scholarly journals COVID-19: molecular and serological detection methods

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed E. Dhamad ◽  
Muna A. Abdal Rhida
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
World Health ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Gold Standard Method ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Since COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared as a pandemic disease by the World Health Organization in early 2020, many countries, organizations and companies have tried to find the best way to diagnose the virus and contain its spreading. SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-sense single RNA (+ssRNA) coronavirus and mainly spreads through droplets, respiratory secretions, and direct contact. The early detection of the virus plays a central role in lowering COVID19 incidents and mortality rates. Thus, finding a simple, accurate, cheap and quick detection approach for SARS-CoV-2 at early stage of the viral infection is urgent and at high demand all around the world. The Food and Drug Administration and other health agencies have declared Emergency Use Authorization to develop diagnostic methods for COVID-19 and fulfill the demand. However, not all developed methods are appropriate and selecting a suitable method is challenging. Among all detection methods, rRT-PCR is the gold standard method. Unlike molecular methods, serological methods lack the ability of early detection with low accuracy. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge about COVID-19 detection methods aiming to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of molecular and serological methods.

scholarly journals 405 - Music Therapy in the management of dementia

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (S1) ◽  
pp. 121-121
Author(s):  
Catarina Pedro ◽  
Beatriz Jorge ◽  
Mariana Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
World Health ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Introduction:Dementia has become a worldwide concern. According to the World Health Organization, there are 50 million individuals suffering from dementia across the world and approximately 20 million new cases are diagnosed each year. The efficacy of medications in controlling agitation and psychotic symptoms is modest and may cause serious adverse effects, outlining the urge for new treatment methods for patients with dementia. Music therapy (MT) is a nonpharmacologic strategy that is used in patients with early-to-late stages of dementia with promising results.Objectives:The aim of this presentation is to evaluate the benefits of music therapy in cognitive functioning and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients diagnosed with dementia. We also summarize the current knowledge about this topic.Methods:A non-systematic review of the literature was performed on PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of science using selected keywords.Results:MT sustains its benefit because musical memory regions in the brain are relatively spared compared to cognitive function. “Musical memories” can, thus, be stored longer than non-musical memories, allowing to recall associated life events and emotions. Systematic reviews suggest that MT seem to have a positive effect on symptoms such as depression, anxiety and behavioral problems while the findings concerning agitation/aggression are inconsistent. No large differences were found between studies using live or recorded music although the latter reported more of a consistently positive impact on behavioral and psychological outcomes. The studies using live music, however, reported specific benefits to relationships and interactions.Conclusions:The majority of the studies have methodological limitations, making it difficult to offer firm conclusions. Despite this, there were positive results on aspects of quality of life, cognitive function, behavioral, psychological, physiological and communication outcomes.

scholarly journals HCV Detection, Discrimination, and Genotyping Technologies

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 3423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shrikant Warkad ◽  
Satish Nimse ◽  
Keum-Soo Song ◽  
Taisun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
World Health ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Infected People ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 71 million people were living with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection worldwide in 2015. Each year, about 399,000 HCV-infected people succumb to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver failure. Therefore, screening of HCV infection with simple, rapid, but highly sensitive and specific methods can help to curb the global burden on HCV healthcare. Apart from the determination of viral load/viral clearance, the identification of specific HCV genotype is also critical for successful treatment of hepatitis C. This critical review focuses on the technologies used for the detection, discrimination, and genotyping of HCV in clinical samples. This article also focuses on advantages and disadvantages of the reported methods used for HCV detection, quantification, and genotyping.

scholarly journals A recent update of the diagnostic methods for tuberculosis and their applicability in Indonesia: a narrative review

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-91
Author(s):  
Tri Nugraha Susilawati ◽  
Riska Larasati
Keyword(s):  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current State ◽  
Interferon Gamma Release Assays ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
The World ◽  
Golden Standard ◽  
Tertiary Hospitals ◽  
Health Organization

