scholarly journals Rapid and simultaneous identification of three mutations by the Novaplex™ SARS-CoV-2 Variants I Assay kit

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wakaki Kami ◽  
Takeshi Kinjo ◽  
Wakako Arakaki ◽  
Hiroya Oki ◽  
Daisuke Motooka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
World Health ◽  
Consensus Sequences ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Multiple Regions ◽  
Differential Identification ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
User Friendly

AbstractBackgroundThe emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has caused an unexpected rebound globally. The World Health Organization has listed three variants (B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1) as variants of concern. To understand the epidemiology and thereby plan appropriate safety measures, differential identification of the variants is indeed critical.ObjectivesAlthough whole-genome sequencing is the gold standard for variant identification, it is time-consuming and relatively expensive. Therefore, a rapid, easy, and cost-effective platform targeting multiple regions of the genome is required. Here, we assessed the usefulness of the Novaplex™ SARS-CoV-2 Variants I Assay kit in identifying mutations in the variants.Study designWe retrospectively examined 30 stored nasal swabs from COVID-19-positive patients tested between November 2020 and March 2021. RNA extracted from these swabs was subjected to the commercial kit and real-time reverse transcription-PCR was performed. To determine the genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 in the collected samples and deduce the consensus sequences among the identified variants, genome sequencing libraries were prepared and mapped to the reference genome.ResultsFour of the tested samples were determined as variants. Of them, two harbored both H69/V70 deletion and N501Y substitution, whereas two harbored E484K substitution alone.ConclusionsThe variant with E484K substitution alone (“R.1”) has been now categorized as a variant of interest in Japan. Additionally, the kit-based assay was found to be feasible, convenient, and user-friendly in identifying the abovementioned mutations with a turnaround time of only 2 hours.

scholarly journals Practical laboratory considerations amidst the COVID-19 outbreak: early experience from Singapore

2020 ◽  
pp. jclinpath-2020-206563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun S Tan ◽  
Benedict Yan ◽  
Sharon Saw ◽  
Chun Kiat Lee ◽  
Ai Teng Chong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distress Syndrome ◽  
Early Experience ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Ministry ◽  
Routine Testing ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Total Testing Process ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Suspected Pneumonia

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a zoonotic viral infection originating from Wuhan, China in December 2019. The World Health Organization has classified this pandemic as a global health emergency due to its virulent nature of transmission, which may lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Singapore’s health ministry has responded with enhanced surveillance of COVID-19 for all suspected pneumonia cases, further increasing the volume of testing via real-time reverse transcription PCR, as well as samples necessitating stringent infectious control. Collectively, this has implications on the total testing process, laboratory operations and its personnel due to biosafety concerns. Turnaround time for routine testing may also be affected. The aim of this article is to present our tertiary institution’s early experience with managing this emerging crisis and offer practical considerations for the preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical phases of laboratory testing in this cohort of patients.

scholarly journals A 3D-printed magnetic digital microfluidic diagnostic platform for rapid colorimetric sensing of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pojchanun Kanitthamniyom ◽  
Pei Yun Hon ◽  
Aiwu Zhou ◽  
Mohammad Yazid Abdad ◽  
Zhi Yun Leow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Resistance Mechanism ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
World Health ◽  
Colorimetric Sensing ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Reaction Chambers ◽  
Technological Platform ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Digital Microfluidic

AbstractCarbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) are a group of drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens that are classified as a critical threat by the World Health Organization (WHO). Conventional methods of detecting antibiotic-resistant pathogens do not assess the resistance mechanism and are often time-consuming and laborious. We have developed a magnetic digital microfluidic (MDM) platform, known as MDM Carba, for the identification of CPE by measuring their ability to hydrolyze carbapenem antibiotics. MDM Carba offers the ability to rapidly test CPE and reduce the amount of reagents used compared with conventional phenotypic testing. On the MDM Carba platform, tests are performed in droplets that function as reaction chambers, and fluidic operations are accomplished by manipulating these droplets with magnetic force. The simple droplet-based magnetic fluidic operation allows easy system automation and simplified hands-on operation. Because of the unique “power-free” operation of MDM technology, the MDM Carba platform can also be operated manually, showing great potential for point-of-care testing in resource-limited settings. We tested 27 bacterial isolates on the MDM Carba platform, and the results showed sensitivity and specificity that were comparable to those of the widely used Carba NP test. MDM Carba may shorten the overall turnaround time for CPE identification, thereby enabling more timely clinical decisions for better clinical outcomes. MDM Carba is a technological platform that can be further developed to improve diagnostics for other types of antibiotic resistance with minor modifications.

