A case of primary varicella meningoencephalitis in the absence of cutaneous lesions in a 4-month-old infant

2021 ◽  
pp. 004947552110561
Author(s):  
Vinod Kumar Palaparthy ◽  
Ruth Tigga
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Diagnosis ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Varicella Infection ◽  
Diagnostic Challenge ◽  
Cutaneous Lesions ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Definitive Therapy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dna Pcr

Primary varicella infection has typical cutaneous lesions which aid in clinical diagnosis. Infants with transplacental transfer of varicella antibody can have varied cutaneous lesions. We report a 4-month-old infant with primary varicella meningoencephalitis without cutaneous lesions whose mother had no history of varicella during antenatal or post-natal period. Diagnosis was made possible by CSF DNA PCR. Infants with encephalitis pose diagnostic challenge to clinicians in resource limited settings. Varicella encephalitis is one such aetiology for which definitive therapy with Acyclovir is available. CSF PCR is the definitive and cost-effective test for the diagnosis varicella encephalitis. In children with meningoencephalitis it is prudent to add Acyclovir empirically pending CSF viral PCR results.

scholarly journals Global & Community Health: Acute ischemic stroke in Toronto and Manila

Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (13) ◽  
pp. 604-606
Author(s):  
Sanskriti Sasikumar ◽  
Jose Danilo Bengzon Diestro
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Evidence Based Medicine ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Based Medicine

The educational experience of a neurology trainee can have profound regional variations. We recount the management of a stroke code in Toronto, Canada, and Manila, Philippines, as a means to highlight the need for collaborative learning, both in terms of practicing evidence-based medicine and managing neurologic conditions in resource-limited settings. Concerted peer-led initiatives such as videoconference rounds are an easy and cost-effective means of unifying this experience.

scholarly journals Quantification of Soluble or Insoluble Fractions of Leishmania Parasite Proteins in Microvolume Applications: A Simplification to Standard Lowry Assay

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhagya Deepachandi ◽  
Sudath Weerasinghe ◽  
Thisira Priyantha Andrahennadi ◽  
Nadira D. Karunaweera ◽  
Nadeeja Wickramarachchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Accurate Method ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Protein Quantification ◽  
Color Intensity ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Protein Assay ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Lowry Assay

Protein quantification is often an essential step in any research field that involves proteins. Although the standard Lowry assay and its modifications are most abundantly used in protein quantification, the existing methods are rigid or often demonstrate nonlinearity between protein concentration and color intensity. A method for fast and accurate qualitative and/or quantitative determination of total soluble/insoluble proteins or micro-well plate immobilized proteins isolated from Leishmania parasites in microvolumes was described in the current study. Improvements in cost-effective techniques are necessary to increase the research outputs in resource-limited settings. This method is a modification to the established Lowry assay for protein quantification. Concentrations of unknown samples were calculated using a standard curve prepared using a standard series of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The optimized reagents were 2 N NaOH (sodium hydroxide), 2% Na2CO3 (sodium carbonate), 1% CuSO4 (copper sulfate), 2% KNaC4H4O6 (potassium sodium tartrate), and 2 N Folin and Ciocalteu’s phenol. This modified protein assay was sensitive for quantifying Leishmania proteins in a total crude extract or in a soluble fraction within the approximate range of 10–500 μg/ml (1–50 μg/assay) and showed a linearity between color intensity and concentration of the protein. This is an easier, fast, and accurate method for quantifying proteins with microvolumes in a cost-effective manner for routine use in research laboratories in resource-limited settings.

scholarly journals Early infant HIV-1 diagnosis programs in resource-limited settings: opportunities for improved outcomes and more cost-effective interventions

BMC Medicine ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea L Ciaranello ◽  
Ji-Eun Park ◽  
Lynn Ramirez-Avila ◽  
Kenneth A Freedberg ◽  
Rochelle P Walensky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Early Infant ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
Hiv 1

Cost-effective HIV-1 virological monitoring in resource-limited settings using a modified commercially available qPCR RNA assay

