scholarly journals Evaluation of the TGS TA system for the detection of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Arpino ◽  
Annalisa Cianflone ◽  
Maria Teresa Manco ◽  
Alessia Paganini ◽  
Massimo De Paschale ◽  
...  

<em>Background and aims.</em> The aim of the present study was to evaluate the new chemiluminescence TGS TA system of Technogenetics (Milan, Italy) for detecting anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies and IgG avidity. The TGS TA system was compared with our chemiluminescence routinely used system, LIAISON XL, supplied by Diasorin (Saluggia, Italy), for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies. Only in positive IgM samples (retrospective study) and for the IgG avidity (if existent), TGS TA system was compared to an Enzyme Linked Fluorescent Assay (ELFA) test (VIDAS, BioMérieux, Marcy-l’Étoile, France). <br /><em>Materials and methods</em>. Three hundred and one sera samples, from women who came to our centre for the routine follow up pregnancy, were examined with the TGS TA system and divided in 3 groups according to IgG and IgM screening LIAISON XL tests: 106 were non-immune women (Group 1), 100 were pregnant with past infection (Group 2) and 95 were pregnant with positive or equivocal IgM (82 with positive IgG and 13 with negative IgG) (Group 3). <br /><em>Results</em>. The overall concordance of the IgG results between LIAISON XL and TGS TA was 99.3%: 100% in Group 1, 98% in Group 2 and 100% in Group 3. The overall concordance of the IgM results between LIAISON XL and TGS TA was 93.9%: 100% in Group 1, 94% in Group 2 and 82.8% in Group 3. In Group 3, the concordance between the results of the IgG avidity with the ELFA and TGS TA tests was 81.7%. Comparing the clinical diagnosis obtained with our protocol and that of the TGS TA system, the overall concordance was 92.7%: 100% in Group 1, 92.0% in Group 2 and 78.9% in Group 3. <br /><em>Conclusions</em>. The overall concordance of IgG antibodies is excellent for both protocols while for IgM antibodies is very high in the first group and lower in the third group, due to the presence of non-specific IgM subjects in this group. The TGS TA avidity test seems to predict ealier the maturation of the IgG compared to the ELFA test since many samples with low avidity with the ELFA were seen with moderate avidity with TGS TA and all those with borderline avidity with the ELFA were seen with high avidity with TGS TA. This system shows to be a valuable tool with overall good clinical correlation and able to clearly identify nonspecific subjects, those with a non-recent infection.

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Arpino ◽  
Annalisa Cianflone ◽  
Maria Teresa Manco ◽  
Alessia Paganini ◽  
Massimo De Paschale ◽  
...  

<p><em>Background and aims:</em> The aim of the present study was to evaluate the new Technogenetics TGS TA system for detecting antirubella IgG and IgM antibodies and IgG avidity. TGS TA system was compared with our routinely used system, LIAISON XL, for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies. Only in positive IgM samples (retrospective study), TGS TA system was compared to an ELFA IgM test and with an ELISA test for the IgG avidity (if existent).<br /><em>Materials and methods:</em> Two hundred and seventy six sera samples from women were examined with TGS TA system and divided in 3 groups according to IgG and IgM screening LIAISON XL tests: 112 were of childbearing age and non-immune women (Group 1), 106 were pregnant with past infection or vaccinated (Group 2) and 49 were pregnant with positive or equivocal IgM (Group 3). <br /><em>Results</em>: The overall concordance of the IgG results between LIAISON XL and TGS TA was 93.3%: 86.6% in Group 1, 97.2% in Group 2 and 100% in Group 3. The overall concordance of the IgM results between LIAISON XL and TGS TA was 89.0%: 100% in Group 1, 100% in Group 2 and 35.6% in Group 3. In Group 3, the concordance between the results of the IgG avidity with the ELISA and TGS TA tests was 85.7%. Comparing the clinical diagnosis obtained with our protocol and that of the TGS TA system, the overall concordance was 97.4%: 86.6% in Group 1, 97.2% in Group 2 and 85.7% in Group 3. <br /><em>Conclusions</em>: TGA TS system shows to be a valuable tool with overall good clinical correlation and able to clearly identify nonspecific subjects, those with a non-recent infection or those who are vaccinated. The TGS TA test also seems to be especially sensitive in indicating vaccinated subjects with low IgG levels as immune.</p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annalisa Cianflone ◽  
Maria Teresa Manco ◽  
Olivia Arpino ◽  
Alessia Paganini ◽  
Massimo De Paschale ◽  
...  