scholarly journals Improving the Role and Contribution of Pharmacokinetic Analyses in Antimalarial Drug Clinical Trials

2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 5643-5649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Kay ◽  
Eva Maria Hodel ◽  
Ian M. Hastings
Keyword(s):  
Antimalarial Drug ◽  
Theoretical Data ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Efficacy Trials ◽  
Drug Concentrations ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Study Designs

ABSTRACTIt is now World Health Organization (WHO) policy that drug concentrations on day 7 be measured as part of routine assessment in antimalarial drug efficacy trials. The rationale is that this single pharmacological measure serves as a simple and practical predictor of treatment outcome for antimalarial drugs with long half-lives. Herein we review theoretical data and field studies and conclude that the day 7 drug concentration (d7c) actually appears to be a poor predictor of therapeutic outcome. This poor predictive capability combined with the fact that many routine antimalarial trials will have few or no failures means that there appears to be little justification for this WHO recommendation. Pharmacological studies have a huge potential to improve antimalarial dosing, and we propose study designs that use more-focused, sophisticated, and cost-effective ways of generating these data than the mass collection of single d7c concentrations.

scholarly journals An IoT Architecture for Assessing Road Safety in Smart Cities

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abd-Elhamid M. Taha
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Markov Models ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Dynamic Assessment ◽  
Route Planning ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
World Health ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

The Safe System (SS) approach to road safety emphasizes safety-by-design through ensuring safe vehicles, road networks, and road users. With a strong motivation from the World Health Organization (WHO), this approach is increasingly adopted worldwide. Considerations in SS, however, are made for the medium-to-long term. Our interest in this work is to complement the approach with a short-to-medium term dynamic assessment of road safety. Toward this end, we introduce a novel, cost-effective Internet of Things (IoT) architecture that facilitates the realization of a robust and dynamic computational core in assessing the safety of a road network and its elements. In doing so, we introduce a new, meaningful, and scalable metric for assessing road safety. We also showcase the use of machine learning in the design of the metric computation core through a novel application of Hidden Markov Models (HMMs). Finally, the impact of the proposed architecture is demonstrated through an application to safety-based route planning.

scholarly journals Motion – Screening and Surveillance of Barrett’s Epithelium Is Practical and Cost Effective: Arguments against the Motion

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 541-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Chiba
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
World Health ◽  
Endoscopic Screening ◽  
Effective Screening ◽  
Screening And Surveillance ◽  
Screening Protocol ◽  
Surveillance Programs ◽  
Prolongation Of Life ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Very High

The issue of whether to screen individuals for Barrett’s esophagus (BE) to prevent esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is highly controversial. Important considerations are that BE is not highly prevalent in the general population and that not many patients with BE develop or die from EAC. Studies that suggest an improved prognosis from surveillance programs are susceptible to lead-time bias. Most of the principles for effective screening, as outlined by the World Health Organization, are not met by endoscopic screening and surveillance protocols. The diagnosis of BE (and dysplasia) is often unclear. Most patients with BE are not identified by screening, and few deaths would be prevented by surveillance. A decision analysis found that the most cost effective screening protocol would be every five years, but the costs associated with prolongation of life are very high, even if a group at high risk for EAC could be identified.

scholarly journals EFFECT OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Premalatha P ◽  
Kanniammal C ◽  
Valli G ◽  
Jaydeep Mahendra
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
World Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Blood Institute ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Childhood Hypertension ◽  
And Control

