Dynamics of Pneumococcal Carriage in Adults: A New Look at an Old Paradigm

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sónia T Almeida ◽  
Ana Cristina Paulo ◽  
Filipe Froes ◽  
Hermínia de Lencastre ◽  
Raquel Sá-Leão
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Carrier State ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Pneumococcal Carriage ◽  
The Social ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Pneumococcal Colonization ◽  
Regular Contact

Abstract Background Limited information is available on pneumococcal colonization among adults. We studied pneumococcal carriage dynamics in healthy adults using high-sensitivity approaches. Methods Eighty-seven adults (25–50 years old) were followed for 6 months in Portugal. Nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and saliva samples were obtained monthly; pneumococcal carriers were also sampled weekly. Carriage was investigated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (targeting lytA and piaB) and culture. Positive samples were serotyped. Results Approximately 20% of the adults were intermittent carriers; 10% were persistent carriers (>4 months). Pneumococcal acquisition and clearance rates were 16.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.2–24.2) and 95.9 (95% CI, 62.3–145.0) cases/1000 person-weeks, respectively. Living with children increased pneumococcal acquisition (hazard ratio, 9.7 [95% CI, 2.6–20.5]; P < .001). Median duration of carriage was 7 weeks and did not depend on regular contact with children. Conclusions The pneumococcal carrier state in healthy adults is more dynamic than generally assumed: Acquisition is frequent and duration of carriage is often long. This suggests that some adults may act as reservoirs of pneumococci and hence, depending on the social structure of a community, the magnitude of herd effects potentially attainable through children vaccination may vary. These findings are important when designing strategies to prevent pneumococcal disease in adults.

scholarly journals The Correlation of Rapid Antibody Results with SARS-CoV-2 PCR in COVID-19 Patients in Ulin General Hospital Banjarmasin

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Isa Ansori ◽  
Soraya Riefani ◽  
Ira Nurrasyidah
Keyword(s):  
General Hospital ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Rapid Test ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
The Social ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Rapid Antibody

Introduction: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of clinical disease, better known as COVID-19. The most common method to detect COVID-19 is serological testing of IgM and IgG in response to viral infections using rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Several other guidelines consider polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as the gold standard for diagnosis becausePCR has high sensitivity and specificity values in detecting SARS-CoV-2.Methods: This was a descriptive analytical study. The samples were taken from medical records of COVID-19 patients in Ulin General Hospital Banjarmasin from March to October 2020. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0 software and Chi-Square test were used for data analysis.Results: From 751 COVID-19 patients, 408 patients (54.32%) had rapid antibody with positive PCR, 132 patients (17.57%) had reactive rapid antibody with negative PCR, 152 patients (20.23%) had non-reactive rapid antibody with positive PCR, and 59 patients (7.85%) had non-reactive rapid antibody with negative PCR. The rapid antibody had sensitivity of 72.85% and specificity of 30.89%. From Chi-Square test, reactive rapid antibody was not correlated with PCR positive results; values of p = 0.320, odds ratio (OR) 1.20.Conclusion: The rapid test antibody could not be recommended as a diagnostic tool. In this study, it was also found that there was no relationship between reactive rapid test results and positive SARS-CoV PCR.

Relationship Between Plasma Cell-Free DNA Changes and Lysyl Oxidase During the Treatment and Prognosis of Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona MohammadZahri ◽  
Hadi Cheraghi ◽  
Dariush Shirani ◽  
Ali Hatamkhani
Keyword(s):  
Oxidase Activity ◽  
Roc Analysis ◽  
Lysyl Oxidase ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Cell Free Dna ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
Free Dna ◽  
Integrity Index ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Abstract BackgroundTransmissible Venereal Tumor (TVT) is a wide tumor of canine, there are no effective markers to monitor the therapeutic response in real-time. Circulating biomarkers may be valuable for the early diagnosis and prognosis of cancers, so in this study, we aimed to investigate the significance of the cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and cfDNA integrity index to monitor the response of TVT to vincristine and compare them with lysyl oxidase activity. Plasma and sera were collected before drug administration within four weeks from fifteen male dogs. The analytical method was mainly based on quantitative polymerase chain reaction for short and long cfDNA, and lysyl oxidase activity was measured in serum.ResultsThe results of cfDNA integrity index showed significant (p<0.05) difference in a baseline to 2nd and 3rd week (with cut-off value 1.118 and 93.33% specificity). We found that the cfDNA integrity index was increased during weeks due to the reduction of shorts cfDNA in the 1st week after treatment. lysyl Oxidase activity was increased during the 4th week (p<0.001) but there were no significant differences in the other weeks compared to baseline. ROC analysis of lysyl Oxidase revealed high sensitivity (100%) and specificity (93%) 2nd, 3rd weeks on comparison between Baseline. Multivariate analysis between cfDNA integrity index and lysyl Oxidase showed significant correlation (p<0.05) only baseline results. ConclusionsTaken together, we propose short cfDNA, cfDNA integrity index, and lysyl Oxidase activity as a diagnostic biomarker and a putative prognostic candidate in TVT patients. These biomarkers could be used simultaneously for quickly diagnose TVT in combination with cytology.