<em>Background and aims:</em> The aim of the present study was to evaluate the new Technogenetics TGS TA system for detecting anti-Cytomegalovirus IgG and IgM antibodies and IgG avidity. The TGS TA system was compared with our routinely used system, LIAISON XL, for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies. Only in positive IgM samples, TGS TA system was compared to an enzyme linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) test (VIDAS, BioMérieux, Marcy-l’Étoile, France) and with LIAISON XL system for the IgG avidity (if possible). <br /><em>Materials and methods:</em> Three hundred sera samples from pregnant women were examined with the TGS TA system and divided in 3 groups according to IgG and IgM screening LIAISON XL tests: 102 were non-immune women (Group 1), 98 were pregnant with past infection (Group 2) and 100 were pregnant with positive or equivocal IgM (95 with positive IgG and 5 with negative IgG) (Group 3). <br /><em>Results:</em> The overall concordance of the IgG results between LIAISON XL and TGS TA was 98.3%: 97.1% in Group 1, 100% in Group 2 and 98.0% in Group 3. The overall concordance of the IgM results between LIAISON XL and TGS TA was 92.1%: 100% in Group 1, 99.0% in Group 2 and 70.1% in Group 3. In Group 3, the concordance between the results of the IgG avidity with the LIAISON XL and TGS TA tests was 87.4%. Comparing the clinical diagnosis obtained with our protocol and that of the TGS TA system, the overall concordance was 94.3%: 97.1% in Group 1, 99.0% in Group 2 and 87.0% in Group 3. <br /><em>Conclusions</em>: In conclusion, the overall clinical concordance between the LIAISON XL/VIDAS protocol and the TGS TA system is excellent. TGA TA system shows to be a valuable tool able to clearly identify non-specific subjects, those with a non-recent infection and classify as either recent or past infection half of the subjects with undetermined infection with our protocol.


2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 1495-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamshaid Iqbal ◽  
Nabila Khalid

Acute Toxoplasma gondii infection in early pregnancy carries the risk of transmitting the infection to the fetus with serious sequelae. However, serological testing for IgG/IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies may fail to differentiate between a recent and past infection. Two hundred and twenty-four Kuwaiti women in their first trimester were screened for IgG/IgM antibodies by the Vitek Immuno Diagnostic Assay System (VIDAS) and VIDAS IgG-avidity tests. On serological screening, 119 (53.1 %) women were positive for IgG antibodies and 31 (13.8 %) for IgM antibodies. Nine of the IgM-positive and 7 IgM-negative women had low-avidity antibodies. However, the IgG-avidity test detected low-avidity antibodies only in 9 (29 %) of the 31 IgM-positive women, suggesting a recent infection; 19 (61.3 %) women had high-avidity antibodies, indicating that the infection was acquired in the distant past. Based on IgM serology alone, at least 31 IgM-positive women may have been wrongly labelled as having acute Toxoplasma infection thus warranting appropriate therapeutic intervention. All the 19 IgM-positive women with high-avidity antibodies were confirmed negative for Toxoplasma DNA on PCR analysis. Compared with PCR analysis, the VIDAS avidity test was a helpful tool for the diagnosis of recent Toxoplasma infection in IgM-negative women with low-avidity antibodies and IgM-positive women with high-avidity antibodies; the specificity was >85 –100 %. It is concluded that the VIDAS avidity test when used in combination with VIDAS IgG/IgM tests is a valuable assay for the exclusion of ongoing or recently acquired T. gondii infection in pregnant women in their first trimester and that it decreases significantly the necessity for follow-up testing and unnecessary therapeutic intervention.


