Existing understanding of molecular composition of sputum and its role in tuberculosis patients is variously limited to its diagnostic potential. We sought to identify infection induced sputum proteome alteration in active/non tuberculosis patients (A/NTB) and their role in altered lung patho-physiology. Out of the study population (n = 118), sputum proteins isolated from discovery set samples (n = 20) was used for an 8-plex isobaric tag for relative and absolute concentration analysis. A minimum set of protein with at least log2(ATB/NTB) >±1.0 in ATB was selected as biosignature and validated in 32 samples. Predictive accuracy was calculated from area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC of ROC) using a confirmatory set (n = 50) by Western blot analysis. Mass spectrometry analysis identified a set of 192 sputum proteins, out of which a signature of β-integrin, vitamin D binding protein:DBP, uteroglobin, profilin and cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide was sufficient to differentiate ATB from NTB. AUC of ROC of the biosignature was calculated to 0.75. A shift in DBP-antimicrobial peptide (AMP) axis in the lungs of tuberculosis patients is observed. The identified sputum protein signature is a promising panel to differentiate ATB from NTB groups and suggest a deregulated DBP-AMP axis in lungs of tuberculosis patients.
How patients relate to the experience of their illness has a direct impact over their behavior. We aimed to assess illness perception in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) by means of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) in correlation with patients’ demographic features and clinical TB score.Our observational questionnaire based study included series of consecutive TB patients enrolled in several countries from October 2008 to January 2011 with 167 valid questionnaires analyzed. Each BIPQ item assessed one dimension of illness perceptions like the consequences, timeline, personal control, treatment control, identity, coherence, emotional representation and concern. An open question referred to the main causes of TB in each patient’s opinion.The over-all BIPQ score (36.25 ± 11.054) was in concordance with the clinical TB score (p ≤ 0.001). TB patients believed in the treatment (the highest item-related score for treatment control) but were unsure about the illness identity. Illness understanding and the clinical TB score were negatively correlated (p < 0.01). Only 25% of the participants stated bacteria or TB contact as the first ranked cause of the illness.For routine clinical practice implementation of the BIPQ is convenient for obtaining fast and easy assessment of illness perception with potential utility in intervention design. This time saving effective personalized approach may improve communication with TB patients and contribute to better behavioral strategies in disease control.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-664) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
The present study was carried out on the third (C3), fourth (C4) and fifth (C5) cervical vertebrae of six specimens of adult Blue bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus) of either sex. It was found that the transverse process was bifid with a transverse foramen located at its base. The upper part of the transverse process projected backward and was short and stout, while the lower part was directed downward and forward and was found to be longer and more plate-like. The bodies of C3-C5 tended to become shorter and wider from front to backwards. The supraspinous process was found to be short and centrally tuberous in C3 that gradually increased in height and length to C5 with forward inclination. The articular processes of the typical cervical vertebrae slightly convex cranially and concave caudally. The posterior articular facets of C5 were egg shaped, whereas those of C4 were like the map of Africa in the Blue bull. A well defined infraspinous process projected from the vertebral body that divided the base into two halves. The biometrical observations on different parameters of typical cervical vertebra reflected significance (P less than 0.05) differences between the sexes of this species.
Abstract. Sacrum is a triangular bone formed by the fusion of five vertebrae. The sacral hiatus is the deficiency in the lower
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