Diagnostic Performance of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra Compared with Predecessor Test, Xpert MTB/RIF, in a Low TB Incidence Setting: a Retrospective Service Evaluation

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) compared with its predecessor, Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert), in the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in a low TB incidence country.Retrospective analysis was performed on 689 clinical samples received between 2015 and 2018, on which Xpert was performed, and on 715

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Interventions to Address Environmental Metabolism-Disrupting Chemicals: Changing the Narrative to Empower Action to Restore Metabolic Health

Metabolic disease rates have increased dramatically over the last four decades.Classic understanding of metabolic physiology has attributed these global trends to decreased physical activity and caloric excess; however, these traditional risk factors insufficiently explain the magnitude and rapidity of metabolic health deterioration.Recently, the n

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Investigation of epididymal proteins and general sperm membrane characteristics of Formosan pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla)

Abstract Background Formosan Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla) is one of the three subspecies of Chinese pangolins, it is also an isolated sub-species naturally habitat in Taiwan.Despite earlier report on successful breeding of Sunda (Manis javanica) pangolin, breeding of Formosan pangolins in zoo captive populations is still challenging d

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