scholarly journals Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) as a Potential Point of Care Laboratory Test for Leprosy Diagnosis—A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sushma Tatipally ◽  
Aparna Srikantam ◽  
Sanjay Kasetty
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Review Analysis ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
Early Case ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Clinical Conditions

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and mainly affects skin, peripheral nerves, and eyes. Suitable tools for providing bacteriological evidence of leprosy are needed for early case detection and appropriate therapeutic management. Ideally these tools are applicable at all health care levels for the effective control of leprosy. This paper presents a systematic review analysis in order to investigate the performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) vis-à-vis slit skin smears (SSS) in various clinical settings and its potential usefulness as a routine lab test for leprosy diagnosis. Records of published journal articles were identified through PubMed database search. Twenty-seven articles were included for the analysis. The evidence from this review analysis suggests that PCR on skin biopsy is the ideal diagnostic test. Nevertheless, PCR on SSS samples also seems to be useful with its practical value for application, even at primary care levels. The review findings also indicated the necessity for improving the sensitivity of PCR and further research on specificity in ruling out other clinical conditions that may mimic leprosy. The M. leprae-specific repetitive element (RLEP) was the most frequently-used marker although its variable performance across the clinical sites and samples are a matter of concern. Undertaking further research studies with large sample numbers and uniform protocols studied simultaneously across multiple clinical sites is recommended to address these issues.

scholarly journals A Self-Contained Portable Polymerase-Chain-Reaction System Integrated with Electromagnetic Mini-Actuators for Bi-Directional Fluid Transport

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-364
Author(s):  
B. T. Chia ◽  
S.-A. Yang ◽  
M.-Y. Cheng ◽  
C.-W. Lin ◽  
Y.-J. Yang
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Fluid Transport ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Reaction System ◽  
Thermal Characteristics ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Rapid Temperature ◽  
Small Footprint ◽  
Polymerase Chain

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the development of a portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) device is presented. Integrating electromagnetic mini-actuators for bi-directional fluid transport, the proposed device, whose dimension is 67mm × 66mm × 25mm, can be fully operated with a 5V DC voltage. The device consists of four major parts: A disposable channel chip in which PCR mixture is manipulated and reacted, a heater chip which generates different temperature zones for PCR reaction, a linear actuator array for pumping PCR mixture, and a circuit module for controlling and driving the system. The advantages of the device include the rapid temperature responses associated with continuous-flow-type PCR devices, as well as the programmable thermal cycling associated with chamber-type PCR devices. The thermal characteristics are measured and discussed. PCR amplification is successfully performed for the 122 bp segment of MCF-7/adr cell line. Due to its small footprint, this self-contained system potentially can be employed for point-of-care (POC) applications.

Detection of Group A Streptococcus in the Saliva of Children Presenting With Pharyngitis Using the cobas Liat PCR System

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 856-858
Author(s):  
Gregory DeMuri ◽  
Ellen R. Wald
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Group A Streptococcus ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Sampling Techniques ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Point Of Care Test ◽  
Group A ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Rapid turnaround real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has recently become available as a point-of-care test for group A Streptococcus (GAS) in children presenting with pharyngitis. Our aim in this pilot study was to determine if GAS can be detected in the saliva of children with sore throat using swabs inoculated by children sucking on them as they would a lollipop. Twenty children with positive rapid antigen detection tests for GAS from pharyngeal swabs were enrolled. Pharyngeal and lollipop samples underwent PCR testing using the cobas Liat system. All 20 pharyngeal swabs were positive; 19 of 20 lollipop samples were positive. The increased sensitivity of the new PCR kits for GAS may permit use of less invasive and more comfortable sampling techniques for diagnosis.

scholarly journals Prevalence of respiratory viruses using polymerase chain reaction in children with wheezing, a systematic review and meta–analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243735
Author(s):  
Cyprien Kengne–Nde ◽  
Sebastien Kenmoe ◽  
Abdou Fatawou Modiyinji ◽  
Richard Njouom
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽  
Molecular Detection ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Human Bocavirus ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Manual Search ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Syncytial Virus

Introduction Wheezing is a major problem in children, and respiratory viruses are often believed to be the causative agent. While molecular detection tools enable identification of respiratory viruses in wheezing children, it remains unclear if and how these viruses are associated with wheezing. The objective of this systematic review is to clarify the prevalence of different respiratory viruses in children with wheezing. Methods We performed an electronic in Pubmed and Global Index Medicus on 01 July 2019 and manual search. We performed search of studies that have detected common respiratory viruses in children ≤18 years with wheezing. We included only studies using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Study data were extracted and the quality of articles assessed. We conducted sensitivity, subgroup, publication bias, and heterogeneity analyses using a random effects model. Results The systematic review included 33 studies. Rhinovirus, with a prevalence of 35.6% (95% CI 24.6–47.3, I2 98.4%), and respiratory syncytial virus, at 31.0% (95% CI 19.9–43.3, I2 96.4%), were the most common viruses detected. The prevalence of other respiratory viruses was as follows: human bocavirus 8.1% (95% CI 5.3–11.3, I2 84.6%), human adenovirus 7.7% (95% CI 2.6–15.0, I2 91.0%), influenza virus6.5% (95% CI 2.2–12.6, I2 92.4%), human metapneumovirus5.8% (95% CI 3.4–8.8, I2 89.0%), enterovirus 4.3% (95% CI 0.1–12.9, I2 96.2%), human parainfluenza virus 3.8% (95% CI 1.5–6.9, I2 79.1%), and human coronavirus 2.2% (95% CI 0.6–4.4, I2 79.4%). Conclusions Our results suggest that rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus may contribute to the etiology of wheezing in children. While the clinical implications of molecular detection of respiratory viruses remains an interesting question, this study helps to illuminate the potential of role respiratory viruses in pediatric wheezing. Review registration PROSPERO, CRD42018115128.

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