and locomotor recovery in the spinal cord injured zebrafish. Furthermore, MCAM mRNA expression was also observed in fli1a:EGFP transgenic zebrafish, which specifically show labeled blood vessels. Inhibition of MCAM down-regulated the expression of angiogenesis-related factors, such as VEGFR-2, p-p38 and p-AKT, and the inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-8. Taken together, these data suggest that MCAM may have a beneficial role in the recovery from SCI, via the promotion of neurogenesis and angiogenesis. In the context of adult zebrafish spinal cord injury, we proved that Melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) is beneficial to the recovery, possibly via mechanisms of angiogenensis and inflammation. MCAM promotes angiogenesis by adjusting VEGFR-2, p-p38 and p-AKT. MCAM affects inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-8. Our results extend the beneficial role of MCAM in the regeneration of central nervous system.

Evaluation of Nanopore Sequencing for Diagnosing Pulmonary Tuberculosis Using Negative Smear Clinical Specimens.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of nanopore sequencing for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) using smear-negative clinical specimens. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study based on a review of patient medical records to assess the accuracy of nanopore sequencing as a diagnostic tool for smear-negative PTB. Compared with clinical diagnosis, we determined the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve (AUC) of nanopore sequencing. Results: A total of 647 patients were evaluated. Nanopore sequencing demonstrated an overall sensitivity of 91.7%, specificity of 85.3%, PPV of 95.1%, NPV of 76.4%, and AUC of 0.88. Notably, the overall diagnostic accuracy of nanopore sequencing was significantly higher than that of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) culture technique. Conclusion: Nanopore sequencing exhibited satisfactory overall diagnostic accuracy for smear-negative PTB, regardless of MTB culture status. Therefore, if conditions permit, nanopore sequencing is recommended as a diagnostic method for smear-negative PTB.

The value of nanopore sequencing as a diagnostic tool in tuberculous meningitis: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Rapid diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains very difficult. Nanopore sequencing is gaining ground in the field of rapid tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics. The purpose of this study was to complete a protocol to guide the conduct of a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the accuracy of nanopore sequencing for the rapid diagnosis of TBM. METHODS: In accordance with the Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines, we completed this protocol, which was also registered on the PROSPERO platform. We will search the EMBASE, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases for literature that evaluated the accuracy of nanopore sequencing for rapid diagnosis of TBM and screen them according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and qualified literature will be extracted with relevant data for further analysis. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) will be used for evaluating the methodological quality of included studies. Stata (V 15.0; Stata Corp., College Station, TX, the USA) with midas module will be used to perform relevant meta-analysis. Heterogeneity between studies will be assessed by I2 statistics. When significant heterogeneity exists between studies, we will conduct meta-regression analyses, subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses to further explore the sources of heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: We completed this study protocol, and this systematic review and meta-analysis will be the first systematic evaluation of the role of nanopore sequencing in the rapid diagnosis of TBM, which will allow clinicians to have a better understanding of the test. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Systematic review registration PROSPERO Registration number: CRD42024549837.