Factors associated with patients who prefer HIV self-testing over health professional testing in an emergency department-based rapid HIV screening program

Kiosk-facilitated HIV self-testing has been shown to be accurate and well accepted by emergency department (ED) patients. We investigated factors associated with patients who preferred self-testing over testing performed by health professionals in an ED-based HIV screening program. This opt-in program evaluation studied 332 patients in an inner-city academic ED from February 2012 to April 2012, when a kiosk-based HIV self-testing program was standard of care. The first kiosk in the 2-stage system registered patients and assessed their interest in screening, while the second kiosk gathered demographic and risk factor information and also provided self-testing instructions. Patients who declined to self-test were offered testing by staff. Broad eligibility included patients aged 18–64 years who were not critically ill, English-speaking, able to provide informed consent, and registered during HIV program operational hours. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis and Chi squared tests; 160 (48.2%) of 332 patients consenting to testing chose to use a kiosk to guide them performing self-testing. Patients aged 25–29 years and those whose primary ED diagnosis was not infectious disease-related were more likely to prefer HIV self-testing (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.17–4.10; OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.03–3.12). HIV self-testing in the ED could serve as a complementary testing approach to the conventional modality.

Future of the Renal Biopsy: Time to Change the Conventional Modality Using Nanotechnology

At the present time, imaging guided renal biopsy is used to provide diagnoses in most types of primary and secondary renal diseases. It has been claimed that renal biopsy can provide a link between diagnosis of renal disease and its pathological conditions. However, sometimes there is a considerable mismatch between patient renal outcome and pathological findings in renal biopsy. This is the time to address some new diagnostic methods to resolve the insufficiency of conventional percutaneous guided renal biopsy. Nanotechnology is still in its infancy in renal imaging; however, it seems that it is the next step in renal biopsy, providing solutions to the limitations of conventional modalities.

Telescopic Overdenture with Customized Double Copings- A Simplified Approach to Preventive Prosthodontics

Preventive Prosthodontics emphasizes the importance of any procedure that can delay or eliminate future prosthodontic problems. The conventional modality of treatment for partially edentulous arches with presence of a few teeth, was either to render them completely edentulous by extracting the remaining teeth and providing complete dentures, or restoring them with removable partial dentures. An overdenture with support of few remaining teeth can also be provided as a good alternative. Various attachments and types of overdentures can be fabricated on the retained teeth or roots. The telescopic crowns for the overdenture can be given as a successful attachment. This article presents the simplified technique of telescopic overdenture using customized double copings for the overdenture abutments.