scholarly journals Comparative Evaluation of Ligation-Mediated PCR and Spoligotyping as Screening Methods for Genotyping ofMycobacterium tuberculosis Strains

1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 3118-3123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Bonora ◽  
M. Cristina Gutierrez ◽  
Giovanni Di Perri ◽  
Francesca Brunello ◽  
Benedetta Allegranzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Evaluation ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Rflp Analysis ◽  
Step Test ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Typing Method ◽  
Low Prevalence ◽  
Discriminatory Index

Spoligotyping has been suggested as a screening test in multistep genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Relying on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with IS6110 (IS6110 RFLP analysis) as a “gold standard,” we performed a comparative evaluation of spoligotyping and ligation-mediated PCR (LMPCR), a recently described PCR-based typing method, as rapid screening tests for fingerprinting of 158 M. tuberculosis strains collected in Verona, Italy. LMPCR seemed to be comparable to spoligotyping in terms both of feasibility with rapidly extracted DNA and of generation of software-analyzable images. Moreover, LMPCR grouped considerably fewer strains than spoligotyping (38 versus 67%) and was found to reduce the cluster overestimation rate (26.3 versus 58%) and to give a better discriminatory index (0.992 versus 0.970) compared to spoligotyping. In our geographical region, where there was no evidence of clustered strains carrying fewer than six IS6110 copies, LMPCR was found to be more discriminatory than spoligotyping. We also evaluated two models of three-step typing strategies, involving the use of spoligotyping and LMPCR as screening methods and IS6110 RFLP analysis as a further supporting test. LMPCR proved to be a more effective first-step test than spoligotyping, significantly reducing the need for subtyping. LMPCR should be considered an alternative to spoligotyping as a rapid screening method for M. tuberculosis fingerprinting, particularly in areas with a low prevalence of M. tuberculosis strains carrying few copies of IS6110.

scholarly journals A study of prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women from rural areas attending to Obstetric Department in Akash Hospital, Karnataka, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 2845
Author(s):  
Rohini N. S. ◽  
Ravishankar S. N. ◽  
Kala K. ◽  
Rakshith N. R.
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Urine Culture ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Asymptomatic Bacteriuria ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Gram Staining ◽  
In Pregnancy

Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is a significant risk factor for developing upper urinary tract infection and pyelonephritis which is associated with significant maternal and fetal risks. The aim of this study was to know the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy, to identify the organisms and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns and to formulate a single or combined rapid screening method as an acceptable alternative to urine culture.Methods: A total of 375 pregnant women aged between 18 to 45 years were included in this study. Clean catch mid-stream urine samples were collected. Screening tests done were gram staining of uncentrifuged urine, pus cell count, nitrite test and leukocyte esterase test. Identification of pathogens and antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed as per standard urine culture and sensitivity methods.Results: Out of the 375 pregnant women, 31 (8.4%) had significant bacteriuria. High percentage of women with ASB were primigravidas (51.38%) and in 2nd trimester (43.86%). The most common organism isolated was E.coli (56.14%). In screening tests, gram staining of uncentrifuged urine had a sensitivity of 85.71%. Sensitivity of 71.42% was found in Nitrite and leucocyte esterase tests. However, the combination of these two tests, with either test positive, showed sensitivity and negative predictive value of 90.47% and 99.09% respectively.Conclusions: Early detection and treatment of ASB in pregnancy can prevent complications. ASB can be identified by simple and combined rapid screening methods and urine culture along with antibiogram. Therefore, screening and treatment of ASB may be incorporated as routine antenatal care for safe motherhood and healthy newborn.

Rapid Screening Methods for Bleeding Disorders. A Three Year Survey

1964 ◽  
Vol 11 (02) ◽  
pp. 506-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. A Lovric ◽  
J Margolis
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Capillary Blood ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Bleeding Disorders ◽  
Routine Laboratory ◽  
Clotting Time ◽  
Kaolin Clotting Time ◽  
In Infants And Children

SummaryAn adaptation of “kaolin clotting time” and prothrombin time for use on haemolysed capillary blood provided simple and sensitive screening tests suitable for use in infants and children. A survey of three year’s experience shows that these are reliable routine laboratory tests for detection of latent coagulation disorders.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Characterization of Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from 14 Cities in China

2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 3642-3649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjia Sun ◽  
Hongbin Chen ◽  
Yudong Liu ◽  
Chunjiang Zhao ◽  
Wright W. Nichols ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Population Analysis ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Brain Heart Infusion ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Screening Cascade