Arthroplasty ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijie Chen ◽  
Kaizhe Chen ◽  
Yufei Yan ◽  
Jianmin Feng ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effect of medial posterior tibial slope (PTS) on mid-term postoperative range of motion (ROM) and functional improvement of the knee after medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Methods Medical records of 113 patients who had undergone 124 medial UKAs between April 2009 through April 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. The mean follow-up lasted 7.6 years (range, 6.2–11.2 years). Collected were demographic data, including gender, age, height, weight of the patients. Anteroposterior (AP) and lateral knee radiographs of the operated knees were available in all patients. The knee function was evaluated during office follow-up or hospital stay. Meanwhile, postoperative PTS, ROM, maximal knee flexion and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score (pre−/postoperative) of the operated side were measured and assessed. According to the size of the PTS, patients were divided into 3 groups: group 1 (<4°), group 2 (4° ~ 7°) and group 3 (>7°). The association between PTS and the knee function was investigated. Results In our cohort, the average PTS was 2.7° ± 0.6° in group 1, 5.6° ± 0.9° in group 2 and 8.7° ± 1.2° in group 3. Pairwise comparisons showed significant differences among them (p < 0.01). The average maximal flexion range of postoperative knees in each group was 112.4° ± 5.6°, 116.4° ± 7.2°, and 117.5° ± 6.1°, respectively, with significant difference found between group 1 and group 2 (p < 0.05), and between group 1 and group 3 (p < 0.05). However, the gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) did not differ between three groups and there was no significant difference between groups in terms of pre−/postoperative HSS scores or postoperative knee ROM. Conclusion A mid-term follow-up showed that an appropriate PTS (4° ~ 7°) can help improve the postoperative flexion of knee. On the other hand, too small a PTS could lead to limited postoperative knee flexion. Therefore, the PTS less than 4° should be avoided during medial UKA.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Emre Erdem ◽  
Ahmet Karatas ◽  
Tevfik Ecder

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The effect of high serum ferritin levels on long-term mortality in hemodialysis patients is unknown. The relationship between serum ferritin levels and 5-year all-cause mortality in hemodialysis patients was investigated in this study. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A total of 173 prevalent hemodialysis patients were included in this study. The patients were followed for up to 5 years and divided into 3 groups according to time-averaged serum ferritin levels (group 1: serum ferritin &#x3c;800 ng/mL, group 2: serum ferritin 800–1,500 ng/mL, and group 3: serum ferritin &#x3e;1,500 ng/mL). Along with the serum ferritin levels, other clinical and laboratory variables that may affect mortality were also included in the Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Eighty-one (47%) patients died during the 5-year follow-up period. The median follow-up time was 38 (17.5–60) months. The 5-year survival rates of groups 1, 2, and 3 were 44, 64, and 27%, respectively. In group 3, the survival was lower than in groups 1 and 2 (log-rank test, <i>p</i> = 0.002). In group 1, the mortality was significantly lower than in group 3 (HR [95% CI]: 0.16 [0.05–0.49]; <i>p</i> = 0.001). In group 2, the mortality was also lower than in group 3 (HR [95% CI]: 0.32 [0.12–0.88]; <i>p</i> = 0.026). No significant difference in mortality between groups 1 and 2 was found (HR [95% CI]: 0.49 [0.23–1.04]; <i>p</i> = 0.063). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Time-averaged serum ferritin levels &#x3e;1,500 ng/mL in hemodialysis patients are associated with an increased 5-year all-cause mortality risk.


Cartilage ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 194760352110309
Author(s):  
Alexandre Barbieri Mestriner ◽  
Jakob Ackermann ◽  
Gergo Merkely ◽  
Pedro Henrique Schmidt Alves Ferreira Galvão ◽  
Luiz Felipe Morlin Ambra ◽  
...  

