scholarly journals Detection of C-Reactive Protein by Liquid-Gated Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors (LG-CNTFET): A Promising Tool against Antibiotic Resistance

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Luis Antonio Panes-Ruiz ◽  
Tom Stückemann ◽  
Leif Riemenschneider ◽  
Markus Löffler ◽  
Viktor Bezugly ◽  
...  

Respiratory tract infections have the highest rates of antibiotic prescriptions where symptoms like fever, cough, and rigors are regularly misinterpreted and where bacterial infections cannot be distinguished from viral ones. Nevertheless, it has been recently suggested that C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein produced by the liver in response to infection, could serve as a potential biomarker for the precise differentiation of these two types of infections. Thus, its quick and accurate detection would potentially reduce the unnecessary antibiotic use. To this end, we present an easy and sensitive approach for the selective detection of C-reactive protein (CRP) by liquid-gated carbon nanotube field effect transistors (LG-CNTFET). Herein, CNT-networks were deposited between electrodes via controlled dielectrophoretic deposition and then functionalized with a novel specific antibody and a polyethylene glycol (PEG) layer in order to overcome the Debye screening. The successful fabrication and functionalization were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed a selective and reproducible detection down to picomolar concentrations in PBS buffer without complicated microfluidics. The simplicity and high sensitivity of this sensor platform make it a promising tool for the quick and precise differential diagnosis of viral and bacterial infections.

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-128
Author(s):  
Giordano Padovan ◽  
Rosa Preteroti ◽  
Beatrice Bortolato ◽  
Maria Magdalini Papaioannou ◽  
Giada Piva ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S16-S16
Author(s):  
Sara Kim ◽  
Avni Bhatt ◽  
Silvana Carr ◽  
Frances Saccoccio ◽  
Judy Lew

Abstract Background Procalcitonin (PCT) and c-reactive protein (CRP) have been utilized in children to assess risk for serious bacterial infections. However, there have been different cut-offs reported for PCT and CRP, which yield different sensitivity and specificity. This study aims to compare the sensitivity and specificity of PCT and CRP in detecting serious bacterial infections (SBIs), specifically urinary tract infections, bacteremia and meningitis. Methods In this retrospective, single center cohort study from January 2018 to June 2019, we analyzed children with a fever greater than 38C with both PCT and CRP value within 24 hours of admission. Each patient had a blood, urine and/or cerebrospinal fluid culture collected within 48 hours of admission. No antibiotics were administered from the admitting hospital prior to collection of the PCT or CRP. Our gold standard was a positive culture obtained from blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or urine. The statistical analysis included categorical variables as percentages and compared them using the Fisher exact test. The optimal cutoff values for PCT or CRP were based on ROC curve analysis and Youden Index. Sensitivity and specificity analysis were based on literature review cut offs and ROC curves cut offs. Results Among 202 children, we had 45 culture positive patients (11 urinary tract infections, 4 meningitis, and 32 bacteremia). The patients with culture positivity had higher PCT levels (7.9 ng/mL vs 2.5 ng/mL, P=0.0111), CRP levels (110.9 mg/L vs 49.6 mg/L, P<0.0001) and temperature (39.2C vs 39C, P<0.0052). The area under the curve (AUC) comparing culture positivity vs negativity for all culture types was 0.72 (p<0.0001) for PCT and 0.66 (p=0.001) for CRP. In Figure 1, the AUC for culture positive bacteremia was 0.68 (p=0.0011) for PCT and 0.70 (p=0.0003). The AUC for culture positive urinary tract infections (UTI) only was 0.86 (p=0.0001) for PCT and 0.70 (p=0.3607). For the cut-off value for PCT at 0.5 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity was 64% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5–0.77) and 70% (95% CI 0.62–0.77) respectively in identifying children with bacterial infection. For the cut-off value for CRP at 20 mg/L, the sensitivity and specificity was 67% (95% CI 0.52–0.79) and 52% (95% CI 0.44–0.59) respectively in identifying children with bacterial infection. Conclusion In this study, PCT and CRP are nearly equivalent classifiers for detecting SBIs as a group and bacteremia, but PCT is statistically better for urinary tract infections; however, the clinical utility is unknown.


