smear-positive culture-positive TB 应该是涂阳培阳肺结核; smear-negative culture-positive TB 才是涂阴培阳肺结核 。之前说的三个病人, 是在肺结核疑似众多个案中选出来, 而且他们都是呈涂阴培阴肺结核病人。至於后面五个潜在病人, 是指每个参与实验的呈涂阴培阴肺结核病人一定要从五个潜在病人中随机选出来。换句说话, 你选择的这三个病人, 一定要是从十五个病人中随机选出来, 而不是14个人, 又甚至是只有5个人选出来。一定要「五选一」, 如果你只从5个人中选了3个出来做对照实验, 其结果的概括性及公平性受到质疑。three control patients per study (patient 这个字多余的) were sampled at random from patients who were admitted to the hospital for suspicion of TB during the same week and had negative smear and (这里暗示了 negative 这个字) culture ( 就是涂阴培阴肺结核) results.