scholarly journals Assessment of Oropharyngeal Specimens for Discontinuation of Transmission-Based COVID-19 Precautions

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua A Barocas ◽  
Miriam Komaromy ◽  
Deeanna Haidar ◽  
Tamar F Barlam ◽  
Beverley L Orr ◽  
...  

Abstract We compared oropharyngeal swab test performance with nasopharyngeal testing for discontinuation of transmission-based COVID-19 precautions. We performed a retrospective review of confirmed COVID-19-positive patients who received paired nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 tests for clearance from isolation from May 4, 2020, to May 26, 2020. Using nasopharyngeal swabs as the reference standard, we calculated the sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of oropharyngeal swabs. We also calculated the kappa between the 2 tests. A total of 189 paired samples were collected from 74 patients. Oropharyngeal swab sensitivity was 38%, specificity was 87%, and negative predictive value was 70%. The kappa was 0.25. Our study suggests that oropharyngeal swabs are inferior to nasopharyngeal swabs for test-based clearance from COVID-19 isolation.

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 1209-1213
Author(s):  
Shakra Tabasam ◽  
Zaib Malik ◽  
Asifa Siraj ◽  
Sadaf Afroz

Objective: To determine diagnostic accuracy of systolic/diastolic ratio and cerebro-placental index in predicting adverse perinatal outcome among patients in preeclampsia. Study Design: Cross-sectional validation study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from Jun to Dec 2017. Methodology: A total of 191 patients with preeclampsia were included. Doppler ultrasound (including doppler wave forms obtained from free floating portion of umbilical artery and doppler waveform from middle cerebral artery at the level of circle of Willis) examination was done after gestational age 30 weeks and Doppler study repeated at 2-4 weeks interval depending on severity of preeclampsia and abnormalities of waveform. Cases were followed and results of last Doppler examination within 10 days of delivery were considered and perinatal outcome noted. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of systolic/diastolic ratio in predicting adverse perinatal outcome among patients in preeclampsia, keeping actual adverse perinatal outcome as reference standard was 82.35%, 86.52%, 87.50%, 81.05% and 84.29% respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of cerebro-placental index in predicting adverse perinatal outcome among patients in preeclampsia, keeping actual adverse perinatal outcome as reference standard was 78.67%, 92.24%, 86.76%, 86.99% and 86.91% respectively. Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy of systolic/diastolic ratio, cerebro-placental index in predicting adverse perinatal outcome among patients in preeclampsia is quite high.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Harshad Arvind Vanjare ◽  
Jyoti Panwar

Objective The objective of the study was to assess the accuracy of ultrasound examination for the diagnosis of rotator cuff tear and tendinosis performed by a short experienced operator, compared to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results. Method A total of 70 subjects suspected to have rotator cuff tear or tendinosis and planned for shoulder MRI were included in the study. Shoulder ultrasound was performed either before or after the MRI scan on the same day. Ultrasound operator had a short experience in performing an ultrasound of the shoulder. Ultrasound findings were correlated to MRI findings. Results Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy for the diagnosis of tendinosis were 58%, 84%, 63%, 80%, and 75%, respectively, and it was 68%, 91%, 73%, 88%, and 85%, respectively, for the diagnosis of rotator cuff tear. Conclusions Sensitivity for diagnosing rotator cuff tear or tendinosis was moderate but had a higher negative predictive value. Thus, the ultrasound operator with a short experience in performing shoulder ultrasound had moderate sensitivity in diagnosing tendinosis or tears; however, could exclude them with confidence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A406-A406
Author(s):  
Juan Ibarra Rovira ◽  
Raghunandan Vikram ◽  
Selvi Thirumurthi ◽  
Bulent Yilmaz ◽  
Heather Lin ◽  
...  