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global problem, especially with the high prevalence of HIV-TB co-infection. Delayed diagnosis and continual transmission contribute to high mortality in Indonesia, which has the third highest incidence of TB in the world, after China and India. Therefore, early diagnosis is needed to reduce the number of cases and to administer therapy to prevent the transmission of bacteria. The diagnosis of TB remains a challenge in clinical practice due to poor sensitivity and the requirement of skilled staff in microscopic tests, the slow growth Mycobacterium in culture, and the low number of bacilli present in extrapulmonary TB. Despite being the golden standard for TB diagnosis, cultures require 2–8 weeks to grow. Other methods for diagnosing TB include interferon-gamma release assays and serologic tests such as the tuberculin skin test. Recently, the World Health Organization recommended the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay for diagnosing TB. This review presents the current state of TB epidemiology and various methods for TB diagnosis. In particular, the paper provides an in-depth discussion about the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay that has been made available recently in selected tertiary hospitals in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Increasing molecular diagnostic capacity and COVID-19 incidence in Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rejane Maria Tommasini Grotto ◽  
Rodrigo Santos Lima ◽  
Gabriel Berg de Almeida ◽  
Claudia Pio Ferreira ◽  
Raul Borges Guimarães ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
World Health ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic ◽  
Timely Diagnosis ◽  
The World ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Diagnostic Capacity ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Different countries have adopted strategies for the early detection of SARS-CoV-2 since the declaration of community transmission by the World Health Organization (WHO) and timely diagnosis has been considered one of the major obstacles for surveillance and healthcare. Here, we report the increase of the number of laboratories to COVID-19 diagnosis in Brazil. Our results demonstrate an increase and decentralisation of certified laboratories, which does not match the much higher increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Also, it becomes clear that laboratories are irregularly distributed over the country, with a concentration in the most developed state, São Paulo.

scholarly journals What factors need to be considered when assessing the financial costs of medicines

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-72
Author(s):  
A S Fedorenko ◽  
A T Burbello ◽  
M V Pokladova ◽  
M A Ivanova
Keyword(s):  
General Idea ◽  
World Health ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Financial Costs ◽  
The World ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Medical University ◽  
North Western

The article presents possible approaches to assessing the financial costs of medicines. The results of the ABC/VEN and ATC DDD analyzes recommended by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and the World Health Organization (WHO) in assessing the financial costs of medicines in a large multidisciplinary hospital are described. The evaluation of ABC/VEN and ATC/DDD analyzes, their advantages and disadvantages is given. It is shown that the ABC/VEN analysis gives only a general idea of planning financial expenditures and ATC/DDD about real drug consumption in the treatment of one patient. The financial costs of treating one patient vary significantly and depend on many factors: disease nosology, severity, division profile, etc. It was determined which factors should be taken into account both in estimating the cost of medicines and in planning financial expenditures for the next year. (For citation: Fedorenko AS, Burbello AT, Pokladova MV, Ivanova MA. What factors need to be considered when assessing the financial costs of medicines. Herald of North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov. 2018;10(2):64-72. doi: 10.17816/mechnikov201810264-72).

scholarly journals Looking at the Bigger Picture—Considering the Hurdles in the Struggle against Nanoplastic Pollution

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2536
Author(s):  
Sophie M. Briffa
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
World Health ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Environmental Persistence ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Changes Over Time

Plastics are considered one of the most serious environmental global concerns as they are ubiquitous and contribute to the build-up of pollution. In August 2020, the BBC reported that scientists found 12–21 million tonnes of tiny plastic fragments floating in the Atlantic Ocean. After release into the environment, plastics from consumer items, such as cosmetics and biomedical products, are subject to degradation and break down into microplastics (<5 mm in diameter) and eventually into nanoplastics (<100 nm in at least one dimension). Given their global abundance and environmental persistence, exposure of humans and animals to these micro- and nano- plastics is unavoidable. “We urgently need to know more about the health impact of microplastics because they are everywhere”, says Dr Maria Neira, Director at the World Health Organization. Nanoplastics are also an emerging environmental concern as little is known about their generation, degradation, transformation, ageing, and transportation. Owing to their small size, nanoplastics can be trapped by filter-feeding organisms and can enter the food chain at an early stage. Therefore, there is a gap in the knowledge that vitally needs to be addressed. This minireview considers how nanoplastic research can be made more quantifiable through traceable and trackable plastic particles and more environmentally realistic by considering the changes over time. It considers how nanoplastic research can use industrially realistic samples and be more impactful by incorporating the ecological impact.

scholarly journals Medical Image Classification for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Using Convolutional Neural Networks

