Simple surface EMG recording as a noninvasive screening method for the detection of acute oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity: a feasibility pilot study

Background & Purposes: Up to 30 percent of patients presenting with acute onset of neurological symptoms may suffer from stroke mimics (SMs). MRI is highly sensitive for detection of acute ischemia; however, its clinical utility in the acute stage is limited secondary to the complexity, availability, and time required for a comprehensive brain MRI. In this pilot study, we investigated the feasibility of rapid short sequence (RSS) MRI to screen possible SMs while keeping the door-to-needle (DTN) time below one hour. Subjects & Methods: We developed clinical criteria to clinically suspect possible SMs and deployed RSS MRI in those patients presenting with acute stroke like-symptoms. Our RSS MRI protocol takes 5-6 minutes and includes DWI, ADC, and FLAIR sequences. The patients also received a non-contrast CT head at the time of ER presentation as standard of care. The new processes to our code stroke protocol included adding MRI technicians to the code stroke, the stroke nurse or physician filling out the MRI screening sheet and transporting the patient to the MRI suite. The stroke physicians were also available at the MRI console to read the MRI and the stroke team was on standby to initiate IV tPA infusion in the MR suite, if it was indicated. Results: In a 9-month period, we evaluated 35 patients, who met our criteria for possible SMs, using RSS MRI (mean age 49, 78% women, median NIHSS 4). Three patients had diagnosis of an acute ischemic stroke on RSS MRI and received IV TPA while still in the MR suite. The DTN time ranged from 48 to 58 minutes. The median door-to-imaging time was 43 minutes (range 38-49). All of our patients with a RSS MRI negative for acute stroke had a final diagnosis other than stroke. Conclusions: Our preliminary results show that RSS MRI can be rapidly obtained in selected patients without delaying the DTN time. This screening method avoids unnecessary IV-tPA administration to SMs.

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Automatic decomposition of pediatric high density surface EMG: A pilot study

Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices ◽

10.1016/j.medntd.2021.100094 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 100094

Author(s):

Maoqi Chen ◽

Ping Zhou

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Surface Emg ◽

High Density ◽

Density Surface ◽

Automatic Decomposition

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A screening method for biotinidase deficiency in newborns.

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1093/clinchem/30.1.125 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 125-127 ◽

Cited By ~ 105

Author(s):

G S Heard ◽

J R Secor McVoy ◽

B Wolf

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Whole Blood ◽

Neonatal Screening ◽

Screening Method ◽

Biotinidase Deficiency ◽

Blood Spots ◽

Filter Papers ◽

Biotinidase Activity

Abstract We describe a method for neonatal screening for biotinidase (EC 3.5.1.12) deficiency. Biotinidase activity is assessed colorimetrically from dried samples of whole blood spotted on the same filter papers as used in the neonatal screening for phenylketonuria. After the reaction, samples from normal infants are characteristically purple, whereas those from affected individuals are straw-colored. To confirm the deficiency, the enzyme is quantitatively assayed in additional blood spots or serum. A pilot study has been initiated with samples obtained by the Commonwealth of Virginia for phenylketonuria testing.

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A pilot study of risk-stratified cervical cancer screening

Open Research Europe ◽

10.12688/openreseurope.13398.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 84

Author(s):

Jiangrong Wang ◽

K. Miriam Elfström ◽

Christer Borgfeldt ◽

Joakim Dillner

Keyword(s):

Cervical Cancer ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Cervical Screening ◽

Screening Method ◽

Screening Tests ◽

Individual Risk ◽

Horizon 2020 ◽

Screening Programs

Background: Cervical screening programs target entire populations, although it is well established that cervical cancer risks can vary >100-fold based, in particular, on the woman’s screening history. Since cervical screening switched to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing as the primary screening method, the risk differences are even larger as different HPV types may vary in associated cancer risk by 100 times. Furthermore, HPV infections with the most oncogenic types are declining dramatically because of HPV vaccination programs. Tailoring screening intensity based on the known cancer risk of the individual (risk-stratified screening) therefore has great potential to increase both the sensitivity and specificity. Within Horizon 2020 a major project for RIsk-stratified Screening for Cervical Cancer (RISCC) has therefore been launched. We performed a pilot study of risk-stratified screening to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of offering vaginal HPV self-sampling tests to women with a higher risk of cervical cancer. Methods: We identified resident women who had had either i) atypical glandular cells in screening tests during the past six years (risk >150/100,000 woman-years) or ii) abnormal screening findings above the age of 50, but without sufficient follow-up (risk >65/100,000). The women were invited, either by short message service (SMS) or physical letters, to order an HPV self-sampling kit via the study web-platform. The returned self-collected samples were tested for HPV. If positive, women were invited for clinical follow-up. Results: Among 920 targeted women, 191 (21%) placed an order and 163 (18%) returned a self-collected sample. Among all tested samples, 19 (12%) were positive for hrHPV and 18 of these women attended clinical follow-up. Conclusions: We found that SMS invitations to high-risk women are feasible and result in substantial requests for kits and submission of samples. Future work will focus on improving the efficiency of the procedure and further increasing attendance.

