(C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3410797]“
“Background: Interferon-gamma release assays for the diagnosis of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been increasingly used in recent years and are endorsed by national
guidelines, but experience regarding their use in children is still limited.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the routine Use of the Quanti-FERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFF-IT) in a pediatric Wnt inhibitor tertiary care center, with a high prevalence of immunocompromising conditions. The relationship between age, immune status, and likelihood of an indeterminate test result was analyzed using logistic regression analysis and fractional polynomials.
Results: Two hundred thirty-seven tests from 237 children https://www.selleckchem.com/products/prt062607-p505-15-hcl.html were included in the analysis. Fifty-nine
children (25%) were immunocompromised by our definition. An indeterminate test result was obtained in 83 children (35%). The likelihood of an indeterminate test result was inversely correlated with age (P<0.001) for children who were not known to be immunocompromised, and decreased by 13% per year of age. Impaired immunity (P<0.001) was independently associated with a higher probability of an indeterminate QFF-IT. Among 161 children With a documented tuberculin kill test, 89% had a concordant QFT-IT (kappa=0.71). Twelve of 16 patients with culture-proven TB had a positive QFT-IT.
Conclusion: These data suggest that QFT-IT may not provide a determinate test result in a substantial proportion of children in a tertiary care setting due to the combination of young age and primary and acquired immune deficiencies.”
“This article reports the purification and surface
modification of coal ash silica and afterwards its utilization as reinforcing filler in solution-styrene-butadiene rubber/butadiene rubber (S-SBR/BR). The coal ash silica free of unwanted metal ions/mineral oxides was obtained using phosphoric acid. The chemical composition of the purified coal ash silica in comparison to impure coal ash indicates the presence of characteristic hydroxyl functional group at 3440 cm(-1) and an increase in the oxygen content as determined with the help of Fourier Transform check details Infrared and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The contact angle analysis shows that after purification the polar part of the surface energy increased to 17.5 from 12 m Jm(-2). While the surface area increased to an order of magnitude, i.e., 11.6 to 110.5 m(2) g(-1). The modification of purified silica particles with bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfane reveal the functionalization of hydroxyl to -Si-O-R groups as detected at 1560 cm(-1). As a consequence, the modified silica based S-SBR/BR composite resulted in improved mechanical properties due to enhanced silica-rubber interaction. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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