Open Heart ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e001325
Author(s):  
Anders Holmgren ◽  
Johan Ljungberg ◽  
Johan Hultdin ◽  
Bengt Johansson ◽  
Ingvar A Bergdahl ◽  
...  

AimsHigh-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) and high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) may convey prognostic information in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). This study evaluated if hs-TnT and hs-CRP associate with myocardial mass, and risk of future surgery for AS.MethodsIn total, 336 patients (48% women) with surgery for AS with previous participation in large population surveys were identified. Preoperatively, myocardial mass and the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) were assessed. Two matched referents were allocated for each case, and hs-TnT and hs-CRP were determined in stored plasma from the baseline survey. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the risk (OR (95% CI)) related to one (natural logarithm) SD increase in hs-TnT and hs-CRP. Kaplan-Mayer and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate time to surgery.ResultsMedian age (IQR) was 59.8 (10.3) years at survey, and median time between survey and surgery was 10.9 (9.3) years. Hs-TnT was independently associated with surgery for AS (1.24 (1.06–1.44)) irrespective of CAD, whereas Hs-CRP was not (1.05 (0.90–1.22)). Elevated hs-TnT levels at survey associated with shorter time to surgery (p<0.001), and with increased myocardial mass (p=0.002). Hs-CRP did not associate with time to surgery or with myocardial mass.ConclusionsHs-TnT—but not hs-CRP—was associated with increased risk of—and shorter time to—future surgery for AS. Hs-TnT associated with myocardial mass at surgery which indicates that hs-TnT could be a potential biomarker for determining intervention.


Infection ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabell Pink ◽  
David Raupach ◽  
Jan Fuge ◽  
Ralf-Peter Vonberg ◽  
Marius M. Hoeper ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread around the world. Differentiation between pure viral COVID-19 pneumonia and secondary infection can be challenging. In patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) on admission physicians often decide to prescribe antibiotic therapy. However, overuse of anti-infective therapy in the pandemic should be avoided to prevent increasing antimicrobial resistance. Procalcitonin (PCT) and CRP have proven useful in other lower respiratory tract infections and might help to differentiate between pure viral or secondary infection. Methods We performed a retrospective study of patients admitted with COVID-19 between 6th March and 30th October 2020. Patient background, clinical course, laboratory findings with focus on PCT and CRP levels and microbiology results were evaluated. Patients with and without secondary bacterial infection in relation to PCT and CRP were compared. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the best discriminating cut-off value of PCT and CRP with the corresponding sensitivity and specificity was calculated. Results Out of 99 inpatients (52 ICU, 47 Non-ICU) with COVID-19, 32 (32%) presented with secondary bacterial infection during hospitalization. Patients with secondary bacterial infection had higher PCT (0.4 versus 0.1 ng/mL; p = 0.016) and CRP (131 versus 73 mg/L; p = 0.001) levels at admission and during the hospital stay (2.9 versus 0.1 ng/mL; p < 0.001 resp. 293 versus 94 mg/L; p < 0.001). The majority of patients on general ward had no secondary bacterial infection (93%). More than half of patients admitted to the ICU developed secondary bacterial infection (56%). ROC analysis of highest PCT resp. CRP and secondary infection yielded AUCs of 0.88 (p < 0.001) resp. 0.86 (p < 0.001) for the entire cohort. With a PCT cut-off value at 0.55 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 91% with a specificity of 81%; a CRP cut-off value at 172 mg/L yielded a sensitivity of 81% with a specificity of 76%. Conclusion PCT and CRP measurement on admission and during the course of the disease in patients with COVID-19 may be helpful in identifying secondary bacterial infections and guiding the use of antibiotic therapy.


