The goal of the study is to determine whether vitamin D levels are associated with cytokine profiles in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, including those with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Is there an association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α) in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis?
• Does this association differ in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis complicated by chronic pulmonary aspergillosis compared to those without CPA and to healthy individuals?

Researchers will compare:

• Active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients
• PTB patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (PTB-CPA)
• Healthy control subjects

To see if differences in vitamin D levels are associated with variations in cytokine responses among these groups.

Participants will:

• Provide blood samples for measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D
• Undergo laboratory assessment of cytokines (IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α) using ELISA
• Be classified into study groups based on clinical diagnosis (PTB, PTB-CPA, or healthy controls)

Inclusion Criteria:

• individuals with confirmed diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis
• individuals with confirmed diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and chronoc pulmonary aspergillosis
• Healthy individuals

Exclusion Criteria:

• individuals <18 years old;
• those using immunosuppressants, antifungals and/or antibiotics within the three-month period prior to hospitalization;
• patients with chronic or acute infectious diseases (excluding PTB and CPA) and non-infectious diseases;
• subjects with difficulty collecting samples; and subjects unwilling or unable to provide written informed consent.

Participants were recruited from specialized hospitals, including a national center for infectious diseases of Uzbekistan. The study population comprised patients receiving care for pulmonary tuberculosis, including those with coexisting chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, as well as healthy individuals from the local community.

Individual participant data will not be publicly shared due to concerns regarding patient confidentiality and the potential risk of identification. Additionally, data sharing is restricted by institutional and ethical regulations governing the use of clinical and laboratory data.

De-identified data may be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author, subject to approval by the institutional review board and in accordance with applicable data protection policies.