Objective To determine the relationship between cartilage lesion etiology and clinical outcomes after second-generation autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) in the patellofemoral joint (PFJ) with a minimum of 2 years’ follow-up. Methods A retrospective review of all patients that underwent ACI in the PFJ by a single surgeon was performed. Seventy-two patients with a mean follow-up of 4.2 ± 2.0 years were enrolled in this study and were stratified into 3 groups based on the etiology of PFJ cartilage lesions: patellar dislocation (group 1; n = 23); nontraumatic lesions, including chondromalacia, osteochondritis dissecans, and degenerative defects (group 2; n = 28); and other posttraumatic lesions besides patellar dislocations (group 3; n = 21). Patient’s mean age was 29.6 ± 8.7 years. Patients in group 1 were significantly younger (25.4 ± 7.9 years) than group 2 (31.7 ± 9.6 years; P = 0.025) and group 3 (31.5 ± 6.6 years; P = 0.05). Body mass index averaged 26.2 ± 4.3 kg/m2, with a significant difference between group 1 (24.4 ± 3.2 kg/m2) and group 3 (28.7 ± 4.5 kg/m2; P = 0.005). A clinical comparison was established between groups based on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and failure rates. Results Neither pre- nor postoperative PROMs differed between groups ( P > 0.05). No difference was seen in survivorship between groups (95.7% vs. 82.2% vs. 90.5%, P > 0.05). Conclusion Cartilage lesion etiology did not influence clinical outcome in this retrospective study after second generation ACI in the PFJ. Level of Evidence Level III, retrospective comparative study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Jundziłł ◽  
Piotr Kwieciński ◽  
Daria Balcerczyk ◽  
Tomasz Kloskowski ◽  
Dariusz Grzanka ◽  
...  

AbstractThe use of an ileal segment is a standard method for urinary diversion after radical cystectomy. Unfortunately, utilization of this method can lead to numerous surgical and metabolic complications. This study aimed to assess the tissue-engineered artificial conduit for urinary diversion in a porcine model. Tissue-engineered tubular polypropylene mesh scaffolds were used for the right ureter incontinent urostomy model. Eighteen male pigs were divided into three equal groups: Group 1 (control ureterocutaneostomy), Group 2 (the right ureter-artificial conduit-skin anastomoses), and Group 3 (4 weeks before urostomy reconstruction, the artificial conduit was implanted between abdomen muscles). Follow-up was 6 months. Computed tomography, ultrasound examination, and pyelogram were used to confirm the patency of created diversions. Morphological and histological analyses were used to evaluate the tissue-engineered urinary diversion. All animals survived the experimental procedures and follow-up. The longest average patency was observed in the 3rd Group (15.8 weeks) compared to the 2nd Group (10 weeks) and the 1st Group (5.8 weeks). The implant’s remnants created a retroperitoneal post-inflammation tunnel confirmed by computed tomography and histological evaluation, which constitutes urostomy. The simultaneous urinary diversion using a tissue-engineered scaffold connected directly with the skin is inappropriate for clinical application.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aylin Karalezli ◽  
Sema Kaderli ◽  
Ahmet Kaderli ◽  
Cansu Kaya ◽  
Sabahattin Sul