2021 ◽  
pp. 2740-2747
Author(s):  
Ehsan Ali Al-Zubaidi ◽  
Maad M. Mijwil
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Convolutional Neural Networks ◽  
Medical Image ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
World Health ◽  
Elapsed Time ◽  
The World ◽  
Medical Image Classification ◽  
Serious Disease ◽  
Health Organization

     The coronavirus is a family of viruses that cause different dangerous diseases that lead to death. Two types of this virus have been previously found: SARS-CoV, which causes a severe respiratory syndrome, and MERS-CoV, which causes a respiratory syndrome in the Middle East. The latest coronavirus, originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is known as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a new kind of coronavirus that can harm people and was first discovered in Dec. 2019. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people infected with this serious disease has reached more than seven million people from all over the world. In Iraq, the number of people infected has reached more than twenty-two thousand people until April 2020. In this article, we have applied convolutional neural networks (ConvNets) for the detection of the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) coronavirus images that assist medical staffs in hospitals on categorization chest CT-coronavirus images at an early stage. The ConvNets are able to automatically learn and extract features from the medical image dataset. The objective of this study is to train the GoogleNet ConvNet architecture, using the COVID-CT dataset, to classify 425 CT-coronavirus images. The experimental results show that the validation accuracy of GoogleNet in training the dataset is 82.14% with an elapsed time of 74 minutes and 37 seconds.

scholarly journals Oral Cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Xiao ◽  
Zhou Wang
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cancer ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Premalignant Lesions ◽  
World Health ◽  
Screening Strategies ◽  
The World ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Optimized Treatment ◽  
Developed World

Oral cancer is a frequent head and neck cancer in developing countries and some developed world. According to the World Health Organization classification 2017, oral cancer influences the anatomical subsites including buccal mucosa, the anterior two-third of the tongue, lip, palate, vestibule, alveolus, floor of the mouth, and gingivae. A variety of premalignant lesions are related with the development of oral cancer, such as leukoplakia, erythroplakia, et al. The predominant histological type of oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Tobacco and alcohol consumption are regarded as critical etiological factors. Due to the unspecific symptoms in early stage, the majority are diagnosed in advanced stages. Despite the development of medicine over decades, the mortality rate of oral cancer remains high, indicating the importance of optimized treatment and screening strategies.

scholarly journals Tackling the COVID-19 Pandemic- A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-186
Author(s):  
CC Nganwuchu ◽  
K Habas ◽  
N Mohammed ◽  
M Osei Wusuansa ◽  
D Makanjuola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
World Health ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Since December 2019, a new type of coronavirus called novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, or COVID-19) was identified in Wuhan, China and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. With more than 101,797,158 confirmed cases, resulting in 3,451,354 deaths as of May 21, 2021, the world faces an unprecedented economic, social, and health impact. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 has a wide range of manifestations, ranging from an asymptomatic state or mild respiratory symptoms to severe viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Several diagnostic methods are currently available for detecting the coronavirus in clinical, research, and public health laboratories. Some tests detect the infection directly by detecting the viral RNA using real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and other tests detect the infection indirectly by detecting the host antibodies. Additional techniques are using medical imaging diagnostic tools such as X-ray and computed tomography (CT). Various approaches have been employed in the development of COVID-19 therapies. Some of these approaches use drug repurposing (e.g. Remdesivir and Dexamethasone) and combinational therapy (e.g. Lopinavir/Ritonavir), whilst others aim to develop anti-viral vaccines (e.g. mRNA and antibody). Additionally, health experts integrate data sharing, provide with guidelines and advice to minimize the effects of the pandemic. These guidelines include wearing masks, avoiding direct contact with infectious people, respiratory and personal hygiene. Taken together, an extensive knowledge on transmission mechanisms, clinical spectrums, specific diagnostics methods, host-virus interactions are required to tackle this pandemic. J. Bio-Sci. 29(2): 175-186, 2021 (December)

scholarly journals COVID-19; Plague of the 21st Century; Situation Update

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Mirza Zain Baig ◽  
Zaitoon Zafar ◽  
Abeer Aziz ◽  
Umme Hani Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Medical Infrastructure

The first known case of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus now known as SARS-CoV-2 occurred in Wuhan, China in late December 2019. In a matter of a few months, it has spread globally to infect more than 500, 000 people and has caused more than 20,000 deaths. It was officially declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization (WHO). To date, it has strained medical infrastructure, stagnated global economy and given rise to social stigma, fear, and racism. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of our current knowledge and understanding of this new disease.

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