Digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) offers high sensitivity and absolute quantification without standard curves, making it promising for tuberculosis (TB) detection in paucibacillary samples. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of a ddPCR assay targeting IS6110 and 23S rRNA for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and tuberculous pleurisy (TP).

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key drivers of oxidative stress and inflammation. They damage cells and trigger pathways that further amplify the inflammatory response. To examine the dual antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of a series of benzopyran-2-one derivatives (2-10) by a combination of experimental and computational methods, a new series of benzopyran-2-one derivatives were designed, synthesized, and characterized. Carrageenan induced paw edema, formaldehyde induced arthritis, turpentine induced pleurisy, and biochemical tests like lipid peroxidation inhibition, SOD activity and DPPH radical scavenging were used as screening assays. Of all the congeners, compound 6b repeatedly demonstrated the best anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, better than diclofenac sodium and quercetin with minimal ulcerogenic or toxicity. Further, Molecular docking showed strong binding of 6b to inflammation and ROS related targets. Molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed its stable binding, with MM/PBSA free energy suggesting a more favorable binding energy than quercetin. Moreover, Steered Molecular Dynamics (SMD) pull-force analysis revealed that 6b had a greater rupture force to dissociate indicating stronger intermolecular forces and increased mechanical stability in the binding pocket. SwissADME/StopTox predictions suggested a favorable pharmacokinetic and predicted safety profile within the evaluated parameters. Overall, these combined computational and experimental results identify compound 6b as a promising dual antioxidant and anti-inflammatory lead candidate in preclinical models, which can serve as a promising scaffold in designing next generation therapeutics against ROS mediated inflammatory disease.

Lupus retinopathy (LR) is one of the most frequent and serious ocular complications of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), because it may cause irreversible visual impairment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between serum anti-retinal antibodies levels of SLE patients and the incidence of LR. Levels of serum anti-α-enolase antibody (Ab), anti-arrestin Ab, anti-recoverin Ab and anti-IRBP3 Ab were detected in 89 SLE patients (divided into LR group and non-LR group) and 81 healthy controls by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlation between these four anti-retinal Ab, SLE activity and the incidence of LR was evaluated. LR group had a higher SLE disease activity index (average SLEDAI score, 18 (7) versus 9 (5), P < 0.001), higher frequency of pleurisy (40% versus 20.4%, P = 0.044) and lower level of hemoglobin (102.343 ± 23.157 versus 112.759 ± 19.678, P = 0.025) comparing to non-LR group. LR group had higher levels of anti-α-enolase than non-LR group (P = 0.033) and control group (P < 0.0001). The levels of anti-recoverin in LR group was higher than non-LR group (P = 0.036) and control group (P < 0.0001), while the difference was not significant between non-LR group and control group (P = 0.109). Using combination of anti-α-enolase Ab and anti-recoverin Ab to diagnose LR in SLE patients is more effective (with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC): 72.68%) than use anti-α-enolase Ab (AUC: 65.65%) or anti-recoverin (AUC: 61.96%) only. Our results suggested that anti-α-enolase and anti-recoverin may be used as potential biomarkers of lupus retinopathy in SLE patients.