Anti-TST (aa 52-270) polyclonal antibody

Purpose: Before biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (b/tsDMARD) treatment, latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening by tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) is recommended. However, both tests have reduced reliability in immunosuppressed patients. We investigated whether dual LTBI screening with both tests could reduce the incidence of tuberculosis. Methods: Consecutive patients receiving b/tsDMARDs for rheumatic diseases in a regional hospital were recruited. All patients underwent either TST/IGRA or both. They were categorised into a single or dual testing group and were followed up for at least 6 months. Isoniazid was prescribed if any one test was positive. Results: In total, 217 patients were included in this study; 121 underwent single LTBI testing and 96 underwent dual testing. Tuberculosis occurred in nine patients in the single testing group and one patient in the dual testing group (7.4% vs 1.0%, P=0.045). However, the difference was not statistically significant when follow-up duration was considered ( log rank test). In total, 71 patients tested positive for LTBI with isoniazid treatment (28.9% in the single testing group and 45.8% in the dual testing group, P=0.007). Agreement between the IGRA and TST was 74.4% (Cohen's kappa=0.413); agreement was lower in patients receiving prednisolone. Infliximab use was independently associated with tuberculosis (P=0.032). Mild isoniazid-related side-effects occurred in seven patients. Conclusion: Dual LTBI testing with both TST and IGRA is effective and safe. It might be useful for patients receiving prednisolone at the time of LTBI screening, or if infliximab therapy is anticipated.

C6F12O (1,1,1,2,2,4,5,5,5-nonafluoro-4-(trifluoromethyl)pentan-3-one) is one of the most potential alternative insulation medium to SF(6)due to its excellent electrical strength and environmental effect. Although several works on the insulation and decomposition properties of C6F12O have been carried out in recent years, the detailed decomposition pathways and mechanism of C6F12O haven't been revealed up to now. A comprehensive analysis of the decomposition mechanism of C6F12O is performed through high-level quantum chemistry calculations with DFT and TST in this paper. The results show that more than ten decomposition products are formed. C4F10(a), C5F12(b), and CO can be used for evaluating slight failures. C3F8, C2F6, C2F4, C3F6, C4F10(b), C5F12(a), C(6)F(14(a))and C(6)F(14(b))etc. can be taken as typical products when a general failure is caused in the equipment. CF(4)can be used as a basis for determining whether a serious failure has occurred in the gas-insulated electrical equipment. According to the analysis, primary decomposition products such as C(4)F(10(a))and C(5)F(12(b))have relatively high dielectric strength. Besides, the concentration of decomposition products of C6F12O is low to have a major impact on the overall electrical performance at normal conditions. However, the insulation properties of C6F12O gas mixtures after the prolonged operation or multiple arc extinctions deserve further investigation. In the view of human safety and environmental effect, several toxic products such as C2F4, CO, and C(3)F(6)should be effectively managed and handled with care. This paper could provide a theoretical basis for related engineering applications.