ArticleWorld journal of experimental medicine2026
Bacterial load and transforming growth factor-beta: Predicting the extent of lung damage in pulmonary tuberculosis patients.
Article in World journal of experimental medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPulmonary tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health burden, with disease severity determined by the complex interplay between pathogen burden and host immune responses. Mycobacterial load and serum transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) are parameters potentially associated with disease progression and pulmonary tissue damage. TGF-β, as an immunoregulatory cytokine, plays a dual role in TB pathogenesis by suppressing protective immunity while contributing to fibrotic tissue remodeling. Despite their clinical relevance, the direct correlation between bacterial load, serum TGF-β, and radiological lesion extent in newly diagnosed patients remains insufficiently clarified in high-burden clinical settings.
aimTo analyze the correlation between bacterial load, serum TGF-β, and radiological lesion extent in newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients.
methodsThis observational study employed a cross-sectional design involving 60 newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients at Haji Regional General Hospital, Makassar. Laboratory examinations were conducted at the Hasanuddin University Medical Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine. Bacterial load was assessed using semi-quantitative categories of the Xpert MTB/RIF rapid molecular test, serum TGF-β levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and radiological lesion extent was classified based on chest radiography into minimal
resultsA total of 60 newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients were enrolled, with the majority being male (44 patients, 73.3%) and 16 female patients (26.7%). In terms of age, 70.0% were below 60 years and 30.0% were 60 years or older. Based on body mass index, 41.7% were underweight, 51.7% normal weight, and 6.7% overweight. Moderate-extensive lesions were observed in 85.0% of patients, while 56.7% had medium-high bacterial load. A statistically significant association was found between bacterial load and lesion extent (
conclusionHigh bacterial load predicts severe radiological lung damage in TB, but systemic TGF-β does not reflect disease extent, suggesting localized activity and need for further tissue-level investigation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.