ABSTRACT The prevalence of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) among 1,012 vancomycin-susceptible methicillin (meticillin)-resistant S. aureus isolates collected from 14 cities in China from 2005 to 2007 was 13 to 16%, as determined by a combination of (i) measurement by the modified population analysis profile-area under the curve method (PAP-AUC) and (ii) estimation from the measured sensitivity and specificity of a screening method. Two hundred isolates from blood were chosen as a subset for measurement of the sensitivities and the specificities of several previously described screening methods by using the results of PAP-AUC as the reference. During this testing, one isolate was found to be a vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) strain so was not used in the evaluation of the screening tests. Of the other 199 isolates, 26 (13.1%) were hVISA, as assessed by PAP-AUC. A screening cascade of culturing the isolates on brain heart infusion agar containing teicoplanin (5 mg/liter) and then subjecting the positive isolates to a macro-Etest method was applied to the 812 non-blood isolates, yielding 149 positive results. From these results and by adjusting for sensitivity (0.423) and specificity (0.861), the prevalence was estimated to be 15.7%. The precision of that estimate was assessed by reapplying the screening cascade to 120 randomly selected isolates from the 812 non-blood isolates and simultaneously determining their heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate susceptibility status by PAP-AUC. Because PAP-AUC is impractical for use with large numbers of isolates, the screening-based estimation method is useful as a first approximation of the prevalence of hVISA. Of the 27 VISA or hVISA isolates from blood, 22.2% and 74.1% were staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec types II and III, respectively, while 77.8% and 22.2% were agr type 1 and agr type 2, respectively; the MIC ranges were 0.5 to 4 mg/liter for vancomycin and 0.25 to 1 mg/liter for daptomycin.

scholarly journals Cervical Cancer Screening Programs in Europe: The Transition Towards HPV Vaccination and Population-Based HPV Testing

Viruses ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Chrysostomou ◽  
Dora Stylianou ◽  
Anastasia Constantinidou ◽  
Leondios Kostrikis
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Cervical Cancer Screening ◽  
Hpv Vaccination ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Hpv Testing ◽  
Screening Programs

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequently occurring cancer in women around the world and can affect them during their reproductive years. Since the development of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test, screening has been essential in identifying cervical cancer at a treatable stage. With the identification of the human papillomavirus (HPV) as the causative agent of essentially all cervical cancer cases, HPV molecular screening tests and HPV vaccines for primary prevention against the virus have been developed. Accordingly, comparative studies were designed to assess the performance of cervical cancer screening methods in order to devise the best screening strategy possible. This review critically assesses the current cervical cancer screening methods as well as the implementation of HPV vaccination in Europe. The most recent European Guidelines and recommendations for organized population-based programs with HPV testing as the primary screening method are also presented. Lastly, the current landscape of cervical cancer screening programs is assessed for both European Union member states and some associated countries, in regard to the transition towards population-based screening programs with primary HPV testing.

Performance criteria for rapid screening methods to detect mycotoxins

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. von Holst ◽  
J. Stroka
Keyword(s):  
False Negative ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Performance Criterion ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Method Performance ◽  
Official Control ◽  
The Impact

The paper describes the validation of screening methods that are used for official control to classify samples into negative and suspect positive samples. The concept is based on the principle that negative samples are considered as compliant, whereas suspect positive samples need to be re-analysed with confirmatory methods. An important performance criterion often used is a maximum value of 5% for the probability of false negative results obtained on samples that contain the analyte at the legal limit. Since the result of analysis is a binary decision, specific validation schemes need to be applied. The paper places emphasis on practical aspects of the calculation of the method performance characteristics, which are required to check whether the methods fulfil the performance criterion. The paper shows that screening methods based on a visual inspection, e.g. a dipstick, require special data treatment. In contrast there are many methods where the classification into negative and suspect positive samples is based on the comparison of a measured response against a cut-off value. This type of methods can be validated with quantitative statistics. The paper also elaborates on the calculation of the rate of false positive results of compliant samples. In addition the impact on the economical aspect of the use of the screening method is estimated, taking into account external factors such as the cost ratio between the screening and the confirmatory method and the occurrence of non-compliant samples in the entire population of the samples.

scholarly journals A review of vision screening methods for children

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid T. Metsing ◽  
Wanda Jacobs ◽  
Rekha Hansraj
Keyword(s):  
Screening Method ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Vision Screening ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Manual Search ◽  
Screening Protocol ◽  
Software Programs

Background: What constitutes an appropriate vision screening protocol is controversial, because the tests or methods are expected to be cost-effective, expedient and easy but efficient in detecting visual anomalies among children.Aim: This review intends to compare the different vision screening tests for children and methods in the interest of identifying the most effective screening method from the standpoint of validity, public acceptance, expediency and cost.Method: The literature search was performed for this review using the Medline, Science Direct and EBSCOhost databases. The search terms used were vision screening methods or tests, children’s vision screenings, computer software programs and vision screening instruments. The inclusion criteria for the articles reviewed were all types of articles related to vision screening methods. The exclusion criteria were all articles for which full text was not available and those not available in English. Eighty articles were analysed, of which 33 were found to have complied with the inclusion criteria and were selected. From the first round of articles retrieved, additional references were identified by a manual search among the cited references.Results: Evidence from the literature reviewed demonstrated that the conventional vision screening method (isolated and combination tests) is the method commonly used to detect a range of relevant visual anomalies among the schoolgoing age group (≥ 6 years) and drew attention to the need for training of vision screening personnel. However, in addition to the conventional method, other vision screening methods include instruments as an adjunct for screening preschoolers and those difficult to screen (≤ 6 years).Conclusion: Inconsistencies in what constitutes an appropriate vision screening method still exist, especially with the booming market of using computer software programs, which still needs to be validated.