Evaluating the diagnostic and prognostic value of serum long non-coding RNA CTC-497E21.4 in gastric cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1063-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zong ◽  
Wei Feng ◽  
Yun Jiang ◽  
Shaoqing Ju ◽  
Ming Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Prognostic Value ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Non Coding Rna ◽  
Potential Biomarker ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Long Non Coding Rna

Abstract Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play a key role in gastric cancer (GC) tumorigenesis. However, the clinical application value of serum lncRNAs in GC has remained largely unknown. We investigated the role of a novel lncRNA named CTC-497E21.4 in the diagnosis and the prognosis of GC. Methods We focused on evaluation of lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR). The study involved following aspects: (1) confirmation of the higher lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 expression in different types of GC specimens than corresponding controls; (2) evaluation of monitoring tumor dynamics by the serum lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 assay; (3) evaluation of the prognostic value of lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 assay in GC. Results (1) The method of RTFQ-PCR detection of lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 was evaluated to have high sensitivity and specificity. (2) The expression levels of lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 were higher in GC patients compared with corresponding controls (p<0.001), and the combination of serum lncRNA CTC-497E21.4, CEA and CA19-9 could improve diagnostic sensitivity (96.36%). (3) The serum lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 expression levels were lower in postoperative samples than preoperative samples (p=0.0021) and survival curves downloaded from TCGA showed high lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 levels were associated with poor OS of GC (p=0.0351). Conclusions lncRNA CTC-497E21.4 may be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and the prognosis of GC.

scholarly journals A comparative study of techniques used for the diagnosis of effusive feline infectious peritonitis

2020 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-110
Author(s):  
A. Hellemans ◽  
D. D. Acar ◽  
V. J. E. Stroobants ◽  
S. Theuns ◽  
L. M. B. Desmarets ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Feline Infectious Peritonitis ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Low Sensitivity ◽  
Feline Coronavirus

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal disease caused by feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). At present, neither a licensed treatment nor an accurate ante-mortem diagnosis are available. In the present study, three available tests were evaluated for their diagnostic power on effusion samples. High feline coronavirus antibody titers, measured with an immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA), were correlated with FIP but its low specificity precluded a reliable diagnosis. The in-house 5’ reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) provided a much better specificity and high sensitivity. Given the low sensitivity of immunofluorescence staining (IF) of effusive cells, the RT-qPCR alone or in combination with IPMA represents a good alternative for IF. In the majority of the effusion samples from FIP positive animals, Sanger sequencing of the open reading frame encoding the spike protein (ORF S) revealed not only mutations that were previously associated with FIP (M1058L, S1060A, I1106T and D1108Y/E/G) but also two new, closely related mutations (T1112S/N).