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Glycopeptide-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus: Evaluation of a Novel Screening Method and Results of a Survey of Selected U.S. Hospitals

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.37.11.3590-3593.1999 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 37 (11) ◽

pp. 3590-3593 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Susannah K. Hubert ◽

Jasmine M. Mohammed ◽

Scott K. Fridkin ◽

Robert P. Gaynes ◽

John E. McGowan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Large Scale ◽

Antimicrobial Agents ◽

Screening Method ◽

Brain Heart Infusion ◽

The United States ◽

Specific Method ◽

Vancomycin Mics

Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus with decreased susceptibilities to glycopeptide antimicrobial agents, such as vancomycin and teicoplanin, have emerged in the United States and elsewhere. Commercially prepared brain heart infusion agar (BHIA) supplemented with 6 μg of vancomycin per ml was shown in a previous study to detect glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus (GISA) with high sensitivity and specificity; however, this medium, when prepared in-house, occasionally showed growth of vancomycin-susceptible control organisms. This limitation could significantly impact laboratories that prepare media in-house, particularly if they wished to conduct large surveillance studies for GISA. Therefore, a pilot study to detect GISA was performed with vancomycin-containing Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA) prepared in-house in place of commercially prepared BHIA. MHA was selected for this study because this medium is widely available and well standardized. The results of the pilot study showed that supplementation of MHA with 5 μg of vancomycin per ml was both a sensitive and a specific method for screening for GISA isolates. This method was used to screen for GISA among 630 clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus collected during 1997 from 33 U.S. hospitals. Although 14 S. aureus isolates grew on the screening agar, all were vancomycin susceptible (MICs were ≤1 μg/ml) by broth microdilution testing. Population analyses of five isolates revealed two with a subpopulation for which vancomycin MICs were 8 μg/ml. In summary, the MHA screen plate containing 5 μg of vancomycin per ml prepared in-house provides a sensitive and cost-effective method for large-scale screening for GISA for which vancomycin MICs are 8 μg/ml. However, confirmation of isolates as vancomycin resistant is critical. This study suggests that GISA was not a widespread problem in the United States in 1997.

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Periodontal Findings and Blood Analysis of Blood Donors: A Pilot Study

The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice ◽

10.5005/jcdp-8-5-43 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 43-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Else Hornecker ◽

Dirk Ziebolz ◽

Gesa C. Jäger ◽

Rainer F. Mausberg

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Blood Donors ◽

Blood Donation ◽

Screening Method ◽

Blood Analysis ◽

Periodontal Status ◽

Periodontal Tissues ◽

Immune Parameters ◽

Periodontal Index

Abstract Aim Before blood donation a medical check-up is mandatory to ascertain the health of the donor and to detect infections clinically. Although gingivitis and periodontitis are also bacterial infections, the oral cavity is only inspected superficially. The purpose of this study was to investigate the periodontal condition of blood donors and whether this affects the results of their blood tests. Methods and Materials A total of 192 blood donors were examined. The investigation included a periodontal examination to determine the Community Periodontal Index (CPI), an analysis of blood chemistry, as well as the determination of hematologic, coagulation, and immune parameters C-reactive protein (CRP), Neopterin, Procalcitonin (PCT), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α). Groups were formed according to periodontal status: “healthy” (n=47, mean age 24±4 years), “gingivitis” (n=65, mean age 24±4 years), and “periodontitis” (n=80, mean age 29±8 years). Most parameters of the routine blood test as well as the immune parameters were unremarkable with regard to the periodontal status. The values for SGPT, GGTP, uric acid, triglycerides, total protein (TP), RBC, hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HC), Eos, and Baso were also within the normal range. Nevertheless, statistical analysis showed some significant differences in these parameters between the “healthy” group and the “periodontitis” group (p≤0.05). Results The results of this study show some blood donors have infections of the gingiva and/or of other periodontal tissues. Whether this is a sufficient reason to exclude them from blood donation, or in which case potential donors should be excluded, is not yet known. Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to integrate a screening method for revealing at least severe periodontitis in the medical check-up of blood donors. Citation Ziebolz D, Jäger GC, Hornecker E, Mausberg RF. Periodontal Findings and Blood Analysis of Blood Donors: A Pilot Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2007 July;(8)5:043-050.

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