scholarly journals Ochratoxin A Occurrence in Food

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana FEIER ◽  
Maria TOFANA
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Poultry Meat ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Analytical Technique ◽  
Analytical Approaches

The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of Ochratoxin A (OA) in food based on the results of the investigation about the Assessment of dietary intake of Ochratoxin A by the population of EU Member States. Ochratoxin A (OTA) can occur in a large variety of commodities (cereals, beans, groundnuts, spices, dried fruits, coffee, beer, wine) and, because of a carry-over effect, in milk, pig blood, liver, and kidney, and poultry meat from animals fed with contaminated feed. Because of the persistence of OTA in the food chain, exposure to the compound is a potential human health hazard. This has prompted adoption of regulatory limits in several countries which, in turn, implies the development of suitable validated and official analytical methods and rapid screening tests for cost-effective food control on a large scale. Liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC–FLD), coupled with immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up, is the most widely employed analytical technique. LC coupled with electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry (MS) has detection limits comparable with those of LC– FLD and the selectivity of IAC can be achieved by tandem (MS–MS) or sequential (MSn) detection. Synthetic counterparts to natural antibodies in the form of molecularly imprinted polymers seem a promising alternative to IAC for sample preparation. New analytical approaches to rapid, low-cost screening methods, for example those based on biosensors and dip-stick-like kits, are a direction in which innovation can be expected.

scholarly journals Comparative Evaluation of National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards Broth Macrodilution and Agar Dilution Screening Methods for Testing Fluconazole Susceptibility ofCryptococcus neoformans

1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1330-1332 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Kirkpatrick ◽  
Robert K. McAtee ◽  
Sanjay G. Revankar ◽  
Annette W. Fothergill ◽  
Dora I. McCarthy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Evaluation ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Free Medium ◽  
Fluconazole Resistance ◽  
Agar Dilution ◽  
Broth Macrodilution ◽  
Simple Screening

A simple screening method for fluconazole susceptibility ofCryptococcus neoformans using 2% dextrose Sabouraud dextrose agar (SabDex) with fluconazole was compared to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) broth macrodilution method. By this method, fluconazole-susceptible C. neoformans isolates are significantly smaller on medium with fluconazole than on fluconazole-free medium. Isolates with decreased susceptibility have normal-size colonies on medium containing fluconazole. The 48-h NCCLS broth macrodilution MICs (NCCLS MICs) for isolates with normal-size colonies on 8- or 16-μg/ml fluconazole plates were predicted to be ≥8 or ≥16 μg/ml, respectively. On medium with 16 μg of fluconazole per ml, all strains (84 of 84) for which the NCCLS MICs were <16 μg/ml were correctly predicted, as were all isolates (7 of 7) for which the MICs were ≥16 μg/ml. Agar dilution appears to be an effective screening method for fluconazole resistance in C. neoformans.

scholarly journals RAPID LAB SCREENING METHODS FOR WINTER PROTECTION METHODS OF STRAWBERRY

HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 655b-655
Author(s):  
J.M. Turner ◽  
K.K. Tanino
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Controlled System ◽  
Row Covers ◽  
Rapid Screening Method ◽  
One Year

On average, one year in ten is a true test winter for screening winter hardy plants. Thus, screening of cultural practices under field conditions is often difficult, requiring many years data. In Saskatchewan, the two major winter stresses are low temperature and desiccation. Under controlled lab conditions, a rapid screening method for cultural practices on strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) plants was developed. Temperature profiles and survival under various row covers and mulches in this controlled system corresponded well to previous field results. Straw over plastic and snow over plastic row covers conferred the best low temperature protection on these plants.

Development and Model Testing of Antemortem Screening Methodology To Predict Required Drug Withholds in Heifers†

2014 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHUNA A. JONES ◽  
ROBERT S. SALTER ◽  
TIM GOLDSMITH ◽  
JULIO QUINTANA ◽  
PAUL RAPNICKI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Beta Lactams ◽  
Drug Residues ◽  
Withdrawal Time ◽  
Live Animal ◽  
Microbial Inhibition

A simple, cow-side test for the presence of drug residues in live animal fluids would provide useful information for tissue drug residue avoidance programs. This work describes adaptation and evaluation of rapid screening tests to detect drug residues in serum and urine. Medicated heifers had urine, serum, and tissue biopsy samples taken while on drug treatment. Samples were tested by rapid methods and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The adapted microbial inhibition method, kidney inhibition swab test, was useful in detecting sulfadimethoxine in serum, and its response correlated with the prescribed withdrawal time for the drug, 5 to 6 days posttreatment. The lateral flow screening method for flunixin and beta-lactams, adapted for urine, was useful in predicting flunixin in liver detected by HPLC, 96 h posttreatment. The same adapted methods were not useful to detect ceftiofur in serum or urine due to a lack of sensitivity at the levels of interest. These antemortem screening test studies demonstrated that the method selected, and the sampling matrix chosen (urine or serum), will depend on the drug used and should be based on animal treatment history if available. The live animal tests demonstrated the potential for verification that an individual animal is free of drug residues before sale for human consumption.

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