scholarly journals Influenza-like Illness Exacerbates Pneumococcal Carriage in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem R Miellet ◽  
Janieke van Veldhuizen ◽  
Mioara A Nicolaie ◽  
Rob Mariman ◽  
Hester J Bootsma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Influenza Like Illness ◽  
Pneumococcal Carriage ◽  
Pneumococcal Colonization ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Background In older adults, pneumococcal disease is strongly associated with respiratory viral infections, but the impact of viruses on Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage prevalence and load remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of influenza-like illness (ILI) on pneumococcal carriage in community-dwelling older adults. Methods We investigated the presence of pneumococcal DNA in saliva samples collected in the 2014/2015 influenza season from 232 individuals aged ≥60 years at ILI onset, followed by sampling 2–3 weeks and 7–9 weeks after the first sample. We also sampled 194 age-matched controls twice 2–3 weeks apart. Pneumococcal DNA was detected with quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays targeting the piaB and lytA genes in raw and in culture-enriched saliva. Bacterial and pneumococcal abundances were determined in raw saliva with 16S and piaB quantification. Results The prevalence of pneumococcus-positive samples was highest at onset of ILI (42/232 [18%]) and lowest among controls (26/194 [13%] and 22/194 [11%] at the first and second samplings, respectively), though these differences were not significant. Pneumococcal carriage was associated with exposure to young children (odds ratio [OR], 2.71 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.51–5.02]; P &lt; .001), and among asymptomatic controls with presence of rhinovirus infection (OR, 4.23 [95% CI, 1.16–14.22]; P &lt; .05). When compared with carriers among controls, pneumococcal absolute abundances were significantly higher at onset of ILI (P &lt; .01), and remained elevated beyond recovery from ILI (P &lt; .05). Finally, pneumococcal abundances were highest in carriage events newly detected after ILI onset (estimated geometric mean, 1.21 × 10−5 [95% CI, 2.48 × 10−7 to 2.41 × 10−5], compared with preexisting carriage). Conclusions ILI exacerbates pneumococcal colonization of the airways in older adults, and this effect persists beyond recovery from ILI.

AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR INHIBITOR FREE NUCLEIC ACIDS FROM POLYPHENOL RICH LEAVES OF MUSA SPP

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N.NANDHA KUMAR ◽  
K. SOURIANATHA SUNDARAM ◽  
D. SUDHAKAR ◽  
K.K. KUMAR
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Proteinase K ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Banana Plant ◽  
High Molecular Weight Dna ◽  
Musa Spp ◽  
Leaf Tissues ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Excessive presence of polysaccharides, polyphenol and secondary metabolites in banana plant affects the quality of DNA and it leads to difficult in isolating good quality of DNA. An optimized modified CTAB protocol for the isolation of high quality and quantity of DNA obtained from banana leaf tissues has been developed. In this protocol a slight increased salt (NaCl) concentration (2.0M) was used in the extraction buffer. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and Octanol were used for the removal of polyphenols and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibitors. Proteins like various enzymes were degraded by Proteinase K and removed by centrifugation from plant extract during the isolation process resulting in pure genomic DNA, ready to use in downstream applications including PCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), ligation, restriction and sequencing. This protocol yielded a high molecular weight DNA isolated from polyphenols rich leaves of Musa spp which was free from contamination and colour. The average yields of total DNA from leaf ranged from 917.4 to 1860.9 ng/ìL. This modified CTAB protocol reported here is less time consuming 4-5h, reproducible and can be used for a broad spectrum of plant species which have polyphenol and polysaccharide compounds.

Pim-1 is up-regulated by constitutively activated FLT3 and plays a role in FLT3-mediated cell survival

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 1759-1767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyu-Tae Kim ◽  
Kristin Baird ◽  
Joon-Young Ahn ◽  
Paul Meltzer ◽  
Michael Lilly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tyrosine Kinase ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Internal Tandem Duplication ◽  
Downstream Target ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Flt3 Expression ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Expression Microarrays

AbstractConstitutively activating internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations of the receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 (Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3) play an important role in leukemogenesis, and their presence is associated with poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To better understand FLT3 signaling in leukemogenesis, we have examined the changes in gene expression induced by FLT3/ITD or constitutively activated wild-type FLT3 expression. Microarrays were used with RNA harvested before and after inhibition of FLT3 signaling. Pim-1 was found to be one of the most significantly down-regulated genes upon FLT3 inhibition. Pim-1 is a proto-oncogene and is known to be up-regulated by signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5), which itself is a downstream target of FLT3 signaling. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) confirmed the microarray results and demonstrated approximately 10-fold decreases in Pim-1 expression in response to FLT3 inhibition. Pim-1 protein also decreased rapidly in parallel with decreasing autophosphorylation activity of FLT3. Enforced expression of either the 44-kDa or 33-kDa Pim-1 isotypes resulted in increased resistance to FLT3 inhibition-mediated cytotoxicity and apoptosis. In contrast, expression of a dominant-negative Pim-1 construct accelerated cytotoxicity in response to FLT3 inhibition and inhibited colony growth of FLT3/ITD-transformed BaF3 cells. These findings demonstrate that constitutively activated FLT3 signaling up-regulates Pim-1 expression in leukemia cells. This up-regulation contributes to the proliferative and antiapoptotic pathways induced by FLT3 signaling. (Blood. 2005;105: 1759-1767)

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