BackgroundColitis is one of the most common immune-related adverse event in patients who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1). Although radiographic changes are reported on computed tomography such as mild diffuse bowel thickening or segmental colitis, the utility of CT in diagnosis of patients with suspected immune-related colitis is not well studied.MethodsCT scans of the abdomen and pelvis of 34 patients on immunotherapy with a clinical diagnosis of immunotherapy induced colitis and 19 patients receiving immunotherapy without clinical symptoms of colitis (control) were enrolled in this retrospective study. Segments of the colon (rectum, sigmoid, descending, transverse, ascending and cecum) were assessed independently by two fellowship trained abdominal imaging specialists with 7 and 13 years‘ experience who were blinded to the clinical diagnosis. Each segment was assessed for mucosal enhancement, wall thickening, distension, peri-serosal fat stranding. Any disagreements were resolved in consensus. The degree of distension and the spurious assignment of wall thickening were the most common causes for disagreement. The presence of any of the signs was considered as radiographic evidence of colitis.ResultsCT evidence of colitis was seen in 16 of 34 patients with symptoms of colitis. 7 of 19 patients who did not have symptoms of colitis showed signs of colitis on CT. The sensitivity, specificity, Positive Predictive Value and Negative Predictive Value for colitis on CT is 47%, 63.2%, 69.5% and 40%, respectively.ConclusionsCT has a low sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of immunotherapy-induced colitis. CT has no role in the diagnosis of patients suspected of having uncomplicated immune-related colitis and should not be used routinely for management.Trial RegistrationThis protocol is not registered on clinicaltrials.gov.Ethics ApprovalThis protocol was IRB approved on: 11/16/2015 - IRB 4 Chair Designee FWA #: 00000363 OHRP IRB Registration Number: IRB 4 IRB00005015ConsentThis protocol utilizes an IRB approved waiver of consent.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2675
Author(s):  
Monika Zajkowska ◽  
Agnieszka Kulczyńska-Przybik ◽  
Maciej Dulewicz ◽  
Kamil Safiejko ◽  
Marcin Juchimiuk ◽  
...  

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies. Despite the availability of diagnostic tests, an increasing number of new cases is observed. That is why it is very important to search new markers that would show high diagnostic utility. Therefore, we made an attempt to assess the usefulness of eotaxins, as there are few studies that investigate their significance, in patients with CRC. The study included 80 subjects (CRC patients and healthy volunteers). Serum concentrations of all eotaxins were measured using a multiplexing method (Luminex), while CCR3 was measured by immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA). CRP levels were determined by immunoturbidimetry and classical tumor marker levels (CEA and CA 19-9) and were measured using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). The highest usefulness among the proteins tested showed CCR3. Its concentrations were significantly higher in the CRC group than in healthy controls. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of CCR3 were higher than those of CA 19-9. The maximum values for sensitivity, negative predictive value, and AUC were obtained for a combination of CCR3 and CRP. Our findings suggest the potential usefulness of CCR3 in the diagnosis of CRC, especially in combination with CRP or CEA.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 503
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Monaghan ◽  
Syed N. Rahman ◽  
Christina W. Agudelo ◽  
Alan J. Wein ◽  
Jason M. Lazar ◽  
...  

Sensitivity, which denotes the proportion of subjects correctly given a positive assignment out of all subjects who are actually positive for the outcome, indicates how well a test can classify subjects who truly have the outcome of interest. Specificity, which denotes the proportion of subjects correctly given a negative assignment out of all subjects who are actually negative for the outcome, indicates how well a test can classify subjects who truly do not have the outcome of interest. Positive predictive value reflects the proportion of subjects with a positive test result who truly have the outcome of interest. Negative predictive value reflects the proportion of subjects with a negative test result who truly do not have the outcome of interest. Sensitivity and specificity are inversely related, wherein one increases as the other decreases, but are generally considered stable for a given test, whereas positive and negative predictive values do inherently vary with pre-test probability (e.g., changes in population disease prevalence). This article will further detail the concepts of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values using a recent real-world example from the medical literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-25
Author(s):  
Sujan Shrestha ◽  
Mamen Prasad Gorhaly ◽  
Manil Ratna Bajracharya

