Molecular diagnosis of pediatric tumors

Author(s):  
Tanushri Mukherjee ◽  
Soma Mukherjee ◽  
Rajat Dutta

<p>Pediatric tumors are challenging in the context of best diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. For tumors which have a genetic association or a cancer predisposition syndrome, the prognosis depends on accurate diagnosis. The application of molecular genetics to pediatric tumors has resulted in better diagnostic and prognostic factors for patient management. Molecular diagnostic techniques, such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), have become important tests for childhood tumors. Targeted therapies are aimed at specific translocations which are detected by FISH. Molecular techniques help in monitoring of minimal residual disease in childhood tumors.</p>

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-288
Author(s):  
Ian Gassiep ◽  
Delaney Burnard ◽  
Michelle J Bauer ◽  
Robert E Norton ◽  
Patrick N Harris

Melioidosis is an emerging infectious disease with an estimated global burden of 4.64 million disability-adjusted life years per year. A major determinant related to poor disease outcomes is delay to diagnosis due to the fact that identification of the causative agent Burkholderia pseudomallei may be challenging. Over the last 25 years, advances in molecular diagnostic techniques have resulted in the potential for rapid and accurate organism detection and identification direct from clinical samples. While these methods are not yet routine in clinical practice, laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases is transitioning to culture-independent techniques. This review article aims to evaluate molecular methods for melioidosis diagnosis direct from clinical samples and discuss current and future utility and limitations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 449-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damiano Pizzol ◽  
Alessandro Bertoldo ◽  
Carlo Foresta

AbstractMale infertility is a problem that faces increasing interest, and the continuous development of assisted reproduction techniques solicits attempts to identify a precise diagnosis, in particular for idiopathic infertile couples and those undergoing assisted reproductive technique cycles. To date, diagnosis of male infertility is commonly based on standard semen analysis, but in many cases, this is not enough to detect any sperm abnormality. A better understanding of biomolecular issues and mechanism of damaged spermatogenesis and the refinement of the molecular techniques for sperm evaluation and selection are important advances that can lead to the optimization of diagnostic and therapeutic management of male and couple infertility. Faced with a growing number of new proposed techniques and diagnostic tests, it is fundamental to know which tests are already routinely used in the clinical practice and those that are likely to be used in the near future. This review focuses on the main molecular diagnostic techniques for male infertility and on newly developed methods that will probably be part of routine sperm analysis in the near future.


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e21000-e21000
Author(s):  
Kanyalakshmi Ayyanar ◽  
Nitya Narayan ◽  
Karen Moeller ◽  
William Gump ◽  
Thomas Moriarty ◽  
...  

e21000 Background: We describe two Caucasian boys with rare presentations of non-metastatic Ewings sarcoma (ES) with atypical primary sites. One was extradural but FISH negative for 22q11.2. Another was intradural but extramedullary, and FISH positive. Literature search showed few publications which describe such cases, and there is currently no standard of care. Methods: MG, an 11 year old male, presented with a frontal skull mass, with an intracranial epidural extension of about 5 mm. Biopsy confirmed ES. MG was treated with Vincristine, Doxorubicin, and Cyclophosphamide, alternating with Ifosfamide and Etoposide every 2 weeks, for 6 weeks. He underwent tumor excision for local control with good response. Chemotherapy continued, completing 14 cycles total. He is in remission 15 months after completion. AH, a 13 year old male, presented with lower back pain and paraesthesias of feet. MRI revealed an intradural, extra-medullary L1-L3 mass. Intra-operatively, all visible tumor peeled off readily, except for the L2 nerve root. The tumor was FISH positive for EWSR1. He was treated with the same regimen as MG for 6 cycles. Local control was done with radiation. He then continued chemotherapy, completing a total of 14 cycles. MRI scans 3 months later revealed enhancing intradural lesions along the spinal cord (involving C5, T5 and T8) and two lesions along the cerebellum. He was started on cyclophosphamide and topotecan and has completed 8 cycles without disease progression. Results: MG was diagnosed based solely on histo-pathological diagnosis. While MG’s lesion was extra-osseus in nature, more unusual presentations demonstrate the importance of molecular diagnostic techniques. AH was diagnosed based on chromosomal analysis. Progression is presumably from microscopic residual disease in intradural space that invaded CSF. He is presently on salvage chemotherapy. Nine months after relapse, disease is stable, with plans to minimize disease and consolidate. Conclusions: Intradural tumors tend to progress rapidly, maybe more so than extradural tumors. Future suggestions include developing a standard approach that will improve both treatment of Ewing’s sarcoma and prognostic outcomes for rare initial presentations.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Ambrós ◽  
F. Martínez ◽  
P. Ivars ◽  
C. Hernández ◽  
F. de la Iglesia ◽  
...  