Neonatology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-36
Author(s):  
Tetsuo Naramura ◽  
Hiroko Imamura ◽  
Hidetaka Yoshimatsu ◽  
Kaname Hirashima ◽  
Shinji Irie ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Evidence on the reliability of using procalcitonin (PCT) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as diagnostic markers for early-onset neonatal bacterial infections is still insufficient because of their physiological elevation during the early neonatal period. This study aimed to assess the respiratory influence of serum PCT and hs-CRP levels and evaluate their predictive value for bacterial infections during the first 72 h of life in preterm neonates. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The preterm neonates enrolled in this single-center retrospective cohort study were categorized into 3 groups: reference, infection-unlikely respiratory failure, and probable bacterial infection; their serum PCT and hs-CRP levels were assessed. Subsequently, age-specific 95th percentile curves were plotted and the median and cutoff PCT and hs-CRP levels for predicting bacterial infections at birth and 7–18, 19–36, and 37–72 h after birth were determined. Moreover, the analysis of PCT and hs-CRP with a neonatal sequential organ failure assessment (nSOFA) score was performed in very low birth weight neonates. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Serum PCT levels were influenced by respiratory failure. A significant difference was found in the median PCT and hs-CRP levels among the 3 groups at each time point. PCT sensitivities for predicting bacterial infection were slightly higher than those of hs-CRP in each time frame during the first 72 h of life. In both PCT and hs-CRP, there was no significant difference between infants with nSOFA scores of &#x3e;4 and those with nSOFA scores of ≤4. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> Age-specific evaluation showed that PCT has better predictive value than hs-CRP for early-onset bacterial infections in preterm neonates.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 044105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Chieh Kao ◽  
Yen-Wen Chen ◽  
Chia-Ho Chu ◽  
Wen-Hsin Chang ◽  
Shu-Chu Shiesh ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengchen Duan ◽  
Xiaoying Gu ◽  
Guohui Fan ◽  
Fei Zhou ◽  
Guangfa Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Whether procalcitonin (PCT) or C-reactive protein (CRP) combined with certain clinical characteristics can better distinguish viral from bacterial infections remains unclear. The aim of the study was to assess the ability of PCT or CRP combined with clinical characteristics to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections in hospitalized non-intensive care unit (ICU) adults with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Methods This was a post-hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial previously conducted among LRTI patients. The ability of PCT, CRP and PCT or CRP combined with clinical symptoms to discriminate between viral and bacterial infection were assessed by portraying receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves among patients with only a viral or a typical bacterial infection. Results In total, 209 infected patients (viral 69%, bacterial 31%) were included in the study. When using CRP or PCT to discriminate between viral and bacterial LRTI, the optimal cut-off points were 22 mg/L and 0.18 ng/mL, respectively. When the optimal cut-off for CRP (≤ 22 mg/L) or PCT (≤ 0.18 ng/mL) combined with rhinorrhea was used to discriminate viral from bacterial LRTI, the AUCs were 0.81 (95% CI: 0.75–0.87) and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.74–0.86), which was statistically significantly better than when CRP or PCT used alone (p < 0.001). When CRP ≤ 22 mg/L, PCT ≤ 0.18 ng/mL and rhinorrhea were combined, the AUC was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80–0.91), which was statistically significantly higher than when CRP (≤ 22 mg/L) or PCT (≤ 0.18 ng/mL) was combined with rhinorrhea (p = 0.011 and p = 0.021). Conclusions Either CRP ≤ 22 mg/L or PCT ≤ 0.18 ng/mL combined with rhinorrhea could help distinguish viral from bacterial infections in hospitalized non-ICU adults with LRTI. When rhinorrhea was combined together, discrimination ability was further improved.


NANO ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 03 (06) ◽  
pp. 415-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
HYE RYUNG BYON ◽  
SUPHIL KIM ◽  
HEE CHEUL CHOI

Carbon nanotube field effect transistor (FET) type biosensors have been widely investigated as one of the promising platforms for highly sensitive personalized disease-monitoring electronic devices. Combined with high level cutting edge information technology (IT) infra systems, carbon nanotube transistor biosensors afford a great opportunity to contribute to human disease care by providing early diagnostic capability. Several key prerequisites that should be clarified for the real application include sensitivity, reliability, reproducibility, and expandability to multiplex detection systems. In this brief review, we introduce the types, fabrication, and detection methods of single-walled carbon nanotube FET (SWNT-FET) devices. As surface functionalization of the devices by which nonspecific bindings (NSBs) are efficiently prohibited is also another important issue regarding reliable biosensors, we discuss several key strategies about surface passivation along with examples of various biomolecules such as proteins, DNA, small molecules, aptamers, viruses, and cancer and neurodegenerative disease markers which have been successfully sensed by SWNT-FET devices. Finally, we discuss proposed detection mechanisms, according to which strategies for fabricating sensor devices having high sensitivity are determined. Two main mechanisms — charge transfer (or electrostatic gate effect) and Schottky barrier effect, depending on the place where biomolecules are adsorbed — will be covered.


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