Background Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a significant independent risk factor for diabetic foot, and an effective screening instrument is required to diagnose DPN early to prevent future ulceration and amputation. This study aims to determine the diagnostic accuracy of monofilament test to detect diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in National Academy of Medical Sciences, Bir hospital, Mahabouddha, Kathmandu from February 2016 to January 2017. A total of 96 diabetic patients attending inpatient and outpatient Department were selected. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy was assessed by measurement of loss of protective sensation (LOPS) by monofilament test and compared with vibration perception threshold by standard biothesiometer. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of monofilament test were calculated. Results The prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy was 26%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of monofilament test were found to be 92.0%, 95.8%, 88.5% and 97.1% respectively. There was strong association between LOPS by monofilament and vibration perception threshold by biothesiometer. Conclusion This study showed a strong diagnostic accuracy of monofilament test to detect DPN when compared with biothesiometer. As monofilament test is a cheap, easily available, and portable, it can be used in the periphery where biothesiometer is not available.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahir Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Usman Shahid ◽  
Ishfaq Ahmad Shad ◽  
Shahzad Karim Bhatti ◽  
Syed Amir Gilani ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: A common surgical emergency is acute appendicitis. Various diagnostic tools are available to diagnosis acute appendicitis. Radiological investigations play an important role in making accurate and early diagnosis and thus preventing morbidity associated with the disease. OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of gray scale ultrasonography versus color Doppler in suspected cases of acute appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried in the department of Radiology of Mayo Hospital, Lahore. A total of 75 patients were enrolled of age 18-40 years, both genders who were suspected cases of acute appendicitis. All patients underwent baseline investigations along with gray scale ultrasonography and color Doppler. All patients were subjected to surgery to confirm the diagnosis and findings were subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 23.25 ±10.55 and mean transverse diameter of appendix was 8.37 ±3.39. There were 62.7% males and 37.3%females. Findings of gray scale ultrasonography and color Doppler were then correlated with surgical findings to calculate the diagnostic accuracy of these modalities. The results revealed that gray scale ultrasonography sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy was 92.7%, 94.32%, 95%, 91.4% and 93.3% respectively, whereas color Doppler had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of 97.7%, 93.9%, 95.3%, 97% and 96% respectively. Diagnostic accuracy of both modalities together was 98.6%. CONCLUSION: Color Doppler has better diagnostic accuracy than gray scale ultrasonography for diagnosis of acute appendicitis and the combination of both modalities yields diagnostic accuracy that is similar to gold standard.


Author(s):  
Badugu Rao Bahadur ◽  
Gangadhara Rao Koneru ◽  
Prabha Devi Kodey ◽  
Jyothi Melam

Background: To differentiate ovarian mass as benign or malignant could change clinical approach. Finding a screening and diagnostic method for ovarian cancer is challenging due to high mortality and insidious symptoms. Risk malignancy index (RMI) has the advantage of rapid and exact triage of patients with ovarian mass.Methods: Prospective study carried for 2 years at NRI Medical College and General Hospital, Chinakakani, Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India. 79 patients with ovarian mass were investigated and risk malignancy index (RMI-3 and RMI-4) calculated. Final confirmation was done based on histopathological report. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated for RMI 3 and RMI 4 taking histopathology as control and comparison was done.Results: (n=79); 50 (63.29%) cases were benign and 29 (36.70%) were malignant based on histopathology. RMI 4 is more sensitive (68.96%) than RMI 3 (62.06%), but RMI 3 is more specific (94%) than RMI 4 (92%).The positive predictive value of RMI-3 and RMI-4 were 85.71%  and 83.33% respectively. The negative predictive value for RMI-4 and RMI-3 were 83.63% and 81.03% respectively.Conclusions: With increasing age, chance of malignancy increases. RMI 4 was more sensitive than RMI-3, however less specific than RMI 3 in differentiating benign and malignant tumors. The positive predictive value is slightly more for RMI 3, than RMI 4. Negative predictive value is slightly more for RMI 4, than RMI 3. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique Wessels, MSc ◽  
Lian Hielkema, BA ◽  
Trudy Van der Weijden, MD, PhD

Objective: The research sought to establish validated search filters for retrieval of studies on patients’ knowledge and values.Setting: Two nonprofit organizations in the Netherlands were studied for guideline development.Methods: An existing filter was adapted to three bibliographic interfaces. After defining the scope, a reference database was built for the development of the new filters. The performance of the new filters was validated in different disease categories.Results: Sensitivity, specificity, precision, negative predictive value, and accuracy were (%): 90.5/98/77/99.2/97 (MEDLINE-Ovid), 90.1/98.8/79.3/99.5/98.3 (PubMed), and 93.1/98.4/81.8/99.6/98.7 (Embase).Conclusions: The filters provide pragmatic tools for searching for patients’ issues. Further optimization and validation is recommended.


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