2017 ◽  
Vol 248 ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayaseelan Boobalan ◽  
Andrea Torti ◽  
Thongadi Ramesh Dinesha ◽  
Sunil Suhas Solomon ◽  
Pachamuthu Balakrishnan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Virological Monitoring ◽  
Hiv 1

Utility of the Heteroduplex Assay (HDA) as a Simple and Cost-Effective Tool for the Identification of HIV Type 1 Dual Infections in Resource-Limited Settings

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. R. Powell ◽  
Mateusz M. Urbanski ◽  
Sherri Burda ◽  
Aubin Nanfack ◽  
Thompson Kinge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Hiv Type 1 ◽  
Dual Infections

scholarly journals Can Thin Layer Agar Test Play a Key Role in the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Low-Resource Settings?

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulaiman A Al Yousef ◽  
Khalid AbdelRahim ◽  
Ahmed Mohamed Ali
Keyword(s):  
Thin Layer ◽  
Susceptibility Testing ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Drug Susceptibility ◽  
Drug Susceptibility Testing ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Tuberculosis Diagnosis ◽  
Agar Method

Background: Fast, reliable, and cost-effective tests are recommended for tuberculosis diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing, especially in resource-limited settings. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of thin-layer agar for tuberculosis diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing. Methods: Samples were collected from patients with presumptive tuberculosis and tested using thin-layer agar for tuberculosis and drug susceptibility testing in parallel with Lowenstein Jensen culture method for tuberculosis diagnosis and proportion method for drug susceptibility testing as the gold standard. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to calculate the performance parameters. Results: Thin-layer agar method showed sensitivity and specificity values of 96.63% and 62.50%, respectively, for the isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis directly from specimens. Drug susceptibility results using thin-layer agar showed sensitivity values for isoniazid, rifampicin), ethambutol and streptomycin were 94.74%, 86.84%, 94.74% and 81.58%, respectively, while the specificity values were 100%, 100%, 86.27% and 100% for isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and streptomycin, respectively. Results were available in a median time of 16 days for thin-layer agar and 25 days for the conventional method. Conclusions: The thin-layer agar method is a relatively rapid, simple, and cost-effective method for the diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis. It may be a useful tool for establishing tuberculosis laboratories in resource-limited settings because it does not require expensive equipment and a high level of training. Our study may help in choosing the appropriate treatment and control of tuberculosis.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Infection Diagnosis: Potential Impact of Isothermal Amplification Technology to Reduce Community Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ameh James ◽  
John Alawneh
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Isothermal Amplification ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Rapid Tests ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Nicking Enzyme

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is largely driven by community transmission, after 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV or SARS-CoV-2) crosses the borders. To stop the spread, rapid testing is required at community clinics and hospitals. These rapid tests should be comparable with the standard PCR technology. Isothermal amplification technology provides an excellent alternative that is highly amenable to resource limited settings, where expertise and infrastructure to support PCR are not available. In this review, we provide a brief description of isothermal amplification technology, its potential and the gaps that need to be considered for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Among this emerging technology, loop-mediated amplification (LAMP), recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and Nicking enzyme-assisted reaction (NEAR) technologies have been identified as potential platforms that could be implemented at community level, without samples referral to a centralized laboratory and prolonged turnaround time associated with the standard COVID-19 RT-PCR test. LAMP, for example, has recently been shown to be comparable with PCR and could be performed in less than 30 min by non-laboratory staff, without RNA extractions commonly associated with PCR. Interestingly, NEAR (ID NOW™ COVID-19 (Abbott, IL, USA) was able to detect the virus in 5 min. More so, isothermal platforms are cost effective and could easily be scaled up to resource limited settings. Diagnostics developers, scientific community and commercial companies could consider this alternative method to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Cost-Effective Diagnostic Checklists for Meningitis in Resource-Limited Settings

2013 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. e101-e108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara N. Durski ◽  
Karen M. Kuntz ◽  
Kosuke Yasukawa ◽  
Beth A. Virnig ◽  
David B. Meya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Resource Limited
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