Interferon gamma release assays, including the QuantiFERON® TB Gold In Tube (QFT) have been shown to be accurate in diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. These assays however, do not discriminate between latent TB infection (LTBI) and active TB disease.

The assimilation of nitrogen is an essential process in all prokaryotes, yet a relatively limited amount of information is available on nitrogen metabolism in the mycobacteria. The physiological role and pathogenic properties of glutamine synthetase (GS) have been extensively investigated in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, little is known about this enzyme in other mycobacterial species, or the role of an additional nitrogen assimilatory pathway via glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), in the mycobacteria as a whole. We investigated specific enzyme activity and transcription of GS and as well as both possible isoforms of GDH (NAD+- and NADP+-specific GDH) under varying conditions of nitrogen availability in Mycobacterium smegmatis as a model for the mycobacteria.

Orientation: Jobs in the financial services industry are in constant flux because of the ever-changing nature of the products and services provided to customers. This could result in employee disengagement and turnover intention.Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the role of job crafting, proactive personality and meaningful work in predicting employee engagement and turnover intention among employees in the financial services industry based on the central tenets of the Job Demands-Resources theory.Motivation for the study: Organisations or incumbents may redesign jobs. The self-initiated proactive behaviour that incumbents exhibit to shape the meaning of their work is known as job crafting. The relationships that exist among job crafting, proactive personality, meaningful work, employee engagement and turnover intention were, therefore, investigated.Research design, approach and method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used to gather primary data in service-providing firms across South Africa (n = 391).Main findings: Results demonstrated that job crafting, proactive personality and meaningful work significantly predict variance in employee engagement and turnover intention.Practical and managerial implications: Specific human resource practices and interventions are proffered to foster job crafting, proactivity and meaningful work and, in doing so, address employee disengagement and turnover intention.Contribution or value-add: The study highlights the importance of encouraging employees to craft their jobs as it has specific implications for prominent work-related outcomes, such as employee engagement and turnover intention, among employees in the financial services industry.

The use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts to improve complexity and diversify wine style is increasing; however, the interactions between non-Saccharomyces yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have not received much attention. This study investigated the interactions of seven non-Saccharomyces yeast strains of the genera Candida, Hanseniaspora, Lachancea, Metschnikowia and Torulaspora in combination with S. cerevisiae and three malolactic fermentation (MLF) strategies in a Shiraz winemaking trial. Standard oenological parameters, volatile composition and sensory profiles of wines were investigated. Wines produced with non-Saccharomyces yeasts had lower alcohol and glycerol levels than wines produced with S. cerevisiae only. Malolactic fermentation also completed faster in these wines. Wines produced with non-Saccharomyces yeasts differed chemically and sensorially from wines produced with S. cerevisiae only. The Candida zemplinina and the one L. thermotolerans isolate slightly inhibited LAB growth in wines that underwent simultaneous MLF. Malolactic fermentation strategy had a greater impact on sensory profiles than yeast treatment. Both yeast selection and MLF strategy had a significant effect on berry aroma, but MLF strategy also had a significant effect on acid balance and astringency of wines. Winemakers should apply the optimal yeast combination and MLF strategy to ensure fast completion of MLF and improve wine complexity.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Fractional anisotropy in the frontal white matter, corpus callosum, and internal capsule is abnormal in human immunodeficiency virus–positive (HIV+) adults. We describe the distribution and nature of white matter abnormalities in a cohort of children who started antiretroviral therapy within the first year of life and the benefit of early treatment by using DTI measures (fractional anisotropy and mean, axial, and radial diffusion). MATERIALS AND METHODS: DTI was performed on children in a neurodevelopmental substudy from the Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral trial. Voxel-based group comparisons were obtained to determine regions where fractional anisotropy and mean diffusion differed between HIV+ and uninfected children. Associations of DTI parameters with the timing of antiretroviral therapy initiation were examined. RESULTS: Thirty-nine HIV+ children (15 boys; mean age, 5.4 years) and 13 controls (5 boys; mean age, 5.7 years) were scanned. Two clusters with lower fractional anisotropy and 7 clusters with increased mean diffusion were identified in the HIV+ group, with symmetric distribution predominantly due to increased radial diffusion, suggestive of decreased myelination. Corticospinal tracts rather than the corpus callosum were predominantly involved. Children on early-interrupted antiretroviral therapy had lower fractional anisotropy compared with those receiving continuous treatment. CONCLUSIONS: HIV+ children at 5 years of age have white matter abnormalities measured by fractional anisotropy, despite early antiretroviral therapy, suggesting that early antiretroviral therapy does not fully protect the white matter from either peripartum or in utero infection. In contrast to adults, the corticospinal tracts are predominantly involved rather than the corpus callosum, possibly due to early antiretroviral therapy. Continuous early antiretroviral therapy can limit white matter damage.

Genetic factors are involved in susceptibility or protection to tuberculosis (TB). Apart from gene polymorphisms and mutations, changes in levels of gene expression, induced by non-genetic factors, may also determine whether individuals progress to active TB.