Objective: The principal aim of the study is to identify the effect of physical exercise and yoga on blood pressure (BP) among children, a common cardiovascular risk factor among children in recent years. Methods: A true experimental design was adopted to find the effect of physical exercise and yoga on selected children with increased BP and weight. The weight was inferred based on the World Health Organization (WHO) chart on body mass index for age. BP and height were measured and interpreted using the WHO height percentile chart for boys/girls and BP references of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, to identify hypertensive children. Hypertensive children were given physical exercise and yoga, 5 days a week, for 6 months and control group led a normal lives. Results: In the pretest, 100% of the study and control group were prehypertensive. After 3 months of physical exercise and yoga, 21% of study group became normotensive which was significant at p=0.000 and it increased to 93% after 6 months with the significance of p=0.000. The weight and systolic BP (SBP) had a significant positive correlation. The age (p=0.001), number of family members, type of family (p=0.01), mother’s occupation, family history of obesity, and chronic illness among fathers (p=0.05) had a significant association with SBP of the children. Conclusion: The study concluded that physical exercise and yoga reduced childhood hypertension as well as is a cost effective and easily practicable intervention for children to minimize cardiovascular risk during their adulthood.

Quality Control Assessment of Dhatryadi Ghrita with HPTLC Method

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-108
Author(s):  
Rashmi Saxena Pal ◽  
Amrita Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Sweet Taste ◽  
World Health ◽  
Research Article ◽  
Herbal Formulation ◽  
Therapeutic Value ◽  
Quality Check ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Hptlc Method

Background: Standardization of herbal formulation is mandatory for the quality check of drugs for assurance of their therapeutic value. According to the World Health Organization reports, about 80% of the world’s population relies on traditional medicine. Dhatryadi Ghrita, a polyherbal preparation containing eleven ingredients, has a sweet taste, cold potency and sweet post-digestive effects. Objective: In this research article, quality control for ghrita has been assessed for some of the ingredients of Dhatryadi Ghrita. Materials & Methods: Quality control assessment was done with the aid of the HPTLC method. Precoated silica gel GF 254 was used as the stationary phase and the developed method used benzene:ethyl alcohol (9:1v/v). Scanning and quantification of the plates were performed at 254 nm and 366 nm. Result: The study confirms the presence of different constituents of Ghrita. Conclusion: routine analysis of Ghrita was facilitated with simple, accurate and cost-effective HPTLC method. Data has been provided to demonstrate the present and future applicability of the methods of quality control assessment of Dhatryadi Ghrita.

Essential medicines for palliative care

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana De Lima ◽  
Lukas Radbruch ◽  
Eduardo Bruera
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
International Association ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Access To Medicines ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Hospice And Palliative Care

The essential medicines concept developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), states that there is a list of minimum medicines for a basic health-care system, including the most efficacious, safe, and cost-effective ones for priority conditions. According to the WHO, essential medicines are those that satisfy the primary health-care needs of the population. Thus, they should always be available, affordable, and cost-effective. However, the vast majority of the global population does not have access to essential medicines. Many organizations have called on governments to adopt policies to improve availability of these essential medicines and developed programmes and projects to increase awareness and knowledge. This chapter describes two such projects developed by the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), based on the essential medicines concept to improve access to medicines and appropriate palliative care: the IAHPC List of Essential Medicines in Palliative Care and the Opioid Essential Prescription Package.

scholarly journals A Review on a Deep Learning Perspective in Brain Cancer Classification

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal S. Tandel ◽  
Mainak Biswas ◽  
Omprakash G. Kakde ◽  
Ashish Tiwari ◽  
Harman S. Suri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Brain Cancer ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
World Health ◽  
Imaging Modalities ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Learning Paradigm ◽  
Brain Scans ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Health Organization

A World Health Organization (WHO) Feb 2018 report has recently shown that mortality rate due to brain or central nervous system (CNS) cancer is the highest in the Asian continent. It is of critical importance that cancer be detected earlier so that many of these lives can be saved. Cancer grading is an important aspect for targeted therapy. As cancer diagnosis is highly invasive, time consuming and expensive, there is an immediate requirement to develop a non-invasive, cost-effective and efficient tools for brain cancer characterization and grade estimation. Brain scans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), as well as other imaging modalities, are fast and safer methods for tumor detection. In this paper, we tried to summarize the pathophysiology of brain cancer, imaging modalities of brain cancer and automatic computer assisted methods for brain cancer characterization in a machine and deep learning paradigm. Another objective of this paper is to find the current issues in existing engineering methods and also project a future paradigm. Further, we have highlighted the relationship between brain cancer and other brain disorders like stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Wilson’s disease, leukoriaosis, and other neurological disorders in the context of machine learning and the deep learning paradigm.

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