AbstractTomato is known to be a natural and experimental reservoir host for many plant viruses. In the last few years a new tobamovirus species, Tomato mottle mosaic virus (ToMMV), has been described infecting tomato and pepper plants in several countries worldwide. Upon observation of symptoms in tomato plants growing in a greenhouse in Valencia, Spain, we aimed to ascertain the etiology of the disease. Using standard molecular techniques, we first detected a positive sense single-stranded RNA virus as the probable causal agent. Next, we amplified, cloned and sequenced a ~3 kb fragment of its RNA genome which allowed us to identify the virus as a new ToMMV isolate. Through extensive assays on distinct plant species, we validated Koch’s postulates and investigated the host range of the ToMMV isolate. Several plant species were locally and/or systemically infected by the virus, some of which had not been previously reported as ToMMV hosts despite they are commonly used in research greenhouses. Finally, two reliable molecular diagnostic techniques were developed and used to assess the presence of ToMMV in different plants species. We discuss the possibility that, given the high sequence homology between ToMMV and Tomato mosaic virus, the former may have been mistakenly diagnosed as the latter by serological methods.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-71
Author(s):  
M.M. Lawan ◽  
And M.I. Shago

The emergence of resistance to all antimalarial drugs in clinical use is now making it necessary to discover the markers responsible for the resistance. The principal aim of this research is the use of molecular diagnostic techniques to Determine the epidemiology of malaria parasites. Thirty blood samples were analyzed by microscopy and molecular techniques to monitor the relative efficiency in malaria diagnosis. Molecular analysis revealed 28 out of 30 samples as positive for malaria while Microscopic analysis revealed 27out of 30 samples as positive malaria parasite. The molecular analysis was particularly useful to unveil parasites presence in infections not detectable by blood smear analysis. Keywords: Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, Epidemiology, Malaria Parasites


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 310
Author(s):  
Monise Fazolin Petrucelli ◽  
Mariana Heinzen de Abreu ◽  
Bruna Aline Michelotto Cantelli ◽  
Gabriela Gonzalez Segura ◽  
Felipe Garcia Nishimura ◽  
...  

Dermatophytoses affect about 25% of the world population, and the filamentous fungus Trichophyton rubrum is the main causative agent of this group of diseases. Dermatomycoses are caused by pathogenic fungi that generally trigger superficial infections and that feed on keratinized substrates such as skin, hair, and nails. However, there are an increasing number of reports describing dermatophytes that invade deep layers such as the dermis and hypodermis and that can cause deep infections in diabetic and immunocompromised patients, as well as in individuals with immunodeficiency. Despite the high incidence and importance of dermatophytes in clinical mycology, the diagnosis of this type of infection is not always accurate. The conventional methods most commonly used for mycological diagnosis are based on the identification of microbiological and biochemical features. However, in view of the limitations of these conventional methods, molecular diagnostic techniques are increasingly being used because of their higher sensitivity, specificity and rapidity and have become more accessible. The most widely used molecular techniques are conventional PCR, quantitative PCR, multiplex PCR, nested, PCR, PCR-RFLP, and PCR-ELISA. Another promising technique for the identification of microorganisms is the analysis of protein profiles by MALDI-TOF MS. Molecular techniques are promising but it is necessary to improve the quality and availability of the information in genomic and proteomic databases in order to streamline the use of bioinformatics in the identification of dermatophytes of clinical interest.


2002 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cees M. Verduin ◽  
Cees Hol ◽  
André Fleer ◽  
Hans van Dijk ◽  
Alex van Belkum

SUMMARY Moraxella catarrhalis (formerly known as Branhamella catarrhalis) has emerged as a significant bacterial pathogen of humans over the past two decades. During this period, microbiological and molecular diagnostic techniques have been developed and improved for M. catarrhalis, allowing the adequate determination and taxonomic positioning of this pathogen. Over the same period, studies have revealed its involvement in respiratory (e.g., sinusitis, otitis media, bronchitis, and pneumonia) and ocular infections in children and in laryngitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia in adults. The development of (molecular) epidemiological tools has enabled the national and international distribution of M. catarrhalis strains to be established, and has allowed the monitoring of nosocomial infections and the dynamics of carriage. Indeed, such monitoring has revealed an increasing number of Β-lactamase-positive M. catarrhalis isolates (now well above 90%), underscoring the pathogenic potential of this organism. Although a number of putative M. catarrhalis virulence factors have been identified and described in detail, their relationship to actual bacterial adhesion, invasion, complement resistance, etc. (and ultimately their role in infection and immunity), has been established in a only few cases. In the past 10 years, various animal models for the study of M. catarrhalis pathogenicity have been described, although not all of these models are equally suitable for the study of human infection. Techniques involving the molecular manipulation of M. catarrhalis genes and antigens are also advancing our knowledge of the host response to and pathogenesis of this bacterial species in humans, as well as providing insights into possible vaccine candidates. This review aims to outline our current knowledge of M. catarrhalis, an organism that has evolved from an emerging to a well-established human pathogen.


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