Abstract Purpose: To compare the effect of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) or intravitreal dexamethasone implants (IVD) on regression of hyperreflective dots (HRDs) on optical coherence tomography (OCT) B-scan in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Methods: 37 eyes of 37 patients with cystoid macular edema who received IVR or IVD and followed up for at least 12 months were included in this study. The patients were divided into three groups according to intravitreal treatment. Group 1 consisted of 12 eyes who received only IVD, group 2 consisted of 10 eyes who received only IVR on a pro re nata and group 3 consisted of 15 eyes who received both IVD and IVR. OCT parameters (CMT, number of HRDs, status of external limiting membrane (ELM) and ellipsoid zone (EZ)) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were compared between the groups over the follow-up time. HRDs were categorized as HRD in inner retinal layers (from the internal limiting membrane to the inner nuclear layer) or HRD in outer retinal layers (from the outer plexiform layer to the outer border of the photoreceptor layer).Results: There was no significant difference between groups in terms of BCVA, CMT, HRDs in the inner and the outer retinal layers at baseline visit. (p˃0.05 for all) Comparing the baseline values in all groups, a significant decrease was observed in CMT in the first year. (For group 1; p=0.013, group 2; p=0.010; group 3, p<0.001) The BCVA was significantly increased after 1 year in all groups. (p=0.001, p=0.006, p<0.001) The mean number of HRDs in inner and outer retinal layers were significantly decreased in group 1 and group 3. (For group 1; p<0.001, p=0.001, for group 3; p<0.001, p<0.001) However, there was no significant difference in terms of the mean number of HRDs in inner and outer retinal layers for group 2. (p=0.134, p=0.477) At the first year, the number of HRDs in inner and outer retinal layers was significantly lower in group 1 and group 3 than group 2. (For inner HRDs; group 1 vs. group 2 p=0.007, group 2 vs. group 3 p<0.001. For outer HRDs group 1 vs. group 2 p<0.001, group 2 vs. group 3 p<0.001.) The BCVA was higher in group 3 than group 2 at 1year. (p=0.048). There was no significant difference in terms of post-treatment CMT and the number of HRDs between group 1 and group3 in posthoc tests (p=0.621, p=0.876, and p=0.632).Conclusion: The reduction in HRDs at 12 months and better BCVA after IVD intimates that the HRDs should be considered as inflammatory markers in the follow-up of CME in BRVO. Thus, IVD injection could be more appropriate for patients with higher HRDs after BRVO.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah Kojima ◽  
Arash Roshani ◽  
Matthew Brobeck ◽  
Arthur Baca ◽  
Jeffrey D Klausner

Introduction: The protective effect of previous infection versus vaccination is poorly studied. Among a clinical laboratory that has been conducting routine workforce screening since the beginning of the pandemic, we aimed to assess the relative risk of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among individuals who were SARS-CoV-2 naive, previously infected, or vaccinated. Methods: Using an electronic laboratory information system, employees were divided into three groups: (1) SARS-CoV-2 naive and unvaccinated, (2) previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, and (3) vaccinated. Person-days were measured from the date of the employee first test and truncated at the end of the observation period. SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined as two positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests in a 30-day period. Individuals with fewer than 14 days of follow up were excluded. Incidence estimates and the 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the Poisson Exact equation. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) was used as a measure of association between groups. Analyses were performed on StataSE (StataCorp, College Station, TX). Results: We identified 4313, 254 and 739 employee records for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The median age of employees was 29.0 years (interquartile range: 23.6, 39.9). During the observation period, 254, 0, and 4 infections were identified among groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Group 1 had an incidence of 25.9 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 22.8-29.3). Group 2 had an incidence of 0 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 0-5.0). Group 3 had an incidence of 1.6 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 0.04-4.2). The IRR of reinfection among those with previous infection compared to SARS-CoV-2 naive was 0 (95% CI: 0-0.19). The IRR of those vaccinated compared to SARS-CoV-2 naive was 0.06 (95% CI: 0.02-0.16). The IRR of those vaccinated compared to prior SARS-CoV-2 was 0 (95% CI: 0-4.98). Conclusion: Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 were associated with decreased risk for infection or re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 in a routinely screened workforce. The was no difference in the infection incidence between vaccinated individuals and individuals with previous infection. Further research is needed to determine whether our results are consistent with the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants.


2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-554
Author(s):  
Baghdad Science Journal

Some parameters for advancement of Leishmania tropica infection were examined in three groups of golden hamsters, Group (1) inoculated with autoclaved killed Leishmania tropica , Group (2) inoculated with BCG vaccine alone while Group (3) Inoculated with mixed vaccine (autoclaved killed Leishmania with BCG). The follow up of experimentally infected animals with virulent isolation of Leishmania tropica was done for 90 days, the animals inoculated with mixed vaccine (autoclaved killed Leishmania with BCG) showed the minimum average in each of foot pad thickness (2.3 ± 0.05) mm after (60) days of infection, spleen enlargement (1.13±0.38) after (45) days of infection, spleen length (23.9±0.08) mm after (30) days of infection, liver weight(3.8±0.52) gm after (90) days of infection and estimated number of parasites in the spleen (0.91±0.04) million parasites after (30) days of infection. In conclusion, the mixed vaccine was effective to protect animals against subsequent infections which may cause lesions, and minimized the number of parasites in spleen for (90) days after infection.


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